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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION |
Tripartite Cooperation on Digitized Visible Human
On January 20, 2003, scientists from China, USA and South Korea jointly signed an agreement on the joint study of digitized visible human. The officials from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation expressed that the agreement was of strategic importance to promoting China's study on DVH and advancing China's international position in the field.
At the international workshop on DVH, chief scientists from the three countries, who have completed their DVH databases, Prof. Zhang Shaoxiang, Prof. V.M.Spitzer and Dr. M.S. Chunt made their respective presentation on DVH studies in their own countries. On the basis of their academic exchanges the three parties reached an agreement on approaches and operating mechanism in their future cooperation. More than 140 experts from USA, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macao and China mainland discussed the issues related to the future development strategies of DVH studies.
Up to date, there have been only three countries in the world who have completed DVH databases. The study team headed by Prof. V.M.Spitzer of Colorado University completed the world first DVH database in 1994. The team chaired by Dr. M.S. Chung of South Korean Asian University obtained Korea's DVH database in 2001. On the basis of their three-year hard work, the study team headed by Prof. Zhang Shaoxiang of China No. 3 Military Medical School eventually worked out China's first DVH database in October 2002.
China-Britain Tap Up Life Science Resources
It was reported at the second China-Britain bilateral workshop on e-Science and biological information that was closed recently that Chinese and British scientists have achieved major progress in tapping up life science data resources and creating platforms for data digging, knowledge finding and analysis.
The so-called e-Science constitutes the second generation Internet based platform for sharing scientific resources. The mechanism will be mainly used to allow scientists to have more convenient and extensive access to the increasingly enhanced large-scale computation and storage capacity and the support of scientific instruments, promoting more frequent and convenient international scientific cooperation. The Chinese Ministry of Sciences has made available a fund of RMB 100 million to support Chinese scientists to start their study in the field of life sciences. In a short period of less than one year, China has created 11 e-Science network connecting points in Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Hong Kong and other places respectively. Both Chinese and British scientists have applauded the breakthrough progresses thus achieved in tapping up life science data resources and creating the sharing platform for data digging, knowledge finding and analysis and both parities have obtained scientific data they needed from the other party's database.
Substantive Progress on Vertebrate Origin
Chinese scientists have concluded through their study that Haikou Fish discovered in China is the oldest vertebrate animal thus far known to the world. Chinese scientists have confirmed the fact by careful study on the vertebrate and head structures of Haikou Fish fossil dated back to 530 million years ago, which landed a substantive breakthrough in vertebrate origin studies.
In British journal Nature published on January 30, 2003, Prof. Shu Degan of the Northwest University and Chinese Geology University and his counterparts from UK, France and Japan introduced this important finding. Entitled “Vertebrate and Head Structures of Haikou Fish, a Vertebrate in Earlier Cambrian Period”, the paper presents a detailed description of the features of vertebrate and head structures of Haikou Fish, and provides the latest evidence for concluding that Haikou Fish is the oldest vertebrate animal known to the world.
It is briefed that this is the 7th paper published by Nature on the series findings of Prof. Shu and others on their study of deuterostome in the Cambrian life explosion.
China became Part of EU S&T Framework
The meeting kicking off the 6th EU S&T Framework Program sponsored by the European Union was held in Brussels, Belgium at the end of 2002. The unprecedented grand meeting since its foundation attracted 8500 participants from 65 countries. The gathering was made up of a series of events such as conference, 19 topic oriented meetings, 81 workshops and project presentations and the 142-vendor exhibition.
The Chinese delegation headed by Ma Songde, Vice Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology attended the gathering with the missions of demonstrating China’s S&T advancement and capacity and China-EU cooperation potentials before EU countries, improving the understanding of the contents and participation rules of the 6th EU S&T Framework and promoting China-EU cooperation under the program. During the visit, the Chinese delegation successfully organized the workshop on Chinese topics and established the China Vendor, through which China’s S&T development strategies, knowledge based innovation projects, high tech R&D programs and achievements and future potentials for the cooperation between China and Europe were presented before the participants. The delegation has taken full advantage of this gathering to make extensive and fruitful exchanges with the participants from other countries, seeking cooperative partners and holding cooperation talks on the cutting point of both parties cooperation and worked out concrete cooperation proposals.
Environmental Protection Award Unveiled
Mr. Clini, Director of International Affairs, Italian Ministry of Environment and Territories and Mr. Chen Qingnian, Head of the Chinese Working Group on Ozone Layer Protection of the World Bank were unveiled to be the winners of International Cooperation Award for Environmental Protection. Mr. Clini is one of the major sponsors of China-Italy Environmental Protection Program. Under his active promotion, the program has worked on cutting edge issues such as biodiversity protection, ozone layer depletion substance reduction, sustainable organic pollutants reduction and substitution and world climate changes, and become one of the most active bilateral cooperation activities between the wo countries. The Chinese Working Group on Ozone Layer Protection of the World Bank headed by Mr. Chen, has provided valuable assistance in creating China’s national office for ozone layer protection and enhancing China’s capacity for implementing Montreal Protocol and rendered major contributions to China’s smooth fulfillment of its commitments to the Protocol. Founded in 2002 and aiming at honoring international figures who have made outstanding contributions to China’s environmental protection activities, the International Cooperation Award for Environmental Protection selects its winners every two years.
Improved Nanometer Nitrification
The study team headed by Dr. Lu Ke, Shenyang National Joint Lab of the Institute of Material Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has landed a major progress on the surface nitrification applications with metal surface nanometer technology. The finding was published in the international authority journal Sciences on January 31, 2003.
The new technology jointly proposed by the study team and its French collaborator Prof., Lv Jian has found successful applications in a number of metals and engineering alloys. The technology is not only able to greatly improve block materials’ surface performances such as surface hardness, wear resistance and fatigue resistance etc., but also able to remarkably enhance their chemical reaction activity through their surface nanometer tissues, which can make the surface chemical treatment temperature going down possible. Scientists treated a pure iron with surface nanometer technology and obtained nanometer crystal tissues from the surface layer with a thickness of several dozen microns. Then they placed the pure iron into regular gas nitrification process under a constant temperature of 300℃ Nine hours later they obtained a nitrification layer of 10 microns thick through surface nitrification. Under the comparison, the untreated pure iron has shown no forming of nitrification matter in the same condition. The performance testing results have shown that the nitrification layer formed under 300℃ is of greatly enhanced hardness, wear resistance and erosion resistance. The testing results have also indicated that surface nitrification temperature can be greatly reduced by taking advantage of surface nanometer technology, which means that the scope of materials and working pieces desired for surface nitrification technology can thus be greatly expanded. In the meantime, it shows that surface nanometer technology can be used to realize the selective chemical reaction over material surface structures. Their finding has demonstrated another important aspect of nanometer technology in technology upgrading for traditional industries.
Space Microwave Remote Sensor in
Shenzhou IV Works Well
The orbiter of China’s Shenzhou IV spacecraft is currently remaining working in the space. Its on-board multiple diaphragm microwave remoter sensor sends back every day to the ground station the prospecting data it collects on sea, land and atmosphere. To test the accuracy of these space data, Chinese scientists have recently for the first time made synchronous observations in a prescribed area over the South China Sea and obtained the first hand data for space and ground observation comparison.
It is reported that the National Satellite Marine
Application Center receives the data from Shenzhou IV’s on-board microwave remote sensor every day. The sea surface data chart collected from the South China Sea has shown the basic agreement with the data collected by the orbiter when it passed over the same marine area.
It is briefed that Chinese scientists are planning to repeat four other similar comparison observations over the same marine area. When the testing is completed, Chinese scientists will make an integrated analysis of the observation data collected from the 5 comparison observations. If the results show an agreeable match between the two sets of observation data, it will mean that the multiple diaphragm microwave remoter sensor is able to find its applications in marine satellite observation and play its role in marine environmental monitoring and forecasting, marine resources development and marine management activities.
Malgaigne’s Triangle Insect and Soft Insect Fossils Discovered in China
Prof. Zhao Yuanlong of Guizhou Polytechnic University has recently discovered Malgaigne’s triangle insect and soft insect fossils in the biological community embedded in the Quarries of Taijiang, Guizhou Province. The said two fossils are the most important parts of Burgess shale biological community. Before this, the fossils were discovered only in Canada.
The said finding has been another major progress made on Quarry biological communities studies since the world renowned discovery of vertebrate and arthropod fossils in the biological communities of Chengjiang, Yunnan.
The discovery of Malgaigne’s triangle insect fossils has extended the geological age forming the Malgaigne’s triangle insect to earlier Cambrian Period, which means that it could originate from Taijiang, Guizhou and further migrate to Canada in the middle Cambrian Period.
Malgaigne’s triangle insect together with Burgess shale biological community and Chengjiang biological community constituted a new picture on the Quarrry biological community. In the new picture, the Quarry biological community has played an irreplaceable bridging role in the evolution process from Chenjiang biological community to Burgess shale biological community.
China's Hybrid Soybean
On the basis of their two-decade painstaking efforts, the study team headed by Sun Huan , a research fellow of Jilin Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences have eventually worked out hybrid soybeans.
The team started their exploratory study of soybean hybridizing in 1983. They worked out the world first proprietary soybean sterile line with cytoplasm and nucleus interactions through hybridizing the species of distant ties in China's rich wild soybean resources. So far the key processes for making hybrid soybeans developed by the team have been granted with the Chinese patent and the US patent in 2001 and 2002 respectively, though the team are now in the process of applying for the patent in 20 and more other countries. The extensive experiments made in Jilin Province have demonstrated that the hybrid soybeans may produce a yield 20% higher than those of major local species.
In the meantime, the team has landed breakthroughs in seed bearing techniques by taking advantage of leaf cutting bee pollination and advanced the bean bearing rate to 70% and above, enjoying the per hectare yield of 1000 kilos.
Under the strong support of relevant state authorities and Jilin provincial government, the soybean hybridizing project has been listed in the nation's major S&T programs such as 863 Program, 973 Program, National Key Technology Development Program and National Natural Science Foundation respectively. Thanks to their many-year efforts, the team have obtained breakthroughs in insects pollination techniques and worked out hybrid soybeans. On January 15, 2003, their findings passed the verification and evaluation checks organized by Jilin Provincial Committee on Agricultural Crop Species.
Active Polysaccharose Extracted from Rice Stalks
Fuzhou Zhongwei Polysaccharose S&T Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Shouqi Polysaccharose Food Research Institute have recently jointly developed the world advanced new process of dual polyase hydrolyzation and super low temperature freezing and drying for extracting polysaccharose from rice stalks. The experiments have shown that rice stalks contain a polysaccharose content higher than that of other crops and are believed the most desired raw material for active polysaccharose extraction as they are of rich protein, vitamins and trace elements. Extracting polysaccharose from rice stalks can not only do good to environmental protection but also produce high economic values. So far the finding has been granted with the invention patent issued by the Chinese Bureau of the State Intellectual Property Administration.
China's CT Container Detecting System
The Nuclear Energy Technology and Design Institute of Tsinghua University has recently made the debut of its cobalt-60 container CT detecting system, which became an effective solution to container goods examination.
At the verification and evaluation meeting organized by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology on January 17, 2003, the participating experts concluded that the Chinese proprietary cobalt-60 container CT detecting system, the first of its kind in the world, is of great importance in combat against terrorism and illegal goods trafficking in addition to its security checking function. The newly developed system has provided effective means to spot illegal drugs, explosives and combustible goods, and found a major solution to security checking direly needed by security departments and the Customs departments. The new system has raised the container examining techniques to a higher level both at home and abroad and made China enjoy a leading international position in the field.
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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