211 replies to this topic

[Martian]

Quantum physics: Entanglement for sure

http://www.nature.com/nchina/2010/100707/f...na.2010.85.html

"Quantum physics: Entanglement for sure
Published online: 7 July 2010 | doi:10.1038/nchina.2010.85
Felix Cheung

Researchers in Hefei have designed a linear optical circuit for deterministically producing entangled photon pairs

Original article citation
Wagenknecht, C. et al. Experimental demonstration of a heralded entanglement source. Nature Photon. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2010.123 (2010).

© (2010) Nature Photonics

Entangled photon pairs are great information carriers for quantum communication and quantum computation. Unfortunately, spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) — the predominant mechanism for generating entangled photon pairs — is a random process and therefore has difficulty in supporting practical applications. Jianwei Pan and Kai Chen at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei and co-workers[1] have now overcome this limitation by designing a set-up for deterministically producing entangled photon pairs (that is, with a probability of 100%).

The set-up (see image) comprises an SPDC source for producing entangled photon pairs, an optical circuit of beamsplitters for splitting the photons, and six outputs. Single-photon detectors monitor four of the outputs and function as triggers — the detection of four photon states signals the creation of one entangled photon pair through the other two outputs.

The use of an SPDC source makes the entangled photon pairs stable and robust. The researchers say that they could also improve the performance of their set-up by using beamsplitters with different transmission ratios. So far, they have achieved a fidelity of 87% and a state-preparation efficiency of 45%. The next step in their study is to miniaturize the SPDC source and optical circuit using waveguides instead of bulk optics for on-chip integration.

The authors of this work are from:
Physikalisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Physics and National Center for Theoretical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.

Reference

   1. Wagenknecht, C. et al. Experimental demonstration of a heralded entanglement source. Nature Photon. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2010.123 (2010). | Article"

[Martian]

China launches "Shijian VI-04" group satellites

"China launches "Shijian VI-04" group satellites
English.news.cn   2010-10-06 14:56:53


Long March 4B rocket, carrying two satellites of the "Shijian VI-04" group, lifts off from the launch pad in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, on Oct. 6, 2010. The satellites, which have entered space orbit, will carry out probes on the space environment, radiation levels, and conduct space science experiments; according to the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. (Xinhua/Shang Chunya)

[Martian]

Physicists Control Chemical Reactions Mechanically

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/...00917090844.htm

"Physicists Control Chemical Reactions Mechanically

ScienceDaily (Oct. 4, 2010) — UCLA physicists have taken a significant step in controlling chemical reactions mechanically, an important advance in nanotechnology, UCLA physics professor Giovanni Zocchi and colleagues report.


Giovanni Zocchi, UCLA professor of physics (right), and UCLA graduate student Hao Qu. (Credit: Reed Hutchinson/UCLA)

Chemical reactions in the cell are catalyzed by enzymes, which are protein molecules that speed up reactions. Each protein catalyzes a specific reaction. In a chemical reaction, two molecules collide and exchange atoms; the enzyme is the third party, the "midwife to the reaction."

But the molecules have to collide in a certain way for the reaction to occur. The enzyme binds to the molecules and lines them up, forcing them to collide in the "right" way, so the probability that the molecules will exchange atoms is much higher.

"Instead of just watching what the molecules do, we can mechanically prod them," said Zocchi, the senior author of the research.

To do that, Zocchi and his graduate students, Chiao-Yu Tseng and Andrew Wang, attached a controllable molecular spring made of DNA to the enzyme. The spring is about 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They can mechanically turn the enzyme on and off and control how fast the chemical reaction occurs. In their newest research, they attached the molecular spring at three different locations on the enzyme and were able to mechanically influence different specific steps of the reaction.

They published their research in the journal Europhysics Letters, a publication of the European Physical Society, in July.

"We have stressed the enzyme in different ways," Zocchi said. "We can measure the effect on the chemical reaction of stressing the molecule this way or that way. Stressing the molecule in different locations produces different responses. If you attach the molecular spring in one place, nothing much happens to the chemical reaction, but you attach it to a different place and you affect one step in the chemical reaction. Then you attach it to a third place and affect another step in this chemical reaction."

Zocchi, Tseng and Wang studied the rate of the chemical reactions and reported in detail what happened to the steps of the reactions as they applied mechanical stress to the enzyme at different places.

"Standing on the shoulders of 50 years of structural studies of proteins, we looked beyond the structural description at the dynamics, specifically the question of what forces -- and applied where -- have what effect on the reaction rates," Zocchi said.

In a related second paper, Zocchi and his colleagues reached a surprising conclusion in solving a longstanding physics puzzle.

When one bends a straight tree branch or a straight rod by compressing it longitudinally, the branch or rod at first remains straight and does not bend until a certain critical force is exceeded. At the critical force, it does not bend a little -- it suddenly buckles and bends a lot.

"This phenomenon is well known to any child who has made bows from hazelnut bush branches, for example, which are typically quite straight. To string the bow, you have to press down on it hard to buckle it, but once it is bent, you need only a smaller force to keep it so," Zocchi said.

The UCLA physicists studied the elastic energy of their DNA molecular spring when it is sharply bent.

"Such a short double-stranded DNA molecule is somewhat similar to a rod, but the elasticity of DNA at this scale was not known," Zocchi said. "What is the force the DNA molecular spring is exerting on the enzyme? We have answered this question.

"We find there is a similar bifurcation with this DNA molecule. It goes from being bent smoothly to having a kink. When we bend this molecule, there is a critical force where there is a qualitative difference. The molecule is like the tree branch and the rod in this respect. If you're just a little below the threshold, the system has one kind of behavior; if you're just a little above the threshold force, the behavior is totally different. The achievement was to measure directly the elastic energy of this stressed molecule, and from the elastic energy characterize the kink."

Co-authors on this research are UCLA physics graduate students Hao Qu, Chiao-Yu Tseng and Yong Wang and UCLA associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry Alexander Levine, who is a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The research was published in April, also in the journal Europhysics Letters.

"We can now measure for any specific DNA molecule what the elastic energy threshold for the instability is," Zocchi said. "I see beauty in this important phenomenon. How is it possible that the same principle applies to a tree branch and to a molecule? Yet it does. The essence of physics is finding common behavior in systems that seem very different."

While Zocchi's research may have applications for medicine and other fields, he emphasizes the advance in knowledge itself.

"There is value in science that adds to our knowledge and helps us understand our world, apart from the value of future applications," he said. "I study problems that I find interesting, where I think I can make a contribution. Why study a particular problem rather than another? Perhaps for the same reason a painter chooses a particular landscape. Perhaps we see beauty there."

Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of California -- Los Angeles. The original article was written by Stuart Wolpert.

Journal References:

   1. C.-Y. Tseng, A. Wang, G. Zocchi. Mechano-chemistry of the enzyme Guanylate Kinase. EPL (Europhysics Letters), 2010; 91 (1): 18005 DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/91/18005

   2. Hao Qu, Chiao-Yu Tseng, Yong Wang, Alex J. Levine, Giovanni Zocchi. The elastic energy of sharply bent nicked DNA. EPL (Europhysics Letters), 2010; 90 (1): 18003 DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/90/18003

[Martian]

New Antibacterial Material for Bandages, Food Packaging, Shoes

New antibacterial material for bandages, food packaging, shoes

"New Antibacterial Material for Bandages, Food Packaging, Shoes

ScienceDaily (July 26, 2010) — A new form of paper with the built-in ability to fight disease-causing bacteria could have applications that range from anti-bacterial bandages to food packaging that keeps food fresher longer to shoes that ward off foot odor. A report about the new material, which consists of the thinnest possible sheets of carbon, appears in ACS Nano, a monthly journal.

Chunhai Fan, Qing Huang, and colleagues explained that scientists in the United Kingdom first discovered the material, known as graphene, in 2004. Since then, the race has been on to find commercial and industrial uses for graphene. Scientists have tried to use graphene in solar cells, computer chips, and sensors. Fan and Huang decided to see how graphene affects living cells.


A new form of paper made of super-thin sheets of carbon could help fight disease-causing bacteria in applications ranging from anti-bacterial bandages to food packaging. (Credit: ACS Nano)

So they made sheets of paper from graphene oxide, and then tried to grow bacteria and human cells on top. Bacteria were unable to grow on the paper, and it had little adverse effect on human cells.

"Given the superior antibacterial effect of graphene oxide and the fact that it can be mass-produced and easily processed to make freestanding and flexible paper with low-cost, we expect this new carbon nanomaterial may find important environmental and clinical applications," the report states.

Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Chemical Society, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal Reference:

   1. Wenbing Hu, Cheng Peng, Weijie Luo, Min Lv, Xiaoming Li, Di Li, Qing Huang, Chunhai Fan. Graphene-Based Antibacterial Paper. ACS Nano, 2010; : 100701135317095 DOI: 10.1021/nn101097v"

[Martian]

Catalysis: The right metal for a sustainable future

http://www.nature.com/nchina/2010/100602/f...na.2010.66.html

"Catalysis: The right metal for a sustainable future
Published online: 2 June 2010 | doi:10.1038/nchina.2010.66
Felix Cheung

The discovery of iron-catalysed insertion reactions is set to inspire academic laboratories and industry to use 'greener' catalysts in organic synthesis

Original article citation
Zhu, S. F., Cai, Y., Mao, H. X., Xie, J. H. & Zhou, Q. L. Enantioselective iron-catalysed O-H bond insertions. Nature Chem. doi:10.1038/nchem.651 (2010).

© (2010) Nature Chemistry

Many biological molecules, such as amino acids and sugars, are chiral molecules; they exist in isomeric forms that are mirror images of one another. Asymmetric synthesis uses catalysts such as rhodium and copper to promote reactions that produce particular types of chiral molecules, but these metals are costly and may contaminate both the product and the environment. Qilin Zhou and co-workers at Nankai University in Tianjin[1] have now successfully used iron — a readily available, relatively inexpensive and environmentally benign metal — in place of precious metals to catalyse the O–H bond insertion reactions useful for forming chiral alcohols.

The insertion of diazo compounds (R2C=N2) into the O–H bond of alcohols has always been a challenge. The researchers performed the insertion reaction of methyl α-diazophenylacetate with a wide range of alcohols (see image) in chloroform with an iron catalyst prepared 'on-site' from various chiral spiro-bisoxazoline ligands. They obtained different insertion products — including methyl ®-o-chloromandelate, a key intermediate for the preparation of clopidogrel, a drug for preventing heart attacks and strokes — with high yield and extremely high selectivity.

The selectivity even surpassed that obtained using transition-metal catalysts. The researchers believe that their findings will inspire and encourage others to use iron in place of precious metals in asymmetric synthesis.

The authors of this work are from:
State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-organic Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.

Reference

   1. Zhu, S. F., Cai, Y., Mao, H. X., Xie, J. H. & Zhou, Q. L. Enantioselective iron-catalysed O-H bond insertions. Nature Chem. doi:10.1038/nchem.651 (2010). | Article"

[Martian]

Polysilicon project


China's polysilicon production


Polysilicon ingots

China EnFi Nonferrous Engineering Co,,Ltd(China Nonferrous Engineering and Research Institute)


China EnFi's polysilicon production equipment

"Polysilicon project is a hi-tech industrialization project; developed by China ENFI’s own technology and independent intellectual property. Luoyang China Silicon Hi-tech Corporation, which is the controlling subsidiary, is in charge of Phase I polysilicon project with annual yield of 300 tons. The plant foundation was laid in June 2003 and put into operation in October 2005. Now the corporation possesses the largest polysilicon manufacturing enterprise in China. Implementation of the project ends the period when the USA, Japan and Germany had sole control of polysilicon manufacturing technology and monopolized the polysilicon market.

The project adopts technologies (such as comprehensive recovery and recycling of material and comprehensive consumption of energy, including conversion of SiCl4 by hydrogenation) and has been granted a patent in China (Patent No.: ZL02104524.0); and the large-scale 24-doubles energy-saving reduction reactor which is supported by the National “863” Scientific and Technological Breakthrough Project. Differing from those applied in foreign polysilicon manufacturing enterprises, these technologies have been developed independently in China.

On the basis of smooth operation for the Phase I project, China ENFI persisted in technology innovation and further increased output for Phase II expansion project with an annual yield of 1000 tons polysilicon. Equipment installation and commissioning are being conducted. It is predicted to be operational by the end of 2006. Meanwhile, Phase III of the polysilicon project is being constructed in Luoyang Hi-tech Zone and will be put into operation by the end of 2007, with a design production capacity of 2000t/a. At that time, the total production capacity of China ENFI will reach 3000t/a together, which will rank fifth in the world. This figure will meet growing market demand, promote silicon industry development, and provide guaranteed raw materials for the information and solar energy generation industries."

[marchpole]

China Poised to Lead World in Patent Filings
By DAVID BARBOZA
October 6, 2010

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/...patent-filings/

SHANGHAI — Having passed Germany (exports), Japan (gross domestic product) and the United States (auto sales) over the past year, China is now poised to lead the world in yet another category: patent application filings.

A new  study released this week by Thomson Reuters says that by 2011 China will most likely pass the United States and Japan in new patent applications.

With research and development spending rising here, and Beijing trying to encourage innovation, patent application filings in China are soaring.

In 2009, China filed about 279,298 patent applications, ranking third behind Japan, which led the world with 357,338, and the United States, which had 321,741 filings, according to Thomson Reuters.

But the growth of patent filings in Japan and the United States is slowing, while Chinese patent filings are surging in categories as varied as natural products and polymers and digital computers.

Patents are considered a measure of technology prowess and innovation. While the quality and value of patents vary widely, nations that file the largest number of patents are generally home to innovative corporations and Nobel prize winners.

Experts acknowledge that it is difficult to measure the value of China’s patents (many may be for low-end, incremental technologies), but they say the quality appears to be improving and that China is on a path to becoming a more innovative country.

“It’s clear they’re moving from low technology to high-tech,” says Bob Stembridge, an intellectual property analyst at Thomson Reuters. “We’re seeing a stunning emergence of patent filings in digital computing and data communications over the past few years — close to 4,000 percent.”

The innovation push here is significant because China is best known for low-cost manufacturing and weak protection of intellectual property rights. But the nation’s leaders have promised to improve intellectual property rights protections and to back Chinese companies that seek to move up the value chain and produce more sophisticated and valuable products.

The emergence of more innovative companies in China could move the Chinese government to better enforce existing regulations — many of which cover global companies operating here.

One major change already under way here is a new emphasis on research and development.

Analysts say innovation is often fueled by research and development spending, and here too China is making progress, aided by government subsidies and encouragement.

Last year, for instance, while some of the world’s biggest technology companies slashed their R&D spending, some of China’s best known technology companies increased their R&D budgets, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization.

For instance, American technology companies like Motorola, Freescale Semiconductor and Hewlett-Packard all made sizable cuts to their R&D spending in 2009, after the outbreak of the global financial crisis. But many Chinese technology companies increased their R&D budgets by  25 to 45 percent, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Near the top of China’s list of patent filings and research and development spending are several of the country’s most dynamic companies, led by Chinese telecom equipment giants Huawei Technologies and ZTE.

Each company has expanded aggressively by selling equipment to telephone companies in developing countries. But they are also trying to expand into Europe and the United States.

Huawei filed more patents than any company in the world in 2008, and was a close second to Panasonic in 2009.

Below are lists of Chinese companies and institutions that filed the most patents in digital computing and in data transmission in 2009 — two of the hottest growth categories here, according to Thomson Reuters.

Top 10 Organizations in Digital Computing Patents from China
Rank Company Count
1 ZHONGXING COMMUNICATION (ZTE COMMUNICATION) 1566
2 HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES 1119
3 UNIV BEIJING AERONAUTICS&ASTRONAUTIC 604
4 Zhejiang University 399
5 Shanghai University 377
6 YINGYEDA 304
7 Tsinghua University 301
8 INVENTEC CORP 222
9 NANJING University 208
10 H3C TECHNOLOGIES CO LTD 201

Top 10 Organizations in Telephone and Data Transmission Systems
Rank Company Count
1 ZHONGXING COMMUNICATION (ZTE COMMUNICATION) 2841
2 HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES 2139
3 DA TANG MOBILE COMMUNICATION EQUIP 317
4 UNIV BEIJING TECHNOLOGY 270
5 UNIV BEIJING POSTS & TELECOM 160
6 Tsinghua UNIVERSITY 143
7 SAMSUNG 120
8 HANGZHOU HUASAN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY 118
9 UNIV NANJING POSTS&TELECOM 110
10 TENCENT TECHNOLOGY 102 102

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Martian]

Surface printing: Stamp of approval : research highlight : NPG Asia Materials

"Surface printing: Stamp of approval
NPG Asia Materials research highlight | doi:10.1038/asiamat.2010.150
Published online 13 September 2010

A molecule-selective microcontact printing technique could provide an alternative approach for molecular detection.


Fig. 1: Photograph of a PDMS stamp for molecule-selective microcontact printing.

A technique for transferring positively charged molecules onto a flake of gold has been developed by a team of researchers in China and Belgium[1]. The method could be used to develop sensors that recognize specific compounds such as biological molecules, which could aid disease diagnosis.

The technique is a form of microcontact printing, where a stamp is used to pick up an ‘ink’ — in this case, positively charged molecules — and print them onto a surface.

The researchers, led by Huaping Xu of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, made the stamp using a process that imprints a layer-by-layer film on its surface. The scientists coated a plastic called PDMS with layers of a diazo resin and a mixture of porphyrin and poly(acrylic acid). Exposing the structure to ultraviolet light caused the diazo resin and poly(acrylic acid) to form a chemical bond. The porphyrin could then be washed away with solvent to leave recesses on the surface of the stamp (Fig. 1).

The team found that these recesses could pick up molecules of Alcian Blue 8GX, a positively charged dye molecule that is commonly used for staining cells to reveal the presence of certain sugar molecules. The stamp did not pick up a negatively charged version of the dye, proving that it selectively bound only positively charged molecules.

The stamp loaded with Alcian Blue ink was then pressed onto a gold substrate. After a processing step, the researchers observed that the Alcian Blue had been transferred to the gold surface. “The film can also act as an ink reservoir to achieve multiple printing,” says Xu.

Each Alcian Blue molecule bears four positive charges. To prove the versatility of their method, the team also showed that microcontact printing could be achieved with molecules of glutathione, which bears a single positive charge.

These proof-of-principle experiments show that the method could be used to transfer a wide variety of molecules in a similar way, including the commonly used fluorescent dye Rhodamine 6G, or even large biological molecules. The team is now extending the technique to create surfaces that can distinguish between enantiomers — two mirror-image forms of a molecule — or between molecules of slightly different size.

Reference

   1. Liu, Z.H.,1,2,3 Yi, Y.,1 Xu, H.P.,1* Zhang, X.,1 Ngo, T.H.4 & Smet, M.4 Cation-selective microcontact printing based on surface-molecular-imprinted layer-by-layer films. Adv. Mater. 22, 2689 (2010). | article

Author affiliation

1. Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
2. Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
3. Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
4. Molecular Design and Synthesis, Catholic University of Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
*Email: xuhuaping@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

This research highlight has been approved by the author of the original article and all empirical data contained within has been provided by said author."

[Martian]

Materials chemistry: Expanding the carbon family : Article : Nature China

"Materials chemistry: Expanding the carbon family
Published online: 2 June 2010 | doi:10.1038/nchina.2010.67
Anne Pichon

Researchers in Beijing have prepared large films of graphdiyne, a two-dimensional carbon allotrope with unique electronic properties

Original article citation
Li, G. et al. Architecture of graphdiyne nanoscale films. Chem. Commun. 46, 3256–3258 (2010).

© (2010) RSC

Carbon can exist in a variety of crystalline forms (allotropes), ranging from 'naturally occurring' diamond, graphite and amorphous carbon, to 'synthetic' fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene. Yuliang Li, Huibiao Liu and co-workers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing[1] have now synthesized graphdiyne (see image), a two-dimensional carbon network with structure and properties that are unlike any of the allotropes known before.

The researchers grew the graphdiyne on a piece of copper foil through a cross-coupling reaction that uses hexaethynylbenzene. The copper foil functions as a catalyst for the cross-coupling reaction and as a substrate for growing graphdiyne.

Using this approach, the researchers produced graphdiyne films of up to 3.61 cm2 in area. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the films were continuous, uniform and flexible; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the films were pure carbon; Raman spectroscopy revealed that the films were multilayered; and by atomic force microscopy it was found that the films exhibited excellent semiconducting properties similar to silicon.

The researchers are optimistic that graphdiyne will become an important material in the field of electronics.

The authors of this work are from:
CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Graduate Univeristy of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Reference

   1. Li, G. et al. Architecture of graphdiyne nanoscale films. Chem. Commun. 46, 3256–3258 (2010). | Article | ChemPort |"

[Martian]

Rare wealth


Rare earth metal elements

Large rare earths deposit found in central China

"Large rare earths deposit found in central China
English.news.cn   2010-10-07 14:23:53

WUHAN, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Geologists have discovered a large reserve of rare earths, which are vital for production of many high-tech products ranging from iPods to hybrid cars, in central China's Hubei Province, local authorities confirmed Thursday.

The newly-found deposit sits at the foot of Mt. Laoyin in Longba Township of Zhuxi County, in Shiyan City, a spokesman with the Hubei Provincial Land and Resources Department said.

"Geologists are investigating the make-up, structure, quality, size of the reserve," the spokesman said.

Before the discovery, geologists had also found deposits of rare earths in 12 places in Zhushan, another county in Shiyan, he said.

Local authorities have yet to tap the rich geological resources.

"We are drawing up plans and measures to prevent the rare earths resources from being illegally mined," the spokesman added.

Rare earths, a class of 17 chemical elements that include minerals such as dysprosium, terbium, thulium, lutetium and yttrium, are widely used in the fields of the most sophisticated science and technologies like electronics, aviation, atomic energy, and mechanical manufacturing.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China has the largest reserves of rare earths in the country, or about 75 percent.

China is the world's largest rare earth producer; supplying more than 90 percent of the global demand.

China has stressed the sustainable development of rare earths mining.

"What we pursue is to satisfy not only the domestic demand but also the global demand of rare earths. We should not only stand from the present, but should also look forward to the future," Premier Wen Jiabao said Wednesday at the sixth China-EU Business Summit in Brussels.

Wen also reaffirmed that proper control and regulations were important and that China would not close the market.

"If the rare earths minerals were used up, how would the world and China deal with the problem?" he said.

Editor: Tang Danlu"

[Note: Thank you to "zoom" for the post.]

[Martian]

Can Japan recycle its way to rare metals independence? Let's do the math.

Then why not reprocess the stuff from discarded end products, eg cellphones teles, batteries. There must be enough built up over the decades to make up for any restrictions on Chinas part?

Beyond the current 9 annual tons, I wish the Japanese the best of luck in recycling another 25,991 tons of rare metals per year.

The Japanese Dowa rare metal recycling plant processes 300 tons of materials and smelts them in a 1,400 degrees Celsius furnace to yield a paltry "150 grams of rare metals" a day per ton of material.  This amounts to a total recovery of 45 Kg per day.

It requires ten days of operation to produce 450 Kg of rare metals.  In one month, the Dowa recycling plant produces 1,350 Kg of rare metals.  In an entire year, the Dowa plant will produce 16,200 Kg or 8 metric tons of rare metals.

The current worldwide consumption is 130,000 tons of rare metals per year.  China will produce 120,000 tons of rare metals this year.  China exports approximately 1/3 of its rare metals production, which is 40,000 tons.  Japan consumes 65% of China's rare earth metal exports.  In other words, Japan imports 26,000 tons of rare metals per year from China.

The Dowa plant produces 8 metric tons or almost 9 short tons of recycled rare metals a year.  The Japanese shortfall, after recycling, is 25,991 tons of rare metals that they still need to import from China.


Mineweb.com - The world's premier mining and mining investment website China`s unofficial metals embargo of Japan may ignite global REE fire - POLITICAL ECONOMY | Mineweb

"Mineweb - Dorothy Kosich - 2 days ago
Japan's manufacturers account for 65% of China's rare earth exports. Metals analyst Christopher Ecclestone of Hallgarten & Company suggested the real ..."

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Japan recycles minerals from used electronics

"Technically difficult process

But this form of recycling is an expensive and technically difficult process that is still being perfected.

At Dowa's plant, computer chips and other vital parts from electronics are hacked into two-centimetre squares. This feedstock then must be smelted in a furnace that reaches 1,400°Celsius before various minerals can be extracted. The factory processes 300 tons of materials a day, and each ton yields only about 150 grams of rare metals.

Finding enough electronics parts to recycle has also grown more difficult for Dowa, which procures used gadgets from around the world.

A growing number of countries, including the United States, are recognising the value of holding onto old electronics."

Rare Earth Metals – The Next Gold Rush? — Uncommon Wisdom Daily

"Reason #2: Global Supply Controlled by China. Until 1948, most of the world’s rare earth metals were sourced from placer sand deposits in India and Brazil when South Africa became the largest producer. India and South African still produce rare earth metals today, but China has zoomed past everybody since the 1980′s.

This number is almost hard to believe, but it is absolutely true: China produces and controls 95% of the world’s production of rare earth minerals. Yup, 95%!

The problem is that China currently uses about two-thirds of what it produces, but is on a consumption trajectory where it will use everything it produces in a few more years. When that happens, the U.S. and the rest of the world will be S.O.L.!

In September of last year, China announced plans to lower its export quota of rare earth metals to 35,000 tons per year in 2010-2015.

Wait, it gets worse. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is considering a total ban on exports of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium.

It’s part of a plan that Deng Xiaoping started almost two decades ago when he said that rare earth metals would 'Do for China what oil did for Saudi Arabia.'”

[marshall]

Can Japan recycle its way to rare metals independence? Let's do the math.
.
.
.
This number is almost hard to believe, but it is absolutely true: China produces and controls 95% of the world’s production of rare earth minerals. Yup, 95%!

The problem is that China currently uses about two-thirds of what it produces, but is on a consumption trajectory where it will use everything it produces in a few more years. When that happens, the U.S. and the rest of the world will be S.O.L.!

In September of last year, China announced plans to lower its export quota of rare earth metals to 35,000 tons per year in 2010-2015.

Wait, it gets worse. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is considering a total ban on exports of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium.

It’s part of a plan that Deng Xiaoping started almost two decades ago when he said that rare earth metals would 'Do for China what oil did for Saudi Arabia.'”

Interesting how every story is construed as some grand plan of China's to take over the world.  If China is on a trajectory to consume all of its production of rare earth metals, it's surprising how foreign analysts interpret this as hoarding for strategic purposes given that China isn't going to "hoard" their production until they need it for their own consumption.

[Martian]

Chang'e II instruments composition

Parts of Chang'e II - People's Daily Online


This undated photo shows the 490N engine monitor camera carried aboard Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)



This undated photo shows the laser altimeter carried aboard Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)



This undated photo shows the CCD Stereo Camera carried aboard Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)



This undated photo shows the X-ray spectrometer system carried aboard Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)



This undated photo shows the TT&C (telemetry, track, and command) omnidirectional antenna for Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)



This undated photo shows miscellaneous equipment, developed by Beijing Institute of Control Engineering, for Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)

[Martian]

Japanese recycling of rare metals is futile

Thanks for the info Martin, However with the impending shortages, why dont the scientists/engineers, develop methods to improve the recovery rate?
Costs may have been a inpediment in the past, but prices could go crazy in the next few yrs.

It is a hopeless task.

1.  The new Japanese Dowa rare metals recycling plant embodies current known technology.  It is extremely energy intensive and requires a 1,400 degrees Celsius furnace.  There are additional factors such as the complexity of separating the elements, purity issues, transportation costs from global sourcing, and waste disposal.  Additionally, many residents may not appreciate the blight of a "200-foot-tall furnace" on their landscape.

2.  The Dowa plant is currently capable of only recovering indium and antimony.  The Dowa plant is unable to reclaim rare metals such as "neodymium, a vital element in industrial batteries used in electric motors, and dysprosium, used in laser materials."  See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/business.../05recycle.html

3.  Dowa is already encountering problems in securing the raw materials (e.g. discarded electronics products) for its recycling plant.  Furthermore, the emerging scarcity of raw materials/"discarded electronics products" indicates that the cost of recycling is about to soar.

Finding enough electronics parts to recycle has also grown more difficult for Dowa, which procures used gadgets from around the world.

4.  For this hypothetical scenario, let's pretend that the Japanese have achieved a quantum leap in recycling technology and their rare metals recovery rate increases by 100%.  Instead of recovering 9 tons per year, the Dowa plant will now recover 18 tons per year.  That still leaves a mind-boggling shortfall of 25,982 tons of rare earth metals that Japanese industries desperately need.

5.  Rare earth metals possess special physics properties.  The rare metals are used in electronics and high-tech products because it is necessary.  While it may be possible to replace a few rare earth metals in limited areas, the trade-off for the substitution is performance, cost, and expected lifetime of the electronics or high-tech product.

Rare Earth Properties

In a way, the rare earths are special transition metals, possessing many of the properties of these ... Alkaline Earth Metals - Properties of Element Groups ...

Anybody with common sense can see that recycling is a dead end.  The technology does not yet exist to economically recover many rare earth metals.  There is no foreseeable technology that will sufficiently boost Dowa's current annual 9 ton recovery rate of only a few select rare metals.

The Japanese picked this fight.  They insisted on imprisoning a Chinese fisherman for trying to make a living near Chinese islands that the Japanese stole, through force of arms around 1895, from China.

It is only through China's largesse that Japan is able to profit from Chinese rare earth metals, used in Japan's electronics and high-tech exports.

By the way, this armchair general is still boycotting the prickly and evil Japanese.  I haven't eaten a Japanese apple-pear or Meiji chocolate almond since the fracas began.

[Martian]

Electrified nano filter could mean cheap drinking water

"Electrified nano filter could mean cheap drinking water
By Ben Coxworth
04:56 October 17, 2010


The filter being treated with silver and CNTs (B,C), and SEM images of the cotton, silver nanowires, and CNTs (E,F,G)
[Note: CNT means carbon nanotubes. SEM means scanning electron microscope.]

Yi Cui, an Assistant Professor of Material Science and Engineering at Stanford University, has invented quite the water filter. It’s inexpensive, is very resistant to clogging, and uses much less electricity than systems that require the water to be pumped through them. It also kills bacteria, as opposed to just trapping them, which is all that many existing systems do.

Cui and his Stanford colleagues started with a basic cotton filter, as the material is cheap, widely-available and robust. Next, they covered it with sub-microscopic silver nanowires, as silver nanoparticles are well-known for their antibacterial qualities. They then added a layer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to increase the filter’s electrical conductivity, as electricity is also known to be lethal to bacteria. Finally, they experimented with running various strengths of electrical currents through the device, eventually settling at 20 volts.

When subjected to a 1 liter-per-hour gravity-fed stream of E. coli-tainted water, the water flowed through the filter relatively quickly and easily, due to its large pores – at tens to hundreds of micrometers in width, the pores are much wider than individual bacterium, and much wider than the pores of most filtering media. This should minimize occurrences of the filter becoming clogged with bacterial matter, a condition known as biofouling.


A diagram of the filtration process

After samples of the filtered water had been left in agar dishes overnight, it was found that up to 98 percent of the bacteria had been killed. Given the water’s flow rate, it was calculated that the bacteria only needed to be in the filter for a little over one second for lethal exposure to occur. A combination of the silver, the electrical field, and/or changes in the water chemistry caused by the electricity were responsible, although the scientists are still trying to figure out just how much of a role each of those factors played.

The researchers are now investigating how effective the material is at killing other microorganisms, and whether or not trace silver and CNT residue in the filtered water is cause for concern. They are also looking into using the filter for purifying air, foods and pharmaceuticals.

The research was recently published in the journal Nano Letters."

[Note:  I have kept the scientific discoveries of ethnic Chinese scientists in the United States to a minimum.  I know that most of you want to know about the discoveries of Chinese scientists in China itself.  However, an occasional exception is made when the discovery is sufficiently interesting.

How do I know that "Yi Cui" (the research scientist in this article) is most likely a Chinese national?  It's actually quite simple.  Most Chinese-Americans that I've encountered have an Anglicized first name and retain their family surname as their last name.

For example, my Anglicized first name is Martin.  Since Mr. Yi Cui does not have an Anglicized first name, he is probably a Chinese national working at Stanford.]

[Martian]

Three Gorges Dam generates the electricity of 21 Hoover Dams

The Hoover Dam on the Colorado River is an American icon.  It generates a massive 4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.  Astonishingly, China's Three Gorges Dam produces the electricity of 21 Hoover Dams at 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours.


China's Three Gorges Dam is "the world's largest electricity-generating plant of any kind."


"One of the nation's best-known engineering marvels, the Hoover Dam"

China fills Three Gorges Dam to capacity - CNN

"China fills Three Gorges Dam to capacity
October 26, 2010|By the CNN Wire Staff

China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water project, was fully filled Tuesday, state media said.

The water level hit the dam's design capacity of 175 meters (574 feet) at 9 a.m. Tuesday, said the corporation that developed the dam.

The 175-meter milestone will "enable the project to fulfill its functions of flood control, power generation, navigation and water diversion to the full," said Cao Guangjing, chairman of the China Three Gorges Corporation.

When the dam in central China reaches full generating capacity next year, it will produce 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, the Xinhua news agency said. That's enough to meet Beijing's needs for a year.

By comparison, the United States' Hoover Dam produces about 4 billion kilowatt-hours each year, enough to serve 1.3 million people in Nevada, Arizona, and California.

The 2,309-meter-wide (1.4 mile-wide) Three Gorges project, built in the upper-middle reaches of China's longest river, began storing water in 2003. Water is diverted to the parched farmlands and cities of China's north.

The Yangtze River has been responsible for some of the worst floods on record, with hundreds of thousands of people killed over the past century alone. The Three Gorges Dam relieves 15 million people and 1.5 million hectares of farmland in the Jianghan Plain from the threat of flood, the developer says.

Critics say the dam worsens pollution by trapping sewage and industrial waste. They also warn that an accident or natural disaster could create a catastrophe in the densely populated region. Smaller dams could have met China's needs, critics say.

An estimated 1.2 million people had to move to make way for the Three Gorges, which inundated 632 square kilometers (244 square miles) of land. Historians decried the loss of centuries of relics and antiquities, and the loss of a way of life for myriad rural residents in hundreds of villages, towns and cities."

[Archangelesk99]

Three Gorges Dam generates the electricity of 21 Hoover Dams

The Hoover Dam on the Colorado River is an American icon.  It generates a massive 4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.  Astonishingly, China's Three Gorges Dam produces the electricity of 21 Hoover Dams at 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours.


China's Three Gorges Dam is "the world's largest electricity-generating plant of any kind."


"One of the nation's best-known engineering marvels, the Hoover Dam"

China fills Three Gorges Dam to capacity - CNN

"China fills Three Gorges Dam to capacity
October 26, 2010|By the CNN Wire Staff

China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water project, was fully filled Tuesday, state media said.

The water level hit the dam's design capacity of 175 meters (574 feet) at 9 a.m. Tuesday, said the corporation that developed the dam.

The 175-meter milestone will "enable the project to fulfill its functions of flood control, power generation, navigation and water diversion to the full," said Cao Guangjing, chairman of the China Three Gorges Corporation.

When the dam in central China reaches full generating capacity next year, it will produce 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, the Xinhua news agency said. That's enough to meet Beijing's needs for a year.

By comparison, the United States' Hoover Dam produces about 4 billion kilowatt-hours each year, enough to serve 1.3 million people in Nevada, Arizona, and California.

The 2,309-meter-wide (1.4 mile-wide) Three Gorges project, built in the upper-middle reaches of China's longest river, began storing water in 2003. Water is diverted to the parched farmlands and cities of China's north.

The Yangtze River has been responsible for some of the worst floods on record, with hundreds of thousands of people killed over the past century alone. The Three Gorges Dam relieves 15 million people and 1.5 million hectares of farmland in the Jianghan Plain from the threat of flood, the developer says.

Critics say the dam worsens pollution by trapping sewage and industrial waste. They also warn that an accident or natural disaster could create a catastrophe in the densely populated region. Smaller dams could have met China's needs, critics say.

An estimated 1.2 million people had to move to make way for the Three Gorges, which inundated 632 square kilometers (244 square miles) of land. Historians decried the loss of centuries of relics and antiquities, and the loss of a way of life for myriad rural residents in hundreds of villages, towns and cities."

Not a good comparison.  I have seen hoover dam, it wasn't meant for such large scale electric generation and it's also an older dam (1950).  Iran's Karuun dams are more suited for comparison with hoover.......notice the Askhul insignia of the Iranian Republic on the dam's left side in picture below     I'm sure usa hates seeing that hahaha

[marchpole]

Chinese Supercomputer Likely to Prompt Unease in U.S.
OCTOBER 28, 2010
By DON CLARK

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...=googlenews_wsj

A newly built supercomputer in China appears poised to take the world performance lead, another sign of the country's growing technological prowess that is likely to set off alarms about U.S. competitiveness and national security.

The system was designed by China's National University of Defense Technology and is housed at the National Supercomputing Center in the city of Tianjin. It is part of a new breed that exploits graphics chips more commonly used in playing videogames—supplied by Nvidia Corp.—as well as standard microprocessors from Intel Corp.

Supercomputers are massive machines that help tackle the toughest scientific problems, including simulating commercial products like new drugs as well as defense-related applications such as weapons design and breaking codes. The field has long been led by U.S. technology companies and national laboratories, which operate systems that have consistently topped lists of the fastest machines in the world.

But Nvidia says the new system in Tianjin—which is being formally announced Thursday at an event in China—was able to reach 2.5 petaflops. That is a measure of calculating speed ordinarily translated into a thousand trillion operations per second. It is more than 40% higher than the mark set last June by a system called Jaguar at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that previously stood at No. 1 on a twice-yearly ranking of the 500 fastest supercomputers.

"I don't know of another system that is going to be anywhere near the performance and the power of this machine" in China, said Jack Dongarra, a supercomputer expert on the Oak Ridge research staff who is a professor at the University of Tennessee and recently inspected the system in Tianjin last week. "It is quite impressive."

The development was not altogether unexpected. China placed 24 systems in the so-called Top 500 supercomputer ranking last June; a system called Nebulae, for example, took second place that also used chips from Nvidia and Intel.

But Mr. Dongarra and other researchers said the machine should nevertheless serve as a wake-up call that China is threatening to take the lead in scientific computing—akin to a machine from Japan that took the No. 1 position early in the past decade and triggered increased U.S. investment in the field.

"It's definitely a game-changer in the high performance market," said Mark Seager, chief technology officer for computing at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "This is a phase transition, representative of the shift of economic competitiveness from the West to the East."

Nearly all components of the high-profile Japanese system, called the Earth Simulator, were created in Japan. By contrast, most of the Tianjin system relies on chips from Intel and Nvidia, which are both based in Santa Clara, Calif. So U.S. customers could presumably construct a system with similar performance, noted Horst Simon, deputy lab director at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

But Mr. Dongarra noted that communications chips inside the machine were proprietary and designed in China, and the country is also working on its own microprocessors.

Moreover, while the Japanese system was a single machine, Tianjin is part of a multi-year strategy by China to develop a range of machines to create a dominant position in both military and commercial applications. "In that sense, I would say this is a much more important event than the Earth Simulator," Mr. Simon said.

The new supercomputer will be operated as an "open access" system, available to other countries outside of China to use for large scale scientific computation, said Ujesh Desai, an Nvidia vice president of product marketing.

It reflects a major design shift to use graphics chips to help accelerate the number-crunching functions most often carried out by so-called x86 chips, which evolved from personal computers and have long dominated supercomputing. Advanced Micro Devices, which makes both graphics chips and x86 microprocessors, is another company besides Nvidia that is promoting the technology shift.

[harrypotter]

Chinese Supercomputer Likely to Prompt Unease in U.S.
OCTOBER 28, 2010
By DON CLARK

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...=googlenews_wsj

A newly built supercomputer in China appears poised to take the world performance lead, another sign of the country's growing technological prowess that is likely to set off alarms about U.S. competitiveness and national security.

The system was designed by China's National University of Defense Technology and is housed at the National Supercomputing Center in the city of Tianjin. It is part of a new breed that exploits graphics chips more commonly used in playing videogames—supplied by Nvidia Corp.—as well as standard microprocessors from Intel Corp.

Supercomputers are massive machines that help tackle the toughest scientific problems, including simulating commercial products like new drugs as well as defense-related applications such as weapons design and breaking codes. The field has long been led by U.S. technology companies and national laboratories, which operate systems that have consistently topped lists of the fastest machines in the world.

But Nvidia says the new system in Tianjin—which is being formally announced Thursday at an event in China—was able to reach 2.5 petaflops. That is a measure of calculating speed ordinarily translated into a thousand trillion operations per second. It is more than 40% higher than the mark set last June by a system called Jaguar at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that previously stood at No. 1 on a twice-yearly ranking of the 500 fastest supercomputers.

"I don't know of another system that is going to be anywhere near the performance and the power of this machine" in China, said Jack Dongarra, a supercomputer expert on the Oak Ridge research staff who is a professor at the University of Tennessee and recently inspected the system in Tianjin last week. "It is quite impressive."

The development was not altogether unexpected. China placed 24 systems in the so-called Top 500 supercomputer ranking last June; a system called Nebulae, for example, took second place that also used chips from Nvidia and Intel.

But Mr. Dongarra and other researchers said the machine should nevertheless serve as a wake-up call that China is threatening to take the lead in scientific computing—akin to a machine from Japan that took the No. 1 position early in the past decade and triggered increased U.S. investment in the field.

"It's definitely a game-changer in the high performance market," said Mark Seager, chief technology officer for computing at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "This is a phase transition, representative of the shift of economic competitiveness from the West to the East."

Nearly all components of the high-profile Japanese system, called the Earth Simulator, were created in Japan. By contrast, most of the Tianjin system relies on chips from Intel and Nvidia, which are both based in Santa Clara, Calif. So U.S. customers could presumably construct a system with similar performance, noted Horst Simon, deputy lab director at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

But Mr. Dongarra noted that communications chips inside the machine were proprietary and designed in China, and the country is also working on its own microprocessors.

Moreover, while the Japanese system was a single machine, Tianjin is part of a multi-year strategy by China to develop a range of machines to create a dominant position in both military and commercial applications. "In that sense, I would say this is a much more important event than the Earth Simulator," Mr. Simon said.

The new supercomputer will be operated as an "open access" system, available to other countries outside of China to use for large scale scientific computation, said Ujesh Desai, an Nvidia vice president of product marketing.

It reflects a major design shift to use graphics chips to help accelerate the number-crunching functions most often carried out by so-called x86 chips, which evolved from personal computers and have long dominated supercomputing. Advanced Micro Devices, which makes both graphics chips and x86 microprocessors, is another company besides Nvidia that is promoting the technology shift.

But

Nearly all components of the high-profile Japanese system, called the Earth Simulator, were created in Japan. By contrast, most of the Tianjin system relies on chips from Intel and Nvidia, which are both based in Santa Clara, Calif. So U.S. customers could presumably construct a system with similar performance, noted Horst Simon, deputy lab director at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

[Martian]

Chinese Supercomputer Wrests Title From U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/technolo...rss&emc=rss

"Chinese Supercomputer Wrests Title From U.S.
By ASHLEE VANCE
Published: October 28, 2010

A Chinese scientific research center has built the fastest supercomputer ever made, replacing the United States as maker of the swiftest machine, and giving China bragging rights as a technology superpower.


The Tianhe-1A computer in Tianjin, China, links thousands upon thousands of chips.

The computer, known as Tianhe-1A, has 1.4 times the horsepower of the current top computer, which is at a national laboratory in Tennessee, as measured by the standard test used to gauge how well the systems handle mathematical calculations, said Jack Dongarra, a University of Tennessee computer scientist who maintains the official supercomputer rankings.

Although the official list of the top 500 fastest machines, which comes out every six months, is not due to be completed by Mr. Dongarra until next week, he said the Chinese computer “blows away the existing No. 1 machine.” He added, “We don’t close the books until Nov. 1, but I would say it is unlikely we will see a system that is faster.”

Officials from the Chinese research center, the National University of Defense Technology, are expected to reveal the computer’s performance on Thursday at a conference in Beijing. The center says it is “under the dual supervision of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education.”

The race to build the fastest supercomputer has become a source of national pride as these machines are valued for their ability to solve problems critical to national interests in areas like defense, energy, finance and science. Supercomputing technology also finds its way into mainstream business; oil and gas companies use it to find reservoirs and Wall Street traders use it for superquick automated trades. Procter & Gamble even uses supercomputers to make sure that Pringles go into cans without breaking.

And typically, research centers with large supercomputers are magnets for top scientific talent, adding significance to the presence of the machines well beyond just cranking through calculations.

Over the last decade, the Chinese have steadily inched up in the rankings of supercomputers. Tianhe-1A stands as the culmination of billions of dollars in investment and scientific development, as China has gone from a computing afterthought to a world technology superpower.

“What is scary about this is that the U.S. dominance in high-performance computing is at risk,” said Wu-chun Feng, a supercomputing expert and professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “One could argue that this hits the foundation of our economic future.”

Modern supercomputers are built by combining thousands of small computer servers and using software to turn them into a single entity. In that sense, any organization with enough money and expertise can buy what amount to off-the-shelf components and create a fast machine.

The Chinese system follows that model by linking thousands upon thousands of chips made by the American companies Intel and Nvidia. But the secret sauce behind the system — and the technological achievement — is the interconnect, or networking technology, developed by Chinese researchers that shuttles data back and forth across the smaller computers at breakneck rates, Mr. Dongarra said.

“That technology was built by them,” Mr. Dongarra said. “They are taking supercomputing very seriously and making a deep commitment.”

The Chinese interconnect can handle data at about twice the speed of a common interconnect called InfiniBand used in many supercomputers.

For decades, the United States has developed most of the underlying technology that goes into the massive supercomputers and has built the largest, fastest machines at research laboratories and universities. Some of the top systems simulate the effects of nuclear weapons, while others predict the weather and aid in energy research.

In 2002, the United States lost its crown as supercomputing kingpin for the first time in stunning fashion when Japan unveiled a machine with more horsepower than the top 20 American computers combined. The United States government responded in kind, forming groups to plot a comeback and pouring money into supercomputing projects. The United States regained its leadership status in 2004, and has kept it, until now.

At the computing conference on Thursday in China, the researchers will discuss how they are using the new system for scientific research in fields like astrophysics and bio-molecular modeling. Tianhe-1A, which is housed in a building at the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin, can perform mathematical operations about 29 million times faster than one of the earliest supercomputers, built in 1976.

For the record, it performs 2.5 times 10 to the 15th power mathematical operations per second.

Mr. Dongarra said a long-running Chinese project to build chips to rival those from Intel and others remained under way and looked promising. “It’s not quite there yet, but it will be in a year or two,” he said.

He also said that in November, when the list comes out, he expected a second Chinese computer to be in the top five, culminating years of investment.

“The Japanese came out of nowhere and really caught people off guard,” Mr. Feng said. “With China, you could see this one coming.”

Steven J. Wallach, a well-known computer designer, played down the importance of taking the top spot on the supercomputer rankings.

“It’s interesting, but it’s like getting to the four-minute mile,” Mr. Wallach said. “The world didn’t stop. This is just a snapshot in time.”

The research labs often spend weeks tuning their systems to perform well on the standard horsepower test. But just because a system can hammer through trillions of calculations per second does not mean it will do well on the specialized jobs that researchers want to use it for, Mr. Wallach added.

The United States has plans in place to make much faster machines out of proprietary components and to advance the software used by these systems so that they are easy for researchers to use. But those computers remain years away, and for now, China is king.

“They want to show they are No. 1 in the world, no matter what it is,” Mr. Wallach said. 'I don’t blame them.'”

[marchpole]

But

Nearly all components of the high-profile Japanese system, called the Earth Simulator, were created in Japan. By contrast, most of the Tianjin system relies on chips from Intel and Nvidia, which are both based in Santa Clara, Calif. So U.S. customers could presumably construct a system with similar performance, noted Horst Simon, deputy lab director at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

So what?

Does China have to make everything for herself?

Is that what you call self-reliance, even if it is not economic being so?

Anyway, you will get better informed reading the article above posted by Martian.

P.S. The 8-core Loongson 3B is in wafer testing and the 16-core Loongson 3C shall be ready in 2012. Good news for you?  

[macau boy]

I think it is a classic example of white trash mentality. If China does not make it, then we are backward, ignorant and stupid. if we make it. then it must be a threat - China threat.

[Rehmat Ali]

It is quite an achievement no doubt. The Chinese are very ingenious people and I have met literally hundreds of Chinese engineers and scientists who are in no way second rate.

While it is a great achievement, it cannot be called a Chinese achievement. It is also not very significant scientifically speaking since all they did was achieve a quantitative extension of technologies they imported. None of the Chinese 'scientists' and engineers involved in this can even touch/read several parts of the codes the Intel and NVidia processors use.  Let me explain the implications.

1) If they have a problem, they cannot change/upgrade without a call to Intel!

2) If they had built it with Intel chips coming out say next year,they wouldn't even be able to protect to protect the data gating thru since Intel is promising certain encryptions built in

None of this is in anyway intended to take away the hard work and genius that went into building the Tienha....but get the perspective in proportion!

[PAKPATRIOT]

It is quite an achievement no doubt. The Chinese are very ingenious people and I have met literally hundreds of Chinese engineers and scientists who are in no way second rate.

While it is a great achievement, it cannot be called a Chinese achievement. It is also not very significant scientifically speaking since all they did was achieve a quantitative extension of technologies they imported. None of the Chinese 'scientists' and engineers involved in this can even touch/read several parts of the codes the Intel and NVidia processors use.  Let me explain the implications.

1) If they have a problem, they cannot change/upgrade without a call to Intel!

2) If they had built it with Intel chips coming out say next year,they wouldn't even be able to protect to protect the data gating thru since Intel is promising certain encryptions built in

None of this is in anyway intended to take away the hard work and genius that went into building the Tienha....but get the perspective in proportion!

Never underestimate the Chinese. They are actually probably more advanced than they let on. Don't be surprised if they can indiginously overcome the points you listed. Many people who try to find weaknesses in China are those who fear and resent it or who are from nations that are trying to compete with China but who are light years behind and are inferior to China.

[Martian]

It is a remarkable Chinese achievement for the following reasons:

1.  From my October 28, 2010 post on "Chinese Supercomputer Wrests Title From U.S.," the article is very clear that China wrote her own software to interconnect the computer chips.

The Chinese system follows that model by linking thousands upon thousands of chips made by the American companies Intel and Nvidia. But the secret sauce behind the system — and the technological achievement — is the interconnect, or networking technology, developed by Chinese researchers that shuttles data back and forth across the smaller computers at breakneck rates, Mr. Dongarra said.

“That technology was built by them,” Mr. Dongarra said. “They are taking supercomputing very seriously and making a deep commitment.”

The Chinese interconnect can handle data at about twice the speed of a common interconnect called InfiniBand used in many supercomputers.

2.  China has already built a different petaflop supercomputer with China's own microprocessor.  See page 1 of this thread and my August 9, 2010 post on "China's first petaflop supercomputer to be fully assembled in late August" and reference the second article on "China's fastest supercomputer to have China-made chips."  For your convenience, I have reproduced the article below.

For more information on China's microprocessor, see thread by "lkjhgfdsa" on "Hot Chips 22: Godson-3c, 16-core, 32nm, 512-bit Vector Extensions.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90...81/6913155.html

"China's fastest supercomputer to have China-made chips
10:01, March 09, 2010

China's fastest supercomputer "Tianhe-1," ("Tianhe" meaning Milky Way), is to be equipped this year with China-made central processing unit (CPU) chips, replacing the only part of the computer that is currently imported.

Zhang Yulin, president of the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) which developed the computer, told Xinhua Monday that the chips, also developed by the NUDT, are customized for this supercomputer.

"The new CPUs will greatly raise the peak speed and computing efficiency of 'Tianhe-1'," Zhang said on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature now meeting in Beijing.

"Tianhe-1," unveiled in October last year, could rival the world's most powerful computers. Theoretically, it is capable of more than one quadrillion calculations per second when operating at peak speed.

Experts note that one day's task for "Tianhe-1" might take 160 years for a mainstream dual-core personal computer to complete."

Note:  Tianhe-1 and Tianhe-1A are two separate Chinese petaflop-class supercomputers.

[Rehmat Ali]

Yes, the interconnect speed is a Chinese accomplishment. But it is not the SUPERCOMPUTER.

relegating the CPU as merely the 'only part' of the computer is like saying the roots and trunks of tress are just another 'part'.

We'll see when the chinese are really able to 'replace' the imported CPU's!

[Martian]

China is expected to replace imported CPUs for Tianhe-1A "in a year or two," according to computer expert Mr. "Jack Dongarra, a University of Tennessee computer scientist."

Yes, the interconnect speed is a Chinese accomplishment. But it is not the SUPERCOMPUTER.

relegating the CPU as merely the 'only part' of the computer is like saying the roots and trunks of tress are just another 'part'.

We'll see when the chinese are really able to 'replace' the imported CPU's!

The article stated that China will replace the imported CPUs for the Tianhe-1A in one to two years.

Mr. Dongarra said a long-running Chinese project to build chips to rival those from Intel and others remained under way and looked promising. “It’s not quite there yet, but it will be in a year or two,” he said.

He also said that in November, when the list comes out, he expected a second Chinese computer to be in the top five, culminating years of investment.

[Rehmat Ali]

yes, I read that too. They will be able to do that if and only if some key technologists are somehow migrated from Bay Area or Boston to China. I'm sure you know as well as I do that when somebody says they will 'replace in the next year or two' it really is code for 'we want to but have no idea how to'.

[Martian]

Full potential of Maglev

The attraction of China's HSRs is that they are far more fuel-efficient than airplanes per passenger-mile.  The goal is to transport as many passengers as possible via HSR, instead of by airplane.

China's world's-fastest HSR trains travel at 350 kph, which is 210 mph.  There is a problem of increasing air resistance in attempting to significantly push the speed of the Chinese HSRs.  To solve the problem of air resistance, a super-fast pressurized train needs to travel in a near-vacuum tunnel.

A HSR generates significant heat/friction where the wheels contact the rails.  However, a maglev generates no friction (e.g. no energy loss and heat removal problem) and it is a superior choice for a near-vacuum tunnel.

China Developing a Train That Will Run at 620 Miles Per Hour | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

"China Developing Maglev Train That Can Go 1000kph
by Brit Liggett, 08/05/10


Get ready for some high speed transport action – Chinese researchers are currently developing a vacuum maglev train that they believe will run at speeds up to 620 miles per hour. This is just a few years after Japan announced their — then totally awe inspiring — plans for a maglev train that would run at 310 mph. The train will run on magnetic levitation tracks built into vacuum tubes underground and will be sucked along at an average speed of almost 400 miles per hour. What’s the cost for this zippy technology, you ask? A mere $2.95 million more than the current high speed rail for each kilometer of track.


Maglev trains utilize a system of very large magnets to lift and propel train cars. The magnetic system is able to move at high speeds while being quieter and smoother than a traditional wheeled mass transit train. The current world record for speed on a maglev train is 361 miles per hour and was set in Japan in 2003. The Chinese plan to blow this record out of the water by coupling their maglev technology with underground tunnels that will act as vacuums.

The most common problem facing high speed transit is air friction that slows train cars down. The Chinese plan to eliminate this problem with their vacuum tunnels and say their trains will not have to compete with air friction while they travel. Researchers say that the trains could be ready for action in ten years. Though this high speed wonder seems like a great idea, the economic cost of the technology is staggering. With the added price tag of the vacuum tunnels to make these trains extra speedy, we’re wondering if the time saved traveling on these record breaking trains will really be worth the impact of their construction.

Via Engadget"

[PAKPATRIOT]

yes, I read that too. They will be able to do that if and only if some key technologists are somehow migrated from Bay Area or Boston to China. I'm sure you know as well as I do that when somebody says they will 'replace in the next year or two' it really is code for 'we want to but have no idea how to'.

I think india is more advanced than america and china. Here is the evidence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECx8INuB06Y...feature=related

[Martian]

China launches sixth Beidou-2 navigation and positioning satellite


China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said that China has independently developed the Compass II series of satellites into a network of global coverage of satellite navigation and positioning systems by 2020.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90...81/7183776.html


The sixth orbiter into space as part of its satellite navigation and positioning network, which is known as the Beidou, or Compass, system, is launched on the Long March-3C carrier rocket at Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Nov. 1, 2010. (Source: Chinanews.com.cn /photo: Wang Yulei)

"China successfully launched its sixth orbiter which will form part of its indigenous satellite navigation and positioning network on Nov. 1.

A Long March-3C carrier rocket carrying the "Beidou," or Compass, navigation satellite took off at 12:26 a.m. on Nov.1 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

It will join five other satellites already in orbit to form a network, which will eventually consist of 35 satellites.

The network will provide satellite navigation services for Asia-Pacific regions by 2012 and global services by 2020.

The China Academy of Space Technology developed the satellite and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology developed the carrier rocket."


File picture of an early model Beidou satellite.


A person stands next to an early model Beidou satellite to provide reference for its size.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/10/lon...nches-beidou-2/

"Chinese Long March 3C launches with BeiDou-2
October 31st, 2010 by Rui C. Barbosa

China has launched the sixth satellite in their growing navigation system on Sunday, via the launch of their Long March 3C (Chang Zheng-3C) launch vehicle, carrying the BeiDou-2 Compass-G4 satellite. The launch of took place from the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center, in Sichuan Province at 16:26UTC on October 31.

Chinese Launch:

China’s constellation of satellites for the navigation system will eventually consist of 35 vehicles, including 27 MEO satellites, 5 GSO satellites and 3 IGSO birds. The satellites will transmit signals on the: 1195.14-1219.14MHz, 1256.52-1280.52MHz, 1559.05-1563.15MHz and 1587.69-1591.79MHz, carrier frequencies.

The BeiDou-2 was developed in the basis of the DFH-3 satellite platform and is expected to have a lifespan of eight years.

The Compass Navigation Satellite System (CNSS) is China’s second-generation satellite navigation system capable of providing continuous, real-time passive 3D geo-spatial positioning and speed measurement.

The system will be initially used to provide high-accuracy positioning services for users in China and its neighboring regions, covering an area of about 120 degrees longitude in the Northern Hemisphere. The long-term goal is to develop a global navigation satellite network similar to the GPS and GLONASS.

Like the American and Russian counterparts, CNSS will have two levels of service, ranging from a civilian service which will allow for an accuracy of 10 meters in the user position, 0.2 m/s on the user velocity and 50 nanoseconds in time accuracy; and the military and authorized users service, providing higher accuracies.

The first phase of the project will involve coverage of the Chinese territory, with the second phase covering the entire globe.

Previous BeiDou satellites for the second-generation satellite navigation system were launched on April 13, 2007 ‘Compass-M1′ (31115 2007-011A); April 14, 2009 ‘Compass-G2′ (34779 2009-018A); January 16, 2010 ‘Compass-G1′ (36287 2010-001A); June 2 ‘Compass-G3′ (36590 2010-024A) and July 31, ‘Compass-I1′ (36828 2010-036A).

This was the sixth flight of the CZ-3C Chang Zheng-3C launch vehicle. The vehicle was developed to fill the gap between the CZ-3A Chang Zheng-3A and the CZ-3B Chang Zheng-3B, having a payload capacity of 3,800 kg for GTO. This is a three stage launch vehicle identical to the CZ-3B but only using two strap-on boosters on its first stage.

The development of the CZ-3C started in February 1999. The rocket has a liftoff mass of 345,000 kg. The first two stages and the two strap on boosters use hypergolic (N2O4/UDMH) fuel, while the third stage uses cryogenic LOX. The total length of the CZ-3A is 54.838 meters, with a diameter of 3.35 meters on the core stage and 3.00 meters on the third stage.

The first launch of the CZ-3C Chang Zheng-3C launch vehicle took place on April 25, 2008 when it orbited the first TL-1 Tian Lian-1 tracking and data relay satellite.

This was the 134th successful Chinese orbital launch, the 133rd launch of a Chang Zheng launch vehicle, the sixth launch from Xi Chang in 2010, the 12th orbital launch for China in 2010, establishing a new total launch record for a year.

The Xi Chang Satellite Launch Centre is situated in the Sichuan Province, south-western China and is the country’s launch site for geosynchronous orbital launches.

Equipped with two launch pads (LC2 and LC3), the centre has a dedicated railway and highway lead directly to the launch site. The Command and Control Centre is located seven kilometers south-west of the launch pad, providing flight and safety control during launch rehearsal and launch. Down range Tracking and Control stations of the launch center are located in Xi Chang City and Yibin City of Sichuan Province, and Guiyang City of Guizhou Province. Each of them houses tracking and measurement equipment for the powered phase of a launch vehicle flight.

Other facilities on the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Centre are the Launch Control Centre, propellant fuelling systems, communications systems for launch command, telephone and data communications for users, and support equipment for meteorological monitoring and forecasting.

During 1993-1994, Xi Chang underwent extensive modernization and expansion, in part due to the requirements of the CZ-3 launcher family and in part to meet commercial customer needs.

The first launch from Xi Chang took place at 12:25UTC on January 29, 1984, when the CZ-3 Chang Zheng-3 (CZ3-1) was launched the Shiyan Weixing (14670 1984-008A) communications satellite into orbit. The launch of the new BeiDou-2 satellite was the 52nd successful orbital launch from Xi Chang.

Before the end of the year China plans other launches as the launch of the FY-3B Feng Yun-3B meteorological satellite, on November 4, the launch of the ST-1B Shen Tong-1B / ZX-20 (2) ZhongXing-20 (2) military communications satellite, and another launch for the Compass navigation system with the launch of the second BeiDou-2 IGSO (Inclined GSO) satellite of the system."

[Note: Thank you to "Brotherhood," "stax," and "xuxu1457" for the post.]

[marchpole]

Asia's largest supercomputer production base established in Tianjin
17:07, November 01, 2010

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90...60/7184032.html

The Specialty Association of Mathematical and Scientific Software (SAMSS), the Research and Development Center for Parallel Software, and the State Key Laboratory of Computer Science jointly published the list of the Top 10 High-Performance Computers of China on Oct. 28.

On the list, the "Tianhe-1" supercomputer in Tianjin and the product series developed and produced by the Dawning Computer Base in Tianjin ranked at the top in calculation speed and in market share, respectively. After the list was released, Tianjin immediately attracted the attention of many computer industry insiders.

On the top-10 list published by authoritative organizations, the technically upgraded "Tianhe-1" supercomputer jointly developed by the National University of Defense Technology and the Tianjin Binhai New Area, ranked at the top for its peak speed of 4.7 petaflops and sustained speed of 2.5 petaflops. Its peak and sustained speeds are both faster than the published records of the world’s supercomputers.

Currently, the "Tianhe-1" has been put into operation at the National Super Computing Center in the Tianjin Bainhai New Area.

Thirty-four high-performance computers developed and produced in the Dawning Computer Base also ranked in the top 100 of the list, indicating that the base's share in China's high-performance computer market has exceeded 30 percent. Among the 34 computers, the Nebula, China's first supercomputer capable of sustained computing of more than 1 petaflop, ranked second on the list with a sustained speed of nearly 1.3 petaflops. Furthermore, four Dawning series supercomputers ranked in the top-10 of the list.

The Dawning Computer Base started construction in Tianjin in July 2006. The industrial base covers an area of more than 4 hectares and can produce 100,000 servers a year after the first phase of the construction project was finished. At present, the second phase of the project has been partly finished. In the following two years, the base will be able to produce 500,000 PC servers and 2,000 high-performance computers a year and will become the largest production base of high-performance computers in Asia.

Because the Tianhe-1 has been put into use in Tianjin and the Dawning Computer Base will soon evolve into the largest production base of its kind in Asia, the city has decided to include the promotion of supercomputing applications in its 12th Five-Year Plan.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-1015), the Tianjin Binhai New Area will provide high-performance computing support to strategic emerging industries for more technological innovations and attach equal importance to high-tech public services, the development of the information industry, and the training of information technology specialists

[macau boy]

Asia's largest supercomputer production base established in Tianjin
During the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-1015), the Tianjin Binhai New Area will provide high-performance computing support to strategic emerging industries for more technological innovations and attach equal importance to high-tech public services, the development of the information industry, and the training of information technology specialists

This is the industrial transformation we have been looking and waiting for.
I still recall when Shenzhen was established as a SEZ three decades ago, T-shirt and cheap plastic toys were about the best we could do at that time. Today, a city like Tianjin can pump out large commercial jetliners, helicopters, cutting edge electronics, turbofan aero-engines, and,...now high-performance computer centers.
What a change!

[M_ZEE32]

Struggles never go fruitless, for sure, Congrat  !

[Martian]

China's indigenous maglev - the past (i.e. 2005): "Zhonghua-06" 400 kph light maglev

People's Daily Online -- China's light maglev "Zhonghua-06" made debut

China's light maglev "Zhonghua-06" made debut
UPDATED: 15:41, May 13, 2005


China's light maglev train "Zhonghua-06" made its debut in Dalian (in northeast China's Liaoning Province) on May 11, 2005.


The train is 9.6 meters long, 1.65 meters wide, and 1.87 meters high. The design speed is 400 kph (i.e. kilometers per hour).


The driver's cabin in the Zhonghua-06 maglev.

China's 1st maglev train starts test run - What's On Xiamen

"China's 1st maglev train starts test run
Updated: 25 Jun 2009


China's first domestically-made low-and-medium speed Maglev trains are now undergoing test run operations.

Maglev trains come in various speeds, not only high-speed trains. Low and medium-speed Maglev trains are more suitable for running in urban city areas, similar to subways or light rail. China's first domestically-made low-and medium-speed Maglev trains are now undergoing test run operations.

This is China's newest Maglev train. The test runs began in Tangshan in Hebei Province on June 15th about one week ago. The train has three carriages. And each carriage has between 100 and 120 seats.

Maglev trains float on a magnetic field and are propelled by a linear induction motor. There are no wheels running along a track, so there is no wheel noise. Just like this newest Maglev train shown here, its working noise can hardly be heard five meters away.

The Maglev train has a design speed of up to 120 kilometers per hour. That's faster than light rail trains, which can attain speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. The Maglev train also has stronger power going uphill and turning corners. The Maglev train will offer more convenience and faster service for urban transport.

Vehicle power supplies are located inside the train carriages. Even if there is a sudden loss of electricity, these power supplies can help the Maglev train keep on running to a safe area, before gradually stopping. Engineers say there will be very little electro-magnetic radiation created when the power generating machine is running.

Chairman of Beijing Enterprises Holdings Maglev Tech. Devt. said, "Compared with the radiation from television and electric shavers, the electro-magnetic radiation from the Maglev train is minimal."

The operational system of the Maglev train is also designed to increase safety.

Currently, Japan has the most mature technology on low-and medium-speed Maglev train development. Successful test runs on China's newly-developed Maglev trains show that China will be able to mass produce this technology.

SOURCE: CCTV"

[Martian]

China's indigenous maglev - the present: domestically-designed 500 kph maglev

China Plans 1000 Km/h Maglev Trains | gizchina.com

"China Plans 1000 Km/h Maglev Trains
Posted by Andi On August - 5 - 2010



China’s locomotive jewel is the Maglev in Shanghai. A train that floats on magnets and can reach a cruising speed of around 500 Km/h, pretty darn fast by our standards, but obviously not fast enough.

Jiaotong University currently has a prototype Maglev that can hit 600 Km/h and is planning a smaller ‘Express’ version, which will hit the dizzying speed of 1000 Km/h!! Twice that of current Maglevs in China or Japan!

The people behind these super fast trains decided the only way to make them go any faster was to reduce friction, but as they already float on magnets there was little they could do to drop it further unless of course they put the whole train and its rails in a tube and created a vacuum……. So that’s what they’ve done!

The cost for the tube is said to be around 10-20 million RMB per kilometer!! And is penned in for testing within the next 2-3 years!"



CHENGDU, CHINA: People visit the high-speed maglev train which is manufactured by domestic CAC Central Air industry on April 8, 2010 in Chengdu, Sichuan province of China. The train has a top speed of 500 km/h.


The interior of the domestically-designed and manufactured maglev train.

China produces first home-grown maglev train CCTV-International

"China produces first home-grown maglev train
2010-04-09 13:49 BJT

China's first home-grown sample maglev train has been completed, making China the third country able to design and produce the trains after Germany and Japan.

This maglev train has a maximum speed of 500 kilometers per hour. It is expected to take its pilot run on the maglev line in Shanghai during this year's World Expo.

Wu Xiangming, Engineer, Maglev Train Dev’t Project’s expert Group, said, "This is the first domestically-designed and produced maglev train in China. We own the independent intellectual property rights. We will make a pilot run to test whether the train has any flaws."

Maglev trains are the fastest mode of ground transportation in the world. The vehicle contains materials that are used on airplanes.

China used to import maglev technology from developed countries, but after years of learning and innovation, the country has now mastered the entire range of production from building the rails to developing the control system.

Dai Ganchang, Engineer, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, said, "We had a deal with Germany. They introduced technology to us and we digested it. Currently, we only import some parts from Germany. The design and manufacturing are totally home-grown."

China's first maglev line officially opened at the end of 2002 in Shanghai. The trains were imported from Germany. The line has transported a total of 23 million passengers since its introduction. It travels at a speed of 430 kilometers an hour."

[Martian]

China's indigenous maglev - the future: China Plans 1,000 kph Super Train


Vacuum tube maglev train

DailyTech - China Plans 1,000 KPH Super Train

"China Plans 1,000 KPH Super Train
Jason Mick (Blog) - August 5, 2010 1:19 PM

Design would almost double today's record speed


China is planning to build a 1,000 kph locomotive, which would nearly double the current record speed. (Source: China Daily)

We've discussed a couple of times the U.S.'s growing gap in high speed rail compared to China.  As fossil fuels become more scarce, more expensive, and more dangerous from a political standpoint, mass transit solutions look increasingly appealing.  High speed rail is particularly promising as it promises not only to reduce fossil fuel use, but also to get you to your destination faster.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) reportedly are preparing a record-shattering 1,000 kilometer per hour train, according to the Beijing Times.

The new trains will make use of a vacuum tube to reduce friction losses.  They will first build a prototype vacuum magnetic suspension train capable of traveling between 500 and 600 kph.  That gives it a shot at breaking the record set by Japan's JR-Maglev train, which achieved a speed of 581 km/h (361 mph).  The record for a traditional railed train was set by France's TGV at 574.8 km/h (357.18 mph).

After the prototype, the group plans to implement a smaller train capable of speeds of as much as 1,000 kph.  Shen Zhiyun, a member of the research team, comments, "The speed can be reached by making vacuum pipelines for maglev trains to run through, with no air resistance."

Daryl Oster, who owns the U.S. patent on evacuated tube (vacuum) rail, now works at the CAE.  Along with Zhiyun and another researcher, Zhang Yaoping, he is leading efforts to deploy the technology.  The team hopes to begin laying ETT rail lines within the next ten years.

It would use less steel than current trains, but would be slightly more expensive.  China is targeting a cost of 200 million yuan ($29.54M USD) per kilometer for its traditional rail.  The Evacuated Tube Transport (ETT) rail would cost approximately 210 to 220 million yuan ($31.0M USD to $32.49M USD) per kilometer.

Currently the planned trains travel at 350 kph.  A cost increase of 5 to 10 percent seems a fair tradeoff to score nearly twice the speed.  It's just one more example of how ambitious China is when it comes to high speed rail."

[Martian]

SPACE.com -- China Reaches New High for Most Space Missions in a Year

"China Reaches New High for Most Space Missions in a Year
By Stephen Clark
05 November 2010


A Chinese Long March 3C rocket stands poised to launch China's second moon mission, the Chang'e 2 lunar orbiter, on Oct. 1, 2010. Credit: CALT

Sunday's launch of a navigation satellite was the 12th flight of a Long March rocket in 2010, eclipsing the record for most Chinese space missions in a single year.

This weekend's flight broke an annual record China set in 2008, when it conducted 11 launches of human, scientific and military payloads.

This year, the country's burgeoning space program has launched 12 rockets, all successfully.

Payloads include four Beidou navigation satellites launched in January, July, August and October. China plans to continue a rapid pace of Beidou flights over the next two years, eventually reaching an intermediate stage of deployment by 2012, when it will provide positioning services over China and neighboring regions.

China will have launched 14 Beidou satellites by 2012 to achieve the localized coverage in the Asia-Pacific region, according to official government sources.

Three Long March flights have orbited Yaogan military reconnaissance satellites, beginning in March when a trio of spacecraft blasted off on a Long March 3C rocket.

Two more Yaogan payloads, believed to be electro-optical or night-vision radar spy satellites, were sent into space in August and September.

State-owned Chinese media outlets report the Yaogan satellites accomplish scientific experiments, survey land resources, estimate crop yields and contribute to natural disaster response efforts. But observers believe the spacecraft are actually operated by the Chinese military.

Long March rockets in June and October sent Shijian technology demonstration payloads into orbit.

The June launch of Shijian 12 started a groundbreaking rendezvous test that reached a crescendo in August, when it approached another Chinese satellite. China released no official account of the demo, but independent analysts using U.S. military tracking data concluded the spacecraft must have passed within about 600 feet of each other.

Other boosters launched a Tianhui mapping satellite, the Chinasat 6A television broadcasting spacecraft and the Chang'e 2 probe to the moon.

Chang'e 2 launched Oct. 1 and reached the moon five days later.

At least three more satellites are planned to launch this year, potentially extending the record to around 15 missions by the end of December.

China is preparing another Long March rocket to haul a Fengyun weather satellite to orbit as soon as Nov. 4. Another communications satellite and Beidou navigation platform could follow later in November and December.

The pace of Beidou launches, coupled with increased activity in China's human space program, should continue a frenzied launch manifest through 2011.

China is testing the core module of a mini-space station named Tiangong 1 for launch late next year. Future Chinese astronaut crews will visit the complex starting in 2012, Hooray for NASA's EPOXI flyby of Comet Hartley 2! according to state media.

This year's record launch rate comes as NASA and China open a joint dialogue on potential space cooperation. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden visited China last month, and his hosts afforded him unprecedented access to human spaceflight facilities.

Although the talks did not include discussions on specific partnerships, according to NASA, the visit provided a basis for further dialogue."

[Martian]

China's first domestic-made light civilian helicopter makes debut

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/chin.../c_13596485.htm

"China's first domestic-made light civilian helicopter makes debut
English.news.cn   2010-11-08 15:10:49


An AC311 multi-purpose helicopter, developed and manufactured by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), is seen during its first test flight in Tianjin, north China, on Nov. 8, 2010. (Xinhua/Liu Haifeng)


The first light civilian helicopter developed and manufactured in China made its successful maiden flight on Monday. (Xinhua/Liu Haifeng)


The two-tonne helicopter has a seating capacity of six and can be used for flight training, policing, communication command, aerial photography, medical aid, power line patrol, forest fire prevention and pest control. (Xinhua/Liu Haifeng)

TIANJIN, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The first light civilian helicopter developed and manufactured in China made its successful maiden flight in northern port city of Tianjin Monday.

The two-tonne AC311 helicopter, developed and manufactured by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), has a seating capacity of six and can be used for flight training, policing, communication command, aerial photography, medical aid, power line patrol, forest fire prevention and pest control.

The aircraft was equipped with a fuel-efficient engine, a durable and flexible composite rotor system, and a highly integrated avionics system, said Wang Bin, general manager of Avicopter Corporation Limited, a joint venture between AVIC and the Tianjin municipal government.

"Its technology and performance are close to the international advanced level. In terms of cost, it is about 10 to 15 percent less than similar products from other manufacturers," Wang said.

"The AC311 helicopter will be sold wordwide. The first two have been purchased by police from Tianjin's Binhai New District and Guiyang (capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province)," he said.

The AC311 helicopter is expected to obtain a type certificate from China's civil aviation authorities in October 2011 and go on the market in 2012, he said.

"It is expected that the market demand for this type of helicopter will reach 500 in the next 10 years," he said.

Editor: Deng Shasha"

[Martian]

ZTE awarded "2010 IPTV Equipment Vendor of the Year" accolade

IPTV is an acronym for Internet Protocol TeleVision.


ZTE IPTV technology


The end-to-end IPTV solution provided by ZTE consists of the Head End, Content Delivery Network (CDN), Middleware, Conditional Access/Digital Rights Management (CA/DRM) System, Set-Top Box (STB), and Network Management System (NMS), as shown in Figure 1.


IPTV is a fast-growing worldwide market.  [Disclosure:  My mother is one of the subscribers on the IPTV chart.  She watches KyLin IPTV (e.g. 40 channels of Mandarin television programs) in the U.S.]

ZTE awarded "2010 IPTV Equipment Vendor of the Year" accolade - ZTE Corporation

"ZTE awarded "2010 IPTV Equipment Vendor of the Year" accolade
2010-09-29

29 September 2010, Shenzhen –ZTE Corporation, (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, has been recognized as the "Best Practice Award-2010 IPTV Equipment Vendor of the year", marking the second time it has received the accolade. It received the award based on research conducted by leading consulting company, Frost & Sullivan.

Among IPTV vendors, ZTE ranked third in the world IPTV middleware market in terms of subscribers in 2010 H1, and was the leader in the IPTV middleware markets of Asia and China in 2010 H1.

With the development of the global broadband market, IPTV content and application has become more important. As one of the latest broadband applications, IPTV has attracted industry attention.

As Europe, Asia and North America begin to experiment and play TV programs through the IP transmission network, market growth in IPTV is likely to accelerate. The number of global IPTV subscribers is likely to increase to 62.1 million by the end of 2010, and is tipped to reach 267.9 million in 2014. The global IPTV market revenue is likely to grow to US$17.5 billion until 2010 and is forecast to increase to US$46.5 billion in 2014.

According to the research, by 2014 most of the new subscribers are expected to come from emerging markets, with China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Thailand and Philippines tipped to account for 62.0 percent of additional subscribers between 2009 and 2014.

ZTE has great influence in some regional markets, such as Asia, South America and the Middle East. In the Asian IPTV middleware market in 2010 H1, ZTE was ranked No. 1 in terms of its financial position, investment level, and business prospects. In the China IPTV middleware market 2010 H1, ZTE was also ranked No. 1 by achieving the leading edge based on its long-term R&D effort and market performance.

On the basis of large-scale IPTV deployment with China Telecom, ZTE has cooperated with many other operators, such as VNPT, the largest operator in Vietnam; Telkom Indonesia, the largest operator in Indonesia; and CANTV, Venezuela's biggest operator.

"We are honored to win 'Best Practice Award-2010 IPTV Equipment Vendor of the year' again, We believe it is a significant milestone for ZTE's sustainable developments and a clear endorsement of our IPTV solutions by the industry." said Mr. Yu Yifang, Vice President of ZTE, general manager of service product line. "ZTE has been engaged in R&D and the industrial promotion of IPTV. ZTE has built the world's largest H.264 IPTV network and had 2.52 million subscribers as of June 2010."

ZTE also actively promotes IPTV application around the world. By the end of June 2010, ZTE's IPTV products have been sold to major IPTV markets in Asia, the Americas and Europe, with over 5 million users. The 2005–2010 compound growth rate of ZTE's IPTV products reached 60.0 percent, making ZTE the fastest growing mainstream IPTV system provider."