The changing face of kuru: a personal perspective

The epidemic of kuru is now known to have been transmitted among the Fore by ritual consumption of infected organs from deceased relatives. As cannibalism was suppressed by government patrol officers during the 1950s, most transmission had ceased by 1957, when the kuru research programme first commenced. As predicted in the 1960s, the epidemic has waned, with progressive ageing of kuru-affected cohorts over the years to 2007. The few cases seen in the twenty-first century, with the longest incubation periods, were almost certainly exposed as children prior to 1960. Although the research programme had almost no role in bringing the kuru epidemic to an end, it did provide important knowledge that was to help the wider world in controlling the later epidemics of iatrogenic and variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Optical and Radio Polarimetry of the M87 Jet at 0.2" Resolution

We discuss optical (HST/WFPC2 F555W) and radio (15 GHz VLA) polarimetry observations of the M87 jet taken during 1994-1995. Many knot regions are very highly polarized ($\sim 40-50$, approaching the theoretical maximum for optically thin synchrotron radiation), suggesting highly ordered magnetic fields. High degrees of polarization are also observed in interknot regions. While the optical and radio polarization maps share many similarities, we observe significant differences between the radio and optical polarized structures, particularly for bright knots in the inner jet, giving us important insight into the jet's radial structure. Unlike in the radio, the optical magnetic field position angle becomes perpendicular to the jet at the upstream ends of knots HST-1, D, E and F. Moreover, the optical polarization decreases markedly at the position of the flux maxima in these knots. In contrast, the magnetic field position angle observed in the radio remains parallel to the jet in most of these regions, and the decreases in radio polarization are smaller. More minor differences are seen in other jet regions. Many of the differences between optical and radio polarimetry results can be explained in terms of a model whereby shocks occur in the jet interior, where higher-energy electrons are concentrated and dominate both polarized and unpolarized emissions in the optical, while the radio maps show strong contributions from lower-energy electrons in regions with {\bf B} parallel, near the jet surface.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in AJ (May 1999

The Crisis in Science Education: Problems and Recommendations: A Summary of the Iowa Academy of Science Symposium at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, April 22, 1983

There is a recognized state and national crisis in securing and maintaining qualified science teachers. To date the majority of effort has been expended toward identifying and redefining the problems with few attempts made to resolve them. The purpose of this symposium was to spend minimal time seeking to inform participants of the problems and then to present some recommendations for resolving them. Each of the presenters was uniquely to address this, to date, intractable problem

Positive action for HIV in schools in Kenya

The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of using comic books, role models, and edutainment to communicate HIV and AIDS messages to in-school young people in Kenya, with a view to improving their knowledge about the epidemic, enhancing communication about it, and promoting positive attitudes and behavior among them. The study was implemented by the Population Council in eight secondary schools in Nairobi, as part of the APHIA II Operations Research Project in collaboration with the AIDS Control Unit in the Ministry of Education, Well Told Story, and the National AIDS/STI Control Programme. The study found that there is need for HIV and AIDS and other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information among students, and that using youth-friendly channels to communicate HIV and AIDS messages to in-school youth is acceptable to members of the school community. Furthermore, the use of such channels leads to improved knowledge of SRH issues, enhanced communication about SRH, and positive changes in attitudes and behavior of students

The Spectroscopic Orbit of the Planetary Companion Transiting HD209458

We report a spectroscopic orbit with period P = 3.52433 +/- 0.00027 days for the planetary companion that transits the solar-type star HD209458. For the metallicity, mass, and radius of the star we derive [Fe/H] = 0.00 +/- 0.02, M = 1.1 +/- 0.1 solar masses, and R = 1.3 +/- 0.1 solar radii. This is based on a new analysis of the iron lines in our HIRES template spectrum, and also on the absolute magnitude and color of the star, and uses isochrones from four different sets of stellar evolution models. Using these values for the stellar parameters we reanalyze the transit data and derive an orbital inclination of i = 85.2 +/- 1.4 degrees. For the planet we derive a mass of Mp = 0.69 +/- 0.05 Jupiter masses, a radius of Rp = 1.54 +/- 0.18 Jupiter radii, and a density of 0.23 +/- 0.08 grams per cubic cm.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables, LaTex, aastex, accepted for publication by ApJ Letter

Aerosol-cloud relationships in continental shallow cumulus

Aerosol-cloud relationships are derived from 14 warm continental cumuli cases sampled during the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (GoMACCS) by the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter aircraft. Cloud droplet number concentration is clearly proportional to the subcloud accumulation mode aerosol number concentration. An inverse correlation between cloud top effective radius and subcloud aerosol number concentration is observed when cloud depth variations are accounted for. There are no discernable aerosol effects on cloud droplet spectral dispersion; the averaged spectral relative dispersion is 0.30 ± 0.04. Aerosol-cloud relationships are also identified from comparison of two isolated cloud cases that occurred under different degrees of anthropogenic influence. Cloud liquid water content, cloud droplet number concentration, and cloud top effective radius exhibit subadiabaticity resulting from entrainment mixing processes. The degree of LWC subadiabaticity is found to increase with cloud depth. Impacts of subadiabaticity on cloud optical properties are assessed. It is estimated that owing to entrainment mixing, cloud LWP, effective radius, and cloud albedo are decreased by 50–85%, 5–35%, and 2–26%, respectively, relative to adiabatic values of a plane-parallel cloud. The impact of subadiabaticity on cloud albedo is largest for shallow clouds. Results suggest that the effect of entrainment mixing must be accounted for when evaluating the aerosol indirect effect

Aerosol–cloud drop concentration closure for clouds sampled during the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation 2004 campaign

This study analyzes 27 cumuliform and stratiform clouds sampled aboard the CIRPAS Twin Otter during the 2004 International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation (ICARTT) experiment. The data set was used to assess cloud droplet closure using (1) a detailed adiabatic cloud parcel model and (2) a state-of-the-art cloud droplet activation parameterization. A unique feature of the data set is the sampling of highly polluted clouds within the vicinity of power plant plumes. Remarkable closure was achieved (much less than the 20% measurement uncertainty) for both parcel model and parameterization. The highly variable aerosol did not complicate the cloud droplet closure, since the clouds had low maximum supersaturation and were not sensitive to aerosol variations (which took place at small particle sizes). The error in predicted cloud droplet concentration was mostly sensitive to updraft velocity. Optimal closure is obtained if the water vapor uptake coefficient is equal to 0.06, but can range between 0.03 and 1.0. The sensitivity of cloud droplet prediction error to changes in the uptake coefficient, organic solubility and surface tension depression suggest that organics exhibit limited solubility. These findings can serve as much needed constraints in modeling of aerosol-cloud interactions in the North America; future in situ studies will determine the robustness of our findings

Prior immunity helps to explain wave-like behaviour of pandemic influenza in 1918-9

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ecology of influenza may be more complex than is usually assumed. For example, despite multiple waves in the influenza pandemic of 1918-19, many people in urban locations were apparently unaffected. Were they unexposed, or protected by pre-existing cross-immunity in the first wave, by acquired immunity in later waves, or were their infections asymptomatic?</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We modelled all these possibilities to estimate parameters to best explain patterns of repeat attacks in 24,706 individuals potentially exposed to summer, autumn and winter waves in 12 English populations during the 1918-9 pandemic.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Before the summer wave, we estimated that only 52% of persons (95% credibility estimates 41-66%) were susceptible, with the remainder protected by prior immunity. Most people were exposed, as virus transmissibility was high with R₀credibility estimates of 3.10-6.74. Because of prior immunity, estimates of effective R at the start of the summer wave were lower at 1.57-3.96. Only 25-66% of exposed and susceptible persons reported symptoms. After each wave, 33-65% of protected persons became susceptible again before the next wave through waning immunity or antigenic drift. Estimated rates of prior immunity were less in younger populations (19-59%) than in adult populations (38-66%), and tended to lapse more frequently in the young (49-92%) than in adults (34-76%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our model for pandemic influenza in 1918-9 suggests that pre-existing immune protection, presumably induced by prior exposure to seasonal influenza, may have limited the pandemic attack-rate in urban populations, while the waning of that protection likely contributed to recurrence of pandemic waves in exposed cities. In contrast, in isolated populations, pandemic attack rates in 1918-9 were much higher than in cities, presumably because prior immunity was less in populations with infrequent prior exposure to seasonal influenza. Although these conclusions cannot be verified by direct measurements of historical immune mechanisms, our modelling inferences from 1918-9 suggest that the spread of the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 pandemic has also been limited by immunity from prior exposure to seasonal influenza. Components of that immunity, which are measurable, may be short-lived, and not necessarily correlated with levels of HI antibody.</p