Privatization of correctional facilities

Examines the viability of privatizing local correctional institutions

Electroencephalographic Signatures in Developing Motor Brain of Infants at Time of Crawling Skill Acquisition

Electroencephalography (EEG) is the aggregate of electrical signals emitted from the brain. Study of EEG has been widely used as a useful noninvasive method of collecting bioelectric signals from humans. Processing and modeling of bioelectric signals allows us to understand the fundamental nature of human behavior. The relationship between EEG and brain functions can be related to their frequency and spatial patterns. These properties are relatively unknown in infants during the first year of life. During this time period, infants typically acquire the ability to crawl. This skill is important in developing necessary motor skills for future locomotion as well as primary cognitive abilities for interacting with their environment. Infants with cerebral palsy (CP) experience severe delays in acquisition of locomotive skills, which hinders them throughout the rest of their lives. Our interdisciplinary group has designed a Self-Initiated Prone Progression Crawler (SIPPC) locomotion assistive robot to aid infants in developing crawling patterns. In this discussion, results from an ongoing study of EEG data collected from typically developing infants using the SIPPC robot are presented. Weekly collection of resting EEG data prior to crawling are studied longitudinally to understand infants’ progression developmentally and assess neural effects from varying degrees of robot assistance

Scale Prototype Ring Main Unit for the Measurement and Control of Nodes in a Smart Grid

Smart grids are playing a key role in modern electric power grids, improving load control, assuring safer operations and collecting valuable information of the electrical conditions of the grid. In a smart grid, a RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) is a device that is able to measure the electric variables of the grid and sends all the information to a MTU (Master Terminal Unit), which is responsible of controlling the operations of the grid. RMU (Ring Main Unit) devices are used in electric power grids to protect loads and to disconnect them in case of failure to prevent damage. This article presents the design of a special RMU capable of measuring voltage, current and frequency, detecting electric faults, and making automatic self-healing in order to manage the flow of energy in the smart grid to guarantee energy supply to the critical loads (hospitals). The RMU devices were installed on a scaled smart grid in order to show its operation capabilities

Una comparativa de los esquemas de ciberseguridad de China y Estados Unidos

This article provides some insights into the debate about the relevance of cyber security as a tool for international competition. The central argument sustains that actions in the cyber security realm perform a key piece in competitive relations of governments. By making a comparison between Chinese and American cyber security models the text upholds that this realm has become a national security imperative. Likewise, it proposes the adoption of a comprehensive comparative cyber security models of governments. The article concludes by offering some issues to analyze cyber security within an international perspective.Este artículo aporta algunas consideraciones sobre el debate acerca de la relevancia de la ciberseguridad como herramienta en la competencia internacional. El argumento central sostiene que las acciones en el campo de ciberseguridad representan una pieza clave en el marco de las relaciones competitivas de carácter gubernamental. A través del ejercicio de comparar el modelo de ciberseguridad chino y estadounidense se sostiene que este terreno se ha convertido en un imperativo de seguridad nacional para ambos países. Asimismo, propone la adopción de una forma comparativa integral para esquemas de ciberseguridad gubernamental. El artículo concluye con algunos tópicos para profundizar en el análisis de ciberseguridad bajo una perspectiva internacional

A fuzzy credibility model to estimate the operational value at risk using internal and external data of risk events

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Operational Risk (OpR) refers to the possibility of suffering losses resulting from inadequate or failure of processes and/or technology, inadequate behaviour of people or external events. OpR was one of the main risks that led to the 2008 global financial crisis. Limitations of the analytical models that are applied in estimating this risk surface when qualitative information, frequently associated with OpR events, is used. To determine the magnitude of OpR in financial organisations, qualitative datainnd also historical data from risk events can be used. Current research trends that focus on the development of analytical models, by using different databases, to estimate the Operational Value at Risk (OpVaR) still lack models based on qualitative information, risk management profiles and the ability to integrate different databases of OpR events. In this paper we present a fuzzy model to estimate the OpVaR of an organisation by working with two different databases that contain internal available data and external or observed data. The proposed model considers: (1) the intrinsic properties of the data as fuzzy sets related to the linguistic variables of the observed data (external) and the data from available databases (internal), and (2) a series of management profiles to mitigate the effect that external data usually causes in estimating the OpVaR of an organisation. The results obtained with the proposed model allow an organisation to estimate and determine the behaviour of the OpVaR over time by using different risk profiles. The integration of qualitative information, different risk profiles (ranging from weak to strong risk management), and internal and external databases contributes to the advancement of estimating the OpVaR in risk management

Foaming characteristics of β-lactoglobulin as affected by enzymatic hydrolysis and polysaccharide addition: Relationships with the bulk and interfacial properties

The objective of this work was to study the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis and polysaccharide addition on the foaming characteristics of β-lactoglobulin (β-LG). Enzymatic treatment was performed in the hydrolysis degree (HD) range of 0.0–5.0% using bovine α-chymotrypsin II immobilized on agarose microbeads. Anionic non-surface active polysaccharides (PS), sodium alginate (SA) and λ-carrageenan (λ-C) were studied in the concentration range of 0.0–0.5 wt.%. Foaming characteristics were determined by conductimetric and optical methods and were linked to protein diffusion kinetics, film mechanical properties and biopolymer molecular dynamics in solution. Experiments were performed at constant temperature (20 °C), pH 7 and ionic strength 0.05 M. Limited hydrolysis improved the formation and stability of β-LG foam possibly due to an increased protein diffusion rate and film dilatational elasticity. Furthermore, PS addition caused different effects on β-LG foaming characteristics depending on the PS type, their relative concentration and extent of enzymatic treatment (HD). Diffusion rate and interfacial rheological behavior of mixed systems could exert a decisive role in foaming characteristics of β-LG and its hydrolysates in close connection with biopolymer interactions in solution, e.g., macromolecule repulsion, protein segregation/aggregation and soluble complexes formation.Fil: Perez, Adrián Alejandro. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Instituto de Tecnología de los Alimentos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Carrera Sánchez, Cecilio. Universidad de Sevilla; EspañaFil: Rodríguez Patino, Juan M.. Universidad de Sevilla; EspañaFil: Rubiolo, Amelia Catalina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Instituto de Tecnología de los Alimentos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Santiago, Liliana Gabriela. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Instituto de Tecnología de los Alimentos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentin

Myoinvasive pattern as a prognostic marker in low-grade, early-stage endometrioid endometrial carcinoma

Low-grade and early Federation for Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EEC) have an excellent prognosis. However, approximately 10% of patients develop recurrence, which cannot be correctly predicted at diagnosis. We evaluated myoinvasive patterns as a prognostic factor of relapse in low-grade, early-stage EEC. Two-hundred and fifty-eight cases were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: (i) endometrioid endometrial carcinomas, (ii) grade 1 or 2 with (iii) FIGO stage I or II, and (iv) clinical follow-up. Slides were reviewed to annotate the myoinvasive pattern present in each case (infiltrative glands, microcystic, elongated and fragmented –MELF-, broad front, adenomyosis-like and adenoma malignum). Microsatellite instability was studied by immunoexpression of mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6). There were 29 recurrences (11.2%) among the 258 cases analysed. A predominant broad front myoinvasive pattern was significantly associated with tumour relapse (p = 0.003). The presence of a pattern of infiltrative glands (p = 0.001) and microsatellite instability (p = 0.004) were associated with lower disease-free survival, without having an impact on overall survival. Our observations suggest the potential value of the pattern of myoinvasion as a prognostic factor in low-grade, early-stage endometrioid endometrial carcinomaThis research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI17/01723), co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund ‘A way to achieve Europe’ (FEDER)

Clinicopathological features and prognostic significance of CTNNB1 mutation in low-grade, early-stage endometrial endometrioid carcinoma

Low-grade and early-stage endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EECs) have an overall good prognosis but biomarkers identifying patients at risk of relapse are still lacking. Recently, CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation has been identified as a potential risk factor of recurrence in these patients. We evaluate the prognostic value of CTNNB1 mutation in a single-centre cohort of 218 low-grade, early-stage EECs, and the correlation with beta-catenin and LEF1 immunohistochemistry as candidate surrogate markers. CTNNB1 exon 3 hotspot mutations were evaluated by Sanger sequencing. Immunohistochemical staining of mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6), p53, beta-catenin, and LEF1 was performed in representative tissue microarrays. Tumours were also reviewed for mucinous and squamous differentiation, and MELF pattern. Nineteen (8.7%) tumours harboured a mutation in CTNNB1 exon 3. Nuclear beta-catenin and LEF1 were significantly associated with CTNNB1 mutation, showing nuclear beta-catenin a better specificity and positive predictive value for CTNNB1 mutation. Tumours with CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation were associated with reduced disease-free survival (p = 0.010), but no impact on overall survival was found (p = 0.807). The risk of relapse in tumours with CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation was independent of FIGO stage, tumour grade, mismatch repair protein expression, or the presence of lymphovascular space invasion. CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation has a negative impact on disease-free survival in low-grade, early-stage EECs. Nuclear beta-catenin shows a higher positive predictive value than LEF1 for CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation in these tumoursThis research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI17/01723), co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund ‘A way to achieve Europe’ (FEDER

Prognosis Stratification Tools in Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer: Could We Improve Their Accuracy?

There are three prognostic stratification tools used for endometrial cancer: ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO 2016, ProMisE, and ESGO-ESTRO-ESP 2020. However, these methods are not sufficiently accurate to address prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the integration of molecular classification and other biomarkers could be used to improve the prognosis stratification in early-stage endometrial cancer. Relapse-free and overall survival of each classifier were analyzed, and the c-index was employed to assess accuracy. Other biomarkers were explored to improve the precision of risk classifiers. We analyzed 293 patients. A comparison between the three classifiers showed an improved accuracy in ESGO-ESTRO-ESP 2020 when RFS was evaluated (c-index = 0.78), although we did not find broad differences between intermediate prognostic groups. Prognosis of these patients was better stratified with the incorporation of CTNNB1 status to the 2020 classifier (c-index 0.81), with statistically significant and clinically relevant differences in 5-year RFS: 93.9% for low risk, 79.1% for intermediate merged group/CTNNB1 wild type, and 42.7% for high risk (including patients with CTNNB1 mutation). The incorporation of molecular classification in risk stratification resulted in better discriminatory capability, which could be improved even further with the addition of CTNNB1 mutational evaluation.Peer reviewe

Prognosis Stratification Tools in Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer: Could We Improve Their Accuracy?

There are three prognostic stratification tools used for endometrial cancer: ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO 2016, ProMisE, and ESGO-ESTRO-ESP 2020. However, these methods are not sufficiently accurate to address prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the integration of molecular classification and other biomarkers could be used to improve the prognosis stratification in early-stage endometrial cancer. Relapse-free and overall survival of each classifier were analyzed, and the c-index was employed to assess accuracy. Other biomarkers were explored to improve the precision of risk classifiers. We analyzed 293 patients. A comparison between the three classifiers showed an improved accuracy in ESGO-ESTRO-ESP 2020 when RFS was evaluated (c-index = 0.78), although we did not find broad differences between intermediate prognostic groups. Prognosis of these patients was better stratified with the incorporation of CTNNB1 status to the 2020 classifier (c-index 0.81), with statistically significant and clinically relevant differences in 5-year RFS: 93.9% for low risk, 79.1% for intermediate merged group/CTNNB1 wild type, and 42.7% for high risk (including patients with CTNNB1 mutation). The incorporation of molecular classification in risk stratification resulted in better discriminatory capability, which could be improved even further with the addition of CTNNB1 mutational evaluation.Peer reviewe