Detection

New radiation countermeasure to be tested on humans
As worries about radiation attack by terorists — whether on a large scale, or for the killing of a single individual, as was the case in the recent London poisioning of Alexander Litvinenko — the FDA approves human trials of new radiation countermeasure from a Minnesota company
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Bruker Daltonics wins $1.7 million Army contract
RAID-M chemical weapons detectors already a hit with German and Danish forces; devices will support the National Guard WMD Civil Support Teams’ Analytical Laboratory System
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DHS releases 2007 state and municipal grant funding levels
Urban Areas Security Initiative and Citizen Corps Program receive mild funding boosts; other programs see minor losses; DHS gives risk assessment the old college try
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Colorado researcher to test natural mustard gas cure
Milk thistle has shown remarkable ability to prevent skin cancer; $2.7 million contract will explore whether similar mechanism may obtain for mustard gas exposure; researcher hopes to create an ointment to be applied post-attack
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UPDATE: NNSA chief fired for Los Alamos security lapses
Linton Brooks gets the axe after a series of breaches expose the weakness of lab cyber-security; failure to do away with removable storage devices in weapons-related computers cited; Energy Department starts the hunt for a replacement
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SAIC wins $53 million deal to move WMD models on-line
Integrated Weapons of Mass Destruction Toolset has been in development since 2004; moving on-line critical to dispersing data to first responders; physics-based models assess terrain, wind patterns, and other factors
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Michigan professor offers polymerase assay for fifty pathogens
Portable, polymerase-based, hand-held device relies on a DNA biochip; flexibility a major selling point; field testing to be done by university spin-off AquaBioChip
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SRI wins 9.5 million NIH contract to counteract chemical attacks
Contract awarded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as part of the CounterACT program; SRI to focus on preclinical development that can lead to potential therapeutic candidates
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JMAR delisted from NASDAQ; will soon be quoted on OTC BB
Down but not out: JMAR has been delisted from NASDAQ, having failed to satisfy the $1 bid price requirement and the $2.5 million shareholders’ equity requirementbut; it will soon be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Boardw; company says move alleviated the need to pursue a reverse stock split
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Berkeley study shows humans as natural scent trackers
Student test subjects put their nose to the ground to find chocolate; after training, results dramatically improved; new discovery holds insight for the explosives detection business
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BWX fined for improperly disassembling nuclear warheads
Employees three times applied too much pressure to a W56 warhead; detonation a real possibility after safety mechanism fails; watchdog group says company forced workers to stay on the job 72 hours each week; BWX to pay $110,000, partly for not properly reporting the incidents
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DHS solicits bids for long-range radiation detectors
$25 million at stake for a lucky company; system must distinguish between naturally occurring radioactive material and medical isotopes; prototype must be compatible with an existing vehicle-sized detector; bids due at the end of January
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Dayton positions itself as a sensor center
Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission awards $28 million for the development of a sensor technology research center; business partners include Woolpert, General Dynamics, UES, YSI, and L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics
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RAE Systems in coal-mine safety China venture
Chinca holds the unenviable world record in coal-mine accidents; RAE Systems has formed a joint venture in China, aiming to translate its expertise in developing multi-sensor chemical and radiation detection monitors into coal-mine safety solutions and products
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Berkeley Nucleonics radiation portal handles moving vehicles with ease
Unlike its competitors, the Flexible Illicit Nuclear Detection system can detect dirty bombs in moving traffic; system adaptable for mail parcel facilities, bulk cargo, and small water-borne vessels
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