From supply chains to demand networks. Agents in retailing: the electrical bazaar

A paradigm shift is taking place in logistics. The focus is changing from operational effectiveness to adaptation. Supply Chains will develop into networks that will adapt to consumer demand in almost real time. Time to market, capacity of adaptation and enrichment of customer experience seem to be the key elements of this new paradigm. In this environment emerging technologies like RFID (Radio Frequency ID), Intelligent Products and the Internet, are triggering a reconsideration of methods, procedures and goals. We present a Multiagent System framework specialized in retail that addresses these changes with the use of rational agents and takes advantages of the new market opportunities. Like in an old bazaar, agents able to learn, cooperate, take advantage of gossip and distinguish between collaborators and competitors, have the ability to adapt, learn and react to a changing environment better than any other structure. Keywords: Supply Chains, Distributed Artificial Intelligence, Multiagent System.Postprint (published version

Paradoxical suboptimal vitamin D levels in a Mediterranean area: a population-based study

Policies in sunny countries, such as those in the Mediterranean area, do not promote vitamin D supplementation despite some studies might suggest the high prevalence of sub-optimal levels. The objective was to determine the vitamin D levels by 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) of a Mediterranean population and their characteristics. This population-based study included a database of public health system from all individuals living in Catalonia > 18 years who had some measure of 25(OH)D between January 2018 and April 2021. More than half million people were classified based on 25(OH)D measurements to study their characteristics. Three vitamin D categories were created: 30 ng/ml optimal. Less than 10% of the population residing in Catalonia had recent 25(OH)D determinations and the majority of determinations were in >= 45 years and in women. Around 80% of young people with determination had sub-optimal levels but the prevalence of vitamin D supplementation prescription increased with age which was associated with better values of 25(OH)D. In a Mediterranean area 25(OH)D determinations were low despite the high prevalence of suboptimal levels in the population with recent determination. In addition, the measurements were especially concentrated in people >= 45 years of age and in women who were, in addition, the groups to whom the most vitamin D supplementation was prescribed. On the contrary, young people presented few determinations of 25(OH)D and, although majority of them showed sub-optimal levels, vitamin D supplementation was not prescribed in most cases

Gaussianization of LA-ICP-MS features to improve calibration in forensic glass comparison

The forensic comparison of glass aims to compare a glass sample of an unknown source with a control glass sample of a known source. In this work, we use multi-elemental features from Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma with Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to compute a likelihood ratio. This calculation is a complex procedure that generally requires a probabilistic model including the within-source and betweensource variabilities of the features. Assuming the within-source variability to be normally distributed is a practical premise with the available data. However, the between-source variability is generally assumed to follow a much more complex distribution, typically described with a kernel density function. In this work, instead of modeling distributions with complex densities, we propose the use of simpler models and the introduction of a data pre-processing step consisting on the Gaussianization of the glass features. In this context, to obtain a better fit of the features with the Gaussian model assumptions, we explore the use of different normalization techniques of the LA-ICP-MS glass features, namely marginal Gaussianization based on histogram matching, marginal Gaussianization based on Yeo-Johnson transformation and a more complex joint Gaussianization using normalizing flows. We report an improvement in the performance of the Likelihood Ratios computed with the previously Gaussianized feature vectors, particularly relevant in their calibration, which implies a more reliable forensic glass comparisonThis work has been supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación through grant PID2021-125943OB-I0

Risk Prescriptions of Strong Opioids in the Treatment of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain by Primary Care Physicians in Catalonia: Opicat Padris Project

The prescription of strong opioids (SO) for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is steadily increasing. This entails a high risk of adverse effects, a risk that increases with the concomitant prescription of SO with central nervous system depressant drugs and with the use of SO for non-recommended indications. In order to examine this concomitant risk prescription, we designed a descriptive, longitudinal, retrospective population-based study. Patients aged >= 15 years with a continued SO prescription for >= 3 months during 2013-2017 for CNCP were included. Of these, patients who had received concomitant prescriptions of SO and risk drugs (gabapentinoids, benzodiazepines and antidepressants) and those who had received immediate-release fentanyl (IRF) were selected. The study included 22,691 patients; 20,354 (89.7%) patients received concomitant risk prescriptions. Men and subjects with a higher socioeconomic status received fewer concomitant risk prescriptions. Benzodiazepines or Z-drugs were prescribed concomitantly with SO in 15,883 (70%) patients, antidepressants in 14,932 (65%) and gabapentinoids in 11,267 (49%), while 483 (21.32%) patients received IRF (2266 prescriptions in total) without a baseline SO. In conclusion, our study shows that a high percentage of patients prescribed SO for CNCP received concomitant prescriptions with known risks, as well as IRF for unauthorized indications

Trends in the Prescription of Strong Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain in Primary Care in Catalonia: Opicat-Padris-Project

In chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), evidence of the effectiveness of strong opioids (SO) is very limited. Despite this, their use is increasingly common. To examine SO prescriptions, we designed a descriptive, longitudinal, retrospective population-based study, including patients aged >= 15 years prescribed SO for >= 3 months continuously in 2013-2017 for CNCP in primary care in Catalonia. Of the 22,691 patients included, 17,509 (77.2%) were women, 10,585 (46.6%) were aged >80 years, and most had incomes of <euro18,000 per year. The most common diagnoses were musculoskeletal diseases and psychiatric disorders. There was a predominance of transdermal fentanyl in the defined daily dose (DDD) per thousand inhabitants/day, with the greatest increase for tapentadol (312% increase). There was an increase of 66.89% in total DDD per thousand inhabitants/day for SO between 2013 (0.737) and 2017 (1.230). The mean daily oral morphine equivalent dose/day dispensed for all drugs was 83.09 mg. Transdermal fentanyl and immediate transmucosal release were the largest cost components. In conclusion, there was a sustained increase in the prescription of SO for CNCP, at high doses, and in mainly elderly patients, predominantly low-income women. The new SO are displacing other drugs

La formación espacial de los valores comerciales, un análisis para las principales ciudades catalanas

La presente comunicación reporta los resultados de una investigación que tiene por objeto conocer cuáles son los factores que determinan el valor de los locales comerciales en las principales ciudades catalanas. A través de un análisis econométrico, construido a partir de un estudio de mercado propio, se analiza cuál es el peso que los factores locativos y las características de los locales tienen, sobre la formación espacial de los valores. A estos efectos, la información de los locales ubicados a pie de calle en venta y alquiler (antigüedad del inmueble, estado de conservación de los acabados e instalaciones, tipos de acabados, lementos accesorios, geométricos y configuración espacial de los locales) ha sido complementada, mediante un SIG, con otra derivada de la localización (cercanía a los ejes principales, composición socioeconómica del entorno, nivel de accesibilidad, estructura edificada, usos del suelo predominantes, etc.) procedente del Censo de Edificios, Locales, Población y Vivienda del 2001, así como del Corine Landcover 2000. Los resultados sugieren que detrás de los factores locativos están otros asociados a las características estructurales de los locales, como su configuración, y que tienen una directa relación con el nivel de accesibilidad y visualización que se tiene del local desde la vía pública.This communication reports the results of an investigation that seeks to identify the factors that determine the value of commercial premises in the main cities in Catalonia. Through an econometric analysis, built from a separate market study, we analyze what are the weight factors and the characteristics of rental premises are on the spatial formation of values. For this purpose, information from the premises to the street for sale and rent (length of the property, the conservation status of finishes and facilities, types of finishes, accessories, geometric and spatial configuration of the premises) has been supplemented through a GIS, with another due to location (proximity to the main composition of the socioeconomic environment, level of accessibility, built structure, land use dominate, etc..) from the Census of Buildings, Local Population and Housing 2001, and the Corine Landcover 2000. The results suggest that behind the rental are other factors associated with the structural characteristics of the premises, as its configuration, and have a direct relation to the level of accessibility and visualization that is from the local public roads.Peer Reviewe

Aportación metodológica para determinar el índice de calidad del medio ambiente urbano y edificado del Área Metropolitana de Barcelona

El presente trabajo está orientado hacia la determinación de una metodología que evalúa características socio-residenciales, diagnostica el estado de bienestar del medio ambiente urbano del Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), responde al estado en que se encuentran las viviendas pre-existentes al 2001. La investigación incorpora una aportación al enfoque de valoración inmobiliaria sustentada en técnicas de valores sociales como parte de un contexto integral. La orientación al desarrollo sostenible constituye dar un enfoque de valoración inmobiliaria, es decir, retomando el valor de uso como una combinación de valores urbanos y de satisfacción residencial en la base del análisis. La hipótesis de la investigación nace a partir de desarrollar una metodología sustentada en indicadores parciales (simples) idóneos para la obtención del Índice de Calidad Edificada del AMB obtenido por el método del indicador sintético de distancia DP2. El objetivo de la investigación es demostrar la validación del método del indicador sintético de distancia.This work is oriented towards the determination of a methodology to assess socio-residential characteristics, diagnoses the welfare state of the urban environment in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (AMB), responds to the state that are pre-existing dwellings to 2001 . The research incorporates a contribution to real estate valuation approach supported by techniques of social values as part of a comprehensive context. The sustainable development orientation is an approach to property valuation, returning the value in use as a combination of urban values and residential satisfaction in the analysis. The hypothesis of the research stems from developing a methodology supported by partial indicators (simple) suitable for obtaining Built Quality Index of AMB obtained by the method of the synthetic indicator DP2 away. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the validation of the method of the synthetic indicator away.Peer Reviewe

A bibliometric study of international scientific productivity in giardiasis covering the period 1971–2010

Despite years of relative neglect, interest in Giardia infection seems to be recently growing, perhaps in part due to its inclusion into the World Health Organization’s Neglected Diseases Initiative since 2004. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of Giardia and giardiasis research over time, as represented by the quantity of published papers