China Science & Technology Forum

[JSCh]

China aims to lead large int'l science projects
Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-04 00:07:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan


BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- China aims to organize and launch a series of large international science projects in the coming years to solve important problems in science.

China will organize and launch one or two large international science projects, and foster three to five projects by 2020. Another six to 10 large projects will be cultivated by 2035 to increase China's influence in the science and technology field, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) said on Tuesday.

According to a plan by the ministry, China will develop more large science projects to improve its abilities in scientific and technological innovation and play an important role in international science and technology by the middle of the century.

As scientific research becomes more complicated with huge costs beyond the reach of just one country, international cooperation has become necessary, said Ye Dongbai, director of the international cooperation department of MOST.

China's State Council recently issued a set of guidelines to encourage the launch of more large international science projects. Areas such as the physical sciences, research on the evolution of the universe and the origin of life were specifically listed as priorities.

"Those large projects will also help attract high-end scientific and technological resources and talent from across the globe," Ye said.

In recent years, China has initiated or taken part in several large science projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, an international nuclear fusion project commonly known as "artificial Sun," and the Square Kilometer Array, a large multi radio telescope project.

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Mega science projects to get startup support
By ZHANG ZHIHAO | China Daily | Updated: 2018-04-04 07:43

China has 'ability and duty' to help solve the world's major challenges

China will incubate several international mega science and engineering projects in the future, some of which will be upgraded into China-led global projects aimed at tackling the world's most difficult scientific challenges, officials said on Tuesday.

By 2020, China plans to create three to five of these mega science projects, and then add six to 10 more by 2035.

The projects typically require huge investments, expensive equipment, complex experiments, decades of research and many interdisciplinary experts from multiple countries.

The upgraded projects will be selected from the pool based on how viable, organized and advanced the original projects are, said Ye Dongbai, director-general of the Ministry of Science and Technology's department of international cooperation.

"These types of projects are crucial for the world's innovation and progress, but are often too difficult for a single country to undertake," Ye said.

Some notable projects include the human genome, international thermonuclear experimental reactors, international ocean discovery, Earth observations and the square kilometer array.

The ability to launch and lead these kinds of projects is a key indicator of a country's scientific prowess and global influence, Ye said.

"China has been participating in some of these major projects since the 1980s," he said.

As China's science capability has improved in the last decade, it now "has the ability and duty to help solve some of the world's major scientific challenges", he said. Some of these China-led mega projects will utilize China's world-class State laboratories and scientific equipment.

"China wants to put forward an objective and collaborate with other countries to reach the goal, while providing the world with Chinese solutions and wisdom in the process," Ye said.

Luo Delong, director of the China International Nuclear Fusion Energy Program Execution Center, said the country has improved its nuclear fusion technology and management capabilities.

"Huge strides have been made in making nuclear fusion energy clean and safe under the program," he said. "These mega projects might not bear fruit in 20 or even 50 years, but when it does, it will fundamentally change the world."

Wang Qi'an, head of the National Remote Sensing Center of China, said China-led global mega science projects will need better management, services and coordination.

"Chinese scientists have to see further into the future and work productively toward that goal together with foreign scientists," he said.

 

[JSCh]

Ancient origins of viruses discovered
New study transforms understanding of virus origins and evolution
April 4, 2018
University of Sydney

Rendering of viruses. A new study transforms our understanding of virus origins and evolution.
Credit: © denisismagilov / Fotolia

Research published today in Nature has found that many of the viruses infecting us today have ancient evolutionary histories that date back to the first vertebrates and perhaps the first animals in existence.

The study, a collaboration between the University of Sydney, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre, looked for RNA viruses in 186 vertebrate species previously ignored when it came to viral infections.

The researchers discovered 214 novel RNA viruses (where the genomic material is RNA rather than DNA) in apparently healthy reptiles, amphibians, lungfish, ray-finned fish, cartilaginous fish and jawless fish.

"This study reveals some groups of virus have been in existence for the entire evolutionary history of the vertebrates -- it transforms our understanding of virus evolution," said Professor Eddie Holmes, of the Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases & Biosecurity at the University of Sydney.

"For the first time we can definitely show that RNA viruses are many millions of years old, and have been in existence since the first vertebrates existed.

"Fish, in particular, carry an amazing diversity of viruses, and virtually every type of virus family detected in mammals is now found in fish. We even found relatives of both Ebola and influenza viruses in fish."

However, Professor Holmes was also quick to emphasise that these fish viruses do not pose a risk to human health and should be viewed as a natural part of virus biodiversity.

"This study emphasises just how big the universe of viruses -- the virosphere -- really is. Viruses are everywhere.

"It is clear that there are still many millions more viruses still to be discovered," he said.

The newly discovered viruses appeared in every family or genus of RNA virus associated with vertebrate infection, including those containing human pathogens such as influenza virus.

Because the evolutionary histories of the viruses generally matched those of their vertebrates, the researchers were able to conclude that these viruses had long evolutionary histories.

Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Sydney. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Mang Shi, Xian-Dan Lin, Xiao Chen, Jun-Hua Tian, Liang-Jun Chen, Kun Li, Wen Wang, John-Sebastian Eden, Jin-Jin Shen, Li Liu, Edward C. Holmes, Yong-Zhen Zhang. The evolutionary history of vertebrate RNA viruses. Nature, 2018; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0012-7

Ancient origins of viruses discovered: New study transforms understanding of virus origins and evolution -- ScienceDaily

 

[JSCh]

New coronavirus emerges from bats in China, devastates young swine
Identified in same region, from same bats, as SARS coronavirus
April 4, 2018
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

A newly identified coronavirus that killed nearly 25,000 piglets in 2016-17 in China emerged from horseshoe bats near the origin of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which emerged in 2002 in the same bat species. The new virus is named swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV). It does not appear to infect people, unlike SARS-CoV which infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774. No SARS-CoV cases have been identified since 2004. The study investigators identified SADS-CoV on four pig farms in China's Guangdong Province. The work was a collaboration among scientists from EcoHealth Alliance, Duke-NUS Medical School, Wuhan Institute of Virology and other organizations, and was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The research is published in the journal Nature.

The researchers say the finding is an important reminder that identifying new viruses in animals and quickly determining their potential to infect people is a key way to reduce global health threats.

SADS-CoV began killing piglets on a farm near Foshan in Guangdong Province in late October 2016. Investigators initially suspected porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) as the cause. PEDV is a type of coronavirus common to swine that had been identified at the Foshan farm. Detection of PEDV ceased by mid-January 2017, yet piglets continued to die, suggesting a different cause. Scientists say separating sick sows and piglets from the rest of the herd helped stop the outbreak of SADS-CoV by May 2017.

Investigators confirmed the connection of SADS-CoV to bats by identifying the new virus in the small intestine of piglets from the outbreak. They then determined that the genetic sequence of SADS-CoV is similar to that of a bat coronavirus discovered in 2007 and looked for evidence of SADS-CoV in bat specimens collected from 2013 to 2016 in Guangdong Province. The new virus appeared in 71 of 596 specimens (11.9 percent).

The researchers also tested 35 farm workers who had close contact with sick pigs, none of whom tested positive for SADS-CoV.

Currently six coronaviruses are known to cause disease in people, but so far only two of them -- SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus -- have caused large outbreaks of fatal illness in people.

This research was supported by NIAID award R01AI110964.

Story Source:
Materials provided by NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Peng Zhou, Hang Fan, Tian Lan, Xing-Lou Yang, Wei-Feng Shi, Wei Zhang, Yan Zhu, Ya-Wei Zhang, Qing-Mei Xie, Shailendra Mani, Xiao-Shuang Zheng, Bei Li, Jin-Man Li, Hua Guo, Guang-Qian Pei, Xiao-Ping An, Jun-Wei Chen, Ling Zhou, Kai-Jie Mai, Zi-Xian Wu, Di Li, Danielle E. Anderson, Li-Biao Zhang, Shi-Yue Li, Zhi-Qiang Mi, Tong-Tong He, Feng Cong, Peng-Ju Guo, Ren Huang, Yun Luo, Xiang-Ling Liu, Jing Chen, Yong Huang, Qiang Sun, Xiang-Li-Lan Zhang, Yuan-Yuan Wang, Shao-Zhen Xing, Yan-Shan Chen, Yuan Sun, Juan Li, Peter Daszak, Lin-Fa Wang, Zheng-Li Shi, Yi-Gang Tong, Jing-Yun Ma. Fatal swine acute diarrhoea syndrome caused by an HKU2-related coronavirus of bat origin. Nature, 2018; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0010-9

New coronavirus emerges from bats in China, devastates young swine: Identified in same region, from same bats, as SARS coronavirus -- ScienceDaily

 

[JSCh]

Scientists Reveal Cryo–Electron Microscopy Structure of a Herpesvirus Capsid at 3.1 Å
Apr 06, 2018

The herpesvirus is genetically and structurally one of the most complex viruses. It spreads within the host population efficiently, causing a range of diseases in humans, including congenital disorders and cancers.

The assembly pathway of herpesvirus produces three distinct types of capsids called A-, B- and C-capsids, respectively. The three capsid types all have mature angular shells and a similar assembly mechanism. However, little is known about the structure and assembly mechanism of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) capsid.

Using a combination of “block-based” reconstruction and accurate Ewald sphere corrections, Prof. WANG Xiangxi, Prof. RAO Zihe and Prof. ZHANG Xinzheng at the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with coworkers from Hunan Normal University, and the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, reconstructed the 3.1 Å structure of the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) B-capsid and built the atomic model, thus expanding the understanding of the assembly mechanism of the capsid. This study was published in Science.

As one of the four major structural layers, the 125 nm capsid of herpesvirus not only protects the viral genome from mechanical and other damage, but also functions to release the viral genome into the host cell nucleus during initial infection and to packaging the genome during the maturation.

The researchers found that there are four major conformers of the major capsid protein VP5, which exhibits striking differences in configuration and mode of assembly to form extensive intermolecular networks.

The triplex, a heterotrimeric assembly that fits between hexamers and pentamers at quasi-three-fold positions to cement the capsid together, consists of two copies of VP23, each exhibiting remarkably different conformations, and one copy of VP19C. Six copies of the small capsid protein VP26 form a ring on the top of the hexon and further stabilize the capsid.

Based on the capsid structure, the researchers proposed a model for the ordered assembly of the capsid using a triplex and its covalently linked lasso triangle formed by three VP5s. These basic assembly units then cluster into higher-order structures conforming to twofold symmetry and guide nascent assembly intermediates into the correct T = 16 geometry, allowing the first steps toward understanding the drivers of assembly and the basis of stability of the capsid.

The study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program, the Strategic Priority Research Program, and National Science Foundation of China.

Figure: Overview of the interactions at inner capsid surface. (Image by WANG Xiangxi)
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Scientists Reveal Cryo–Electron Microscopy Structure of a Herpesvirus Capsid at 3.1 Å---Chinese Academy of Sciences

Shuai Yuan, Jialing Wang, Dongjie Zhu, Nan Wang, Qiang Gao, Wenyuan Chen, Hao Tang, Junzhi Wang, Xinzheng Zhang, Hongrong Liu, Zihe Rao & Xiangxi Wang. Cryo-EM structure of a herpesvirus capsid at 3.1 Å. Science (2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.aao7283.​

 

[JSCh]

NEWS | 05 APRIL 2018
Beijing launches pioneering brain-science centre
China’s much-anticipated brain initiative finally starts to take shape.

Credit: Alfred Pasieka/SPL​

Beijing has announced plans to build a brain-science centre that will rival in size some of the world’s largest neuroscience organizations. It will also serve as a core facility for the country’s long-awaited brain project — China’s version of the high-profile brain-science initiatives under way elsewhere in the world.

The Chinese Institute for Brain Research was officially established in Beijing on 22 March, with an agreement signed by representatives of the Beijing municipality and seven research organizations based in the capital. The agreement named two neuroscientists — Peking University’s Rao Yi and Luo Minmin of the National Institute of Biological Sciences in Beijing — as co-directors.

The new Beijing facility will be one of the first concrete developments in the national China brain-research project, which has been under discussion for five years but has yet to be formally announced. The United States and Europe each launched billion-dollar brain initiatives in 2013, and Japan followed with a smaller project the following year. South Korea answered with its own initiative in 2016.

The Chinese project is expected to complement these projects with its rapidly growing cadre of top neuroscientists, abundant supplies of research monkeys, the country’s heavy burden of people with neurological diseases and its big investments in brain-imaging facilities. “The brain is such a complex system that significant efforts are needed to tame this complexity at an international level,” says Katrin Amunts, scientific research director of Europe’s Human Brain Project. China has the potential to provide important insights that relate to the work of other projects, she says.

Plans afoot

Luo says that he will oversee the roughly 50 principal investigators who will have laboratories at the new centre, with Rao taking charge of external grants that will support around 100 investigators throughout China. Luo says that it will be similar in organization and scientific scope to the US National Institute of Mental Health, a major US brain-science funder, although on a smaller scale.

The Chinese centre will be a partnership between Beijing’s premier biomedical institutions, among them the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Peking University and Tsinghua University. Luo says it will support projects that use the latest biomedical methods, for example high-throughput single-gene sequencing, precise genome editing and big-data processing. He also hopes to develop better imaging tools, such as a voltage sensor that can directly record neuronal activity and high-speed imaging microscopes that will allow detailed views of brain activity.

This year, Luo plans to use 180 million Chinese yuan (US$29 million) provided by the Beijing municipal government to hire the first five or six research groups, and to install them in a building already constructed by the municipality, which is across the road from his institute. When operating at its full capacity of 50 researchers, which Luo plans to have within five years, some 400 million Chinese yuan per year will be needed, which Luo hopes to secure from the country’s brain-science project, with a substantial amount still coming from Beijing.

Luo says that it will be a “docking site” for the China brain project, which has been in planning since the United States and Europe launched their programmes. So far, few firm details about the project have been released. Scientists who spoke to Nature expect that the government will officially launch the initiative some time this year.

Staffing challenges

In the meantime, other facilities are preparing their bids for support from the national brain project. A large science park under construction in Shanghai will house a ‘southern centre’ for neuroscience research. The project’s organizers say this will support many more principal investigators than its Beijing counterpart, which scientists are dubbing it the ‘northern centre’.

Feng Jianfeng, a computational biologist and head of Fudan University’s Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence, has been involved in organizing the Shanghai brain projects. He says that one focus will using artificial intelligence (AI) to study brain diseases. Feng adds that, with 190 million Chinese yuan from the university, he is already setting up a brain-imaging facility that will house the largest number of magnetic resonance imaging devices in Asia, and will be based at the southern centre. AI algorithms will screen the images, comparing diseased brains with healthy ones, to form part of the world’s largest brain database, he says.

Another programme expected to be integral to the country’s brain-science initiative is an international mesoscopic connectome project, being designed by Mu-Ming Poo, director of the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai. Connectome projects attempt to map out all the neural connections in the brain.

Finding enough researchers might be the greatest challenge for both the individual centres and the China brain-science project. Jeffrey Erlich, a neuroscientist at NYU Shanghai, says as well as hiring top neuroscientists, the brain-science initiatives will need to fund postdoctoral positions and graduate-school research posts offering internationally competitive salaries. “That would increase the number of top students going into neuroscience,” he says. “Then, in five to ten years, China could have a fresh crop of top young scientists.”


Beijing launches pioneering brain-science centre | Nature

 

[JSCh]

Chinese scientists find new method to induce stem cells
Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-08 15:28:12|Editor: ZD


BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in creating stem cells with a cocktail of two chemicals that can induce mature somatic cells to turn back into pluripotent stem cells.

The study by scientists from the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will help understanding of the fate of cells and could be applied to regenerative medicine, said lead researcher Pei Duanqing.

Scientists around the world are looking for "keys" that enable humans to regrow tissue or organs lost due to illness or injury, like a gecko can regrow a tail.

Stem cells can self-renew or multiply while maintaining the potential to develop into other types of cells. They can become cells of the blood, heart, bones, skin, muscle, brain or other body parts. They are valuable research tools and might, in future, be used to treat a wide range of ailments.

But how can we get enough stem cells?

Scientists around the globe have tried different approaches to induce somatic cells into stem cells. Japanese Nobel Laureate Shinya Yamanaka utilized a virus as a carrier to generate induced stem cells, but this method is believed to have a high risk of causing cancer.

Chinese scientists have spent five years developing a method of chemical induction, which is more efficient, simpler and safer.

"The fate of cells is determined by the chromatin structure in the nucleus of cells," said Liu Jing, a member of the research team. "We use small molecular chemicals to reprogram the somatic cells by manipulating the chromatin structure from the somatic cell pattern to stem cell pattern."

Soaking various somatic cells in the chemicals can induce them to become pluripotent stem cells, including the hepatic cell, which is difficult to reprogram by other methods, Liu added.

The study is published in the latest issue of Cell Stem Cell.

Shangtao Cao, Shengyong Yu, Dongwei Li, Jing Ye, Xuejie Yang, Chen Li, Xiaoshan Wang, Yuanbang Mai, Yue Qin, Jian Wu, Jiangping He, Chunhua Zhou, He Liu, Bentian Zhao, Xiaodong Shu, Chuman Wu, Ruiping Chen, Waiyee Chan, Guangjin Pan, Jiekai Chen, Jing Liu, Duanqing Pei. Chromatin Accessibility Dynamics during Chemical Induction of Pluripotency. Cell Stem Cell (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.03.005​

 

[cirr]

China develops lead-free luminescent material

2018-04-10 14:03 Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping

Chinese scientists have synthesized a new lead-free light-emitting material of high commercial value and significance to the environment.

Lead-based perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have a broad range of applications in lighting, lasers and photovoltaics, but the lead pollution they cause limits their commercial application.

A research team led by Han Keli from Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian institute of chemical physics have synthesized a new lead-free NC and published their findings in the chemistry journal Angew. Chem. Int. Ed in March.

The team synthesized lead-free 3D perovskite NCs in 2017, and the new material is more luminescent, said Han.

When the new NCs are used in LED devices and solar panels, they will cut the cost, improve energy efficiency and reduce risks to the environment and humans, Han added.

http://www.ecns.cn/2018/04-10/298599.shtml

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

(Astronautics) China Successfully Launched 01 Satellites of Remote Sensing Group 31

Xinhua News Agency 2018-04-10 13:11


Xinhua News Agency, Jiuquan, April 10th (Li Guoli, Li Yufan) At 12:25 on April 10, China used the Long March 4th C carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and successfully remotely detected satellites and micro/nano technologies for the 31st group of the 31st satellite. The test satellites were launched and the satellites entered the scheduled orbit.

It is understood that satellites are mainly used to carry out electromagnetic environment detection and related technical tests.

The mission was the 271st flight of the Long March series of launch vehicles.

Russian Media Says Global 5G Hegemony Battle: China Will Stand Out

2018-04-10 14:39

According to Russian media, high technology has already made preparations to overcome obstacles again. It will provide users with 5th generation wireless broadband communication (5G technology) with a transmission speed of 1-10 GB per second. At the same time, the United States' stricter restrictions on other countries forced the latter to invest in building its own "Silicon Valley," and the transfer of commercial vitality from the Euro-Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific region enabled capital and information technology professionals to follow suit.

According to the report of the website of the Russian Strategic Culture Foundation on April 8, if the main forces of the past 5G international markets were all American companies, they have now been squeezed by companies in China, Finland, Japan, and Russia. Last week, KDDI, a Japanese telecommunications company and telecom operator, took its own trump card — investing $186 million in research and development of 5G technology.

KDDI President Tanaka Takashi said: "We will build servers and let companies use our platform." This means that some of the cheap large-capacity cloud platforms offered by US companies will encounter purer competitors than Japanese Lotte Markets. Takashi Tanaka believes that KDDI is closer to users than Lotte. "We will grab the 5G technology to enter the market before Lotte."

According to the report, mobile phones and communication servers are becoming a huge super-national real-time information management system, which creates various possibilities. With the increasing demand for information transmission speeds, the continuous expansion of network coverage, the increasing need for mobile data transmission, and the rapidly increasing demand for machine communication (M2M) and mobile broadband communications, 5G technology has become the only answer to these challenges. KDDI is prepared to give this answer by 2020.

The Federal Communications Commission of the United States pointed out in its evaluation of the global 5G market that although the North American market currently has the largest share, the demand growth in the Asia Pacific region is faster due to the fact that the user base here is even greater and initiatives to develop 5G technologies continue to emerge.

The American think tank Stratford Company believes: "5G technology will improve the efficiency of the invention of advanced technology, and China will make great efforts in this regard. The United States should study various precautionary measures to prevent China from gaining too much advantage in the 5G competition. The whistle has been heard. Several telecom companies in China, the United States, South Korea and other countries have raised their sleeves and have begun to invent, test and apply technologies that will promote economic development."

According to the report, 5G incorporates numerous technological innovations and will identify the best in information and economic fields in the coming decades. It will also be used for online trading, online finance, agricultural and industrial automation, intelligent applications, electric vehicles and unmanned people. The development of the machine creates new opportunities.

However, the European Union’s Network and Information Security Bureau warned that 5G brings new danger to national security. It pointed out: "We do not have enough preventive measures to ensure the security of the new telecommunications network. The existing 4G mobile communications have been hard to defend against hackers. With the advent of 5G, more hunters who use new networks to collect big data are also Will emerge."

According to reports, China is already a leader in wireless communications and only a few companies can compete with it. Washington believes that China will stand out in the 5G competition, which causes the United States to worry that the transfer of the "innovation machine" from the United States to Asia will give new color to the human electronic technology.
Russian Media Says Global 5G Hegemony Battle: China Will Stand Out
Data Map: Chinese companies based on 5G technology remote control robot debut at the Mobile Communications Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Qiuda

China's Big Data Market Ranks Number 1 in the World

Overseas Network 04-10 14:30



Overseas Network April 10 According to Korea’s “Korean Daily” news, this year, the global big data market is expected to be US$150 billion, and it is expected to expand to US$210 billion by 2020. Among them, China's total volume of big data will account for 20% of the world's big data, but South Korea is still relatively backward.

According to an earlier report by the "Economic Information Daily", it was learned from ministries and commissions such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission that before and after the national "two sessions" this year, the big data series promotion policy will be launched intensively. The industry has expected that China's big data industry is entering the golden period from its infancy. In 2020, China is expected to become the world’s largest data resource power.

According to South Korea's "Asian Economy," news, about 53% of the world's enterprises are actively using big data to improve services, but South Korea is still relatively backward, only 5.8% of IT-related companies use big data systems.

This data shows that China is more than 8 times that of South Korea.

On April 9, the Korea International Trade Research Institute of the Korea International Trade Association published a comparative report on China-Korea big data transactions. According to the content, the scale of China's big data market in 2016 is 2.67 billion U.S. dollars, and it is expected to increase to 9.19 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. The report pointed out that China has built a big data trading platform, and companies can freely share and purchase legitimate big data information through such platforms. However, the Korean big data market in 2016 was only US$330 million. In 2016, the scale of China's big data market is more than eight times that of South Korea.

"Asian Economics" reported that in order to increase the use of big data, China and South Korea have established big data circulation and operating agencies, and continue to develop related markets. Even if the company does not have its own database, it can purchase big data products to increase its production costs, develop marketing strategies, and improve customer service.

Park Joon-ho, chief researcher of the Korea Trade Association, said that compared with the big data market, South Korea's big data commodities trading is still in its infancy. At the same time as the transaction, it is necessary to make efforts in improving the environment for sharing big data, training related experts, and improving the legal system.

Scarcity of Talent in Related Fields in Korea Talents in China

In response to the upcoming fourth industrial revolution, South Korea's large companies and research institutes are vigorously exploring the fields of big data and artificial intelligence (AI), but they are faced with the problem of scarcity of talent. According to Korean media, the gap between the two countries has further widened in the light of the talented people in related fields.

According to relevant sources in the industry, the three major communications agencies in South Korea are currently competing with big data and artificial intelligence. Due to the scarcity of talents, they have also started the “smashing of people’s wars” while developing technologies. However, talents with doctoral degrees or above are still scarce. .

"Asian Economics" reported that the data show that South Korea's talent in the field of big data is far less than China, in terms of artificial intelligence, China also surpassed South Korea. China has an average of more than 2,000 talents with a doctoral degree or above in the related fields each year, compared with 20-30 people in South Korea.

In this regard, some experts said: "Artificial intelligence is the future development trend, this may be the beginning of the application of more fields. Focus on scientific and technological innovation, especially the cultivation of talent is essential. China's growth rate in big data and artificial intelligence has long exceeded South Korea: The South Korean government should introduce stimulus policies, vigorously train relevant talents, and enhance the competitiveness with other countries." (Overseas Web Zhu Xi)

This article is a copyrighted work and it is strictly prohibited without authorization. Overseas vision, China's position, land on the official website of the overseas version of the People's Daily - Overseas Web www.haiwainet.cn or "Hai Ke" client, one step ahead of access to authoritative information.

 

[JSCh]

10 Apr 2018 | 13:10 GMT
Yarn-like Rechargeable Zinc Battery Could Power Smart Clothes and Wearables
The zinc yarn battery works when knotted, stretched cut, and washed.
By Prachi Patel

Image: American Chemical Society​

Researchers have shaped a rechargeable zinc-ion battery into an elastic yarn that churns out power when bent, stretched, washed with water, and even cut.

The zinc yarn battery could be woven into washable sensor-laden smart clothes and integrated into commercial textiles to power wearable displays, electronics, and medical implants.

The yarn joins a line-up of innovative flexible energy-generating and -storing devices that can be integrated into power fabrics. The list includes solar cell ribbons that can be woven into fabrics, knittable supercapacitors, and power-generating yarns that harvest mechanical energy or the triboelectric effect to generate power.

Some researchers have tried to make flexible versions of the workhorse zinc-manganese alkaline battery because of its proven high capacity, low cost, and safety. But these flexible versions have had low capacities. Plus these primary batteries can’t be recharged. But researchers have recently come up with high-performance rechargeable zinc-ion batteries.

​

Illustration: American Chemical Society​

Schematic diagram of fabrication and encapsulation of the yarn ZIB

Chunyi Zhi of the City University of Hong Kong and his colleagues made their thread-like rechargeable zinc battery by twisting carbon nanotube fibers into yarn. They coat one piece of yarn with zinc to make an anode and another with manganese dioxide to serve as a cathode. Then they wind the two yarn pieces on an elastic fiber, soak it with a commonly used water-absorbing gel, and encase the device in elastic silicone and a water repellant.

The yarn battery, detailed in ACS Nano, has a energy density of 53.8 milliwatt-hours per cubic centimeter, which is around three times as much as commercial thin-film lithium-ion batteries. It retains over 98 percent of its capacity after 500 recharging cycles.

“Compared with traditional lithium-ion batteries, which suffer from intrinsic safety and cost issues, this yarn battery can work well under various severe conditions,” Zhi says. It retains 95 percent of its original capacity when bent, knotted, twisted, and stretched up to three times its length. And it retained over 96 percent of its original capacity after being soaked in water for 12 hours.

As further proof of the yarn’s forte and coolness, the team made a 1-meter-long yarn, cut it into eight pieces, and showed that each piece could power a watch. Then they weaved the pieces into a battery textile, which could power pulse monitors, a strip of 100 LEDs, and a 10 cm x 10 cm flexible electroluminescent panel.

The researchers are now trying to integrate the yarn batteries with commercial fabrics and developing a large-scale manufacturing method for the batteries, Zhi says. “We also have a plan to develop other types of yarn batteries with more functions such as self-healing ability, or self-charge capability when combined with a solar cell component.”


Yarn-like Rechargeable Zinc Battery Could Power Smart Clothes and Wearables - IEEE Spectrum

 

[JSCh]

Healthcare: Cancer breakthrough leads China’s biotech boom | Financial Times

 

[JSCh]

Shanghai scientists make 2 breakthroughs in chemistry research
Xu Lingchao 13:56 UTC+8, 2018-04-11

Gao Yang / Ti Gong
A sample of a piece of silver sulphide, the world’s first inorganic semiconductor material whose bendability, discovered by scientists in Shanghai.

Scientists from Shanghai's Institute of Ceramics have made two breakthroughs in chemistry research which may in future help develop new technologies in various fields to help us in our daily lives.

One of the breakthroughs is a new theory using non-toxic nanocatalytic medicine in chemotherapy to cure cancer, which would vastly reduce side effects and more precisely target cancer cells, the institute has said. It was published in Chemical Society Reviews, an authoritative international journal, in February.

Traditional chemotherapy eliminates both cancer cells and normal cells, so many patients suffer serious side effects. Shi Jianlin, one of the scientists who first came up with the theory, said a large number of cancer patients eventually die because of it.

Nanocatalytic medicine, however, would in theory remain non-toxic until it reached the cancer cells. Any medicine which entered normal organs would be degraded and excreted by the body.

Chen Yu, the other scientist in the team, said nowadays medical technology is advanced enough to precisely target tumors.

“The medicine will become toxic (once it reaches a cancer cell) because of the acid microenvironment of the tumor,” said Shi. “This chemical reaction will consume large amounts of oxygen, which will suffocate the cancer cell.”

The other breakthrough was the discovery of the world’s first inorganic semiconductor material, silver sulphide.

Chen Lidong, a member of the team who made the discovery in 2013, said it was a "happy coincidence."

“A student found he couldn’t shatter the material like other semiconductors during an experiment,” said Chen. While many people might consider it an annoyance, Chen and his team realized they might have found a new feature of the material.

Bendable material is widely used in the production of "smart" clothing, lightweight military devices and integrated health monitors. Currently, metal or organic non-metal has been used.

Both of the research projects the local scientists have been undertaking are still in the experimental stages.

 

[JSCh]

Science academy launches cloud platform
By Zhang Zhihao | China Daily | Updated: 2018-04-13 07:16

The Chinese Academy of Sciences launched one of its most advanced scientific cloud platforms on Thursday, to provide scientists with accessible, accurate and secure data services to drive research and innovation, officials and scientists said.

The China Science and Technology Cloud, or CSTC, draws data from the academy's research institutes and major scientific installations, as well as many of China's top universities and private innovation centers.

"Big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence are now the three chariots driving cutting edge information technology worldwide," said Wang Shuzhi, deputy director of the academy's general office.

The CSTC combines all three fields into a single, massive platform that "will provide strong data and cloud computing services to help China become a technological powerhouse," he said.

It was created at the academy's Computer Network Information Center.

Applications are divided into five broad categories: data resources, cloud computing with AI and supercomputers, research software support, research community networks and outreach to foreign scientists and platforms.

"The CSTC aims to become the go-to platform to satisfy most data and cloud service needs from scientists and innovators in China," said Liao Fangyu, director of the information center.

"We have entered an age in which scientific discoveries often require crunching a large amount of data. This is only possible with powerful computing hardware and software," Liao said. "The CSTC will bolster China's innovation capabilities and help create more original and influential scientific achievements."

Li Jun, a researcher at the center and one of the key computer engineers behind the cloud service, said the platform already has more than 600,000 registered users and will continue to improve to satisfy ever-growing research needs.

"The platform is the cornerstone of the academy's effort to improve its data-related services and applications," he said. "It also promotes data sharing and transparency, so the next generation of young scientists can use our data to help their research."

Zhou Guangqing, a researcher at the academy's Institute of Atmospheric Physics, said the cloud platform allowed faster and more accurate climate simulations, thanks to its wealth of data and muscular processing powers.

"Data about Earth's climate is so massive and complicated that scientists typically rely on math models to glimpse into complex physical or chemical phenomena, which can lead to a large margin of error," Zhou said.

Using the platform, scientists can simulate climate change on a larger scale or across a greater period of time. It also allows researchers to add data from other science fields－marine science or the carbon cycle, for example－into the simulation to create "a more accurate and comprehensive big picture", Zhou said.

"The platform will play a major role in improving our weather research and disaster predictions, which will be invaluable to society," he said.

 

[JSCh]

China, ASEAN launch joint sci-tech labs
Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-12 22:28:37|Editor: Liangyu


BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have launched joint laboratory program to enhance innovation cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology said Thursday.

Wang Zhigang, the minister, said that China has built a series of excellent joint laboratories and promoted the opening of China's national laboratories to ASEAN countries.

Wang made the remarks at the opening ceremony of 2018 ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, at the China-ASEAN Innovation Forum held in Beijing Thursday.

Joint laboratories include the China-Indonesia joint laboratory for high temperature gas cooled reactors, the China-Thailand railway system joint research center, the China-Laos joint laboratory for new and renewable energy, and the China-Myanmar joint laboratory for radar and satellite communications, Wang said.

"Chinese innovation needs ASEAN, and ASEAN innovation needs China," he said.

China has cooperated with 158 countries and regions in science and technology projects and participated in more than 200 sci-tech international organizations.

"China will further promote openness and cooperation in science and technology innovation in a broader range and at a deeper level," Wang said.

China is willing to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with ASEAN's development plan to build a community with a shared future for China and ASEAN, Wang said.

The innovation year and the forum were organized by China's Ministry of Science and Technology, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ASEAN Secretariat.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

094A Nuc powered strategic sub marine

 

[Three_Kingdoms]

Roundup: Chinese scientist receives Sjoberg Prize 2018 in Stockholm


Source: Xinhua 2018-04-14 04:16:10


By Fu Yiming

STOCKHOLM, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China's cancer researcher Zhu Chen, together with two French researchers, received Sjoberg Prize 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday.

After reading citation of their achievements by Goran K. Hansson, Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Chen, together with Anne Dejean and Hugues de The, received Sjoberg prize from Svante Lindqvist, Swedish Marshal of the Realm, Friday afternoon at Stockholm Concert Hall, where the Nobel Prizes are awarded annually.

"We used wisdom from both Chinese and Western medicine and offered a cure to one of the most deadly cancers," Chen told Xinhua, "I feel that Chinese medicine has potential to contribute more to human health."

"There are no borders in medicine, because it strives for benefiting all mankind. It's a language of peace, and of development and progress," Chen emphasized, and recalled the cooperation with his French counterparts for over 30 years.

"We are very pleased to welcome this year's Sjoberg Prize Laureates here in Stockholm. Drs Zhu Chen, Anne Dejean and Hugues de The have revolutionized the treatment of leukemia and we are very proud to honour their contributions with this important Prize,"Hansson told Xinhua.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced early February that Drs Zhu Chen, Anne Dejean and Hugues de The won The Sjoberg Prize 2018, for the unique treatment that cures a once fatal cancer.

According to a statement from the the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the prize was awarded to them "for the clarification of molecular mechanisms and the development of a revolutionary treatment for acute promyelocytic leukaemia".

This year's Sjoberg Laureates have developed a new and targeted treatment for a specific form of blood cancer called acute promyelocytic leukaemia. It was once one of the deadliest forms of cancer, but it is now possible to cure nine out of ten patients who receive the new treatment, the release reads.

The treatment is unique because it is the first standard treatment for acute leukaemia that does not include chemotherapy. Instead, a combination treatment is used, which consists of a form of vitamin A, "all-trans retinoic acid", also called ATRA, along with arsenic trioxide.

The idea of using arsenic comes from traditional medicine, but this method has been scientifically tested and proven in this form. The Laureates have made this revolutionary development possible by methodically mapping the molecular mechanisms responsible for the disease.

By identifying a specific genetic mutation and aiding the destruction of a faulty protein in specific cells, it was possible to stop the process that resulted in death for three out of four patients. This treatment means the cancer cells disappear because they lose the ability to renew themselves.

These discoveries have been made in stages since the 1980s, and the treatment's effects have been confirmed in numerous scientific studies. In many countries, this treatment combination is now the first choice of treatment for acute promyelocytic leukaemia.

Zhu Chen, born in 1953 in China, is now Professor at the prestigious Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and is funded by the Sjoberg Foundation. The foundation, with a donation of 2 billion Swedish krona (about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars), was founded in 2016, and serves to promote scientific research that focuses on cancer, health and the environment.

The Prize is an annual international prize in cancer research awarded to individual researchers or research groups. The prize amounts to one million U.S. dollars, of which 100,000 U.S. dollars is the prize sum and 900,000 U.S. dollars is funding for future research.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/14/c_137109594.htm





10 Chinese Scientists Who Are Pushing The Envelope

Here are ten scientists contributing to China’s growing reputation as a global research powerhouse.
AsianScientist (Apr. 10, 2018) – From probing the corners of the Universe in search of dark matter to successfully cloning monkeys and conducting a quantum video conference, China is well on its way to becoming a scientific superpower.

In 2017, a report by the US National Science Foundation found that China had surpassed the US in the number of science publications. Nature Index ranked China’s leading scientific institution, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as the institution with the most research outputs for the same year, ahead of America’s Harvard University and Germany’s Max Planck Society.

This might have come as a result of the country’s aggressive investment in science over the past two decades. China spent US$279 billion on research and development in 2017 alone—up 70 percent from 2012.

Not only did the financial investment for science grow over the years, the number of Chinese graduates in science and engineering courses also increased from 359,000 in 2000 to 1.65 million in 2014. In addition, a UNESCO report shows that nearly one in five of the world’s researchers reside in China.

As the world waits for the next big discovery from this science behemoth, here are ten Chinese scientists, selected from the 2018 edition of the Asian Scientist 100 list, who are making waves in their respective fields.

1. Xie Xiaoliang Sunney

Photo: Xie Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, the director of the Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics and the Biodynamics Optical Imaging Center, received the 2017 Qiu Shi Outstanding Scientist Award for his work on single-molecule enzymes.

2. James C. C. Chan

Photo: Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences For his contributions to the advancement of electric vehicle technologies, Chan has been selected to receive the 2018 IEEE Transportation Technologies Award.

3. Tang Ching Wan

Photo: The Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong Tang received the 2017 IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal for his pioneering work in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that has paved the way for the first commercial full-color OLED displays.

4. Wu Jianping

Photo: Tsinghua University Wu is a 2017 inductee of the Internet Hall of Fame and the only Chinese person on the list. He was recognized for advancing internet technology in China and strengthening the country’s ties with the global internet community.

5. Chang Meemann

Photo: L’Oreal
The first woman to head China’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chang received the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award for her pioneering work on fossil records leading to insights on how aquatic vertebrates adapted to life on land.

6. Shi Yigong

Photo: Rita Allen Foundation

A structural biologist, Shi received the 2017 Future Science Prize for his studies that produced high-resolution structures of the spliceosome, a protein complex essential for mRNA processing. Using cryo-electron microscopy, Shi was able to observe the active site of the spliceosome and thereby determine how mRNA matures in the spliceosome.

7. Zhu Yanwu

Photo: Xiamen University

Zhu received the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education for his cross-border research on graphene-based materials.

8. Xu Chenyang

Photo: Institute for Advanced Study

Xu was one of three recipients of the 2017 Future Science Prize for his contributions to birational algebraic geometry, a specific branch of mathematics that has applications in statistics, geometric modeling and computing.

9. Pan Jianwei

Photo: The State Council of the People’s Republic of China The 2017 Future Science Prize in Physics was awarded to Pan in honor of his work on quantum optical technology.

10. Xie Zhenhua

Photo: International Institute for Sustainable Development China’s chief negotiator at the Paris Agreement, Xie received the 2017 LUI Che Woo Prize in Sustainable Development for his efforts in resisting climate change. ———





Author:

Shai Panela

Shai Panela is an award-winning freelance science journalist based in the Philippines. She was part of the Asian Science Journalism fellowship program of the World Federation of Science Journalists in 2013 and covers stories in science, health, technology and the environment. Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at: https://www.asianscientist.com/2018/04/features/chinese-asian-scientist-100-2018/