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N0.422

 

 

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

N0.422

November 30,2005

 

 

 

 

 
IN THIS ISSUE


 

* China-UK MOU on S&T Cooperation

* More China-Europe Cooperation on Galileo

* ZTE Gets Columbian Contract

* Microfluidics Chip Technique Mastered

* DME Auto Meets Europe III Standard


 

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

China-UK MOU on S&T Cooperation

On November 15, 2005, XU Guanhua, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology and Lord Sainsbury, Minister of Science and Innovation jointly signed two memorandums of understanding to support the cooperative efforts between the two nations in S&T information and network technology, and in energy research and development.

The MOU for S&T information and network technology is made to establish a cooperative tie between the high performance computer and core software project under the National 863 Program and the core components of the British e-science program. The collaboration will mainly focus on exchanges of researches and personnel in the field of grid midware, and will possibly extend to other application fields in the future. In the past few years, scientists from the two nations have conducted extensive exchanges in the field, which laid a fine ground for future cooperation.

The MOU on energy development includes cooperation in a number of related fields, including fossil fuel energy, renewable energy, hydrogen energy, fuel battery technology, management and environmental issues concerning wastes, terminal utilization of energy and the associated technologies and techniques, and energy technologies, systems, services and policies related studies. The cooperation will be materialized through information and personnel exchanges, cooperative projects and programs, and joint workshops.

More China-Europe Cooperation on Galileo

On November 14, 2005, the National Remote Sensing Center and China Galileo Satellite Navigation Co. Ltd. undersigned an agreement on Galileo infrastructure projects, in the capacity of consigner and general contractor. According to the contract, Chinese enterprises will provide air-born and ground components, including search and rescue transponders, backward laser transmitter, and uplink station antenna forefront, for the infrastructure construction of the Galileo Project.  The products derived from the contract will be made available for the construction of Galileo satellite and ground stations.

Since a political accord and a technical agreement were signed between China and Europe on the Galileo Project in October 2003 and September 2004 respectively, both sides have worked to further the Galileo cooperation, based on the content and framework of the agreements, and achieved substantive progresses. The signing of the infrastructure contract and upcoming implementation will have an important impact on speeding up the Galileo Project.

ZTE Gets Columbian Contract

ZTE, a Chinese telecommunication company, recently announced that its comprehensive 3G solution for fixed line network has attracted the attention of the telecommunication market in Latin America. It will be the sole contractor to build the next generation network for EMCALI, a mainstream telecommunication vendor in Columbia. The new network, once completed of its construction, will allow customers in Cali, the second largest city in Columbia, to enjoy the services of advanced telecommunication technologies, including Next Generation Network, broadband access, IPTV, and intelligent functions.

EMCALI will thoroughly upgrade and transform its existing equipment and network, using ZTE’s  Fixed-line 3G@NGN solutions. In the meantime, EMCALI expressed its intention to continue collaborations with ZTE in the follow-up updating and the associated construction. The Fixed-line 3G@NGN solutions, proposed by ZTE to match with the 3G mobile telecommunication, has applied the commercially proven next generation network technology, fully compatible with value-added multimedia services, including voice, data, and video. The solution will help fixed-line vendors to realize a smooth business migration.

According to a briefing, ZTE has so far constructed some two hundred NGN networks in China, the United States, Pakistan, Mongolia, and the Philippines, with a total installed capacity for 30 million lines.

 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

 

Microfluidics Chip Technique Mastered

 

A study to develop microfluidics chip processing techniques and the associated manufacturing technologies, undertaken by the Dalian Polytechnical University, has accurately cloned microchannels and thermal bonding, using a range of numerical programmed approaches for temperature, pressure, and positioning control. The microfluidics chip, developed on the thermal press mechanism, has attracted numerous clients, including the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, CapitalBio, Fudan University, Jilin University, Wuhan University, and Shenyang Pharmaceutical University. The newly developed chip also made successful applications in biochemical analysis.

 

Researchers also developed a boardless growing technique that fits the metallurgical thermal press mould. The mould made with the new technique is of numerous merits, including well-shaped vertical walls, highly polished surface, and long lifespan. It can be broadly used in thermal press and mould applications.

 

To make the technique available for mass production of diverse polymer materials, the research team also rolled out an RYJ-II thermal press shaper. With an indoor temperature at -300 , a controllable pressure between 0-50 kN, and a valid thermal press area at 150X150 mm2, the device can have a detached control of its upper and lower press heads, with their relative positions being told by an optic ruler. The thermal press shaper can be used as a single unit, or incorporated into an automatic set equipment. The device has become a part of the automatic system for manufacturing polymer microfluidics chips. It also promises a fine application perspective for manufacturing plastic microfluidics chips. With an accurate temperature and pressure control mechanism, it promises for more applications in other scientific researches. 

Composite Tungsten Electrodes in Commercial Applications

 

Not long ago, a key technical project for commercial applications of composite Tungsten electrodes, jointly undertaken by the Beijing General Research Institute of Mining& Metallurgy and Beijing University of Technology, under an initiative of the National 863 Program, passed a verification check.

 

The composite Tungsten electrodes derived from the project presents a high welding performance, and is a desirable substitute for thoriated Tungsten electrodes. Compared with thoriated Tungsten electrodes in the same specifications, the new electrode has a lower critical arc pressure, and a fine anti-burning capability, with a comprehensive performance better than the former. It is also an environment friendly product, causing no radiation pollution. There have been so far no reported commercial applications of the electrodes. The research team developed the manufacturing techniques for the new electrodes, based on the study of a range of key links in manufacturing the electrodes, including mixing, deoxidizing, and vertical melting, and readjustment of relevant parameters of the entire manufacturing process. The painstaking efforts have made the comprehensive pass rate of the new products surpass that of thoriated Tungsten electrodes in the same specifications, and thus reduced the cost of production. Electrode manufacturers have produced nearly a hundred bulks of the electrodes using the new technique, with a steady pass rate above 75%. Composite Tungsten electrodes produced from the project have been exported to Europe in bulk. A demonstration campaign has been launched in domestic markets, and in the markets of the United States, Japan, and Korea.

DME Auto Meets Europe III Standard

A DME prototype auto up to the Europe III emission standard, jointly developed by the Dalian Diesel Engine Factory, a part of the No.1 Auto Group, Xi’an Jiaotong University, and Wuxi Institute of Oil Pump and Nozzle, has run over 4500 km on a combined basis. With a fine economic and dynamic performance, the newly developed engine and speed picking-up mechanism have a noise level noticeably lower than that of the existing diesel cars, shown by a noise level test.

The Dalian Diesel Engine Factory, Xi’an Jiaotong University and others were contracted to the research and development of DME cars in early 2003. In the past two years, researchers embarked on a series of studies concerning high and low pressure fuel supply systems suitable for a DME engine at low viscosity and boiling point, optimization of combustion parameters, improving the dynamics, and lowering emissions of DME cars, based on a CA498A high speed diesel engine. The effort also rolled out a number of key components, including an oil valve and pump for DME fuel, and a low vortex cylinder lid for the DME engine. These painstaking efforts have eventually led to the birth of a DME engine and a whole car that is highly efficient but with low pollution.

Secret Path for Cellular Communication

 

Thanks to their 4-year long joint efforts, the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, a part of the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, and the Pharmacology Research Center under Fudan University have achieved a breakthrough in studying cellular receptors. Researchers discovered that β-arrestin could make a direct access to the cytoplasm-nucleus, and impose a long term regulating effect on cellular functions, through inducing nuclear translocation that may activate the targeted genes. Scientists believe that this makes a new receptor’s signal path for directly transmitting message through β-arrestin to the cytoplasm-nucleus.

 

According to the finding that was published in the recent issue of the journal Cell, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) prove a most successful drug target extensively used in new drug development. The drugs that work on GPCRs produce a fine therapeutic effect on pains, perception disorders, hypertension, gastric ulcer, rhinitis, and asthma. Of some 500 drugs in clinical applications, 30% and more are working to regulate the functions of GPCRs.

 

The finding has applied for patent protection. The proprietary finding is of valuable and broad application perspectives in screening new strategies and targets for developing new drugs to treat diverse complex diseases.

Progress in Marine Cycle Study

An innovative project, initiated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences to study the key biological and geochemical processes of China’s offshore areas, has recently passed a verification check. Based on the morphological study of natural granularity, researchers studied the elements in offshore sediments and the associated ecological functions. Researchers for the first time unveiled the morphology of carbon, nitrogen, phosphor, and silicon in China’s offshore sediments, and their roles in the biological and geochemical cycles. Researchers found that 30.8% of the nitrogen, 19.2% of the phosphor, and 0.12% of the silicon in the sediments of the Bohai Sea can be part of the potential cycle. Researchers also derived from the sediments of the Yellow Sea the granularity structures of nitrogen in different forms. They found that the decomposing rate of the nitrogen in the sediments with coarse granularity is much faster than that with fine granularity. The sediments can provide 6.54%12.03% of the nitrogen needed for new productivity. Researchers also believe that the cumulation of silicon in sediments is a major player in constraining silicon for the growth of phytoplankton near the Jiaozhou Bay. They also found that human activities are the major causes for the cumulation of inorganic nitrogen in the sediments at the mouth of the Zhujiang River. The nitrogen flux from the sediments to seawaters is much higher at the mouth of the river than in deep ocean.

By studying the biological and geochemical cycles and nutritional dynamics of the coral reefs of the Nansha Archipelagos, researchers discovered a mechanism that allows the zooxanthellea to consume nutritional salts in an extravagant manner. They believe that the high productivity of the coral reefs there mainly depends on a sustained internal recycle process that is fast and highly efficient. They conclude that the fast reproduction of nutritional salts at the primary site makes the major supply for the coral reefs. In the meantime, the vertical transfer of chemicals is mainly realized through a biological process.

In addition, researchers found that in both springs and winters, the Yellow Sea , Bohai Sea, and East Sea are all the sinks of carbon dioxide, with an estimated amount of 13.69 million tons a year, while in summers they reverse to the source of carbon dioxide. The carbon that travels vertically through the sea-air cycle only leaves 13% of its traces in the sediments. The Jiaozhou Bay is a weak source for carbon dioxide, though with a seeming trend for increase. Researchers divided inorganic carbons in the sediments into different morphologies, and calculated their respective contributions to the marine carbon cycles. They discovered that HCI carbon is a major morphology representing a long-term existence in sediments, and makes the final destination for carbon dioxide.

T-level Routers

On November 9, 2005, a high performance IPv4/v6 router infrastructure platform at the T-level and an experimental system, jointly developed by the PLA Information Engineering University, and Huawei Technology under a 3Tnet initiative of the National 863 Program, passed a verification check.

The T-level IPv4/v6 router has a single unit volume of 320G, scalable to a volume of 1.28T. The associated equipment also passed the test of the Telecommunication Institute, a part of the Ministry of Information Industry. In addition, the research team completed the development of proprietary core hardware chips, including 320G switching grid chips, 10G IPv4/v6 processing engine chips, and flow management chips.

Three Nets to Integrate

 

It is disclosed that the proposed integration of three nets: communication network, Internet, and radio and TV broadcasting network, has officially become a part of the 11th five-year plan.

 

It is proposed in the plan that efforts shall be made to strengthen the construction of broadband communication infrastructures, digital TV network, and next generation Internet, and to promote the integration of three nets, in an attempt to strengthen the information security system. Experts believe that the integration will help optimize the structures of information and communication industry, and the associated management system and industrial policies. The integration will not only trigger great changes in information dissemination, contents, and telecommunication services, but will also induce substantial changes in detailed industrial applications and personal information consumption.

 

The net integration will also bring up new demands for network upgrading and transformation, which will in turn spur up the development of network market.  CCID data show that in 2004 China’s network equipment market has seen a large increase in overall scale, compared with 2003, landing a sales volume of RMB 22.77 billion, with a growth of 33.1%.

 


       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

http://www.most.gov.cn