Case Studies of Causal Discovery from IT Monitoring Time Series

Information technology (IT) systems are vital for modern businesses, handling data storage, communication, and process automation. Monitoring these systems is crucial for their proper functioning and efficiency, as it allows collecting extensive observational time series data for analysis. The interest in causal discovery is growing in IT monitoring systems as knowing causal relations between different components of the IT system helps in reducing downtime, enhancing system performance and identifying root causes of anomalies and incidents. It also allows proactive prediction of future issues through historical data analysis. Despite its potential benefits, applying causal discovery algorithms on IT monitoring data poses challenges, due to the complexity of the data. For instance, IT monitoring data often contains misaligned time series, sleeping time series, timestamp errors and missing values. This paper presents case studies on applying causal discovery algorithms to different IT monitoring datasets, highlighting benefits and ongoing challenges.Comment: Accepted to the UAI 2023 Workshop on The History and Development of Search Methods for Causal Structur

What Radiologist Should Know about MRI Translational Forces and Hazard: An Ex-Vivo Simulation of Retained Metallic Shrapnel

Background. In a country immersed in endless rounds of wars, retained metallic foreign bodies remain a significant dilemma in the daily practice of every Lebanese radiologist. When a shrapnel’s hazard is of concern, the decision between performing or refusing a justified MRI exam is not always straightforward. In this small trial, we aimed to better understand the shrapnel’s MRI safety by mimicking our daily practice. Methods. Five shrapnel with an incremental increase in their long axis were put in an animal flesh and then introduced into a 3 T magnetic field. The behavior of each shrapnel was concretely assessed by performing before and after magnetic field exposure CT acquisitions. Results. Translation along the z-axis ranged from 0.9 mm to 2.8 mm. Torque angle ranged between 2.8 and 54 degrees with an average of 15.62 degrees. Conclusions. Shrapnel’s movements in the magnetic field are not negligible during the acute phase of injury where there is no reinforcing fibroblastic reaction and invite us to reconsider the MRI safety of these metallic foreign bodies. Standard radiographs may be sufficient, but a targeted CT scan may be of better value for a confident decision for assessment of shrapnel position near viscera and major vessels

Brucella osteomyelitis of the pubic bones

Brucellosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease that represents a serious public health problem in developing countries. Clinical manifestations are diverse and can affect any organ or body system. Osteoarticular disease is the most common localized form and has been reported in up to 80%. Pubic osteomyelitis is a very rare localization for Brucella infection and only 4 cases have been previously published. The clinical manifestations, laboratory and radiologic findings are non-specific. High index of suspicion is required to make an early diagnosis. Herein we report a case of Brucella osteomyelitis of the symphysis pubis with its radiologic features

It Could Be Worse But It Should Be Better: COVID-19 and The Lebanese Radiology Departments Preparedness.

An unprecedented sanitary challenge is threatening human beings due to COVID-19 pandemic. There is no light at the end of the tunnel concerning treatment and worries from a possible second wave start to arise even before the end of the first one. We conducted a multicenter study to reassess the different aspects of radiology departments’ preparedness in Lebanon stating the points of strength and more importantly depicting the points of weakness. Lessons were then extracted to be more prepared for possible future similar circumstances