On April 25, the National Observatory of China (NOC) was founded in Beijing. It comprises 4 centers for astrophysics, which were jointly established by the 8 CAS-affiliated observatories /observation stations distributed across the country and institutions of higher education. 

After the reorganization, the Beijing Observatory of CAS will be incorporated into the National Observatory, and the Yunnan Observatory, the Urumqi Observatory Station and the Changchun Man-made Satellite Observing Station will be merged. They will not remain as independent legal entities. The Purple Mountain Observatory and Shanghai Observatory will remain their juridical status and receive the macro-coordination and guidance of the NOC.

A novel high quality magnesium diboride super- conductor, which has a superconductivity transition temperature of 40K and a critical current density of 1 γ™10⁵A, has recently been developed by the State Key Laboratory of Superconductor, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IPCAS). The research result is at the international leading level. Suppose the superconductor is used for power supply cable, the current it carries will be 10,000 times more than that of the existing power supply cable made of copper product; besides, the power consumption will be greatly reduced and the purposes of saving energy and reducing pollution will be attained.

Rewarding results have been achieved in the CAS major project, “Research on Optical Information Processing, Semiconductor Photoelectrical Devices for Display and their Industrialization”, carried out by Lianghui CHEN of the Institute of Semiconductors, CAS under the aegis of Nation’s “863 Program” during the “Ninth Five-Year Plan” period. The performances of the units developed, 650nm red light quantum-well lasers for DVD and orange yellow high-luminance light emitting dioxides (LED), have both met the international advanced level of like products. Medium-scale production bases for the devices have also been established. 

The orange yellow high-luminan- ce LED project has made innovations in the MQW structure optimization of super high-luminance LED, the GaP current extension layer growing technology, multiple detection techniques for quality expitaxial wafers and chips and device reliability. A manu- facturing technology for a special barrier layer separating the upper electrode from the lower current was invented, and a novel coupled DBR structure was designed.

The National Major Crops Yield Prediction Project carried out by Xikang CHEN and others from the Institute of Systems Science, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, CAS has achieved remarkable results. A project review meeting was held on 29 December 2000 in Beijing.  

Mr. W. Isard, Member of the National Academy of Sciences (US), and Mr. Karen R. Polenske, Chairman of the International Input-Output Association, both spoke highly of the “input-occupancy-against output technics” initiated by the Project. Greater accomplishments have been made in practical application. Annual reports are provided on the prediction of national grain yields by the end of April each year, more than half a year beforehand, with sound judgments on the tendency of grain harvest (rich, average or poor), the average deviation rate being 1.8%. This result is much better than the work conducted by developed countries, whose average prediction deviation rate is 5-10%, and whose predicting period is generally two months. 

The Project has the following features: innovative in both theory and methodology, high in prediction accuracy and long in predicting period. The Project was awarded the Operation Research Development Prize by the International Federation of Operations Research (IFOR) in 1999, a first prize of Science and Technology Advancement Award by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a third prize of Science and Technology Advancement Award by the State.

Scientists from the CAS have recently developed an array of miraculous nanometer plastics, which made it possible to industrialize the nanometer technology. “Nami”, which is added to the nanometer plastics, is actually polynite, a natural nanometer material abundant in China. The natural clayey mineral is injected evenly into polymers to form nanometer plastics. This work was done by Prof. Zongneng QI’s research group under the State Key Laboratory of Engineering Plastics, Institute of Chemistry, CAS. The nanometer plastics assume many unique physical and mechanical properties, such as great strength, good heat resistance and low specific gravity. Besides, the nanometer plastics have excellent diaphaneity and glossiness. The wearing capacity of some nanometer plastics is 27 times that of copper and 7 times that of steel. Other nanometer plastics have selfquenching, antiflaming performances owing to their low oxygen permeability. The successful development of jet molding nanometer polythene with ultrahigh molecular weight has solved the difficulty of ultrahigh molecular weight polymer processing puzzling the international community for years.

From 26 February to 6 March 2001, a number of gene modified (GM) fishes developed by the Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS were displayed at the Achievement Exhibition on the 15^th Anniversary of “863” Program (a national program for high-tech research and development initiated in March 1986). They were 3 control fishes (800g each), 3 GM fishes (1,300g each) and 3 infertile triploid “863 cyprinoids” weighing 1000g. 

The research group led by Prof. Zuoyan ZHU, developed the first GM fish in the world in 1984. His laboratory has made a series of breakthroughs, including the development of the first GM fish model, the carrier expression of whole fish genes for the first time, the pinpoint concordance of the first fish gene targeting, the first thorough investigation on GM energy, the first case GM fish cloning, detailed safety evaluation research for the first time, etc.

Currently, ZHU’s laboratory has developed a regrouped growth hormone gene, or “whole-fish” gene, which comprises the gene components of cyprinoid and grass carp. They have also bred fast-growing whole-fish gene modified cyprinoids and infertile triploid “863 cyprinoids”.

A living body fingerprint collector (LBFC) integrating the knowledge of optics, electronics and mechanics developed by the Fangyuan Company, a spin-off of the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, CAS, passed the official expert acceptance inspection on January 16, 2001. The device is the first of its kind in China adopting the image aberrance correction technology using a unique optical system. It is internationally advanced and innovative.

The three key technologies of the system have been patented by the State Intellectual Property Office. LBFC has extensive application prospects in public security, military affairs, safety control, finance, computer security management, etc., as it can provide real-time high-resolution, high-contrast, aberrance-free fingerprint images for computers to process, store, classify and recognize. 

Recently, a S & T cooperation agreement has been signed among the CAS Shenyang Institute of Applied Ecology (SIAE), Ih Ju Meng (League) Orient Group and Ih Ju Meng Administrative Office. The main objectives of the agreement are: to jointly establish experimental demonstration sites for eco-environment management; to decontaminate and recycle polluted water through engineering process; to exploit the herbal resources in Inner Mongolia and set up bases therefor; to exploit the resource of analcime; to exploit the resources of Salix cheilophila and Caragana; and to construct the bases for green food production. It is another action of IAE to get involved in the nation’s go-west campaign. The feature lies in the combination of enterprise, government and research institutions.

An agreement between the Chengdu Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (CIMHE), CAS  and the University of Manitoba, Canada on strengthening the bilateral cooperation and exchange in science & technology and education was officially signed on 13 February 2001. Canadian Prime Minister H.E. Jean chretien, president of the University of Manitoba Dr. Emöke Szathmáry, executive deputy director of CIMHE Dr. Peng CUI, and other government officials attended the signing ceremony.

This agreement has defined the following forms of cooperation: collaborative research projects, multiform exchange of scientists and engineers in various fields and disciplines, postgraduate education, exchange of scientific documentation and research materials, and so on.

In the past more than one year, the Canadian side has sent experts to the Institute and conducted in-depth discussion and field survey on cooperation in various fields, such as the study of key technologies for rehabilitation of the eco-environment at the xerothermic river valleys along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (i.e. the xerothermic Valleys of Golden Sand River, Anninghe River and Minjiang River ), agricultural sustainable development, community education, joint postgraduate programs and exchange of visiting scholars.

The series of Hartmann wavefront sensors whose measurement wavelengths range from ultraviolet (0.308μm) to infrared (3.8μm) and whose calibers range from 4.16mm to 200mm, with a maximum sampling frequency of 2,900Hz and a measurement light intensity covering both glimmer light and strong light. The series can be applied extensively in areas such as optical communication and medical treatment.

On 2 December 2000, the project of Research on West China’s Eco-environment Evolution and Sustained Use of Water & Soil Resources passed justification. The project comprised three parts, including: research on environment evolution and water & soil resources (in the past 2,000 years and the past 2,000,000 years), study on the phase recurrence of eco-environment in the past 50 years and prediction of its development trend (mainly by field survey and remote sensing), and status analysis and evaluation of the current eco-environment.

  In January 2001, a project review meeting was held by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in Beijing on the State Key S & T project for the “Ninth Five-Year Plan” period, i.e. Integrated Scientific Survey on South China Sea Islands and Adjacent Areas.               

The newly revised and validated Law of Fishery of China has included the protection of Lipotes vexillifer in its clauses for the first time.