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Results for “Evidential value”

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11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Quantitative assessment of the fingerprint evidential value using machine learning.

Fingerprints as physical evidence have long supported criminal investigation and adjudication. In practice, however, fingerprint identification relies mainly on examiners' experience. Furthermore, expert opinions tend to be categorical, even though the opinions with the same conclusion could differ substantially in evidential strength. To quantitatively assess fingerprint evidential value, this study proposes a machine learning-based framework as an interpretable decision-support tool. A lightweight residual one-dimensional convolutional neural network was constructed, incorporating channel recalibration and a similarity-driven attention mechanism to learn adaptive contribution weights for different matched minutiae (minutiae for short). Controlled experiments revealed that the predicted evidential value increased with the number of minutiae and was significantly influenced by the quality of minutiae. With 10 minutiae, the mean predicted scores were 4.49, 7.00, and 9.09 for blurred, moderately blurred, and clear minutiae, respectively. Multiple regression analysis indicated that replacing a pair of blurred minutiae with a pair of clear minutiae increased the score by 0.492, whereas replacing it with a pair of moderately blurred minutiae increased the score by only 0.216. By mapping predicted scores to graded levels of evidential strength, the framework contributes to a paradigm shift from categorical expert opinions to graded ones, helping courts evaluate fingerprint evidence more scientifically.

Humans↗

PubMed1979

Evidential value of the hospital record in clinical decision making.

A simulated retrospective exercise in the diagnosis and management of 53 readmissions to a gastrointestinal unit was undertaken by two consultants. Diagnosis of the illness at readmission was made on evidence sought from a referee, who also supplied, on request, items of relevant evidence from the past medical record. Patient management was agreed from these sources. For each item of evidence the evidential weight, the irrecoverability, and the expected benefit accruing to the patient of its availability was calculated. It was concluded that the evidence worth recording in the event of subsequent hospital admission could be largely specified for each diagnosis and each operation. It would be brief and could be numerically coded.

Decision Making↗

PubMed1976

Classification of psychoactive drugs by visually evoked potentials in rabbits by means of multiple discriminant analysis. A possible way of predicting the clinical efficacy of new psychoactive drugs.

The influence of representatives of various groups of antipsychotic drugs on the visually evoked potential (EP) was investigated with the aid of a modified recording and evaluation technique for the rabbit EEG from cortical and subcortical structures. The starting point was the hypothesis that changes in the EP in animal experiments caused by representative members of these "substance groups" (neuroleptics with predominantly antipsychotic or predominantly sedative effect, and antidepressants with predominantly mood-brightening or predominantly sedative main components) make predictions of the clinical efficacy of "unknown" substances possible on the basis of clinical therapeutic principles of classification. Experiments were carried out with haloperidol and fluphenazine, chlorpromazine, amitriptyline and doxepin, and with imipramine and clomipramine, as representatives of these classes of substances. The hypothesis was checked by attempts to assign amitriptyline and chlorprothixene in varying dosage, haloperidol, benzperidol and mianserine to appropriate classes. As classification and assignment procedure we used stepwise multiple discriminant analysis (SWDA) according to our modification of the BMD 0 7 M Program. The purpose of the latter program, and its applicability to our studies, are described and discussed. It was found 1. that with EP data from animal experiments it is possible to classify various groups of psychoactive drugs on the basis of clinical therapeutic findings, using SWDA; 2. that assignment of "unknown" compounds can be based on this classification; 3. that hence with some caution predictions of the clinical effect of newly developed substances may be made on the basis of findings in animal experiments. The EP variables which contain most information for making up the separation formula and hence are of special importance, are investigated with respect to their possible neurophysiological evidential value, and their significance is discussed. It was found that the EP from the visual cortex are of particular significance for the separation of groups in the form presented here.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Problems of geriatric pharmacotherapy.

No one dies of old age by itself; death is always due to a disease of some kind. This means that safe and effective therapy for old people is a matter of great practical importance. From what has been said above it will be obvious that the effects of drugs in old people are similar to their effects in the young, but there may be differences in degree in their susceptibility to adverse reactions. The existing data are by no means abundant, sometimes contradictory and of limited evidential value. Looking at the picture as a whole, one cannot but agree with those authors who state that the available results are insufficient to substantiate the general opinion that old age in itself heightens the risk of all forms of pharmacotherapy. From the practical point of view it is nowadays essential that no drug should be prescribed for an elderly patient without strict scrutiny of the need for it, that such drugs should not be administered for any longer than is absolutely necessary, that treatment should normally be started with smaller doses than those usually given to younger adults and, lastly, that surveillance for possible side effects should be particularly close. The author states that it must not be forgotten that geriatric patients frequently consult specialists in addition to their family doctors and that they are perhaps overinclined to listen to advice on drug treatment from those about them. One of the duties of the family doctor is to check the assortment of drugs which his patient is consuming--often an alarming total--and to cut down their number to those which are really necessary.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Morphometric computerized analysis on the dentinal tubules and the collagen fibers in the dentine of human permanent teeth.

A morphometric analysis has been performed on important components of human dentine using an image computerized analyzer. The dentinal tubule diameter and their area percentage were calculated. Moreover the area percentage of the collagen fibers in the dentinal matrix was measured. These parameters have been evaluated in different areas of the coronal and the radicular dentine in permanent teeth. Measurements have been performed on undecalcified and decalcified teeth and on teeth treated with enzymatic digestion to remove the organic non collagen matrix and to evidentiate the collagen fiber network. The values obtained in different areas of the tooth and in samples submitted to different treatments were evaluated by statistical analysis. Dentinal tubule diameter and area percentage significatively decrease from the inner to the peripheral dentine both in the undecalcified teeth as in the decalcified ones and in the samples undergone to enzymatic digestion. The collagen fiber percentage in the organic matrix is significatively lower in the mantle dentine.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Comparative study of Langerhans cells in normal and pathological human scars. I. Atrophic scars.

In the present study, we investigated Langerhans cells (LCs) in the epidermal component of human atrophic scars, comparing them with those in control skin and normotrophic scars. A preliminary analysis of the histological features was first carried out on vertical serial sections, stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The total epidermal thickness and the thickness of the single epidermal layers were then measured, by means of a digitizing tablet and a morphometric program run on an Apple IIe computer. These parameters were found to be significantly lower (40%) in atrophic scars, if compared to control skin and normotrophic scars (p less than 0.05). CDla-positive and HLA-DR-positive LCs were marked by indirect immunofluorescence. Their position among the epidermal layers, their dimensions, their density and their morphology were examined. In atrophic scars, LCs were densely and evenly distributed in all the epidermal layers. Their density was increased (about 1200 cells/mm2 of epidermal area), if compared to control skin and normotrophic scars (both 300-400 cells/mm2 of epidermal area; p less than 0.001). The CDla-positive definite cell bodies, exhibiting an unstained nucleus, were as large as those evidentiated in the normotrophic scars and twice as much the control skin values (p less than 0.001). The present results provide morphological data that distinguish atrophic scars from control skin and normotrophic scars, and suggest an involvement of the Langerhans cells in this particular case of pathological scarring.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

[Comparison of breath and blood alcohol concentration from measurements in police work].

4.135 measurements of breath- and blood-alcohol concentration were performed by police in 1986 and 1987 using the Alcomat A 11 (wavelength 3.4 microns). Important conclusions from these measurements can be derived with regard to legal breath-alcohol limits. The parameter for judgement is the breath- to blood-alcohol concentration ratio. Extreme deviations which have to be considered as malfunctions were found only in 0.4% of all cases, despite of the fact that not all precautions for evidential measurements are fulfilled. The reasons for malfunction may result from faulty breath- or blood-alcohol determinations or may simply be errors of transfer. The frequency of relatively too high breath-alcohol values (e.g. by interfering substances) is nearly the same as of relatively too low values (e.g. by too small breath volume). It has to be considered that the requirements according to the expertise of the Federal Health Office for evidential breath-alcohol measurements are only fulfilled partly. Especially the influence of breath-temperature is disregarded although the influence on frequency distributions is important as the comparison with other measurements demonstrates. A further result shows that the frequency distribution of the breath- to blood-alcohol ratio does not depend on blood-alcohol values.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗

PubMed1975

[Comparison of the streptozyme test with titration of antistreptolysin, antistreptokinase and antistreptohyaluronidase].

Streptozyme is a new serologic assay which is able to evidentiate 5 antistreptococcal antibodies at the same time (TAS, ASHA, ASK, DNase, NADase). This test has been carried out on 355 samples together with TAS, ASK and ASHA methods in order to value this method comparatively. The results showed that Streptozyme is a poorly reliable technique, looking at the false-positive or negative results obtained, but principally looking at the phenomena of no good reproducibility. We feel that at present it cannot be used in substitution of the classic serologic methods.

Antibody Formation↗

PubMed1992

Comparing roadside with subsequent breath alcohol analyses and their relevance to the issue of retrograde extrapolation.

Driving while intoxicated (DWI) legislation requires proving the critical breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) at the time of driving. With time delayed analysis, retrograde extrapolation is occasionally employed but has several uncertainties associated with it. The present study attempts to address whether subjects actually arrested for DWI are likely to have BrAC values near the time of driving differing largely from those performed at a subsequent time. Selected officers arrested n = 161 subjects where roadside BrAC was determined with Pre-Arrest Breath Test (PBT) devices along with subsequent duplicate evidential analyses followed by an additional PBT analysis. These two sets of duplicates, one with large time interval (mean = 63.5 min.) and one with a 2-3 min difference, were then compared by several statistical methods. The results showing duplicate variability did not differ when the long time interval existed (F = 1.0, P > 0.05). A small but significant decrease in BrAC with respect to time appeared for the duplicate PBT data. Retrograde extrapolation applied to the data employing an assumed 0.015 g/210 l/h yielded a small but significant overestimate of the actual roadside PBT result. Finally, evidentiary analyses performed within 2 h of driving will provide good estimates and certainly not overestimates, of the BrAC existing at the time of driving and it appears that extrapolation may be unwarranted in these cases.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Field performance of current generation breath-alcohol simulators.

The between-run accuracy and reproducibility of vapor-alcohol control tests associated with quantitative evidential breath-alcohol testing in the field were evaluated. Control samples were generated at six separate sites with 34 degrees C TOXITEST II breath-alcohol simulators and analyzed by infrared spectrometry with Model 5000-D intoxilyzers in the recirculation mode. Control test results at target alcohol concentrations of 0.060, 0.080, 0.090, 0.100, 0.110, and 0.120 g/210 L (n = 779) were combined and analyzed by standard statistical methods. Results were correlated with target values, and the signed and absolute differences were calculated and analyzed. Data treatment included ANOVA, linear regression analysis, t statistics, and relative and cumulative frequency distributions of the differences. We found the performance of these current generation simulators in the field to be similarly satisfactory to that obtained in our laboratory evaluation. We further found that vapor-alcohol control samples generated with these devices conformed to established formal requirements and that they can serve as an effective quality assurance measure in evidential breath-alcohol analysis.

Breath Tests↗

PubMed1992

Comparative study of Langerhans cells in normal and pathological human scars. II. Hypertrophic scars.

Langerhans cells (LCs) seem to play a crucial role in the immune system of the skin. Changes in their density, distribution, phenotype and/or morphology have been described in a number of skin diseases, mostly immunologically mediated. For this reason, we investigated LCs in human hypertrophic scars, since these scars are presently believed to have an immunological basis. A preliminary analysis of the histological features was carried out on vertical serial sections, stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Both epidermal and dermal components of hypertrophic scar biopsies were examined. The total epidermal thickness and the thickness of the single epidermal layers were also measured; the values obtained were similar to those of control skin and normotrophic scars. Subsequently, CDla-positive LCs, revealed by indirect immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques, were studied to determine their position among the epidermal layers and within the dermis, their dimensions, their density and their morphology. According to these observations, two main types of hypertrophic scars were identified. In the first type (7 scars), LCs were widely clustered within both the whole epidermis and the dermis. Their density was increased (about 750 cells/mm2 of epidermal area), if compared to control skin and normotrophic scars (both about 400 cells/mm2 of epidermal area; p less than 0.001). The epidermal cell profiles, nearly three times larger than those of control skin, exhibited a dense network of interconnected dendrites. Further analysis for the presence of HLA-DR molecules revealed an anomalous expression of these antigens on keratinocytes. In the second type (3 scars), LCs density within the stratum Malpighii was unchanged, relative to control skin and normal scars, while CDla-positive cell bodies remained numerous in basal position and within the subpapillary corion. Epidermal LCs, only slightly larger than those evidentiated in control skin, displayed short and retracted dendritic projections. The aberrant expression of HLA-DR antigens on keratinocytes was very weak and sparse. The present results strongly suggest an immunologically activated state of the tissues examined; they provide morphological data that support the involvement of the immune system in hypertrophic scarring.

Adult↗