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N0.398

 

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

N0.398

March 30,2005

 

 

 

 

 
IN THIS ISSUE


* New Findings on Disease Genes

* New Water Efficient Products

* Intelligent Mobile Terminal Verified

* Satellite Watches Oil-Gas Production

* Microbial Changes Coupled with Faunal Mass Extinction

* Chinese 3G Mobiles Expect Mass Production


 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

New Findings on Disease Genes

Study of functional genome and associated biochips, a major special S&T project initiated by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, has screened out 1,500 new genes involving major human biofunctions and diseases. Of them, 160 are of promising perspectives for further development, 24 (I-genes) are potential candidates for new products, and 8 proprietary new genes have entered the pre-phase study for new drugs, in collaboration with enterprises or research institutes. Major new findings include:

1)      A new CYP-J has been screened out and verified for new drug target. The effort has resulted in 15 interactive precursor composites, of which a YCZ001 produces apparent prohibiting effects on in-vitro liver cancer.

2)      An ELISA testing kit has been developed for gene MXR-7, a new marker for diagnosing liver cancer. The kit is currently under an extended clinical trial. In addition, researchers are working on genes FP248 and PP2250, markers for diagnosing liver cancer with blood samples, and three others genes, including HCRP 1, p28 GANK, and CT120, that are valuable for pathological study of tissues.

3)      Progresses have been made on identifying the genes causing leukemia, and associated genesis mechanism. Researchers discovered 3 new chromosome transposals and associated affected genes involving leukemia, and established a ‘secondary attack’ theory to elaborate the sudden mutation process. Researchers also treated 20 acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cases with ATRA and Arsenic trioxide. Tracking study of 8-30 months has shown a full remission. The innovative therapeutic approach creates the first instance of curable adult leukemia. When applying APL genetic target theory to other leukemia cases, researchers found a combined effect of STI571 and As2O3 in inducing cell withering, and the same combined effect of STI571 and As4S4 on CML, using BCR-ABL as the targets.

New Water Efficient Products

Water efficient farming, a special S&T project initiated by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, has rolled out a line of economical dripping irrigation techniques represented by small-caliber pipes or hoses, desirable for China’s daylight greenhouse irrigations. The project also led to the establishment of an assembly line to produce high speed (6080m/min)dripping irrigation equipment. The effort drives down dripping irrigation price from RMB 0.6-1.2/m to current RMB 0.25/m, with dripping irrigation hoses from RMB 0.15-0.2/m to RMB 0.08/m. This makes the entire cost of a greenhouse dripping irrigation system further down from RMB 600-3,000/mu(1mu=0.0667ha.) to current RMB 350-1000/mu, with a reduced margin by 50% or above.

The project, using magnetic oscillation based blowing technique, developed a fully degradable farming film with a thickness about 20 microns. It also established a production line to roll out such films, with an annual capacity of 200 tons. Preliminary testing has shown that the film can be fully degraded in a year, with its technological performance fully desirable for replacing existing farming films.

High molecule based water preserving materials of high absorption, a core composite developed by the project, together with a new water containing mineral, bring about numerous merits, including high absorption, strong water containing capability, fine salt resistance, and strong gluing capacity. The enhanced technology drives down production costs from RMB 20,000/ton to RMB 9,000/ton, presenting a strong market perspective.

The new large-caliber nylon pipe materials, intensified polythene pipes, and bamboo fiber pipes, also derived from the special project, have registered an enhanced performance by 20% or above, and a lowered cost by 30%, compared with high density polyethylene pipes. 

In addition, the project produced series and standardized farming machinery for water conservancy and moisture retaining. New mechanic systems can be used in 20 different forms for joint operation, including ploughing and soil loosening, seeding and planting (including film seeding), ploughing and planting, and field stalk smashing. New farming machinery also allows some 40 combinations of farming activities, with a broad application perspective thanks to reliable performance and low costs.  

The effort also promotes the industrialized development of water efficient equipment and products, and spurs up a fast development of water efficient enterprises, which increases the market share of domestic made water efficient equipment and products by 30% or 50%.

Intelligent Mobile Terminal Verified

ZTE-e3, an intelligent mobile terminal developed by the Zhongxing Communication Co. Ltd., has recently passed the verification check. As a next generation intelligent terminal product running between 2.5G and 3G models, the new model produces an integration of personal communication, personal information management, and Internet connection. The integration is incorporated in intelligent multimedia e-3 product lines developed by the company.

The new mobile model uses proprietary GSM/GPRS protocol certified by FTA. At the same time, the new system introduces Linux based proprietary built-in operational system, in an attempt to allow seamless PC applications, leaving limitless applications for future mobile models. Using a dual CPU technology, the new product presents an enhanced multimedia computation capability.

The e3 product lines so far developed by the company are integrated with the following functions: a 10-hour long MPS playing capacity, 40-minute consecutive DV shooting or playing, 1.3M pixel camera lens, a Chinese-English dictionary supporting TOFEL and GRE vocabulary applications, a super large text compiler, an Internet browser, and a touch screen that can be turned to 270 degree.

Satellite Watches Oil-Gas Production

A satellite based oil-gas pipeline and well monitoring system, developed by Xi’an Jiaotong University, has passed the verification check. As the first instance of satellite applications in oil and gas industry, the new system provides a full range IT watch for oil and gas production, storage and shipping. It also constitutes a watch for natural disasters and man-made sabotages, and a solution to address two-way communications between remote oil-gas facilities and management teams.

Able to monitor distant oil-gas pipelines, wells, and associated production, storage and shipping activities, on a real time basis, the new system collects oil-gas well’s data and information, without constraints of ranging or geological conditions. It allows management teams to have direct access to the work status of oil-gas wells, with a shortened cycle of data transmission, and reduced errors such as given by manually recorded data. The new system, desirable for efficiency, energy saving and yield increasing,  provides production departments with detailed and timely first-hand data, for a more scientific and rationalized work process.

Microbial Changes Coupled with Faunal Mass Extinction

Prof. XIE Shucheng, a young scientist with China University of Geosciences, and YIN Hongfu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with UK scientists, revealed microbial changes coupled with faunal mass extinction. Built on the study of microbial community changes across the Permo/Triassic (P/Tr) boundary at Meishan in South China, the finding was published in Vol. 434 of the journal Nature.

XIE and his collaborators, using organic chemical means, including petrographic examination, analyzed the fossilized molecules near the Permo/Triassic boundary, and screened out organic molecules of noticeable biological significance. The study reveals that the boundary has seen at least twice drastic changes of blue bacteria. To further understand the relationship between changes of blue bacteria and invertebrate mass extinction, XIE and others calculated out the extinction rate of invertebrates at specific layers, corresponding to the stratigraphic distributions of fossilized animal species near the boundary. Calculation results show that the peak of faunal mass extinction is well coupled with the 2-methylhopane (2-MHP) index, a ration reflecting the changes of blue bacteria, indicating microbial and faunal response to catastrophic events. Such events caused the extinction and initiated ecosystem changes.

XIE and his collaborators’ understanding of the high definition 2-methylhopane index and associated marine invertebrate extinction provides evidence for at least two episodes of biotic crisis across the P/Tr boundary.

Robot Works at Nanolevel

The Shenyang Institute of Automation, a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a prototype robot able to operate at the nanometer level. On a computer screen, one can see operator manipulating the robot to chisel out three letters ‘SIA’ on a silicon base wafer of 1μm×2μm. In another demonstration, operator accurately moved a carbon nanotube 4μm long and 100 nm thick into a carved trough on a silicon base wafer of 5μm×5μm.     

Researchers realized the technical combination of scanning movement of scanner probe microscope (SPM) and robot control technology at the nanometer level. They also established an object moving and mechanic analysis model at the same scale, and an associated 3-D process to analyze and decouple probe shape variations. Other key technologies that the team has worked out include real time probe information collection and processing, interactive control of force/visual feedbacks, and artificial/natural marker based positioning feedback control.  These technologies have upgraded robot’s operational accuracy to a nanometer level. Testing shows that its repeating positioning error is less than 5 pixels in an area of 512 pixels, with an accuracy reaching 1%. When moving a carbon nanotube, its repeating positioning accuracy reached 30 nm. In a route marker based positioning testing, the error is less than 4 nm.

What amazes viewers is that while manipulating the robot, operator can feel its visual and force variations on a real time basis. That means operator can literally feel the force pushing nano objects, and see the movement of pushed nano objects.

LED Gives 360º Illumination

CHEN Jianwei, an engineer working for Shenzhen Guangshe Corp, worked out an LED process allowing a 360-degreeillumination from a single point, based on the theory that insect compound eyes can concentrate light beams within 360 degrees on a single point and the reversibility theory of light. CHEN established an LED photoelectric lab, specially working on condensation, scattering and combination of LED light sources. It takes 5 years for him to work out a 360-degree white LED, which found a solution to address the light losses of existing LEDs, and problems in constructing multiple light sources. CHEN’s 360-degree white LED has applied for national invention patent. He contributed head lamps equipped with the LEDs he developed to the Chinese Antarctic Expedition Station, in an attempt to test the new LEDS under extreme conditions of the South Pole. In his humble LED lab, one can see a bean-sized LED amazingly cast evenly distributed light beams over the entire room. It is believed that CHEN’s 360-degree white LED makes the first instance of its kind in the world, changed LED’s single-directional illumination.

 NEWS BRIEFS

More New National Key Labs

The China Ministry of Science and Technology has recently approved to create 22 new national key labs, including the one to study environment chemistry and ecological toxicity. The effort marks the beginning of constructing the new labs.

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) issues on June 2004, a guide for creating new national key labs in 19 fields, including population and health, resources environment, energy, public good research, and some cutting edge fields. 44 applications were accepted for consideration, based on the recommendations made by interesting government agencies. MOST organized two rounds of expert review, including materials review and field investigations during August-September of the same year. Expert review led to the agreed establishment of possible 23 new labs. During the period from December 2004 to January 2005, a feasibility study was initiated by MOST to verify the construction plans for 22 labs, including the environment chemistry and ecological toxicity lab.  The study defined missions and rolled out concrete and feasible construction plans for new labs. 

A national key lab usually expects a construction period no longer than two years. During the construction, labs are supposed to further refine their scientific development objectives, raise research levels, and strive for noticeable progresses in building a scientific team, constructing experimental and research platforms, and establishing a sound operation management system. They are also expected to become major bases for high-level scientific researches, attracting and training high caliber scientists, and academic exchanges.

Efforts to Tame Cola Gas Accidents

Sponsored by the Department of Rural and Social Development, a part of the Ministry of Science and Technology, an expert meeting was held on March 29, 2005 to review the feasibility report of technical integration and demonstration for coal gas control. The project provides technical diagnosis for typical coal gas accidents occurred in state-owned mines. The effort also led to optimized techniques for coal gas control, and some related technical standards and rules. The project team selected 3-5 coalmines to be demonstration sites, in an effort to provide strong S&T support for coal gas control, and lay a technical ground for full-fledged diffusion of proven coal gas control techniques.

The implementation of the project will further enhance the diffusion and application of prove security technology for coal mines, upgrading coal gas control techniques, effectively curbing the occurrences of major coal gas accidents, and providing technical support for safe production and efficiency enhancement.

Chinese 3G Mobiles Expect Mass Production

In 2003, the Chongqing Institute of Post and Telecommunication successfully worked out the world’s first 3G mobile phone. The proprietary mobile system, named TD-SCDMA3G, has been accepted by ITU, which marks China’s internationally advanced level in developing mobile telecommunication technology.

Comparing with first and second generation mobile phones, 3G is the new generation mobile telecommunication system combining wireless telecommunication and Internet connection. The 3G mobile system can process multiple media signals, including images, music and video streams. It also provides numerous information services, including website browsing, teleconference, e-commerce among many others. Internationally, there are 3 acknowledged model standards, including Europe WCDMA, US CDMA2000, and China’s TD-SCDMA.

To manufacture its 3G mobiles on a massive scale in 2005, the Chongqing Institute of Post and Telecommunication has recently inked an cooperation agreement with Zhanxun Telecommunication Co. Ltd., in an attempt to work out a final solution for TD-SCDMA.


       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)58881360 Fax: (8610) 58881364

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