SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

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.

Sand casting is a viable waste as an alternative raw material, regarding a good solution in the production of concrete blocks. The use of sand casting to produce concrete blocks is performed by about 80% of the productive capacity of the company considered in this study. Thus, this work aims to make an improvement by applying fuzzy logic. The methodology was applied from the formulation of ranking criteria, which improved the production process. Therefore, after the implementation of the established criteria, was achieved an improvement of about 10%. Thus, the results achieved can help companies, generating alternatives with more excellent reliability and assertiveness. Moreover, Fuzzy is a methodology that provides strong support for decision making, supporting subjective and intuitive criteria.

Background: Infectious diseases are a global problem, the second human cause of death. Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria have been treated with a high degree of efficacy. However, even when the 20th century was considered the “golden age” of antibiotics, bacteria developed a different resistance mechanism to antibiotics. In 2017, the WHO issued an alert about 12 bacteria with an urgent need to develop new antibiotics. Aims: The aim of the present review is to analyze the current knowledge of the antibacterial activity of natural extract-based treatments against the pathogens listed by WHO. Methods: A systematic review of the literature in PubMed was performed to search for publications describing the use of natural extracts as antibiotics over bacteria. We focused on the Gram-Negative group. The exclusion criteria consisted of limiting papers on natural extracts tested over the bacteria culture related to eight selected bacteria, according to an alert issued by WHO in 2017, and seven plant extracts. Results: All the Gram-Negative bacteria listed in 2017 by WHO have been treated, with different degrees of advance, with some of the plant extracts and plant-based compounds reviewed. In general, the first approach is using inhibition disks applied over the bacterial biofilm in solid culture media. Discussion: While Salmonellae and P. aeruginosa have been extensively studied, over N. gonorrhoeae, A. baumannii have been tested with fewer natural extracts. Edible herbs are more often used, as well as artemisa and wine byproducts. In all cases, they are in the early stages of study, not being tested in patients at present. Conclusions: Plant extracts and plant-based compounds are effective as antibacterial, with minimal effects on the host cell. Furthermore, they are sustainable, environmentally friendly, and renewable.