InfraGard Members Alliance Houston

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.

Full article: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/swedish-police-arrest-man-building-nuclear-reactor-his-kitchen

EMCAPS: Electronic Mass Casualty Assessment and Planning Scenarios

James Scheulen (Johns Hopkins Medicine), Christian Latimer and Jeffery Brown (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory)

This standalone software program is intended to allow users to model disaster scenarios for drill planning and to use as an education resource. The EMCAPS Model allows you to estimate casualties arising from biological (Anthrax, Plague, Food Contamination), chemical (blister, nerve and toxic agents) radiological (dirty bomb) or explosive (IED) attacks. These scenarios are based on the Department of Homeland Security Planning Scenarios (April 2005).

When you run the EMCAPS Model, you are able to select one of the scenarios we have listed above and adjust the various inputs (e.g., bomb size, population density, quantity of release, wind speed, etc) to most closely simulate your own environment.

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Response and Restoration software and information

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) protects coastal and marine resources, mitigates threats, reduces harm, and restores ecological function. The Office provides comprehensive solutions to environmental hazards caused by oil, chemicals, and marine debris.

CAMEO Chemicals is a database of hazardous chemicals that emergency responders and planners can use to get response recommendations and predict hazards.

Get a standalone version of CAMEO Chemicals that you can run from your Windows computer.

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/index.php

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Mathematics could be anti-terror tool

Mathematicians and computer scientists have begun to develop equations and algorithms for combing through mountains of data and uncover hidden "rules" that govern terrorism behavior, ScienceNews.org reported Monday.

Other researchers are seeking simple mathematical formulas that could describe the optimal arrangement of a secret terrorist cell and provide clues on how to destroy it.

"If you have a mathematical model that can describe the structure of a terror network -- and the model works -- then you can predict the future," says Alexander Gutfraind, a mathematician at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Full article: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/07/13/Mathematics-could-be-anti-terror-tool/UPI-45631279046662/

Submitted by: E. Charles Sterling

Nanotechnology Will Soon Take on Pirates

Is it metal, is it a wireless communication device, is it an inventory system, is it a storm tracking device, is it a clothing store purchasing system, is it a Private Investigator - no it is Nanotechnology!

Nanotechnology, the miracle material, is about to take on a new role—fighting pirates who plunder cargo ships in places such as the coast of Somalia and the Strait of Malacca.  A great example of Nanotechnology is the Piranha unmanned surface vessel (USV). It’s a composite boat that’s currently being developed for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The 5th generation material is stronger and stiffer than conventional carbon fiber. “The materials allow it to be a generation ahead of any other composite, and two generations ahead of an aluminum boat. It has far more range and payload carrying ability, as it has lower structural and propulsion needs.”

http://www.assemblymag.com/Articles/Blog/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000787224

Contributed by: Charles Sterling