973 Program Harvested Achievements
Mr. XU Guanhua, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology recently expressed that China’s 973 Program for major basic research has harvested two major achievements since its birth: more original findings in the fields of cutting edge sciences and more talented scientists with remarkable accomplishments.
At the ceremony celebrating the establishment of the 3rd session of experts panel for the 973 Program on January 17, 2004, Mr. XU said that the 973 Program has found its major contributions in two areas: on the one hand, some phase progresses have been achieved in some important fields where the state has its demands. Chinese scientists have made the original findings of international implications in the fields of optic-electric crystal, diseases genome, nanometer science, cerebral science, paleontology and chemistry. As shown by the statistics on the 15 projects completed under the Program, more than 180 papers were published in the internationally renowned magazines such as Science and Nature. Personnel training on the other hand has made impressive accomplishments in the process of promoting the united strength of different disciplines and strengthening the cohesion of the researchers’ contingent. The projects completed under the Program have altogether turned out 3,314 graduates entitled with doctorate or master degrees with 370 researchers completing their post-doctorate study. From these training activities came out 3 project chief scientists and numerous new talented young and middle aged scientists.
Referring to the future activities of the 973 Program, Mr. XU expressed that the human resources shall be the core with projects being the linkage and research bases the physical bearing. The Program shall firstly advocate for the organic combination of talents, bases and projects, creating an agreeable environment for more and better talented scientists. Secondly, the Program shall strengthen the cross-disciplinary integration, exploring new approaches to organize and implement projects, creating a relaxed environment and improving the scientific evaluation and management system for innovation activities. The flippancy seeking for short term and quick results shall be overcome. The Program shall continue to encourage the combined national interests and scientists’ own interest in research activities. Lastly the Program shall relentlessly work for more international exchanges and cooperation, encouraging and supporting the scientists who have made remarkable achievements with the organizing capability and international influence to dance on the international stage.
100th Days in Orbit
As of the morning of January 24, 2004, under the painstaking care and control of the ground commanding personnel, the orbit compartment of Shenzhou V spacecraft has been running smoothly in space for 100 days. During its 1,600 round trips circling the earth, the orbit compartment had conducted required space experiments and harvested rich findings.
Launched on October 15, 2003 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the capsule of spacecraft Shenzhou V separated itself from the orbit compartment after 14 round trips around the earth and returned with China’s first astronaut Major Yang Liwei to the earth at 5:36 a.m. October 16, 2003. According to the briefing, the orbit compartment had during its 100-day flight worked properly on series space experiments including space environment monitoring, space positioning and ground observations. Chinese researchers have derived valuable findings from the data collected by the compartment. The Beijing Space Flight Control Center has sent more than 300 data lines and 1,000 commands to the compartment for orbit maintenance and flight mode modifications. All these efforts have made the complete success of onboard experiments under different flight modes possible. The control center has also managed to make the compartment to avoid the strong interference by solar storms, which ensured the smooth running of space experiments.
Ten Satellites be Launched in 2004
China Space S&T Group announced on January 14, 2004 that it will work on the launch and flight experiments of 9 rockets and 10 satellites in the year. It is disclosed that the 9 rockets and 10 satellites will be launched at three major satellite launch centers (Jiuquan, Xichang and Taiyuan) in the country. The planned launches will include the event for one rocket with dual satellites. Some other eye catching events include launching Probe-II with advanced Long-March 2C in the second quarter and Fengyun Satellite 04 with Long-March 3A in the fourth quarter.
Being a cooperation project under the dual-star earth probing program between China and the European Space Agency, the polar orbiting satellite Probe-II will join in the year its sister Probe-I that was launched at the end of 2003. The two satellites are designed to cover the important areas that have not been covered by other international earth probing satellites, studying solar activities and the physical process of hazardous earth and space weathers. Fengyun 04 will become the substitute for the previously launched Fengyun 2A and 2B, working together with Fengyun 1 that is currently running smoothly in the orbit. The development will make China’s 24-hour weather observation possible.
In the meanwhile, the Group will complete the assemble of the spacecraft Shenzhou VI and make the Long-March 2F carrier rocket ready for the launch of the second manned space flight. The Group will also kick off the full-fledged development of SinoSat II featured with large volume and long lifespan, making it ready for launch in 2005. Being a landmark space project, the moon probing effort will start to work on the prototype design and development. In addition, China will become an active part of the European Galileo Program through its involvement in launching, satellite manufacturing and ground applications.
Epidemic Probing
China has recently kicked off a program to probe new epidemic diseases. Aiming at the prevention and treatment of newly discovered epidemic diseases, the new program will focus on the methodologies and techniques for quick screening, testing, separating, identifying, tracking, prewarning, diagnosing and treating newly discovered epidemic diseases.
The Chinese Ministry of Health and the Department of Health under the General Logistics Administration under the Chinese People’s Liberation Army are the implementing agencies of the new program. The new program will mainly work on the following missions: testing the epidemic diseases newly discovered in the country and the new epidemic diseases that may possibly get into the country; testing the pathogen of new epidemic diseases; identifying and diagnosing new epidemic diseases and associated clinic diagnosis; establishing prewarning and clinic treatment for major damages to human organs possibly caused by the new epidemic diseases; and studying the natural distributions of major new epidemic diseases in the country.
The Head of the Dept. of Rural and Social Development, the MOST expressed that to strengthen the study of new epidemic diseases prevention and treatment techniques at the national level, China has launched the Study of New Epidemic Diseases Prevention and Treatment and Associated Applications. He added that the international community is facing the serous threat of new epidemic diseases. Some new epidemic diseases have found their way into China with some others threatening to invade China. As a result, new epidemic diseases have become a major public health problem in the world. The MOST has made the Study of New Epidemic Diseases Prevention and Treatment and Associated Applications a major project under the National Key Technology Program under the 10th Five-year Plan(2001-2005). With a planned budget of RMB 60 million, the project is expected to address the key technical solutions for new epidemic diseases prevention and treatment.
Advanced High-End IC
The proprietary Hanxin II (24-digit) and Hanxin III (32-digit) DSP chips developed by the Shanghai Jiaotong University have recently made their successive debut. The two new digital signal processor chips have reached the international level for high-end product with its high speed and low consumption. It is reported that the Hanxin II has a 24-digit high performance IP core made of the superconductor at only 0.18 micron, capable for a calculation speed of 150 million times per second at 150 MHz. The Hanxin III has geared to a work frequency of 300Mhz, exceeding the design target for 200 MHz defined by the National 863 Program. The new chip is able to work at a speed of 600 million times per second with a low average power consumption of only 0.3mW/MHz, also lower than the criteria set by the 863 Program. The Hanxin III is expected to find extensive applications in numerous fields including data telecommunication, digital products, fingerprint identification, graphic identification and networking.
The Hanxin II has been directly used by the internationally renowned system IC chip designers in their products. While looking for the cooperation with the manufacturers both at home and abroad, the Hanxin III has applied for 6 patents including the technology for the pre-reading and writing hardware at the register.
Protein: a Dynamic Source
Why the biological clock hidden in man’s brain can work day and night without rest? That is because the protein working there does not sleep during the night. Scientists of the Institute of Neurology, Shanghai Academy of Life Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have recently discovered the new functions of this “night cat”. The finding was published in the internationally renowned Journal of US National Academy of Sciences on January 15, 2004.
The “night cat” has a name called HCN, a special protein controlling the coming and going sodium and potassium ions in pacemaker cells. Being the dynamic source of the biological clock, HCN works just like a battery with its cell membrane as the anode and its interior the cathode. Cells rest at a relatively stable electric pressure when they do not work. However, the pressure level may float when they start to work, producing the instant electric pulse. In terms of the “biological clock”, HCN is responsible for wakening up the cells who are at rest to produce electric pulse.
The discovery constitutes another major development after the discovery of HCN gene by US and German scientists in 1998. The discovery could become a new clue for designing the medicines to regulate sleep and heart pace making.
Computer Theory Popularized
It has taken 6 years for Mr. LIAO Zhaocun, a Chinese young scientist who firstly proposed the cyber non-linear file theory in the wosld, to get his theory improved to work out his current ScienceWord 3.0 version. Being the first software in the world dedicated to S&T literature processing, ScienceWord 3.0 and its control program ScienceWord Embedded have found the popular diffusions in more than 21 countries and regions including China and US.
The verification check organized by the Chinese Ministry of Education has concluded that Mr. LIAO has innovatively defined S&T literatures the non-linear files and demonstrated the relationship between expression logics and mathematic logics in his
ScienceWord. The development has found the fundamental solution to the organic combination of word flow and mathematic formula.
On the basis of the word processing techniques developed in the last decade, Mr. LIAO Zhaocun, President of Beijing Xinghuo Liaoyuan Software Co. and chief designer of ScienceWord proposed the world first cyber non-linear file theory in 1998. He worked out the world first non-linear file composing software ScienceWord 3.0 on October 2002 in collaboration with young software developers Drs. LI Tiezhu and Tang Hu of Tsinghua University. The 3.1 version of ScienceWord came into being on September 2003 which further perfected the cyber non-linear file theory. The result had passed the verification check organized by the Chinese Ministry of Education on April 2003. Being listed a major software endeavor under the National 863 Program, the project has officially been launched.
It is explained that ScienceWord is able to work on words, scientific formulas, curves and logic charts in a mixed manner and complete the composition of words, formulas and graphics simultaneously. The new technique has greatly facilitated the processing of science and education literatures. In addition to being a powerful tool for compiling scientific papers, publishing science literatures, constructing digital library and conducting online education, the software has made the internet based transmission and searching of S&T literatures possible.
5,200 Medical Herbs Collected
The project of“the collection, consolidation and preservation of medical herb and traditional medicine specimens” had passed on January 18, 2004 the verification check of the expert panel organized by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. Being a national basic research project chaired by the scientists of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Medicines, the project has collected, screened and identified 4,189 waxed specimens of medical herbs and ethnic medicines and 1,050 specimens of medicinal materials, including 810 waxed specimens of ethnic medicines and 192 specimens of ethnic medicinal materials.
Scientists have unified the coding of these specimens based on the standard national coding system for plant medicines and published the Collection of Illustrative Pictures of Traditional Medical Herbs and Ethnic Medicinal Materials. In the meanwhile, the project has created the database for the waxed specimens and medicinal materials, a desirable service platform for sharing the specimen resources.
Beijing’s International Digital Park
Zhongshilian International Digital Industrial Park, the largest of its kind in the country, laid its foundation on January 17, 2004 in the Beijing Economic and Technical Development Zone. Scheduled with a construction period for 3 years and planned for a total investment exceeding RMB 1 billion, the Park will have a floor space of 230,000 m2 on a piece of land of 158,800 m2. Of the structures to be built, 130,000 m2 will be devoted to digital and high tech projects with the voluminocity at 1 and green area over 40%.
In addition to the existing industrial parks in the area such as Shangdi Information Industrial Base and Fengtai Headquarters Base. the new international digital park will make more alternatives available for high tech businesses to select. The new park will attract the flow-in of high-tech businesses, especially digital TV manufacturers and research institutions through preferential policies, agreeable investment climate, better pricing, better service and beautiful environment.
Fish 100 Million Years Ago Found
A rare fish fossil was recently unearthed in Weijialou Village of Henshan County, Shaan’xi Province. The testing result has confirmed that the fish in the fossil is the one that appeared about 100 million years ago. Experts said the fossil could be valuable in unveiling the geological evolution of the northern section of Shaan’xi Province.
Discovered accidentally by several farmers at a stone pit, the fish fossil has a size 23 cm long and 7 cm wide with a head in oval shape and scales vividly seen under the sunshine.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)68512650 Fax: (8610) 68512594
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