SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

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.

Background: Dr. Bhavna, an experienced leader in education and innovation, has held various leadership positions, including head of department, dean of alumni relations, and president of the institutions innovation council. She has been instrumental in initiating the alumni cell at her previous organization and establishing world-class state-of-the-art laboratories in collaboration with the automotive sector. Aims: Dr. Bhavna's efforts aim to create an ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship within the institute and beyond, encouraging learners to consider entrepreneurship as a career option and fostering innovation in the electronics manufacturing domain. Methods: Dr. Bhavna's approach involves raising awareness about innovation and entrepreneurship among learners, fostering collaborations between academia and industry, and establishing world-class state-of-the-art laboratories to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Results: Dr. Bhavna's efforts have resulted in a strong alumni network, with graduates across the globe contributing to various domains and positions. She has also established world-class laboratories in collaboration with the automotive sector, fostering innovation and startups in the electronics manufacturing domain. Discussions: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology plays a significant role in initiating innovations and startups in the electronics manufacturing domain. They have generated a separate vertical for startups, which poses challenges to innovators. If a solution is validated, the ministry handholds the innovators, incubates their ideas, funds them, and helps them reach the market at the national and international levels. Conclusions: Dr. Bhavna's vision and efforts toward fostering an ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship within the institute and beyond are commendable. Her experience and achievements in various leadership roles, including as the head of the department and president of the institutions innovation council, have added significant value to her professional and personal life.

Background: This paper presents a straightforward and intuitive method for interactive 3D reconstruction and Direct Linear Transformation (DLT) camera calibration using a single image of a structured scene with known object dimensions. The method relies on manual registration of pairs of points on both the image and the terrain, allowing for precise alignment and calibration. Aim: By utilizing this method, users can easily reconstruct 3D scenes and calibrate cameras without the need for complex algorithms or extensive computational resources. Our approach offers a user-friendly solution for 3D reconstruction and camera calibration, making it accessible to a wider audience and applicable in a range of fields such as computer vision, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Methods: This work primarily focuses on the determination of the projection matrix, which plays a crucial role in mapping 3D points onto a 2D image plane. The projection matrix encapsulates both the intrinsic parameters of the camera (such as focal length and optical center) and the extrinsic parameters (such as camera position and orientation in the world coordinate system). By accurately determining the projection matrix, we can effectively project 3D points onto the 2D image plane, enabling tasks like 3D reconstruction, camera localization, and augmented reality applications. Results: We present experimental results obtained from testing the method on an image of a known object, demonstrating its effectiveness and accuracy in producing realistic 3D reconstructions. Discussion: The method's reliance on manual registration of point pairs allows for precise alignment and calibration without the need for complex algorithms or extensive computational resources. This user-friendly approach makes 3D reconstruction and camera calibration accessible to a wider audience and applicable in various fields. Conclusions: Overall, our approach offers a practical and accessible solution for 3D reconstruction and camera calibration, expanding the potential applications in computer vision, augmented reality, and virtual reality.