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China’s first exported ultra-large-diameter shield machine penetrates first tunnel

我国自主研制出口海外的首台超大直径泥水平衡盾构机，打通了孟加拉国历史上第一条水下隧道——Chittagong Karnaphuli River Tunnel卡纳普里河河底左线隧道。

Ahmed, chief engineer of Bangladesh Bridge Authority, has said, “It has always been the dream of the people of Bangladesh to build a tunnel and we want to make Chittagong as good as Shanghai.” With the completion of the tunnel, the drive from Chittagong airport to the industrial park will be reduced from four hours to 20 minutes.
The Karnaphuli River Bottom Tunnel project in Bangladesh is an important part of the China-Bangladesh-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, which is an important part of the country’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative to improve the Asian Highway Network. The shield machine used for tunnel boring is developed by CCCC Tianhe, with a diameter of 12.12 meters, length of 94 meters and weight of more than 2,200 tons, which is the first Chinese extra-large diameter shield machine to enter the overseas extra-large diameter shield market monopolized by developed countries. The single-lane shield section of the Karnaphuli River bottom tunnel is 2450 meters long, with a maximum tunnel cover depth of 31 meters and a design soil and water pressure of 0.59 MPa. The geology is mainly powdery sand, which is prone to sand liquefaction, mud cake on the cutter plate, cutting surface collapse, mud outlet blockage and other construction problems. CCCC-TIANHE has designed the shield machine specifically for this purpose, adopting many original technologies such as appropriate cutter disc anti-mud-cake design, mud-water system stratified backwash technology, intelligent anti-sedimentation control technology, and automatic control of mud-water circulation system. The shield machine has achieved the fastest 10 digging rings per day (2m/ring) and 171 digging rings per month during the construction. The shield machine was received in the form of a steel sleeve. After receiving, the shield crane will move horizontally and turn 180° to prepare for the second start of the right tunnel.

　　孟加拉大桥局总工程师艾哈迈德曾表示：“修建隧道一直是孟加拉国人民的梦想，我们希望把吉大港建设得像上海一样好。”隧道完工，吉大港机场至工业园的车程将从4小时缩短到20分钟。
孟加拉国卡纳普里河底隧道工程是中孟印缅经济走廊的重要一环，是国家“一带一路”倡议中的重要组成部分，对完善亚洲公路网。用于该隧道掘进的盾构机由中交天和研制，刀盘直径达12.12米、长94米、重2200余吨，是中国首台走出国门，进入由发达国家垄断的海外超大直径盾构市场的超大直径盾构机。卡纳普里河底隧道单线盾构段长2450米，隧道最大覆土深度31米、设计水土压力达0.59兆帕，以粉细砂地质为主，极易发生砂层液化、刀盘结泥饼、切削面坍塌、排泥口堵塞等施工难题。中交天和为此对盾构机进行了针对性设计，采用适宜的刀盘防结泥饼设计、泥水系统分层逆洗技术、智能防沉降控制技术、泥水循环系统自动控制等多项自创技术。该盾构机在施工掘进中实现了最快日掘进10环（2米/环），月掘进171环的好成绩。此次盾构机采用钢套筒形式接收。盾构机接收完成后，将平移并180°转体，进行该项目右线隧道二次始发准备。

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As of April 2020, TikTok has been downloaded more than two billion times worldwide

The latest TikTok statistics show that as of April 2020, the popular video app has been downloaded more than two billion times worldwide on both the Apple App Store and Google Play (Sensor Tower, 2020). In other words, TikTok was able to double its number of downloads in just over a year—a clear sign of the app’s skyrocketing popularity.

Tiktok Usage By Country
Growing Number of US Adults Use TikTok

Here’s a summary of the TikTok statistics you need to know in 2020:

  1. TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide. 
  2. The TikTok app has been downloaded over 2 billion times on the App Store and Google Play.
  3. TikTok ranked as the top most downloaded app in Apple’s iOS App Store for Q1 2019, with more than 33 million downloads. 
  4. 41 percent of TikTok users are aged between 16 and 24. 
  5. TikTok has been downloaded 611 million times in India, which is around 30 percent of the app’s total global downloads.
  6. When it comes to the daily time spent on TikTok, users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app.
  7. TikTok is available in 155 countries, and in 75 languages. 
  8. 90 percent of all TikTok users access the app on a daily basis.
  9. In less than 18 months, the number of US adult TikTok users grew 5.5 times.
  10. There was an average number of more than 1 million videos viewed every day in a year. 

8-3-20 Bytedance said it is facing “complexity and unimaginable difficulties” in its process of becoming an international company, including international political tension, cultural clash and smearing from its competitor Facebook. Bytedance is devoted to its internationalization and will use its legal rights to defend its legitimate interest, the company said.Quote Tweet

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China Meteorological Administration (CMA) conducted China’s first comprehensive high-altitude large unmanned typhoon observation test

On the afternoon of 8-2, carrying observation equipment, high-altitude meteorological detection drones from Hainan Boao Airport soared up to 10,000 meters high, successfully dropped 30 sounders, together with the millimeter wave radar, completed the 3rd typhoon this year, “Sen Lak” peripheral cloud system CT-type “scan. “The observation data were sent back to the ground command system in real time. The unmanned aerial vehicle, meteorological satellite, unmanned ship and other detection methods formed a three-dimensional observation, providing an important reference basis for determining the central location of Typhoon Sen Lak.

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New integrated circuit degree to be designated first-level discipline at Chinese universities

The academic degree committee under the State Council, China’s cabinet, has voted through a proposal to establish an integrated circuit (IC) university program, which will be designated a first-level discipline, in a move which industry observers said represents the country’s latest effort to nurture homegrown talent in the semiconductor industry amid a US-led crackdown on China’s tech rise.

The degree’s establishment will be officially announced after it is approved by the State Council.  

The microelectronics and solid electronics university program, which involves semiconductor courses, is currently designated a second-class discipline. 

Analysts said the establishment and first-class designation of the IC program will allow more universities to open colleges to train IC students, so as to make up for a drain in China’s talent pool. Also, IC-related subjects will have access to more resources and funding.

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Completion of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System

A ceremony marking the completion of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System BDS-3 was held at the Great Hall of the People. Check out a brief history of China’s global navigation system decades in the making.

China aims to make the application of the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System (BDS) the best among all other navigation systems, and be more inclusive to provide value-added services including short messaging, satellite based augmentation and international search-and-rescue services, the spokesperson of BDS and director general of China Satellite Navigation Office Ran Chengqi said Monday. 

So far, BDS has been applied in industries such as transportation, public security, disaster relief, farming and urban governance, as well as being integrated into China’s key basic infrastructure construction including electricity, finance and telecom, Ran said at a press briefing Monday in Beijing.

In particular, BDS-based high-precision applications played a positive role in China’s fights against COVID-19 and the recent flooding in southern China. BDS has been applied in China-Europe freight train transportation, the construction and operation of high-speed trains between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, North China’s Hebei Province as well as civil aviation, Ran said. 

“We will further promote the integration of BDS with newly emerging technologies, such as 5G, mobile communication, big data and the mobile internet, which will create new economic growth points,” Ran said.

Chinese leaders launched the full global service of the BeiDou-3 on Friday. BDS is China’s largest space-based system and one of four global navigation networks, alongside the US’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.

BeiDou is able to tell others where the user is located, a strong advantage compared with GPS, Huang Haihui, vice president of the UniStrong Science & Technology Co, told the Global Times Monday.

This application is particularly useful in search and rescue missions that can return a feedback to the people calling for help, Huang cited the example of obtaining the location of oceangoing vessels when they are in distress.

“This is China’s own system meaning it’s independently controllable, so there is no need to worry about the navigation usage in some special areas such as national defense,” he noted. 

Ran said that more than 500 types of equipment components have been made in China and the domestic production rate of the BDS-3’s key components is 100 percent.

BDS’ global positioning accuracy is better than 10 meters, with a timing accuracy better than 20 nanoseconds, and its performance in the Asia-Pacific region is even better.

Both satellite distribution and the number of BeiDou satellites gives it an advantage in accuracy, stability, reliability and usability, Huang said, adding that wider applications for BeiDou could be in precision farming and autonomous driving at port wharfs.

The output of China’s satellite navigation and location-based services industry has been growing more than 20 percent annually on average, reaching 345 billion yuan ($49.47 billion) in 2019, and is expected to exceed 400 billion yuan in 2020, Ran said.

BDS and navigation-relate shares surged on Monday, with UniStrong and BDStar Navigation gaining by the daily 10 percent limit.  

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Australian researchers say solar-to-hydrogen efficiency improved to new record

Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) recently said that they had achieved “a new efficiency record” for hydrogen cells that can convert water into hydrogen simply using sunlight.


Co-author Shen Heping, who develops perovskite cells, shows a part of the cell in the lab of Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia, July 15, 2020. Researchers at the ANU recently said that they had achieved “a new efficiency record” for hydrogen cells that can convert water into hydrogen simply using sunlight. 

The approach outlined in the ANU study used inexpensive semiconductor materials and resulted in a 17.6 percent solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, according to the researchers.

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Chinese “Silent Killer” laser weapon for sale

https://youtu.be/0zvqVPQ6IOw?t=302

“沉默猎手”是一款要地防空武器系统，主要用来保护有战略价值的目标，比如指挥中心、导弹发射器、机场、兵营、核电站和兵工厂等。“沉默猎手”有两种布置模式，一种是固定式，另一种为车载式。其中本次防务展上展出的就是车载式，车载式可以使用4×4或6×6轻型战术车辆底盘，将指挥控制、雷达搜索、光学/电子火控告警和激光发射器集中在车载方舱上，其中探测器和激光发射器放置在车载方舱顶部。“沉默猎手”通过高度自动化和一体化的目标探测和火控系统，可以实现目标搜索、捕获、锁定/跟踪和射击全自动化。
沉默猎手”的发射功率可调，最小5千瓦，最大30千瓦，打击范围则从200米到4000米，“沉默猎手”可以轻松打击尺寸2米、飞行速度不超过60米/秒（216千米/小时）的中低速空中目标，比如中低空小型无人机等，通过持续锁定并照射不超过10秒钟时间，激光束可以保证摧毁目标。“沉默猎手”可以一次性连续发射200秒功率容量，并在6秒钟内实现重新加载，加载后可以继续射击。从技术角度来看，“沉默猎手”已能成功将庞大的战术激光武器缩小到轻型车辆车载的尺寸和重量，功率达到30千瓦，已具备了一定的实战能力。这表明国产激光武器已经达到了相当高的技术水平。此前美国在研的同类产品，如“复仇者”车载激光武器等，其功率也在30~50千瓦之间。

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Huawei declares global 5G deployment beginning to wrap up

https://bws2020.carrier.huawei.com/en/index.html Global 5G deployment is beginning to wrap up, and with the installation of more than 1.5 million 5G base stations expected by the end of this year, the next focus should be on industry applications, said Huawei Rotating Chairman Guo Ping on Monday during the opening day of the online Better World Summit held by the Chinese tech firm .

“As global 5G deployment begins to wrap up, we need to strengthen our focus on industry applications. This will help us unleash the full potential of 5G,” Guo said.

As of this June, 81 telecom carriers have rolled out commercial 5G networks. The countries and regions covered by these networks account for 72 percent of the world’s GDP, including leading economies in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Globally, there are already more than 90 million 5G users. Over 700,000 5G base stations have been deployed, and it is expected to see more than 1.5 million by the end of this year, data unveiled by the firm showed.

The signal from Huawei is clear – telecom carriers who have selected Huawei equipment will be the first to reap the benefits of 5G, a Beijing-based industry insider surnamed Jiang and a close follower of Huawei told the Global Times on Monday.

Guo said the firm has “a broad set of capabilities spanning 5G, computing, cloud, AI, and industry applications. By leveraging these strengths, we can provide scenario-based solutions that unlock the full potential of 5G and help both our customers and partners achieve greater business success.”

“Nevertheless, those who are still weighing whether to use its equipment for 5G will significantly lag behind and will not benefit from the chance to lead the industry,” Jiang said.

The remarks were also viewed by industry insiders as a response to Huawei’s recent dilemma in Europe, where the UK has banned the firm from its 5G network deployment, while other economies in the region have also been weighing the decision, leading to uncertainties about the firm’s fate in Europe.

In the past 30-plus years, the Chinese firm has deployed over 1,500 networks in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over 3 billion people worldwide. It has also provided smart devices to 600 million consumers and delivered services to 228 Fortune Global 500 companies.

Mr Guo Ping also described nine scenarios for emerging technologies as outlined in the coronavirus outbreak across China, starting from the onset of the pandemic and plateau in cases to the nation’s post-peak recovery.

Nine Scenarios Huawei

Such scenarios included quickly building hospital 5G networks, offering remote medical consultations, drug R&D, pandemic prevention and control, medical imaging and analysis and restarting governments and businesses, among others.

China’s Huoshenshan Hospital was built in a matter of days and has over 300 beds, but doctor shortages posed ‘headaches’ to medical care, he added. China Telecom had built an operational 5G network in 24 hours, allowing doctors to perform 15-minute ultrasounds for patients in Wuhan and others with a high degree of accuracy.

China’s First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University used such technologies to provide telemedicine services to over 1,400 institutions across China, Zambia, Morocco and others in electro cardiography, pathology and radiology, he said.

According to figures, over 40,000 consultations and 500,000 diagnoses were performed at the world’s largest hospital by capacity.

Balancing short-term and long-term goals: Precise deployment for maximum value

Guo said, “Given the current economic environment, carriers need to focus on both short-term and long-term goals. More precise deployment is how they can maximize the value of their networks.” Huawei has three suggestions for this.

  • First, carriers should prioritize user experience and spend money where it’s needed most to maximize the value of existing networks.
  • Second, carriers should make the most of existing 4G and FTTx networks, and integrate them with new 5G networks through holistic coordination and precise planning.
  • Third, 5G deployment plans should prioritize hotspots and key industry applications.