http://www.mitbbs.com/article1/Economics/31145874_0_1.html
完全个人观点，不见得试用于所有人。
第一不要太迷恋TECHNICAL的东西。从自己和周围一些朋友的例子，我发现很多中国学
生对TECHNICAL的东西特别感兴趣。什么新的东西都想学，不管究竟对自己的RESEARCH
有没有帮助。所以很多中国学生的通病是，前两年上基础课的时候都很优秀，经常是全
A。但到了三四年级时，进入RESEARCH很慢。很多人的毕业论文都是匆忙上阵，甚至迟
迟不能毕业。当然我并不是说TECHNICAL的东西不重要。博士课前两年是积累一些
GENERAL TECHNICAL SKILLS很重要。剩下的时间主要集中在开始RESEARCH和学习与自己
RESEARCH相关的TECHNICAL SKILLS。
第二要在三年级就开始选定一到两个具体的TOPIC。我觉得从什么报纸，杂志或网站上
找灵感都是瞎掰。如果自己不是JOHN NASH那样的奇才，老老实实从文献里找灵感。看
看自己的导师在作什么，看看自己领域的大牛(如自己领域TOP JOURNAL的EDITOR)在作
什么。作研究都是大牛挖坑，小牛灌水。对于JUNIOR RESEARCHERS，我感觉最有效的研
究方法就是紧跟大牛挖坑的步伐。认准一个题目后，静下心好好清理一下LITERATURE的
脉络。不要朝三暮四，这山望着那山高，整天试图去追逐所谓的HOT TOPIC。
整理文献时先作一个LITERATURE TREE：谁提出了这个TOPIC，LITERATURE里都从什么方
向研究了这个题目，它们的关系是什么。对每个分支只包括最重要的1到两个文章。把
大牛和中牛抓住就行了，剩下的小鱼小虾就算了。参阅一些LITERATURE REVIEW的文章
，如果有的话。然后对经典的文章，如提出TOPIC的文章要进行复制。每个公式，每个
结果都试图从新作一边。如果有问题可以向原作者请教。我感觉他们大部份还是很NICE
的。复制的工作量其实很大，但也可以学到很多东西。很多东西不靠亲自作是无法体会
的。看看自己的导师和领域的大牛最近的研究在LITERATURE中的定位。复制自己感兴趣
的文章。
有了这些准备工作之后就可以进行自己的RESEARCH了。有没有什么办法把导师或大牛的
文章与其他研究联系起来，有没有什么EMPIRICAL STUDY可以做来支持导师和大牛的论
点，这些都是不错的研究方向。另外，一般文章中都会提出一些自己的不足和未来的研
究方向。这些都是不错的研究题材。我这里一直强调要跟大牛走。说白了，学术界其实
就是被这些人控制着。大家都说中国有学霸，学阀。其实什么地方都一样。论文就是观
点之争，不拉党结派怎么在江湖上混啊。对刚出道的人，最好还是厚道点。多作点
CONSTRUCTIVE的工作，少批评。我前面给的都是这方面的例子。江湖险恶，只是很多人
在作学生的时候不知道罢了。比如说JOURNAL EDITOR的权力其实很大。他们很清楚什么
人持有什么观点。他们喜欢的东西就发给持相同观点的审稿人，不喜欢的就发给不同观
点的审稿人。结果可想而知。以前的导师不久前让我审一篇稿子。作者声称发现数据支
持我导师一篇很重要的JPE文章。看了看文章的统计方法没什么大问题，我当然举双手
双脚赞成发表了。
当然也可以指出大牛文章的不足。但是不能为批评而批评。能找出改进方法解决问题的
文章才是好文章。比如可以这样写，我复制了A的模型，发现有什么地方和数据不符，
原因是什么。我对原模型作了一些改动后，现在模型和数据MATCH了。写作过程一定要
注意，多POSITIVE，少NEGATIVE。如在指出A模型和数据的冲突时，不要过多强调这种
冲突可能引起的问题。而应该强调解决问题后带来的好处。这样其实已经是对原作者的
间接批评了。如果A是领域大牛或作EDITOR，这篇文章十有八九能通过。
想跟上大牛步伐，看JOURNAL ARTICLES是不够的。这些JOURNAL上的东西至少是3-4年前
的东西了。要多留意WORKING PAPER。列出自己领域20大牛人。经常看看他们在干什么
，和自己目前的RESEARCH有什么联系。参加一些WORKING PAPER的EMAILING LIST，比如
NBER等。常看看TOP10 DEPARTMENT本领域的SEMINAR LIST。我想再强调一次，这样作的
目的并不是要去追逐本领域的HOT TOPIC，而是看看别人的研究和自己目前的RESEARCH
有什么联系，能不能给自己点灵感。至少在自己CAREER的前3-4年把RESEARCH INTEREST
限定在两个方向，每个方向整出2篇像样的文章，再考虑换方向。少而精要比泛泛涉猎
几个不同方向更容易引起别人注意。
就先谈这么多，以后有时间了再补充。
另外，要专心作RESEARCH就要减少在MITBBS的灌水时间。每天减少一小时灌水时间，一
年能多读多少篇论文啊。没有BBS北美广大WSN能平均提前1年毕业。：-)
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
鲫鱼汤做法
冬季食鲫鱼正当时令，民间素有"秋鲤冬鲫"之说，这时的鲫鱼不仅肉质细嫩，味道鲜美，且具较高营养价值。每百克鱼肉含蛋白质１３克、脂肪１．１克，并含有丰富的钙、磷、铁、硒、锌以及多种维生素，明代医学家李时珍赞鲫鱼曰"冬月肉厚子多，其味尤美"。故在冬令时节品尝几款鲫鱼菜肴别有一番风味。
鲫鱼汤人人都会做，单做好它还真不是那么简单，好的鲫鱼汤做出来是鲜味四溢，汤汁乳白，这里面有很多诀窍：
第一是选料。做汤的鲫鱼一定不能太小，一般3两左右的就OK了，太小鲜味不是太浓，再就是鲫鱼一定要新鲜，最好是刚死了4个小时以内的，先把鱼杀好洗干净，记得一定要把肚子里面紧贴的一层黑膜都去掉，那东西有苦味。
第二是烹调时“吊鲜“。先要把鱼身上抹一些干淀粉，这样有两个目的：一是使煎鱼时能保持鱼型的完整，特别是鱼皮，否则缺皮少肉的多扫兴呀。二是裹住鱼身，可以均匀受热，整条鱼煎后都会金灿灿的，不会有的地方都胡了，有的地方还生。记住要在切开的鱼肉层里也抹一些淀粉啊。下面是步骤：
1、煎鱼。锅保持干爽，用拍裂的姜块在锅上擦一遍，姜汁更加有利于保持鱼皮和锅面的分离。（姜块别扔，我们还要用！！）倒入清油或花生油约50克，多点也没关系。用小匙舀一匙猪油，一起防入锅里。动物性脂肪是爱美人士的大忌，如果你连3—5克的用量也接受不了，那就改用黄油吧。风味上差异并不明显。加它们的作用主要是吊鲜和增浓鱼汤，二选一一定要放哦。
2、鱼的两面都煎好后，直接从暖壶向锅里倒热开水，用量约为3/4汤碗，总之比食用量稍多些就行，自己斟酌吧。关键是一定要用热水，而且要一次性加足，不能把鱼汤炖了半天以后看水烧的少了再加点水，要是那样的话这鱼汤就大打折扣了，还有就是火不能用小火，要让锅里的水一直保持沸腾，这样出来的汤才白。因为用冷水会使蛋白质骤然收缩，肉质纤维变老，水解蛋白析出也变得困难，不利于奶汤炖出，口感就大打折扣了。切记！！！！
3、加好热水后，放入刚才用过的姜块，还有葱段和糖大约3—5克， 注意糖一定别忘。别急着加盐，盖好锅盖，待汤用大火烧开后，再加入盐，这也是吊鲜很重要的一步哦。这时可以尝尝汤味，主要是调准咸度，最好稍微淡一点，因为水分熬去一些后，味道会加重的。
4、这时把火头转小，盖好锅盖用文火炖10至15分钟。中间记得把鱼再翻动一次。鱼汤就做好了。可以依个人喜好把葱和姜块剔除也行。怎么样，现在汤浓似奶吧，快盛进汤盆就上桌吧。
这里吊鲜共有四个关键，找到了吗？对：1、加猪油或黄油，2、加热水成汤，3、加糖和红枣，4、加盐的时机。注意：味精或鸡精什么的在这里不受欢迎。
第三是上桌后“品鲜”。很多人认为应该先吃饭菜后喝汤，对于清淡汤水或可，这道鲫鱼浓鲜汤却不是这种吃法。要想真正体会汤的鲜，只有先喝它啦。趁热喝下，最能享受到这种美味。加入米饭做捞饭，也是很讲究的上选。因为汤中有荤油，而且鱼类稍凉会有淡淡腥气盖过鲜味，所以上桌后宜热吃。因为炖的时间正好，鱼肉也很嫩，汤、肉味道会都很上口。先喝汤也会因控制总体进食量而有助于保持体形，营养丰富的浓汤对胃和身体都有好处。相信我，你不会因为加入那点猪油而后悔的。
鲫鱼汤人人都会做，单做好它还真不是那么简单，好的鲫鱼汤做出来是鲜味四溢，汤汁乳白，这里面有很多诀窍：
第一是选料。做汤的鲫鱼一定不能太小，一般3两左右的就OK了，太小鲜味不是太浓，再就是鲫鱼一定要新鲜，最好是刚死了4个小时以内的，先把鱼杀好洗干净，记得一定要把肚子里面紧贴的一层黑膜都去掉，那东西有苦味。
第二是烹调时“吊鲜“。先要把鱼身上抹一些干淀粉，这样有两个目的：一是使煎鱼时能保持鱼型的完整，特别是鱼皮，否则缺皮少肉的多扫兴呀。二是裹住鱼身，可以均匀受热，整条鱼煎后都会金灿灿的，不会有的地方都胡了，有的地方还生。记住要在切开的鱼肉层里也抹一些淀粉啊。下面是步骤：
1、煎鱼。锅保持干爽，用拍裂的姜块在锅上擦一遍，姜汁更加有利于保持鱼皮和锅面的分离。（姜块别扔，我们还要用！！）倒入清油或花生油约50克，多点也没关系。用小匙舀一匙猪油，一起防入锅里。动物性脂肪是爱美人士的大忌，如果你连3—5克的用量也接受不了，那就改用黄油吧。风味上差异并不明显。加它们的作用主要是吊鲜和增浓鱼汤，二选一一定要放哦。
2、鱼的两面都煎好后，直接从暖壶向锅里倒热开水，用量约为3/4汤碗，总之比食用量稍多些就行，自己斟酌吧。关键是一定要用热水，而且要一次性加足，不能把鱼汤炖了半天以后看水烧的少了再加点水，要是那样的话这鱼汤就大打折扣了，还有就是火不能用小火，要让锅里的水一直保持沸腾，这样出来的汤才白。因为用冷水会使蛋白质骤然收缩，肉质纤维变老，水解蛋白析出也变得困难，不利于奶汤炖出，口感就大打折扣了。切记！！！！
3、加好热水后，放入刚才用过的姜块，还有葱段和糖大约3—5克， 注意糖一定别忘。别急着加盐，盖好锅盖，待汤用大火烧开后，再加入盐，这也是吊鲜很重要的一步哦。这时可以尝尝汤味，主要是调准咸度，最好稍微淡一点，因为水分熬去一些后，味道会加重的。
4、这时把火头转小，盖好锅盖用文火炖10至15分钟。中间记得把鱼再翻动一次。鱼汤就做好了。可以依个人喜好把葱和姜块剔除也行。怎么样，现在汤浓似奶吧，快盛进汤盆就上桌吧。
这里吊鲜共有四个关键，找到了吗？对：1、加猪油或黄油，2、加热水成汤，3、加糖和红枣，4、加盐的时机。注意：味精或鸡精什么的在这里不受欢迎。
第三是上桌后“品鲜”。很多人认为应该先吃饭菜后喝汤，对于清淡汤水或可，这道鲫鱼浓鲜汤却不是这种吃法。要想真正体会汤的鲜，只有先喝它啦。趁热喝下，最能享受到这种美味。加入米饭做捞饭，也是很讲究的上选。因为汤中有荤油，而且鱼类稍凉会有淡淡腥气盖过鲜味，所以上桌后宜热吃。因为炖的时间正好，鱼肉也很嫩，汤、肉味道会都很上口。先喝汤也会因控制总体进食量而有助于保持体形，营养丰富的浓汤对胃和身体都有好处。相信我，你不会因为加入那点猪油而后悔的。
Materials research and the ‘energy crisis’
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1369-7021(08)70035-X
ScienceDirect - Materials Today Materials research and the ‘energy crisis’
Volume 11, Issue 3, March 2008, Page 64
Opinion
Materials research and the ‘energy crisis’
David Cahena,
aWeizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Available online 15 February 2008.
Forget about ‘the’ solution. Instead, we need to work toward a strong, sustainable mosaic of many solutions.
I will try to outline my credo for why and how, from the basic science point of view, we should tackle energy-related materials research issues.
In the title, I put energy crisis in inverted commas. Why? Because for at least the next few hundred years, we do not lack a relatively cheap source of energy – we have coal (and coal liquefaction and gasification are known processes).
Unfortunately, because most coal is rather dirty, this leads to assured environmental and highly likely climate problems. Even those that doubt the latter cannot ignore the former. Visit some of the world's emerging industrial areas and you can quote from the 1960s Tom Lehrer song Pollution, “Don’t drink the water and don’t breathe the air,” and add in land pollution, although it does not rhyme. Thus, we find the true driving forces for weaning us off fossil fuels and for developing alternative, sustainable energy resources (ASER).
And there is another strong materials reason: it is an utter waste to just burn oil, as it is such a valuable natural resource. The long-term interest of oil-producing countries is to use oil as a natural materials resource. Indeed, legendary Saudi oil minister Yamani's quote, “the stone age did not end because of a lack of stones,” says it all.
Before giving my view on the roles for basic science in developing ASER, I should stress the importance of energy conservation to reduce the amount of fossil fuel needed to get the same amount and types of work done. There are materials-related issues such as improving insulation, reducing friction between moving parts, improving materials for natural lighting, and recycling materials. To these we can add improving waste heat use, reducing waste energy, and increasing the efficiency of current power-generation options (including renewable ones such as solar water heaters) with less pollution. Admittedly, these are not the glamor topics that may please your favorite journal's editor, as much as the following ones, but they are critical in the short term.
© The New Yorker Collection 1998 Frank Cotham from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
Past experience teaches us that results of breakthroughs in basic science today will only start to be felt after some 15–20 years. Well, one may say, that is fine. But here is the catch. Basic scientific research in ASER decreased so much after the drop in oil prices in the early-1980s that we have a very narrow base of relevant fundamental science on which to build new technologies. That is why we need to kick start long-term support for the sorely needed basic research now.
Now let me stick my neck out: if I were a research program manager, I’d support:
1. Exploratory, blue-sky basic research per se as the best proven way to stumble on new ideas† ;
2. Optics – cheap ways to use larger parts of the solar spectrum in quantum conversion systems such as photo-(bio)chemical and photovoltaic devices;
3. Heterogeneous catalysis for reduction reactions‡ to bring us closer to the holy grail of efficient cheap artificial photosynthesis and find replacements for noble metal catalysts; and
4. Plant science.
Clearly, especially (2) and (3) present major challenges for materials research.
I am aware that my own field of photovoltaic materials is not mentioned specifically, although it definitely is in (2). Instead, I have tried to give a more holistic picture for a purpose. ASER suffered and suffers still from too many claims of the solution and we, the researchers, are the culprits. Even if such claims bring publicity, in the end they harm the whole area. It is my opinion that there is not one solution. Instead, we need to work toward a strong, sustainable mosaic of many solutions, which, as a whole, will provide the solution.
† We should, though, make sure that researchers are aware of the issues, i.e. Louis Pasteur's famous dictum, “Chance favors the prepared mind”, applies! [cf. Nat. Mater. (2008) 7, 93.]
‡ Basic catalysis research today is directed mostly towards oxidation – the oil industry's interest, as their basic starting materials are reduced carbon. Furthermore, it focuses on homogeneous catalysis, which provides only a small fraction of today's industrial catalysts.
ScienceDirect - Materials Today Materials research and the ‘energy crisis’
Volume 11, Issue 3, March 2008, Page 64
Opinion
Materials research and the ‘energy crisis’
David Cahena,
aWeizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Available online 15 February 2008.
Forget about ‘the’ solution. Instead, we need to work toward a strong, sustainable mosaic of many solutions.
I will try to outline my credo for why and how, from the basic science point of view, we should tackle energy-related materials research issues.
In the title, I put energy crisis in inverted commas. Why? Because for at least the next few hundred years, we do not lack a relatively cheap source of energy – we have coal (and coal liquefaction and gasification are known processes).
Unfortunately, because most coal is rather dirty, this leads to assured environmental and highly likely climate problems. Even those that doubt the latter cannot ignore the former. Visit some of the world's emerging industrial areas and you can quote from the 1960s Tom Lehrer song Pollution, “Don’t drink the water and don’t breathe the air,” and add in land pollution, although it does not rhyme. Thus, we find the true driving forces for weaning us off fossil fuels and for developing alternative, sustainable energy resources (ASER).
And there is another strong materials reason: it is an utter waste to just burn oil, as it is such a valuable natural resource. The long-term interest of oil-producing countries is to use oil as a natural materials resource. Indeed, legendary Saudi oil minister Yamani's quote, “the stone age did not end because of a lack of stones,” says it all.
Before giving my view on the roles for basic science in developing ASER, I should stress the importance of energy conservation to reduce the amount of fossil fuel needed to get the same amount and types of work done. There are materials-related issues such as improving insulation, reducing friction between moving parts, improving materials for natural lighting, and recycling materials. To these we can add improving waste heat use, reducing waste energy, and increasing the efficiency of current power-generation options (including renewable ones such as solar water heaters) with less pollution. Admittedly, these are not the glamor topics that may please your favorite journal's editor, as much as the following ones, but they are critical in the short term.
© The New Yorker Collection 1998 Frank Cotham from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
Past experience teaches us that results of breakthroughs in basic science today will only start to be felt after some 15–20 years. Well, one may say, that is fine. But here is the catch. Basic scientific research in ASER decreased so much after the drop in oil prices in the early-1980s that we have a very narrow base of relevant fundamental science on which to build new technologies. That is why we need to kick start long-term support for the sorely needed basic research now.
Now let me stick my neck out: if I were a research program manager, I’d support:
1. Exploratory, blue-sky basic research per se as the best proven way to stumble on new ideas† ;
2. Optics – cheap ways to use larger parts of the solar spectrum in quantum conversion systems such as photo-(bio)chemical and photovoltaic devices;
3. Heterogeneous catalysis for reduction reactions‡ to bring us closer to the holy grail of efficient cheap artificial photosynthesis and find replacements for noble metal catalysts; and
4. Plant science.
Clearly, especially (2) and (3) present major challenges for materials research.
I am aware that my own field of photovoltaic materials is not mentioned specifically, although it definitely is in (2). Instead, I have tried to give a more holistic picture for a purpose. ASER suffered and suffers still from too many claims of the solution and we, the researchers, are the culprits. Even if such claims bring publicity, in the end they harm the whole area. It is my opinion that there is not one solution. Instead, we need to work toward a strong, sustainable mosaic of many solutions, which, as a whole, will provide the solution.
† We should, though, make sure that researchers are aware of the issues, i.e. Louis Pasteur's famous dictum, “Chance favors the prepared mind”, applies! [cf. Nat. Mater. (2008) 7, 93.]
‡ Basic catalysis research today is directed mostly towards oxidation – the oil industry's interest, as their basic starting materials are reduced carbon. Furthermore, it focuses on homogeneous catalysis, which provides only a small fraction of today's industrial catalysts.
The 21st century engineering graduate
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1369-7021(08)70002-6
ScienceDirect - Materials Today The 21st century engineering graduate
Volume 11, Issue 3, March 2008, Page 6
Comment
The 21st century engineering graduate
Ruth Grahama, , EnVision Project Director
aImperial College London, UK
Available online 15 February 2008.
There is a growing appreciation in the academic community of the need for change in engineering undergraduate education.
Move to change the way we educate engineers comes in response to a number of factors, such as growing demands from industry for graduates with a broader skill base, increasing international competition in engineering education, and the motivations and experiences of prospective students.
The EnVision project at Imperial College London, UK, aims to transform undergraduate engineering education – who we teach, what we teach, and how we teach. This is clearly an ambitious goal – it is a huge challenge to transform undergraduate education and related support activities across nine engineering departments of 3000 undergraduates.
The initial phase of the project, following its establishment in March 2005, required the answering of a simple question: “What, if anything, do we need to change?” Surveys were conducted of over 2500 of our stakeholders – students, alumni, academics, industry, and professional bodies – alongside a study of the educational developments at the best institutions for engineering education across the world. These studies revealed a remarkable degree of consensus over what changes were required, particularly in the description of the ‘ideal’ engineering graduate, as well as a number of more unexpected findings. I was particularly interested in the extent to which students, graduates, and industry employers saw sustainability – the ability to take a leading role in designing solutions to local, national, and global challenges affecting society – as an important theme in the skill set of the engineering graduate of the future.
After drawing together and assessing this information, the themes of EnVision were identified:
1. Improve and sustain our ability to recruit the most able students;
2. Improve the motivation and engineering aspirations of undergraduates;
3. Ensure that our graduates possess the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to become internal leaders in engineering in both industry and academia;
4. Enhance the faculty's educational provision, through the transformation and development of both curricular and noncurricular activities;
5. Significantly improve the physical learning environment and facilities in the faculty; and
6. Improve the environment for support, reward, and celebration of excellent teaching.
We have since been working with students, academics, and other key groups to determine exactly how these changes should be designed and implemented. With the project now in its implementation phase, a large number of activities are already underway.
One critical element of the project is to effect a cultural change by which teaching excellence is promoted, rewarded, and celebrated. Last June, Imperial's Faculty of Engineering presented the Inaugural Awards for Teaching Excellence in Engineering Education. The awards recognize and reward individuals and small teams renowned for the excellence of their teaching. Three awards were presented, each of value at €13 500, and this has now been established as an annual event.
Another strong theme in EnVision is the establishment and support of undergraduate projects that broaden the personal and professional leadership and communications skills of students. The projects encourage them to apply their theoretical knowledge to complex real-life engineering situations. This helps to motivate and inspire them to a career of lifelong learning in engineering. One example is Racing Green, which brings students together from across the engineering faculty to design, build, and race a zero-emission electric hybrid fuel cell racing cart. Students from six engineering departments are working together, using cutting-edge technology to develop a race vehicle ready for its first time trial this year.
A major driving force of EnVision is to shift the focus of engineering education towards ‘learning by doing’. This allows students to deepen their theoretical understanding and develop their professional skills by applying their engineering knowledge in real-world situations. To reflect this shift in the way engineering is taught at Imperial, we are also developing new teaching and learning spaces, which symbolize and inspire the imagination and creativity evident in the very best achievements of engineering technology and practice.
External communications and network building are also key elements of the project. In September 2007, we organized a high-level strategy forum to explore the issue of how to equip the engineering graduate of the future to take a leading role in designing solutions to local, national, and global challenges affecting society and the world around us. This event responded directly to calls from many of our stakeholders for an increased acknowledgment of sustainability in undergraduate engineering education. It brought together decision makers from the academic community, government, professional bodies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), industry, and student groups and was a resounding success.
Although the Envision project is still in an early stage of implementation, it already seems to be making a significant impact. I can see that the positive changes we are starting to make at Imperial through this program are producing some significant waves, and I believe we have a real opportunity to set a new benchmark for engineering education worldwide.
ScienceDirect - Materials Today The 21st century engineering graduate
Volume 11, Issue 3, March 2008, Page 6
Comment
The 21st century engineering graduate
Ruth Grahama, , EnVision Project Director
aImperial College London, UK
Available online 15 February 2008.
There is a growing appreciation in the academic community of the need for change in engineering undergraduate education.
Move to change the way we educate engineers comes in response to a number of factors, such as growing demands from industry for graduates with a broader skill base, increasing international competition in engineering education, and the motivations and experiences of prospective students.
The EnVision project at Imperial College London, UK, aims to transform undergraduate engineering education – who we teach, what we teach, and how we teach. This is clearly an ambitious goal – it is a huge challenge to transform undergraduate education and related support activities across nine engineering departments of 3000 undergraduates.
The initial phase of the project, following its establishment in March 2005, required the answering of a simple question: “What, if anything, do we need to change?” Surveys were conducted of over 2500 of our stakeholders – students, alumni, academics, industry, and professional bodies – alongside a study of the educational developments at the best institutions for engineering education across the world. These studies revealed a remarkable degree of consensus over what changes were required, particularly in the description of the ‘ideal’ engineering graduate, as well as a number of more unexpected findings. I was particularly interested in the extent to which students, graduates, and industry employers saw sustainability – the ability to take a leading role in designing solutions to local, national, and global challenges affecting society – as an important theme in the skill set of the engineering graduate of the future.
After drawing together and assessing this information, the themes of EnVision were identified:
1. Improve and sustain our ability to recruit the most able students;
2. Improve the motivation and engineering aspirations of undergraduates;
3. Ensure that our graduates possess the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to become internal leaders in engineering in both industry and academia;
4. Enhance the faculty's educational provision, through the transformation and development of both curricular and noncurricular activities;
5. Significantly improve the physical learning environment and facilities in the faculty; and
6. Improve the environment for support, reward, and celebration of excellent teaching.
We have since been working with students, academics, and other key groups to determine exactly how these changes should be designed and implemented. With the project now in its implementation phase, a large number of activities are already underway.
One critical element of the project is to effect a cultural change by which teaching excellence is promoted, rewarded, and celebrated. Last June, Imperial's Faculty of Engineering presented the Inaugural Awards for Teaching Excellence in Engineering Education. The awards recognize and reward individuals and small teams renowned for the excellence of their teaching. Three awards were presented, each of value at €13 500, and this has now been established as an annual event.
Another strong theme in EnVision is the establishment and support of undergraduate projects that broaden the personal and professional leadership and communications skills of students. The projects encourage them to apply their theoretical knowledge to complex real-life engineering situations. This helps to motivate and inspire them to a career of lifelong learning in engineering. One example is Racing Green, which brings students together from across the engineering faculty to design, build, and race a zero-emission electric hybrid fuel cell racing cart. Students from six engineering departments are working together, using cutting-edge technology to develop a race vehicle ready for its first time trial this year.
A major driving force of EnVision is to shift the focus of engineering education towards ‘learning by doing’. This allows students to deepen their theoretical understanding and develop their professional skills by applying their engineering knowledge in real-world situations. To reflect this shift in the way engineering is taught at Imperial, we are also developing new teaching and learning spaces, which symbolize and inspire the imagination and creativity evident in the very best achievements of engineering technology and practice.
External communications and network building are also key elements of the project. In September 2007, we organized a high-level strategy forum to explore the issue of how to equip the engineering graduate of the future to take a leading role in designing solutions to local, national, and global challenges affecting society and the world around us. This event responded directly to calls from many of our stakeholders for an increased acknowledgment of sustainability in undergraduate engineering education. It brought together decision makers from the academic community, government, professional bodies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), industry, and student groups and was a resounding success.
Although the Envision project is still in an early stage of implementation, it already seems to be making a significant impact. I can see that the positive changes we are starting to make at Imperial through this program are producing some significant waves, and I believe we have a real opportunity to set a new benchmark for engineering education worldwide.
Duplicity in publishing papers
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1369-7021(08)70001-4
ScienceDirect - Materials Today Duplicity in publishing papers
Volume 11, Issue 3, March 2008, Page 1
Editorial
Duplicity in publishing papers
Jonathan Wood, Editor, Materials Today
Available online 15 February 2008.
Tools that compare papers for similarities could reduce plagiarism and duplicate publications.
How big a problem is plagiarism? We might suspect that a fair amount of dubious publishing practices go on, such as publishing the same results more than once, submitting a paper to more than one journal, or reproducing others' work without acknowledgement. It seems to have become more prevalent as pressures to publish increase.
But how do we begin to identify incidences of plagiarism? It is surely not enough to go by anecdotal reports, or rely on researchers to highlight cases as they come across them by chance in the literature. Well, it's probably not that difficult. Computer-based tools that search documents for similarities have been around for a while and are widely used to identify cheating in school and college exams. Now Harold Garner and Mounir Errami at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have developed a computer code that checks multiple documents for duplication of key words and compares word order and proximity. Applying their eTBLAST program to >7 million abstracts in Medline, 70 000 papers came back as being highly similar [Nature (2008) 451, 397].
Now there are a number of circumstances where significant duplication is to be expected and is wholly ethical. These include updates to clinical trials, conference papers, and corrections to papers. But Garner and Errami are determined in their pursuit of unethical practices. They have placed the 70 000 potential duplicate papers on a publically available database, Déjà vu (http://spore.swmed.edu/dejavu), and have begun to check them manually (quite a task!). Already, one suspected case of plagiarism has reportedly resulted in an investigation by a journal. “We can identify near-duplicate publications using our search engine,” says Garner. “But neither the computer nor we can make judgment calls as to whether an article is plagiarized or otherwise unethical. That task must be left to human reviewers, such as university ethics committees and journal editors.”
That does point to one problem: whose responsibility is it to chase cases of unethical practice, journals or universities? The simplicity of instigating such computational tools probably points toward the journals in identifying suspect papers (and many publishers are jointly investigating the best way to proceed), but subsequent steps are more open to debate.
I am convinced that it would be a very worthwhile step. Caution needs to be applied with suspect papers and common standards about how much new work is needed for a new paper need to be agreed upon, but clear-cut cases should be discovered in this way. But it does lead me to wonder what else is possible? Can figures be checked for manipulation or duplication? This is where scientific fraud and misrepresentation of data most often happen.
ScienceDirect - Materials Today Duplicity in publishing papers
Volume 11, Issue 3, March 2008, Page 1
Editorial
Duplicity in publishing papers
Jonathan Wood, Editor, Materials Today
Available online 15 February 2008.
Tools that compare papers for similarities could reduce plagiarism and duplicate publications.
How big a problem is plagiarism? We might suspect that a fair amount of dubious publishing practices go on, such as publishing the same results more than once, submitting a paper to more than one journal, or reproducing others' work without acknowledgement. It seems to have become more prevalent as pressures to publish increase.
But how do we begin to identify incidences of plagiarism? It is surely not enough to go by anecdotal reports, or rely on researchers to highlight cases as they come across them by chance in the literature. Well, it's probably not that difficult. Computer-based tools that search documents for similarities have been around for a while and are widely used to identify cheating in school and college exams. Now Harold Garner and Mounir Errami at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have developed a computer code that checks multiple documents for duplication of key words and compares word order and proximity. Applying their eTBLAST program to >7 million abstracts in Medline, 70 000 papers came back as being highly similar [Nature (2008) 451, 397].
Now there are a number of circumstances where significant duplication is to be expected and is wholly ethical. These include updates to clinical trials, conference papers, and corrections to papers. But Garner and Errami are determined in their pursuit of unethical practices. They have placed the 70 000 potential duplicate papers on a publically available database, Déjà vu (http://spore.swmed.edu/dejavu), and have begun to check them manually (quite a task!). Already, one suspected case of plagiarism has reportedly resulted in an investigation by a journal. “We can identify near-duplicate publications using our search engine,” says Garner. “But neither the computer nor we can make judgment calls as to whether an article is plagiarized or otherwise unethical. That task must be left to human reviewers, such as university ethics committees and journal editors.”
That does point to one problem: whose responsibility is it to chase cases of unethical practice, journals or universities? The simplicity of instigating such computational tools probably points toward the journals in identifying suspect papers (and many publishers are jointly investigating the best way to proceed), but subsequent steps are more open to debate.
I am convinced that it would be a very worthwhile step. Caution needs to be applied with suspect papers and common standards about how much new work is needed for a new paper need to be agreed upon, but clear-cut cases should be discovered in this way. But it does lead me to wonder what else is possible? Can figures be checked for manipulation or duplication? This is where scientific fraud and misrepresentation of data most often happen.
The top ten advances in materials science
http://www.materialstoday.com/archive/2008/11-01/top10.html
The top ten advances in materials science
What are the defining discoveries, moments of inspiration, or shifts in understanding that have shaped the dynamic field of materials science we know today? Here’s what we think are the most significant.
December 19, 2007
Jonathan Wood
Editor, Materials Today
E-mail: j.wood@elsevier.com
Read this article in pdf format
The ending of one year and the beginning of the next is a strange time. It is very human to mark the passing of time, remembering what has been done before looking forward to what’s to come. As the New Year arrives, whether you prefer peaceful reflection or joyous celebration, awards or resolutions, one thing is clear from any newspaper or magazine. It is, above all, a time to draw up lists. Who are we to disagree?
We’ve assembled a list of the top ten advances in materials science over the last 50 years. We thought long and hard. We sought the advice of our editorial advisory panel and asked leaders in the field to add their own contributions. We hope the results are interesting and thought-provoking.
In making the final selection, we have tried to focus on the advances that have either changed our lives or are in the process of changing them. This is arguable, of course. Should an advance alter all our daily lives, or does fundamentally changing the research arena count? What about discoveries that can be clearly attributed to a certain date and investigator, or those developments that have come about incrementally through the efforts of many? Where does materials science stop and electronics, physics, or chemistry begin? And how do you assess the value of things like plastic bags? Undeniably they are a boon for carrying shopping but now also an item of scorn for energy and waste reasons.
Instead of ruling any of these out, we’ve tried to come up with a balanced selection. In doing so, we hope to start some debate about the discoveries that most mark out today’s materials science. Let us know what we’ve missed. If you’re incredulous that organic electronics or high-temperature superconductors aren’t in the top ten, tell us why. Should Kevlar, Post-it notes, float glass, or F1 racing tires be in the list? What will define the next 50 years of materials science?
If you believe materials scientists are unsung heroes, that our work goes unnoticed and unheralded, here is your ammunition. With our time limit of 50 years, the list is of immediate relevance. It is about how materials science is affecting our world today, now.
1. International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
Semiconductor research is guided by the ITRS. (Courtesy of SEMATECH.)
OK, so it’s not a research discovery, solely a way of organizing research priorities and planning R&D. But the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) is a remarkable achievement (see The history of the ITRS). It sets out goals for innovation, technology needs, and measures for progress that all can sign up to in the fiercely competitive microelectronics industry.
A mixture of science, technology, and economics, it’s hard to see how the ITRS could do better in driving forward advances in this area, whether it’s in materials, characterization, fabrication, or device design. And it is an appropriate first choice in this list. Not only is electronics absolutely critical to our modern world, progress in semiconductor processing and advances in materials science have gone hand-in-hand for the last 50 years.
Let’s just hope the International Panel on Climate Change enjoys similar success in driving innovation and reaching agreed goals.
2. Scanning probe microscopes
The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) by Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig at IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory was deservedly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1986.
Rohrer (left) and Binnig (right) with a first-generation scanning tunneling microscope. (Courtesy of IBM Zurich Research Laboratory.)
Not only is this a new microscopy technique – remarkable enough in itself – but it provides a way to probe the local properties of a sample directly with nanometer resolution. Quickly followed by the atomic force microscope (AFM), this new access to the nanoscale world (see Making sense of the nanoworld), arguably brought about the current ubiquity of nanotechnology. The invention immeasurably increased our abilities at this scale.
3. Giant magnetoresistive effect
The 2007 Nobel Prize for Physics went jointly to Albert Fert of Université Paris-Sud, France, and Peter Grünberg of Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, for independently discovering the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect in 1988. So it is no surprise to see this advance on our list.
GMR describes the large change in electrical resistance seen in stacked layers of magnetic and nonmagnetic materials when an external magnetic field is altered. Thanks largely to the subsequent work of Stuart Parkin and coworkers at IBM Research, the phenomenon has been put to great effect in the read heads in hard disk drives. These devices are able to read out the information stored magnetically on a hard disk through changes in electrical current.
The high sensitivity of GMR read heads to tiny magnetic fields means that the magnetic bits on the hard disk can be greatly reduced in size. The phenomenal expansion in our ability to store data that we continue to witness today can be traced back to this discovery.
4. Semiconductor lasers and LEDs
The development of semiconductor lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in 1962 is a great materials science story (seeThe III-V laser and LED after 45 years). They are now the basis of telecommunications, CD and DVD players, laser printers, barcode readers, you name it. The advent of solid-state lighting is also likely to make a significant contribution to reducing our energy usage.
5. National Nanotechnology Initiative
Bill Clinton gets some of the credit for the fifth materials science development on our list. He was the US president who announced the establishment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in 2000, a US federal, multi-agency research program in nanoscale science and technology.
The NNI has had an immense impact. It cemented the importance and promise of a nascent, emerging field, establishing it immediately as the most exciting area in the whole of the physical sciences. Nanotechnology simultaneously gained an identity, a vision, and a remarkable level of funding through the initiative. It also established a method of funding interdisciplinary science in such a way that the rest of the world would have to try to match.
Mihail C. Roco of the National Science Foundation was one of those who was involved in the initial NNI vision setting and national organizational efforts. “During 1997 to 1999, I worked with an initially small group including Stan Williams, Paul Alivisatos, James Murday, Dick Siegel, and Evelyn Hu,” recalls Roco. “We envisioned a ‘new industrial revolution’ powered by systematic control of matter at the nanoscale. With this vision, we built a national coalition involving academia, industry, and a group of agencies that become the nucleus of the NNI, launched in 2000.”
The NNI now involves 26 independent agencies and has an estimated budget of ~$1.5 billion in 2008. It has been the largest single investor in nanotechnology research in the world, providing over $7 billion in the last seven years. Now 65 countries have national research focus projects on nanotechnology, while industry nanotechnology R&D has exceeded that of governments worldwide. The global nano-related R&D budget was in excess of $12 billion in 2007.
On behalf of the interagency group, Roco proposed the NNI on March 11, 1999 at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The fear of many was that there was little chance of nanotechnology becoming a national priority program. Surely it would be perceived as being of interest just to a small group of researchers? Instead, by defining nanotechnology as a broad platform for scientific advancement, education, medicine, and the economy, the NNI was approved with a budget of $489 million in 2001. “The NNI was prepared with the same rigor as a science project,” says Roco.
6. Carbon fiber reinforced plastics
Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics were at the heart of this bike built by Lotus Engineering for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It helped Chris Boardman win gold. (Courtesy of Lotus.)
The last 50 years have seen advanced composites take off – quite literally, in that many applications of these light but strong materials have been in aviation and aerospace. But modern composite materials have touched just about all industries, including transport, packaging, civil engineering, and sport. They can be found in Formula 1 cars, armor, and wind turbine rotor blades.
Leading the charge are carbon fiber reinforced plastics or, more properly, continous carbon fiber organic-matrix composites. These materials bond extremely stiff, high-strength carbon fibers into a polymer matrix to give a combined material that is also exceptionally tough and light in weight.
The early 1960s saw the development of carbon fibers produced from rayon, polyacrylonitrile, and pitch-based precursors. The long, oriented aromatic molecular chains give the fibers exceptional strength and stiffness. This was a real gain over the amorphous glass fibers used previously in composite materials.
The development of carbon fibers, together with advances in design, modeling, and manufacturing, has given rise to composite materials with controlled, specific properties. “Rather than an engineer using a constant set of material characteristics, organic-matrix composites and the associated manufacturing methodology now enables the engineer to design the material for a specific application,” says Richard A. Vaia of the Air Force Research Laboratory. “The manufacturing science has opened up new frontiers, effectively moving component design down to materials design.” The spectacular gain in performance has seen the increasing use of these materials despite the cost and increased difficulty in design, shaping, and recycling, such that the new Boeing 787 uses composites extensively in its wings and fuselage.
7. Materials for Li ion batteries
It is hard to remember how we coped before laptops and cellular phones came along. This revolution would not have been possible without a transition from rechargeable batteries using aqueous electrolytes, where H+ is the working ion, to the much higher energy densities of Li ion batteries.
Li ion batteries required the development of novel electrode materials that satisfy a number of considerations. In particular, the cathode needs a lightweight framework structure with free volume in between to allow a large amount of Li ions to be inserted and extracted reversibly with high mobility.
The process of materials design and discovery involved a mixture of clever chemical and electrochemical intuition, rational assessment of the technical requirements, and substantial experimental effort, and is dominated by the work of John B. Goodenough and colleagues at the University of Oxford in the 1980s. They came up with the cathode material LiCoO2 that Sony combined with a carbon anode in 1991 to give us the batteries that make possible the portable devices we know today. Work continues to develop cathode materials without the toxic Co and with three-dimensional framework structures like LiFeO4 for environmentally benign, high-energy density batteries.
8. Carbon nanotubes
Viewgraph showing a single- or double-walled CNT published in 1976. (Reprinted with permission from Oberlin, A., et al., J. Cryst. Growth (1976) 32, 335. © 1976 Elsevier.)
Although a discovery normally attributed to Sumio Iijima of NEC, Japan in 1991, the observation of nanotubes of carbon had actually been made on previous occasions (see A journey on the nanotube). However, following on from the excitement of the discovery of C60 buckyballs in 1985 – a new form of carbon – Iijima’s observations of new fullerene tubes aroused great interest immediately.
Today, the remarkable, unique, and phenomenally promising properties of these nanoscale carbon structures have placed them right among the hottest topics of materials science. So why are they only at number eight in this list? Well, there still remains much to sort out in their synthesis, purification, large-scale production, and assembly into devices. And there’s also the very frustrating inability to manufacture uniform samples of nanotubes with the same properties.
9. Soft lithography
The ability to fabricate functional structures and working devices in different materials is central to the production of microelectronic devices, data-storage systems, and many other products. This process is almost exclusively carried out by highly specialized, complex, and very expensive photolithography equipment confined to the controlled environments of cleanrooms. How valuable, then, is the introduction of an alternative?
Soft lithography makes use of the simple, ancient concept of using a stamp to produce patterns again and again. It can be used on many different substrates, be they flat, curved, or flexible. What’s more, soft lithography is cheap, offers nanoscale resolution, and can be applied to new areas in biotechnology and medicine.
The initial technique of microcontact printing (µCP) was developed in 1993 at the lab of George Whitesides at Harvard University. “Microcontact printing has revolutionized many aspects of materials research,” says Byron Gates of Simon Fraser University, Canada. “Molecules are transferred to a substrate using an elastomeric stamp. This poly(dimethylsiloxane) or PDMS stamp conforms to the substrate, unlike hard masks used in previous lithography techniques.” In this way, molecules can be printed over large areas in well-defined patterns with features just 30 nm in size. As well as the transfer of small organic molecules, µCP has been adapted to print solid materials directly, extending its capabilities into nanofabrication. Since 1993, µCP has expanded into a suite of printing, molding, and embossing methods known as soft lithography. All of them use an elastomeric stamp to reproduce a pattern from a master template over and over again.
“All these techniques share one thing: the use of organic materials and polymers – ‘soft matter’ in the language of physicists,” says Younan Xia of the University of Washington in St. Louis. “Soft lithography offers an attractive route to microscale structures and systems needed for applications in biotechnology, and most of them exceed the traditional scope defined by classic photolithography.”
10. Metamaterials
The metamaterial structure of an invisibility cloak that hides objects from microwave radiation. (Credit: David Schurig, Duke University.)
The beginning of the new millennium brought great excitement when it was conclusively demonstrated that a material with a negative refractive index could exist. Light, or at least microwaves, would bend the ‘wrong way’ on entering this material, according to a standard understanding of Snell’s law of refraction. This ended a long-standing argument over Veselago’s prediction in the 1960s that materials simultaneously having a negative permeability and a negative permittivity would have a negative refractive index. At the same time, it opened up a perplexing new optical world full of counterintuitive results that can be explained using 19th century classical electromagnetism.
But the surprising optical properties don’t arise from the material’s composition as its structure. The first metamaterial was a composite of metal wires and split rings assembled on a lattice of printed circuit boards. It was an example of a metamaterial – an artificial structure of repeated micro-sized elements designed for specific properties.
“Metamaterials derive their properties as much from their internal structure as from their chemical composition,” explains John Pendry of Imperial College London, UK. “Adding structure to chemistry as an ingredient greatly increases the range of properties that we can access. There is a new realization that metamaterials can give access to properties not found in nature.”
Crucially, if the structure of the material is much smaller than the light’s wavelength, then an overall permittivity and permeability of the material can still be used with Maxwell’s equations to describe the electric and magnetic response of the material. Thin wire structures can generate a negative electrical response at gigahertz frequencies, while split-ring structures generate a negative magnetic response. These structures were combined for the first time in 2000 by David Smith, Willie Padilla, and Shelly Schultz at the University of California, San Diego to make a negatively refracting material. “Now many people are going through a process of feverish invention as new possibilities are explored, pushing the concept up in frequency towards the visible and also downwards, even to create novel dc responses,” says Pendry.
“Theorists too have been inspired,” adds Pendry, who pointed out that a negative refractive index could be used to construct a ‘perfect lens’. Such lenses would have a resolution unlimited by fundamental physics of the design, and only limited by quality of manufacture. “A new approach to subwavelength imaging now rides on the back of the metamaterial concept,” he says. Several suggestions for invisibility cloaks to hide objects from electromagnetic radiation have also been made. All of these proposals imply the use of metamaterials to realize their designs.
“The first applications [of metamaterials] will be simple improvements of existing products,” Pendry expects. “For example, lightweight lenses for radar waves have been manufactured using metamaterials. Then entirely novel applications will follow, probably developed by the research students of today’s metamaterials researchers.”
The history of the ITRS
The ITRS provides a guideline for research and development for integrated circuit technology needs within a 15-year horizon. Updated annually, the ITRS evolved from a series of workshops and assessments conducted by industry leaders in the late 1980s to ascertain precompetitive critical needs. The first national technology roadmap efforts began in 1992 and in 1993 the first Semiconductor Technology Roadmap effort was sponsored by the Semiconductor Industry Association, supported by the Semiconductor Research Corporation, and edited and produced by SEMATECH.
In 1994, the roadmap was updated by a team of over 400 technologists and renamed the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS). In 1997, the NTRS began to emphasize the challenges, technology requirements, and potential solutions for each roadmap topic. The NTRS was reviewed for the first time in 1998 by an international team that included technologists from Europe, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The first ITRS was produced in 1999, the first ever international industry roadmap of its kind.
The ITRS is based on the consensus of a substantial team. More than 1200 participants were involved from industry, national laboratories, and academia in 2005 and 2006. As the manufacturing of semiconductors becomes more challenging, the ITRS teams are expanding the role of roadmapping into new topics with the potential of guiding the industry beyond complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor systems. The new 2007 edition will have 18 chapters and over 1000 pages, it is estimated.
Linda Wilson, ITRS managing editor, SEMATECH, and Alain Diebold, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University at Albany, State University of New York
Making sense of the nanoworld
The fabrication of the first STM in March 1981 in IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory made it possible for the first time to produce real-space images of electrically conductive surfaces with subnanometer spatial resolution. The development of the AFM in 1986 at IBM Almaden Research Center and Stanford University permitted explorations to be extended to electrically insulating and biological materials.
These two inventions have opened doors into the nanoscale world, and ultimately to nanotechnology. Looking at individual nano-entities such as single molecules, how they react to an external stimuli, how they move and dance on a surface, and how they recognize and talk to each other is no longer science fiction. Moreover, these nanotools allow the manipulation of individual nano-objects and enable scientists to gain a quantitative insight into their physical and chemical properties. Thus they have become crucial in optimizing the performance of nanodevices.
The ultimate impact of these tools will surely cover a huge range of disciplines, including materials science, (opto)electronics, medicine, catalysis, and they will offer new solutions to key problems such as energy and the environment.
In the end, SPM techniques are all about the five senses. Sight is achieved by gently touching surfaces. Hearing: the acoustic response of the tip allows detailed insights into the mechanical properties of surfaces. The same tips, once functionalized with well-defined groups, can identify functional groups through molecular recognition, thus they can finally smell and taste the new and thrilling perfume and flavor of the nanoworld.
Paolo Samorì, ISIS-ULP/CNRS, Strasbourg, France and ISOF-CNR, Bologna, Italy
The III-V laser and LED after 45 years
A significant fraction of the Earth’s population has, by now, seen an LED. But few are aware it is not a conventional light source, rather an electronic source related to the transistor.
As John Bardeen’s (one of the inventors of the transistor) first student and then colleague for 40 years, I heard him explain many times that it was not known until the transistor that a current could create a nonequilibrium electron-hole population in a semiconductor. Subsequently, electron-hole recombination could re-establish equilibrium, delivering light.
As we studied recombination for transistor reasons, we were on the path to the laser and LED, especially when we moved to the direct-gap III-V compounds. Studying GaAs for tunnel diodes in 1960–62, I was not happy with its 1.4 eV (infrared) bandgap. I learned how to shift GaAs towards GaP, to GaAs1–xPx and red light wavelengths.
In 1962, a small number of us realized that the GaAs p-n junction might serve as the basis of a laser. But I wanted to work not in the infrared, but with GaAs1–xPx in the visible region where the eye sees. I knew enough about lasers to know I needed a cavity to help my red p-n junctions become lasers.
My astute colleague at General Electric (GE), Bob Hall, was one step ahead of me. He made GaAs diodes with Fabry-Perot resonator edges, with the crystal itself the cavity – very clever! He preferred polishing to make his diode cavities and I preferred cleaving (not so easy).
Then, one early fall day, Hall’s boss called me to tell me that Hall was running a laser, and would I please give up cleaving! I devised at once a simple method to polish my diode Fabry-Perot cavities, and immediately had red III-V alloy lasers and LEDs.
With Hall’s infrared GaAs lasers and incoherent emitters and my visible, red GaAs1–xPx lasers and LEDs, GE announced the availability of these devices for sale late in 1962. The red LED was practical from the beginning, and only got better and cheaper over time.
Now, after 45 years of work by many people, the high-brightness, high-performance LED promises to take over lighting. The scale and variety of what is happening is surprising, totally unbelievable. Since we are talking about an ‘ultimate lamp’, this work won’t stop, will only grow and, of necessity, become cheaper. This will make the universal use of the LED possible – appearing everywhere in lighting and decorating!
Nick Holonyak, Jr., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A journey on the nanotube
Sumio Iijima reported the observation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1991 [Nature 354, 56]. Then in 1993, two independent groups, Iijima and Ichihashi [Nature 363, 603] and Bethune et al. [Nature 363, 605] reported the growth of single-walled CNTs in the same issue of Nature.
The impact of these papers on the scientific community has been tremendous, perhaps leading to the birth of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
However, the first direct observation of multiwalled CNTs was recorded in 1952 by Radushkevich and Lukyanovich [Zurn. Fisic. Chim. (1952) 26, 88], while an image of a single- or possibly double-walled CNT was published in 1976 by Oberlin et al. [J. Cryst. Growth (1976) 32, 335].
Aside from the controversy surrounding their discovery, the tremendous mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of CNTs combined with a low density promise to revolutionize materials science.
Applications are appearing in integrated nanoelectromechanical systems working in the gigahertz frequency band, exquisitely sensitive mechanical sensors, ultrasharp scanning probe microscopy tips, nanosized drug delivery vehicles, and so on. Moreover, using CNTs as fiber reinforcements could lead to innovative new composite materials.
Even if miniaturization tends to be the focus for CNTs, in mechanics there is also the opposite trend because the human scale is the meter. CNTs are strong and stiff mainly because they are small and thus nearly defect-free – their best attribute. Thus, controlling and minimizing defects while scaling up CNT structures would be a real breakthrough.
For example, a macroscopic cable having the same strength-to-density ratio as a single, defect-free nanoscopic CNT would allow us to build fantastic structures such as a terrestrial space elevator. Here, a cable attached to the planet’s surface could carry payloads into space.
Alternatively, if CNT materials that mimic the hairs on the feet of spiders and geckos could be scaled up, a Spiderman suit for clinging to walls would be within the reach of all of us. There is also plenty of room at the top.
Nicola Pugno, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
The top ten advances in materials science
What are the defining discoveries, moments of inspiration, or shifts in understanding that have shaped the dynamic field of materials science we know today? Here’s what we think are the most significant.
December 19, 2007
Jonathan Wood
Editor, Materials Today
E-mail: j.wood@elsevier.com
Read this article in pdf format
The ending of one year and the beginning of the next is a strange time. It is very human to mark the passing of time, remembering what has been done before looking forward to what’s to come. As the New Year arrives, whether you prefer peaceful reflection or joyous celebration, awards or resolutions, one thing is clear from any newspaper or magazine. It is, above all, a time to draw up lists. Who are we to disagree?
We’ve assembled a list of the top ten advances in materials science over the last 50 years. We thought long and hard. We sought the advice of our editorial advisory panel and asked leaders in the field to add their own contributions. We hope the results are interesting and thought-provoking.
In making the final selection, we have tried to focus on the advances that have either changed our lives or are in the process of changing them. This is arguable, of course. Should an advance alter all our daily lives, or does fundamentally changing the research arena count? What about discoveries that can be clearly attributed to a certain date and investigator, or those developments that have come about incrementally through the efforts of many? Where does materials science stop and electronics, physics, or chemistry begin? And how do you assess the value of things like plastic bags? Undeniably they are a boon for carrying shopping but now also an item of scorn for energy and waste reasons.
Instead of ruling any of these out, we’ve tried to come up with a balanced selection. In doing so, we hope to start some debate about the discoveries that most mark out today’s materials science. Let us know what we’ve missed. If you’re incredulous that organic electronics or high-temperature superconductors aren’t in the top ten, tell us why. Should Kevlar, Post-it notes, float glass, or F1 racing tires be in the list? What will define the next 50 years of materials science?
If you believe materials scientists are unsung heroes, that our work goes unnoticed and unheralded, here is your ammunition. With our time limit of 50 years, the list is of immediate relevance. It is about how materials science is affecting our world today, now.
1. International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
Semiconductor research is guided by the ITRS. (Courtesy of SEMATECH.)
OK, so it’s not a research discovery, solely a way of organizing research priorities and planning R&D. But the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) is a remarkable achievement (see The history of the ITRS). It sets out goals for innovation, technology needs, and measures for progress that all can sign up to in the fiercely competitive microelectronics industry.
A mixture of science, technology, and economics, it’s hard to see how the ITRS could do better in driving forward advances in this area, whether it’s in materials, characterization, fabrication, or device design. And it is an appropriate first choice in this list. Not only is electronics absolutely critical to our modern world, progress in semiconductor processing and advances in materials science have gone hand-in-hand for the last 50 years.
Let’s just hope the International Panel on Climate Change enjoys similar success in driving innovation and reaching agreed goals.
2. Scanning probe microscopes
The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) by Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig at IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory was deservedly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1986.
Rohrer (left) and Binnig (right) with a first-generation scanning tunneling microscope. (Courtesy of IBM Zurich Research Laboratory.)
Not only is this a new microscopy technique – remarkable enough in itself – but it provides a way to probe the local properties of a sample directly with nanometer resolution. Quickly followed by the atomic force microscope (AFM), this new access to the nanoscale world (see Making sense of the nanoworld), arguably brought about the current ubiquity of nanotechnology. The invention immeasurably increased our abilities at this scale.
3. Giant magnetoresistive effect
The 2007 Nobel Prize for Physics went jointly to Albert Fert of Université Paris-Sud, France, and Peter Grünberg of Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, for independently discovering the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect in 1988. So it is no surprise to see this advance on our list.
GMR describes the large change in electrical resistance seen in stacked layers of magnetic and nonmagnetic materials when an external magnetic field is altered. Thanks largely to the subsequent work of Stuart Parkin and coworkers at IBM Research, the phenomenon has been put to great effect in the read heads in hard disk drives. These devices are able to read out the information stored magnetically on a hard disk through changes in electrical current.
The high sensitivity of GMR read heads to tiny magnetic fields means that the magnetic bits on the hard disk can be greatly reduced in size. The phenomenal expansion in our ability to store data that we continue to witness today can be traced back to this discovery.
4. Semiconductor lasers and LEDs
The development of semiconductor lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in 1962 is a great materials science story (seeThe III-V laser and LED after 45 years). They are now the basis of telecommunications, CD and DVD players, laser printers, barcode readers, you name it. The advent of solid-state lighting is also likely to make a significant contribution to reducing our energy usage.
5. National Nanotechnology Initiative
Bill Clinton gets some of the credit for the fifth materials science development on our list. He was the US president who announced the establishment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in 2000, a US federal, multi-agency research program in nanoscale science and technology.
The NNI has had an immense impact. It cemented the importance and promise of a nascent, emerging field, establishing it immediately as the most exciting area in the whole of the physical sciences. Nanotechnology simultaneously gained an identity, a vision, and a remarkable level of funding through the initiative. It also established a method of funding interdisciplinary science in such a way that the rest of the world would have to try to match.
Mihail C. Roco of the National Science Foundation was one of those who was involved in the initial NNI vision setting and national organizational efforts. “During 1997 to 1999, I worked with an initially small group including Stan Williams, Paul Alivisatos, James Murday, Dick Siegel, and Evelyn Hu,” recalls Roco. “We envisioned a ‘new industrial revolution’ powered by systematic control of matter at the nanoscale. With this vision, we built a national coalition involving academia, industry, and a group of agencies that become the nucleus of the NNI, launched in 2000.”
The NNI now involves 26 independent agencies and has an estimated budget of ~$1.5 billion in 2008. It has been the largest single investor in nanotechnology research in the world, providing over $7 billion in the last seven years. Now 65 countries have national research focus projects on nanotechnology, while industry nanotechnology R&D has exceeded that of governments worldwide. The global nano-related R&D budget was in excess of $12 billion in 2007.
On behalf of the interagency group, Roco proposed the NNI on March 11, 1999 at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The fear of many was that there was little chance of nanotechnology becoming a national priority program. Surely it would be perceived as being of interest just to a small group of researchers? Instead, by defining nanotechnology as a broad platform for scientific advancement, education, medicine, and the economy, the NNI was approved with a budget of $489 million in 2001. “The NNI was prepared with the same rigor as a science project,” says Roco.
6. Carbon fiber reinforced plastics
Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics were at the heart of this bike built by Lotus Engineering for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It helped Chris Boardman win gold. (Courtesy of Lotus.)
The last 50 years have seen advanced composites take off – quite literally, in that many applications of these light but strong materials have been in aviation and aerospace. But modern composite materials have touched just about all industries, including transport, packaging, civil engineering, and sport. They can be found in Formula 1 cars, armor, and wind turbine rotor blades.
Leading the charge are carbon fiber reinforced plastics or, more properly, continous carbon fiber organic-matrix composites. These materials bond extremely stiff, high-strength carbon fibers into a polymer matrix to give a combined material that is also exceptionally tough and light in weight.
The early 1960s saw the development of carbon fibers produced from rayon, polyacrylonitrile, and pitch-based precursors. The long, oriented aromatic molecular chains give the fibers exceptional strength and stiffness. This was a real gain over the amorphous glass fibers used previously in composite materials.
The development of carbon fibers, together with advances in design, modeling, and manufacturing, has given rise to composite materials with controlled, specific properties. “Rather than an engineer using a constant set of material characteristics, organic-matrix composites and the associated manufacturing methodology now enables the engineer to design the material for a specific application,” says Richard A. Vaia of the Air Force Research Laboratory. “The manufacturing science has opened up new frontiers, effectively moving component design down to materials design.” The spectacular gain in performance has seen the increasing use of these materials despite the cost and increased difficulty in design, shaping, and recycling, such that the new Boeing 787 uses composites extensively in its wings and fuselage.
7. Materials for Li ion batteries
It is hard to remember how we coped before laptops and cellular phones came along. This revolution would not have been possible without a transition from rechargeable batteries using aqueous electrolytes, where H+ is the working ion, to the much higher energy densities of Li ion batteries.
Li ion batteries required the development of novel electrode materials that satisfy a number of considerations. In particular, the cathode needs a lightweight framework structure with free volume in between to allow a large amount of Li ions to be inserted and extracted reversibly with high mobility.
The process of materials design and discovery involved a mixture of clever chemical and electrochemical intuition, rational assessment of the technical requirements, and substantial experimental effort, and is dominated by the work of John B. Goodenough and colleagues at the University of Oxford in the 1980s. They came up with the cathode material LiCoO2 that Sony combined with a carbon anode in 1991 to give us the batteries that make possible the portable devices we know today. Work continues to develop cathode materials without the toxic Co and with three-dimensional framework structures like LiFeO4 for environmentally benign, high-energy density batteries.
8. Carbon nanotubes
Viewgraph showing a single- or double-walled CNT published in 1976. (Reprinted with permission from Oberlin, A., et al., J. Cryst. Growth (1976) 32, 335. © 1976 Elsevier.)
Although a discovery normally attributed to Sumio Iijima of NEC, Japan in 1991, the observation of nanotubes of carbon had actually been made on previous occasions (see A journey on the nanotube). However, following on from the excitement of the discovery of C60 buckyballs in 1985 – a new form of carbon – Iijima’s observations of new fullerene tubes aroused great interest immediately.
Today, the remarkable, unique, and phenomenally promising properties of these nanoscale carbon structures have placed them right among the hottest topics of materials science. So why are they only at number eight in this list? Well, there still remains much to sort out in their synthesis, purification, large-scale production, and assembly into devices. And there’s also the very frustrating inability to manufacture uniform samples of nanotubes with the same properties.
9. Soft lithography
The ability to fabricate functional structures and working devices in different materials is central to the production of microelectronic devices, data-storage systems, and many other products. This process is almost exclusively carried out by highly specialized, complex, and very expensive photolithography equipment confined to the controlled environments of cleanrooms. How valuable, then, is the introduction of an alternative?
Soft lithography makes use of the simple, ancient concept of using a stamp to produce patterns again and again. It can be used on many different substrates, be they flat, curved, or flexible. What’s more, soft lithography is cheap, offers nanoscale resolution, and can be applied to new areas in biotechnology and medicine.
The initial technique of microcontact printing (µCP) was developed in 1993 at the lab of George Whitesides at Harvard University. “Microcontact printing has revolutionized many aspects of materials research,” says Byron Gates of Simon Fraser University, Canada. “Molecules are transferred to a substrate using an elastomeric stamp. This poly(dimethylsiloxane) or PDMS stamp conforms to the substrate, unlike hard masks used in previous lithography techniques.” In this way, molecules can be printed over large areas in well-defined patterns with features just 30 nm in size. As well as the transfer of small organic molecules, µCP has been adapted to print solid materials directly, extending its capabilities into nanofabrication. Since 1993, µCP has expanded into a suite of printing, molding, and embossing methods known as soft lithography. All of them use an elastomeric stamp to reproduce a pattern from a master template over and over again.
“All these techniques share one thing: the use of organic materials and polymers – ‘soft matter’ in the language of physicists,” says Younan Xia of the University of Washington in St. Louis. “Soft lithography offers an attractive route to microscale structures and systems needed for applications in biotechnology, and most of them exceed the traditional scope defined by classic photolithography.”
10. Metamaterials
The metamaterial structure of an invisibility cloak that hides objects from microwave radiation. (Credit: David Schurig, Duke University.)
The beginning of the new millennium brought great excitement when it was conclusively demonstrated that a material with a negative refractive index could exist. Light, or at least microwaves, would bend the ‘wrong way’ on entering this material, according to a standard understanding of Snell’s law of refraction. This ended a long-standing argument over Veselago’s prediction in the 1960s that materials simultaneously having a negative permeability and a negative permittivity would have a negative refractive index. At the same time, it opened up a perplexing new optical world full of counterintuitive results that can be explained using 19th century classical electromagnetism.
But the surprising optical properties don’t arise from the material’s composition as its structure. The first metamaterial was a composite of metal wires and split rings assembled on a lattice of printed circuit boards. It was an example of a metamaterial – an artificial structure of repeated micro-sized elements designed for specific properties.
“Metamaterials derive their properties as much from their internal structure as from their chemical composition,” explains John Pendry of Imperial College London, UK. “Adding structure to chemistry as an ingredient greatly increases the range of properties that we can access. There is a new realization that metamaterials can give access to properties not found in nature.”
Crucially, if the structure of the material is much smaller than the light’s wavelength, then an overall permittivity and permeability of the material can still be used with Maxwell’s equations to describe the electric and magnetic response of the material. Thin wire structures can generate a negative electrical response at gigahertz frequencies, while split-ring structures generate a negative magnetic response. These structures were combined for the first time in 2000 by David Smith, Willie Padilla, and Shelly Schultz at the University of California, San Diego to make a negatively refracting material. “Now many people are going through a process of feverish invention as new possibilities are explored, pushing the concept up in frequency towards the visible and also downwards, even to create novel dc responses,” says Pendry.
“Theorists too have been inspired,” adds Pendry, who pointed out that a negative refractive index could be used to construct a ‘perfect lens’. Such lenses would have a resolution unlimited by fundamental physics of the design, and only limited by quality of manufacture. “A new approach to subwavelength imaging now rides on the back of the metamaterial concept,” he says. Several suggestions for invisibility cloaks to hide objects from electromagnetic radiation have also been made. All of these proposals imply the use of metamaterials to realize their designs.
“The first applications [of metamaterials] will be simple improvements of existing products,” Pendry expects. “For example, lightweight lenses for radar waves have been manufactured using metamaterials. Then entirely novel applications will follow, probably developed by the research students of today’s metamaterials researchers.”
The history of the ITRS
The ITRS provides a guideline for research and development for integrated circuit technology needs within a 15-year horizon. Updated annually, the ITRS evolved from a series of workshops and assessments conducted by industry leaders in the late 1980s to ascertain precompetitive critical needs. The first national technology roadmap efforts began in 1992 and in 1993 the first Semiconductor Technology Roadmap effort was sponsored by the Semiconductor Industry Association, supported by the Semiconductor Research Corporation, and edited and produced by SEMATECH.
In 1994, the roadmap was updated by a team of over 400 technologists and renamed the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS). In 1997, the NTRS began to emphasize the challenges, technology requirements, and potential solutions for each roadmap topic. The NTRS was reviewed for the first time in 1998 by an international team that included technologists from Europe, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The first ITRS was produced in 1999, the first ever international industry roadmap of its kind.
The ITRS is based on the consensus of a substantial team. More than 1200 participants were involved from industry, national laboratories, and academia in 2005 and 2006. As the manufacturing of semiconductors becomes more challenging, the ITRS teams are expanding the role of roadmapping into new topics with the potential of guiding the industry beyond complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor systems. The new 2007 edition will have 18 chapters and over 1000 pages, it is estimated.
Linda Wilson, ITRS managing editor, SEMATECH, and Alain Diebold, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University at Albany, State University of New York
Making sense of the nanoworld
The fabrication of the first STM in March 1981 in IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory made it possible for the first time to produce real-space images of electrically conductive surfaces with subnanometer spatial resolution. The development of the AFM in 1986 at IBM Almaden Research Center and Stanford University permitted explorations to be extended to electrically insulating and biological materials.
These two inventions have opened doors into the nanoscale world, and ultimately to nanotechnology. Looking at individual nano-entities such as single molecules, how they react to an external stimuli, how they move and dance on a surface, and how they recognize and talk to each other is no longer science fiction. Moreover, these nanotools allow the manipulation of individual nano-objects and enable scientists to gain a quantitative insight into their physical and chemical properties. Thus they have become crucial in optimizing the performance of nanodevices.
The ultimate impact of these tools will surely cover a huge range of disciplines, including materials science, (opto)electronics, medicine, catalysis, and they will offer new solutions to key problems such as energy and the environment.
In the end, SPM techniques are all about the five senses. Sight is achieved by gently touching surfaces. Hearing: the acoustic response of the tip allows detailed insights into the mechanical properties of surfaces. The same tips, once functionalized with well-defined groups, can identify functional groups through molecular recognition, thus they can finally smell and taste the new and thrilling perfume and flavor of the nanoworld.
Paolo Samorì, ISIS-ULP/CNRS, Strasbourg, France and ISOF-CNR, Bologna, Italy
The III-V laser and LED after 45 years
A significant fraction of the Earth’s population has, by now, seen an LED. But few are aware it is not a conventional light source, rather an electronic source related to the transistor.
As John Bardeen’s (one of the inventors of the transistor) first student and then colleague for 40 years, I heard him explain many times that it was not known until the transistor that a current could create a nonequilibrium electron-hole population in a semiconductor. Subsequently, electron-hole recombination could re-establish equilibrium, delivering light.
As we studied recombination for transistor reasons, we were on the path to the laser and LED, especially when we moved to the direct-gap III-V compounds. Studying GaAs for tunnel diodes in 1960–62, I was not happy with its 1.4 eV (infrared) bandgap. I learned how to shift GaAs towards GaP, to GaAs1–xPx and red light wavelengths.
In 1962, a small number of us realized that the GaAs p-n junction might serve as the basis of a laser. But I wanted to work not in the infrared, but with GaAs1–xPx in the visible region where the eye sees. I knew enough about lasers to know I needed a cavity to help my red p-n junctions become lasers.
My astute colleague at General Electric (GE), Bob Hall, was one step ahead of me. He made GaAs diodes with Fabry-Perot resonator edges, with the crystal itself the cavity – very clever! He preferred polishing to make his diode cavities and I preferred cleaving (not so easy).
Then, one early fall day, Hall’s boss called me to tell me that Hall was running a laser, and would I please give up cleaving! I devised at once a simple method to polish my diode Fabry-Perot cavities, and immediately had red III-V alloy lasers and LEDs.
With Hall’s infrared GaAs lasers and incoherent emitters and my visible, red GaAs1–xPx lasers and LEDs, GE announced the availability of these devices for sale late in 1962. The red LED was practical from the beginning, and only got better and cheaper over time.
Now, after 45 years of work by many people, the high-brightness, high-performance LED promises to take over lighting. The scale and variety of what is happening is surprising, totally unbelievable. Since we are talking about an ‘ultimate lamp’, this work won’t stop, will only grow and, of necessity, become cheaper. This will make the universal use of the LED possible – appearing everywhere in lighting and decorating!
Nick Holonyak, Jr., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A journey on the nanotube
Sumio Iijima reported the observation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1991 [Nature 354, 56]. Then in 1993, two independent groups, Iijima and Ichihashi [Nature 363, 603] and Bethune et al. [Nature 363, 605] reported the growth of single-walled CNTs in the same issue of Nature.
The impact of these papers on the scientific community has been tremendous, perhaps leading to the birth of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
However, the first direct observation of multiwalled CNTs was recorded in 1952 by Radushkevich and Lukyanovich [Zurn. Fisic. Chim. (1952) 26, 88], while an image of a single- or possibly double-walled CNT was published in 1976 by Oberlin et al. [J. Cryst. Growth (1976) 32, 335].
Aside from the controversy surrounding their discovery, the tremendous mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of CNTs combined with a low density promise to revolutionize materials science.
Applications are appearing in integrated nanoelectromechanical systems working in the gigahertz frequency band, exquisitely sensitive mechanical sensors, ultrasharp scanning probe microscopy tips, nanosized drug delivery vehicles, and so on. Moreover, using CNTs as fiber reinforcements could lead to innovative new composite materials.
Even if miniaturization tends to be the focus for CNTs, in mechanics there is also the opposite trend because the human scale is the meter. CNTs are strong and stiff mainly because they are small and thus nearly defect-free – their best attribute. Thus, controlling and minimizing defects while scaling up CNT structures would be a real breakthrough.
For example, a macroscopic cable having the same strength-to-density ratio as a single, defect-free nanoscopic CNT would allow us to build fantastic structures such as a terrestrial space elevator. Here, a cable attached to the planet’s surface could carry payloads into space.
Alternatively, if CNT materials that mimic the hairs on the feet of spiders and geckos could be scaled up, a Spiderman suit for clinging to walls would be within the reach of all of us. There is also plenty of room at the top.
Nicola Pugno, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Friday, December 28, 2007
五个经典冬天进补
经典食谱一：姜汁甜牛奶
原料：生姜汁，性味辛、温，入肺、胃、脾经，功能散寒，止呕。《食疗本草》说它“止逆，散烦闷，开胃气”。《本草拾遗》记载生姜“汁解毒药，破血调中，去冷除痰，开胃”。《本草从新》指出“姜汁，开痰，治噎膈反胃”。
牛奶，性味甘、平，功能补虚损，益脾胃，可治虚弱劳损，反胃噎膈等症。《滇南本草》说它能“补虚弱，止渴，养心血，治反胃而利大肠”。《本草纲目》指出它能“治反胃热哕，补益劳损，润大肠”。《千金·食治》记载牛奶“入生姜、葱白，止小儿吐乳”。以白糖同用，有助脾健胃的功效。
做法：最好的做法是用150-200毫升鲜牛奶加一调羹生姜汁和少许白糖，放入瓷器内，盖上盖子蒸适当时间后饮用。
功用：有散寒，和胃，止呕的功效。每天喝一杯，手脚之寒气便会渐失。其实姜汁甜牛奶也可以用于治疗上面提到的虚寒性胃痛噎膈反胃、呕吐、暖气反酸等肠胃不适的症状。
经典食谱二：川芎白芷炖鱼头
原料：川芎，《本草别录》还指出川芎能“除脑中冷动，面上游风，去耳目泪出，多涕唾，忽忽如醉，诸寒冷气”。《日华子本草》还记载着川芎能“治一切风”，临床用治“诸风上攻，头目昏重，偏正头痛”。《本草经集注》说到川芎时认为“白芷为之使”。
白芷性温、味辛微甘、无毒。有祛风，消肿，止痛作用。《别录》说它能“疗风邪”，“头痛头眩，目痒”。《本草纲目》还直接指出白芷对“妇人血风眩晕”有效。
鱼头，最好选用“胖头鱼”。它味甘、性温、无毒，功能暖胃养血，所以女士由于风邪所致的头昏眼花、头晕等等都可以用其治疗。有些身体虚弱的女士洗头之后感觉头晕头痛吃了它也会有效，但是如果是因为“阴虚火旺”而头痛头晕则不宜多吃。
做法：购买一个鱼头，加入3-9克川芎以及6-9克白芷（两者都不宜过多），放在瓦煲内一起炖即可。
功用：川芎白芷都能够活血、行气、祛风，再配上味甘、性温的鱼头，更相得益彰。此道食谱可治疗男女头风、四肢拘牵痹痛。
经典食谱三：乌豆塘虱
纹原料：乌豆即黑豆，味甘性平。含蛋白质、脂肪、糖类、黑色素、钙、磷、铁和维生素A、B、烟酸等。功能养血补虚，主要为滋养作用。
塘虱鱼又名胡子鲶鱼。《本草求真》说“塘虱鱼形似鳅，腮下有二横骨能刺人”。功能补血、滋肾、调中、兴阳，为滋补食品。
做法：购买塘虱鱼2-4条，去除内脏、鱼鳃等，洗净后放入瓦罐内，再加入60-90克乌豆，用文火?熟，调味即可。如果感觉乌豆不容易消化，那么可以加入适量陈皮调胃气。
功用：可用于调理女士血虚头痛，头晕目眩，自汗盗汗，耳鸣乏倦以及血小板减少等。
经典食谱四：白胡椒煲猪肚汤
原料：白胡椒，性味辛、温。入胃、大肠经。含胡椒碱、胡椒脂碱和挥发油等。功能温中散寒，醒脾开胃。《本草纲目》认为它“暖肠胃，除寒湿反胃，虚胀冷积，阴毒”。《唐本草》说它“主下气，温中，去痰，除脏腑中风冷”。《海药本草》指出它可“去胃口气虚冷，宿食不消，霍乱气逆，心腹卒痛，冷气上冲”。
猪肚即猪胃，性味甘、微温，入胃经。功能健脾胃，补虚损，通血脉，利水，除疳。《别录》说它“补中益气，止渴、利”。《本草图经》记载它能治“骨蒸热劳，血脉不行，补羸助气”。《日华子本草》还说用猪肚酿黄糯米蒸捣为丸，可治劳气以及小儿疳积黄瘦病。
做法：购买猪肚一只，反复用水冲洗净。把约15克白胡椒打碎，放入猪肚内，并留少许水分。然后把猪肚头尾用线扎紧，慢火煲1个小时以上（至猪肚酥软），加盐调味即可。另外，汤煲好后的猪肚酥烂滑软，切条装盘，再撒上白芝麻和鲜酱油，是一道非常不错的冷盘。
功用：可以用于治疗胃寒，心腹冷痛，因受寒而消化不良，吐清口水，虚寒性的胃、十二指肠溃疡等。其实，这道汤煲成以后呈现牛奶般的乳白色，不仅浓厚暖心具有不一般的饮食药疗效果，而且还非常美味，可以作为冬天的一道家常菜。
经典食谱五：党参红枣茶
原料：红枣，性味甘、温。功能补脾和胃，益气生津，调营卫，治胃虚少吃，脾弱便溏，气血津液不足，营卫不和，心悸怔忡，妇人脏躁。《珍珠囊》说它有“温胃”作用。《日华子本草》用以“润心肺，止嗽，补五脏，治虚劳损，除肠胃癖气”。
做法：选用党参15-30克，大枣5-10枚，一起煎汤饮用。也可以加入陈皮2-3克以调胃气。
功用：可以治疗病后脾虚，食欲不振，四肢肌肉乏力，贫血，心悸等症。
因人而异冬季进补勿盲目
原料：生姜汁，性味辛、温，入肺、胃、脾经，功能散寒，止呕。《食疗本草》说它“止逆，散烦闷，开胃气”。《本草拾遗》记载生姜“汁解毒药，破血调中，去冷除痰，开胃”。《本草从新》指出“姜汁，开痰，治噎膈反胃”。
牛奶，性味甘、平，功能补虚损，益脾胃，可治虚弱劳损，反胃噎膈等症。《滇南本草》说它能“补虚弱，止渴，养心血，治反胃而利大肠”。《本草纲目》指出它能“治反胃热哕，补益劳损，润大肠”。《千金·食治》记载牛奶“入生姜、葱白，止小儿吐乳”。以白糖同用，有助脾健胃的功效。
做法：最好的做法是用150-200毫升鲜牛奶加一调羹生姜汁和少许白糖，放入瓷器内，盖上盖子蒸适当时间后饮用。
功用：有散寒，和胃，止呕的功效。每天喝一杯，手脚之寒气便会渐失。其实姜汁甜牛奶也可以用于治疗上面提到的虚寒性胃痛噎膈反胃、呕吐、暖气反酸等肠胃不适的症状。
经典食谱二：川芎白芷炖鱼头
原料：川芎，《本草别录》还指出川芎能“除脑中冷动，面上游风，去耳目泪出，多涕唾，忽忽如醉，诸寒冷气”。《日华子本草》还记载着川芎能“治一切风”，临床用治“诸风上攻，头目昏重，偏正头痛”。《本草经集注》说到川芎时认为“白芷为之使”。
白芷性温、味辛微甘、无毒。有祛风，消肿，止痛作用。《别录》说它能“疗风邪”，“头痛头眩，目痒”。《本草纲目》还直接指出白芷对“妇人血风眩晕”有效。
鱼头，最好选用“胖头鱼”。它味甘、性温、无毒，功能暖胃养血，所以女士由于风邪所致的头昏眼花、头晕等等都可以用其治疗。有些身体虚弱的女士洗头之后感觉头晕头痛吃了它也会有效，但是如果是因为“阴虚火旺”而头痛头晕则不宜多吃。
做法：购买一个鱼头，加入3-9克川芎以及6-9克白芷（两者都不宜过多），放在瓦煲内一起炖即可。
功用：川芎白芷都能够活血、行气、祛风，再配上味甘、性温的鱼头，更相得益彰。此道食谱可治疗男女头风、四肢拘牵痹痛。
经典食谱三：乌豆塘虱
纹原料：乌豆即黑豆，味甘性平。含蛋白质、脂肪、糖类、黑色素、钙、磷、铁和维生素A、B、烟酸等。功能养血补虚，主要为滋养作用。
塘虱鱼又名胡子鲶鱼。《本草求真》说“塘虱鱼形似鳅，腮下有二横骨能刺人”。功能补血、滋肾、调中、兴阳，为滋补食品。
做法：购买塘虱鱼2-4条，去除内脏、鱼鳃等，洗净后放入瓦罐内，再加入60-90克乌豆，用文火?熟，调味即可。如果感觉乌豆不容易消化，那么可以加入适量陈皮调胃气。
功用：可用于调理女士血虚头痛，头晕目眩，自汗盗汗，耳鸣乏倦以及血小板减少等。
经典食谱四：白胡椒煲猪肚汤
原料：白胡椒，性味辛、温。入胃、大肠经。含胡椒碱、胡椒脂碱和挥发油等。功能温中散寒，醒脾开胃。《本草纲目》认为它“暖肠胃，除寒湿反胃，虚胀冷积，阴毒”。《唐本草》说它“主下气，温中，去痰，除脏腑中风冷”。《海药本草》指出它可“去胃口气虚冷，宿食不消，霍乱气逆，心腹卒痛，冷气上冲”。
猪肚即猪胃，性味甘、微温，入胃经。功能健脾胃，补虚损，通血脉，利水，除疳。《别录》说它“补中益气，止渴、利”。《本草图经》记载它能治“骨蒸热劳，血脉不行，补羸助气”。《日华子本草》还说用猪肚酿黄糯米蒸捣为丸，可治劳气以及小儿疳积黄瘦病。
做法：购买猪肚一只，反复用水冲洗净。把约15克白胡椒打碎，放入猪肚内，并留少许水分。然后把猪肚头尾用线扎紧，慢火煲1个小时以上（至猪肚酥软），加盐调味即可。另外，汤煲好后的猪肚酥烂滑软，切条装盘，再撒上白芝麻和鲜酱油，是一道非常不错的冷盘。
功用：可以用于治疗胃寒，心腹冷痛，因受寒而消化不良，吐清口水，虚寒性的胃、十二指肠溃疡等。其实，这道汤煲成以后呈现牛奶般的乳白色，不仅浓厚暖心具有不一般的饮食药疗效果，而且还非常美味，可以作为冬天的一道家常菜。
经典食谱五：党参红枣茶
原料：红枣，性味甘、温。功能补脾和胃，益气生津，调营卫，治胃虚少吃，脾弱便溏，气血津液不足，营卫不和，心悸怔忡，妇人脏躁。《珍珠囊》说它有“温胃”作用。《日华子本草》用以“润心肺，止嗽，补五脏，治虚劳损，除肠胃癖气”。
做法：选用党参15-30克，大枣5-10枚，一起煎汤饮用。也可以加入陈皮2-3克以调胃气。
功用：可以治疗病后脾虚，食欲不振，四肢肌肉乏力，贫血，心悸等症。
因人而异冬季进补勿盲目
Sunday, December 23, 2007
一篇被”留中不发”的座谈会书面发言
说明： 2007年11月2-3日，中国科学院学部科学道德建设委员会在北京举行“科学道德和科技伦理专题研讨会”。我在会议前约三周收到邀请信。由于早已答应参加另外一个国际会议，我复信说明不能与会，但将在会前寄送一篇书面发言。11月5日回到北京，才得知“由于学部科学道德建设委员会很重视这篇发言，要专门研究”，发言稿被“留中不发”，束之高阁。现在过去了50多天，尚未见到“专门研究”的结果。我决定把它公开发表，请大家批评。
书面发言
郝柏林
2007年10月29日
由于早已答应到新加坡参加一个国际会议，我无法出席这次通知甚晚而且日期完全重复的讨论会。恳请会议组织者把以下书面发言分发给与会同志，请他们批评指正。
2005年7、8月间国家自然科学基金委新设的监督委员会发布了四份通报，点名或不点名地揭露了19起基金申请中的不端行为。新华社的一位记者给我发来电子信，要求采访。事实上，我是从这位记者的来信才得知这些通报。在互联网上读完通报之后，我给记者回信说：“我不准备就这些小苍蝇发表意见；现在的问题是要抓科学界领导和政府官员的不端行为和不正之风”。写下这几句话的时候，我准备了有名有姓的三件事。这位记者显然很明白自己的“边界条件”，回信曰“谢谢”，采访一事就此了案。
当前我国学术界中的不端行为确实相当严重，而且有越演越烈之势。然而，问题的根源不在下面，而在上面，在于科学界领导层和有关部门政府官员的作风与行为，在于研究资源分配不公正、不公开、不透明，在于科学政策和“评估”体系的误导。
科学界的领导和政府官员不能仅仅以不从事不端行为来要求自己。他们应当比一般科学技术工作者更严格地律己，在学术作风上做出好榜样。然而目前的情况是某些科学技术界领导人和政府官员恰恰在做出不好的榜样。不首先端正高层次的学术作风，就不能理直气壮地在基层树立正确的学风。
任何严肃的科学研究都需要全心投入、亲自做实验或做推导计算，需要长期地、连续地、反复地静心思考。目前在中国脚踏实地做学问的人越来越少，而整天飞来飞去，出会入宴的科技“领导”和“首席”们越来越多。那些实际上无法坚持做学问而又要努力维持“科学家”面目的官员，才是学术不端行为的真正根源。科学技术领导部门急功近利的“量化管理”则从制度和政策上加剧了这一状况。
在自己没有实质性贡献、甚至没有看过稿子的文章上署名，而且“官”做得越大，每年所出文章越多。这是目前有一定普遍性的现象。下面的表格列出了中国科学院的一位现任领导，从做博士后以来的20年中，每年发表的SCI论文的统计(如有必要我可以提供全部论文的清单)：
当我向院士道德建设委员会的一位负责同志提起这件事的时候，他说：“论文署名问题国外也没有解决，我们准备组织软课题加以研究”。诚然，署名当否的“微观”界定很难，即使把作者们都请来，由于种种原因，也不容易弄清真相。然而，一年52个星期出51篇SCI文章这样的“宏观”表现，对于任何真正做过研究、写过论文的科学工作者，不需要任何调查即很明白。科学界的上层领导如此，怎么能带出下面的好作风呢？
我们有一些部委级甚至位置更高的“领导”，不做任何组稿和写作的辛苦劳动，却以唯一作者的身份出现在国内甚至国外出版的书上。这种“吕不韦式”的著书，在科学界以外应如何看待，我不想评论。至少，在科学界内这是不应容忍的占有他人劳动的行为。
有些人在担任科学技术领导部门或研究经费管理单位负责人之后，仍然不与自己原来的单位脱钩，仍在为原部门争项目、争经费、仍在保护它们在评审或评估中获得高分。管理部门的某些中层人员到基层不是调查和服务，而是颐使气指、把人民血汗支持的研究项目作为自己的“领地”和上升的阶梯(出了问题则与之完全无关，上海交通大学的陈进造假事件就是近例)。美国国家科学基金会对自己的工作人员有详细的关于“利益冲突”的规定（NSF Manual Number 15. Conflicts of Interests and Standard of Ethical Conduct, Last revised July 2007.），许多那里明文禁止的事情，在中国则是“办事规则”。建议有关部门把它翻译出来，发给从部委领导到办事员的全体干部，看看对我们有没有一点参考价值。
如果到会，我还有更多的话。“书面发言”就此打住。
书面发言
郝柏林
2007年10月29日
由于早已答应到新加坡参加一个国际会议，我无法出席这次通知甚晚而且日期完全重复的讨论会。恳请会议组织者把以下书面发言分发给与会同志，请他们批评指正。
2005年7、8月间国家自然科学基金委新设的监督委员会发布了四份通报，点名或不点名地揭露了19起基金申请中的不端行为。新华社的一位记者给我发来电子信，要求采访。事实上，我是从这位记者的来信才得知这些通报。在互联网上读完通报之后，我给记者回信说：“我不准备就这些小苍蝇发表意见；现在的问题是要抓科学界领导和政府官员的不端行为和不正之风”。写下这几句话的时候，我准备了有名有姓的三件事。这位记者显然很明白自己的“边界条件”，回信曰“谢谢”，采访一事就此了案。
当前我国学术界中的不端行为确实相当严重，而且有越演越烈之势。然而，问题的根源不在下面，而在上面，在于科学界领导层和有关部门政府官员的作风与行为，在于研究资源分配不公正、不公开、不透明，在于科学政策和“评估”体系的误导。
科学界的领导和政府官员不能仅仅以不从事不端行为来要求自己。他们应当比一般科学技术工作者更严格地律己，在学术作风上做出好榜样。然而目前的情况是某些科学技术界领导人和政府官员恰恰在做出不好的榜样。不首先端正高层次的学术作风，就不能理直气壮地在基层树立正确的学风。
任何严肃的科学研究都需要全心投入、亲自做实验或做推导计算，需要长期地、连续地、反复地静心思考。目前在中国脚踏实地做学问的人越来越少，而整天飞来飞去，出会入宴的科技“领导”和“首席”们越来越多。那些实际上无法坚持做学问而又要努力维持“科学家”面目的官员，才是学术不端行为的真正根源。科学技术领导部门急功近利的“量化管理”则从制度和政策上加剧了这一状况。
在自己没有实质性贡献、甚至没有看过稿子的文章上署名，而且“官”做得越大，每年所出文章越多。这是目前有一定普遍性的现象。下面的表格列出了中国科学院的一位现任领导，从做博士后以来的20年中，每年发表的SCI论文的统计(如有必要我可以提供全部论文的清单)：
当我向院士道德建设委员会的一位负责同志提起这件事的时候，他说：“论文署名问题国外也没有解决，我们准备组织软课题加以研究”。诚然，署名当否的“微观”界定很难，即使把作者们都请来，由于种种原因，也不容易弄清真相。然而，一年52个星期出51篇SCI文章这样的“宏观”表现，对于任何真正做过研究、写过论文的科学工作者，不需要任何调查即很明白。科学界的上层领导如此，怎么能带出下面的好作风呢？
我们有一些部委级甚至位置更高的“领导”，不做任何组稿和写作的辛苦劳动，却以唯一作者的身份出现在国内甚至国外出版的书上。这种“吕不韦式”的著书，在科学界以外应如何看待，我不想评论。至少，在科学界内这是不应容忍的占有他人劳动的行为。
有些人在担任科学技术领导部门或研究经费管理单位负责人之后，仍然不与自己原来的单位脱钩，仍在为原部门争项目、争经费、仍在保护它们在评审或评估中获得高分。管理部门的某些中层人员到基层不是调查和服务，而是颐使气指、把人民血汗支持的研究项目作为自己的“领地”和上升的阶梯(出了问题则与之完全无关，上海交通大学的陈进造假事件就是近例)。美国国家科学基金会对自己的工作人员有详细的关于“利益冲突”的规定（NSF Manual Number 15. Conflicts of Interests and Standard of Ethical Conduct, Last revised July 2007.），许多那里明文禁止的事情，在中国则是“办事规则”。建议有关部门把它翻译出来，发给从部委领导到办事员的全体干部，看看对我们有没有一点参考价值。
如果到会，我还有更多的话。“书面发言”就此打住。
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Say Goodbye to Gilmore Girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWvHJHxGhOg
In the years to come
Will you think about these moments that we shared
In the years to come
Are you gonna think it over
And how we lived each day with no regrets
Nothing lasts forever though we want it to
The road ahead holds different dreams for me and you
[chorus]
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts is the only way now for you and me
Though its the hardest thing to say
I'll miss your love in every way
So say goodbye
But don't you cry
Because a true love never dies
In a year from now
Maybe there'll be things we'll wish we'd never said
In a year from now
Maybe we'll see each other, standing on the same street corner no regrets
Each and every end is always written in the stars
[Say Goodbye lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]
If only i could stop the World i'd make this last
[Chorus]
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts is the only way now for you and me
Though it's the hardest thing to say
I'll miss your love in every way
So say goodbye
But don't you cry
Because a true love never dies
And when you need my arms to run into
I'll come for you
Nothing will ever change the way i feel
[Chorus]
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts is the only way now for you and me
Though it's the hardest thing to say
I'll miss your love in every day
So say goodbye
Because a true love never dies
In the years to come
Will you think about these moments that we shared
In the years to come
Are you gonna think it over
And how we lived each day with no regrets
Nothing lasts forever though we want it to
The road ahead holds different dreams for me and you
[chorus]
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts is the only way now for you and me
Though its the hardest thing to say
I'll miss your love in every way
So say goodbye
But don't you cry
Because a true love never dies
In a year from now
Maybe there'll be things we'll wish we'd never said
In a year from now
Maybe we'll see each other, standing on the same street corner no regrets
Each and every end is always written in the stars
[Say Goodbye lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]
If only i could stop the World i'd make this last
[Chorus]
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts is the only way now for you and me
Though it's the hardest thing to say
I'll miss your love in every way
So say goodbye
But don't you cry
Because a true love never dies
And when you need my arms to run into
I'll come for you
Nothing will ever change the way i feel
[Chorus]
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny
Sometimes goodbye though it hurts is the only way now for you and me
Though it's the hardest thing to say
I'll miss your love in every day
So say goodbye
Because a true love never dies
Saturday, December 08, 2007
To be by your side
http://bbs.ooxy.net/music/To_Be_By_Your_Side.mp3 http://podcache.cctv.com/published1/2007/06/24/pub1182665810012.mp3 Across the oceans Across the seas, Over forests of blackened trees. Through valleys so still we dare not breathe, To be by your side. Over the shifting desert plains, Across mountains all in flames. Through howling winds and driving rains, To be by your side. Every mile and every year for every one a little tear. I cannot explain this, Dear, I will not even try. Into the night as the stars collide, Across the borders that divide forests of stone standing petrified, To be by your side. Every mile and every year, For every one a single tear. I cannot explain this, Dear, I will not even try. For I know one thing, Love comes on a wing. For tonight I will be by your side. But tomorrow I will fly. From the deepest ocean To the highest peak, Through the frontiers of your sleep. Into the valley where we dare not speak, To be by your side. Across the endless wilderness where all the beasts bow down their heads. Darling I will never rest till I am by your side. Every mile and every year, Time and Distance disappear I cannot explain this. Dear No, I will not even try. For I know one thing, Love comes on a wing and tonight I will be by your side. But tomorrow I will fly away, Love rises with the day and tonight I may be by your side. But tomorrow I will fly, Tomorrow I will fly, Tomorrow I will fly.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
一个WSN在美国的奋斗
http://www.mitbbs.com/article_t1/Overseas/28718460_0_1.html
发信人: bestrongself (bestrong), 信区: Overseas
标 题: 一个WSN在美国的奋斗（版权所有，转载注明出处）(23)
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Sun Nov 18 18:47:46 2007)
本故事纯属虚构，如有雷同，请勿对号入座。如因对号入座而产生的任何纠纷，作者概不负责。
谨以此故事献给所有在海外奋斗拼搏的兄弟姐妹，生活并不容易，让我们互相鼓励。也
献给那些怀着梦想即将奔赴海外的兄弟姐妹，请记住，前面的路并非一帆风顺，迎接你
们既有鲜花也有荆棘，但请相信，只要不放弃就会有希望！一路保重！
这个故事也献给那些在海外悲剧收场的兄弟姐妹，你们的生命如流星划过天空，留给了
亲人和朋友无尽的悲哀。但你们的悲剧并非毫无价值，你们用自己的生命向世界发出了
最后一声呐喊，你们的经历给了后来的兄弟姐妹教训与启示，也使人们逐渐开始关注海
外留学生这一带着光环的弱势群体。愿你们在天堂安息。
(一)
看了葛炜炜的事情，很感慨，觉得太可惜了。也看了大家诉说自己的经历，很感动，其
实大家说自己的亲身经历，也是为了给大家多些见识，多些鼓励，不然谁也不愿将不愉
快的记忆再述说一篇。出于同样的目的，我也说说自己的经历，其实从我的经历来看，
比葛炜炜的情况糟糕了很多，可以说，100个留学生里面几乎没有一个遇到我这样的经
历。从我的经历中，有的朋友可能会猜出我是谁，也希望朋友们替我保密，让我有点隐
私。不是为了那些后来的小师弟师妹们从我经历的事情中获得经验，有所体会，我实在
是一辈子不想说这些破事的。
来美国的第一天到系里见系主任，他说看了我的简历，说我发表的论文和他的研究接近，
希望我考虑读他的博士，我告诉他，我已经在国内和其他老师联系了，已经定了导师。
系主任问我是否不会改变了，我回答说是的。后来知道，系主任已经几年没有招到博士生
了。
我刚来的时候系里暑假不能保证有奖学金，要自己找假期有课的老师当TA。我找了个老
师，他说没有问题，只是要我临近暑假的时候提醒他一下。到了时候，我去提醒他，他
说他没问题，但需要系主任（不是美国人）同意，我去找系主任，系主任说他忙，要我
过一个星期再来。过了一个星期，我去找他，他说很遗憾，我来晚了，如果早告诉他，
完全没有问题的。我太嫩了，说了句不该说的话：“请问TA是给了博士生吗?"系主任看
着我半天不说话，我马上把话题转开了。后来，我知道TA给了系主任的硕士生，系里所
有博士生都没有得到，有外国的博士生很生气，到学院去告状，院里很重视，说这是个
严重错误，下次再也不允许发生了。我没有去找院里，不过不知道系主任是否知道。
不久，我选Committee Member就开始出问题了。我们学院，博士生需要5个Committee
Member，比本州其他学校都要求得多。学校明文规定只有导师和研究生院院长有权力决
定Committee Member的人选。大家也知道，研究生院院长哪里会去决定这些事情，还不
是导师说了算。我和导师决定的名单叫到系里，结果被打回来，系主任给我导师打电话
，要求加入一个印度的Assistant Professor。我导师想同意，我马上表示不同意，因
为我听说这个印度老师对学生很tough，最近就有个他指导的中国学生跑了，大家对他
的评价不好。我导师是个美国人，没什么城府，安慰我说没问题的，尽管放心。我就说
为什么我就得比别人多Committee Member？导师说系主任打电话，没有办法的。我只好
说我坚持自己的意见，但导师如果愿意加印度老师进来，我也没有办法。后来我师兄（
不是中国人）知道了，问我为什么同意，他和那个印度老师打过交道，很坏，你会有麻
烦的。我说，我有什么办法。
开题前去见印度老师，他就对我们做的东西说了很多，很多就是胡说八道，因为他根本就不是我这个研究方向的。后来，这个印度老师因为中国博士生跑了，又找我师兄，希望他转到自己门下。导师知道了，有些不高兴了。开题还算比较顺利，但导师已经有了换掉他的心了。开题后一个月，导师告诉我他已经要那个印度老师离开Committee了，我很高兴，马上问：你有没有填写有关的表。导师很惊奇，他不知道还要填表。我要他填好表交给系里和研究生院。我觉得这很正常，学校明文规定导师和研究生院院长有权利换Committee Member的。导师吱吱唔唔，说他以后会交的，于是我打印了一张表给导师。后来问过导师几次有没有交表，他也不愿意正面回答我。我想，他还是怕得罪系主任。
过了几年，要答辩了，答辩前几个星期，印度老师发了封邮件给我导师，说最近是他困难的一段时间，他的中期考核评语不太好，主要是发表论文不够。因为我导师论文在系里还算多的，因此他想我导师一些要发表的论文上给他挂名。我导师没有同意。
答辩那天，我在家里打扮得西装革履的，正要出门去答辩，接到了导师的电话，答辩取消！！院里说由于我导师没有将更改Committee Member的表交上来，而且现在更改的时间已经过了，因此不能更改了，需要将印度老师请进Committee，并且重新找个时间答辩。
这样，印度老师又回到了Committee，答辩前几天，他找了我导师，对我的论文全盘否定，说他看不懂。我导师给他解释我的论文所做的工作并说，我这个学生发表的论文是全系博士生里面最多的。印度老师听了，没说什么，答辩前一天，他又打电话给我导师，说他还是看不懂，我导师火了，说如果明天答辩的时候你故意攻击我的学生，我们之间有很大的麻烦。印度老师回答说他不会攻击学生的。这些事情在答辩前导师全告诉我了。我吓死了，答辩前半个小时，在导师办公室，我问导师，印度老师是否会fail我，导师回答，我也不知道。我知道很多学校规定答辩可以有一个Committee Member投
反对票，只要其他Committee Member通过，答辩也就算通过了。我们学校只有我们学院规定，必须所有Committee Member通过，答辩才算通过。
我踏入答辩的教室，一场战斗开始了。
发信人: bestrongself (bestrong), 信区: Overseas
标 题: 一个WSN在美国的奋斗（版权所有，转载注明出处）(23)
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Sun Nov 18 18:47:46 2007)
本故事纯属虚构，如有雷同，请勿对号入座。如因对号入座而产生的任何纠纷，作者概不负责。
谨以此故事献给所有在海外奋斗拼搏的兄弟姐妹，生活并不容易，让我们互相鼓励。也
献给那些怀着梦想即将奔赴海外的兄弟姐妹，请记住，前面的路并非一帆风顺，迎接你
们既有鲜花也有荆棘，但请相信，只要不放弃就会有希望！一路保重！
这个故事也献给那些在海外悲剧收场的兄弟姐妹，你们的生命如流星划过天空，留给了
亲人和朋友无尽的悲哀。但你们的悲剧并非毫无价值，你们用自己的生命向世界发出了
最后一声呐喊，你们的经历给了后来的兄弟姐妹教训与启示，也使人们逐渐开始关注海
外留学生这一带着光环的弱势群体。愿你们在天堂安息。
(一)
看了葛炜炜的事情，很感慨，觉得太可惜了。也看了大家诉说自己的经历，很感动，其
实大家说自己的亲身经历，也是为了给大家多些见识，多些鼓励，不然谁也不愿将不愉
快的记忆再述说一篇。出于同样的目的，我也说说自己的经历，其实从我的经历来看，
比葛炜炜的情况糟糕了很多，可以说，100个留学生里面几乎没有一个遇到我这样的经
历。从我的经历中，有的朋友可能会猜出我是谁，也希望朋友们替我保密，让我有点隐
私。不是为了那些后来的小师弟师妹们从我经历的事情中获得经验，有所体会，我实在
是一辈子不想说这些破事的。
来美国的第一天到系里见系主任，他说看了我的简历，说我发表的论文和他的研究接近，
希望我考虑读他的博士，我告诉他，我已经在国内和其他老师联系了，已经定了导师。
系主任问我是否不会改变了，我回答说是的。后来知道，系主任已经几年没有招到博士生
了。
我刚来的时候系里暑假不能保证有奖学金，要自己找假期有课的老师当TA。我找了个老
师，他说没有问题，只是要我临近暑假的时候提醒他一下。到了时候，我去提醒他，他
说他没问题，但需要系主任（不是美国人）同意，我去找系主任，系主任说他忙，要我
过一个星期再来。过了一个星期，我去找他，他说很遗憾，我来晚了，如果早告诉他，
完全没有问题的。我太嫩了，说了句不该说的话：“请问TA是给了博士生吗?"系主任看
着我半天不说话，我马上把话题转开了。后来，我知道TA给了系主任的硕士生，系里所
有博士生都没有得到，有外国的博士生很生气，到学院去告状，院里很重视，说这是个
严重错误，下次再也不允许发生了。我没有去找院里，不过不知道系主任是否知道。
不久，我选Committee Member就开始出问题了。我们学院，博士生需要5个Committee
Member，比本州其他学校都要求得多。学校明文规定只有导师和研究生院院长有权力决
定Committee Member的人选。大家也知道，研究生院院长哪里会去决定这些事情，还不
是导师说了算。我和导师决定的名单叫到系里，结果被打回来，系主任给我导师打电话
，要求加入一个印度的Assistant Professor。我导师想同意，我马上表示不同意，因
为我听说这个印度老师对学生很tough，最近就有个他指导的中国学生跑了，大家对他
的评价不好。我导师是个美国人，没什么城府，安慰我说没问题的，尽管放心。我就说
为什么我就得比别人多Committee Member？导师说系主任打电话，没有办法的。我只好
说我坚持自己的意见，但导师如果愿意加印度老师进来，我也没有办法。后来我师兄（
不是中国人）知道了，问我为什么同意，他和那个印度老师打过交道，很坏，你会有麻
烦的。我说，我有什么办法。
开题前去见印度老师，他就对我们做的东西说了很多，很多就是胡说八道，因为他根本就不是我这个研究方向的。后来，这个印度老师因为中国博士生跑了，又找我师兄，希望他转到自己门下。导师知道了，有些不高兴了。开题还算比较顺利，但导师已经有了换掉他的心了。开题后一个月，导师告诉我他已经要那个印度老师离开Committee了，我很高兴，马上问：你有没有填写有关的表。导师很惊奇，他不知道还要填表。我要他填好表交给系里和研究生院。我觉得这很正常，学校明文规定导师和研究生院院长有权利换Committee Member的。导师吱吱唔唔，说他以后会交的，于是我打印了一张表给导师。后来问过导师几次有没有交表，他也不愿意正面回答我。我想，他还是怕得罪系主任。
过了几年，要答辩了，答辩前几个星期，印度老师发了封邮件给我导师，说最近是他困难的一段时间，他的中期考核评语不太好，主要是发表论文不够。因为我导师论文在系里还算多的，因此他想我导师一些要发表的论文上给他挂名。我导师没有同意。
答辩那天，我在家里打扮得西装革履的，正要出门去答辩，接到了导师的电话，答辩取消！！院里说由于我导师没有将更改Committee Member的表交上来，而且现在更改的时间已经过了，因此不能更改了，需要将印度老师请进Committee，并且重新找个时间答辩。
这样，印度老师又回到了Committee，答辩前几天，他找了我导师，对我的论文全盘否定，说他看不懂。我导师给他解释我的论文所做的工作并说，我这个学生发表的论文是全系博士生里面最多的。印度老师听了，没说什么，答辩前一天，他又打电话给我导师，说他还是看不懂，我导师火了，说如果明天答辩的时候你故意攻击我的学生，我们之间有很大的麻烦。印度老师回答说他不会攻击学生的。这些事情在答辩前导师全告诉我了。我吓死了，答辩前半个小时，在导师办公室，我问导师，印度老师是否会fail我，导师回答，我也不知道。我知道很多学校规定答辩可以有一个Committee Member投
反对票，只要其他Committee Member通过，答辩也就算通过了。我们学校只有我们学院规定，必须所有Committee Member通过，答辩才算通过。
我踏入答辩的教室，一场战斗开始了。
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
分子动力学源代码下载网址
分子动力学源代码下载网址
以下是我正在用的几个非常不错的网址。尤其是钻石推荐的那个，模拟更为方便。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.fos.su.se/physical/sasha/md_prog.html
The current version of the program (Fortran-77) may be downloaded from md50.tar.gz (3.3M). Previous version 4.4 is also available: md44.tar.gz. Please reffer to us in any publication of the results obtained by this program. The relevant reference (which is also a manual) is: A.P.Lyubartsev, A.Laaksonen, MDynaMix - A scalable portable parallel MD simulation package for arbitrary molecular mixtures" Computer Physics Communications, 128, 565-589 (2000).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ud.infn.it/~ercolessi/md/
A molecular dynamics primer with examples in Fortran 90.
You can also download it in your preferred Postscript or PDF format: Uncompressed Compressed PDF
A4 paper (Europe) md.ps (783 kB) md.ps.gz (168 kB) md.pdf (435 kB)
Letter paper (USA) md-usa.ps (783 kB) md-usa.ps.gz (168 kB) n.a.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://molsim.chem.uva.nl/frenkel_smit/README.html---------钻石推荐
The following Case Studies are presented in the book. Clicking on the name of the Case Study will lead you to a page where you can download this Case Study. It is also possible to download all Case Studies in one file in zip-format or tar.gz-format. All programs are pre-compiled for Redhat Linux 6.1 (Cartman) on an i386.
所有程序来自《Understanding Molecular Simulations》 D. Frenkel and B. Smit
中文翻译书是《分子模拟--从算法到应用》汪文川 译
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ccp5.ac.uk/librar.shtml#ALLENTID
所有程序来自《Computer Simulation of Liquids》
Readers should also note that we are authorised to supply the example programs originally published in the book ``Computer Simulation of Liquids'', by M.P. Allen and D.J. Tildesley (Clarendon Press, Oxford 1987).
Programs from the Book ``Computer Simulation of Liquids''
Complete library, tar.gz format http
F.1 Periodic boundary conditions in various geometries
F.2 5-value Gear predictor-corrector algorithm
F.3 Low-storage MD programs using leapfrog Verlet algorithm
F.4 Velocity version of Verlet algorithm
F.5 Quaternion parameter predictor-corrector algorithm
F.6 Leapfrog algorithms for rotational motion
F.7 Constraint dynamics for a nonlinear triatomic molecule
F.8 Shake algorithm for constraint dynamics of a chain molecule
F.9 Rattle algorithm for constraint dynamics of a chain molecule
F.10 Hard sphere molecular dynamics program
F.11 Constant-NVT Monte Carlo for Lennard-Jones atoms
F.12 Constant-NPT Monte Carlo algorithm
F.13 The heart of a constant muVT Monte Carlo program
F.14 Algorithm to handle indices in constant muVT Monte Carlo
F.15 Routines to randomly rotate molecules
F.16 Hard dumb-bell Monte Carlo program
F.17 A simple Lennard-Jones force routine
F.18 Algorithm for avoiding the square root operation
F.19 The Verlet neighbour list
F.20 Routines to construct and use cell linked-list method
F.21 Multiple timestep molecular dynamics
F.22 Routines to perform the Ewald sum
F.23 Routine to set up alpha fcc lattice of linear molecules
F.24 Initial velocity distribution
F.25 Routine to calculate translational order parameter
F.26 Routines to fold unfold trajectories in periodic boundaries
F.27 Program to compute time correlation functions
F.28 Constant-NVT molecular dynamics - extended system method
F.29 Constant-NVT molecular dynamics - constraint method
F.30 Constant-NPH molecular dynamics - extended system method
F.31 Constant-NPT molecular dynamics - constraint method
F.32 Cell linked-lists in sheared boundaries
F.33 Brownian dynamics for a Lennard-Jones fluid
F.34 An efficient clustering routine
F.35 The Voronoi construction in 2d and 3d
F.36 Monte Carlo simulation of hard lines in 2d
F.37 Routines to calculate Fourier transforms
你可以通过这个链接引用该篇文章:http://castep.bokee.com/tb.b?diaryId=179074690
以下是我正在用的几个非常不错的网址。尤其是钻石推荐的那个，模拟更为方便。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.fos.su.se/physical/sasha/md_prog.html
The current version of the program (Fortran-77) may be downloaded from md50.tar.gz (3.3M). Previous version 4.4 is also available: md44.tar.gz. Please reffer to us in any publication of the results obtained by this program. The relevant reference (which is also a manual) is: A.P.Lyubartsev, A.Laaksonen, MDynaMix - A scalable portable parallel MD simulation package for arbitrary molecular mixtures" Computer Physics Communications, 128, 565-589 (2000).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ud.infn.it/~ercolessi/md/
A molecular dynamics primer with examples in Fortran 90.
You can also download it in your preferred Postscript or PDF format: Uncompressed Compressed PDF
A4 paper (Europe) md.ps (783 kB) md.ps.gz (168 kB) md.pdf (435 kB)
Letter paper (USA) md-usa.ps (783 kB) md-usa.ps.gz (168 kB) n.a.
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http://molsim.chem.uva.nl/frenkel_smit/README.html---------钻石推荐
The following Case Studies are presented in the book. Clicking on the name of the Case Study will lead you to a page where you can download this Case Study. It is also possible to download all Case Studies in one file in zip-format or tar.gz-format. All programs are pre-compiled for Redhat Linux 6.1 (Cartman) on an i386.
所有程序来自《Understanding Molecular Simulations》 D. Frenkel and B. Smit
中文翻译书是《分子模拟--从算法到应用》汪文川 译
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ccp5.ac.uk/librar.shtml#ALLENTID
所有程序来自《Computer Simulation of Liquids》
Readers should also note that we are authorised to supply the example programs originally published in the book ``Computer Simulation of Liquids'', by M.P. Allen and D.J. Tildesley (Clarendon Press, Oxford 1987).
Programs from the Book ``Computer Simulation of Liquids''
Complete library, tar.gz format http
F.1 Periodic boundary conditions in various geometries
F.2 5-value Gear predictor-corrector algorithm
F.3 Low-storage MD programs using leapfrog Verlet algorithm
F.4 Velocity version of Verlet algorithm
F.5 Quaternion parameter predictor-corrector algorithm
F.6 Leapfrog algorithms for rotational motion
F.7 Constraint dynamics for a nonlinear triatomic molecule
F.8 Shake algorithm for constraint dynamics of a chain molecule
F.9 Rattle algorithm for constraint dynamics of a chain molecule
F.10 Hard sphere molecular dynamics program
F.11 Constant-NVT Monte Carlo for Lennard-Jones atoms
F.12 Constant-NPT Monte Carlo algorithm
F.13 The heart of a constant muVT Monte Carlo program
F.14 Algorithm to handle indices in constant muVT Monte Carlo
F.15 Routines to randomly rotate molecules
F.16 Hard dumb-bell Monte Carlo program
F.17 A simple Lennard-Jones force routine
F.18 Algorithm for avoiding the square root operation
F.19 The Verlet neighbour list
F.20 Routines to construct and use cell linked-list method
F.21 Multiple timestep molecular dynamics
F.22 Routines to perform the Ewald sum
F.23 Routine to set up alpha fcc lattice of linear molecules
F.24 Initial velocity distribution
F.25 Routine to calculate translational order parameter
F.26 Routines to fold unfold trajectories in periodic boundaries
F.27 Program to compute time correlation functions
F.28 Constant-NVT molecular dynamics - extended system method
F.29 Constant-NVT molecular dynamics - constraint method
F.30 Constant-NPH molecular dynamics - extended system method
F.31 Constant-NPT molecular dynamics - constraint method
F.32 Cell linked-lists in sheared boundaries
F.33 Brownian dynamics for a Lennard-Jones fluid
F.34 An efficient clustering routine
F.35 The Voronoi construction in 2d and 3d
F.36 Monte Carlo simulation of hard lines in 2d
F.37 Routines to calculate Fourier transforms
你可以通过这个链接引用该篇文章:http://castep.bokee.com/tb.b?diaryId=179074690
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Interesting seminars
Title What are Expected from Department Head of Mechanical Engineering?
Speaker Professor Yang LENG
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Date 14 Sep 2007 (Fri)
Time 2:30pm
Venue Room 5583, HKUST (5/F., Lift # 27/28)
Abstract
As a member in the ME department for more than 15 years, I truly believe that a department head should possess the following essential qualities: 1) have clear visions of the departmentˇs education programs and research development directions, 2) selflessly assist career development and research activities of faculty members, 3) be fair in dealing with departmental matters and make departmental matters as transparent as possible, and 4) enthusiastically promote solidarity and team spirit of all members, including non-academic staff and students in the department. This presentation provides me an opportunity to share my personal views in these four aspects with members in ME department.
Biography
Professor Leng obtained his undergraduate training in Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. After two-year working in Chongqing Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, he went to US for postgraduate study. He received a MS degree in metallurgical engineering at the Michigan Technological University in 1986, and a PhD degree in materials science at the University of Virginia in 1989. After over two-year post-doctoral research, he became the first lecturer appointed in the Mechanical Engineering Department at HKUST in January 1992. He was substantiated and promoted as an associate professor in 1997. He is currently a full professor in the department and active in biomaterials research. Recently, he has been elected as Fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering. He has served as department coordinators of both undergraduate study and postgraduate study.
Title Mechanical Engineering at HKUST - A Personal Perspective
Speaker Prof. Matthew M. F. YUEN
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Clearwater Bay, Sai Kung
Hong Kong
Date 5 Sep 2007 (Wed)
Time 2:30pm
Venue Room 5583, HKUST (5/F., Lift # 27/28)
Abstract
As one of the founding member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, I would like to share my personal view on the future development for the Department. The current status of the Department will be reviewed in the light of the new developments in the University, in Hong Kong, in China and also globally. The way forward to meet the future challenges and to maintain the all round academic excellence of the Department will be outlined.
Biography
Professor Matthew Yuen graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a 1st Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering and obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Bristol University in 1977. He worked for GEC and Babcock & Wilcox in UK before returning to Hong Kong to lecture at the University of Hong Kong. He joined The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) as one of the founding members of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1992. He had served as the Associate Dean of Engineering, the founding Director of the CAD/CAM Facility and the founding Director of the EPACK Laboratory at HKUST. From 2000 to 2007, he held the concurrent position of the Director of Technology Transfer Center and Vice President of the HKUST R&D Corporation to establish a strong partnership between HKUST and the industry. He is currently holding the concurrent positions of Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Vice President of the HKUST R&D Corporation. Professor Yuen has published more than 200 papers in international journal and conferences. He has won Best Paper Awards from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was also a Commonwealth Fellow and a United Nation Industrial Development Organization Fellow. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK and a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.
Research Interest:
CAD/CAM/CAE:
* Featured-based modeling
* Soft Object modeling
* Collaborative Product Development
* Electronic Packaging
* Interfacial adhesion and delamination
* Thermal interface material
Speaker Professor Yang LENG
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Date 14 Sep 2007 (Fri)
Time 2:30pm
Venue Room 5583, HKUST (5/F., Lift # 27/28)
Abstract
As a member in the ME department for more than 15 years, I truly believe that a department head should possess the following essential qualities: 1) have clear visions of the departmentˇs education programs and research development directions, 2) selflessly assist career development and research activities of faculty members, 3) be fair in dealing with departmental matters and make departmental matters as transparent as possible, and 4) enthusiastically promote solidarity and team spirit of all members, including non-academic staff and students in the department. This presentation provides me an opportunity to share my personal views in these four aspects with members in ME department.
Biography
Professor Leng obtained his undergraduate training in Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. After two-year working in Chongqing Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, he went to US for postgraduate study. He received a MS degree in metallurgical engineering at the Michigan Technological University in 1986, and a PhD degree in materials science at the University of Virginia in 1989. After over two-year post-doctoral research, he became the first lecturer appointed in the Mechanical Engineering Department at HKUST in January 1992. He was substantiated and promoted as an associate professor in 1997. He is currently a full professor in the department and active in biomaterials research. Recently, he has been elected as Fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering. He has served as department coordinators of both undergraduate study and postgraduate study.
Title Mechanical Engineering at HKUST - A Personal Perspective
Speaker Prof. Matthew M. F. YUEN
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Clearwater Bay, Sai Kung
Hong Kong
Date 5 Sep 2007 (Wed)
Time 2:30pm
Venue Room 5583, HKUST (5/F., Lift # 27/28)
Abstract
As one of the founding member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, I would like to share my personal view on the future development for the Department. The current status of the Department will be reviewed in the light of the new developments in the University, in Hong Kong, in China and also globally. The way forward to meet the future challenges and to maintain the all round academic excellence of the Department will be outlined.
Biography
Professor Matthew Yuen graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a 1st Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering and obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Bristol University in 1977. He worked for GEC and Babcock & Wilcox in UK before returning to Hong Kong to lecture at the University of Hong Kong. He joined The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) as one of the founding members of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1992. He had served as the Associate Dean of Engineering, the founding Director of the CAD/CAM Facility and the founding Director of the EPACK Laboratory at HKUST. From 2000 to 2007, he held the concurrent position of the Director of Technology Transfer Center and Vice President of the HKUST R&D Corporation to establish a strong partnership between HKUST and the industry. He is currently holding the concurrent positions of Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Vice President of the HKUST R&D Corporation. Professor Yuen has published more than 200 papers in international journal and conferences. He has won Best Paper Awards from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was also a Commonwealth Fellow and a United Nation Industrial Development Organization Fellow. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK and a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.
Research Interest:
CAD/CAM/CAE:
* Featured-based modeling
* Soft Object modeling
* Collaborative Product Development
* Electronic Packaging
* Interfacial adhesion and delamination
* Thermal interface material
Thursday, October 25, 2007
药王孙思邈养生妙法揭密
药王孙思邈在西魏时代出生，相传活到141岁才仙逝，其长寿心得必有过人之处。但事实上幼时的孙思邈体弱多病，所以才因病学医，总结了唐代以前的临床经验和医学理论，编成两部医学巨著———《千金药方》和《千金翼方》。孙思邈的养生之法相信会对您有所裨益。
发常梳
将手掌互搓36下令掌心发热，然后由前额开始扫上去，经后脑扫回颈部。早晚各做10次。头部有很多重要的穴位，经常“梳发”，可以防止头痛、耳鸣、白发和脱发。
目常运
合眼，然后用力睁开眼，眼珠打圈，望向左、上、右、下四方；再合眼，用力睁开眼，眼珠打圈，望向右、上、左、下四方。重复3次。有助于眼睛保健，纠正近视。
齿常叩
口微微合上，上下排牙齿互叩，无需太用力，但牙齿互叩时须发出声响，做36下。可以通上下颚经络，保持头脑清醒，加强肠胃吸收，防止蛀牙和牙骨退化。
漱玉津
口微微合上，将舌头伸出牙齿外，由上面开始，向左慢慢转动，一共12圈，然后将口水吞下去。之后再由上面开始，反方向做12圈。从现代科学角度分析，唾液含有大量酵素，能调和荷尔蒙分泌，因此可以强健肠胃。
耳常鼓
手掌掩双耳，用力向内压，放手，应该有“噗”的一声。重复做10下；双手掩耳，将耳朵反折，双手食指扣住中指，以食指用力弹后脑风池穴10下。每天临睡前后做，可以增强记忆和听觉。
腰常摆
身体和双手有韵律地摆动。当身体扭向左时，右手在前，左手在后，在前的右手轻轻拍打小腹，在后的左手轻轻拍打“命门”穴位，反方向重复。最少做50下，做够100下更好。可以强化肠胃、固肾气、防止消化不良、胃痛、腰痛。
腹常揉
搓手36下，手暖后两手交叉，围绕肚脐顺时针方向揉。揉的范围由小到大，做36下。可以帮助消化、吸收、消除腹部鼓胀。
摄谷道（即提肛）
吸气时，将肛门的肌肉收紧。闭气，维持数秒，直至不能忍受，然后呼气放松。无论何时都可以练习。最好是每天早晚各做20～30次。相传这动作是十全老人乾隆最得意的养生功法。
膝常扭
双脚并排，膝部紧贴，人微微下蹲，双手按膝，向左右扭动，各做20下。可以强化膝关节，所谓“人老腿先老、肾亏膝先软”，要延年益寿，应由双腿做起。
脚常搓
右手擦左脚，左手擦右脚。由脚跟向上至脚趾，再向下擦回脚跟为一下，共做36下；两手大拇指轮流擦脚心涌泉穴，共做100下。脚底集中了全身器官的反射区，经常搓脚可以强化各器官，治失眠，降血压，消除头痛。
发常梳
将手掌互搓36下令掌心发热，然后由前额开始扫上去，经后脑扫回颈部。早晚各做10次。头部有很多重要的穴位，经常“梳发”，可以防止头痛、耳鸣、白发和脱发。
目常运
合眼，然后用力睁开眼，眼珠打圈，望向左、上、右、下四方；再合眼，用力睁开眼，眼珠打圈，望向右、上、左、下四方。重复3次。有助于眼睛保健，纠正近视。
齿常叩
口微微合上，上下排牙齿互叩，无需太用力，但牙齿互叩时须发出声响，做36下。可以通上下颚经络，保持头脑清醒，加强肠胃吸收，防止蛀牙和牙骨退化。
漱玉津
口微微合上，将舌头伸出牙齿外，由上面开始，向左慢慢转动，一共12圈，然后将口水吞下去。之后再由上面开始，反方向做12圈。从现代科学角度分析，唾液含有大量酵素，能调和荷尔蒙分泌，因此可以强健肠胃。
耳常鼓
手掌掩双耳，用力向内压，放手，应该有“噗”的一声。重复做10下；双手掩耳，将耳朵反折，双手食指扣住中指，以食指用力弹后脑风池穴10下。每天临睡前后做，可以增强记忆和听觉。
腰常摆
身体和双手有韵律地摆动。当身体扭向左时，右手在前，左手在后，在前的右手轻轻拍打小腹，在后的左手轻轻拍打“命门”穴位，反方向重复。最少做50下，做够100下更好。可以强化肠胃、固肾气、防止消化不良、胃痛、腰痛。
腹常揉
搓手36下，手暖后两手交叉，围绕肚脐顺时针方向揉。揉的范围由小到大，做36下。可以帮助消化、吸收、消除腹部鼓胀。
摄谷道（即提肛）
吸气时，将肛门的肌肉收紧。闭气，维持数秒，直至不能忍受，然后呼气放松。无论何时都可以练习。最好是每天早晚各做20～30次。相传这动作是十全老人乾隆最得意的养生功法。
膝常扭
双脚并排，膝部紧贴，人微微下蹲，双手按膝，向左右扭动，各做20下。可以强化膝关节，所谓“人老腿先老、肾亏膝先软”，要延年益寿，应由双腿做起。
脚常搓
右手擦左脚，左手擦右脚。由脚跟向上至脚趾，再向下擦回脚跟为一下，共做36下；两手大拇指轮流擦脚心涌泉穴，共做100下。脚底集中了全身器官的反射区，经常搓脚可以强化各器官，治失眠，降血压，消除头痛。
Monday, October 15, 2007
冬寒菜别名又叫冬苋菜、冬葵、葵菜、滑菜
我喜欢吃的菜，家里种的有，在外面就很少见到，最近在学校菜市场见到
http://www.baidu.com/s?tn=baiduadv&q1=&q2=&q3=%B6%AC%BA%AE%B2%CB+%B6%AC%DC%C8%B2%CB+%B6%AC%BF%FB+%BF%FB%B2%CB+%BB%AC%B2%CB&q4=&rn=100&lm=0&ct=0&ft=&q5=&q6=
http://image.baidu.com/i?tn=baiduimage&ct=201326592&lm=-1&cl=2&word=%28%B6%AC%BA%AE%B2%CB+%7C+%B6%AC%DC%C8%B2%CB+%7C+%B6%AC%BF%FB+%7C+%BF%FB%B2%CB+%7C+%BB%AC%B2%CB%29
葵菜
《诗经》里面提到的一百三十二种植物中，作为蔬菜的大约有二十多种，如荇、荼、苕、荍、莱、芑之类，不过已退出餐桌，成了野生植物了，譬如葵菜即是。《诗经·豳风·七月》有“七月亨葵及菽”的诗句。这证明西周至春秋时期，我们生活在黄河流域地区的先民们已经以葵为蔬了。其它古籍也多有记载，汉朝许慎《说文解字》曰：“葵，菜也”，北魏贾思勰的《齐民要术》中有专门的章节讲述栽培冬葵的技术，并以《种葵》列为蔬类第一篇；元代王祯《农书》说：“葵为百菜之主，备四时之馔，本丰而耐旱，味甘而无毒。”；葵菜地位可见一斑，有的文献中干脆把葵尊为“百菜之主”了。葵菜本是我国古代先民日常食用的菜蔬之一，是一种非常古老又令人难以忘怀的蔬菜，它在汉朝极为盛行。大约在唐宋以后，因其它蔬菜的兴起，各地对葵的载种有所减少，到了明代已经很少有人种葵了。因为古人嫌弃冬葵“性太滑利”。明代的学者王世懋说：“古人食菜必曰葵，今乃竟无称葵，不知何菜当之”。
不过今天在江西、湖南、四川等地还有少量种植，但随着经济的发展，江南等地已开始恢复栽培。《内经·素问》中谈到了五谷、五畜、五果、五菜，其中五菜即：葵，韭，藿，薤，葱。葵者，现在一般称之谓冬葵。历史上葵有很多名字，有葵菜、露葵、冬葵菜、滑菜、卫足、马蹄菜、蕲菜、滑肠菜、金钱葵、金钱紫花葵、冬寒菜、冬苋菜、茴菜、滑滑菜、奇菜等称呼。
明代李时珍《本草纲目》说：“葵菜，古人种为常食......有紫茎、白茎二种，以白茎为胜，大叶小花，花紫黄色。......古人采葵必待露解，故曰露葵，今人呼为滑菜。”葵菜的采摘，是割取大小、老嫩适当的茎叶食之。太嫩不足取，采摘了可惜；太老不可食用，且采摘慢了不利于葵菜生长。采摘冬苋菜，可视“初生叶大如钱”者，“日日常拔，看稀绸得所乃止”，“周而复始，日日无穷”。
葵菜开紫黄花或白花，很美。南朝鲍照有《园葵赋》极尽华美之辞：“......乃露乃映，勾萌欲伸，嫩华将放；霏云四委，飞雨轻洒，......春风夕来，秋日晨映，独酌南轩，拥琴孤听，篇章间作，以歌以咏。鱼深沉而鸟高飞，孰知美色之为正。”
葵菜在古代极为普通，又被古人喜爱，于是便和日常生活，品行道德联系在一起了。“青青园中葵，朝露待日曦。阳春布德泽，万物生光辉。常恐秋节至，焜黄华叶衰。百川东到海，何日复西归。少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。”这首大家耳熟能详的北朝乐府民歌《长歌行》把园中绿色的葵菜比喻成人生，告诫人们要珍惜生命，莫到老年只能后悔而悲哀了。
还有民歌“采葵莫伤根，伤根葵不生。结友莫羞贫，羞贫友不成。”从葵菜种植之法，引申交友之道，可谓语重心长。
《汉董仲舒贤良策》中有个故事：“故公仪子相鲁，之其家见织帛，怒而出其妻，食于舍而茹葵，愠而拔其葵。曰：“吾已食禄，又夺园夫红女利乎！”这就是成语“拔葵去织》的出处。表面上是讲我已经拿了朝廷的俸禄了，家里还要织什么布啊种什么菜呢？其实是要求自己的亲属不要再去开什么公司，以免涉嫌权钱交易。古人的雅量如斯，难得啊！
葵菜以幼苗或嫩叶梢供食用，柔滑清香，可汤、可炒，可作火锅底料。有古籍称：“今蔬菜中滑利清腴，无有逾冬苋菜者，为冬季一切蔬菜之冠”。因其滑利、清香、肥嫩，熬稀饭吃老少咸宜。宋代学者苏颂著说：“葵处处有之，苗叶作菜茹，更甘美。”李白《赠闾丘处士》诗说：“......且耽田家乐，遂旷林中期。野酌劝芳酒，园蔬烹露葵。......”丰收后农家的喜悦和诗人情寄田园的淡泊，借最普通的菜蔬，日常的生活表现得淋漓尽致。即使象诗人白居易两顿饭没吃，也对葵菜情有独钟。他在《烹葵》诗中写道：“昨卧不夕食，今起乃朝饥。贫厨何所有，炊稻烹秋葵。红粒香复软，绿英滑且肥。......”
我以为现在吃葵菜一定能体会到的沧桑的历史的厚重，品味到古人生活态度和艰辛。那首至今读来还令人心酸的“十五从军征，八十始得归。道逢乡里人，家中有阿谁？ 遥望是君家，松柏冢累累。兔从狗窦入，雉从梁上飞。中庭生旅谷，井上生旅葵。烹谷持作饭，采葵持作羹。羹饭一时熟，不知贻阿谁。出门东向望，泪落沾我衣”从此以后，葵菜便和人情、乡情、亲情，这些人类感情中最基本的，最原始的，最能长久牵动人心的情感纠缠在一起粉不开了。
其实葵菜除了花美，在在寒冷的冬天到来时，其风华愈加灿烂，其风采更欣欣向荣。还是王维《积雨辋川庄作》诗中给葵菜一个清新鲜生活的姿态：“积雨空林烟火迟，蒸藜炊黍饷东菑。漠漠水田飞白鹭，阴阴夏木啭黄鹂。山中习静观朝槿，松下清斋折露葵。野老与人争度罢，海鸥何事更相疑。”而晋代文人陆机的《园葵诗》：“种葵北园中，葵生郁萋萋，朝荣东北倾，夕颖西南希。灵露垂鲜泽，朗日耀其晖，时逝和风蕺，岁暮伤飚飞，曾露无温液，严霜有凝威，幸蒙高塘德，玄景荫素蕤。丰条并春盛，落叶后秋衰，庆彼晚存福，忘此孤生悲。”更把葵菜的妖娆和坚强描绘的有声有色。
葵菜有向阳的习性，杜甫《自京赴奉先县咏怀五百字》诗中说：“......葵霍倾太阳，物性固莫夺。......”唐太宗李世民的《赋秋日悬清光赐房玄龄》诗也说：“仙驭随轮转，灵乌带影飞。还当葵霍志，倾叶自相依。”刘克庄诗《葵》说得更清楚：“生长古墙阴，园荒草木深。可曾沾雨露，不改向阳心。”而产于北美洲的向日葵，初到中国原名叫丈菊、西番菊，后来攀附葵菜，便改称向日葵了。
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写食主义：一清二白冬苋菜
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http://life.sina.com.cn 2003年01月24日10:36 新浪生活
新浪网友：共命之鸟0008
冬苋菜是一种非常古老的蔬菜。按照《四川方言词典》的解释：“冬苋菜”又叫冬寒菜。名词。即冬葵。其嫩叶可食。但词典把“苋”(Xian音“现”)字的标准读音变为方音Han2(音“汉”)，符合巴渝地区的方音。对于冬苋菜的这种读音，巴蜀两地也是相通的。或许还包括云、贵及湖北等地。我国历史文献和古典诗词中有许多冬葵的记载。《乐府诗集》以收集汉、魏南北朝诗歌(民歌)为主，在《十五从军征》(又名《紫骝马歌》)中，有“中庭生旅谷，井上生旅葵。舂谷持作饭，采葵持作羹”的诗句。此诗中的“葵”即为“冬葵”，也就是我十分喜爱的冬苋菜了。可见冬苋菜是一种非常古老，又令人难以忘怀的蔬菜。
蔬菜，是我们赖以生存的食物组成的一个不可缺少的部分。古人早就知道它的重要性了。所谓“饥馑”的馑，就是指蔬菜欠收而言的，即《尔雅》所说“菜不熟为馑”。上古时代物质生活简陋，蔬菜的种类也很少，民风淳朴，当然也就不知道“四菜一汤，吃了装莽”的现代新民谣了——相传当代中国有政策规定，宴请政府公务员，不能超出“四菜一汤”的规格。这大概也是领导干部廉洁自律的标准之一吧！我国古代第一部诗歌总集《诗经》里面提到的一百三十二种植物中，作为蔬菜的仅二十余种，但如荇、荼、苕、荍(荞)、莱、芑之类，到近代大部分已退出餐桌，成了野生植物了。象《诗经·采薇》中的“薇”，其本身就是指野豌豆苗。每当我在吃嫩豌豆苗儿下韭菜叶儿面条；或者，炖老母鸡汤焖嫩豌豆苗儿时，总会思绪万千——吃野豌豆苗儿的先民们在吃不饱穿不暖的情况下还如此“风、雅”，足见精神支柱是多么的重要啊！
战国、秦、汉时期，蔬菜品种仍然不多。这时最主要的蔬菜有五种，即《素问》中所说的“五菜”：葵、藿、薤、葱、韭。这五种菜和《急就篇》举出的十三种菜都以葵为首。在有的文献中便把葵尊为“百菜之主”了。
《素问》“五菜”中，葵，就是指冬葵——冬苋菜。藿，也就是大豆苗的嫩叶子。清代著名学者王念孙在《广雅疏证·释草》中解释说：“豆角谓之荚，其叶谓之藿”。薤，就是我们重庆(及西南)地区泡菜中常见的藠头。葱、韭自然是指现在的葱子和韭菜。
韭菜于晚秋开过绣球似的小白花后，在寒冷的冬天到来时，就将展示风华的舞台让给欣欣向荣的冬葵了。
“葵”，植物分类学上称为“冬葵”。一、二年生草本植物。叶圆形，稍绉缩，嫩时可作蔬菜。汉朝许慎所撰《说文解字》曰：“葵，菜也”。周作人在《知堂文集·吃菜》中有“赤米白盐绿葵紫蓼”的文句。绿葵，也就是冬葵了。在汉代的诗歌里一说起菜园开篇就是“青青园中葵”。魏、晋时的人一提起蔬菜，不是说“霜蒿露葵”就是谈“绿葵含露”。《齐民要术》中有专门的章节讲述栽培冬葵的技术，其地位可以想见。唐代以后，葵菜受到各种新培育成的和引入的蔬菜的强大压力，加以古人嫌弃冬葵“性太滑利，不益人”；“发宿疾，动风气”，种植的逐渐减少，到了明代已经很少有人种葵了。其实，我妈和婆婆说过，多吃冬苋菜是可以润肺的！
在那遥远的明代，茄子、菠菜、扁豆、刀豆、莴笋(莴苣)、黄瓜等蔬菜已在我国广泛引种，人们“崇洋媚外”，把具有上古遗风的冬苋菜忘了。李时珍的《本草纲目》中以“今人不复食之”为由，把冬葵列入草部，不再当蔬菜看待了。简直就是数典忘祖。这却正好说明两个方面问题：首先是在李时珍所处的明代以前，蔬菜品种大概已相当丰富，不然几百年前的宋朝大文豪苏东坡也不会写什么《老饕赋》了；其次是上古淳朴民风的没落。因为李时珍时代的帝王将相、士大夫和大小“字”识分子们，已经公开以谈论“采阴补阳”的“房中术”为荣，难怪民间有“饱暖思淫欲”这种针砭时弊的歌谣了。
写《老饕赋》的苏东坡是我半个四川老乡；虽然他的餐桌上蔬菜已很丰富了，可他还是象蛮荒时期的野人一样喜欢吃肉，譬如：红烧猪肘——现在川菜中的名菜“东坡肘子”！但他同时代文人谢枋得在《碧湖杂记》中对他的《老饕赋》颇烦，指出“《说文》曰：‘贪财为饕，贪食为餮’”，所以“东坡之赋，当作‘老餮’为是”。我想：以东坡先生的学识，一定分别得出“饕餮”一词真正涵义的。所谓《老饕赋》，大概是另有所指吧？譬如：贪官污吏。要不然何以在明朝，就单单把作为蔬菜的冬苋菜给遗忘了呢？在“五菜”里面，藿，是必定要被淘汰的。薤、葱，两者属于荤辛类食物，都不是大众的菜蔬——藠头(薤)仅仅作凉菜或泡菜用；葱，一般也只能作为调味品。因此，“五菜”中目前真资格算作蔬菜的也只有冬苋菜和韭菜了。
《南齐书·周颙传》云：“春初早韭，秋末晚菘”。早韭就是开春后的头茬韭菜。“菘”，是白菜的原名。宋代时，白菜的佳种已培养成功，它不同于叶子松散的黑叶白菜之类，而是结实、肥大、高产、耐寒，且滋味鲜美。苏轼用“白菘类羔豚，冒土出熊蹯”之句来赞美它，将白菜喻为乳猪和熊掌，可见他是清白的，不是贪财的“老饕”。明代人更把黄芽白菜誉为蔬中“神品”。这大概也是到了明代，葵菜已经很少有人种植的缘故吧；以至于明代的植物学家王世懋感慨道：“古人食菜必曰葵，今乃竟无称葵，不知何菜当之”。
冬苋菜在植物分类学上的学名叫“冬葵”，一、二年生草本植物。叶圆形，稍绉缩，嫩时可作蔬菜。开紫黄花或白花；结黑果。果实半球形，熟后形成离果(分果)，其状如橘子瓣。
但我一直主观、固执的认为，将“冬葵”翻译成现代汉语，无论是写作“冬苋菜”；还是“冬寒菜”，都是值得怀疑和经不起推敲的，从巴渝地区人们的读音和“冬葵”所流行的时代看，冬苋菜应该写为“东汉菜”才对。它不但表明了与汉朝盛行的蔬菜——“葵”的文化与自然的渊源关系，尤其还让人们品味出了厚重、沧桑的历史。
冬苋菜的采摘，是割取大小、老嫩适当的茎叶食之。太嫩不足取，采摘了可惜；太老不可食用，且采摘慢了不利于冬苋菜生长。《巴县志》卷十九《物产·蔬类》中说：采摘冬苋菜，可视“初生叶大如钱”者，“日日常拔，看稀绸得所乃止”，等将可采食的割完后，最初剪割的地方又萌发长大了。“周而复始，日日无穷”。仅这一点，又跟韭菜的采摘相似了。
冬苋菜之用于烹饪，仅仅是熬稀饭和煮汤。难怪《十五从军征》中有“采葵持作羹”的诗句了。《巴县志》卷十九称：“今蔬菜中滑利清腴，无有逾冬苋菜者，为冬季一切蔬菜之冠”(《物产·蔬类》)。由于其滑利、清香、肥嫩，熬稀饭吃老少咸宜。待冬苋菜稀饭煮好，放一小勺炼猪油润肠；一小勺精盐调味，尤其适合大鱼大肉后或久病初愈之人康复调养食用。
我最喜欢的就是冬苋菜煮豆腐汤。
先在汤中放老姜、精盐、化猪油、手磨豆腐块，将豆腐汤煮开，放冬苋菜梗；煮三、五分钟后，再放冬苋菜的叶子，煮开后放上火葱苗儿切的小葱花儿，淋上少许小磨麻油，即可上桌食用。滑溜爽口。清香宜人。老少咸宜。品尝这款简简单单的具有上古遗风的汤菜，令我想到古往今来那些品行上一清二白的人们。
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葵菜
《诗经》里面提到的一百三十二种植物中，作为蔬菜的大约有二十多种，如荇、荼、苕、荍、莱、芑之类，不过已退出餐桌，成了野生植物了，譬如葵菜即是。《诗经·豳风·七月》有“七月亨葵及菽”的诗句。这证明西周至春秋时期，我们生活在黄河流域地区的先民们已经以葵为蔬了。其它古籍也多有记载，汉朝许慎《说文解字》曰：“葵，菜也”，北魏贾思勰的《齐民要术》中有专门的章节讲述栽培冬葵的技术，并以《种葵》列为蔬类第一篇；元代王祯《农书》说：“葵为百菜之主，备四时之馔，本丰而耐旱，味甘而无毒。”；葵菜地位可见一斑，有的文献中干脆把葵尊为“百菜之主”了。葵菜本是我国古代先民日常食用的菜蔬之一，是一种非常古老又令人难以忘怀的蔬菜，它在汉朝极为盛行。大约在唐宋以后，因其它蔬菜的兴起，各地对葵的载种有所减少，到了明代已经很少有人种葵了。因为古人嫌弃冬葵“性太滑利”。明代的学者王世懋说：“古人食菜必曰葵，今乃竟无称葵，不知何菜当之”。
不过今天在江西、湖南、四川等地还有少量种植，但随着经济的发展，江南等地已开始恢复栽培。《内经·素问》中谈到了五谷、五畜、五果、五菜，其中五菜即：葵，韭，藿，薤，葱。葵者，现在一般称之谓冬葵。历史上葵有很多名字，有葵菜、露葵、冬葵菜、滑菜、卫足、马蹄菜、蕲菜、滑肠菜、金钱葵、金钱紫花葵、冬寒菜、冬苋菜、茴菜、滑滑菜、奇菜等称呼。
明代李时珍《本草纲目》说：“葵菜，古人种为常食......有紫茎、白茎二种，以白茎为胜，大叶小花，花紫黄色。......古人采葵必待露解，故曰露葵，今人呼为滑菜。”葵菜的采摘，是割取大小、老嫩适当的茎叶食之。太嫩不足取，采摘了可惜；太老不可食用，且采摘慢了不利于葵菜生长。采摘冬苋菜，可视“初生叶大如钱”者，“日日常拔，看稀绸得所乃止”，“周而复始，日日无穷”。
葵菜开紫黄花或白花，很美。南朝鲍照有《园葵赋》极尽华美之辞：“......乃露乃映，勾萌欲伸，嫩华将放；霏云四委，飞雨轻洒，......春风夕来，秋日晨映，独酌南轩，拥琴孤听，篇章间作，以歌以咏。鱼深沉而鸟高飞，孰知美色之为正。”
葵菜在古代极为普通，又被古人喜爱，于是便和日常生活，品行道德联系在一起了。“青青园中葵，朝露待日曦。阳春布德泽，万物生光辉。常恐秋节至，焜黄华叶衰。百川东到海，何日复西归。少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。”这首大家耳熟能详的北朝乐府民歌《长歌行》把园中绿色的葵菜比喻成人生，告诫人们要珍惜生命，莫到老年只能后悔而悲哀了。
还有民歌“采葵莫伤根，伤根葵不生。结友莫羞贫，羞贫友不成。”从葵菜种植之法，引申交友之道，可谓语重心长。
《汉董仲舒贤良策》中有个故事：“故公仪子相鲁，之其家见织帛，怒而出其妻，食于舍而茹葵，愠而拔其葵。曰：“吾已食禄，又夺园夫红女利乎！”这就是成语“拔葵去织》的出处。表面上是讲我已经拿了朝廷的俸禄了，家里还要织什么布啊种什么菜呢？其实是要求自己的亲属不要再去开什么公司，以免涉嫌权钱交易。古人的雅量如斯，难得啊！
葵菜以幼苗或嫩叶梢供食用，柔滑清香，可汤、可炒，可作火锅底料。有古籍称：“今蔬菜中滑利清腴，无有逾冬苋菜者，为冬季一切蔬菜之冠”。因其滑利、清香、肥嫩，熬稀饭吃老少咸宜。宋代学者苏颂著说：“葵处处有之，苗叶作菜茹，更甘美。”李白《赠闾丘处士》诗说：“......且耽田家乐，遂旷林中期。野酌劝芳酒，园蔬烹露葵。......”丰收后农家的喜悦和诗人情寄田园的淡泊，借最普通的菜蔬，日常的生活表现得淋漓尽致。即使象诗人白居易两顿饭没吃，也对葵菜情有独钟。他在《烹葵》诗中写道：“昨卧不夕食，今起乃朝饥。贫厨何所有，炊稻烹秋葵。红粒香复软，绿英滑且肥。......”
我以为现在吃葵菜一定能体会到的沧桑的历史的厚重，品味到古人生活态度和艰辛。那首至今读来还令人心酸的“十五从军征，八十始得归。道逢乡里人，家中有阿谁？ 遥望是君家，松柏冢累累。兔从狗窦入，雉从梁上飞。中庭生旅谷，井上生旅葵。烹谷持作饭，采葵持作羹。羹饭一时熟，不知贻阿谁。出门东向望，泪落沾我衣”从此以后，葵菜便和人情、乡情、亲情，这些人类感情中最基本的，最原始的，最能长久牵动人心的情感纠缠在一起粉不开了。
其实葵菜除了花美，在在寒冷的冬天到来时，其风华愈加灿烂，其风采更欣欣向荣。还是王维《积雨辋川庄作》诗中给葵菜一个清新鲜生活的姿态：“积雨空林烟火迟，蒸藜炊黍饷东菑。漠漠水田飞白鹭，阴阴夏木啭黄鹂。山中习静观朝槿，松下清斋折露葵。野老与人争度罢，海鸥何事更相疑。”而晋代文人陆机的《园葵诗》：“种葵北园中，葵生郁萋萋，朝荣东北倾，夕颖西南希。灵露垂鲜泽，朗日耀其晖，时逝和风蕺，岁暮伤飚飞，曾露无温液，严霜有凝威，幸蒙高塘德，玄景荫素蕤。丰条并春盛，落叶后秋衰，庆彼晚存福，忘此孤生悲。”更把葵菜的妖娆和坚强描绘的有声有色。
葵菜有向阳的习性，杜甫《自京赴奉先县咏怀五百字》诗中说：“......葵霍倾太阳，物性固莫夺。......”唐太宗李世民的《赋秋日悬清光赐房玄龄》诗也说：“仙驭随轮转，灵乌带影飞。还当葵霍志，倾叶自相依。”刘克庄诗《葵》说得更清楚：“生长古墙阴，园荒草木深。可曾沾雨露，不改向阳心。”而产于北美洲的向日葵，初到中国原名叫丈菊、西番菊，后来攀附葵菜，便改称向日葵了。
url:
http://vipbbs.xilu.com/cgi-bin/bbs/view?forum=ruoyun65&message=1028
写食主义：一清二白冬苋菜
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http://life.sina.com.cn 2003年01月24日10:36 新浪生活
新浪网友：共命之鸟0008
冬苋菜是一种非常古老的蔬菜。按照《四川方言词典》的解释：“冬苋菜”又叫冬寒菜。名词。即冬葵。其嫩叶可食。但词典把“苋”(Xian音“现”)字的标准读音变为方音Han2(音“汉”)，符合巴渝地区的方音。对于冬苋菜的这种读音，巴蜀两地也是相通的。或许还包括云、贵及湖北等地。我国历史文献和古典诗词中有许多冬葵的记载。《乐府诗集》以收集汉、魏南北朝诗歌(民歌)为主，在《十五从军征》(又名《紫骝马歌》)中，有“中庭生旅谷，井上生旅葵。舂谷持作饭，采葵持作羹”的诗句。此诗中的“葵”即为“冬葵”，也就是我十分喜爱的冬苋菜了。可见冬苋菜是一种非常古老，又令人难以忘怀的蔬菜。
蔬菜，是我们赖以生存的食物组成的一个不可缺少的部分。古人早就知道它的重要性了。所谓“饥馑”的馑，就是指蔬菜欠收而言的，即《尔雅》所说“菜不熟为馑”。上古时代物质生活简陋，蔬菜的种类也很少，民风淳朴，当然也就不知道“四菜一汤，吃了装莽”的现代新民谣了——相传当代中国有政策规定，宴请政府公务员，不能超出“四菜一汤”的规格。这大概也是领导干部廉洁自律的标准之一吧！我国古代第一部诗歌总集《诗经》里面提到的一百三十二种植物中，作为蔬菜的仅二十余种，但如荇、荼、苕、荍(荞)、莱、芑之类，到近代大部分已退出餐桌，成了野生植物了。象《诗经·采薇》中的“薇”，其本身就是指野豌豆苗。每当我在吃嫩豌豆苗儿下韭菜叶儿面条；或者，炖老母鸡汤焖嫩豌豆苗儿时，总会思绪万千——吃野豌豆苗儿的先民们在吃不饱穿不暖的情况下还如此“风、雅”，足见精神支柱是多么的重要啊！
战国、秦、汉时期，蔬菜品种仍然不多。这时最主要的蔬菜有五种，即《素问》中所说的“五菜”：葵、藿、薤、葱、韭。这五种菜和《急就篇》举出的十三种菜都以葵为首。在有的文献中便把葵尊为“百菜之主”了。
《素问》“五菜”中，葵，就是指冬葵——冬苋菜。藿，也就是大豆苗的嫩叶子。清代著名学者王念孙在《广雅疏证·释草》中解释说：“豆角谓之荚，其叶谓之藿”。薤，就是我们重庆(及西南)地区泡菜中常见的藠头。葱、韭自然是指现在的葱子和韭菜。
韭菜于晚秋开过绣球似的小白花后，在寒冷的冬天到来时，就将展示风华的舞台让给欣欣向荣的冬葵了。
“葵”，植物分类学上称为“冬葵”。一、二年生草本植物。叶圆形，稍绉缩，嫩时可作蔬菜。汉朝许慎所撰《说文解字》曰：“葵，菜也”。周作人在《知堂文集·吃菜》中有“赤米白盐绿葵紫蓼”的文句。绿葵，也就是冬葵了。在汉代的诗歌里一说起菜园开篇就是“青青园中葵”。魏、晋时的人一提起蔬菜，不是说“霜蒿露葵”就是谈“绿葵含露”。《齐民要术》中有专门的章节讲述栽培冬葵的技术，其地位可以想见。唐代以后，葵菜受到各种新培育成的和引入的蔬菜的强大压力，加以古人嫌弃冬葵“性太滑利，不益人”；“发宿疾，动风气”，种植的逐渐减少，到了明代已经很少有人种葵了。其实，我妈和婆婆说过，多吃冬苋菜是可以润肺的！
在那遥远的明代，茄子、菠菜、扁豆、刀豆、莴笋(莴苣)、黄瓜等蔬菜已在我国广泛引种，人们“崇洋媚外”，把具有上古遗风的冬苋菜忘了。李时珍的《本草纲目》中以“今人不复食之”为由，把冬葵列入草部，不再当蔬菜看待了。简直就是数典忘祖。这却正好说明两个方面问题：首先是在李时珍所处的明代以前，蔬菜品种大概已相当丰富，不然几百年前的宋朝大文豪苏东坡也不会写什么《老饕赋》了；其次是上古淳朴民风的没落。因为李时珍时代的帝王将相、士大夫和大小“字”识分子们，已经公开以谈论“采阴补阳”的“房中术”为荣，难怪民间有“饱暖思淫欲”这种针砭时弊的歌谣了。
写《老饕赋》的苏东坡是我半个四川老乡；虽然他的餐桌上蔬菜已很丰富了，可他还是象蛮荒时期的野人一样喜欢吃肉，譬如：红烧猪肘——现在川菜中的名菜“东坡肘子”！但他同时代文人谢枋得在《碧湖杂记》中对他的《老饕赋》颇烦，指出“《说文》曰：‘贪财为饕，贪食为餮’”，所以“东坡之赋，当作‘老餮’为是”。我想：以东坡先生的学识，一定分别得出“饕餮”一词真正涵义的。所谓《老饕赋》，大概是另有所指吧？譬如：贪官污吏。要不然何以在明朝，就单单把作为蔬菜的冬苋菜给遗忘了呢？在“五菜”里面，藿，是必定要被淘汰的。薤、葱，两者属于荤辛类食物，都不是大众的菜蔬——藠头(薤)仅仅作凉菜或泡菜用；葱，一般也只能作为调味品。因此，“五菜”中目前真资格算作蔬菜的也只有冬苋菜和韭菜了。
《南齐书·周颙传》云：“春初早韭，秋末晚菘”。早韭就是开春后的头茬韭菜。“菘”，是白菜的原名。宋代时，白菜的佳种已培养成功，它不同于叶子松散的黑叶白菜之类，而是结实、肥大、高产、耐寒，且滋味鲜美。苏轼用“白菘类羔豚，冒土出熊蹯”之句来赞美它，将白菜喻为乳猪和熊掌，可见他是清白的，不是贪财的“老饕”。明代人更把黄芽白菜誉为蔬中“神品”。这大概也是到了明代，葵菜已经很少有人种植的缘故吧；以至于明代的植物学家王世懋感慨道：“古人食菜必曰葵，今乃竟无称葵，不知何菜当之”。
冬苋菜在植物分类学上的学名叫“冬葵”，一、二年生草本植物。叶圆形，稍绉缩，嫩时可作蔬菜。开紫黄花或白花；结黑果。果实半球形，熟后形成离果(分果)，其状如橘子瓣。
但我一直主观、固执的认为，将“冬葵”翻译成现代汉语，无论是写作“冬苋菜”；还是“冬寒菜”，都是值得怀疑和经不起推敲的，从巴渝地区人们的读音和“冬葵”所流行的时代看，冬苋菜应该写为“东汉菜”才对。它不但表明了与汉朝盛行的蔬菜——“葵”的文化与自然的渊源关系，尤其还让人们品味出了厚重、沧桑的历史。
冬苋菜的采摘，是割取大小、老嫩适当的茎叶食之。太嫩不足取，采摘了可惜；太老不可食用，且采摘慢了不利于冬苋菜生长。《巴县志》卷十九《物产·蔬类》中说：采摘冬苋菜，可视“初生叶大如钱”者，“日日常拔，看稀绸得所乃止”，等将可采食的割完后，最初剪割的地方又萌发长大了。“周而复始，日日无穷”。仅这一点，又跟韭菜的采摘相似了。
冬苋菜之用于烹饪，仅仅是熬稀饭和煮汤。难怪《十五从军征》中有“采葵持作羹”的诗句了。《巴县志》卷十九称：“今蔬菜中滑利清腴，无有逾冬苋菜者，为冬季一切蔬菜之冠”(《物产·蔬类》)。由于其滑利、清香、肥嫩，熬稀饭吃老少咸宜。待冬苋菜稀饭煮好，放一小勺炼猪油润肠；一小勺精盐调味，尤其适合大鱼大肉后或久病初愈之人康复调养食用。
我最喜欢的就是冬苋菜煮豆腐汤。
先在汤中放老姜、精盐、化猪油、手磨豆腐块，将豆腐汤煮开，放冬苋菜梗；煮三、五分钟后，再放冬苋菜的叶子，煮开后放上火葱苗儿切的小葱花儿，淋上少许小磨麻油，即可上桌食用。滑溜爽口。清香宜人。老少咸宜。品尝这款简简单单的具有上古遗风的汤菜，令我想到古往今来那些品行上一清二白的人们。
http://bj.sina.com.cn/art/20030124/31383.shtml
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
中國富豪數目僅次美國
中國富豪數目僅次美國[16:46]
路透社引述胡潤百富榜稱，中國億萬富豪人數全球第二，僅次於美國。
胡潤百富榜(Rupert Hoogewerf)周三稱，中國今年前75位上榜企業家的財富均突破100億元人民幣，而前13位企業家身價均在300億元以上，今年上榜企業家的平均財富為42億元，比去年增加了100%，其中前50位上榜企業家的平均財富則比去年增長200%。
百富榜的首富是碧桂園的楊惠妍，第二位是玖龍紙業的張茵。中國出現106位資產超過十億美元的富翁，這個人數全球第二，僅次於美國。
路透社引述胡潤百富榜稱，中國億萬富豪人數全球第二，僅次於美國。
胡潤百富榜(Rupert Hoogewerf)周三稱，中國今年前75位上榜企業家的財富均突破100億元人民幣，而前13位企業家身價均在300億元以上，今年上榜企業家的平均財富為42億元，比去年增加了100%，其中前50位上榜企業家的平均財富則比去年增長200%。
百富榜的首富是碧桂園的楊惠妍，第二位是玖龍紙業的張茵。中國出現106位資產超過十億美元的富翁，這個人數全球第二，僅次於美國。
Sunday, October 07, 2007
人工生命幾周內誕生
人工生命幾周內誕生
化學物製成染色體
【明報專訊】生物工程取得重大突破！英國《衛報》周六頭條報道，美國基因學家文特爾(Craig Venter)已成功利用化學物質製成合成染色體，可望幾周內製造出人工生物，有關消息最快於明天公布。這項發展意味人類在製造人工生物上邁出一大步，但預料同時會激起爭議。
文特爾研究所位於美國馬里蘭州，看上去跟學校實驗室無異，但內裏卻進行震驚世界的研究。實驗室放多個培養器皿，若一切順利的話，將會鋪滿白色的細點，每一點包含1000萬個細菌細胞，它們都是科學家製造出來的人工生命。
文特爾的團隊由20名頂尖科學家組成，並由諾貝爾獎得主史密斯(Hamiton Smith)帶領。團隊在實驗室內混合化學物質，聯結成一個有381個基因、包含58萬對基因組的染色體。染色體內含基因及蛋白質，是生命機能運作的基礎。
基因序列以細菌為藍本
今次人造染色體的基因序列，是以細菌細胞生殖支原體(Mycoplasma genitalium)為藍本。這種細菌是人類所知最微小的生物。它們生活在人類的生殖器官和肺部，其基因數量是已知生物中最少的。人類細胞有8萬到14萬個基因，這些菌種只有480個基因。團隊剔除了當中五分一基因，令它只剩下能支持生命的基本元素。重組後的全新合成染色體被稱為Mycoplasma laboratorium。
合成染色體然後被植入一個活細菌細胞中，最終會控制該細胞，亦即實際上將該細胞轉成全新的生命體。文特爾的團隊過去已成功將一個細菌的基因組植入另一個細菌細胞空殼，改變了後者的物種。文特爾曾表示，他「百分百肯定」同樣的技術能應用到人造染色體上去。至於新生命模式能否持續，就要視乎能否自我複製及繁殖。
勢掀道德爭議
文特爾將最快周一在研究所年度會議上公布這項重大突破。今次在實驗室由死物製成染色體，是設計基因發展一大步，被視為生物工程前所未有的成就。雖然人造新物種肯定會激起倫理道德爭議，但文特爾認為，此突破將有助開發新能源及打擊溫室效應(見配稿)。他向《衛報》表示，這個里程碑是「物種史上非常重要的一步。我們不再只是讀取基因密碼，而是逐步走向編寫基因密碼。這理論上會賦予我們能力，做出諸多超乎想像的事。」
衛報
可製生化武器 禍福難料
【明報專訊】科學家表示，製成人工生命的技術可作實際或商業用途，例如製造特別細菌來清除有毒物質或溫室氣體，或把水分解成氫氣和氧氣作為燃料。不過，有科學家擔心此舉會後患無窮。
文特爾實驗前已研究過人工生命箇中的倫理問題，倫理委員會雖然不反對合成生物的研究，但同時警告科學家有必要為新物種一旦離開實驗室後造成的影響負上全責。
今年6月時，文特爾將合成細菌技術申請專利，並透露離製造出首隻人工微生物已經 「很接近」，引起爭議。論者認為文特爾試圖壟斷這一危險的生物科技技術，後果可能十分嚴重。
盼開發另類能源 對付溫室效應
加拿大生物倫理組織ETC主任穆尼認為，文特爾正對社會構成威脅，社會必須正視並討論，「政府及社會遠遠落後，(文特爾的研究)正好敲響警鐘，我們有必要問：試管製造新的生命形式意味什麼？」他認為，文特爾正開拓了一個有無窮可能性的領域：「那可以製成新藥，對人類作出貢獻；但亦可用來製成化學武器，威脅人類。」
文特爾則指出，只要好好監管，設計基因的正面潛力十分巨大。長遠來說，他希望藉此開發出另類能源，並對付溫室效應，例如人類可製造專門吸收二氧化碳的細菌，協助解決全球暖化問題，又或用糖製造出如丁烷及丙烷等燃料。
他說：「我們並不懼怕承擔重任，不會因爭議而退縮。我們正思考偉大的想法，為生命創造新的價值系統。當規模是如此大時，你不能期待人人都滿意。」
衛報/英國每日電訊報/法新社
港學者﹕夢想成真
【明報專訊】中文大學生物化學系副教授陳竟明接受本報訪問時表示，文特爾今次成功製造出人工染色體，可說是科學家多年的夢想成真，但人類是否已成功製造人工生命則言之尚早。儘管文特爾成功製造出人工DNA，但仍然要看看DNA植入細胞後能否運作。
陳竟明解釋，今次文特爾之所以採用細菌細胞生殖支原體，因該細胞較易生長，體積亦較小，基因數目亦較少。再者，這細胞沒有細胞壁，要植入基因亦較易。
他指出，文特爾今次用化學物質製造染色體是重大突破，過去科學家雖設想可人工合成DNA，卻一直無法取得成功。他表示，人工合成DNA過程很複雜，科學家首先要將基因逐段逐段合成，然後再連接起來，文特爾採用什麼技術做到這些，相信會是焦點。但他強調：「這雖是一項突破，但人工生命是否已經成真，則要看看DNA植入細胞後能否運作。」
對於文特爾認為，人工生命可應用到開發新能源，陳竟明質疑：「使唔使玩到咁大？」他指出，科學家改造基因來改變細菌新陳代謝，以提取所需的質粒，目前已可做到，所以他懷疑是否一定要製造新生命來達到此目的。
「影響力比複製羊更大」
他說：「人工生命的影響比複製羊更大，亦必然引發爭議」，因科學家過往只是改變生命，文特爾今次進一步製造新物種，必然會產生有關人類能否創造生命的爭議。他亦批評，文特爾將技術申請專利，有流於商業化之弊。
中大生化系客席教授曹宏威博士亦指出，人工生命的出現，意味人類在基因技術上多了一項工具，但對人類在概念上的衝擊則遠為巨大，對宗教尤其造成嚴峻挑戰：「倘若人可以完全製造生命的話，神便可說是毫無角色可言。」
明報記者 林康琪
「我只是創造新生命形式」
被轟科學界叛徒
【明報專訊】文特爾在科學界一向備受爭議，被指是叛徒、異見人士、門外漢及玩弄上帝者等。對於製造人工生物，文特爾解釋說﹕「這不像做蛋糕，將所有材料混合放入焗爐即可產生新生命。我們不是製造生命，而是從現存的生命中創造新生命形式。」
年青時的文特爾是個浪子，最愛滑浪。70年代，他到越南服役，成為前線軍人。越戰後，他開始修讀醫學及生物化學。他的首項研究是探討腎上腺素怎樣影響細胞，由此開始深入研究生命的建構。
「他野心大如希特勒」
文特爾曾參與為期15年、耗資50億美元的人類基因研究計劃，但因自稱可用更少人力物力及時間取得佳績而惹怒同僚，因此他由一名寂寂無名的研究員變成家喻戶曉的「自大狂」。「基因之父」沃森曾批評他渴望「擁有人類基因組的野心，就好像希特勒想征服世界一樣」。
文特爾早年計劃探索基因排列奧秘，但資助研究的基金會當時拒絕他的申請。1995年，他首度提出研究嗜血桿菌基因排列，但美國國家衛生研究院當時指計劃不可行因而拒絕資助。文特爾強調，他做基因研究並非為錢，「我只想擁有金錢，讓我可以自由地做研究」。他解釋說，若真的為了賺錢，他的研究將完全不同，他現在可能已是億萬富翁。
文特爾下個計劃是破解1萬人的基因圖譜，建立更大的基因資料庫，以解開最根本的生命奧秘。另外，他還計劃破解所有海洋生命的基因奧秘，他曾於馬尾藻海發現另類微生物，希望可藉此發展新能源。
衛報
人工生命製造過程
【明報專訊】1.科學家在實驗室製成化學物，造出一個381個基因長、由58萬對基因組組成的染色體
2.該染色體的基因排列是以細菌Mycoplasma genitalium為藍本，但科學家剔走五分一基因，讓它只剩下能支持生命的基本元素
3.科學家將這前所未見的新染色體注入一個活細菌細胞中，讓染色體控制該細胞，成為一種新生命體
4.新生命體將自我複製及繁殖
化學物製成染色體
【明報專訊】生物工程取得重大突破！英國《衛報》周六頭條報道，美國基因學家文特爾(Craig Venter)已成功利用化學物質製成合成染色體，可望幾周內製造出人工生物，有關消息最快於明天公布。這項發展意味人類在製造人工生物上邁出一大步，但預料同時會激起爭議。
文特爾研究所位於美國馬里蘭州，看上去跟學校實驗室無異，但內裏卻進行震驚世界的研究。實驗室放多個培養器皿，若一切順利的話，將會鋪滿白色的細點，每一點包含1000萬個細菌細胞，它們都是科學家製造出來的人工生命。
文特爾的團隊由20名頂尖科學家組成，並由諾貝爾獎得主史密斯(Hamiton Smith)帶領。團隊在實驗室內混合化學物質，聯結成一個有381個基因、包含58萬對基因組的染色體。染色體內含基因及蛋白質，是生命機能運作的基礎。
基因序列以細菌為藍本
今次人造染色體的基因序列，是以細菌細胞生殖支原體(Mycoplasma genitalium)為藍本。這種細菌是人類所知最微小的生物。它們生活在人類的生殖器官和肺部，其基因數量是已知生物中最少的。人類細胞有8萬到14萬個基因，這些菌種只有480個基因。團隊剔除了當中五分一基因，令它只剩下能支持生命的基本元素。重組後的全新合成染色體被稱為Mycoplasma laboratorium。
合成染色體然後被植入一個活細菌細胞中，最終會控制該細胞，亦即實際上將該細胞轉成全新的生命體。文特爾的團隊過去已成功將一個細菌的基因組植入另一個細菌細胞空殼，改變了後者的物種。文特爾曾表示，他「百分百肯定」同樣的技術能應用到人造染色體上去。至於新生命模式能否持續，就要視乎能否自我複製及繁殖。
勢掀道德爭議
文特爾將最快周一在研究所年度會議上公布這項重大突破。今次在實驗室由死物製成染色體，是設計基因發展一大步，被視為生物工程前所未有的成就。雖然人造新物種肯定會激起倫理道德爭議，但文特爾認為，此突破將有助開發新能源及打擊溫室效應(見配稿)。他向《衛報》表示，這個里程碑是「物種史上非常重要的一步。我們不再只是讀取基因密碼，而是逐步走向編寫基因密碼。這理論上會賦予我們能力，做出諸多超乎想像的事。」
衛報
可製生化武器 禍福難料
【明報專訊】科學家表示，製成人工生命的技術可作實際或商業用途，例如製造特別細菌來清除有毒物質或溫室氣體，或把水分解成氫氣和氧氣作為燃料。不過，有科學家擔心此舉會後患無窮。
文特爾實驗前已研究過人工生命箇中的倫理問題，倫理委員會雖然不反對合成生物的研究，但同時警告科學家有必要為新物種一旦離開實驗室後造成的影響負上全責。
今年6月時，文特爾將合成細菌技術申請專利，並透露離製造出首隻人工微生物已經 「很接近」，引起爭議。論者認為文特爾試圖壟斷這一危險的生物科技技術，後果可能十分嚴重。
盼開發另類能源 對付溫室效應
加拿大生物倫理組織ETC主任穆尼認為，文特爾正對社會構成威脅，社會必須正視並討論，「政府及社會遠遠落後，(文特爾的研究)正好敲響警鐘，我們有必要問：試管製造新的生命形式意味什麼？」他認為，文特爾正開拓了一個有無窮可能性的領域：「那可以製成新藥，對人類作出貢獻；但亦可用來製成化學武器，威脅人類。」
文特爾則指出，只要好好監管，設計基因的正面潛力十分巨大。長遠來說，他希望藉此開發出另類能源，並對付溫室效應，例如人類可製造專門吸收二氧化碳的細菌，協助解決全球暖化問題，又或用糖製造出如丁烷及丙烷等燃料。
他說：「我們並不懼怕承擔重任，不會因爭議而退縮。我們正思考偉大的想法，為生命創造新的價值系統。當規模是如此大時，你不能期待人人都滿意。」
衛報/英國每日電訊報/法新社
港學者﹕夢想成真
【明報專訊】中文大學生物化學系副教授陳竟明接受本報訪問時表示，文特爾今次成功製造出人工染色體，可說是科學家多年的夢想成真，但人類是否已成功製造人工生命則言之尚早。儘管文特爾成功製造出人工DNA，但仍然要看看DNA植入細胞後能否運作。
陳竟明解釋，今次文特爾之所以採用細菌細胞生殖支原體，因該細胞較易生長，體積亦較小，基因數目亦較少。再者，這細胞沒有細胞壁，要植入基因亦較易。
他指出，文特爾今次用化學物質製造染色體是重大突破，過去科學家雖設想可人工合成DNA，卻一直無法取得成功。他表示，人工合成DNA過程很複雜，科學家首先要將基因逐段逐段合成，然後再連接起來，文特爾採用什麼技術做到這些，相信會是焦點。但他強調：「這雖是一項突破，但人工生命是否已經成真，則要看看DNA植入細胞後能否運作。」
對於文特爾認為，人工生命可應用到開發新能源，陳竟明質疑：「使唔使玩到咁大？」他指出，科學家改造基因來改變細菌新陳代謝，以提取所需的質粒，目前已可做到，所以他懷疑是否一定要製造新生命來達到此目的。
「影響力比複製羊更大」
他說：「人工生命的影響比複製羊更大，亦必然引發爭議」，因科學家過往只是改變生命，文特爾今次進一步製造新物種，必然會產生有關人類能否創造生命的爭議。他亦批評，文特爾將技術申請專利，有流於商業化之弊。
中大生化系客席教授曹宏威博士亦指出，人工生命的出現，意味人類在基因技術上多了一項工具，但對人類在概念上的衝擊則遠為巨大，對宗教尤其造成嚴峻挑戰：「倘若人可以完全製造生命的話，神便可說是毫無角色可言。」
明報記者 林康琪
「我只是創造新生命形式」
被轟科學界叛徒
【明報專訊】文特爾在科學界一向備受爭議，被指是叛徒、異見人士、門外漢及玩弄上帝者等。對於製造人工生物，文特爾解釋說﹕「這不像做蛋糕，將所有材料混合放入焗爐即可產生新生命。我們不是製造生命，而是從現存的生命中創造新生命形式。」
年青時的文特爾是個浪子，最愛滑浪。70年代，他到越南服役，成為前線軍人。越戰後，他開始修讀醫學及生物化學。他的首項研究是探討腎上腺素怎樣影響細胞，由此開始深入研究生命的建構。
「他野心大如希特勒」
文特爾曾參與為期15年、耗資50億美元的人類基因研究計劃，但因自稱可用更少人力物力及時間取得佳績而惹怒同僚，因此他由一名寂寂無名的研究員變成家喻戶曉的「自大狂」。「基因之父」沃森曾批評他渴望「擁有人類基因組的野心，就好像希特勒想征服世界一樣」。
文特爾早年計劃探索基因排列奧秘，但資助研究的基金會當時拒絕他的申請。1995年，他首度提出研究嗜血桿菌基因排列，但美國國家衛生研究院當時指計劃不可行因而拒絕資助。文特爾強調，他做基因研究並非為錢，「我只想擁有金錢，讓我可以自由地做研究」。他解釋說，若真的為了賺錢，他的研究將完全不同，他現在可能已是億萬富翁。
文特爾下個計劃是破解1萬人的基因圖譜，建立更大的基因資料庫，以解開最根本的生命奧秘。另外，他還計劃破解所有海洋生命的基因奧秘，他曾於馬尾藻海發現另類微生物，希望可藉此發展新能源。
衛報
人工生命製造過程
【明報專訊】1.科學家在實驗室製成化學物，造出一個381個基因長、由58萬對基因組組成的染色體
2.該染色體的基因排列是以細菌Mycoplasma genitalium為藍本，但科學家剔走五分一基因，讓它只剩下能支持生命的基本元素
3.科學家將這前所未見的新染色體注入一個活細菌細胞中，讓染色體控制該細胞，成為一種新生命體
4.新生命體將自我複製及繁殖
Saturday, October 06, 2007
環保發光石
【明報專訊】廣東雲浮一退休工程師朱洪新發明「蓄能發光石」，昨日獲頒國家專利證明。該種新石材由大理石與合成樹脂、蓄能發光顏料等合成，可在白天吸收光源儲能，黑暗中會自動發出各色光輝，發光時間在12小時以上，可使用20餘年，符合環保標準。
(中新社)
(中新社)
Friday, October 05, 2007
"最后的和弦" "电影"
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=%22%E6%9C%80%E5%90%8E%E7%9A%84%E5%92%8C%E5%BC%A6%22+%22%E7%94%B5%E5%BD%B1%22
"最后的和弦" "电影"
"最后的和弦" "电影"
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