Quality vs. quantity of publications in nanotechnology field from the People’s Republic of China

This study evaluates trends in quality of nanotechnology and nanoscience papers produced by au- thors from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The metric used to gauge quality is ratio of highly cited nanotechnology papers to total nanotechnology papers produced in sequential time frames. The USA is both the most prolific nanotechnology publishing country and most represented country on highly cited nanotechnology papers (both in absolute numbers of highly cited papers and highly cited papers relative to total publications) over the 1998―2003 time frame, based on the SCI/SSCI databases. Some of the smaller hi-tech countries have relatively high ratios (~2) of highly cited papers to total publications (e.g. Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland). Countries that have exhibited rapid growth in SCI/SSCI nanotechnology paper production in recent years (e.g. PRC, South Korea) had ratios an order of magnitude less than that of the USA for 1998, but by 2003 had increased to about 20% that of the USA (~2.5). PRC and South Korea have climbed in the publications rankings from 6th and 9th in 1998, re- spectively, to 2nd and 6th in 2005, respectively. PRC’s ratio monotonically increased from 0.16 to 0.45 over the 1998―2003 period, and South Korea’s ratio increased from 0.11 to about 0.6 over that same period, indicating their papers are getting more and more citations proportionately. Thus, under rapid growth conditions, PRC and South Korea have been able to increase their share of participation in highly cited papers. As of 2003, PRC and South Korea have ratios comparable to nations like Japan, France, Italy, and Australia but not yet approaching those of the highly cited countries. None of the top ten publications producing institutions are from the USA, while all of the top ten highly cited publica- tions producers are from the USA. Over the 1998―2003 time period, the top six total publications pro- ducing institutions (globally) remained the same, with Chinese Academy of Sciences (which consists of many research institutes) wresting the lead from Russian Academy of Sciences in 1999, and thereafter increasing the gap. Over this same time period, the USA institutions constituted about 90% of the top ten most cited papers list. For Chinese institutions specifically in the period 1998―2003, the nanotech- nology publication leading Chinese Academy of Sciences has maintained an average of about 30% of nanotechnology publications over that time frame. The second tier (in terms of quantity) for the last few years has consisted of Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, University of Science and Technology of China, Peking University, Jilin University, Zhejiang University, Shandong University, and Fudan University. Hong Kong institutions have, on average, been strong in ratio, especially City University Hong Kong, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, indicating significant citations.     

Carbon isotopic record of foraminifers in surface sediments from the South China Sea and its significance

Since the 1990s, the papers and data involved withthe South China Sea (SCS) have been emerging in largenumbers in the world as people pay more attention to thepaleoceanography of the SCS. There have been more than100 cores mentioned in papers containing p…     

Detrital zircon of 4.1 Ga in South China

One hadean zircon from the Cambrian sandstone in the southern part of South China has a U-Pb age of 4107±29 Ma with ε Hf(t) value similar to that of the homochronous depleted mantle and Hf model age of 4102±21 Ma.This demonstrates the existence of hadean crustal remnant in South China.A close match between the U-Pb age and Hf model age with the highly position ε Hf(t) value indicates the growth and immediate reworking of juvenile crust from the depleted mantle at ca 4.1 Ga.The prominent "Pan-African" and Grenville zircons derived from the exotic sources were also found in the sample,which indicates a linking between South China and Gondwana in the Cambrian period.The southern part of South China has complex histories of crustal growth and tectonic evolution.     

Analysis of Top Chinese Contractors’ Developmental Tracks and Evaluation of Their Strategic Selection of International Construction Markets

The past decade has witnessed a rapid development of the international construction market. This research aims to investigate top Chinese contractors＇ developmental tracks and evaluate their strategic selection of international construction markets over the period from 2001 to 2006, based on the modified Boston Consulting Group Matrix （BCG）. Results from 2001 to 2005 indicate that Asia and Africa, which were ＂question marks＂ markets for top Chinese contractors （abbreviated as TCCs） , have the most potential to become ＂stars＂ markets; other question marks markets such as the Middle East and Europe are found not to be of potential; ＂dogs＂ markets such as the U. S. , Canada and Latin America should be relinquished progressively unless there is renewed growth opportunity over the next two years. Compared to developmental tracks of top contractors from some advanced countries, TCCs＇ investment and development strategy in Africa seems to be sustainable and intensive ; TCCs＇ exit strategy for the Middle East appears deter- mined and swift, while their strategy in Asia seems to be lacking in persistence. Furthermore, the data of 2006 indicates that TCCs improve their performance in Asia and Africa, and Africa has become a ＂stars＂ market for TCCs. This research sheds important lights and insights into the prevailing process of internationalization of TCCs and provides a strategic direction for their selection of international construction market. What is more, this research is also valuable to other Chinese contractors who are seeking the opportunity to enter the international construction markets.     

Multi-proxy evidence for late Pleistocene-Holocene environ-mental change in arid Central Asia: An overview of the RACHAD 2001 symposium

This special issue of Chinese Science Bulletin arose from a symposium entitled 揂brupt EnvironmentalChanges in Arid Asia——History and Mechanisms?RACHAD 2001) held at Lanzhou University in October 2001. This international event was attended by over 70 scientists from Australia, China, Germany, India,Mongolia, Russia, the UK and the USA. More than fifty papers were given over a three-day period on all aspects of the mechanisms and history of environmental change in Asia抯 drylands.…     

Studies of layout of world machine tools industry based on patent analysis

As the foundation of an industrialized country nowadays, machine tools industry is regarded as the engine of industrial development of a country. The developed countries, such as USA, Germany and Japan, have widely deployed the technology of using the patent in order to keep their strength in various fields. This research examins the CNC machine tools industry in the world by using the pa- tent analysis method. It first gives an overview about the world patent application in CNC machine tools industry from 1963 to 2010 and divides the development of the industry into five stages. It also lists the patent application of the world top 20 countries, where the top 5 countries are compared. The patents of the world top 10 companies of machine tools manufacturers are mapped according to the international patent classification （IPC）, and the future trends of world machine tools industry are discussed. Finally conclusions and suggestions are presented.     

Vulnerability assessment of areas affected by Chinese cryospheric changes in future climate change scenarios

Using the definition of vulnerability provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,this paper assesses the vulnerability of areas affected by Chinese cryospheric changes from 2001 to 2020 and from 2001 to 2050 in A1 and B1scenarios.Seven indices are used in the vulnerability assessment:glacial area fraction,interannual variability of permafrost depth,interannual variability of surface snow area fraction,interannual variability of surface runoff,interannual variability of surface temperature,interannual variability of vegetation growth,and interannual variability of the human development index.Assessment results show that the overall vulnerability of the studied areas in China increases from east to west.The areas in the middle and eastern parts of China are less vulnerable compared with western parts and parts of the Tibetan Plateau.The highest vulnerability values are found from 1981 to 2000,and the least ones are found from 2001 to 2050.The vulnerable areas increase from the period of 1981 to 2000 to the period of 2001 to 2050,and the less vulnerable areas decrease.The highly vulnerable areas increase from the period of 1981 to 2000 to the period of 2001 to 2020 and then decrease from the period of 2001 to 2020 to the period of 2001 to 2050.This decrease in vulnerability is attributed to the decrease in exposure and sensitivity to Chinese cryospheric changes along with a concomitant increase in adaptation.     

Clay minerals in surface sediments of the Pearl River drainage basin and their contribution to the South China Sea

Clay minerals have played a significant role in the study of the East Asian monsoon evolution in the South China Sea by being able to track oceanic current variations and to reveal contemporaneous paleoclimaUc changes prevailing in continental source areas. As one of the most important rivers inputting terrigenous matters to the northern South China Sea, the Pearl River was not previously paid attention to from the viewpoint of clay mineralogy. This paper presents a detailed study on clay minerals in surface sediments collected from the Pearl River drainage basin （including all three main channels, various branches, and the Lingdingyang in the estuary） by using the X-ray diffraction （XRD） method. The results indicate that the clay mineral assemblage consists dominantly of kaolinite （35%-65%）, lesser abundance of chlorite （20%-35%） and illite （12%-42%）, and very scare smectite occurrences （generally 〈5%）. Their respective distribution does not present any obvious difference throughout the Pearl River drainage basin. However, downstream the Pearl River to the northern South China Sea, the clay mineral assemblage varies significantly： kaolinite decreases gradually, smecUte and illite increase gradually. Additionally, illite chemistry index steps down and illite crystallinity steps up. These variations indicate the contribution of major kaolinite, lesser illite and chlorite, and very scarce smecUte to the northern South China Sea from the Pearl River drainage basin. The maximum contribution of clay minerals from the Pearl River is 72% to the northern margin and only 15% to the northern slope of the South China Sea. In both glacials and interglacials, kaolinite indicates that the ability of mechanical erosion occurred in the Pearl River drainage basin.     

Introduction of ASGIS 2007

With the development of Next Generation Network, mobile telecommunication, intelligent information processing, GIS went to a new and quick development time. In order to promote the development of the GIS science construction and technology application, ASGIS 2007, the 5th Asian Symposium on Geographic Information Systems from Computer Science Engineering View has been held successfully in Chongqing University of Posts ＆ Telecommunications （Chongqing, China） from April 24th to 26th. It is organized by Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, INHA University of Korea, Konkuk University of Korea, Sun Moon University of Korea and Saitama University of Japan.     

Composition of plagioclase in Dabie Early Cretaceous granitoids:influence of fractional crystallization on whole-rock Sr–Ca O correlations

Identifying melts of thickened lower continental crust from high Sr/Y rocks is very important to trace deep crustal processes. Recent studies on Dabie Early Cretaceous granitoids have revealed that melts derived from thickened lower continental crust have higher Sr/CaO ratios and define a high Sr evolution trend compared with normal granitoids. Fractional crystallization of plagioclase can significantly change Sr and CaO contents of melts, but its role in controlling the Sr/CaO ratios of the melts is still unclear. This study gives a direct comparison of plagioclase compositions between normal granitoids and low-Mg adakitic rocks. On the basis of Sr-Ca exchange partition coefficient, discussions on effect of plagioclase crystallization on Sr/CaO ratios of melts show that fractional crystallization of abundant plagioclase cannot significantly change Sr/CaO ratios of granitic melts, which are inherited from their individual initial melts. High Sr/CaO ratios indicate the absence of plagioclase in sources of granitic melts. Therefore, high Sr/CaO correlation can be an important indicator to identify melts derived from thickened lower continental crust.     

Satellite remote sensing of changes in NO x emissions over China during 1996–2010

Satellite derived NO2 column data have been used to study Chinese national fossil fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.Based on NO 2 retrievals from two satellites (GOME and SCIAMACHY) for 1996-2010,we analyzed the characteristics and evolution of regional pollution related to NO x emissions in China.Satellite observations indicated that the highly polluted regions were expanding.Anthropogenic emission dominated areas have expanded from the east to central and western China,and new highly polluted regions have formed throughout the nation.Bottom-up emission estimates suggested a 133% increase in anthropogenic NOx emissions in East Central China during 1996 to 2010,which was lower than the 184% increase of the NO2 columns measured by the satellites.We found that growth rates of NOx emissions have slowed in Chinese megacities over recent years,in contrast to which,the NOx emissions were soaring in medium-sized cities,indicating that strict controls of NOx emissions from coal-fired facilities are required in China.     

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of tuff from the Kunyang Group in central Yunnan： Evidence for Grenvillian orogeny in South China

Whether or not Grenvillian orogeny occurred in South China still remains highly controversial because high-quality,discriminating data are lacking,and therefore,the key to resolve this matter is to find datable volcanic and/or sedimentary rocks related to Grenvillian orogeny. Such rocks are apparently present in the Fuliangpeng Member from the lower-middle part of Kunyang Group in central Yunnan; here the unit is more than 100 m thick and consists of andesitic ignimbrite,tuffite,terrigeous clastic rocks and carbonates. These volcanic rocks,developed south of the Sibao fold-thrust belts,represent the earliest calc-alkaline volcanic activity in late Precambrian time from central Yunnan and are coeval with both a change in sedimentary facies from detritus to carbonates and the beginning of seismite development elsewhere. Two samples for SHRIMP analysis were collected from this volcanic unit. Sample G3-29-2,from the bottom of Fuliangpeng Member,is an ignimbrite,and about 100 zircon crys-tals recovered from it have euhedral shapes and display relatively simple sector zonation under cathodoluminescent (CL) imaging,suggesting a magmatogenic origin. Twenty-five of the zircons were analyzed and a weighed-mean U-Pb age of 1032±9 Ma was obtained. Sample G3-29-3 from uppermost part of Fuliangpeng Member is a tuffite,and many rounded,evidently detrital zircons were recovered. Nine of these zircons were analyzed,and the oldest single-grain U-Pb zircon age is 1938±26 Ma,im-plying that Paleoproterozoic basement developed in Cathaysia. The dating result,combined with the geotectonic research on the Fuliangpeng Member,leads us to conclude that late Mesoproterozoic orogenic volcanic activity occurred in the western part of South China,and that the related collision of Yangtze and Cathaysian cratons was an integral part of the assembly of Rodinia.     

Drug release from a coated planar matrix with a super-saturation loading in the core I

A comprehensive model is proposed to accurately describe the kinetics of drug release from a coated matrix when drug loading in the core is above its saturation level. The general solutions are obtained in dimensionless form by Laplace transform, from which special cases have been derived and the results have been discussed in different variables. According to the derived equations, the concentration profiles in the core and coating were computed and il¬lustrated for various diffusivity ratios and thickness ratios.     

Chemical and Genetic Diversity of Some Ligularia Species （Compositae） in Northwestern Yunnan and Southwestern Sichuan of China

Ligularia Cass., （Compositae） is a highly diversified genus, and more than 100 species of which are distributed in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adjacent areas. Ligularia species have been studied with respect to secondary metabolites, and many sesquiterpenes of the furanoeremophilane type have been isolated from them. In order to find correlates among these variations, and ultimately understand the diversity-generating mechanism of Ligularia species in the Hengduan Mountains, we initiated an extensive study that uses furanoeremophilanes as a chemical index and the DNA sequence as a genetic index. Furanoeremophilanes have been detected conventionally by Ehrlich＇s test, which has been used in a search for novel natural products. As for the DNA sequence, we determined the nucleotide sequence of the atpB-rbcL intergenic region in the present study.     

The interdecadal trend and shift of dry/wet over the central part of North China and their relationship to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）

Based on monthly precipitation and monthly mean surface air temperature (SAT),the dry/wet trends and shift of the central part of North China and their relationship to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) from 1951 to 2005 have been analyzed through calculating surface wetness index (SWI). The results indicate that there was a prominent drying trend and an abrupt change in the analysis period. A per-sistent warming period with less precipitation from the mid and late 1970s to present was found,and a shift process exists from the wet to the dry in the central part of North China during 1951-2005. The transition is located in the mid to late 1970s,which should be related to the shift variation of large-scale climate background. The correlation analysis has brought about a finding of significant correlativity between PDO index (PDOI) and SAT,precipitation and SWI in this region. The correlation exhibits that the positive phase of PDOI (warm PDO phase) matches warming,less precipitation and the drought period,and the negative PDOI phase corresponds to low SAT,more precipitation and the wet period. The duration of various phases is more than 25 years. The decadal variation of sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Pacific Ocean is one of the possible causes in forming the decadal dry/wet trend and shift of the central part of North China.     

Statistic characteristics of severe convective storm during Warm-Season in the Beijing-Tianjin region and its vicinity

This study analyzed the climatological characteristics of severe convective storms in the Beijing and Tianjin region and its vicinity based on the Doppler radar data of Tanggu during May-August of 2003-2007. The climatological characteristics, e.g. storm area, volume, top height, max reflectivity, life time and motion, are analyzed. The results include： 75% of all storms in the Beijing-Tianjin region last no more than 30 minutes, and most storms have a volume less than 400 kin3; most storms move from southwest to northeast while the speed is between 10-30 km/h; the mean storm top height is about 6 km, but some strong convective storms can have a top height larger than 15 kin; finally, storm area and volume have a similar geographical distribution character showing increasing trends from west to east. Compared with the statistic results based on the conventional surface meteorological observations, the results based on the radar data can present not only 3D spatial statistic results of convective storms （e.g., volume and top height）, but also the quantitative climatological characteristics, such as the lifetime and speed distributions. These statistical results are useful for studying the climatic characteristics of convective storms in the Beijing-Tianjin region and its vicinity.     

Interdecadal trend turning of global terrestrial temperature and precipitation during 1951–2002

A grid-by-grid counting of interdecadal trend turning (ITT) of annual mean surface air temperature (SAT) and total precipitation at 67,359 terrestrial grids in the period 1951–2002 is presented. An analysis of the last ITTs of SAT and total precipitation in the period, in the context of both occurrence time and linear trends after the breakpoint, indicates that a warming trend has become highly significant across most of the world in the late 20th Century. Most terrestrial grids have recorded an ITT of total precipitation in either the 1970s or 1980s, and 45.7% of the terrestrial grids in the study have seen a decreasing trend in total annual precipitation after the breakpoint, with the remaining 54.3% having experienced an increasing trend. Basically, global terrestrial regions have experienced either an increasingly warm and dry climate or an increasingly warm and wet climate. An analysis of ITT of regional mean SAT and total precipitation in 22 regions shows the northern American continent has become increasingly warm and dry after the last inter-decadal breakpoint. Meanwhile, the African continent has become increasingly warm and wet, with both Europe and most of Asia having the same trend. Southern South America and the west of Australia have experienced an opposite trend in climate, becoming increasingly cold and wet.     

Sm-Nd isotopic compositions of Cambrian-Ordovician strata at the Jinggangshan area in Jiangxi Province: Tectonic implications

Whole-rock Sm-Nd isotopes were investigated for Cambrian-Ordovician strata from the Jinggangshan area between the Yangtze Block and Cathysia Block in South China. These strata were deposited as a greatly thick unit of muddy-sandy laminas with intercalated carbonate and organic carbon-bearing layers. They have low εNd（t） values of -13.9 to -7.9 and old Nd model ages of 1842 to 2375 Ma. In tDM-tStr diagram, they are far away from the concordant line but fall within the evolution zone of the Proterozoic crust of South China. This indicates that the Cambrian-Ordovician strata are mainly composed of matters eroded from ancient Paleoproterozoic crust that may mainly consist of continental-derived detrital sediments with high maturity in the Cathysia Block. However, the Ordovician Jueshangou Formation and Dui＇ershi Formation have εNd（t） values of -10.5 and -7.9 at the higher end of the above range and Nd model ages of 1842 to 2059 Ma at the lower end of the above range. This suggests involvement of more detritus that were eroded from the relatively juvenile crust from Late Paleoproterozoic to the Early Neoproterozoic. All the Nd model ages for the Cambrian-Ordovician sedimentary rocks in the Cathysia Block and the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block are older than 1800 Ma, suggesting that no material from the Early Paleozoic depleted mantle-derived magmas was involved in these regions.     

Application of C5—C13 light hydrocarbons in depositional environment diagnosis

Based on the geological background and Gammacerane/C31H（S ＋ R） ratios, source rock depositional environments of the studied oil samples （194） from 13 oilfields were classified into three groups according to salinity： saline-lacustrine facies, fresh to brackish lacustrine facies （including limnetic facies）, and semi-saline to saline facies （including marine facies of the Tarim Basin）. C5-C13 compound groups in the crude oils were separated by GC, and about 286 compounds were qualitatively analyzed. The geochemical application of the C6- C13 compound groups and their ratios between each group with individual carbon number was investigated. Our studies show that （1） C6-C13 compound groups and their ratios in the crude oils could serve as new reliable parameters for oil-oil correlation because the C6- C13 light fractions are the major oil component, especially in light oil or condensate, in which they account for almost 90% of the whole oil; （2） the compound groups of C7 light hydrocarbons in oils derived from different depositional environments with different salinity have different characteristics; （3） C6-C13 compound groups and ratios may be affected by other factors such as maturity, but they are mainly controlled by salinity of depositional waters.     

COMPETITIVENESS OF CHINESE WOMAN CLOTHINGINDUSTRY AND PLANS FOR KOREA-CHINA COOPERATION

China and Korea are the closest countries in geography and politics. These countries have had the cultural exchanges for a long time, however, have been discontinued by the period of the Cold War. Then, Korea and China have established diplomatic relations in 1992 by the open policy of China. At that time, the trade volume between two countries was only 6.4 billion US dollars.