Development of Biomarkers for Radiation Biodosimetry and Medical Countermeasures Research: Current Status, Utility, and Regulatory Pathways

Biomarkers are important indicators of biological processes in health or disease. For this reason, they play a critical role in advanced development of radiation biodosimetry tools and medical countermeasures (MCMs). They can aid in the assessment of radiation exposure level, extent of radiation-induced injury, and/or efficacy of an MCM. This meeting report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the 2020 workshop titled, “Biomarkers in Radiation Biodosimetry and Medical Countermeasures,” sponsored by the Radiation and Nuclear Countermeasures Program (RNCP) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The main goals of this meeting were to: 1. Provide an overview on biomarkers and to focus on the state of science with regards to biomarkers specific to radiation biodosimetry and MCMs; 2. Understand developmental challenges unique to the role of biomarkers in the fields of radiation biodosimetry and MCM development; and 3. Identify existing gaps and needs for translational application.

The Effect of Countermeasure Readability on Security Intentions

Human failure is a primary contributor to successful cyber attacks. For any cybersecurity initiative, it is therefore vital to motivate individuals to implement secure behavior. Research using protection motivation theory (PMT) has given insights into what motivates people to safeguard themselves in cyberspace. Recent PMT results have highlighted the central role of the coping appraisal in the cybersecurity context. In cybersecurity, we cope with threats using countermeasures. Research has shown that countermeasure awareness is a significant antecedent to all coping appraisal elements. Yet, although awareness plays a key role within the PMT framework, it is generally challenging to influence. A factor that is easy to influence is countermeasure readability. Earlier work has shown the impact of readability on understanding and that readability metrics make measuring and improving readability simple. Therefore, our research aims to clarify the relationship between countermeasure readability and security intentions. We propose an extended theoretical framework and investigate its implications using a survey. In line with related studies, results indicate that people are more likely to have favorable security intentions if they are aware of countermeasures and are confident in their ability to implement them. Crucially, the data show that countermeasure readability influences security intentions. Our results imply that cybersecurity professionals can utilize readability metrics to assess and improve the readability of countermeasure texts, providing an actionable avenue towards influencing security intentions.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE SULFURIC ACID RESISTANCE OF LOW CARBON CONCRETE

In recent years, deterioration of concrete structures of sewerage facilities due to sulfuric acid attacks has been progressing. Therefore, it can be concluded that the demand for sulfur-acid resistant concrete is extremely high. In addition, concerning recent global warming countermeasures, research and development is underway on low-carbon concrete that reduced cement, which emits a large amount of carbon dioxide during the manufacturing process. The purpose of this study is to develop low carbon concrete with high sulfur-acid resistance by replacing cement with large amounts of blast furnace slag and various admixtures. As a result, it was found that the sulfur-acid resistance was improved when using blast furnace slag fine powder and fly-ash. In particular, when cement content was 20% of binder by mass, it was confirmed that the sulfur-acid resistance was excellent. What is more, there was no loss in compressive strength. It was considered that almost Ca(OH) produced by hydration reaction of cement reacted with blast furnace slag and fly-ash, so the reaction of sulfur-acid and calcium hydroxide was suppressed.