scholarly journals Neglected Venomous Animals and Toxins: Underrated Biotechnological Tools in Drug Development

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 851
Author(s):  
Guilherme Rabelo Coelho ◽  
Daiane Laise da Silva ◽  
Emidio Beraldo-Neto ◽  
Hugo Vigerelli ◽  
Laudiceia Alves de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Therapeutic Agents ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Biotechnological Potential ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Outcomes ◽  
Venomous Animals ◽  
Restricted Group ◽  
Scientific Attention

Among the vast repertoire of animal toxins and venoms selected by nature and evolution, mankind opted to devote its scientific attention—during the last century—to a restricted group of animals, leaving a myriad of toxic creatures aside. There are several underlying and justifiable reasons for this, which include dealing with the public health problems caused by envenoming by such animals. However, these studies became saturated and gave rise to a whole group of animals that become neglected regarding their venoms and secretions. This repertoire of unexplored toxins and venoms bears biotechnological potential, including the development of new technologies, therapeutic agents and diagnostic tools and must, therefore, be assessed. In this review, we will approach such topics through an interconnected historical and scientific perspective that will bring up the major discoveries and innovations in toxinology, achieved by researchers from the Butantan Institute and others, and describe some of the major research outcomes from the study of these neglected animals.

3D Printing in Pharmaceuticals: Regulatory Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (42) ◽  
pp. 5081-5083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd. A. Mirza ◽  
Zeenat Iqbal
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Pharmaceutical Product ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Data Bases ◽  
Drug Products ◽  
Regulatory Perspective ◽  
Regulatory Guidelines ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Technical Issues

Background: The last few decades have witnessed enormous advancements in the field of Pharmaceutical drug, design and delivery. One of the recent developments is the advent of 3DP technology. It has earlier been successfully employed in fields like aerospace, architecture, tissue engineering, biomedical research, medical device and others, has recently forayed into the pharmaceutical industry.Commonly understood as an additive manufacturing technology, 3DP aims at delivering customized drug products and is the most acceptable form of“personalized medicine”. Methods: Data bases and search engines of regulatory agencies like USFDA and EMA have been searched thoroughly for relevant guidelines and approved products. Other portals like PubMed and Google Scholar were also ferreted for any relevant repository of publications are referred to wherever required. Results: So far only one pharmaceutical product has been approved in this category by USFDA and stringent regulatory agencies are working over the drafting of guidelines and technical issues. Major research of this category belongs to the academic domain. Conclusion: It is also implicit to such new technologies that there would be numerous challenges and doubts before these are accepted as safe and efficacious. The situation demands concerted and cautious efforts to bring in foolproof regulatory guidelines which would ultimately lead to the success of this revolutionary technology.

Perspectives

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Szollosy
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Cultural Imagination ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Augmentation ◽  
Public Imagination

This chapter introduces the “Perspectives” section of the Handbook of Living Machines offering an overview of the different contributions gathered here that consider how biomimetic and biohybrid systems will transform our personal lives and social organizations, and how we might respond to the challenges that these transformations will inevitably pose to our ‘posthuman’ worlds. The authors in this section see it as essential that those who aspire to create living machines engage with the public to confront misconceptions, deep anxieties, and unrealistic aspirations that presently dominate the cultural imagination, and to include potential users in questions of design and utility as new technologies are being developed. Human augmentation and enhancement are other important themes addressed, raising important questions about what it means fundamentally to be ‘human’. These questions and challenges are addressed through the lens of the social and personal impacts of new technologies on human selves, the public imagination, ethics, and human relationships.

scholarly journals Diagnostic tools for neurosyphilis: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Henrique Pereira Boog ◽  
João Vitor Ziroldo Lopes ◽  
João Vitor Mahler ◽  
Marina Solti ◽  
Lucas Tokio Kawahara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Clinical Suspicion ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Test Accuracy ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis ◽  
Evaluation Methodologies ◽  
Fluid Analysis ◽  
Criteria For Diagnosis

Abstract Purpose Increasing incidences of syphilis highlight the preoccupation with the occurrence of neurosyphilis. This study aimed to understand the current diagnostic tools and their performance to detect neurosyphilis, including new technologies and the variety of existing methods. Methods We searched databases to select articles that reported neurosyphilis diagnostic methods and assessed their accuracy, presenting sensitivity and specificity values. Information was synthesized in tables. The risk of bias was examined using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy recommendations. Results Fourteen studies were included. The main finding was a remarkable diversity of tests, which had varied purposes, techniques, and evaluation methodologies. There was no uniform criterion or gold standard to define neurosyphilis. The current basis for its diagnosis is clinical suspicion and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. There are new promising tests such as PCR tests and chemokine measurement assays. Conclusions The diagnosis of neurosyphilis is still a challenge, despite the variety of existing and developing tests. We believe that the multiplicity of reference standards adopted as criteria for diagnosis reveals the imprecision of the current definitions of neurosyphilis. An important next step for the scientific community is to create a universally accepted diagnostic definition for this disease.

scholarly journals Diagnostics and monitoring tools for noncommunicable diseases: a missing component in the global response

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Bernabé-Ortiz ◽  
Jessica H. Zafra-Tanaka ◽  
Miguel Moscoso-Porras ◽  
Rangarajan Sampath ◽  
Beatrice Vetter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Monitoring Tools

AbstractA key component of any health system is the capacity to accurately diagnose individuals. One of the six building blocks of a health system as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) includes diagnostic tools. The WHO’s Noncommunicable Disease Global Action Plan includes addressing the lack of diagnostics for noncommunicable diseases, through multi-stakeholder collaborations to develop new technologies that are affordable, safe, effective and quality controlled, and improving laboratory and diagnostic capacity and human resources. Many challenges exist beyond price and availability for the current tools included in the Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (PEN) for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. These include temperature stability, adaptability to various settings (e.g. at high altitude), need for training in order to perform and interpret the test, the need for maintenance and calibration, and for Blood Glucose Meters non-compatible meters and test strips. To date the issues surrounding access to diagnostic and monitoring tools for noncommunicable diseases have not been addressed in much detail. The aim of this Commentary is to present the current landscape and challenges with regards to guidance from the WHO on diagnostic tools using the WHO REASSURED criteria, which define a set of key characteristics for diagnostic tests and tools. These criteria have been used for communicable diseases, but so far have not been used for noncommunicable diseases. Diagnostic tools have played an important role in addressing many communicable diseases, such as HIV, TB and neglected tropical diseases. Clearly more attention with regards to diagnostics for noncommunicable diseases as a key component of the health system is needed.

scholarly journals Obstacles to Developing Net-Zero Energy (NZE) Homes in Greater Toronto Area

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Ghazal Makvandia ◽  
Md. Safiuddin
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Greater Toronto Area ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero

Efforts have been put in place to minimize the effects of construction activities and occupancy, but the problem of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continues to have detrimental effects on the environment. As an effort to reduce GHG emissions, particularly carbon emissions, countable commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential net-zero energy (NZE) buildings were built around the globe during the past few years, and they are still operating. But there exist many challenges and barriers for the construction of NZE buildings. This study identifies the obstacles to developing NZE buildings, with a focus on single-family homes, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The study sought to identify the technical, organizational, and social challenges of constructing NZE buildings, realize the importance of the public awareness in making NZE homes, and provide recommendations on how to raise public knowledge. A qualitative approach was employed to collect the primary data through survey and interviews. The secondary data obtained from the literature review were also used to realize the benefits, challenges, and current situation of NZE buildings. Research results indicate that the construction of NZE buildings is faced with a myriad of challenges, including technical issues, the lack of governmental and institutional supports, and the lack of standardized measures. The public awareness of NZE homes has been found to be very low, thus limiting the uptake and adoption of the new technologies used in this type of homes. The present study also recommends that the government and the academic institutions should strive to support the NZE building technology through curriculum changes, technological uptake, and financial incentives to buyers and developers. The implementation of these recommendations may enhance the success and popularity of NZE homes in the GTA.

Leveraging business intelligence systems to enhance management control and business process performance in the public sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Z. Elbashir ◽  
Steve G. Sutton ◽  
Vicky Arnold ◽  
Philip A. Collier
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Process Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

Purpose Recent research and policy reports indicate public sector organizations struggle to leverage information technology-based performance measurement systems and fail to effectively evaluate performance beyond financial metrics. This study aims to focus on organizational factors that influence the assimilation of business intelligence (BI) systems into integrated management control systems and the corollary impact on improving business process performance within public sector organizations. Design/methodology/approach The complete Australian client list was acquired from a leading BI vendor; and the authors surveyed all public sector organizations, receiving 226 individual responses representing 160 public sector organizations in Australia. Using latent construct measurement, structural equation modeling (SEM)-partial least squares is used to test the theoretical model. Findings When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities that are critical to assimilation in private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. When top management effectively manages knowledge importation from external entities to counteract deficiencies, public sector organizations effectively assimilate BI knowledge into performance measurement yielding strong process performance. Research limitations/implications When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities critical to assimilation in the private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. The research extends the theory behind organizational absorptive capacity by highlighting how knowledge importation can be used as an external source facilitating internal knowledge creation. This collaborative knowledge creation leads to affective assimilation of BI technologies and associated performance gains. Practical implications The results provide guidance to public sector organizations that struggle to measure and validate service outcomes under New Public Management regulations and mandates. Originality/value The results reveal that consistent with the philosophies behind New Public Management strategies, private sector measures for increasing organizational absorptive capacity can be applied in the public sector. However, knowledge importation appears to be a major catalyst in the public sector where the resources to retain skilled professionals with an ability to leverage contemporary technologies into service performance are often very limited. Top management team knowledge and skills are critical to effectively leveraging these internal and external knowledge creation mechanisms.

Emerging Medical Technologies for Fighting COVID-19: Prevention, Testing, and Treatment (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo Zhao ◽  
Rui Li ◽  
Yangmyung Ma ◽  
Iman Islam ◽  
Abdul M. Azam Rajper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Rapid Rise ◽  
Testing Methods ◽  
Medical Treatments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Medical Technologies ◽  
Equipment Testing

UNSTRUCTURED During COVID-19, the clinical and healthcare demands have been on the rapid rise. Major challenges to addressing the pandemic include a lack of testing kits and shortages of ventilators to treat severe cases of COVID-19, insufficient accessibility to personal protective equipment for both hospitals and the public. New technologies have been developed by scientists, researchers, and companies in response to these demands. In this paper, 90 news articles and scientific reports on COVID-19-related innovations during 2020-2021 were screened and shortlisted to form a pool of candidates yielding a total of 20 publications for review which were then categorized into three sections: personal protective equipment, testing methods, and medical treatments. Each study was analyzed for its engineering characteristics and potential social impact on the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the guidelines for future disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment were summarized and discussed.

Mining the air: Political ecologies of the circular carbon economy

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110614
Author(s):  
Holly Jean Buck
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Carbon Utilization ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
The Public ◽  
Fossil Carbon ◽  
Political Ecologies ◽  
Carbon Economy

Can fossil-based fuels become carbon neutral or carbon negative? The oil and gas industry is facing pressure to decarbonize, and new technologies are allowing companies and experts to imagine lower-carbon fossil fuels as part of a circular carbon economy. This paper draws on interviews with experts, ethnographic observations at carbontech and carbon management events, and interviews with members of the public along a suggested CO2 pipeline route from Iowa to Texas, to explore: What is driving the sociotechnical imaginary of circular fossil carbon among experts, and what are its prospects? How do people living in the landscapes that are expected to provide carbon utilization and removal services understand their desirability and workability? First, the paper examines a contradiction in views of carbon professionals: while experts understand the scale of infrastructure, energy, and capital required to build a circular carbon economy, they face constraints in advocating for policies commensurate with this scale, though they have developed strategies for managing this disconnect. Second, the paper describes views from the land in the central US, surfacing questions about the sustainability of new technologies, the prospect of carbon dioxide pipelines, and the way circular carbon industries could intersect trends of decline in small rural towns. Experts often fail to consider local priorities and expertise, and people in working landscapes may not see the priorities and plans of experts, constituting a “double unseeing.” Robust energy democracy involves not just resistance to dominant imaginaries of circular carbon, but articulation of alternatives. New forms of expert and community collaboration will be key to transcending this double unseeing and furthering energy democracy.

Zoom; or, Obsolescence

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-200
Author(s):  
W.B. Worthen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Electronic Media ◽  
Theatrical Production ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
The Public

The signal modality of theatrical production during the pandemic crisis of 2020–21 has been Zoom theatre. While Zoom theatre responds to public health concerns regarding virus transmission, it also articulates a vision of performance at the intersection of the public and the private, at the juncture between theatre and electronic media, and as a representation of theatre as a humanizing technology. Theatre has suggestively foregrounded new technologies under the sign of obsolescence, and in the affective register of nostalgia.

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE — A CASE-BASED APPROACH

2012 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1250007 ◽  
Author(s):  
JÜRGEN EICHBERGER ◽  
ANI GUERDJIKOVA
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Technology Learning ◽  
The Public ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Technological Adaptation ◽  
Long Run

We present a model of technological adaptation in response to a change in climate conditions. The main feature of the model is that new technologies are not just risky, but also ambiguous. Pessimistic agents are thus averse to adopting a new technology. Learning is induced by optimists, who are willing to try out technologies about which there is little evidence available. We show that both optimists and pessimists are crucial for a successful adaptation. While optimists provide the public good of information which gives pessimists an incentive to innovate, pessimists choose the new technology persistently in the long-run which increases the average returns for the society. Hence, the optimal share of optimists in the society is strictly positive. When the share of optimists in the society is too low, innovation is slow and the obtained steady-state is inefficient. We discuss two policies which can potentially alleviate this inefficiency: Subsidies and provision of additional information. We show that if precise and relevant information is available, pessimists would be willing to pay for it and consequently adopt the new technology. Hence, providing information might be a more efficient policy, which is both self-financing and results in better social outcomes.

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