Return ﹛
Li Lanqing Speaks on Returned Scholars and Knowledge Innovation Project
Vice Premier Li Lanqing highly praised the achievements and contributions made by outstanding returned scholars. He said that several generations of returned scholars have made historic contributions to China's revolution and socialist construction. Since the inauguration of opening-up and reform, a large number of returned scholars have played an important role in the modernization drive. Facts have proved that Deng Xiaoping's instructions concerning sending students for advanced studies abroad constitute a far-sighted strategy. Efforts will be made to continue the policy of ※supporting students in studying abroad, encouraging them to return and ensuring that they can come and go freely§. Governments and departments at all levels should provide favorable conditions for them to give full play to their abilities.
Li made these remarks at a CAS-convened forum at the Great Hall of the People, which was attended by 25 young scientists who have mostly studied abroad and are now carrying out the ※Hundred Talents Project§. The project was launched by the Academy and is now part of the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project. Drs. Chen Yong, Ye Qizhuang, Yang Changchun, Peng Lianmao, Liang Xinmiao, Tan Tieniu, Fu Xiaolan and Pei Gang spoke at the gathering.
Li went on to say that with the coming of the new century, new features are showing in the global economy -- that science and technology are developing at seven-league strides, that knowledge economy is looming and that competition of national strength is becoming ever fierce. The final competition is the competition for talents. Those who can train and attract enough superb talents will gain superiority. At this crucial moment, it is absolutely necessary, timely and of special significance that the central government has decided that the Chinese Academy of Sciences launch the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project. China is training large numbers of excellent people needed for its modernization program in its own institutions, and at the same time, it is attracting more students and scholars studying abroad to return, and absorbing actively all advanced knowledge of other countries. Facts show that returned scholars can make first rate achievements in their own areas.
Li stressed that basic research should receive great attention. We should carrying out the principle of keeping the whole situation in mind, giving prominence to key issues, and concentrating efforts to ensure achievements in key areas. We should focus on the subjects where we enjoy superiority and promising prospects to achieve breakthroughs and leading positions. A major and pressing task facing us currently is to strengthen R&D activities, promote the industry-college-research integration, and quicken the industrialization of research results. The first problem to be solved is ideology. Scientists must be oriented toward economic construction and the market. Research must aim at solving practical problems and exploiting new markets.
China Must Occupy a Place in S&T Arena
At a meeting held by the CAS in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the issuance of Deng Xiaoping's instruction that ※China must occupy a place in the world science and high technology arena§, Vice-Premier Li Lanqing urged the scientists to follow Deng's instruction, combine introduction of technologies from foreign countries with self-reliance, and make contributions to the strategy of rejuvenating China through science and education.
The Beijing Electron-Positron Collider (BEPC), China's largest science project in basic research to date, was constructed in accordance with the directives of the late Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. BEPC is located in the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP/CAS) and ranks the Institute among the world's major high energy accelerator centers. Deng visited the project site on 24th December, 1988 and made the above famous remark. Against the backdrop of quick development of high technology the world over, Deng said, ※The next century will be a century of development of high technology.§ President Jiang Zemin has also pointed out, ※The 21st century will surely be a century when globalized knowledge economy will prevail.§ Reviewing these important remarks, Vice-Premier Li Lanqing stated that the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project initiated by CAS is a major step in implementing the strategy of rejuvenating China through science and education, and that it is also part of the effort for China to occupy a place in the world science and high technology arena. It is hoped the pilot program will serve to accumulate experience in establishing the national innovation system.
Li stressed the importance of the industrialization of high technology, saying that high-tech industrialization can not only reap great economic and social benefits, but can also considerably augment the country's comprehensive strength and international influence, thus creating favorable conditions for China to succeed in international competition.
Vice-Premier Li is concurrently deputy head of the Leading Group of Science, Technology and Education under the State Council.
Further Objectives & Assignments Defined
CAS is to determine its key research areas and major projects in accordance with the strategic needs of China's social and economic development and the world trends of science and technology advancement, instead of starting from its own superiority only. Prof. Lu Yongxiang, CAS President, made the remark when addressing CAS annual working conference, which was held 25-29 January, 1999 in Beijing. The conference was convened amidst the science body's all-out effort to implement the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project. CAS has decided that resources will be focused on the following 9 areas: new and high technologies of agriculture, population and health, information and automation, energy sources, ecology and the environment, space science and technology, new materials, geoscience, and other cross-disciplinary areas.
In consultation with departments and specialists concerned and with serious exposition and debate, CAS has decided to provide special support for 15 projects where breakthroughs are expected in the two or three years ahead: the high-performance Shuguang 2000II server, industrialization of industrial robots, fuel batteries, small satellites and related key technologies, broad band IP networks, rice genetics and application, human genome and genetic research into diseases, research and compilation of the fauna and flora of China, forward looking research for renewed oil and gas exploration, forecasting of new bases of mineral ore resources, national remote sensing information and space dynamic information system for natural resources, the environment, agriculture and natural disasters, changes of climate and environment and sustainable development, R&D of agrotechnology for grain producing bases in Northeast China, application of nano materials, and high performance and water-saving materials and equipment for agriculture.
The working conference has also defined objectives of the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project in structural reform, transformation of mechanisms, team building and cultural construction, and mapped out arrangements for work in 1999.
"Ten Firsts" in Reform and Opening-up
To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Congress of CPC, CAS President Lu Yongxiang recalled, in an interview with reporters, the achievements of ※Ten Firsts§ the Academy has made in the 20 years' reform and opening-up.
CAS was the first in China to send students for advanced studies abroad.
CAS institutes were the first to set up science cooperation with the USA, European countries and Japan after the ※cultural revolution§.
Removing the interference and sabotage by the ※Gang of Four§, CAS was the first to resume the normal order of research.
CAS was the first to introduce the director responsibility system in its institutes.
CAS was the first to set up open laboratories, put forth the principle of ※openness, mobility and unity§ in basic research, and initiate competition mechanisms of evaluating research institutes at regular intervals.
CAS was the first to create funds for science research in the whole country, and to reform the traditional allocation methods to support excellence.
CAS was the first to strengthen fundamental research and high-tech innovation abilities with newly-added funds.
CAS was the first to promote and develop high-tech industry, and to implement the ※ one Academy (institute), two operational systems§ principle.
CAS was the first to classify its institutes and carry out structural readjustment.
CAS was the first to carry out the pilot program of the knowledge innovation project.
The ※Ten Firsts§ mentioned above, Prof. Lu said, have provided useful experience for the setting-up of new systems in fundamental research and high-tech innovation, helped blaze a new road for the reform of science management in China, and contributed to technology innovation, transformation of research achievements as well as the advancement of science and technology in China.
Reform Measures Make Debut at DICP
At a press conference the CAS has formally announced the launching of the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. The assignment is one of the first batch of twelve to be undertaken by the Academy. It involves the following measures: initiating a budget and allocation system, clarifying the goals and elevating the level of research, accelerating the innovation of systems and transformation of mechanisms, introducing the modern management system, and enlarging the benefits and scale of R&D, thus establishing a world-ranking research institution.
According to the new measures, a board of trustees will make decisions while the director will be in charge of daily management and implement the resolutions of the board of trustees. The Institute will enroll staff members through public invitation and competition, and adopt the contract system. The enrollment committee, the members of which are to be selected by 85 research fellows of the Institute, will be in charge of the examination and assessment of candidates. The director finally decides on 150 regular staff members (including management staff members) for the new Institute, who will in turn select and sign contracts with mobile workers according to resources available. At least 5% of the regular staff members and mobile workers would be replaced every two years. CAS Vice-President Yan Yixun stressed that the outstanding characteristic of the reform in the Institute is the transformation of mechanisms.
In the two and a half years to come, it is disclosed, CAS will allocate a total of 75 million yuan to support and supervise the reform measures at the Institute. Strategic, fundamental and forward-looking innovative research will be conducted in the area of ※bond selection and reaction control chemistry and engineering§, and more fundamental research will aim at deepening the knowledge of the essence of chemical reactions and the laws of bond selection and reaction control. The Institute will also strengthen high-tech research and engage in high-tech industrialization.
The Institute has been a large institution with over 1,200 staff members, 10 CAS and CAE members, and 8 national level development units including state key laboratories and national engineering centers. In its 50 years' history, the Institute has successfully fulfilled a series of important research assignments and has achieved a large number of research results. It has been honored by Science, the international authoritative journal, as a hotbed for physical chemistry in East Asia.
The HT-7U Project, which has recently been approved as a national key project by the Chinese government, is proposed by the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP). The HT-7U system, including the superconducting tokamak, the cryogenic and refrigerator system, power supply system, control and data acquisition system, low hybrid current drive system, radio frequency (RF) wave system and the diagnostic system, will be established in ASIPP around the year 2003. The HT-7U Superconducting Tokamak is a plasma physics experimental device, able to operate with advanced tokamak operating modes in the steady state. The scientific missions of HT-7U are: 1) To realize tokamak steady-state operation, including construction of the HT-7U Superconducting Tokamak; 2) To improve plasma confinement, increase b with steady-state operation by controlling plasma profile; and 3) To perform heat and particle flow control.
The HT-7U system is designed to have a long pulse capability (60-1000s), a flexible PF system, auxiliary heating and current drive system, and is able to accommodate divertor heat loads that make it an attractive test for the development of the advanced tokamak operation mode. The HT-7U system design also incorporates a high elongation of Kx = 1.6 - 2.0, high triangularity of d x = 0.4 - 0.8, as well as high aspect ratio of R/a = 4.25 and double-null/single-null divertors.
The detailed physics design is in progress. The basic plasma parameters for typical operations of HT-7U are estimated using scaling laws of energy confinement.
HT-7U is a noncircular cross-section super-conducting tokamak experimental device. The preliminary engineering design began at the end of 1995, but the physics design of HT-7U has not yet been finished. The design of the HT-7U Tokamak incorporates superconducting magnets for the TF and PF systems, a vacuum vessel, two radiation shields and a cryostat. Some significant improvements on the HT-7U design have been made according to the requirements of the physics design.
Due to lack of experience in the design and fabrication of superconducting magnets like the TF and PF coils of HT-7U, necessary R&D work has been proposed and is in progress. Two 350m model CICC superconductors have been fabricated.
Model coils for the CS coil have been designed. The winding facility for coil bending and forming is being designed, too. Design of test facilities for superconducting magnet testing is finished. The test facilities include a big cryostat vessel, a vacuum pumping system, a cryogenic manifold system, and two current leads and support structures. The CS model coils will be tested before the middle of 1999. Other R&D efforts, such as the design of CICC splices, AC loss measurements of cables and conductors, and performance test of superconductor strands and copper strands, are also progressing well.
R&D programs on the vacuum vessel, the radiation shields, the support structures, current leads and the plasma facing components are scheduled to start soon.
Brain Behavior Research Center
Scores Achievements
The Brain Behavior Research Center of the Institute of Psychology, keeping abreast with the trends at the frontier of international brain science and combining research with practice, has made outstanding achievements in the four years since its establishment. It has become a research community consisting of renowned specialists inside and outside the institute, and has established extensive cooperative ties with a number of domestic and foreign institutions.
Nowadays neuroscience is developing towards two poles: One is the deepening of research at the molecular and cellular level, and the other is its extension to high-level psychological behavior and phenomena. The Center was established to cater for this tendency. It has carried out research on learning and memory based on cellular and molecular biology, relationships between environment, behavior and neurotransmitters, psycho-neuro-immunology and the process of behavior and cognition. Hundreds of papers from the Center have been published in scientific journals at home and abroad, among which many have been selected by SCI and SSCI. Research projects of the Center have won prizes including a second prize of CAS Natural Science Award and a first prize in the decade-long research of aging.
While bestowing attention on fundamental research, the Center attaches importance to the combination of research and practice. It has achieved fruitful results in application projects concerning the study methods and psychological development of middle school students. Making full use of the basic knowledge of psychological behavior exercises, learning and memory, researchers have developed such methods as self-encouragement to enhance the psychol quality and learning ability of the students. The achievement has produced excellent social benefits.
※Digital Earth§ Demands Due Attention
A seminar on digital earth and information of natural resources and the environmental was held recently by CAS Division of Earth Science. From the view-points of safeguarding the national security, strategies of scientific and technological development, knowledge economy and sharing of geological data, the specialists conducted discussions on China's strategy to face the challenge of ※digital earth§. They called on the whole society to pay attention to digital earth, a concept suggested by US Vice-President Al Gore in a speech in early 1998. Technologically it is based on computer technology and image processing technology, large-scale data storing technology, space-to-ground observation technology, and digital communications technology. Information acquisition, processing and application are the three important components of digital earth.
The specialists recalled that in China great attention has been given to the development of geo-information technology, the enactment of the laws and regulations concerned, and infrastructure and software development in related fields. In the 8th and 9th Five-Year Plan periods, a number of key projects carried out by CAS and other departments are directly connected with digital earth. In the light of its urgency, necessity and possibility, digital earth should be included in major national programs.
Concerning the development of related key technologies, specialists have come out with the following lines of thought: integration of key technology support; space data modeling and data organization; multi-dimension dynamics, mass storing and metadata; 3-dimensional dynamic visualization and virtual reality; high-speed networking, earth-space data reciprocal operation and cyber safety; and earth dynamic modelling. Policies to be adopted should be conducive to the promotion of geo-space data sharing. The specialists also suggest to disseminate the notion that the infrastructure of national space data is as important as transportation and energy sources in the development of knowledge economy.
China abounds with rare earth resources, accounting for 80% of the world total. In order to acquire a balance in rare earth production and applications, China launched in the 1970s research on rare earths, which can increase the quality and quantity of crop production.
A cross-disciplinary research group involving rare earth chemistry, analytical chemistry, cellular molecular biology and synchrotron radiation was formed with the cooperation of Prof. Zhao Guiwen from USTC and the Institute of High Energy Physics of CAS. The group has planned and carried out studies of the local environment, structure and chemical characteristics of metal atoms in macro bio-molecules as well as metal essentialities of the catalyst center of the biological system. The group has also carried out research on the structure and functions of macromolecules in crops and rare earth. It has made excellent achievements through the combination and cooperation of different disciplines. Using an EXAFS device, they have found for the first time a coordination structure (coordination number 8) between the endogenous rare earth La and the chlorophyll porphyrin cycle in Dicranopteris Pedata, which is a sandwich structure because the ionic radius of La is larger than that of Mg. The discovery is important both in theory and practice, and will lead to further studies of mechanisms and effects of rare earth elements in macro bio-molecules.
Research Achievements on Virus
from Special Animals' Species
The Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology has made remarkable achievements in its research on virus from special species of animals since 1996. The Institute has, for the first time, extracted from Pelodistus (sinensis) suffering from sudden epidemic a virus called TSV, which has proved to be a potential cause of the illness or death of a healthy turtle once it is infected by the virus. Another instance is the successful extraction of virus RGV from the tissue of young American frogs. The virus has been proved to be the pathogen of American frogs. The Institute has also discovered virus SCV in research on the tissues of Siniperta, which is the primary pathogen of fish. In addition, preliminary results have been achieved in the research on the immune mechanisms and development of vaccines for the above-mentioned species.
Virosis is a serious disease that does great harm to a variety of aquatic animals. It is characterized by sudden occurrence, infectivity and latency. Once it becomes epidemic, great damages may be inflicted. It is for these reasons that the Institute has chosen special species of aquatic animals as the main targets of research, identified the viruses and pathogens, studied the nature, mechanisms and immune channels of the disease, and searched for the prevention technology.
※863 Program§ Achievements on the Market
The industrialization project of the semiconductor laser pumped green laser, carried out by the Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, has recently passed the appraisal of the 863 Program photoelectronics specialists group under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).
The all-solid-state frequency-doubled green laser pumped by a semiconductor laser is a new field in laser technology of the 1990s. Due to the advantages of its high efficiency, small volume, short wavelength, long lifetime, low thermal effects, and good light beam quality, this type of laser has aroused great interest in the world. Tracking the progress of the technology, the Institute began to do research in the relevant areas in the 1980s. Their achievement won a second prize of the National Scientific and Technological Progress Award in 1994. In the same year, it was listed as a key technological achievement transfer project of the 863 Program with the approval of SSTC (now named MOST).
The fruitful research and successful development of the green laser and its industrialization technology provide an important technological foundation for the development of advanced computer disks and household video discs. According to market forecasts, the production value of green lasers used in VCDs of high density and large capacity could reach over 300 million yuan at the end of the 9th Five-Year Plan. In addition, there is an increasing demand in the world market. The product also has wide application prospects in laser typesetting, underwater communi-cations, optical detection, fluorescence detection and analysis, laser medicine, and holographic anti-forgery.
In order to accelerate the transfer and industriali-zation of the achievement, the Institute has cooperated with Jilin Foreign Trade Investment Company to incorporate a high-tech enterprise. The firm now has the capacity to produce 15,000 sets of low-power semiconductor pumped green lasers per annum, and has become one of the largest enterprises in the production of these devices the world over.
Achievements in Radio Multi-media
Technology by USTC
The study of radio multi-media service cut-in technology, supported by the National 863 Project and carried out by the research group led by Prof. Zhu Jinkang from the USTC, recently passed the appraisal of specialists. The project is designed to meet the development demands of the 3rd generation mobile communication and wide-band radio communication technology, and to study multi-media service cut-in W-CDMA communication methods and technology. The research group adopted the frequency-amplification communication method of forward channel bi-orthogonal codes and backward channel M-ary group, with a bandwidth of 5 MHz, a maximal data transfer rate of single codes of 76.8 kbps, a multi-channel transfer rate of 144 kbps and 384 kbps, good communication ability and spectral efficiency. Methods of channel gain and signal power balance and adjustment that took into consideration both informa-tion rate and quality were used, which ensure that different users can satisfy their demands for communication quality at different channel gains and information transfer rates.
This project has developed the W-CDMA technology for the first time in China, and has realized CDMA wide-band communication. Some of its technological ideas have been demonstrated in third generation mobile communication systems. The fulfillment of the project is important for the study and development of third generation mobile communication technology.
Integrated Technology to Augment Cotton Production in Xinjiang
CAS has decided to kick off a special program 每 the demonstration project of integrated technologies to sustain high quality and high yield of cotton in Xinjiang, said Prof. Chen Yiyu, Vice-President and Member of CAS. The program is to take advantage of the Academy's comprehensive capabilities in science and technology to secure a 1.5-billion-kilogram yield of cotton for the region at the turn of the century. The program constitutes solid support for the present strategy of Xinjiang to tap its resources, among which cotton is a major one.
It is reported that CAS has organized 16 scientific research institutions to carry out technology transfer, optimization and integration in southern Xinjiang. Sixteen new technologies, involving fine varieties of cotton, fertilization, water saving and plant protection, have been introduced. Models of high-yield cotton cultivation and related technologies suitable to local conditions will be demonstrated and popularized. The whole demonstration area will cover as much as 67 thousand hectares of land with a 20% to 32% increase in per-unit yield.
Xinjiang Branch Outstanding in Training
In recent years, CAS Xinjiang Branch has recruited more than 300 graduate students, nearly 300 of whom have now graduated with a master's degree, and 100 have chosen to work in the institutes in Xinjiang which is known as a remote border area.
The Branch began its graduate education in 1983, when the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council empowered the institutes to grant master degree diplomas in the fields of soil science, soil geography, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, organic chemistry, electronic materials and devices and computer application. After admission to these institutes, graduate students usually receive a special course called Entrance Education, which is supervised by both the management of the institute and the tutor to help build up the spirit of devotion and hard working, and stimulate the students' enthusiasm to study for the nation's prosperity and rejuvenation. The students are also encouraged to take part in all forms of social activities so as to gain a better understanding of the real situation of the nation, and realize the importance of science and technology in promoting economic and social development.
Thanks to the effective education they receive, the graduates who choose to stay on soon adapt to the actual research work, including documentation retrieval, preparing research proposals, applying for funding, project designing, and conducting experiments. To date, some of them have become tutors of master degree seekers, some have become leading scientists in their own area, and many have published papers in domestic and international academic periodicals, making them the mainstay of the institutes.
First Foreign Post-Doc in Paleobotany
During his post-doctoral research from 1997 to 1998, Dr. Jason Hilton from Britain focused on the origin and early evolution of the spermatophytes, under the guidance of and in co-operation with Prof. Cheng-Sen Li at the Institute of Botany.
The origin of seeds is one of the most important events in plant evolution. The reproductive develop-ment from spores to seeds in the plant kingdom and the diversification of early seed plants happened about 365 million years ago. Even though large amounts of work have been done on the subject in Europe and America, the recognition of the origin of seeds and the major groups of seed plants, as well as their phylogeny still need study on the basis of new evidence from fossils and living plants. Accumulation of fossil materials in relation to this realm makes it possible to engage in fresh research. Hilton devoted one and a half years to the subject with excellent results in six topics, covering plant groups including progymnosperms, cordaites and conifers as well as related groups, which 1ived during the period of 300-130 million years ago. Based on previous data and newly obtained information from his work, Hilton studied the origin, early evolution and phylogenetic relationship of seed plants. He has described 3 new genera and revised 2 genera. As a result, 2 research papers have been published, 4 accepted, 3 await acceptance and 4 more will be completed soon.
Briefs
Institute of Mathematics and System Sciences comes on stage - The Institute of Mathematics and System Sciences has been formally launched on the basis of the four former Institutes of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Computation Mathematics and System Mathematics. The contract system will be adopted. The total staff will not exceed 200. Of the 13 CAS Members, 160 research professors and 95 Ph. D. tutors in the four institutes, 60 have been selected as research fellows of the new institute. Per capita annual funding for research will increase from 30 thousand yuan in the past to 100 thousand yuan.
New Members to be selected 每 CAS will select 60 new Members in 1999. The breakdown is 10 for the Division of Mathematics and Physics, 10 for the Division of Chemistry, 12 for the Division of Biology, 10 for the Division of Earth Sciences, and 18 for the Division of Technology Sciences.
Chinese and Russian Branch Academies to step up cooperation 每 CAS Changchun Branch and the Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences have struck an agreement for further cooperation in space technology, new materials, lasers, electronics and informatics, photolopgy, geoscience and agroscience.
Balloon studies ozone layer 每 A balloon with a volume of 30,000 m3 was sent up in Guangzhou Province by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics to study the ozone layer. The balloon flew to a height of over 31,700m and was successfully recovered. Preliminary results show that ozone layer depletion in South China is more serious than in the north of the country.
Breakthrough in natural gas purification technology 每 The Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics has achieved a breakthrough in purifying natural gas of hydrogen sulfide and water. The state-of-the-art technology has been adopted in the Shaanxi-Beijing natural gas transportation project with satisfactory economic effects.
World's largest grand canyon measured 每 The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon has been precisely measured to be 5,000 meters deep on average (5,382m at its deepest) and 496.3 km in length. This measurement has been made by 21 GPS measuring points. Scientists from CAS Institutes took part in the path-breaking 36-day scientific expedition to the canyon.