The Power of PowerShell Palumbo, Timothy
Proceedings of the 2017 ACM SIGUCCS Annual Conference,
10/2017
Conference Proceeding
Lehigh University currently utilizes the Flexera Corporate Software Inspector (CSI, formerly Secunia CSI) application to patch faculty/staff computers on campus. This system patches third-party ...applications on all currently supported Windows operating systems by leveraging the Windows Server Update Service (WSUS). This presentation is not meant to focus on a particular patch management product or system, but instead it will discuss how such a system can be used to solve unusual problems when coupled with a powerful scripting language such as PowerShell.
This presentation will focus on specific scenarios that PowerShell solved when combined with our patch management system. The scenarios it will present include: an update to our internet browser software, Mozilla Firefox, which when updated disabled our ad-blocking extension, an issue of unknown origin which caused all of our Windows 7 systems to no longer activate utilizing our Key Management Service (KMS) (this included Microsoft Office products), a glitch in Windows 7 which caused garbage files to generate non-stop and completely fill end user hard drives, and our rather unusual implementation of Java. PowerShell saved us immeasurable time in resolving these issues across our entire campus. Using PowerShell with our patch management solution allows us to resolve almost any issue, campus-wide, with the push of a button.
Patch Management Palumbo, Timothy
Proceedings of the 2015 ACM SIGUCCS Annual Conference,
11/2015
Conference Proceeding
Lehigh University is implementing the Secunia CSI application to patch faculty/staff computers on campus. This paper will cover the patch management process from the beginning to end, including ...vendor identification, application testing, vendor selection, implementation, deployment, and interpreting the results. We will discuss the importance of using a patch management solution to guard against data breaches as well as how vulnerable computers are without one. This paper will focus on why we chose Secunia over other products and why patch management is an increasingly necessary solution in all sectors. With breaches occurring daily, we must work on prevention. There are countless vulnerabilities across a variety of products on University computers, including: Adobe Flash, Java, and web browsers. Users often fall victim to viruses and malware as a result of these unpatched or outdated applications. Universities deal with sensitive and valuable data that needs to be protected. Patching software can help prevent breaches and therefore secure campus assets. No matter how you do it, the importance of patch management cannot be overstated.
BitLocker Full-Disk Encryption Lewis, Stephen G.; Palumbo, Timothy
Proceedings of the 2018 ACM SIGUCCS Annual Conference,
09/2018
Conference Proceeding
Microsoft BitLocker full-disk encryption has been widely implemented at Lehigh University since 2014 on both laptop and desktop computers. This retrospective review will summarize BitLocker's ...selection factors, initial testing, mass deployment, and important lessons learned. Additionally, this review will also discuss the university's transition to Windows 10 and how it positively impacted the use of BitLocker.
How Student Workers Saved the Day Palumbo, Timothy; Hittinger, Grant
Proceedings of the 2019 ACM SIGUCCS Annual Conference,
10/2019
Conference Proceeding
Lehigh University currently utilizes a custom-built system to garner data on all active directory joined PCs owned by the University. This system replaced an antiquated login script based inventory ...system that was unable to accommodate a number of demands requested by our endpoint support teams and our management.
This paper will focus on a few key areas, including why the need to start over was necessary and the original replacement that, while functional, still did not adequately meet the needs of our staff. The heart of this paper will cover the full revamp of the inventory, which included a full code rewrite of the front and back end. This will include brief discussions on what the project was previously built on (ColdFusion, HTML, JavaScript, and PowerShell) and what it was changed over to on the new system (Python, Flask, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and PowerShell). It will cover the pivotal role of student workers in making this project a reality and discuss how projects that lack feasibility with current staffing may be possible with the help of properly empowered student workers. The paper will also include interview data with current and previous student workers. This is to showcase the value that they find in working with a technology group and to ascertain if their student work enhanced their marketability when applying for jobs. Finally, an actual look at the final product will be demoed.
The purpose of our study was to determine the impact force to the lumbar spine when football players hit a blocking sled. We quantified the loads at the L4-5 motion segment throughout the blocking ...sequence. Five Division I-A college football linemen were subjects for our study. Kinematic data were obtained while the subjects hit a blocking sled instrumented with a force plate. Three plane forces were then calculated from these data. The average impact force measured at the blocking sled was 3013 +/- 598 N. The average peak compression force at the L4-5 motion segment was 8679 +/- 1965 N. The average peak anteroposterior shear force was 3304 +/- 1116 N, and the average peak lateral shear force was 1709 +/- 411 N. The magnitude of the loads on the L4-5 motion segment during football blocking exceed those determined during fatigue studies to cause pathologic changes in both the lumbar disk and the pars interarticularis. These data suggest that the mechanics of repetitive blocking may be responsible for the increased incidence of lumbar spine injury incurred by football linemen.
Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 (ZM4) produces near theoretical yields of ethanol with high specific productivity and recombinant strains are able to ferment both C-5 and C-6 sugars. Z. mobilis performs best ...under anaerobic conditions, but is an aerotolerant organism. However, the genetic and physiological basis of ZM4's response to various stresses is understood poorly.
In this study, transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles for ZM4 aerobic and anaerobic fermentations were elucidated by microarray analysis and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. In the absence of oxygen, ZM4 consumed glucose more rapidly, had a higher growth rate, and ethanol was the major end-product. Greater amounts of other end-products such as acetate, lactate, and acetoin were detected under aerobic conditions and at 26 h there was only 1.7% of the amount of ethanol present aerobically as there was anaerobically. In the early exponential growth phase, significant differences in gene expression were not observed between aerobic and anaerobic conditions via microarray analysis. HPLC and GC analyses revealed minor differences in extracellular metabolite profiles at the corresponding early exponential phase time point. Differences in extracellular metabolite profiles between conditions became greater as the fermentations progressed. GC-MS analysis of stationary phase intracellular metabolites indicated that ZM4 contained lower levels of amino acids such as alanine, valine and lysine, and other metabolites like lactate, ribitol, and 4-hydroxybutanoate under anaerobic conditions relative to aerobic conditions. Stationary phase microarray analysis revealed that 166 genes were significantly differentially expressed by more than two-fold. Transcripts for Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway genes (glk, zwf, pgl, pgk, and eno) and gene pdc, encoding a key enzyme leading to ethanol production, were at least 30-fold more abundant under anaerobic conditions in the stationary phase based on quantitative-PCR results. We also identified differentially expressed ZM4 genes predicted by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) that were not predicted in the primary annotation.
High oxygen concentrations present during Z. mobilis fermentations negatively influence fermentation performance. The maximum specific growth rates were not dramatically different between aerobic and anaerobic conditions, yet oxygen did affect the physiology of the cells leading to the buildup of metabolic byproducts that ultimately led to greater differences in transcriptomic profiles in stationary phase.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a comprehensive neuromuscular training program on measures of performance and lower-extremity movement biomechanics in female athletes. The ...hypothesis was that significant improvements in measures of performance would be demonstrated concomitant with improved biomechanical measures related to anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. Forty-one female basketball, soccer, and volleyball players (age, 15.3 ± 0.9 years; weight, 64.8 ± 9.96 kg; height, 171.2 ± 7.21 cm) underwent 6 weeks of training that included 4 main components (plyometric and movement, core strengthening and balance, resistance training, and speed training). Twelve age-, height-, and weight-matched controls underwent the same testing protocol twice 6 weeks apart. Trained athletes demonstrated increased predicted 1 repetition maximum squat (92%) and bench press (20%). Right and left single-leg hop distance increased 10.39 cm and 8.53 cm, respectively, and vertical jump also increased from 39.9 ± 0.9 cm to 43.2 ± 1.1 cm with training. Speed in a 9.1-m sprint improved from 1.80 ± 0.02 seconds to 1.73 ± 0.01 seconds. Pre- and posttest 3-dimensional motion analysis demonstrated increased knee flexion-extension range of motion during the landing phase of a vertical jump (right, 71.9 ± 1.48 to 76.9 ± 1.48; left, 71.3 ± 1.58 to 77.3 ± 1.48). Training decreased knee valgus (28%) and varus (38%) torques. Control subjects did not demonstrate significant alterations during the 6-week interval. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the combination of multiple-injury prevention-training components into a comprehensive program improves measures of performance and movement biomechanics.
Detailed studies of tumor cell–associated procoagulants and fibrinolytic factors have implied that local thrombin generation and fibrin deposition and dissolution may be important in tumor growth and ...dissemination. To directly determine whether fibrin(ogen) or plasmin(ogen) are determinants of the metastatic potential of circulating tumor cells, this study examined the impact of genetic deficits in each of these key hemostatic factors on the hematogenous pulmonary metastasis of 2 established murine tumors, Lewis lung carcinoma and the B16-BL6 melanoma. In both tumor models, fibrinogen deficiency strongly diminished, but did not prevent, the development of lung metastasis. The quantitative reduction in metastasis in fibrinogen-deficient mice was not due to any appreciable difference in tumor stroma formation or tumor growth. Rather, tumor cell fate studies indicated an important role for fibrin(ogen) in sustained adhesion and survival of tumor cells within the lung. The specific thrombin inhibitor, hirudin, further diminished the metastatic potential of circulating tumor cells in fibrinogen-deficient mice, although the inhibitor had no apparent effect on tumor cell proliferation in vitro. The absence of plasminogen and plasmin-mediated fibrinolysis had no significant impact on hematogenous metastasis. The authors concluded that fibrin(ogen) is a critical determinant of the metastatic potential of circulating tumor cells. Furthermore, thrombin appears to facilitate tumor dissemination through at least one fibrin(ogen)-independent mechanism. These findings suggest that therapeutic strategies focusing on multiple distinct hemostatic factors might be beneficial in the containment of tumor metastasis.
The refuge strategy is used worldwide to delay the evolution of pest resistance to insecticides that are either sprayed or produced by transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops. This strategy is ...based on the idea that refuges of host plants where pests are not exposed to an insecticide promote survival of susceptible pests. Despite widespread adoption of this approach, large-scale tests of the refuge strategy have been problematic. Here we tested the refuge strategy with 8 y of data on refuges and resistance to the insecticide pyriproxyfen in 84 populations of the sweetpotato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) from cotton fields in central Arizona. We found that spatial variation in resistance to pyriproxyfen within each year was not affected by refuges of melons or alfalfa near cotton fields. However, resistance was negatively associated with the area of cotton refuges and positively associated with the area of cotton treated with pyriproxyfen. A statistical model based on the first 4 y of data, incorporating the spatial distribution of cotton treated and not treated with pyriproxyfen, adequately predicted the spatial variation in resistance observed in the last 4 y of the study, confirming that cotton refuges delayed resistance and treated cotton fields accelerated resistance. By providing a systematic assessment of the effectiveness of refuges and the scale of their effects, the spatially explicit approach applied here could be useful for testing and improving the refuge strategy in other crop–pest systems.
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