SCIENTIST IN HI-TECH POWER DEVELOPMENT

　　Chinese scientist Wu Zhongshuai’s team has co-developed a prototype of planar sodiumion microcapacitors （NIMCs）. Microcapacitors， like microbatteries， are power sources for miniaturized smart and integrated electronics， such as remote sensors. The prototype uses sodium ions instead of lithium ions. They also have high power density， superior thermal stability and excellent mechanical fl exibility.
　　The prototype was co-developed by two research groups. Wu from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics （DICP） of the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS） led one of the teams.
　　The NIMCs would be low cost， specially since sodium is abundantly available， while lithium has limited supply and is costlier.
　　A paper on the results of the research was published in the journal Advanced Science.
　　Wu holds a PhD from the Institute of Metal Research of CAS. His research focuses on two-dimensional energy materials such as graphene and micro/nano energy devices.

Supporting Young Scientists

　　People’s Daily November 11
　　Recently， 50 scientists from nine fi elds including life science， mathematics and physics， were awarded the Xplorer Prize， which was jointly initiated by Tencent Chairman and CEO Pony Ma and 14 scientists in 2018， to support fulltime scientists under the age of 45 in the areas of basic science and cutting-edge technologies in China’s mainland. Some of the winners this year were actually in their 30s.
　　Young people are eager for knowledge and innovation. In recent years， as the development of science and technology accelerates， the ability of scientists to adapt to changes has become all the more important. Young people are quick to pick up new knowledge and sense new developments， and are therefore more likely to be in the forefront of scientifi c research. Many important innovations in the history of science were achieved when scientists were young.
　　Since 2011， the proportion of those below 40 in charge of major scientific research projects has greatly increased.
　　In order to promote the development of young researchers， China established the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 1994. Of all the academicians elected from 1995 to 2017， 228 had received support from the fund.
　　The system of research fund allocation， evaluation and reward also needs improvement in order to create a favorable environment for the development of young scientists. The incentive policies need be improved to spur innovation， while the one-size-fi ts-all evaluation system needs reform to properly adjust the proportion of diplomas， theses and actual contributions in evaluation. Only in this way can the creative energy of young scientists be unleashed.

Improving Pension System

　　Outlook Weekly November 11
　　As the problem of aging has become increasingly serious， the sustainability of the pension system in many countries is facing grave challenges. Under such a backdrop， it has become more relevant to build a multipillar pension system. The first pillar is the basic endowment insurance， the second is supplementary endowment insurance and the third one is commercial pension insurance.
　　In 2018， in order to build a sustainable pension system， the Chinese Government adopted an adjustment fund system for the basic pension covering employees of enterprises to address the pension gap among provincial regions and ensure punctual and full pension payments to retirees. The new policy was the first step toward a nationally coordinated pension plan.
　　China promoted commercial pension insurance by launching a pilot program last year providing individual income tax deferral on commercial pension contributions， investment gains and retirement distributions. The one year trial program took effect on May 1， 2018， and covered Fujian Province in southeast China， Shanghai and the Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu Province in east China.

　　However， although China’s pension insurance system has made headway in recent years， the three pillars are still unbalanced. The quality and efficiency of the first pillar needs to be improved and the coverage of the second pillar needs to be expanded. Currently， 23.88 million employees have joined the supplementary pension scheme， accounting for only 5.49 percent of urban workers. Commercial pension insurance also accounts for a small proportion of the GDP， needing to be further expanded.
　　China has also tried to use pension funds for investment in order to increase their value. As of September， local governments had signed a contract with the National Council for Social Security Fund to entrust the latter to invest their pension funds worth 966 billion yuan （$137.6 billion）.

Glass Bridge Craze

　　Guancha.gmw.cn November 8
　　Since a glass bridge opened to tourists in 2016 in Zhangjiajie， a famous tourist destination in Hunan Province in central China， a number of other destinations have followed suit. However， there are no standards and regulations for such bridges.
　　As of this year， regulation and management of glass bridge projects have strengthened， with some provinces starting safety investigations into relevant projects and some high-risk projects ordered to close for an overhaul. 　　Glass bridges， built with plate glass and steel beams， have served as a drawing card for many tourist destinations to attract tourists and make profi ts.
　　A misunderstanding is that as long as the glass is strong， the bridge is safe. As a matter of fact， the real danger of glass bridges lies in the engineering structure of the bridge. The glass itself is safe but it’s different when plates of glass are combined to make a bridge.
　　Moreover， the competition between different destinations for the length， height and uniqueness of glass bridges has added to the diffi culty of construction and increased the risks.
　　Therefore， it’s important to reevaluate the risks of glass bridges before serious accidents occur and ensure tourists’ safety.

NEW WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY VICE PRESIDENT

　　Former Olympic champion Yang Yang has become the first Chinese national to be elected World Anti-Doping Agency （WADA） vice president.
　　The election， which took place in Katowice， Poland， on November 7， the last day of the Fifth World Conference on Doping in Sport， also saw Poland’s sprinter-turned-Minister of Sport and Tourism Witold Banka elected as president.
　　Yang， 43， will start her term at the beginning of next year， succeeding Norwegian politician Linda Helleland， who will step down at the end of 2019.
　　Yang became China’s first Winter Olympic champion at Salt Lake City， the U.S.， in 2002， when she won two gold medals and a silver in the short track speed skating events. She was an International Olympic Committee （IOC） member from 2010 until 2018， when she was appointed an IOC Marketing Commission member.
　　She was nominated in May for the vice presidency of WADA by the IOC Executive Board as the representative of the Olympic Movement.
　　“We need to urgently act and move toward sustainable agriculture that produces food that is nutritious， safe and accessible to all， while nurturing healthy ecosystems and supporting the sustainable management of natural resources.”
　　Qu Dongyu， Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization， at the Sixth Global Forum of Leaders for Agricultural Science and Technology in Chengdu， capital of Sichuan Province， southwest China， on November 13
　　“Maglev is the future of ultrafast trains since it’s fast， safe， reliable and low maintenance. It can fill the service gap between the high-speed rail network and aviation.”
　　Jia Limin， head of China’s high-speed rail innovation program， commenting on Chinese cities’ plans to build maglev lines， on November 13
　　“Young people do more online shopping now and the initiative is a key opportunity to let them know that environmental protection can be done in a very simple manner such as recycling delivery boxes.”
　　Ji Yuyan， a volunteer service team leader at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University， commenting on a recycling initiative by Cainiao Network， Alibaba Group’s smart logistics arm， which aims to minimize wastage of packaging materials， on November 13
　　“Test results for the volume of bacteria in raw milk in China， which indicate the safety level， and for milk fat and protein， which reflect its nutritional value， have both reached the level of developed countries.”
　　Wang Jiaqi， Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs-affiliated center for examining milk and milk products quality， on November 13