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Dolphin Deaths Off Fla. Perplex Scientists 2004/4/1

  The death toll has reached 105 as scientists try to pinpoint what is killing bottlenose dolphins off the Florida Panhandle. 

bottlenose dolphins : バンドウイルカ


Most of the deaths have occurred in and around St. Joseph's Bay in Gulf County, but the last two carcasses were discovered Tuesday west of here in neighboring Bay County at Mexico Beach and Panama City Beach. 


Scientists suspect a naturally occurring biotoxin such as red tide algae may be causing the deaths that have occurred since March 10. 

biotoxin[名詞] 生態毒素

A high level of brevetoxin, a powerful neurotoxin released by red tide, is in the marine mammals' stomach contents, urine and feces, but internal lesions usually associated with the poison are absent, said Sara Wilkins of the National Marine Fisheries Service. 

lesion[名詞] 傷害; 外傷; 病変; 機能障害;absent[形容詞] 欠席している; 欠けている; 欠席した; 留守の; 放心している;[動詞] 欠席する; 留守にする; 遠ざける;

"We're not ruling anything out," she said. 

If a biotoxin is the cause, the dolphins may have eaten fish that had ingested it somewhere else, Wilkins said. Scientists have been unable to spot red tide on satellite images of the region, but Wilkins noted the blooms can be hard to find because some are far offshore or beneath the surface. 

bloom[名詞] 花; 開花; 盛り; 輝き;[動詞] 花が咲く; 栄える; コーティングする;ingest[動詞] 摂取する;

The large size of some carcasses also indicates they lived far offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, said Anne Harvey, park manager for St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Most of the dead animals have washed up at the park on this peninsula about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee. 


Offshore dolphins are usually longer and weigh more than their inshore counterparts and need more room to swim than usually available in bays and inlets, Harvey said. 

inlet[名詞] 入り江; 入り口; 象眼物; 入江;

The deaths apparently have made little dent in the dolphin population. Dolphin tour operators said the animals seem to be just as plentiful as in years past. 

dent[動詞] 窪ませる; 凹ませる; 凹む; 窪む;[名詞] 窪み; 凹み; 歯; リードワイヤ;

Harvey said park rangers have reported a drop in sightings here, but visitors continue to spot live dolphins in the bay. 

drop[動詞] 絶交する; 中止する; 下げる; やめる; 落ちる; ぽたぽた落ちる; したたらせる; 急に下がる; 急に倒れる; 後退する; 外す; 落とす; 降ろす; 下がる;[名詞] しずく; 落下; ドロップ; 目薬; 落下物; 差し入れ口; 下落; 低下; 減少;

Japan Confirms Third Bird Flu Outbreak  2004/3/1

Japan's agriculture minister on Sunday slammed a senior poultry industry executive for failing to report the deaths of tens of thousands of chickens on his farm, where officials have confirmed the country's third outbreak of bird flu. 

slam[動詞] ピシャリと閉める; 打つ; 酷評する; バタンと閉まる;executive[形容詞] 実行上の; 行政上の; 支配人の; 重役の; 行政部の; 執行部の;[名詞] エクゼクティブ; 行政府; 行政官; 支配人; 重役; 行政部; 執行部; 幹部; 役員; 経営幹部; 重役陣; 知事; 経営陣;

About 18,000 of the 200,000 chickens at the farm in southwestern Japan died a week before an anonymous phone call tipped local officials to the outbreak on Thursday. The farm, run by Hajimu Asada, had continued to ship live chickens, meat and eggs to customers. 

tip[動詞] チップをあげる; 内報する; 予想する; 先を覆う; 毛先を染める;ship[動詞] 追い払う; 雇い入れる; かぶる; 輸送に適する; 送る; 発送する; 乗船する; 船で働く; 出荷する; 配送する;[名詞] 船; 飛行機; 乗組員;

"It is terribly regrettable that the report (of the outbreak) came so late," particularly because Asada is deputy chairman of the Japan Poultry Association, Agriculture Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei said in comments to public broadcaster NHK. 

deputy chairman : 副会長deputy[名詞] 代理人; 代表者; 代議士; 代わり; 代理; 副官; 副長官; 代理官;


Local media quoted Asada, chairman of Asada Nosan, which owns the farm, as saying it had decided to ship live chickens as much as two months ahead of schedule after noticing the birds were dying en masse. 

en masse : 一緒に

• en masse
  【発音】en mae's | α:η mae's、【＠】エンマス、アーンマス
  【副】 〈フランス語〉（全部）一緒に、一団となって、集団で、そろって、全体として、総括して、大挙して、一斉｛いっせい｝に、ひとまとめに、群れを成して、たもとを連ねて、全般的に、全体的に◆【同】in large numbers / in a mass
  ・ Shoppers turn out en masse. : 買い物客が大挙して来た。

"I received a report from the farm saying it had decided to push up shipments. Deciding that the dead birds would not be accepted (by customers), they probably decided to ship them out earlier than planned," the Asahi newspaper quoted Asada as saying Saturday. 


Asada added that he would take responsibility for the decision, the Asahi said. 


The local government confirmed the outbreak in a statement Sunday after test results showed the birds were infected with an H5 strain of the virus. 


Results of further tests this week were expected to show whether the chickens were infected with the deadly H5N1 strain that has killed seven people in Thailand and 15 in Vietnam, an agricultural ministry official said on condition of anonymity. 


On Sunday, authorities in Kyoto prefecture (state) began culling the farm's surviving birds to help contain the disease. 

cull[動詞] 殺す; 選び抜く; 選り分ける;contain[動詞] 抑える; 含む; 持っている; 収容することができる; 封じ込める;

But officials feared bird flu had already spread to a slaughterhouse in neighboring Hyogo prefecture after 25 birds there tested positive for the virus in initial tests Saturday. 


Five of those came from the infected Kyoto farm. The remaining 20 came from different suppliers and are believed to have contracted the illness at the slaughterhouse. 


While most of the meat from the slaughterhouse was successfully recalled before it reached store shelves, meat from 10 birds was delivered to a restaurant in Osaka, the Hyogo government said in a statement. 


Officials stressed there is no evidence of humans contracting the flu from eating well-cooked meat or eggs and urged consumers to be calm. 

contract[動詞] かかる; 感染する; 契約をする; 契約する; 縮む; 引き締める; 縮ませる;

Separately, a chicken kept as a pet at an elementary school in western Nagano prefecture turned out not to have bird flu as initially suspected, the local government said. 


Japan has confirmed two other outbreaks. More than 28,000 birds were destroyed in Yamaguchi prefecture, on the southwestern tip of the country's main island, after the disease was confirmed there in January. 


Avian flu generally only infects birds, although it has spread to people in a few isolated cases. 


China, Cambodia, Japan, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, South Korea (news - web sites), Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam have been hit by bird flu. Pakistan and Taiwan reported a milder strain of the virus. 

Scientists Describe Korean Cloning Breakthrough  2004/2/13

 South Korean scientists described on Thursday how they cloned several human embryos and extracted valuable stem cells from one, and said their achievement showed an immediate need for a global ban on cloning to make babies. 

human embryos : 人間の受胎卵stem cells : 幹細胞

They are the first researchers to prove they cloned a human embryo and said they did it not to make a baby but for the purposes of therapeutic cloning. 

therapeutic cloning : 臓器移植用クローン


It could eventually involve taking a plug of skin from a patient and using it to grow perfectly matched tissue or even organs to treat diseases ranging from diabetes to Alzheimer's. 


Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University, who led the study, and his colleagues said it was clearly wrong to use the technique for making an embryo that would be put into a woman's womb to grow into a baby. 


"We call for a ban on reproductive cloning," Shin Yong Moon of Seoul National University, director of the center where the research was done, told a news conference in Seattle. 


"To prevent reproductive cloning we would like to ask every country or every nation to have a law to prohibit reproductive cloning," added Moon, whose team's work was featured at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (news - web sites). 

reproductive[形容詞] 生殖の; 繁殖の; 模写の; 再生の; 再現の

featured[形容詞] 呼び物の; 主演の;feature[動詞] 主演させる; 特色をなす; 呼び物にする; 特集する; 思う; 特徴とする; 特色にする;

President Bush  opposes all forms of cloning and his administration has pressed for bans in Congress and in the United Nations , without success. Supporters of therapeutic cloning say the battle has left the entire field unregulated and allowed renegade scientists a legal opening to try to clone a human baby. 

without success : うまくいかずにrenegade[形容詞] 裏切りの;[名詞] 背教者; 裏切り者;pressed for : 求めた

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a heart and lung transplant surgeon, called the South Korean breakthrough "an alarming development." 

"To clone a human being is to move from procreation to manufacture of human life," the Tennessee Republican said in remarks on the Senate Floor. "If human beings are special, if human beings are truly sacred, then we must devote ourselves to a better world. But we must not do evil to bring about good." 

procreation[名詞] 出産; 生殖;sacred[形容詞] 神聖な; 厳粛な;

Ethicist Laurie Zoloth of Northwestern University said the South Korean report showed it was time for lawmakers around the world to agree on what to do about cloning. "No one religion, no one moral authority, can claim to be the final arbiter of this work," she told the news conference. 

arbiter[名詞] 調停者; 仲裁人; 最高権威; 大御所;

LONG-RANGE POTENTIAL 


Scientists welcomed the work as a breakthrough but stressed it would be years before any patient benefited from the technique. 

breakthrough[名詞] 突破; 新機軸; 新発見; 成功; 大躍進; 局面打開; 敵陣突破; 飛躍的進歩; 突破口; 難関突破;

"I emphasize that it is long-range, not short-range promise," Dr. Donald Kennedy, editor of the AAAS journal Science, which published the report, told the news conference. 


Disease researchers were also cautious in their welcome. 


"If it turns out be true, it's a nice step forward," said Dr. Bob Goldstein of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. "It's measured skepticism only in the sense that, until these things are repeated (by other scientists), it always makes us nervous." 


Opponents condemned the report. 

"Cloning research is impossible to do without exploiting women. It should be banned immediately," said Daniel McConchie, a spokesman for the Chicago-based Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. 


"Cloning human beings is wrong. It is unethical to tinker with human life," said U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, a Pennsylvania Republican who supports efforts to ban the technique. 

tinker[名詞] 鋳掛け屋; 下手な職人;[動詞] 鋳掛けをする; 下手に修繕する; 遊び半分にいじくる;

Hwang's team created several clones using eggs and cumulus cells donated by Korean women who had independently approached them. 

cumulus[名詞] 積雲; 堆積; 累積;

Cumulus cells are found in the ovaries and have been found to work especially well in cloning experiments. 

The researchers removed the nuclei from the egg cells and replaced them with nuclei from the cumulus cells -- matching each woman's egg cell with her own cumulus cell. The nucleus contains 99 percent of a person's DNA. 

Then they used a chemical trigger to start the eggs growing as if they had been fertilized by sperm. 

fertilize[動詞] 受精させる; 豊かにする; 肥沃にする; 肥料をやる;

Hwang stressed the difficulty of the experiment. Out of more than 200 tries, they got only 30 blastocysts -- the hollow balls of 100 to 200 cells that can be used as the source of stem cells. 

blastocyst[名詞] 胚盤胞;

When they tried to clone men using a piece of skin from the ear, they failed. They also failed when they tried to clone one woman using the hollowed-out egg of another woman. 

Stem cells are found throughout the body and are a kind of master cell. Adult stem cells are difficult to find and to work with. 

China Sets Oct. 15 for Manned Space Launch 2003/10/7

China's first manned space flight is provisionally planned for Oct. 15 and will be shown live on television, an official with state CCTV said on Wednesday, but a mission spokesman dismissed the comment as hearsay. 

provisionally[副詞] 仮に; 暫定的に; 臨時に;hearsay[名詞] 噂; また聞き;


"The provisional plan is for October 15," said the TV official, who declined to give his name. 

provisional[形容詞] 仮の; 臨時の; 暫定的な;

"The relevant department announced that it would be launched in mid-October. We have plans to cover the launch of Shenzhou V live," he said, referring to the spacecraft. 

"But the exact time has not been fixed yet." 

China is aiming to become the third country to send a man into space after the former Soviet Union and the United States. It has ballyhooed the mission as a matter of national pride but kept the date and most details of the launch under tight wraps. 

ballyhoo[動詞] 誇大に宣伝する;wrap[動詞] 包む; 覆い隠す; くるまる;[名詞] ショール; スカーフ; 包み; ラップ;

Official media Web sites, quoting reports that originated in Hong Kong, said a single Chinese astronaut would pilot the mission in mid-October. The solo flight would blast off in the morning and orbit Earth once, they said. 


An official at the China Aviation Manned Aircraft Office, which is handling publicity for the mission, said the media reports and television official's comments were "hearsay." 

publicity[名詞] 広告; 宣伝; 周知; 世評;


"They are not from the official channels," he said. "We will inform the media at the right time." 


There has been widespread speculation of a launch timed to coincide with the week-long October 1 National Day holidays, which ended Tuesday, or a major annual meeting of Communist Party leaders which runs from October 11-14. 


But a Beijing-based diplomat tracking the launch said it might not take place until late October. 


"I've heard more late October for a variety of technical reasons as the equipment and monitoring equipment will not be ready until then," he said. 


"There's a fixed timeframe it would take to get some of the rocket equipment together and in place, and there's a fixed timeframe to get the monitoring equipment up, and there's no way they can leapfrog that or rush it." 

leapfrog[名詞] かえる跳び; 交互躍進;[動詞] 飛び越えて進む;timeframe[名詞] 概算時間; 期間;

Fourteen astronauts were making final preparations at the Jiuquan launch base in the western province of Gansu and three top candidates had been tapped to fly the mission, the Web sites of the Xinhua news agency and the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily said. 

tap[動詞] 樹液を取る; 栓を抜く; 開発する; 盗聴する; 接続する; 軽く叩く; 軽く打つ; コツコツ音を立てて歩く;【＠】タップ、【変化】《動》taps | tapping | tapped、
【名-1】盗聴（装置）
【名-2】飲み口、蛇口、栓、タップ
【他動-1】〜を軽く叩く、コツコツ叩く、叩いて作る、開発する
【他動-2】栓を抜く、容器の口を切って出す、引き出す、盗聴する
【他動-3】請う、せびる
【他動-4】巻き上げる、手をつける
【他動-5】打診する

The astronauts were all fighter pilots and two had trained in Russia, they said. 

The projected cost of the launch was $2.4 billion, the Web sites quoted diplomatic sources as saying. 

Hong Kong-based television stations were also bidding for rights to air the launch, Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao newspaper reported.

bidding for : を得ようと努力していたbid

[動詞] つける; 命じる; 値をつける; 努力する; 述べる; 付ける; 入札する;

[名詞] 入札; せり; 言いつけ; 命令; せり札の宣言; 条件提示;

NASA Satellites Show Penguins' Antarctic 'Oases'

NASA  satellites have helped scientists learn about the hard-to-find Antarctic Ocean "oases" where penguins feast and thrive, researchers said on Tuesday. 

feast[動詞] ごちそうになる; 宴会に列席する; もてなす; 楽しませる; 楽しむ;[名詞] 宴会; ご馳走; 祝日;thrive[動詞] 成功する; 繁盛する; 栄える; 丈夫に育つ; 茂る;

These "oases" are actually warm patches in the normally ice-covered ocean along Antarctica's coast, enabling massive stretches of open water to support the microscopic plants that are the base of a food chain that ultimately feeds penguins as well as whales, seals and other animals. 

stretches : 広がり

Some of these stretches of open water, known as polynyas, are as big as mini-oceans themselves -- at least one is the size of California -- but because they are surrounded by ice, they are impossible to see by ship. 


For this reason, satellite data was used to analyze the plant life in these areas, said Gert van Dijken of Stanford University. 


"A lot of these polynyas have never been studied, you can't see them from boats," van Dijken said. "The only way to study them is by satellite." 


It was simple enough, he said in a telephone interview: "We used different kinds of satellites to look at the sea ice so we could see how much open water there was, and we used the ocean color sensor, to look at the color of the ocean." 


Using a special formula, researchers figured out that if the water was green, it was chock full of phytoplankton, the tiny plants that nourish minuscule shrimp-like creatures called krill. Krill are on the menu for many larger Antarctic creatures, notably the Adelie penguins whose population thrives on some of these oases, van Dijken said. 

formula[名詞] 公式; 定則; 構造式; フォーミュラー; 式; 取り決め; 方式;minuscule[形容詞] 非常に小さい; 微細な; 小文字の;[名詞] 小文字;krill[名詞] オキアミ;notably[副詞] 著しく; 目に見えて; 特に;chock[副詞] ぎっしり; ぴったり;[名詞] 止め木; くさび; 止めくさび; 敷き台;[動詞] くさびで止める;

Research by van Dijken and his colleagues found a strong association between the wellbeing of the Adelie penguins and the amount of phytoplankton in the polynyas. 

well-being[名詞] 健康; 幸福; 福利;


The more productive the polynyas were, the better the penguins did, with larger penguin populations able to live on the abundant supply of plantkon-fed krill. 


Because there was plenty of krill to eat, the Adelie penguins could stay close by instead of going long distances to forage for food, which would expose them to predators and other natural dangers, the scientists found. 

forage[動詞] 餌を与える; 食物をあさる; 探し回る; 探し出す; 食糧を入手する;[名詞] 飼料; かいば; まぐさ; 食糧あさり;


The researchers used data from two satellites: NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. 

Earliest Modern Humans Found in Romanian Cave 2003/9/25

The jawbone of a cave-man living in what is now Romania is the oldest fossil from an early modern human to be found in Europe, U.S. researchers said on Monday. 


Primitive features such as heavy bone and tooth structure also support the controversial idea that Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals may have interbred, the researchers said. 

interbreed[動詞] 同系交配させる;

The jawbone, found in southwestern Carpathian Mountains of Romania, was carbon-dated to between 34,000 and 36,000 years ago, said Erik Trinkaus of Washington University in St. Louis, who led the study. 

carbon-date[動詞] 炭素年代測定法で測定する;

That makes it "the oldest definite early modern human specimen in Europe and provides perspectives on the emergence and evolution of early modern humans in the northwestern Old World," Trinkaus and colleagues wrote in their report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 

perspective[名詞] 見方; 考え方; 遠近法; 遠景; 見通し;


The jawbone was found in 2002 in Pestera cu Oase, which means "cave with bones." Details can be seen on the Internet at http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro/blurb/b_trink.html. 


"The jawbone is the oldest directly dated modern human fossil," Trinkaus, a leading expert on early humans, said in a telephone interview. 


"Taken together, the material is the first that securely documents what modern humans looked like when they spread into Europe. Although we call them 'modern humans,' they were not fully modern in the sense that we think of living people," he added. 

Taken together : ひとまとめに考えてみるとdocument[名詞] 書類; 文書; 記録; 証書; ドキュメント;[動詞] 記録する; 証拠書類を提出する; 証書を交付する; 文書で証明する;

"They are all dirty and smelly and all that sort of stuff. The basic facial shape would have been like ours but from the cheeks on down they would have looked very large." 


The jawbone is similar to those of other early modern humans found in Africa, the Middle East and later in Europe. But the molars are unusually big and proportioned in a way that makes them look different -- almost Neanderthal, said Trinkaus. 

molar[名詞] 大臼歯; 奥歯;

Trinkaus is a leading proponent of the controversial theory that early modern humans and Neanderthals interbred to some extent. The two subspecies of Homo sapiens lived side-by-side in Europe for thousands of years and evidence suggests some trade or other contact. 

proponent[名詞] 提案者; 主唱者; 支持者;subspecies[名詞] 亜種;

"The specimens suggest that there have been clear changes in human anatomy since then," said Trinkaus. 


"The bones are also fully compatible with the blending of modern human and Neanderthal populations," he said. 

Hurricane Isabel's outer bands moving onshore 2003/9/18

outer[形容詞] 外側の; 外部の; 客観的な;band[動詞] 縛る; 縞を付ける; 結合させる; 団結させる; 団結する;[名詞] バンド; 帯; 縞; 一隊;

Hurricane Isabel's winds began lashing the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia early Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

lash[動詞] 鞭で打つ; 激しく打ち当たる; しっかり結ぶ; 縛り付ける; 罵る; 刺激する;

Rain bands were spreading across eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. The center of Isabel is expected to make landfall in eastern North Carolina during the day Thursday, the center predicts. However, conditions will deteriorate over a large area well before the center reaches the coast. 

make landfall : 上陸するlandfall[名詞] 地滑り; 初めて陸地を見ること; 発見到達地;condition[動詞] 適当な状態にする; コンディションを調整する; 左右する; 決定する; 慣らす; 訓練する; 条件づける;[名詞] 状態; 状況; 条件; 境遇;deteriorate[動詞] 悪化させる; 低下させる; 悪くなる; 悪化する; 低下する;

Forecasters say inland cities like Richmond, Virginia, and Washington could experience hurricane-strength winds as Isabel moves ashore. 

All federal government offices in the Washington area were ordered closed Thursday due to the storm, the Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday evening. 

Personnel Management : 労務管理personnel[名詞] 人員; 全職員; 隊員; 人事部;

The size of the storm -- with tropical storm-force winds extending up to 315 miles (507 kilometers) from its eye and hurricane-force winds stretching about 115 miles (185 kilometers) outward -- has officials worried up and down the East Coast. The governors of Virginia and North Carolina have already declared states of emergency. 

up and down : の上下にand[等位接続詞] そして;up and down あちこち走りまわる、サッと見改めること、上がったり下がったり、良かったり悪かったり、上下に、あちこち＾に［で］、至る所＾に［で］、よかったり悪かったりで、行きつ戻りつ、浮き沈みが激しい

"Basically, we're talking about a swath that's at least 100 miles (161 kilometers) wide on either side [of landfall] where there will be very strong winds and heavy rain and some storm surge," said Ed Rappaport, the deputy director of the center, located in Miami, Florida. 

swath[名詞] 刈り跡の列; 刈り幅;surge[動詞] 波打つ; 押しよせる; 急上昇する;[名詞] 大波; 波動; うねり; サージ; 高進;

As of 1 a.m. EDT, the eye of Hurricane Isabel was about 205 miles (330 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 kph). It was moving to the north-northwest near 13 mph (21 kph). 

As of : 現在で

The storm is expected to bring a storm surge of 7 to 11 feet (2 to 3.3 meters) above normal ocean levels and dump 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of rain along its path. Flooding could occur from New Jersey to South Carolina. 

dump[動詞] ドサッと落とす; ダンプする;[名詞] ゴミ捨て場; ダンプ;

A hurricane warning stretches from Cape Fear, North Carolina, about 260 miles (418 kilometers) northward to Chincoteague, Virginia, including the Chesapeake Bay area south of Smith Point. 

Tropical storm warnings are in place from Cape Fear southward to South Santee River in South Carolina, a stretch of about 110 miles (177 kilometers), and north about 190 miles (306 kilometers) from Chincoteague to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, an area that includes Delaware Bay. 

In North Carolina, about 100,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate. Local authorities are asking residents who remain behind to provide contacts for next of kin. Another 100,000 residents in neighboring Virginia are under mandatory evacuation. 

remain behind : 取り残されるbehind[副詞] 後ろに; 隠れて; 遅れて;[名詞] 尻;[前置詞] の後ろに; の後ろの; 後ろに; に遅れて; に遅れた; 遅れて;next of kin : 血縁者

mandatory[形容詞] 強制的な; 義務的な; 必修の; 委任の;[名詞] 被委任者; 委任統治の受任国;

In Virginia Beach, Virginia, Mayor Meyera Oberndorf said the city is working with state officials to get the word out to residents in low-lying areas to evacuate. 

"Of course, some of the older hands always let you know that they've been through hurricanes before, so they're just not going to hop, skip and jump. But we always remind them that if they come in harm's way after we've told them to evacuate, there won't be anyone to come in and rescue them," the mayor told CNN. 

Despite the warning, dozens of people came down to the beach Wednesday afternoon to see the rough surf, but they quickly returned to their cars after being pelted by blowing sand. 

pelted : 投げられたpelt[動詞] 激しく降らせる; 浴びせる; 激しく降る; 投げる; 疾走する;

Nimesh Patel, who was bracing for his first hurricane, decided to board up his ice cream shop after seeing neighboring businesses preparing for the worst. 

bracing for : 備えていたbracing[形容詞] さわやかな; 身が引き締まる;[名詞] 刺激; 支柱;brace[動詞] 身構える; 突っ張りをする; 強化する; 引き締める; 踏ん張る; 緊張する; 元気を出す; 引締める;

"We were hoping to come down tonight and view it, but we're boarding it up," Patel said. 
In Indian Beach, North Carolina, Alicia Smith has decided to remain at home for her first hurricane. "I'm very nervous, very nervous," she said. 

But another Indian Beach resident, Carl Hiltz, said he wasn't worried, noting he had a tree fly through a window during another storm and lived to tell about it. 

"They're not that bad, if you're in a good structure," he said. 

At a Lowe's home improvement store in Morehead City, North Carolina, assistant manager Jerry Kearney said plywood, tarps, generators and gas cans were in big demand as residents try to get ready for the storm. 

plywood[名詞] ベニア板; 合板; ベニヤ;tarp[名詞] タール塗り防水布;

"Business is getting good," he said, adding that the store will place trucks in front of its doors to help protect it from storm damage. 

Isabel is a strong Category 2 hurricane, but could reach the Category 3 stage before Thursday. A Category 3 hurricane has sustained winds of 111 mph to 130 mph (179 kph to 209 kph). 

"There is still some concern there could be a little bit of additional strengthening, and then as it approaches the coast pretty much maintain a steady level at the Category 2 or 3 threshold," said Rappaport. 

The Pentagon's National Military Command Center has a team of military disaster assistance experts on standby to coordinate any military aid to state and local governments in the aftermath of the storm. 

CNN's Jeff Flock, Bryan Long and Barbara Starr contributed to this report. 

Scientists Use Blasts to Study Mt. Fuji  2003/9/12

Five huge explosions rattled the magma dome below Mount Fuji on Thursday as part of an experiment to glean insights into when Japan's most famous volcano might erupt again. 

glean[動詞] 拾い集める; 落ち穂を拾う; 採り残しを集める; こつこつと集める;insight[名詞] 洞察力; 見識;

The underground blasts, each of 1,100 pounds of explosives, triggered mini earthquakes that will help scientists map the magma bubbling beneath and help gauge the likelihood of an eruption, said Keiji Doi of Tokyo University's Earthquake  Research Institute. 

bubble[動詞] 沸き立つ; 泡立つ; あふれる;gauge[動詞] 測る; 評価する;[名詞] ゲージ; 標準寸法; 規格; 計器; 定規; 方法; 規準; 軌間; 口径; 厚さ; 太さ; 計量器;

likelihood[名詞] 見込み; ありそうなこと; 可能性;

"This is very important research," he said. "When the next eruption will happen is very difficult to forecast, but for these 300 years we've been waiting and waiting." 


Snowcapped Mount Fuji is listed as an active volcano with a moderate risk of eruption. It last erupted in 1707, sprinkling Tokyo with ash. 

snowcapped[形容詞] 雪を頂いている;

An estimated 12.5 million people — roughly 10 percent of Japan's population — live near the mountain. A government report issued last year said another eruption could spew lava, ash and smoke over hundreds of square miles, disrupting roads and trains and causing up to $21 billion damage. 

spew[名詞] 吐き出したもの;[動詞] 吐く; もどす; 噴出する;disrupt[動詞] 混乱させる; 分裂させる; 中断させる;

For towns like Fujinomiya, at the base of the mountain, results from Thursday's tests are key to improving disaster prevention plans, city spokesman Masakazu Takada said. 


Doi said the experiment went well, but that it would take months to analyze the results. 


He said there are no signs of an imminent eruption. But since October 2000, scientists have detected a sharp rise in the number of low-frequency quakes near the mountain which they say could indicate possible underground volcanic activity. 

imminent[形容詞] 今にも起こりそうな; 差し迫った;


Thursday's pre-dawn detonations, buried 265 feet underground, were aimed at shedding light on the rumblings, Doi said. 

shedding light on : をはっきりさせるshed[動詞] 脱ぎ捨てる; 脱ぐ; 発散する; 与える; 落とす; はじく; 流す; 落ちる; 取り除く; 放つ;


Waves from the artificially induced quakes will help chart the volcano's underground structure, including pressure points of congealed magma and likely paths that magma might take if an eruption were to occur. 

congeal[動詞] 凍る; 凝固する; 凍らせる; 凝結させる;

Sixty researchers from some of the nation's top universities have been doing similar tests on other volcanoes in Japan since 1994. 


But these were the first such tests on Mount Fuji — the cone-shaped national symbol immortalized in poetry and woodblock prints for centuries. The volcano is Japan's tallest peak at 12,385 feet. It lies about 70 miles southwest of Tokyo. 

woodblock prints : 木版画woodblock[名詞] ウッドブロック; 木版; 木版画;


Scientists have also staged blasts to study a fault in western Japan where an uncharted earthquake zone was linked to the 1995 Kobe temblor that killed thousands of people. 

fault[動詞] あらを探す; 断層を起こさせる; 断層を起こす; 誤りを犯す;[名詞] 欠点; 欠陥; 誤り; 責任; 障害; 断層; フォールト; 故障;


Earlier this year, researchers launched the world's first attempt to bore a hole into the red-hot core of a volcano, drilling into Mount Unzen in the country's southwest. 

bore[動詞] 退屈させる; 穴をあける; 押し分けて進む; うんざりさせる;[名詞] 退屈な人; 嫌なこと; 口径; 穴;

Such research is particularly important to Japan, which has 108 active volcanoes.

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Europe's Heat Wave Raises Global Warming Concerns 2003/8/1

The intense heat wave that has baked much of Europe for weeks, fueling deadly forest fires, causing drought and damaging crops, has convinced many people that global warming  is a reality. 

fuel[動詞] 燃料を補給する; あおる; 元気づける;

While experts caution that you cannot read too much into a single hot summer or natural disaster, Europe does seem to be experiencing extreme weather with growing frequency. 


Less than a year ago, scores of people were dying as floods swamped Germany, Russia, Austria and the Czech Republic. 

swamp[動詞] 浸す; 沼地にはまり込ませる; 窮地に陥れる; 水浸しになる; 沈む; 窮地にはまり込む; 困惑する;

This year, the problem is extremely hot weather and drought, which, though it might be welcome to holidaymakers, is threatening lives and livelihoods in many parts of Europe. 

holidaymaker[名詞] 観光客;

"We've not seen such an extended period of dry weather and sunny days since records began (in about 1870)," said Michael Knobelsdorf, a meteorologist at the German weather service, referring to Europe as a whole. 


"What's remarkable is that these extremes of weather are happening at such short intervals which suggests the climate is unbalanced. Last year in Germany, we were under water. Now we have one of the worst droughts in human memory," he said. 


He urged caution about blaming everything on greenhouse gases that many experts believe cause global warming, although he said indications are that temperatures are up one to two degrees Celsius over the past century. Much of Europe, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and Britain to central Europe, has sweltered through unusually long heat waves recently. 

greenhouse gases : 温室効果ガスswelter[動詞] 暑さでまいる; 汗だくになる;

DEADLY FIRES 

Forest fires have hit France, Portugal, Russia and Croatia. Four tourists were killed in fires on the French Riviera this week that forced thousands to flee villas and campsites. 

villa[名詞] 別荘; 別邸; 郊外住宅; 山荘;

The hot weather is also taking its toll on agriculture, with forecasts for cereal production in Germany and the EU being cut. 

taking its toll on : に被害をもたらしているtoll[動詞] 使用料を課する; 鳴る; 使用料を徴収する; 鳴らす;[名詞] 料金; 犠牲;

In most parts of Italy, temperatures have hovered around the mid-30s Celsius every day for two months, with Milan hitting a June record of over 40 degrees Celsius. The heat wave has pushed Italy's electricity grid to its limit as people crank up their air conditioners, leading to rolling blackouts that have affected millions of Italians. Drought has caused billions of euros in crop damages. 

grid[名詞] 格子; 焼き網; ラック; グリッド; 高圧送電線網; 碁盤目; 方眼;crank[形容詞] くらくらする; 病弱な;[動詞] クランクで回す; クランクを回して動かす;[名詞] クランク; 変わり者; 奇人; つむじ曲がり; 嫌がらせ; 臍曲がり;

blackout[名詞] 停電; 灯火管制; 報道管制; 一時的意識喪失; 暗転; 機能停止; 自粛; ブラックアウト; 申込不可能;

The chief climatologist at Italy's National Geophysics Institute said the searing temperatures were further evidence of global warming, but did not provide a "smoking gun." 

searing[形容詞] 焼けるような;sear[動詞] 表面を焼く; 焼く; 枯らす; 無感覚にする;smoking gun : 動かぬ証拠

Antonio Navarra said the whole Mediterranean region was two to three degrees warmer than usual this summer and if the heat persisted, it would be consistent with the institute's climate simulations showing the potential effect of greenhouse gases. Paul Horsman, a climate campaigner with environmental group Greenpeace International, said that while scientists believed a heat wave could not be directly linked to climate change, "when you get a range of events there is certainly evidence that we are living in a globally-warmed world." 


"We would argue very strongly that these events we are seeing are consistent with what the scientists are saying about climate change," Horsman said, adding that they reinforced the need for strong measures to curb climate change. 

consistent[形容詞] 一貫した; 一致した; 堅実な;

The Dutch KNMI meteorological institute said the maximum temperature in the Netherlands was 35.8 degrees in July and the average 18.8, against a normal summer average of 17.4 degrees. 


"It looks like this summer is set to take the record from the summer of 1947," a KNMI meteorologist said. 

set to : 予定である

The Norwegian coastal town of Bergen, known for rain rolling in from the north Atlantic, has had its warmest summer since 1925 with an average July temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. In Finland, there have been only a couple of slightly cooler days since the heat wave began on July 14. 

rolling in : 転がり込んでいる


Temperatures in Spain forecast to peak at 45 degrees Celsius in the south on Thursday led people to complain of sleeplessness and authorities to warn against too much time in the sun. 

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Chilean Experts Say Beached 'Blob' a Sperm Whale

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - Chilean scientists said on Friday their study of a huge blob of flesh found on a Pacific beach about three weeks ago concluded it was the carcass of a sperm whale, ending speculation of a giant octopus. 

blob[動詞] 汚点をつける; 失敗する;[名詞] 小さな塊; 形のはっきりしないもの; ぼんやり見えるもの;

sperm whale : マッコウクジラsperm[名詞] 精子; 精液;

Scientists have been baffled by the 40-foot-long mass of gelatinous tissue found on a remote beach in southern Chile, with initial hunches ranging from whale blubber to a disputed species of giant octopus. 

baffle[動詞] 困らせる; 挫折させる;hunch[動詞] 丸める; 突き出す; 予感がする; 前かがみの姿勢をとる; うずくまる; 押し進む;[名詞] こぶ; 勘; 直感; 虫の知らせ; 第六感; 予感;

blubber[形容詞] 厚ぼったい;[動詞] おいおい泣く; 泣きじゃくりながら言う;[名詞] 泣きじゃくり; 鯨の脂肪; 余分な脂肪;


Researchers at the Museum of Natural History in Santiago were the first to reach a conclusion after analyzing samples of the decaying specimen and finding glands of a sperm whale. 


"It has not been necessary to do DNA analysis in order to obtain identification, it was enough to find the dermal glands that belong only to this group," the scientists Sergio Letelier and Jose Yanez said in a statement. 


The sperm whale, made famous by Herman Melville's Moby Dick, is the largest of the toothed whales and dives deeper than any other whale. The males measure up to 65 feet in length and weigh about 50 tons. 


When a sperm whale dies at sea, it rots until it becomes a "skeleton suspended in a semi-liquid mass within a bag of skin and blubber," the scientists said. Eventually, the skin tears and the bones sinks while the skin and blubber float. 


"This washes up and has the appearance of an octopus because the spermaceti organ keeps its bulky shape," they added. 

鯨蝋(げいろう) 《マッコウクジラ油から取れる白色の結晶様のろう; 軟膏・化粧品・ろうそくにする》.

The spermaceti is a large bulbous organ that forms a sort of forehead and contains a milky wax which early whalers likened to sperm fluid. 

whaler[名詞] 捕鯨船; 捕鯨者;

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Indian Sisters Will Remain Conjoined 
Sat Jul 12, 1:39 PM ET 

By RAKESH PATEL, Associated Press Writer 

AHMADABAD, India - A pair of Indian sisters joined at the waist have decided not to seek separation surgery following the deaths of conjoined Iranian twins during a marathon, historic operation this week. 


Ayara and Jayara Ratun, born to a peasant family in West Bengal, travel around India as exhibits in fairs to support themselves. The 34-year-old sisters, who share a pair of legs, were in Ahmadabad when they heard 29-year-old Ladan and Laleh Bijani of Iran died during surgery in Singapore. 


The deaths of the Iranian twins, who were joined at the head, convinced the Indian women they should not pursue the risky surgery, Ayara Ratun said Thursday. 


"If God has made us this way, then this is how we should remain — together forever," she said. 


When the Indian sisters were born, doctors told their parents the girls could live a normal life if they survived past three months. Ayara said she understood the motivation of the Iranian twins. 

"They must have known the dangers of what they were trying to achieve," she said, adding, "Their death came as a shock to us." 


The phenomenon of conjoined twins — two bodies joined in the womb — occurs in 1 in every 2.5 million births, said Dr. Muralidhar Pai, a neurosurgeon at the Kasturba Medical College who separated two baby girls joined at the head in the southern Indian city of Mangalore. 


"Most attempts of separation lead to the death of both the children," Pai said. "Even saving one child during the separation is so uncommon that it remains a surgically challenging proposition." 

proposition[動詞] 提案する; 取り引きを持ち掛ける;[名詞] 提案; 主張; 説; 定理; 命題;

In Iran, hundreds of people dressed in black paid respects to the Bijanis' parents as the sisters' caskets arrived Friday in their home province of Fars. 

casket[名詞] 棺; 小箱; 手箱; 棺桶;

Ladan and Laleh Bijani will be buried Saturday in the village of Lohrasb, 680 miles southwest of Tehran. 

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UK Scientists Eye Half Mile-Long Microscope

British scientists are lobbying to build the world's most powerful microscope, an instrument so advanced that it can see individual atoms moving. 

lobby[動詞] ロビー工作する; 陳情運動をする; ロビー活動をする;

The European Spallation Source (ESS) -- a type of instrument known as a matterscope -- would allow them to look at the growth of protein molecules in living human tissue or at the stresses deep within the wheel of a train or the wing of an aircraft. 

stress[動詞] 圧力を加える; アクセントをおく; 緊張させる; 強調する; 力説する;[名詞] 圧迫; 強調; ストレス; 緊張; 強勢;

"This is on par with the Hubble telescope, but it's for looking at inner space," said Professor Bob Cywinski of Leeds University, which is backing the one billion pound project. 

par[動詞] パーで上がる;[名詞] 平価; 額面価格; 同水準; 同程度; 平均; 標準; パー; 額面; パラグラフ; 株式額面;

A disused World War II airfield in North Yorkshire has been earmarked for the matterscope's 0.62 mile-long concrete tunnel and neutron research laboratories. 

earmark[動詞] 耳に印をつける; 取っておく; 印をつける; 割り当てる;

"To look at it, you'd just see a mound of grass growing over the top and sheep wandering around," said Cywinski. 

mound[名詞] マウンド; 塚; 土手; 小山;[動詞] 積み上げる; 盛り上げる; 土塁を築く; 土手を築く;

dwarf[動詞] 小さくする; 成長を妨げる; 小さくなる; いじける;

"The Americans are going to leapfrog Rutherford Appleton using a European design," said Martin Doxey of the White Rose consortium, which links the universities of Sheffield, Leeds and York to the project. 

leapfrog[名詞] かえる跳び; 交互躍進;[動詞] 飛び越えて進む;

"What this is about is taking a more modern European design to leapfrog them," he added. "It's not a macho thing. It's not a 'mine is bigger than yours' thing. To do the next generation of experiments, we simply need the bigger beam."

macho[形容詞] 男らしい男の; 力強い男の; 男っぽい; たくましい;[名詞] 男らしい男; 力強い男;

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Hydrogen Cars Not Needed, U.S. Experts Say

Two U.S. energy experts cast more doubt on Friday on a push to develop hydrogen-powered cars as a means to cut air pollution and reduce oil imports. 

cast[動詞] 役を割り当てる; 向ける; 鋳造される; 投げる; 鋳造する; キャスティングする;[名詞] 配役; 投げ込み; 抜け殻; 斜視; 鋳型; ギプス; キャスト;〜を疑う、      〜に＾疑問［疑い］を投げ掛ける

Cheaper and faster ways already exist to achieve the same effect, including raising fuel efficiency and toughening environmental standards, David Keith and Alexander Farrell, wrote in Friday's issue of the journal Science. 

"Hydrogen cars are a poor short-term strategy, and it's not even clear that they are a good idea in the long term," Farrell, assistant professor of energy and resources at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement. 


"Because the prospects for hydrogen cars are so uncertain, we need to think carefully before we invest all this money and all this public effort in one area."


President Bush  has proposed spending $1.5 billion over five years to spur development by 2020 of cars that run on hydrogen fuel cells in order to cut dependence on imported oil. 

spur[動詞] 拍車をかける; 刺激する; 馬に拍車をかける; 急ぐ;[名詞] 拍車; 刺激;


The European Commission  has said it plans to spend close to $2.3 billion (2.1 billion euros) on hydrogen-related research over the next four years. 


Hydrogen is present in water, oil, gas and coal. Supporters of a "hydrogen economy" regard it as a clean source of energy that would cut pollution and the carbon dioxide emissions some scientists link to global warming . 


Farrell and Keith, associate professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, noted that hydrogen is derived mostly from oil and coal, which produce substantial carbon dioxide. 


They said better fuel efficiency, improvements to car technology and stricter environmental rules could reduce air pollution at less than 100th the cost of hydrogen cars and would be more effective for several decades. 


"Automobile manufacturers don't need to invest in anything fancy. A wide number of technologies are already on the shelf," Farrell said. "The cost would be trivial compared to the changes needed to go to a hydrogen car." 

fancy[形容詞] ファンシーな; 装飾的な; 特選の; 想像の; 気紛れの; 思いつきの; 変わった; 気紛れな; 心にえがく; 巧みな;[動詞] 気に入っている; 心に描く; 考える; 思う; 信じる; 想像する; 好む;[名詞] 空想; 思いつき; 好み; 気紛れ;

Other scientists have also questioned the benefits of hydrogen fuel cells. Leading environmental groups have also criticized the U.S. government and Europe for failing to put renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power at the heart of their hydrogen policies.

enewable energy sources : 再生可能エネルギー源

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Space-Age Tractors Drive Cure for Sick Soil

The world's over-farmed soil is sick and has been rapidly getting sicker, but scientists say space-age, satellite-driven tractors are coming to the rescue. 

Heavy modern farm equipment is killing the soil through repeated compaction and tilling, which in turn worsens salinity that kills crops. 

compaction[名詞] 圧縮; コンパクション;till[動詞] 耕す;salinity[名詞] 塩分;

But a new world of automatically steered tractors, guided by satellites, will allow them to run on pre-determined tracks and confine their impact on the soil to 15 percent of farmed land. 

pre-determined : 前もって決められたtrack[動詞] 足跡をつける; 追跡する; 跡をつける; トラックする;[名詞] 跡; 道; プラットホーム; トラック; 走路; 線路; 行路;

"It will revolutionize agriculture, I believe," said Jeff Tullberg, a University of Queensland academic and president of the International Soil Tillage Research Organization (ISTRO). 


Tullberg was speaking from an ISTRO conference of 220 world scientists in Brisbane, which this week showcased Australian technology for satellite-guided field equipment to an accuracy of two centimeters, or less than an inch.

showcased : 展示した

U.S.-based farm equipment leader Deere & Co also followed an early Australian lead to develop an integrated tractor guidance system based on global positioning system (GPS) satellite technology, accurate to centimeters. 


Space-age tractors, first produced with Australian technology only a couple of years ago, are becoming increasingly popular and are leading a revolution aimed at saving the world's soil -- as well as boosting farm incomes. Scientists say the world's soil is sickest in the farmlands of the developed world in North America, Europe and Australia. 

lead[動詞] 指揮する; 導く; 案内する; 到る; 仕向ける; リードする; 引かれて行く;

This is because the soil is being repeatedly run over by 20-tontractors, then plowed up to break hard surfaces. Groundcover gets pushed beneath the earth and a hard surface re-forms on top. 

plowed : 耕されるground cover-[名] [Ｕ] [集合的に] 地被植物, 地表植被 《地表をおおう植物》.

Rainwater runs off the surface or gurgles down cracks into subterranean salt and water tables, which rise to the surface. 

gurgles : ゴボゴボという音water tables : 地下水面subterranean[形容詞] 地中の; 地下の; 秘密の;

"Considering that water is the most valuable resource the Australian farmer has, this is crazy stuff," Tullberg said. 


One of the biggest farm exporting nations in the world, Australia is at the forefront of a drive to take broad-scale agriculture back to the precision of peasant farming. 

peasant[名詞] 農民; 農夫; 小作農;

A system confining tractor wheels to established lines without tilling is now operating on one million hectares (2.5 million acres) of Australian farmland, out of the 20 million ha devoted to major crops. 

till[動詞] 耕す;

About 500 tractors have been equipped with satellite guidance systems in Australia, about the same number as in the United States, despite the extra cost of up to A$50,000 ($32,500) on a A$150,000 bill for a conventional tractor. 


Farmers speak of yield increases of up to 200 percent through improved water filtration, storage and more uniform content across the field, together with possible double-cropping. 


Space-age tractors also save money through eliminating overlaps and allowing farms to work at night.

overlap[動詞] 部分的に重ねる; 一部外にはみ出す; 部分的に重なる; 重複する;[名詞] 部分的一致; 部分的に一致した部分;

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China, India May Face AIDS 'Catastrophe' -CDC

China, India and Cambodia could face an AIDS  "catastrophe" as the HIV virus  spreads deeper into parts of Asia where health controls are weak, the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  said on Thursday. 

"In some countries, for example, Cambodia, or in what we believe in China and India, the public health measures have yet to take hold and the epidemic really is in that phase of scaling up very, very quickly," said its director, Julie Gerberding. 

take hold : 定着するscaling up : 一定の割合で拡大する

"It looks like Africa did a decade or so ago," she told a briefing in Singapore. 


China, the world's most populous nation, estimates that around one million of its people suffer from HIV , the virus which causes AIDS, a figure the United Nations  says could soar to 10 million by the end of the decade. 

India, with the world's second-biggest population, has at least four million sufferers. In Cambodia, an estimated 158,000 people, or 2.6 percent of adults in the war-scarred nation, are HIV positive. 


"If we don't intervene in those environments we will have a catastrophe of a very, very profound increase in the number of cases," said Gerberding of the CDC, a federal health agency overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services . 

intervene[動詞] 間にはいる; 仲裁をする; 邪魔をする;

The CDC director is meeting Asian health officials to discuss technical support in detecting emerging infectious disease in the aftermath of deadly outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. 

aftermath[名詞] 余波; 直後の時期;


United Nations agency UNAIDS  says 42 million people are infected with HIV worldwide -- 29.4 million of them in Africa. It has killed 25 million worldwide. 

The United Nations forecasts that by 2010, 45 million more will be infected if the pandemic continues at its current pace and 70 million will have died by 2020. 

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Land Warrior 

Land Warrior integrates small arms with high-tech equipment enabling ground forces to deploy, fight and win on the battlefields of the 21st century. Land Warrior came about in 1991 when an Army study group recommended the service look at the soldier as a complete weapon system. The first priority in Land Warrior is lethality. The second is survivability and the third, command and control. The program will cost $2 billion when 45,000 sets of the equipment are fielded between 2001-2014. The Marine Corps, Air Force and many foreign countries are interested in the system. 

Based on recent advances in communications, sensors, and materials, the Land Warrior System integrates commercial, off-the-shelf technologies into a complete soldier system. For the first time, the soldier's equipment is being designed as if he is an individual, complete weapons platform. Each subsystem and component is designed to and for the soldier. The result: the first integrated soldier fighting system for the dismounted infantryman. 

Land Warrior has several subsystems: the weapon, integrated helmet assembly, protective clothing and individual equipment, computer/radio, and software. 

The Weapon Subsystem is built around the M-16/M-4 modular carbine. The weapon subsystem includes key electrical optical components such as the TWS, video camera, and the laser rangefinder/digital compass (LRF/DC). The LRF/DC provides the soldier with range and direction information. When coupled with his individual location from GPS, the soldier has accurate target location when calling for indirect fire and combat identification. This system will allow infantrymen to operate in all types of weather and at night. In conjunction with other components, a soldier can even shoot around corners without exposing himself to enemy fire. 

The Integrated Helmet Assembly Subsystem (IHAS) uses advanced materials to provide ballistic protection at less weight than the current helmet shell. The integrated helmet assembly is lighter and more comfortable than today's helmet. The IHAS's helmet mounted computer and sensor display is the soldier's interface to the other subsystems and to the digital battlefield. Through the helmet mounted display, the soldier can view computer-generated graphical data, digital maps, intelligence information, troop locations and imagery from his weapon-mounted Thermal Weapon Sight (TWS) and video camera. This new capability allows the soldier to view around a corner, acquire a target, then fire the weapon without exposing himself, beyond his arms and hands, to the enemy. By scanning an area with his weapon's thermal sight, the soldier will be able to see an area's characteristics, including terrain and enemy positions, and will be able to see through obscurants. The thermal images will appear on a miniature helmet-mounted display. The Night Sensor Display will integrate a helmet mounted display with an image intensifier for access to his computer sensors as cited above. This will allow the soldier to maneuver and engage targets under cover of darkness. 

The Protective Clothing and Individual Equipment Subsystem consists of a revolutionary backpack frame design based on state-of-the-art automotive racing technology which bends with the soldier's natural body movements. The cables are integrated into the frame as necessary for the soldier's computer/radio connections. The soldier can adjust his backpack frame to adjust the load distribution from his shoulders to his hips while on the move. A simple adjustment, yet it allows the soldier to manage and carry his combat load more effectively and with less fatigue. The new LW body armor, like the helmet, provides improved ballistic protection at a reduced weight. The Land Warrior body armor includes a modular upgrade plate to protect the soldier against the small arms threat. The protective clothing and individual equipment subsystem incorporates modular body armor and upgrade plates that can stop small-arms rounds fired point-blank. 

The infantryman will attach the Computer/Radio Subsystem (CRS) to his load-bearing frame. Over this goes the rucksack for personal gear. The computer processor is fused with radios and a Global Positioning System locator. A hand grip wired to the pack and attached to the soldier's chest acts as a computer mouse and also allows the wearer to change screens, key on the radio, change frequencies and send digital information. The subsystem comes in two flavors: The leader version has two radios and a flat panel display/keyboard, and soldiers have one radio. With the equipment, leaders and soldiers can exchange information. Soldiers using their weapon-mounted camera, for example, can send videos to their leaders. In its GEN II version, the computer and radio will be combined and embedded in new web gear. The system will be built around a series of cards the size of credit cards, but slightly thicker. 

The CRS is integrated into the backpack frame in two sections. The upper portion contains two radios the squad radio and the soldier radio). The squad radio is based on a repackaged commercial radio and will be fully compatible with SINCGARS SIP. The soldier radio is based on a repackaged handheld commercial radio made by Motorola. This gives the soldier the ability to communicate with others in his squad, greatly improving situation awareness and survivability through increased command and control. 

squad[名詞] 分隊; 班; 係; チーム; 代表;survivability[名詞] 生存可能; 生存できること; 生き残れること;

The lower portion of the backpack contains the computer and the global positioning system (GPS) modules. Integration of the GPS and radio into the CRS eliminates separate displays, controls and cases, thereby saving weight and reducing power requirements. Menu driven displays are controlled by the soldier from his Remote Input Pointing Device. This device is located on the chest strap and is operated by the touch of a finger. Some functions are controlled with two buttons located near his trigger finger, allowing the soldier to maintain a firing position. Imbedded into the load carrying frame are the antennas for the GPS and soldier radio. The open architecture of the CRS allows direct insertion of future upgrades in both hardware and software. 

The Land Warrior software subsystem addresses the soldier's core battlefield functions, display management, and mission equipment and supply. The software subsystem includes tactical and mission support modules, maps and tactical overlays, and the ability to capture and display video images. The system also contains a power management module. Land Warrior will be interoperable on the digital battlefield. Designers set up the system so it can be updated as technology improves. The modular architecture allows for direct insertion/replacement with technology upgrades. The software subsystem allows the soldier to tailor the display, menus and functional operation of his system to his own mission needs and preferences. 

interoperable[形容詞] 相互運用可能な;

The prime contractor for the Land Warrior System is Raytheon Systems Company. Subcontractors include Motorola, Honeywell, Omega, GENTEX and Battelle. 

contractor[名詞] 契約人; 請負人; 建設業者; 収縮する物; 収縮筋; 契約者; 請負師;

The soldiers who will actually use Land Warrior have been consulted every step of the way. Prime contractor Raytheon worked with experts at the U.S. Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Ga., in designing the system. They have taken the system to the users to ensure the system is headed in the right direction. The rucksack has quick-release straps so an infantryman can just drop it if the need arises. One problem the Army must overcome before fielding is power. Current batteries last about 150 minutes with all systems running. Other batteries under development by the Army's Communications- Electronics Command may push the time up to 30 hours. Individual portable power packs, possibly with form-fitting batteries that would be less obtrusive when worn as part of the soldier fighting harness, are being considered. Another possibility is development of a "sleep" mode that would automatically put the equipment on standby when not in use to conserve battery energy. 

consult[動詞] 相談する; 調べる; 考慮に入れる; 顧問として働く;

In order to be accepted by the Army, the Land Warrior System must weigh less than 80 pounds (including the TWS). This weight was selected to represent the current load being carried by today's soldier. The current weight of the system in development is 86 pounds. 

development[名詞] 発展; 開発; 発育; 進化; 展開; 動き; 造成地; 発達;

The Army plans to test the Land Warrior system with a platoon from the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. Later, a battalion-sized test is planned. Nearly 5,000 Land Warrior systems will be fielded by the end of 1999. First Unit Equipped (first system in the hands of soldiers) is currently scheduled for between 2000 and 2001. The Army is currently planning on contracting for 34,000 systems plus spares. The total systems cost is estimated to be approximately $70,000 each in FY96 dollars. 

LW will be followed by a more elaborate soldier system that's expected to be fielded in the year 2003 as part of the Generation II/21 CLW program. GEN II will be more compact, energy efficient, producible, affordable and survivable, and will be more easily integrated into the digitized battlefield. 

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Super-Hero Tech
Military Scientists Help Build Better Police Gear

By Paul Eng

Real-life crimefighters could soon be getting high-tech, military-style outfits that would rival anything the caped crusader had in his fabled Bat suit and utility belt.

real-life[形容詞] 現実の; 実在の;

The new gear, dubbed LECTUS for Law Enforcement/Corrections Tactical Uniform System, comes courtesy of researchers at the U.S. Army's National Protection Center at the Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass., where they have been working for years to modify some of the latest military innovations for use by police on the home front.

dub[動詞] 吹き替える; 呼ぶ; あだなを付ける; ナイト爵を授ける; 音楽を加える; 複製する;Law Enforcement : 法の執行

Equipped with a LECTUS outfit, cops would be able to see in the dark, absorb bullets and blows without harm, communicate with others with a simple whisper, see through the eyes of remote team members, and walk through clouds of noxious chemicals or smoke without missing a step.

bullet[名詞] 弾丸; 中黒;blow[動詞] 吹奏する; 広める; つぎ込む; 鳴る; 息を吹きつける; 開花する; 吹く; 吹きつける; 風に吹かれる; 爆破する; ふいにする;[名詞] 一撃; 強打; ひと吹き; 打撃; 強風;noxious chemicals : 有害な化学物質

"This could all happen with the blink of an eye," said Rita Gonzalez, director of NPC. "We're so close it's not even funny."

A Suit for the Blues

LECTUS was conceived as a modified version of the military's so-called Land Warrior system — a project that equips soldiers with high-tech communications gear, sensors and weapons. And much of the proposed LECTUS gear, say researchers, has already been field-tested in combat by troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

conceive[動詞] 心にいだく; 考える; 想像する; 思いつく; 妊娠する;

One part of the LECTUS uniform is an improved helmet called the MICH, or Modular Integrated Communications Helmet. The head gear contains an improved communication setup that does away with the traditional microphone. Instead, MICH uses a "bone-conducting" system that picks up vibrations from the skull when the wearer speaks. 

Audio from the radio is produced from built-in headphones that also act as "active protectors." Microphones on the outside of the helmet monitor for sharp, loud noises — gunshots, explosions from flash-bang grenades — and automatically mute before they can shatter an officer's hearing.

Future versions of the helmet, say military researchers, would add more capabilities.

A built-in GPS unit, for example, would provide officers with precise location information. Meanwhile, a small infra-red camera attached to the side would allow police to search darkened rooms or through smoke without requiring a bulky flashlight. Data such as the live video from other LECTUS-equipped officers can be displayed on a tiny screen that floats in front of the wearer.

The LECTUS outfit, seen here in conceptual form, would feature a helmet full of gear including cameras, radios, and a display device. (Sarah Underhill/U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center)

conceptual[形容詞] 概念の;

Sleek and Supple

[形容詞] なめらかな; つやつやした; 口先がうまい; 人あたりがよい;

[動詞] なめらかにする; 光沢を出す; ごまかす; 身なりを整える;

The material for LECTUS' uniform is nothing extremely exotic for now. Until "smart fabrics" can be identified and created, the shirts and pants of the uniform are mixtures of Cordura nylon and Spandex sections that allow for flexibility and more mobility for the wearer. Standard body armor made of Kevlar and ceramic plates offers protection against 9mm bullets.

Eventually, as smart nanotechnology materials are developed, they could be incorporated into the LECTUS design. The fabric, composed of thin strands of tubes filled with magnets that automatically stiffen against impacts, would offer better protection while saving weight and bulk.

stiffen[動詞] 固くする; 強くする; 堅苦しくなる; こわばらせる; 固くなる; こわばる; こる;

Gonzalez says that traditional tactical uniforms worn by SWAT teams and prison guards aren't the best for certain situations. She notes, for example, that sometimes SWAT teams are called to perform in tough and tight spaces, such as airplanes.

"The [Boston Police] that got the shoe bomber off the airplane two years ago were wearing outfits that were very bulky," says Gonzales. "LECTUS streamlines the operator to get in and out of airplanes and vehicles quickly."


Input From the Boys in Blue

LECTUS equipment and technology is still in the developmental phase. But some of the technology, such as the MICH helmets, are already being tested by some law enforcement agents, says Lawrence Kosiba, president of the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization, a part of the Justice Department's that is working with the NPC towards modifying military technology.

And other developments, such as new LECTUS uniform materials, are being tested constantly. One such development, a new chemical suit, was recently field-tested in a mock prison riot drill at an annual OLETC gathering in Wheeling, W.Va.

drill[動詞] 筋蒔きする; 訓練する; 穴をあける; あける; 教え込む; 射貫く; 教練を受ける;[名詞] ドリル; 反復練習; 訓練; すじまき機; うね; ドリル織り;

The suit, says Kosiba, was designed to be semi-permeable and allows the wearer's body heat and sweat to escape, while keeping out harmful chemical agents such as tear gas — a much needed improvement over what riot officers and prison guards now wear.

semi･permeable-[形] 〈膜など〉半透性の.

"I'm from a fire and military background with 27 years of experience," said Kosiba. "And I've worn some of the charcoal rubber suits, like the old Gulf [War] apparel, that couldn't let out the heat and steam and wasn't breathable. Those were monsters."

apparel[動詞] 衣装をまとわせる; 美しく装う;[名詞] 衣服; 衣装; 服装; アパレル;

Still, Kosiba admits that LECTUS still has plenty of ways to go. "We found some [military] equipment that just wasn't suitable," he said.

For example, for the Land Warrior program, the military had developed a system that would allow soldiers to instantly track where other members were. Such "situational awareness" capabilities are designed to prevent friendly fire incidents. 

While such a system could be beneficial for SWAT members and prison guards that need to storm an occupied building from multiple entrances, it was impractical since it was the size of a backpack. 

"And it wouldn't work for correctional officers because if an inmate got a hold of it, it could be dangerous for fellow officers," said Kosiba.


War Dividend

But he says that since OLETC is working with the NPC and military researchers, he's confident that law enforcement agencies could really benefit from the technologies.

"This is one of the federal programs that makes sense," said Kosiba. "You are already spending the tax dollars to develop this technology for the military, why not put it to good use?"

And NPC's Gonzalez says the feedback from OLETC is also helping to fuel further developments on the military side as well. 

"As far as we're all concerned, one agency just can't do this all alone," said Gonzalez. "It will take a collaboration of users and agencies and teams to make it happen."

Since LECTUS is still in conceptual testing stage, researchers haven't been able to say how much a fully integrated police uniform may cost. But researchers are confident that costs will be significantly lower than any military Land Warrior system, a program that the military has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on over the last decade. 

"Let's just say that creating the LECTUS won't cost as much," said Gonzalez. "It's not even close to [being] a multimillion-dollar program."

And since the technology development is shared with the existing Land Warrior program, LECTUS could be ready for law enforcement agents as soon as 2005.

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Satellite Snaps Earth's Photo From Mars 
Thu May 22,10:42 PM ET Add Science - AP to My Yahoo! 


By ANDREW BRIDGES, AP Science Writer 



The colorized photograph shows Earth from 86 million miles away as a small blue dot orbited by its even smaller moon. 

col･or･ize /kｴlｼrｬ｡z/-[動][他] 〈白黒フィルムを〉(コンピュｰタｰ処理で)色づけする.col･or･i･za･tion /kｵlｼr｡z･｡ﾇｼn | klｼrｪ｡―/[名]

The keen-eyed can make out clouds over the central and eastern United States and northern South America, as well as portions of Central America and the Gulf of Mexico, in a specially processed blowup of the image. 

can make out : を識別することができるblowup[名詞] 激怒; かっとなること; 引伸ばし; 引伸ばし写真;

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft took the picture while orbiting the Red Planet on May 8. 


"This image gives us a new perspective ... one in which we can see our own planet as one among many," said Michael Malin, whose San Diego company built and operates the camera. Jupiter can also be seen in the picture. 


NASA said the portrait was unprecedented — but not for lack of trying. 

unprecedented[形容詞] 先例がない; 未曾有の;


The agency's Pathfinder spacecraft tried several times to photograph Earth after reaching Mars in 1997 but was thwarted by cloudy skies. 

thwarted : 妨害されたthwart[動詞] 妨害する; 阻止する; 計画をくじく;

Images of Earth from space have been among the most compelling images produced by NASA missions. 

compelling[形容詞] 注目せずにはいられないような; 思わず釣り込まれる; 強制的な;compel[動詞] 強いる;

Apollo 8 began orbiting the moon on Dec. 24, 1968, becoming the first manned mission to do so. During a live Christmas Eve television broadcast, the three-man crew took turns reading from the book of Genesis and showing images of the Earth as it rose above the moon. 

took turns : 交替でturn[動詞] 越える; 曲がる; 振り返る; 回転する; 向かう; 変わる; 回す; 回転させる; 向きを変える; 向ける; 変える; 変化させる; 混乱させる;[名詞] 回転; 方向転換; 順番; ひと巡り; 曲がり角; 行い; 変化; 表現; 驚き; 性質;

And in 1990, as NASA's unmanned Voyager 1 spacecraft reached the fringes of the solar system, it turned back to take a final look at Earth at the suggestion of astronomer Carl Sagan. The image, taken from 4 billion miles away, inspired the title of Sagan's 1994 book "A Pale Blue Dot." 

suggestion[名詞] 提案; 提議; 暗示; 示唆; ほのめかし;inspired[形容詞] 霊感を受けている; 霊感を受けた; 霊感によってもたらされた; 直観的に当たる;inspire[動詞] 影響する; 元気づける; 鼓舞する; 吸う; 霊感を授ける; 息を吸いこむ;

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives," Sagan wrote. 

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Snapshot of Mother Earth from Mars 

Have you ever wondered what you would see if you stood on Mars looking back at the Earth through a small telescope? 

Now you can see Earth through the eyes of our space-faring wanderer -- the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft -- which currently orbits the Red Planet. In fact, the spacecraft has flown around Mars for years, since September 1997.

fare行く、やっていく、事が運ぶ、旅をする

Image to left: NASA's Mars Global Surveyor captured this image of Earth while orbiting Mars. With special processing, the moon is visible in the background. The image shows the Earth-facing hemisphere of the Moon, since the Moon was on the far side of Earth as viewed from Mars. 

The camera aboard the Mars Global Surveyor captured the first-ever image of Mother Earth as a tiny alien world in the vast darkness of space. "Taking this picture allowed us to look up from that work of exploring Mars and take in a more panoramic view. This image gives us a new perspective on that neighborhood, one in which we can see our own planet as one among many," said Dr. Michael Malin, the camera's remote operator from back on Earth. 

explore[動詞] 探検する; 調査する; 診察する; 探索する;

Image to left: Zoom in for a closer look at Earth. Central America is faintly visible. We've provided an overlay to help you see the land mass more clearly. 

The image of Earth actually shows our home as a planetary disk, in a "half-Earth" phase. The bright area at the top of the image of Earth is cloud cover over central and eastern North America. Below that, a darker area includes Central America and the Gulf of Mexico. The bright feature near the center-right of the crescent Earth consists of clouds over northern South America.

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Japanese Oldest Climber in Everest Traffic Jam
Thu May 22,11:23 AM ET Add Science - Reuters to My Yahoo! 


By Gopal Sharma 

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - A 70-year-old Japanese scaled Mount Everest (news - web sites) on Thursday, a week before the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the peak, becoming the oldest person to climb the world's highest mountain, Nepal's Tourism Ministry said. 

scale[動詞] 皮をむく; 縮尺する; 鱗を落とす; 体重がある; 水垢を生じさせる; 落とす; はげ落ちる; 比例する; 登る; 重さをはかる; 基準化する;ascent[名詞] 登り; 上昇; 騰貴; 進歩; 上り坂;

Yuichiro Miura, a professional skier and a high school headmaster from Sapporo in Japan, reached the 8,850 meter (29,035 foot) summit using the Southeast Ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953. 

pioneer[動詞] 開拓する; 開拓者となる;

Miura, a well-known adventurer in Japan who has in the past skied down the Himalayas, shattered the previous record set by another Japanese, Tomiyasu Ishikawa, who climbed Mount Everest two years ago at the age of 65. 

shattered : 打ちくだいたshatter[動詞] 感情を強烈にゆさぶる; 打ちくだく; ひどく損なう; 拾う困憊させる;


"I have finally managed to stand on the summit of the Everest, the highest place on Earth. I want to thank everybody, including the sherpas," he said in a statement released by his office. 


A Nepal tourism ministry statement said Miura was among 35 people who reached the summit on Thursday. He was part of the "Miura Everest 2003 Expedition" and was accompanied by his son, Gota Miura, and seven others. 


It said two Irish members and two Nepali sherpas of the "Irish Everest Expedition 2003" climbed the mountain on Thursday. 


The ministry said four Nepali and three Indian soldiers as well as seven sherpas of a joint Nepal-India army expedition also scaled the Everest summit. 


The Nepal-India team was followed 25 minutes later by five Japanese and three sherpa guides of the Tokyo University of Agriculture Alpine Club expedition. 


All four teams used the same route. 


Several hundred climbers are trying to scale Everest from the Nepali and Chinese sides this climbing season, which ends this month, as part of the anniversary celebrations. 


New Zealander Hillary, now 83, will be the guest of honor at a series of official activities in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, next week that will also include hundreds of other successful climbers. Tenzing died in 1986. 


Since Hillary and Tenzing reached the "roof of the world," about 1,200 people have followed them to the summit. A total of 175 have died on the slopes where many of the bodies remain. 

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 First Virus Victims Ate or Handled Wild Game


HONG KONG (Reuters) - The first victims of the deadly new virus spreading across the world were people in China's southern province of Guangdong who ate or handled wild game, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday. 

game[形容詞] 勇敢な; 獲物の; 元気がある; 傷ついた;[動詞] 勝負する; 博打で失う;[名詞] ゲーム; 遊び; 計画; 勝利; 冗談; 商売; 群れ; 競争; 試合;

A top health expert in China said the earliest patients of the flu-like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong had close and continuous contact with chickens, ducks, pigeons and owls, the newspaper said. 

owls : 真面目くさった人owl[名詞] フクロウ; 真面目くさった人;

"We will explore further if the disease was passed to human beings from wild animals. You know, Guangdong people like eating exotic animals and I don't find it a healthy practice," said Bi Shengli, a vice director at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites). 


The earliest cases of the disease were traced to either chefs or bird vendors, Bi said. 

chefs : シェフchef[名詞] シェフ; 料理長; コック長; コック; 料理人; 板前;vendor[名詞] 物売り; 売り子; ベンダー; 売り手; 売り主;

The deadly virus is thought to have originated in southern China. Carried by travelers to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and other countries, the virus has killed 78 and infected 2,313 people so far. Many of those infected have since recovered. 


Mainland China and Hong Kong account for most of the cases. The World Health Organisation and a growing list of countries have stepped up measures to keep the disease at bay and have warned people against traveling to affected areas. 

at bay : を寄せ付けないbay[形容詞] 栗毛色の;[動詞] 太い声で吠える; 吠える;[名詞] 湾; 入り江; 吠え声; 張り出し; 土壇場; 月桂冠; 名声; 栗毛の馬; ベイ;stepped up : 増進してstep[動詞] 踊る; 歩む; 歩いて進む; 踏み入れる; 歩く; 踏む;

The virus comes as a huge blow for Hong Kong, which has had to grapple with what has now become annual attacks of a "bird flu," a deadly avian virus that jumped the species barrier to humans in 1997. It infected 18 people, killing 6 of them. 

grapple[名詞] つかみ合い; 取り組み;[動詞] 取っ組み合う; 取り組む; 引っ掛ける; つかむ;

It's not known how that avian H5N1 virus jumped to humans. 


Experts say SARS has nothing to do with H5N1, but they have not ruled out the possibility that it could be linked to other bird or animal viruses. 

ruled out : 禁止していないrule[動詞] 思いのままにする; 支配する; 規定する; 裁決する; 定規で引く;

Scientists in Hong Kong say the SARS virus comes from the family of coronaviruses, which causes the common cold. 


They say such viruses can originate from animals, although SARS looks nothing like any known human or animal virus. 


However, the newspaper said Bi did not believe SARS had anything to do with coronaviruses. 

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CDC Director Vaccinated in Smallpox Program
Thu Mar 13, 1:25 AM ET Add Science - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Paul Simao 


ATLANTA (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) was publicly vaccinated against smallpox on Wednesday as part of a widening nationwide effort to ensure that front-line health care workers were protected if the virus is unleashed in a bioterror attack. 

unleash[動詞] 発散させる; 爆発させる; ぶちまける; 皮ひもを外す;

CDC Director Julie Gerberding sat as a doctor jabbed her upper left arm 15 times with a tiny needle containing the vaccine. Dr. D.A. Henderson, a former CDC director who led the global campaign to wipe out smallpox in the 1970s, was vaccinated minutes later. 

jab[動詞] 突き刺す; ずぶりと刺す; ジャブを出す; ぐいと突く;

The United States stopped routine smallpox vaccinations in 1972, but decided to resume them for select groups last year as fears grew that the virus could be used as a weapon by radical groups or countries like Iraq (news - web sites). 


Smallpox kills about 30 percent of its victims and scars the remainder for life. It was eradicated in 1979. 


"This is a very sad day," Gerberding told reporters shortly before receiving the vaccine in a secure basement room at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. "We've eradicated this disease, and here I am getting vaccinated with the man responsible for its eradication." 


But Gerberding added that it was important that she and tens of thousands of other health care workers and emergency responders be inoculated because they would be responsible for stopping a future outbreak of the virus on U.S. soil. 

inoculate[動詞] 予防接種をする;soil[動詞] 堕落させる; 傷つける; 汚れる; 汚す;[名詞] 土; 土地; 大地; 国; 環境; 汚れ; 汚物; 肥料;

SPURRED BY SEPT. 11 


Spurred by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and the subsequent appearance of the deadly anthrax bacteria, President Bush (news - web sites) decided last year that half a million U.S. military personnel as well as 450,000 nurses, doctors and technicians should be vaccinated against smallpox. 

spur[動詞] 拍車をかける; 刺激する; 馬に拍車をかける; 急ぐ;subsequent[形容詞] その後の; 続いて起こる;

Five Americans died in 2001 when letters contaminated with the anthrax bacteria were mailed to U.S. media organizations and politicians. No one has ever been charged in the incidents. 

charge[動詞] 課する; 請求する; 非難する; 買う; 告発する; 詰め込む; 充電する; 突撃する; 充電させ


But the federal government's smallpox vaccination plans have been marred by concerns about vaccine side-effects as well as a sharp dispute over who should pay for those who become sick after being vaccinated. 

mar[動詞] 傷つける; 損なう;

The vaccine being used contains a live smallpox-related virus that can cause brain damage or even death in a small percentage of those inoculated, usually children and people with weak immune systems. 


When administered years ago to the general public, it killed between one and two out of every million people inoculated. Americans also may now be more vulnerable to side effects than in the 1970s. 

administer[動詞] 管理する; 司どる; 施行する; 治める; 運営する;

Henderson, who is advising the U.S. government on bioterrorism issues, said that potential health problems linked to the vaccine had been overblown. "The risk of the vaccination is certainly there, but we are tending to overemphasize it," Henderson said. 

overblown[形容詞] 満開を過ぎた; 大げさな; 太りすぎの; 盛りを過ぎた; 過ぎ去った; ジェスチャーたっぷりの;


The U.S. military has reported only a handful of serious "adverse" events in the more than 100,000 troops already vaccinated.

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