China Science and Technology Highlights
February 2016
by HKUST VPRGO
Brought to you by The Office of the Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies
What’s New
In This Issue:
Beijing Builds Largest Photovoltaic
Charging Station
China Develops Core Technology in
Uranium Extraction from Seawater
China Launches First Polar All-terrain
Vehicle to Engage in Work in
Antarctica Expedition with “Xue Long”
China’s “Kuaizhou-11” to Provide
Commercial Launch Services with First
Launch Planned in 2016
China Builds World’s Largest PumpedStorage Power Station
China's Vice-Premier Elaborates on
13th Five-Year Plan
First Unit of Changjiang Nuclear
Power Plant Connected to Power Grid
Long March-6 Successfully Completes
First Flight to Launch 20 Satellites and
Breaks National Record
China-manufactured Passenger
Plane C919 Rolled off Assembly Line
China Develops 6500V High-Speed
Rail IGBT with Totally Independent
IP Rights
China First Uses 3D Printing with
Titanium Alloy to Manufacture
Satellite Components
China Develops Nuclear-grade
Protective Coating Material
China First to Successfully Use
Raman Spectroscopy for Chemical
Identification of Individual Molecules
Closely Packed on Surface
China’s Scientists Discover New
Fibrous Material for “Artificial
Muscles”
June 2015
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China Science and Technology Highlights
by HKUST VPRGO
Beijing Builds Largest Photovoltaic Charging Station
The groundbreaking ceremony of Beijing’s
largest super photovoltaic charging station was held
recently at Shijingshan. With a total investment of
RMB 15 million, the facility with 50 charging piles
is expected to be in use by the end of 2015.
The charging station, co-developed by
Shougang Group and Tellus Power, and adopting
the public-private-partnership (PPP) model, is
Beijing’s key project involving innovative
investment, financing mechanism and encouraging
social investment. Spokesperson at Tellus Power
said that when completed, the charging station
would resemble a spacecraft with solar energy to
attain energy self-sufficiency, and would have the
capacity for charging 80 electric vehicles (EVs) per
day. The three major series of EVs produced by
China, Japan, Europe and America can be catered in
this charging station.
Gao Peng, Deputy Director of Beijing
Municipal Commission of Development and
Reform, stated that by the end of 2015, about 1,500
charging piles would be completed and begin to
operate to achieve the EV charging infrastructure
plan in which smart charging pillars would be
installed within 5 km of the city center. Currently,
Beijing has five large-scale charging stations and
13,000 charging piles, achieving the leading level in
scale and technology in the country.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date:
2 November 2015
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China Develops Core Technology in Uranium Extraction from Seawater
It was reported at the China Seawater
Uranium Extraction Science and Technology
Symposium jointly hosted by the China Academy of
Engineering Physics and National Natural Science
Foundation of China that China had launched in
2011 and 2013 respectively two off-site testings on
uranium extraction from seawater and identified the
key factors restricting the commercialization of
seawater uranium extraction technologies. This
symbolizes an important milestone in seawater
uranium extraction technology in China.
Uranium is an important factor behind the
development of nuclear energy. There are 4.5 billion
tons of uranium in the sea which is more than
thousand folds that of the uranium storage on land.
Extracting uranium from seawater is a significant
means of acquiring uranium resources. As it is an
energy-related R&D project with high returns, US,
Japan, India and China are committed to relevant
research. None of them, however, has achieved the
level of industrialization.
At the Symposium, experts had also reached
a consensus that due to the difficulties, long process
cycles and the wide range of technologies required
regarding seawater uranium extraction, it was
necessary to develop an innovative national strategy
with pilot testings in the sea, led by the China
Academy of Engineering Physics and the China
National Nuclear Corporation, to integrate the
nation’s
uranium
extraction
technology
development.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date:
2 November 2015
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China Launches First Polar All-terrain Vehicle to
Engage in Antarctica Expedition with “Xue Long”
Further to the reception ceremony for
China’s first independently-developed all-terrain
vehicle (ATV) on 4 November at the pier of State
Oceanic Administration People’s Republic of China
in Pudong, Shanghai, the vehicle would go on
China’s 32nd Antarctica expedition with the research
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vessel “Xue Long” (also called “Snow Dragon”)
immediately afterwards.
The ATV has excellent maneuverability and
environmental adaptability to meet the three major
functional requirements regarding “scientific study,
transportation, and emergency rescue”. The vehicle
can operate in complex geographies ranging from
snowfields, deserts, beaches, Gobi, mountainous
and water areas. Its maximum speed is 60 km/hr on
land and 5 km/hr in water. It can easily pass through
barriers of 0.6 m high and ditches of 1.5 m wide. It
can withstand extreme changes in temperature from
-50℃ to 70℃, and can operate under temperatures
between -41℃ and 40℃. The technology developed
on this ATV is a milestone in China’s development
of polar expedition equipment, filling the gap in the
nation’s manufacturing industry to make such
advanced equipment comparable to top level
products of similar nature in the world.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date:
6 November 2015
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China’s “Kuaizhou-11” to Provide Commercial Launch Services with
First Launch Planned in 2016
According to the China Aerospace Science
and Industry Corp, a new member of China’s
“Kuaizhou” family－Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11) or Fast
Vessel-11 solid-fuel rocket has undergone rapid
development and its first launch is planned in late
2016 or early 2017. KZ-11 will provide commercial
launch services to both China and overseas
companies. The Corporation is currently soliciting
its first flight payload.
As introduced by Liang Jiqiu, the Chief
Designer at the Fourth Academy of China
Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, KZ-11 was
strategically planned and prepared according to “a
new generation of space launch and application” for
the global commercial launch market. It is a brand
new solid-state payload rocket characterized by
“innovation in science and technology, business
mode, and management”. It boasts the
characteristics of low cost, rapid response and being
market-driven.
Liang stated that KZ-11 inherited the
characteristics and technical achievements of
previous small-size solid-fuel Kuaizhou payload
rockets. The payload capacity is increased by five
folds to meet the high-frequency and rapid-launch
requirements of commercial satellites. It adopts
mobile launch with 78 tons of lift-off mass and a
maximum payload capacity of 1.5 tons in low-earth
orbit. It primarily targets 400 to 1,500 km low-earth,
sun-synchronous orbit for single or multiple
satellites launch services.
Zhang Di, the Head of Space Projects
Department at the Corporation, said, “Our aim is to
keep the launch cost under USD10,000/kg of
payload, which means it will be very competitive in
the international market.” He also said that KZ-11
had low requirements for launch conditions. It will
strive to achieve launch anywhere in order to save
the high cost related to the need of a launch site.
According to Liang, the first flight mainly
targets to test the capabilities of the rocket itself,
though there will also be some room available for
piggyback services at lower carrier cost.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 6 November 2015
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China Builds World’s Largest Pumped-Storage Power Station
According to the State Grid Corporation of
China (SGCC), the construction of three pumpedstorage power stations, situated in Fengning in
Hebei (phase two), Wendeng in Shandong, and
Panlong in Chongqing respectively, will start on 23
September. Upon completion, the one in Fengning,
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Hebei may become the world’s largest pumpedstorage power station with an installed capacity of
3.6 GW. With a total investment of RMB 24.44
billion, the three power stations will have a
combined installed capacity of 4.8 GW and is
expected to begin operation in 2022.
Wang Hongyu, Director of Infrastructure
Construction Department, State Grid Corporation of
China, mentioned that phase two of Hebei Fengning
power station had an installed capacity of 1.8 GW
and involved an investment of RMB 8.75 billion.
Upon completion, phases one and two of the
pumped-storage power station at Fengning will
have a total installed capacity of 3.6 GW.
Pumped-storage power station is equivalent
to the clean energy delivered by ultra-high voltage
storage batteries in the way that it converts
otherwise hard-to-consume electricity to potential
energy via water pumping during off-peak load.
During peak load or when the system has demands,
it can convert potential energy into electric power
via electricity generation. Pumped-storage power
stations can be used to optimize the operational
characteristics of ultra-high voltage power grid,
promote new energy consumptions, optimize
resource allocation, and reduce pollutant emissions.
Upon completion of the three pumpedstorage power stations, it is estimated that they will
annually reduce coal consumption by 2.91 million
tons, smoke and dust emission by 3,000 tons,
sulphur dioxide emission by 14,000 tons, nitrogen
oxide emission by 13,000 tons, carbon dioxide
emission by 4.85 million tons. It will effectively
save energy and reduce pollutant emissions.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 24 September 2015
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China's Vice-Premier Elaborates on 13th Five-Year Plan
Development regarding the 13th Five-Year
Plan (2016-2020) should uphold the five principles
of innovation, coordination, green development,
opening-up and sharing, according to Vice-Premier
Zhang Gaoli.
The five principles were the main themes in
the 13th Five-Year Plan, which was adopted at the
Fifth Session of the 18th Communist Party of China
(CPC) Central Committee, said Zhang in an article
published in People's Daily on 9 November 2015.
The proposal sets a target of “maintaining
medium-high level growth”, highlighting the ideas
of innovation, coordination, green development,
opening-up and sharing to fulfill its goals. New
technology, industries and business models will
prosper through innovation and stimulation of
entrepreneurship, according to the proposal.
In his article, Zhang said that green
technology, biotechnology, information technology,
smart manufacturing, high-end equipment and new
energy would be supported.
The government would support research in
fundamental sciences, which could lead to
breakthroughs in sectors such as information
technology and aerospace science, Zhang said.
The government would pay attention to the
balance of regional development to make sure that
the less-developed regions in middle, western and
northeastern China would be boosted, according to
the Vice-Premier.
The government would also pay attention to
environmental protection to pursue sustainable
development, especially at a time when the
country's natural resources were limited, pollution
remained serious, and the ecological system was
deteriorating, said Zhang.
The government would continue to boost
opening-up and participate more in global
governance and trade. Coastal areas should be
encouraged to engage in more global trade, and
more high-tech manufacturing bases and crossborder economic cooperation zones should be
established, said Zhang.
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China's development was being gradually
integrated and interwoven with the rest of the world,
while the world's development also went along with
the Chinese people's dream for a better future, said
Zhang.
The government would also try its best to
ensure social justice, improve people's livelihoods
and achieve the goal of overall well-being, said the
Vice-Premier.
Source: China Daily
Date: 9 November 2015
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First Unit of Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant Connected to Power Grid
Unit 1 of the Changjiang Nuclear Power
Plant with a capacity of 650 MW was connected to
the power grid on 7 November 2015 in Hainan. This
power source has introduced reform of the power
supplying system in the area, effectively alleviating
power shortage as well as achieving energy saving
and emission reduction.
Unit 1 of the Changjiang Nuclear Power
Plant has set several records for the power supply in
Hainan. Firstly, it is the first nuclear power plant in
Hainan. Secondly, with an output power capacity of
650 MW, it is the highest capacity generator unit on
record, replacing the 350 MW thermal power
generator. Thirdly, it boosts the total power
capacity of Hainan province from 6 GW to 6.65 GW.
The Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant had
greatly increased power generation capacity and
provided enough power to solve the problem of
power shortage in Hainan, said the officer of the
Hainan State Power Grid Control Center.
The use of nuclear power will significantly
increase Hainan’s proportion of clean energy. As
soon as Unit 1 begins operation, Hainan’s ratio of
clean energy resource increases from 29% to 36%.
When Unit 2 begins operation, the ratio of clean
energy will be further increased to 42%. This will
create a new form of energy source distribution and
change the status of clean energy in Hainan province.
Nuclear energy can facilitate energy saving
and emission reduction in Hainan. Supposing that a
single 650 MW nuclear unit generates an annual
electricity supply of 5 TWh, it is equivalent to
reducing 1.5 million tons of coal, 3.74 million tons
of carbon dioxide and 29,000 tons of sulphur
dioxide emission to facilitate environmental
friendliness in Hainan.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 9 November 2015
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Long March-6 Successfully Completes First Flight to
Launch 20 Satellites and Breaks National Record
At 7:01am on 20 September 2015, the Long
March-6 carrier rocket was launched at Taiyuan
Satellite Launch Center. The rocket made four
releases that successfully put 20 microsatellites into
planned orbits and set China’s new record in multisatellite launch using a single rocket.
Long March-6 carrier rocket is a three-stage
liquid-propellant rocket, which uses LOX/kerosene
with characteristics of being poison-free, pollutionfree and with a short launch preparation timeframe.
This meets the needs of microsatellite launches.
The carrier rocket is developed by the Shanghai
Academy of Spaceflight Technology under China
Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Its
successful development fills China’s void in poisonfree and pollution-free carrier rockets. It is an
important milestone towards completing China’s
spectrum of carrier rockets, enhancing safety and
environmental friendliness of rocket launch, and
strengthening the capability of going to space.
The first flight of Long March-6 involved
launching of 20 microsatellites including Kaituo-1,
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Xiwang-2, Tiantuo-3,
Naxing-2, Pixing-2,
Zhidingxiang-2 developed by China Aerospace
Science and Technology Corporation, National
University of Defense Technology, Tsinghua
University, Zhejiang University, and Harbin
Institute of Technology. The launch was mostly
used for developing new technologies, new systems
and new products in aerospace. With multiple
rounds of argumentations and mathematical
simulations, they sought to explore systematic,
standardized interface of multiple launchers to
cement technology foundation for multiple launch
of satellites by a single rocket launch.
This is the 210th flight of Long March series
of carrier rockets.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 21 September 2015
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China-manufactured Passenger Plane C919 Rolled off Assembly Line
China’s first independently-developed largescale passenger plane C919 is officially rolled out of
the final assembly line in the Pudong site of
Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China
(COMAC)’s manufacturing center. Its maiden flight
is expected to take place in 2016. This signifies that
C919 large passenger plane’s project development
and R&D have achieved a major milestone in
cementing a strong foundation for the next stage of
maiden flight. At the same time, it also brings great
influence to China’s large airplane manufacturing as
well as high-end manufacturing.
C919 is a medium-to-short range
commercial trunk airliner for which China owns
independent intellectual property. It is China’s
second self-designed and developed large-scale
passenger plane after the Y-10 transport plane. With
a standard range of 4,075 km and an extended range
of 5,555 km, it can fulfill the operational needs of
diversified routes of flight operators. Its basic alleconomy class configuration will provide 168 seats,
and the mixed-class will have 158 seats.
C919’s rolling off the assembly line has
extraordinary significance to China’s civil aviation
industry. The new technologies, new materials and
new production process used by C919 have laid
important milestones for China’s economic and
technological development, as well as development
of the aircraft industry. COMAC, which coordinates
China’s trunk and regional airplanes development,
remains committed to a “main manufacturersupplier” model of development. It consolidates the
nation’s efforts and global talents to develop a
vibrant community for the civil aviation industry,
contributing to the nation and the world.
Source: China News (Beijing)
Date: 2 November 2015
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China Develops 6500V High-Speed Rail IGBT with
Totally Independent IP Rights
China has developed the nation’s highestrating 6500V high-speed rail Insulated Gate Bipolar
Transistor (IGBT), which is independently
manufactured by CRRC Yongji Electric Co. Ltd.
The development of IGBT indicates that China now
has the design and manufacturing technology of the
world’s highest voltage rating IGBT module for
commercial applications.
Every 6500V/200A IGBT module is made
of eight assembled “chips” with the size of
fingernails so that the total size is about that of a
human palm. It is the most important module of
high-speed trains and high-power locomotives. It
directly affects whether high-speed trains can start
instantly, achieve high-speed comfortably, as well
as stop stably.
The
high-voltage
high-power
6500V/200A IGBT modules use welding and
bonding process to integrate multiple IGBT chips
and FRD chips. Such modules replace similar
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foreign-produced products in the use of metro and
railway locomotive converters. At present, the
IGBT module has completed the three-stage trials
regarding power unit, auxiliary converter cabinet
and locomotive loading. Among them, online
loading tests have been operated for more than
50,000 km.
The development of the 6500V/200A IGBT
module signifies that China now owns its
independent intellectual property (IP) of the design
and manufacturing technology of the world’s
highest voltage rating IGBT modules for
commercial applications. It can take the core
position of similar foreign-developed products in
China’s metro and railway locomotive converters. It
enhances the competitiveness of China’s
manufacturing industry, which is now trying to
“reachout to” the world. Apart from being used in
high-speed trains, high-voltage IGBT can improve
power efficiency and electricity utilization, as well
as reduce over 30% of energy consumption in other
applications such as smart grid and wind energy etc.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 24 October 2015
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China First Uses 3D Printing with Titanium Alloy to
Manufacture Satellite Components
On 25 September 2015, China’s new carrier
rocket Long March-11, using solid-fuel engine, was
successfully launched in Jiuquan Satellite Launch
Center. This is the first launch of Long March-11,
equipping China with high-speed satellite launch
capability. Four microsatellites were launched from
the rocket, which included Pujiang-1 developed by
Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Academy and
Shangkeda-2 developed by Shanghai Engineering
Center for Microsatellites, the China Academy of
Sciences.
Pujiang-1 is the first to use 3D printing
technology among China’s satellites. Its antenna
bracket uses 3D printing technology with titanium
alloy to take shape. That is done not because of
trendiness, but because it meets satellites’ rapid
development and low cost needs. It used to take four
months to produce a bracket with traditional
technologies. Now with 3D printing, it takes only
three days －one day for printing to take shape; two
days for performance testing and inspection. “The
various functionality indicators of 3D printing of
brackets are similar to those of traditional processing
and manufacturing. They fulfilled the needs and
standards of design,” said the spokesperson of
Pujiang-1.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 26 September 2015
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China Develops Nuclear-grade Protective Coating Material
The “development and commercialization
project with industrial capacity of 15,000 tons per
year of eco-friendly nuclear-grade protective
coating material” of the Changzhou Paint and
Coating Industry Research Institute (Changzhou
Institute) under China National Offshore Oil
Corporation (CNOOC) has proceeded to contract
signing in Jiangsu. The achievement rewrites
China’s long history of relying on imported nucleargrade coating materials from other countries. In the
decades ahead, the huge demand for nuclear power
industry, its technologies and products will be met
by China’s supplies.
Huo Jian, Director of Strategic Development
of CNOOC stated that nuclear-grade coating was
similar to sunscreen for daily use. However, it
provides protection not against the sun, but against
high-intensity irradiation. It is an indispensable
protective layer in nuclear facilities. For the longest
time, China’s nuclear-grade protective coating
relied on foreign suppliers. China was then unable
to access the newest nuclear protective coating and
nuclear waste management (spent fuel neutron
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shielding) technologies.
In 2007, the Changzhou Institute was
responsible for “water-based high-performance
anti-radiation coating research”, one of China’s 863
projects. It has developed a water-based emulsion
and curing agent that not only emulsifies epoxy
resin, but also provides the coating with improved
quality. At the same time a new type of radiation
filler compound was developed to further enhance
environmental protection. Eventually a water-based
radiation coating material was developed that
passed the highest level of nuclear performance test,
a level similar to that of foreign products. The
Institute has now developed a series of protective
coatings for the newest nuclear power plants. The
coatings have passed all-round functional tests
which fulfill verifications of national inspection
authorities, and can withstand high doses of
irradiation for 60 years in nuclear reactors at nuclear
power plants. Currently, the coatings developed in
the project alone have been awarded six intellectual
properties in China, participating in National
Energy Administration’s one set of six projects
regarding nuclear-generated electricity.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 10 November 2015
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China First to Successfully Use Raman Spectroscopy for
Chemical Identification of Individual Molecules Closely Packed on Surface
Chemical identification at nano scale is
important to the design and functional adjustment of
the microstructure. It is an extreme challenge for
identification technology to realize chemical
identification of adjacent molecules. Dong
Zhenchao’s Individual Molecule Science Team at
Microscale Material Science National Laboratory,
University of Science and Technology of China
achieves Raman spectroscopy of individual
molecules closely packed on a surface; the first time
in the world. His team’s research results were
published online in the journal Nature
Nanotechnology on 27 July 2015.
Dong Zhenchao stated that since Raman
scattered light contains rich data of molecule
vibrations, different molecules had different
“vibration fingerprints” under Raman spectroscopy.
Raman spectroscopy has thus become an important
tool in physics, chemistry, material, biology and
other disciplines to explore material composition
and structures. However, whereas regular Raman
spectroscopy cannot identify composition and
structure of micro-materials on the molecular level,
the new Tip Enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS)
combines the two strengths of Raman spectroscopy,
namely its high chemical specificity and high spatial
resolution of scanning probe microscopy techniques.
Prior to this, Dong’s team has integrated non-linear
process into TERS that individual molecular system
can realize subnanometer chemical identification.
According to Dong, the research results have
important scientific implications and applicability to
any material that needs identification of
composition and structure on a molecular scale. It is
expected to have a wide range of applications in
surface response, catalysis, molecular device and
high identification studies of biomolecules
including protein sequencing.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
Date: 30 July 2015
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China’s Scientists Discover New Fibrous Material for “Artificial Muscles”
Can clothes become thicker under lower
temperature, and thinner under high temperature?
Can the room blinds automatically open and close
according to changes to the environment? Can
artificial limps have responsiveness higher than that
of human muscles? These scenarios don’t just
appear in science movies and fictions. With
explorations into “artificial muscles”, some of the
scenarios have become reality.
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Prof Peng Huisheng at Fudan University has
successfully developed a new type of fibrous
“artificial muscles” via multi-layered helical
assembly of aligned carbon nanotubes to achieve
breakthrough in high-performance intelligentresponse materials and sensitivity devices. The
research results have recently been published online
in the leading international journal Nature
Nanotechnology.
In fact, the science community has started
research on “artificial muscles” a long time ago.
However, traditional “artificial muscles” are mostly
based on functional polymer materials. They have
slow response rate to solvents, and singular mode of
motions characterized by simple expansion and
bending and are not easily controllable.
Contrary to the predecessors, Peng’s team
has used carbon nanotube with extremely high
surface area, low mass, high conductivity and
contraction intensity that is ten times that of human
skeletal muscles. It is even more responsive than
that of Venus Flytrap, the most responsive plant on
earth.
Peng stated that the next step was to
complete the study. Currently, the research team has
passed the stage of changing the surface nature of
fibre of “artificial muscles” to contract and rotate in
reaction to water. They have also made a smart
curtain that can react to humidity variation. The
curtain can sense humidity variation to intelligently
open and close as well as adjust the opening range
in order to influence the change of humidity in the
room.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Date: 24 September 2015
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Published by the Office of the Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies © 2016
www.vprg.ust.hk Email: [email protected]
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