China Science & Technology Forum

[JSCh]

Trial approved for blood protein cultivated in rice
(China Daily) 10:07, May 19, 2017

A researcher shows a bottle of human serum albumin cultivated from rice seeds. Photo by Ren Yong /For China Daily

WUHAN - China's food and drug authority has approved a clinical trial of human blood protein cultivated in transgenic rice seeds, which could lead to large-scale production of much-needed blood plasma.

Plasma is widely used in surgeries as a temporary blood replacement. It contains human serum albumin, a protein that is naturally produced in the liver.

Now a Chinese research team, led by bioengineer Yang Daichang, has come up with a way to use rice seeds to synthesize plasma.

Yang's team transplanted human serum albumin into rice seeds. The seed continue to generate the protein as they grow.

Wuhan Healthgen Biotechnology Corp, a Chinese company specializing in animal-free pharmaceuticals, has invested 200 million yuan ($29 million) in the research.

The company, based in Wuhan, Hubei province, is eyeing large-scale production of human serum albumin from rice.

The albumin will be put into clinical trials in August, and can be expected to hit the market in four to five years.

There is a major shortage of human serum albumin in China, estimated at 100 metric tons a year. About 60 percent of the country's yearly demand of 420 tons is imported.

Safety is also a concern with plasma from human donors, as blood diseases such as HIV and hepatitis pose a threat.

The China Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation said that the human blood protein generated in rice is "safe and effective".

 

[JSCh]

Astronomers make the largest map of the Universe yet
May 18, 2017

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A slice through largest-ever three-dimensional map of the Universe. Earth is at the left, and distances to galaxies and quasars are labelled by the lookback time to the objects (lookback time means how long the light from an object has been traveling to reach us here on Earth). The locations of quasars (galaxies with supermassive black holes) are shown by the red dots, and nearer galaxies mapped by SDSS are also shown (yellow).

The right-hand edge of the map is the limit of the observable Universe, from which we see the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) – the light “left over” from the Big Bang. The bulk of the empty space in between the quasars and the edge of the observable universe are from the “dark ages”, prior to the formation of most stars, galaxies, or quasars. Click on the image for a larger version.
Image Credit: Anand Raichoor (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland) and the SDSS collaboration

Astronomers with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) have created the first map of the large-scale structure of the Universe based entirely on the positions of quasars. Quasars are the incredibly bright and distant points of light powered by supermassive black holes.

“Because quasars are so bright, we can see them all the way across the Universe,” said Ashley Ross of the Ohio State University, the co-leader of the study. “That makes them the ideal objects to use to make the biggest map yet.”

The amazing brightness of quasars is due to the supermassive black holes found at their centers. As matter and energy fall into a quasar’s black hole, they heat up to incredible temperatures and begin to glow. It is this bright glow that is detected by a dedicated 2.5-meter telescope here on Earth.

“These quasars are so far away that their light left them when the Universe was between three and seven billion years old, long before the Earth even existed,” said Gongbo Zhao from the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the study’s other co-leader.

To make their map, scientists used the Sloan Foundation Telescope to observe an unprecedented number of quasars. During the first two years of the SDSS’s Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), astronomers measured accurate three-dimensional positions for more than 147,000 quasars.


--> Astronomers make the largest map of the Universe yet | SDSS | Press Releases

Preprint -> [1705.06373v1] The clustering of the SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey DR14 quasar sample: First measurement of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations between redshift 0.8 and 2.2

 

[JSCh]

World’s thinnest hologram paves path to new 3D world
18 May 2017

An Australian-Chinese research team has created the world’s thinnest hologram, paving the way towards the integration of 3D holography into everyday electronics like smart phones, computers and TVs.

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Interactive 3D holograms are a staple of science fiction – from Star Wars to Avatar – but the challenge for scientists trying to turn them into reality is developing holograms that are thin enough to work with modern electronics.

Now a pioneering team led by RMIT University’s Distinguished Professor Min Gu has designed a nano-hologram that is simple to make, can be seen without 3D goggles and is 1000 times thinner than a human hair.

“Conventional computer-generated holograms are too big for electronic devices but our ultrathin hologram overcomes those size barriers,” Gu said.

“Our nano-hologram is also fabricated using a simple and fast direct laser writing system, which makes our design suitable for large-scale uses and mass manufacture.

“Integrating holography into everyday electronics would make screen size irrelevant – a pop-up 3D hologram can display a wealth of data that doesn’t neatly fit on a phone or watch.

"From medical diagnostics to education, data storage, defence and cyber security, 3D holography has the potential to transform a range of industries and this research brings that revolution one critical step closer.”

Conventional holograms modulate the phase of light to give the illusion of three-dimensional depth. But to generate enough phase shifts, those holograms need to be at the thickness of optical wavelengths.

The RMIT research team, working with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), has broken this thickness limit with a 25 nanometre hologram based on a topological insulator material – a novel quantum material that holds the low refractive index in the surface layer but the ultrahigh refractive index in the bulk.

The topological insulator thin film acts as an intrinsic optical resonant cavity, which can enhance the phase shifts for holographic imaging.

Dr Zengji Yue, who co-authored the paper with BIT’s Gaolei Xue, said: “The next stage for this research will be developing a rigid thin film that could be laid onto an LCD screen to enable 3D holographic display.

“This involves shrinking our nano-hologram’s pixel size, making it at least 10 times smaller.

“But beyond that, we are looking to create flexible and elastic thin films that could be used on a whole range of surfaces, opening up the horizons of holographic applications.”

The research is published in the journal Nature Communications (DOI 10.1038/NCOMMS15354) on 18 May.


World’s thinnest hologram paves path to new 3D world - RMIT University

Zengji Yue, Gaolei Xue, Juan Liu, Yongtian Wang & Min Gu. "Nanometric holograms based on a topological insulator material". Nature Comm. (2017). DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS15354

 

[JSCh]

This week, everyone gets a chance to say '520' to science
By Zhang Zhihao | China Daily | 2017-05-22 07:42

Students control robot combatants in an attempted to pop each other's balloons at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in Beijing on Saturday as the 17th National Science Week began.[Photo/Xinhua]

From new underwater drones to preserved roses that have helped lift villagers out of poverty, China's newest technologies and their applications were showcased at the launch of the 17th National Science Week on Saturday in Beijing.

China also will open more than 3,000 universities and scientific facilities during the week for free tours. More than 500,000 visitors are expected to attend the 116 facilities founded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences alone, the academy said on Saturday.

"This year's theme is building a strong nation with science and fulfilling dreams with innovations," Vice-Premier Liu Yandong said at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in Beijing, where some exhibitions are being held.

Science Week is the largest, longest and most participated in annual science event in China, she said. Since 2001, more than 1.5 billion people have participated in the extravaganza.

More than 260 exhibitions and 22 events will be held in the palace, covering five major fields including life science, new material, information technology, smart manufacturing and deep sea and space exploration, the event calendar says.

May 20, Saturday, also was the "day of love"－the pronunciation of "520" is a homophone for "I Love You" in Chinese.

"It is a great day for science lovers to interact and learn about technologies," said Gu Qingyi, a researcher at the academy's Institute of Automation. "As people are having fun, we hope they get interested in the science behind all the cool gadgets."

A man experiences newest technologies at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in Beijing on Saturday as the 17th National Science Week began.[Photo provided to China Daily]

At the palace's science interaction section, adults and children played games on virtual and augmented reality headsets. For those who prefer hands on activities, they can learn in simulators how to operate Jiaolong－China's manned deep-sea research submersible－or a 360-degree rotating pilot training pod. For relaxation, they can touch a live starfish or a horseshoe crab in a fish tank or color a flowerpot using mineral pigments.

"Seeing knowledge from textbooks come alive really helps students become interested in science," said Chen Hongcheng, a teacher at Beijing Yu Cai School, who led a group of elementary students there. "These events can be a relaxing and learning experience, especially seeing how technologies has benefited society."

In the middle of the palace lies the exhibition on how science has helped China's poverty-alleviation effort. It is packed with products from honey made in high-tech beehives to high yielding wheat grown from dry soil.

Zhu Lunfeng, a villager from the mountainous Zhashui county in Shaanxi province, said the provincial science department helped them build a 250 million yuan ($36 million) preserved flower industry that has lifted more than 700 villagers, mostly from Zhujiawan village, out of poverty.

"Preserved flowers are generally very dry and bleak, but scientists helped us create ones that have more humidity and longer shelf life," he said. "Our county is 90 percent mountain and forests, so having a product that is competitive really helps."

Most of the 700 villagers are earning more than 8,000 yuan per year, some even earn 20,000 yuan, which is much higher than the national poverty line, he said.

"Science has changed the fate of my people," he said. "It is '520', so I brought preserved roses from my hometown to show visitors my love for science and the country."

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Students experience newest technologies at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in Beijing on Saturday as the 17th National Science Week began.[Photo provided to China Daily]

 

[JSCh]

Floating graphene cooks up clean water
By Katrina Krämer, 18 May 2017

Graphene aerogel converts sunlight into heat to produce water vapour at room temperature

A sunlight-harvesting graphene film can produce steam without boiling the water. The material, which has been made by Chinese scientists, could convert sea or wastewater into drinking water in places where fuel or access to electricity is limited.

Desalinating seawater to make drinking water usually means boiling it, and then collecting and condensing the steam. Heating water to its boiling point, however, requires a great deal of energy either in the form of fuel or electricity. There are solar stills that desalinate water using only sunlight, but they’re slow and not always efficient enough to provide sufficient drinking water for a person’s daily needs.

Xianbao Wang and colleagues from Hubei University have now made a graphene aerogel film capable of producing water vapour at room temperature using only sunlight. The aerogel floats on the surface, where it heats up only a small section of the water column, ‘while the temperature of the bulk water is far below the boiling point’, as Wang explains.

Source: American Chemical Society​

The researchers tested how the addition of different materials affected the heating of water in simulated sunlight, including reduced graphene oxide (rGO), graphene oxide (GO), graphene oxide aerogel membrane (GOAM) and the graphene aerogel (GA) that performed best of all

Under simulated sunlight, the aerogel could heat up 100ml of water to 45°C – 13°C higher than water without the aerogel. The material’s porous structure pumps the generated steam away from the surface, allowing water to evaporate 13 times faster than it would without the aerogel.

While other steam-generating materials are based on expensive raw materials such as gold, the basis for Wang’s aerogel is powdered graphite – a cheap and widely available resource. ‘In the context of solar steam generation, the current work has a major contribution in fabricating an efficient sunlight absorber in a simple method, which is scalable,’ comments Satoshi Ishii, a photonics nanoengineering researcher at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan.

Generating solar steam with the graphene aerogel could be more efficient than using electricity from a photovoltaic cell. ‘The efficiencies of commercial photovoltaic cells are 10–20%, such that the efficiencies of generating steam using photovoltaic cells cannot exceed 20%,’ explains Ishii. Wang’s floating graphene has an efficiency of 54%, reaching up to 83% under focused sunlight.

However, if the material is to be used in a desalination device, Wang’s team will need to improve the material’s toughness – it is easily broken when picked up. ‘I do not see fundamental difficulties in bringing the current technology into real-life applications, although much more feasibility studies should be done,’ adds Ishii.

References

Y Fu et al, ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.6b03207​

Floating graphene cooks up clean water | Research | Chemistry World

 

[JSCh]

New graphene sensor to improve hepatitis diagnosis
Last Updated: 22 May 2017

A new UK-China collaborative project is developing a sensor to provide an easy, low-cost method of diagnosing hepatitis on the spot using graphene – an advanced 2D material known for its high electrical conductivity. The sensor will be the first to simultaneously test for three types of hepatitis – A, B and C – out of the five types that exist. The multi-partner project, supported by the UK's Newton Fund and led by Biovici, will bring together the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the University of Chongqing, Swansea University, and industry partner CTN, to develop this new diagnostic technology.

Hepatitis is a huge global health problem, with nearly 400 million people worldwide affected, resulting in over 1.4 million deaths per year. The World Health Organisation has reported that 257 million people are infected with hepatitis B alone. Those affected with hepatitis suffer chronic infection, resulting in one million deaths per annum from liver cirrhosis and cancer, with 40% of those deaths occurring in China. Funded by the UK's Newton Fund, which aims to promote the economic development and social welfare of partner countries by strengthening science and innovation capacity, this project aims to help tackle the incidence of hepatitis in China. Hepatitis B in particular is endemic in China, with one-third of the 350 million infected individuals worldwide residing in China.

Blood tests are currently used as the diagnostic method for hepatitis, but there are challenges associated with this. With blood tests, results can take five to seven days, during which patients are still contagious and therefore a risk to the non-infected. Moreover, the technique is invasive and expensive, as it requires medical personnel.

Graphene is a 2D material with unique electrical and mechanical properties, which derive from its one-atom-thick structure. The material's exceptional electronic characteristics, surface sensitivity and selectivity make it ideal for sensor applications, including those used for medical diagnosis. To date, graphene electrochemical biosensors exist for diagnosing one type of hepatitis. This project, however, will develop sensors for the detection of three hepatitis types at a time, by using three graphene sensors, each tailored to identify the antibodies associated with a certain strain of hepatitis, integrated in a single test. Unlike conventional blood tests, this sensor will provide a non-invasive, quick and less expensive screening method. The ease and speed of this method will be beneficial for bulk testing of the food, agriculture and education workforces in China, over 300 million people, for whom tests are obligatory.

The team's approach is to use the graphene sensor technology to develop a point of care diagnostic for early detection and monitoring of multiple salivary or serum-based hepatitis biomarkers. This will be a novel, real-time monitoring sensor technology, based on chemically-modified graphene, that simultaneously monitors for hepatitis A, B and C. The test will be simple, low-cost and rapid, similar to a blood glucose sensor or pregnancy test, but testing saliva instead. This two-year project will develop a prototype, and establish the reliability, stability and sensitivity of the sensor in preparation for its commercialisation. It is estimated that if the sensor is produced in large quantities, each device could cost as little as £1 GBP.

While each of the five partners involved in the project has a different role, all of their activities are required in combination for the effective development of this new technology. The two Chinese partners, CTN and Chongqing University, are responsible for graphene device production and manufacturing. On the characterisation side, NPL is carrying out electrical characterisation and testing, whilst Swansea University is conducting chemical characterisation. Lastly, Biovici, who develops next-generation POC diagnostic devices, is responsible for packaging and commercialisation.

Dr Olga Kazakova, Principle Research Scientist in Advanced Materials at NPL, said: "Graphene's unique characteristics mean it has great potential to be used in a variety of sensing applications. In addition to hepatitis, it could be used in other similar tests, including allergen sensors, pollutant identification and other life sciences applications. It is imperative for us to understand the exact characteristics of the material to be able to assess how it can be manufactured and used in these different applications. This is a key focus for us and the National Graphene Metrology Centre at NPL supports the commercialisation and application of the advanced material by conducting world-leading research into its measurement and characterisation. Through this research, we are working to develop international standards for graphene which will help to unlock new applications for the incredible material."

Paul Morgan, Chief Executive at Biovici, said: "This collaboration between NPL, Swansea University's Centre for NanoHealth and our partners in China opens a unique opportunity to develop a low-cost, affordable test, which will bring major benefits to the global fight against the spread of this highly infectious disease. Many people associate hepatitis as a problem that happens elsewhere and not in their home country. However, hepatitis is a global epidemic which is rapidly affecting parts of the UK, throughout Europe and the USA."

Professor Owen Guy, Director (Engineering) at the Centre for NanoHealth at Swansea University, said: "Using semiconductor process technology applied to graphene enables us to make low-cost sensors. With the right lab-on-chip technology, there is the potential to develop sensors for a host of diagnostic and screening applications."


New graphene sensor to improve hepatitis diagnosis : News : News + Events : National Physical Laboratory

 

[JSCh]

China partner with Australia to open state of the art ocean research center in Tasmania
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-23 10:26:15|Editor: An



HOBART, Australia, May 23 (Xinhua) -- China and Australia have partnered together to open a state of the art ocean research facility in Hobart in Australia's Tasmania state.

The Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research (CSHOR) is a vital collaboration, in which China's Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLMST) will work alongside Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) to enhance scientific understanding of the globe's future climate.

"Although we are not geographically close, the southern hemisphere's oceans can have a huge impact on the climate of Asia and can also affect rainfall in China," QNLMST director Wu Lixin told Xinhua at the launch Monday.

Scientists have known for a long time that warmer ocean cycles in the Pacific, referred to as El Nino events, often bring drought to the Australian mainland.

Similarly, when the ocean cycles are cooler and a La Nina event is in effect, the cycle can cause heavy rain and flooding.

But due to recent advances in research, scientists have now discovered the Indian Ocean also experiences such a phenomenon, and according to Steve Rintoul, a climate scientist at the CSIRO, "when those two events interact it can have devastating effects in Australian and on the South East Asian climate."

"Our work at the centre will target how the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Ocean interact to drive climate and also what changes are occurring with sea level rising," Rintoul said.

The facility is set to be a ground-breaking collaboration for marine research, and the relationship between China and the CSIRO is nothing new.

In fact, the long-standing partnership has lasted 40 years, with scientists from China and Australia leading the world in research cooperation.

"Last year we had a global ocean summit, following the G20 conference in China, and we got all the leaders from marine science around the world in our lab to discuss about how to build a global partnership," Wu said.

"We all reached a consensus that we should work together and this new centre is a follow-up to that meeting."

The facility will receive 20 million Australian dollars (14.88 million U.S. dollars) in funding over five years and will be split evenly between the two countries, who will work closely with University of Tasmania and the University of New South Wales.

"All our research will be made public and will act to inform government," Rintoul said.

"We both believe that we should share things widely and as quickly as we can because then we all benefit."

With such an expansive area to study, Rintoul believes cooperation is the best way to maximise resources.

"We will be looking at the tropics right down to Antarctica," Rintoul said.

"China is a rapidly developing and powerful research force in many, many fields, they have things that we don't have and we have things that they don't have, so that will make our partnership a really valuable one," Rintoul said.

Wu echoed these sentiments and emphasised his belief that "global interaction and collaboration is integral to overcoming scientific challenges."

Wu also laid out plans for four more ocean research centres across the world.

"QNLMST is hoping to build five centres, the first is here in Hobart, we plan for two more in the United States and also Russia and Germany," Wu said.

CSIRO chief executive, Larry Marshall also wants a greater connection around the world and hopes the CSHOR "will act as a magnate to bring in more and more partners and make our research even stronger."

"The CSIRO is working towards becoming a hub for more global collaboration like this," Marshall said.

 

[JSCh]

A self-healing structural color hydrogel inspired by nature
May 23, 2017 by Bob Yirka

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A set of self-healing hydrogel films with different structural colors. Credit: Yuanjin Zhao.

(Phys.org)—A team of researchers at Southeast University in China has developed a self-healing structural hydrogel with a wide variety of applications. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their hydrogel and how it was inspired by healing they observed in animals.

It has been noted for several years that one area where humanoid robots are lacking is skin tone—most robots have a pasty white complexion, which is both disturbing and likely to lead to social problems once robots become mainstream. Most artificial skin is not able to heal itself, which means that robots need skin replacement if it gets damaged or accidentally colored in undesirable ways. There is also the issue of colors fading. When materials such as rubbers or plastics are colored, it is generally done through the use of pigments, which, like clothes, tend to fade over time.

For that reason, robot scientists would like to use other types of coloring options, one of which is structural colors—materials that have their color due to surface nanostructures rather than pigments. As an example, animals such as birds and fish are immune to fading due to structural coloring on scales and feathers. The problem with using such coloring, the researchers note, has been figuring out how to make them strong enough to handle real-world problems like running into things. In this new effort, the researchers report that they looked to nature to overcome this problem.

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Chinese Taiji hydrogel with green background. Credit: Yuanjin Zhao

The new hydrogel they developed is actually double layered—one layer holds the structural colors, the other offers self-healing. When the hydrogel is cut into two pieces, it can not only heal itself, it maintains the original color while doing so. The end result, the team reports, is a very tiny scar. The group has conducted extensive testing of the material and has found that it is capable of withstanding real-world conditions.

It is not yet clear if the material could actually be used as a robot skin, but the researchers suggest it could be used for many different applications.

More information: Fanfan Fu et al. Bio-inspired self-healing structural color hydrogel, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1703616114


https://phys.org/news/2017-05-self-healing-hydrogel-nature.html

 

[JSCh]

Solar cells more efficient thanks to new material standing on edge

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden and from Fudan University in China have successfully designed a new structural organization using the promising solar cell material perovskite. The study shows that solar cells increase in efficiency thanks to the material’s ability to self-organise by standing on edge.

The illustration shows sheets of perovskite, side view. The coloured pattern represents perovskite and the grey lines symbolise the water-repelling surfaces.

Published on May, 23, 2017

The current research study deals with perovskite, a new and promising material in the context of solar cells. However, in its regular form, the material is very sensitive to moisture. It simply dissolves in contact with water, and even normal humidity deteriorates the material within hours or minutes. Now the researchers appear to have overcome that problem.

“We have succeeded in producing thin sheets with a water-repelling surface, making the whole construction much more stable. In addition, we have succeeded in orienting the sheets so as to obtain acceptable solar cells, with an efficiency of ten per cent”, says Tönu Pullerits, professor of chemical physics at Lund University.

Tönu Pullerits sees great development potential for solar cells based on perovskite, thanks to the outcome of the current study. The researchers not only built thin sheets out of the material to achieve water-repelling surfaces but also discovered, to their surprise, that these perovskite sheets self-organised in a way that clearly increased efficiency.

Since the sheets are so thin, many need to be layered on top of each other in order for the absorption of sunlight to be sufficient. A problem arises at this point in that the water-repelling surfaces do not allow electrons to circulate freely within the material. It becomes difficult for the electrons to jump from one sheet to another, which reduces efficiency in the solar cells.

The researchers first tested two different water-repelling surfaces. They expected one version to give better results, enabling the electrons to jump more easily from one sheet to another. Instead, the outcome was the opposite – the second version gave much better results. This surprised the researchers, who then started new experiments in order to understand why.

“Here, our laser experiments were crucial. We could show that the sheets with the second surface material self-organised in such a way as to stand on edge instead of lying flat against one another”, says Tönu Pullerits.

Thanks to the self-organising structure of the sheets, the electrons were able to move freely between the contacts, considerably increasing the efficiency of converting the solar energy to electricity. Tönu Pullerits sees the result as an important step on the way to constructing stable and efficient solar cells out of perovskite.

“Stability is a key issue for solar cells”, he says.

The current study is a collaboration between Lund University and Fudan University in Shanghai. The study was recently published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.

Publication: Tailoring Organic Cation of 2D Air-Stable Organometal Halide Perovskites for Highly Efficient Planar Solar Cells


Solar cells more efficient thanks to new material standing on edge | Lund University

 

[onebyone]

This sprawling, floating solar power plant could change the way other nations design city centers.

China has announced that the largest floating photovoltaic (PV) facility on earth has finally been completed and connected to the local power grid. Long reviled for its carbon emission record, this is the Chinese government’s latest achievement in its ongoing effort to lead the world in renewable energy adoption.

Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province, the 40-megawatt facility was created by PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ironically, the floating grid itself was constructed over a flooded former coal-mining region.

Floating solar farms are becoming increasingly popular around the world because their unique design addresses multiple efficiency and city planning issues. These floating apparatuses free up land in more populated areas and also reduce water evaporation. The cooler air at the surface also helps to minimize the risk of solar cell performance atrophy, which is often related to long-term exposure to warmer temperatures.

This is just the first of many solar energy operations popping up around China. In 2016, the country unveiled a similar 20MW floating facility in the same area. China is also home to the Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, a massive 10-square-mile, land-based facility touted as the largest solar power plant on earth.

This transition to solar is in large part due to the rapidly plummeting cost of the technology itself. By 2020, China could reduce prices offered to PV developers by more than a third with solar power plants projected to rival coal facilities within a decade. The nation has also announced plans to increase its use of non-fissile fuel energy sources by 20 percent.

An annual report released by NASA and NOAA determined that 2016 was the warmest year on record globally, marking the third year in a row in which a new record was set for global average surface temperatures. That said, if we as a species hope to reverse this dire trend, initiatives like this and others will need to be adopted around the globe.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/china-floating-solar-power-plant/

 

[onebyone]

This transition to solar is in large part due to the rapidly plummeting cost of the technology itself. By 2020, China could reduce prices offered to PV developers by more than a third with solar power plants projected to rival coal facilities within a decade. The nation has also announced plans to increase its use of non-fissile fuel energy sources by 20 percent.

This is just the first of many solar energy operations popping up around China. In 2016, the country unveiled a similar 20MW floating facility in the same area. China is also home to the Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, a massive 10-square-mile, land-based facility touted as the largest solar power plant on earth.

 

[samsara]

Watch following fascinating DOCUMENTARY of China's enormous scientific research efforts in the ANTARCTIC, with full English subtitles!

Memory of a Nation 20170525 - Episode 4 - The Series of Exploration of the Highest Point of Antarctic (i.e. the Dome A) - CCTV-4
《国家记忆》 20170525 《征战南极》系列 第四集 探寻冰盖最高点 - CCTV-4

 

[JSCh]

Researchers regenerate bone using 3D printed clay hydrogel
May 23, 2017
Beau Jackson

Researchers in China have released a manuscript detailing a 3D printable material specially designed to support the growth of bone cells. Matter grown with the support of this polymer/clay nanocomposite could be used in the treatment of bone defects caused by trauma, deformities, or the removal of tumors. It has also been tested in vivo with positive results.

Diagram of the process developed by researchers at Tianjin University, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Hong Kong. Image via ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, May 2017


---> Researchers regenerate bone using 3D printed clay hydrogel - 3D Printing Industry

 

[JSCh]

Shanghai scientists find gene responsible for men’s infertility
By Cai Wenjun | 15:10 UTC+8 May 26, 2017

Liu Mofang (r) from the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology observes mice in a lab. -- Ti Gong

LOCAL scientists are the first in the world to detect the mutations of one gene called Piwi is responsible for some men’s infertility, as the mutation can result in an extreme reduction of sperm quantity and the loss of sperm’s vitality. Scientists also found the measure to recover sperm’s vitality in animal experiments.

The discovery can help clinical specialists to study the treatment for human’s infertility.

It was published by world-leading journal Cell today and received high recognition in international science field.

The infertility is rising in the world and the reduced sperm quality is one of the leading causes.

Researchers found men in many countries suffered a drop of sperm quantity and quality in the past years. In China, it dropped by almost 30 percent since 1983. However, the reason and mechanism of sperm problems remained largely unknown, restricting clinical diagnosis and treatment.

A team led by Liu Mofang from the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, spent years to study the subject. They targeted Piwi, a gene mainly on male’s reproductive cells. Through studying the mouse, they found that mutations in the D-box element on Piwi can result in male mouse’s fertility.

They also found similar condition on human with such mutations and confirmed that the gene problem is one of the genetic reasons for male’s infertility.

In addition to locate the mutated gene, Liu’s team also found out the mechanism of the mutations and successfully treated the problem in laboratory on mouse. “By blocking the effect of the mutations, mouse’s sperm regains vitality,” she said. “The solution can provide a new solution to the treatment of human in clinical practice.”

 

[JSCh]

China approves undersea observing networks for oceanic research

• Published : 2017-05-27 23:42
• Last Modified : 2017-05-27 23:43

China has recently approved a billion-yuan program to build the country’s first undersea observing networks for advancing oceanic studies and other areas such as national defense.

Listed as one of China’s major scientific infrastructural programs, the networks will be built in the East China Sea and South China Sea respectively to conduct around-the-clock, real-time, high-definition, multiple interface, and three-dimensional observations.

The networks will also serve as a platform to provide long-term observation data and support experiments in the research of the maritime environments of the two seas. Meanwhile, a monitoring and data center will also be set up in Shanghai to monitor the networks and process the data collected by the networks.

The program is expected to advance China’s research in cutting-edge areas of earth system science and global climate change, and also meet the needs in other areas such as national defense, and disaster warning.

Scientists say that building the networks bears great significance for China.

"The devices will be placed down on the seabed through optical cables, in other words, build a laboratory undersea to collect and send data back to us. China is an ocean power; it should have done more in oceanic studies in the past. An ocean power must be able to go to the high seas and go global," said Jian Zhimin, dean of the School of Marine and Earth Sciences, Tongji University.

"After its establishment, this system can also have some radiation effects in other sectors, such as mining, mapping or ocean rights protection and national defense in addition to scientific research. We hope different governmental departments can work together to work out stricter regulations and measures on the protection of these undersea facilities, so as to ensure the long-term operation of this system," said Zhou Huaiyang, a professor with the School of Marine and Earth Sciences, Tongji University

The networks cost approximately two billion yuan with a planned construction period of five years.