Wireless sensor node mobility and its effect on transmission reliability

Abstract: Deploying a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) poses certain challenges such as data reliability due to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), multipath fading as well as faster energy depletion of nodes located near the base station creating communication holes in the network. Several energy efficient algorithms have been developed to improve the energy consumption of static nodes however the issue of battery depletion of nodes near the base station remains present. In this paper we attempt to model the relationship between the node mobility and the reliability of data transmission. Mobile nodes could move near static nodes experiencing high traffic in order to reduce the number of packets sent through the saturated nodes. This paper will investigate, using a real environment, the effect of speed and packet size on the reliability of the wireless link. This is a required prerequisite, prior to a detailed design of a Mobile relay node

Nationwide shifts in the double burden of overweight and underweight in Vietnamese adults in 2000 and 2005: two national nutrition surveys

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In developing countries, overweight prevalence is increasing while underweight prevalence is still high. This situation is known as the double nutrition burden. Both underweight and overweight are related to increased risk of chronic non-communicable diseases, reduced well-being and quality of life. This study aims to compare the prevalence of overweight and underweight among Vietnamese adults in 2000 and 2005.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was based on two nationally representative surveys, the National Nutrition Survey 2000 (14,452 subjects) and the National Adult Obesity Survey 2005 (17,213 subjects). Adults aged 25-64 years were sampled to be nationally representative. Multiple multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association of underweight and overweight with socio-economic indicators.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution of BMI across the population and population groups indicated a shift towards higher BMI levels in 2005 as compared to 2000. The nationwide prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) was 6.6% and 0.4% respectively in 2005, almost twice the rates of 2000 (3.5% and 0.2%). Using the Asian BMI cut-off of 23 kg/m²the overweight prevalence was 16.3% in 2005 and 11.7% in 2000. In contrast, the underweight prevalence (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²) of 20.9% in 2005 was lower than the rate of 25.0% in 2000. Women were more likely to be both underweight and overweight as compared to men in both 2000 and 2005. Urban residents were more likely to be overweight and less likely to be underweight as compared to rural residents in both years. The shifts from underweight to overweight were clearer among the higher food expenditure levels.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The double nutrition burden was clearly present in Vietnam. The distribution of BMI across the population groups generally indicated a shift towards higher BMI levels in 2005 as compared to 2000. The prevalence of overweight was increased while the declined level of undernutrition was still high in 2005. The shifts of underweight to overweight were most obvious among population groups with higher food expenditure levels.</p

Incorporating new approach methodologies into regulatory nonclinical pharmaceutical safety assessment

© 2023 The Author(s). ALTEX. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/New approach methodologies (NAMs) based on human biology enable the assessment of adverse biological effects of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals. Currently, however, it is unclear how NAMs should be used during drug development to improve human safety evaluation. A series of 5 workshops with 13 international experts (regulators, preclinical scientists, and NAMs developers) was conducted to identify feasible NAMs and to discuss how to exploit them in specific safety assessment contexts. Participants generated four “maps” of how NAMs can be exploited in the safety assessment of the liver, respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems. Each map shows relevant endpoints measured and tools used (e.g., cells, assays, platforms), and highlights gaps where further development and validation of NAMs remains necessary. Each map addresses the fundamental scientific requirements for the safety assessment of that organ system, providing users with guidance on the selection of appropriate NAMs. In addition to generating the maps, participants offered suggestions for encouraging greater NAM adoption within drug development and their inclusion in regulatory guidelines. A specific recommendation was that pharmaceutical companies should be more transparent about how they use NAMs in-house. As well as giving guidance for the four organ systems, the maps provide a template that could be used for additional organ safety testing contexts. Moreover, their conversion to an interactive format would enable users to drill down to the detail necessary to answer specific scientific and regulatory questions.Peer reviewe

Incorporating new approach methodologies into regulatory nonclinical pharmaceutical safety assessment

New approach methodologies (NAMs) based on human biology enabletheassessment of adverse biological effects of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals. Currently,however, it is unclear how NAMsshould be usedduring drug development to improve human safety evaluation. A series of 5 workshops with 13 international experts (regulators, preclinical scientists and NAMs developers) were conducted to identify feasible NAMsand to discuss how to exploit them in specific safety assessmentcontexts. Participants generated four‘maps’of how NAMs can be exploited in the safety assessment ofthe liver, respiratory, cardiovascular,and central nervous systems. Each map showsrelevant end points measured, tools used (e.g.,cells, assays, platforms), and highlights gaps where furtherdevelopment and validation of NAMs remainsnecessary. Each map addresses the fundamental scientific requirements for the safety assessment of that organ system, providing users with guidance on the selection of appropriate NAMs. In addition to generating the maps, participants offered suggestions for encouraging greater NAM adoption within drug development and their inclusion in regulatory guidelines. A specific recommendation was that pharmaceutical companies should be more transparent about how they use NAMs in-house. As well as giving guidance for the fourorgan systems, the maps providea template that could be used for additional organ safety testing contexts.Moreover, their conversion to an interactive format would enable users to drill down to the detail necessary to answer specific scientific and regulatory questions. 1IntroductionExtensive nonclinical safety studies are undertaken on new pharmaceuticals prior to and alongside clinical trials. Their purpose is to identify and understand the toxic effects of thecompoundin order to determine whether its anticipated benefit versusrisk profile justifies clinical evaluation and, if so, to inform the design and monitoring of clinical studies. The nonclinical safety studies are mandated by regulatory guidelines and include a variety of safety pharmacologyand toxicology investigations.Safety pharmacology studies aimto determinewhether pharmaceuticalscause on-or off-target effects on biological processes which can affect the function of critical organ systems (e.g.,cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal,and central nervous systems)and to assess potency, which is needed to assess safety margins versushuman clinical drug exposure. Safety pharmacology studiesalso help informthe selectionof follow-on investigations that can aid human risk assessmentand may provide insight into mechanismswhich underlie any effectsthat arise in humans.Multiple leading pharmaceutical companies (e.g.,AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis,and Pfizer) have outlined the advantages provided by in vitrosafety pharmacological profiling, including early identification of off-target interactionsandthe prediction ofclinical side effects that may be missed in animalstudies, and have highlighted that these studies enable much more cost-effective and rapid profiling of large numbers of compounds than animal procedures (Bowes et al., 2012).Toxicology studies evaluate systemic organ toxicities, behavioraleffects, reproductive and developmental toxicology, genetic toxicology,eye irritancy and dermal sensitization. They include single and repeat dose studies in rodent and non-rodentanimal species, which identify target organs, assessseverity andreversibility,and define dose-response and no observed adverse effect levels. These are critical parameters which are essential for regulatory decision-makingon whether the compound can be progressed into clinical trials and if so, estimation ofa suitable starting dose,maximum dose, dose escalation regime,andany non-standard clinical safety monitoringthat may be needed.Toxicity observedinnonclinical animal safety studies is an important cause of the high attrition rate of candidate drugs prior to clinicaltrials that occurs inmultiple pharmaceutical companies(Cook et al., 2014).However, many drugs cause clinically serious adverseeffects in humans which are not detectedin animals(Bailey et al., 2015). For example, human drug induced liver injury(DILI),which is not detected in animal safety studies,is animportant cause of attrition late in clinical development, failed licensing and/or of restrictive drug labelling(Watkins, 2011). Attrition due to toxicity observed in animals and/or in humans isanimportant cause of the high failure rate of clinical drug development(Cook et al., 2014; Watkins, 2011; Thomas et al., 2021).New approach methodologies (NAMs)includemethods which predict and evaluate biological processes by which pharmaceuticals may elicit desirable pharmacological effects and/or may cause undesirable toxicity. Many different types of NAMs have been described. Theseinclude simple in vitrocell-based tests, more complex organotypic or microphysiologicalsystems (MPS)/organ-on-a-chipdevices,and whole human tissuesmaintained ex vivo. Interpretation ofthe invivorelevance of the data providedby these methods is complementedbycomputational toolswhichsimulate and predict in vivodrug disposition and kinetics, in particular physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. Accurate in vitroto in vivoextrapolation isfurther aided by human low-dose testing and microdosing studies (phase 0 testing), which provide precise data on systemic human drug exposure and kineticsin vivo

Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition of Norwegian Barents Sea Shelf Ecosystems - Appendices

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Genome-wide identification of genes regulating DNA methylation using genetic anchors for causal inference

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is a key epigenetic modification in human development and disease, yet there is limited understanding of its highly coordinated regulation. Here, we identify 818 genes that affect DNA methylation patterns in blood using large-scale population genomics data. RESULTS: By employing genetic instruments as causal anchors, we establish directed associations between gene expression and distant DNA methylation levels, while ensuring specificity of the associations by correcting for linkage disequilibrium and pleiotropy among neighboring genes. The identified genes are enriched for transcription factors, of which many consistently increased or decreased DNA methylation levels at multiple CpG sites. In addition, we show that a substantial number of transcription factors affected DNA methylation at their experimentally determined binding sites. We also observe genes encoding proteins with heterogenous functions that have widespread effects on DNA methylation, e.g., NFKBIE, CDCA7(L), and NLRC5, and for several examples, we suggest plausible mechanisms underlying their effect on DNA methylation. CONCLUSION: We report hundreds of genes that affect DNA methylation and provide key insights in the principles underlying epigenetic regulation

Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition of Norwegian Barents Sea Shelf Ecosystems

The System for Assessment of Ecological Condition, coordinated by the Norwegian Environment Agency, is intended to form the foundation for evidence-based assessments of the ecological condition of Norwegian terrestrial and marine ecosystems not covered by the EU Water Framework Directive. The reference condition is defined as “intact ecosystems”, i.e., a condition that is largely unimpacted by modern industrial anthropogenic activities. An ecosystem in good ecological condition is defined as a system that does not deviate substantially from this reference condition in structure, functions or productivity. This means that, in practice, what is assessed here is the extent to which an ecosystem is impacted by anthropogenic drivers. This report describes the first operational assessment of the ecological condition of Norwegian Arctic and Sub-Arctic marine shelf ecosystems in the Barents Sea. The assessment method employed is the Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition (PAEC1), and the current assessment has considered to what extent the Barents Sea shelf ecosystems deviate from the reference condition2 by evaluating change trajectories

Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition of Norwegian Barents Sea Shelf Ecosystems - Appendices

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