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By Dave Jacqué
Three members of Argonne’s Mathematics and Computer Science Division helped support the deployment of Access Grid technology used to combat the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus outbreak in Taiwan.
Access Grid technology, conceived and developed at Argonne, gives a large number of people the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with each other in real time through video and voice. Each “node” in the grid may be able to display a dozen or more real-time images of other users, documents, Web sites and other useful data. Laboratory and academic groups are using the Access Grid for formal and informal interactions such as training and education, conferences and workshops, site visits and formal reviews. It is also being used to support existing research and scientific collaboration. It has received support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
SARS has infected more than 8,000 people around the world. The virus causes a high fever and a dry cough, followed by an accumulation of fluid in the lungs that causes difficulty breathing. The mortality rate is under five percent for healthy adults, but it can be as high as 55 percent in the elderly.
As the Taiwan outbreak was beginning to peak about mid-May, with hundreds of people infected, Taiwan’s National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) was just adding the finishing touches to its Access Grid node. Scientists there realized the Access Grid could be used for medical information management -- especially the sharing of high-resolution X-rays of SARS patients. Patients are monitored with daily chest X-rays that reveal the extent of fluid accumulation in the lungs. Each patient’s treatment may last a month.
“As you can see, it was one heck of a lot of X-ray data,” said Terry Disz (MCS). “There weren’t enough diagnosticians on the island to keep up with the demand.” Understandably, medical personnel in other countries were reluctant (or forbidden) to travel to the scene of the outbreak.
Access Grid technology offered a way for radiologists in Taiwan to share X-ray data with diagnosticians at other hospitals without risking exposure to the virus. NCHC employees began working around the clock to set up basic Access Grid nodes at several hospitals and Taiwan’s Center of Disease Control. The unprecedented urgency led them to request the help of Argonne computer scientists who helped develop the technology. A late-night conference call was set up: Disz, Tom Uram and Ivan Judson (all MCS) provided NCHC experts with guidance on installing and configuring the latest version of the Access Grid software. Uram stayed in e-mail contact as the project progressed.
“They were able to reach an operational state quickly, which I attribute to improvements in our software and their hard work,” Uram said.
The “SARS Grid” went into operation May 20. The disease is now on the wane, but nearly 700 people were infected in Taiwan; of those, 81 died. SARS Grid helped prove the technology has a future for medical applications.
“We’ve long thought this might be the right technology for rural areas, where the residents might not have access to medical specialists,” Disz said. “The deployment of our technology to support this effort was pretty exciting.”
A free lecture on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) will be presented Wednesday, June 25, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Building 200 Auditorium.
The speaker will be David Ronin (HR-MD), a physician board-certified in occupational medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. He will provide up-to-date information on the disease. Ronin recently completed a course on SARS at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All are welcome to attend the seminar.
Gammasphere, a nuclear physics instrument now in Argonne-East’s Building 203, plays a supporting role in the new science-fiction thriller “The Hulk.”
In the movie, Gammasphere bombards scientist Bruce Banner with radiation in a catastrophic accident, transforming him into a powerful green juggernaut.
During the filming of the movie, Gammasphere was located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which plays the part of the Berkeley Institute for Nuclear Studies. The detector has now returned to Argonne’s Physics Division and is back in operation.
In reality, Gammasphere is a mild-mannered instrument for detecting, not producing, gamma rays. The 10-foot-tall, 14-ton device is a silvery machined aluminum sphere about seven feet in diameter, studded with yard-long gamma-ray detectors. The device is the world’s most sensitive gamma-ray “microscope,” designed to help answer fundamental questions about the structure and behavior of atomic nuclei, and study rare and exotic nuclear processes.
Much of the research conducted with Gammasphere concentrates on those forms of nuclei that contain large excesses of protons and neutrons. In addition, physicists hope to find out if isotopes with the most unusual neutron-to-proton ratios exhibit new characteristics which don’t occur in stable nuclei.
Gammasphere is a national facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
By Rhianna Wisniewski
Graduate and undergraduate students will share their research and get to know one another during the second annual Young Scientist Day, Wednesday, July 23.
Organized by a committee comprising chair Jason Shergur (PHY), assistant chair Zachary Metzger (ET), Amy Myers (APS), Jason Clark (PHY) and Ravi Madduri (MCS), the event will give both graduate and undergraduate students a chance to learn from each other.
“The focus of the conference,” said Shergur, “is for graduate students to get together to share research as well as to meet other people around the site. As we are having the conference in the summer, it will also give the undergraduates a chance to see what research opportunities they have as graduate students at Argonne.”
Graduate students can educate their peers through an oral presentation or poster submission. Those interested in participating should submit a half-page abstract no later than Monday, June 30. Abstracts should be targeted toward a lower undergraduate level, and should include the participant’s name, division and type of presentation being submitted.
Oral presentations will be no longer than 15 minutes; posters should be put up on Tuesday, July 22, in the Building 401 Gallery so they can be viewed at lunch and coffee breaks during the conference. There will be at least $100 in cash prizes awarded to both the top presenters in both oral and poster presentations, including a second place award.
All undergraduate and graduate students interested in attending need to register before Monday, June 30. There is a $9 registration fee that covers the cost of lunch, a group photo, a program and a certificate of participation.
For more information, to register or to submit abstracts, contact metzger@anl.gov.
Tickets go on sale in Argonne-East’s Building 213 Cafeteria this week for the Chicago Children’s Choir, which will perform Sunday, June 29, at 3 p.m. in the Building 402 Conference Center Auditorium.
The performance is a part of Arts at Argonne’s “The Next Generation -- Young Performers in Recital” program.
Tickets for the performance cost $10 for adults and $5 for students.
Tickets are free for subscribers to the Arts at Argonne Chamber Music Series. Family tickets, which will admit two adults and two students, can be purchased for $25. Each additional ticket after the family tickets is $5.
Remaining tickets will be sold in the lobby of the Argonne Cafeteria, in Building 213, during the week of June 23 between noon and 1 p.m.
The Auditorium Box Office will be open on the day of the performance at 2:30 p.m.
The performance is open to the public. Non-Argonne employees who want to attend the event must have a photo ID and must call ahead of time to arrange for admission into Argonne. Site access can be arranged by calling (630) 292-3751.
The Argonne Combined Appeal (ACA) publicity committee is looking for individuals to share their experiences of volunteering for or receiving assistance from the ACA agencies.
The ACA provides employees with an opportunity to contribute to organizations including the American Cancer Society, United Way Chicago, United Way Will County and 17 other agencies. Employees can donate to any of these organizations throughout the month of October.
“Through sharing the experiences that Argonne employees have had helping people through these organizations, we hope to personalize the Argonne Combined Appeal campaign,” said ACA Co-Chair Bryan Schmidt (IPD).
To share a story with the ACA, contact Rhianna Wisniewski (OPA) at rwisniewski@anl.gov or ext. 2-7997.
More information about the ACA campaign and the agencies it supports is online.
Employees with the CIGNA health care plan should advise their dental provider of the new address for claims: CIGNA HealthCare Service Center, P.O. Box 188036, Chattanooga, TN 37422-8036.
The phone number remains 1-800-441-7150.
The change is the result of CIGNA’s efforts to reduce paperwork. Claims will be scanned and dental X-rays will be digitized, allowing for faster claim processing.
Classes offered by Computing and Instrumentation Solutions are held in Argonne-East’s Building 201, Room 167. Unless otherwise specified, class sizes are limited to eight participants and the cost of the class will be $215.
July classes include:
“Introduction to Word 2000”
(CIS100) -- Tuesday, July 1, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
“Introduction to Excel 2000”
(CIS101) -- Wednesday, July 2, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
“Introduction to Access
2000” (CIS102) -- Thursday, July 3, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Complete computer class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms are available online .
For information about enrollment, contact Diane Cavazos (ECT) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos @anl.gov.
Representatives of the laboratory’s retirement vendors will visit Argonne-East during July.
Representatives will meet individually with employees to answer questions about retirement plans and retirement plan assets.
Fidelity and TIAA-CREF appointments last a half-hour. Prudential offers half-day sessions in the morning.
To schedule an appointment with these representatives, call the number listed.
Fidelity -- Tuesday, July 8, and
Tuesday, July 22. Call (800) 642-7131.
TIAA-CREF -- Wednesday, July 9, and
Thursday, July 10. Call (800) 842-2005
Prudential -- Wednesday, July 2, and
Wednesday, July 16. Call (847) 619-3519.
Exercise physiologist Michael Arenberg will present “Aerobic Fitness Supercharged” Thursday, June 26, at noon in Argonne-East’s Building 200 Auditorium.
Arenberg will discuss ways to increase aerobic fitness while staying free from injury. He will dispel training myths and answer questions.
Arenberg has coached distance runners for 20 years. He has completed 25 marathons, 11 “iron man” races and qualified for three iron-man world championships. Employees of every fitness level are invited to attend the free seminar, sponsored by the Argonne Running Club and the Human Resources Wellness Program.
Argonne-West will hold an American Red Cross blood drive Wednesday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the fire station.
Blood recipients depend on hospitals to have blood on hand when it is needed. A single blood donation can help save as many as three lives.
Call Dolores or Stephanie at ext. 3-7341 to schedule an appointment.
The Argonne Pioneers will sell “patriotic pens” decorated with the stars and stripes at Argonne-East’s Building 213 Cafeteria Wednesday, June 25, from 11:30 a.m. until closing.
Lightning Awareness Week, June 22-28, aims to lower the number of deaths and injuries from nature’s second-deadliest weather phenomenon. On average, 73 people are killed each year by direct lightning strikes, more than tornadoes or hurricanes. Only flooding kills more people.
According to the National Weather Service, approximately 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes occur each year. Lightning strikes can generate temperatures as high as 50,000 degrees F., and one strike can pack a punch equal to 100 million volts of electricity.
Take the proper precautions to stay safe when a thunderstorm approaches:
Lightning usually hits the tallest
object, so try to stay lower than nearby objects.
Avoid small or open shelters. If there
is no sturdy building nearby, take cover in a hard-top car with its windows closed.
Stay away from trees. Crouch in the
open, keeping twice as far away from a tree as it is tall.
Stay out of water, including swimming
pools.
Avoid all metal.
Stay several yards away from other
people.
Avoid contact with corded phones,
electrical equipment or cords. If you plan to unplug any electronic equipment, do so before the
storm arrives.
Avoid contact with plumbing or
running water.
Stay off of porches and away from
windows and doors.