拆解：巴基斯坦致命的洪水俱有變暖的特徵

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

EXPLAINER: Pakistan fatal flooding has hallmarks of warming

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SETH BORENSTEIN and SIBI ARASU

Mon, August 29, 2022 at 3:33 PM

The familiar ingredients of a warming world were in place: searing temperatures, hotter air holding more moisture, extreme weather getting wilder, melting glaciers, people living in harm’s way, and poverty. They combined in vulnerable Pakistan to create unrelenting rain and deadly flooding.

The flooding has all the hallmarks of a catastrophe juiced by climate change, but it is too early to formally assign blame to global warming, several scientists tell The Associated Press. It occurred in a country that did little to cause the warming, but keeps getting hit, just like the relentless rain.

“This year Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year the rain is running at more than 780% above average levels,” said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a member of Pakistan’s Climate Change Council. “Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region and Pakistan is not a exception.”

Climate Minister Sherry Rehman said “it’s been a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions.”

Pakistan “is considered the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change,” said Moshin Hafeez, a Lahore-based climate scientist at the International Water Management Institute. Its rain, heat and melting glaciers are all climate change factors scientists warned repeatedly about.

While scientists point out these classic climate change fingerprints, they have not yet finished intricate calculations that compare what happened in Pakistan to what would happen in a world without warming. That study, expected in a few weeks, will formally determine how much climate change is a factor, if at all.

The “recent flood in Pakistan is actually an outcome of the climate catastrophe ... that was looming very large,” said Anjal Prakash, a research director at India’s Bharti Institute of Public Policy. “The kind of incessant rainfall that has happened ... has been unprecedented."

Pakistan is used to monsoons and downpours, but “we do expect them spread out, usually over three months or two months,” said the country's climate minister Rehman.

There are usually breaks, she said, and not as much rain -- 37.5 centimeters (14.8 inches) falls in one day, nearly three times higher than the national average for the past three decades. “Neither is it so prolonged. ... It’s been eight weeks and we are told we might see another downpour in September.”

“Clearly, it’s being juiced by climate change,” said Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts.

There’s been a 400% increase in average rainfall in areas like Baluchistan and Sindh, which led to the extreme flooding, Hafeez said. At least 20 dams have been breached.

The heat has been as relentless as the rain. In May, Pakistan consistently saw temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). Scorching temperatures higher than 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) were recorded in places like Jacobabad and Dadu.

Warmer air holds more moisture -- about 7% more per degree Celsius (4% per degree Fahrenheit) — and that eventually comes down, in this case in torrents.

Across the world “intense rain storms are getting more intense,” said Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer. And he said mountains, like those in Pakistan, help wring extra moisture out as the clouds pass.

Instead of just swollen rivers flooding from extra rain, Pakistan is hit with another source of flash flooding: The extreme heat accelerates the long-term glacier melting then water speeds down from the Himalayas to Pakistan in a dangerous phenomena called glacial lake outburst floods.

“We have the largest number of glaciers outside the polar region, and this affects us,” climate minister Rehman said. “Instead of keeping their majesty and preserving them for posterity and nature. We are seeing them melt.”

Not all of the problem is climate change.

Pakistan saw similar flooding and devastation in 2010 that killed nearly 2,000 people. But the government didn’t implement plans to prevent future flooding by preventing construction and homes in flood prone areas and river beds, said Suleri of the country's Climate Change Council.

The disaster is hitting a poor country that has contributed relatively little to the world's climate problem, scientists and officials said. Since 1959, Pakistan has emitted about 0.4% of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, compared to 21.5% by the United States and 16.4% by China.

“Those countries that have developed or gotten rich on the back of fossil fuels, which are the problem really,” Rehman said. “They’re going to have to make a critical decision that the world is coming to a tipping point. We certainly have already reached that point because of our geographical location.”

Translation

全球變暖的熟悉因素已經到位：灼熱的溫度、更熱的空氣保持更多的水分、極端天氣變得更加狂野、冰川融化、人們生活在危險以及貧困中。它們在脆弱的巴基斯坦聯合起來，製造了無情的降雨和致命的洪水。

幾位科學家告訴美聯社，洪水俱有由氣候變化引發的災難的所有特徵，但現在正式將責任歸咎於全球變暖還為時過早。它發生在一個幾乎對氣候變暖沒有造出任何影響的國家，但卻不斷受到打擊，就像無情雨一樣。

可持續發展政策研究所執行主任兼巴基斯坦氣候變化委員會成員 Abid Qaiyum Suleri 說: “今年巴基斯坦的降雨量是至少三十年來最高的。今年到目前為止，降雨量比平均水平高出 780% 以上”; “該地區的極端天氣模式變得更加頻繁，巴基斯坦也不例外。”

氣候部長Sherry Rehman說： “這是一場規模空前的災難。”

國際水管理研究所駐拉合爾的氣候科學家 Moshin Hafeez 說，巴基斯坦 “被認為是第八大最易受氣候變化影響的國家” 。它的雨水、高溫和融化的冰川都是科學家反覆警告的氣候變化因素。

雖然科學家們指出了這些經典的氣候變化指紋，但他們還沒有完成複雜的計算，將巴基斯坦發生的事情與一個沒有變暖的世界進行比較。這項研究預計將在幾週內完成, 它將正式確定氣候變化在多大程度上是一個因素，如果有這個因素的話。

印度巴蒂公共政策研究所的研究主任 Anjal Prakash說： “巴基斯坦最近發生的洪水實際上是氣候災難的結果……這已經迫在眉睫”; “這種持續不斷的降雨……是史無前例的。”

該國氣候部長Rehman說巴基斯坦已經習慣了季風和傾盆大雨，但 “我們確實預計它們會分攤開來，通常會持續三個月或兩個月” 。

她說，通常會有分隔開，但不會是降雨量那么多  -  一天的降雨量達 37.5 厘米（14.8 英寸），幾乎是過去 30 年全國平均水平的三倍。 “也沒有那麼長。 ......已經八週了，我們被告知可能會在 9 月看到另一場傾盆大雨。”

馬薩諸塞州伍德威爾氣候研究中心的氣候科學家詹Jennifer Francis說： “很明顯，氣候變化正在影響這種情況。”

Hafeez說，俾路支省和信德省等地區的平均降雨量增加了 400%，這導致了極端洪水。至少有20座水壩被破壞。

酷熱如大雨般無情。 5 月，巴基斯坦的氣溫持續高於 45 攝氏度（113 華氏度）。雅各巴巴德和大都等地記錄了高於 50 攝氏度（122 華氏度）的高溫。

溫暖的空氣擁有更多的水分 - 每攝氏度增加約 7%（每華氏度 4%）- 並且最終會下降，在這種情況下是猛烈的暴雨。

普林斯頓大學氣候科學家 Michael Oppenheimer說，全世界 “強烈的暴雨正變得越來越強烈” 。他說山脈，就像巴基斯坦的那些，在雲層經過時有助於擠出額外的水分。

巴基斯坦不僅遭受了額外降雨造成的洪水氾濫，還遭受了另一種山洪暴發的襲擊：極端高溫加速了冰川的長期融化，然後水從喜馬拉雅山流向巴基斯坦，形成了一種危險的現象，稱為冰川湖潰決洪水。

氣候部長Rehman說： “我們在南北两極地區以外擁有最多的冰川，這影響到我們”; “我們沒有保持它的威嚴,並為我們的後代和大自然去保護它。我們正在看到它融化。”

並非所有問題都是因為氣候變化。

2010 年，巴基斯坦發生了類似的洪水和破壞，造成近 2,000 人死亡。但該國氣候變化委員會的Suleri說，政府沒有實施計劃，去執行阻止位於洪水易發地區和河床的建築工程及房屋,以防止未來的洪水。

科學家和官員說，這場災難正在襲擊一個相對較小令致有世界氣候問題的貧窮國家。自 1959 年以來，巴基斯坦排放了約 0.4% 的吸熱二氧化碳，而美國為 21.5%，中國為 16.4%。

Rehman 說: “那些依靠化石燃料發展或致富的國家，確實是個問題”; “他們將不得不做出一個關鍵決定，即世界即將到達一個臨界點。由於我們的地理位置，我們肯定已經達到了這一轉接點。”

So, this year Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year the rain is recorded at more than 780% above average levels. Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region around Pakistan. This could be the impact of global warming. 

Russia burns away large amount of natural gas, perhaps the portion to supply Europe

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ロシア、大量の天然ガスを焼却処理　欧州への供給分か

2022.08.27 Sat posted at 16:35 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） エネルギー調査企業「リスタッド・エナジー」は２７日までに、欧州向けの天然ガスの供給量を厳しく絞っているロシアが１日あたり約１０００万ドル（約１３億８０００万円）相当のガスを焼却していると推測する分析結果を公表した。

同社は放射熱の水準を調べた衛星監視データに基づき、ロシアは今年７月１１日以降、対フィンランド国境近くに建設された液化天然ガス（ＬＮＧ）施設で相当な量の天然ガスを焼失させていると指摘。

これらのガスは通常ならば、バルト海を通じてロシアとドイツを結ぶパイプライン「ノルドストリーム１」を経由して欧州へ流れるはずだったものだろうとも推察した。

同社は先週公表した分析結果で、今月１７日時点での欧州市場のガス価格が１００万英国熱量単位（ＭＭＢｔｕ）あたり６７ドルだったことを踏まえれば、ロシアが燃やしているガスの量の価格は１日約１０００万ドルと推定した。

その量は１日あたり約４３４万立方メートルで、年間ベースに換算した場合、１６億立方メートルに相当。欧州連合（ＥＵ）全体のガス需要のうち約０．５％に匹敵するとした。

焼却処分の理由は不明とし、今年後半に稼働予定の同ＬＮＧ施設の試験操業の一環や組織内部での調整不足が原因の可能性などに言及。政治的な判断が絡むこともあり得るとした。

リスタッド・エナジーは、燃えさかる炎は非常に鮮明であることからロシアと友好的な政治関係が戻った場合、欧州へ送ることが可能な準備を整えていることを示唆もしていると述べた。

Translation

  (CNN) On Wednesday, energy research firm Rystad Energy announced the results of an analysis which estimated that Russia, which had been tightening its supply of natural gas to Europe, was burning away natural gas that worth about $10 million (about 1.38 billion yen) each day.

This company based on satellite surveillance data looking at radiant heat levels, pointed out that Russia has burned a significant amount of natural gas since July 11 this year at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility built near the border with Finland.

It speculated that these gases would normally have flowed to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which connected Russia and Germany through the Baltic Sea.

According to an analysis it published last week that gas prices in the European market were $67 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) as of August 17, and based on this price it was estimated that the amount of the gas that the Russia was burning would worth about $10 million a day.

The amount was about 4.34 million cubic meters per day, equivalent to 1.6 billion cubic meters on an annual basis. It would be equal to about 0.5% of total gas demand in the European Union.

The reason for the incineration was unclear, but cited the possibility that it was part of the trial operation of the same LNG facility scheduled to start operation in the second half of this year; or the lack of coordination within the organization. It could also involve political decisions.

Rystad Energy said that as the blazing flames were so obvious it might suggest that it was ready to send to Europe should friendly political relations with Russia returned.

              So, Russia, which has been tightening its supply of natural gas to Europe, and is burning away its natural gas that worth about $10 million (about 1.38 billion yen) each day. I think it is one of the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict now taking place.

 Translation note:

Rystad Energy in its website says that “Rystad Energy is the lifeblood of our company and the world at large. Our data and insights across the energy space is granular and bottom up, from the smallest data points to connecting the dots and seeing the whole picture. As the energy transition quickens and the world shifts to a net-zero, sustainable future, Rystad Energy is perfectly positioned to be a trusted partner, advising and guiding decision-makers.” ( https://www.rystadenergy.com/)

US university library announced - Valuable ``Galileo's manuscript'' was a fake

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

貴重な「ガリレオの手稿」、偽物だった　米大学図書館が発表

2022.08.26 Fri posted at 20:00 JST

Aya Elamroussi, CNN, Claudia Dominguez, CNN

米ミシガン大の図書館に所蔵され、イタリアの著名な天文学者ガリレオ・ガリレイが書いた貴重な品と考えられてきた手稿は偽物だったことが判明した。同大が明らかにした。

声明によると、「ガリレオ手稿」の名で知られる１ページの文書は１９３０年以前のものとは確認できず、悪名高いイタリアの贋作（がんさく）者トビア・ニコトラの手で書かれた可能性が高いという。

調査が始まったきっかけは、米ジョージア州立大学の歴史学者ニック・ワイルディング氏がミシガン大の学芸員パブロ・アルバレズ氏に連絡を取ったこと。ワイルディング氏は手稿の透かしや出所を疑問視し、手稿が本物かどうか強い疑念があると伝えた。

ミシガン大の声明では「ワイルディング氏は調査の結果、当大学の所蔵するガリレオの手稿は有名な贋作者トビア・ニコトラが偽造した２０世紀の偽物だと結論づけた」と説明。「当大学の専門家がワイルディング氏の示した最も有力な証拠（紙や出所についての証拠）を調べ、手稿について再検証したところ、我々も同じ結論に至った」としている。

ワイルディング氏は紙そのもの、特に透かしに入っているモノグラム（文字を組み合わせた文様）を疑問視した。これらのモノグラムの年代を考慮すると、手稿が１８世紀より前のものであることは考えられないという。

ニコトラは１９３４年、ガリレオ関係の複数の文書などを偽造した罪で禁錮２年を言い渡された。

ミシガン大は現在、同大のコレクションにおけるこの手稿の位置づけを見直している。

偽造と確定する前、同大はこの文書を「ミシガン大図書館の至宝のひとつ」と表現していた。

これまで、この文書はガリレオによる木星の４つの衛星の発見について記したメモとされてきた。

ミシガン大の説明では「地球以外の天体を周回する物体について記した初の観察記録」「ガレリオの人生の転換点、宇宙に関する私たちの理解を一変させるきっかけになった出来事を記したもの」としていた。

１６４２年に死去したガリレオの数ある功績の一つとしては、望遠鏡の製作が挙げられる。木星に衛星があるという発見が可能になったのは望遠鏡のおかげだ。ガリレオはその後、地球が宇宙の中心に固定されているとの見方を否定するコペルニクス天文学の主要な提唱者となった。

ミシガン大が手稿を取得したのは１９３８年。書物や手稿の収集家だった米デトロイトの実業家、トレーシー・マクレガー氏から寄贈された。同大によると、マクレガー氏が手稿を入手したとき、当時ピサの大司教だったピエトロ・マッフィ枢機卿は「この紙片を自分のコレクションにあるガリレオの手書き書簡と比較して」、本物だと太鼓判を押していたという。

Translation

A manuscript by renowned Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei held in the University of Michigan library that was thought to be a treasure trove had turned out to be a forgery. This was made clear by the university.

According the statement the one-page document, known as "The Galileo Manuscript", could not be dated before 1930 and could have been written by notorious Italian forger Tobia Nicotra.

The chance to start an investigation was when Nick Wilding, a historian at Georgia State University in the United States, contacted Pablo Alvarez, a curator at the University of Michigan. Wilding questioned the manuscript's watermarks and provenance, and said he had strong doubts about the manuscript's authenticity.

The University of Michigan in a statement said that "Mr. Wilding's investigation has concluded that Galileo's manuscripts in the University's collection are 20th-century forgeries, forged by renowned forger Tobia Nicotra."  The university supposed that "After our experts examined the most compelling evidence given by Mr. Wilding (paper and evidence of provenance) and reviewing the manuscript, we come to the same conclusion."

Wilding questioned the paper itself, especially the monogram (a combination of letters) in the watermark. Given the date of these monograms, it would be inconceivable that the manuscript predated the 18th century.

In 1934, Nicotra was sentenced to two years in prison for forging documents related to Galileo.

The University of Michigan was currently reviewing the manuscript's placement in its collection.

Before it was confirmed as a forgery, the university described the document as "one of the treasures of the University of Michigan Library."

Until now, the document had been regarded as a note by Galileo about the discovery of the four moons of Jupiter.

The University of Michigan’s description supposed it as "the first documented observation of an object orbiting a celestial body other than Earth" and "marking a turning point in Galileo's life, it was a record of an event that transformed our understanding of the universe".

About Galileo who died in 1642, one of the many achievements being listed out was the construction of the telescope.  The discovery that Jupiter had moons was made possible by telescopes. Galileo then became a major proponent of Copernican astronomy, which rejected the idea that the Earth was fixed at the center of the universe.

The University of Michigan acquired the manuscript in 1938. It was donated by Detroit businessman Tracy McGregor who was a collector of books and manuscripts. According to the university, it is said that when McGregor got hold of the manuscript, Cardinal Pietro Maffi, then Archbishop of Pisa, had expressed that "compared it with Galileo's handwritten letters in his collection" he endorsed it as authentic.

              So, a manuscript held in the University of Michigan library that thought to be by the renowned Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei has turned out to be a forgery. On and off, such thing happens, to produce counterfeit work is a big business.

Note: Tobia Nicotra was a prolific Italian forger who produced counterfeit works of artists in various disciplines. In 1937, he was described as "the most proficient forger of autographs". He might have produced as many as 600 forgeries before he was caught. (Wikipedia)

中國的百度公佈了其第一台名為“乾始”的量子電腦

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China's Baidu reveals its first quantum computer called Qianshi

Thu, August 25, 2022 at 1:01 AM

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese search engine giant Baidu Inc revealed its first quantum computer on Thursday and is ready to make it available to external users, joining the global race to apply the technology to practical uses.

The Baidu-developed quantum computer, dubbed "Qianshi", has a 10-quantum-bit (qubit) processor, Baidu said in a statement. The Beijing-based company has also developed a 36-qubit quantum chip, it said.

Governments and companies around the world for years have touted the potential of quantum computing, a form of high-speed calculation at extraordinarily cold temperatures that will bring computers to unprecedented processing speeds.

However, current real-world applications in the field are still very basic and limited to a small group of early clients.

The United States, China and the European Union have initiated massively funded projects in quantum computing, hoping to pull ahead in the field, which is often considered as one of the cornerstones on which the new global supremacy will be determined.

Global governments and companies will invest around $16.4 billion in quantum development by the end of 2027, according to market researcher IDC.

U.S. tech giant IBM has said that it plans to make a quantum computer ready for commercial use in 2025 with a more-than-4,000 qubit processor. IBM has so far released quantum processors with 127 qubits.

Alphabet Inc's Google is also aiming to develop a computer with 1,000,000 qubits by the end of this decade.

 (Reporting by Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

Translation

北京（路透社）- 中國搜索引擎巨頭百度公司週四公佈了其第一台量子電腦，並準備將它提供給外部用戶，加入把這項技術應用於實際用途的全球競賽。

百度在一份聲明中表示，百度開發的量子電腦被稱為 “乾始”，具有 10 個量子位 (qubit) 處理器。它說，這家總部位於北京的公司還開發了一種 36 量子位的量子芯片。

多年來，世界各地的政府和公司一直在吹捧量子電腦的潛力，這是一種在極冷溫度下進行高速計算的形式，它將使計算機達到前所未有的處理速度。

然而，目前該領域的實際應用仍然非常初步，並僅限於一小部分早期客戶。

美國、中國和歐盟已經啟動了大規模資助的量子計算項目，希望在這一領域取得領先，這領域通常被認為是去確立新全球霸權的根本之一。

據市場研究機構 IDC 稱，到 2027 年底，全球政府和公司將投資約 164 億美元用於量子開發。

美國科技巨頭 IBM 曾表示，它計劃在 2025 年製造一款可用於商業用途的量子電腦，其處理器數量超過 4000 個量子位。迄今為止，IBM 目前提供 127 個量子位的量子處理器。

Alphabet Inc. 旗下的谷歌也計劃在本世紀末開發出擁有 1,000,000 個量子位的電腦。

So, Governments and companies around the world for years have touted the potential of quantum computing that will bring computers to unprecedented processing speeds. Let’s wait and see who will win this competition.

For the first time in U.S. television history - watching time on video distribution surpasses cable

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

動画配信の視聴時間、ケーブル上回る　米テレビ史上初

2022.08.22 Mon posted at 15:10 JST

  ニューヨーク（ＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓ） 米ニールセンによると、米国で史上初めてネットフリックスのような動画配信のテレビ視聴時間がケーブルテレビの視聴時間を上回った。料金が高いケーブルテレビから安い動画配信サービスに切り替える動きは加速している。

７月のテレビ視聴時間に占める動画配信のシェアは３４．８％となり、前年比でほぼ２３ポイント増加。一方、ケーブルテレビと放送番組の視聴時間はいずれも前年より減り、ケーブルテレビのシェアは３４．４％、放送番組は２１．６％と前年同月比で１０ポイント近く落ち込んだ。

ニールセンによると、動画配信は以前から放送を上回っていたが、ケーブルテレビを抜いたのは今回が初めてだった。ネットフリックス、フールー、ユーチューブのシェアは過去最高を記録し、ネットフリックスは人気ドラマ「ストレンジャー・シングス　未知の世界」のヒットで動画配信の最大手になった。

エンタメ業界は時代に追いつこうと、動画配信サービスに多額を注ぎ込んでいる。しかし動画配信の黄金時代は既に過ぎ去ったのかもしれない。どんなことをしてでも加入者を獲得しようとする競争は終わった。

ディズニーはさまざまな配信サービスで巨額を失った後、値上げに踏み切った。ネットフリックスも最近になって料金を引き上げ、パスワード共有防止に乗り出した。ＣＮＮ親会社のワーナー・ブラザース・ディスカバリーは、１つの動画配信サービスの傘下で全てを展開する戦略を転換させている。

Translation

  New York (CNN Business) For the first time in U.S. history, more people watch TV on streaming services like Netflix than they did on cable, according to Nielsen. The movement to switch from expensive cable TV to cheap video distribution services was accelerating.

Video distribution accounted for 34.8% of TV viewing time in July, an increase of nearly 23 percentage points from the previous year. On the other hand, viewing time for both cable TV and broadcast programs decreased from the previous year, with cable TV's share falling to 34.4% and broadcast program's share falling to 21.6%, down nearly 10 percentage points from the same month last year.

According to Nielsen, video streaming always outpaced broadcast, but this was the first time it overtook cable. Shares of Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube hit all-time highs, and Netflix became the largest video distribution company with the hit of the popular drama Stranger Things Unknown Word.

The entertainment industry had been pouring large amount of money into video distribution services in an attempt to keep up with the times. Yet the golden age of video distribution could already be behind us. No matter what, the race to win subscribers at all costs was over.

Disney had raised prices after losing millions on various streaming services. Netflix recently raised its prices and started to prevent password sharing. CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery was shifting its strategy into doing everything under one streaming service.

              So, for the first time in U.S. history, more people watch streaming services like Netflix than they do on cable. I think the trend to switch from expensive cable TV to cheap video distribution services will be followed in other advanced countries globally.

Note:

 Nielsen Holdings Inc. is an American information, data and market measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is currently a component of the S&P 500. (Wikipedia)

Medieval monk ``riddled with parasites'' – A British study

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

中世の修道士、「寄生虫まみれだった」　英研究

2022.08.21 Sun posted at 10:55 JST

ロンドン（ＣＮＮ） 中世イングランドのアウグスティノ修道会の修道士たちは、腸内寄生虫に悩まされる可能性がその他の人々より２倍近く高かったとする研究がこのほど発表された。大半の修道院は洗面設備を有していたが、そうした環境からは予想外の実態が明らかになった。

当時、一般の人々が洗面設備を利用できたケースはまれ。

英ケンブリッジ大学考古学部の研究者らは、地元のアウグスティノ修道会の修道院があった土地から修道士１９人の遺骨を発掘した。

これらの修道士の骨盤周辺から採取した土壌サンプルと、町の住民２５人のサンプルとの比較により、寄生虫が生活様式の大きく異なる人々の間でどのように蔓延（まんえん）していたかを比べた。町の住民は修道士と同時代の１２～１４世紀を生きた人々で、社会経済的には低い階層に属する。

研究論文は古病理学の学会誌に掲載された。

サンプルを調べた結果、修道士は全体の５８％に相当する１１人が寄生虫に感染。一方の町の住民で感染していたのはわずか８人と、全体の３２％だった。

住民らの感染の割合は予想通りで、先行する中世欧州の墓所での研究結果と同水準だった。しかし修道士の遺骨から割り出した感染率は高いと、研究者らは指摘する。

「中世のケンブリッジにいた修道士たちは寄生虫まみれだったようだ」と、論文の筆頭著者のピアズ・ミッチェル氏は報道向けの発表で述べた。

その上で、寄生虫が異なる生活様式の人々の間でどのように存在していたのか、同じ中世の町のサンプルから突き止めようとした研究は今回が初めてだと付け加えた。

顕微鏡を使って寄生虫の卵を調べたテンイ・ワン氏は、最もよく見つかった寄生虫は回虫で、その次が鞭虫（べんちゅう）だったと説明。いずれも「衛生状態の悪さ」が原因で蔓延するという。

当時の修道士らはトイレと洗面設備を使用することができた。設備には通常流水が用いられていたが、当該のケンブリッジの修道院がそうだったかどうかはまだ確認されていない。それでも研究者らは上記の感染率のはっきりとした違いについて、排泄（はいせつ）物の扱いが異なっていたことによるものとの見方を示唆する。

「１つの可能性として、修道士らは菜園の肥料に人糞（じんぷん）を利用した。中世では普通のことだ。これによって寄生虫への感染を繰り返していたのかもしれない」と、ミッチェル氏は説明する。

中世にしては手の込んだトイレを修道士らが常用していたのとは対照的に、一般庶民は地面に穴を掘っただけの汚水槽を使わなくてはならなかった。

Translation

London (CNN) Augustinian monks in medieval England were nearly twice as likely to suffer from intestinal parasites as the rest of the world, according to a new study. Most monasteries had washroom facilities, but such an environment revealed an unexpected reality.

At that time, it was rare for ordinary people to have access to washroom facilities.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge's Department of Archeology unearthed the remains of 19 monks on the site of a local Augustinian monastery.

A comparison of soil samples taken from the pelvic area of ​​these monks with samples from 25 town residents showed how the parasite spread among people with vastly different lifestyles. The town's inhabitants lived in the 12th to 14th centuries, the same period as the monks, and belonged to the lower socio-economic class.

The research paper was published in the journal Paleopathology.

After examining the samples, 11 monks, or 58% of the total, were infected with the parasite. While in town, only eight people, or 32% of the total, were infected.

The rate of infection among the residents was as expected and similar to previous studies of medieval European tombs. But researchers said the rate of infection in the remains of monks was high.

"It seems that the monks in medieval Cambridge were riddled with parasites," lead author Piers Mitchell said in a statement to the press.

He added that this was the first study to try to determine how the parasites existed among people with different lifestyles from samples from the same medieval town.

Tianyi Wang, who used a microscope to examine the parasite eggs, said roundworms were the most common parasites, followed by whipworms. Both were said to be prevalent due to "poor hygiene".

The monks at that time had access to toilets and washing facilities. The equipment usually used running water, although it had not yet been ascertained whether this Cambridge monastery in question did so. Still, researchers suggested that the stark differences in infection rates described above could be due to differences in the handling excreta.

Mitchell said to explain that "One possibility is that the monks used human feces to fertilize their vegetable gardens, which was common in the Middle Ages. This could have led to repeated parasite infections".

In the Middle Ages, the common people just dug a hole on the ground without a sewage tank, in contrast to monks who regularly used elaborate toilets.

              So, it seems that the monks in medieval Cambridge were suffering more from parasite infection then the common people who were not using elaborate toilets.

中國干旱擾亂工業，長江萎縮

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Yangtze shrinks as China's drought disrupts industry

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Fri, August 19, 2022 at 1:40 AM

CHONGQING, China (AP) — Ships crept down the middle of the Yangtze on Friday after China's driest summer in six decades left one of the mightiest rivers barely half its normal width and set off a scramble to contain the damage to a weak economy in a politically sensitive year.

Factories in Sichuan province and the adjacent metropolis of Chongqing in the southwest were ordered to shut down after reservoirs that supply hydropower fell to half their normal levels and demand for air conditioning surged in scorching temperatures.

River ferries in Chongqing that usually are packed with sightseers were empty and tied to piers beside mudflats that stretched as much as 50 meters (50 yards) from the normal shoreline to the depleted river's edge. Smaller ships sailed down the middle of the Yangtze, one of China's biggest trade channels, but no large cargo ships could be seen.

Normally bustling streets were empty after temperatures hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in Chongqing on Thursday. State media said that was the hottest in China outside the desert region of Xinjiang in the northwest since official records began in 1961.

“We cannot live through this summer without air conditioning," said Chen Haofeng, 22, who was taking pictures of the exposed riverbed. “Nothing can cool us down.”

The disruption adds to challenges for the ruling Communist Party, which is trying to shore up sagging economic growth before a meeting in October or November when President Xi Jinping is expected to try to award himself a third five-year term as leader.

The world’s second-largest economy grew by just 2.5% over a year earlier in the first half of 2022, less than half the official target of 5.5%.

The drought’s impact in Sichuan is unusually severe because the province gets 80% of its power from hydroelectric dams.

Thousands of factories that make processor chips, solar panels and auto components in Sichuan and Chongqing shut down this week for at least six days.

Some announced there was no disruption in supplies to customers, but the Shanghai city government said in a letter released Thursday that Tesla Ltd. and a major Chinese automaker were forced to suspend production.

The city government of Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital, told households to conserve power by setting air conditioning no lower than 27 C (80 F). Another city, Dazhou, earlier announced rolling three-hour daily power outages for neighborhoods.

The Yangtze basin, covering parts of 19 provinces, produces 45% of China’s economic output, according to the World Bank.

Low water levels in rivers also forced halts to cargo shipments.

A canal that connects Wuhan on the Yangtze with the city of Anqing to the northeast in Anhui was closed because it was too shallow for vessels to move safely, the Shanghai news outlet The Paper reported.

The national impact of shutdowns is limited because Sichuan accounts for only 4% of industrial production, while other provinces use more coal-fired power, which hasn’t been disrupted.

The government says China's two main state-owned power companies, State Grid Ltd. and Southern Grid Ltd., are moving power from 15 other provinces to Sichuan.

A member of the Communist Party’s seven-member ruling Standing Committee, Han Zheng, promised official support to ensure power supplies during a visit Wednesday to State Grid, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

China suffered similar disruptions last year when a dry summer caused hydropower shortages and shut down factories in Guangdong province in the southeast, a global manufacturing center. Other regions suffered blackouts due to coal shortages and mandatory power cuts to meet official energy efficiency targets.

This year is unlikely to be so severe, according to Larry Hu of Macquarie Group.

“If the power rationing in Sichuan only lasts a few weeks, the impact on the industrial production at the national level should be very limited," Hu said in a report.

Xuguang Electronics Co. in Chengdu said the six-day shutdown would reduce its output by 48,000 electronic circuits. The company said it expected to take a 5 million yuan ($600,000) hit to its annual profit.

BOE Technology Group Co., which makes electronic displays, said a Sichuan subsidiary would suspend production. BOE promised in a statement issued through the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to “fully guarantee delivery of customers’ products.”

News reports said producers in Sichuan of solar panels and lithium for electric cars also shut down, but no companies announced disruptions in supplies.

Translation

中國重慶（美聯社）- 在周五有船隻在長江中部遲緩地行駛, 中國六十年來最乾旱的夏季，令最強大河流之一的長江的寬度变成僅為正常寬度的一半, 並在政治敏感的一年中, 引發一場爭取制止對已疲軟的經濟的破壞。

由於供應水力發電的水庫降至正常水平的一半，並且因酷熱的天氣中對空調的需求激增，四川省和西南相鄰的重慶市的工廠被勒令關閉。

重慶通常擠滿觀光客的內河渡輪空無一人，被綁在泥灘旁的碼頭上，泥灘從正常海岸線延伸至枯竭的河流邊緣長達 50 米（50 碼）。較小的船隻在中國最大的貿易通道之一長江中部航行，但看不到有大型貨船。

週四，重慶氣溫達到攝氏 45 度（華氏 113 度）後，往常熙熙攘攘的街道上空無一人。官方媒體稱，這是自1961年有官方記錄以來，中國除西北新疆沙漠地區以外的最熱天氣。

正在為裸露的河床拍照的 22 歲的陳浩峰說: “沒有空調，我們無法度過這個夏天”; “沒有什麼能讓我們降溫。”

這種干擾給執政的共產黨增加了挑戰，該黨正試圖在 10 月或 11 月的會議之前支撐疲軟的經濟增長，屆時預計習近平主席將試圖授予自己第三個五年的領導人任期。

這個世界第二大經濟體在 2022 年上半年僅比去年同期增長 2.5%，不到官方目標 5.5% 的一半。

四川乾旱的影響異常嚴重，因為該省 80% 的電力來自水力發電大壩。

本週，四川和重慶數千家生產處理器芯片、太陽能電池板和汽車零部件的工廠關閉了至少六天。

有人宣稱對客戶的供應沒有中斷，但上海市政府在周四發布的一封信中表示，特斯拉有限公司和一家中國主要汽車製造商被迫停產。

四川省會成都市政府告訴家庭通過將空調設置為不低於 27 攝氏度（80 華氏度）來節省電力。另一個城市達州早些時候宣布，社區每天輪流停電三小時。

根據世界銀行的數據，長江流域覆蓋 19 個省的部分地區，佔中國經濟出產的 45%。

河流的低水位也迫使貨物運輸停止。

上海新聞媒體《澎湃新聞》報導，一條連接長江武漢和安徽省東北部安慶市的運河因水深太淺，船隻無法安全行駛而被關閉。

停工對全國的影響是有限的，因為四川僅佔工業生產的 4%，而其他省份則使用更多的燃煤發電，且並未有中斷。

政府表示，中國兩大國有電力公司,國家電網有限公司和南方電網有限公司正在將電力從其他 15 個省份轉移到四川。

據官方新華社報導，中共七人常委委員韓正在周三訪問國家電網期間承諾提供官方支持，以確保電力供應。

去年，中國遭受了類似的干擾，夏季乾燥導致水電短缺，並關閉了位於中國東南部的廣東省, 一個全球製造中心的工廠。其他地區因煤炭短缺, 和為實現官方能源效率目標而遭受強制停電。

Macquarie Group 的 Larry Hu 表示，今年不太可能如此嚴重。

Hu 在一份報告中說: “如果四川的限電只持續幾週，對全國工業生產的影響應該是非常有限的” 。

成都旭光電子有限公司表示，為期六天的停產將減少共48,000個電子電路的產量。該公司表示，預計其年度利潤將受到打擊 達500 萬元人民幣（60 萬美元)。

生產電子顯示器的BOE科技集團有限公司表示，四川的一家子公司將停產。BOE在通過深圳證券交易所發布的聲明中承諾 “全力保障交付客戶的產品” 。

新聞報導稱，四川的太陽能電池板和電動汽車鋰生產商也關閉了，但沒有公司宣布產品供應被打亂。

So, China's driest summer in six decades left one of the mightiest rivers Yangtze barely half its normal width. Factories in Sichuan province and the adjacent metropolis of Chongqing in the southwest were ordered to shut down after reservoirs that supply hydropower fell to half their normal levels. Could this drought be one of the impacts of global warming?