NATURE INDEX CHINA Hefei Hefei has kept a low profile for many years. However, as the ARTICLE COUNT (AC): 530 University of Science and Technology of China continues to FRACTIONAL COUNT (FC): 226 break new ground in the physical sciences, the city is moving WEIGHTED FRACTIONAL COUNT into the global spotlight. (WFC): 212 efei, the capital city of the eastern researcher in this field, with 17 articles (WFC articles (WFC = 5.73) — including one in Nature Anhui province, is the smallest of the =13.2) in the index, mostly on graphene-like — about molecular and surface imaging. cities profiled in this supplement. But materials.“Graphene comprises carbon atoms USTC also hosts the CAS Key Laboratory Hit is growing rapidly in population, disposable only, so its structure and chemical properties for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology in its income levels and gross domestic product are rather simple,” she says. “We are develop- department of physics. Tinggui Wang is the (GDP) — and when it comes to the pursuit ing graphene-like inorganic materials with biggest contributor in astrophysics, with seven of basic science, it holds its own among much unusual properties that may find applications articles on quasars and active galactic nuclei. larger cities. in photocatalysis and biomedicine.” Another However, owing to the down-weighting of astro- Hefei is home to the University of Science successful chemistry researcher from the same physics journals in the index, these papers only and Technology of China (USTC), one of division, Shuhong Yu co-authored 12 articles add a WFC of 1 to the institution (see ‘A guide to three universities affiliated with the Chinese (WFC = 11.4) in 2013 on aerogels. His team the Nature Index’, page S76). Academy of Sciences (CAS). When USTC’s manufactured carbon aerogels by freeze-drying Life-science research comprises only 11% of first president Moruo Guo laid its foundation bacterial cellulose and attaching CH groups, Yu USTC’s output. Much of the university’s best stone in 1958, he set out its mission to focus explains. The resultant hydrophobic material research in this field is carried out by Zhigang on basic research and to nurture world-class “can be used to remove organic pollutants from Tian from the division of structure and func- talent. Ever since, the institution has been water,” he adds. tion of biomacromolecules. Tian’s six articles faithful to this ideal. However, it is physics for which USTC is most (WFC = 4.2) on the regulatory functions of USTC is by far Hefei’s largest contributor to renowned. The strongest contributor in this field natural killer cells represent more than 13% of the Nature Index, and fifth overall in China by is Guangcan Guo from the Key Laboratory of USTC’s total life science WFC. weighted fractional count (WFC) — a measure Quantum Information. Guo has 11 articles Hefei is also home to Hefei University of Tech- of the relative contribution of an institution (WFC = 8.7) on quantum optics, quantum nology (HFUT), an older but smaller institution to the papers it has published. In 2013, USTC communication and topological superfluids in with a focus on engineering. Linbao Luo from accounted for 83% of Hefei’s WFC (see ‘City the index. His team developed a technique to the laboratory of micro/nano functional mate- WFC breakdown’). In addition, USTC made a record the orbital angular momentum of a single rials and devices and Ruzhong Zuo from the strong showing in Nature and Science journals, photon. An advance that Guo says “represents school of materials science and engineering are with eight articles (WFC = 1.7) representing 1% an important first step towards the realization HFUT’s top two contributors, both publishing of its WFC — well above other Hefei institutions. of long-distance quantum communication.” almost exclusively in Applied Physics Letters. Luo Most of USTC’s WFC is in chemistry. Yi USTC’s president, Jianguo Hou, from the divi- led two papers on nanowires — both authored Xie from the division of nanomaterials and sion of atomic and molecular sciences, is another wholly in-house — while Zuo contributed to two nanochemistry is the university’s most prolific active researcher. In 2013, Hou contributed to six papers (WFC = 1.7) on lead-free ceramics. ■ HEFEI ANALYSIS Hefei data City WFC breakdown City subject spread Hefei’s WFC per person is the third highest in the index, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei is focused on the broad range of indicating a strong concentration of research. is by far Hefei’s largest contributing institution. physical sciences. 2 5 (others) Chemistry 4 3 5 8 BeijingNanjingHefei Hong KongShanghaiChangchunWuhanHangzhouGuangzhouTianjinShenzhen250,000 8 9 7 200,000 1 P ) 6 2 h s y e s i c CITY c yuan n a 5 ( 150,000 e l i s c c s TOTAL: i 4 e e n f i c L 20% e 100,000 s 3 22 40% 2 GDP per person WFC per 100,000 people WFC 50,000 CHINA AVEAGE: 39,948 60% China 1 Subjects overlap, so the l CHINA AVEAGE: 0.4 Ea ta total can be >100%. 176 rth en 0 0 and environm University of Science and Technology of China Hefei University of Technology Institute of Solid State Physics* Institute of Intelligent Machines* Anhui University Institute of Plasma Physics* Anhui Medical University *CAS institute; 1. 360doc.com; 2. cnpop.org; yuan = US$0.16 S68 | NATURE INDEX 2014 | CHINA © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. 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