339 research outputs found
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Cyber insurance of information systems: Security and privacy cyber insurance contracts for ICT and helathcare organizations
Nowadays, more-and-more aspects of our daily activities are digitalized. Data and assets in the cyber-space, both for individuals and organizations, must be safeguarded. Thus, the insurance sector must face the challenge of digital transformation in the 5G era with the right set of tools. In this paper, we present CyberSure-an insurance framework for information systems. CyberSure investigates the interplay between certification, risk management, and insurance of cyber processes. It promotes continuous monitoring as the new building block for cyber insurance in order to overcome the current obstacles of identifying in real-time contractual violations by the insured party and receiving early warning notifications prior the violation. Lightweight monitoring modules capture the status of the operating components and send data to the CyberSure backend system which performs the core decision making. Therefore, an insured system is certified dynamically, with the risk and insurance perspectives being evaluated at runtime as the system operation evolves. As new data become available, the risk management and the insurance policies are adjusted and fine-tuned. When an incident occurs, the insurance company possesses adequate information to assess the situation fast, estimate accurately the level of a potential loss, and decrease the required period for compensating the insured customer. The framework is applied in the ICT and healthcare domains, assessing the system of medium-size organizations. GDPR implications are also considered with the overall setting being effective and scalable
Genetic background modifies amyloidosis in a mouse model of ATTR neuropathy
AbstractPenetrance and age of onset of ATTRV30M amyloidotic neuropathy varies significantly among different populations. This variability has been attributed to both genetic and environmental modifiers. We studied the effect of genetic background on phenotype in two lines of transgenic mice bearing the same ATTRV30M transgene. Amyloid deposition, transthyretin (TTR), megalin, clusterin and disease markers of endoplasmic reticulum stress, the ubiquitin-proteasome system, apoptosis, and complement activation were assessed with WB and immunohistochemistry in donor and recipient tissue. Our results indicate that genetic background modulates amyloid deposition by influencing TTR handling in recipient tissue and may partly account for the marked variability in penetrance observed in various world populations
Quantitative programme of research for adult English and maths: Longitudinal survey of adult learners waves 1 and 2
Private Financing or Not, That is the Question: Lessons from the Light Rail Systems in Spain
The objective of this paper is to analyze if there
is any difference between the light rail systems in Spain
according to whether they have been carried out through
public financing or private financing (totally or partially).
The importance of this study lies in the fact that, for decades,
the publicâprivate partnership has been proposed as
an alternative to public financing of public transport projects
in order to obtain additional financial resources,
reduce the public deficit, and increase efficiency. However,
there are hardly any detailed studies describing how these
initiatives have turned out. Therefore, the present study
analyzes if there is any difference in the main variables
explaining the performance of light rail projects in Spain
depending on their source of funding can be found. For
this, the relationship between variables related to design,
operation and costs of the projects, and the percentage of
private financing were statistically analyzed. As the most
relevant conclusion, we underline the fact that the investment
per passenger increases when financing is completely
private. This would indicate that the most cost-effective
lines, from a social standpoint, were financed totally or
partially by the public administrations, whereas the least
beneficial ones for society were assigned to private enterprises.
This finding provides an advance in the knowledge
of the consequences of private participation in the financing
of public transport projects, indicating, moreover, that
the biggest beneficiaries of this type of projects might be
the construction companies and the politicians involvedThe authors would like to thank the ERDF of
European Union for financial support via project ââHerramienta para
la evaluacioÂŽn previa de infraestructuras de transporte puÂŽblicoââ
(GGI3003IDIE). We also thank to Public Works Agency and
Regional Ministry of Public Works and Housing of the Regional
Government of Andalusia (AOPJA) and the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sports of the Government of Spain
Quantitative programme of research for adult English and maths: Longitudinal survey of adult learners final research report
The Factor Structure of the 4-Item Perceived Stress Scale in English Adolescents
This study investigated the factor structure, internal consistency, and known-groups validity of the 4-item Perceived Stress Scale in a large sample of 29,388 English adolescents. Results indicated that the original unidimensional structure was not viable and instead provided support for a two-factor structure. Examination of a bifactor-(S â 1) model indicated that this multidimensionality can be attributed to reverse-worded items; however, beyond method effects, these factors appear to capture distinct, though inter-related, constructs. As this multidimensional structure relies on 2-item factors, we advise use of longer versions of this measure where possible
'I know they are not trained in dementia': Addressing the need for specialist dementia training for home care workers
Global population ageing has meant a rapid increase in the numbers of older people with dementia, most of whom live in their own homes. Staying at home is an important determinant of health and wellâbeing. As care needs increase, the quality of community support which older people receive directly influences their capacity to remain in their own homes. While many are supported informally by family carers, formal support provided by home care workers often enables them to remain at home for longer period. However, providing communityâbased care for people with dementia can be challenging. Workers often lack training in dementiaâspecific care for clients with increasingly complex needs, and typically work without direct supervision. As the demand for personâcentred home care for people with dementia increases, specialist dementia training for home care workers is urgently needed. In this qualitative study, we used inâdepth interviews of a purposive sample, comprising 15 family carers and four older people with dementia, to understand the experience of receiving community care. Data analysis was guided by Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic analysis and revealed the following five overlapping themes, relating to home care workersâ understanding of dementia, personâcentred care, communication and rapport, mutual collaboration, and the influence of organisational constraints on continuity of care. Although participants acknowledged that service providers operated under challenging circumstances, they were frustrated with home care workersâ lack of dementia knowledge and inconsistent staff rostering. Conversely, an understanding of the lived experience of dementia, effective communication and rapport, and continuity of care contributed significantly to a positive experience of receiving care. The findings of this study will be used to inform the essential elements of a training program aimed at enabling and empowering a skilled, specialist home care workforce to support older people with dementia to live well at home for as long as possible
Direct exfoliation and dispersion of two-dimensional materials in pure water via temperature control
The high-volume synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) materials in the form of platelets is desirable for various applications. While water is considered an ideal dispersion medium, due to its abundance and low cost, the hydrophobicity of platelet surfaces has prohibited its widespread use. Here we exfoliate 2D materials directly in pure water without using any chemicals or surfactants. In order to exfoliate and disperse the materials in water, we elevate the temperature of the sonication bath, and introduce energy via the dissipation of sonic waves. Storage stability greater than one month is achieved through the maintenance of high temperatures, and through atomic and molecular level simulations, we further discover that good solubility in water is maintained due to the presence of platelet surface charges as a result of edge functionalization or intrinsic polarity. Finally, we demonstrate inkjet printing on hard and flexible substrates as a potential application of water-dispersed 2D materials.close1
Carotid Ultrasound Boundary Study (CUBS): An Open Multicenter Analysis of Computerized IntimaâMedia Thickness Measurement Systems and Their Clinical Impact
Common carotid intimaâmedia thickness (CIMT) is a commonly used marker for atherosclerosis and is often computed in carotid ultrasound images. An analysis of different computerized techniques for CIMT measurement and their clinical impacts on the same patient data set is lacking. Here we compared and assessed five computerized CIMT algorithms against three expert analystsâ manual measurements on a data set of 1088 patients from two centers. Inter- and intra-observer variability was assessed, and the computerized CIMT values were compared with those manually obtained. The CIMT measurements were used to assess the correlation with clinical parameters, cardiovascular event prediction through a generalized linear model and the KaplanâMeier hazard ratio. CIMT measurements obtained with a skilled analyst's segmentation and the computerized segmentation were comparable in statistical analyses, suggesting they can be used interchangeably for CIMT quantification and clinical outcome investigation. To facilitate future studies, the entire data set used is made publicly available for the community at http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/fpv535fss7.1
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