Sightings

The spotted lanternfly was first seen in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in September 2014. Since then, it’s appeared in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. Scientists believe that it came to America on goods that were imported from Asia.

Pennsylvania’s Quarantine

One of several states to have a quarantine on the SLF (spotted lanternfly) is Pennsylvania. At least 26 of its counties are under that directive. The state requires agricultural and non-agricultural businesses that transport products that can be infested by the insect to have a permit.

Among the items under stricter state control are construction, landscaping and remodeling materials; logs, stumps and tree parts; grapevines; nursery stock; crates, pallets and packaging materials; RVs and mobile homes; tractors and mowers; grills, deck boards; and vehicles not stored indoors. In addition to a watchful eye over items, Pennsylvania does not allow the movement of the SLF in any of its life stages: egg mass, nymph or adult.

Plant Species the Spotted Lanternfly Damages

Although the spotted lanternfly threatens many plant products, particularly apples, grapes, hops, walnuts and hardwood trees, it’s been seen on at least 103 kinds of plants and trees. Add to the list rose, plum, river birch, willow, sumac, pine, silver maple, red maple and tree-of-heaven, an invasive plant.

How the SLF Harms Trees and Plants

The SLF damages in several ways. By sucking the sap from branches and stems, it weakens the host. In feeding, it leaves behind honeydew, which is a sticky substance that invites other insects. Honeydew also promotes the growth of sooty mold on plants and trees.

Identification of the Pest

Adult spotted lanternflies (July to December) are about 1-inch long and 1/2-inch wide. An early nymph (widely seen from late April to July) is about 1/8-inch long, and it is black with white spots. A late nymph (prominent from July to September) is about 1/2-inch long, and it is black and red with white spots.

With wings wide open in its adult stage, the insect’s forewings are gray with black spots, and its hind wings are gray with black spots. When someone or something disturbs it, the SLF shows its beautiful bright red underwings.

When wings are closed, the insect is mostly gray with black spots. Newly laid egg masses look as if they are covered with a white substance. On more mature egg masses, the substance may turn gray-brown. Very mature egg masses appear as rows of 30 to 50 seed-like structures in vertical columns.

Objects On Which the SLF Is Found

The spotted lanternfly can’t fly far, but it infests by landing on objects. That’s why residents are urged to examine their vehicles and keep car and truck windows closed when parked. It’s also suggested that people inspect trees, rocks, cement blocks, decks, and other hard surfaces for egg masses. Do the same for landscaping materials, lawnmowers and outdoor equipment that’s being moved from one place to another.

Controlling Egg Masses

Managing the pest includes scraping and destroying its eggs and killing the more mature insects. When residents find egg masses that have been laid on trees, rocks and blocks of cement in the months from September to June, they should scrape them off. Pour hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol into a freezer bag and scrape the pest into the bag with a plastic card or a putty knife. Dispose of the sealed bag. Residents can also smash egg masses.

Managing the Dissemination of Adult Lanternflies

Also look underneath cars and in wheel wells. Adult insects are ever-present in the months from July through late December. In searching for them examine trees and plants, especially at dusk and at night when the insects are more likely to be on trunks and stems. As with egg masses, one method of removing mature SLFs is by smashing them.

Other methods of control include removing plants and trees that the SLF feeds on, using tree traps to catch newly hatched nymphs and treating trees and plants with EPA-approved insecticides. On its website, the Penn State Extension evaluates some insecticides for both their effectiveness and toxicity to birds, fish and bees.

The spotted lanternfly poses threats to crops, agricultural jobs and commercial and residential trees and plants. It can also disrupt the comfortable lifestyles of residents. Vigilance and moving to prevent the spread of this invasive insect are necessary immediately.

The press release The Problems the Spotted Lanternfly Poses and How To Control This Insect: Expert Opinion from Elmer Kingkiner of Kingkiner Tree Service comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a next-generation semiconductor technology that runs up to 20x faster than old, slow silicon (Si), and enables up to 3x more power or 3x faster charging in half the size & weight. GaNFast power ICs integrate GaN power and drive plus protection and control to deliver the simplest, smallest, fastest and now even higher-power performance. The Xiaomi 55W fast charger uses an NV6115 GaNFast power IC in a high-frequency quasi-resonant (HQFR) flyback converter with the On Semiconductor NCP1342 controller at 200kHz to enable a slimline, planar transformer with shrunk core, plus smaller EMI filter and output capacitors.

“One of the best things about the 55W GaN charger is that it’s capable of charging more of your gear, including laptops, gaming consoles and smartphones”, said Mr Shou Zi CHEW (周受资), Partner, Senior Vice President and President of International, Xiaomi Corporation in the Mi 11 launch video. “We believe this is truly a world-class charging experience,” he added.

“Following the Mi 10 accessory GaNFast charger in February 2020 and the excitement over our ‘Little Star’ GaN twins at the Xiaomi Technology & Investment Day in October, we are now very excited to go global with Xiaomi with the Mi 11 55W ‘in-box’ GaNFast charger, now with the European 2-pin AC op-tion,” said Gene SHERIDAN, Navitas CEO and co-founder. “This is a major commitment to mainstream adoption of gallium nitride technology and the beginning of the end for the old, slow silicon chip,” he added.

About Xiaomi Corporation
Xiaomi Corporation (1810.HK) Xiaomi Corporation was founded in April 2010 and listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 9, 2018 (1810.HK). Xiaomi is an internet company with smartphones and smart hardware connected by an IoT platform at its core.

With the vision of being friends with its users and being the “coolest company” in the hearts of its users, Xiaomi is committed to continuous innovation, with an unwavering focus on quality and efficien-cy. The company relentlessly builds amazing products with honest prices to let everyone in the world enjoy a better life through innovative technology.

Xiaomi is currently the world’s third-largest smartphone brand, and has established the world’s leading consumer IoT platform, with more than 290 million smart devices (excluding smartphones and laptops) connected to its platform. Currently, Xiaomi products are present in more than 90 countries and regions around the world and have a leading foothold in many of them.

In July 2019, the company made the Fortune Global 500 list for the first time, ranking 468th among all, and 7th among internet companies. Xiaomi is the youngest company on the 2019 Fortune Global 500 list.
Xiaomi is a constituent of the Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng China Enterprises Index and Hang Seng TECH Index.

About Navitas:
Navitas Semiconductor Limited is the world’s first and only GaN Power IC company, founded in 2014. Navitas has a strong and growing team of power semiconductor industry experts with a combined 300 years of experience in materials, devices, applications, systems and marketing, plus a proven record of innovation with over 300 patents among its founders. GaN power ICs integrate GaN power with drive, control and protection to enable faster charging, higher power density and greater energy savings for mobile, consumer, enterprise, eMobility and new energy markets. Over 120 Navitas patents are issued or pending, and over 15 million GaNFast power ICs have been shipped with zero failures.

Navitas Semiconductor, GaNFast and the Navitas logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Navitas Semiconductor Limited. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners.

The press release Navitas Goes Global in Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Fast Charger comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Yunfu’s main business involves sweaters, cotton, knitwear and woven garments which are solely exported to the United States. It has a unique business model that integrates R&D and design, product manufacturing, warehousing and transportation, order processing, wholesale operations and e-commerce retail.

Yunfu has always been customer-centered, and is facing greater challenges due to this year’s pandemic. Therefore, Yunfu has accelerated its digital transformation and aims to improve R&D efficiency, strengthen product management and optimize team collaboration with PLM technology. Before selecting Centric Manufacturing PLM, Yunfu had an in-house PLM system.

Yunfu COO Mr. Hua Haoxin says, “The previous system could no longer meet our needs. We attach great importance to our investment in R&D management, so we needed a more professional and modern PLM solution.”

Mr. Hua adds, “Centric Software has a comprehensive understanding of the clothing industry. Yunfu has many R&D and sales teams who are mostly overseas, so we needed a system that enables global team collaboration. A company as highly regarded as Centric Software is a perfect match for us.”

Yunfu’s PLM project was launched in October, with key objectives including accumulating foundation data and establishing a knowledge base to support rapid R&D; increasing collaboration and achieving transparent and controllable product development; and finally, establishing a customer-oriented product library to more accurately understand market demands on the planning side.

Mr. Hua mentioned the professionalism of the entire implementation team, and looks forward to the valuable experience that Centric can share with Yunfu.

“We are very pleased that another giant in the Chinese textile industry – Yunfu Clothing – has chosen Centric PLM to enhance its capabilities in independent brand R&D and innovation,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “Yunfu and Centric Software share many core values, and we are excited to assist Yunfu’s global business development.”

The press release Yunfu Chooses Centric PLM to Boost Global Business Development comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Dr LAM Tai-fai, Chairman of Council, PolyU, remarked, “The collection of lunar samples is a landmark occasion in the history of our Nation’s space exploration programme. It is a great testament to our University’s cutting-edge research capability that PolyU was the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong to contribute to the Chang’e 5 mission. Furthermore, the fact that Hong Kong-based scientists at PolyU developed some of the most critical components for the project is a fantastic accomplishment for the whole city, proving that Hong Kong can play an important role in supporting our Nation in making significant strides in the fields of space exploration and science.”

Mr Alfred SIT, Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, said, “Over the years, PolyU has actively participated in our Nation’s space exploration projects by developing highly sophisticated space instruments for our country. In the Chang’e 5 lunar exploration project, PolyU fully demonstrated its rich experience accumulated in national and international space projects, its cutting-edge technology as well as its innovative thinking. PolyU’s efforts in research are in line with and complementary to the Government’s goal of developing Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub.”

Professor Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, said, “The Chang’e 5 lunar mission has been watched closely by the entire world, since it will help the scientific community uncover some of the Moon’s secrets and mysteries. I am immensely proud that PolyU researchers developed the pioneering ‘Surface Sampling and Packing System’ to facilitate the success of this milestone mission. By contributing to such a sophisticated national space project, the University has demonstrated its substantial research competence and commitment to producing breakthrough solutions that push forward the frontiers of technology and science. PolyU will continue to devote itself to the pursuit of research excellence and the creation of innovations that benefit Hong Kong, the Nation and our world.”

Professor Yung expressed the pride he and his team felt to be part of this ground-breaking accomplishment. He said, “Collecting a large amount of lunar samples via robotic means was unprecedented. From research, through design to manufacturing, the development of this system has required a very high level of innovation, precision and reliability. A small glitch anywhere in the complex chain of necessary tasks could have instantly negated all the costly efforts made by those involved in the mission. Thanks to the support of the Nation, the University and the experts at PolyU Industrial Centre, we were able to produce this cutting-edge space-qualified instrument that has successfully acquired samples from the lunar surface. We are indebted to the Nation in entrusting such a critical responsibility to PolyU.”

Consisting of two samplers for collecting loose and sticky forms of lunar regolith, two near-field cameras, as well as a packaging and sealing system, the “Surface Sampling and Packing System” has more than 400 components constructed in different materials including titanium alloy, aluminum alloy and stainless steel, which make the instruments light in weight but at the same time durable and strong enough to withstand the harsh space environment.

Talking about the challenges of the project, Professor Yung said, “As our system needed to operate on the sun-facing side of the Moon where the ground temperatures could be as high as 110 degree Celsius, this innovation had to be highly sophisticated and capable of functioning under extremely high temperatures. It also needed to withstand the extreme space environment during travel to and landing on the Moon which meant enduring impact and shock during lift-offs and landings, high vacuum on the moon, exposure to solar wind and cosmic rays, as well as high-speed re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere.”

“To meet the limited payload requirement, we had to be innovative in our mechanism design and be stringent in weight control. For example, the two samplers are more than a tool to acquire lunar regolith. They are also used to pick up and move the sample container from the lander to the ascender atop,” Professor Yung continued.

Features of the Surface Sampling and Packing System:

Sampler A – Around 35 cm in length, Sampler A, in the shape of a shovel, is specifically engineered for collecting loose regolith. The vibration and impact during the closing of the sampler is an elaborate design to dislodge excessive debris, chisel away large pieces of regolith, tightly enclose the samples and precisely deposit the selected samples into the container without contaminating the surrounding.

Sampler B – Around 30 cm in length, Sampler B is used for collecting sticky samples by coring into the ground with teeth-like metal flaps when opened. It captures the targeted samples through the closing of these metal flaps. The piston inside the sampler pushes the sticky samples into the container during depositing of the sample when the flaps gradually open.

Near-field Cameras – Heat resistant up to 130 degree Celsius, a near-field camera is attached to each sampler. This camera provides a monitoring and vision guidance function to help select scientifically valuable lunar samples. The vision guidance function also enables the sampler to deposit the samples into the container, grip the container and transfer it into the ascender precisely.

Sealing and Packaging System – Weighing 1.5 kilograms, of which the sample container weighs only 360 grams and is used to seal and store the lunar samples for retuning to Earth, this system includes deployment of a funnel to protect the sample container from contamination when the lunar regolith is deposited and a sweeping action to brush away excessive sample to ensure the container lid can be closed properly.

Being the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong that possesses international deep space qualification experience, PolyU has been contributing to the Nation’s space projects since 2010. As part of the Nation’s lunar exploration programme, Professor Yung collaborated with the China Academy of Space Technology to develop a “Camera Pointing System” for Chang’e 3 in 2013 and for Chang’e 4’s historic landing on the lunar far side in 2019, and a Mars Camera for Tianwen 1 in 2020. The “Surface Sampling and Packing System” will be used for the Chang’e 6 mission as well.

PolyU has actively participated in other space exploration projects, designing and manufacturing a number of sophisticated space tools in the past decade. These include the “Mars Rock Corer” for the European Space Agency’s 2003 Mars Express Mission and the “Soil Preparation System” for the Sino-Russian Space Mission in 2011.

The press release PolyU-made space instruments complete lunar sampling for Chang’e 5 comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Shanghai, China, December 8, 2020 /Xinwengao.com/ - What started out as a way to connect a handful of foreign companies in China with worthwhile volunteer activities has blossomed into a longstanding platform at CharityInChina.org with one of the largest private non-Renminbi donor lists.

“When we created CharityInChina.org in 2005, we wanted to solve a critical problem that especially foreign-based organizations had in raising funds and gaining volunteers in China,” says Danny Levinson, founder of CharityInChina.org and a technology company executive. “We found a strong desire by both foreign companies with a good eye towards corporate social responsibility and solo expatriates within China to seek out volunteer and donor opportunities with NGOs in China, and we found a strong need by especially foreign-based organizations operating in China to find stakeholders in China to assist them in their respective missions. After 15 years, we’re proud of the connections we continue to make.”

The ways nonprofit organizations and charities are registered and certified in China is different from in the West and in other locations in Asia, and this has often caused problems for organizations from outside of China when they either desire to raise funds in China or wholeheartedly undertake critical programs. China’s Charity Law in 2016 followed by the Overseas NGO Law in 2017 affect how they organize as non-profit organizations in Mainland China, and this differs from how they organize themselves in their home countries or even in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. For example, for many international organizations, they must find local Chinese charities or public interest groups to act as partners instead of undertaking activities on their own.

CharityInChina.org is not a charity or NGO. To utilize CharityInChina.org’s resources, an organization registers on the website and provides information about what they do, where they do it, and what they need. The company is then matched to individuals, who tell CharityInChina.org if they wish to donate time or donate funds; in which type of organizations they would like to participate; and their geographic preferences within Greater China.

Then CharityInChina.org simply emails the individual when an appropriate matching opportunity arrives from an organization. Some active individuals are emailed once a month, while others less often — it’s all based on the match algorithm.

For more information, please visit https://www.charityinchina.org

The press release CharityInChina.org Has Helped Connect Hundreds Of Chinese Charities With Over Two Million Donors And Volunteers In 15 Years comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

The new facility is to be established at Kyowa Hakko Bio’s subsidiary Thai Kyowa Biotechnologies Co., Ltd. (Thai Kyowa) in Rayong Province, Thailand. The new facility is scheduled to open operations in the summer of 2022.

Kyowa Hakko Bio was the first company in the world to establish an industrial-scale HMO production system*1, and the actual application of this system will be the core of the company’s medium- to long-term growth strategy. After the establishment of this production system, Kyowa Hakko Bio plans to supply HMOs to other companies as well as utilize it for its own and the Kirin Group’s product development.

*1: Tetsuo Endo et. al.,Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 53, 257-261 (2000)

Under Kirin Holdings’ medium-term business plan, Kyowa Hakko Bio will continue to make fundamental improvements to its quality assurance system and other operations. In addition, Kyowa Hakko Bio aims to grow into a global-scale specialty fermentation manufacturer featuring a large number of highly profitable product pipelines in the future. Kyowa Hakko Bio plans to accomplish this by leveraging the strength of its fermentation technology that it has cultivated over 60 years.

Outline of the new HMOs production facility

1.    Start of operation: Summer in 2022 (planned)

2.    Production site to be introduced at:

THAI KYOWA BIOTECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.

3.    Location: Rayong Province, Thailand

4.    Production capacity: approximately 300 metric tons per year

5.    Products to be manufactured: Three products among HMOs

(2FL, 3SL, 6SL)*2

*2: 2FL (2′-fucosyllactose), 3SL (3′-sialyllactose), 6SL (6′-sialyllactose)

Background – Global Scale

Kyowa Hakko Bio has already established manufacturing processes for three of its HMOs (2FL, 3SL and 6SL). In particular, 3SL and 6SL, for which Kyowa Hakko Bio holds several registered patents, however have never yet been supplied on an industrial scale.

Kyowa Hakko Bio will be able to secure a competitive advantage through its strain development and manufacturing process development capabilities.

Future growth in demand is expected in China and Southeast Asian markets; so locating a manufacturing base in Thailand will provide Kyowa Hakko Bio with a secure supply capacity and cost competitiveness close to large consumption areas.

What are human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)?

Particular oligosaccharides*3 found in human breast milk. HMOs are the third most common solid component in human breast milk, after lactose and lipids, and are particularly abundant in human colostrum. It is rarely found in milk derived from other mammals, such as cow’s milk.

In addition to 2FL, 3SL and 6SL, more than 250 HMOs have now been identified in human breast milk. Recent studies have shown that HMOs promote brain development in newborns, act on the development of the immune system, increase resistance to infection, and have anti-inflammatory effect. It has also been reported that HMOs can increase the number of bifidobacteria and improve the intestinal environment.

*3: A carbohydrate whose molecules are composed of a relatively small number of simple sugars (monosaccharides).

The press release Kyowa Hakko Bio Establishes New Facility in Thailand to Supply Human Milk Oligosaccharides Worldwide comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Los Angeles, USA, May 9, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - U.S.-based iGozen, maker of an organic cleaner that strips away harmful elements from fruits and vegetables, says a Beijing company is copying its images and products for profit in China.

iGozen asserts that Beijing’s Xin An Kang has produced a fruit and vegetable washer whose design and marketing copies that of iGozen, which has U.S. patented technology in its product line.

iGozen’s acid neutralizing product is enforced by patents in both the United States and China. Its patent #7,662,416 was granted on February 16, 2010, in the United States; and in China on March 11, 2015, it received patent #201420660960-6 for an anti-virus PM2.5 mask. The company also owns a diverse portfolio of high-caliber products and many other patents and trademarks in the U.S. and China.

iGozen is not alone in trying to protect its intellectual property rights and brand in China. This past week news broke about a Chinese Fujian-based brand named Uncle Martian copying the logo for American clothing brand Under Armour. And in recent years other foreign firms and organizations like Disney, Microsoft, and the BBC have faced copycat products derived in China.

iGozen says it reserves the right to take legal action against companies in the future.

The press release iGozen’s Organic Cleaning Products Are Being Imitated By Xin An Kang In China comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

California, USA, January 28, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - In 2013, the California Energy Commission granted $1.7 million to the US Marine Corp for a microgrid demonstration project. Quantum Energy Storage Corporation (QESC), Poway, California, provided the critical energy storage system to enable multiple microgrid applications.

The project, which is built on CleanSparks’s (www.cleanspark.com) FractalGrid platform, creates a network of smaller microgrids, that services an area of the base that include military personnel housing, parking garage lighting, elevators, and a server room. All of this is part of a larger base microgrid which can island critical loads from the utility. Distributed energy resources interconnected into the microgrid include photovoltaic panel systems, diesel generators, batteries, and the first test of the innovative long-duration kinetic energy storage technology by QESC.

Robert Weisenmiller, Energy Commission Chair, has said that the FractalGrid project will assess modern energy technologies in a real-life setting and, at the same time, supply dependable and secure energy to the US Marine Corp.

Unlike other kinetic energy systems, Quantum uses recycled and completely recyclable materials in its device resulting in a low-cost, reliable, and long-discharge high capacity kinetic energy storage device. The system’s long lifetime design, over 50,000 cycles without degradation, can provide storage benefits for over 25 years. This is far longer than battery systems, which degrade over time, and last less than 5,000 cycles.

Quantum’s kinetic energy storage system is accompanied by its proprietary software platform that monitors and controls the system. In addition, the platform can readily be integrated with other distributed energy resources, including renewable generation from photovoltaic, wind, and tidal sources, and can also control energy flow to and from the grid.

The technology costs far less per kWh than batteries with a much longer life. It is modular, easily installed, and has an attractive rate-of-return.

Most kinetic energy storage systems are utilized to provide grid services to multi-megawatt utilities, principally in frequency regulation. Quantum Energy envisages many other ways its technology can be applied.

For developing countries, Quantum Energy provides its system as backup power when the grid is forced to resort to rolling blackouts, and also support voltage regulation. The system can be used to reduce or even eliminate spinning reserves, such as diesel generators and ancillary fossil fuel burning power plants, by as much as 40%.

According to Omar Saadeh, senior analyst with GTM Research, energy storage has been growing in popularity as isolated communities are moving away from centralized generation in an attempt to cut costs resulting from the uncertainty of fuel prices and transportation. Mr. Saadeh has recently authored a report titled “North American Microgrids 2015: Advancing Beyond Local Energy Optimization”

QESC has demonstrated that its system can deliver lasting backup power at the military base for an average of 10 hours a night. In the daytime, the QESC’s storage units have demonstrated their ability to “shave” peaks from sudden power demands from elevators, compressors, and other devices. The ability to shave peaks as they arise is due to the very high response time (in the millisecond range) of QESC’s energy storage devices. Peak shaving ensures that the overall energy use profile is kept as low and as uniform as possible resulting in substantial cost savings to the user. This technology can also provide grid balancing and power factor correction in future applications.

For places like islands where electricity is expensive (almost $0.40 per kWh), it is estimated the Quantum Energy’s system would result in a payback period of about three to five years by eliminating, or drastically reducing the need for diesel generators.

About Quantum Energy Storage Corporation:

Quantum Energy Storage Corporation is led by Tien Nguyen, formerly of Qualcomm, CommASIC, and most recently, On-Ramp Wireless. Dr. Hari Dharan, formerly of Ford Motor Company, Space Systems Loral, and a University of California, Berkeley, Mechanical Engineering Professor, is the Chief Technology Officer.

For more information on Quantum Energy Storage Corporation please visit: www.qestorage.com/.

Media Contact: Tien Nguyen, Quantum Energy Storage Corporation, (858) 673-1333, info@qestorage.com

The press release Quantum Energy Storage Develops Novel Long-Duration Kinetic Energy Storage System for Microgrids comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.