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hubie writes:

NASA has been preparing for a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis I rocket, but have hit several issues causing delays, the most recent being a faulty helium gas check valve. They have now announced that a modified wet dress rehearsal will start with a call to stations on April 12. This rehearsal proceeds through as an actual launch activity that scrubs at the T-10 second point. The modified test will focus on filling the core stage with cryogenic propellant, but with minimal propellant operations on the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Following the test, the rocket will be returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building to replace the helium check valve as well as to assess the launch procedures.

NASA is streaming live video of the rocket and spacecraft on the Kennedy Newsroom YouTube channel.

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upstart writes:

Cloud server leasing can leave sensitive data up for grabs:

Renting space and IP addresses on a public server has become standard business practice, but according to a team of Penn State computer scientists, current industry practices can lead to "cloud squatting," which can create a security risk, endangering sensitive customer and organization data intended to remain private.

Cloud squatting occurs when a company, such as your bank, leases space and IP addresses — unique addresses that identify individual computers or computer networks — on a public server, uses them, and then releases the space and addresses back to the public server company, a standard pattern seen every day. The public server company, such as Amazon, Google, or Microsoft, then assigns the same addresses to a second company.  If this second company is a bad actor, it can receive information coming into the address intended for the original company — for example, when you as a customer unknowingly use an outdated link when interacting with your bank — and use it to its advantage — cloud squatting.

"There are two advantages to leasing server space," said Eric Pauley, doctoral candidate in computer science and engineering. "One is a cost advantage, saving on equipment and management.  The other is scalability. Leasing server space offers an unlimited pool of computing resources so, as workload changes, companies can quickly adapt." As a result, the use of clouds has grown exponentially, meaning almost every website a user visits takes advantage of cloud computing.

AnonTechie writes:

Researchers have investigated how to prevent knowledge and skills that were learned long ago and are rarely used from getting rusty. In many industrial plants, all processes are automated. In case of a malfunction, it is important that employees have the necessary skills at their fingertips.

[...] Typically, automation makes everyday work easier for industrial employees. However, when a system malfunctions, it is important that rarely used skills can be applied instantly. A team headed by Marina Klostermann has investigated how to prevent knowledge and skills that were learned long ago and are rarely used from getting rusty. In collaboration with the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, the Work, Organizational and Business psychologists from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) headed by Professor Annette Kluge evaluated 58 studies.

They've derived tips for learning new skills and for interventions for retaining skills. Their study was published in the journal Safety on 28 March 2022.

ScienceDaily

Original Source:
Ruhr-Universität Bochum

This should be applicable to many industries where automation is increasing, including the software industry. What techniques would you use to ensure that accumulated knowledge and skills are not forgotten ??

Journal Reference:
Marina Klostermann, Stephanie Conein, Thomas Felkl, et al. Factors Influencing Attenuating Skill Decay in High-Risk Industries: A Scoping Review, Safety (DOI: 10.3390/safety8020022)

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/09/army_3d_barracks/

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upstart writes:

Endeavour Energy showcases 5G drones for electricity grid repair:

Endeavour Energy, together with Optus, Amazon Web Services, and Unleash live, has deployed its first 5G and AI-enabled drones to improve restoration times for unplanned electricity outages, particularly during natural disasters such as storms, floods, and bushfires.

As part of the first demonstration, Endeavour Energy flew the drones over physical electricity infrastructure located in Sydney's western suburb of St Marys. During the flyover, footage of damaged assets was streamed in real-time using 5G to Endeavour Energy's training ground in Hoxton Park.

With the demonstration a success, according to Optus, Endeavour Energy will now deploy the solution across infrastructure assets in Penrith and Blacktown, which would remove the need to use a large fleet of vehicles, helicopters, and technicians to physically identify and carry out remediation.

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upstart writes:

Defying Expectations: NASA's Pioneering Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Awarded Prestigious Collier Trophy:

The National Aeronautic Association has bestowed the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy on the team behind NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, cementing the pioneering rotorcraft's place in aerospace history just as it is about to embark on its second year of flying in the frigid, extremely thin atmosphere of the Red Planet.

Established more than a century ago, the award has marked major achievements in the timeline of flight, including Orville Wright in 1913 for developing the automatic stabilizer, Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager for his sound-barrier-breaking 1947 flight of the X-1 rocket plane, and the crews of NASA's Apollo 8, 11, and 15 for their missions to the Moon in the late 1960s and early '70s.

The National Aeronautic Association awards the trophy annually for "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles." For the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, it's especially meaningful to be included among past winners after the enormous challenges they faced by seeing the project launch and take flight amid a global pandemic.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Scientists Unveil How Our Memories Are Stored: The Format of Working Memory:

A team of scientists has discovered how working memory is "formatted"—a finding that enhances our understanding of how visual memories are stored.

[...] It's been known for decades that we re-code visual information about letters and numbers into phonological or sound-based codes used for verbal working memory. For instance, when you see a string of digits of a phone number, you don't store that visual information until you finish dialing the number. Rather you store the sounds of the numbers (e.g., what the phone number "867-5309" sounds like as you say it in your head). However, this only indicates that we do re-code—it doesn't address how the brain formats working memory representations, which was the focus of the new Neuron study.

To explore this, the experimenters measured brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants performed visual working memory tasks. On each trial, the participants had to remember, for a few seconds, a briefly presented visual stimulus and then make a memory-based judgment. In some trials, the visual stimulus was a tilted grating and on others it was a cloud of moving dots. After the memory delay, participants had to precisely indicate the exact angle of the grating's tilt or the exact angle of the dot cloud's motion.

Despite the different types of visual stimulation (grating vs. dot motion), they found that the patterns of neural activity in visual cortex and parietal cortex—a part of the brain used in memory processing and storage—were interchangeable during memory. In other words, the pattern trained to predict motion direction could also predict grating orientation—and vice versa.

This finding prompted the question—why were those memory representations interchangeable?

Journal Reference:
Yuna Kwak, Clayton E. Curtis, Unveiling the abstract format of mnemonic representations, Neuron, April 07, 2022 (DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.03.016)

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Bundled version of Node.js simplifies executing downloaded code

Adobe Creative Cloud Experience, a service installed via the Creative Cloud installer for Windows, includes a Node.js executable that can be abused to infect and compromise a victim's PC.

Michael Taggart, a security researcher, recently demonstrated that the node.exe instance accompanying Adobe's service could be exploited by writing a simple proof-of-concept JavaScript file that spawns the Windows Calculator app.

"I have confirmed that the node.exe packaged with the Adobe Customer Experience service can run any JavaScript you point it to," he explained to The Register.

[. . .] Security researchers commenting on Taggart's finding said they'd been under the impression the bundled Node runtime would only execute files signed by Adobe, but evidently that's not the case.

[. . .] "Because the JavaScript is getting invoked by path in C:\Program Files, it would be extremely difficult to detect from a monitoring/threat hunting perspective," explained Taggart, who added that he was able to get his own custom file dropper to run and execute a command-and-control agent without any warning from Windows Defender.

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canopic jug writes:

Raspberry Pi OS "Bullseye" is getting some changes to improve its robustness. Gone is the default user 'pi' with the default password of 'raspberry'. On first-boot, a setup wizard walks through setting a normal user with a regular password, though there are still options for headless installation. Among other improvements, it is now also possible to do the setup with a bluetooth mouse/keyboard exclusively. The old way required at least a wired mouse, if not also a wired keyboard, to connect first.

There are also mechanisms to preconfigure an image without using Imager. To set up a user on first boot and bypass the wizard completely, create a file called userconf or userconf.txt in the boot partition of the SD card; this is the part of the SD card which can be seen when it is mounted in a Windows or MacOS computer. This file should contain a single line of text, consisting of username:encrypted- password – so your desired username, followed immediately by a colon, followed immediately by an encrypted representation of the password you want to use.

Since it is a full general-purpose computer, other distros and even other operating systems are available for the Raspberry Pi. Slackware, LInux Mint, and Devuan are all among the distros which run well. FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD also support at least some Raspberry Pi models. However, the official guides and tutorials all point to Raspberry Pi OS, which is a Debian derivative.

Previously:
(2022) Long Interview with Eben Upton About Long Term Plans for RPi (journal entry)
(2022) Can't Get Hold of a Shiny New Raspberry Pi? Blame the Bots
(2022) Raspberry Pi 64-bit Armbian Gets New Release
(2021) Raspberry Pi Launches .com Website, Eyes Retail Expansion in Africa
(2021) The Ongoing Raspberry Pi Fiasco

Original Submission

Freeman writes:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/04/doctors-fish-out-more-than-a-dozen-tiny-maggots-from-mans-eye/

On Wednesday, doctors in France reported a rare case of tiny sheep bot fly larvae—aka maggots—infesting the outer surface of a man's eyeball.

The small, spiky larvae were seen slithering around the man's peeper, which explained the redness and itchiness he was experiencing. Doctors counted more than a dozen of the disturbing grub-like critters outside the eyeball and surrounding tissue. Doctors had no choice but to pluck the bloodsuckers out, one by one, using forceps. The doctors also prescribed topical antibiotic treatments in case they missed any bugs
[...]
Regarding the case in France, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, the man was lucky. The infestation was only external ophthalmomyiasis, meaning the larvae didn't get inside his eyeball.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

New Breed of Honey Bees a Major Advance in Global Fight Against Parasitic Varroa Mite:

A new breed of honey bees provides a major advance in the global fight against the parasitic Varroa mite, new research shows.

[...] "The Varroa mite is the greatest threat to managed honey bee colonies globally," said Dr. Thomas O'Shea-Wheller, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute at Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"So far, new methods to control the mites – and the diseases that they carry – have had limited success, and the mites are becoming increasingly resistant to chemical treatments. It's a ticking time-bomb."

On the whole, European bees do not identify and remove bee larvae infested with the mites, known as Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH), but some hive individuals do. The researchers have been selectively breeding for this trait and have field-tested these colonies with great success, seeing a two-fold increase in colony survival.

"The great thing about this particular trait is that we've learned honey bees of all types express it at some level, so we know that with the right tools, it can be promoted and selected for in everyone's bees," said research molecular biologist Dr. Michael Simone-Finstrom, of the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Dr. O'Shea-Wheller said bee breeding and testing is expensive and takes time, but that breeding mite-resistant bees is cost-effective in the long term, and is likely to be the only sustainable solution to deal with the Varroa pandemic.

Journal Reference:
Shea-Wheller, Thomas A., Rinkevich, Frank D., Danka, Robert G., et al. A derived honey bee stock confers resistance to Varroa destructor and associated viral transmission [open], Scientific Reports (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08643-w)

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upstart writes:

With 'Plant Armor' crop cover, insects have to navigate textile maze:

North Carolina State University researchers designed a textile "Plant Armor" that forces insects to navigate a maze-like path if they try to reach a plant. The design was more effective at blocking insects from reaching cabbage plants in multiple experiments, compared with an alternative crop cover.

[...] Previously, plant covers have been designed to exclude insects based on size alone—like a window screen—researchers said. However, that strategy can be problematic for trying to keep out insects as small as tobacco thrips, which are about the size of a pencil point.

[...] To that end, the researchers designed a three-layer, 3D cover knitted using clear yarn in the outermost and innermost layers. The yarn, which can be made from recycled plastic, still allows sunlight to pass through but restricts insects from reaching plants. A knitted inner layer is sandwiched perpendicular to the two surrounding layers, creating a maze-like structure within the Plant Armor.

[...] When researchers tested how well they could protect potted cabbage plants inside a cage with unfed caterpillars, uncovered plants were infested and almost completely eaten, while plants covered and sealed with Plant Armor were not. They did not find a single caterpillar on the covered plants after 10 days.

[...] "Part of what we're doing is finding new, smart textiles," said study co-author Andre West, associate professor of textile, apparel and technology management at NC State and director of Zeis Textiles Extension. "We think this design could help farmers in extreme environments or where crop production is limited in certain areas. It could also be an alternative for organic farmers. Not only is the product itself made with some recycled materials, but it could also be recycled again."

Journal Reference:
Grayson L. Cave, Andre J. West, Marian G. McCord, et al. Novel 3-D Spacer Textiles to Protect Crops from Insect Infestation and That Enhance Plant Growth [open], Agriculture (DOI: 10.3390/agriculture12040498)

Original Submission

upstart writes:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that in 2021 atmospheric levels of methane, the second largest contributor to human-caused global warming, had increased by a record amount for the second straight year and that carbon dioxide continues to rise at a high rate.

NOAA’s preliminary analysis showed the annual increase in atmospheric methane during 2021 was 17 parts per billion (ppb), the largest annual increase recorded since systematic measurements began in 1983. The increase during 2020 was 15.3 ppb. Atmospheric methane levels averaged 1,895.7 ppb during 2021, or around 162% greater than pre-industrial levels. From NOAA’s observations, scientists estimate global methane emissions in 2021 are 15% higher than the 1984-2006 period.

Meanwhile, levels of carbon dioxide also continue to increase at historically high rates. The global surface average for carbon dioxide during 2021 was 414.7 parts per million (ppm), which is an increase of 2.66 ppm over the 2020 average. This marks the 10th consecutive year that carbon dioxide increased by more than 2 parts per million, which represents the fastest sustained rate of increase in the 63 years since monitoring began.

“Our data show that global emissions continue to move in the wrong direction at a rapid pace,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator. “The evidence is consistent, alarming and undeniable. We need to build a Climate Ready Nation to adapt for what’s already here and prepare for what’s to come. At the same time, we can no longer afford to delay urgent and effective action needed to address the cause of the problem — greenhouse gas pollution.”

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Abundant 'secret doors' on human proteins could reshape drug discovery:

The number of potential therapeutic targets on the surfaces of human proteins is much greater than previously thought, according to the findings of a new study in the journal Nature.

A ground-breaking new technique developed by researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona has revealed the existence of a multitude of previously secret doors that control protein function and which could, in theory, be targeted to dramatically change the course of conditions as varied as dementia, cancer and infectious diseases.

The method, in which tens of thousands of experiments are performed at the same time, has been used to chart the first ever map of these elusive targets, also known as allosteric sites, in two of the most common human proteins, revealing they are abundant and identifiable.

The approach could be a game changer for drug discovery, leading to safer, smarter and more effective medicines. It enables research labs around the world to find and exploit vulnerabilities in any protein—including those previously thought "undruggable."

"Not only are these potential therapeutic sites abundant, there is evidence they can be manipulated in many different ways. Rather than simply switching them on or off, we could modulate their activity like a thermostat. From an engineering perspective, that's striking gold because it gives us plenty of space to design 'smart drugs' that target the bad and spare the good," explains André Faure, postdoctoral researcher at the CRG and co-first author of the paper.

Journal Reference:
Faure, Andre J., Domingo, Júlia, Schmiedel, Jörn M., et al. Mapping the energetic and allosteric landscapes of protein binding domains, Nature (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04586-4)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Shock result in particle experiment could spark physics revolution

Scientists just outside Chicago have found that the mass of a sub-atomic particle is not what it should be.

The measurement is the first conclusive experimental result that is at odds with one of the most important and successful theories of modern physics.

The team has found that the particle, known as a W boson, is more massive than the theories predicted.

[...] The scientists at the Fermilab Collider Detector (CDF) in Illinois have found only a tiny difference in the mass of the W Boson compared with what the theory says it should be - just 0.1%. But if confirmed by other experiments, the implications are enormous. The so-called Standard Model of particle physics has predicted the behaviour and properties of sub-atomic particles with no discrepancies whatsoever for fifty years. Until now.

CDF's other co-spokesperson, Prof Georgio Chiarelli, from INFN Sezione di Pisa, told BBC News that the research team could scarcely believe their eyes when they saw the results.

"No-one was expecting this. We thought maybe we got something wrong." But the researchers have painstakingly gone through their results and tried to look for errors. They found none.

The result, published in the journal Science, could be related to hints from other experiments at Fermilab and the Large Hadron Collider at the Swiss-French border. These, as yet unconfirmed results, also suggest deviations from the Standard Model, possibly as a result of an as yet undiscovered fifth force of nature at play.

Also at Nature and Ars Technica.

Journal Reference:
T. Aaltonen. S. Amerio. D. Amedei, et. al.,High-precision measurement of the W boson mass with the CDF II detector, Science, (DOI: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk1781)

Original Submission