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Calls for more stringent standards in wake of increasing storm damage
Researchers from a team funded by the National Science Foundation have examined some of last spring’s massive tornado damage and conclude in a new report that more intensive engineering design and more rigorous, localized construction and inspection standards are needed to reduce property damage and loss of life
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Identifying Canadians from their date of birth, postal code
Researchers find that 97 percent of Canadians can be uniquely identified from their date of birth and postal code; this means that if these to items of information, plus gender, exist in any database, even if it has no names or other identifying information, it would be possible to determine the identity of those individuals birth
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Wire pops lock certified for US defense facilities
The Access Control E-Plex 5800 lock from Swiss company Kaba was described as the first lock certified as meeting new DHS requirements for coded access that keeps track of which contractors or federal workers open which doors; at the DefCon event in Las Vegas, a security expert demonstrated how this high-security lock, certified for use in sensitive U.S. government facilities, can be easily opened with just a piece of wire
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Sector Report for Monday, 8 August 2011: Infrastructure protection
This report contains the following stories.
Plus 1 additional story.
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Boeing and Siemens join forces to protect smart grid
In a bid to improve efficiency and security for the Pentagon’s electrical “smart grid,” defense giant Boeing has teamed up with German technology conglomerate Siemens to develop new technologies
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New desalination technology to help solve world's water shortage
Over one-third of the world’s population already lives in areas struggling to keep up with the demand for fresh water. By 2025, that number will nearly double; a new study argues that seawater desalination should play an important role in helping combat worldwide fresh water shortages once conservation, reuse, and other methods have been exhausted
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Market forces to help reduce emission, increase storage of CO2
New computer modeling work shows that by 2100, if society wants to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to less than 40 percent higher than it is today, the lowest-cost option is to use every available means of reducing emissions — including using forests to store carbon
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Dow fined $2.5 million for violations at Michigan chem plant
Due to environmental and safety violations at its chemical plant in Midland, Michigan, Dow Chemical will have to pay $2.5 million in fines; federal inspectors found that the chemical plant violated air, water, and waste regulations between 2005 and 2007
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New device identifies unknown liquids instantly
Materials scientists and applied physicists have invented a new device that can instantly identify an unknown liquid; the 3D-nanostructured chip offers a litmus test for surface tension (and doubles as a carrier for secret messages); the researchers are currently developing more precisely calibrated chips and conducting field tests with government partners for applications in quality assurance and contaminant identification
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NRC: far fewer people will die from U.S. nuclear plant meltdown
A yet-to-be-published report concludes that the number of deaths that would result from a nuclear plant core meltdown in the United States would be far lower than all other previous estimates; the reasons: first, only 1 to 2 percent of the cesium 137 in a reactor’s core would escape in a meltdown, rather than 60 percent assumed by previous estimates, and, second, the slow moving nature of such a disaster would allow for orderly evacuation of people from the reactor’s vicinity
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Swedish police arrest man for building nuclear reactor in his kitchen
A 31-year old Swede was arrested after ahothorities discovered he was preparing to build a nuclear reactor in his apartment’s kitchen; he already had some radioactive material — ordered from overseas — and material acquired by taking apart a domestic fire alarm; he was discovered when he called the Swedish Radiation Authority to inquire whether it was legal to construct a nuclear reactor at home
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Improved engineering to protect structures on storm’s edge
In the wake of the horrendous tornadoes that delivered massive destruction to Alabama in April, University of Alabama engineers have analyzed building structures and design codes to recommend an approach to safer and stronger buildings going forward
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U.S. General: troops unprepared for nuke risks in Japan
A U.S. general admitted that U.S. troops stationed in Japan did not have the proper training or equipment to handle radiation exposure in the days immediately following the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant caused by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami
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Blue ribbon commission calls for interim off site waste storage
After deciding to stop the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project, President Obama appointed a blue Ribbon commission to examine alternatives; the first report from the commission calls for interim storage of nuclear waste not on the site of nuclear power plants, and for the creation of a new corporation to develop one or more deep geological repositories “as expeditiously as possible”
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Averting bridge disasters: new sensors could save hundreds of lives
One of every four U.S. highway bridges has known structural problems or exceeded its intended life-span. Most only get inspected once every one or two years; University of Maryland researcher has developed a new sensor that measures indicators of a bridge’s structural health, such as strain, vibration, flexibility, and development of metal cracks; the sensors are expected to last more than a decade, with each costing about $20
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More headlines
The long view
Falling Space Debris: How High Is the Risk I'll Get Hit?
An International Space Station battery fell back to Earth and, luckily, splashed down harmlessly in the Atlantic. Should we have worried? Space debris reenters our atmosphere every week.
Using Drone Swarms to Fight Forest Fires
Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by climate change. Researchers are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires.
Strengthening the Grid’s ‘Backbone’ with Hydropower
Argonne-led studies investigate how hydropower could help add more clean energy to the grid, how it generates value as grids add more renewable energy, and how liner technology can improve hydropower efficiency.
LNG Exports Have Had No Impact on Domestic Energy Costs: Analysis
U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports have not had any sustained and significant direct impact on U.S. natural gas prices and have, in fact, spurred production and productivity gains, which contribute to downward pressure on domestic prices.