Likelihood ratios for evaluating DNA matches obtained from a database search when there is substructure in the population.

DNA database searches are frequently conducted to identify the suspects of crimes. When a match is obtained from such a database search, the evidence must be evaluated. Existing methods for assessment of the DNA evidence in this scenario require assumption of stochastic independence between the profiles in the database. However, when there is substructure in the population, this assumption is violated. The problem of how to account for population substructure in the database search scenario is analyzed and a solution in the form of a bounded estimate for the likelihood ratio is presented. The implications of these methods are investigated in a realistic scenario using published forensic allele frequencies to simulate ten-locus DNA profiles. In the simulated example, it is observed that the strength of the evidence can be inflated by more than a factor of 10 in 11.6% of database search cases if mild population substructure is ignored. With these methods, the magnitude of the subpopulation effect in the database search scenario can be quantified and the weight of the evidence of a DNA match more accurately assessed.

Characteristics of Canteens at Elementary Schools, Upper Secondary Schools and Workplaces that Comply with Food Service Guidelines and Have a Greater Focus on Food Waste.

Policy actions to improve the nutritional environment include the provision of official food service guidelines. This study aimed to examine compliance with food service guidelines for hot meals as well as self-evaluated focus on food waste reduction across settings, i.e., elementary schools, upper secondary schools and workplaces, and different canteen characteristics. The same five criteria for hot meals were applied for all settings with regard to serving of fruit and vegetables, fish, wholegrain product and high fat meat and dairy products. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted as a cross-sectional study among 680 Danish canteens. Canteens having a high degree of organic food procurement were more likely to comply with the five criteria for hot meals combined (OR 2.00 (Cl 1.13,3.53)). Also, the use of organic food together with having a meal policy was associated with reported focus on food waste reduction (OR 1.91 (CI 1.12,3.25) and 1.84 (Cl 1.31,2.59), respectively). Compliance with individual criteria varied across settings with elementary schools being more likely to comply with criteria on, e.g., maximum serving of non-wholegrain products, whereas workplaces were more likely to comply with criteria on, e.g., minimum fruit and vegetable content and serving of fish. In addition, specific characteristics, e.g., serving system, were found to predict compliance with some of the criteria. These findings highlight the need to address differences in canteen characteristics when planning implementation support for both guideline and food waste reduction initiatives.