bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and characterization of niosomes loaded mucoadhesive biodegradable ocular inserts for extended release of pilocarpine HCl
Authors: Alotaibi Tamara Ahmad , Iyire Affiong , Assaf Shereen , Dahmash Eman Zmaily 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundPilocarpine HCl is a non-selective muscarinic receptor agonist that is prescribed for the treatment of glaucoma. The use of pilocarpine conventional eye drops is associated with several side effects, such as loss of visual acuity, and the need for several applications due to rapid drainage away via the nasolacrimal duct, especially for elderly people. Such adverse effects can lead to low patient compliance and poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this project was to develop, optimise and characterise a biodegradable pilocarpine HCl ocular insert using niosomes as a drug delivery vehicle. To achieve that, various polymers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and a blend of both were investigated to prepare the ocular inserts using solvent casting technique. The niosomes of pilocarpine HCl were prepared using span-60 and cholesterol by thin film hydration method. The produced noisome-loaded ocular inserts were characterised using various analytical techniques, including Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), X-ray Diffractions (XRD), thermal analysis, particle size analysis, weight and content uniformity, surface pH and drug release profile, among others.ResultsThe results indicated that drug-free ocular inserts of the two polymers (HPMC + PVA) were better than single polymer-based ocular inserts (HPMC or PVA alone). The formed niosomes demonstrated good entrapment efficiency of 49.7% ± 7.0, with an average particle size of 325.7 ± 3.5 nm. The FTIR analysis showed no interaction between the compositions of niosomes. Four optimal formulations with various co-polymer ratios and pilocarpine content were further evaluated. Pilocarpine-containing niosomes-loaded ocular inserts provided uniformity in pilocarpine content (89–96%), with 34.8% moisture content and an average pH of 7. The release profile of niosomes-loaded inserts demonstrated an initial burst release within 2 h ranging from 26.54% (T4) to 41.22% (T2), and continuous sustained release for the next 24 h (68.32 ± 5.11% (T4) to 82.11 ± 6.01% (T2)).ConclusionsThis work successfully optimised biodegradable ocular inserts containing slow-release pilocarpine HCl encapsulated in niosomes for the treatment of glaucoma without dose dumping, resulting in a user-friendly drug delivery system.Graphical abstract
Impact of cluster farming on smallholder farmers teff commercialization in Ethiopia
Authors: Endalew Birara , Elias Asres , Yasunobu Kumi 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Cluster farming is an agricultural practice that involves organizing and grouping together farmers within a specific geographic area based on proximity of their farm plots to create synergies and economies of scale. In developing countries including Ethiopia cluster farming has gained prominence as a strategic initiative to foster commercialized agriculture and enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by integrating their production within the broader value chain. In light of this, the government of Ethiopia plans to promote cluster farming throughout the country based on the best practices of the four cluster farming priority regions and 10 high-value commodities. Teff is one of the high-value commodities in the cluster farming priority regions. However, the impact of cluster farming on teff commercialization was not studied before.

Methods
We conducted this study to examine the impact of cluster farming on teff commercialization using nationally representative data collected by Agricultural Transformation Institute of Ethiopia. Then, we analyzed the data using descriptive and inferential statistics, commercialization index, and endogenous switching regression model.

Results
The result revealed that the mean teff commercialization of cluster farming participants was higher than non-participants in all the cluster farming priority regions of Ethiopia. Similarly, the model result indicated that cluster farming had a positive and significant impact on teff commercialization at p < 0.01.

Conclusion
The findings suggest that the promotion of cluster farming facilitates teff commercialization in Ethiopia. However, we recommend further studies using panel data collected from large samples to provide a longitudinal perspective on the impact of cluster farming on teff commercialization over time. The findings of these studies can offer comprehensive insights and concrete information that can inform policymakers to support and promote teff cluster farming in Ethiopia.
New technological developments in medical education
Authors: Michalik Beniamin , Sęk Michał , Szypuła Aleksandra , Hajduk-Maślak Katarzyna , Skóra Adrianna , Galasińska Iwona 
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Medical education is a rapidly evolving field, necessitating adaptation to shifts in student demographics and societal needs. Balancing the demand for more healthcare providers must be accompanied by a focus on maintaining the quality of education. As certain conventional teaching methods lose favour, there is a continuous influx of new technologies that can be harnessed for the education of future doctors.
Purpose of the study: The objective of this study was to gather and analyse literature on the utilization of new technologies in medical education and their influence on students, educators, and the overall quality of medical instruction.
Material and methods: A review of the literature available on PubMed and a grey literature search was performed. We used such keywords like: “medical education”, “physician training”, “medical students”, “technology”, “elearning”, “new learning methods”. We also applied Bolean logical operators such as “AND”, “OR”.
Results: Examining the gathered publications leads to the conclusion that a variety of new technologies are being employed in medical education, such as e-learning, telehealth, and virtual or augmented reality. While some function as alternatives to existing methods, others introduce entirely novel approaches. In general, these new technologies positively impact education by enhancing outcomes, increasing accessibility to education, and reducing the costs associated with the teaching process.
Conclusions: The integration of emerging technologies has become essential in the preparation of future medical professionals. Despite the overall positive impact, there are apprehensions regarding potential long-term consequences for healthcare delivery. Subsequent studies are crucial to assess lasting effects, delving into how the integration of technology may shape the skills of healthcare professionals over time.
Effect of Wood Specimen Length on Uniaxial Stress–Strain Curve along the Grain Direction
Authors: Liu Jianhui , Xu Guolin , Bai Yashuang , Lin Yujie , Geng Wenqing 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
The axial compression test was carried out on the basis of three different-size specimens of white wax (Fraxinus chinensis), fir (Abies fabri), and Yunnan pine (Pinus yunnanensis) to explore the influence of specimen length on the compression strength parallel to grain, peak strain, and elastic modulus of wood. Weibull’s weakest-link theory, Bazant’s law of size effect, and Carpinteri’s multiple fractal size effect were used for the analysis. The results showed significant size effects on theses parameters of wood along the grain. Using the three theories to predict the compressive strength of 100-mm-length specimens, the predicted value of Bazant’s law of size effect has the smallest error with the measured value, followed by Weibull’s weakest-link theory and Carpinteri’s law of multiple fractal size effect. The size-effect coefficients of the down-grain compressive strength of the three woods obtained using the slope method were 0.06, 0.11, and 0.09, respectively, which were consistent with the values of m in the Weibull fitting function.
What Do Apologies Apologize for? Rearrangements of State Violence
Authors: Thobani Sunera 
Published: February 2024

What do apologies apologize for? More precisely, what do the apologies regularly pronounced by states for some atrocity or other actually accomplish? This question animates my article. State apologies became an integral element of global political culture in the early 21st century. These politics of regret are reshaping Canadian national culture, most pronouncedly with the apologies for the Indian Residential School System (
CBC News 2008a;
McIntyre 2017) and the Komagata Maru (
CBC News 2008b;
Trudeau 2016). While Public Inquiries and Royal Commissions have long served as state responses to political mobilization, deployment of the machinery of regret has fast become the predictable response to accusations of atrocities, including genocide, enslavement and racial violence.
Drawing on Frantz Fanon’s and Walter Benjamin’s ideas on violence, colonial in the case of
Fanon (1961), law in that of
Benjamin (1996), I examine the apologies delivered to Indigenous peoples and South-Asian diasporic communities by the Canadian state. Locating these pronouncements in the histories of violence they index, I demonstrate how such apologies function as techniques of violence that advance settler power structures and narratives of nationhood. My argument here is that apologies are themselves acts of violence which rework histories of brutalization to meet the political destabilizations of the present. Apologies thus reorganize the racial violence of settler societies, drawing sections of subjugated populations into waging this violence and, in the process, derail resurgent politics of decolonization, abolitionism and anti-racism.
International Broadcasting and its Contested Role in Australian Statecraft: Middle Power, Smart Power, Geoff Heriot (2023)
Authors: Cassidy Margaret 
Published: February 2024

Review of: International Broadcasting and its Contested Role in Australian Statecraft: Middle Power, Smart Power, Geoff Heriot (2023)
London and New York: Anthem Press, 292 pp.,
ISBN 978-1-83998-504-1, h/bk, AUD 125.00
ISBN 978-1-83998-506-5, e-book, GBP 25.00
Graphic Migrations: Precarity and Gender in India and the Diaspora, Kavita Daiya (2020)
Authors: Ahmed Sameera T. 
Published: February 2024

Review of: Graphic Migrations: Precarity and Gender in India and the Diaspora, Kavita Daiya (2020)
Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 258 pp.,
ISBN 978-1-43992-025-1, p/bk, $34.95
COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONTENT OF A NUMBER OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN KIWI FRUITS
Authors: Aiba Lesik Yankovic , Platonova Natalia Borisovna , Belous Oksana Gennadievna 
Published: February 2024

The content of biologically active substances in new promising varieties of kiwi breeding of the Research Institute of Agriculture of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia is considered. A spectrophotometric method for determining biologically active substances (anthocyanins, photosynthetic pigments, polyphenols) was used, which is based on determining the optical density of the solution of the analyzed substances at certain wavelengths. The aim is to analyze the varietal specification of kiwi fruits for the accumulation of biologically active substances such as pigments (anthocyanins, chlorophyll and carotenoids) and polyphenols in them. Five main groups of anthocyanins were quantified in fruits, and a significant excess of the amounts of this class of pigments was noted in the cv. Pobeditel (the amount of anthocyanins was 375.46 mg/100 g at 122.85–170.01 mg/100 g in the remaining varieties; LSD05 = 9.34). The predominant group of anthocyanin pigments in kiwi fruits is pelargonidin-3-glucoside, the content of which in varieties is in the range of 26.43 mg/100 g (cv. Slava) – 79.00 mg/100 g (cv. Pobeditel). The content of chlorophylls and carotenoids was determined, the greater amount of which accumulates in the fruits of the cv. Otkhara (1.58 mg/100 g of chlorophyll and 0.37 mg/100 g of carotenoids) and cv. Gulripshsky (1.58 and 0.23 mg/100 g, respectively). The amount of polyphenols synthesized in fruits has been established. The cv. Pobeditel and cv. Gulripshsky are the most rich in phenolic components (1576.5–1582.6 mg/100 g). The data of biochemical analyses showed the prospects of three new golden varieties without pubescence: Pobeditel, Gulripshsky and Otkhara. The results obtained will be used in further breeding work to obtain varieties that are the richest in biologically active substances of an antioxidant nature, and are of undoubted interest to the consumer.
A Construção das Identidades da personagem Marji na HQ Persépolis
Authors: Oliveira Wanessa Rodovalho Melo , Kailer Dircel Aparecida 
Published: February 2024

O presente estudo, com base na Sociolinguística laboviana (Labov, 2008), nas Crenças e Atitudes dos psicólogos sociais Lambert e Lambert (1972) e do linguista Moreno Fernández (1998), assim como nas noções de identidade segundo Bordieu (1977), Mendoza-Denton (2002), Bonnewitz (2003), Hall (2006), Kiesling (2013), Battisti (2014) e Oushiro (2019), tem como objetivo principal analisar como a convivência com diferentes grupos sociais reflete na construção da identidade, nas crenças e atitudes linguísticas de Marji, personagem principal da História em Quadrinhos (HQ): Persépolis. A escolha dessa história para o presente estudo justifica-se por sua importância histórica quanto ao papel da mulher em algumas comunidades do Oriente Médio e por ser a primeira HQ escrita, de forma autobiográfica, por uma mulher iraniana. Ela é narrada do ponto de vista de Marji e discorre sobre a imposição do islamismo no Irã. Nesta pesquisa de cunho descritivo e interpretativo (Moita Lopes, 1994), temos também como objetivos a) expor alguns aspectos sociais, históricos e políticos narrados, na História em Quadrinhos Persépolis; b) verificar, com base nos relatos da protagonista Marji, algumas imposições à mulher iraniana. A partir da análise, foi possível, de modo geral, observar como as crenças e as atitudes da protagonista influenciaram na construção de suas identidades de acordo com a participação em diferentes comunidades dentro e fora do Irã.
Reference intervals for high sensitivity cardiac troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in children and adolescents on the Siemens Atellica
Authors: Ameh Akoji , Brady Jennifer J. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Objectives
The cardiac biomarkers high sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are utilised in paediatric healthcare for the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of many conditions including myocarditis, congenital heart disease, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and heart failure. However, the standardised age-related reference intervals, 99th percentile cut-offs and clinical guidelines are not available, making the interpretation of these biomarkers challenging. This study aimed to generate normative data in a paediatric cohort for the Siemens Atellica® IM 1300 analyser.

Methods
Residual plasma samples were collected from children aged up to 17 years attending primary care and out-patient settings and with no apparent evidence of cardiac dysfunction, renal dysfunction or other confounders. Reference intervals were generated using the 2.5th–97.5th percentiles, and 99th percentile cut-offs determined according to CLSI EP28-A3c.

Results
Statistical analysis revealed that partitioning was not required for gender for either biomarker. The reference interval for hs-cTnI for children aged one month to 16 years (n=292, 146 females and 146 males) was <14 ng/L with a 99th percentile cut-off of 19 ng/L. The reference interval for NT-proBNP for children aged one month up to one year was <714 ng/L (n=14) and for children aged 1–16 years (n=339) was <295 ng/L.

Conclusions
This is the first paediatric reference interval data generated on the Siemens Atellica® solution. These reference intervals and 99th percentiles will inform clinical decisions in the paediatric cardiology setting.
Vestlandet – A Place of Cultural Encounter
Authors: Krutzinna Leonie , Schmidt Maike , Øveraas Morten 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This article focuses on Norwegian–German cultural contacts in Western Norway in the first half of the 20th century. Although rural Western Norway has always been difficult to access, numerous cultural interrelations between German- and Norwegian-speaking artists, writers, and philosophers can be observed. These encounters can be characterised as real exchanges from person to person, but also as exchanges between persons and texts, or between persons and landscape. The article provides an overview of the Vestlandet region as a place of cultural encounter, focusing on the aesthetic, political and historical context of the early to mid-20th century.
Inorganic nanoparticles promoted synthesis of oxygen-containing heterocycles
Authors: Devi Thangjam Linda , Singh Okram Mukherjee , Sharma Kongbrailatpam Gayatri 
Published: February 2024

AbstractSince many of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications contain oxygen-containing heterocyclic molecules, they have been discovered to be quite important. Moreover, over the past 10 years, the field of reusable nanocatalysts has expanded quickly. Therefore, the development of nanotechnology has led to a wide range of applications for nanocatalysis in the synthesis of heterocyclic molecules. The domains of organic chemistry and pharmaceuticals have recently shown a great deal of interest in nanocatalyzed organic processes. Such nanocatalysts enable non-toxic, simpler, environmentally friendly, and more affordable synthetic processes that give only the most desirable compounds in higher quantities and provide simple catalyst separation. As a result of their efficient methods for separating catalysts and products, nanocatalysts were chosen over other catalysts for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. This review emphasized the preparation of nanocatalysts, synthetic approaches, and recycling studies of highly excited catalytic systems employed for the synthesis of oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds.
HIV-1 and methamphetamine co-treatment in primary human astrocytes: TAARgeting ER/UPR dysfunction
Authors: Proulx Jessica M. , Park In-Woo , Borgmann Kathleen 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) can invade the central nervous system (CNS) early during infection and persist in the CNS for life despite effective antiretroviral treatment. Infection and activation of residential glial cells lead to low viral replication and chronic inflammation, which damage neurons contributing to a spectrum of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Substance use, including methamphetamine (METH), can increase one’s risk and severity of HAND. Here, we investigate HIV-1/METH co-treatment in a key neurosupportive glial cell, astrocytes. Specifically, mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane (MAM) signaling pathways, such as calcium and the unfolded protein response (UPR), are key mechanisms underlying HAND pathology and arise as potential targets to combat astrocyte dysfunction.

Methods
Primary human astrocytes were transduced with a pseudotyped HIV-1 model and exposed to low-dose METH for seven days. We assessed changes in astrocyte HIV-1 infection, inflammation, mitochondrial antioxidant and dynamic protein expression, respiratory acitivity, mitochondrial calcium flux, and UPR/MAM mediator expression. We then tested a selective antagonist for METH-binding receptor, trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) as a potetnial upstream regulator of METH-induced calcium flux and UPR/MAM mediator expression.

Results
Chronic METH exposure increased astrocyte HIV-1 infection. Moreover, HIV-1/METH co-treatment suppressed astrocyte antioxidant and metabolic capacity while increasing mitochondrial calcium load and protein expression of UPR messengers and MAM mediators. Notably, HIV-1 increases astrocyte TAAR1 expression, thus, could be a critical regulator of HIV-1/METH co-treatment in astrocytes. Indeed, selective antagonism of TAAR1 significantly inhibited cytosolic calcium flux and induction of UPR/MAM protein expression.

Conclusion
Altogether, our findings demonstrate HIV-1/METH-induced ER-mitochondrial dysfunction in astrocytes, whereas TAAR1 may be an upstream regulator for HIV-1/METH-mediated astrocyte dysfunction.
Photochemical synthesis in inorganic chemistry
Authors: Kanwal Rimsha , Al-Araji Riyadh R. , Ibrahim Ahmad H. , Iqbal Muhammad Adnan , Bibi Shamsa , Zafar Adina , Yaseen Muhammad , Shoukat Umar Sohail , Jamil Faisal 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
In the last few decades, photochemistry has great influence on all type of synthetic processes. While photochemical synthesis is emerging field in inorganic chemistry as it impart various magnificent properties to materials that are used for synthesis of nano-sized materials to giant supramolecular structures. There are many photochemical based synthetic approaches like electron, atom, energy transfer depending upon the need of product where one can switch the pathway. A variety of inorganic compounds have been synthesized like dienes, nitrides, indoles, gold nano-particles and supramolecular structures using photochemical route. Photochemical synthesis has various applications like artificial photosynthesis and fluorophores.
Inorganic-polymer composite electrolytes: basics, fabrications, challenges and future perspectives
Authors: Khan Shahab , Ullah Ishfaq , Rahman Mudassir Ur , Khan Hamayun , Shah Abdul Bari , Althomali Raed H. , Rahman Mohammed M. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This review covers the basics of, inorganic-polymer composite electrolyte materials that combine inorganic components with polymer matrices to enhance the ionic conductivity and mechanical properties of the electrolyte. These composite electrolytes are commonly employed in solid-state batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and other electrochemical devices. The incorporation of inorganic components, such as ceramic nanoparticles or metal oxides, into a polymer matrix provides several advantages. The inorganic components can improve the overall ionic conductivity by providing pathways for ion transport, reducing the tortuosity of the polymer matrix, and facilitating ion hopping between polymer chains. Additionally, inorganic materials often exhibit higher thermal and chemical stability compared to pure polymers, which can enhance the safety and durability of composite electrolytes. Polymer matrices used in inorganic-polymer composite electrolytes can vary, but common choices include polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and polyethylene oxide/polypropylene oxide (PEO/PPO) blends. These polymers offer good mechanical flexibility and processability, allowing for the fabrication of thin films or membranes. The fabrication methods for inorganic-polymer composite electrolytes depend on the specific application and desired properties. Common approaches include solution casting, in situ polymerization, melt blending, and electrospinning. During the fabrication process, the inorganic components are typically dispersed or mixed with the polymer matrix, and the resulting composite is processed into the desired form, such as films, membranes, or coatings. The performance of inorganic-polymer composite electrolytes is evaluated based on their ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, electrochemical stability, and compatibility with the electrode materials. Researchers continue to explore various combinations of inorganic and polymer components, as well as optimization strategies, to further improve the overall performance of these composite electrolytes for advanced energy storage and conversion applications.