(3 articles) What to make of a surprise shake-up in China’s nuclear force | A new x-ray technique for detecting explosives could also identify tumors | What do you do if you get lost hiking? First responders weigh in.

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Don't like ads? Go ad-free with TradeBriefs Premium What to make of a surprise shake-up in China's nuclear force    THE LAST time that China’s supreme leader, Xi Jinping, purged the top tiers of the military elite, he could blame their venality on his predecessors. His two most senior scalps, Generals Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, were both accused of taking massive bribes in exchange for promotions. But not on Mr Xi’s watch. The generals had joined the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, which oversees the armed forces, in 1999 and retired as its vice chairmen in 2012, the year that Mr Xi took power. The downfall of General Li Yuchao, the commander of China’s Rocket Force, and its political commissar, General Xu Zhongbo, touches Mr Xi more directly. He put them in charge of China’s land-based nuclear and conventional missiles. No reason was given when official media announced on July 31st that they had been replaced. Nor was there any indication of their fate, although there is speculation that General Li and other Rocket Force officials could be under investigation for corruption or leaking military secrets. Whatever the trigger, their premature removal confirms the biggest clean-out of the military top brass in almost a decade. That suggests that Mr Xi’s efforts to reform the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are facing more obstacles than previously thought. It is also the latest example of his own appointees running into trouble, in what some see as a sign of his own misjudgment, and of divisions within the elite. Last month saw the equally sudden removal as foreign minister of Qin Gang, who was given that post by Mr Xi in December. Continued here You Might Like � � � � � � � � � A new x-ray technique for detecting explosives could also identify tumors    The method, which works in conjunction with a deep-learning AI, identifies materials by their texture. A new x-ray technique that works alongside a deep-learning algorithm to detect explosives in luggage could eventually catch potentially deadly tumors in humans.  Concealing explosives inside electronics and other objects can make it difficult to detect them using conventional x-ray techniques. But the new method was able to detect explosives with 100% accuracy under test conditions, according to researchers. Continued here What do you do if you get lost hiking? First responders weigh in.    Thousands of people go missing every year while exploring mountains, forests, rivers, and deserts. Safety experts tell us how to avoid mishaps—and what to do if you need rescuing. Each year thousands of people worldwide go missing in nature, with extreme weather sometimes complicating rescue efforts. The high-profile disappearance in January of 65-year-old actor Julian Sands in California’s San Gabriel Mountains during a storm put a spotlight on the risks of solo adventures. But there are ways to reduce the risks of traveling alone. These emergency service authorities provide the following tips for how you can avoid trouble before and during your next wilderness escape. Hikers entering dense forests should bring a partner and avoid splitting up, says Scott Hillson, a senior member of the Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue in the United States. “The classic scenario we see is that someone heads back to the trailhead before everyone else, and they find themselves in trouble without the support of the rest of the group,” he says. “If you do become lost, make yourself as visible as possible and stay in one place.”  Continued here

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