Field Statistics in a One-Dimensional Reverberation Chamber Model

This work focuses on building a fairly simple yet physically appropriate 1D model for a Reverberation Chamber which claims to be able to analytically predict the statistical behavior of such a chamber, without forsaking to the benefits of deterministic models. The statistical properties are introduced by varying the size of a 1D stirrer or the cavity size itself. A validation analysis shows agreement with other theories and measured results on real RCs. Field statistics in undermoded regime is examined. A radiated emission test is defined and shows reliable matching with reality. The field performance near the conducting walls is investigate

Conflicted and confused? Health harming industries and research funding in leading UK universities

University researchers face growing expectations to engage with commercial sources of funding. This pressure is likely to increase in the context of the covid-19 squeeze1 and, in the UK, both Brexit and a research impact agenda promoting external collaboration.2 Alongside this, there are efforts to reduce conflicts of interest in research involving pharmaceutical and medical device companies,3 and policies rejecting tobacco industry funding.4 Yet limited attention has been paid to funding from other health damaging industries such as alcohol, gambling, and ultra-processed food and drink. How well are universities equipped to manage such conflicts of interest

Mutagenic Compounds as Broad Spectrum Antivirals

Most RNA viruses utilize RNA-dependent RNA polymerases for viral genome replication and synthesis of mRNAs, making them prime targets for mutagenic compounds to be utilized as broad-spectrum antivirals. Primer ID with next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows for accurate and deep characterization of viral populations, which provides for the ideal tool for screening mutagenic compounds and their effects on RNA viruses. In this study, we used this approach to study three potential mutagenic compounds (N4-beta-hydrocytidine, Favipiravir, and Ribavirin) on a panel of RNA viruses, including MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and La Crosse virus (LACV). We hypothesize that these compounds exhibit antiviral effects by inducing lethal mutations in the viral genomes. We used a cell culture model where we grew the viruses in cell culture in the presence and absence of drugs, determined viral titers using plaque assays, and sequenced viruses at different time points to compare sequence differences by using primer ID and NGS. Using this data from the in vitro experiments, we developed a model to predict the percentage of defective viral genomes after treatment with mutagenic compounds. We also used an in vivo mice-MERS coronavirus model to study the antiviral effects and short-term toxicity of NHC. To study the long term toxicity of all three compounds, we used an 8E5 cell model, harboring a single HIV provirus per cell, to monitor the effects of these compounds on DNA dependent RNA polymerase (transcription) and DNA polymerase (DNA replication). The viral titers in the cell culture model showed that 10 μM of NHC had significant inhibition of MERS-CoV and LACV and moderate inhibition of ZIKV, which correlated strongly with an increase of cytosine (C) to uridine (U) transversion mutations, suggesting its mechanism for its antiviral activity is lethal mutagenesis. Both Favipiravir and Ribavirin exhibited no antiviral effects on MERS-CoV or ZIKV but had some antiviral effects on LACV. The In vivo mouse model showed that NHC had great inhibition in MERS-CoV with no significant observed mutations in the mice mRNA. The 8E5 cell model showed that neither Ribavirin or Favipiravir increased the mutation rate, but found that NHC caused an increase in the C to U mutations, suggesting there may be some long term effects of the drug. With the broad-spectrum antiviral effects of these compounds, they could potentially be able to be used to treat a wide variety of viral infections in humans, including newly emerged viruses that lack other forms of treatment.Bachelor of Scienc

Towards preventing and managing conflict of interest in nutrition policy? An analysis of submissions to a consultation on a draft WHO tool

Background: With multi-stakeholder approaches central to efforts to address global health challenges, debates around conflict of interest (COI) are increasingly prominent. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently developed a proposed tool to support member states in preventing and managing COI in nutrition policy. We analysed responses to an online consultation to explore how actors from across sectors understand COI and the ways in which they use this concept to frame the terms of commercial sector engagement in health governance. Methods: Submissions from 44 Member States, international organisations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions and commercial sector actors were coded using a thematic framework informed by framing theory. Respondents’ orientation to the tool aligned with two broad frames, ie, a ‘collaboration and partnership’ frame that endorsed multi-stakeholder approaches and a ‘restricted engagement’ frame that highlighted core tensions between public health and food industry actors. Results: Responses to the WHO tool reflected contrasting conceptualisations of COI and implications for health governance. While most Member States, NGOs, and academic institutions strongly supported the tool, commercial sector organisations depicted it as inappropriate, unworkable and incompatible with the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Commercial sector respondents advanced a narrow, individual-level understanding of COI, seen as adequately addressed by existing mechanisms for disclosure, and viewed the WHO tool as unduly restricting scope for private sector engagement in nutrition policy. In contrast, health-focused NGOs and several Member States drew on a more expansive understanding of COI that recognised scope for wider tensions between public health goals and commercial interests and associated governance challenges. These submissions mostly welcomed the tool as an innovative approach to preventing and managing such conflicts, although some NGOs sought broader exclusion of corporate actors from policy engagement. Conclusion: Submissions on the WHO tool illustrate how contrasting positions on COI are central to understanding broader debates in nutrition policy and across global health governance. Effective health governance requires greater understanding of how COI can be conceptualised and managed amid high levels of contestation on policy engagement with commercial sector actors. This requires both ongoing innovation in governance tools and more extensive conceptual and empirical research

The 'Diverse, Dynamic New World of Global Tobacco Control'?:An Analysis of Participation in the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

INTRODUCTION: The increasingly inequitable impacts of tobacco use highlight the importance of ensuring developing countries’ ongoing participation in global tobacco control. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been widely regarded as reflecting the high engagement and effective influence of developing countries. METHODS: We examined participation in FCTC governance based on records from the first four meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP), comparing representation and delegate diversity across income levels and WHO regions. RESULTS: While attendance at the COP sessions is high, there are substantial disparities in the relative representation of different income levels and regions, with lower middle and low income countries contributing only 18% and 10% of total meeting delegates, respectively. In regional terms, Europe provided the single largest share of delegates at all except the Durban (2008) meeting. Thirty-nine percent of low income countries and 27% of those from Africa were only ever represented by a single person delegation compared with 10% for high income countries and 11% for Europe. Rotation of the COP meeting location outside of Europe is associated with better representation of other regions and a stronger presence of delegates from national ministries of health and focal points for tobacco control. CONCLUSIONS: Developing countries face particular barriers to participating in the COP process, and their engagement in global tobacco control is likely to diminish in the absence of specific measures to support their effective participation

Challenges of conflict of interest, co-ordination and collaboration in small island contexts:Towards effective tobacco control governance in the UK Overseas Territories

INTRODUCTION: The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are semi-autonomous jurisdictions that face distinctive challenges in implementing tobacco control and protecting policy from industry influence. They are not eligible to become independent parties of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), although they can apply for treaty extension under the UK’s ratification. This study explores the relevance of the FCTC—particularly Article 5.3—for tobacco control governance across a sample of UKOTs. METHODS: From March to May 2019, we interviewed 32 stakeholders across four territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, St Helena) at diverse stages in implementing key FCTC measures. Thematic qualitative analysis explored awareness and perceptions in relation to tobacco control. RESULTS: Interviewees’ accounts highlight the complexity of protecting health policy from industry influence in a context where the ‘tobacco industry’ covers a diverse range of actors. Despite not being formally covered by the FCTC, several health officials spoke about the strategic value of invoking Article 5.3 in the context of tensions with economic priorities. Nevertheless, effective tobacco control governance is complicated by territories’ reliance on local businesses—including tourism—and close social connections that occasionally blur the lines between private and public spheres. CONCLUSIONS: The UKOTs share many characteristics with other small island jurisdictions, creating distinctive challenges for advancing tobacco control and protecting policy from industry interference. Despite their complex status in relation to WHO and its architecture, these territories benefit from the norms embedded in the FCTC and the systems that support its implementation