Dr. Tim Sandle, Author at Digital Journal https://www.digitaljournal.com/author/tim-sandle Digital Journal is a digital media news network with thousands of Digital Journalists in 200 countries around the world. Join us! Fri, 29 Sep 2023 00:40:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Timeliness is the key to an effective corporate cybersecurity strategy https://www.digitaljournal.com/business/timeliness-is-the-key-to-an-effective-corporate-cybersecurity-strategy/article Fri, 29 Sep 2023 00:38:00 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685566 This year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as a timely opportunity for companies to reassess their cybersecurity practices.

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How can businesses improve their cybersecurity preparedness? Digital Journal has heard from the cybersecurity expert JP Perez-Etchegoyen, Chief Technology Officer at Onapsis ahead of October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This is a U.S.-centric series of events organised by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA).

These events are aimed at both individuals and businesses and are designed to promote best cybersecurity practices.

Such practices include using strong passwords and a password manager. Here, strong passwords are critical to protecting data. In addition, technology users should be encouraged to turn on multifactor authentication.

Perez-Etchegoyen focuses on the importance of companies reassessing their preparedness for a cyberattack. Here he states: “This year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as a timely opportunity for companies to reassess their cybersecurity practices. The significance of cybersecurity has grown even more pronounced in the face of ransomware and supply chain attacks that have affected organizations of all sizes and sectors. Just considering the number of cyberattacks, research indicates a 38 percent increase from 2021 to 2022.”

Not only do businesses need the right technologies they need to be able to harness these at the right time. Perez-Etchegoyen says: “The ability to ensure business continuity and safeguard brand reputation now hinges on an organization’s capacity to enhance the availability of business operations, of which a critical part are its business applications, while also embracing innovation and integrating security and compliance into their operations.”

It is also necessary to target the most important areas of the business. In terms of key areas, Perez-Etchegoyen considers: “Special emphasis must be placed on safeguarding critical web applications since cybercriminals continually identify and exploit vulnerabilities in this area. Such vulnerabilities not only risk data exposure and theft but can also result in complete system downtime until necessary updates are deployed. This system downtime, when it comes to business critical applications, equates to business disruption, potentially resulting in millions of dollars in losses.”

Considering the focal points for the 2023 cybersecurity event, Perez-Etchegoyen draws on: “With the theme “it’s easy to stay safe online” in mind, enterprises must evaluate all elements within their IT landscape to detect any potential cyber threats. This includes identifying unpatched systems, addressing permissive access controls, securing integrations, and rectifying any misconfigurations.”

Returning to the theme of timeliness the expert empathises: “Prompt action is vital to shield mission-critical applications and the overall business from sophisticated cybercriminals. Organizations should also incorporate a robust business application security program into their cybersecurity strategy, ensuring complete visibility into applications for high-priority patching, vulnerability assessments, and security protection.”

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Sick building syndrome: Is your home office making you ill? https://www.digitaljournal.com/life/sick-building-syndrome-is-your-home-office-making-you-ill/article Fri, 29 Sep 2023 00:29:00 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685564 Research into sick building syndrome has found that there are multiple inadequacies in office environments which can bring about symptoms.

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Sick building syndrome is an elusive health condition and there is a limited medical understanding of it, other than its core symptoms and that it is most commonly developed by people who work within poor office environments.

Workspaces that are dirty, unorganised, lacking in natural light and using outdated equipment can cause employees to feel intense symptoms of sickness, including nausea, headaches, eye strain, dry skin and others that have now been officially recognised by the UK health service as a result of a poor working environment.

But with hybrid working becoming more common, what does sick building syndrome mean for home workers? How can we craft our own home office spaces to combat sick building syndrome? Can hybrid working cause our homes to make us sick? These questions are responded to by an expert.

Causes of sick building syndrome

Research into sick building syndrome has found that there are multiple inadequacies in office environments which can bring about symptoms. These are:

Poor ventilation

Poor air quality is one of the most common causes of sick building syndrome, triggering allergies, headaches, poor concentration and fatigue. A study in 2021 by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found a link between poor office air quality and cognitive ability – meaning poor ventilation can harm both your health and productivity.

Poor lighting

Natural light in an office is the most sought-after feature by employees. It’s not just an aesthetic benefit, however – 84 percent of workers exposed to natural light have reported a reduction in eyestrain and headaches.

Irregular temperatures

The National Institute of Health indicates that sick building syndrome symptoms increase with the temperature when there is no humidity. A rising temperature can aggravate some specific symptoms, such as sensations of skin, eye and throat dryness.

Poor organisation

The NHS notes the link between poor organisation and cleanliness as another contributing factor. Messy desks and workspaces can allow for a material build-up of dust, triggering allergies, and a mental build-up of stress, triggering anxiety.

Preventing sick building syndrome in your home office

According to government statistics, 44 percent of UK workers are now hybrid working – with Microsoft reporting that 56 percent of workers feel happier since making the transition away from office-based working.

The largely positive response to hybrid working suggests a large percentage of the workforce want to continue home working for the foreseeable future. This makes sick building prevention increasingly important – the last thing hybrid workers will want is for their home to become a place of illness.

In terms of measures that can be taken, Kevin Brown, Managing Director and aluminium windows expert at The Heritage Window Company has explained to Digital Journal about the best options for home workers.

Update your home office

A home office should look different to everyone and should be tailored to your specific needs. If you suffer from various aches and strains, there are lots of tools available to reduce tension:

  • Neck pain – consider an elevated platform for your monitor. This will improve posture and reduce strain on the neck.
  • Back pain – ergonomic office chairs reduce strain on the back for long periods of sitting.
  • Wrist pain – wrist rests for keyboards reduce tension whilst typing.
  • Eye strain – update your monitor to one with a higher refresh rate (commonly listed as ‘Hz’). The higher the refresh rate, the more smoothly images will transition on your screen, helping to reduce headaches. It can also be useful to turn on the ‘night light’ in your computer’s display settings to enable a blue light filter. This will lower eye strain and can improve your sleep pattern.

Invest in natural lighting

Fitting high-quality windows into your home office can boost your quality of life at work. A higher intake of natural light reduces headaches and eye strain, as well as making us more productive.

Brown explains: “Thinner window frames and more natural light brings us closer to nature – allowing us to bring the outside into our workspace. Feeling closer to nature dramatically increases our mood, which in turn affects our well-being and productivity.”

Greater access to natural light can also treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which causes fatigue, depression and social withdrawal. SAD affects around two million people in the UK, making larger windows a key player in boosting serotonin levels throughout the darker months.

Choose an appropriate workspace

85 percent of those currently working from home want to continue hybrid working for the rest of their careers – so choosing an appropriate room for your home office is important.

Whether you have lots of space or very little, it’s vital that you do not design an office in your bedroom. Your bedroom should only be associated with rest and sleep. The visual stimulant of a workspace in your bedroom can trigger stress and anxiety, harming your quality of sleep and blurring the lines between work and relaxation.

Instead, you should consider choosing a spare room with south-facing windows to design your office. Brown explains, “South-facing windows are great for solar control. They let in light all day long, as well as being less heat and glare-prone than east and west-facing windows.”

Furthermore, Brown adds: “This is great for the immune system and for access to the energy-boosting properties of natural light – as well as keeping your home office at a regulated temperature in the winter.”

It is also wise to invest in an air purifier for your chosen space, according to Brown. These vary in price and size depending on the size of your chosen room, but most decent purifiers start at around £50 ($75) for a small-medium sized room. Air purifiers help eliminate allergens from the air, as well as reducing dust build-up. This should, says Brown, help keep your air quality and workspace clean.

Brown also recommends avoid placing your desk and monitor against a wall that does not have windows directly behind it. Instead, leave space behind your monitor for natural light to fill. Dark space behind monitors can cause eye strain due to sharp contrast, in turn causing headaches with prolonged use.

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Revealed: The UK cities with the most divorcées https://www.digitaljournal.com/life/revealed-the-uk-cities-with-the-most-divorcees/article Thu, 28 Sep 2023 20:35:40 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685576 The Census 2021 (released March 2023) breaks down which regions of the country have the highest rates of divorce, as well as the age groups those people belong to.

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Divorces have been prominent in the news this year, including the high-profile splits of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, Sofia Vergara and Joe Mangiello, and most recently, Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez.

In the UK, the divorce rate has been rising and it is estimated at around 42 percent of all marriages end in legal separation

Which age groups and which areas are most at risk of their marriage ending in divorce? Is it young couples that have rushed into their union? Or are older partners growing tired of their marriages?

The Census 2021 (released March 2023) breaks down which regions of the country have the highest rates of divorce, as well as the age groups those people belong to.

The family law specialists at Beecham Peacock have broken down the data by age groups and by region to assess which demographic sections of society are most likely to be listed as ‘divorced or formerly in a civil partnership’.  The output of the analysis has been provided to Digital Journal.

LocationAge groupPeople ‘divorced or formerly in a civil partnership’
Birmingham55–599,325
Birmingham50–548,555
Birmingham60–648,400
Leeds55–598,310
Cornwall55–598,105
Leeds50–547,730
Cornwall60–647,585
Leeds60–647,420
County Durham55–597,235
Cornwall50–547,080
Wiltshire55–596,715
Cornwall65–696,625
Birmingham65–696,565
County Durham60–646,490
County Durham50–546,440
Birmingham45–496,380
Cornwall70–746,280
Wiltshire50–545,990
Buckinghamshire55–595,950
Leeds65–695,720

Birmingham

Accounting for five of the Census 2021’s top 20 demographics, Birmingham is one of the U.K.’s leading hotspots for divorce. Birmingham has been one of the U.K.’s cities with the highest rate of divorce for at least a decade, having also topped the 2013 list of the most common locations to file for divorce.

As per the Census 2021, there were 9,325 people aged 55–59 living in Birmingham that registered their marital status as ‘divorced or formerly in a civil partnership’ – the largest demographic in the country.

A similar demographic accounts for the city occupying the second place on this list – there were 8,555 people aged 50–54 living in Birmingham also listed under this denomination. The data highlights that people living in Birmingham born between 1962 and 1971 are most likely to have separated. The population in the U.K.’s second largest city also accounts for positions three and five in the top 20 most-divorced demographics, with the 45–49, 60–64 and 65–69 age brackets also appearing in the top 20.

Across all age groups, the percentage of registered divorcees in Birmingham is 7.25 percent.

Cornwall

Cornwall was the location that appeared second-most frequently in the top 20 most-divorced demographics. The U.K.’s most-southerly county, Cornwall featured in five of the top 50 entries for the most-divorced demographics in the Census 2021.

Cornwall had 8,105 people aged 55-59 listed as divorced, the fifth-most in the country. There were also 7,585 people aged 60–64 listed as divorced, as well as 7,080 people aged 50–54. Older Cornish residents also made up a sizable section of the area’s divorced population. Of the divorced population, those aged 65–69 and 70–74 were registered as divorced 6,625 and 6,280 times respectively.

Across the entire location of Cornwall, there are 53,550 people registered as divorced, out of a total recorded population of 477,420 – indicating 11 percent of residents are divorced.

Leeds

Appearing fourth on the list of most-divorced demographics from the Census 2021 is 55–59-year-olds living in Leeds. At the time of the census, Leeds was home to 8,310 people in this age bracket who fell into the ‘divorced or formerly in a civil partnership’ bracket.

Other age groups from Leeds appeared in the Census’ top 20: those aged 50–54, 60–64, and 65–69. Interestingly, across each of the top three cities that appear in the top 20, those aged between 50–70 remain the most likely to be divorced.

53,600 people in Leeds reported that they were divorced, and over 658,000 people are registered as Leeds residents, indicating that 8.13% of the population consider themselves divorced in Leeds.

The highest divorce rates

Despite having the highest numbers of divorcees, Birmingham, Cornwall and Leeds do not necessarily have the highest divorce rate when adjusted for their population. Norwich, in fact, has the UK’s highest divorce rate at 12.8 percent.

Hastings and Blackpool round out the top three places with the highest divorce rates, each with 12.1%. Interestingly, there don’t seem to be any regional trends to the divorce rates – there’s a lot of fluctuation between locations across the North and South.

Lauren Laverick, Solicitor at Beecham Peacock, explains in a message to Digital Journal: “Divorce is an increasingly common occurrence across the world, thanks in part to the growing prominence of ‘no-fault’ divorce legislation and thanks in part to the growing self-agency of women around the world. Like marriage, divorce is an event that should be seriously thought out and considered – but if you’ve made your mind up, choosing a reliable divorce solicitor can help guide you through the process and make your life easier.”

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Digital green-over: The time has come for IT to decarbonise https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/digital-green-over-the-time-has-come-for-it-to-decarbonise/article Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:47:00 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685382 Through premises it is important to create an optimized system built for your needs by incorporating sensors, advanced analytics, and control systems to achieve greater energy efficiencies and cost savings.

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Hitachi Vantara has announced a new division called ‘Sustainability Solutions and Services’. The aim is to aid organizations in achieving environmental and decarbonization goals. This is of particular concern with many energy hungry IT systems.

Recent research suggests that 61 percent of eco-data leaders consider decarbonising the data centre as the number one step they are taking to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Sustainability Solutions and Services function has generated a report, which provides a structure for customers to define and implement a realistic, measurable roadmap towards achieving carbon neutrality targets.

The recommended steps to achieve energy reduction and a lower environmental burden include:

Green IT

This is about gaining a holistic understanding of the IT footprint through insights to decarbonize IT assets and operations, including application and asset energy efficiency, power supply and equipment, scope 3 cloud emissions, energy efficient IT architecture and data stewardship.

Manufacturing

This is about understanding energy consumption and carbon emissions across manufacturing processes and value chains to realise business growth through lower carbon intensity and resource efficiency.

Facilities

Through premises it is important to create an optimized system built for your needs by incorporating sensors, advanced analytics, and control systems to achieve greater energy efficiencies and cost savings.

Data and analytics

By assessing data it is possible to co-create solutions for greater impact on social and environmental issues that matter the most to the firm. This can also help companies to make informed decisions about its process and create solutions that will truly impact the bottom line.

Measurable is actionable

It is not simply sufficient to collect and analyse data, it needs to be reacted to. This includes approaches to define and implement a realistic, measurable roadmap towards achieving carbon neutrality targets.

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Virtually looking over your shoulder: Wi-Fi concerns for students revealed https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/virtually-looking-over-your-shoulder-wi-fi-concerns-for-students-revealed/article Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:39:46 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685372 While password-protected Wi-Fi networks are definitely much safer than password-free networks, you can still be vulnerable.

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Students have been warned over public Wi-Fi use as they start college or university. In particular this includes a warning over using public Wi-Fi networks to transfer money or share personal information.

The warning is spelt put by Šarūnas Karbauskas, a cyber-security expert at VPNPro, who tells Digital Journal that although many publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks are generally deemed safe, students still risk sharing personal information online if they do not take adequate precautions.

“A common misconception is that if a public Wi-Fi network requires a password to connect your device, then your personal information is entirely safe from cybercriminals, which simply isn’t the case”, Karbauskas explains.

The expert continues: “While password-protected Wi-Fi networks are definitely much safer than password-free networks, you can still be vulnerable to potential online attacks when entering personal information online.”

Password Vs Password-free Wi-Fi networks

In terms of common risks, Karbauskas considers: “Most public Wi-Fi networks, such as in cafés, pubs and restaurants, are password-protected which means that your data is encrypted when you are browsing online.”

In terms of consequences, Karbauskas clarifies: “This means that if someone outside of that network intercepts your connection, they won’t be able to understand the data and are unlikely to be able to do anything with it.”

Not everything is secure, however. Here Karbauskas warns: “If you connect to a public Wi-Fi connection that doesn’t require a password however, your data is not encrypted, which means that all information you enter online can be captured by anyone within range of the network. This includes any personal or banking information you may have entered.”

In terms of the optimal solutions, Karbauskas recommends: “Using a password-protected Wi-Fi connection is much safer but can still pose some risk, however. If your café’s Wi-Fi router uses old-school WEP encryption for example, every user’s web traffic is encrypted using a single key which means that anyone on the network can see what you’re doing.”

For additional security, Karbauskas notes: “Most Wi-Fi routers should now employ the WPA2, or the more advanced WPA3 protocol, which both provide a greater level of protection.”

With his final advice, Karbauskas recommends: “To check which type of security your Wi-Fi network uses, Windows users can go to Wi-Fi settings and click on the network they are connected to, and it will be under ‘Security type’. Mac users can hold down the ‘Option’ key and click on the Wi-Fi symbol in the top right corner of your screen, to show the Wi-Fi’s security type.”

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A growing menace: Novel antifungals essential to tackle antifungal resistance https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/a-growing-menace-novel-antifungals-essential-to-tackle-antifungal-resistance/article Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:02:30 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685370 Incident cases of invasive fungal infections are expected to escalate in the coming years, in part, due to the impact of climate change.

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Fungal infections are an often-underestimated health burden globally. Many fungal pathogens, as Digital Journal has previously reported, represent a major threat to public health and several are becoming increasingly common and resistant to treatment.

This has led the firm GlobalData to emphasise the urgency of tackling the challenge, as communicated to Digital Journal. Anaelle Tannen, Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData, states: “Fungal diseases are often presumed to be more bothersome than serious, and many individuals are unaware of the impact that these mycoses can have on human health. However, as the burden of invasive fungal infections is increasing globally, there is a pressing need to improve awareness and understanding of these infections.”

It is estimated there were over three million incident cases of invasive fungal infections across Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, U.K., and U.S. in 2022. Of these, aspergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococcosis, and pneumocystis pneumonia were the major contributors of infection.

Fungi are also major food spoilers and contaminants in healthcare and pharmaceutical settings.

Incident cases of invasive fungal infections are also expected to escalate in the coming years, in part, due to the impact of climate change. For example, with increasing global temperatures, some fungi may expand their habitats to encompass new warmer regions, such as Cryptococcus deuterogattii which has emerged in the temperate regions of western Canada and the Pacific northwest of North America in recent years.

Furthermore, medical advances over recent decades have led to a global increase in the number of immunocompromised individuals, such as organ transplant recipients or those living with or HIV, with these patients being much more susceptible to invasive fungal infections.

Considering these patterns, Tannen adds: “Antifungal resistance is also a major problem, as some fungi no longer respond to any antifungal treatments, which contributes to high rates of morbidity and mortality associated with invasive fungal infections. In order to combat the growing resistance to existing drugs, it is essential that new therapeutic candidates in development utilize novel mechanisms of action.”

According to GlobalData, there are over 170 antifungal agents in the pipeline. Whilst many of these are based on established mechanisms of actions, there are some that utilize more novel approaches, such as Pfizer’s fosmanogepix (a GPI anchored wall transfer protein 1 (PfGWT1) inhibitor) in Phase II development for candidiasis.

This agent is also in development for other fungal infections including Phase I development for coccidioidomycosis.

Tannen concludes: “It is hoped that advances with novel antifungal therapies in development will help to address the major unmet need of limited treatment options within this market.”

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Lowering the reaction: Tackling biomedical implant immune responses https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/lowering-the-reaction-tackling-biomedical-implant-immune-responses/article Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:28:00 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685171 Why are some implants rejected by our bodies? The cells react by building a fibrotic capsule that surrounds the implant in an attempt to shield it.

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University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson researchers have undertaken research designed to tackle the immune rejection of biomedical implants. This geared towards improving patient survival rates. This is based on a protein that appears to help drive this response.

Biomedical implants are wide-ranging, including breast implants, pacemakers and orthopaedic hardware. These can improve the lives of patients; however, a number are rejected by the body and need to be removed.

The cause is an immune reaction called foreign body response, where the body encapsulates the implant in scar tissue. It is hoped the work will improve the design and safety of biomedical implants.

Current practices revolve around seeing the use of biocompatible materials that are better tolerated by the body. This approach does not completely address the risks. This is why a new approach was needed.

According to lead researcher Geoffrey Gurtner: “Establishing a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the foreign body response presents the final frontier in developing truly bio-integrative medical devices.”

The research shows how some implants introduce stress points to the body, triggering an overactive immune response. As the cells interact with that implant and surrounding tissue, they activate due to the increased mechanical stress.

This leads to immune cells detecting a foreign body. The cells react by building a fibrotic capsule that surrounds the implant in an attempt to shield it. The immune cells start merging with each other, creating massive cells that spit out fibrous proteins like collagen and other products. The more severe the immune reaction, then the thicker the surrounding capsule becomes.

In some cases, the capsule constricts around the implant, impeding its function and causing pain. The research has shown that a protein called RAC2 was highly expressed in samples taken from patients with severe reactions.

To confirm RAC2’s role the scientists blocked the expression of RAC2 in animal models. This showed a significant reduction in the level of foreign body response, up to three-fold.

The researchers aim to explore further if targeting these pathways could serve as a potential therapy to mitigate or even prevent clinically significant foreign body response in humans. This could take the form of local targeted therapy.

The findings have been published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, titled “Allometrically scaling tissue forces drive pathological foreign-body responses to implants via Rac2-activated myeloid cells.”

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I’ve got a city to fly: What do we think of a future with flying cars? https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/ive-got-a-city-to-fly-what-do-we-think-of-a-future-with-flying-cars/article Tue, 26 Sep 2023 20:36:08 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685178 How close are we to flying cars? Relatively so, it would appear...

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Flying cars, as a concept, have been around since the 1950s – and not simply confined to imaginative tales from science fiction. The lack of a working model has not prevented some scientists from seeking to develop such technologies or from, apparently, some car manufacturers exploring the concept.

A poll reveals that, within the U.S., nearly 3 in 4 people would retake a driving test or get a drone license to operate a flying car. This is according to the new American Muscle study. These findings showed 1 in 2 U.S. citizens are very interested in buying a flying car, however it was also found that nearly half of the population think flying cars will be more dangerous than current cars. This means there are some associated safety concerns to be addressed and overcome.

The key advantages include:

  • Designed to drive on the street,
  • Take off vertically when needed,
  • Fly overhead above traffic,
  • Provide real time and course adjustment data for computer controls.

There are of course some potential disadvantages, including collision concerns and aerial congestion. But for now, let’s consider the future state. Is this once-futuristic fantasy on the brink of being our new reality? If so, what are the general population findings when it comes to flying cars?

Given the safety implications, there is also the question of which brands consumers would want to see manufacture them.

How close are we to flying cars? Relatively so, it would appear. From example, the U.S. FAA recently approved the testing of Alef Automotive’s Model A, unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show.

With pre-orders live and anticipation building, online searches for “flying car” in the U.S. are up by 383 percent in the last month. Overall, 52 percent of U.S. citizens say they are interested in purchasing a flying car — Gen Z is most interested, with 61 percent wanting to own a flying car, while baby boomers are least interested (38 percent).

Geographically, Colorado is the state most interested in flying cars, with 976 searches per 100,000 residents. Florida (804) is the second most interested in flying cars, followed by Washington (741) and Nevada (727) — Minneapolis, Seattle, and Denver are the cities with the most searches.

In terms of the most trusted brands, coming top are: Toyota (43 percent), Tesla (41 percent), Honda (33 percent), BMW (28 percent), and Mercedes-Benz (25 percent). With fuel type, 40 percent would be dissuaded by gas-powered flying cars. In contrast, 58 percent favour electric-powered flying cars and 60 percent welcome hydrogen-fuelled models.

It would appear there is some appetite for established brands one-day creating flying vehicles.

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Lowering transportation emissions: Making the case for bioethanol https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/lowering-transportation-emissions-making-the-case-for-bioethanol/article Tue, 26 Sep 2023 19:58:47 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3685176 Transport solutions: Evidence-backed data that sustainable liquid fuels like ethanol offer a way forward to make a lasting impact on climate change.

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In recent years a sizable body of research has highlighted how ethanol is playing an important role in enhancing energy security and the rural economy while contributing to decarbonizing the transportation sector throughout the U.S. This makes a recent pronouncement from a governmental body somewhat surprising. The U.S. EPA Scientific Advisory Board has called into question the benefits of ethanol as a sustainable fuel.

BJ Johnson, CEO of ClearFlame Engine Technologies – a company that retrofits diesel engines to run on biofuels – disagrees with the findings, especially in the context of transportation emissions increasing. Johnson has a PhD in thermodynamics and mechanical engineering (Stanford University), an area where he investigated engines running on cleaner fuel alternatives like ethanol, methanol and other sustainable fuels.

Johnson draws on research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory which finds that ethanol is 44 percent lower in emissions than gasoline. In addition, the California Air Resources Board assigns a 40 percent greenhouse gas benefit to ethanol.

The overwhelming scientific consensus indicates that ethanol is substantially better than petroleum fuels, and comparable in greenhouse gas benefits to that of electric vehicles.

Johnson observes that alternative research does not stand up to scrutiny and cites cases where research that have asserted the dangers of ethanol have had to be retracted due to inaccuracies, in recent years.

However, Johnson fears, as it puts it in a statement sent to Digital Journal: “the public narrative surrounding the report may lead the casual reader to believe a thorough study will dismiss the benefits of ethanol.”

In addition, Johnson states that “we should not be giving equal policy considerations to the occasional, debunked study that ethanol is worse than fossil fuels when there is consensus among the scientific community that ethanol, and other sustainable liquid fuels, are nearly 2x better than their fossil counterparts, gasoline and diesel.”

Johnson has put forwards evidence-backed data that sustainable liquid fuels like ethanol offer a way forward to make a lasting impact on climate change – far beyond what can be done with electric vehicles today in sectors such as long-haul trucking and other industrial use cases.

Policies supporting cleaner fuels include the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which devotes significant resources to the expanded use of biofuels like ethanol. Similarly, the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization contains projects including Sustainable Liquid Fuels like ethanol, which have a role to play in decarbonizing long-haul trucking.

These approaches are supported by research from the Argonne National Laboratory which indicates that alternative fuels, including ethanol, make a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gases.

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Innovation is the way to beat newly emerging cyber-risks https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/innovation-is-the-way-to-beat-newly-emerging-cyber-risks/article Mon, 25 Sep 2023 20:25:53 +0000 https://www.digitaljournal.com/?p=3684950 Pushing back on cyberattacks - by adhering to the Zero Trust tenet of "never trust, always verify."

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For U.S. National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Digital Journal has heard from two leading experts about the measures that businesses can take to address both insider and outsider threats.

Commenting for Digital Journal is Don Boxley, CEO and Co-Founder, DH2i. Boxley sees cybersecurity as an ever evolving process and one that does not stand still. In other words, firms must continue to innovate.

Boxley states: “Cyber threats are escalating into full-blown crises – making Cybersecurity Awareness Month more than just a gentle reminder, but a stark warning that we must urgently overhaul our digital defences. Gone are the days when established security measures like VPNs sufficed. Hackers are continually advancing, rendering traditional methods increasingly obsolete. Proactive security isn’t an option; it’s an absolute necessity if organizations want to survive into the future.”

As examples of such defence initiatives, Boxley sets out: “Software-Defined Perimeters (SDPs) are rapidly gaining prominence as an innovative and intelligent alternative to VPNs. They address and eliminate many traditional VPN vulnerabilities, such as susceptibility to lateral network attacks that could compromise sensitive organizational assets.”

Further with this concept, Boxley points out: “SDPs simplify the secure connection of network assets across diverse infrastructures—from on-premises to hybrid and multi-cloud setups—and closely align with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) principles. By adhering to the Zero Trust tenet of “never trust, always verify,” SDPs offer stringent security controls at the application level. This ensures that resources like servers, storage units, applications, IoT devices, and users gain access only to the specific data endpoints required for their tasks, thereby eliminating potential vulnerabilities such as lateral movement paths that attackers could exploit.”

Drawing this together, Boxley places a strong emphasis upon the October events: “Let us heed National Cybersecurity Awareness Month as an urgent call to action for adopting next-generation solutions like SDPs and Zero Trust principles. In doing so, we will be equipping organizations and individuals with the robust defences needed to outpace ever-advancing cyber threats.”

Also commenting on the importance of cybersecurity is Seth Blank, CTO, Valimail. Blank draws inspiration from the time of year: “October may conjure images of falling leaves and Halloween festivities, but it’s also Cybersecurity Awareness Month—a crucial period that calls for our attention on the increasing threats in the digital landscape. Among these threats, one that’s often pushed to the background but deserves centre stage is email security.”

Looking at specific risk areas, Blank highlights communications: “Email is the battleground where some of the most sophisticated social engineering attacks, like spear-phishing and whaling, are waged. These attacks exploit human psychology, leveraging the absence of the usual cues we rely on to assess trust—no facial expressions, no tone of voice, just cold text on a screen.”

As an example, Blank notes: “You’re probably been inundated with the same stats again and again, like the fact that 91 percent of all cyberattacks start with phishing. Or that the FBI has reported $50 billion in losses due to business email compromise (BEC). And due to that inundation, it’s easy for some to look at email as an old problem. But those stats show the problem is not just as bad as it’s ever been; it’s getting worse. Much, much worse.”

Blank’s closing remarks are: “The bottom line is that even if the stats have become easy to ignore—the problem is real, and one misstep can wreak havoc. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, don’t just scroll past the warnings—take them to heart. Beef up your email security, or get ready for a world of hurt. The ball is in your court, and it’s ticking.”

The post Innovation is the way to beat newly emerging cyber-risks appeared first on Digital Journal.

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