Technology strategy
The United States and Thailand signed two cooperation documents to strengthen the strategic alliance partnership between the two countries
According to the Vietnam News Agency on July 11, recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed two cooperation documents with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai during his visit to Thailand. One is the Strategic Alliances and Partnerships agreement, in which the two countries pledge to strengthen cooperation on issues such as defense and security, and jointly promote the development of economic and trade cooperation, public health, climate change and clean energy; The other is a memorandum of cooperation to promote cooperation between the two countries in supply chains and technological innovation in important industrial industries.
The United States intends to ban Chinese laboratories from receiving funding from the NIH and CDC
According to the official website of Science on July 12, the U.S. Congress is considering a proposal that includes prohibiting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from funding all laboratories in China, Russia or the U.S. government's designated "foreign adversary, which currently include Iran and North Korea." It is reported that the ban is part of the 2023 spending bill passed by the US House Appropriations Committee on June 30, and it needs to pass the final deliberation of the Senate on the bill before it can officially become law. Previously, the NIH terminated funding for a bat coronavirus study in China, but according to federal database data, the NIH provided $8.9 million and $5.6 million in research grants to other research institutions in China in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In addition, due to the fact that the NIH and CDC have gradually reduced their funding for Russian research institutions, only two funding projects in Russia may be affected at present; Iran and North Korea have not received NIH and CDC funding.
At the Pacific Islands Forum, the vice president pledged to invest $60 million a year in the region
According to Bloomberg news on July 12, US Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a video speech at the 51st Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), promising that the United States will triple its investment and assistance in the Pacific Islands over the next 10 years, that is, $60 million per year, mainly to help the region improve maritime security, combat climate change, combat illegal fishing and other challenges. The investment will be effective after the U.S. Congress passes. It is reported that the US government will put forward new initiatives under the framework of the Indo-Pacific Strategy to raise the priority of Pacific island affairs in foreign policy. At present, the details of the "new initiative" have not been announced.
Information
NVIDIA introduces development architecture for classical-quantum hybrid computing
According to ventureBeat news on July 12, NVIDIA released a development architecture called QODA, which aims to create a single programming environment for classical-quantum hybrid computing. The development architecture is similar to the CUDA (Computing Unified Device Architecture) platform developed by NVIDIA for parallel computing, but incorporates more quantum expertise and is committed to making it easier for more software developers to use. Nvidia's graphics processing unit (GPU) technology will play an important role in quantum circuit simulation, thanks to the fact that GPUs can represent state vectors and run tensor networks, thereby accelerating quantum circuit simulation. The QODA architecture will have interfaces to common programming languages such as C++ and Python, as well as compilers that are compatible with both quantum and classical computational instructions, and are expected to play an important role in drug discovery, chemistry, finance, and engineering optimization.
German researchers have developed a binder-free laser welding process that can be used to fix optical fibers to photonic integrated circuits
According to techXplore network news on July 12, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration in Germany have developed a binder-free, space-saving and rugged laser welding process that can be used to fix optical fibers to photonic integrated circuits (PICs). In most cases, discrete optics are connected by adhesives. The softness of the adhesive causes the position of the element to change over time and also creates interference points between the two layers of glass, which causes the signal to attenuate and become brittle as the adhesive ages. In order to improve the long-term stability of the equipment and avoid the shortcomings of the connection technology, the researchers developed a new laser welding process, creating for the first time a direct, heat-resistant and transparent glass-to-glass joint. In the future, the technology is expected to be used in quantum communication and high-performance photonics.
Trend Micro discovered new ransomware masquerading as Google software updates
According to FreeBuf news on July 12, Trend Micro researchers in the United States found that a ransomware called "HavanaCrypt" is spreading in disguise as a Google software update. The ransomware uses open source. The .NET obfuscator Obfuscar wrote and disguised itself as a Google software update to trick users into clicking. When HavanaCrypt starts executing the process, it hides its window by using the ShowWindow function in the system. At the same time, the ransomware has several anti-virtualization technologies that help it avoid dynamic analysis when performing in virtual machines. Once the system is found to be running in a virtual machine environment, the software will automatically terminate the process, automatically abandoning worthless targets. Trend Micro says ransomware is employing ever-changing tactics and programs to trick unsuspecting victims and successfully infiltrate the environment.
The American company Huging Face released the open source language model Bloom, which is expected to provide performance close to GPT-3
According to TechCrunch news on July 12, the Us startup Huging Face released bloom, an open source language model with 176 billion parameters, which is expected to provide performance close to that of OpenAI's GPT-3 model. Big language models have always been costly and firmly in the hands of big tech companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft, making them difficult for ordinary researchers to access. To change that, more than 1,000 volunteer researchers from the BigScience International Development Community participated in Bloom's development, enabling it to generate text in 46 natural and dialectals and 13 programming languages, combining the expertise of linguists and ethicists from different backgrounds. Currently, the researchers are planning to launch a smaller, less hardware-dense Bloom model, as well as research to promote ethics and transparency.
There is a surplus of chips in some industries around the world
According to Reuters news on July 12, from the end of May 2022 to the third week of June, a new situation appeared in the global chip supply chain, from the chips needed for the production of various commodities have been urgent, to the excess of chip inventory in some fields. The main reasons for this situation are high inflation, the new crown epidemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which have inhibited consumer spending on personal computers, smartphones and so on. Memory chip giant Micron Technology said it would cut production by the end of June 2022, and its chief commercial officer, Sumit Sadana, acknowledged that the market reversal caught Micron off guard. Before the new crown epidemic, most of the upstream of the chip adopted the "card point" production strategy, and during the epidemic period, the hoarding strategy of "just in case" in the downstream of the industrial chain changed the upstream production rhythm to a certain extent. Some industry analysts say it is impossible to determine a specific global chip surplus, but the problem will be exacerbated once automakers stop buying chips.
The Swiss University of Technology in Zurich found a presumably execution attack that threatens Intel and AMD's processors
According to the News of Arstechnica Network on July 13, researchers at the Swiss University of Technology in Zurich found a speculative execution attack that could pose a threat to Intel and AMD's microprocessors. The researchers named this speculative execution attack Retbleed. This attack method takes advantage of a feature of modern CPUs that when CPUs encounter a direct or indirect instruction, they predict the address of the next instruction they will receive and automatically execute it before the prediction is confirmed. Speculative execution attacks access sensitive data in memory by tricking the CPU into executing instructions. The researchers found that such attacks could easily pose a threat to Intel and AMD processors. Both companies have now issued guidance to help their customers protect against similar attacks.
creature
American researchers have developed the first hybrid model of human ventricular biology with spirally arranged beating heart cells
According to the news of the bio-communication public number on July 12, researchers at Harvard University in the United States developed the first human ventricular biological hybrid model with spiral arrangement of pulsating cardiomyocytes, and showed that the muscle arrangement did significantly increase the pumping volume of the ventricles. The researchers used a focused rotary jet spinning (FRJS) system to control the arrangement of fibers, which form a single-chamber or even four-chamber ventricular structure and allow cardiomyocytes to grow on the fibers. FRJS can rapidly rotate fibers on a single micron scale, and 3D printing every bit of collagen in the human heart takes more than 100 years, while FRJS can be done in a day. After rotation, rat cardiomyocytes or human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are implanted in the ventricles, respectively, and within about a week, several thin layers of beating tissue are covered on the scaffold, the cells are arranged along the fibers below, and the beat of the ventricles mimics the twisted movement of the human heart. The study is an important step in organ biomaking, bringing researchers closer to the ultimate goal of building a human heart for transplantation. The research was published in the journal Science.
Japan uses AI-powered robots to accelerate regenerative medicine research
According to the news of Medgadget Network on July 12, researchers at the RIKEN Biosystem Dynamics Research Center in Japan have developed an artificial intelligence-driven robot system. The system enables regenerative medicine laboratory experiments and iterative learning from the results to achieve set goals. In the proof of principle, the researchers set the robot the task of optimizing cell culture conditions to produce the maximum number of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. In a six-month experiment, the robot increased the percentage of stem cells in the culture that differentiated into RPE cells from 50 percent to about 90 percent. The researchers estimate that it will take about 2.5 years for humans to achieve this goal. This technology points out a new direction for future medical laboratory research, or greatly accelerates the process of life science research.
The Chinese research team has developed a minimally invasive implanted brain-computer interface for high-speed communication, which is expected to enter the clinic by the end of the year
According to the news of the public account of The Frontier of Life Sciences on July 12, researchers from Tsinghua University School of Medicine and the Plaster General Hospital accurately located the target brain area through functional magnetic resonance imaging before surgery, and only 3 intracranial electrodes were used to achieve minimally invasive implantation of brain-computer interface typing, with a speed of 12 characters per minute, and the equivalent information transmission rate of each electrode reached 20 bits per minute. The device's in vivo machine is embedded in the skull to collect and process EEG signals, and the electrodes can be extended to any brain area in the skull; The in vivo does not need a battery, coupled power supply and wireless communication between the skin and the in vitro machine, realizes the two-way brain-computer interface communication of EEG signal reading and stimulation signal writing, and can avoid infection, does not destroy the brain environment, and achieves a good balance between signal quality and invasiveness. The study aims to explore brain-computer interface protocols that minimize intracranial EEG trauma and help patients with severe paralysis regain the ability to communicate with the outside world in the future at minimal cost. The device has been finalized and sent for testing, and small-scale clinical trials are expected to be carried out by the end of this year. The research was published in the journal NeuroImage.
NIH initiates clinical trials of mRNA Nipah virus vaccine
According to the NIH website on July 11, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Hospitals of Health (NIH) launched an early clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an experimental vaccine to prevent Nipah virus infection. Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic disease that can spread between animals and humans, causing patients to rapidly develop symptoms from respiratory infections to encephalitis, leading to coma or death, with a mortality rate of 40% to 75%. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine or treatment for Nipah virus infection. The pilot vaccine, using a prototype pathogen and based on the Messenger RNA (mRNA) platform, will be developed by Moderna, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts in collaboration with the NIAID Vaccine Research Center. NIAID is sponsoring the NIH Clinical Center for Phase 1 clinical studies.
energy
Kazakhstan seeks help from the United States to increase access to oil exports
According to CUP-B news on July 12, Kazakh President Tokayev asked U.S. companies to develop their own energy resources to circumvent Russia's oil export routes. Recently, a Russian court ruled to suspend the transportation of Kazakhstan's pipeline for exporting most of its oil, which starts in western Kazakhstan and leads to Black Sea terminals in Russia. Tokayev said it had ordered its country's state oil and gas company, KazMunai Gaz, to develop a plan and said there was great potential for transporting oil through the Caspian Sea.
Switzerland sets a new record for conversion rates of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells
According to byteclicks on July 8, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and the Swiss Electronics and Microtechnology Center (CSEM) set a new perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell conversion rate record of 31.25%, which exceeded the upper limit of the conversion rate of solar cells using silicon alone. Researchers at EPFL and CSEM used two different designs and developed tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells with high efficiency, one design that deposits perovskites onto a smooth silicon surface using liquid solution technology, which achieves an efficiency of 30.93%; Another design is the use of mixed steam and liquid solution techniques to deposit perovskites onto a textured silicon surface, a solar cell that achieves an efficiency of 31.25 percent.
Japan plans to build a comprehensive testing facility for fusion power plant equipment
According to cnncing on July 12, Japan's Kyoto Fusioneering Company completed the preliminary design of the comprehensive test facility for fusion power plant equipment, and will start construction in August 2022, and demonstrate the use of fusion-related technologies to generate electricity in 2024. The facility, called the Unique Integrated Test Facility (UNITY), is the first of its kind to be built in the world. The facility's groundbreaking design to test the heat extraction and fuel cycle systems required for fusion power plants in one facility will be a leading platform for private fusion companies to test power generation systems, enabling these companies to focus their resources on fusion power generation core technology development.
ocean
South Korea completed the research and development of the submarine methanol reforming fuel cell AIP system
According to the news of blue starfish think tank on July 12, the South Korean National Defense Development Agency recently completed the research and development of submarine fuel cell "methanol reforming device technology". It is reported that the research and development work was launched in 2018 and lasted for 4 years, focusing on breaking through key issues such as methanol reforming and reactor heating. Compared with the German Type 214 submarine metal hydride hydrogen storage equipment previously adopted by South Korea, the methanol reforming device has higher hydrogen storage efficiency and fuel filling efficiency, which can achieve rapid start-up and more convenient fuel replenishment. According to news analysis, the methanol reforming fuel cell AIP system may be the first to be equipped to the second batch of South Korea's "Anchanghao" class (KSS-III) conventional submarines in the future.
The UK plans to build the world's first remote autonomous marine survey vessel
According to the news of the Guanghai Bureau on July 12, the British Plymouth Marine Laboratory recently announced that it will entrust the British M Subs company to design and manufacture a smart unmanned ship for marine scientific research, and the new ship is named Oceanus. Designed to be 23.5 meters long, 3.5 meters wide and 2.5 meters in draft, Oceanus is powered by a diesel engine and solar generator, equipped with multiple sensors, cameras, multi-beam sonar and bathymetric systems for collecting oceanographic data. The survey vessel will use 4G and 5G communication modules and two satellite communication systems to transmit data to study areas such as climate change, biodiversity, fisheries and biogeochemistry. The Plymouth Marine Laboratory has announced that a transatlantic voyage will be conducted after the completion of the new vessel's construction, but has not yet announced the timing and schedule of the voyage.
aviation
The U.S. Company of Loma delivers airborne high-energy laser weapons to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory
According to the news on July 13 when comprehensive defense was in progress, the US Loma Company revealed that the company delivered a compact directional energy weapon to the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in February 2022 - "Laser Improvement in the Next Generation Of Compact Environment" (LANCE). Taylor Griffin, a Loma executive, said: "This is the smallest and lightest high-energy laser built by Loma to date, and a key benchmark for the development of combat laser weapon systems in the airborne field." Griffin noted that after the company delivered the LANCE laser weapon to the U.S. Air Force, the next step was to integrate the weapon with the thermal system responsible for managing LANCE heating and cooling.
The U.S. Department of Defense and British Reaction Engines launch hypersonic propulsion tests
According to defense science and technology news on July 13, British Reaction Engines announced the start of a new test campaign aimed at extending the performance range of hypersonic enabling technology. The test is part of the U.S. Department of Defense's Foreign Comparative Test program and is supported by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The new testing campaign will build on the success of previous reaction precooler tests, increase the total energy transfer through the engine heat exchanger by a factor of 3 by significantly increasing the air quality flow and other test parameters delivered, and evaluate the integration of thermal management technology with state-of-the-art jet engines.
The U.S. Air Force conducts nuclear bomb drop tests for B-2 bombers
According to the news of National Defense Science and Technology News on July 12, the US Air Force released information showing that the Air Force B-2 stealth bomber recently used the "Radar Assisted Aiming System" (RATS) at the Tonopa Test Site to carry out the launch test of the B61-12 nuclear bomb joint test component. The test was the first time that a production version of the B61-12 nuclear bomb joint test component was made public, and the software for the RATS application tool was flight tested. The software helps pilots verify that the RATS system is operating properly before dropping weapons, laying the groundwork for the development of fast, innovative software for the B-2 bomber.
space flight
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released a new version of its space policy document
According to the news of Weishi Aerospace on July 13, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a new version of the space policy document, emphasizing its role in cybersecurity and resilience. The new policy document identifies three roles that the Department of Homeland plays in space behavior: First, to protect commercial space and U.S. government space-based systems and their supply chains from cyberattacks. The second is to maintain the resilience of key space assets. The third is to formulate corresponding emergency combat plans for the "degraded" space environment.
Materials
Hokkaido University has discovered an efficient, stable, and environmentally friendly thermoelectric material
According to the Website of Hokkaido University on July 12, researchers at the Institute of Electronic Sciences at Hokkaido University in Japan found that barium cobalt oxide films can be used as high-efficiency, non-toxic thermoelectric materials and made into thermoelectric converters, which maintain high efficiency and stability at temperatures of 600 ° C. The efficiency of thermoelectric conversion depends on the level of thermoelectric superiority (ZT), and the ZT value of the previous oxide-based converters was generally low. The researchers measured the ZT value of barium cobalt oxide at high temperature of about 0.55, which is significantly higher than other cobalt oxide films such as sodium cobalt oxide and calcium cobalt oxide, which can be used as candidate materials for high-temperature thermoelectric conversion devices. The research was published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Advanced manufacturing
Hyundai plans to build its first electric vehicle-specific plant in South Korea
According to TechWeb news on July 12, South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group plans to build its first electric vehicle-specific factory in South Korea, which is expected to be put into operation by 2025. Hyundai Motor announced in May that it plans to invest $5.5 billion to build its first electric vehicle-specific factory and battery production facility in Georgia, which will break ground in early 2023 and begin commercial production in the first half of 2025, reaching an annual output of 300,000 units.
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