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Walker's World: Georgia on my mind
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:28 AM
By MARTIN WALKER
UPI Editor Emeritus
FRANKFURT, Germany, May 12 (UPI) -- Russia's new leadership is bullying Georgia because the Europeans and Americans are at odds; at risk is the only pipeline from the vast Caspian oil basin that is not under Russia's control. -
Man hospitalized for tiger scratches
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:24 AM
TOLEDO, Ohio, May 12 (UPI) -- A worker at Ohio's Toledo Zoo was hospitalized after a tiger reached across a barricade and scratched his chest, a zoo spokesman said. -
'Math geek' stigma repels students
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:20 AM
LONDON, May 12 (UPI) -- Despite "math geeks" making millions during the dot.com era, the math geek stigma keeps many from studying mathematics, a British and Welsh study says.
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Walker's World: Georgia on my mind
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:28 AM
By MARTIN WALKER
UPI Editor Emeritus
FRANKFURT, Germany, May 12 (UPI) -- Russia's new leadership is bullying Georgia because the Europeans and Americans are at odds; at risk is the only pipeline from the vast Caspian oil basin that is not under Russia's control. -
Man hospitalized for tiger scratches
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:24 AM
TOLEDO, Ohio, May 12 (UPI) -- A worker at Ohio's Toledo Zoo was hospitalized after a tiger reached across a barricade and scratched his chest, a zoo spokesman said. -
'Math geek' stigma repels students
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:20 AM
LONDON, May 12 (UPI) -- Despite "math geeks" making millions during the dot.com era, the math geek stigma keeps many from studying mathematics, a British and Welsh study says. -
Rail workers in Britain to vote on strike
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:19 AM
LONDON, May 12 (UPI) -- More than 12,000 Rail Maritime and Transport Union members in Britain have been asked to vote on a possible strike, union officials said Monday. -
Duck selects waterfront condo for nest
Published: May 12, 2008 at 11:14 AM
TORONTO, May 12 (UPI) -- A duck has established her nest with four eggs in it on the rooftop deck of a seven-story Toronto condominium on the shore of Lake Ontario. -
Militants gain ground in Mideast
Published: May 12, 2008 at 10:57 AM
RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 12 (UPI) -- A Hamas official in the West Bank says the map of the Middle East is being redrawn by militant groups gaining power over U.S.-backed regimes.
Latest Headlines
- Walker's World: Georgia on my mind
- Man hospitalized for tiger scratches
- 'Math geek' stigma repels students
- Rail workers in Britain to vote on strike
- Duck selects waterfront condo for nest
- Militants gain ground in Mideast
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System traces airliner bioterror pathogens
Published: May 22, 2007 at 1:48 PM
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., May 22 (UPI) -- Researchers in the United States have developed a system they say can identify terrorists who release bioterrorism agents aboard an airliner.
Purdue University said Tuesday the computer program is capable of tracing a pathogen to the specific seat where it was first released into the cabin whether it was intentional or inadvertent.
"The goal is to be able to track the source if a person released a biological agent, such as anthrax, or inadvertently released a pathogen such as pandemic flu by sneezing, for example," Engineering Professor Qingyan Chen said in a statement.
The system is based on a series of sensors installed inside an airliner that detects the presence of germs in the cabin air. Using a series of mathematical models, the system can follow the substance to an area the size of a single seat and identify the individual passenger who was the point of origin so they can either be arrested or taken for medical care.
The concept is called "inverse simulation" and makes use of data including airflow patterns and the temperature inside the cabin. Chen said the process currently requires several days of computing time. Purdue's goal is to get that down to one day and also develop a monitoring system that will immediately alert the plane's cockpit crew whenever a pathogen is detected in the cabin.
Purdue University said Tuesday the computer program is capable of tracing a pathogen to the specific seat where it was first released into the cabin whether it was intentional or inadvertent.
"The goal is to be able to track the source if a person released a biological agent, such as anthrax, or inadvertently released a pathogen such as pandemic flu by sneezing, for example," Engineering Professor Qingyan Chen said in a statement.
The system is based on a series of sensors installed inside an airliner that detects the presence of germs in the cabin air. Using a series of mathematical models, the system can follow the substance to an area the size of a single seat and identify the individual passenger who was the point of origin so they can either be arrested or taken for medical care.
The concept is called "inverse simulation" and makes use of data including airflow patterns and the temperature inside the cabin. Chen said the process currently requires several days of computing time. Purdue's goal is to get that down to one day and also develop a monitoring system that will immediately alert the plane's cockpit crew whenever a pathogen is detected in the cabin.
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This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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