China Science & Technology Forum

[TaiShang]

China sees nuclear advance
By Huang Ge Source:Global Times Published: 2017/10/16

Faster growth expected as global recognition grows

Engineers install parts of the first nuclear power plant using Hualong One technology in Fuqing, East China's Fujian Province in May. Photo: VCG

China's nuclear power industry has moved into a new phase over the last five years, with the country strengthening efforts to develop independent technology through innovation while also improving safety standards, experts said on Monday.

The number of nuclear power plants that are in operation in the Chinese mainland has reached 36, ranking fourth globally, and China's total installed capacity of nuclear power is 56.9 million kilowatts, according to a report by news.cctv.com in August.

Also, 20 nuclear power plants are under construction in the mainland and 10 of them have adopted China-designed third-generation nuclear power technology, the report noted.

In the 2012-17 period, nuclear power projects built in China accounted for more than 90 percent of the world's new project construction in the nuclear sector, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Monday.

Technology breakthrough

"China's nuclear power technology has achieved comprehensive development in the past five years and has risen to the highest global level," said Han Xiaoping, chief analyst at energy website china5e.com.

Han told the Global Times on Monday that the independent development and research going into the third-generation reactor technology, or Hualong One technology, could represent the future of the global nuclear power industry.

The construction of China's first pilot nuclear power project using Hualong One technology was completed in May, and Hualong One is already building influence in the global market.

The containment dome for the K2 project of Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant using Hualong One was successfully installed on Friday, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said in a post on its website on Monday.

Chinese nuclear power technologies and investment are now sought after by countries and regions across the globe that are considering low-carbon alternatives to coal, experts said.

Apart from Pakistan, China's nuclear power industry has seen growth in countries like the UK and Argentina, according to Han.

China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) announced In September 2016 that it had signed the final agreements for the Hinkley Point C project in the UK with French energy company EDF and the British government. CGN will fund one-third of the project in return for the chance to build its own design of reactor at another plant in the UK at Bradwell in Essex.

"The cooperation with the UK will boost global recognition of China's nuclear power technology, which will be widely accepted by other countries and regions," said Han.

In order to expand its presence in overseas markets, China's nuclear power industry is expected to further develop its independent technology, and cooperation with countries and regions in the Belt and Road initiative will have great growth potential, said Lin.

The sector is also faced with challenges in going global, as nuclear power projects are capital intensive and the industry is often affected by political issues in some markets, Lin said.

Faster growth

China attached greater importance to industrial safety after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, and new laws and rules have been unveiled to guarantee the safety of the country's nuclear power sector, experts said.

In October 2016, the government announced the drafting of the China nuclear power safety laws, and laws about atomic energy are also being discussed, according to media reports.

After the Fukushima disaster, China reexamined the nuclear power projects that were under construction on the basis of the new safety standards, Han said. "In the next five years, China's nuclear power sector will put more focus on safety and efficiency."

The domestic nuclear power sector will see faster growth in the next five years compared with the previous period, Lin forecast, saying that the reduction of overcapacity in the coal power sector and technological progress will be the major driving forces.

Han said that the rapid growth of the nuclear industry will change the power generation model in China as well as help the Chinese market reduce its dependence on coal.

Nuclear power reached a record high of 3.9 percent of China's total power generation in the first half of this year, the news.cctv.com report said. Experts said the percentage will increase in the future.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1070579.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

China gains ground in ranking of research
China Daily, October 18, 2017

Academic research papers from China garner the second most worldwide citations, after those from the United States but ahead of those from the United Kingdom, according to a new study.

The analysis was conducted by Amsterdam-based information and analytics company Elsevier and commissioned by the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Citations are the way in which scholars give credit to other researchers and acknowledge their ideas. They indicate how seriously research is taken by other scientists.

Elsevier assessed the performance of the UK's research base between 2010 and 2014 and compared it with seven other countries: China, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.

The analysis found that in 2014, research papers originating in China accounted for 18.1 percent of all citations, a sharp increase from the 11 percent it had in 2010.

In comparison, the UK's share in 2014 was 10.7 percent, which was slightly down from the 11 percent they garnered in 2010. The US saw its share slip from 39.4 percent in 2010 to 35 percent in 2014.

In 2014, China accounted for 19.6 percent of the world's most heavily cited articles, while the UK produced 15.2 percent.

The report said: "The global research landscape in recent years has become increasingly complex and fluid, and it can only become more so as emerging research nations grow their research bases."

Authors said the UK and other research-intensive nations are seeing their global shares in key research indicators eroded by emerging countries, "especially by China".

"As China and other rising research nations succeed in their desire to emulate and even surpass the research performance of countries like the US and the UK, their shares will naturally become larger while the erstwhile powerhouses see theirs shrink," the report said.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2017-10/18/content_41751423.htm

 

[cirr]

Domestic steam generator headed for nuclear power plant

2017-10-18 14:06

Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping

A cutting-edge domestic steam generator Tuesday departed for the first demonstration nuclear power project using Hualong One technology, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design.

The Hualong One ZH-65 steam generator has a life span of 60 years with lower outlet humidity and a higher power-weight ratio than previous technology.

"The generator has demonstrated China's latest nuclear power equipment manufacturing technology," said Zeng Xianmao, chairman and general manager with the Dongfang Electric (Guangzhou) Heavy Machinery, producer of the generator.

The generator was developed by a team led by Zhang Fuyuan, chief designer at the Nuclear Power Institute of China.

It was designed for the No. 5 unit of Fuqing Nuclear Plant in Fujian Province, a project of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

The government has approved the Fuqing project to build six nuclear power units. The No. 5 and 6 units will be a pilot project also featuring Hualong One.

In May, a hemispherical dome, weighing 340 tonnes and measuring 46.8 meters in diameter, was installed by crane on the No. 5 unit, marking the start of the assembly stage.

The installation of the dome ranked first in projects on progress in nuclear science and technology, according to the annual conference of the Chinese Nuclear Society on Monday.

Hualong One was jointly designed by China's two nuclear power giants, China General Nuclear Power Group and CNNC, and passed inspection by a national panel in August 2014.

China has 37 operational nuclear reactors and is building a further 19.

China is aiming to have 88 million kw of nuclear power capacity in operation or under construction by 2020. The current level is just under 57 million kw.

On Sept. 1, China's legislature passed a nuclear safety law, reflecting the country's careful safety outlook and commitment to its international obligations.

There are now four projects using Hualong One design under construction, including two reactors in Karachi, Pakistan. A contract was also signed in May for the construction of the Hualong One design in Argentina.

The country has promoted the Hualong One at home and abroad.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/10-18/277536.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

Domestic steam generator headed for nuclear power plant


Photo taken on Oct. 17, 2017 shows the Hualong One ZH-65 steam generator being hoisted for shipment in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. The cutting-edge domestic steam generator Tuesday departed for the first demonstration nuclear power project using Hualong One technology, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design. It was designed for the No. 5 unit of Fuqing Nuclear Plant in Fujian Province, a project of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). (Xinhua/Zhai Li)

Photo taken on Oct. 17, 2017 shows the Hualong One ZH-65 steam generator being hoisted for shipment in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. The cutting-edge domestic steam generator Tuesday departed for the first demonstration nuclear power project using Hualong One technology, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design. It was designed for the No. 5 unit of Fuqing Nuclear Plant in Fujian Province, a project of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). (Xinhua/Zhai Li)

http://www.china.org.cn/photos/2017-10/19/content_41757064_2.htm

 

[JSCh]

China unveils first system using electron beam irradiation to treat polluted water
By Liu Caiyu Source:Global Times Published: 2017/10/18 23:43:39

China’s first system using irradiation to treat polluted water

China's first home-grown industrial wastewater-cleaning system using electron beam irradiation could effectively dissolve pollutants in the environment and has the potential for use in a wide range of industries, Chinese experts said.

The new water-cleaning system was developed by China's largest nuclear power operator, the China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), and Tsinghua University, Economic Daily reported on Tuesday.

Zhang Jianfeng, CGN's chief executive, said he saw this birth of a water cleaning system using electron beam irradiation as "a milestone in the field of industrial wastewater treatment both in China and worldwide."

Zhang made the remarks during a meeting on Monday with nine Chinese experts in the field of nuclear instrument applications and environmental protection.

Zhao Zhangyuan, a fellow researcher at the Chinese Environmental Sciences Research Academy, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the technology could largely dissolve pollutants in the environment for disposal treatment and could be applied to other industries as well.

There are many difficulties in the water cleaning process because wastewater can contain some complex chemicals that are not easily degraded and even after a certain amount of treatment they still continue to damage the environment, Zhao said.

Zhang emphasized that China owns the rights to this system and that it could have wider use for various pollutants and is more efficient than traditional sewage disposal methods, and this is an area the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) considers a primary nuclear power research field in the 21st Century.

Scientists can use the electron beams to break up complex chemicals into smaller molecules that are easier to treat through normal biological processes, and can remove the wastewater color and odor if needed, according to an IAEA statement, which noted that this method won't make the water radioactive or leave any radioactive residue.

An electron beam pilot project for processing sewage was first tried in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang Province in March, Zhang added, explaining that it can handle up to 5,000 tons of industrial sewage a day, especially wastewater in the printing and dyeing business.

In 2014, Chinese industries produced about 20 billion tons of wastewater, or 56 million tons a day. This means that about 600 electron beam irradiation systems, costing 10 billion yuan, would be needed to treat five percent of China's industrial wastewater.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

Source: Xinhua
BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's spending on research and development (R&D) accounted for 2.1 percent of GDP in 2016, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced Thursday.

The spending reached 1.54 trillion yuan (around 233 billion U.S. dollars) last year, with over 78 percent coming from enterprises.

Based in the south China city of Shenzhen, Chinese drone manufacturer DJI-Innovations (DJI) has pioneered the development of drones with its products gaining 80 percent of the global market share.

With the addition of innovative enterprises like DJI, the production value of the seven "strategic emerging industries," such as biology and the internet, has enjoyed an average annual increase of 17.4 percent in Shenzhen, according to the ministry.

The scientific and technological progress contribution increased to 56.2 percent in China's economic growth in 2016, the ministry said.

 

[JSCh]

Using optical chaos to control the momentum of light
Researchers demonstrate new method to control light in a photonic circuit

By Leah Burrows
October 19, 2017

Coupling the optical fields from waveguides to the optical fields in whispering galleries in photonic circuits is like trying to transfer a package between a bike and a car on a highway. But, with chaos, the photons could be efficiently delivered to the optical mode. (Illustration courtesy of Yin Feng and Xuejun Huang)

Integrated photonic circuits, which rely on light rather than electrons to move information, promise to revolutionize communications, sensing and data processing. But controlling and moving light poses serious challenges. One major hurdle is that light travels at different speeds and in different phases in different components of an integrated circuit. For light to couple between optical components, it needs to be moving at the same momentum.

Now, a team of researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, in collaboration with Peking University in Beijing, has demonstrated a new way to control the momentum of broadband light in a widely-used optical component known as a whispering gallery microcavity (WGM).

The paper, whose co-authors also include researchers from Washington University in Saint Louis, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of Magdeburg, is published in Science.

“The broadband optical chaos in a microcavity creates a universal tool to access many optical states,” said Linbo Shao, a graduate student in the lab of Marko Loncar, the Tiantsai Lin Professor of Electrical Engineering, at SEAS and co-first author of the paper. “Previously, researchers needed multiple special optical elements to couple light in and out WGMs at different wavelengths, but with this work we can couple all color lights with a single optical coupler.”

A WGM is a type of optical microresonator used in a wide variety of applications, from long-range transmission in optical fibers to quantum computing. WGMs are named for the whispering galleries of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where an acoustic wave (a whisper) circulates inside a cavity (the dome) from a speaker on one side to a listener on the other. A similar phenomena occurs in the Echo Wall in the Temple of Heaven in China and in the whispering arch in Grand Central Station in New York City.

Optical whispering galleries work much the same way. Light waves trapped in a highly-confined, circular space — smaller than a strand of hair — orbit around the inside of the cavity. Like the whispering wall, the cavity traps and carries the wave.

However, it is difficult to couple the optical fields from waveguides to the optical fields in whispering galleries in photonic circuits because the waves are traveling at different speeds.

Think of a WGM as a highway roundabout and optical fields as UPS trucks. Now, imagine trying to transfer a package between two trucks while both are moving at different speeds. Impossible, right?

(Left) Without the chaos, coupling photons to an optical mode is inefficient. (Right) With the chaos, the photons could be efficiently delivered to the optical mode. (Artwork by Yin Feng and Xuejun Huang)

In order to solve for this difference of momentum — without breaking Newton’s law of the conservation of momentum — the research team created a little chaos. By deforming the shape of the optical microresonator, the researchers were able to create and harness so-called chaotic channels, in which the angular momentum of light is not conserved and can change over time. By alternating the shape of the resonator, the momentum can be tuned; the resonator can be designed to match momentum between waveguides and WGMs. Importantly, the coupling is broadband and occurs between optical states that would otherwise not couple.

By deforming the shape of the optical microresonator, the researchers were able to create and harness so-called chaotic channels, in which the angular momentum of light is not conserved and can change over time. (Image courtesy of Linbo Shao/Harvard SEAS)

The research provides new applications for microcavity optics and photonics in optical quantum processing, optical storage and more.

“The work illustrates a fundamentally different approach to probe this important class of microresonators while also revealing beautiful physics relating to the subject of optical chaos,” said Kerry Vahala, the Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Professor of Applied Physics at Cal Tech, who was not involved in this research.

Next, the team will explore the physics of optical chaos in other optical platforms and materials, including photonic crystals and diamonds.

Additional co-authors of the paper include Loncar, Qihuang Gong, Yun-Feng Xiao, Xuefeng Jiang, Shu-Xin Zhang, Xu Yi, Jan Wiersig, Li Wang and Lan Yang. The research was supported in part by the SEAS-based Center for Integrated Quantum Materials and the National Science Foundation. The computations were run on the Odyssey cluster supported by the FAS Division of Science, Research Computing Group at Harvard University.


Using optical chaos to control the momentum of light | Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Xuefeng Jiang, Linbo Shao, Shu-Xin Zhang, Xu Yi, Jan Wiersig, Li Wang, Qihuang Gong, Marko Lončar, Lan Yang, Yun-Feng Xiao. Chaos-assisted broadband momentum transformation in optical microresonators. Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aao0763.​

 

[cirr]

Chinese scientists discover anticancer activities in TCM medicine

2017-10-20 11:00

chinadaily.com.cn Editor: Li Yahui

Chinese scientists have found evidence that cordyceps militaris, one of the many traditional Chinese medicines widely used for its healing powers, carries anticancer activities by identifying a dual biosynthesis of two anticancer compounds in the fungus.

The two compounds are cordycepin and pentostatin. The former was first identified from cordyceps militaris in 1950 but its synthesis mechanism had remained unknown. The latter was first identified from a bacterium and was developed as a commercial drug to treat leukemia and cancers in the 1990s.

"For the first time, we decoded the biosynthesis mechanism of cordycepin in the fungus and during the research we discovered pentostatin just by chance," said Wang Chengshu, head of the research team at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, a branch of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"These two compounds coexist in fungal cells in the form of protector and protégé. That is to say, cordycepin is synthetized with the coupled production of pentostatin to protect the stability of the former," he said.

A paper about the team's findings after nearly eight years of research was published on the website of Cell Chemical Biology, an international journal, on Thursday.

Cordyceps fungi are popular in China for its widely believed immunity-enhancing and energy-strengthening properties. Their uses in medical treatment dates back to the Compendium of Materia Medica, a book widely deemed the bible of traditional Chinese medicine written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

"Arguments have been going on for years whether such fungi are antibacterial or anticancer and people use them based on experience in most cases. It's a major progress that our team scientifically proved that cordyceps militaris really carries such properties," said Guo Jinhua, Party secretary of the institute.

http://www.ecns.cn/2017/10-20/277797.shtml

 

[cirr]

Proton knife @Bussard Ramjet

中科院上海光机所激光质子刀研究获重要突破 有望减少肿瘤治疗费用

2017-10-21 09:03:48字号：A- A A+来源：科学网

关键字:激光质子刀激光质子刀上海上海激光质子刀激光质子刀肿瘤肿瘤激光质子刀

科学网10月20日报道，今天，记者从中科院上海光机所获悉，该所强场激光物理国家重点实验室在徐至展院士、李儒新研究员的领导下，在激光质子刀研究中取得重要进展。研究人员利用圆偏振拍瓦级超强超短激光脉冲轰击纳米厚度薄膜靶，获得了大流强、准单能的高品质质子束，质子能谱峰能量达到9 MeV，峰值流强高达3×1012protons/MeV/sr。这一结果代表着激光驱动的质子刀方案向前迈出了关键一步。10月17日，相关研究成果已经发表于《物理评论快报》。

高能质子束在物质中传输时具体独特的布拉格峰，即质子在传输路径上损失能量很少，能量主要沉积在末端。因此采用高能质子束治疗体内癌症时，在杀死癌细胞的同时，能很好地保护健康细胞，这种治疗手段被称为质子刀。基于传统加速器的质子刀肿瘤治疗在国内外都已取得很大进展。临床效果非常好，但缺点是治疗费用十分昂贵，难以普及。

新激光质子刀可以大大减少肿瘤治疗的费用@视觉中国

超强超短激光驱动的以等离子体为工作介质的高能质子加速器，由于其加速梯度（单位长度内粒子获得的能量）远大于传统加速器，大大缩小加速器规模，从而有望减少治疗费用，服务于大众，成为新一代质子刀，即激光质子刀。用于肿瘤治疗的质子刀，需要满足能量高、准单能、流强大等条件。激光质子刀研究虽已有近二十年时间，并取得了很多理论和实验进展，但同时满足这些条件还有很大困难，其实际应用受到制约。

在这项研究中，研究人员分析表明，基于无碰撞激波的加速机制是产生这种高品质高能质子束的原因，该机制预言质子能量可在现有的激光条件下定标到百兆电子伏特，满足质子刀肿瘤治疗的要求。此前该团队已经利用线偏振激光在国际上率先获得了基于超强超短激光的无碰撞冲击波加速的实验结果。

超强超短激光驱动产生的超短脉冲、高品质高能质子束还可应用于质子照相与材料检测、激光核聚变快点火、实验室天体物理、激光核物理和核医学等方面的研究。

据悉，这项研究得到了中科院先导B类专项、国家重点研发计划及国家自然科学基金等项目的支持。

 

[Han Patriot]

Proton knife @Bussard Ramjet

中科院上海光机所激光质子刀研究获重要突破 有望减少肿瘤治疗费用

2017-10-21 09:03:48字号：A- A A+来源：科学网

关键字:激光质子刀激光质子刀上海上海激光质子刀激光质子刀肿瘤肿瘤激光质子刀

科学网10月20日报道，今天，记者从中科院上海光机所获悉，该所强场激光物理国家重点实验室在徐至展院士、李儒新研究员的领导下，在激光质子刀研究中取得重要进展。研究人员利用圆偏振拍瓦级超强超短激光脉冲轰击纳米厚度薄膜靶，获得了大流强、准单能的高品质质子束，质子能谱峰能量达到9 MeV，峰值流强高达3×1012protons/MeV/sr。这一结果代表着激光驱动的质子刀方案向前迈出了关键一步。10月17日，相关研究成果已经发表于《物理评论快报》。

高能质子束在物质中传输时具体独特的布拉格峰，即质子在传输路径上损失能量很少，能量主要沉积在末端。因此采用高能质子束治疗体内癌症时，在杀死癌细胞的同时，能很好地保护健康细胞，这种治疗手段被称为质子刀。基于传统加速器的质子刀肿瘤治疗在国内外都已取得很大进展。临床效果非常好，但缺点是治疗费用十分昂贵，难以普及。

新激光质子刀可以大大减少肿瘤治疗的费用@视觉中国

超强超短激光驱动的以等离子体为工作介质的高能质子加速器，由于其加速梯度（单位长度内粒子获得的能量）远大于传统加速器，大大缩小加速器规模，从而有望减少治疗费用，服务于大众，成为新一代质子刀，即激光质子刀。用于肿瘤治疗的质子刀，需要满足能量高、准单能、流强大等条件。激光质子刀研究虽已有近二十年时间，并取得了很多理论和实验进展，但同时满足这些条件还有很大困难，其实际应用受到制约。

在这项研究中，研究人员分析表明，基于无碰撞激波的加速机制是产生这种高品质高能质子束的原因，该机制预言质子能量可在现有的激光条件下定标到百兆电子伏特，满足质子刀肿瘤治疗的要求。此前该团队已经利用线偏振激光在国际上率先获得了基于超强超短激光的无碰撞冲击波加速的实验结果。

超强超短激光驱动产生的超短脉冲、高品质高能质子束还可应用于质子照相与材料检测、激光核聚变快点火、实验室天体物理、激光核物理和核医学等方面的研究。

据悉，这项研究得到了中科院先导B类专项、国家重点研发计划及国家自然科学基金等项目的支持。

Before this a Chinese company sold to Oxford University a precision ultrasonic knife, it was the first system in the world, forgot the exact term.

 

[JSCh]

China approves Ebola vaccine
Xinhua | Updated: 2017-10-20 18:53

BEIJING -- China has approved a domestically developed Ebola vaccine, according to the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) Friday.

The vaccine was developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and CanSino Biologics INC.

Its approval makes China the third country to develop a vaccine against Ebola following the United States and Russia.

The vaccine is based on the 2014 mutant gene type and in the form of freeze-dried powder, which can remain stable for at least two weeks in temperatures of up to 37 degrees Celsius and is suitable for the climate in West Africa.

The vaccine was clinical-approved by the CFDA in Feb 2015 and has undergone clinical trials in Sierra Leone, one of the countries worst hit by Ebola.

The virus was discovered in 1976 and severely affected countries including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from 2013, claiming the lives of more than 11,000 people.

 

[onebyone]

https://www.facebook.com/

To reduce global greenhouse emissions, China has announced it will stop selling cars powered by fossil fuels in the next 15 years. As many question how to charge the next generation of electric cars, the country’s booming solar industry is already providing answers. https://america.cgtn.com/?p=489882

 

[onebyone]

https://www.facebook.com/

Live: Innovation in agricultural science & technology

Officials, scholars and researchers from the agricultural field have reviewed the country's achievements in this sector over the last five years and shared their ideas on the future in this division. CGTN editors rewind the group interview and discuss on advancing innovation in agricultural science & technology.#19thCPC

 

[Huan]

After the next 15 years, it will stop selling?

 

[Beast]

After the next 15 years, it will stop selling?

Yes, selling fossil fuel car will received a death sentence.