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Physiology & Medicine / How close are we to global Polio Eradication, 2021?

« on: 25/05/2021 06:11:10 »

With all eyes on COVID, Polio has largely been ignored, causing some concern among health officials.

However, so far, 2021 has the fewest cases of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) ever.

https://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-now/wild-poliovirus-list/
https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/weekly-polio-analyses-WPV-20210518.pdf

As of May 18, 2021, there has been exactly one documented case of Polio in Pakistan on January 27, 2021, and one documented case of  Polio Afghanistan on January 1, 2021. 

In addition, the last "other source" sample containing the virus in Afghanistan was February 23, 2021. 

There continue to be a few "other" samples in Pakistan, with positive samples on April 12, 2021 (total of 55 positive "other samples" for the year).

There do continue to be a number of circulating vaccine derived polio cases across a handful of countries.
https://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-now/this-week/circulating-vaccine-derived-poliovirus/
https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/weekly-polio-analyses-cVDPV-20210518.pdf

But, even those seem to be significantly down, and seem to be close to interrupted transmission in many countries.

One thing I don't understand is that the last case of Type 2 WPV was apparently 20 years ago in 1999.  Yet, there was a huge recent explosion of cVDPV2 cases.  Was that vaccine given to children even after the virus strain was eradicated?

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Geek Speak / UHD 4K for Computer Monitors?

« on: 22/01/2015 09:24:18 »

I was out browsing today. 

I noticed the UHD 4K TVs were out.  (old news?)  Prices were competitive.  I guess that is the benefit of not getting them when they are first released.

There were even some sweet curved LCD UHD 4K TVs  Resolution is 3840x2160, I think, which is pretty impressive. 

For comparison:
20" monitors, 1600x900
24" monitors, 1920x1200 is common.
30" monitors, 2560x1600

That would put the 48" monitor about 4x the size of the 24" monitor at about the equivalent resolution.  So, 40 to 50" TVs would be running at about "computer resolution".  I think I also saw a 28" version that was cheaper than one might expect, with some wicked resolution (more than is needed?)

So, is anybody using a UHD TV as a primary computer monitor?

Curved might be interesting, but might be of benefit as one gets into larger computer monitors to keep most of the monitor at closer to equidistant to the person.  Would one perceive straight lines as straight on a curved monitor?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / What do chloro-hydrocarbons mean on Mars?

« on: 19/12/2014 11:31:02 »

What do chloro-hydrocarbons (organochlorides) mean on Mars? 

Apparently the Curiosity teams have announced finding organochlories on Mars. 

I suppose I'm not surprised that they found some simple organic (carbon-containing) compounds on Mars.  Methane, of course, has been observed in the atmosphere for years. 

It would seem like the organic chlorides would be very reactive, at least in some situations.  Is this important for abiogenesis?

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Just Chat! / Where would one find science stuff in a store?

« on: 17/12/2014 20:48:24 »

Let me start a puzzle topic about searching for goods in stores.  After a puzzle/anecdote is solved be welcome to add your own.

I have some irregular (fixed and moving) objects that I wanted to make precise measurements of and decided that augment my measurements with a laser pointer either projecting on the object or on paper...  in theory.

I went to a tool store that I thought had them in the past, but they don't sell them now.  So, I headed off to an everything department store that carries everything from food to hardware to clothing. 

I can usually find things in stores pretty well, but this time I ended up asking 2 people for assistance.  The place they had them was extremely logical, but it was the last place I would have ever looked for them.

So...  where would one find a laser pointer in a department store?

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Physiology & Medicine / Is the world prepared for the next pandemic?

« on: 15/11/2014 22:25:10 »

Currently Ebola is considered an epidemic across a few countries in Africa, but hasn't made significant jumps to other continents, or even across all of Africa.

Part of the reason it is generally contained is that it has a relatively short incubation period, and it is not easily transmitted from human to human. 

We have had a couple of cases of Doctors Without Boarders members returning to the USA as carriers, and a few individuals contracting the disease in the USA as secondary infections acquired from the travelers.  Now, treating and containing the disease in Africa is very important for global health, so one should commend those willing to travel there to aid with the treatment efforts. 

Recently a patient that was critically ill with the disease was brought to the USA.  And, I assume the containment is reasonable based on the low transmission rate and direct contact required. 

What if it was a highly contagious airborne virus like Smallpox (pre-vaccine). 

Would it be better to have "hospital ships" dedicated specifically to the treatment of the specific epidemic/pandemic located near the country of origin?  So, rather than bringing the infected patients back to the USA or Europe, one would bring them to the hospital ship where they would be treated and quarantined away from the USA or Europe?

Individuals don't like to see first class vs second class treatment, but one could even build advanced care clinics in the country where the epidemic is active, so again, rather than exposing more people to the disease, keep it contained.

Also, again because the transmission rate of Ebola is low, quarantined individuals are being instructed to go home and stay home for a few weeks.  But, would be be prepared to isolate and quarantine large numbers of potential carriers of a highly communicable disease, especially without putting them at further risk?

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / How far can a shrew walk?

« on: 27/07/2014 21:58:27 »

I seem to have a few shrews that have taken up residence in my house. 

They don't seem to be particularly destructive, but nonetheless they are a bit annoying. 

A couple of them have managed to trap themselves in soda cans.  The first one I tried to drown, but since it could swim, it took far too long. 

I don't believe in dumping my problems at the neighbors, but if I dumped it, say 100 to 200 yards from the house, would it find its way back to the house?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Are light spectral lines constant?

« on: 02/06/2014 19:50:33 »

As I understand it, each element/compound creates specific spectral lines of light when heated.

Are these always constant so the Hydrogen spectral lines will be the same on every star?

Red-shifting and blue-shifting is considered the shifting of these lines due to a star's relative motion with respect to Earth (or the observer).

However, if you were actually orbiting a star a billion light years from Earth, would it be emitting the same spectral lines as our own sun?

I suppose my question is regarding thinking about atomic clocks.  An atomic clock might be defined as the frequency that causes the hyperfine transition of the target atom, hydrogen, cesium, or rubidium. 

This is susceptible of shifting with changes in gravity or velocity. 

So, would we conclude that the emission of light spectra would also be affected by velocity and gravity?

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Just Chat! / Why are lightweight bicycles more expensive than heavy ones?

« on: 01/06/2014 20:31:23 »

So much in the modern world seems to be about minimizing the use of materials.

Many of the aluminum bicycles out today are heavier than my 40 year old Columbus steel bicycle. 

Now, I realize that things have changed somewhat, and many people don't like messing with tires and truing wheels that one might have to with the old road bikes.  However, even "commuting" bikes could be made lighter.

It just seems that a 40 lb bike takes twice the materials to make as a 20 lb bike, so it should be more expensive.  With modern CNC, it should be easy enough to make custom tubing profiles and shapes, and recycle all the cuttings into the next bike.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Are hyphae a natural part of sourdough?

« on: 28/05/2014 09:05:05 »

I seem to be eating less bread as the temperature warms and I'm getting a wider variety of foods, and my sourdough is growing faster as the weather is warming. 

I've been having lots of problems with hyphae growing on top of my sourdough?  Are they a natural part of the sourdough?

I've been pouring/scraping off the top layers and using the sourdough underneath which seems to be just fine.  I then clean my container and regenerate my sourdough from my flour/water/sourdough pre-mix part of my bread dough.

So, are the hyphae a sign of contamination, or a natural part of my sourdough yeast?  It would seem that natural yeasts would likely retain the spore forming capabilities to help them spread.

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Technology / Does the military "move satellites into place"?

« on: 06/05/2014 09:33:45 »

On TV, they often say that they need to "move a satellite into position". 

Does the military actually move satellites?

The only places they can maintain satellites in a single position would be over the equator, so a geostationary orbit near Moscow would be over Kenya, and would suffer from wicked shadows. 

I would imagine the military would design a grid somewhat like the GPS grid where satellites are placed in a low earth orbit, with an orbital period of about 2 hours.  Then once enough are put in the sky, there is always a few in the sky everywhere.

Moving a satellite out of its orbit would take an extraordinary amount of resources,  and holding it in one place over an arbitrary point on Earth would be essentially impossible.

The important part would be directing the surveillance equipment.

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Technology / How frequently are there false alarms on cruise ships?

« on: 04/05/2014 10:24:37 »

On both the Sewol and the Consta Concordia, the captain/crew ordered the passengers to their cabins shortly before the ships capsized. 

In these cases, the more logical order would have been to don the life jackets, then head to the lifeboat decks to await further instruction.  There may in fact be some benefit of sending 500 passengers (say 500x100 lbs = 25 tons) to the high side, although life boats should be launched from both sides of the ship. 

If the ship was in fact able to recover, one just chalks it down as a "drill".  Obviously getting 500 kids crammed against the railing, someone might fall overboard.  Would they just start jumping before the abandon ship order? 

Anyway, so the question is how frequently are there "false negatives"?  Times in which the proper action would be just to wait and see if the ship will recover.

The MV Cougar Ace [img float=right]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Cougar_Ace_on_side_%28starboard_side%29.jpg/320px-Cougar_Ace_on_side_%28starboard_side%29.jpg[/img] was a cargo ship that developed a severe list, but ended up not sinking, and eventually was salvaged and repaired.

Recently, there were also one or two cruise ships that had significant fire damage, but managed to stay afloat.

However, at least the passenger ships that hit the news that developed a mild list eventually capsized.  In some cases, Ro-Ro Ferries have capsized in a matter of minutes, whereas the Sewol took about an hour between the time where a critical danger was discovered and the tilting ship made egress difficult.

So, is "go to your quarters and await further instruction" ever appropriate?

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General Science / Can a person survive in an unpressurized aircraft wing?

« on: 01/05/2014 11:57:07 »

This week, a teenage boy survived the 5 hour flight from California to Hawaii, in the wheel well of a plane. How amazing is his survival?

Read a transcript of the interview by clicking here
or download as MP3

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Technology / How does one fight a fire on a passenger jet?

« on: 15/04/2014 19:34:33 »

How would one fight a catastrophic fire on a passenger jet?

One of the theories about the missing Malaysian MH370 flight was that it experienced a catastrophic fire onboard, perhaps either due to carrying 200 kg of Lithium batteries onboard, or perhaps a fire hit the batteries which may have then exacerbated the fire.

Apparently they don't deploy oxygen masks during fires as the added O₂ might exacerbate the fires.  And, apparently the masks only supply a few minutes of oxygen.

Do they just let all the passengers get overcome by smoke inhalation?  What about on a transpacific or transatlantic flight?

What about the pilots?  Do they have access to supplemental air/oxygen whenever they feel they have a need?  Does the cockpit have an independent ventilation system from the rest of the cabin?

Anyway, how would one fight a massive fire onboard other than trying to get the plane landed and evacuated as soon as possible?

WWII movies show attempts to "blow out" engine fires with a steep decent, but that wouldn't be effective with a cabin fire.  Perhaps attempt to rise up to the maximum elevation for the plane, then depressurize the cabin (and allow the supplemental O₂ masks to descend).  But, if the engines run on oxygen, would this be enough?  One could push it higher until the engines stalled, but that would be dangerous.  Apparently the Oxygen masks are only good for a short time (no mechanism to scavenge ambient air/oxygen?)

Perhaps one could drop the O2 masks, then flood the passenger compartment with a non-toxic inert gas, Argon?  Argonite?

Apparently the Argonite can even be effective at concentrations where the oxygen is still breathable. 

What if one lost the cockpit?  Would there be any way to control the aircraft from outside of the cockpit?

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Physiology & Medicine / Do you prefer the long version or shortened version of your name?

« on: 07/04/2014 20:43:49 »

As with many people with 2+ syllable names, there is a long and short version of the name. 

People have often asked which I prefer, and while there are certain alterations that I have a strong dislike for, I really do not notice the difference between the standard short and long forms of my name.

Others?

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Physiology & Medicine / What is the mechanism for forgetting?

« on: 01/04/2014 21:01:54 »

In psychology, there is a discussion of "short term memory", that which exists for a matter of seconds, and "long term memory"...  which is pretty much everything else.

But is there something in between? 

"Temporary Memory" that gets regularly overwritten?

It seems like there are often a few details to a memory with a few details lacking.  One can reach back in to the memory 3 or 4 days to snag some details. 

But, those memories that last for a year, or a decade seem to require some kind of special significance or perhaps an emotional connection. 

I would imagine that I learned a lot in my first year Italian course 30 years ago, but there is only one thing I can remember with clarity is an exam question.  I did, however, learn a lot of words, spending hours and hours with flash cards (just remembering doing it, not the actual task).

"Fumi spesso l'erba?", to which I responded "Si, fumo l'erba qualche volta".
Anyway, I had made a minor error and thought the question was:
"Nuoti spesso nei fiumi?"  One letter, and the difference between a noun and a verb makes a big difference.  So, with a little emotional response, that question and a half dozen words got etched into the mind.

On the other hand, on a daily commute, you might remember several details from last day or two, but beyond that only details that reach a special significance.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / How does a tree determine where to grow branches?

« on: 30/03/2014 22:03:40 »

Some trees such as fir trees may exclusively, or mostly grow branches as new growth, and one often sees the branches organized in annual rings.

However, leaf-type trees seem to be less restrictive, and seem to be able to put on new branches along any of the limbs, and even frequently on the main trunk.  Pruning can apparently cause them to make several new branches. 

What causes buds and branches to occur?  Sunlight?  How is the new branch formation maintained symmetrical so the trees don't fall over?

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Technology / How hard would it be to track 100% of the global passenger aircraft always?

« on: 11/03/2014 05:07:17 »

How hard would it be to design a system that would track 100% of the global passenger aircraft 100% of the time?  Or, perhaps anything larger than a single engine Cessna? 

The planes should be able to get fairly accurate 3-D GPS information, latitude, longitude, altitude, direction of travel, velocity vector, fuel status, etc.  Design the system to broadcast an ID and status packet, say once a minute. 

For the most part, the data could be just logged, but deviations from normal should be flagged and analyzed.  And, of course, schedule status could be better monitored.

I assume there'd be a few dead spots, and the occasional network outage.  But, for something like the recent lost Malaysia jet, there would be  alot less guessing on where it would be.  The survival rate for planes lost at sea is low, but if some passengers managed to get their life jackets on, they might be found at a reasonable time.

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Technology / Does it waste power to leave a burnt out CFL in the socket?

« on: 02/03/2014 02:02:56 »

A couple of years ago I replaced many of my lightbulbs with CFL bulbs.  Since then a few have burnt out, and if they didn't seem to be lighting a vital part of the room, I've left them out. 

If a classic tungsten filament bulb burns out, then the circuit is broken and no power is lost.

But, what about CFL bulbs with all the electronic circuitry inside?  Or fluorescent tube lights?

Actually, I just replaced a couple of my fluorescent tube lights with LEDs, and discovered that one of them might have been working with a 100% short...  which puzzles me a bit.

19

Geek Speak / Will we see a revival of RISC processing?

« on: 01/03/2014 01:57:55 »

Looking at the electronic currency mining, they seem to be migrating from CPU intense processing to essentially graphic cards and perhaps massively parallel small processor systems. 

Intel and AMD have been producing 3 to 4 GHz CPUs for nearly a decade now.  Granted one may be able to squeeze 6 to 12 "cores" into a home PC with loads of Cache.

However, 1 to 3 THz (TFlop) rated "mining" systems are now coming out for less than $10K.  That means that the processing speed is on the order of 1000 times as fast as the typical Intel/AMD system.  Could one run them as a personal super-computer?

The early SUN SPARCs, and a number of other "workstations" used to run what was called RISC, or "Reduced Instruction Set Computing", which I think is compatible with some of the Unix/Linux systems. 

I'm not convinced that I truly need a TFlop to read my e-mail, but perhaps it would be useful for a DB/Web server, modeling and simulations, or wicked real-time graphics (assuming also given graphic connections).

Will there be an effort to bring this technology back into workstations?  Will it be able to compete with the Intel/AMD CPU based systems?

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Physiology & Medicine / Is there a problem with allowing one's hands and feet to get cold?

« on: 21/01/2014 03:02:57 »

Is there a problem with allowing one's hands and feet to get cold?

At times I'll be doing something and my hands get so cold that they start getting stiff.  Or, my toes feet will get to be significantly below "body temp", perhaps just feeling cold. 

Obviously allowing them to actually freeze (frostbite) is very bad.  But, what about letting them just get cold, say 40-50°F, or 5-10°C?

Also, why do the fingers feel so stiff when most of the finger muscles are in the arms?