Advertisement Satire in the Age of Computers: Mouse Pads

PLOS Pathogens, 2008

Genetic reassortment of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI) with currently circulating human influenza A strains is one possibility that could lead to efficient human-to-human transmissibility. Domestic pigs which are susceptible to infection with both human and avian influenza A viruses are one of the natural hosts where such reassortment events could occur. Virological, histological and serological features of H5N1 virus infection in pigs were characterized in this study. Two-to three-week-old domestic piglets were intranasally inoculated with 10 6 EID 50 of A/Vietnam/1203/04 (VN/04), A/chicken/ Indonesia/7/03 (Ck/Indo/03), A/Whooper swan/Mongolia/244/05 (WS/Mong/05), and A/Muscovy duck/Vietnam/ 209/05 (MDk/ VN/05) viruses. Swine H3N2 and H1N1 viruses were studied as a positive control for swine influenza virus infection. The pathogenicity of the H5N1 HPAI viruses was also characterized in mouse and ferret animal models. Intranasal inoculation of pigs with H5N1 viruses or consumption of infected chicken meat did not result in severe disease. Mild weight loss was seen in pigs inoculated with WS/Mong/05, Ck/Indo/03 H5N1 and H1N1 swine influenza viruses. WS/Mong/05, Ck/Indo/03 and VN/04 viruses were detected in nasal swabs of inoculated pigs mainly on days 1 and 3. Titers of H5N1 viruses in nasal swabs were remarkably lower compared with those of swine influenza viruses. Replication of all four H5N1 viruses in pigs was restricted to the respiratory tract, mainly to the lungs. Titers of H5N1 viruses in the lungs were lower than those of swine viruses. WS/Mong/05 virus was isolated from trachea and tonsils, and MDk/VN/05 virus was isolated from nasal turbinate of infected pigs. Histological examination revealed mild to moderate bronchiolitis and multifocal alveolitis in the lungs of pigs infected with H5N1 viruses, while infection with swine influenza viruses resulted in severe tracheobronchitis and bronchointerstitial pneumonia. Pigs had low susceptibility to infection with H5N1 HPAI viruses. Inoculation of pigs with H5N1 viruses resulted in asymptomatic to mild symptomatic infection restricted to the respiratory tract and tonsils in contrast to mouse and ferrets animal models, where some of the viruses studied were highly pathogenic and replicated systemically. Citation: Lipatov AS, Kwon YK, Sarmento LV, Lager KM, Spackman E, et al. (2008) Domestic Pigs Have Low Susceptibility to H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses. PLoS Pathog 4(7): e1000102.

IBM Research White …, 1999

We have built the first commercial-grade immune system that can find, analyze and cure previously unknown viruses faster than the viruses themselves can spread. The system solves several important problems. A single console allows a customer administrator to decide whether viruses are submitted for analysis automatically, or whether explicit approval is required, and permits new virus definitions to be distributed automatically in response to a new virus, or held for the administrator's approval. A novel active network architecture permits the system to handle a vast number of customer submissions quickly, so the system can handle floods due to an epidemic of a fast-spreading virus, or due to submission of many uninfected files. The analysis center can analyze most viruses automatically, and with greater speed and precision than human analysts can. The analysis center runs the viruses in a virtual environment, so the process is safe and lets our programs analyze the behavior of the virus in real time. Viruses can be replicated in a number of operating system and application environments, including various national languages. Upconversion and downconversion of macro viruses are handled automatically. Both the active network and the analysis center are scaleable, so the system can easily accommodate ever-increasing loads. End-to-end security of the system allows the safe submission of virus samples and ensures authentication of new virus definitions. During the presentation, we will give a live demonstration of a pilot that we have run with customers, and review our experience with the pilot system. The pilot is built on top of an upcoming version of Norton AntiVirus, which is part of the Symantec Digital Immune System™. The Symantec Digital Immune System™ provides central management of Symantec applications within a corporation. As used in this paper, the isolated term "immune system" refers specifically to anti-virus technology developed at IBM, in conjunction with Symantec, to deal with the problem of viral epidemics. Its description in this paper does not necessarily imply any related product plans by either Symantec or IBM. 2 While we have not yet seen an infection this large in a just one day, it is straightforward to describe how it could happen with today's technology. For reasons that we hope are obvious, we decline to do so here. The Melissa virus was possible much earlier, and its rapidity of spread seems obvious in hindsight. We expect viruses with even faster spread rates in the future.

1999

We have built the first commercial-grade immune system that can find, analyze and cure previously unknown viruses faster than the viruses themselves can spread. The system solves several important problems. A single console allows a customer administrator to decide whether viruses are submitted for analysis automatically, or whether explicit approval is required, and permits new virus definitions to be distributed automatically in response to a new virus, or held for the administrator's approval. A novel active network architecture permits the system to handle a vast number of customer submissions quickly, so the system can handle floods due to an epidemic of a fast-spreading virus, or due to submission of many uninfected files. The analysis center can analyze most viruses automatically, and with greater speed and precision than human analysts can. The analysis center runs the viruses in a virtual environment, so the process is safe and lets our programs analyze the behavior of the virus in real time. Viruses can be replicated in a number of operating system and application environments, including various national languages. Upconversion and downconversion of macro viruses are handled automatically. Both the active network and the analysis center are scaleable, so the system can easily accommodate ever-increasing loads. End-to-end security of the system allows the safe submission of virus samples and ensures authentication of new virus definitions. During the presentation, we will give a live demonstration of a pilot that we have run with customers, and review our experience with the pilot system. The pilot is built on top of an upcoming version of Norton AntiVirus, which is part of the Symantec Digital Immune System™. The Symantec Digital Immune System™ provides central management of Symantec applications within a corporation. As used in this paper, the isolated term "immune system" refers specifically to anti-virus technology developed at IBM, in conjunction with Symantec, to deal with the problem of viral epidemics. Its description in this paper does not necessarily imply any related product plans by either Symantec or IBM. 2 While we have not yet seen an infection this large in a just one day, it is straightforward to describe how it could happen with today's technology. For reasons that we hope are obvious, we decline to do so here. The Melissa virus was possible much earlier, and its rapidity of spread seems obvious in hindsight. We expect viruses with even faster spread rates in the future.

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, 2009

Språk Language Rapporttyp Report category ISBN Svenska/Swedish X Engelska/English Licentiatavhandling X Examensarbete ISRN LITH-ISY-EX-3452-2003 C-uppsats D-uppsats Serietitel och serienummer Title of series, numbering ISSN Övrig rapport ____ URL för elektronisk version Abstract This Master's Thesis within the area computer security concerns "Computer viruses: The threat today and the expected future". Firstly, the definitions of computer virus and the related threats are presented; Secondly, current situation of computer viruses are discussed, the working and spreading mechanisms of computer viruses are reviewed in details, simplistic attitude of computer world in computer virus defence is analyzed; Thirdly, today's influencing factors for near future computer virus epidemics are explained, then it further predicts new possible types of computer viruses in the near future; Furthermore, currently available anti-virus technologies are analyzed concerning both advantages and disadvantages; Finally, new promising trends in computer virus defence are explored in details.