IMAGE:Fenced-in areas, such as airports, nuclear power stations, industrial sites, or private plots of land, can now be monitored thanks to novel sensor technology that has been developed by a... view more

Credit: Credit: Oliver Dietze

This news release is available in German.

Fenced-in areas, such as airports, nuclear power stations, industrial sites, or private plots of land, can now be monitored thanks to novel sensor technology that has been developed by a team of experimental physicists, led by Professor Uwe Hartmann at Saarland University. The sensors respond immediately as soon as someone tries to climb over or cut through the fence, providing information on the precise location of the security breach. They are even able to detect a low-flying drone passing overhead. The thin cable containing the magnetic field sensors can be easily installed on perimeter fences of all kinds. The research team is currently working on developing the system so that it can recognize the cause of a disturbance and can automatically identify false alarms triggered by wind or animals. The team is collaborating with industrial partners to produce a cable suitable for mass production. The technology will be shown at HANNOVER MESSE from April 13th to April 17th. The team will be exhibiting at the Saarland Research and Innovation Stand in Hall 2, Stand B 46.

If someone tries to tamper with a fence, or if they try to climb over it or cut the links with bolt cutters, they will, unavoidably, cause a vibrational disturbance. The movement of the metal fence as it swings back and forth, the motion of the metal cutters or even the trespasser's belt will all influence the Earth's magnetic field. These changes are being exploited by a team of experimental physicists at Saarland University for a new type of surveillance technology. 'Our magnetometers (magnetic field sensors) are highly sensitive and can reliably measure even the smallest of changes in the ambient magnetic field,' explains Professor Uwe Hartmann. The sensors are even able to detect when a drone flies close by overhead - provided, of course, that the drone contains metal. 'The sensors can detect disturbances in the surrounding magnetic field, including the magnetic field above them, with a range extending several metres,' adds research assistant Haibin Gao who is working on the sensor technology as part of Hartmann's team.

The cable, which contains the linearly arranged sensors, has a diameter comparable to a standard electrical cable and enables the remote monitoring of miles of perimeter fencing. 'The cable can be attached to the fence, built into it or even buried beneath it. We are currently working with a number of companies to reduce the size of the system and, most importantly, to lower the cost of producing the sensors to a level where large-volume production becomes feasible,' says Uwe Hartmann. The contactless sensors are not subject to wear and have a low power consumption. They are unaffected by rain or fog. 'The sensors function independently of the weather and this gives them a significant advantage over other surveillance techniques, such as cameras, where moisture is often a problem. And the measurements are unproblematic from the point of view of privacy. The sensors simply report that a vibrational disturbance was caused by a human agent at a specific location. No other information is gathered,' explains Professor Hartmann. A number of different types of sensor systems developed by his research group have already been deployed in traffic management systems, for example in airports.

The miniature sensors in the cable are networked and any change that they register is immediately transmitted to the analyser unit. The location of the disturbance can be specified with high precision, which is of particular value when monitoring very large areas. Scientists in Hartmann's team are currently working on refining the technology so that the sensors are able to unambiguously assign a particular type of vibration or a particular change in the measured magnetic field to a specific type of disturbance. 'The aim is to develop a system that can automatically identify false alarms triggered by wind, animals or some other harmless cause,' explains Hartmann. To do this the researchers are currently simulating different types of disturbances. A number of fences on the Saarbrcken campus are presently undergoing long-term monitoring to determine how the system is affected by such factors as wind. This field data is used by the physicists to model typical disturbance scenarios and to train the system with the aid of complex mathematical methods. The results are then used to program the sensors and the analyser unit. The new information enables the analyser to automatically attribute a disturbance to a particular cause. If the cause is identified as human, an alarm is triggered; if the disturbance was due to animal rubbing up against the fence, no alarm is set off.

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The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has provided a total of more than one million Euro in research funding, of which more than 250,000 was allocated to Saarland University. Industrial project partners are Sensitec GmbH, based in Mainz and Lahnau and GBA-Panek GmbH whose headquarters are in Kahla, south of Jena.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Uwe Hartmann, Nanostructure Research and Nanotechnology Group, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, Germany,

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Sensor cable monitors fences of all kinds and can even detect low-level drone fly-bys

Ecopassages may be less effective reptile road mortality mitigation tools when fences fail to keep reptiles from accessing the road, according to a study published March 25, 2015 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by James Baxter-Gilbert from Laurentian University, Canada, and colleagues.

Roadways pose serious threats to animal populations and the use of tools, like fences and ecopassages, to mitigate road crossing mortality are becoming increasingly common. To evaluate the effectiveness of these tools, the authors of this study compared reptile abundance on an Ontario, Canada highway before and after fencing and ecopassage installation and at a control site from May to August in 2012 and 2013. Scientists used radio telemetry, cameras, and a tagging system to monitor reptile movements and use of ecopassages. Additionally, they conducted a willingness to utilize experiment to quantify turtle behavioral responses to ecopassages.

The authors found no difference in turtle abundance on the road between the un-mitigated and mitigated highways, and an increase in the percentage of both dead snakes and turtles detected on the road post-mitigation, suggesting that the fencing was not effective. Although ecopassages were used by reptiles, the number of crossings through ecopassages was lower than road-surface crossings, suggesting that effectiveness of ecopassages may be compromised when alternative crossing options are available, like through holes in the fence. The authors suggest that mitigation measures need to be designed with the biology and behavior of the target species in mind and to quantitatively evaluate road mitigation to allow for adaptive management and optimization of these conservation tools.

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120537

Citation: Baxter-Gilbert JH, Riley JL, Lesbarrres D, Litzgus JD (2015) Mitigating Reptile Road Mortality: Fence Failures Compromise Ecopassage Effectiveness. PLoS ONE 10(3): e0120537. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120537

Funding: Financial support for this research was provided by Magnetawan First Nation, Laurentian University, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) HIIFP Grant, and NSERC Discovery Grant. Opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and may not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the MTO. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Mitigating reptile road mortality

It weighs over 100,000 tonnes, is nearly as long as the 102-storey Empire State Building in Manhattan and serves 18,150 meals a day to over 3,200 sailors and 2,480 airmen. Welcome to the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Nicknamed the 'Big Stick', the Nimitz Class supercarrier has a a 4.5 acre flight deck serving its 60 war planes and leads a strike group that comprises five ships.

The ultimate symbol of American naval might, USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently on an eight-month deployment during which it is expected to relieve the USS Carl Vinson strike group that has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Here's a glimpse of what it's like to be inside the USS Theodore Roosevelt:

Image: An SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the Dragonslayers of Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 11, hovers over the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Photograph: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katie Lash/US Navy

Image: An F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the "Gladiators" of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron 106, prepares to take off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Photograph: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Recruit Alex Millar/US Navy

Image: Culinary Specialist Seaman Christopher Miller marinates ribs for dinner aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Photograph: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Heath Zeigler/US Navy

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Inside the world's largest aircraft carrier

VINNY VELLA, Daily News Staff Writer vellav@phillynews.com, 215-854-2513 Posted: Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 12:16 AM

DURING HIS first moments as a free man in nearly 45 years, Clarence Safwat Davis was thinking about groceries. Specifically, about whether his family needed to pick up bread and milk on the drive home to Tioga from the state correctional institution at Graterford.

"It's something that's part of our normal flow as a family, something we always do and ask about," Davis, 64, said the other day, a few weeks after that January night. "I didn't want to miss that step. I really just wanted to pick up where we had left off."

But his first thought, even before pantry staples, was how surreal it felt to be able to do whatever he wanted for the first time since he was 20 years old. "I hoped that no one would come along and pinch me and wake me up from this dream," he said. "It was unreal, and, in many respects, it still is unreal."

Davis' experience of re-entering society in what he calls a "second childhood" after years of captivity, of struggling to ease back into a world that evolved while he sat frozen in time, is shared by scores of men and women every year.

According to data from Philadelphia's Office of Reintegration Services, about 300,000 former inmates live among the city's 1.5 million residents. The Daily News interviewed three of these "returning citizens," three men from Philadelphia born anew after many years in prison.

A few days after Davis made that trip into the parking lot in Graterford pushing a cart full of the belongings he had accumulated in prison, someone asked him what was new.

"Everything," he said. "It's like they let me down on another planet."

Philly was a city that, more than 40 years ago, Davis knew like "the back of my hand." Now, on SEPTA buses he has to ask the driver where his stop is.

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Shock of freedom: Life after prison

The Huron County Hiring Fair will be held from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Huron County Fairgrounds Expo Building.

There will be an employment assistance center located at the fair from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will have assistants available to help with a resume, make copies, etc.

Be prepared for an on-site interview, bring plenty of resumes, dress for an interview. For more information you can call: 419-668-8126 ext. 3457.

Positions employers will be looking to hire these and other positions: administrative assistant, assemblers, assembly, bank tellers, CDL drivers, clerical specialist, CNA, compounders, customer service, data entry, diesel mechanic, diesel technician, dietary, direct sales, educational technician, educational opportunities, electrical engineers, electrical technicians, electrician, fabricators, fitness instructors, forklift drivers, front desk staff, general labor, gymnastic instructors, gym supervisors, hardware store sales, highway construction laborers, home health aides, housekeeping, human resources representatives, hydraulic tech, industrial and residential painters, inspectors, installers, lab tech, laborers, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), lifeguards, line work, machine operators, outside sales, machinist, maintenance technician, manufacturing, marketing, material handler, mechanical engineer, medical assistant, mig welders, molding, occupational therapist, operators, order pullers, packers, personal banker, Registered Nurse (RN), retail clerk, retail management, sales reps, senior applications analyst, skilled labor, substitute teachers, State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA), students with placement upon graduation, substitute educational aides, substitute classified school based positions (daily and long term assignments), swim lesson instructors, therapists, truck drivers, veteran representative, warehouse, welders and wire pullers.

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Looking for work? Hiring Fair this afternoon

Fast-Pace Drywall Installation and Mold-Resistant Interior Siding
Bob spends a moment with the drywall contractor before speaking with Thad Goodman of Georgia Pacific. Mr. Goodman tells Bob about the unique, mold-resistant properties of DensArmor, the interior...

By: Bob Vila

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Fast-Pace Drywall Installation and Mold-Resistant Interior Siding - Video

Conceptual artist Lars Jan has spent the last several years creating a project inspired by scenes of floodwaters, from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Theres no question in his mind that climate change is to blame, which makes the installation of Holoscenes, a 14,000-gallon aquarium on the bayfront adjacent to C d Zan, all the more pointed.

If sea levels rise as scientists predict, the first floor of John Ringlings mansion will be under water by the end of the century.

Florida is absolutely on the very front lines of this issue, whether anyone who lives, votes, or leads there wants it to be or not, said Jan, a New York City-based artist.

"Bed" performed by Geoff Sobelle of New York, as Valerie Jenvey, an art teacher on her spring break from Carmel, California looks on. / HERALD-TRIBUNE PHOTO BY THOMAS BENDER

Jan knows firsthand about rising waters.

When Hurricane Sandy swamped the eastern seaboard in 2012, Jan and his wife, new parents, left their home in Brooklyn for a few days. When they returned, our part of Brooklyn was in disarray, which is fortunate in comparison to the many other areas that were devastated, said Jan.

"Persimmons" performed by Lua Shayenne of Toronto, Canada as part of "Holoscenes" at The Ringling. / HERALD-TRIBUNE PHOTO BY THOMAS BENDER

There were multi-hour gas lines for the entirety of the next month, which made shopping, going to the doctor and traveling out of the city very difficult. There were all sorts of shortages that lasted for months. I visited various parts of Manhattan in the days following Sandy, experienced the total black out and the piles of ruined furniture, drywall, destroyed books and more. As an artist, he was compelled to address the flooding and the larger issue of how climate change will impact human behavior through his artwork. The resulting public art and performance project is on display through Saturday on the Ringling Museum campus.

Holoscenes is a Plexiglas water tank in which a performer acts out an everyday behavior as the waters rise and fall around him or her, from taking a nap to washing windows to reading the newspaper. Four performers take 45-minute turns in the tank, acting out eight scenarios.

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Performance art on front lines of climate change

As spring officially begins, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today is warning Ohioans to be wary of solicitors who offer roofing, driveway paving, or tree trimming services and demand up-front payment.

"Spring is a good time to make home repairs, but it's also a time to watch for scams," Attorney General DeWine said. "If someone comes to your door offering goods or services, ask for references and take time to think about it. If they pressure you or demand large up-front payments, it could be a scam. Be very careful before handing over your money."

In 2014, the Ohio Attorney General's Office received more than 2,500 complaints about household goods or property improvement. The office also filed 14 civil lawsuits and pursued several criminal cases involving home improvement.

To help Ohioans protect themselves, Attorney General DeWine encouraged consumers to look for signs of a potential home repair scam, including:

Requests for a large down payment. If you have to pay half or more of the total price in advance, be skeptical. Scam artists often try to pressure consumers to make large down payments before any work is started.

Requests for cash payment. Be wary if you are told you must pay in cash versus other forms of payment. If something goes wrong, it will be difficult to recover cash payments.

No notice of your right to cancel. In Ohio, consumers generally have a three-day right to cancel a contract that results from a door-to-door sale. Under the Home Solicitation Sales Act, sellers are required to notify consumers about this right.

Work that will begin immediately. If someone offers to perform work on your home right away, be skeptical. Some traveling scam artists claim they have leftover materials or that they "just happened to be in the neighborhood," but after taking consumers' payments, they leave without doing any work or after doing a poor job.

No written contract or references. If a contractor won't provide you with a written contract detailing the costs, the work to be done, and the starting and end dates, consider doing business with someone else. Also be skeptical if a contractor refuses to provide references of past customers.

Consumers who suspect a scam should contact the Ohio Attorney General's Office at http://www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 800-282-0515.

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Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine warns of spring scams

Abbruch Kaufland Augsburg Menck Seilbagger Demolition Crane
Abbruch Kaufland (EGM Center ) in Augsburg im Mrz 2015 1.Teil Menck M 152 Seilbagger der Fa. Luff Demolition a shopping mall in Augsburg, Germany using a old wrecking ball crane; ...

By: Menckbagger

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Abbruch Kaufland Augsburg Menck Seilbagger Demolition Crane - Video

Demolition bali style
Hard work demolishing a wall without machinery.

By: Wellness Explored

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Demolition bali style - Video