介绍:
ZXY:
Increased funding expected for space research
By Cheng Yingqi(China Daily)
Updated: 2016-03-18 08:00:00
Scientists estimate that the government will invest no less than 5.9 billion yuan ($910 million) on space science research during the period of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), according to a research report published on Thursday.
The report was composed by a group of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who surveyed the research interests of hundreds of scientists in China since 2012 and sorted them into 23 major space science programs with the brightest scientific prospects.
"Decision-making on the country's major space science projects should not be based only on the individual opinions of government officials, or the proposal of a few prestigious scientists. We should carry out comprehensive research on our own space science capacity and on topics at the frontier of international science, so that the decision-makers can avoid spending State funding blindly," said Wu Ji, director of the National Space Science Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and chief editor of the research report.
Scientists estimate that the country's overall research and development funding will maintain 2.5 percent annual growth between 2016 and 2030.
"We hope that the pace of development of space science will not lag behind other research fields, which means that the funding for scientific satellites will be no less than 5.9 billion yuan in the coming five years," he said.
"The funding means we are likely to launch 15 to 20 scientific satellites, if not more, by 2030," Wu said.
In 2011, China initiated the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science, the country's first project that includes a series of satellites planned purely for scientific research in space but not for economic benefit.
The first satellite of the series, the dark-matter satellite DAMPE, was sent up on Dec 17. After months of in-orbit testing, scientists announced the success of the testing stage on Thursday.
Chang Jin, DAMPE chief scientist, said the satellite will spend two years taking general sky surveys and the third year scanning key spots.
HCX:China's Wanda signs sponsorship contract with FIFA
ZURICH - Chinese company Wanda Group has signed a highest-level sponsorship contract with FIFA, according to a statement released by the world soccer governing body on Friday.
The contract will grant Wanda the highest level of sponsorship rights, which includes the next four FIFA World Cup editions, the statement said.
"We are pleased to welcome the Wanda Group to FIFA. A company that has a long affiliation with football, has been an active supporter of the game for many years and shares our enthusiasm to develop and strengthen football," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
As part of their agreement, Wanda will have rights to all FIFA competitions and corporate activities up to and including the 2030 FIFA World Cup, according to the statement.
"As FIFA President, I am committed to providing stronger support for football development to our member associations, and I believe that the relationship with Wanda will support us to continue the on-going development and growth of the game in China and all over the world," said Infantino.
Wanda Group chairman Wang Jianlin said he hoped their cooperation with FIFA will enhance the development of soccer in China,
"We are highly motivated to promote football across the country and to inspire a new generation of youngsters. The Chinese government is committed to this development and as a company we strongly support these efforts. In order to professionally grow the existing grassroots movement into a sustainable and well managed sport, we are delighted to tap into the vast experience of the most competent advisor - FIFA," he said.
"We believe in football as one of the most attractive sports globally and have the highest trust in FIFA and its newly established organizational structure under the lead of President Gianni Infantino," he added.
Why is it that when dogs drink, water seems to go everywhere?
LZY:
When my dog drinks from her bowl, there is no question, water will end up on the floor. It looks like a sloppy, unorganized way to get a good drink of water.
Researchers at Virginia Tech University have been studying how dogs drink. They say dogs know exactly what they are doing. The animals are actually making precise movements at a high speed. This helps them get the fluid they need when they are thirsty.
It turns out that neither dogs, nor cats, have a full set of cheeks. This means they cannot create suction to drink, like humans or elephants and horses.
Dogs lap, or take up, the water with their tongues curled backward. As they lap, they move their tongues very quickly to build up momentum. That forces the water into a column and up into their mouths.
The Virginia Tech researchers filmed 19 dogs of different sizes and breeds as they drank water. They created different laboratory models to measure tongue motion, and the amounts of water taken in.
Using the data from these experiments, the researchers were able to make a model that shows how a dog drinks water.
The researchers said that since the mouths of dogs and cats are structured nearly the same way, they thought they would drink water the same way, too.
But here is a surprise. The studies showed each family of animals has its own special drinking method.
“We know cats and dogs are quite different in terms of behavior and character,” said Sunghwan “Sunny” Jung, a study author and an associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics at Virginia Tech.
“But before we did fundamental studies of how these animals drink fluids, our guess was dogs and cats drink about the same way. Instead we found out that dogs drink quite differently than cats,” he said.
What is the difference?
Dogs must quickly move their tongues down into the water using momentum to bring the water up and into their mouths. Cats don't bend their tongues to drink like dogs. Cats use less momentum and a more gentle action. They just skim, or barely touch, the surface of the water to drink it.
“Cats tend be viewed as neater, dogs are messier, but dogs really have to accelerate their tongues” to make good use of the way the fluid column works, said researcher Sean Gart, a Virginia Tech graduate student.
Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
