The Homeland Defense (HD) Digest is a curated bi-weekly news summary from worldwide sources, showing headlines of innovative, emerging technologies in HDIAC's eight focus areas.

HDIAC ANNOUNCEMENTS:

In Case You Missed It – HDIAC Journal Operational Energy – Powering Military Operations to Achieve National Defense Strategy Objectives - HDIAC

The Spring 2020 issue of the HDIAC Journal is now available on the HDIAC website. Volume 7, Issue 1 of the HDIAC Journal contains article covering several of HDIAC's eight technical focus areas, to include Homeland Defense and Security, Alternative Energy, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Biometrics, and Critical Infrastructure Protection.

HDIAC Webinars – Flash Blindness - HDIAC

Join HDIAC on Thursday, July 9, from 1200 to 1300 EDT for our next webinar presentation. This webinar discusses the risk of retinal burns or flash blindness to friendly troops following nuclear weapon use. In order to understand this threat, one must have a fundamental understanding of how the eye reacts to extremely luminous objects, considerations for the environment and time of day, and thermal effects of nuclear weapons.  Historically, this has been a heavily studied topic, however previous studies have applied the question to pilots and aircrew operating at cruising altitude.  Additionally, there are some counterintuitive aspects of the problem involving the inverse-square law applied to the weapon output and how yield influences the potential for eye injury.  For planners, modelers, and subject matter experts, it is extremely important to understand the assumptions and technical aspects of the problem set in order to provide safe separation distances to servicemembers on the battlefield.

RECENT HEADLINES:

Microbes Might Manage your Cholesterol - The Harvard Gazette

There are fewer stars illuminating the universe than there are bacteria in the world. Many species are known, like E. coli, but many more, sometimes referred to as "microbial dark matter," remain elusive. "We know it's there," said Doug Kenny, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "because of how it affects things around it." Kenny is co-first author on a new study in Cell Host and Microbe that illuminates a bit of that dark matter: a species of gut bacteria that can affect cholesterol levels in humans.

US, Russia Hold New Nuclear Arms Talks, but Without China - Defense News

American and Russian negotiators have concluded a round of nuclear arms control talks in Vienna, aimed at producing a new agreement to replace the New START agreement that expires in February the last remaining pact constraining the arsenals of the world's two major nuclear powers.

FDA Announces First of Its Kind Pilot Program to Communicate Patient Reported Outcomes from Cancer Clinical Trials - FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today launched Project Patient Voice, an initiative of the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE). Through a new website, Project Patient Voice creates a consistent source of publicly available information describing patient-reported symptoms from cancer trials for marketed treatments. While this patient-reported data has historically been analyzed by the FDA during the drug approval process, it is rarely included in product labeling and, therefore, is largely inaccessible to the public.

Biopower - Renewable Energy World

Wood waste produced by nearby companies fuels this 50-megawatt biomass power plant in California. Credit: Warren GretzBiopower, or biomass power, is the use of biomass to generate electricity. There are six major types of biopower systems: direct-fired, cofiring, gasification, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, and small, modular.

Massachusetts is Setting the Benchmark for Nationwide Clean Energy Transformation - Renewable Energy World

Our nation's transition to a renewables-based energy future continues to gain momentum, despite the challenging times we face. Now more than ever, innovative policy frameworks are important drivers to accelerate our clean energy future with no compromise on how we use energy.

Microreactors for Resilient Power in Puerto Rico - Homeland Security

Puerto Rico is home to 3.2 million American citizens, with all the energy needs of a modern economy. Most of the territory's power, however, is generated by facilities dating from the 1960s, which is nearly thirty years older on average than mainland U.S. power plants. To meet the island's energy demand without the need for more fossil fuels, one promising candidate is the use of microreactors.

Scientists Investigate a Powerful Protein Behind Antibody Development - Medical Xpress

Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have discovered a potential new way to better fight a range of infectious diseases, cancers and even autoimmune diseases.

Gut Bacteria May Modify Behavior in Worms, Influencing Eating Habits - NIH

Gut bacteria are tiny but may play an outsized role not only in the host animal's digestive health, but in their overall well-being. According to a new study in Nature, specific gut bacteria in the worm may modify the animal's behavior, directing its eating decisions.

Nuclear Weapon Modernization Continues but Outlook for Arms Control Is Bleak: Report - Homeland Security

The just-released annual report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament, and international security. The report finds is that despite an overall decrease in the number of nuclear warheads in 2019, all nuclear weapon-possessing states continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals.

The Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC) is a Department of Defense (DoD) Information Analysis Center (IAC) sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). The HD Digest provides links to third party Websites. The HDIAC is not responsible for the availability of, and content provided on, third party Websites. You should refer to the policies posted by other Websites regarding their privacy and other topics before you use them. The HDIAC is not responsible for third party content accessible through the HDIAC HD Digest, including opinions, advice, statements, advertisements and endorsements, and you bear all risks associated with the use of such content.