China Science & Technology Digest:
May 1-15, 2004

ATIP

This digest summarizes S&T-related articles that appeared in the media ATIP monitored in the first half of May 2004. Some articles reference a relevant website to assist readers in obtaining further information. For questions or to request additional information, please send email to ChinaST@atip.or.jp. The exchange rate used for this issue is RMB8.287 against the U.S. dollar.

China Develops Chip for 3G Cell Phones
China's first 3G cell phone chip with independent intellectual property rights was recently developed in Shanghai and is expected to be commercialized before the end of this year. Developed by Spreadtrum Communications Co., Ltd. in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, the new chip has been included in the list of projects financially supported by the 3G industry fund of the Ministry of Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Employing a mixed digital/analog signal solution, the new development has realized a single-chip design, with digital base band, analog base band, and power management functions integrated onto one chip. By contrast, many telephone designers worldwide use three chips from transnational chip suppliers to separately control the analog base band and digital base band communications and power management. In comparison with the ordinary chip solutions, the new chip boasts a volume that is two-thirds smaller, has a faster data transmission speed, and is 50 percent lower in cost.
Source: China Daily 05/16/2004

China to Release GSM & CDMA Compatible Cellular Handsets
China United Telecom (China Unicom), the world's third largest mobile telecommunications carrier plans to release mobile phone handsets in mid-July this year with dual-band technology that shares data and voice service between GSM and CDMA users. In this way, users of the new handsets carrying both GSM and CDMA SIM cards will be able to switch between GSM and CDMA networks, and enjoy roaming service in countries where only one of the networks is available. The technology was developed by China Unicom. The state-owned company was established a decade ago by China to break up the monopoly of the state-owned China Mobile over the country's mobile telecommunications market.
Source: People's Daily 05/10/2004

Link Between Stress and Illness Explained
Researchers from the Shanghai Institutes, CAS, for Biological Sciences have found the relationship between stress and illness is linked to the way cells and molecules transmit information. The discovery can help scientists find ways to regulate the body's immune system through its sympathetic nervous system. Previously, the scientific community understood that the sympathetic nervous system could influence a person's immune system through a protein, but they did not understand how it worked molecularly. Their study was published in the latest issue of Molecular Cell.
Source: China Daily 05/11/2004

Hong Kong & Mainland China Scientists Reveal Mystery of Sperm Maturation
Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese scientists have revealed the first secret of sperm maturation. The study has revealed that Bin1b, a defensin gene found in the head region of the epididymis, can bind to the sperm head and induce progressive sperm motility in originally immotile immature sperm. The investigation of the role of the novel epididymis-specific gene, Bin1b, is a collaborative project of the Epithelial Cell Biology Research Center of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, along with the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
This finding could be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of male infertility or for treatment, and may lead to new research. The findings also provide grounds for the development of new contraceptive strategies.
The Epithelial Cell Biology Research Center, established as a joint effort of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and CUHK, is the first integrated research institution ever founded in China which is devoted to epithelial cell biology research.
Source: People's Daily 05/05/2004

Over Half of Asthma Cases Caused by Rhinitis
Doctors with the People's Liberation Army hospital based in Nanjing have found that 66 percent of asthma cases are caused by rhinitis, and that allergic rhinitis is the main reason many respiratory diseases relapse. Meanwhile, allergic rhinitis and other diseases of the nose can also lead to bronchial dilation and worsen the situation for many respiratory disease sufferers.
An estimated 300 million people worldwide are suffering from asthma and the disease is blamed for one in every 250 deaths globally.
Source: People's Daily 05/01/2004

Smokers 50% More Likely to Experience Sexual Dysfunction
A survey conducted by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) says that smokers have a 50 percent higher risk of developing sexual dysfunction. The Faculty of Medicine at HKU, together with the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong and Kwong Wah Hospital, surveyed a total of 819 males, aged 31-60, who had at least one sex partner in the previous six months. Doctors believe that smoking can damage the blood circulation system in the penis and cause blockage in the blood vessels, therefore leading to erectile dysfunction (ED).
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 05/11/2004

China Retools Its Largest Scientific Experimental Device
China launched a 640 million yuan (approx. US 77.4 million) project to retool a Beijing-based electron-positron accelerator, the country's largest scientific experimental device, in a bid to keep its advanced role in the world's high-energy physics field. The most sophisticated colliding technology is to be used to renovate the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider (BEPC) built in 1988 at the Institute of High Energy Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). BEPC used to be the world's eighth largest high-energy accelerator experiment center. To add a new storage ring to the existing ring of the collider in order to spur the electron and positron beams' movement and collision in the colliding zone, the retooled collider will have 97 pairs of electron beams as opposed to the original one pair, and its luminosity, a leading parameter, will be 100 times stronger than that of the original BEPC.
Source: People's Daily 05/06/2004

Israel and China to Jointly Develop Hybrid Crops
The China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center (CNHRRDC) and Israeli private agro-biotechnology company Ferti Seeds will jointly test biotechnology components in selected crops and develop super hybrid rice. The CNHRRDC and FertiSeeds hope that the hybrid seeds based on FertiSeeds technology will promote the economical production of seeds that will significantly improve yield and quality for such major crops as rice and cotton.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 05/11/2004

China to Host World Engineers' Convention
The China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), together with the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and Shanghai Municipal Government, is preparing the World Engineers' Convention, which will take place on November 2-6, 2004 in Shanghai. The Convention was initiated by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations and the United Nations' Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Zhang pointed out that topics for discussion at the convention would include computerized network infrastructure, bioengineering and life sciences, transportation and sustained development of super metropolises, environmental protection and disaster prevention, agricultural engineering and food safety, natural resources and energy, and environmentally-friendly manufacturing. For more information on this convention, please go to: http://www.wec2004.org
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 05/11/2004

China to Hold 10th SCBA International Symposium
The Society of Chinese Bio-scientists in America (SCBA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) plan to organize the 10th SCBA International Symposium from July 19 to 23, 2004 in Beijing. Over 400 participants, including some Nobel laureates, are scheduled to discuss stem cell mechanism, molecular biology, cancer gene therapy, clinical and therapeutic immunology, HIV vaccine, advances in SARS research, and the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.
The SCBA, which was established in 1984, has more than 2,500 members. It has organized nine international symposia on bio-science. For more information on this symposium, please go to: http://www.scba-society.org/index.php3?area=2004meeting.html
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 05/09/2004

First DNA Bank Opens in Taiwan
Taiwan has opened its first DNA bank. It encourages people to preserve their DNA cells in the bank in case the need for genetic treatment or generational identification should arise. This new bank mainly focuses on infants as earlier DNA samples keep much better than older ones. DNA sampling is said to be much easier than taking ovum or umbilical cord blood.
Source: People's Daily 05/11/2004

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