Advanced Research Projects in the Humanities： New Trends on Literature, Languages, and Linguistics Studies

Following the author＇s own experiencing in supervising Ph.D. theses in literature, languages, linguistics, and teacher education, the author will focus on new trends of advanced research projects that have been contributing to reinforce the importance of research in these areas in a time of crisis in the humanities. The organization and funding of science and scholarship in Europe has been promoting anything else but social sciences research, including educational areas. The author will follow the recent call from the Board of Trustees da Academia Europaea to redirect policies toward the organization of multidisciplinary research projects. Among these so-called ＂small subjects＂, we will find original, inspired, and valuable research projects in the humanities, It is worth mentioning that the crisis that has been diminishing this type of scholarship strangely cohabits with several policies promoted by the European Commission and the Council of Europe to develop programs for plurilingual education and linguistic diversity, new framework strategies for multilingualism, and the use of new technologies for language teaching and learning. A strong emphasis on research projects leading to interdisciplinary studies involving literature and pure sciences, plus the development of outreach research projects will be proposed.

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH PROJECTS WINNING FIRST-GRADE PRIZES OF THE 1993 CAS AWARDS FOR NATURAL SCIENCES

In the wake of examination, appraisal and recommendation by the jury of the CAS Awards for Natural Sciences.a total of 17 research projects was finally approved by the CAS President’s Working Conference as laureates of the first-grade prizes of the 1993 CAS Awards for Natural Sciences.A brief introduction of them is as follows: 1. A Study on the Steiner

Analysis of Collaborations Between Small-Medium Companies and Universities Based on Joint Research Projects

University-industry collaborations have been recognized as an important factor for the creation of innovation. Although the university-industry collaborations have been mainly conducted by large companies in Japan so far, the small-medium companies rather than large companies are accumulated in regional areas. However, there are a lot of problems in the university-industry collaborations of the small-medium companies. In this paper, the collaborations between small-medium companies and universities are analyzed based on joint research projects. The results show that the joint research projects of small-medium companies for collaboration partners are not conducted enough. Moreover, the results also show that the average budget per project of small-medium companies is low according to the detailed data of Niigata University. The active area of company and university in research and development is discussed. The stage map that proceeds to commercialization for the collaborations between small-medium companies and universities is made and discussed. Based on these results, the problems of the university-industry collaborations of small-medium companies for collaboration partners are extracted.

Recent Ventures in Interdisciplinary Arctic Research:The ARCPATH Project

This paper celebrates Professor Yongqi GAO's significant achievement in the field of interdisciplinary studies within the context of his final research project Arctic Climate Predictions: Pathways to Resilient Sustainable Societies-ARCPATH(https://www.svs.is/en/projects/finished-projects/arcpath). The disciplines represented in the project are related to climatology, anthropology, marine biology, economics, and the broad spectrum of social-ecological studies. Team members were drawn from the Nordic countries, Russia, China, the United States, and Canada. The project was transdisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary as it included collaboration with local knowledge holders. ARCPATH made significant contributions to Arctic research through an improved understanding of the mechanisms that drive climate variability in the Arctic. In tandem with this research, a combination of historical investigations and social, economic, and marine biological fieldwork was carried out for the project study areas of Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and the surrounding seas, with a focus on the joint use of ocean and sea-ice data as well as social-ecological drivers. ARCPATH was able to provide an improved framework for predicting the near-term variation of Arctic climate on spatial scales relevant to society, as well as evaluating possible related changes in socioeconomic realms. In summary, through the integration of information from several different disciplines and research approaches, ARCPATH served to create new and valuable knowledge on crucial issues, thus providing new pathways to action for Arctic communities.

Human resource allocation for multiple scientific research projects via improved pigeon-inspired optimization algorithm

Aiming at the complex and restrictive characteristics of human resource allocation in multiple scientific university research projects, an improved pigeon-inspired optimization(IPIO) algorithm is proposed wherein loss minimization and the shortest project delay time are considered as optimization goals. Firstly, mathematical modelling of the problem is carried out, and the multi-objective optimization problem is transformed into a single-objective optimization problem by means of a weighted solution. In the second step, the traditional pigeon-inspired optimization(PIO) algorithm is discretized, and an adaptive parameter strategy is adopted to improve the shortcomings of the algorithm itself. Finally, by comparing the simulation results with the original algorithm and the genetic algorithm in the optimization of human resource allocation in multiple projects, the feasibility and superiority of the proposed algorithm in the optimization of human resource allocation in multi-scientific research projects is verified.

Seven Research Projects Sponsored by the 973 Program and the Major Research Plan

China＇s Ministry of Science and Technology recently announced approval of China＇s National Basic Research Program （the 973 Program） and the Major Research Plan projects in 2008. Five Tsinghua research projects will be sponsored by the 973 Program and two by the Major Research Plan. Seven professors were appointed as chief scientists for the projects. Tsinghua has undertaken 28 projects since the 973 Program＇s inception involving 28 chief scientists and eight Major Research Plan projects involving eight chief scientists. Tsinghua is one of the country＇s leading institutions for supervision and conduct of the 973 Program projects.

Magnesium research in Canada:Highlights of the last two decades

The highlights of major Canadian research projects of last two decades that aimed at advancing applications of magnesium and its alloys,being at the heart of lightweighting and ecological sustainability, are outlined. The research at universities, government laboratories, and other dedicated institutions, funded primarily through federal programs, was accompanied by strong activities of the industrial sector involved in designing and building the machinery for magnesium processing and production of components from magnesium alloys. The overall research directions matched the global trends of overcoming the key challenges that prevent magnesium alloys to play the major role in large-scale applications. Among industrially oriented projects the processing technologies in liquid, semisolid and solid states such as casting, twin roll casting, injection molding, rolling, extrusion, forging, and joining techniques were frequently pursued. Although the fundamental research aimed at understanding of a variety of magnesium behaviors and structural peculiarities up to nano and atomic levels, its essence spread around the inherently poor formability and high reactivity at room and elevated temperatures, including the ignition/flammability concerns.In recent years, a shift in research interests was observed and novel directions emerged such as magnesium air batteries, biodegradable alloys, additive manufacturing, and magnesium-rich high entropy alloys. The volume of data gathered in this report may constitute a base for specifically oriented assessments, analyses, and drawing conclusions.

International Cooperation Projects in Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences

1. CERP The Cooperative Ecological Research Programme (CERP) is a joint plan to study the Man and Biosphere (MAB) ecosystem in our country, founded by Germany through UNESCO. The second-stage projects of CERP had been undertaken in 1991, including: (1) Study on the Ecological Strategy for the Urban Development of Tianjin City Exemplifying the large industrial city, it is to study the succession mechanism, cybernetic characteristics, and systems analytic methods of identification, simulation and planning, of the Social-Economic-Natural Com-

Present Situation and Thinking of the Evaluation and Management of Biomedical Projects in Shenzhen Industrial Park of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation Zone

Objective To put forward some suggestions for the improvement of the evaluation system of Shenzhen Industrial Park of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation Cooperation Zone by studying the scientific research project evaluation and management system of Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development(AMED).Methods Through literature review,lessons were drawn from the review and management policies and methods of biomedical projects implemented by Japan AMED.Then some reference was provided to the review and management of the projects in Shenzhen Industrial Park.Results and Conclusion A basic review framework has been set up in Shenzhen Industrial Park,which consists of scientific research management institution of Shenzhen Industrial Park,Third-Party Review Institution and Science Committee.However,there are three problems in this system:unclear selection criteria of review experts,insufficient supervision and lack of project evaluation standards.These problems can be solved by establishing an expert think tank,setting up graded project supervisors to have the dynamic monitoring,and developing a general evaluation scale for evaluating scientific research projects in Shenzhen Industrial Park.

A Win-Win Undergraduate Graduation Design Model for Students, Teachers, and Training Platforms

Undergraduate graduation design is an important link in the process of undergraduate training,and university platforms have invested a lot of manpower and material resources for this purpose.However,while carrying out student training,it has gradually become the consensus of most university platforms to achieve a win-win situation for teachers and training platforms in order to achieve optimization of resource allocation and motivation of student training.After discussion and practice,this paper proposes a set of undergraduate graduation design training concepts and training modes with a win-win situation for students,teachers,and training platforms.

Research Project Entitled “The Dynamics and Physical Processes in The Weather and Climate System”——Part Ⅰ: A Brief Introduction

In the beginning of the 21st century, the Tenth Five-Year Priority Research Projects of the Earth Sci- ences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) were initiated. After nearly a two-year long process to prepare, the ?rst version of six Priority Research Projects of Earth Sciences was pub- lished in October 2001 by NSFC, viz., Local Response to Global Changes, Life Process and Environment, Dynamics and Physical Processes in the Weather and Climate System, Continental Dynamics, Regional Sustainable Development, Solar-Terrestrial Environment and Space Weather. The process involved more than 200 renowned Chinese scientists and many departments and agencies in China. The six Priority Research Projects guide the research e?ort of the earth sciences for the NSFC from year 2001 to 2005. This paper provides a brief introduction to the Third Priority Research Project of the Department of Earth Sciences of NSFC—-Dynamics and Physical Processes in the Weather and Climate System (DPWCS).

A Study on the Funding Management of Agricultural Scientific Research Project in the New Situation

The agricultural scientific research project funding is an important prerequisite for the implementation of agricultural scientific research project,and an essential basic condition to support agricultural research. In recent years,China has paid great attention to the development of scientific research,and increased the input of scientific research funds,but there are some shortcomings in funding management during the implementation of the project. Based on many years of practice,this paper expounds the main problems in the current funding management for agricultural scientific research project,and brings forward the relevant recommendations,in order to provide a reference for the scientific management of agricultural scientific research project funding in the new situation.

A Successful Scientific Cooperation——Smooth Completion of a Sino-Japanese Joint Research Project of Well-off Household Residences.

On February 24, 1993, when the appraisal meeting of the Sino-Japanese Joint Research Project of Well-off Household Residences was held in Beijing, Person-in-charge from the China Building Technology Development and Research Centre and the Japan International Cooperation Undertakings Group signed the project appraisal report. It marked the successful completion of this three-year joint research project.

Marine Research Standardization:A Project Management Study

Using modern project managementprinciples,this paper analyzes the current state ofmarine research project management in China.Itexplains the function and significance of standardizedproject management,and then puts forwardstrategies for the implementation of standardizationof marine project management.This is done to improvemarine research project management inChina,better the level of scientific research intooceans and promote the development of marinescience and technology in China.

A Natural Gas Field Research Project Passed Acceptance

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Research Project Draws Clear Picture of Higher Fungus Resources

A research project on China's tropical higher fungi was recently completed, providing a clear picture of the microbiological resource and a solid foundation for the protection, exploration and rational utilization of China's natural legacies of biodiversity in general and tropical fungal resources in particular.……

Training on LSA lifeboat operation using Mixed Reality

Background This work aims to provide an overview of the Mixed Reality(MR)technology’s use in maritime industry for training purposes.Current training procedures cover a broad range of procedural operations for Life-Saving Appliances(LSA)lifeboats;however,several gaps and limitations have been identified related to the practical training that can be addressed through the use of MR.Augmented,Virtual and Mixed Reality applications are already used in various fields in maritime industry,but their full potential have not been yet exploited.SafePASS project aims to exploit MR advantages in the maritime training by introducing a relevant application focusing on use and maintenance of LSA lifeboats.Methods An MR Training application is proposed supporting the training of crew members in equipment usage and operation,as well as in maintenance activities and procedures.The application consists of the training tool that trains crew members on handling lifeboats,the training evaluation tool that allows trainers to assess the performance of trainees,and the maintenance tool that supports crew members to perform maintenance activities and procedures on lifeboats.For each tool,an indicative session and scenario workflow are implemented,along with the main supported interactions of the trainee with the equipment.Results The application has been tested and validated both in lab environment and using a real LSA lifeboat,resulting to improved experience for the users that provided feedback and recommendations for further development.The application has also been demonstrated onboard a cruise ship,showcasing the supported functionalities to relevant stakeholders that recognized the added value of the application and suggested potential future exploitation areas.Conclusions The MR Training application has been evaluated as very promising in providing a user-friendly training environment that can support crew members in LSA lifeboat operation and maintenance,while it is still subject to improvement and further expansion.

Key R&D activities for development of new types of wrought magnesium alloys in China

Many researchers in China are actively engaged in the development of new types of wrought magnesium alloys with low cost or with high-performances and novel plastic processing technologies.The research activities are funded primarily through four government-supported programs:the Key Technologies R&D Program of China,the National Basic Research Program of China,the National High-tech R&D Program of China,and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.The key R&D activities for the development of new wrought magnesium alloys in China are reviewed,and typical properties of some new alloys are summarized. More attentions are paid to high-strength wrought magnesium alloys and high-plasticity wrought magnesium alloys.Some novel plastic processing technologies,emerging in recent years,which aim to control deformation texture and to improve plasticity and formability especially at room temperature,are also introduced.

Chrysophanol attenuates lead exposure-induced injury to hippocampal neurons in neonatal mice

Previous studies have shown that chrysophanol protects against learning and memory impairments in lead-exposed adult mice. In the present study, we investigated whether chrysophanol can alleviate learning and memory dysfunction and hippocampal neuronal injury in lead-exposed neonatal mice. At the end of lactation, chrysophanol（0.1, 1.0, 10.0 mg/kg） was administered to the neonatal mice by intraperitoneal injection for 15 days. Chrysophanol significantly alleviated injury to hippocampal neurons and improved learning and memory abilities in the lead-poisoned neonatal mice. Chrysophanol also significantly decreased lead content in blood, brain, heart, spleen, liver and kidney in the lead-exposed neonatal mice. The levels of malondialdehyde in the brain, liver and kidney were significantly reduced, and superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were significantly increased after chrysophanol treatment. Collectively, these findings indicate that chrysophanol can significantly reduce damage to hippocampal neurons in lead-exposed neonatal mice.