bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rethinking communications for governance of malaria programs
Authors: Opigo Jimmy , Guyer Anya L.
Published: July 2023

Malaria has, to a great extent, become normalized and accepted as inevitable. To resume global progress on malaria elimination, national malaria programs in many malaria-endemic countries urgently need to add new tactics. The global COVID-19 experience has demonstrated that it is possible to rapidly shift health programming and governance. In this essay we argue that a key to transforming malaria programming is stronger and more strategic communications to bring malaria to the forefront. Our concept of communications goes beyond the typical malaria behavior change communication or information, education and communication campaigns; to truly have an impact on improving the malaria situation in the countries where it is most entrenched, malaria program staff and advocates must also focus more on strategic communications to rally the full range of stakeholders to prioritize malaria. We searched two databases of peer-reviewed literature and one malaria-focused journal for examinations of strategic communications for malaria governance and found no publications that deal directly with the topic. This paper therefore proposes a framework for strategic communications for malaria governance that involves five key elements: knowing the audience, defining the message, designing a medium, identifying a messenger, and selecting the timing. Throughout the essay, we draw on experiences from Uganda, where one of the authors leads the country’s National Malaria Control Division. Strategic communications can trigger improvements in malaria control by driving and supporting decision-making by individuals and leaders. Further, strategic communications is a tool used to improve policy, mobilize resources, and serve as the management glue that holds a malaria program and team together as they move their nations towards malaria elimination.
Maternal healthcare utilization in rural Bangladesh: A comparative analysis between high and low disaster-prone areas
Authors: Begum Afroza , Hamid Syed Abdul
Published: July 2023

This study examined the disparity in antenatal care (ANC) visits and institutional delivery between high-disaster-prone (HDP) and low-disaster-prone (LDP) areas, defined based on multi-hazards, in Bangladesh and assessed the influencing factors using Andersen’s behavioral model. In this study, cross-sectional data of 345 mothers, who had live birth the year preceding the survey, were used from the second-round multipurpose survey of a longitudinal research project conducted in May-June 2011. Hierarchical multinomial logistic and binary logistic models were respectively used to assess the determinants of ANC contacts and choice of childbirth place. We found very low utilization of 4+ ANC visits in both HDP (20%) and LDP (15%) areas. The difference is also not significant. The strong influencing factors of receiving 4+ ANC were mother’s education, household size, income, and proximity to health facility. The level of institutional delivery was also low (21%), and no significant difference between HDP (15.2%) and LDP (25.7%) was found. However, in the case of institutional delivery, significant (p-value≤ .01) difference was found in C-section between HDP (42%) and LDP (79%). A significant (p-value≤ .05) difference was also found in the attendance of graduate doctors/gynecologists between HDP (58%) and LDP (88%). Mothers of HDP areas were 52 percent less likely to choose institutional delivery compared to those of LDP areas. Moreover, there was 30 percent less likelihood of choosing institutional delivery with an increase in distance to the nearest health facility. Specific demand-side (e.g., awareness raising, expanding maternal voucher scheme, covering more mothers under maternal allowance, and facilitating more income-generating activities especially off-farm ones) and supply-side interventions (e.g., providing training to local traditional birth attendants, and deployment of boat-based medical teams in coastal andcharareas) need to be undertaken to increase institutional delivery, especially in HDP areas. However, the ultimate solution depends on adopting long-term measures to prepare facilities ready by filling the vacant posts and reducing absenteeism. Public-private partnerships modality can also be introduced especially in the HDP areas. Policy attention is needed to introduce such interventions.
The association between religiosity and resilience among young trans women
Authors: Wang Jeremy C. , McFarland Willi , Arayasirikul Sean , Wilson Erin C.
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Young transgender women (trans women) experience poor health in part due to discrimination. Factors that promote resilience may help young trans women positively adapt to discrimination, resulting in attenuation of poor health outcomes. While religion is sometimes a source of stigma and transphobia, qualitative studies have identified religiosity as an important resilience resource for young trans women. The goals of this study were to quantitatively measure religiosity and resilience among young trans women and to assess whether they are associated.

Methods

From 2012–2013, 300 young trans women between the ages of 16–24 years were enrolled in a longitudinal study; we examined the cross-sectional baseline data on demographics, religiosity, and resilience. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis examined the correlation between demographics (age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income) and religiosity among young trans women. Additionally, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis examined the association between religiosity and resilience among young trans women, controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, and income.

Results

Participants who reported high religiosity had significantly greater odds (aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.05–3.01, p = .03) of reporting high resilience compared to those reporting low religiosity. Black/African American participants had significantly higher odds (aOR 6.16, 95% CI 2.34–16.20, p = < .001) of reporting high religiosity compared to those who identified as White.

Conclusion

Religiosity may be an important resilience resource for young trans women. Gender affirming religious and spiritual interventions may promote resilience among some young trans women.
Fake news stance detection using selective features and FakeNET
Authors: Aljrees Turki , Cheng Xiaochun , Ahmed Mian Muhammad , Umer Muhammad , Majeed Rizwan , Alnowaiser Khaled , Abuzinadah Nihal , Ashraf Imran
Published: July 2023

The proliferation of fake news has severe effects on society and individuals on multiple fronts. With fast-paced online content generation, has come the challenging problem of fake news content. Consequently, automated systems to make a timely judgment of fake news have become the need of the hour. The performance of such systems heavily relies on feature engineering and requires an appropriate feature set to increase performance and robustness. In this context, this study employs two methods for reducing the number of feature dimensions including Chi-square and principal component analysis (PCA). These methods are employed with a hybrid neural network architecture of convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) model called FakeNET. The use of PCA and Chi-square aims at utilizing appropriate feature vectors for better performance and lower computational complexity. A multi-class dataset is used comprising ‘agree’, ‘disagree’, ‘discuss’, and ‘unrelated’ classes obtained from the Fake News Challenges (FNC) website. Further contextual features for identifying bogus news are obtained through PCA and Chi-Square, which are given nonlinear characteristics. The purpose of this study is to locate the article’s perspective concerning the headline. The proposed approach yields gains of 0.04 in accuracy and 0.20 in the F1 score, respectively. As per the experimental results, PCA achieves a higher accuracy of 0.978 than both Chi-square and state-of-the-art approaches.
A location-inventory model for the sustainable supply chain of perishable products based on pricing and replenishment decisions: A case study
Authors: Mohammadi Zahra , Barzinpour Farnaz , Teimoury Ebrahim
Published: July 2023

In recent decades, changes in people’s lifestyles and occupations have led to new food consumption patterns around the world, with a notable growth in the demand for ready meals and meat products. Accordingly, the food industry has tried to transform the global food culture by promoting its more profitable products to become able to set a higher price for meat. Considering the short lifetime of products in perishable food supply chains, inventory decisions are considered crucial. In addition, the demand for perishable food products is greatly affected by their freshness. In this paper, we develop a multi-objective mixed-integer non-linear programming model for a four-level sustainable supply chain (SC) of a perishable product with price-dependent demand and deterioration rates. The SC consists of suppliers, a production center (PC), distribution centers (DCs), and retailers. We aim to ascertain the optimal pricing policy and cycle length to maximize profit, achieve specific social objectives, and minimize the total cost and adverse environmental impacts. The proposed model determines the deterioration rate of each product according to its expiration date, the optimal location of supply-side facilities, and the flow rate between the facilities based on the selected mode of delivery. The products are delivered to the retailers by a mechanized transportation system either directly from the PC or indirectly through the DCs. Finally, an actual case study is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the model and our theoretical results under real-world conditions. We solve the case study by a preemptive fuzzy goal programming method and perform several sensitivity analyses on the results. By performing simultaneous sensitivity analyses on the demand and expiration dates, the optimal values of the problem’s parameters are determined. The optimal values help decision-makers make optimal decisions regarding the selling price of products and replenishment times. The model is applicable to supply chains of any perishable items with expiration dates.
Two-Country HANK and trade friction
Authors: Yang Yujie , Zhang Chenxing , Hou Wenwen
Published: July 2023

Compared to the Two-Country Representative Agents and the Small Open Economy Heterogeneous Agents models, this paper develops a Two-Country Heterogeneous Agents New Keynesian model, building a heterogeneous and endogenous channel of mutual investments on foreign illiquid assets and exploring two countries’ wealth distribution and inequality. This model explores the impacts of trade barriers on the two countries’ economic structures and behaviors. In the symmetric economy, the first launcher of tariffs suffers higher losses from the trade war, the other that does not launch tariffs suffers fewer losses. The two countries both suffer higher losses if the two sides simultaneously launch the trade war. However, in the asymmetrical economy, the country with a larger economic scale and higher productivities suffers lower losses from the trade war. Thus the high-tech country has the motivation to launch the trade war at a lower cost than the low-tech country. This paper implies that the trade war only occurs in asymmetric economies. The low-tech country can change its dilemma by improving technology because higher technology can enhance the quality level of products, stimulate economic consumption and investments, and finally offset the loss from tariff friction. Meanwhile, the trade detour is also an effective means to reduce the loss resulted from trade friction.
Road salt intrusion dynamics in an ex-urban native wetland complex
Authors: Hernandez Gonzalez Liliana M. , Rivera Vivien A. , Akosa Denzel , Phillips Colin B. , Hatch Shelby L. , Miller William M. , Packman Aaron I.
Published: July 2023

Inland freshwater wetlands throughout the northern U.S. and Canada are experiencing an increase in salinity due to road salt runoff during winter months. Salinization affects soil texture, contaminant transport, microbial activity, and plant growth in wetlands. Therefore, there is a pressing need to understand the dynamics of road salt intrusion in urbanized freshwater ecosystems. We used distributed high-resolution sensors to evaluate the dynamics of road salt intrusion into a wetland complex, Gensburg Markham Prairie (GMP), located in the ex-urban area outside Chicago, Illinois (USA). The in situ sensors measure electrical conductivity (EC), surface and groundwater level, precipitation, water temperature, and air temperature at 30-minute intervals. Water samples were collected monthly from 13 shallow groundwater wells and eight surface water locations and analyzed for Cl-, Mg2+, Na+, Ca2+, and K+. Two-years of continuous data show periodic spikes in EC during winter months, generally by an order-of-magnitude, due to intrusion of road salt applied on nearby roads. However, this behavior was not evident from monthly water samples, indicating that traditional water quality sampling methods likely miss such abrupt salt intrusion dynamics caused by rapid snowmelt runoff events. Higher levels of EC and Cl- occurred at the periphery of GMP near roadways, as well as in a preferential flow path to the interior of the wetland. Spectral analysis of EC time-series in ditches suggests that there is no correlation between salinity dynamics at super-annual timescales. This indicates that the salinity dynamics at GMP are event-driven, and the introduced solutes are rapidly exported from the site. This research supports development of improved de-icing strategies by local agencies and informs site-specific management of wetland ecosystems under anthropogenic stressors.
Seasonal variation in household water insecurity in rural Bangladesh: A longitudinal analysis
Authors: Broyles Lauren M. T. , Pakhtigian Emily L. , Aziz Sonia , Akanda Ali S. , Mejia Alfonso
Published: July 2023

Billions of people globally are at risk for severe water scarcity periodically throughout the year. Moreover, intensifying climate change and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns will increase the severity and scope of those affected by household water insecurity, with negative consequences on household health and wellbeing. Faced with water insecurity, households shift to alternative water sources, which may be more expensive or of lower quality and contribute to both financial and health burdens. The extent to which household water insecurity varies throughout the year, however, remains understudied. Using a panel dataset of 2014 households across 40 villages in Matlab, Bangladesh, we test for seasonal variation in household water insecurity and its determinants using a modified HWISE scale. We find that while water insecurity in Matlab was low both pre- and post-monsoon, household water experiences vary throughout the year. Households report significantly lower water insecurity post-monsoon, compared to pre-monsoon, suggesting an annual measure of household water insecurity is insufficient to fully characterize intra-annual household water experiences. Comparing determinants of household water insecurity, we find that geography, household water use behaviors, and household characteristics are significantly related to experiences of household water insecurity but vary in their extent depending on the season. Our results demonstrate that physical location, seasonality, water quality, and household-level factors contribute to the dynamic nature of intra-annual household water insecurity. Knowing when and to what extent such determinants influence household water experiences throughout the year is essential for guiding and adapting engineering and policy design to reduce the costs and consequences of household water insecurity.
Riqueza léxica en la producción escrita en español de alumnos chinos: un estudio basado en la teoría de los sistemas dinámicos complejos
Authors: Li Jing
Published: July 2023

En base a la teoría de los sistemas complejos y adoptando el método de microcambios, el presente trabajo tiene, como objeto de estudio, una clase de alumnos chinos del primer año de la carrera de Filología Hispánica. Se ha realizado un seguimiento de las variables de la riqueza léxica, incluidas la diversidad, densidad, complejidad y tasa de error, y sus patrones de interacción. El resultado muestra que (1) los alumnos presentan un desarrollo fluctuante y no lineal, pero aquellos con un nivel alto del idioma son los primeros en evidenciar cambios en el aprendizaje, como alcanzar el estado atractor, mientras los alumnos con menos nivel experimentan un período fluctuante más largo; (2) el alumno de nivel superior presenta una correlación de las variables léxicas, principalmente de apoyo mutuo, mientras el alumno de nivel medio tiene una correlación de competencia y el alumno de menor nivel no muestra una correlación relevante. Las diferencias grupales e individuales se deben a la asignación de recursos del ecosistema cognitivo, que abarcan cuestiones internas, como la motivación, las creencias de aprendizaje y el input léxico, y aspectos externos, como el tema.
Fundamentos de lingüística para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de las locuciones verbales en español lengua extranjera
Authors: Penadés Martínez Inmaculada
Published: July 2023

Se presenta brevemente la situación de la enseñanza de las locuciones en los manuales de ELE; su tratamiento en dos obras de referencia: el Marco común europeo de referencia para las lenguas: aprendizaje, enseñanza y evaluación, y el Plan curricular del Instituto Cervantes; y los aspectos que deberían ser revisados en materiales didácticos. Centrándose en las locuciones verbales, se propone un método de enseñanza-aprendizaje basado en su morfología, en su función sintáctica y en las relaciones semánticas de antonimia e hiponimia-hiperonimia. Se plantea, además, la necesidad de reflexionar sobre su significante y su significado para el estudio de la variación marcada y no marcada, y de los mecanismos de la metáfora y la metonimia en que se basan. El objetivo principal es mostrar un conjunto de reflexiones teóricas, fundadas en la lingüística, útiles para que los profesores de español lengua extranjera enseñen las locuciones verbales en relación con sus características. Se concluye que 1) el conocimiento de la morfología, la sintaxis y la semántica de las locuciones verbales es un apoyo fundamental para alcanzar una competencia fraseológica; 2) la clasificación morfológica y el análisis sintáctico y semántico de las locuciones verbales, por una parte, le permite al profesor presentarlas y trabajarlas de manera organizada y en relación con los contenidos del currículo y, por otra parte, facilita a los alumnos que las aprendan a partir del conocimiento previo de la lengua extranjera y de fenómenos psicológicos universales; y 3) la observación de la variación, de la imagen mental y de los mecanismos de formación de las locuciones verbales, unidades que existen también en la lengua materna del estudiante, es un medio fundamental para adquirir su competencia.
Unlocking the power of emotion in L2 Spanish: a study of verbs of affection instruction
Authors: Martín-Gascón Beatriz
Published: July 2023

This study explores one of the most important research lines in the field of Applied Linguistics: the teaching and learning of a second language (L2), and more specifically, of L2 Spanish. Spanish is a rapidly growing language, with a user base that has increased to 591 million, 6 million more than in 2020, according to the latest annual El español en el mundo (Instituto Cervantes, 2021). Spanish is thus becoming one of the most in-demand languages and this requires effective teaching. Through the analysis of seven L2 Spanish textbooks, we aim to examine the theoretical approach underlying the explanations of verbs of affection in Spanish (e.g., me fastidia [‘it bothers me’], me encanta [‘I love’]), as this grammatical construction is complex for a non-native speaker. Based on the findings, this investigation endeavors to provide pedagogical illustrations of how cognitive linguistics can be an advantageous method in teaching and learning psych verbs. The results of the study indicate that while all teaching materials are based on the classical communicative paradigm, none of them provide a cognitive perspective for the instruction of psych verbs in the early stages of learning or across the entire spectrum of emotions. This disregard for grammatical meaning and systematic treatment of these linguistic forms results in a reduced focus on their formal aspects, neglecting the changes in meaning that occur based on the focus on the stimulus or experiencer. This approach to teaching emotions grammar is viewed as mechanical and artificial.
A vueltas con la oposición imperfecto / pretérito perfecto simple. Ventajas descriptivas y pedagógicas de un enfoque temporal-epistémico
Authors: Castañeda Castro Alejandro
Published: July 2023

En este trabajo, revisamos la concepción temporalista del sistema verbal del español en combinación con la propuesta epistémico-dinámica de la gramática cognitiva de Langacker (1991) y la forma en que dicha aproximación se concreta descriptiva y pedagógicamente en relación con la pareja de tiempos imperfecto / pretérito perfecto simple. Exploramos la relación de estos dos tiempos considerando que el imperfecto (cantaba) es el correlato del presente (canto) en el pasado o en un ámbito no actual, lo cual deriva en su caracterización aspectual imperfectiva prototípica, mientras que el pretérito perfecto simple (canté) se concibe como un pretérito «absoluto» que se asocia indefectiblemente a una interpretación aspectualmente terminativa. Abordamos algunas derivadas de esta aproximación respecto de diferentes usos de estos tiempos condicionados léxica y discursivamente; indagamos la relación entre los datos extraídos en los estudios de adquisición de esta oposición y la posición defendida aquí; y repasamos algunos criterios de aplicación didáctica para el aula de español LE/L2.
Recent Advances in Antibody-drug Conjugates Produced Using Chemical Conjugation Technology
Authors:   Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services, San Diego, CA 92121, Matsuda Yutaka
Published: July 2023

To date, more than 10 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and contribute to the medical community. Interestingly, all of them are manufactured using chemical conjugation techniques. This demonstrates that chemical conjugation is the primary approach to ADC manufacturing. Compared to other conjugation techniques (e.g., genetic engineering or enzymatic), chemical conjugation has the advantage of a relatively simple chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) for ADC, prompting pharmaceutical companies to choose this technique for ADC projects. To better understand this advantage, this article provides an overview of established full chemical conjugation methods that have already been applied in the scale-up phase for ADC production.
Silver-Alumina Impregnated Maghemite/Magnetite Nanocomposites for Effective Removal of Chromium(VI) from the Tannery Discharge
Authors: Andiyappan Kistan , Kanchana V.
Published: July 2023

The chromium(VI) ions present in the tannery waste was efficiently remove by using silver-alumina impregnated maghemite/magnetite nanocomposites as adsorbents. The as-synthesized adsorbents were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDAX, HR-TEM and FT-IR techniques. The adsorption process was found to be pH, time, dosage of adsorbent and temperature dependent. The adsorption data appropriate well with the pseudo-first-order kinetics, pseudo-second-order kinetics Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Among the two synthesized nanoabsorbents, the silver-alumina impregnated magnetite (SAMG) nanocomposite was found to be most effective absorbent, and its maximum chromium removal efficiency was achieved to be 98.81% within 2 h at a pH of 3.0 and at dosage of 0.5 g/L.
Exploring the Decreasing Coercivity Properties of Aluminum Cobalt Ferrites Prepared by Coprecipitation Method
Authors: Poongodi R. , Senguttuvan S. , Sagayaraj R.
Published: July 2023

Cobalt aluminum ferrites were synthesized by coprecipitation method at 1000 ºC. XRD studies pointed out the employed samples (Fe2+Al23+O42−, Fe0.25Co0.75Al2O4 and Fe0.75Co0.25Al2O4) were crystallized in a single phase cubic spinel form. The synthesized samples were calculated structural parameters such as crystallitesize (D: 17 nm), X-ray density (Dx: 3.97 to 4.15 g/cm3), volume of the unit cell (V: 583.64 to 586.58 Å), lattice strain (ε: 6.9 × 10-3), dislocation density (δ: 3.3 × 10-3) and lattice constant (a: 8.357 to 8.371 Å). The FE-SEM microstructure confirmed that various concentrations result in different particle sizes (5 μm to 500 nm). The magnetic characteristics were investigated by VSM and magnetic parameters like saturation magnetization (Ms: 4.82 × 10-3 to 0.673 emu/g), retentivity (Mr: 1.545 × 10-3 to 0.229 emu/g), coercivity (Hc: 775.45 to 2212.8 Oe), magnetic moment (μB: 1.57 × 10-4 to 2.108 × 10-2), remnant ratio (R: 0.32 to 0.357 no unit) and anisotropy constant (K: 3.418 to 177.57 J/m3) were calculated. High coercivity materials are ideal for use in magnetic recording media, permanent magnets and microwave devices since they possess a high degree of resistance to an external magnetic force.
Synthesis of 4-Amino-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)one-[1,2,3]triazolebenzenesulphonamide Bioactive Hybrids as Novel Therapeutic Agents
Authors: Kuna Krishna , Baswa Ashok Kumar
Published: July 2023

A novel 1H-pyrazol[1,2,3]triazole-benzenesulphonamide hybrids (7a-o) were synthesized with benzenesulfonamide and substituted aromatic azides/benzyl azides by Click reaction conditions using Cu(II) and aqueous sodium ascorbate as an inexpensive catalyst in the solvent ratio 1:1 H2O-tBu-OH around 12-14 h at room temperature with high yields (81-92%) under eco-friendly conditions. These newly designed hybrids were characterized by IR, 1H NMR and mass spectroscopic studies. These hybrids were also screened for in vitro antimicrobial activities and correlated with molecular docking studies. Among the derivatives, compound 7c was found to be a potent antibacterial and antifungal agents with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of in vitro values were compared with standard molecules. The docking studies of these derivatives revealed that compound 7c having greater binding affinity against the drug target haemoglobin receptor IsdB (3RTL) and it was confirmed by the in vitro screening.
Green Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles induced Apoptosis in Human Cervical (HeLa) and Breast (MCF-7) Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Thakral Falak , Kumar Ajay , Sharma Manik , Kour Rasdeep , Kaur Satwinderjeet , Shahwan Moyad , Chauhan Ritu , Bhatia Gurpreet Kaur , Tuli Hardeep Singh
Published: July 2023

Chemotherapeutic resistance is currently one of the most prevalent problems due to the low absorption and undesirable toxicity of existing medications. Furthermore, non-specific targeting of existing medications is leading to the investigation of novel drug manufacturing strategies to eradicate chronic disorders. Present studies were performed to explore the anti-proliferative potential of synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in human breast (MCF-7), human lung (A549) and human cervical (HeLa) cancer cell lines. The ZnO NPs were synthesized by using soybean seed extract. The ZnO NPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The phytochemicals present in the soybean seed extract was evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) technique. Cytotoxicity effects of ZnO NPs, levofloxacin (LVX) and a combination of ZnO NPs-LVX against MCF-7, A549 and HeLa cancer cell lines was evaluated by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Annexin assays were performed to explore the apoptosis-inducing potential of ZnO NPs and its drug combination. This showed that tested compounds have potent cytotoxic effects dose-dependently against cancer cell lines. The potent anticancer potential of ZnO NPs-LVX is expressed to utilize in the near future as novel therapeutic strategies.
Mycosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles (Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma longibrachiatum) and their Mosquito Larvicidal Efficacy on Dengue Vectors and Acute Toxicity on Moina macrocopa
Authors: Perera Dinusha S. , Tharaka W.G. Hiruni , Wickramarachchi Suranga R. , Amarasinghe Deepika , De Silva Channa R. , Gunawardana Thilini N.
Published: July 2023

Current study is based on the larvicidal effect of mycosynthesized siver nanopartices (AgNPs) from Trichoderma  ongibrachiatum (Tl-AgNPs) and Trichoderma viride (Tv-AgNPs) on Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus dengue vectors and non-targeted aquatic crustacean, Moina macrocopa. Mosquito larvae were exposed to each test concentration (10 to 50 mg L-1) of Tl-AgNPs and Tv-AgNPs separately with three replicates containing 25 larvae each. The AgNPs characterization confirmed the formation of Tl-AgNPs and Tv-AgNPs in the UV-Vis spectrum with the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 430 nm, existence of biomolecules and stabilizing agents on the AgNPs in FTIR spectroscopy and the presence of spherical shape AgNPs in a size range of 15-20 nm in TEM. The total larval exposure period was 48 h in order to evaluate 24 and 48 h larval mortalities and the toxicity effects on Moina macrocopa were also evaluated. LC50 were recorded as 14.68 mg L-1,14.05 mg L-1 after 24 h and 13.4 mg L-1, 12.94 mg L-1 after 48 h of exposure to A. aegypti and A. albopictus, respectively for Tl-AgNPs. The LC50 for Tv-AgNPs were recorded as 12.08 mg L-1, 14.05 mg L-1 after 24 h and 13.4 mg L-1, 12.94 mg L-1 after 48 h exposure for A. aegypti and A. albopictus, respectively. The Tv-AgNPs are reported to be more toxic for M. macrocopa after 48 h exposure with LC50 0.167 ppm, LC90 0.291 ppm for Tl-AgNPs and LC50 0.155, LC90 0.248 ppm for Tv-AgNPs. This study concludes Tl-AgNPs and Tv-AgNPs could be used as potential larvicide for dengue vector control. Results confirmed that Tv-AgNPs are more effective than Tl-AgNPs in controlling mosquito larvae. However, there is a potential threat to other non-targeted organisms in the practical aspects of this treatment.
Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of New Benzamidine Derivatives: Antibiotics for Periimplantitis Causing Pathogen
Authors: Jain A. , Sa'ad M.A. , Ugrappa S. , Kavitha R. , Jagadeesan D. , Wu Y.S. , Lalitha P. , Ravichandran M. , Noor S.N.F.M. , Fuloria S. , Fuloria N.K.
Published: July 2023

Periimplantitis (PI) is complex polymicrobial disease, which destroys implant-supporting tissue. Although facts suggest several synthetic inhibitors of periimplantitis causing bacteria (PCB), but the undesirable side effects of them limits their application. Hence, current investigation was intended to carry out the synthesis, characterization, in vitro antimicrobial evaluation and cytotoxicity (cell viability) analysis of new benzamidine derivatives (NBDs) against periimplantitis causing bacteria. Present study involved synthesis of 2-(4-((4-substituted)carbamothioyl)phenoxy)-N-(4-substituted benzylidene)acetohydrazide (4a-c) by treatment of different aromatic aldehydes with 2-(4-carbamothioylphenoxy)acetohydrazide (3), that was obtained by hydrazination of ethyl 2-(4-carbamothioylphenoxy)acetate (2), the derivative of 4-hydroxybenzothioamide (1). The synthesized compounds (NBDs) were subjected to FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectrometric characterization. All NBDs were further investigated for their antimicrobial potential (MIC and MBC) against P. gingivalis the PCB, using micro-broth dilution method. The NBDs were also tested for their cytotoxicity (cell viability) against HEK 293 cells using MTT assay. The present study successfully synthesized and elucidated the structures of the synthesized NBDs. The NBDs when tested against P. gingivalis exhibited MIC ranging between 62.5-500 μg/mL, whereas NBDs 4a and 4b exhibited MBC of 125 and 62.5 μg/mL respectively. Also, all NBDs exhibited weak cytotoxicity (cell viability more than 80%) against HEK 293 at 7.81 μg/mL. The significant antimicrobial activity of NBDs and higher cell viability (safety) against P. gingivalis supports their potential application in periimplantitis treatment, however these NBDs must be further investigated for the additional in vivo and clinical studies.
Efficient Transfer Hydrogenation of 4-Nitrophenol using Ammonia Borane over Metal-Organic Framework Derived Bimetallic Nanoparticles
Authors: Swamy Akkenapally , Krishnaveni Valle , Mounika Siripurapu , Basavaiah Keloth
Published: July 2023

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline porous materials composed of metal ions and organic linkers connected through covalent bonds. To synthesize bimetallic nanoparticles ammonia borane was used as a reducing agent was used on metal ions contained in MOF-74(Cu, Ni). Monometallic Cu and Ni nanoparticles were also synthesized from their corresponding MOF-74 materials. The nanoparticles generated through this methodology were effectively stabilized by the linker of MOF. These nanoparticles were then employed for the transfer hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. Among the 5 different catalysts tested, CuxNi1-x exhibited exceptional catalytic activity towards 4-nitrophenol reduction within 2 min, indicating a synergistic effect between copper and nickel in the bimetallic catalyst. Additionally, these catalysts demonstrated good stability and recyclability up to 5 cycles.
Synthesis of Quinoline-Based New Chiral Derivatizing Reagents and its use in the Derivatization and Enantioseparation of Few Structurally Similar β-Blockers using Liquid Chromatography and Structural Optimization using DFT
Authors: Raffiunnisa  , Jaishetty N. , Ganesh P. , Patel M.S. , Talismanov V.S. , Alwera S. , Sehlangia S.
Published: July 2023

In this work, quinoline based new chiral derivatizing reagent was synthesized by introducing chiral amino acid (L-proline) in the molecule. Synthesized chiral derivatizing reagent was characterized by spectroscopic techniques (1H NMR, FT-IR, HRMS and CHNS analysis) and used in the synthesis of diastereomer of chosen β-blockers. The RP-HPLC system was used to separate synthesized diastereomers (indirect approach of enantioseparation). Acetonitrile and buffer solution was used as mobile phase for analysis. The effect of varying concentrations and pH of mobile phase was optimized for the separation of diastereomers. The density functional theory calculations were also carried out to develop the lowest energy-minimize optimized diastereomer structures and to design separation mechanisms and elution orders. The retention factor (k), selectivity factor (α), resolution factor (RS), the limit of detection (0.192 ng mL–1) and the limit of quantification (0.576 ng mL–1) were calculated in the context of the method’s validation in accordance with ICH guidelines.
Eco-friendly RP-HPLC UV Quantification Method for Parental Products Buffer Agents by Utilizing Polymethacrylate Resin Stationary Phase in Light of Quality by Design
Authors: Sasikala Lankella , Rao Vandavasi Koteswara , Katari Naresh Kumar , Kowtharapu Leela Prasad , Nathi Rathnakar
Published: July 2023

Parental products buffer agents viz. calcium phosphate (CP), potassium phosphate (PP) and sodium phosphate (SP) were successfully qualitatively and quantitatively determined on RP-HPLC in the UV detection. The three components were retained in reverse phase by utilizing polymethacrylate resin stationary phase. The quantification was done by using the waters IC-Pak (50 × 4.6) mm, 10 μm column with 1.0 mL/min flow rate. 0.1 M nitric acid solution was used as a mobile phase. The detection was done at 288 nm, column temperature was 30 ºC, injection volume was 50 μL and the total run time was 5 min. The method was validated as per the regulatory and ICH guidelines. The accuracy was found from 98.5% to 101.5% and the precision data was found from 0.5% to 0.9%. The linearity resulted in r value more than 0.999. Quality by design software was used to establish the method robustness. Green chemistry principles and tools were used to assess the method eco-ness. The developed method can be utilized as an application to quantify the buffer agent content in selected parental products.
Enhanced Anticorrosive Properties of Silane Functionalized Polybenzoxazine
@CeO2 Nanocomposites with Polyurethane Coatings on Mild Steel
Authors: Valarmathi N. , Sivaraju M. , Shanmugasundaram P.
Published: July 2023

In this study, the durability of polyurethane adhesives are successfully developed using
silane-functionalized polybenzoxazine@CeO2 nanocomposites. The electrochemical measurements
were used to investigate the mechanical strength of polybenzoxazine nanocomposite with polyurethane
materials. The superior results in the process of passivation film that also controlled the dissolution of
metal have been characterized by UV-visible, XRD, SEM/EDX, FT IR, TGA-DTA-DSC, micro
hardness, gel absorption and water absorption analyses. The mechanical performance of the coated
surface that supported up the electrochemical investigations was enhanced by the incorporation of
silane functionalized polybenzoxazine@CeO2 nanocomposites with polyurethane. The use of
ployurthane in the TGA process increases the cross-linked density of the coating, resulting in high
thermal stability. As a result of their superior anticorrosive property, the proposed
polybenzoxazine@CeO2 nanocomposites with polyurethane films offer the openings for the
development of unique, state-of-the-art anticorrosive adhesives across a wide range of sectors.
Structural and Multiple Applicational Studies of Alkaline Earth Metal Spinel (AB2O4) Ferrites
Authors: Swamy S. , Kumar D.B. Aruna , Gurushantha K. , Meena S. , Keshavamurthy K. , Basavaraju N.
Published: July 2023

The spinel ferrites MFe2O4 from alkaline earth metals (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) were identified as potential photocatalyst. The present work deals with the synthesis of mentioned ferrites by solution combustion synthesis using urea as fuel. X-ray pattern displays the formation of pure phase, whereas the functional groups were confirmed by FTIR studies. The UV-DRS spectra revealed that MgFe2O4 (2.3 eV) had an energy band gap that was optimal for visible light phototcatalytic degradation. The ferrites MgFe2O4, CaFe2O4, SrFe2O4 and BaFe2O4 displays excellent photocatalytic degradation performance for reactive blue 4 dye under visible light within 120 min resulted 93%, 84%, 92% and 79%, respectively. Compared to other synthesized ferrites SrFe2O4 shows remarkable specific capacitance with 288.7 × 10-3 F/g ascertains the super capacitor nature and also indicates better results to sense lead nitrate at very lower concentrations from cyclic voltammogram studies. The antibacterial activity against Bacillus and Pseudomonas (30 mg/mL) showed that CaFe2O4 was more effective than other synthesized ferrites.
Antibacterial Activity of Ampelocissus latifolia Tuberous Root Extract against Diverse Microbes
Authors: Rajak Kamal Kishor , Pahilani Pavan M. , Kumar Hemant
Published: July 2023

Microbial drug resistance is growing every day and novel drugs are need of the hour to counter the future threat of large pandemic. The present work for the first time explores the antibacterial activity of methanol, hydro-alcoholic and n-hexane extracts of Ampelocissus latifolia (A. latifolia) tuberous root against few laboratory and clinical isolates. A total of 10 microbes were screened; out of which 1 is a laboratory strain (acid-fast) and the rest 9 are clinical isolates (5 Gram-positive and 4 are Gram-negative), 2 clinical isolates were drug-resistant (1 Gram-positive and 1 Gram-negative). In this screening, methanol extract showed potential antibacterial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative and acid-fast bacteria with zones of inhibition measuring 18 mm, 10 mm and 8 mm, respectively. Hydro-alcoholic and n-hexane extract showed a smaller zone of inhibition compared to methanol extract and the positive control. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of methanol and the hydro-alcoholic extract of powdered tuber root was determined by the micro-broth dilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentration of methanol and hydro-alcoholic extract for Gram-positive and Gram-negative microbes varies from 0.18 mg/mL to 1.5 mg/mL. The methanol and hydro-alcoholic extracts were analyzed with FTIR, which revealed the presence of alcohol, alkanes, alkenes, alkyls, ketones and nitro groups in the methanol and hydro-alcoholic extracts of A. latifolia tuberous root. The high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis of the methanol extract indicates the presence of at least 5 different compounds with different Rf values.
Design, Synthesis of 5-(2-Methylbenzofuran)-2-aryl-2H-tetrazole Derivatives via Cross-Coupling of N-H Free Tetrazoles with Boronic Acids
Authors: Ramana Govu , Madhu Gutam , Rao Yerrabelli Jayaprakash , Rao Chitneni Prasad
Published: July 2023

Chemical intermediates derived from 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions, such as 5-substituted 1H-tetrazole, are commonly utilized to synthesize 1,5-disubstituted tetrazoles. In this work, a highly effective and useful strategy for the synthesis of 5-(2-methylbenzofuran-3-yl)-2-phenyl-2H-tetrazoles using environmentally safe 1 atm. O2 as oxidizer is reported. Moreover, the N-H unbound tetrazoles and low hazardous boronic acids are directly coupled with the catalytic amount (5 mol%) of Cu2O to form C-N bond without any formation of the additives. The proposed method is simple for the Cu-catalyzed reactions, which require only mild conditions and green, atom-efficient chemistry for the regioselective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted 2H-tetrazoles.
Synthesis, Characterization and Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of New Pyrazole-5-carboxamide Derivatives
Authors: Prathyusha J. , Deepti C. Asha
Published: July 2023

In recent years, pyrazole derivatives have emerged as a potentially game-changing new family of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. Thus, present work used six distinct cancer cell lines to test the new pyrazole-5-carboxamide derivatives for the anticancer activity. Present study includes synthesis, characterization and the ligand-based molecular docking of the compounds. The process begins with ethyl 2,4-dioxopentanoate and methylhydrazine, which was cyclized to form ethyl 1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylate (2), which is then transformed to 1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-5-carbonyl chloride (3) through PCl3/I2. All the pyrazole-4-carboxamides (4a-n) were obtained by the acidic condensation of intermediate 3 with various substituted aryl amines (a-n). The antitumor activity against six cancer cell lines and one regular human cell line was measured using the MTT test. Two target proteins, human c-Met kinase and JAK1, were used in docking studies of the proposed compounds. When compared against the standard drug doxorubicin, most of the synthesized compounds (4a-n) showed the promising cytotoxicity profiles.
Development and Validation of Bioanalytical Method for the Quantification of Febuxostat in Human K2 EDTA Plasma by LC-MS/MS: Pharmacokinetic Studies in Wister Rats
Authors: Bindu M. Hima , Kumar Gubbiyappa Shiva
Published: July 2023

A specific, linear and accurate LC-MS/MS method was developed for the determination of febuxostat in human K2 EDTA plasma and it was successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic study in wister rats. Chromatographic isolation of febuxostat and febuxostat D9 were attained on Purosphur C18, 100 × 4.6 mm, 5 μ column with 1.0 mL/min flowing rate. The technique was linear over the standard concentrations ranging from 24.995-7001.401 ng/mL and the regression coefficient was perceived to be ≥ 0.9997. All LLOQ samples % RSD of back computed concentrations varied from 1.00 to 4.01. The analysis of plasma from healthy rats was successfully conducted using the validated LC-MS/MS procedure to quantify the presence of febuxostat. From the pharmacokinetic studies, Tmax, Cmax, T1/2 and AUC0-∞ of the febuxostat tablets were 2.0 ± 0.03 h, 8.85 ± 1.87 ng/mL, 6.34 ± 0.53 h, 95.58 ± 6.37 ng h/mL, respectively.
Envelhecimento e qualidade de vida dos idosos institucionalizados
Authors: Venceslau Hemanuelle Gomes , Santana Michael Moreira Cruz Gonçalves , Souza Arianne Gondim de Souza , Cabral Symara Abrantes Albuquerque de Oliveira , Bezerra Martha Maria Macedo
Published: July 2023

O estudo objetivou, por meio de uma revisão integrativa da literatura, identificar possíveis impactos das Instituições de Longa Permanência (ILPIs) para a Qualidade de Vida (QV) de idosos. A revisão levantou dados dos últimos cinco anos, nas bases de dados Biblioteca Científica Eletronica (Scielo), Literatura Latino América do Caribe e em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), Biblioteca Especializada na Área da Enfermagem (BDENF) e Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (PubMed). Foram utilizados os descritores: institucionalização, qualidade de vida e idoso. Os critérios de inclusão foram: estudos completos, escritos em português e inglês e publicados entre os anos de 2017 e 2022. Não foram incluídos na pesquisa estudos incompletos e que não abordassem a temática. Assim, a amostra foi composta por 9 artigos. Os dados foram categorizados em: mensuração da qualidade de vida dos idosos institucionalizados (instrumentos utilizados), fatores que positivamente influenciam na qualidade de vida dos idosos institucionalizados, fatores negativos que influenciam na qualidade de vida dos idosos institucionalizados, fatores para a institucionalização do idoso e principais ações utilizadas pelas instituições para melhorar a qualidade de vida dos idosos. Conclui-se que a qualidade de vida dos idosos institucionalizados, de modo geral, é considerada como positiva, visto que para os idosos as instituições são locais ideais, seguros e que dispõem de convivência social, alegrias e momentos de descontração.
Early English Translations of Grimm's "Children and Household Tales" as Children's Literature
Authors: Kiani Isabel
Published: July 2023

The Children and Household Tales (Kinder- und Hausmärchen, KHM) by the Brothers Grimm are not only an integral part of German culture but have also become a global success over the last two centuries. Currently, the collections of the Grimm brothers include translations into over 100 languages, some of which were written during the lifetime of the Brothers Grimm. English editions in particular carry a considerable influence on the global reception of the tales, since most of the tales are received in a translation instead of the original language. However, many readers of the Grimms’ tales are not aware of this. It is often disregarded that a translation can rarely be described as identical to the original and is subject to different factors such as the translation tradition, the target culture, or the translator’s own ideas. The following essay investigates how and why the tales were edited in English translation to be modified as children’s literature.