Is Screening Cargo Containers for Smuggled Nuclear Threats Worthwhile?

In recent years, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has installed radiation sensors to screen cargo containers entering theUnited States. They are concerned that terrorists could use containers to smuggle radiological material into the country and carry out attacks with dirty bombs or a nuclear device. Recent studies have questioned the value of improving this screening system with new sensor technology. The cost of delays caused by frequent false alarms outweighs any reduction in the probability of an attack in an expected cost analysis. We extend existing methodology in three ways to demonstrate how additional factors affect the value of screening investments. We examine the effect that screening has in discouraging terrorists. We model multiple levels of screening. Finally, we consider additional objectives beyond cost. We find that the conclusion about screening depends on key inputs to the probability model (reflecting uncertainties) and to the value function (reflecting the stakeholders’ fundamental objectives)

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Designing Aviation Security Systems: Theory and Practice

122 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.Next-generation aviation security systems need not merely be makeshift political solutions for mending complex problems; they can be the result of modeling, analysis, and planning. This dissertation provides a systematic approach for designing and analyzing aviation security systems, which provides insight into the operation of passenger screening systems and guidance for the design of next-generation aviation security systems.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Designing Aviation Security Systems: Theory and Practice

122 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.Next-generation aviation security systems need not merely be makeshift political solutions for mending complex problems; they can be the result of modeling, analysis, and planning. This dissertation provides a systematic approach for designing and analyzing aviation security systems, which provides insight into the operation of passenger screening systems and guidance for the design of next-generation aviation security systems.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Is Screening Cargo Containers for Smuggled Nuclear Threats Worthwhile

[email protected]} I n recent years, Customs and Border Protection has installed radiation sensors to screen cargo containers entering the United States. They are concerned that terrorists could use containers to smuggle radiological material into the country and carry out attacks with dirty bombs or a nuclear device. Recent studies have questioned the value of improving this screening system with new sensor technology. The cost of delays caused by frequent false alarms outweighs any reduction in the probability of an attack in an expected-cost analysis. We extend existing methodology in three ways to demonstrate how additional factors affect the value of screening investments. We examine the effect that screening has in discouraging terrorists. We model multiple levels of screening. Finally, we consider additional objectives beyond cost. We find that the conclusion about screening depends on key inputs to the probability model (reflecting uncertainties) and to the value function (reflecting the stakeholders' fundamental objectives)

Evaluating emergency medical service performance measures

Discrete optimization, Emergency medical service, Patient outcomes, Performance measures, Health policy modeling,