China Science & Technology Forum

[JSCh]

Public Release: 13-Apr-2017
A battery prototype powered by atmospheric nitrogen
Cell Press

This is an artistic illustration of Zhang and colleagues' proof-of-concept experiment, which successfully implements a reversible nitrogen cycle based on rechargeable Li-N2 batteries with promising electrochemical faradic efficiency.
Credit: Zhang et. al.

As the most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, nitrogen has been an attractive option as a source of renewable energy. But nitrogen gas -- which consists of two nitrogen atoms held together by a strong, triple covalent bond -- doesn't break apart under normal conditions, presenting a challenge to scientists who want to transfer the chemical energy of the bond into electricity. In the journal Chem on April 13, researchers in China present one approach to capturing atmospheric nitrogen that can be used in a battery.

The "proof-of-concept" design works by reversing the chemical reaction that powers existing lithium-nitrogen batteries. Instead of generating energy from the breakdown of lithium nitride (2Li3N) into lithium and nitrogen gas, the researchers' battery prototype runs on atmospheric nitrogen in ambient conditions and reacts with lithium to form lithium nitride. Its energy output is brief but comparable to that of other lithium-metal batteries.

"This promising research on a nitrogen fixation battery system not only provides fundamental and technological progress in the energy storage system but also creates an advanced N2/Li3N (nitrogen gas/lithium nitride) cycle for a reversible nitrogen fixation process," says senior author Xin-Bo Zhang, of the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "The work is still at the initial stage. More intensive efforts should be devoted to developing the battery systems."

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This work is financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.



A battery prototype powered by atmospheric nitrogen | EurekAlert! Science News

Jin-Ling Ma, Di Bao, Miao-Miao Shi, Jun-Min Yan, Xin-Bo Zhang. Reversible Nitrogen Fixation Based on a Rechargeable Lithium-Nitrogen Battery for Energy Storage. Chem, 2017; 2 (4): 525. DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2017.03.016

 

[JSCh]

Scientists Visualize the "Annual Rings" in Human Genome
Apr 17, 2017

Aging, the major risk factor for a wide range of chronic diseases, is determined by both genetic and epigenetic factors. Accurate technology to track the chromatin dynamics in live cells is required for understanding the deeper mechanisms of aging process.

So far, several technologies, including fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), TALE and CRISPR/dCas9 system, have been utilized to image specific loci in human genome. However, they are limited by non-live cell imaging, low signal to noise ratio and transfection efficiencies, as well as the formation of non-specific protein aggregates in the transfected cells.

In a study published in Cell Research as a cover story, researchers from Institute of Biophysics (IBP) of Chinese Academy of Sciences and their partners developed a new 3D genome imaging technique named TTALE (by fusing thioredoxin to TALE) by which precisely visualizing specific genomic repetitive-sequence loci became possible.

Conventional TALEs are discovered to be prone to form insoluble aggregates, hampering their utility for precise genomic imaging in all human cell lines examined. To overcome this barrier, researchers screened a panel of peptides/proteins that are known to facilitate the expression of insoluble proteins in E. coli and fused them to TALE. They found that the fusion of the thioredoxin to TALE (designated as TTALE) effectively eliminated the aggregate-like signals from conventional TALE.

TTALEs were tested in a variety of cellular contexts, including human cancer cell lines, human embryonic stem cells, iPSCs and differentiated cells, as well as mouse cells in vitro or in vivo. "TTALEs can be applied to various human cell types and mouse cells, with imaging quality comparable to 3D-FISH and transfection efficiency better than the CRISPR/dCas9 system.” said LIU Guanghui, a professor from IBP.

Besides, using this technique, researchers for the first time precisely visualized the location of 28S rDNA inside nucleolus in live cells by TTALE system, which may provide a powerful tool for exploring the function of ribosomal DNA and nucleolus in different biological processes.

MUC4 as a protein-coding gene locus can also be precisely labeled by TTALE in human cells. "Their success with this latter locus (MUC4) emphasizes the potential utility of the TTALE system for a wide range of experimental questions.” said Brian Kennedy, the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California.

Chromatin disorganization has been linked to human aging and age-related diseases. Although telomere shortening has been known as a hallmark of aging, repeat sequences known as the dark matter in human genome were rarely studied for their function to regulate biological processes including aging.

This study identified rDNA attrition as a hallmark of aging in three models of human mesenchymal stem cell aging, as well as in the peripheral blood cells isolated from aged human individuals. “These initial findings open the possibility that the rDNA repeats may be a common source of genome instability and a driver of aging across diverse eukaryotes.” said Brian Kennedy.

Although the findings in this study focused on the ability of TTALEs to explore the chromatin dynamics with age, the application of TTALEs could be extended far beyond, such as studying the single nucleotide polymorphisms-induced pathologies like autism-related disorders and detecting the chromosomal or cell cycle aberrations in cancer.

"TTALEs promise to provide a robust platform for imaging chromatin dynamics under physiological conditions, as well as a potential tool for genome editing in therapeutic approaches to various pathologies.” said Brian Kennedy.

This work was supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Natural Science Foundation, National High Technology Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, etc.

Figure: TTALE-based precise imaging of 28S rDNAs in nucleolar organizer region (left), and the cover of Cell Research (right). (Image by IBP)



Scientists Visualize the "Annual Rings" in Human Genome---Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

[JSCh]

AIOFM's Rapid Online Monitoring LIDAR System Steps into Its Industrialization
Apr 17, 2017

With support from special project of national major scientific apparatus “R&D and Application of LIDAR System for Spatial-Temporal Detection of Atmospheric Fine Particle and Ozone”, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (AIOFM), Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced they have successfully developed a rapid online LIDAR system for spatial-temporal detection of atmospheric fine particle and ozone, and which is to step into its industrialization.

The new system made several broke through in multiple generic key technologies to provide reliable technological means for real-time monitoring capacity and data analysis.

Precisely the system effectively improves its cognition and changes the situation that most of high-end LIDAR devices in China are imported abroad. And the industrialization process and production line has been established in Wuxi CAS Photonics Co.,Ltd.

In order to meet different demands of targeted clients, multiple lidar models have also been developed which offer important means and high-end devices for the research on dust-haze and photo-chemical pollution in China.

Since its establishment in 2013, stereoscopic monitoring network of LIDAR for atmospheric fine particle and ozone has taken on its responsibility in Jing-Jin-Ji area.

The apparatus provides air quality guarantee and effective evaluation of emission reduction for various national activities such as Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, APEC Meeting in Beijing, Military Parade of “9.3 Victory Day” in Beijing and G20 Summit in Hangzhou, etc, as well as offers important scientific basis for governmental environmental decisions and management.

Comparison result between airborne telemetry and vehicle-mounted cruising. Particulate pollution layer was detected at 0.7km~1.3km (Image by FAN Guangqiang)

Multiple configurations are available for mobile LIDAR based on actual demands (Image by FAN Guangqiang)

Construction of Production line (Image by FAN Guangqiang)​

AIOFM's Rapid Online Monitoring LIDAR System Steps into Its Industrialization---Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

[JSCh]

ANU will work with Chinese scientists on fusion energy
12 April 2017

The Joint European Torus (seen here with a superimposed image of plasma) is one of the machines helping to unlock fusion power. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Flickr.

ANU will work with the University of South China (USC) on fusion energy research, with the prospect of Australia providing China with its first plasma Stellarator device.

Energy pundits see nuclear fusion, which powers our sun and all stars in the Universe, as the Holy Grail - it has the potential to provide sustainable, zero-emission and relatively cheap power to grids.

Dr Cormac Corr, Director of the Australian Plasma Fusion Research Facility at ANU, said the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with USC was an important step towards developing a future energy source for the world.

"We're working towards making fusion a viable baseload power source by 2050, and Australia working closer with China on this technology will help to make this a reality," Dr Corr said.

After years of funding support from the Australian Government, ANU has developed strong technical expertise in a type of plasma fusion device called a stellarator, one of the two fusion devices that are most likely to be viable power sources.

ANU and USC will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday 12 April that will underpin a new fusion research relationship between Australia and China.

Dr Corr said Australia was poised to provide China with its first stellarator device.

"Australia will benefit from enhanced national investment, and for China the relationship will form the core of China's first stellarator program," he said.

"The agreement will be finalised in the next few months and will start with significant exchange of technical and academic personnel between the two institutions."

Professor Hanqing Wang, Chairman of the Council of USC and Professor Xueyu Gong, leader of the fusion program at USC are at ANU for the MoU signing.

China, the European Union, India, Korea, Russia, Japan and the United States are jointly funding the construction of the $30 billion ITER nuclear fusion demonstration facility in France that will start producing 500 megawatts of power by the late 2020s.

In September 2016, Australia became the first non-member state to enter a formal collaborative agreement with ITER.


ANU will work with Chinese scientists on fusion energy | ANU

 

[JSCh]

Pakistani couple cultivate rapeseed flowers in 13 colors in E China
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-18 16:57:51|Editor: An

Lin Qing (R) and Ma Ke pose for a photo in the test field of rapeseed flowers at Jiangxi Agricultural University in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, March 14, 2017. Pakistani couple Hira Khanzada and Ghulam Mustafa Wassan, who gave themselves Chinese names Lin Qing and Ma Ke, are doctoral students major in genetics and breeding in Jiangxi Agricultural University. Sharing common interests on plants, they fell in love in Islamabad, and came to China together for further education in 2010. Now they have cultivated rapeseed flowers in 13 colors under the lead of supervisor Fu Donghui, among which seven colors are in stable condition. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)

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Combo photo taken on March 9, 2017 shows rapeseed flowers in different colors cultivated by Lin Qing and Ma Ke (not in the picture) at Jiangxi Agricultural University in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province.

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Lin Qing checks seedlings of rapeseed flowers at a laboratory of Jiangxi Agricultural University in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, March 14, 2017.

 

[JSCh]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACS News Service Weekly Press
Pac: Wed Apr 19 09:24:00 EDT 2017
Degradable electronic components created from corn starch

"Degradable Poly(lactic acid)/Metal-Organic Framework Nanocomposites Exhibiting Good Mechanical, Flame Retardant, and Dielectric Properties for the Fabrication of Disposable Electronics"
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

As consumers upgrade their gadgets at an increasing pace, the amount of electronic waste we generate continues to mount. To help combat this environmental problem, researchers have modified a degradable bioplastic derived from corn starch or other natural sources for use in more eco-friendly electronic components. They report their development in ACS’ journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

In 2014, consumers around the world discarded about 42 million metric tons of e-waste, according to a report by the United Nations University. This poses an environmental and human threat because electronic products are made up of many components, some of which are toxic or non-degradable. To help address the issue, Xinlong Wang and colleagues sought to develop a degradable material that could be used for electronic substrates or insulators.

The researchers started with polylactic acid, or PLA, which is a bioplastic that can be derived from corn starch or other natural sources and is already used in the packaging, electronics and automotive industries. PLA by itself, however, is brittle and flammable, and doesn’t have the right electrical properties to be a good electronic substrate or insulator. But the researchers found that blending metal-organic framework nanoparticles with PLA resulted in a transparent film with the mechanical, electrical and flame retardant properties that make the material a promising candidate for use in electronics.


Degradable electronic components created from corn starch - American Chemical Society

 

[JSCh]

Synopsis: Neutrons On-Demand from Laser Fusion
April 19, 2017

A new laser-driven fusion method could lead to a robust and efficient way to generate neutrons for use in materials science, geology, and other fields.

G. Ren/IAPCM and J. Yan/LFRC​

Neutron sources have many uses: from probing the interior of a material to locating underground mineral resources. Laser-driven fusion reactions are one way to produce neutrons, but current techniques are either inefficient or unreliable. Jie Liu of the Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics in China and colleagues have developed a robust new scheme that uses lasers to induce fusion reactions in a capsule containing heavy hydrogen fuel. In preliminary tests, this method produced around a billion neutrons per laser shot, which is a factor of 100 better than similar methods.

Several neutron sources, such as high-energy accelerators and fission reactors, provide high-intensity beams for materials studies. However, the desire for smaller-scale sources has focused attention on laser-based techniques. One scheme involves shining a laser pulse on clusters of hydrogen isotopes. The clusters are ionized and subsequently collide, inducing fusion reactions that release neutrons, but the yields are generally too low for many applications.

The new method from Liu and colleagues is a variation on inertial confinement fusion (ICF), which aims for self-sustaining fusion reactions through the laser bombardment of hydrogen fuel pellets. Being developed at the National Ignition Facility and elsewhere, ICF can produce very high neutron yields, but it has been plagued by instabilities. The Chinese group avoids these problems by adopting a different target geometry. Rather than a pellet, they use a spherical capsule whose inner surface is lined with a thin fuel layer. Incoming laser light heats the fuel, causing it to implode and fuse in the center of the capsule. Experiments with 6.3-kilojoule laser pulses produced up to a few billion neutrons, but a stronger laser and more neutron-rich fuel could increase the yield by a factor of 1000 or more.

This research is published in Physical Review Letters.

–Michael Schirber


Physics - Synopsis: Neutrons On-Demand from Laser Fusion

Neutron Generation by Laser-Driven Spherically Convergent Plasma Fusion
G. Ren, J. Yan, J. Liu, K. Lan, Y. H. Chen, W. Y. Huo, Z. Fan, X. Zhang, J. Zheng, Z. Chen, W. Jiang, L. Chen, Q. Tang, Z. Yuan, F. Wang, S. Jiang, Y. Ding, W. Zhang, and X. T. He
Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 165001 (2017)
Published April 19, 2017​

Abstract
We investigate a new laser-driven spherically convergent plasma fusion scheme (SCPF) that can produce thermonuclear neutrons stably and efficiently. In the SCPF scheme, laser beams of nanosecond pulse duration and 1014–1015  W/cm2 intensity uniformly irradiate the fuel layer lined inside a spherical hohlraum. The fuel layer is ablated and heated to expand inwards. Eventually, the hot fuel plasmas converge, collide, merge, and stagnate at the central region, converting most of their kinetic energy to internal energy, forming a thermonuclear fusion fireball. With the assumptions of steady ablation and adiabatic expansion, we theoretically predict the neutron yield Yn to be related to the laser energy EL, the hohlraum radius Rh, and the pulse duration τ through a scaling law of Yn∝(EL/Rh1.2τ0.2)2.5. We have done experiments at the ShengGuangIII-prototype facility to demonstrate the principle of the SCPF scheme. Some important implications are discussed.​

 

[JSCh]

Chinese scientists call for construction of world’s first underwater vacuum tube train
(People's Daily Online) 15:12, April 25, 2017

China is now capable of building the world’s first underwater vacuum tube train, a futuristic form of transportation that can achieve supersonic speed and reduce airborne noise, according to Chinese academics and scholars.

“In order to build an underwater vacuum tunnel, [China] must bring forth new ideas...about submerged floating tunnels, maglev trains and vacuum techniques. Currently, the country’s technologies are sufficient to carry out such a program,” Sun Jun, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Science and Technology Daily.

The vacuum tube train is a magnetic levitation line that utilizes evacuated tubes or tunnels. Due to reduced air resistance, the train could hit a theoretical speed of 2,000 kilometers per hour using relatively little power, and its operation would not be affected by weather.

The China Railway Tunnel Survey & Design Institute has finished a tentative research survey on the possibility of building a 10-kilometer underwater vacuum tunnel in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. Once built, it would become China’s longest underwater tunnel, as well as the world’s first underwater vacuum tunnel, cutting the travel time between Fujian and Taipei - located 180 kilometers apart - to just 13 minutes.

The program has been welcomed by many scholars and experts, who note that China has built over 500 underwater tunnels over the past 20 years, gaining rich experience and refined technologies. Sun, along with two other academicians, has called for Chinese authorities to approve and support the program.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese scientists call for construction of world’s first under water vacuum tube train
(People's Daily Online) 15:12, April 25, 2017

China is now capable of building the world’s first underwater vacuum tube train, a futuristic form of transportation that can achieve supersonic speed and reduce airborne noise, according to Chinese academics and scholars.

“In order to build an underwater vacuum tunnel, [China] must bring forth new ideas... about submerged floating tunnels, maglev trains and vacuum techniques. Currently, the country’s technologies are sufficient to carry out such a program,” Sun Jun, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Science and Technology Daily.

The vacuum tube train is a magnetic levitation line that utilizes evacuated tubes or tunnels. Due to reduced air resistance, the train could hit a theoretical speed of 2,000 kilometers per hour using relatively little power, and its operation would not be affected by weather.

The China Railway Tunnel Survey & Design Institute has finished a tentative research survey on the possibility of building a 10-kilometer underwater vacuum tunnel in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. Once built, it would become China’s longest underwater tunnel, as well as the world’s first underwater vacuum tunnel, cutting the travel time between Fujian and Taipei - located 180 kilometers apart - to just 13 minutes.

The program has been welcomed by many scholars and experts, who note that China has built over 500 underwater tunnels over the past 20 years, gaining rich experience and refined technologies. Sun, along with two other academicians, has called for Chinese authorities to approve and support the program.

 

[JSCh]

Oldest evidence of patterned silk loom found in China
The technology fed the Silk Road trade

By Bruce Bower
7:00am, April 25, 2017

LOOM ROOM Excavation of a roughly 2,100-year-old tomb in southern China uncovered four small-scale models of pattern looms, including these two shown where they were found alongside several wooden figurines. These discoveries represent the earliest clues to a weaving technique that transformed silk production.

Tao Xie, Feng Zhao et al/Antiquity 2017​

An ancient tomb in southern China has provided the oldest known examples, in scaled-down form, of revolutionary weaving machines called pattern looms. Four immobile models of pattern looms illuminate how weavers first produced silk textiles with repeating patterns. The cloths were traded across Eurasia via the Silk Road, Chinese archaeologists report in the April Antiquity. The models, created between 2,200 and 2,100 years ago, predate other evidence of pattern looms by several hundred years.

Red and brown silk threads still clung to the model looms. The largest stood half a meter tall. A reconstruction of that model includes two foot pumps connected to beams, shafts and other parts. A full-scale device with moving parts would have woven repeating geometric designs on clothing and other items made of silk, a technique that transformed the textile’s production.

These 2013 discoveries, made of wood and bamboo, supply the first direct evidence that pattern looms were invented in ancient China. Such looms are mentioned in ancient Chinese texts, but actual examples of the loom technology were lacking. Pattern looms influenced the design of another type of weaving machine that appeared in China within the next few hundred years and then spread to Persia, India and Europe, the researchers suspect.

After studying models of pattern looms found in an ancient Chinese tomb, researchers made this full-size reconstruction of what the specialized weaving machine probably looked like. ~~ Bo Long, Yingchong Xia, Feng Zhao et al/Antiquity 2017

Citations
F. Zhao et al. The earliest evidence of pattern looms: Han Dynasty tomb models from Chengdu, China. Antiquity. Vol. 91, April 2017, p. 360. doi:10.15184/aqy.2016.267.​

Oldest evidence of patterned silk loom found in China | Science News

 

[TaiShang]

Baidu, UNDP partner to use innovation for public good
Xinhua, April 26, 2017

Chinese tech giant Baidu and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have further collaborated on technological innovations to tackle social issues.

Baidu President Zhang Yaqin and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China Nicholas Rosellini on Tuesday called on the public to join their Global Responsibility Innovation Programme to open resources like technology to bring innovative solutions for sustainable development.

The two parties launched the Global Responsibility Innovation Programme last December to encourage innovative proposals from the public to answer increasing development challenges. The first open design challenge was held Tuesday.

The contest received over 2,000 proposals from China and abroad, mostly on environmental protection and poverty alleviation.

The top prize went to student teams from Tsinghua University and Beihang University, who proposed using deep learning technologies to turn sign language into voice to help the hearing-impaired communicate.

Baidu will grant outstanding applicants and teams access to its technology, to help address public concerns via technologies, and contribute to U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Cooperation between Baidu and the UNDP goes back a long way. In 2014, the Baidu-UNDP Big Data Joint Lab was started, aiming to find big data solutions on environmental protection and other human development challenges. Together they developed Baidu Recycle to promote responsible consumption and production.

 

[JSCh]

Smartphone-controlled cells release insulin on demand in diabetic mice
Diabetes: There’s literally an app for that

By Sarah Fecht posted Apr 26th, 2017 at 2:15pm

Shao et al./Sci. Trans. Med. 2017​

A push of a button causes the cells implanted in this mouse's back to start making insulin. Here, the mouse is standing inside a coil that powers the implant. Future versions would need to be battery operated in order to work in humans.

A push of a button causes the cells implanted in this mouse's back to start making insulin. Here, the mouse is standing inside a coil that powers the implant. Future versions would need to be battery operated in order to work in humans.

People with diabetes often need to inject themselves with insulin on a daily or weekly basis. But a new device, tested in mice, might one day eliminate the need for needles.

In a study published today in Science Translational Medicine, Chinese researchers used a smartphone app to switch on insulin-producing cells implanted in a small group of diabetic mice. Less than two hours after the cells were switched on, the animals’ blood sugar stabilized, without making them hypoglycemic.

The most advanced version of this device uses a coin-sized hydrogel capsule, implanted under a mouse’s skin. Inside the capsule are LED lights and cells that are engineered to release insulin in response to far infrared light. When the mouse’s blood sugar gets too high, buttons on a custom-made Android app switch on the LEDs, triggering the cells to release insulin.

The app allows the user to determine how bright the LEDs should shine, and for how long, to control how much insulin the cells make. A Bluetooth transmitter attached to a regular glucometer can notify the smartphone app when the mouse’s blood sugar is high, automatically prompting the insulin production.

Shao et al./Sci. Trans. Med. 2017​

HydrogeLED disks contain cells that are engineered to produce insulin when LED lights shine on them. When implanted in diabetic mice, they helped stabilize the animals' high blood sugar within two hours.

HydrogeLED disks contain cells that are engineered to produce insulin when LED lights shine on them. When implanted in diabetic mice, they helped stabilize the animals' high blood sugar within two hours.

As promising as the results are, the system is not ready for primetime yet. The smartphone app actually communicates with a server, sort of like a smart home hub, that switches on an electromagnetic field coil surrounding the mice. The electromagnetic field powers the LED lights in the implant—so it only works when the mice are standing within a small ring, which would a problem for any diabetic who wants to occasionally leave their home. In addition, the current design still necessitates using a needle to test blood sugar.

Future versions of the HydrogeLED, as the researchers are calling the device, would hopefully solve both problems. Study author Haifeng Ye envisions a built-in glucometer that monitors the patient’s blood sugar 24 hours a day, automatically triggering the battery-operated LEDs when insulin is needed.

There’s still a long way to go before the HydrogeLED could make it into human trials. Ye and his colleagues need to test it in more animals (this version was tested in only five or six animals), and particularly in larger animals such as dogs or monkeys, and over periods longer than the 15 days of this preliminary study. They’ll also need to make sure all the materials are safe, and that they don’t spur an immune response or rejection.

“How soon should we expect to see people on the street wearing fashionable LED wristbands that irradiate implanted cells engineered to produce genetically encoded drugs under the control of a smartphone?” asks University of Wyoming biologist Mark Gomelsky in a commentary accompanying the paper. “Not just yet, but [this work] provides us with an exciting glimpse into the future of smart cell-based therapeutics.”


Smartphone-controlled cells release insulin on demand in diabetic mice | Popular Science

 

[JSCh]

Tsinghua University Wins ASC17 Championship Big Time
April 28, 2017
Sponsored Content by Inspur

On April 28, the final round of the 2017 ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge (ASC17) ended in Wuxi. Tsinghua University stood out from 20 teams from around the world after a fierce one-week competition, becoming grand champion and winning the e Prize.

Tsinghua University secured ASC17 Champion​

As the world’s largest supercomputing competition, ASC17 received applications from 230 universities around the world, 20 of which got through to the final round held this week at the National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi after the qualifying rounds. During the final round, the university student teams were required to independently design a supercomputing system under the precondition of a limited 3000W power consumption. They also had to operate and optimize standard international benchmark tests and a variety of cutting-edge scientific and engineering applications including AI-based transport prediction, genetic assembly, and material science. Moreover, they were required to complete high-resolution maritime simulation on the world’s fastest supercomputer, “Sunway TaihuLight.

The grand champion, team Tsinghua University, completed deep parallel optimization of the high-resolution maritime data simulation mode MASNUM on TaihuLight, expanding the original program up to 10,000 cores and speeding up the program by 392 times. This helped the Tsinghua University team win the e Prize award. MASNUM was nominated in 2016 for the Gordon Bell Prize, the top international prize in the supercomputing applications field.

The runner-up, Beihang University, gave an outstanding performance in the popular AI field. After constructing a supercomputing system which received massive training based on past big data of transportation provided by Baidu, their self-developed excellent deep neural network model yielded the most accurate prediction of road conditions during the morning peak.

The first-time finalist, Weifang University team, constructed a highly optimized advanced heterogeneous supercomputing system with Inspur’s supercomputing server, and ran the international HPL benchmark test, setting a new world record of 31.7 TFLOPS for float-point computing speed. The team turned out to be the biggest surprise of the event and won the award for best computing performance.

Moreover, Ural Federal University, National Tsing Hua University, Northwestern Polytechnical University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University won the application innovation award. The popular choice award was shared by Saint-Petersburg State University and Zhengzhou University.

“It is great to see the presence of global teams in this event,” Jack Dongarra, the Chairman of the ASC Expert Committee, founder of the TOP500 list that ranks the 500 most powerful supercomputer systems in the world, and professor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the United States and the University of Tennessee, said in an interview. “This event inspired students to gain advanced scientific knowledge. TaihuLight is an amazing platform for this event. Just imagine the interconnected computation of everyone’s computer in a gymnasium housing 100,000 persons, and TaihuLight’s capacity is 100 times of such a gym. This is something none of the teams will ever be able to experience again.”

According to Wang Endong, initiator of the ASC competition, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the chief scientist of Inspur Group, the rapid development of AI at the moment is significantly changing human society. At the core of such development are computing, data and algorithms. With this trend, supercomputers will become an important infrastructure for intelligent society in the future, and their speed of development and standards will be closely related to social development, improvement in livelihood, and progress of civilization. ASC competition is always committed to cultivating future-oriented, inter-disciplinary supercomputing talents to extend the benefits to the greater population.

ASC17 is jointly organized by the Asian Supercomputing Community, Inspur Group, the National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi, and Zhengzhou University. Initiated by China, the ASC supercomputing challenge aims to be the platform to promote exchanges among young supercomputing talent from different countries and regions, as well as to groom young talent. It also aims to be the key driving force in promoting technological and industrial innovations by improving the standards in supercomputing applications and research.


https://www.hpcwire.com/2017/04/28/tsinghua-university-wins-asc17-championship-big-time/

 

[JSCh]

China Builds World's Largest Kinase-based Whole-cell Screening Library
Apr 28, 2017

After five years of hard work, China has completed the world’s largest kinase-based whole-cell screening library for high-throughput drug assay.

The cell library is located in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, and includes over 150 cell lines. The library covers more than 70 different kinases and mutations that are involved in human tumorigenesis and have been targeted through clinical treatment.

Targeted Therapy

The kinase-specific screening library, which is the first of its type for drug screening in China, will provide enormous support for anti-cancer drug development in the country, due to the nature of many types of cancer.

Specifically, many cancers are induced by mutations that activate aberrant cell proliferation, resulting in uncontrolled cell growth. Many of these mutations involve kinases and can be inhibited through well-designed small molecule inhibitors.

Targeted therapy against these kinases has an advantage over traditional treatment methods since it is highly specific for oncogenic targets and cells. As a result, it spares normal cells, thus causing fewer side effects and toxicity.

After more than a decade of effort, targeted therapy has made significant progress with more than 30 drugs in clinical use.

However, these drugs cover less than 10 cancer subtypes and are not available for most cancers. Even worse, the rapid appearance of drug resistance has dramatically increased the difficulty of new drug development.

“Patients in Test Tubes”

To address these problems, Dr. LIU Qingsong’s research team at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CHMFL) set up the library, which was built “from scratch” using genetic engineering and a mouse prototype cell line.

Since the library’s cell lines depend on a single active kinase mutation, they are extremely sensitive to compounds targeting these specific kinases and ideal for high-throughput drug screening.

Dr. WANG Wenchao, a leading researcher on the project and CHMFL scientist, likened the cell library to “patients in test tubes” since the cell lines can “mimic clinical patients in drug sensitivity evaluation at the cellular level.”

To further improve the efficiency of cells in drug screening, LIU’s team also set up a state-of-the-art high-throughput platform with automatic sample handling and data processing capabilities in 2013.

With the platform now in place, the team can finish over 10,000 drug assays in just one day and has already served more than 100 industrial and academic groups involved in drug research.

 

[JSCh]

Rare earth colorants to start production
By Meng Fanbin in Beijing and Yuan Hui in Hohhot | China Daily USA | Updated: 2017-04-27 07:08

Nontoxic properties enable agent to be used to replace existing dyes

Nontoxic colorant from rare earths is expected to be put into full production in the current year in Baotou, the biggest city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, following a decision by the local government to upgrade the rare earths industry to value-added processes against previously mining the raw materials.

"Due to its perfect coloring and nontoxic properties the coloring agent, mainly for plastics and leathers, can replace most existing dyes in the market," said Zhang Hongjie, inventor of the colorant and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

There are currently two kinds of coloring agent in the Chinese market: organic compounds releasing toxic gases with high temperatures and inorganic compounds containing heavy metal elements like lead and cadmium.

The research findings were very important, because China's plastic output is the second biggest in the world and plastic products have been criticized a great deal by Western countries for containing harmful materials, Zhang said.

The move to produce the colorant follows plans by private company Century Zhongtian (Beijing) Investment Co Ltd and the Baotou Rare Earth Research Center to form Zhongke Century Technology Co Ltd. That was in the wake of the research center successfully manufacturing the nontoxic tolerant in November.

Baotou-based Zhongke Century, which aims to be the world's biggest rare earth colorant research center, plans to invest 1 billion yuan ($14.5 million) and build two production lines with respective annual output of 50 metric tons and 100 tons, worth a combined 10 billion yuan each year.

"The preparation work at early stage of the project is under way," said Geng Biao, general manager of the investment company.

"Currently site selection and fundraising is taking place," Geng added.

Estimates are that rare earths reserves in Baotou account for 83 percent of the total in China and 30 percent of world reserves.

The local government is promoting the upgrade of its rare earths industry from previously exploiting the raw materials, to developing comprehensive processing technologies with higher added value.

Around 5.9 million yuan in special funds were allocated by the Office of Science and Technology in Inner Mongolia, to financially support the construction of a production demonstration line at the Baotou Rare Earth Research Center.

"Technologies for producing colorant from rare earths and sulfides are one of the most import improvements in developing rare earth in the downstream chain," said Chi Jianyi, director of the Baotou Rare Earth Research Center.

The technology was listed in a list of prescribed alternatives to toxic and harmful materials, issued by Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Widely used in the fields of plastics, paints, inks and leathers, the coloring agent has huge potential in market demand, said Chi.

"Without toxicity, the coloring agent we produce is totally environmentally friendly and can even be used in lipstick manufacturing."

Based on three patented technologies, the green dyestuff is a synthetic product of rare earth elements including lanthanum, cerium and sulfides.

Research into the rare earth colorant began in 2003, when scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences worked with experts from Russia, who used traditional methods to produce the rare earth agent.

"The traditional method is not only sophisticated but also very costly, so it can not be used in large-scale production," said colorant inventor Zhang Hongjie.

The start of production of the colorant will be the result of more than 10 years of successful research by the laboratory. Zhang said scientists had invented a totally new method of producing colorant from rare earths and sulfides which was simple and practical, without using hydrogen sulfides and other toxic materials.

The patented technology will also see large-scale production of the staining material.

At the moment studies on rare earth sulfide synthetics, especially on their application, remain at the early stage.