Probabilistic evaluation of n traces with no putative source: A likelihood ratio based approach in an investigative framework

Analysis of marks recovered from different crime scenes can be useful to detect a linkage between criminal cases, even though a putative source for the recovered traces is not available. This particular circumstance is often encountered in the early stage of investigations and thus, the evaluation of evidence association may provide useful information for the investigators. This association is evaluated here from a probabilistic point of view: a likelihood ratio based approach is suggested in order to quantify the strength of the evidence of trace association in the light of two mutually exclusive propositions, namely that the n traces come from a common source or from an unspecified number of sources. To deal with this kind of problem, probabilistic graphical models are used, in form of Bayesian networks and object-oriented Bayesian networks, allowing users to intuitively handle with uncertainty related to the inferential problem

Screening premorbid metabolic syndrome in community pharmacies: a cross-sectional descriptive study

Background: Premorbid metabolic syndrome (pre-MetS) is a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors characterised by central obesity, elevated fasting glucose, atherogenic dyslipidaemia and hypertension without established cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Community pharmacies are in an excellent position to develop screening programmes because of their direct contact with the population. The main aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of pre-MetS in people who visited community pharmacies for measurement of any of its five risk factors to detect the presence of other risk factors. The secondary aims were to study the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors and determine patients" cardiovascular risk. Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive, multicentre study. Patients meeting selection criteria aged between 18 and 65 years who visited participating community pharmacies to check any of five pre-MetS diagnostic factors were included. The study involved 23 community pharmacies in Catalonia (Spain). Detection criteria for pre-MetS were based on the WHO proposal following IDF and AHA/NHBI consensus. Cardiovascular risk (CVR) was calculated by Regicor and Score methods. Other variables studied were smoking habit, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and pharmacological treatment of dyslipidemia and hypertension. The data were collected and analysed with the SPSS programme. Comparisons of variables were carried out using the Student"s T-test, Chi-Squared test or ANOVA test. Level of significance was 5% (0.05). Results: The overall prevalence of pre-MetS was 21.9% [95% CI 18.7-25.2]. It was more prevalent in men, 25.5% [95% CI 22.1-28.9], than in women, 18.6% [95% CI 15.5-21.7], and distribution increased with age. The most common risk factors were high blood pressure and abdominal obesity. About 70% of people with pre-MetS were sedentary and over 85% had a BMI ≥25 Kg/m2 . Some 22.4% had two metabolic criteria and 27.2% of patients with pre-MetS had no previous diagnosis. Conclusions: The prevalence of pre-MetS in our study (21.9%) was similar to that found in other studies carried out in Primary Care in Spain. The results of this study confirm emergent cardiometabolic risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and physical inactivity. Our study highlights the strategic role of the community pharmacy in the detection of pre-MetS in the apparently healthy population

How neighbourhood governance entities are located within broader networks of governance : a cross-national comparison

This research considers how neighbourhood-based governance entities are located in broader networks of governance, by undertaking an international comparative investigation in two cities (Baltimore, Maryland in the US and Bristol in England). It uses an empirically-grounded approach to ascertain the function of such governance forms according to the way they are structured and operate. It assesses the governance context, focused at the urban level, within which these entities are located, considering the key actors and their relative power and the focus on deprived neighbourhoods versus broader strategies. This leads to consideration of how these strategies and actors shape the functions of neighbourhood governance and the implications in terms of the relative power vested at the neighbourhood level. The research demonstrates the localist and privatist nature of Baltimore's urban governance context, and the centrist and managerial nature of Bristol's. Within both networks a policy subsystem is evident with regard to neighbourhood approaches, but it is the broader governance network which determines the state and market imperatives pursued. In Baltimore and latterly in Bristol, tackling deprivation is a subservient agenda to the predominant imperative of growth. This highlights the importance of the two cities' shared neo-liberal context despite their different governmental systems. In Baltimore, neighbourhoods do not gain resource from the city-level governance network if they lack the assets this network seeks. The function of neighbourhood governance which results is self-help, as long as neighbourhoods have the capacity to do so. In Bristol, neighbourhood governance is steered by central government via its funding regimes and policy approaches. Changes in these have heralded a shift from the targeting of deprived areas via area-based initiatives' to seeking to link deprived neighbourhoods to the benefits of broader growth. Neighbourhood governance entities are being steered to adopt self-help strategies, irrespective of their capacity to do so.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

A randomised controlled trial of cognitive behavioural treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder in children and adolescents

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for young people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has become the treatment of first choice. However, the literature is largely based on studies emphasising exposure and response prevention. In this study, we report on a randomised controlled trial of CBT for young people carried out in typical outpatient clinic conditions which focused on cognitions. A randomised controlled trial compares 10 sessions of manualised cognitive behavioural treatment with a 12-week waiting list for adolescents and children with OCD. Assessors were blind to treatment allocation. 21 consecutive patients with OCD aged between 9 and 18 years were recruited. The group who received treatment improved more than a comparison group who waited for 3 months. The second group was treated subsequently using the same protocol and made similar gains. In conclusion, CBT can be delivered effectively to young people with OCD in typical outpatient settings

Semiclassical theory for spatial density oscillations in fermionic systems

We investigate the particle and kinetic-energy densities for a system of $N$ fermions bound in a local (mean-field) potential V(\bfr). We generalize a recently developed semiclassical theory [J. Roccia and M. Brack, Phys. Rev.\ Lett. {\bf 100}, 200408 (2008)], in which the densities are calculated in terms of the closed orbits of the corresponding classical system, to $D>1$ dimensions. We regularize the semiclassical results $(i)$ for the U(1) symmetry breaking occurring for spherical systems at $r=0$ and $(ii)$ near the classical turning points where the Friedel oscillations are predominant and well reproduced by the shortest orbit going from $r$ to the closest turning point and back. For systems with spherical symmetry, we show that there exist two types of oscillations which can be attributed to radial and non-radial orbits, respectively. The semiclassical theory is tested against exact quantum-mechanical calculations for a variety of model potentials. We find a very good overall numerical agreement between semiclassical and exact numerical densities even for moderate particle numbers $N$. Using a "local virial theorem", shown to be valid (except for a small region around the classical turning points) for arbitrary local potentials, we can prove that the Thomas-Fermi functional $\tau_{\text{TF}}[\rho]$ reproduces the oscillations in the quantum-mechanical densities to first order in the oscillating parts.Comment: LaTeX, 22pp, 15 figs, 1 table, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Les polítiques públiques del Govern Balear en l'àmbit turístic durant la legislatura 2015-2019

Davant el problema de la massificació turística que pateixen les Illes Balears, el Govern autonòmic, conformat per PSOE, MÉS i amb el suport extern de PODEM, es va proposar a inicis de legislatura canviar el model turístic i avançar cap a un més sostenible. La societat balear, crítica amb l'allau de turistes que arriben, va propiciar que el model turístic balear es convertís en un tema molt present en el debat polític durant aquests últims quatre anys. Amb l'entrada de noves forces al Govern, les formes de fer política i les polítiques públiques que s'han anat implementant al llarg de la legislatura han suposat canvis importants, sobretot en temes mediambientals, de mobilitat, urbanisme, habitatge i fiscalitat. Dins aquest últim àmbit, es va posar en marxa l'Impost del Turisme Sostenible, una de les mesures més importants que s'ha implementat durant aquesta legislatura. Els diners recaptats via aquest impost, també conegut popularment com ecotaxa, anirien destinats a canviar el model turístic per a fer-lo més sostenible. Els ingressos han anat dirigits bàsicament a l'execució de projectes enfocats a protegir i preservar el medi ambient, desestacionalitzar la temporada turística, conservar i rehabilitar el patrimoni històric i cultural, fomentar la recerca científica al voltant del canvi climàtic i el turisme, i potenciar la formació i l'ocupació en temporada baixa. Tot i que aquestes polítiques hagin suposat canvis importants en quan a l'activitat turística de les Illes Balears, sobretot en temes de medi ambient, desestacionalització i diversificació, veus crítiques com els grups ecologistes, han posat en qüestió si les mesures que s'han dut a terme han estat les adequades per aconseguir un model sostenible, tenint en compte que el preu de l'habitatge s'ha incrementat molt, el nombre de turistes no ha deixat de créixer i amb ells també la saturació i el consum de recursos, i per tant la petjada ecològica que l'activitat turística provoca no s'ha reduït

Integración del farmacéutico comunitario en un equipo de atención domiciliaria: estudio de costes de una experiencia piloto.

Objetivo: Estimar la carga económica que suponen los pacientes adscritos al servicio de atención domiciliaria de atención primaria y el coste que supondría incluir un farmacéutico en este equipo. Método: Estudio descriptivo prospectivo de evaluación de la carga económica del programa de atención domiciliaria. Emplazamiento: CAP Montnegre de una ABS urbana de la ciudad de Barcelona. Participantes: Pacientes adscritos al servicio de atención domiciliaria que fueron atendidos entre enero y junio de 2014 por la enfermera gestora de casos del centro. Las farmacéuticas revisaron la medicación de los pacientes para identificar problemas relacionados con la medicación y proponer intervenciones al equipo de atención domiciliaria. Mediciones principales: Revisando los historiales clínicos de los pacientes, se recogieron los costes en atención primaria, especializada, urgencias, ingresos y pruebas en 6 meses. Se estimó necesaria una visita del farmacéutico cada 6 meses para evaluar el plan de actuación. Se calcularon los costes medios para cada nivel asistencial. Resultados: Participaron 50 pacientes que generaron un coste medio total en 6 meses de 3174,5¿, siendo el 29% la atención primaria y el 66% la atención secundaria. El coste medio por paciente de la intervención farmacéutica fue de 116,4¿ (lo que supondría un incremento del 3,7% de los costes generados por estos pacientes)

Modelado de ondas no lineales en fotónica, plasmónica y átomos fríos

We review the present status of the different lines of research in the area of Photonics at the Interdisciplinary Modeling Group, InterTech (www.intertech.upv.es) paying special attention to new topics that we have recently incorporated to our research interests: temporal solitons and design of supercontinuum generation, plasmon-soliton interaction, nonlinear effects of the quantum electrodynamics vacuum, and, finally, cold atoms in the mean-field and quantum regimes.En este artículo presentamos el estado actual de las diferentes líneas de investigación desarrolladas en el área de Fotónica del Grupo de Modelización Interdisciplinar, InterTech (www.intertech.upv.es) prestando especial atención a aquellas que han sido incorporadas recientemente: solitones temporales y diseño de la generación de supercontínuo, interacción plasmón-solitón, efectos no lineales del vacío en electrodinámica cuántica y, finalmente, átomos fríos en el régimen de campo medio y en el régimen cuántico.Ciencias Experimentale