Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Nuclear Power
     Nuclear power is a reliable, low carbon energy source. It can benefit significantly from the incorporation of AI. By combining digital simulations of real nuclear with AI systems, the nuclear industry can optimize complex procedures and improve reactor design, performance and reduce maintenance costs.
     Machine learning is a process in which AI systems learn by analyzing huge amounts of data. It can help to automate tasks and thereby increase reliability and avoid errors. In addition, AI has considerable analytical and predictive potential to help monitor power plant processes and detect anomalies.
Nuclear Security and radiation protection
     More and more countries have chosen to employ nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and adopt power programs. The IAEA works continuously to ensure the protection of people and the environment from the potential harmful effects of ionizing radiation.
     AI can contribute to nuclear security and safety in a variety of ways. It can be used in the processing and analysis of data from radiation detection systems to enhance the detection and identification of nuclear and other radioactive material. AI can be applied to analyze data from physical protection systems to improve the detection of intruders at nuclear facilities. It can also assist in spotting anomalies that could indicate a cyber-attack on a nuclear facility. In the realm of radiation protection, the integration of AI in safety standards-related software can reinforce the protection of the millions of workers with occupational exposure in medicine, construction, mining, shipping, agriculture and nuclear power.
Safeguards
     Safeguards are technical verification measures that allows the IAEA to provide credible assurances that countries are honoring their legal obligations to use nuclear material for peaceful purposes only. The IAEA analyzes countries’ declared nuclear material and nuclear related activities. It then attempts to verify the absence of undeclared materials and activities through measures, such as inspections at nuclear facilities and sites.
     Safeguards rely on huge amounts of data obtained by various means. These include satellite imagery, environmental sampling, gamma ray spectroscopy and video surveillance. AI can assist nuclear inspectors and safeguard analysts by the analysis of collected data. Machine learning methods have already been used to detect outliers in large datasets. These methods assist in verifying spent fuel and analyzing surveillance recordings. AI is expected to further improve the efficiency of safeguard implementation by reducing the number of repetitive tasks that have to be performed by inspectors.
Final thoughts on the future
     The IAEA provides interdisciplinary forums for professionals to discuss and foster collaboration on the use of AI in nuclear applications, science and technology. It is committed to sharing knowledge and forging partnerships through its AI for Atoms platform. As part of this initiative, the IAEA collaborates with the International Telecommunication Union, the UN Interagency Working Group on AI and forty other UN organizations to provide a solid foundation for accelerated sustainable development of AI. (The AI for Good program is a year-round digital platform of the U.N. system. On the platform, AI innovators and problem owners learn, discuss and connect to identify practical AI solutions to advance U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.)

Push to strip nuclear power ban after subs begadistrictnews.com

World leaders, experts, respond to Putin’s nuclear threats deseret.com

Explainer: How close are we to nuclear war? 1nes.co.nz

IAEA and European Commission Expand Cooperation on Nuclear Safety iaea.org

 

 

 

 

Ambient office = 87 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 125 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 128 nanosieverts per hour

English cucumber from Central Market = 114 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 109 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 2 Parts
     For decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved rapidly. It has become increasingly sophisticated and capable of solving ever more complex problems. AI is deployed in sectors as diverse as manufacturing, transportation, finance, education and healthcare. It also has the potential to advance the development of nuclear applications, science and technology. Harnessing its capability in the nuclear field can positively contribute to addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges, from food security to climate change.
     Here is a list of seven ways that AI has and will continue to benefit the peaceful application of nuclear technology. These are discussed in more detail in a new IAEA publication titled Artificial Intelligence for Accelerating Nuclear Applications, Science and Technology.
Human health
     AI currently contributes to combating diseases. It is already being applied to support the diagnosis and treatment of cancer through enhanced image interpretation and precise tumor contouring. This enables more accurate treatment plans and adaptive radiotherapy. This allows the process to be tailored to the anatomical characteristics of the individual patient. The IAEA has recently launched a coordinated research project to explore this area.
     AI will also play an important part in the IAEA’s Zoonotic Disease Integration Action (ZODIAC) initiative to help experts better comprehend the impact of zoonotic diseases on human health and to predict, assess and contain future outbreaks of such diseases.
Food and Agriculture
    AI programs combined with nuclear technologies can help make food systems more sustainable and climate change resilient. Food and nutrition insecurity will also be addressed.
     Experts deploy AI to process and analyze data to increase crop yields, estimate soil moisture, and remediate radioactively contaminated land. AI is also used to detect and predict food fraud events and improve irrigation.
Water and the environment
Isotopic methods allow experts to study and track exactly how water moves through different stages of the hydrological cycle. This knowledge allows researchers to understand what transformations occur in this cycle due to climate change. Experts are already applying AI-based approaches to quickly analyze huge amounts of water-related isotopic data stored in global repositories. One such repository is the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation maintained by the IAEA and the World Meteorological Organization. Effective and efficient analysis of data with the assistance of AI increases the understanding of climate change and its impact on water availability across the globe.
Nuclear science and fusion research
     Artificial intelligence plays an increasingly important role in nuclear science. AI is used in data analysis, theoretical modeling and experimental design. This helps researchers to accelerate fundamental research in the realm of nuclear and data evaluation and compilation. This, in turn, advances technological innovation.
     A particular area that benefits from the application of AI tools is nuclear fusion research. AI has the ability to solve large and complex problems. AI can aid experiments and scientific discovery and help advance technological innovation. These applications of AI are spelled out in a new five-year IAEA coordinated research project aimed at accelerating fusion research and development.
Please read Part 2 next

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Ambient office = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 101 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Blueberry from Central Market = 91 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 114 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 97 nanosieverts per hour

     A panel discussion titled America Under Attack — Defending the Homeland was held during the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2022 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, at National Harbor, Maryland on September 21st.
     Navy Admiral Charles A. Richard is the commander to the U.S. Strategic Command. He joined the panel which was discussing important national security concerns. He said, “All of us in this room are back in the business of contemplating competition through crisis and possible direct armed conflict with a nuclear-capable peer. We have not had to do that in over 30 years. The implications of that are profound. They’re profound for homeland defense. They’re profound for strategic deterrence, as well as us achieving national objectives. And this is no longer theoretical.”
     Richard went on to say that every Defense Department plan and capability rests on an assumption that strategic deterrence, especially nuclear deterrence, is holding. If that assumption proves not to be true, nothing else in the department or joint force is going to work the way that it was designed to work. He added, “Russia and China can escalate to any level of violence that they choose in any domain with any instrument of power worldwide. We just haven’t faced competitors and opponents like that in a long time.”
       Richard pointed out that the Defense Department will have to change its approach to warfare. The slower, traditional approaches to escalation just don’t work anymore. In defending the homeland, combatants will need to be able to act quickly against an opponent in all combat domains. This includes land, sea, air, space and cyberspace theaters.
      The recent nuclear posture review for the U.S. lays out an excellent strategy according to Richard. The strategy endorses modernization of the nuclear triad and its command, control, and communication system. He said, “We need to execute this very good strategy as the threat from China continues to increase. We don’t know where that’s going to end, as the threat from Russia continues to increase, along with the other challenges that we face.”
     James H. Dickinson is the commander of U.S. Space Command. He also participated in the panel discussion. He emphasized the integrated deterrence that Richard covered. He noted that Spacecom uses the term to mean collaborating with allies, partners and industry. He went on to say that Spacecom’s assets are shared with Stratcom, Northcom and other combatant commanders. These assets include providing space domain awareness.
     Air Force General Glen D. VanHerck is the commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. He also participated in the panel discussion. He said that his first mission is to provide aerospace warning for threats to North American. When the North American Aerospace Defense Command went operational in 1958, its mission was much simpler. They only had to detect bombers or intercontinental ballistic missiles. Today, the aerospace warning challenge is significantly different and more difficult because of the deployment of cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems and hypersonic missiles that can evade radar detection.

Iran’s Raisi is ‘a murderer president’ who will never get a nuclear bomb, Israeli UN ambassador foxnews.com

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Liz Truss dismisses Putin’s nuclear threats as sign of desperation theguardian.com

Iran’s Raisi Questions Worth of a Nuclear Deal Without an End to IAEA Probes usnews.com

 

 

Ambient office = 74 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 114 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 116 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 102 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 119 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 99 nanosieverts per hour

      I have been following the Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the Ukraine. A lot of damage has been done in and around the plant. There is great international concern that the Russians may do something stupid and release radiation that could spread across Europe. Now comes a report about possible problematic Russian actions at Zaporizhzhia that could lead to a nuclear disaster. I hope that it is not true.
     There have been unconfirmed reports that Russian forces at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could be attempting to drain the cooling pond at the plant. They supposedly want to drain the cooling pond so they could conduct weapons searches. Dorfman said that this would be insane and warned of disaster if the Russian forces carried out their plan. He added that “Draining spent nuclear fuel ponds would be utter madness, as cascading problems could lead to very significant radioactive release – and depending on which way the wind is blowing, the radioactive pollution could either go to Europe or Russia.”
      Dorfman’s comments followed unconfirmed reports that a Ukrainian diver at Zaporizhzhia had died after being beaten by Russian soldiers because he refused to enter the cooling pool. This story was reported by the Kyiv Independent with quotes from the Mayor of Enerhodar. The title of the Independent story was Russian forces torture diver at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to death.
     “Enerhodar Mayor Dmytro Orlov reported on July 3 that Andrii Honcharuk died in hospital after he was brutally beaten by Russian forces for refusing to dive into [a] pool at the plant.”
      Dr. Dorfman said that it was obvious that the Ukrainian staff at the nuclear power plant were working “under duress”. He continued, “The fact is, one significant wrong step, one incident will change everything, irrevocably. Both for Ukraine and also for the global nuclear project. Even [the] Nuclear Energy Agency admits profoundly limited real-time information about what’s really happening on the ground. It’s a shooting war, after all. So, the Russian invasion of Ukraine unveils the reality of the weaponization of civil nuclear. It’s clear that Ukraine’s nuclear workers are under huge duress – and that could lead to very troubling consequences. Nuclear is a high-risk endeavor, after all.”
      This is not the first time that events at Zaporizhzhia have triggered anxiety among experts with knowledge of nuclear power plants. Earlier this year, there was a fire in an outbuilding. The plant itself sustained damage due to Russian shelling. Dr. Dorfman remarked, “I didn’t sleep at all for a few days.”
     There are six nuclear power reactors at Zaporizhzhia. Currently four of the six are shut down or are in the processed being cooled. This was reported by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). The Observatoire Départemental d’Equipement Commercial (ODEC) NEA is an intergovernmental agency that works on nuclear technology, science, law and safety.
     One major argument against nuclear power is the problems that would arise if a nuclear reactor were located in a war zone. This was hypothetical until the Russians seized Zaporizhzhia.