- Dozens of people sick across several states in salmonella outbreak linked to recalled eggs
- Apple juice sold at Aldi, Walgreens, Weis stores included in expanded recall
- The US woman who teaches French people how to cook French food
- How a single bag of smuggled Cheetos sparked a ‘world-changing’ impact in national park
- Physics breakthrough brings nuclear clock closer to reality
- Chocolate, but without the guilt? Why lab-grown cocoa and fermented fava beans could be the future
KMU Weekly: News around the World
Issue 138 - Sep. 16. 2024
Dozens of people sick across several states in salmonella outbreak linked to recalled eggs
全美數個州內爆發了與回收蛋相關的沙門氏菌疫情
Health
Sixty-five people in nine states have been sickened by a salmonella outbreak linked to recalled eggs, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday. Of 63 cases with information available, 24 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The CDC says the outbreak may be difficult to treat with commonly recommended antibiotics; lab tests showed the bacteria is resistant to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. Illnesses started from May 23 to August 10. The US Food and Drug Administration says they may have been sent other places. The recall was announced Friday. The eggs are labeled with Milo’s Poultry Farm or Tony’s Fresh Market. All egg types, sizes and expiration dates are included in the recall. The recalled eggs should be thrown away or returned to the store. People should wash items and surfaces that may have touched the recalled eggs with hot, soapy water or a dishwasher. Symptoms of a salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps that can start within hours or days of consuming the bacteria. Most people will recover without treatment but should seek immediate attention from a health care provider if they have severe symptoms, symptoms that don’t improve after a few days or signs of dehydration. Children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to become severely ill.
---from CNN
美國疾病管制與預防中心(CDC)週六表示，在美國九個州內爆發了與回收蛋有關的沙門氏菌疫情，目前已有65人感染。 在63筆可查詢的病例資料中，24人已入院治療。目前為止未有死亡通報。CDC表示，此次疫情可能難以透過常規推薦的抗生素來治療，實驗室檢測結果顯示，該細菌對萘啶酸和環丙沙星具有抗藥性。該疾病從今年5月23日開始至8月10日。 美國食品藥物管理局(FDA)表示，這些雞蛋可能被運往其他地方，並於上週五宣布召回。 這批雞蛋的標籤為 Milo’s Poultry Farm或 Tony’s Fresh Market。包括所有種類、大小與不同到期日的雞蛋都會被一併回收。 這批被回收的雞蛋應丟棄或退回商店。若有任何可能與該回收蛋接觸過的物品與表面，都應使用洗碗機或熱肥皂水清洗。 一般沙門氏菌感染的症狀包括腹瀉、發燒與胃部痙攣，這些症狀可能會在食入細菌後數小時或數天內開始。大多數人不需治療即可痊癒，但如果症狀嚴重、數天後仍未改善，甚至出現脫水跡象，則應立即尋求醫療協助。兒童、年長者或免疫系統低弱人較容易變嚴重。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Apple juice sold at Aldi, Walgreens, Weis stores included in expanded recall
在 Aldi、Walgreens 和 Weis 等商店出售的蘋果汁被擴大列入回收行列
Health
Apple juice sold at chain retailers across the country has been recalled over concerns about arsenic levels. The recall applies to certain bottles of Great Value, Market Basket, Weis, Urban Meadow, Natures Nectar, Wellsley Farms, Solevita and Clover Valley apple juice, according to manufacturer Refresco Beverages US and recall information posted on the US Food and Drug Administration’s website. The juice was sold at stores such as Walgreens, Walmart, BJ’s, Weis and Aldi. The statement notes that no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and can combine with other materials to create organic or inorganic forms, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Organic arsenic compounds mainly appear in fish and shellfish, and exposure is less harmful to humans. Inorganic compounds are found in soil, sediments and groundwater. Exposure may lead to irritation of the stomach or intestines, blood vessel damage, skin changes and reduced nerve function. Long-term exposure in children has also been linked with lower IQ scores. The FDA set the 10 ppb limit for inorganic arsenic in apple juice in June 2023 in an effort to reduce exposure of babies and young children to environmental contaminants through food. However, that level was not a requirement for manufacturers, and the agency said at the time that it would consider the limit “in addition to other factors” when deciding to take action on arsenic levels in foods.
---from CNN
全美各大連鎖零售店出售的蘋果汁因砷含量問題被全面回收。根據製造商Refresco Beverages US和美國食品及藥物管理局(FDA)網站所公佈的資訊，回收的特定產品包含以下 Great Value、Market Basket、Weis、Urban Meadow、Natures Nectar、Wellsley Farms、Solevita和Clover Valley的瓶裝蘋果汁。這些果汁在 Walgreens、Walmart、BJ's、Weis 和 Aldi 等零售商店都有販售。 聲明指出，目前尚未收到與此次回收行動有關的疾病報告。 根據美國疾病管制與預防中心(CDC)的資料，砷自然存在於環境中，並可與其他物質結合成有機或無機的形式。有機砷化合物主要出現在魚類和貝類中，暴露於此類化合物下對人體的傷害較小。 無機化合物則存在於土壤、沉澱物和地下水中。曝露後可能會刺激胃部或腸道，造成血管損傷、改變皮膚及神經功能減退。兒童智商低落也與長期接觸此類物質有關。 FDA於2023年6月訂定蘋果汁中無機砷的含量限值為10 ppb，以減少嬰幼兒透過食物接觸環境污染物的可能。然而，該標準並非針對製造商，該機構表示，在決定對其食品中的砷含量水平採取行動時，將考慮這一限值「以及其他因素」。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
The US woman who teaches French people how to cook French food
一個教法國人做法國菜的美國女人
Culture
For many people, the idea of moving to France usually conjures up dreams of romance or – because this is the land of Michelin stars and cafe culture – food. US woman Jane Satow found both. Not only that, but in a country renowned for showing disdain toward the cuisines of foreigners, she has also found work teaching locals how to cook. Satow, 56, left her home in Virginia two decades ago to start a new life in the bucolic southern French region of Provence. After initially grappling with the language, she says she now speaks fluent French. She still lives in the country house she shared with her ex-husband in Egalières, a village 12 kilometers (about 7 miles) outside Saint-Rémy, that she also rents out to vacationers in summers. She says she likes to stick to teaching authentic local cuisine with a few twists. “It is important to me to pay homage to the local Provencal cuisine which developed over hundreds of years and is still made by local people in their homes.” Satow confesses she was quite concerned that at the beginning, as an outsider, she might have her attempts at tackling classic French cooking rejected. Other than the language barrier, she had to face a series of red tape-related obstacles and overcome some cultural clashes. The biggest issue for foreigners, especially Americans, Satow says, is the French tendency to say “no” right away before considering whether it’s possible to work through something. “Being persistent, positive and trying to find a solution is imperative,” she adds.
---from CNN
對許多人來說，搬到法國通常會喚起浪漫的夢想或——因為這裡是米其林星級餐廳和咖啡文化的國度。 來自美國的Jane Satow不僅找到了這兩樣東西，還在一個以對外國料理表現出蔑視而聞名的國家，找到了一份教導當地人如何烹飪的工作。 56歲的Satow在二十年前離開了維吉尼亞州的家，開始在法國南部的普羅旺斯地區開啟新生活。 起初，她在語言方面面臨種種挑戰，但現在的她已說著一口流利的法語。她依然住在她與前夫共享的鄉村房子裡，這座房子位於距離Saint-Rémy約12公里的Egalières村，她會在夏天將它房子出租給度假者。 她表示，自己喜歡堅持傳統道地美食的教學，但偶爾會加上些微的創新。「對我來說，尊重當地普羅旺斯的傳統菜餚是很重要的，這些美食發展了幾百年，當地人至今依然會在家裡製作。」 Satow坦白說，她最初非常擔心作為外國人的她會遭到嘗試經典法式烹飪的拒絕。 除了語言障礙外，她還必須面對一系列繁瑣的官僚障礙，並克服一些文化衝突。Satow表示，面對外國人時，尤其是對美國人，法國人往往會立刻說「不」，而不是考慮有無其他可以解決問題的方法。 「持續堅持、保持積極的態度並嘗試尋找解決方案是至關重要的，」她補充道。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
How a single bag of smuggled Cheetos sparked a ‘world-changing’ impact in national park
一包偷偷帶進來的奇多是如何為國家公園帶來「改變世界」等級的衝擊
Culture
Just one bag of Cheetos can be “world changing.” A parkgoer at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico recently dropped a bag full of Cheetos at the caverns. That one bag of the dusty orange snack made a “huge impact” on the cave’s ecosystem, the park said in a Facebook post. “At the scale of human perspective, a spilled snack bag may seem trivial, but to the life of the cave it can be world changing,” the park said. The post explained how some incidental impacts can be “difficult or impossible” to prevent, such as the fact that people walk among the caves on a regular basis, leaving a fine trail of lint — but other impacts are “completely avoidable,” such as dropping a bag of snacks. “The processed corn, softened by the humidity of the cave, formed the perfect environment to host microbial life and fungi. Cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies soon organize into a temporary food web, dispersing the nutrients to the surrounding cave and formations. Molds spread higher up the nearby surfaces, fruit, die and stink. And the cycle continues.” Park rangers reportedly spent 20 minutes removing the foreign debris and molds from the surfaces of the cave, explaining that while some members of the ecosystem that came from the Cheetos are cave-dwellers, “many of the microbial life and molds are not.”
---from New York Post
僅僅一包奇多也能「改變世界」。 近日，在美國新墨西哥州的卡爾斯巴德洞窟國家公園，一名遊客不慎在洞窟裡掉了一整袋奇多。國家公園官方在臉書貼文中表示，這一袋滿是塵土的橙色零食對洞窟生態系統造成了「巨大衝擊」。 貼文中提到：「從人的角度來看，掉落一包零食看似微不足道，但對於洞窟裡的生命來說，這可能是改變他們整個世界的大事件。」貼文裡解釋說，有些意外的影響是「難以或不可能」避免的，例如人們經常在洞窟內行走，會留下細微的棉絮痕跡；但其他影響則「完全是可以避免的」，比如掉落一包零食。 「在洞窟潮濕的環境下，加工過的玉米製品變得柔軟，為微生物和真菌提供了理想的生長環境。洞窟蟋蟀、蟎蟲、蜘蛛和蒼蠅很快形成了一個臨時的食物網，將養分分散到周圍的洞窟和地層。黴菌蔓延到附近的表面，水果腐爛發臭。循環將不斷持續進行。」 據報導，公園巡警花了20分鐘才清除洞窟表面上的外來碎屑和黴菌，並解釋說，雖然來找掉落「奇多」都是原本住在洞窟裡的生物，但「有更多微生物和黴菌並非住在這裡。」
---摘錄翻譯自New York Post
Physics breakthrough brings nuclear clock closer to reality
物理性的突破讓核子時鐘更有機會成真
Sciences
Picture a clock ticking so steadily that it doesn’t lose a second, even after running for 1 billion years. Scientists are now closer than ever to realizing that level of timekeeping precision, new research has revealed. Such a device would greatly surpass the capabilities of atomic clocks, which define the span of a second through controlled energy jumps in atoms’ electrons and are currently the pinnacle of accuracy for measuring time. In atomic clocks, signals that excite the atoms oscillate at a frequency of billions of times per second. Researchers recently developed a technique that could elevate this accuracy by triggering and measuring oscillations in an even trickier target: an atom’s nucleus. For this nuclear clock, the scientists used ultraviolet light to excite nuclear particles in an atom of thorium-229 embedded in solid crystal. They then measured the frequency of the energy pulses affecting the nucleus — the equivalent of a pendulum in a regular clock — by counting the waves in the UV signal using a tool called an optical frequency comb. Causing energy jumps in a nucleus requires a much higher frequency signal than is required for atomic clocks. With more wave cycles per second, this approach is expected to provide more accurate time measurements. Some scientists have proposed that dark matter interacts with particles such as electrons, quarks and gluons, but in amounts that are currently undetectable. Though there is still much progress to be made before nuclear clocks surpass the performance of atomic clocks — or replace them — these findings hint that such a time isn’t far off, Kolkowitz said.
---from CNN
想像一個時鐘，其穩定精確度如此之高，即使運行10億年也不會有一秒的誤差。根據最新的研究，科學家如今比以往任何時候都更接近實現這種級別的時間測量精度。 這種設備將遠超過原子鐘的能力。原子鐘通過控制原子電子的能量躍遷來定義一秒鐘的長度，這是目前時間測量之準確性的最大精度標準。在原子鐘中，激發原子的信號每秒振盪數十億次。 研究人員最近開發了一種技術，可以透過觸發和測量一個更棘手的目標——原子核——的振盪來提升這種精確度。對於這個核時鐘，科學家使用紫外光來激發嵌在固態水晶中釷-229原子的核粒子。接著，他們使用一種名為光學頻率梳的工具來計算紫外線訊號中的波形，從而測量出影響原子核的能量脈衝頻率，這就相當於一般時鐘中的擺錘。 要在原子核中引起能量躍遷，需要比原子鐘更高頻率的信號。隨著每秒波週期的增加，這種方法有望提供更精確的測量。 一些科學家提出，暗物質與電子、夸克和膠子等粒子相互作用，但目前還沒有辦法觀測。 儘管核鐘在超越或取代原子鐘的性能上還有很多很多進步的空間，但這些重大的發現暗示著離這一刻並不遙遠，Kolkowitz說。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Chocolate, but without the guilt? Why lab-grown cocoa and fermented fava beans could be the future
無罪的巧克力？為什麼實驗室培養的可可和發酵的蠶豆可能成為未來的發展方向？
Sciences
The chocolate industry is having a meltdown. Cocoa prices have doubled since the start of the year, as crops in West Africa — which produces 80% of the world’s cocoa — have been hit by droughts made worse by climate change. As a result, processing plants in countries such as Ghana and Ivory Coast have stopped or scaled down production, while major manufacturers have raised prices and cut sales estimates. This recent crisis adds to other problems with chocolate production; cocoa is one of the leading drivers of illegal deforestation and there has been evidence of child labor and slavery in cocoa farms in Africa and Brazil. Growing cacao trees also requires a lot of water, yet only the seeds of the fruit are harvested. One way to tackle these problems is to make chocolate without using cocoa beans — the fermented seed of the cacao tree. Cocoa-free chocolate is already available but scientists around the world are looking for new ways to make it greener and healthier, using new techniques and ingredients. There are also ways to incorporate even more natural components from the cocoa plant into the manufacturing process. A study published this year shows it’s possible to make chocolate using only the cocoa pod, by replacing traditional sugar with a cocoa gel. The switch has positive effects not just on sustainability, but on the nutritional profile of the end product. Perhaps the best path forward for the chocolate industry might not be to reinvent its product, but just use more of what it already produces.
---from CNN
巧克力產業正面臨崩潰。自年初以來，可可的價格已經翻倍，主要原因是西非的可可作物受到氣候變遷加劇的乾旱影響。西非生產了全球80%的可可，因此像是迦納和象牙海岸這些國家的加工廠不得不停止或縮減生產，而主要製造商則下調了預估的銷售量，並提高了單價。 這次危機加劇了巧克力生產的其他問題：可可是非法砍伐森林的主要原因之一，並且有證據表明，非洲和巴西的可可農場存在童工和使用奴隸的問題。種植可可樹還需要大量水資源，可是只有果實會被收成。 解決這些問題的方法之一，就是不使用可可豆（可可樹的發酵種子）製作而成的巧克力。不含可可豆的巧克力已經上市，但世界各地的科學家正在尋找新的方法，利用新的技術和成分，讓巧克力更環保、更健康。 還有一些方法，可以在製造過程中加入更多天然可可植物的成分。今年發表的一項研究顯示，可以只使用可可豆莢來製作巧克力，這個方法是用可可凝膠取代傳統的糖。這種轉換不僅可以帶來永續性，對最終產品的營養價值也有正面影響。 對於巧克力產業來說，最好的前進道路或許不是重新發明產品，而是更多地使用現有資源。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN