Month: July 2016

Financed by 10 billion Yuan joint investment of Central Beijing Taihang Biotechnology Co. and China Infrastructure Construction Investment Group Co., the plant is being built for an annual output of 1 million t of lactic acid and PLA. Raw material is starch and biomass, and annual throughput of corn, straw will be up to 1,5 million metric tons, covering more than 670 km2 of arable land and 600,000 farmers, driving local economic development. China Bio news release, July 27, 2016

A new company, APT Mobile SatCom Ltd (APSTAR) has been founded by the Shenzhen government and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). It will construct a high-capacity broadband satellite at an estimated cost of 10 billion Yuan. When complete, China’s global communications system will offer a continuous, reliable and autonomous service that supports the Belt and Road Initiative and other overseas development projects. CAS news release, July 27, 2016

China’s spacecraft tracking ship Yuanwang-7 sailed into the ocean from the Yangtze River on Tuesday. She was accompanied by Yuanwang-6. Yuanwang-5 also set out days before. The three will sail into the Pacific and Indian oceans, including maritime tracking of the manned spaceflight Shenzhou-11 in autumn this year. Shenzhou-11 will carry two astronauts to dock with Tiangong-2, China’s second orbiting space lab, carrying two astronauts to live in space for up to 30 days. CAS news release, July 27, 2016

According to Vice Minister of S&T LI Meng, the State Council has approved an increase of R&D spending from the present 2.2 % to 2.5 % by 2020. China also aims to improve its global ranking for national innovation capacity from last year’s No 18 to No 15 by 2020, and its contribution rate of the advancement of science and technology, a universal index used to assess a country’s scientific, technological and economic development, from the current 55.3 percent to 60 percent within four years. CAS news release, July 26, 2016

According to this research, those areas of the brain responsible for studying and memory are highly changeable. Meanwhile, areas weakly correlated with intelligence include the visual, auditory and sensorimotor areas, which all have low changeability and adaptability. The research shows that high changeability leads to high intelligence and creativity and thus could help to develop artificial intlligence by developing neural networks which are more changeable and adaptable. CAS news release, July 25, 2016

The team of Xue-Tao PEI at the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory announced that they had established an „artificial blood“ preparation process leading to concave-form erythrocytes with high hemoglobin content and oxygen carrying capacity. Based on human stem cells, progenitor cells and terminal cells, the team induced erythrocyte formation which when transplanted into mice, survived for four days. Red blood cell-specific antigen was detected, indicating the formation of human red blood cells. Next, the team will focus on the large-scale preparation of red blood cells, plasma and of a specific functional complex, to form a complete physiological artificial blood“.” China Bio news release, July 25, 2016

The inulin polysaccharide is obtained from Jerusalem artichokes which can be grown on marginal land subjected to drought or salinity. The process established at CAS Qingdao’s QIBEBT comprises bio-processing technology with inulinase production, inulin hydrolysis and yeast fermentation to ethanol and leads to ethanol yield of 79.7% at 40 ° C, ethanol production was 65.2 g/L. After metabolic engineering, conversion efficiency was improved at 250g/L substrate to 81.8g/L ethanol and a conversion rate of 92%. CAS news release, July 23, 2016

The group around Rongfeng LIAO at Anhui Medical University has transplanted a pig cornea to an 18-year-old patient suffering from congenital dermoid tumor. After 5 days, the gauze was removed and vision gradually recovered China Bio news release, July 22, 2016

According to a white paper released by the Global Navigation Satellite System and Location Based Service (GNSS & LBS) Association of China, the output value reached 173,5 billion yuan (26 billion USD), nearly 20 % of it from the Beidou navigation satellite system, and 466 million navigation and positioning end products were sold across China, including 440 million smartphones. Overseas manufacturers have begun large-scale production of chips compatible with the BeiDou system. CAS news release, July 21, 2016

According to a new national plan on science and technology innovation during the new 5-years program („135“), the country will establish dozens of innovation zones across the country, with Beijing and Shanghai in the lead. The plan also emphasizes industrial upgrading and sustainable development, laying out supporting policies for modern agriculture, clean and efficient energy, and mobile telecommunications. CAS news release, July 21, 2016