A team around Jian XU at CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Environmental Technology (QIBEBT) has found that two type-2 diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT2s) from Nannochloropsis ocanica prefer linoleic acid (LA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). By modulating tanscript abundance of these two enzymes, strains were obtained which include high levels of LA and EPA into triacylglycerides. […]
Hi-Tech zones are the backbone of China’s innovation, but still lag behind Silicon Valley
According to a report of the CAS Institutes of Science and Development and a speech by science minister WANG Zhigang, 52.000 high-tech enterprises in China’s national high-tech zones – now 169 in total – contribute 11.5 % to the national GDP and export goods and services valued at 30.7 trillion Yuan. Companies in these zones […]
Shale gas production in Southern Sichuan reaches 4.2 billion cubic meters in 2018
The main production area is located in the southeastern part of the Sichuan Basin around the five cities of Zigong, Zhangzhou, Leshan, Neijiang and Yibin. China’s shale gas reserves are ranked # 1 in the world, but geological conditions render exploitation difficult. In the above area, production has now reached 11 mill cubic meters per […]
CAS Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry reports progress on methanol-to-propylene synthesis
China at present commands a total production capacity of 1.46 million tons of methanol-to-propylene production equipment, but process performance is poor. In a national program implemented in 2011, considerable progress was achieved: a largely improved catalyst could be continuously used for more than 1000 hours, the overall methanol conversion rate was higher than 99%, selectivity […]
Modified copper valence state allows for selective hydrogenation: CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Phsics
A team around Jian SUN has used high-energy plasma to prepare a copper catalyst sputted on silica which reacts during hydrogenation as Cuo (zero-valence or noble metal state). The catalyst reduced dimethyloxalate with 87% selectivity to the primary hydrogenation product, methyl glycolate, not to the complete hydrogenation products ethylene glycol and ethanol. Density functional theory calculations revealed […]
CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics proposes “quantum cutting solar concentrators”
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are large-area sunlight collectors. Efficient LSCs can significantly reduce the cost of photovoltaic (PV) technologies. WU Kaifeng and colleagues at CAS DICP have used ytterbium doped perovskite nanocrystals and shown that absorption of one blue photon by the nanocrystal host led to the emission of two near-infrared photons from the ytterbium dopants. […]
CAS QIBEBT: filamentous Tribonema microalgae are useful for biodiesel production
The group of LIU Tianzhong from CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) has investigated yellow-green microalga Tribonema sp., a filamentous oleaginous microalgae, for biodiesel production. It has advantages over other unicellular oily microalgae for cultivation adaptability and easy harvesting due to its filamentous character. Moreover, Tribonema sp. is also capable of using glucose as substrate for rapid heterotrophic […]
China’s AI-based mobile phones expected to hold 80 % market share in 2022
According to the “2018 Chinese artificial intelligence mobile phone industry research report”, AI smartphones held only 10 % market share in 2017 but will rise to 80 % in 2022, with sales of over 1.3 billion units. The most important functions are face authentication, smart brightness adjustment in photography, AI-based smart facial beauty, and AI […]
Kenya signs MOU with China on R&D cooperation
Under the MOU, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Kenya and the Chinese Academy of Sciences will support a variety of science, technology, innovation and higher education cooperative activities between China and Africa in the areas of ecosystem and environment protection, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, agriculture, health, the development and demonstration of […]
Cathelicidin-BF-30 clinically approved as new drug
BF-30 is a single chain polypeptide which contains 30 amino acid residues, with a molecular mass of 3637. First isolated by CAS Institute of Zoology in Kunming which has specialized in antimicrobial peptides derived from snakes and amphibians, the peptide has been approved for clinical treatment of vaginosis but is also studied as an antiviral […]