The group of WU Zhengyan has clothed potatoes in “raincoat” to keep the surface away from moisture and inhibit sprouting, leading to toxic solanin. The raincoaat consisted of hydrophobic nano silica (H-SiO₂) modified by nano silica with amino silicon oil (ASO). Residues of H-SiO₂do not pass through the potato skin at all and can be easily washed off before cooking, which ensures food safety. Although, this technology is suitable for the storage of potatoes, it shows slightly negative effect on the germination of potatoes when the plant is used as a seed in soil.

CAS news release, July 12, 2018

A group led by Dr LI Jiangang of CAS Institute of Physics and comprising Chinese researchers from MIT and South China University of Technology used high-dose focused ion beam (FIB) as a “trimming” method of gold nanofilms. When the gold film is irradiated by FIB, the defects generated in the film and injected gallium ions induce different types of stress, and the structure reaches a new mechanical equilibrium state through closed-loop deformation under the intelligent guidance of its own morphology. Therefore, by designing different initial two-dimensional patterns, it is possible to realize three-dimensional structural deformation such as bending, rotation, and twisting downward or upward under the same scanning conditions. This method breaks through the limitations of traditional nano-processing methods such as bottom-up, top-down and self-assembly, and is a new type of three-dimensional nano-manufacturing technology. Combined with advances in contemporary materials and manufacturing, paper cutting and origami technology has been developed in many fields, including solar windsurfing folding technology for outer space vehicles, micro-nano electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), deformation architecture, performance-specific mechanical, biological and optical devices, and even DNA nano-cutting and folding technology.

CAS news release, July 12, 2018

ZHOU Rongbin and JIANG Wei from University of CASScience and Technology of China could showhow Oridonin (Ori), the major ingredient of Chinese medicinal herb Rabdosia rubescens, targets NLRP3 to exert anti-inflammatory activity. NRLP3 is a multiple protein complex whose activation contributes to the progress of human diseasessuch as type 2 diabetes (T2D), atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases.Experiments on mice suggest that Ori has both preventive and therapeutic effects on peritonitis, gouty arthritis and T2D, via inhibition of NLRP3 activation. Ori might thus serve as a lead in developing new therapies.

CAS news release, July 12, 2017

The ancient Silk Road was opened up for silk trade and were the birth of communication and dissemination between early Eastern and Western civilizations. Although previous studies have shown that domestication of silkworms originated in China from a single domestication event, the detailed domestication process and propagation history of silkworm lines are still unclear. The group of ZHAN Shuai at the CAS Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, in cooperation with others, has done a large-scale resequencing and population genetic analysis of silkworm strains selecting 137 representative silkworm areas reconstructing the evolutionary history of domesticated silkworm strains. The researchers found that Chinese domestication was slow when silkworms spread to European and South Asia. The presently used improved strains used in sericulture production are mainly Chinese and Japanese varieties. Enrichment of amino acid metabolic pathways was a major improvement. Key circadian clock genes were also strongly selected.

CAS news release, July 10, 2018

The 500 m2 “Motoyuto” restaurant is located in the Shenzhen A8 Building, with a staff of 10 people. Under an app of Ali Baba, orders can be placed on the smartphone using phonetic demands or scanning desktop codes. Payment is effecte by Alipay. According to statistics, this can save about 15 to 30 minutes per customer compared to conventional meal orders, as the meals can be served at the counter at the time the customer arrives at the shop. In the future, Motoyuto will improve smart cooking based on consumer preferences, consumption habits, features of target groups, etc. by using big data.

Japan China news, July 6, 2018

CAS CNIC and the Network Technology Research Institute of China Unicom signed a cooperative agreement to establish a 5G Technology Joint Laboratory. The two sides will strengthen cooperation in 5G technology development in the near future, and in the long run collaborate on a series of key technologies such as edge computing, network slicing, Internet of Things and industrial Internet. 5G technology is the key strategic direction of the country’s scientific and technological development, which has far-reaching impact on economic development and research.

CAS news release, June 6, 2018

The aircraft is built by Shanghai Okushi Saisei Co. and completely based in Chinese IP. The carbon fiber construction. The plan has an efficient boat fuselage that reduces both air and water resistance, which prevents water interference when flying from water by a T-shaped high level tail. Construction is based on FAA and the Chinese Civil Aviation Bureau’s lightweight aircraft flight permission standards, and intended to be delivered to the US market. The number of orders is 75 aircrafts, including 11 from the United States, Australia, Finland, Canada, etc., and the order value is 200 million RMB.

Japan China news, July 5, 2018

The bus, developed jointly by Baidu and Xiamen Dynasty Railway Automobile Industry Co., is is full of sensors and IT equipment, but without handle and driver’s seat , and without pedals for accelerator and brake. The first 100 units of “Apollo” will soon be shipped to Beijing, Yuanxin District, Shenzhen, Fujian Heian County, and Wuhan City of Hubei Province, and commercial operation will be carried out. Uses are foreseen in tourism support at sightseeing spots, transportation of elderly people in the community, etc.. It is noteworthy that “Apollon” is first shown abroad in Japan, through an MOU with Kanryu Bus Co., Softbank and Baidu Japan.

Japan China news, July 5, 2018

The production of high-quality SWCNT thin films by an efficient and scalable method is a key issue for their practical application in electronics. However, two major obstacles remain: first, the size of fabricated SWCNT films is usually limited to the square centimeter scale, and the batch processing used is not scalable. Second, the optoelectrical performance of SWCNT films remains unsatisfactory due to impurities and structural defects introduced during the fabrication processes. WANG Bingwei and colleagues used a floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition technique for continuous synthesis of SWCNTs which were deposited on a repeatedly used moving membrane filter forming SWCNT thin films. Then, the as-deposited film was transferred onto a flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate with the aid of a roll-to-roll transfer system. As there are no impurities and defects introduced in the production processes, these SWCNT films have an excellent optoelectrical performance including a low sheet resistance of 65 Ω/□ with a transmittance of 90% at a wavelength of 550 nm. They are promising candidates for flexible and transparent electronic devices due to their extraordinary mechanical, electrical, and optical properties.

CAS news release, July 5, 2018

The group of YIP Hin-Lap at South China University of Technology has constructed a glass device that let the familiar visible portions of sunlight through, turning back the infrared light, and converting the near-infrared region in-between into an electric current. In theory, installing windows outfitted with dual electricity-generating and heat-insulating properties could cut an average household’s reliance on external electric sources by over 50 percent. Applications of this technology to greenhouses are also foreseen.

CAS news release, July 4, 2018

The crosswalk with luminescence function is located in Hangzhou’s Xixi Road. The main purpose is to increase pedestrian’s safety when crossing overnight. The lights on both sides of the crossing are turned on at night, but visibility is bad in case of rain or thick fog. It automatically turns off when a pedestrian leaves the pedestrian crossing. In addition, sensors are mounted incorporating an AI algorithm which automatically analyzes traffic conditions, distinguishes between people and electric bicycles, and gives instructions to the system whether to turn on lights, preventing waste of energy.

Japan China news, July 4, 2018

Unlike in the traditional viscose process, the ionic liquds dissolve cellulose in one-step without chemical derivatization process. The regenerated cellulose fiber is 90% similar to natural cellulose. The team around    has designed novel functional ionic liquds, optimized spinning technology and efficient recycling of ionic liquids, and has set up 5L/batch dry-jet wet-spinning devices to obtain regenerated cellulose fibers with good performance.

CAS news release, July 3, 2018

Shopping in Tianjin’s 5 floor supermarket is based in IoT, AI and biometrics. In 6 months since the supermarket opened, it is said that no shoplifting has ocurred.

Japan China news, July 3, 2018

In China, more than 2.7 million people die of cancer every year. Guoliang XU, an endoscopy specialist working at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, one of the largest cancer treatment centers in southern China, used endoscopy examination and produced 48 images that were simultaneously sent to Tencent’s tissue database. An AI system there responded within four seconds: based on a huge pool of data, it suggested which position might be a cancer lesion. According to Xu, AI’s accuracy in diagnosing some types of cancer early is as high as 90 percent, and still improving. The Chinese government has meanwhile announced plans to build a national platform for AI diagnostic imaging – a commitment to AI as a pillar in the future of Chinese medicine.

CAS news release, June 29, 2018

In Chinese legend, magpies took pity on two lovers separated by the Milky Way, so they created the Queqiao bridge, allowing the couple to be together for one day a year. Queqiao is also the name of a relay satellite which has entered on June 14 the Halo orbit in order to set up a communication link between the Earth and the future Chang’e 4 lunar probe on the back face of the moon. Getting a satellite into this orbit, circling the second Lagrange point (L2), where the centrifugal force is balanced with the Earth’s and Moon’s gravity, demanded to adjust orbit several times before the satellite could enter the correct orbit, and the time window for the satellite to brake near the moon lasted just 16 minutes.

CAS news release, June 25, 2018

The group of Lijun WU at the Center’s Institute of Technology, Biology and Agriculture constructed a three-dimensional (3D) cell-based novel genotoxicity detection system based on the the CD59 AL mutation detection system. First, a 3D cell mass was obtained by a low adhesion culture method. Relatively stable and uniform 3D cell cultures were used to examine the oncogenic effects of environmental contaminants, nanosilver and arsenic. Results differed from those obtained with 2D cell cultures and relate closer to other geontoxicity tests.

 CAS news release, June 25, 2018

Pigs account for more than 60 percent of Chinese people’s demand for meat, but they also exert major environmental pressure: fecal nitrogen from pig farms accounts for about 20 percent of the country’s total discharge of nitrogen pollutants. Pigs lack three enzymes (phytases) which block the release of nitrogen. By knock-in of the pertinent genes into genetically modified pigs, these enzymes were incorporated into the pig genome, and specifically affected the pigs’ salivary glands. As a result, fecal nitrogen and phosphorus output of the GM pigs was reduced by up to 45 percent, and the pigs showed a 14-percent improvement in their ability to absorb those nutrients.

China Bio news release, June 25, 2018

The group of SONG Yongyang and colleagues synthesized hydrophilic/oleophilic magnetic Janus particles by emulsion interfacial polymerization and the interfacial assembly of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. Based on this material, they achieved a rapid and efficient separation of micro-scaled tiny oil droplets from water.  When adding the particles to a stable oil-in-water emulsion and subsequently shaking for one minute, the emulsion rapidly formed layers. After manipulation with a magnetic field, the upper oil phase could be rapidly attracted toward the magnet. The whole process was accomplished in two minutes. The separation achieved a high efficiency (>99%) and was applicable to various oils and various oil contents.

CAS news release, June 22, 2016

At the 2018 World Transportation “High-speed Railway Technology Development Forum”, Mr ZHANG Feng of Southwest Jiaotong University reported that China explores a super high-speed railway. The world’s fastest vacuum tube high temperature superconducting linear model car test line is currently being built in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, to begin testing. Flying height is 10 mm, load is 200 kg. The test speed was said to reach a maximum of 400 kilometers.

JST China news, June 21, 2018

Following the use of 100% non-fossil energy supply for seven consecutive days in 2017, Qinghai Province is aiming for 100% clean energy supply for 216 hours from October 20 through October 28, for 9 days. Qinghai Province is thus trying to take a groundbreaking step to rewrite the world record and to say goodbye to fossil energy. The province will enhance the level of management and control of new energy through mutual complementation, adjustment and control technology of multiple types of energy and a big data platform.

JST China news, June 21, 2018