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No.330

 
 
 


CHINA  SCIENCE  AND  TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China


N0.330 May 10,2003
 
IN THIS ISSUE

* Accentuated IP Management

* More Progress for the Digital Human Body

* World Advanced New Corn Species

* Vaccination against Locoism

* China's New Liquid Pump

* China-US Joint Combat Against SARS

* Infrared Temperature Sensor for SARS

 
 SPECIAL ISSUES

Accentuated IP Management

Implementing the patent strategy and strengthening S&T innovation based intellectual property activities constitutes one of the three major strategies to be accomplished by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology during the 10th five-year plan period(2001-2005). To realize the patent strategy in S&T projects, the Ministry has recently promulgated the Regulations on Strengthening IP Management of National S&T Projects, in which explicit and detailed provisions have been made on IP management of national S&T projects.

The Regulations stress the purpose of implementing the patent strategy in national S&T projects, strengthening associated IP management. They will greatly increase the IP output of national S&T projects so as to make IP an important component of S&T management. Further, they will also realize the guiding and legal roles of the IP system in protecting S&T results derived from S&T innovative activities.

China has, following the implementation of its S&T projects, formed a well-established planning and management contingent made of S&T management personnel and experts. The structure allows a three-tiered management structure from S&T administrative management allowing the agencies partial authorization for managing and organizing the implementation of S&T projects and to work with project contractors. The IP awareness and management of these organizations and their staff has direct impact on the IP output of national S&T projects. In this context, the Regulations have made respective provisions on IP obligations and responsibilities of the above mentioned three-tiered structures and their staff, and assigned detailed tasks and responsible personnel. To the S&T administrative authorities and S&T planning and management agency under the new authorization, their IP management responsibilities have been re-defined as updating and perfecting S&T planning and management systems and strengthening objective oriented IP management. Responsibilities include organizing strategic IP investigations in the major fields of well-defined technical indicators; responsible for routine supervision of project based IP management; and supporting the construction of IP information platform and associated training. In addition, the Regulations provides that S&T project contractors will establish their own IP management system with dedicated personnel and budget for IP management and protection. S&T project contractors will be obliged to designate IP coordinators for application projects. The Regulations also provides that all these will become the conditions necessary for passing through the project application approval. The Regulations have outlined detailed requirements and guidance for the IP management of project contractors.

The creation of the Regulations has strengthened objective-based IP management in different links of national S&T projects. The Regulations stress that S&T planning and management will take full advantage of the IP system roles so as to “fully implement the patent strategy in the course of application, approval, implementation, verification and supervision of national S&T projects.” This will allow dynamic IP management in the full course of S&T project implementation with corresponding requirements tailored to different features of different phases.

 
 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

More Progress for the Digital Human Body

No.3 Chinese Military Medical School has recently completed the data collection for its new visual human body database. The new database is sourced from a young man, aged 21 with a height of 182 cm and weight 66 kilograms, who died of no disease.

It is reported that the visual human body data collected from the corpse is featured with large quantity and high accuracy. The efforts have resulted in major quantitative breakthroughs in the following five aspects: 1) the total amount of specimen slices has reached 18,200 pieces, showing a quantitative improvement against several thousand pieces reported previously both at home and abroad; 2) the thickness of the slices has been reduced from the previously reported 0.2 mm to 0.1 mm; 3) the resolution of digital section imaging has advanced to 11 million pixels from the previous million pixel level; 4) a higher blood vessel marking accuracy by 2 or 3 times that previously reported with crystal clear pictures of blood vessels of a diameter only 0.2 mm; and 5) the total data volume has drastically increased from 100 GB level to the current 1143 GB with each section image at 62.8 MB.

The completed digital-visual-human-body-database is the largest and most accurate one reflecting the details of the human body so far collected in the world. It will provide more complete and more accurate data for the study of the human body. The new development has marked China's fast progress in digital visual-human-body studies and its unique world leading research capacity in several aspects of the field.

World Advanced New Corn Species

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Hebei Wanquan Seeds Company have jointly bred a fine protein rich corn species called Zhongdan 9409 possessing  fine quality, high yield and rich nutrition.

It is reported that while working on yield improvement, researchers were able to introduce a relevant gene into the corn to improve the corn's protein quality by increasing the lysine and tryptophan content in the protein. As a result, the lysine and tryptophan content of the new species has doubled that of regular corn species with a 8%-15% yield increase.

In collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wanquan Seeds Company has developed a dozen fine protein rich corn species including Zhongdan 9409. Meanwhile, the Company has, in view of different ecological considerations, established an experimental base network made up of 36 demonstration sites and 41 supporting stations throughout the nation. So far the new species have grown in an area of 300,000 or more mu(1mu=0.0667ha.) in 58 counties and cities of 11 provinces and municipalities such as Henan, Shaan'xi and Shandong. Wanquan County itself has become a national base for fine quality corns under the National Seeds Project and National Harvest Program.

World Advanced Microseismic Technique

Research results on industrial environmental tremors and their impact on cultural relics and associated regulations accomplished by No.5 Design Institute of Chinese Weaponry Industry have recently passed evaluation checks organized by the Chinese Ministry of Urban Construction.

A national high tech application endeavor, the project has, in the past three years, made extensive measurement, analysis and research of ancient architectural structures built in different times and of different styles. The researchers involved with the project have traveled 20,000 km to make field measurement of 22 dynamic features of ancient buildings. The have collected 2,600 and more time-history curves and also have gathered plastic wave attenuation samples from different tremor sources such as trucks and buses in different soil layers. Through processing, analyzing and consolidating the data collected from cultural relics, researchers have made a combined study of the industrial tremor theory. This includes dynamic features of ancient architectures, module analysis, pressure bearing status of structures, interactions between tremor and the structures of ancient architectural structures, control standards for allowed tremor, and wave theory. They have worked out solutions to the key technologies for tremor insulation and prevention.

Vaccination against Locoism

On the basis of their 15-year painstaking efforts, the researchers of Shaan'xi Yangling Danong Biological Technology Co. Ltd. have developed its proprietary coloism vaccination injection applicable to both oxen and sheep. Being the first of its kind in the world, the vaccine has become the first killer of locoweeds torturing pastures. The stock injected with the vaccine is able to gain weight after eating locoweeds without being hurt.

It is reported that in its one-year diffusion of the vaccine over some pasturelands in Qinghai and Inner Mongolia where locoweeds are rampant, no locoweed-related poisoning occurred. On the contrary, the vaccinated stock gained weight and gave birth to more lambs. The indirect hemagglutination and ELISA testing has shown that the vaccination has protection efficiency of 88% or above.

Jointly financed by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation and Sweden International Science Funds, the project passed its results evaluation in 2001. With further financing by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, its pilot study has harvested breakthrough progress and its phase results recently passed the experts' evaluation organized by the Department of Science and Technology of Shaan'xi Province.

China's New Liquid Pump

A new internationally advanced level liquid pump developed by Gansu-based Top Pump Co. Ltd. has recently passed its verification check. Compared to centrifugal dominated conventional water pumps, the new pump has numerous qualities such as smaller size, lighter weight, higher efficiency, a more flexible dynamic process, better energy efficiency, smaller pumping fluctuations, lower manufacturing costs, and wider applications.

In recent years, the company has, on the basis of prevailing domestic and international pump design studies and other disciplinary theories on fluid dynamics, normal dynamics, frictions and new materials, gradually established and updated its new top pump theory, namely “under certain conditions, the pump shall be able to continuously expand its input volume while compressing its output volume without pulse movement of its flow”. As a result, they have developed a new top pump with the inner barrel of special curves, elastic blockading and a rotor of piston-like vanes, and associated manufacturing techniques.

The new pump can be used to carry varieties of fluids such as water, gas, oil, and chemical fluids. Having addressed some of the difficult technical problems encountered in the field, the new high-tech top pump can be further made into different dynamic models with extended applications and specifications for different sectors, including farming irrigation, oil fields and chemicals. It will gradually become part of a new industry with advanced technologies.

NEW BRIEFS

 

No.2 Nuclear Reactor Called Success

No.2 Generation Reactor of Phase III Qinshan Nuclear Power Station has recently made a successful critical experiment - 51 days in advance of its schedule. The development has turned on the green light for the generation reactor, making it into an officially controllable self-maintaining nuclear chain reaction station. This makes a fine base for lower power physical experiments, grid power generation, and power upgrading in the next phase.

During the period from April 14 to 16, 2003, the National Nuclear Safety Administration conducted nuclear safety checks before launching its first critical experiment for the reactor. It is stated that the nuclear reactor is actually a self-maintaining chain fission furnace capable of turning nuclear energy into thermal power. The critical experiment of the nuclear reactor is an integrated process to prove the physical properties of the reactor, evaluate its performance, and ensure that it meets the designed requirements.

China-US Joint Combat Against SARS

The China-US SARS Prevention Seminar was held in Beijing on May 5, 2003. Both Chinese and US officials and experts, including Li Xueyong, Chinese Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, Huang Jiefu, Vice-Minister of Health, Chen Zhu, Vice President of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mr. Dan Morris, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, the US Embassy in Beijing, and Profs.  Lipkin and Briese, both are renowned US virologist ,were present.

The participants exchanged information on SARS prevention and associated studies in China, which made US officials and experts have a clearer picture of what is urgently needed in any current SARS study. The participants discussed the possibilities for collaborations between the two sides to jointly work out effective approaches for SARS prevention and treatment as soon as possible. The seminar also discussed other related issues such as pathogen separation, sequencing of bio-information and PCR testing technique, among other areas.

The US expert's panel attended the Seminar at the invitation of Xu Guanhua, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology. It is believed that the Seminar will contribute positively to promoting the collaboration between the scientists of the two nations in the study of SARS and in finding out effective approaches leading to the final conquering of the SARS disease.

Infrared Temperature Sensor for SARS

Shanghai Institute of Technology and Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently invented an infrared temperature sensor capable of determining a human's body temperature without physical contact. It is reported that the new temperature sensor will find wide and easy applications in public places, such as railway stations, airports and harbors, to curb the spread of the SARS disease. On May 4, 2003, the Institute donated ten units of infrared temperature sensors to Shanghai Commanding Center of SARS Prevention. The sensors will be installed at the intersections of ten major highways entering the city to speed up the temperature checking process of incoming population.

It is explained that the new temperature sensor has been designed to determine the human body's temperature by receiving electromagnetic and infrared rays radiated from the human body. Equipped with a highly sensitive infrared sounding device and an integrated optic information processing technology, the new sensor is able to convert the temperature collected through infrared optic lens into signals for further temperature readouts. Compared to conventional thermometers, the new temperature sensor is able to prevent cross-infection in the temperature checking process, and it is easy to produce for mass production and applications with greatly improved efficiency.

Campus Space Research Center Established

Shanghai Jiaotong University recently announced the establishment of the Space Science and Technology Center over its premises. With Dr. Ding Zhaozhong, a Noble Prize winner as its honorable Director, the Center will become a full functional part of AMS joint international space experiment project.

Being a large international scientific cooperation research project headed by Dr. Ding, AMS is the only large scientific experiment conducted at the international space station. The project has been looking for the cosmos made up of anti-matters and dark matters in the cosmos through measuring high energy photons, charged particles and nucleus. The project is also working on other major puzzles in space physics, particle physics and cosmic theories. Shanghai Jiaotong University will contribute its expertise to work on basic physics and superconductor magnetic iron cooling control system as well as independent development of AMS ground supporting system.


       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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