helium air conditioning system
Outer Space / Technology

Almost all Lunar bases employ lighting similar in wavelength to the light produced from the Sun, due to the cycle of approximately 14 days of daytime and 13 days of nighttime on the Moon. Sunlight is captured during Lunar daytime by solar cells, then delivered around the base via a solar ray transport system. The heat this system produces is cooled by placing refrigerated helium in the walls and ceilings of the base, a so-called helium air conditioning system, where the radiation from the helium cools the base. Bases use helium because it will not freeze even when exposed to the super-low temperatures experienced during nighttime on the Moon, which can reach as low as minus 274 degrees Fahrenheit.

This rather simple air conditioning system can also be found on the Tokugawa Moon Plant.

helium-3
Outer Space / Technology

A helium isotope containing one less neutron than ordinary helium. Almost nonexistent on Earth, it is found in relatively large quantities on the Moon and is used for energy on Lunar bases. It is particularly valued for its use in nuclear fusion, as it does not give off any secondary radiation. There is currently a large-scale movement to try and use helium-3 not just on the Moon, but on Earth and other space bases as well.

The Tokugawa Moon Plant currently controls all helium-3 mining and processing.

hemodialysis
Life Science

The process of using a machine, instead of the kidneys, to filter a person's blood. Previously used as renal replacement therapy for people with end stage renal failure or acute renal failure, it has lately come into use also by people employing artificial blood, which would overwhelm ordinary human kidneys.

The process involves a semipermeable membrane, part of the dialyzer, usually made out of cellophane. Blood is circulated on one side of the membrane, while dialysis fluid, or the dialysate, is circulated on the other side. Waste products pass through the membrane into the dialysate and out the body. The subject is given a continuous infusion of low molecular weight heparin during dialysis to prevent blood clots from forming in the dialyzer, but too much heparin can stop all blood clotting and lead to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia afterwards. Accordingly, when an AP member is cut, they lose close to twice as much blood as an ordinary person; however, new dialysis fluids are currently being developed to try to counteract this.

Every AP's computer console and bed are outfitted with their own dialysis machine that remains on standby 24 hours a day.

heterogeneous organ transplantation
Life Science

A transplant procedure that transplants an organ or tissue taken from an animal. One of the most common examples is the use of pig hearts that have been spliced with human DNA. With the development of new transplant techniques, the danger of the animal passing on an infection to the recipient has been lowered; however, they have come into use more as a bridge-to-transplant than a permanent replacement. Many organizations and industries oppose such transplants on ethical grounds, and they are not officially permitted or supported by the government.

There have been numerous documented cases of this type of transplant throughout history, such as the transplantation of baboon livers into humans at the end of the 20th century.

High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND
Society

A high-tech special forces unit formed during the 1990s to respond to local insurgencies, regional conflicts, and terrorism. What set FOXHOUND apart from other special forces units was its application of one-man infiltration missions in situations of unconventional warfare, where conventional military tactics are not an option. The unit's existence became known to the world as a result of the Outer Heaven Uprising of 1995, the Zanzibarland Disturbance of 1999, and the Shadow Moses Island Takeover of 2005. Its use of high-tech equipment in its infiltration missions had a significant influence on contemporary military strategy, resulting in other special forces units created in its image throughout the world. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was revealed that the unit had been performing gene therapy on its members, and it was officially disbanded after the Shadow Moses Island Takeover. The birthplace of a multitude of legendary soldiers, FOXHOUND has since become popularly known as the "phantom ninja squad".

Featured in the MSX2 video games Metal Gear (1987) and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990); the PlayStation video game Metal Gear Solid (1998); the PlayStation 2 video game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001); and the PlayStation 3 video game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008).

HLA
Life Science

Acronym for human leukocyte antigen. Histocompatibility antigens are proteins used by the immune system to differentiate self cells from non-self cells. The system of histocompatibility antigens found in humans is collectively called HLA, with one's HLA genes determining one's HLA type. HLA proteins can be found on the surface of all cells except for red blood cells, and if a transplant recipient receives an organ or tissue with a different HLA type, this will cause a rejection reaction whereby the body will attack the cells of the foreign organ or tissue, which it treats as an invader.

There are numerous antigens, and virtually millions of possible HLA types, due to the nature in which they are inherited from one's parents. HLA types are particularly important in regard to bone marrow transplants. Histocompatibility tissue tests are conducted to determine whether a donor and a recipient share a common HLA type; this is done by examining the lymphocytes in the subjects' blood.

Home
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

Slang for Earth; came into use in this sense after human beings first started living permanently in outer space and were now looking back on where their species originated.

Home accent
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Outer Space / Society

Refers to the inflectional and emotional tone of voice and way of speaking of people on Earth. Also known as an Earth accent. Does not refer to any language in particular, but instead refers collectively to the various accents, intonations, and pronunciations of words found in all languages, the way they are spoken on Earth.

On the other hand, in space, people are taught to communicate in a clear and concise manner due to the constant threat of danger that they face. Even a small verbal misunderstanding could be fatal; therefore, any vague or indirect expressions, contractions, or signs of emotion have disappeared from peoples' speech, resulting in a form of language that could almost be called "digital". The only exceptions to this are contractions such as "let's". This is to avoid the ambiguity that such contractions would bring about in their unabbreviated form, i.e., "let us play" could be either a request or a suggestion, whereas "let's play" is unambiguously a suggestion.

Nevertheless, Beyonds who were born and raised on Earth still retain a Home accent.

Home support
Society

Financial aid to help protect Earth's environment, with the United Nations as the main benefactor. Beyond Coast and other space bases are also asked to participate in this program. It is founded on the idea that the responsibility to protect Earth, or Home, is inherit within all human beings, not just those currently living there.

hydrogen engine
Technology

An internal combustion engine that uses hydrogen for fuel. Hydrogen had already been gathering attention last century as a possible replacement for fossil fuels, with many even calling it mankind's ultimate energy source. The only by-product of hydrogen when combusted is water vapor; it does not produce any carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming, nor any nitrogen oxides, which pollute the atmosphere. The construction of Beyond Coast, which needs to maintain its CELESS to survive, helped advance research in this area considerably. It is also possible to store large amounts of hydrogen in metal hydrides, or compounds containing hydrogen in combination with other substances; these have reduced the amount of necessary fuel storage space compared to previous combustion engines.

Its high energy conversion rate has led to the use of the hydrogen engine in the flight units of BCP's EMPS. There is also research being conducted to examine whether this type of engine can be used in motor vehicles on Beyond, which currently operate purely on electric and solar energy.

Hyper Award
Culture and Sports / Society

An annual internal video game award presented inside Konami, created in commemoration of the video game Hyper Olympics. It has since been renamed the Konami Award, and remains a much sought-after prize for company developers even today.