Electrical Grid Cyberattack Simulations Debated by Officials
According to testimony at a Senate committee hearing on August 5, the federal government should have the authority to simulate cyberattacks on the electric grid to lessen the nation’s vulnerability. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said, “The threat of cyberattacks by foreign adversaries and other sophisticated entities is… Read more
Google Chrome will Drastically Truncate URLs to Thwart Phishing
Despite challenges, URLs are the age-old way users identify and determine a website’s authenticity. Phishing, scams, and social engineering run rampant – especially when hackers easily manipulate URLs to confuse users purposefully. The new version of Google Chrome 86, which is set to release in October, will hide most of a website’s URL. This experimental… Read more
Radiation Therapy Might be a Treatment Option for COVID-19
A recent article by the Journal of Nuclear Medicine is one of the first published studies to examine radiation therapy to treat COVID-19 patients. Researchers in New York radiolabeled the CR3022 human antibody with Iodine-131 as a targeted agent, since this antibody binds to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The researchers concluded, “Our results confirm the potential… Read more
Infectious Diseases Can Spread Via Drinking Water
The ongoing 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak reminds us how rapidly infectious agents can travel the globe. Today it is possible to be anywhere in the world within hours. Our increasingly mobile society means that diseases that used to seem exotic and distant can impact any population. Of the 50 most deadly infectious diseases, approximately a… Read more
Varian and Siemens New Partnership is Showing Many Benefits for Both Companies
This month big news has hit the medical radiation industry with the partnership between Siemens Healthineers and Varian Medical Systems. Although, according to the German stock market, little change has been observed with Siemens AG, and Varian has made it very clear that Siemens is ready to revolutionize the industry to a new set of… Read more
PRK vs. LASIK Eye Surgery: What’s the Difference?
PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is a type of refractive surgery to correct myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. It was the first surgery developed for vision correction and came before the popular LASIK procedure. PRK works by reshaping the cornea using an excimer laser. It’s similar to LASIK in that they both use lasers during treatment;… Read more
Creating an Electrical Switch for Magnetism
A team of researchers from the Dept. of Physics and the Dept. of Chemistry have worked together to discover magnetism of a magnetic semiconductor called Cr2Ge2Te6 that shows a great response to applied electric fields. The material was found to exhibit a state of ferromagnetism with temperatures up to 200k (-73 C). These results were… Read more
The Computer Mouse Co-Inventor, William English, Dies at 91
On July 26th, engineer William English passed away at the age of 91. He leaves behind a legacy in the computer technology field for his achievements alongside his partner, Douglas Engelbart, for creating the first computer mouse that revolutionized workstations that we all know and use today. According to this article, William and Douglas began their partnership in… Read more
Developments in AI within the Chemical Process Industry
Rich data sets have accumulated within the chemical process industry (CPI) throughout many years of production, and now, because of this data, there is a push to start utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in modeling, optimization, advanced control, debottlenecking, troubleshooting, and more. AI/CPI is being looked at if a first-principles-based approach cannot efficiently solve the problem. However, it’s… Read more
RapidArc Rotational Radiation Therapy
RapidArc Rotational Radiation Therapy combines the most current technologies to decrease treatment times and radiation exposure for the patient. The technologies used in this process are Intensity Modulated Therapy (IMRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), On-Board Imaging (OBI), and Cone Beam CT Scanning (CBCT). Rapid Arc technology from Varian Medical Systems, a renowned leader in radiation… Read more