Window to China
The group around Xiaquan SU at QIBEBT has developed a software Parallel-Meta-3, which allows to extract rRNA segment, copy number, functional gene prediction, diversity analysis, biomarker screening, and symbiotic network analysis. It provides significant advantages in accuracy and comprehensiveness by a fully automated analysis. China Bioindustry news, January 25, 2017
The satellite covers the globe with an all-weather, 24-hour observation service and will be used for disaster prevention and reduction, ocean monitoring, and the protection of maritime rights. Gaofen-3’s spatial resolution ranges from one meter to 500 meters and its largest viewing swath is 650 kilometers. CAS news release, January 24, 2016
In a ceremony at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS, with the participation of elderly researchers and scientists who participated in the study then, a new stamp was issued to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Total synthesis of crystalline bovine insulin“. China started the project at the end of 1958 and succeeded in September, 1965. The achievements was the top prize of the national science award and nominated Nobel Prize. Bovine insulin was also chemically synthesized in 1963 by Helmut Bremer and Helmut Zahn at Deutsches Wollforschungsinstitut Aachen.” CAS news release, January 21, 2017
The Dalian Coherent Light Source Center around Xuemin YANG prepared the arguably world’s brightest vaccum UV FEL light in an energy range from 8 to 24 eV, making it unique of the same kind that only operates in the VUV region, By applying the undulator tapering technology in the HGHG mode, a photon flux of 1.4×1014 photons per pulse was achieved. CAS news release, January 16, 2017
Ocean renewable energy includes energy generated from sea tides, waves, temperature differences and biomass. China’s maritime authority has issued a five-year plan on developing ocean renewable energy, including island renewable energy in the South China Sea and island regions. CAS news release, January 13, 2017
The Biomimetic Smart Material Group at QIBEBT (Chaoxu LI) found that ultrasonically exfoliated WS2 strongly bound in thin layers to alginate. The nanofilm exhibited excellent mechanical properties with a high tensile strength and toughness superior to natural bio-composites such as nacre, bone and dentin. It can be self-heated up to 300 oC within several seconds under low-dose radiation due to its high photo-thermal ability of WS2 nanosheets. The water-absorption and cation-binding capacities of sodium alginate endow the composite film with smart actuating applications in the forms of photo-driven motor, walking robot and gripper, etc. For example, a soft gripper was created with four stripes of actuating film as cantilevers. The grasping/releasing motion was driven by switching light radiation on and off. The responsiveness was swift (e.g., 12 s to grasp and 10 s to release), being comparable with or even superior to other reported smart grippers. Due to the super mechanical properties, the gripper could grab a steel ball with the weight 500 times heavier than the gripper itself. CAS news release, January 12, 2017
China’s investment in R&D is expected to have reached 1.54 trillion yuan (around 223 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016, accounting for 2.1 percent of GDP, according to Science and Technology Minister Wan Gang. R&D expenditure increased by 9 percent from 2015, with over 78 percent of the spending coming from enterprises, mainly for technology transfer. Wan announced plans of future key projects involving quantum communication and computers, brain science and brain-like research, deep sea stations, and space-ground integrated technology. More projects, including ones on deep earth exploration and artificial intelligence, were said to be in the pipeline. CAS news release, January 11, 2017
The honour was awarded to Prof. Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus, a physicochemist at Bielefeld University, for establishing basic research on the effective use of energy and clean combustion. In October 2016, Kohse-Höinghaus had already received the Friendship Award for International Experts and in January 2016 the prize of the CAS for International Cooperation. CAS news release, January 11, 2017
China, the world’s biggest manufacturer of ballpoint pens, has finally developed its own pen tips, ending a long-term reliance on imported ones from Japan. Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group), or TISCO, said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips after trying for five years. Stationery manufacturers in China produce 38 billion ballpoint pens every year, but make less than 0.1 yuan on each pen, despite spending millions of dollars importing steel used to make the pen tips, at 120,000 yuan (17,000 U.S. dollars) per ton. Special microelements must be added to liquid steel to make a quality tip that is able to write continually for at least 800 meters, but the formula had long been kept a trade secret by foreign manufacturers. CAS news release, January 10, 2017
According to a spokesman of China’s National Energy Bureau, China’s investments in renewable energy during the 13th Five-Year Plan” will include hydropower, wind power, solar energy, biomass and geothermal energy and add up to 2.5 trillion Yuan. By 2020, China’s hydropower capacity should reach 380 million kilowatts, wind power more than 210 million kilowatts, solar power more than 1.1 million kilowatts, and biomass power generation 15 million kilowatts. The total use of geothermal heating would be the equivalent of 42 million tons of standard coal. Alltogether, by 2020 China’s commercial use of renewable energy should reach the equivalent of 580 million tons of standard coal. Carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by about 1.4 billion tons, sulfur dioxide emissions by 10 million tons, nitrogen oxide emissions by 4.3 million tons, soot emissions by about 5.8 million tons, and about 3.8 billion cubic meters of water will be saved. These developments will lead to the employment of more than 13 million people.” China Bio news release, January 6, 2017