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France is jumpy about threat to rail transportation
French police increase security on trains in northeast after tip on terror threat
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U.S. old infrastructure offers opportunities for investors
Much of America’s aging infrastructure needs replacing, rebuilding, or rehabilitating; this offers opportunities to infrastructure fund managers, especially in the power-generation sector
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Bridge collapse shows post-WWII engineering aproach to be wrong
Engineers on the Brooklyn Bridge (opened in 1883) did not have sophisticated methods to calculate loads, so they made their best guess — and then multiplied; in the aftermath of WWII engineers believed they could save on materials by accurately predicting traffic pattenrs and loads; Minnesota bridge collapse shows that approach to be wrong
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Politics, profit create conditions hospitable to Internet security disaster
The Internet offers lucrative opportunities for hacking chaos and rampant crime owing to serious computer defense flaws, specialists told cyber security experts from around the world at a major conference in Las Vegas
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Terrorism spread in Mexico
Two weeks ago the EOR guerrillas bombed oil and natural gas pipelines, exhibiting intimate knowledge of the delivery infrastructure and its emergency backup procedure; this week the groups bombed a Sears Robuck store, vowing to continue a campaign against “the interests of the national and foreign oligarchy.”
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New technology allow earlier detection of sturctural vulnerabilities
ASI offers detailed visual simulation solution which would allow building owners, designers, architects, engineers, insurance underwriters, and security experts see what will happen to a structure before a disaster strikes
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Oil tanks on ships to be located inside double hull
IMO’s rule goes into effect Tuesday: It requires oil fuel tanks on ships to be located inside a double hull to help prevent spillages of oil fuel in case of collision, grounding, or terorist act
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Engineers look for causes of bridge collapse
Engineering experts puzzled by catastrophic collapse of Minneapolis bridge; may have been the result of a “prefect storm,” in which several causes combined
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The bumpy road to a better Internet
Would that we had an Internet which would cut online crime, tackle child pornography, halt crippling viruses, and get rid of spam; scientists are working on it, but with less government support than was the case 40 years ago, when the Internet was born
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Zero-day vulnerabilities are the top security concern
Most IT managers say that zero-day vulnerabilities are their main concern; 29 percent of organizations deployed critical updates within two hours during 2007 compared to just 14 percent in 2006
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DHS issues security guidelines for U.S. power infrastructure operators
Growing fears of physical and cyber attacks on U.S. power infrastructure lead DHS to issue detailed protection plans against for industry
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Homeland security legislation to affect water sector
Increasing security of transportation of dangerous chemicals, changing the formula governing the distribution of homeland security grants to states, and other clauses in homeland security bill will affect water sector
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U.K. unveils broad counterterrorism measures
Prime Minister Gordon Brown unvelis broad counter-terrorism measures, including unified border police, electronic exit controls at U.K. borders, biometric visas, better critical infrastructure protection, and more
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New quantum key system combines speed, distance
Detection stage of the NIST prototype quantum key distribution system: Photons are “up-converted” from 1310 to 710 nm by one of the two NIST-designed converters at right, then sent to one of two commercial silicon avalanche photo diode units to the left. Credit: NIST
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Mexican guerrillas who hit oil, gas pipelines had inside knowledge
Cause for worry: Bombers of crude oil and natural gas pipelines in Mexico had detailed knowledge of vulnerable energy installation — and of mitigation procedures, too
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The long view
Accelerating Clean Energy Geothermal Development on Public Lands
Geothermal energy is one of our greatest untapped clean energy resources on public lands. Replenished by heat sources deep in the Earth, geothermal energy generates electricity with minimal carbon emissions. Interior Department announces new leases and pioneering project approval, and proposes simplified permitting.
Efforts to Build Wildfire Resilience Are Heating Up
Stanford’s campus has become a living lab for testing innovative fire management techniques, from AI-powered environmental sensors to a firebreak-creating “BurnBot.”
Reducing Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise in Virginia
As the climate changes and sea levels rise, there is concern that sinking coastlines could exacerbate risks to infrastructure, as well as human and environmental health in coastal communities. The Virginia Coastal Plain is one of the fastest-sinking regions on the East Coast.
The Fate of Thousands of U.S. Dams Hangs in the Balance, Leaving Rural Communities with Hard Choices
Dams across the country are aging and facing intensifying floods wrought by climate change. But the price tag to fix what’s broken is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Climate Change Threatens Bridges, Roads: Research Helps Engineers Adapt Infrastructure
Across America, infrastructure built to handle peak stormwater flows from streams and rivers have been engineered under the assumption that rainfall averages stay constant over time. As extreme weather events become more frequent, these systems could be in trouble.