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Emerging trends in long-acting sustained drug delivery for glaucoma management
No full textGlaucoma is an optic neuropathy in which progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and the optic nerve leads to irreversible visual loss. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness. The pathogenesis of glaucoma is determined by different pathogenetic mechanisms, including increased intraocular pressure, mechanical stress, excitotoxicity, resistance to aqueous drainage and oxidative stress. Topical formulations are often used in glaucoma treatment, whereas surgical measures are used in acute glaucoma cases. For most patients, long-term glaucoma treatments are given. Poor patient compliance and low bioavailability are often associated with topical therapy, which suggests that sustained-release, long-acting drug delivery systems could be beneficial in managing glaucoma. This review summarizes the eye’s physiology, the pathogenesis of glaucoma, current treatments, including both pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions, and recent advances in long-acting drug delivery systems for the treatment of glaucoma.<br/
Ireland’s ‘architecture of containment’: an examination of the Magdalene laundries through design and experience
No full textRare chlorinated fungal metabolite and alpha-pyrones from an endophytic fungus Nigrospora sp.
No full textEndophytic microorganisms have been recognized as potential sources of new chemical entities with applications in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, and other industries. This study investigated the secondary metabolites produced by an endophytic Nigrospora sp. isolated from the Nigerian plant, Gongronema latifolium. Standard procedures were followed for fungal isolation, taxonomic identification, fermentation, and extraction of secondary metabolites. The antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the fungal extract were assessed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant assay and the agar-well diffusion assay, respectively. Various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques were used to isolate, purify, and characterize compounds from the fungal extract. At 500 μg/mL, the fungal crude extract showed average antioxidant activity with a 48% inhibition. The extract also demonstrated moderate antimicrobial activity at 1 mg/mL against Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi, with an inhibition zone diameter of 2 mm produced against both test strains. The fungal extract yielded six compounds, including the rare, chlorinated metabolite, acrodontiolamide (1), and five α-pyrone derivatives: hydroxypestalopyrone (2), pestalopyrone (3), pestalotiopyrone D (4), cis-4-hydroxymellein (5), and its trans-isomer (6). Interestingly, this is the second report of acrodontiolamide (1) in nature, after its first report in 1993. These compounds possess a wide range of known biological activities, including antimicrobial, antitumor, and cytotoxic effects, valorizing their potential in drug development.<br/
Removal of drive-by vehicle components using transfer functions with experimental investigation
No full textIn the past two decades, the application of instrumented sensing vehicles for the structural health monitoring of transport infrastructure has attracted increasing interest due to the low cost and high efficiency. This is known as an indirect method, vehicle scanning method, or drive-by monitoring. The recent advances in intelligent vehicles are accelerating the explorations and applications of drive-by monitoring for transport infrastructure assessment and adding further value of smart vehicle networks in terms of data for informed decision-making by transport infrastructure asset owners. However, the removal of undesired vehicle components from vehicle measurements remains one of the key challenges in drive-by monitoring. To realize the practical implementation of drive-by monitoring towards net zero transport infrastructure, this paper proposes novel vehicle transfer functions to isolate: (i) the bridge information, and/or (ii) contact point information, from drive-by vehicle measurements via smartphone sensing. Both theoretical, empirical, and averaged empirical transfer functions are implemented to remove unwanted vehicle information. The sensitivity to the accuracy of the proposed algorithm was investigated regarding different vehicle speeds and varying road conditions. Additionally, laboratory testing with a one-fifth scale model of Loughbrickland bridge on the A1 road (Belfast to Dublin) in Northern Ireland was carried out to verify its practical feasibility, and experimental results also demonstrate that proposed transfer functions work well in mitigating vehicle components.<br/
The Sun at millimeter wavelengths. V. Magnetohydrodynamic waves in a fibrillar structure
No full textMagnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, playing a crucial role in transporting energy through the solar atmosphere, manifest in various chromospheric structures. Here, we investigated MHD waves in a long-lasting dark fibril using high-temporal-resolution (2 s cadence) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations in Band 6 (centered at 1.25 mm). We detected oscillations in brightness temperature, horizontal displacement, and width at multiple locations along the fibril, with median periods and standard deviations of 240 ± 114 s, 225 ± 102 s, and 272 ± 118 s, respectively. Wavelet analysis revealed a combination of standing and propagating waves, suggesting the presence of both MHD kink and sausage modes. Less dominant than standing waves, oppositely propagating waves exhibit phase speeds (median and standard deviation of distributions) of 74 ± 204 km/s, 52 ± 197 km/s, and 28 ± 254 km/s for the three observables, respectively. This work demonstrates ALMA’s capability to effectively sample dynamic fibrillar structures, despite previous doubts. This provides valuable insights into wave dynamics in the upper chromosphere
From policy to plate: international trade law’s role in advancing sustainable food governance and supporting dignified food access
No full textThis article investigates the underexplored concept of food dignity, examining how it intersects with the right to adequate food and sustainable governance, particularly within trade contexts where inequalities and environmental challenges exacerbate food access issues. Focusing on the role of the World Trade Organization, it analyses how current trade policies both hinder and can potentially support dignified and sustainable food access and identifies key gaps in WTO Agreements related to agriculture, exploring opportunities to reshape trade provisions to support dignified access to food while advancing sustainable agricultural practices. In doing so, this article reviews recent efforts toward sustainable food governance in trade, offering recommendations for future policy directions
The logic of brokerage: why interest organizations network with their opponents
No full textCooperation in lobbying is central to policymaking, and the formation of coalitions is a frequently used strategy by interest groups seeking to influence policy outcomes. While coalition formation between like-minded organizations is well documented, the literature has so far overlooked interest groups networking with groups that pursue opposed policy goals. In this article, we advance a novel theoretical proposition to explain an interest group’s propensity to network with its political opponents based on the logic of brokerage. We argue that brokers between opposing policy positions can secure long-term advantages as political insiders across diverse issues, but risk damaging their reputation and alienating their members. We test our argument empirically based on survey data for roughly 2000 interest groups in 7 European countries. Our findings give robust support to our theoretical framework and shed new light on lobbying strategies and the logics that drive cooperation in lobbying, de-escalation, and access to policymaking.<br/
Predicting free edge delamination induced by thermal loading using finite fracture mechanics
No full textThe material mismatch between the dissimilarly oriented plies within laminated structures induces localised singular interlaminar stresses at free edges, under various loading conditions such as mechanical, moisture, or thermal. These interlaminar stresses lead to premature interlaminar cracking. This study introduces the application of Finite Fracture Mechanics (FFM) for predicting free edge delamination in angle-ply laminates under uniform thermal loading. The current framework assumes nucleation of semi-elliptically shaped crack at the dissimilar interface, resulting in a 3D FFM criterion. For a given material intrinsic properties, e.g. interlaminar fracture toughness and strength, calculation of quantities such as interlaminar stresses and incremental energy release rates are required. These quantities, necessary for the evaluation of the FFM criterion, are determined semi-analytically through expressions derived from dimensional analysis and finite element models. Dimensional analysis facilitates the finding of these quantities only once using non-dimensionalised functions. The resulting non-dimensionalised functions for stresses and energy release rates are not a function of thermal load and ply thickness. This eliminates the requirement to re-solve the underlying boundary value problem for varying loads and ply thicknesses. The accuracy of finite element models is confirmed against results from models available in literature and dimensional analysis is validated against numerical solutions. The 3D FFM system is solved by assuming a homothetic crack extension and is implemented as a standard constrained nonlinear optimisation problem. In addition to the 3D FFM, another model based on the Theory of Critical Distances (TCD) is employed for validation purposes. The predictions from both the 3D FFM and TCD are compared to those from models available in the literature.<br/
