China in Africa

A team at Tianjin and Chongqing supported by CAE Academician QI Jiangxing presented a chip set consisting of a visible light optoelectronic front-end chip and a digital baseband chip. It can support high-speed transmission of Gbits per second, and is fully compatible with mainstream high-speed interface protocol standards. It can support indoor ultra-wideband information networks, home smart services based on virtual reality, high-speed wireless data transmission,  also underwater, and mobile communication in special areas. Whereas communication speed was initially limited to only a few tens of KB per second, the People’s Liberation Army Information Engineering University now seems to hold a record for real-time communication rate of 50 Gbps. After scaling, this chip will be very cheap, making communication without spending money feasible. According to a “2014 European Visible Light Communication Organization Market Research Report”, the visible light communication industry might exceed 200 billion US dollars in 2022.

Japan JST China news release, August 28, 2018

The National Development and Reform Commission decided to build several industrial innovation centers around Beijing, Shanghai and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to support development of these areas into world-class science and technology innovation hubs. In the first seven months of this year, China’s output of high-tech manufacturing industries increased by 11.6 percent year-on-year, which is 5 percentage points higher than overall industrial output. The move is seen as a reaction to the US which have long blocked exports of high-tech products to China, which is seen as a move partly aimed at limiting China’s technology development capabilities.

CAS news release, August 27, 2018

The neutron scattering source is located in Dalang Town of Dongguan City, Guangdong province. Construction was done by scientists and engineers of CAS Institute of High Energy Physics and lasted six and a half years, at cumulated costs of 2.3 billion RMB. The equipment comprises an 80 MeV Hˉ linac, a 1.6 GeV rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS) and a target station with three initial instruments used for neutron scattering research. Neutron scattering is used to study the atomic structure of materials, e. g., the residual stress of large metal parts, used in the design of aircraft engines and for high-speed trains. The innovation capacity in related industrial technology is considered high, especially in fields like magnets, power supplies, neutron detectors and electronics. It  is the first time that China has developed 25 Hz AC resonant excitation large-scale dipole and quadrupole magnets and their power supplies, as well as liquid hydrogen moderators.

 CAS news release, August 24, 2018

The group of WANG Dan has found a new way to introduce sp-hybridized nitrogen (sp-N) into chemically defined sites of ultrathin graphdiyne. The new material exhibited excellent comprehensive oxygen reduction properties when it was used as the cathode of fuel cells. Doping site and proportion of sp-N atoms could be well controlled. 

CAS news release, August 24, 2018

The toilets use microbial cultures for excrement degradation and smell removal. The remaining amount of toilet paper, smart lighting, air condition etc are monitored in real time.

Japan JST China news, August 24, 2018

The group of NIE Zedong proposes a blood glucose detection method based on the measurement impedance differences of blood volume. Their results showed that as glucose concentration increased, the conductivity of aqueous solutions decreased when the frequency of RF signal was below 1 MHz. However, the relative permittivity was almost insensitive to glucose concentration. Simulation results of an arm model showed that as the glucose concentration increased, the bioimpedance difference of blood volume decreased. This was supported by both in vitro and in vivo experimentsand may be further developed into a non-invasive blood glucose measurement.

CAS news release, August 24, 2018

The group of LIU Licheng has designed a novel yttrium oxide nanosheet/nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot (Bi2O3). -NGQDs) composite catalyst for the efficient electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to form formic acid. The introduction of quantum dots accelerated the charge transfer during the electrocatalytic reaction and allowed to maintain an average current efficiency of up to 95.6% over a wide negative voltage range of -0.9 V to -1.2 V (vs. RHE).

CAS news release, August 24, 2018

In cooperation with the O2O Alliance, Ali Health has teamed up with 102 drugstores in Hangzhou to deliver drugs within 30 min, 1 hour at night. Payback for timeouts are also promised. Using this service, drugs can also be delivered to front desks of designated hotel chains. Already now, the orders are reported to exceed 100,000 a day. As of August 2018, the Chinese medicine O2O Pioneer Alliance has reached 200 chain drugstores, covering more than 100 cities and 30,000 pharmacies.

China Bio news release, August 24, 2018

The group of YU Jian has prepared a sulfobetaine-type amphiphilic ionic nanohydrogel graft modified PVDF porous membrane. The amphiphilic ionic nanohydrogel has a size of ~50 nm, which contributes to the rapid wetting and water absorption of the nanohydrogel, thereby imparting super-hydrophilic properties. Since the amphiphilic ionic nanohydrogel has both high water retention properties and strong hydration ability due to the amphiphilic ionic polyelectrolyte, a strong hydrated layer and a near-neutral surface could be constructed on the surface of a PVDF-based porous membrane. The ultra-hydrophilic and nearly neutral surface provides nearly zero adhesion to crude oil under water and excellent flux.

CAS news release, August 23, 2018

A group around LI Yuliang at CAS QIBEBT has introduced fluorine atoms into the structure of graphene. By fluorine substitution, the pores of the graphene alkene were enlarged, but the basic framework of the graphene and the conjugate system in the two-dimensional planar structure were retained. The new material had excellent conductivity and carrier transport properties; the fluorocarbon bond has excellent lithium storage capacity and shows good compatibility towards the electrolyte. Interfac impedance was reduced, thereby improving cycle stability.

CAS news release, August 23, 2018

The group of YANG Chaoyong at Renji Hospital associated to Shanghai Jiaotong University has developed a microfluidic device (FETAL chip) which achieves separation of fetal cells from 2 ml samples of pregnant women’s peripheral blood followed by immunoassays of surface markers which are relevant for a wide range of genetic abnormalities. The device is claimed to be ready for mass production and is expected to become the first-line solution for clinical prenatal screening.

China Bio news release, August 23, 2018

Baidu’s Apollo self-driving electric car

The self-driving electric vehicle is 4.3 m long, 2 m wide and carries up to 14 people. It automatically carries out operations such as lane change and curves, and there are no steering wheel and driver’s seat in the car. “Apollo” will be operated in Beijing, Xiong’an, Shenzhen, Fujian, Wuhan, in Japan and other places for commercial operations.The autopilot-directed car is intended to deliver express goods, accompany patients, act as a tour guide in scenic spots, undertake security work in public places, assist in disaster relief, and do many more tasks

Baidu Create Conference 2018

4D printing adds latitude of time to 3D printing. 4D prints can also transfer designs into the material and automatically change the material to the required shape within the set time. LU Kun’s team of Hong Kong City University has used low-cost inkjet direct drawing technology to construct 3D elastic structures using dimethylpolysiloxane composite material mixed with zirconium dioxide nanoparticles. This structure is flexible and elastic and can be stretched up to 3 times the length. Using wires, it can be folded into butterflies, roses, skirts and more.The simple design drawing allowed to create a series of structures that were similar in shape and could be changed continuously.

Japan JST China news, August 22, 2018

In the pig industry, early weaning often causes intestinal dysfunction, which results in loss of appetite, growth retardation, high incidence of diarrhea, and increasing risks of diseases and mortality. Serine, recently classified as a conditionally non-essential amino acid, has been proved to exert strong beneficial effects on oxidative stress, inflammatory response, apoptosis and intestinal morphological damage, which are all caused by early weaning. ZHOU Xihong and colleagues in the CAS Institute of Subtropical Agriculture fed a group of weaned piglets aged 21 d with a basal diet plus 0.2% serine. Compared to a control group, serine supplementation increased daily body weight gain and decreased diarrhea incidence. The small intestine of serine-supplemented piglets showed regularly arranged villi and microvilli, suggesting that serine protected intestinal morphology. Moreover, dietary serine alleviated apoptosis, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress in the small intestine of early-weaned piglets.

CAS news release, August 21, 2018

According to China Internet Information Center (CNNIC), the number of Chinese net users as of June 2018 reached 802 million. Penetration rate of the Internet reached 57.7%. The number of net users by cellular phone was 788 million, and the proportion of Internet connection by mobile phone reached 98.3%. Chinese net users are mainly young, adolescents and middle-aged people. The percentage of net online shoppers and online payment users accounted for 71% of net users as a whole. 44 % use online payments by mobile phones, an increase by 5 points since last December. The online payment industry in China is at the top of the world in terms of number of users, transaction size, and business models.

Japan JST China news, August 21, 2008