Swarm Intelligence (SI) is a biological phenomenon in which groups of organisms amplify
their combined brainpower by forming real-time systems. It has been studied for decades in
fish schools, bird flocks, and bee swarms. Recent advances in networking and AI
technologies have enabled distributed human groups to form closed-loop systems modeled
after natural swarms. The process is referred to as Artificial Swarm Intelligence (ASI) and has
been shown to significantly amplify group performance. The present research applies ASI …

The effectiveness of regional anesthesia for pain control during biliary manipulations was
evaluated. Celiac plexus and/or thoracic epidural blockade was used for 48 procedures in
31 patients. All blockades were administered and patients monitored by anesthesiologists in
the radiology department. Thoracic epidural blockade did not alleviate the deep visceral
pain associated with biliary manipulations. Celiac plexus blockade in conjunction with local
skin anesthesia markedly reduced pain, minimizing the need for intravenously administered …