CAS Senior Seminar on Physics Forward
Issues in New Century
Chinese renowned physicists and young scholars who have made outstanding achievements in cutting edge physics gathered in Beijing to discuss physics issues in new century at a high-level seminar held on October 8, 1999.
To brief the latest hot topics and the development trend of international physics and discuss some difficult issues unsolved in this century and some challenges facing physics in the next century, over 80 physicists delivered their academic lectures on the 4-day seminar. Scientists also discussed the important role of China's physics studies in its national economic development.
Peng Huanwu, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, was invited to deliver his key note lecture on one meeting, introducing to his younger colleagues several major academic thoughts on quantum field, fusion energy and theoretical biological physics which have been consider for years in his mind.
It is reported that the rest of key-note speakers are mostly the winners of National S&R Fundation for Young Talents, “Hundred Talents Program” of CAS, and “Yangtze River Project”.
Sponsored by 13 research institutions including Institute of Physics and Institute of High Energy Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Nanking University and etc, the seminar covered a variety of topics from high energy physics and nuclear physics to different levels of astrophysics and cosmology.
China's First Technology Transfer
of Satellite Controlling
Before October 1st, China's National Day, a satellite controlling
technology for monitoring China-Brazil resources satellite had passed the scrutiny and approval of Brazilian experts at China's Xi'an Satellite Control Center. This is the first time for China to export its proven satellite controlling technology to foreign countries, which marked the greatly improved maturity of China's satellite controlling technologies and the leading place in the international market.
The said resource satellite was jointly developed by China and Brazil to detect earth resources. Equipped with triaxial stabilization and sophisticated observing and controlling systems, the satellite is used for observing and monitoring land resources, forest reserves, crop growth and yield and natural and man-made disasters, underground resources, resources exploitation, space environment and providing data for scientific research.The satellite launched in October, 1999, with Chinese made Long-march 4b series rocket at Taiyuan launching pad.
The satellite monitoring techniques transferred to Brazilian National Space Research Center include high fidelity satellite simulator, software producing satellite flight plan and etc., developed independently by Xi'an Satellite Control Center in accordance with international standard. In addition, the Center will provide relevant satellite operation manual to Brazilian side and training courses to Brazilian technicians who will be able to use the software.
Top World Invention Prize for S-shaped Bellows
S-shaped multi-tiered metal bellow compensator, developed by Beijing Nanmo Bellow Co. Ltd., in accordance with US EJMA standard and GB/T12777 standard has been honored with top golden prize at 99' Noble World Invention Fair for its outstanding quality and five unique techniques.
Expert appraisal panel reached the conclusion that the contribution of S-shaped bellows is to push bellow manufacturing techniques to a new era. Mr. Ma Enqiang, General Manager of Beijing Nanmo and the inventor, was conferred with the title of "World Successful S&T Scholar” by World Academy of Sciences and entitled with “contribution to the nation" by joint selection commission of international honors of EU. In addition, US Edison Invention Center has proved the transfer of the said technology into US with its golden certificate. The result was also confirmed by ATTI.
Metal bellows are widely used in engineering pipe system transporting heat, oil, natural gas, coal gas and chemicals. Each year China needs bellow products worth of more than RMB 1 billion. Beijing alone will consume the bellows worth of RMB 100 million and more. Bellows used in some important fields had to be imported in our country in the past. At present, bellows produced by manufacturers both at home and abroad are U-shaped. S-shaped
bellow is the first of its kind in the world.
The Smallest Helicopter in World
Developed by Shanghai Jiaotong University, a mini helicopter which is able to take off and land on a spot of only two peanuts size, made its debut in Shanghai. Being the smallest and lightest helicopter in the world, the dual-propeller flying machine has a length of only 18 mm, height of 5 mm and weight of 100 mm. When
the rotation speed reaches 21,000 per second, the helicopter body will be trembling up into the air.
A year ago, a German company announced the birth of then world smallest helicopter at that time with a length of 24mm, height of 8 mm and weight of 400 mm.
As briefed by researchers, the smaller the length and the lighter the weight of the helicopter, the wider applications it can find. Manufacturing mini helicopter has covered high technologies in a variety of fields such as special materials, mini mechanical processing, electronics, air dynamics and others and is of great difficulty.
China's Mini Matrix Genetic Chips
The socalled research on the development and application of genetic chips has recently passed the experts verification and approval organized by Shanghai Municipal Government. Experts concerned said this recorded the first in the country and has reached internationally advanced level.
Giving a penetrating view of people's health through a genetic chip of several square centimeters and one human cell is a sophisticated biotechnology emerged in the late 1990s. With the expertise support of Institute of Life Science, Fudan University, it only took half a year for Shanghai Bodao Genetic Technology Ltd. Co. to creat genetic chip manufacturing and analyzing techniques with glass panel as the carrier and dual fluorescence for examining. It solved two major issues of sensitivity and high density encountered in genetic chip manufacturing and examining. The maximum density of the chip produced by Bodao may reach 30,000 spots per chip (6 cm2). Only tiny amount of sample is needed to be the probe. Each spot only needs 0.1 nanogram (one millionth of a gram) DNA sample. Thanks to the solutions, the genetic chips produced have become more sensitive, faster and less expensive. It will find extensive application soon.
In the meanwhile of developing genetic chip manufacturing technologies, Bodao has successfully developed and industrialized the production of diseases diagnosing genetic chips. At present, Bodao has created, for the first time in the country, chips of 8000 spots containing 4000 kinds of full length new genes for genetic expression studies. The said chips have successfully screened out more than 400 new genes related to human growth
and tumor growth. Meanwhile, it has for the first time developed
hepatitis C genetic chip for clinic diagnosis.
Two-D Coding Technology
To match up with the latest two-D coding technology advanced in the world and find its applications in China's modernization construction, Zhongan Electronics Ltd. Co. of Fujian New Continent Group recently lifted the curtain for its two-D coding technology demonstrations.
The socalled two-D coding technology is the latest development created on the basis of one dimensional coding applications. In addition to the simple identification function of one-D coding, two-D coding has made data document carrying other information possible. The document it creates will have digital information of pictures, fingerprints, signature, voices and words. With the help of corresponding reading devices, two-D codes can be transferred into readable information. At present, developed countries have found extensive applications of two-D coding technology in preparing identification cards and data containing documents for national defense, public security, traffic and transportation, medical treatment and health care, industry, commerce, customs and government administration.
To promote practical applications of two-D coding technology, Zhongan has devoted to the development of two-D application technologies and associate readers. Up to date, Zhongan has developed application systems for fake identification and self containing data. It also successfully developed different kinds of sample machines, especially the palm sized two-D coding readers, which has not only filled in the domestic blank in this area but also made itself among the rank of the international advanced. Its products will be soon seen in the market.
China's Genetic Rice into Field
China has applauded for its breakthrough progress in applied studies of trans-genetic rice by growing its world-first trans-genetic rice in extensive paddy fields, which has paved the way for the industrialization.
As briefed by Huang Danian, a research fellow of Genetic Study Group, Chinese Institute of Paddy Rice Research, improving rice quality and yield with genetic means has long been a world-wide concern. Fake hybrids and weeds grown in the field have seriously affected the quality and yield of hybrid paddy rice. At present, China has more than 2.5 billion mu(1mu=0.0667 ha.) of paddy field grown with hybrid rice, half of the total paddy rice grown in the country. To raise the crop growing up to a new stage, breeding high quality and yield species and improving the purity of seeds are the only way.
Started from 1996, the group has introduced pesticide genes into hybrid rice breedings. As a result, the trans-genetic rice breedings they produced have not only maintained original properties but also started to carry new genetic impacts of anti-pesticide genes. Thanks to the new properties, pesticide can be applied to wipe out all fake hybrids and weeds with 100% of pure hybrid rice left. The result have created a fast, accurate,
simple and reliable purification approach which is proven to be over 30 times more effective than that of the conventional one. Warmly welcomed by farmers for its astonishing effects, the result was placed in the first of top ten China's S&T achievements in 1997.
Since last year scientists have introduced pesticide genes into more than 40 rice species and screened out the fine combinations of reliable anti-pesticide and growing properties. New breedings were grown in a number of field demonstration areas in Zhejiang Province and have reached the level of practical applications.
In the meanwhile, scientists have studied and evaluated the issue of industrialization of trans-genetic rice. Nutritional elements analysis has shown that like their non-genetic sisters, trans-genetic rice presents no toxicants, harm nor adverse effects on animal's growth and development. In the same context, the anti-pesticide genes of trans-genetic rice will not cause the transfer to weeds. All these efforts have made fine preparations
for industrialization of trans-genetic rice.
18 μm Copper Foil Manufacturing Technique
Successfully developed by Huizhou United Copper Foil Ltd. Co., 18 μm copper foil manufacturing technique, one of the projects under the national "863 program", has passed the approval of national new products & technology verification. This earmarks China's level in the area reaching the internationally advanced. The said technological breakthrough is of great importance to China's independent development in high tech fields such as computer, aviation and space.
Nicknamed as printed circuit copper foil and being an important component in high tech field such as computer, telecommunication, aviation and space, 18 μm copper foil has a thickness of only one fourth of a single hair.
Thanks to its 6-year arduous efforts, United Copper Foil Company has eventually turned out high grade copper foil applicable for printed circuits. Now it has gone into steady mass production of the said products in line with the national standard and client requirement.
It is reported that United Copper Foil Company has completed the industrialization of its S&T results with the rate of the localization of its major manufacturing technology reaching 91% and an open ended annual capacity for 600 tons of copper foil and more.
Six New Nucleins Synthesized
Chinese scientists have recently successfully synthesized 6 new nucleins that only have a half-life period of about 1 second on an experimental basis. They also created the decay modes for 5 of them. In addition, they for the first time observed extended proton decay of a nuclein. The said development demonstrated China's advanced position in the field of international radiation studies of proton nuclein of light rare earth.
The research team headed by Xu Shuwei, research fellow of Lanzhou Institute of Contemporary Physics, have identified Nd-125, Pm-128, Sm-129, Gd-137, Dy-139 and Tb-139 with new approaches and measured their respective half-life periods.
Scientists have also observed unusual extended proton decay of the former 5 nucliens and preliminarily identified their ground spinning and parity, which further provided indirect experimental evidence for large shape variations of these nucleins. They created decay modes for five of the six nucleins and observed the extended proton decay mode of Ru-89 that people only know about its existence but not any of its properties.
Script reader of American Physics Review believed that this is an
eye-catching achievement made in the area difficult to approach and also a major progress in radiation studies of light rare earth.
Five New Dinosaur Fossils in China
Following a 10-M-long large dinosaur fossil discovered on July 28, 1999, at least 5 others have been discovered near a brick mill at Zhongshan Village, Chengguan Township, Pingba County, Guizhou Province.
It is briefed that upon the completion of unearthing the first dinosaur fossil, archaeologists discovered several backbone fossils of color and geographic levels different from that of the first one in an area 30m away from the first excavation pit. Archasologists predicted there might be some other dinosaur fossils. Therefore,an expansion were made for another 80 m2. The large number of dinosaur fossils discovered have shown that they belong to at least 5 other dinosaur individuals dated back to terrestrial Saurischia dinosaur grown in urassiv Period of 160 million years ago.
Recently people have found dinosaur fossils belonging to another individual 2 meters away from the second excavation pit and named it the third.
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