bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FORMULATION OF CURCUMIN NANOSUSPENSION USING BOX-BEHNKEN DESIGN AND STUDY OF IMPACT OF DRYING TECHNIQUES ON ITS POWDER CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: Kaur Jasmine , Bawa Palak , Rajesh Sarvi Yadav , Sharma Parth , Ghai Deepak , Jyoti Jivan , Som Sananda , Mohanta Souvik , Rathee Harish , Malik Adil Hussain , Singh Sachin Kumar , Kumar Bimlesh , Gulati Monica , Pandey Narendra Kumar , Garg Varun , Yadav Ankit Kumar , Narang Rakesh
Published: September 2017

Objective: The objective of this study was to formulate curcumin nanosuspension (NS) using Box-Behnken design (BBD) and solvent-antisolvent technique to overcome the challenges related to its poor dissolution rate.Methods: Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and poly vinyl pyrrolidone K-60 (PVPK-60) have been used as a surfactant and polymer, respectively, to stabilize the NS. Ethanol was used as solvent to dissolve curcumin and water was used as antisolvent. The study revealed that SLS to curcumin ratio, PVPK-60 to curcumin ratio, solvent to antisolvent ratio and speed of mixing were the critical parameters that affected particle size and zeta potential of the formulation. Hence, based on Box- BBD, 25 formulations were prepared by varying these critical parameters. The optimized batch of CRM NS was further solidified using spray drying as well as rotary evaporation techniques to have a better insight for selection of solidification process in terms of retention of particle size, charge, flow, dissolution, and stability.Results: About 39.47 folds decrease in particle size of raw CRM was observed after conversion into NS. Further, about 53.57 and 45.45 folds decrease in particle size was observed after spray drying and rotary evaporation. Both the dried nanoparticles have shown comparatively higher solubility, powder flow, and dissolution rate as that of raw CRM. Powder X-ray diffraction study revealed the formation of amorphous nanoparticles. Accelerated stability study revealed that nanoparticles dried by spray drying were able to retain the properties such as particle size, flow, and dissolution rate as compared to rotary evaporated powders.Conclusion: It can be concluded that spray drying technique could offer many advantages while loading CRM nanoparticles into tablets for their oral administration.
DOSAGE FORM DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TRIKANTAKADI KVATHA
Authors: Sharma Swati , Baghel Dileep Singh , Singh Saurabh , Singh Sachin Kumar
Published: September 2017

Objective: This is aimed to study the development of different dosage form and physicochemical characterization of Trikantakadi Kvatha (TK).Methods: Stability, shelf life, non-convenient, and large dosages administration are the major concern for Kvatha. To overcome these problems, an effort has been made to modify the formulation without changing its efficacy into various dosage forms such as tablet, syrup, and tincture. Comparative pharmacognostic, physicochemical, and phytochemical parameters of crude herbs and prepared formulations were investigated. TK was prepared by classical method mentioned in literature and converted into TK syrup, TK Ghana vati, and Trikantakadi tincture (TT). Precaution should be taken during the processing of formulations. TT placed at a dark place in airtight container.Results: Physicochemical and phytochemical investigations are not shown any remarkable variations with various prepared dosage forms. The Rf range observed between the 0.08 and 0.80 follows the standard value when compared with the reference of plant drug used for the preparation of dosage form.Conclusion: The prepared dosages forms were not exhibited any remarkable difference according to thin-layer chromatography studies and physicochemical parameters. However, the developed dosage forms are more stable than kvatha.
PHARMACEUTICAL STANDARDIZATION OF PANCHAGUNA TAILA (MEDICATED OIL) AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AS OINTMENT, GEL, CREAM, AND PHYSIOWAX
Authors: Kumari Sweta , Baghel Dileep Singh
Published: September 2017

Objective: The present study aimed to prepare Panchaguna taila (PGT) and its development in various dosage forms, i.e. ointment, gel, cream, and physiowax to exemplify the characteristic parameters according to pharmaceutical standards.Methods: PGT is polyherbal medicated oil used externally for treating wounds, cut, and burn and used for massaging in rheumatoid arthritis, muscular pain, sprains, and joints pain. Prepare the decoction using Haritaki, Vibhitaki, Amalaki, Nimba, Sambhalu and prepare paste (kalka) from Madhuchishta, Gandhaphiroja, Shilarasa, Rala, and Guggulu. Mix all the ingredients and heat till watery portion not evaporated from the oil with constant stirring then filter it. Add eucalyptus oil, turpentine oil, and kejoputi oil at the end and stir it well. Prepare various dosage forms like ointment, gel, cream, and physiowax using suitable base for the better and improved therapeutic application. Analytical standards for PGT such as acid value, saponification value, iodine value, and peroxide value were performed, and obtained results were appeared under the prescribed limit of the official monograph. Various physicochemical parameters such as homogeneity, spreadability, pH, and melting point were performed for PGT ointment, PGT gel, PGT cream, and PGT physiowax. Stability study of PGT was done for 3 days under the accelerated conditions.Results: In PGT, various physicochemical parameters were performed on the interval of 24, 48, and 72 hrs, and no significant variation found in their physicochemical properties when observed values were compared. PGT ointment, PGT gel, PGT cream, and PGT physiowax containing PGT as active pharmaceutical ingredient with various suitable excipients and base are easy to formulate and convenient to apply over the affected area. Rf observed between the ranges 0.21 to 0.84 as given in the standard monograph. In PGT, PGT ointment and PGT physiowax, 10 spots were found, and in PGT gel and PGT cream, 7 spots were found. 0.11, 0.15, and 0.34 spots were found in the PGT gel, PGT cream, and PGT physiowax, respectively, that can be given by the excipients or base used for their preparation.Conclusion: It is possible to make other dosage form of PGT which can be more convenient to the customers. Hence, the issues related to the PGT like staining and sticking can be resolved by developing or converting the PGT into various convenient dosages.
EVALUATION OF ANTIANXIETY EFFECT OF DRIED FRUITS OF PRUNUS AMERICANA MARSH
Authors: Sharma Saurabh , Kaur Barinderjit , Suttee Ashish , Mukhtar Hayat M , Kalsi Vandna
Published: September 2017

Objective: To evaluate antianxiety effect of dried fruits of Prunus americana Marsh. Family Rosaceae.Methods: Phytochemical screening was performed on various extracts of the fruits. Elevated plus maze and light/dark choice tests were used for screening of antianxiety activity. Diazepam (2 mg/kg) was used as the standard drug.Results: Phytochemical screening has shown the presence of various constituents such as flavonoids, carbohydrates, tannins, alkaloids, phenols, and saponins. Different concentrations (100 and 200 mg/kg) of the ethanolic extract of P. americana have shown promising results. Significant antianxiety activity was observed in ethanol extract at the dose of 200 mg/kg in both models.Conclusion: The present study suggests that ethanolic extract of P. americana contains certain chemical components that are responsible for the antianxiety effect of the fruits of the plant. The plant may be considered for the management of various disorders related to anxiety.
AMELIORATIVE EFFECT OF SIDA CORDIFOLIA L. AGAINST SCOPOLAMINE-INDUCED COGNITIVE DEFICIT MICE MODEL
Authors: Khurana Navneet , Sharma Neha , Patil Shailendra , Gajbhiye Asmita
Published: September 2017

Objective: In this study, ameliorative effect of aqueous extracts of Sida cordifolia and hydroethanolic extracts of S. cordifolia L. (AESC and EESC, respectively) was evaluated against scopolamine (Sco)-induced amnesia in mice. S. cordifolia L. is a well-know Ayurvedic plant which has been administered anciently for various nervous disorders including loss of memory. Female Swiss albino mice were used for Sco-induced amnesia model and acute toxicity study.Methods: Acute toxicity study was carried out to select safe and effective doses (50, 100 and 250 mg/kg; p.o.) of AESC and EESC for further pharmacological evaluation. The AESC and EESC at selected doses and donepezil (Dpl) (5 mg/kg; p.o.) were administered to different groups for consecutive 15 days. On 15th day of treatment, Sco (0.4 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was administered to different groups for induction of amnesia. Mice were subjected to transfer latency (TL) and step down latency (SDL) tests on the 16th day to evaluate the effect of AESC and EESC on memory.Results: Sco treatment caused a significant increase in TL and decrease in SDL. The EESC significantly and dose dependently reversed the Sco-induced amnesia. The maximum effect was seen in EESC (100 mg/kg) treated group. This effect of EESC was comparable to the group treated with Dpl. The group treated with varying doses of AESC showed no significant effect on TL and SDL.Conclusion: These findings suggested the possible therapeutic potential of EESC (70%) for diseases related to memory dysfunctions like dementia in Alzheimer’s disease.
PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION AND ANTIOXIDANT SCREENING STUDIES OF OCIMUM TENUIFLORUM LINN SEEDS
Authors: Sharma Jyotsana , Khurana Navneet , Sharma Neha , Garg Rakesh
Published: September 2017

Objective: In the existing study, Ocimum tenuiflorum was assessed for its antioxidant activity. This activity was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The drug was identified and standardized on the basis of organoleptic, negligible characters and its quantitative physicochemical standards.Methods: Preliminary phytochemical screening was also carried out to examine out the presence of various phytoconstituents. It revealed the presence of alkaloids, phytosterols, resin, flavonoids, tannins, diterpenes, and protein in the seed extract. DPPH method was done used for evaluating the antioxidant activity.Results: It has been observed that different concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 μg/mL) used had shown 82.1%, 83.4%, 86.6%, 89.1%, and 93.2% of cell inhibition, respectively.Conclusion: Thus, the present study on pharmacognostic standardization, physicochemical evaluation and in vitro antioxidant activity of O. tenuiflorum seed would be useful to supplement information in regard to its in vivo evaluation for different pathological conditions.
PHARMACOGNOSTIC SCREENING STUDIES OF JUSTICIA GENDARUSSA BURM. LEAVES FOUND IN DEHRADUN DISTRICT OF UTTARAKHAND
Authors: Prasad Nondita , Singh Balbir , Puri Diksha
Published: September 2017

Objective: Justicia gendarussa Burm. (family Acanthaceae) commonly known as nilinirgundi, is found in Southern India possesses multifarious biological activities due to large range of phytoconstituents. The present study is designed to evaluate the various pharmacognostic parameters of the leaves of J. gendarussa, found in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand for its authentication.Methods: Fresh leaves were taken for the morphological and microscopical (histology and powder) evaluation. Physicochemical parameters (ash values, extractives values, florescence analysis, microbial contamination, and loss on drying) were also performed. Phytochemical screening and thin-layer chromatographic fingerprinting of extracts were also performed to check the presence of various phytoconstituents.Results: The microscopy of the leaves evinced the presence of anisocytic stomata, cuboidal calcium oxalate crystals, cystoliths, multicellular covering trichomes, starch grains and oil globules. The quantitative estimation of total ash, acid insoluble, and water soluble ash values were 13.8%, 1.2%, and 4.5% w/w, respectively. The alcohol soluble and water soluble extractives were estimated as 11.45% and 15.67% w/w, respectively. Foreign organic matter and loss on drying values obtained were 0.23% and 11.2% w/w. Phytochemical screening of petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts ascertained the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, steroids and triterpenoids. The thin-layer chromatography (TLC) profiling of different extracts revealed the presence of potential compounds which can be further isolated with the help of high-performance liquid chromatography or high-performance TLC.Conclusion: The results of this study provide suitable standards for the authentication of this plant. In the present study, there are certain variations observed from the evaluations done on the same species by other research groups. The probable reason suggested for such disparity is due to the environmental and geographical differences in the locations of the plant collected.
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT DOSES OF VINPOCETINE ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH SULFASALAZINE IN EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN RATS
Authors: Datt Nishtha , Patyar Rakesh Raman , Patyar Sazal
Published: September 2017

Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and its exact etiopathology is still unclear. Most of the currently available drugs provide the symptomatic improvement, and their long-term use can lead to various unwanted effects also. This study was done to observe the effects of vinpocetine alone and in combination with sulfasalazine on IBD in rats.Methods: Adult Wistar rats of either sex were used (n=36). Experimental colitis was produced by intracolonic administration of acetic acid (10% v/v, 0.20 ml/rat) given per rectally. Rats were divided into six groups (n=6): Group I - normal control (0.9% w/v saline, intracolonic administration + 0.5% w/v carboxymethyl cellulose, i.e., CMC, p.o); Group II - acetic acid (10% v/v, intracolonic administration+0.5% w/v CMC, p.o); Group IIIA - acetic acid + vinpocetine (5 mg/kg, p.o); Group IIIB - acetic acid + vinpocetine (10 mg/kg, p.o); Group IV - acetic acid + sulfasalazine (360 mg/kg, p.o.); Group V - acetic acid + sulfasalazine + vinpocetine (360 mg/kg, p.o. + 5 mg/kg, p.o). The study period was of 15 days in which animals were treated with acetic acid solution on day 1 and treatment was started 4 hrs after the administration of acetic acid till the 14th day. On 15th day, the animals were sacrificed for the investigation of various macroscopic, microscopic, and biochemical parameters.Results: The higher dose of orally administered vinpocetine (10 mg/kg) and combination of sulfasalazine + vinpocetine (360 mg/kg + 5 mg/kg) were found to be the most effective in reducing the severity of mucosal damage which was similar to the reference drug sulfasalazine (360 mg/kg). Both the doses of vinpocetine curtailed the histopathological scores. The combination therapy of sulfasalazine + vinpocetine (360 mg/kg + 5 mg/kg) was equally effective to standard drug but not found to be the most effective treatment. Myeloperoxidase levels were significantly reduced in vinpocetine treated groups as compared to acetic acid control group, while the glutathione levels were increased significantly. Similarly, vinpocetine significantly decreased the malondialdehyde level in the intestinal tissue of the rats with acetic acid induced colitis, and thus the severity of the tissue damage.Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that vinpocetine possesses anti-inflammatory activity and are therapeutically effective in acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis at a dose of 5 mg/kg. More pronounced effects were observed at higher dose, i.e., 10 mg/kg. The combination of sulfasalzine + vinpocetine was also found to be effective as compared to high dose of vinpocetine (10 mg/kg).
SYNTHESIS, MOLECULAR MODELING, AND QUANTITATIVE STRUCTURE–ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP STUDIES OF UNDEC-10-ENEHYDRAZIDE DERIVATIVES AS ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
Authors: Kumari Manju , Narang Rakesh , Nayak Surendra Kumar , Singh Sachin Kumar , Gupta Vivek , Narasimhan Balasubramanian
Published: September 2017

Objective: In recent years, an increasing frequency and severity of antimicrobial resistance to different antimicrobial agents, demands new remedies for the treatment of infections. Therefore, in this study, a series of undec-10-enehydrazide derivatives were synthesized and screened for in vitro activity against selected pathogenic microbial strains.Methods: The synthesis of the intermediate and target compounds was performed by standard procedure. Synthesized compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity by tube dilution method. Molecular docking study of synthesized derivatives was also performed to find out their interaction with the target site of β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III, (FabH; pdb id:3IL7) by docking technique. Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) studies were also performed to correlate antimicrobial activity with structural properties of synthesized molecules.Results: Antimicrobial screening results showed that compound 8 having benzylidine moiety with methoxy groups at meta and para position and compound 16 having 3-chloro-2-(3-flourophenyl)-4-oxoazetidine moiety was found to be most potent. QSAR studies revealed the importance of Randic topology parameter (R) in describing the antimicrobial activity of synthesized derivatives. Molecular docking study indicated hydrophobic interaction of deeply inserted aliphatic side chain of the ligand with FabH. The N-atoms of hydrazide moiety interacts with Ala246 and Asn247 through H-bonding. The m- and p-methoxy groups form H-bond with water and side chain of Arg36, respectively.Conclusion: Compound 8 having benzylidine moiety with methoxy groups at meta and para position and compound 16 having 3-chloro-2-(3- flourophenyl)-4-oxoazetidine moiety was found to most potent antibacterial and antifungal compounds, respectively.
CARDIOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF INM 176 ON ISCHEMIA REPERFUSION INJURY USING RAT HEART MODEL
Authors: Kumar Rajan , Khurana Navneet , Kaur Barinderjit
Published: September 2017

Objective: Cardioprotective effect of INM-176 in ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat heart was evaluated by measuring the extent of release of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphokinase (CK) and by measuring the myocardial infarction (MI) size.Methods: Five groups of animals were employed. Animals were sacrificed, and heart was mounted over the Langendorff’s apparatus. Group I was employed as control group, Group II was the myocardial ischemic (MI) group, and Group III, IV, and V were pre-treated with different doses of INM- 176 (150, 300, and 600 mg/kg). After this, global ischemia accompanied by reperfusion for 30 and 120 minutes was given, respectively. The effluent was collected from coronary vessel before the initiation of ischemia, immediately, after 5 and 30 minutes of reperfusion. The magnitude of myocardial injury was measured by LDH and CK release in coronary effluent. MI size was also evaluated macroscopically using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining.Results: In the present study, INM-176 was found to produce a dose-dependent cardioprotective effect against I/R injury, as observed by a decrease in the level of LDH, CK, and infarct size. Pre-treatment with a dose of 600 mg/kg was found to be more effective as compared to 150 and 300 mg/kg dose of INM-176.Conclusion: INM-176 pre-treatment at a dose of 600 mg/kg provides cardioprotection against I/R-induced myocardial injury.
STABILITY INDICATING RP-HPLC ASSAY METHOD FOR ESTIMATION OF DIMETHYL FUMARATE IN BULK AND CAPSULES
Authors: Jain Hemant K. , Gunjal Archana A.
Published: September 2017

Objective: To develop an accurate, simple, precise and specific stability indicating RP-HPLC method for estimation of dimethyl fumarate in bulk and capsules.Methods: An Inertsil ODS (150x4.6 mm, 5µ) column and a mobile phase containing acetonitrile: potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer pH 6.8 (50:50% v/v) was used for this study. The flow rate was maintained at 1.0 ml/min; column temperature was fixed at 35 °C and UV detection was carried out at 210 nm. The forced degradation studies were performed and method was validated with as per ICH guidelines.Results: The retention time of dimethyl fumarate was found to be 3.3±0.02 min. The value of correlation coefficient between peak area and concentration was found to be 0.9993. The mean percent recovery of dimethyl fumarate in capsules was found in the range of 99.65 to 101.64%. The results of forced degradation studies indicated that the drug was found to be stable in basic, oxidative and thermal conditions while degraded in acidic conditions.Conclusion: It can be conducted from results that the developed HPLC method is simple, accurate, precise and specific. Results of stress testing study revealed that the method is stability indicating. Thus, this method can be used for routine analysis of dimethyl fumarate capsules and check their stability.
MUCOADHESIVE BUCCAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: REVIEW ARTICLE
Authors: Sonawane Monali , Shinkar Dattatrey , . Ravindrasaudagar
Published: September 2017

The advantage of buccal drug delivery system over the conventional and systemic formulation majority. It helps enhance the bioavailability through bypassing the first-pass metabolism effect. The mucosal surface better absorption and prolong resident time. Bioadhesion can be defined as the phenomenon of interfacial molecular attractive force in midst of the surface of the biological substrate and the natural or synthetic polymers, which allows the polymers to adher to the biological surface for an extended period of time. Among the various transmucosal sites available, mucosa of the buccal cavity was found to be the most convenient and easily approachable site for the delivery of the therapeutic agent for both local and systemic delivery. This review also covers available marketed product as buccal drug delivery system and future aspects of buccal drug delivery system.
ONLINE VISIBILITY OF PHARMACY RESEARCH IN TANZANIA: A SCIENTOMETRIC STUDY
Authors: Lwoga Edda Tandi , Sangeda Raphael Zozimus , Sife Alfred Said
Published: September 2017

Objective: This scientometric analysis was carried out to map the online visibility of pharmacy research at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) from 1981 to 2016.Methods: Publish or Perish software was used to collect data for 33 scientists from the School of Pharmacy at MUHAS. We retrieved data on scholars’ publications, citation counts, the number of authors per publication, average citations per paper, average citations per year, h-index, g-index, contemporary H-index (Hc index) and the HI-norm index.Results: A total of 499 publications were recorded for all scholars and the most (61; 12.2%) productive was 2013. The whole study period recorded the mean relative growth rate (RGR) and doubling time (Dt) of 1.62 and 0.46 respectively. A great majority (484; 97%) of the publications were multiple-authored with nearly one third (157; 31.5%) of these being jointly contributed by six or more authors. The maximum number of citations received in a single publication was 241. The degree of collaboration among scientists was as high as 0.97. The top ranked pharmacy researchers showed variation in various metrics.Conclusion: The study findings indicate a continuous growth of pharmacy publications at MUHAS since 1981. There is a high level of collaboration among scholars and many publications have made a great impact through citations.
INHIBITION OF UREASE ENZYME ACTIVITY BY UREA AND THIOUREA DERIVATIVES OF DIPEPTIDES CONJUGATED 2, 3-DICHLOROPHENYL PIPERAZINE
Authors: Vardhan D. M. Suyoga , Kumara H. K. , Kumar H. Pavan , Gowda D. Channe
Published: September 2017

Objective: Studies on enzyme inhibition remain an important area of pharmaceutical research since these studies have led to the discoveries of drugs used in a variety of physiological conditions. In search of novel urease enzyme inhibitors, four dipeptides were synthesized, conjugated to 2,3-dichlorophenyl piperazine analogue and converted into urea/thiourea derivatives.Methods: The peptides were synthesized by solution phase method and conjugated to 2,3-dichlorophenyl piperazine (PZN) using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDCI)/hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) as a coupling agent and N-methylmorpholine (NMM) as a base. The tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) group was removed using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), neutralized with NMM and converted to urea and thiourea derivatives using substituted phenyl isocyanates and isothiocyanates respectively.Results: Most of the synthesized analogues were found to be good inhibitors of urease enzyme activity. The conjugates of thiourea with F and Cl substituents at meta or para positions showed predominant urease inhibitory activity. The analogue 23 was nearly 10 fold (2 µM) more potent than the reference standard, 21.0±0.11 µM.Conclusion: The reported activity was correlated with some of the literature reported urease inhibitors and found that our compound 23 was more potent than the existing ones.
Amplifying Data Curation Efforts to Improve the Quality of Life Science Data
Authors: Alqasab Mariam , Embury Suzanne M. , De  F.  Mendes  Sampaio Sandra
Published: September 2017

InÂ the era of dataÂ science, datasets are shared widely and used for many purposes unforeseenÂ by the original creators of the data. Â In Â  this context, defects in datasets can have far reaching consequences, Â spreading from dataset to dataset, and affecting the consumers of Â data in ways that are hard to predict or quantify. Â Some form of waste Â  is often the result. Â  For example, Â scientists using defective data to propose hypotheses for experimentation may waste their limited wet lab resources chasing the wrong experimental targets. Â Scarce drug trial resources may be used to test drugs that actually have little chance of giving a cure. Â Because of the potential real world costs, database owners care about providing high quality data. Automated curation tools can be used to an extent to discover and correct some forms of defect. However, in some areas human curation, performed by highly-trained domain experts, is needed to ensure that the data represents our current interpretation of reality accurately. Human curators are expensive, and there is far more curation work to be done than there are curators available to perform it. Tools and techniques are needed to enable the full value to be obtained from the curation effort currently available.Â In this paper,weÂ exploreÂ oneÂ possible approachÂ toÂ maximisingÂ the Â valueÂ obtained fromÂ human curators, by automatically extracting information about data defects and corrections from the work that the curators do. This information is packaged in a source independent form, to allow it to be used by the owners of other databases (for which human curation effort is not available or is insufficient). Â This amplifies the efforts of the human curators, allowing their work to be applied to other sources, without requiring any additional effort or Â change in their processes or tool sets. We show that this approach can discover significant numbers of defects, which can also be found in other sources.
Next-Generation Data Management Plans: Global, Machine-Actionable, FAIR
Authors: Simms Stephanie Renee , Jones Sarah
Published: September 2017

At IDCC 2016 the Digital Curation Centre (DCC) and University of California Curation Center (UC3) at the California Digital Library (CDL) announced plans to merge our respective data management planning tools, DMPonline and DMPTool, into a single platform. By formalizing our partnership and co-developing a core infrastructure for data management plans (DMPs), we aim to meet the skyrocketing demand for our services in our national, and increasingly international, contexts. The larger goal is to engage with what is now a global DMP agenda and help make DMPs a more useful exercise for all stakeholders in the research enterprise. This year we offer a progress report that encompasses our co-development roadmap and future enhancements focused on implementing use cases for machine-actionable DMPs.
Information Integration for Machine Actionable Data Management Plans
Authors: Miksa Tomasz , Rauber Andreas , Ganguly Roman , Budroni Paolo
Published: September 2017

Data management plans are free-form text documents describing the data used and produced in scientific experiments. The complexity of data-driven experiments requires precise descriptions of tools and datasets used in computations to enable their reproducibility and reuse. Data management plans fall short of these requirements. In this paper, we propose machine-actionable data management plans that cover the same themes as standard data management plans, but particular sections are filled with information obtained from existing tools. We present mapping of tools from the domains of digital preservation, reproducible research, open science, and data repositories to data management plan sections. Thus, we identify the requirements for a good solution and identify its limitations. We also propose a machine-actionable data model that enables information integration. The model uses ontologies and is based on existing standards.
Standardising and Harmonising Research Data Policy in Scholarly Publishing
Authors: Hrynaszkiewicz Iain , Birukou Aliaksandr , Astell Mathias , Swaminathan Sowmya , Kenall Amye , Khodiyar Varsha
Published: September 2017

To address the complexities researchers face during publication, and the potential community-wide benefits of wider adoption of clear data policies, the publisher Springer Nature has developed a standardised, common framework for the research data policies of all its journals. An expert working group was convened to audit and identify common features of research data policies of the journals published by Springer Nature, where policies were present. The group then consulted with approximately 30 editors, covering all research disciplines within the organisation. The group also consulted with academic editors, librarians and funders, which informed development of the framework and the creation of supporting resources. Four types of data policy were defined in recognition that some journals and research communities are more ready than others to adopt strong data policies. As of January 2017 more than 700 journals have adopted a standard policy and this number is growing weekly. To potentially enable standardisation and harmonisation of data policy across funders, institutions, repositories, societies and other publishers, the policy framework was made available under a Creative Commons license. However, the framework requires wider debate with these stakeholders and an Interest Group within the Research Data Alliance (RDA) has been formed to initiate this process.
Documentation and Visualisation of Workflows for Effective Communication, Collaboration and Publication @ Source
Authors: Willoughby Cerys , Frey Jeremy G.
Published: September 2017

Workflows processing data from research activities and driving in silico experiments are becoming an increasingly important method for conducting scientific research. Workflows have the advantage that not only can they be automated and used to process data repeatedly, but they can also be reused â€“ in part or whole â€“ enabling them to be evolved for use in new experiments. A number of studies have investigated strategies for storing and sharing workflows for the benefit of reuse. These have revealed that simply storing workflows in repositories without additional context does not enable workflows to be successfully reused. These studies have investigated what additional resources are needed to facilitate users of workflows and in particular to add provenance traces and to make workflows and their resources machine-readable. These additions also include adding metadata for curation, annotations for comprehension, and including data sets to provide additional context to the workflow. Ultimately though, these mechanisms still rely on researchers having access to the software to view and run the workflows. We argue that there are situations where researchers may want to understand a workflow that goes beyond what provenance traces provide and without having to run the workflow directly; there are many situations in which it can be difficult or impossible to run the original workflow. To that end, we have investigated the creation of an interactive workflow visualization that captures the flow chart element of the workflow with additional context including annotations, descriptions, parameters, metadata and input, intermediate, and results data that can be added to the record of a workflow experiment to enhance both curation and add value to enable reuse. We have created interactive workflow visualisations for the popular workflow creation tool KNIME, which does not provide users with an in-built function to extract provenance information that can otherwise only be viewed through the tool itself. Making use of the strengths of KNIME for adding documentation and user-defined metadata we can extract and create a visualisation and curation package that encourages and enhances curation@source, facilitating effective communication, collaboration, and reuse of workflows.
Connecting Data Publication to the Research Workflow: A Preliminary Analysis
Authors: Dallmeier-Tiessen SÃ¼nje , Khodiyar Varsha , Murphy Fiona , Nurnberger Amy , Raymond Lisa , Whyte Angus
Published: September 2017

The data curation community has long encouraged researchers to document collected research data during active stages of the research workflow, to provide robust metadata earlier, and support research data publication and preservation. Data documentation with robust metadata is one of a number of steps in effective data publication. Data publication is the process of making digital research objects â€˜FAIRâ€™, i.e. findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable; attributes increasingly expected by research communities, funders and society. Research data publishing workflows are the means to that end. Currently, however, much published research data remains inconsistently and inadequately documented by researchers. Documentation of data closer in time to data collection would help mitigate the high cost that repositories associate with the ingest process. More effective data publication and sharing should in principle result from early interactions between researchers and their selected data repository. This paper describes a short study undertaken by members of the Research Data Alliance (RDA) and World Data System (WDS) working group on Publishing Data Workflows. We present a collection of recent examples of data publication workflows that connect data repositories and publishing platforms with research activity â€˜upstreamâ€™ of the ingest process. We re-articulate previous recommendations of the working group, to account for the varied upstream service components and platforms that support the flow of contextual and provenance information downstream. These workflows should be open and loosely coupled to support interoperability, including with preservation and publication environments. Our recommendations aim to stimulate further work on researchersâ€™ views of data publishing and the extent to which available services and infrastructure facilitate the publication of FAIR data. We also aim to stimulate further dialogue about, and definition of, the roles and responsibilities of research data services and platform providers for the â€˜FAIRnessâ€™ of research data publication workflows themselves.
Cross-cultural communication in the context of creative self-realilization of personality
Authors: Покровская Елена , Pokrovskaya Elena , Раитина Маргарита , Raitina Margarita , Илюхина Галина , Ilyukhina Galina
Published: September 2017

The article discusses one of the key challenges of the global world – the problem of creative self-realization of personality as the way of being human within the framework of cross-cultural interaction. Theoretical-methodological base of research is the concept of creativity reconstruction, revealing the peculiarities of the modern social and cultural mentality and modeling comfortable barrier-free, international environment. The article shows a weak vitality of multiculturalism in the context of intercultural communication and the need for adaptation to the new reality through self-actualization and self-realization of its capabilities and resources through creativity. Authors describe the cultural-historical transformation of art as a way of actualization of a person in the culture. Creativity as a basic life installation is considered as a constitutive element of regulation of ethno-social processes. There is noted the relevance of the issue of cultural objectivism, creating a personality through its spiritual powers and abilities of the social program of "raspredelennykh" (“abstract”) meanings of culture through creativity, considered as overcoming cultural isolation, different cultural space, given the cultural-historical transformation. There is proposed the model of transition to higher stages of effectiveness of cross-cultural interaction through creativity, which is based on the methodology of reconstruction of creative processes in social and cultural space. To implement the adaptive capacity of the model there are selected the most relevant indicators of potential self-realization of migrants and host community. It is concluded that for realizing the potential of the contextual environment, as the bearer of possible properties that contribute to the manifestation of the meaning of human activities, it is necessary to create relevant models of effective cross-cultural communication and cultural migration, which foundation is the creativity as a way of actualization of a person in the culture.
Egressos do PIBID/UMESP: resultados de uma pesquisa (Students from PIBID/UMESP: presenting results.)
Authors: Bahia Norinês Panicacci , Souza Roger Marchesini de Quadros
Published: September 2017

Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa com egressos do PIBID/UMESP realizada no período 2015/2017 e financiada pela FAPESP. O foco da investigação foi o de analisarmos se as ações e investimentos do PIBID estariam impactando a opção dos egressos pela docência na rede pública de ensino. Os procedimentos para a realização da investigação priorizaram, inicialmente, um mapeamento (por meio de buscadores da internet com o descritor “egressos PIBID”) acerca de pesquisas sobre o destino profissional de egressos que participaram do PIBID, o que resultou na localização e análise de 20 publicações de diversas IES (artigos, dissertações, teses, tccs e resumos de comunicações orais) e, num segundo momento, aplicamos um questionário para 18 egressos do PIBID/UMESP com questões para delineamento do perfil e sobre a experiência com o Programa. Visando o aprofundamento da reflexão sobre o processo formativo e a trajetória profissional, realizamos entrevistas com 4 egressos (dentre os 18 que responderam ao questionário, e que aceitaram colaborar). Os dados coletados e analisados indicam que a maioria dos egressos estão atuando como professores em escolas da rede pública de ensino, além da avaliação muito positiva sobre a importância da participação no PIBID para o processo formativo.
Memórias sobre o Pibid: concepções, criação e dinâmica de funcionamento (Memories about Pibid: conceptions, creation and dynamics of operation)
Authors: Silveira Hélder Eterno da
Published: September 2017

Este texto apresenta memórias do Pibid nos últimos anos, a partir de minha experiência como gestor nacional do programa. Algumas reflexões trazidas aqui revelam como o programa se desenhou no Brasil e de que modo contribuiu para o melhoramento do processo de formação de professores praticado nos cursos de licenciatura. O programa, desenhado em 2007, foi redesenhado pedagogicamente ao longo dos últimos anos. Para isso, contou com a colaboração de vários docentes universitários e professores da educação básica que se envolveram em ações colegiadas para esboçar o design pedagógico-formativo do Pibid. Os projetos institucionais foram construídos a partir desse design que revelou ser uma das principais políticas públicas de formação docente dos últimos anos no país.
Diabetes, Prediabetes, and Brain Volumes and Subclinical Cerebrovascular Disease on MRI: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS)
Authors: Schneider Andrea L.C. , Selvin Elizabeth , Sharrett A. Richey , Griswold Michael , Coresh Josef , Jack Clifford R. , Knopman David , Mosley Thomas , Gottesman Rebecca F.
Published: September 2017

OBJECTIVE

To examine the associations of prediabetes, diabetes, and diabetes severity (as assessed by HbA1c and diabetes duration) with brain volumes and vascular pathology on brain MRI and to assess whether the associations of diabetes with brain volumes are mediated by brain vascular pathology.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Cross-sectional study of 1,713 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS) (mean age 75 years, 60% female, 27% black, 30% prediabetes, and 35% diabetes) who underwent 3T brain MRI scans in 2011–2013. Participants were categorized by diabetes-HbA1c status as without diabetes (<5.7% [reference]), with prediabetes (5.7 to <6.5%), and with diabetes ([defined as prior diagnosis or HbA1c ≥6.5%] <7.0% vs. ≥7.0%), with further stratification by diabetes duration (<10 vs. ≥10 years).

RESULTS

In adjusted analyses, compared with participants without diabetes and HbA1c <5.7%, participants with prediabetes and those with diabetes and HbA1c <7.0% did not have significantly different brain volumes or vascular pathology (all P > 0.05), but those with diabetes and HbA1c ≥7.0% had smaller total brain volume (β −0.20 SDs, 95% CI −0.31, −0.09), smaller regional brain volumes (including frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes; deep gray matter; Alzheimer disease signature region; and hippocampus [all P < 0.05]), and increased burden of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) (P = 0.016). Among participants with diabetes, those with HbA1c ≥7.0% had smaller total and regional brain volumes and an increased burden of WMH (all P < 0.05) compared with those with HbA1c <7.0%. Similarly, participants with longer duration of diabetes (≥10 years) had smaller brain volumes and higher burden of lacunes (all P < 0.05) than those with a diabetes duration <10 years. We found no evidence for mediation by WMH in associations of diabetes with smaller brain volumes by structural equation models (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

More-severe diabetes (defined by higher HbA1c and longer disease duration) but not prediabetes or less-severe diabetes was associated with smaller brain volumes and an increased burden of brain vascular pathology. No evidence was found that associations of diabetes with smaller brain volumes are mediated by brain vascular pathology, suggesting that other mechanisms may be responsible for these associations.
Bom aluno, bom filho: a tensão entre a construção de si e o sucesso escolar em famílias de pais professores
Authors: Nogueira Marlice De Oliveira e
Published: September 2017

O estudo apresentado faz parte de um conjunto de pesquisas realizadas desde 2008 acerca dos efeitos de um ser professor nas dinâmicas familiares e nas trajetórias escolares dos filhos. Este texto aborda os processos de construção de si vivenciados por filhos de pais e mães que exercem a docência como profissão, num universo de 40 famílias investigadas por meio de metodologia qualitativa. Os resultados mostram que os pais professores se mobilizam intensamente para favorecer a escolarização dos filhos, mas essa mobilização e os seus impactos na formação dos filhos não se dão de modo homogêneo nas diferentes famílias. A origem social, as condições de existência, as experiências docentes e as diferentes dinâmicas familiares modulam as práticas educativas dos pais professores e impactam sua relação com a vida escolar dos filhos, assim como produzem efeitos diferentes na vida das crianças, que vivenciam uma tensão constante entre a construção de si e a busca do sucesso escolar.Palavras-chave: Êxito escolar. Famílias. Pais professores. Práticas educativas.
O debate contemporâneo do antirracismo: implicações teóricas e políticas para a educação
Authors: Da Cruz Ana Cristina Juvenal
Published: September 2017

aEste artigo toma como referência os debates contemporâneos acerca de políticas e práticas denominadas antirracistas, com o intuito de debater as configurações em torno das formas de combate ao racismo nas sociedades contemporâneas. De forma específica, a análise centra-se no contexto brasileiro, discutindo a adoção de medidas específicas na área da educação, com a finalidade de dirimir os efeitos do racismo no ambiente escolar. Partindo de uma perspectiva comparativa, o estudo examina o debate transnacional a respeito da diáspora negra e políticas educacionais. Debruça-se sobre o percurso teórico acerca do antirracismo e das interpretações contemporâneas do racismo e dos processos de racialização, a partir de pensadores cujas obras estão situadas nos estudos pós-coloniais, estudos culturais e estudos subalternos. A proposta visa articular essa análise ao debate local acerca das medidas destinadas a combater as discriminações étnicas e raciais no espaço escolar. Com esse escopo pretende-se apresentar um histórico da educação brasileira, cuja função esteve a serviço de um modo de racialização das relações sociais. Por fim, analisam-se as políticas contemporâneas adotadas no Brasil e os desdobramentos teóricos e políticos no combate ao racismo no espaço escolar.Palavras-chave: Antirracismo. Educação escolar. Racialização.
Pemberdayaan Perempuan melalui Kegiatan Ekonomi Kreatif
Authors: Dermawan Abdurraafi’ Maududi
Published: September 2017

The position and condition of women in Indonesia are considerably far from men, especially in some aspects of life as social, politics, economics, education, and culture. This phenomenon, furthermore, portrays that women is still in a marginal state. Therefore, there should be a special treatment to avoid such problems. The women themselves could gain a special care seriously. They could work on creative economy sectors, for instance because of 14 aspects of creative economy that will be introduced in this article.
Role of targeting nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy and imaging
Authors: Wen Ru , Umeano Afoma C
Published: September 2017

Cancer immunotherapy involves the delivery of immunogenic compounds and/or the priming, or induction, of the body’s natural immune system to target cancer. The use of cancer immunotherapy has led to various means of cancer prevention and treatment that have produced prolonged life expectancy and stabilized disease. Nanoparticles are promising vehicles or adjuvants for effective delivery of therapeutics, antigens, stimulatory effectors, or antibodies for therapeutic invention. Targeting nanoparticles are especially useful due to their capability of accumulating in specific sites of interest like tumors and, thereby, decreasing risks of damage to normal tissue. Targeting can be achieved by incorporation of cell-surface related binding molecules or antibodies. This review explores the role of targeting nanoparticles as delivery or adjuvant sys­tems to modulate immune response; and as imaging tracking systems for cancer.