- As Holiday Season Gets Underway, Here’s How to Protect Yourself and Your Family from Respiratory Viruses
- How to Prevent a Hangover, and 3 Ways to Treat One
- Deadly Green Mamba Snake on the Loose in Dutch City
- Remember When Angelina Jolie’s Thigh-High Slit Dress Kickstarted the ‘Angelina Effect’?
- This Beer is Made From Recycled Shower Water
- These Brain Cells could Influence How Fast You Eat - and When You Stop
KMU Weekly: News around the World
Issue 96 - Nov. 27. 2023
As Holiday Season Gets Underway, Here’s How to Protect Yourself and Your Family from Respiratory Viruses
隨著假期的到來，以下是如何保護自己和家人免受呼吸道病毒感染
Health
With Thanksgiving just days away, people across the United States are finalizing travel plans or racing through grocery stores in search of the perfect turkey, but there’s another plan to consider ahead of the holiday season: how to stay healthy and avoid the mix of seasonal viruses in circulation. Flu cases continue to pick up in most parts of the country, particularly the South and the West, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus are also spreading as many Americans hit the road and take to the skies this week, noted Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California at San Francisco — and they’ll be touching common surfaces that may be contaminated and sharing air with infected people. “A lot of people are going to be traveling at record numbers for Thanksgiving and the holiday period,” he said. “That means that risk is going to be mixed in from all around the country.” While navigating a sea of strangers may seem intimidating for the health-conscious, experts say there are a number of familiar precautions you can take to keep from catching an illness from fellow travelers or out-of-town visitors this year.
--from CNN
距離感恩節只有幾天了，美國各地的人們正在敲定旅行計劃，或者在雜貨店裡競相尋找完美的火雞，但在節日之前還有另一個計劃需要考慮：如何保持健康並避免季節性病毒的混合在流通中。 根據美國疾病管制與預防中心的數據，美國大部分地區的流感病例持續增加，特別是南部和西部。 加州大學舊金山分校傳染病專家 Peter Chin-Hong 博士指出，隨著本週許多美國人上路並搭乘飛機，Covid-19 和呼吸道融合病毒也在傳播，他們將接觸可能被污染的公共表面並與被感染者共享空氣。 他說：“此感恩節和假期期間，許多人的出行人數將創下紀錄”。 “這意味著風險將來自全國各地。” 雖然對於注重健康的人來說，在陌生的人海中穿梭可能會讓人感到害怕，但專家表示，今年你可以採取一些熟悉的預防措施來防止被同行者或外地遊客感染。
-- 摘錄翻譯自 CNN
How to Prevent a Hangover, and 3 Ways to Treat One
如何預防以及治療宿醉的 3 種方法
Health
You had a little too much to drink last night, and now you’re nursing that dreaded morning aftermath — a hangover. What seemed like fun at the time is now causing your hands to shake, your head to pound and your heart to race, not to mention other unpleasant symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity and excruciating thirst. Why are you suffering? Because the liquor that smoothly passed your lips is now wreaking havoc in your body, causing dehydration, stomach distress and inflammation. These ailments peak about the time all the alcohol leaves your body. There is no scientifically proven way to cure a hangover, but experts say you can prevent one — or at least keep that morning-after misery to a minimum.
--from CNN
昨晚你喝了太多酒，現在你正在經歷早晨可怕的後果——宿醉。 當時看起來很有趣的事情現在卻讓你的手顫抖、頭暈、心跳加速，更不用說其他令人不快的症狀了，比如頭暈、噁心、嘔吐、光敏感和極度口渴。 為什麼受苦？ 因為順利通過嘴唇的酒現在正在對你的身體造成嚴重破壞，導致脫水、胃部不適和發炎。 當所有酒精離開你的身體時，這些疾病就會達到高峰。 目前還沒有科學證明的方法可以治癒宿醉，但專家表示，你可以預防宿醉，或至少將早晨的痛苦降到最低。
--摘錄翻譯自CNN
Deadly Green Mamba Snake on the Loose in Dutch City
荷蘭城市出現致命綠曼巴蛇逍遙法外
Culture
A highly venomous snake is on the loose after escaping a home in Tilburg, the Netherlands on Monday afternoon, a municipality spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday. Local authorities are warning people to keep their distance and avoid approaching the poisonous green mamba, which is between 1.8 and 2 meters (6 to 6.5 feet) long. In the unlikely event someone is bitten by the snake, they should immediately call the emergency services, the spokesperson said. The tropical snake has a fondness for warm, dark spaces, the spokesperson added, saying it is unlikely the runaway mamba has slithered out of its owner’s house to face the cold Dutch winter. There are three species of green mamba, all native to Africa – one is found in the east and south of the continent, another in the west and another in the center. The municipality spokesperson did not specify which species the missing snake belonged to. Normally found in trees, this timid snake produces a fast-acting venom that can kill within days, though it is rarely attacks humans, instead preying on birds, small mammals and lizards.
-- from CNN
荷蘭蒂爾堡市政府發言人週三告訴美國有線電視新聞網(CNN)，週一下午，一條劇毒蛇從荷蘭蒂爾堡的一戶人家逃離後逍遙法外。 地方當局警告人們保持距離，避免接近有毒的綠曼巴蛇，蛇體長在 1.8 至 2 公尺（6 至 6.5 英尺）之間。 發言人說，萬一有人被蛇咬傷，他們應該立即致電緊急服務部門。 發言人補充說，熱帶蛇喜歡溫暖、黑暗的空間，並表示逃跑的曼巴蛇不太可能溜出主人的房子來面對荷蘭寒冷的冬天。 綠曼巴蛇共有三種，均原產於非洲－一種分佈於非洲大陸的東部和南部，另一種分佈於西部，另一種分佈於中部。 市府發言人沒有具體說明失蹤的蛇屬於哪個物種。 這種膽小的蛇通常生活在樹上，它會產生一種快速作用的毒液，可以在幾天內殺死人，但它很少攻擊人類，而是捕食鳥類、小型哺乳動物和蜥蜴。
--摘錄翻譯自CNN
Remember When Angelina Jolie’s Thigh-High Slit Dress Kickstarted the ‘Angelina Effect’?
還記得安潔莉娜裘莉的開衩洋裝引發了「安潔莉娜效應」嗎？
Culture
Remember when Angelina Jolie’s right leg became a viral sensation? It was 2012, and the actress arrived at the 84th Academy Awards in a strapless black velvet dress by Atelier Versace. But this was no ordinary gown: It bore a daring thigh slit — one so high that it artfully unveiled just about the entirety of Jolie’s right leg as she posed confidently for the cameras, one hand firmly planted on her hip. Jolie, then 36, was already a red-carpet fixture. But the moment catapulted her into the viral stratosphere, sparking media fanfare, a string of memes and even social media accounts dedicated entirely to “the right leg.” It wasn’t just her thigh that stole the spotlight that evening, though. Amid the sea of pristine white gowns worn by fellow attendees like Gwyneth Paltrow and Milla Jovovich, Jolie stood out in black. It was a striking departure from the icy palette that prevailed at that year’s Oscars — ironic, given that she’d helped spark the trend by wearing a sumptuous satin white satin Versace creation to the Golden Globes a month earlier.
--from CNN
還記得Angelina Jolie的右腿走紅的時候嗎？ 那是 2012 年，這位女演員身穿 Atelier Versace 的黑色無肩帶天鵝絨連身裙出席第 84 屆奧斯卡金像獎頒獎典禮。 但這不是普通的禮服：它有一條大膽的大腿開衩，開衩的高度很高，當Jolie在鏡頭前自信地擺出姿勢，一隻手牢牢地放在臀部上時，它巧妙地露出了她的整條右腿。 當時 36 歲的Jolie已經成為紅毯上的常客。 但這一刻讓她迅速走紅，引發了媒體的大肆宣傳、一系列表情包，甚至是完全致力於「右腿」的社交媒體帳戶。 不過，那天晚上搶盡風頭的不只是她的大腿。 在葛妮絲派特洛 (Gwyneth Paltrow) 和米拉喬沃維奇 (Milla Jovovich) 等與會者所穿的白色禮服海洋中，Jolie 身穿黑色禮服脫穎而出。 這與當年奧斯卡頒獎典禮盛行的冰冷色調截然不同——頗具諷刺意味的是，一個月前她在金球獎頒獎典禮上身著華麗的白緞面 Versace 作品，引發了這一潮流。
--摘錄翻譯自CNN
This Beer is Made From Recycled Shower Water
這種啤酒是用回收的淋浴水製成的
Sciences
You wouldn’t know if you tasted it, but Epic OneWater Brew is a beer with a peculiar ingredient: it’s made with water recycled from the showers, sinks and washing machines of a residential building. The beer is safe to drink, thanks to a series of treatments that include microfiltration and ultraviolet light, and it is meant to bring attention to the issue of water scarcity and reuse. “Buildings globally use 14% of all potable water,” says Aaron Tartakovsky, CEO and co-founder of Epic Cleantec, the San Francisco-based water treatment company that made the beer in collaboration with a local brewery. “Almost no buildings reuse that water — that’s what we’re trying to change.” The beer is a Kölsch-style ale — a crisp, light-bodied drink originating from Germany — and was made with recycled graywater from Fifteen Fifty, a 40-story luxury apartment building in San Francisco. But it’s not for sale, as regulations prohibit the use of recycled wastewater in commercial beverages. At least for now.
--from CNN
就算你嚐過Epic OneWater Brew，一種含有特殊成分的啤酒，你可能也不會知道它是用從住宅大樓的淋浴間、水槽和洗衣機回收的水製成的。 經過微濾和紫外線等一系列處理，該啤酒可以安全飲用，旨在引起人們對水資源短缺和再利用問題的關注。 「全球建築物使用了14% 的飲用水，」Epic Cleantec 執行長兼聯合創始人Aaron Tartakovsky 說。Epic Cleantec 是一家總部位於舊金山的水處理公司，與當地啤酒廠合作生產這種啤酒。 “幾乎沒有建築物重複使用這些水——這就是我們正在努力改變的。” 這款啤酒是一種Kölsch-style德國麥芽啤酒，一種清爽、酒體輕盈的飲料。採用來自舊金山Fifteen Fifty ，一個40 層豪華公寓大樓，回收洗滌水製成。 但它不用於出售，因為法規禁止在商業飲料中使用回收廢水。 最起碼到現在。
--摘錄翻譯自CNN
These Brain Cells could Influence How Fast You Eat - and When You Stop
這些腦細胞可能會影響你吃飯的速度以及何時停止
Sciences
Brain cells that control how quickly mice eat, and when they stop, have been identified. The findings, published in Nature, could lead to a better understanding of human appetite, the researchers say. Nerves in the gut, called vagal nerves, had already been shown to sense how much mice have eaten and what nutrients they have consumed. The vagal nerves use electrical signals to pass this information to a small region in the brainstem that is thought to influence when mice, and humans, stop eating. This region, called the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS), contains prolactin-releasing hormone neurons (PRLH) and GCG neurons. But, until now, studies have involved filling the guts of anaesthetized mice with liquid food, making it unclear how these neurons regulate appetite when mice are awake. To answer this question, physiologist Zachary Knight at the University of California, San Francisco, and his colleagues implanted a light sensor in the brains of mice that had been genetically modified so that the PRLH neurons released a fluorescent signal when activated by electrical signals transmitted along neurons from elsewhere in the body. Knight and his team infused a liquid food called Ensure — which contains a mixture of fat, protein, sugar, vitamins and minerals — into the guts of these mice. Over a ten-minute period, the neurons became increasingly activated as more of the food was infused. This activity peaked a few minutes after the infusion ended. By contrast, the PRLH neurons did not activate when the team infused saline solution into the mice’s guts.
--from Nature
控制小鼠進食速度和停止時間的腦細胞已經被發現。 研究人員表示，這項發表在《自然》雜誌上的研究結果可能有助於更了解人類的食慾。 腸道中的神經（稱為迷走神經）已經被證明可以感知小鼠吃了多少食物以及它們吸收了哪些營養物質。 迷走神經利用電訊號將訊息傳遞到腦幹中的一個小區域，該區域被認為會影響小鼠和人類停止進食的時間。 此區域稱為孤束尾核 (cNTS)，包含催乳素釋放激素神經元 (PRLH) 和 GCG 神經元。目前研究多使用麻醉小鼠和液體食物填充的腸道，這將使得人們不清楚這些神經元在老鼠清醒時如何調節食慾。 為了回答這個問題，加州大學舊金山分校的生理學家Zachary Knight 和他的同事在老鼠的大腦中植入了一個經過基因改造的光感測器，當受到來自身體其他部位的神經元傳輸的電信號，PRLH 神經元被激活時會釋放出螢光訊號。Knight和他的團隊將一種名為 Ensure，含脂肪、蛋白質、糖、維生素和礦物質的混合物，液體食物注入這些小鼠的腸道中。 在十分鐘的時間裡，隨著更多的食物被注入，神經元變得越來越活躍。 這種活動在輸注結束後幾分鐘達到高峰。 相較之下，當研究小組將鹽水溶液注入小鼠腸道時，PRLH 神經元並沒有活化。
--摘錄翻譯自Nature