ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INNOVATION, AND COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION - INTERVIEW WITH PROF. PAULO CÂMARA. ENGLISH VERSION
Background: The interview was conducted with Professor Paulo Wilton da Luz Câmara, who serves as an associate professor at the University of Vassouras, general coordinator of postgraduate lato sensu programs, and deputy coordinator of the Master's in Environmental Sciences. The Professor has extensive academic and corporate experience. Objectives: The main objectives were to understand the importance of corporate experience in the role of a professor and researcher, discuss the evolution of public entrepreneurship policies in Brazil, understand the role of incubators, explore research on renewable energies in the defense sector, and learn about planned innovations for postgraduate programs. Methods: The interview was conducted in a semi-structured format with open-ended questions. The audio was transcribed for subsequent analysis and content structuring. Results: Corporate experience significantly influences academic performance. There has been relative improvement in public entrepreneurship policies, but the involved bodies lack specific knowledge. Incubators are necessary tools to foster entrepreneurship and innovation. The main challenges in renewable energy research for defense are awareness and organizational policy. Planned innovations for postgraduate programs include connecting education levels, shared management, and an open committee. Discussion: The Professor highlights the importance of practical corporate experience in enriching academic performance, noting advances in entrepreneurship policies while emphasizing the need for more specific knowledge. Incubators are seen as essential to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. In the field of renewable energy applied to defense, challenges are related to awareness and organizational policy. Conclusion: The interview underscores the relevance of practical corporate experience in enriching academic performance and the need to improve entrepreneurship policies. Incubators are fundamental to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. Research on renewable energies in defense faces challenges of awareness and organizational policy. Planned innovations for postgraduate programs aim for greater integration and participation.
Read ArticleRESEARCH LANDSCAPE OF REPURPOSED MEDICATIONS IN CANCER TREATMENT: A MULTI-DATABASE BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF ELEVEN OFF-PATENT THERAPEUTICS
Background: Drug repurposing offers potential advantages for cancer therapy development, particularly when utilizing medications with established safety profiles and expired patents. While individual repurposed medications have been investigated for oncological applications, comprehensive comparative analyses of research distribution patterns across multiple therapeutic candidates appear limited in the literature. Understanding these patterns may provide insights into research priorities and potential knowledge gaps. Aim: This exploratory study was designed to quantify and compare the volume of scientific literature examining the anticancer potential of eleven selected off-patent medications across different pharmacological classes. Methods: Bibliometric searches were conducted across five databases (Google Scholar, BVS, PubMed, NIH, and Science.gov) using standardized search terms combining each medication name with "cancer" and "cancer treatment." The selected medications included ivermectin, fenbendazole, mebendazole, albendazole, metformin, propranolol, disulfiram, valproic acid, thalidomide, dexamethasone, and hydroxychloroquine. Basic statistical analyses were performed to examine the distribution patterns and correlations within the database. Results: The search yielded 3,226,066 total publications with considerable variation in distribution patterns. Dexamethasone accounted for the largest proportion (1,538,058 publications, 47.68%), followed by metformin (697,172 publications, 21.61%). Some medications with smaller overall publication volumes demonstrated higher proportions of treatment-specific research, such as fenbendazole (87.82%), disulfiram with copper (86.54%), and hydroxychloroquine with zinc (75.21%). The Herfindahl Index indicated a high concentration of research attention (0.2870). Discussion: The findings suggest substantial variation in research attention across the selected medications. While some medications dominate the literature, others with focused treatment-specific research may warrant further investigation. The inverse relationship observed between total publication volume and treatment specificity suggests that research patterns in this field may be more complex than absolute publication counts indicate. Conclusions: This preliminary bibliometric assessment reveals an uneven distribution of research attention among repurposed medications being investigated for cancer applications. These patterns may inform future research prioritization, though further qualitative analysis would be valuable to assess the clinical significance of these quantitative observations.
Read ArticleINQUIRY FOR SUITABLE LOCATIONS FOR A DRILLING REGIME AT AN UPSLOPE ROCKY KNOLL OF LAWU ESTATE, WESTERN BYPASS, MINNA, NIGERIA
Background: A client requested that the study group help determine locations that would be suitable for a drilling regime at his lot, located at an upslope rocky knoll of Lawu Estate, Minna, Nigeria. Aim: The aim of this study is to carry out a purpose-specific survey to pinpoint the best locations in a built-up property at the upmarket Lawu Estate that would be suitable for a drilling regime targeted for household consumption. Methods: The study area was reconnoitered by the survey crew in order to georeference the locations that would be occupied for the vertical electrical sounding survey in the 30 m x 20 m lot. Owing to the extensive build-up at this lot, only a four-point traverse along the 30-metric dimension traverse of the frontage of the building was demarcated in the northeasterly direction, thereby limiting the desire of the survey crew to define an appropriate survey grid. The data-acquisition pattern at the 4 x 1 survey stations of the frontage-traverse of the lot followed the “traditional” sequence of Schlumberger array layout measurements, whence the survey crew progressed with current-electrode spacing either end of a survey point located at this frontage-traverse targeting a maximum survey depth of 100 m. Result: The acquired vertical electrical-sounding data set for this study was recorded on purpose-specific data sheets. Discussion: Based on empirical rules-of-thumb procedures for interpreting vertical electrical sounding data at the Nigerian Basement Complex geological province, “assured” groundwater location and “strongly aquiferous” location, deductive inferences were drawn with regards to only vertical electrical sounding Station 4. Conclusion: Thus, it is recommended that VES Station 4 be exploited in the planned drilling program of the client, especially since this survey point checks off 100 percent of the constraints imposed by the rules-of-thumb interpretation procedures.
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