News from China
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Dec-2025 10:11 ET (21-Dec-2025 15:11 GMT/UTC)
Economic "uncertainty aversion" distorts asset prices and widens wealth gap
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterThis study explores the profound implications of ambiguity aversion for asset price dynamics and wealth distribution. In a continuous-time macroeconomic model with heterogeneous agents and financial frictions, we demonstrate analytically and numerically that ambiguity aversion leads to a lower risk-free rate, reduced consumption, higher precautionary savings, and wealth redistribution, resulting in significant asset price misalignment. These distortions cause universal welfare loss, making a case for policy intervention. We find that while distortionary capital taxes can mitigate price misalignment, conventional monetary policy, if well-calibrated, can reduce distortions and improve welfare without such trade-offs.
- Journal
- China Finance Review International
Navigating the storm: Climate policy uncertainty drives companies to improve ESG performance
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterA new large-scale study reveals that uncertainty in climate policy (CPU) is a significant driver for improving corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Analysing data from 4,490 Chinese listed companies (2011-2022), researchers found a strong positive correlation between CPU and ESG scores. The primary motivation is risk mitigation: companies facing higher systemic risk use enhanced ESG performance as a strategic shield. The effect is most pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, heavy-polluting industries, and highly competitive markets. The findings provide crucial insights for businesses strengthening sustainability strategies and for policymakers aiming to foster resilient, low-carbon economic growth.
- Journal
- China Finance Review International
Directional three‑dimensional macroporous carbon foams decorated with WC1−x nanoparticles derived from salting‑out protein assemblies for highly effective electromagnetic absorption
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterPeer-Reviewed Publication
Directional three-dimensional carbon-based foams are emerging as highly attractive candidates for promising electromagnetic wave absorbing materials (EWAMs) thanks to their unique architecture, but their construction usually involves complex procedures and extremely depends on unidirectional freezing technique. Herein, we propose a groundbreaking approach that leverages the assemblies of salting-out protein induced by ammonium metatungstate (AM) as the precursor, and then acquire directional three-dimensional carbon-based foams through simple pyrolysis. The electrostatic interaction between AM and protein ensures well dispersion of WC1−x nanoparticles on carbon frameworks. The content of WC1−x nanoparticles can be rationally regulated by AM dosage, and it also affects the electromagnetic (EM) properties of final carbon-based foams. The optimized foam exhibits exceptional EM absorption performance, achieving a remarkable minimum reflection loss of − 72.0 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 6.3 GHz when EM wave propagates parallel to the directional pores. Such performance benefits from the synergistic effects of macroporous architecture and compositional design. Although there is a directional dependence of EM absorption, radar stealth simulation demonstrates that these foams can still promise considerable reduction in radar cross section with the change of incident angle. Moreover, COMSOL simulation further identifies their good performance in preventing EM interference among different electronic components.
- Journal
- Nano-Micro Letters
“Proton‑iodine” regulation of protonated polyaniline catalyst for high‑performance electrolytic Zn‑I2 batteries
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterPeer-Reviewed Publication
Low-cost and high-safety aqueous Zn-I2 batteries attract extensive attention for large-scale energy storage systems. However, polyiodide shuttling and sluggish iodine conversion reactions lead to inferior rate capability and severe capacity decay. Herein, a three-dimensional polyaniline is wrapped by carboxyl-carbon nanotubes (denoted as C-PANI) which is designed as a catalytic cathode to effectively boost iodine conversion with suppressed polyiodide shuttling, thereby improving Zn-I2 batteries. Specifically, carboxyl-carbon nanotubes serve as a proton reservoir for more protonated –NH+ = sites in PANI chains, achieving a direct I0/I− reaction for suppressed polyiodide generation and Zn corrosion. Attributing to this “proton-iodine” regulation, catalytic protonated C-PANI strongly fixes electrolytic iodine species and stores proton ions simultaneously through reversible –N = /–NH+– reaction. Therefore, the electrolytic Zn-I2 battery with C-PANI cathode exhibits an impressive capacity of 420 mAh g−1 and ultra-long lifespan over 40,000 cycles. Additionally, a 60 mAh pouch cell was assembled with excellent cycling stability after 100 cycles, providing new insights into exploring effective organocatalysts for superb Zn-halogen batteries.
- Journal
- Nano-Micro Letters
Micro/nano‑reconfigurable robots for intelligent carbon management in confined‑space life‑support systems
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterPeer-Reviewed Publication
Strategically coupling nanoparticle hybrids and internal thermosensitive molecular switches establishes an innovative paradigm for constructing micro/nanoscale-reconfigurable robots, facilitating energy-efficient CO2 management in life-support systems of confined space. Here, a micro/nano-reconfigurable robot is constructed from the CO2 molecular hunters, temperature-sensitive molecular switch, solar photothermal conversion, and magnetically-driven function engines. The molecular hunters within the molecular extension state can capture 6.19 mmol g−1 of CO2 to form carbamic acid and ammonium bicarbonate. Interestingly, the molecular switch of the robot activates a molecular curling state that facilitates CO2 release through nano-reconfiguration, which is mediated by the temperature-sensitive curling of Pluronic F127 molecular chains during the photothermal desorption. Nano-reconfiguration of robot alters the amino microenvironment, including increasing surface electrostatic potential of the amino group and decreasing overall lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level. This weakened the nucleophilic attack ability of the amino group toward the adsorption product derivatives, thereby inhibiting the side reactions that generate hard-to-decompose urea structures, achieving the lowest regeneration temperature of 55 °C reported to date. The engine of the robot possesses non-contact magnetically-driven micro-reconfiguration capability to achieve efficient photothermal regeneration while avoiding local overheating. Notably, the robot successfully prolonged the survival time of mice in the sealed container by up to 54.61%, effectively addressing the issue of carbon suffocation in confined spaces. This work significantly enhances life-support systems for deep-space exploration, while stimulating innovations in sustainable carbon management technologies for terrestrial extreme environments.
- Journal
- Nano-Micro Letters
Large language models in cardiovascular imaging: Current applications and future prospects
FAR Publishing LimitedPeer-Reviewed Publication
This study analyzes the cutting-edge applications of large language models (LLMs) in cardiovascular imaging: on one hand, they significantly enhance diagnostic efficiency and standardization through intelligent interpretation of multi-modal imaging data such as cardiac magnetic resonance and coronary CT; on the other hand, they demonstrate transformative potential in clinical decision support, patient communication, and scientific research data mining. The article also provides an in-depth exploration of the developmental bottlenecks and future pathways of LLMs in key areas such as cross-modal data fusion, clinical validation, and ethical standardization.
- Journal
- Med Research
Circular single-stranded DNA for multi-target miRNA therapy
Chinese Chemical SocietyPeer-Reviewed Publication
Professor Dongsheng Liu of Tsinghua University, Professor Ziyang Hao of Capital Medical University, and Researcher Yuanchen Dong of the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have collaborated to develop a circular single-stranded DNA molecule capable of simultaneously silencing multiple miRNAs. This molecule can be used for multi-gene synergistic tumor therapy. Based on the KIMU principle, the circular single-stranded DNA molecule, an anti- miRNA oligonucleotide (circAMO), can be synthesized with high selectivity and high yield by adjusting the length of the DNA clamp. The unique covalently closed circular structure endows circAMO with high biostability, allowing long-term intracellular gene regulation without any chemical modifications. By designing multiple miRNA binding sites in circAM, one circAMO can simultaneously inhibit multiple oncogenic miRNAs and upregulate the levels of downstream mRNAs, ultimately inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as increasing apoptosis. This strategy provides a new research tool and platform for multi-target gene therapy. The article was published as an open access research article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.
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- CCS Chemistry
Black carbon from wheat straw burning shown to curb antibiotic resistance spread in farmlands with plastic mulch residues
Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Turning hazelnut shells into powerful catalysts for clean hydrogen production
Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University- Journal
- Biochar