A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives is reviewing Chinese lidar and IoT devices

Science and technology strategy

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Releases National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce on June 21, the U.S. Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Inclusive Innovation Council (CI2) jointly formulated the National Inclusive Innovation Strategy, which aims to increase the proportion of STEM talent and their participation in innovation in underrepresented and under-resourced communities to revitalize communities, develop the economy, and create high-quality jobs. The strategy is built on four cornerstone principles: addressing the K-12 education gap and inspiring young people from diverse backgrounds to become innovators; focus on the higher education gap between students and teachers; promote organizational inclusivity; Increase opportunities for innovation commercialization for all Americans. The strategy sets out comprehensive guidelines for the federal government, academic institutions, and private businesses to ensure that the U.S. is leading the way in key technological innovations.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a notice of proposed rules to strengthen investment management

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on June 21, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a notice of proposed rules to implement Executive Order 14105 on August 9, 2023. The proposed rule further explains the enforcement details covered by the executive order, including: obligations in relation to the transaction; types of transactions, excepted transactions; The scope of technology involves semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information, artificial intelligence and other fields; the scope of information reported to the Ministry of Finance; The content and standards of the investigation need to be clarified before the transaction; A description of the violation of the rules. The consultation on the proposed rule will close by August 4.

U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency Approves Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide

According to the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) on June 21, DISA approved the "Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide" (SRG). The guidance applies to all cloud computing service providers for defense systems, clarifying security controls and specific requirements. The specific requirements and documents are available for viewing and downloading from the Department of Defense's network exchange public webpage, and the next step will be to implement the guidelines through ongoing public review, DISA said. It is reported that the SGR was formulated in accordance with the "800-53Rev5" issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the "CNSSP-32" required by the national security system.

Information

A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives is reviewing Chinese lidar and IoT devices

According to NextGov on June 24, a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives is reviewing the so-called "security risks" of China's lidar and Internet of Things devices. U.S. allegations against Chinese lidar and IoT devices include so-called "cyber and data security risks," as well as so-called "supply chain risks" arising from U.S. reliance on Chinese devices. The U.S. Congress may introduce legislation to limit its domestic adoption of Chinese lidar and IoT devices. Currently, the main companies targeted in the United States include: DJI, CATL, Hesai Technology, Quectel and Fibocom.

OpenAI will stop providing API services to China

According to TechWeb news on June 25, the official website of OpenAI in the United States shows that the company will take additional measures to terminate the provision of application programming interface (API) services to Chinese mainland. As of July 9, OpenAI will begin blocking API traffic from unsupported countries and regions. Affected organizations must access OpenAI's services in a supported country or region if they wish to continue using it.

U.S. Space Command plans to launch a pilot program to test data fusion capabilities

According to the DefenseScoop website on June 24, the U.S. Space Command plans to launch a pilot project to test data fusion capabilities. U.S. Space Command Commander Stephen Whiting said the U.S. Space Command operates several different systems that generate a large amount of combat operations data for use in the space domain, and this volume is expected to increase further. In addition, the current US Space Command lacks a unified operational screen that fuses all the data together. The launch of the pilot project is designed to test data fusion capabilities in the space domain to provide commanders with a clearer picture of operations.

creature

Swiss researchers have used deep learning to design synthetically soluble versions of cell membrane proteins commonly used in drug research

According to ScienceDaily on June 21, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne used AlphaFold2 and ProteinMPNN to create a deep learning pipeline for designing soluble analogues of key protein structures in drug development. The pipeline allows for bacterial mass production of modified proteins that can then be used to design soluble protein analogues, which can then bind directly to candidate molecules in solution, facilitating faster and easier screening of new drugs while reducing costs.

The Australian research team has developed a new gene editing tool, SeekRNA, that can precisely cleave target insertion sequences

According to Science and Technology Review on June 24, a research team from the University of Sydney, Australia, has successfully developed a gene editing tool SeekRNA, which is more accurate and flexible than CRISPR. The tool utilizes programmable RNA strands to directly identify insertion sites in gene sequences, simplifying the editing process and reducing errors. Researchers have successfully tested the effectiveness of seek RNA in bacteria, and plan to investigate whether the technology can be applied to more complex eukaryotic cells in humans. The research results were published in the journal Nature Communications.

The world's first intracranial implant device in a British boy to control seizures

According to Science Network on June 24, British boy Orlan Knowlson participated in a research program jointly carried out by Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London, King's College Hospital and Oxford University, becoming the first patient in the world to receive intracranial implantation of electronic devices to control seizures. The procedure successfully reduced the frequency of seizures by 80% by implanting two electrodes deep in the thalamus of the patient's brain and connecting the electrode wires to a neurostimulator. This surgery provides a new direction and research basis for the treatment of refractory epilepsy.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved US$ 70 million to support FAO projects in 28 countries

According to the official website of FAO on June 21, the Global Environment Facility approved US$70 million to support FAO projects in 28 countries to address urban sustainability, groundwater management, biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation, and improve resilience. Projects include advancing sustainable urban, land and marine ecosystem management, sustainable land and forest management, and strengthening agrifood value chains.

energy

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build a new reactor SRZ-1200 in Japan

According to WorldNuclearNews on June 25, Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) has basically completed the design of its next-generation nuclear reactor SRZ-1200. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is in the process of deciding where to build the nuclear reactor, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries President Seiji Izumisawa said that "once the site is decided, everything will move forward." The SRZ-1200 is a 1200MWe-class advanced light water reactor designed based on enhanced Japanese regulatory safety standards, meeting regulatory requirements for "enhanced safety equipment" and "resilience to natural disasters and protection against terrorism and accidents", and drawing lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, with an estimated time from construction to operation of 10 years. It is reported that the Japanese government has recently launched a review process of the national energy strategy, which may determine Japan's power mix after 2030. According to Japanese media, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is considering allowing the expansion of nuclear power plants.

Japan formulates the 2024 Technology Strategy for Energy Conservation and Non-Fossil Energy Transition

According to CASEnergy on June 24, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy Industry Technology Development Organization (NEDO) formulated the "2024 Energy Conservation and Non-Fossil Energy Transition Technology Strategy", aiming to effectively promote the research and development and promotion of energy-saving technologies and non-fossil energy transition technologies. Based on the Sixth Energy Basic Plan, the 2050 Carbon Neutral Green Growth Strategy, the Basic Policy of Green Transformation and other policies, combined with the revision of the Energy Conservation Law, the strategy selects and determines important energy-saving and decarbonization technologies, including: key energy-saving technologies (such as high-performance thermal insulation materials, high-efficiency heating technology, data center operation optimization, optoelectronic fusion energy-saving technology, etc.); increasing non-fossil energy transition technologies such as hydrogen (e.g., hydrogen reduction for ironmaking and fuel switching for naphtha cracking); Increasing the number of technologies to facilitate the optimization of electricity demand (e.g., demand response compatible technologies and precision control technologies for large equipment); We will increase the number of technologies to promote energy conservation and decarbonization in the industrial and transportation sectors (automobile manufacturing, cement manufacturing, and glass manufacturing technologies in the industrial sector, as well as aviation, shipbuilding, and railway technologies in the transportation sector as important technologies for energy conservation and decarbonization).

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Fusion Reactor (ITER) will be postponed until 2035

According to the China Nuclear Think Tank on June 24, Barabasky, director general of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) organization, announced a new timetable for the ITER project, with the goal of achieving a preliminary deuterium-deuterium fusion operation in 2035. ITER was initially set to have an initial operational date of 2025. ITER, the world's largest project of its kind, began in July 2020 and is scheduled to last for five years. The project is the most complex in history, using millions of components with a total weight of 23,000 tons.

The Solar Energy Industry Association reported record solar installations and new capacity additions in the U.S. in the first quarter

According to E-small Data on June 24, the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) released the "U.S. Solar Market Insights (Q2 2024)" report. According to the report, the U.S. solar market added 11.8 GW of new capacity in the first quarter, setting a record for the country's solar energy in the first quarter and the second largest quarter in history, after the fourth quarter of 2023 (about 12.98 GW), with Florida (2.7 GW) and Texas (2.6 GW) having the most installed capacity. Meanwhile, solar accounted for 75% of all new power generation capacity on the U.S. grid in the first quarter. In terms of sectors, it was mainly the public sector that recorded a quarterly installation record (9.8 GW) and the distributed solar sector (residential, commercial and community solar) that slowed down. In terms of capacity, about 11 GW of new capacity was added to US solar module manufacturing in the first quarter of 2024, bringing total capacity to 26.6 GW from 15.6 GW in Q4 2023, a surge of 71%, which can meet about 70% of the demand for domestic installed capacity in the United States. The report predicts that the U.S. solar industry will add more than 250 GW of installed capacity between 2024 and 2029, about 40 GW per year, slightly higher than the record 2023 level. The report analyzes factors that will hinder the development of the U.S. solar industry in the near term, including labor shortages, high-voltage equipment restrictions, and ongoing uncertainty over trade policies.

ocean

The US Navy's aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt docked in Busan, South Korea, and will take part in the US-Japan-ROK "Freedom Blade" joint exercise

According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency on 22 June, the US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Theodore Roosevelt" has arrived in Busan, South Korea, and will participate in the first multi-domain joint military exercise "Freedom Blade" of the United States, Japan, and South Korea. The difference between this exercise and the previous military exercises that divided the sea, land, and air combat areas into military exercises is that it will cover multiple combat fields such as sea area, airspace, and network domain in accordance with the trend of modern warfare. According to the American side, the exercise is aimed at improving the tactical capabilities of the ships and enhancing the interoperability between the navies. It is understood that this visit is also the first time that the "Roosevelt" has docked at a South Korean port, and after the exercise, it will go to the Middle East for deployment.

Russia is developing new systems to improve the air defense capabilities of warships

According to the reference news network on June 25, the development of the shipborne "Daur"-M2KM air defense missile system is about to be completed. The Doyle-M2KM will be designed to defend against cruise missiles, anti-radar missiles, gliding bombs and other means of air attack, and can be equipped with 16 missiles and capable of striking up to 4 targets simultaneously. Experts note that the Doyle-M2KM will strengthen the air defense system of small warships and help protect them from swarms of UAVs. It is understood that