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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION |
Restoration of the Ancient Man's Skull
Thanks to their one-year and more efforts, Chinese and French researchers have with the help of the computer technology restored No.2 skull of the Yunxian Man that was dated back to more than 1 million years ago. The restoration has resulted in a measurement that the Yunxian Man has a brain volume of 1,065 ml, which approaches the average volume of the Peking Man (1,075 ml). The result has provided further evidence for the prediction that the Yunxian Man lived in a rather remote ancient age called homo erectus.!!!
Researchers unearthed two ancient man skull fossils in Yunxian County, northwest of Hubei Province in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Of the two fossils, No. 2 skull makes the only well preserved whole-piece skull fossil belonging to the age of homo erectus in the country. In collaboration with medical experts of Zhongnan Hospital subordinated to Wuhan University, archeologists have since last May had the skull fossils examined under the super high speed auger scanner and have scanned 255 sectional images. Researchers then rebuilt 2-D and 3-D skull images with the scanning data. On the said basis, Chinese researchers, in collaboration with the Institute of Paleoanthropology under the French Nature and History Museum, choose the Java Man and the Peking Man as the reference specimen to confine the restoration radian of No. 2 Yunxian Man skull both vertically and horizontally.
At present Chinese and French researchers are working on repositioning, shaping and repairing the skull with the help of the computer technology. They are placing the fragmented skull pieces into the right positions, reshaping the skull pieces deformed as the result of squeezing and making up the missing pieces.
New Particles Discovered
As announced by the Institute of High Energy Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese and US scientists have jointly discovered a new short-lived particle in the course of analyzing the data of 58 millionＪparticle cases collected from Beijing Positron and Electron Collider and Beijing Spectrum, a quark related physic study project. The finding has been published in the internationally renowned journal PhysicsReview Letters, and has attracted great attentions from the international community on high energy physics.
The Institute expressed that different analysis and studies have confirmed the novelty of the particle. Further more the new discovery could be the multiple-quark state particle so predicted by renowned scientists such as Fermi and Yang Zhenning several decades ago. Quark is a particle that makes up proton though it is smaller than atom. The newly discovered particle, together with multiple-quark state particle discovered in other international experiments, has shown that the existing theory on strong interactions of particle physics cannot fully cover all experimental facts. The discovery of these new particles has resulted in a new hot spot for particle studies, which is of important significance to the development of particle physics theories.
At present, Chinese and US scientists are jointly working on the in-depth study of the properties and decaying characteristics of the new particle both theoretically and experimentally.
High End Medical Application Tools
On July 25, 2003, Shenzhen Microchip Biotech Co. Ltd. and the National Toxicology Research Center under the US FDA inked an agreement for the collaborative development of partial components of ARRAYTRACK. The collaboration will be built on the proven experience and leading achievements on the applications of microchips in new drugs and biochip development and the development of relevant proprietary tools. The cooperation is the first of its kind forged between FDA and the Chinese biotech business for the joint development of high end medical application tools. The cooperative agreement will be implemented in the following three phases:
Phase I: upon the signature of the agreement, Microchip will provide a translated version of TASS software and information on relevant functions and operating procedures to the National Toxicology Center of FDA. The National Toxicology Center will assess the software and define the functions that may go along with ARRAYTRACK with specific requirements for long term development of these functions.
Phase II: Microchip and the National Toxicology Center are scheduled to complete the functions integration with focus on incorporating TASS design module into ARRAYTRACK software.
Phase III: Microchip and the National Toxicology Center will further improve the existing functions of ARRAYTRACK.
China-Australia Cooperation on Beijing Olympic Games
As a follow-up to the visit of the delegation of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology to Australia for learning from the proven experience of running the Olympic Games in March 2003, a delegation headed by Sandy Hollway, the former chief executive officer of the Organizing Committee of Sydney Olympic Games and David Churches, Director of Sydney-Beijing Secretariat for Olympic Games and former member of the Organizing Committee of Sydney Olympic Games returned their visit to the Ministry of Science and Technology on July 21, 2003.
Both sides discussed and exchanged views on Olympic Games related technical development and management experiences. The Australian side has expressed strong wishes to strengthen the cooperation with China in varieties of fields such as the sustainable energy development, the food security and health service, the analeptics testing, the high tech intelligent buildings, GPS, Olympic Games security system and the intelligent trafficking system. The Chinese side expressed its welcome for the initiatives proposed by the Australian side as they are closely associated with the ten major priority projects related to Beijing Olympic Games to be held in 2008. Both sides have agreed that they will work further on details of cooperation modes and intention in the future. Both sides also agreed that they would strengthen the exchanges of information and personnel and establish a platform for promoting the S&T cooperation between industries and universities of the two countries. Both sides have basically agreed to co-sponsor 'China-Australia Forum on Sustainable Energy Development ' this October in Beijing.
Progresses for Space Debris Study
Guo Baozhu, Deputy Chief of China National Space Administration briefed not long ago that space debris has imposed increasingly threatening impacts on spacecrafts and associated space flights, especially on the manned space flight. It is important therefore to strengthen the studies of measurement, mitigation and prevention of the space debris, whether in terms of protecting the space environment and safeguarding China's outer space interests or in terms of prolonging the operational life of China's spacecrafts and ensuring the safe departure of the manned space flight.
In June, 1995, China joined the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) in the name of the China National Space Administration and thereafter launched its own space debris study. At the end of 2000, China published its Space Debris Action Plan for the 10th Five-Year Plan period(2001-2005), in which general objectives were laid out for China's space debris study within the period. China will work on, during the period, the preliminary capacity for measuring space debris, the breakthroughs in passivation technologies for both carrying rockets and satellites, the debris mitigation manual, the dynamic database for space debris, the completion of debris risks assessment, the study of the pre-warning and dynamic debris avoidance system and the compilation of the relevant protection manuals. China's space debris studies have achieved major progresses in five aspects since the implementation of the action plan:
1) China was part of the two international joint measurements of space hazardous objects re-entering sponsored by IADC and China's space debris measurement has witnessed an improvement with its measurement accuracy being at the advanced level under the international comparisons.
2) China has established a dynamic database for tracking space debris. China has carried out the study on the space debris environment evolution model and associated engineering model, which have laid a theoretical foundation for the space debris risk assessment and the collision pre-warning study.
3) China has worked out the strategic lines for space debris collision avoidance during the spacecraft's flight, and launched the simulation and experimental study of the impacts of high speed space debris on the earth, the space debris collision avoidance of the spacecraft and associated prewarning software. Chinese scientists have also been working on the simulation technology for exploring the impacts of high-speed small debris objects on the earth, which has laid a technical foundation for the full fledged space debris prevention activities.
4) Chinese scientists have studied the methodology for mitigating space debris. In the meantime, China has worked out the technical solutions to the surplus propellant discharging by the end rocket and has found the applications in the space project, which reduced the possibility of on-orbit break-ups of the end rocket. China also launched the theoretical study on the deorbiting of geostationary satellites at the end of their operation life. In addition, China took part in the preparation and technical coordination for IADC Guidance for Space Debris Mitigation.
5) China has prepared and published its Space Debris Action Plan for the 10th Five-Year Plan period(2001-2005), which constitutes a guidance for China's space debris studies in the future.
New Progress for Quantum Spot Study
Researchers of Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have worked out, on the basis of their systematic studies in a number of fields such as electronic material growth, physical property analysis and components preparation, a new approach to improving the homogeneity of the confined energy level of quantum spots through manipulating the vertical sizing of the quantum spots. The new approach has claimed a breakthrough against the traditional approach widely applied internationally featured with improving the horizontal homogeneity. The new approach is able to work out quantum spots in extremely even distribution like air bubbles of a consistent size distributed in water. However, it is extremely difficult for the conventional approach to working out the same effect, which would result in the unevenly distributed light and the unsteady thermal power generated by the electric current, or in some cases simply blocking the output of light. The new approach can greatly enhance the illuminating function of quantum spot materials.
Researchers have in the course of the study mastered the technique of controlling the laser wavelength within a scope of 800-1300 nanometers, and developed the quantum spots laser device able to make continuous laser shooting under the normal indoor temperature. These results may find major applications in the fields of medicine, military affairs and communication.
In addition, researchers have discovered the so-called dual-mode growth pattern of quantum spots and confirmed for the first time in the world the significant research result that the surfacing stress between indium arsenide and gallium arsenide may cause the energy belt to vary. The study has turned out 100 and more papers published in renowned academic journals both at home and abroad.
China's First Fuel-Battery Car
On August 7, 2003, Leap I, China's first fuel-battery sedan car made its debut on the campus of Shanghai Tongji University. Applied with China's proprietary fuel-battery power system, Leap I is able to pick up the speed to 80 km per hour in a matter of few seconds. The testing driver told the reporter that the hybrid car ran smoothly with both of its wheeling and braking systems felt more flexible and easier than those of conventional cars.
Leap I has a steering wheel and gauges like those of conventional cars whether in terms of shape or operation. However, its air conditioner, electric power assisted steering and braking systems are driven by electric power. A conventional car makes its air conditioner work with the power from the car engine. As a result, once the air conditioner is on, engine should be on also, which exhausts massive waste gas. The hybrid car is able to let the air conditioner on without the power assistance of car engine. It may therefore save an energy by 50% compared with conventional cars. The electric power assisted steering and braking systems in the hybrid car are also energy efficient. When applied with the new system, the conventional car may achieve an energy efficiency of 0.5-0.7 liter per km. Leap I is designed with a maximum speed of 110 km per hour for the consecutive operation over 210 km.
Major Breakthrough in Artificial Diamonds
The research team headed by Prof. Chen Qianwang, with the University of Science and Technology of China has achieved a major breakthrough in artificial diamonds. The team has successfully synthesized a large diamond of 250 microns with carbon dioxide as the carbon source under a temperature of 440 ℃ , realizing for the first time in the world the adverse conversion from carbon dioxide to diamonds. The result has caused a stir among the international academic communities and the natural diamond industries.
On the basis of their continuous explorations and innovations, Prof. Chen and his colleagues believed that there are rich resources of carbon dioxide and carbonate on the earth. They took into account the fact that the atmosphere within the earth is reductive, and they made the conclusion that natural diamonds may possibly be originated from carbon dioxide. The team has developed a high-pressure ax for the experiment with nontoxic carbon dioxide as the raw material and sodium the reducer. Researchers have eventually reduced the carbon dioxide into diamonds through the 12-hour chemical reactions under a temperature of 440 ℃ and a barometric level of 800. So far the experiment has grown out a diamond of 1.2 mm, with the possibility of reaching the level of precious stones. It is briefed that the artificial diamond has the fine technical repeatability as scientists have achieved the same success on other carbon sources and reducers. The result has entered PCT process.
Animal Based Human Stem Cells
The research team headed by Dr. Shen Huizhen, of Shanghai No. 2 Medical University announced recently that they have worked out human embryo stem cells by incorporating human skin stem cells in rabbit's egg cells. The findings were published in the online issue of Cell Research dated August 13, 2003. As reported by the US based Wall Street Journal, Dr. Shen and others have built their results for the treatment purpose, namely collecting the cells from the patient and cloning an embryo so as to extract stem cells and nurture them into the tissues matching with the patent's own genetic coding for the purpose of avoiding immunological rejection.
Researchers removed DNA matters from the rabbit's egg cells and transplanted human skin cells into them. These processed egg cells gradually developed into embryos containing human genetic matters. A few days later, researchers cut open these egg cells and picked out stem cells. US experts hold that once the results get confirmed by the academic community, it will mean doctors may obtain embryo stem cells from patients themselves without asking for human egg cells, and then nurture them by mutation techniques into the cells for transplanting.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Cheng Jiayi, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)68512650 Fax: (8610) 68512594
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