Preventing phone theft and robbery: the need for government action and international coordination

The banning of stolen handsets from networks has been around for 20 years, but remains little used internationally. Where used, its effectiveness is hindered by implementation problems, reprogramming, easy fencing opportunities, and international trafficking. Kill-switches where the user remotely disables a handset and deletes data have potential but, if non-permanent, are likely to experience similar limitations. This study proposes a set of responses to be adopted by national governments with international coordination

Boron Doped Diamond Electrodes for Direct Measurement in Biological Fluids: An In Situ Regeneration Approach

International audienceBoron doped diamond (BDD) electrodes are extremely promising in the field of biomedical applications as they exhibit a unique combination of properties. Despite these advantages, BDD electrodes are prone to fouling when used in biological fluids (urine, blood plasma), and synthetic fluids. We propose a electrochemical (EC) treatment where a train of short cathodic and/or anodic pulses are applied to clean fouled electrodes. This technique can be used to retrieve the lost reactivity, characterized by electron transfer rate k0 of the boron doped diamond electrodes, thereby enhancing their reusability over long period of measurements without degradation of the signal, thus significantly extending the field of monitoring and surveying applications. The technique does not require the use of a specific medium and thus can be directly performed in the probed fluid. Although an aqueous electrolyte containing non-electroactive species is preferred for EC activation, it can also be done in biological fluids such as blood, urine etc, thereby opening the field for $in-vivo$ analysis. Through Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) it was observed that the k$_0$ value was increased up to 0.1 cm s$^{−1}$ after the activation process. This technique improves the sensitivity, reproducibility and lifetime of the electrodes to a considerable extent

Explaining and sustaining the crime drop: Clarifying the role of opportunity-related theories

Western industrialised countries experienced major reductions in crime for a decade from the early to mid-1990s. The absence of adequate explanation identifies a failing of criminological theory and empirical study. More importantly, it means that none of the forces that reduced crime can confidently be harnessed for policy purposes. Existing hypotheses relating to the crime drops are reviewed and found generally wanting. Many do not stand up to empirical testing. Others do not seem able to explain crime increases (such as phone theft and robbery and internet-related crimes) that occurred alongside the crime drops. It is suggested that the set of opportunity-related theories, or the criminologies of everyday life, present a more promising line of research. The ‘security hypothesis’ is discussed wherein changes in the level and quality of security may have been a key driving force behind the crime drop, and an agenda of crime-specific research is proposed

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Wildlife crime : The problems of enforcement

Environmental and wildlife crime appear recently to be benefitting from an increasing profile amongst those agencies tasked with their control, as well as receiving growing criminological attention. Despite this, those with responsibilities in this area report that it remains marginalised, receiving limited resources and suffering from a lack of political impetus to push such problems higher up the agenda. This is particularly so for those agencies, such as the police, that may be seen to have many more pressing objectives. This discussion paper considers the problems of relying on an enforcement approach to controlling such offences, taking, as an example, those activities that may be termed ‘wildlife crime’, focusing on the situation in England and Wales. Firstly, the legislative framework that criminalises harm or exploitation of wildlife is presented, alongside the main enforcement methods used. Next, the problems facing an enforcement approach are critically considered, the key issues being: under-resourcing and marginalisation, the large ‘dark figure’ of wildlife crime, the possibility of corruption, the lack of seriousness with which such crimes are viewed, and the lack of deterrent effect. Finally, responses to the problems of enforcement are presented, categorised as either methods to improve enforcement or, as the author advocates, methods which are alternatives to enforcement (such as adopting a crime prevention approach). The paper concludes with suggestions for future research in this field

Electrochemistry provides a simple way to monitor Pseudomonas aeruginosa metabolites

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most common bacteria responsible for nosocomial infections. To imagine new therapies, understanding virulence mechanisms and the associated communication system of the bacterium (its quorum sensing) is a target of the first importance. Electrochemistry is a promising tool for real-time in situ monitoring of electroactive species issued from P. aeruginosa communication system. This contribution deals with the electrochemical characterization of the main bacteria electroactive metabolites: Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal, pyocyanin and 2′-aminoacetophenone. These metabolites were electrochemically characterized and further detected in supernatant of P. aeruginosa PA01 strain grown in LB medium

Phone Theft Index

This study presents what we believe to be the first Phone Theft Index, ranking the most stolen makes and models of mobile cell phones. It is based on over 200,000 recorded crimes involving such theft during 2004 and 2005. The theft “careers” of key phone models are examined. The market for mobile cell phones changes rapidly, as shown in theft career trajectories. The next steps in the development of the index would be for it to be risk-based, and routinely publicized on a timely and frequent basis. Complementary publications of information on “safe” handsets and practices would also stimulate the market in consumer safety