CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China
 
N0.317 December 30,2002
　
IN THIS ISSUE
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* China's Top Ten Medical News for 2002
* New Server for the National S&T Library
* Nanometer Measuring Techniques
* Photovoltaic Polarity Can be Changed
* One Step Approach to GMM
* Industrial Production of S-induced Resistant
* Converter Turned out Stainless Steel
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SPECIAL ISSUES

China's Top Ten Medical News for 2002

On December 30, 2002, China's top ten medical news selected under the joint sponsorship of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology were unveiled. They are:

* China has forcefully curbed leprosy development in the country on the basis of several-decade efforts, and its leprosy study was granted with the First Prize of National S&T Advancement Award for 2001.

* China launched the world largest international project for comprehensive AIDS studies. The project is independently chaired by Chinese scientists in collaboration with their US counterparts.

* New progresses were achieved in the studies of diseases related genes in the country, such as nasal and pharynx cancer genes positioning, the discovery of venerable genes for diabetes II and the successful cloning of osteoporosis genes.

* China worked out the roadmap for epidemic diseases distributions in the country. The roadmap has shown that the overall occurrences of epidemic diseases went down at a large margin in the last decade.

* China's traditional medical studies have harvested rich achievements such as the completed compilation of “Grand Dictionary for China's Traditional Medicine Literatures”, a basic summary of China's ancient traditional medicine literatures, the discovery that channels in traditional medical theory constitute a function tuning and control system, and molecular biological study of Chinese traditional medicinal herbs' effects and associated mechanism.

* Experts of Beijing Xuanwu Hospital have successfully saved and treated Liu Hairuo, a renowned anchor of Hong Kong based Phoenix TV with combined Chinese traditional and western medicines.

* Chinese Second Military Medical School worked out the enhanced glycin-azole-natrium drug for chemotherapy, a national class I new drug, and the finding was granted with the gold medal for invention jointly issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization and Chinese Intellectual Property Bureau.

* China made the debut of the world first numerical simulated man, which marked a major progress achieved in the numerical study of human body in the country.

* China published the Outlines for Traditional Medicine Modernization and Development and made huge investments in promoting the modernization of Chinese traditional medicines and associated industrial process.

* China's hepatitis prevention and control efforts have achieved phased breakthroughs such as live hepatitis A vaccine freezing technique, molecular study of hepatitis C and successful development of hepatitis C protein chips.

New Server for the National S&T Library

On December 25, 2002, the new network server system was put into operation at the National S and T Library Center. Equipped with a high speed broad band and multiple service functions, the system connects the network management center to its member websites through a 1000Mbps optic network and makes itself a high caliber online platform with an output band width of 100 Mbps. Having connected with other national institutions such as the National Library, CERNET, CSTNET and the Information Institute of Chinese Military Logistics Department, the new server system has created agreeable conditions for further promoting joint development and sharing S&T information. In addition to its original functions such as secondary retrieving and originals reprinting, the new system has been added with other improved functions such as online public archive catalogs(OPAC), foreign language journals surfing, online experts consultation and special information services.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
 
Nanometer Measuring Techniques

Both the nanometer length measuring instrument and fast block measuring instrument developed by Biaopu Nanometer Measuring Technology Co. Ltd. have recently passed the experts' verification.

Nanometer length measuring instrument is a common measuring device to know the length. Its successful development has shown that length measuring tools have eventually upgraded to nanometer level and the readout has also turned from static to automatic display with a digital display resolution of 1 nanometer and the measuring repetition (standard error) 0.8-1.2 nanometers. Without error correction, the error for 10mm measuring range is smaller than  ±0.06μm. Comparing with its international counterparts, the instrument sits in the world leading position in terms of its major indicators such as resolution, repetition, accuracy and short-time stability. Thanks to its unique technology, the instrument is of broad application perspectives with its production cost much lower than that of the products manufactured overseas.

Fast block measuring instrument is a new device for measuring objects in block shape. It has successfully applied nanometer length measuring technology to measuring blocks by combining direct and comparative measuring, realizing the direct measuring of the blocks of 10mm or under the nominal size of 10mm. The resolution of the instrument reaches 1 nanometer with a direct measuring range of 10mm and a comparative measuring range of 110 mm. In comparison with other similar products in the world, its major indicators have reached the internationally advanced level. When connected with the computer system, the instrument is able to process its data automatically, which has greatly improved the block measuring speed and reduced the working intensity of measuring personnel. As it is not sensitive to environment temperature variations, the new instrument can find extensive applications in the existing base labs without requesting for temperature conditioning. The instrument is good for measuring the blocks at levels grade III or lower than that. The instrument is of its uniqueness in four aspects: nanometer grating manufacturing and testing, nanometer grating signal readout, high quality optic and electric signals and improved super sophisticated mechanic processing.

The World Advanced MetalRepairing Materials

Metal self-repairing material invented by Dong Weida, a research fellow of China Kelian  Economic Development Research  Center has made its debut recently in Harbin. The material can quickly reach the friction metal surface by dripping a very small amount in the carrier lubricant and the torn area can be repaired on its own. The said material may keep vehicle or ship engines free from regular repairing for the entire life. The material is of broad application perspectives in many fields such as machinery and electronic appliances manufacturing, metallurgy, petroleum, chemistry, railway, aviation and space and sophisticated parts processing.

The experts' verification check jointly organized by the State Economic and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Railway has concluded that the metal self-repairing material is able to form a highly polished and very hard metal ceramic layer on metal friction surface and enable the worn area in operation to get repaired to its original size on its own. Experts believed that the material is of an internationally advanced level.

A good example is the locomotive engine of Beijing Railway Bureau. It has developed a worn area after running for 120,000 km since its general maintenance. Upon the application of the new material, the National Key Lab on Friction of Tsinghua University found that the locomotive was able to restore the worn part to its original size and run for another 300,000 km. By directly applying the new material can a newly serviced locomotive run for 500,000 km without further worn-outs. Experts' testing and verification have shown that while keeping the optimized size and accuracy, the material is also able to extend the designed life of an axle by 21 times or more, cutting tools 5 times and special steel over one time.

So far, Harbin Shenglong New Material S&T Co. Ltd. has established China's first production line for manufacturing metal self-repairing materials.

Photovoltaic Polarity Canbe Changed

Researchers of Zhejiang University have recently discovered in their studies that the photovoltaic polarity of compound semiconductor materials can be changed by light wavelength. The said finding that was published in the U.S. based Applied Physics has recently been acknowledged by relevant academic community in the world.

The said phenomenon was picked up when researchers working on the basic study of semiconductor compound functional materials and components sponsored by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation as a priority project. The material on which the finding depends is not regular element semiconductor or compound semiconductor but the compound semiconductor made up of two or more materials designed by Chinese researchers themselves. When being shone at by sunlight, these compound semiconductor materials may show positive photovoltaic polarity but a negative polarity when they are under infrared light. The researchers of Zhejiang University have also observed similar phenomenon in matched organic semiconductor compound materials, on which basis they proposed the new concept of photovoltaic polarity reversal.

One Step Approach to GMM

On December 15, 2002, the National Engineering Research Center under Beijing General Institute of Non-ferrous Metal successfully worked out the largest Giant Magnetostrictive Materials (GMM) of 70mm in diameter and 250 mm in length in the country through the one-step process developed on their own , a consecutive process from melting to oriented condensation and further to heat processing on the same facility. The main technical and economic indicators of the process such as magnetostriction in low magnetic field, mechanical performance, product homogeneity and finished products rate have reached the internationally advanced level.

Before the said development, our home-made GMM were mostly no more than 50 mm in diameters with the foreign made applications ranging between 50mm and 70 mm. The one-step process is able to manufacture GMM of large diameter, high performance and low cost (less than 18% of the international market price) for mass production. The development is of strategic importance to provide materials necessary for China's marine defense applications and large power energy converters in civic sectors.

Development and Application and Industrial Production of Magnesium Alloy

On December 20, 2002, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology opened up a press conference on the development and applications of magnesium alloy and associated industrial process. Being one of the key technology projects under the national key technology program for the 10th Five-Year Plan, the Project has landed remarkable progress since its launch in August 2001. It has led to the birth of China's magnesium alloy industry in its preliminary shape with a complete technique innovation and industrialization chain of high quality magnesium alloy production, key manufacturing facilities and techniques and associated applications, development, production, industrial environment and demonstration bases.

With a starting budget of RMB 41 million and other investment of nearly RMB 600 million from other channels, the Project has been jointly implemented by 4 research institutes, 7 universities and 20-odd enterprises from 21 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the country. The Project has, in collaboration with other major national programs such as 863 Program, preliminarily established a R&D system for magnesium alloy development and associated manufacturing technologies, and achieved breakthroughs in a number of cutting edge core technologies and key industrial processes. The Project has turned out a dozen of shareholding companies manufacturing magnesium alloy products and created several magnesium alloy industrial bases. More than 500 experts and engineers including returned overseas Chinese experts involved in the project. Up to date, the Project has applied for 33 patents, of which 15 are for inventions. In addition, the Project has started to build up standard specification system for magnesium alloy and completed a number of such standards. The Project has through the international cooperation established close contacts with other countries or regions such as Germany, Russia, Israel, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Industrial Production of S-induced Resistant

S-induced Resistant, a new biological pesticide able to enhance plants' resistance against drought, adversity, floods, freezing, salinization and promote their earlier ripening was recently geared to industrial production in Deyang City, Sichuan Province. On December 16, 2002, the developer of the new pesticide, Chengdu Institute of Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences received the starting fund of RMB 150,000 from the Patent Strategy Project initiated by the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office. The project was listed in the first ten days of December 2002 one of the ten priority projects for implementing the so-called patent strategy in the country.

The Institute started its research and development of S-induced Resistant in 1993. In August 2000, the Institute started its finding spin-off and industrial production in collaboration with Sichuan Longmang Group.

As of December 2002, Longmang Group has worked out 200 and more kilograms of the new pesticide raw materials. The extensive field applications of the series pesticide made of S-induced Resistant has shown that cotton remains able to have an increased yield by 20% or more after the sudden attack of the 3-day extremely low temperatures. The applications in some other areas such as Hebei and Shandong have shown the merits of no shrinking, quick greening, strong seedlings, less diseases, earlier ripening and high yield with an elevated crop value by RMB 1000 or more.

NEWS BRIEFS

Converter Turned out Stainless Steel

On January 3, 2003. Taiyuan Steel turned out fine quality stainless steel in two series and three types from its converters. The successful application has filled up a blank in China's metallurgy history.

In 2002, Taiyuan Steel invested USD 21 million in the technical upgrading of its onverter to produce quality stainless steel. On the basis of their one-year efforts, Taiyuan Steel has not only developed the technique and facilities of internationally advanced level but also a modern production line running from iron melt pretreatment to top-bottom blowing converter, external refining and consecutive casting, capable of an annual output of 400,000 tons of stainless steel.

Instant Transfusion System

Thanks to their 6-year painstaking efforts, Yunnan based Chuxiong Medical Instruments Co. Ltd. has recently made the debut of its high tech product: instant air purified transfusion system. The product was granted with patent by the State Patent Bureau in 2000 and passed the scientific verification organized by the State Drug Administration and the State Environmental Protection Administration. Recently the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology has listed it a major new product for the nation wide diffusion.