Search

You cannot protect what you do not know you have. The first rule of cybersecurity is knowing what you have to better protect it. This paper presents an innovative remote inventory pilot for U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) sites' Facility-Related Control Systems that leverages low-cost hardware, video conferencing, and augmented reality to carry out an asset inventory as defined by USAR. Organisations should consider leveraging augmented reality when planning remote asset inventories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally accepted that extreme space weather events tend to be related to strong flares and fast halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In the present paper, we carefully identify the chain of events from the Sun to the Earth induced by all 12 X‐class flares that occurred in 2002. In this small sample, we find an unusual high rate (58%) of solar sources with a longitude larger than 74°. Yet all 12 X‐class flares are associated with at least one CME. The fast halo CMEs (50%) are related to interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) at L1 and weak Dst minimum values (more than −51 nT), while five (41%) of the 12 X‐class flares are related to solar proton events (SPEs). We conclude that (i) all 12 analyzed solar events, even those associated with fast halo CMEs originating from the central disk region, and those ICMEs and SPEs were not very geo‐effective. This unexpected result demonstrates that the suggested events in the chain (fast halo CME, X‐class flares, central disk region, ICME, and SPE) are not infallible proxies for geo‐effectiveness. (ii) The low value of integrated and normalized southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field (Bz*) may explain the low geo‐effectiveness for this small sample. In fact, Bz* is well correlated to the weak Dst and low auroral electrojet activity. Hence, the only space weather impact at Earth in 2002 we can explain is based on Bz* at L1. Key Points: We discussed geo‐effectiveness of the 12 X‐class flare‐CMEs in 2002 based on the available observationsThey failed to evoke strong disturbances since weak interplanetary magnetic field southward componentsThe usual solar proxies (complex active region, X‐class flare, and fast halo CME) are not sufficient to forecast geo‐effectivity in 2002 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourth-year medical students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine distributed cards to patients in the emergency department asking, "What Worries You Most?" The patients' responses provided insight about their most pressing concerns, often unrelated to their "chief complaints." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the relationship between the high-frequency (425 MHz) type II radio burst and the associated whitelight coronal mass ejection (CME) that occurred on 2011 February 13. The radio burst had a drift rate of 2.5MHz s-1, indicating a relatively high shock speed. From SDO/AIA observations we find that a loop-like erupting front sweeps across high-density coronal loops near the start time of the burst (17:34:17 UT). The deduced distance of shock formation (0.06 Rs) from the flare center and speed of the shock (1100 km s-1) using the measured density from SDO/AIA observations are comparable to the height (0.05 Rs, from the solar surface) and speed (700 km s-1) of the CME leading edge observed by STEREO/EUVI. We conclude that the type II burst originates even in the low corona (<59Mm or 0.08 Rs, above the solar surface) due to the fast CME shock passing through high-density loops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Temporary prophylactic pancreatic duct stenting effectively reduces post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP) in high-risk patients, but the optimal stent remains unclear. We compared rate of spontaneous passage, and technical difficulty of placement for 3-Fr and 5-Fr stents. Methods: A randomized controlled trial at a single academic medical center. Patients deemed high risk for PEP randomly received 5-Fr or 3-Fr pancreatic duct stents. Primary outcome was spontaneous stent passage by 2 weeks. Secondary outcomes were ease and time for stent placement, and number of guide wires required for the entire procedure. Results: Patients (69 female [89 %]; mean age 44.9 years, standard deviation [SD] 16.8) were randomly assigned to receive 5-Fr (n = 38) and 3-Fr (n = 40) stents. Indications for stenting were similar. Seven patients in the 3-Fr group actually received a 5-Fr stent, and two in the 5-Fr group had a 3-Fr stent. Spontaneous passage or non-passage was confirmed in 64 (83 %). No statistically significant difference in spontaneous passage rates was seen (5-Fr group, 68.4 %; 3-Fr group 75.0 %; P = 0.617). Non-passage rates were 10.5 % (5-Fr group) and 10.0 % (3-Fr group) (P = 1.00). The study was stopped after a futility analysis for the primary end point. Placement of 5-Fr stents was rated easier, at a mean score of 1.8 (5-Fr) vs. 3.4 (3-Fr), P < 0.001, with a trend towards being faster, 9.2 vs. 11.1 minutes (P = 0.355). Fewer guide wires were required for 5-Fr stent placement, 1.5 vs. 1.9 (P = 0.002). PEP rates did not differ (P = 0.519). Conclusion: Placement of 5-Fr compared to 3-Fr pancreatic duct stents for PEP prophylaxis is easier, faster, and requires fewer wires. No statistically significant difference in spontaneous passage was found between the two sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a class of microstructurally informed models for the linear elastic mechanical behaviour of cross-linked polymer networks such as the actin cytoskeleton. Salient features of the models include the possibility to represent anisotropic mechanical behaviour resulting from anisotropic filament distributions, and a power law scaling of the mechanical properties with the filament density. Mechanical models within the class are parameterized by seven different constants. We demonstrate a procedure for determining these constants using finite element models of three-dimensional actin networks. Actin filaments and cross-links were modelled as elastic rods, and the networks were constructed at physiological volume fractions and at the scale of an image voxel. We show the performance of the model in estimating the mechanical behaviour of the networks over a wide range of filament densities and degrees of anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In combinatorial auctions, multiple distinct items are sold simultaneously and a bidder may place a single bid on a set (package) of distinct items. The determination of packages for bidding is a nontrivial task, and existing efficient formats require that bidders know the set of packages and/or their valuations. In this paper, we extend an efficient ascending combinatorial auction mechanism to use approximate single-item pricing. The single-item prices in each round are derived from a linear program that is constructed to reflect the current allocation of packages. Introduction of approximate single-item prices allows for endogenous bid determination where bidders can discover packages that were not included in the original bid set. Due to nonconvexities, single-item prices may not exist that are exact marginal values. We show that the use of approximate single- item prices with endogenous bidding always produces allocations that are at least as efficient as those from bidding with a fixed set of packages based on package pricing. A network resource allocation example is given that illustrates the benefits of our endogenous bidding mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor about a case of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) using rocuronium and sugammadex in a patient with neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), is presented.

We investigate the solar phenomena associated with the origin of the solar energetic particle (SEP) event observed on 2013 April 11 by a number of spacecraft distributed in the inner heliosphere over a broad range of heliolongitudes. We use extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and white-light coronagraph observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory, and the twin Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory spacecraft (STEREO-A and STEREO-B) to determine the angular extent of the EUV wave and coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with the origin of the SEP event. We compare the estimated release time of SEPs observed at each spacecraft with the arrival time of the structures associated with the CME at the footpoints of the field lines connecting each spacecraft with the Sun. Whereas the arrival of the EUV wave and CME-driven shock at the footpoint of STEREO-B is consistent, within uncertainties, with the release time of the particles observed by this spacecraft, the EUV wave never reached the footpoint of the field lines connecting near-Earth observers with the Sun, even though an intense SEP event was observed there. We show that the west flank of the CME-driven shock propagating at high altitudes above the solar surface was most likely the source of the particles observed near Earth, but it did not leave any EUV trace on the solar disk. We conclude that the angular extent of the EUV wave on the solar surface did not agree with the longitudinal extent of the SEP event in the heliosphere. Hence EUV waves cannot be used reliably as a proxy for the solar phenomenon that accelerates and injects energetic particles over broad ranges of longitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of a 71-year-old man diagnosed with intussuscepted sigmoid adenocarcinoma using endoscopic ultrasonography. Topics discussed include the patient's history of intermittent abdominal pain, constipation and hematochezia, the identification of a tubular mass following colonoscopy, and the changes revealed by abdominopelvic computed tomography(CTAP) that were consistent with sigmoid intussusception.