Latest news with #DuBay
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Freight fraud: Your supply chain is showing
This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves' Freight Fraud Symposium in Dallas on Wednesday. FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: How intelligence is power in freight fraud prevention DETAILS: Truckstop and Hetherington Group experts discuss the rising sophistication of fraud in the trucking industry. They emphasize the critical need for cybersecurity awareness, open-source intelligence and proactive verification of carriers and vendors. Key strategies include employee training, social media vigilance and using AI-driven research techniques to detect and prevent fraudulent activities. SPEAKERS: Shawn Rasmor, principal product manager at Truckstop, and Alex DuBay, senior technical instructor at OSINT Academy, the Hetherington Rasmor is the principal product manager at Truckstop, where he helps shape vision and strategy for RMIS and compliance solutions across the Truckstop ecosystem. Rasmor has been with Truckstop for over eight years, serving in various roles including integration product management and product strategy. DuBay retired from the Army after 10 years of service, including seven years in special operations within psychological operations. His expertise lies in integrating cybercapabilities into real-world applications, leveraging publicly available information for intelligence and operational effectiveness. DuBay has developed both physical and digital solutions to meet mission-specific requirements. KEY QUOTES FROM SPEAKERS: 'So we're seeing individuals be targeted through phishing to find information on the individual carriers and truckers. But we're also seeing that [technology] is being used to attack the brokers as well. … They're able to get into the systems of brokers and find the information that they're looking to gain access to, like credentials, that are on these systems.' – DuBay'The other way to find more information is social media. If you are too open on your social media, you're tagging your locations, you're tagging what companies you're working for, what truck routes you're going for – that's publicly open. Now your threat actors are able to see that information and start building a profile on you to further fine-tune their attack on you.' – DuBay 'The bad actors are continuously learning. They're talking. They have a network. They may even be sitting in a room like this and talking to each other and learning about new tactics and how to circumvent those and continue to work together. It's critical that we are all working together and trying to make this the least hospitable industry for the bad actors right now.' – Rasmor Articles by Grace Sharkey DAT acquires Outgo, enters race to become dominant freight exchange platform Avocados, auto parts and ambushes: Inside Mexico's cargo theft crisis Cyberthreats surge against US logistics infrastructureThe post Freight fraud: Your supply chain is showing appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists issue warning after making disturbing find in bird species: 'An urgent need to address'
A new study has found that microplastics are accumulating in birds' lungs, adding to concerns about the prevalence of these particles in our air and food. Shane DuBay, a member of the University of Texas at Arlington team behind the research, said that birds were selected for the study because they can be found nearly everywhere on Earth and often share habitats with humans, according to Technology Networks. "Birds are important indicators of environmental health," DuBay said. The Texas scientists worked with Chinese researchers from Sichuan University to conduct the study at an international airport in Chengdu. The team studied 56 wild birds representing 51 different species, collecting samples of their lungs to test for microplastic contamination. By using advanced chemical analyses to identify plastic types, the researchers found an average of 221 particles per species. Common plastics included chlorinated polyethylene, a common insulation material for pipes and wires, and butadiene rubber, which is used to make tires. The findings were published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials. As the name suggests, microplastics are tiny — no larger than a grain of sand — fragments of the many plastics we use for a variety of things. More than 10,000 chemicals are used to make plastic, according to a 2021 Swiss study, with over 2,400 of those "of concern" for human health. Although no amount of microplastics in the lungs is deemed safe, per Technology Networks, high concentrations can be linked to serious respiratory issues. More broadly, the bird study echoes similar findings of microplastics "hot spots" in human lungs and nasal passages, indicating the effects of airborne drifting of particles. Microplastics have been found in a wide range of human tissues and are believed to have links to cancer and reproductive issues. DuBay described the research findings as a call to action for better management of microplastic contamination. "Our research highlights an urgent need to address plastic pollution in our environments, as these contaminants can have far-reaching impacts on ecosystem health, as well as human health," DuBay said. "Our findings call for further research, funding and action to mitigate the harmful effects of plastic pollution and ensure a healthier environment." On an individual level, there are tons of ways to reduce plastic use in day-to-day life. Avoiding single-use plastics, such as water bottles and utensils, is a great way to remove a top contributor of dietary microplastics while decreasing waste. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Some unexpected sources of microplastic pollution include fast-fashion clothing items, which tend to be made from synthetic materials — so greening up your wardrobe by choosing clothes made from natural fibers could help both the planet and your personal style. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Guardian
21-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
First evidence of microplastic buildup in bird lungs found in new study
A new study has provided the first evidence that microplastics are accumulating in bird lungs. Birds have long been used to give early warnings of environmental risks. The absence of birdsong was used in the evocative title of Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring, and for more than a century miners carried caged canaries to warn of carbon monoxide – a practice that ended in UK coalmines only in 1996. Prof Yongjie Wu, from Sichuan University, who led the study said: 'Birds are highly mobile, ecologically diverse and have unique respiratory systems that make them vulnerable to airborne pollutants. We aimed to assess the micro and nanoplastic contamination in bird lungs and evaluate their potential as bioindicators for airborne plastic pollution.' The researchers analysed the lungs of birds from 51 species. All had been killed as part of a programme to minimise aircraft bird-strikes at China's Chengdu Tianfu international airport. Microplastics were found in every bird's lungs. Shane DuBay of the University of Texas at Arlington and part of the research team said: 'The result that surprised me the most was the widespread contamination in all species that we sampled, regardless of body size, habitat preference and feeding habits.' Microplastics were found in all the species studied, with an average of 416 particles in every gram of lung tissue. Terrestrial birds had a greater burden of microplastics compared with aquatic birds, and large birds than smaller ones. The greatest burdens were found in carnivorous and omnivorous birds, suggesting habitat and feeding were important exposure routes – foraging in polluted areas, for example. The researchers found fibres, films and pellets from 32 different types of plastic including polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and butadiene rubber, which is, as Wu explained, widely used in tyre manufacturing. 'Tyre wear from aircraft/ground vehicles and nearby roads could release butadiene rubber particles into the air, but further source-tracking studies are needed to confirm this.' Although tyre wear is often overlooked as a source of microplastics, it is thought to be responsible for between 5 and 28% of plastic entering the oceans. DuBay continued: 'This widespread contamination highlights the pervasive nature of airborne plastic pollution. This is a global problem, like plastics in our oceans.' Previous studies have found microplastics in the air in remote parts of the Alps and in megacities in China, in Paris and London. In 2018, Dr Stephanie Wright from Imperial College London, set up an air sampler on a rooftop near London's Somerset House. In four weeks of sampling, she found 15 types of petrochemical-based polymers. Wright, who was not involved in the bird-sampling study, said: 'This new research on bird lungs highlights the pervasiveness of microplastic pollution, which we now know contaminates the atmosphere, and clearly presents an issue for both animal and human health. 'We've observed microplastic particles in atmospheric fallout in London, from both outdoor and indoor environments. You can't clean it up, so it is all about stopping it at source. The fact that these are persistent materials is a cause for concern, especially if they are accumulating in the body.'
