88 research outputs found

    What happens during a blackout: Consequences of a prolonged and wide-ranging power outage

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    Power outages in Europe and North America in recent years have given a lasting impression of the vulnerability of modern and high-tech societies. Although the power supply was interrupted for a week at most and only locally, massive functional and supply disruptions, threats to public order and damage amounting to billions of euros have already become apparent. This book shows what consequences a prolonged and widespread power blackout could have on society and its critical infrastructures and how Germany is prepared for such a large-scale disaster. By means of comprehensive consequence analyses, the authors drastically demonstrate that after only a few days, the supply of the population with (vital) goods and services can no longer be guaranteed in the affected area. It is also made clear that considerable efforts are required to increase the sustainability of critical infrastructures and to further optimise the capacities of the national disaster management system. The book is based on TAB Report Nr. 141 "GefĂ€hrdung und Verletzbarkeit moderner Gesellschaften - am Beispiel eines großrĂ€umigen und langandauernden Ausfalls der Stromversorgung"

    Clouds in the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. II. Thermal emission spectra of Earth-like planets influenced by low and high-level clouds

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    We study the impact of multi-layered clouds (low-level water and high-level ice clouds) on the thermal emission spectra of Earth-like planets orbiting different types of stars. Clouds have an important influence on such planetary emission spectra due to their wavelength dependent absorption and scattering properties. We also investigate the influence of clouds on the ability to derive information about planetary surface temperatures from low-resolution spectra.Comment: accepted for publication in A&

    Was bei einem Blackout geschieht : Folgen eines langandauernden und großrĂ€umigen Stromausfalls

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    StromausfĂ€lle in Europa und Nordamerika haben in den letzten Jahren einen nachhaltigen Eindruck von der Verletzbarkeit moderner und hochtechnisierter Gesellschaften vermittelt. Obwohl die Stromversorgung allenfalls eine Woche und lokal begrenzt unterbrochen war, zeigten sich bereits massive Funktions- und Versorgungsstörungen, GefĂ€hrdungen der öffentlichen Ordnung sowie SchĂ€den in Milliardenhöhe. Welche Folgen ein langandauernder und großflĂ€chiger Stromausfall auf die Gesellschaft und ihre Kritischen Infrastrukturen haben könnte und wie Deutschland auf eine solche Großschadenslage vorbereitet ist, wird in diesem Buch aufgezeigt. Mittels umfassender Folgenanalysen fĂŒhren die Autoren drastisch vor Augen, dass bereits nach wenigen Tagen im betroffenen Gebiet die bedarfsgerechte Versorgung der Bevölkerung mit (lebens)notwendigen GĂŒtern und Dienstleistungen nicht mehr sicherzustellen ist. Auch wird deutlich gemacht, dass erhebliche Anstrengungen erforderlich sind, um die DurchhaltefĂ€higkeit Kritischer Infrastrukturen zu erhöhen sowie die KapazitĂ€ten des nationalen Systems des Katastrophenmanagements weiter zu optimieren. Das Buch basiert auf dem TAB-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 141 »GefĂ€hrdung und Verletzbarkeit moderner Gesellschaften - am Beispiel eines großrĂ€umigen und langandauernden Ausfalls der Stromversorgung«

    GefĂ€hrdung und Verletzbarkeit moderner Gesellschaften - am Beispiel eines großrĂ€umigen und langandauernden Ausfalls der Stromversorgung. Endbericht zum TA-Projekt

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    In modernen, arbeitsteiligen und hochtechnisierten Gesellschaften erfolgt die Versorgung der Bevölkerung mit (lebens)notwendigen GĂŒtern und Dienstleistungen durch ein hochentwickeltes, eng verflochtenes Netzwerk »Kritischer Infrastrukturen«. Dazu zĂ€hlen u. a. Informationstechnik und Telekommunikation, Transport und Verkehr, Energieversorgung oder das Gesundheitswesen. Diese sind aufgrund ihrer internen KomplexitĂ€t sowie der großen AbhĂ€ngigkeit voneinander hochgradig verletzbar. Terroristische AnschlĂ€ge, Naturkatastrophen oder besonders schwere UnglĂŒcksfĂ€lle haben nicht erst im zurĂŒckliegenden Jahrzehnt offenkundig gemacht, welche weitreichenden Folgen die BeeintrĂ€chtigung oder der Ausfall Kritischer Infrastrukturen fĂŒr das gesellschaftliche System insgesamt haben können. Aufgrund der nahezu vollstĂ€ndigen Durchdringung der Lebens- und Arbeitswelt mit elektrisch betriebenen GerĂ€ten wĂŒrden sich die Folgen eines langandauernden und großflĂ€chigen Stromausfalls zu einer Schadenslage von besonderer QualitĂ€t summieren. Betroffen wĂ€ren alle Kritischen Infrastrukturen, und ein Kollaps der gesamten Gesellschaft wĂ€re kaum zu verhindern. Trotz dieses Gefahren- und Katastrophenpotenzials ist ein diesbezĂŒgliches gesellschaftliches Risikobewusstsein nur in AnsĂ€tzen vorhanden. INHALT ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 3 I. EINLEITUNG 29 1. Verletzlichkeit moderner Gesellschaften 29 2. Stromausfall als Auslöser einer »nationalen Katastrophe« 31 3. Beauftragung, Vorgehen, Aufbau des Berichts 33 II. DAS SYSTEM DES KRISENMANAGEMENTS IN DEUTSCHLAND 39 1. Rechtsgrundlagen der KatastrophenbewĂ€ltigung 41 2. Krisenmanagement in Deutschland: Akteure, Strukturen und Verfahren 46 III. FOLGEN EINES LANGANDAUERNDEN UND GROSSRÄUMIGEN STROMAUSFALLS 59 1. Einleitung 59 1.1 Anmerkungen zu den Ursachen eines langandauernden und großrĂ€umigen Stromausfalls 59 1.2 Kosten 61 2. Folgenanalysen ausgewĂ€hlter Sektoren Kritischer Infrastrukturen 64 2.1 Informationstechnik und Telekommunikation 66 2.2 Transport und Verkehr 89 2.3 Wasserversorgung und Abwasserentsorgung 117 2.4 Lebensmittelversorgung 138 2.5 Das Gesundheitswesen 151 2.6 Finanzdienstleistungen 164 2.7 Öffentliche Einrichtungen – Fallbeispiel »GefĂ€ngnis« 184 3. Verhaltensbezogene Folgen eines Stromausfalls und ihre Bestimmungsfaktoren 192 3.1 Psychologische Bestimmungsfaktoren 193 3.2 Thesen zu den verhaltensbezogenen Folgen eines langandauernden Stromausfalls 197 3.3 Informations- und Forschungsbedarf 202 IV. VERLETZBARKEIT, BEWÄLTIGUNGSOPTIONEN UND HANDLUNGSBEDARF – SCHLUSSFOLGERUNGEN 205 1. Informationstechnik und Telekommunikation 205 2. Transport und Verkehr 207 3. Wasser und Abwasser 209 4. Versorgung mit Lebensmitteln 214 5. Gesundheitswesen 216 6. Finanzdienstleistungen 219 7. Fallbeispiel »GefĂ€ngnisse« 220 8. Bereichs- und organisationsĂŒbergreifendes Katastrophenmanagement 222 9. Vernetzte KatastrophenbewĂ€ltigung –ohne Netz 225 10. Krisenkommunikation ohne Strom 230 11. Versorgung mit Treibstoff, Sicherstellung einer robusten Notstromversorgung 231 12. Inselnetze als Option zur Steigerung der Resilienz der Stromversorgung nach einem Stromausfall 233 13. Information und Sensibilisierung der Bevölkerung 235 14. Fazit 237 V. LITERATUR 239 1. In Auftrag gegebene Gutachten 239 2. Weitere Literatur 239 3. Internetadressen 252 VI. ANHANG 255 1. Tabellenverzeichnis 255 2. Abbildungsverzeichnis 255 3. AbkĂŒrzungsverzeichnis 25

    Optimization of sample preparation and instrumental parameters for the rapid analysis of drugs of abuse in hair samples by MALDI-MS/MS imaging

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    Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) has been employed to rapidly screen longitudinally sectioned drug user hair samples for cocaine and its metabolites using continuous raster imaging. Optimization of the spatial resolution and raster speed were performed on intact cocaine contaminated hair samples. The optimized settings (100 × 150 ÎŒm at 0.24 mm/s) were subsequently used to examine longitudinally sectioned drug user hair samples. The MALDI-MS/MS images showed the distribution of the most abundant cocaine product ion at m/z 182. Using the optimized settings, multiple hair samples obtained from two users were analyzed in approximately 3 h: six times faster than the standard spot-to-spot acquisition method. Quantitation was achieved using longitudinally sectioned control hair samples sprayed with a cocaine dilution series. A multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) experiment was also performed using the 'dynamic pixel' imaging method to screen for cocaine and a range of its metabolites, in order to differentiate between contaminated hairs and drug users. Cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and cocaethylene were detectable, in agreement with analyses carried out using the standard LC-MS/MS method. Graphical Abstract ᅟ

    Clouds in the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. I. Climatic effects of multi-layered clouds for Earth-like planets and implications for habitable zones

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    The effects of multi-layered clouds in the atmospheres of Earth-like planets orbiting different types of stars are studied. The radiative effects of cloud particles are directly correlated with their wavelength-dependent optical properties. Therefore the incident stellar spectra may play an important role for the climatic effect of clouds. We discuss the influence of clouds with mean properties measured in the Earth's atmosphere on the surface temperatures and Bond albedos of Earth-like planets orbiting different types of main sequence dwarf stars.Comment: accepted for publication in A&

    The impact of ice crystal shapes, size distributions and spatial structures of cirrus clouds on solar radiative fluxes

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    The solar radiative properties of cirrus clouds depend on ice particle shape, size, and orientation, as well as on the spatial cloud structure. Radiation schemes in atmospheric circulation models rely on estimates of cloud optical thickness only. In the present work, a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code is applied to various cirrus cloud scenarios to obtain the radiative response of uncertainties in the above-mentioned microphysical and spatial cloud properties (except orientation). First, plane-parallel homogeneous (0D) clouds with different crystal shapes (hexagonal columns, irregular polycrystals) and 114 different size distributions have been considered. The resulting variabilities in the solar radiative fluxes are in the order of a few percent for the reflected and about 1% for the diffusely transmitted fluxes. Largest variabilities in the order of 10% to 30% are found for the solar broadband absorptance. However, these variabilities are smaller than the flux differences caused by the choice of ice particle geometries. The influence of cloud inhomogeneities on the radiative fluxes has been examined with the help of time series of Raman lidar extinction coefficient profiles as input for the radiative transfer calculations. Significant differences between results for inhomogeneous and plane-parallel clouds were found. These differences are in the same order of magnitude as those arising from using extremely different crystal shapes for the radiative transfer calculations. From this sensitivity study, the ranking of cirrus cloud properties according to their importance in solar broadband radiative transfer is optical thickness, ice crystal shape, ice particle size, and spatial structure

    Inheritance of Temporal Logic Properties

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    Abstract. Inheritance is one of the key features for the success of object-oriented languages. Inheritance (or specialisation) supports incremental design and re-use of already written specifications or programs. In a for-mal approach to system design the interest does not only lie in re-use of class definitions but also in re-use of correctness proofs. If a provably correct class is specialised we like to know those correctness properties which are preserved in the subclass. This can avoid re-verification of already proven properties and may thus substantially reduce the verifi-cation effort. In this paper we study the question of inheritance of correctness prop-erties in the context of state-based formalisms, using a temporal logic (CTL) to formalise requirements on classes. Given a superclass and its specialised subclass we develop a technique for computing the set of for-mulas which are preserved in the subclass. For specialisation we allow addition of attributes, modification of existing as well as extension with new methods.

    Inductive Proof Outlines for Monitors in Java

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    Abstract. The research concerning Java’s semantics and proof theory has mainly focussed on various aspects of sequential sub-languages. Java, however, integrates features of a class-based object-oriented language with the notion of multi-threading, where multiple threads can concurrently execute and exchange information via shared instance variables. Furthermore, each object can act as a monitor to assure mutual exclusion or to coordinate between threads. In this paper we present a sound and relatively complete assertional proof system for Java’s monitor concept, which generates verification conditions for a concurrent sublanguage JavaMT of Java. This work extends previous results by incorporating Java’s monitor methods
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