Master Plan of Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Conservation Zone has recently passed the approval check of experts from Chinese Academy of Sciences.As a result, a national nature conservation zone will be created in the Canyon.
The nature conservation zone in the plan will be located in the southeast section of Tibet with a total area of 9600 km2 and a population of 14,900. During the period from October 19 to December 10, 1998, a scientific expedition team composed of over 60 scientists from diversified disciplines such as geology, geography, atmospheric physics, botany and zoology had successfully walked through the Canyon for the first time. Through this unprecedented expedition, scientists have found that the maximum height of the peaks standing at the sides of the Canyonreached over 7700 meters, the sea level of the river 2000 meters or lower at 400 or 500 meters in some areas, registered a world record of height difference by 5000 meters. The Yarlung Zangbo Canyon has been officially confirmed as the largest of its kind in the world.
The Canyon is of rich geological and natural landscapes with four huge falls running through the trunks of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The Canyon's unique geological and climatic nature have bred its unique ecological system and rich flora and fauna resources with many rare plants, animals and insects. So far more than 3000 plants have been classified as higher plants and more than 40 species rare animals under national protection. Sitting at the northeast corner of Indian and Eurasian plates, the Canyon has been given honorable names such as “natural museum of biological resources”, “genetic bank of biological resources” and “geological museum”.
The Master Plan has outlined comprehensive measures protecting flora and fauna and geological characteristics in the Canyon and made the divisions of the conservation areas and species under protection. It is also reported that to tap up the rich water resources in the Canyon on a rational basis, authorities concerned will establish a hydraulic observation station in the Canyon so as to prepare for the future power generation at the Yarlung Zangbo River.
China's First Industrial Base for Integrated Circuit Designing
Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and Shanghai Municipal Government announced on Feb. 20, 2000 at Shanghai S&T Park that China's first industrial base for integrated circuit designing was formally put into operation.
Along with the rapid development of information technology in the world, integrated circuits have become the determining factor governing the development of electronic information industry. China's annual consumption of integrated circuits has reached more than Rmb 40 billion but only 20% of the supply came from domestic anufacturers. At present, domestic manufacturers are only able to produce 300 and more specifications among more than 10,000 required specifications with 82% of the market demand being satisfied through import. With very limited chips of Chinese own independent intellectual property rights, 90% of the chips made in China are the ones manufactured under foreign license permit. The total output value of Chinese integrated circuit designing industry only weighs less than 1% of the total industry.
It is reported that Shanghai will invest Rmb 100 million in a period of three years to shape a market scale of Rmb 1 billion so as to make it a new industrial growth point.
Shanghai New Huangpu Group has invested Rmb 20 million in the reconstruction of the old S&T Park site covering an area of 20,000 m2. Preferential treatment policies such as free working space and discount rating will be offered for new high tech enterprises to be stationed in the Park. In addition, New Huangpu has established a Venture Investment Company jointly with other investment institutions with a registration capital of Rmb 50 million, dedicated to supporting high tech enterprises or projects to be stationed in the Park.
Original Chinese Thymosin Extrasin α Gene Discovered
Chinese scientists have for the first time in the world discovered original thymosin extrasin α gene of Chinese characteristics and the new gene was registered for a formal nomination at the Gene Bank of US National Medical Research Institute. Experts believed that the discovery has laid an important foundation for the transition from simulation to self innovation in China's new drug studies, especially new engineering medicines.
The thymosin extrasin α gene discovered by Guo Baoyu and others of No. 2 Army Medical College is a kind of nuclein protein composed of 306 nucleotides in human body. Scientific experiments have proved that the gene is able to restrain the growth of cancer cells, remarkably prolong man's life, cure rosacea and multiplesclerosis diseases through restoring the single cell stimulus function, recovering the reproduction reaction of T cells, restoring the incretion function of thymosin extrasin and improving the stability of immune system. With extensive bioactivity and remarkable immune stimulus activity, it may involve in cell growth
and is of important application value in the treatment of tumor, hepatitis and immunity related diseases. Researchers briefed that thymosin extrasin α gene may have direct clinic applications as a biomedicine.
China's First Tube Oxen
In eight days from Feb. 6 to 12, 2000, two hybrid cows at Diqiu Cow Farm, Linzhang County, Hebei Province and three Chinese young Holstein cows at No. 2 Cow Farm of Handan Municipal Dairy Manufacturer successfully gave the birth to 5 tube oxen. The said development hallmarks the advance of China's biotechnological applications in breeding tube frozen oxen fetus.
The research results were the prize achieved by the research team headed by Prof. Sang Runzi of Heibei Agriculture University in collaboration with Dr. Zhu Shi′en and others of China Agriculture University. The study relating to the improvement of beef species and efficient breeding techniques is one of the major national priorities undertaken by Hebei Province for the 9th Five-Year Plan.
In June 1998, the team extracted eggs from the cow's ovarium after it was killed, cultured them to the maturity and then performed the adoscuolation on them at the Lab. After 6 to 7 days of breeding, morula fetuses were formed and then frozen in liquid nitrogen of 196 minus centigrade for a long period of time. From May 8 to 10, 1999, the fertilized fetuses kept in liquid nitrogen for 11 months were defrosted and then planted into selected hybrid cows and Holstein cows for further development. Among 16 cows being planted with fertilized fetuses, 5 got pregnant which made the success rate reach 31.3%. After 279 or 285 days of pregnancy, the five fertilized cows at last gave birth to 5 calves from Feb. 6 to 12,2000. Apart from the one who died after birth, the other four have been growing well.
Prof. Sang Runzi said the technology they used is quite complicated for it combined the techniques of both adoscuolation and vitreous fetus freezing. The result is of great importance to not only the commercialization and industrialization of oxen fetus transplantation, but also studies of new high technologies such as oxen fetus cloning and basic theories of livestock fertilization.
China's World Advanced Self-luminous Materials
The research and development of self-luminous materials have become an industry
producing annual output of Rmb 100 million. Inter-comparison has shown that China has positioned itself in the world advanced rank in the field.
The self-luminous efficient material developed by Xiao Zhiguo, President of Dalian Luming S&T Group, seven years ago has been confirmed by experts both at home and abroad the first of its kind in the world. In accordance with scientific for mula with rare earth as the major ingredient, the said self-luminous material is able to absorb sufficient energy to illuminate in the dark after been exposed to natural or artificial light within 10 to 30 minutes. Its illumination intensity and duration are 30 times that of sulfide based traditional illumination materials, hence a great attraction in the new material study area.
Thanks to their painstaking research and development efforts in the last few years, researchers have gradually upgraded the formula, production and applications of the rare earth based self luminous material. Up to date, they have applied for 30 and more patent rights both at home and abroad surrounding the research and development of this new material.
On the basis of special properties of the new luminous material and domestic and international market demand, Luming S&T Group has found extensive applications of its new products in the areas of building industry, transportation and daily life. It has turned the enterprise into a development and production base for self luminous materials with an annual output for luminous dye of 500 tons, luminous plates 300,000 m2 and over 90 species in seven major categories of luminous
plastics, ceramics, paint, printing paste and luminous art frames. Its products have found the market in 30 and more countries including US, Japan and others in Europe and southeast Asia and become a unique market supply source in the world.
China's Sophisticated Burn Treatment Techniques
Humid ointment representing the world advanced techniques for burn treatment was officially approved (approval file number: Z20000004) by China State Pharmaceutical Supervision Administration for its mass production. This has demonstrated China's world advanced level in burn treatment and its potential contributions to the world people through its research results of series products.
At present, the improvement of traditional burn treatment approaches has become a dominant trend. As a result, biomedical communities, businesses and governments in many countries have invested huge resources in seeking for fetus-like no-scar treatment result through taking advantage of the latest technical means and man's own physiological skin repair functions. Self repair oriented burn treatment has become popular in the area.
The socalled humid therapy invented by Prof. Xu Rongxiang, China Burn Injury Treatment Center, is an innovative burn treatment system. His representative technique (MEBT) and products (MEBO) have successfully handled four major clinical difficulties such as wound pain, infection, progressive necrosis and scar healing of grade II burn. His products have monopolized the market for a decade. When western world invested huge resources in studying physiological self skin repair techniques and associated products, China's burn treatment techniques have already achieved attracting clinical results.
It took a decade for Prof. Xu Rongxiang to achieve fine results from his studies of skin cloning and he has successfully applied his research results in self skin repair therapy for the patients with large burn wound. In his studies of anti-infection treatment of extensive and deepened burns, he has worked out new anti-infection approaches humoring the ecological conditions and structures of microbes rather than using bacteria killing or oppression techniques and achieved clinical success for extensive burns. It is important to notify that humid therapy invented by Prof. Xu is still in the process of diffusion and improvement. It is reported that the blue book on burn treatment techniques to be published by China Association of Chinese Traditional and Western Medical Sciences will reveal a number of completely new research results on self skin repair therapy.
Class One New Drug Certificate for “Yijifu”
Applied with DNA restructuring techniques, Shenzhen Huashengyuan Genetic Engineering Development Co. Ltd. have successfully produced human epidermal growth factors of high purity on the basis of reconstructed “HEGF colon bacillus expression system”. The result has proved highly identical with endogenous epidermal growth factor in human body in terms of its structure and biological activity. Clinical testing has demonstrated the breakthrough improvement from passive wound healing to positive wound healing control. Chinese Ministry of Health has issued the new drug certificate for the result and classified it class one new drug.
Named as “Yijifu”, the theoretical basis of the new drug is the epidermal growth factor discovered in rat's salivary gland by Dr. Cohen, the winner of Nobel Physiology and Medical Prizes in 1986. Studies have shown that the said factor is a kind of small molecule polypeptides extensively existing in human and other animals' bodies. Epidermal growth factors from different sources all have the functions of promoting cell reproduction and tissue growth. However, the said factors are limited in supply sources.
The restructured human epidermal growth factor of high purity produced through biological engineering techniques by Shenzhen Huashengyuan has created a new approach for extensive clinical applications of the said biological agent. The new
polypeptide cell growth factor drug in spray form has proved clinical effects of
stimulating the growth of epithelial cell, fibroblast, endothelial cell and growth of ectomatrix. The new drug is also of remarkable effects of accelerating wound healing and improving healing quality without any adverse effects.
It is reported that in comparison with other drugs in the same category, the newdrug is easy to use with rationally controlled dosing and competitive price setting of less than 100 yuan.
