It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Spyware Pegasus: Amazon Cuts NSO Infrastructure and Deletes Accounts
For the Israeli company NSO and its spyware Pegasus, the latest revelations have the first consequences. A major cloud provider has pulled the plug.
The US cloud service provider AWS (Amazon Web Services) has shut down infrastructure and accounts associated with the Israeli NSO Group and its spyware Pegasus. This is reported by the US magazine Vice, citing Amazon, referring to the recent allegations against the Israeli company, whose surveillance software was found on dozens of smartphones by journalists, human rights activists, their family members and businessmen. "When we learned of these activities, we reacted quickly and blocked the relevant infrastructure and accounts," Amazon said.
A detailed summary of the technical background published by Amnesty International revealed, among other things, that the infrastructure used by NSO to operate the spyware was also based on AWS. 73 servers were assigned to the US provider. Other providers used include Digital Ocean, Linode and the European provider OVH. While Amazon has now reacted, there are still no statements from the others. According to the technical reports on Pegasus spyware, NSO had probably only recently switched to AWS and the associated content delivery network Cloudfront. NSO had vehemently rejected the allegations made on Sunday.
Starlink & Co .: Call for debate on satellite constellations at the UN
Published by: MRT Published on: July 20, 2021 A group of astronomers is campaigning for satellite constellations like Starlink to land on the United Nations agenda before the restrictions on sky observation become too severe. The US science magazine Nature reports, citing Piero Benvenuti, a former Secretary General of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Together with others, he has already managed to put the topic on the agenda in a sub-committee of the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), and the entire committee is now to discuss it. The aim is a common idea of how unregulated space can be used fairly.
Tens of thousands of satellites planned
Responsible for worries in the astronomy community are space companies like SpaceX and OneWeb, which have already begun building global satellite networks for Internet access. SpaceX in particular is setting an enormous pace and has already launched more than 1,700 satellites for Starlink. Further mega constellations have been announced. The fear is therefore growing that astronomy, but also simple sky observation, would be impaired by the rapidly growing number of satellites in low orbits. Especially when the satellites have not yet reached their final position, some of them are clearly visible in the sky and even experts were surprised by their brightness. Not only the IAU, but also the European Southern Observatory ESO, warned of the consequences.
Benvenuti assures Nature that the debates in United Nations bodies are not intended to play off astronomers against satellite operators. Instead, it is a matter of reaching a consensus on the use of space that takes into account all interests. Because even if companies like SpaceX adhere to – self-imposed – guidelines for minimizing the visibility of the satellites, these will be visible to observatories and some planned giant telescopes could be drastically restricted in their work. At the same time, there are no globally binding guidelines on the extent to which satellites are allowed to change the night sky at all. Even the UN does not have the authority to issue such rules, but there nations can agree on common rules. Technical solutions
Benvenuti and the others are now hoping that the topic will be discussed at the next meeting of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space from August 25, and they point to the urgency, writes Nature. While an international set of rules is unlikely to become a reality for years, even in the best case scenario, SpaceX is continuing to expand its constellation at great speed.
This is another reason why the research community also relies on technical solutions, such as databases on satellite orbits, in order to be able to avoid affected regions of the sky. In addition, software is being worked on in order to be able to remove the traces of the satellites from recordings. Others, meanwhile, tried to include the perspectives of indigenous communities who have deep cultural ties to the starry sky, which are also affected by the satellites.
The article includes interactive graphics that are created and delivered by the Berlin service provider Datawrapper. For data protection at Datawrapper, see their Data protection. Personal or personally identifiable data from readers of the interactive chats are not collected.
Washington (CNN)President Joe Biden has directed his administration to examine remittances to Cuba in the wake of protests on the island to determine ways for those residing in the US to send money to the country, a senior administration official told CNN.
"At President Biden's direction, the United States is actively pursuing measures that will both support the Cuban people and hold the Cuban regime accountable," the official said.
The "Remittance Working Group" will work to "identify the most effective way to get remittances directly into the hands of the Cuban people," the official said.
Biden had said last week he believed that under the current circumstances, remittances -- the practice of Americans transferring money to their Cuban relatives -- would end up in the hands of the regime. But since then he's faced pressure to show solidarity with protesters
Cuba's government controls the financial sector on the island and all communications. Getting around the government to send money or improve internet access is a challenge other US administrations have tried and failed to overcome.
But the issue has taken on increased urgency in recent days alongside the largest protests on the island in decades. Thousands of Cubans took to the streets across the nation this month to protest chronic shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government's handling of a worsening coronavirus outbreak, marking the most significant unrest in decades.
The State Department also is reviewing its plans to bolster staffing at the US Embassy in Havana "to facilitate diplomatic, consular and civil society engagement, and an appropriate security posture," the official said.
The White House is exploring whether to sanction "Cuban officials responsible for violence, repression and human rights violations against peaceful protesters in Cuba," the official said. The US will "intensify diplomatic engagement with regional and international partners to support the aspirations of the Cuban people."
Last week, Biden said he was looking into the potential for restoring internet access to Cuba. The official said Monday that the US would "work closely with the private sector and the US Congress to identify viable options to make the internet more accessible to the Cuban people."
Under the Obama administration, Cuba oversaw the reopening of embassies and relaxing of many restrictions long in place since the embargo.
But the Trump administration enacted some of the toughest economic measures against Cuba in decades, reinstated travel restrictions and -- before leaving office -- named Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism.
CNN's Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
Braid: Alberta MLAs need a pay cut of their own before they start on nurses
It seems only fair, as negotiations with the nurses begin, for Alberta MLAs to take a pay cut of $22,000
Author of the article:Don Braid • Calgary Herald Publishing date:Jul 19, 2021 •
The Alberta Legislature in Edmonton, May 26, 2020.
PHOTO BY ED KAISER/POSTMEDIA When UCP politicians say nurses are the best paid in Canada and must take a three-per-cent cut, they’re forgetting something. Those very politicians are the nation’s most lavishly paid provincial politicians by a wide margin.
This has often been noted before. The information isn’t hard to find; every province publishes it. Alberta MLAs from all parties earn a base annual pay of $120,936. The next best paid, at $116,550, are Ontario legislators. But the average base pay for members of all 10 provincial legislatures is $98,448, even including Alberta’s bloated compensation.
So it seems only fair, as negotiations with the nurses begin, for Alberta MLAs to take a pay cut of $22,000.
You’d think the UCP members would be proud to do this.
Will it happen? Let’s not be ridiculous. Premier Jason Kenney’s MLAs took a five-per-cent cut in 2019. That still left them the highest paid in Canada by far, but it’s probably all the virtue-signalling we’ll get out of them.
Here’s the striking list of base political pay in all the provinces, from lowest paid to highest: Prince Edward Island, $74,394; New Brunswick, $85,000; Nova Scotia, $89,234; Newfoundland and Labrador, $95,357; Quebec, $95,704; Manitoba, $96,214; Saskatchewan, $100,068; British Columbia, $111,024; Ontario, $116,550; and Alberta, $120,936.
The Alberta debate over the five-per-cent cut was heated. The NDP agreed in principle, as long as the government didn’t use it as leverage to lower public sector wages.
Kenney took a 10-per-cent reduction, down to $186,000 a year. Full ministers lost five per cent, leaving them at $181,000, not much short of the boss.
The cuts at least recognized that Alberta political pay was absurdly above the national norm.
But today, it remains far too high for a province that could be about to cut pay for nurses and other crucial workers.
Many Albertans took pay cuts during the pandemic, if they kept their jobs at all. Politicians, who set their own pay, are uniquely protected.
Each province has different rules about expenses and top-ups to the base pay. It’s a rare politician anywhere who is only paid the starter salary. Alberta MLAs, for instance, get an annual budget of $23,160 to rent housing in Edmonton, if they don’t already live there. There are generous allowances for travel, mileage and meals.
Members of Quebec’s National Assembly are paid well below the national average, but part of it is tax-free, a perk abolished in Alberta several years ago.
In a statement July 6, Finance Minister Travis Toews said: “We respect and appreciate the invaluable role they (nurses) have played in helping the province emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. . . But he added: “On average Alberta nurses make 5.6 per cent more than in other comparator provinces (he means the big ones).
“This costs Alberta approximately $141 million per year at a time when our finances are already stretched.” Toews is comparing Alberta to Ontario, B.C. and, apparently, Quebec. MLAs’ base pay across those provinces averages $107,643. So, UCP MLAs, would you settle for a cut of $13,000 from your base pay?
You could always cut the remaining $9,000 later, to get down to the national average.
Good MLAs work hard. They have endless meetings in the legislature and in their ridings. Long sessions are a grind. Today’s political culture is toxic.
But it’s basically the same job in every province. MLAs represent constituents and debate policy. Ministers and the premier run the government and get paid for the extra work.
The size of the province has little to do with it. Provinces with more people have more MLAs. There’s no sane explanation for, say, the $35,000 MLA pay difference between New Brunswick and Alberta, or the $25,000 gap between Manitoba and Alberta.
The cost of bloated political compensation of course is tiny compared to health care costs.
But the legislature is where it all starts, every penny. If MLAs are really in this for the province, rather than just themselves, they will cough up.
The Maine Yankee former nuclear power plant operated from 1972 to 1996 and was decommissioned in 2005. The facility was part of the deal when Enmax bought U.S. utility Versant Power (formerly Emera Maine) in March of 2020. (Versant Power)
Enmax's acquisition of a utility in Maine last year came with a nuclear surprise that city council members say they weren't told about.
When the city-owned Enmax closed on its deal to buy Versant Power (formerly Emera Maine) in March of 2020, it also acquired Versant's interest in a former nuclear power plant.
The Maine Yankee plant operated from 1972 to 1996 and was decommissioned in 2005.
Versant owned 12 per cent of the electricity generated by the power plant. Its ratepayers also paid up front for 12 per cent of the decommissioning costs.
The plant was torn down and tonnes of spent nuclear fuel rods from the facility were temporarily encased in 64 concrete silos at a protected site in Wiscassett, Maine.
Part of the deal
The president of Versant Power, John Flynn, tells CBC News that Enmax couldn't avoid taking on the Maine Yankee obligation when it purchased Versant.
"As part of the acquisition, Enmax really didn't have the opportunity to pick and choose the assets or relationships or obligations it wanted," said Flynn. "It was making a bid for the entire company."
He said there isn't a market for a temporary nuclear waste storage facility, so any buyer of Versant would have had to take on that obligation.
The city-owned Enmax has a stake in a Maine nuclear fuel storage facility. (Evelyne Asselin/CBC)
There are approximately $10 million US in annual costs related to the safe operation of the spent nuclear fuel storage site, including monitoring, maintenance and security.
About 38 people work at the site.
But Flynn said this doesn't actually cost Versant or Enmax any money.
It's covered by a trust fund which includes legal settlements from the US Department of Energy (DOE), which has a legal responsibility to ultimately remove the tonnes of spent fuel and find a permanent storage site.
Temporary site may be used for years
Flynn said there's currently no estimate from the DOE on when it may move the materials to a final storage site.
He said the trust fund has enough money in it that the operation of the temporary facility will be covered for years to come.
In some years, Flynn said annual payments from the fund have been made to Versant customers who prepaid the decommissioning costs during the years the nuclear power plant was in operation.
The 11-acre temporary storage site is patrolled around the clock by armed security guards.
"The entire site is surrounded by a security perimeter that has 24/7 security that is of the level you would expect to see on an army base, so it is a hyper-secure site."
While Enmax says it doesn't own the spent nuclear fuel, it does list in its annual financial report the historical 12 per cent interest in Maine Yankee.
Council kept in dark
The situation concerns Coun. Evan Woolley, who said that Enmax never mentioned the spent nuclear fuel site when the utility briefed city council on its bid for Versant.
He is one of several council members contacted by CBC News who said they were unaware of that part of the $1.3 billion acquisition, which also included $500 million in debt.
"Owning 12 per cent of a company that owns a bunch of nuclear waste has not only reputational risk but also real risk in terms of the world that we live in," said Woolley.
Coun. Evan Woolley said it was unacceptable that Enmax never mentioned the spent nuclear fuel site when the city-owned utility briefed council. (Justin Pennell/CBC)
The Ward 8 councillor, who is also the chair of council's audit committee, said he would have liked to have known this information before council approved Enmax's purchase.
"For us to not have been made aware of that is unacceptable," said Woolley.
"Enmax and now Versant Power, which was Emera Maine, is owned by Calgarians. So council and the shareholder are accountable for that decision."
Outside eyes needed
He describes Enmax's pitch to city council to approve its takeover of the company in Maine as "rushed."
His preference is that in future, a third party could assess such business opportunities for council and make a recommendation.
That perspective could come from the city's chief financial officer, the city solicitor or an external consultant.
A report is expected before the audit committee in September, which he said could result in changes that could help ensure Enmax and all of the city's wholly-owned subsidiaries are on the same page as city council in the future.
He describes Enmax as "the massive gorilla in the room in terms of its size and scale."
"The risk appetite of Enmax versus the risk appetite of a shareholder are different. And that's where we need to provide better alignment," said Woolley.
If council approves of any changes for its subsidiaries, he said it would mean that another transaction like the Versant purchase could not occur in the way that it did.
Reactors at Bruce nuclear station violated terms of operating licence MATTHEW MCCLEARN GLOBE & MAIL
JULY 19, 2021
Bruce Power, which operates the plant in Kincardine, Ont., announced in a July 13 statement that pressure tubes in Unit 3 and Unit 6 were found to have 'higher-than-anticipated readings.'
Two reactors at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station have violated the terms of its operating licence, its operator and the federal regulator have revealed.
Bruce Power, which operates the plant in Kincardine, Ont., announced in a July 13 statement that pressure tubes in Unit 3 and Unit 6 were found to have “higher-than-anticipated readings.” The following day, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) issued its own statement saying hydrogen equivalent concentration (Heq) levels in some of the station’s pressure tubes exceeded the allowable limit of 120 parts per million.
Pressure tubes are six-metre-long rods that contain bundles of uranium fuel. A CANDU reactor contains several hundred of them – and they are considered the principal life-limiting component of Canada’s reactor fleet. Pressure tubes with high Heq levels are at risk of developing blisters and cracks that could cause them to fracture.
Citing an ongoing “regulatory process” that “will continue to evolve,” Bruce Power did not answer questions from The Globe and Mail regarding how many tubes were affected or how much they exceeded the allowable limit. In a statement, spokesperson John Peevers wrote: “All six units that are currently operating have recently undergone similar inspections and demonstrated fitness for service.”
The CNSC, which regulates the industry, said in a written response to questions Friday that two tubes at the Bruce facility exceeded licensing limits. In the tube in Unit 6, the Heq level was measured at 212 ppm, almost double the allowable limit. It’s unclear what could have caused such an off-the-charts reading.
“Although a licence non-compliance is serious, it does not mean that safety of the operating units is compromised,” the CNSC said. It added that both reactors were already shut down when the exceedances were discovered. (All the tubes in Unit 6 are in the process of being replaced.)
At issue is the industry’s ability to accurately predict how long Canada’s aging nuclear reactors, many of which have already exceeded their 30-year design life, can continue to operate safely.
In 2018, Bruce Power said it expected tubes in units 5, 7 and 8 would exceed the hydrogen concentration limit before being shut down for refurbishment.
In response to Bruce Power’s contraventions, on July 13 the CNSC ordered the company, along with fellow CANDU operators Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and New Brunswick Power, to review the fitness for service of their pressure tubes and report back no later than the end of July.
Frank Greening, a retired OPG employee who worked for more than a decade with pressure tubes, said the Unit 6 tube reading is unprecedented and puts the regulator in a difficult position.
“If they take that hard line, they would have to tell just about the whole Canadian nuclear industry to shut down these units until they can sort this out,” Dr. Greening said. “And that’s borderline catastrophic … I think we’d have brownouts, or rolling blackouts, because I don’t think they can make up the deficit.” (According to the Canada Energy Regulator, Ontario generates about 60 per cent of its electricity with nuclear power; in New Brunswick, the figure is almost 40 per cent.)
Another option would be to raise the allowable limit for hydrogen concentration, which the CNSC has done before. Pressure tubes were originally expected to remain in service for 30 years, and the CNSC has raised regulatory limits several times as reactors approached them. For example, the maximum allowable hydrogen concentration was originally 100 ppm but was increased to 120 ppm a few years ago.
Pressure tubes deteriorate as they age, picking up deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) through a corrosion process known as deuterium ingress. In combination with other aging processes, deuterium ingress causes tubes to grow in length and diameter, known as creep, which allows more coolant to bypass the fuel bundles, lowering the margin of safety. Over time, tube walls become thinner and more brittle, which can cause them to crack and eventually fracture.
In January, 2019, the CNSC renewed Bruce Power’s licence to operate the Bruce station for 10 years, to 2028. However, the regulator insisted that before Heq levels exceeded 120 ppm, Bruce Power would have to prove that its pressure tubes could continue to operate safely above that level. If any pressure tube reached the limit, it declared, the operator would have to shut down the reactor.
At the time, Bruce Power promised to “extend the validity limits of the existing fracture toughness model to 140 ppm of [Heq] in pressure tubes by the end of 2018 and to 160 ppm of [Heq] by the end of 2019.”
But the CNSC said it received a new fracture toughness model for review this May. “No decisions regarding acceptance of the model have been made at this time,” it said.
The regulatory violations at the Bruce station are the latest indication that the industry’s approach to managing the aging of pressure tubes, and predicting deuterium ingress, may be breaking down.
“It shows their predictions aren’t worth beans,” Dr. Greening said. “Their predictions are failing. And this is not the first time.”
In March, The Globe reported that, since 2017, CNSC staffers had expressed concerns about unreliable data from pressure tube inspections by OPG at its Pickering plant, east of Toronto. CNSC staffers warned that measuring and predicting deuterium ingress is “potentially one of the biggest issues currently faced by the Industry.”
In a video statement released shortly after the story was published, CNSC president Rumina Velshi said: “We’ve heard from some who engage in sensationalism and who prefer to either misrepresent or ignore the facts.” She insisted the regulator considered safety to be a paramount concern.
After the revelations by Bruce Power this month, the CNSC acknowledged that the industry’s predictive models appear to “underpredict the maximum hydrogen equivalent concentration in pressure tubes of CANDU reactors.”
‘Future Belongs to Renewable Energy’ Says India’s Largest Oil Baron and Greenland, Which Ended Search for Oil By Andy Corbley -Jul 19, 2021
“The future belongs to renewable energy,” is a big thing for Big Oil’s fourth biggest player, and Asia’s richest energy baron to say, but Mukesh Ambani is letting his money do the talking—all $10.1 billion of it.
In late June the Chairman of Reliance Industries, one of the largest oil companies on the planet, announced a 750 billion rupee investment in a brand new renewable energy supply chain.
While oil majors like Reliance, Shell, or ExxonMobil are often the chief targets of climate activists’ attentions, the resources these energy giants can bring towards stimulating renewable investment and production are sometimes greater even than national governments. Furthermore, their decades of experience in the energy industry lends them certain insights into energy supply and demand trends that few others possess.
“The age of fossil fuels, which powered economic growth globally for nearly three centuries, cannot continue much longer,” Ambani stated. “The huge quantities of carbon it has emitted into the environment have endangered life on Earth.”
600 billion of the rupees will produce four “gigafactories” where solar arrays, hydrogen fuel cells, and battery grids will be produced, and another 150 billion will help reinforce the value chain through strategic partnerships.
When large firms like Reliance get involved, especially in production, manufacturing costs for renewable energy as a whole go down, not only because of investments in research and development, but also through market competition, as providers undercut each other’s prices to offer the best deal for consumers or government energy agencies. ‘Green’land
The forecast for a renewable future is one shared by Greenland, which has announced that all future oil and mineral exploration will cease, citing climate concerns and desires to invest in green energy.
Tens of billions of barrels of oil and hundreds of trillions square-feet of natural gas are predicted to lie under receding ice sheets, but keeping them in the ground is the new edict from the recently elected Inuit government of the Ataqatigiit.
“The future does not lie in oil. The future belongs to renewable energy, and in that respect we have much more to gain,” the Greenland government said in a statement, before adding it “wants to take co-responsibility for combating the global climate crisis.”
Inhabited by 57,000 people, AP’s sense is that the country is dreaming of independence, as it receives two-thirds of its national wealth from Denmark as charity.
In a sign of maturity from the fledgling state, Greenland has decided that a near-future of possible independence is not worth a long-term future of worsening climate change.
Low-cost, sustainable plasma technology could replace one of world’s rarest materials
A team led by a researcher from the University of Sydney has developed a low-cost, sustainable technology that can dim the screens of electronic devices, anti-reflection automobile mirrors, and smart architectural windows at a fraction of the cost of current technology.
It would replace one of the world’s scarcest – yet highly ubiquitous in use – modern materials: indium, a rare chemical element that is widely used in devices such as smartphones and computers, windscreen glass and self-dimming windows.
Although small amounts are used to manufacture smart device screens, indium is expensive as it is hard to source; it naturally occurs only in small deposits.
Industrial indium is often made as a byproduct of zinc mining, which means a shortage could occur if demand for optoelectronic devices – such as LCDs and touch panels – ramps up.
Dr. Behnam Akhavan in the plasma lab. Credit: Dr. Behnam Akhavan
Dr. Behnam Akhavan, an ARC DECRA Fellow from the School of Biomedical Engineering, School of Physics and the Sydney Nanoscience Hub has developed a plasma-generated, hybrid nanocomposite material which is free of indium, and offers a low-cost, accessible and environmentally sound electrochromic technology that allows glass to be dimmed at the push of a button or touch of a screen.
The research was funded by the University of Sydney and the Australian Research Council, and published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells on Monday.
The plasma-generated material is composed of tungsten oxide and silver and can be applied to coat almost any solid surface, including flexible plastics.
Known as the fourth state of matter, plasma is created by adding energy to gas. Plasma is used most commonly in fluorescent light bulbs, neon signs and some television and computer screens.
“When you change the transparency of a wearable electronic or a smart window, an electrochromic device is doing the work,” Dr. Akhavan said in a media release.
“Until now, these devices have typically relied on materials like rare indium to do the job. What we have created is a manufacturer’s dream: a technology that removes the need for indium and instead uses a plasma-engineered, three-layered structure that is much cheaper to produce,” Akhavan said in a media release.
INDUSTRIAL INDIUM IS OFTEN MADE AS A BYPRODUCT OF ZINC MINING
Early iterations of the technology were produced for the first time in 2019, using a new method of tungsten oxide deposition known as ‘HiPIMS’ (the plasma technology used to create these materials).
Now, instead of a bare tungsten oxide layer, the group has developed a nanocomposite of tungsten oxide and silver. This nanotechnology-enabled approach allows electrochromic devices to efficiently and rapidly change colour upon a user’s request.
The plasma coatings are transparent and also electrically conductive. They are made up of a layer of silver that is approximately 10,000 times thinner than the width of human hair, placed in between two nano-thin layers of tungsten oxide decorated with silver nanoparticles.
“These plasma-fabricated coatings can then be applied to electronic papers, smart phones and glass windows and can be dimmed with the application of a small electrical current,” Akhavan said.
Plasma tech could replace one of world's rarest materials
20 July 2021
Technology is low-cost, sustainable, readily available
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New plasma coating technology could see the phase-out of rare earth metal indium that is used in smartphone glass and dimmable windows, which is predicted to run out in 10 years.
The layered nanotechnology. Credit: Dr Behnam Akhavan
A team led by a researcher from the University of Sydney has developed a low-cost, sustainable, and readily available technology that can dim the screens of electronic devices, anti-reflection automobile mirrors, and smart architectural windows at a fraction of the cost of current technology.
It would replace one of the world’s scarcest – yet highly ubiquitous in use – modern materials: indium. A rare chemical element, that it is widely used in devices such as smartphones and computers, windscreen glass and self-dimming windows.
Although small amounts are used to manufacture smart device screens, indium is expensive as it is hard to source; it naturally occurs only in small deposits. Industrial indium is often made as a byproduct of zinc mining, which means a shortage could occur if demand for optoelectronic devices – such as LCDs and touch panels – ramps up.
Dr Behnam Akhavan in the plasma lab. Credit: Dr Behnam Akhavan
Dr Behnam Akhavan, an ARC DECRA Fellow from the School of Biomedical Engineering, School of Physics and the Sydney Nanoscience Hub has developed a plasma-generated, hybrid nanocomposite material which is free of indium, and offers a low-cost, accessible and environmentally sound electrochromic technology that allows glass to be dimmed at the push of a button or touch of a screen.
The research was published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells on 19 July.
The plasma-generated material is composed of tungsten oxide and silver and can be applied to coat almost any solid surface, including flexible plastics.
Known as the fourth state of matter, plasma is created by adding energy to gas. Plasma is used most commonly in fluorescent light bulbs, neon signs and some television and computer screens.
Dr Behnam Akhavan's plasma. Credit: Dr Behnam Akhavan
“When you change the transparency of a wearable electronic or a smart window, an electrochromic device is doing the work,” said Dr Akhavan.
“Until now, these devices have typically relied on materials like rare indium to do the job. What we have created is a manufacturer’s dream: a technology that removes the need for indium and instead uses a plasma-engineered, three-layered structure that is much cheaper to produce.”
Early iterations of the technology were produced for the first time in 2019, using a new method of tungsten oxide deposition known as ‘HiPIMS’ (the plasma technology used to create these materials). Now, instead of a bare tungsten oxide layer, the group has developed a nanocomposite of tungsten oxide and silver. This nanotechnology-enabled approach allows electrochromic devices to efficiently and rapidly change colour upon a user’s request.
The plasma coatings are transparent and also electrically conductive. They are made up of a layer of silver that is approximately 10,000 times thinner than the width of human hair, placed in between two nano-thin layers of tungsten oxide decorated with silver nanoparticles.
“These plasma-fabricated coatings can then be applied to electronic papers, smart phones and glass windows and can be dimmed with the application of a small electrical current.”
DECLARATION
There are no conflicts of interest to share. The research was funded by the University of Sydney and the Australian Research Council.
Edmonton Muslim community leaders push policy changes to combat Islamophobia
Recommendations from national Muslim organization aimed at 3 levels of government
Members of Edmonton's Muslim community spoke in support of the recommendations, including Al Rashid Mosque's director of communications Noor Al-Henedy. (John Shyptika/CBC)
The National Council of Canadian Muslims released policy recommendations aimed at combating Islamophobia Monday with news conferences held in several cities across Canada.
Various leaders in Edmonton's Muslim community spoke to reporters in front of the Sahaba Mosque in the Boyle Street neighbourhood about the urgent need for action. The city has become a focal point for Islamaphobic incidents in Canada, with multiple attacks on Muslim women wearing hijabs in recent months.
"The time for thoughts and prayers have passed," NCCM spokesperson Adil Hasan said. "We need to see concrete action and we need to see it now."
The recommendations are aimed at all three levels of government and include Criminal Code amendments for hate crimes, anti-Islamophobia strategies in provincial education, and municipal anti-racism campaigns.
One municipal-level recommendation is to invest in celebrating the local history of the Muslim community.
Director of communications Noor Al-Henedy spoke Monday of the crucial role women played in establishing Al Rashid, Canada's first mosque, in the 1930s — and then saving it from demolition in the 1990s.
"And today we stand here and we're being attacked for simply having the audacity of wearing our hijab," she said.
"What happened to our city?"
Al-Henedy said action needs to be taken today to combat Islamophobia and change the narrative.
"Because 20 years from now I don't want my daughter to look back and talk about Muslim women and this being our story. This cannot possibly be our story."
Habiba Mohamud said recent attacks have been the source of vicarious trauma for members of the Muslim community. (John Shyptika/CBC)
Hibaba Mohamud, the federal Liberal candidate for Edmonton-Griesbach, said the recent spate of hate-motivated attacks on Black and Muslim women affects the entire community.
She said victims had become housebound, unable to go about their daily lives out of fear. Mohamud spoke of the need for a national fund for victims of Islamophobia, one of the NCCM's federal recommendations.
She said Islamophobia is an endemic problem in Canada.
"It's a systemic problem and it needs a systemic solution to counter it."
The NCCM crafted the recommendations after receiving input from mosques and community organizations across the country, including the Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities.
Its chair, Masood Peracha, said more co-ordination between the three levels of government — including when it pertains to law — would be beneficial.
"So that anything that is promoted at let's say federal levels can also flow through to the provinces and also to civic governments to the extent that it is appropriate."
Public places bylaw review
Another municipal recommendation aimed against violent Islamophobia is to pass street harassment bylaws with ticketing authority. The NCCM cited a recent step by Edmonton council as an example of the approach.
A motion passed unanimously in April calls for administration to work with the city's Anti-Racism Advisory Committee to review and recommend changes to the anti-bullying provisions of the public places bylaw. It will look at including in its offences section any harassment based on race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.
The results of the review are expected before the Community and Public Services Committee on August 11.
NDP Leader Singh talks jobs, support for workers and health care during Edmonton pitstop
Author of the article: Lisa Johnson Publishing date:Jul 18, 2021 •
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks with the media and greets supporters outside the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market, Sunday July 18, 2021.
PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party’s jobs plan will invest in infrastructure and get energy-sector workers back to work in renewables as he continued his tour of Alberta in Edmonton Sunday.
Singh said if elected, the NDP would include funding for retrofitting buildings and infrastructure projects with a focus on made-in-Canada products after the pandemic worsened an already-lagging job market in the province, especially for energy workers
“We know that remediating oil wells creates opportunities for jobs right now, as well as opportunities for renewable energy — and we know that in Alberta, people want more renewable energy,” said Singh.
He made the comments at a campaign-style stop at the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market with NDP MP Heather McPherson for Edmonton Strathcona, the party’s sole MP in Alberta, and NDP Candidate Blake Desjarlais. Desjarlais will be running in Edmonton Griesbach, a riding currently held by Conservative MP Kerry Diotte but considered a toss-up by poll aggregator 338canada.com.
Singh unveiled his party’s jobs plan in Windsor, Ont., Wednesday, including the promise of one million new jobs with improved benefits and plans to institute a wealth tax.
On Sunday, the New Democrat leader also said he had heard local concerns about health care, and used the opportunity to promise an increase to federal health transfers to the provinces if elected, as well as tout his party’s national pharmacare and dental coverage proposals.
“When people need health care more than ever, to cut health care seems so callous and so hurtful, and (Premier) Jason Kenney has shown that he does not care about people,” said Singh, who added he would focus on supporting those who have lost their jobs and benefits.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a stop to announce his government was green lighting the latest expansion to Calgary’s Green Line LRT project during a trip through western Canada in early July, fuelling speculation he is eyeing an election in the near future.
Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole also stopped in at a pancake breakfast in Calgary during the Stampede, promising he would work to reform the federal fiscal stabilization program, which has been a longstanding gripe for many Albertans.
Singh said Sunday if elected he would be “very open” to amending the formula to make sure that Alberta “gets its fair share.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh visits Edmonton
The federal politician visited the city as part of his three-day tour of Alberta.
WITH MY NDP FEDERAL CANDIDATE BLAKE DEJARLAIS, EDMONTON GREISBACH TO JAG SINGH'S LEFT
EDMONTON -- The federal leader of the NDP continued his tour of Alberta with a stop in Edmonton on Sunday.
Jagmeet Singh visited Edmonton as the second stop for his three-day tour of the province after visiting Calgary on Saturday.
The politician visited the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market with Edmonton Strathcona MP Heather McPherson – the only sitting MP from his party in the province. While there, he spoke with Edmontonians and took questions from the media.
No federal election has been called, but recent visits in Alberta from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Erin O’Toole have fuelled speculation the writ could be dropped.
When asked about if he believes an election was coming, Singh said the party is ready should an election be called.
“I have always said I don’t think we should be going to an election. We should be getting the help people need,” he said. “Justin Trudeau has promised a lot of things– let’s do that work.
“I want to get back to work. My focus is on getting people the help they need.”
Singh also addressed the need to diversify Alberta’s economy to help get people back to work in a sustainable way.
“People are worried about their future when it comes to jobs. People are telling me that they want to see investments in diversification,” Singh told media.
“The economy here in Alberta needs to be diversified so workers have an opportunity to live a good life, to earn a good living and aren’t so worried about the precarity of their jobs.”
The NDP leader also spoke about how the party is focused on ensuring Canada has a strong economic recovery from COVID-19 and that government aid is focused on supporting workers, not corporations.
“In Alberta things have been already bad, even before the pandemic,” he said. “We saw in the pandemic people didn’t have access to medication and lost access to benefits.
“Everyone in our country should have those supports.”
He added that the federal government should be using Alberta energy workers who are short on work right now to help retrofit buildings and remediating oil wells.
Singh was also asked about his thoughts regarding Alberta’s referendum on equalization. He said it was “ironic” that Premier Jason Kenney was fighting against the formula for equalization when he helped create it during his career as a federal politician. The NDP leader said he would be open to ensuring Alberta got a fair deal.
“We are very open to making sure there is a fair transfer and making sure that Alberta gets its fair share, that all provinces are dealt with fairly,” SIngh responded.
Singh also meet with Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker and the Metis Settlements General Council on Sunday. Those events were closed to the public.
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