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Water consumption by thermoelectric plants to grow 35.7%
Water shortages loom as one of the major problems in the next two decades for both developed and developing countries; it does not help that water consumption by thermoelectric power plants will increase by nearly 40% during this period — and even more if carbon capturing technologies are adopted
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Systems integrator Adesta is making a bigger impression
Adesta is a versatile and innovative systems integrator specializing in the construction and maintenance of stand-alone or integrated communication networks and electronic security systems
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New York opposes extending Indian Point license
Indian Point nuclear plants in Westchester County are surrounded by 20 million people within a 50-mile radius, more than any other reactor in the country; plants’ operator applied for a 20-year extension license, but the State of New York says plants pose too much risk and should be shut down
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FLIR Systems received $2 million contracts to boost airport security
Thermal imaging specialist finds its cameras in demand at U.S. airports; cameras are suitable for securing the long perimeters typically associated with major airports
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Bulgaria to build the first Russian-designed nuclear reactor in the EU
Bulgaria will be the first EU country to build a nuclear power plant based on Russian design; the plant will be built at a site deemed unsafe two decades ago because it was prone to earthquakes
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Cities worry about toxic substances in freight cars
Water treatment facilities in Baltimore no longer use chlorine, but city residents are still exposed to risk because trains carrying the toxic substance to facilities elsewhere go through the city; city officials want to change this situation
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Europeans install radiation detectors as U.S. question detectors' efficacy
U.S. legislators raise questions about DHS’s $1.4 billion program which aims to deploy nuclear radiation detectors in U.S. ports; GAO raises questions about test methodology of latest technology; Europeans, though forge ahead with port deployment
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How real is the nuclear threat for the United States?
Graham Allison: “Based on current trends, a nuclear terrorist attack on the United States is more likely than not in the decade ahead”
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Acoustic sensors to protect borders, critical infrastructure
Two British companies offer an intriguing border, perimeter, and critical infrastructure protection solution: Sensors, using optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR), continuously monitor the length of existing or installed cable to detect, locate, and categorize security breaches every 10 meters over a 40 km length of optical fiber
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How to pay for greater chemical plant safety
Critics point to the price tag of the chemical plant safety measure as a reason why it should not be imposed on the chemical industry; they are wrong: Meaningful safety standards should be imposed on chemical plants, but since it is a public good, the taxpayers — not the industry alone — should shoulder the cost
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Uncertainties about nuclear waste storage
The waste created in the production of U.S. nuclear weapons is buried in Hanford, Washington; there is a growing uncertainty about the subsurface paths nuclear contaminants take, where they travel, and how fast
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Top Internet security risks of 2007 revealed today
This year’s SANS Top 20 illuminates two new attack targets that criminals have chosen to exploit and the older targets where attackers have significantly raised the stakes
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Organizational security: Alion takes stock and offer remedies
Organizations which take their security seriously want to evaluate continuously their security situation and security policies; often they also must see that they are in compliance with government security mandates; serious organizations should take a look at Alion’s CounterMeasures
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2007 Maritime Security Expo: Security challenges, business opportunities
The U.S. maritime transportation system — ports, ships, warehouses, access roads — is vast and sprawling; securing this system offers many opportunities for security-related businesses for two reasons: It is essential to the welfare and national security of the United States, and many of its nodes are vulnerable to attack and disruption
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Penn State researchers increase data transmission rate of copper cables
Nittany Lions electrical engineers show it is possible to increase the data transmission of Category-7 copper cables used to connect computers to each other and the Internet
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The long view
Boosting Efforts to Predict Harmful Solar Weather Events
When big blasts of energy from the sun envelop the Earth, they can very strong: a 2015 event so weakened Earth’s protective magnetic field that it penetrated to the atmosphere, posing a threat to everything from circling space station astronauts to delicate electronics and communication systems.
Challenges to Tidal Flats Pose Risks to 41M Americans Living in Coastal Counties
About 29 percent of the United States’ population live in coastline counties – more than 41 million are in Atlantic counties. This high population density poses a critical challenge to sustainable developments in coastal areas.
Mitigating Flood Disasters
Engineers have proposed a flood control measure which recommends designing permeable pavements to specifically suit local rainfall and soil conditions and reduce flood impacts.
Developing Novel Hybrid Reef-Mimicking Structures
Despite previous efforts to implement storm mitigation solutions — including concrete breakwaters — damage due to storm surge and flooding continues to devastate coastal areas around the world. In response to these threats, DARPA has launched the Reefense program to develop self-healing, hybrid biological, and engineered reef-mimicking structures to protect civilian and DoD infrastructure, personnel by mitigating damage related to coastal flooding, erosion and storm surge.