Short Takes – 8-5-24

Request for Information on Collaboration and Data Sharing for Railroad Operations Analysis. Federal Register FRA request for information. Summary: “FRA seeks to ensure that the creative and problem-solving process at the core of OA is as effective and collaborative as possible. As such, with the questions below, FRA is requesting public comment to gain a better understanding of the potential challenges involved in the development of OA and the review of OA results to assess what improvements can be made for Federally funded railroad projects.” Question list here.

Axiom Mission 4 to ISS will include India, Poland, Hungary. AxiomSpace.com press release. Pull quote: ““Ax-4 represents Axiom Space’s continued efforts to build opportunity for countries to research, innovate, test, and engage with people around the world while in low-Earth orbit,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space. “This mission broadens horizons for nations with ambitious goals of advancing scientific, technological, and economic pursuits. Our collaboration with ESA for a second time and the inclusion of Hungary and India underscores Axiom Space’s ability to cultivate global partners, expand the scope of exploration, and open up new avenues to grow a global space economy.””

Tech contractor exposes data of 4.6 million US voters. CSOOnline.com article. Pull quote: ““The databases were publicly accessible for an unknown duration, raising concerns about potential unauthorized access,” Fowler said. “Only an internal forensic audit can determine if there was any suspicious activity.”” QUESTION: Is it unauthorized access if you access an unprotected database?

Hurricane Debby makes landfall along Florida coast. AOL.com article. Live updates. Pull quote: “Now, less than a year later, Hurricane Debby came ashore near Steinhatchee, about 10 [miles] southeast of Keaton Beach. While it’s a less powerful storm, Debby was capable of unleashing life-threatening storm surge across much of the same region that was walloped by Idalia.”

Bird Flu Cases in People Are Being Undercounted. ScientificAmerican.com article. Pull quote: “Gray’s team detected signs of prior bird flu infections in workers from two dairy farms that had outbreaks in Texas earlier this year. They analyzed blood samples from 14 farmworkers who had not been tested for the virus and found antibodies against it in two. This is a nearly 15% hit rate from only two dairy farms out of more than 170 with bird flu outbreaks in 13 states this year.”

Is the Paris Olympics’ Swimming Pool ‘Slow’? Let’s Dive into the Math. ScientificAmerican.com article. Pull quote: “What is surprising, however, is the depth of this year’s pool, which is unusually shallow at 2.15 meters. There is no standardized regulation as to what dimensions an Olympic pool should have. Until a few years ago, it had to be at least two meters deep, but now the minimum depth is 2.5 meters. A depth of three meters, however, is recommended. When construction of the Olympic pool started in 2017, the two-meter rule still applied. The pool in Nanterre is therefore permitted despite its comparatively shallow depth. And this, many are convinced, means that it is “slow.””

DART Forward: Five Papers Shed New Light on Asteroids From World’s First Planetary Defense Test. D.NewsWise.com article. Pull quote: “In recently published papers in Nature Communications, the team explored the geology of the asteroid system encountered in 2022 to characterize its origin and evolution, and constrain its physical characteristics. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, with team members from several international partner institutions led five papers that provided a detailed overview and interpretation of the geological findings.”

How the rising earth in Antarctica will impact future sea level rise. D.NewsWise.com article. Pull quote: “Surprisingly, according to some of the team’s GPS observations processed by researchers at Ohio State, Wilson said, the Antarctic Ice Sheet is currently experiencing a solid earth uplift of about 5 centimeters per year, about 5 times the rate that North America experiences.”