我們可能終於知道為什麼這麼多終生吸煙者從未患過肺癌

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

We may finally know why so many lifelong smokers never get lung cancer

BGR Joshua Hawkins

Tue, May 31, 2022, 12:26 PM

Scientists may have discovered why lifelong smokers never get lung cancer. That sentence probably seems silly, especially given that cigarettes are the number one risk factor for lung cancer. Despite tobacco products being the cause of 90 percent of deaths, lifelong smokers somehow tend to avoid getting lung cancer. Now, science may have finally figured out why that is.

According to new findings published in Nature Genetics, DNA repair genes could be keeping some smokers from getting lung cancer. Researchers found an inherent advantage in many smokers that never developed lung cancer. They found that the cells lining the lungs were less likely to mutate over time.

Essentially, because the DNA repair genes in some people who smoke were so active, they protected the person from forming cancer cells. It’s an intriguing find and one that could finally explain why some smokers never get lung cancer.

The researchers looked at the genetic profiles of 33 participants’ bronchial basal cells. All the participants were aged between 11 and 86 years old. 14 participants had never smoked, while the other 19 had varying histories of being light, moderate, and heavy smokers.

They then sequenced the gathered surface cells collected from the participants’ lungs to measure mutations in their genomes.

Multiplying Mutations

The results showed that these lung cells survive for years. And, that the mutations can accumulate as the person ages and continues to smoke. These are also the most likely of the lung’s cells to turn cancerous, a pulmonologist with Albert Einstein College of Medicine explained in a statement.

But what’s most interesting is that after around 23 years of smoking a pack a day, the scientists found that the risk and mutation rate of those cells plateaus drastically. As such, some lifelong smokers never get lung cancer because of how drastically the mutation rates change.

That’s because their DNA is able to repair the body before the cell mutations develop into tumors. These DNA repair genes can be inherited or acquired, scientists say. And exactly what makes one person’s body better at repairing DNA is still a mystery.

However, based on the findings of this study, it could play a large part in why 80 to 90 percent of lifelong smokers never develop lung cancer.

Still, even knowing this, the risk associated with smoking is still terribly high. And geneticists plan to develop new ways to measure a person’s capacity for DNA repair. This could help us better understand the part DNA repair plays in why lifelong smokers never get lung cancer. Additionally, it could even help us assess a person’s risk of getting lung cancer more effectively.

Translation

科學家們可能已經發現了為什麼終生吸煙者永遠不會患肺癌。這句話可能看起來很愚蠢，尤其是考慮到香煙是肺癌的第一大危險因素。儘管煙草製品是 90% 的死亡原因，但終生吸煙者往往可能會避免患上肺癌。現在，科學可能終於弄清楚了為什麼會這樣。

根據發表在《自然遺傳學》上的新發現，DNA 修復基因可能會阻止一些吸煙者患上肺癌。研究人員在許多從未患過肺癌的吸煙者身上發現了一種先天優勢。他們發現這些人肺內襯層的細胞隨著時間過去過去都不太可能發生突變。

從本質上講，因為一些吸煙者的 DNA 修復基因非常活躍，它們保護了這個人免於形成癌細胞。這是一個有趣的發現，最終可以解釋為什麼有些吸煙者永遠不會患上肺癌。

研究人員查看了 33 名參與者支氣管基底細胞的基因圖譜。所有參與者的年齡在 11 至 86 歲之間。 14 名參與者從未吸煙，而另外 19 名參與者是有輕度、中度和重度吸煙者的人。

然後，他們對從參與者肺部收集到的表面細胞去進行測序，以測量他們基因的突變。

倍增突變

結果表明，這些肺細胞可以存活多年。而且，突變會隨著人的年齡增長和繼續吸煙而積累。阿爾伯特愛因斯坦醫學院的肺病學家在一份聲明中解釋說，這些也是最有可能發生癌變的肺細胞。

但最有趣的是，在每天吸一包煙約 23 年後，科學家們發現這些細胞的突變和風險率急劇平稳。因此，一些終生吸煙的人從未患過肺癌，因為突變率發生了急劇的變化。

那是因為他們的 DNA 能夠在細胞突變發展成腫瘤之前修復身體。科學家說，這些 DNA 修復基因可以遺傳或從别處獲得。究竟是什麼讓一個人的身體更擅於修復 DNA 仍然是個謎。

然而，根據這項研究的結果，它可能在很大程度上解釋了為什麼 80% 到 90% 的終生吸煙者從未患上肺癌。

但即使知道這一點，與吸煙相關的風險仍然非常高。遺傳學家計劃開發新的方法來測量一個人的 DNA 修復能力。這可以幫助我們更好地理解 DNA 修復, 及在終生吸煙者為什麼永遠不會患肺癌中所起的作用。此外，它甚至可以幫助我們更有效地評估一個人患肺癌的風險。

So, in some people who actively smoke, because their DNA can repair the genes and thus protect the person from forming cancer cells. It’s an intriguing find and may explain why some chain smokers never get lung cancer.

巨型深海渦輪機試驗為無盡的綠色動力提供了希望

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following

Giant Deep Ocean Turbine Trial Offers Hope of Endless Green Power

Erica Yokoyama

Mon, May 30, 2022, 6:07 PM

(Bloomberg) -- Power-hungry, fossil-fuel dependent Japan has successfully tested a system that could provide a constant, steady form of renewable energy, regardless of the wind or the sun.

For more than a decade, Japanese heavy machinery maker IHI Corp. has been developing a subsea turbine that harnesses the energy in deep ocean currents and converts it into a steady and reliable source of electricity. The giant machine resembles an airplane, with two counter-rotating turbine fans in place of jets, and a central ‘fuselage’ housing a buoyancy adjustment system. Called Kairyu, the 330-ton prototype is designed to be anchored to the sea floor at a depth of 30-50 meters (100-160 feet).

In commercial production, the plan is to site the turbines in the Kuroshio Current, one of the world’s strongest, which runs along Japan’s eastern coast, and transmit the power via seabed cables.

“Ocean currents have an advantage in terms of their accessibility in Japan,” said Ken Takagi, a professor of ocean technology policy at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. “Wind power is more geographically suited to Europe, which is exposed to predominant westerly winds and is located at higher latitudes.” Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) estimates the Kuroshio Current could potentially generate as much as 200 gigawatts — about 60% of Japan’s present generating capacity.

Like other nations, the lion’s share of investment in renewables has gone into wind and solar, especially after the Fukushima nuclear disaster curbed that nation’s appetite for atomic energy. Japan is already the world’s third largest generator of solar power and is investing heavily in offshore wind, but harnessing ocean currents could provide the reliable baseline power needed to reduce the need for energy storage or fossil fuels.

The advantage of ocean currents is their stability. They flow with little fluctuation in speed and direction, giving them a capacity factor — a measure of how often the system is generating — of 50-70%, compared with around 29% for onshore wind and 15% for solar.

In February, IHI completed a 3 ½ year-long demonstration study of the technology with NEDO. Its team tested the system in the waters around the Tokara Islands in southwestern Japan by hanging Kairyu from a vessel and sending power back to the ship. It first drove the ship to artificially generate a current, and then suspended the turbines in the Kuroshio.

The tests proved the prototype could generate the expected 100 kilowatts of stable power and the company now plans to scale up to a full 2 megawatt system that could be in commercial operation in the 2030s or later.

Like other advanced maritime nations, Japan is exploring various ways of harnessing energy from the sea, including tidal and wave power and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), which exploits the difference in temperature between the surface and the deep ocean. Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. has invested in UK-based Bombora Wave Power to explore the potential for the technology in Japan and Europe. The company is also promoting OTEC and began operating a 100 kW demonstration facility in Okinawa in April, according to Yasuo Suzuki, general manager of the corporate marketing division. Kyushu Electric’s renewable unit Kyuden Mirai Energy begins a 650 million yen ($5.1 million) feasibility test this year to produce 1 MW of tidal power around the Goto Islands in the East China Sea. The government this month also proposed changes to offshore wind auctions that could speed up development.

Among marine-energy technologies, the one advancing fastest towards cost-effectiveness is tidal stream, where “the technology has advanced quite a long way and it definitely works,” said Angus McCrone, a former BloombergNEF chief editor and marine energy analyst. Scotland-based Orbital Marine Power is one of several companies constructing tidal systems around Orkney, location of the European Marine Energy Centre. Others include SIMEC Atlantis Energy’s MeyGen array and California-based Aquantis, founded by US wind pioneer James Dehlsen, which reportedly plans to start testing a tidal system there next year.

While tidal flows don’t run 24 hours, they tend to be stronger than deep ocean currents. The Kuroshio current flows at 1 to 1.5 meters per second, compared with 3 meters per second for some tidal systems. “The biggest issue for ocean current turbines is whether they could produce a device that would generate power economically out of currents that are not particularly strong,” said McCrone.

Ocean Energy Systems, an intergovernmental collaboration established by the International Energy Agency, sees the potential to deploy more than 300 gigawatts of ocean energy globally by 2050.

But the potential for ocean energy is location dependent, taking into account the strength of currents, access to grids or markets, maintenance costs, shipping, marine life and other factors. In Japan, wave energy is moderate and unstable through the year, while areas with strong tidal currents tend to have heavy shipping traffic, Takagi said. And OTEC is better suited to tropical regions where the temperature gradient is bigger. One of the advantages of the deep ocean current is it doesn’t restrict navigation of ships, IHI said.

Still, the Japanese company has a long way to go. Compared with onshore facilities, it’s much more complicated to install a system underwater. “Unlike Europe, which has a long history of the North Sea Oil exploration, Japan has had little experience with offshore construction,” said Takagi. There are major engineering challenges to build a system robust enough to withstand the hostile conditions of a deep ocean current and to reduce maintenance costs.

“Japan isn’t blessed with a lot of alternative energy sources,” he said. “People may say that this is just a dream, but we need to try everything to achieve zero carbon.”

With the cost of wind and solar power and battery storage declining, IHI will also need to demonstrate that overall project costs for ocean current power are competitive. IHI aims to generate power at 20 yen per kilowatt-hour from large-scale deployment. That compares with about 17 yen for solar in the country and about 12-16 yen for offshore wind. IHI also said it conducted an environmental assessment before it launched the project and will use the test results to examine any impact on the marine environment and fishing industry.

If successful at scale, deep ocean currents could add a vital part in providing green baseline power in the global effort to phase out fossil fuels. IHI’s work could help Japan’s engineering take a leading role with government support, said McCrone.

IHI has to make a convincing argument that “Japan could benefit from being a technology leader in this area,” he said.

Translation

（彭博社）—大電量消耗、依賴化石燃料的日本成功地測試了一個系統，該系統可以提供穩定的可再生能源，無論風或太陽如何。

十多年來，日本重型機械製造商 IHI Corp. 一直在開發一種海底渦輪機，該渦輪機利用深海流中的能量並將其轉化為穩定可靠的電力來源。這台巨型機器類似於一架飛機，有兩個反向旋轉的渦輪風扇代替噴氣機，一個中央 “機身” 裝有一個浮力調節系統。這款 330 噸重的原型機名為 Kairyu，設計用於定錨於 30-50 米（100-160 英尺）深度的海床上。

作為商業生產，計劃將渦輪機安裝在沿日本東海岸流動的黑潮, 世界上最強洋流的之一，並通過海底電纜傳輸電力。

東京大學新領域創成科学研究院的海洋技術政策教授高木健說: “洋流在日本的易獲取性方面具有優勢”; “風力發電在地理上更適合歐洲，歐洲主要受西風影響，並且位於高緯度地區” 。日本新能源和工業技術開發組織 (NEDO) 估計黑潮可能產生高達 200 吉瓦的電力，約佔日本目前發電量的 60%。

與其他國家一樣，可再生能源的大部分投資都投向了風能和太陽能，尤其是在福島核災難抑制了該國對原子能的需求之後。日本已經是世界第三大太陽能發電國，並且正在大力投資海上風能，但利用洋流可以提供可靠的基本電力，以減少對儲能或化石燃料的需求。

洋流的優勢在於其穩定性。它的流動的速度和方向幾乎沒有波動，因此它們的容量基數（衡量系統發電次數的指標）為 50-70%，而陸上風能約為 29%，太陽能約為 15%。

在2 月，IHI 與 NEDO 完成了一項為期 3年半的技術示範研究。它的團隊在日本西南部吐噶喇列島周圍的水域測試了該系統。方法是將 Kairyu從船上懸掛入水中在並將電力送回船上。它首先是啓動船以人為地產生電流，然後將渦輪機懸掛入黑潮中。

測試證明該原型可以產生預期的 100 千瓦的穩定電力，該公司現在計劃擴大到一個完整的 2 兆瓦系統，該系統可能在 2030 年代或更晚投入商業運營。

與其他先進的海洋國家一樣，日本正在探索利用海洋能源的各種方式，包括潮汐能和波浪能以及海洋熱能轉換 (OTEC)，OTEC 是利用海表和深海之間的溫差。 Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. 投資了總部位於英國的 Bombora Wave Power，以探索該技術在日本和歐洲的潛力。據企業營銷部總經理 Yasuo Suzuki 稱，該公司還在推廣 OTEC，並於 4 月開始在沖繩運營一個 100 kW 的示範設施。九州電氣的可再生能源部門 Kyuden Mirai Energy 今年開始進行一項 6.5 億日元（510 萬美元）的可行性測試，以在東海五島群島周圍生產 1 兆瓦的潮汐能。政府本月還提議對海上風電拍賣進行改革，以加速發展。

在海洋能源技術中，向成本效益發展最快的一項是潮汐流技術。前 BloombergNEF 主編兼海洋能源分析師 Angus McCrone 說: “這項技術已經取得了相當長的進步，而且絕對有效”。總部位於蘇格蘭的 Orbital Marine Power 是在歐洲海洋能源中心所在地 Orkney 附近建造潮汐系統的幾家公司之一。其他包括 SIMEC Atlantis Energy 的 MeyGen 部署,和由美國風能先驅 James Dehlsen 創立的位於加利福尼亞的 Aquantis，據報導該公司計劃明年開始在那裡測試潮汐系統。

雖然潮汐流不是 24 小時運行的，但它們往往比深海流強。黑潮以每秒 1 到 1.5 米的速度流動，而某些潮汐系統的流速為每秒 3 米。McCrone說: “洋流渦輪機的最大問題是它們是否可以生產出一種設備, 能夠利用不是特別強的洋流經濟地發電” 。

海洋能源系統 是由國際能源署建立的政府間合作機構，預計到 2050 年，全球有可能部署超過 300 千兆瓦的海洋能源。

但海洋能源的潛力取決於位置，要考慮洋流的強度、電網或市場的接入、保養成本、運送、海洋生物和其他因素。高木說日本的全年波浪能量普通且不穩定，而潮汐強的地區往往航運繁忙。而OTEC更適合溫度升降率較大的熱帶地區。 IHI說，深海流的優勢之一是它不限制船舶航行。

不過，這家日本公司還有很長的路要走。與陸上設施相比，在水下安裝系統要復雜得多。高木說: “與擁有悠久北海石油勘探歷史的歐洲不同，日本在海上建設方面幾乎沒有經驗”。去建立一個足夠強大的系統以承受深海洋流的惡劣條件並降低保養成本是重大的工程挑戰。

他說:“日本沒有很多替代能源”;  “人們可能會說這只是一個夢想，但我們需要盡一切努力實現零碳。”

隨著風能和太陽能以及電池存儲成本的下降，IHI 還需要證明洋流發電的整體項目成本具有競爭力。 IHI 的目標是通過大規模部署以每千瓦時 20 日元的價格發電。相比之下，該國太陽能約為 17 日元，海上風電約為 12-16 日元。 IHI還表示，它在啟動該項目之前進行了環境評估，並將使用測試結果來檢查對海洋環境和漁業的任何影響。

如果在規模上取得成功，深海流可以在全球逐步淘汰化石燃料的努力中為提供綠色基本電力增加重要的組成部分。 McCrone 說，IHI 的工作可以幫助日本的工程在政府支持下發揮主導作用。

他說，IHI 必須提出令人信服的論點，即 “日本可以從成為該領域的技術領導者中受益”。

       So, Japanese heavy machinery maker IHI Corp. has been developing a subsea turbine that harnesses the energy in deep ocean currents. It is a giant machine anchored to the sea floor at a depth of 30-50 meters (100-160 feet) and can transmit the power generated via seabed cables. It is hoped that IHI’s work could help Japan’s engineering take a leading role globally in harnesses the energy in deep ocean currents and converts it into a steady and reliable source of electricity.

隨著馬可斯為總統職位做準備，與中國的海上爭執爆發

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Sea feud with China flares as Marcos prepares for presidency

ASSOCIATED PRESS

JIM GOMEZ

Tue, May 31, 2022, 2:55 AM

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government announced Tuesday a new diplomatic protest against China over disputes in the South China Sea, a long-thorny issue that has flared anew as the next Philippine president prepares to take office next month.

The Philippines has filed hundreds of diplomatic protests against Beijing in recent years for what it considers acts of aggression in the disputed waters, despite improved ties between Beijing and Manila under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, whose six-year term ends on June 30.

The territorial conflicts are among the key challenges President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will face when he takes office after his landslide electoral victory on May 9. He has said he will use diplomatic means with China over the issue, the same approach adopted by Duterte, who has been criticized for not taking a more aggressive stance against Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in the resource-rich and busy waterway.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday it filed a diplomatic protest over China’s imposition early this month of an annual fishing ban lasting three and a half months that covers areas in the disputed waters where “the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”

It said the ban is not limited to Chinese fishing vessels and violates the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and a 2016 arbitration tribunal’s decision that invalidated Beijing’s vast historic claims in the strategic waterway and upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights in a stretch of coastal waters called its exclusive economic zone.

China does not recognize the arbitration ruling and continues to defy it.

The Chinese ban “has no basis in law, and undermines the mutual trust, confidence, and respect that should underpin bilateral relations,“ the department said in a statement.

“The Philippines calls on China to comply with its obligations under international law” and “cease and desist from the conduct of illegal actions,” including its “annual practice of declaring a fishing ban over areas that extend far beyond China’s legitimate maritime entitlements,” it said.

Separately, Philippine foreign affairs officials said late Monday that the department summoned a Chinese diplomat in early April to protest alleged harassment by the Chinese coast guard of a research vessel in the South China Sea.

They said they were reviewing other recent violations of Philippine rights in Second Thomas Shoal and Reed Bank, which lie within Manila’s exclusive economic zone but which China also claims, before taking further diplomatic action.

The department said it summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila to protest the “harassment by the Chinese coast guard” of research vessel R/V Legend, which was undertaking a survey of undersea fault lines along the Manila Trench west of the northern Philippines.

Philippine diplomats did not provide other details, but people involved in the scientific research told The Associated Press last month that a Chinese coast guard ship shadowed R/V Legend, which was carrying five Filipino scientists and an unspecified number of Taiwanese counterparts, from March 25 to 30.

A Chinese coast guard ship maneuvered about 2 to 3 nautical miles (3 to 5 kilometers) from the R/V Legend, causing concern among the scientists because the research vessel was towing a long survey cable in the sea, said Carla Dimalanta of the National Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of the Philippines.

The offshore survey, which was scheduled to end April 13, was a joint project of the Philippine institute and the National Central University in Taiwan and aimed to help map offshore faults and other geologic features that could set off earthquakes, tsunamis and other hazards. The research was partly funded by the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, she said.

The Filipino scientists reported the incident to the Philippine government, which deployed a coast guard patrol ship, the BRP Capones, to keep watch on the research vessel, the coast guard in Manila said last month.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei have been locked in a tense territorial standoff in the busy waterway for decades.

In past years, the Philippines has protested the Chinese coast guard's blocking of Filipino supply ships en route to Second Thomas Shoal, where Filipino marines stand watch on a long-marooned navy ship. Chinese ships have also disrupted Philippine vessels exploring for undersea oil and gas in Reed Bank, Philippine officials said.

Translation

菲律賓馬尼拉（美聯社）- 菲律賓政府週二宣布就南海爭端對中國發起新的外交抗議，這是一個長期棘手的問題，隨著下一任菲律賓總統準備下個月就職，這個問題再次爆發。

近年來，儘管即將於 6 月 30 日離任, 結束其六年任期的總統杜特爾特（Rodrigo Duterte）有改善北京與馬尼拉之間的關係，菲律賓近年來亦就其認為在爭議水域的侵略行為向北京提出了數百次外交抗議。

領土衝突是當選總統小馬可斯 (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) 在 5 月 9 日以壓倒性優勢贏得選舉後上任時將面臨的主要挑戰之一。小馬可斯表示，他將在這個問題上對中國使用外交手段，這與杜特爾特採取的方法相同。杜特爾特因沒有採取更激進的立場, 以對應北京在資源豐富和繁忙的航道上日益壓迫行動而受到批評。

菲律賓外交部周二表示，它就中國本月初實施的為期三個半月的年度禁漁令提出了外交抗議，該禁令涵蓋了“菲律賓擁有主權、治權和司法權”的爭議水域。

它說，中國這項禁令不僅限於中國漁船，而且違反了 1982 年《聯合國海洋法公約》和 2016 年仲裁庭的裁決，該裁決使北京在戰略航道上的廣大歷史主張無效，並維護了菲律賓的沿海水域稱為其專屬經濟區的主權權利。

中方不承認仲裁並繼續抗拒裁決。

菲外交部在一份聲明中表示，中國的禁令“沒有法律依據，損害了用以支撐雙邊關係的互信、信心和尊重”。

它說: “菲律賓呼籲中國遵守其在國際法下的義務” 並 “停止及放棄進行非法行為”, 包括其“在遠超出中國合法海洋權利的區域宣布禁漁的年度做法”。

另外，菲律賓外交部官員周一晚間表示，該部門於 4 月初召見了一名中國外交官，以抗議中國海岸警衛隊據稱在南海騷擾一艘菲律賓研究船。

他們表示，在採取進一步外交行動之前，他們正在審查最近在仁愛礁和禮樂灘的其他侵犯菲律賓權利的行為，這些地方位於馬尼拉的專屬經濟區內，但中國也聲稱擁有這些地方。

該部門表示，它召見了一名中國駐馬尼拉大使館官員，抗議“中國海岸警衛隊”對研究船 R/V Legend 的“騷擾”，該船正在菲律賓北部以西的馬尼拉海溝沿線進行海底斷層線調查。

菲律賓外交官沒有提供其他細節，但參與科學研究的人士上個月告訴美聯社，一艘中國海警船從 3 月 25 日起到 30日跟踪 R/V Legend，這艘船上載有五名菲律賓科學家和數量不詳同行的台灣科學家。

一艘中國海警船在距離 R/V Legend 約 2 到 3 海裡（3 到 5 公里）處調動，引起科學家們的關注，因為這艘研究船在海中拖著一根長長的勘測電纜，菲律賓大學的國家地質科學研究所的Carla Dimalanta 說。

這個於 4 月 13 日結束的海上勘測計劃是菲律賓研究所和台灣國立中央大學的聯合項目，旨在幫助繪製可能引發地震、海嘯和其他災害的海上斷層和其他地質特徵。她說，這項研究的部分資金來自菲律賓科技部。

菲律賓海岸警衛隊上個月表示，菲律賓科學家向菲律賓政府報告了這一事件後，菲律賓政府部署了一艘海岸警衛隊巡邏艦 BRP Capones 來守望這艘研究船。

幾十年來，中國、菲律賓、越南、台灣、馬來西亞和文萊在繁忙的航道中一直處於緊張的領土對峙之中。

在過去的歲月，菲律賓一直抗議中國海岸警衛隊攔截前往仁愛礁途中的菲律賓補給船，菲律賓海軍陸戰隊在那裡守望著一艘長期擱淺的海軍艦艇。菲律賓官員說，中國船隻還打擾在禮樂灘勘探海底石油和天然氣的菲律賓船隻。

So, the Philippines has filed hundreds of diplomatic protests against Beijing in recent years for what it considers acts of Chinese aggression in the disputed waters. Territorial conflicts will be among the key challenges President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will face when he takes office.

Bonefish off the coast of Florida in USA - positive reaction to antidepressants and antihypertensive drugs

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

米フロリダ州沖のソトイワシ、抗うつ薬や降圧薬の陽性反応

2022.05.30 Mon posted at 17:29 JST

（ＣＮＮ） 米フロリダ国際大学が魚類保護団体と共同で行った調査で、フロリダ州の沿岸部に生息するソトイワシから、抗うつ薬や降圧薬といった処方薬の成分が検出された。

ソトイワシは大西洋や太平洋に広く生息する魚で、同大と保護団体のＢＴＴは２０１８年から３年がかりで、同州南東部のビスケーン湾と南部のフロリダキーズ沿岸に生息するソトイワシ９３匹の血液と組織を採取して調査した。

その結果、ソトイワシ１匹あたりの平均で、高血圧薬、抗うつ薬、前立腺治療薬、抗生剤、鎮痛剤など７種類の医薬品成分が検出された。全部で１７種類の医薬品が組織から検出された個体も１匹いた。

この調査結果について同大の専門家は、深刻な海洋汚染問題と位置付ける。「医薬品の脅威は、藻類や海水の濁りと違って目に見えない。しかし今回の結果は、私たちの漁業に対する恐ろしい脅威を物語り、長年の排水インフラ問題に対応する差し迫った対応の必要性を浮き彫りにした」（フロリダ国際大学のジェニファー・リヘイジ准教授）

医薬品汚染はソトイワシの習性に悪影響を及ぼす恐れもある。

ソトイワシは乱獲や生息地の減少、海洋汚染によって個体数が減り、国際自然保護連合（ＩＵＣＮ）のレッドリストで「準絶滅危惧種」に分類されている。

フロリダ州魚類野生生物保護委員会によると、ソトイワシは１３年以来、釣った魚をその場で放流しなければならない「キャッチ・アンド・リリース」種に指定されている。

Translation

(CNN) A study conducted by Florida International University in collaboration with a fish conservation organization found components of prescription drugs such as antidepressants and antihypertensive drugs in the bonefish living at the coast of Florida.

Bonefish was a fish that inhabited the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean widely, and the BTT, a conservation group of the same university, had been for three years since 2018 collected and investigated the blood and tissues of 93 bonefish inhabiting Biscayne Bay in the southeastern part of the state and the Florida Keys coast in the south.

As a result, seven kinds of pharmaceutical components such as hypertension drug, antidepressant drug, prostate therapeutic drug, antibiotic drug, and analgesic drug were detected on average per bonefish. There was one individual in which had a total of 17 kinds of medicines being detected in the tissues.

Experts at the same university regarded the results of this survey showing a serious marine pollution problem. "The threat of medicines is invisible, unlike algae and seawater turbidity, but our results speak of a terrifying threat to our fishery and highlight the urgent need to address long-standing drainage infrastructure problems. "(Associate Professor Jennifer Rehage, Florida International University)

Drug contamination could also adversely affect the habits of bonefish.

Overfishing and habitat loss, also marine pollution had reduced the population of bonefish which had been classified as a "quasi-endangered species" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, bonefish had been designated since 2013 as a "catch and release" species in that fish caught must be released on the spot.

So, a study conducted by Florida International University finds components of prescription drugs such as antidepressants and antihypertensive drugs in the bonefish (Albula vulpes) that is living at the coast of Florida. It indicates that pollution is serious in that region.

這是中國為挑戰美國而建造的太空站

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

This Is the Space Station China is Building to Challenge the US

Bruce Einhorn and Judy Wang

Sun, May 29, 2022, 8:18 PM

(Bloomberg) -- China released new details about the final stages of work on its Tiangong space station, an under-construction orbiter started after the US barred Beijing from participating in the International Space Station.

The Shenzhou XIV spacecraft, which will carry three astronauts in June for a six-month mission to Tiangong, was moved to the launchpad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia on Sunday, state media reported, with a launch scheduled “in the coming days.”

Following that mission, China will launch one of the station’s lab components in July and the second in October, the official China Daily reported on Sunday.

“After the space labs, the Tianzhou 5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou XV crew are scheduled to arrive at the massive orbiting outpost around the end of the year,” according to the China Daily report.

Last week, China released a new, high-definition image of Tiangong, which is in orbit around 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth.

Once Tiangong is complete, China will be the only country to operate a space station of its own, adding to other accomplishments such as landing on Mars last year and on the far side of the moon in 2019.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has increased efforts to match the US as the dominant power in space, teaming up with Russia on a proposed lunar research station and opposing the Washington-backed Artemis Accords, which are intended to help govern future space activity such as mining on the moon.

Chinese state media has criticized the accords as an effort to create a space-based NATO.

So far, though, the US is winning more countries over to its vision for space. Colombia became the 19th country to endorse its vision for space governance, signing the accords on May 10.

While China has released images of the station in the past, the new picture offers online viewers a better chance to hone in on specific parts. It provides a closer look at details such as the green stripes wrapping around several cylinders, the orange and black solar panels and the Chinese flags on the exterior.

The cabin will have capacity for six people, who’ll be able to occupy more than 110 cubic meters of activity space, according to the People’s Daily. There will also be two exit hatches for astronauts, and one for cargo.

Zhurong, the rover that China landed on Mars last year, has temporarily gone into dormancy because of a dust storm, according to state media, citing the China National Space Administration, which predicted the rover would resume operations around December.

Translation

（彭博社）- 中國公佈了關於天宮太空站最後階段工作的新細節，天宮太空站是在美國禁止北京參與國際空間站後,開始建造中的軌道飛行器。

據官方媒體報導，將於 6 月搭載三名宇航員執行為期 6 個月的天宮任務的神舟十四號飛船於週日移至內蒙古酒泉衛星發射中心的發射台，併計劃 “在未來幾天” 進行發射。”

據官方《中國日報》週日報導，完成該任務後，中國將在 7 月和 10 月啟動太空站的一個實驗室組件。

據《中國日報》報導， “繼太空實驗室之後，天舟五號貨運飛船和神舟十五號機組人員計劃於年底左右抵達大型軌道前哨基地。”

 上週，中國發布了一張新的高清天宮圖像，天宮位於地球上空約 400 公里（250 英里）的軌道上。

天宮建成後，中國將成為唯一一個擁有自己的空間站的國家，此外還有去年登陸火星, 和2019年登陸月球背面等其他成就。

在習近平主席的領導下，中國加大了與美國作為太空主導力量的競爭力度，與俄羅斯合作建立月球研究站，並反對華盛頓支持的 Artemis Accords，該協定旨在幫助管理未來的太空活動，例如在月球上採礦。

中國官方媒體批評這些協議是為了建立一個北約太空基地。

不過，到目前為止，美國正在為它的太空願景贏得更多國家的支持。哥倫比亞於 5 月 10 日簽署協議，成為第 19 個支持其太空治理願景的國家。

雖然中國過去曾發布過該站的圖片，但新圖片為在線觀眾提供了更好地了解特定部分的機會。它提供了詳細的細節，例如環繞幾個圓柱體的綠色帶條、橙色和黑色的太陽能電池板, 以及外部的中國國旗。

據《人民日報》報導，該客艙可容納6人，可使用110多立方米的活動空間。還將有兩個用於宇航員的出艙口和一個用於貨物的出艙口。

據官方媒體援引中國國家航天局的消息稱，中國去年登陸火星的火星探測器“祝融” 號, 因沙塵暴暫時進入休眠狀態，預計該探測器將在 12 月左右恢復運行。

       So, China will be the only country to operate a space station of its own. China has increased efforts to match the US as the dominant power in space, teaming up with Russia on a proposed lunar research station and opposing the US-backed Artemis Accords which are intended to help govern future space activity. Now China has the money and technology to do its own space exploration.

在拒絕美國要求放棄免除本地經驗要求後，香港將於 12 月結束長達十年的相互會計承認協議

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Hong Kong to end decade-long mutual accounting recognition pact in December after rejecting US demand to waive local experience rule

South China Morning Post

Thu, May 26, 2022, 2:30 AM

Hong Kong and the United States will end the mutual recognition of audit work done by each other's professional accountants because of a dispute over the admissibility of overseas experience, adding another wrinkle to a fraught relationship.

The mutual recognition agreement with the US International Qualifications Appraisal Board (IQAB), first signed in 2011 and renewed in 2020, will no longer be effective when it expires on December 31, according to a statement by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Accountants (HKICPA), the city's accounting guild, with 45,000 members.

"The institute and IQAB could not come to an agreement" over the recognition of experience obtained in the US towards meeting the one-year local experience requirement for overseas-trained accountants to practise in Hong Kong, "and therefore could not proceed on the renewal of the mutual recognition agreement," the HKICPA said.

"It is important for overseas accountants to have local experience as there are a lot of differences in the laws and taxation regulations between Hong Kong and the US," said Edmund Wong Chun-sek, a ­practising director at Patrick Wong CPA, who also represents the accountancy constituency in the city's legislature.

The 2011 agreement, subject to renewals every three years, allowed Hong Kong's certified accountants to practise in the US without requiring another round of qualifications, and vice versa.

The HKICPA has similar accords with 12 accounting bodies, including Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, Ireland and Zimbabwe. The IQAB's mutual recognition agreements cover seven accounting bodies besides Hong Kong: South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Mexico and Scotland, according to its website. It did not respond to a request by the Post for comment.

The dispute comes at a sensitive time in deteriorating US-China relations, with Hong Kong caught between the world's two largest economies. The former Trump administration enacted the 2020 Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA), which empowers regulators to expel US-listed foreign companies if they were deemed to be non-compliant with auditing requests by a US oversight board.

That puts 261 Chinese companies valued at a combined US$1.4 trillion as of March 31 - including this newspaper's owner Alibaba Group Holding and Li Ka-shing's Hutchmed - on the list for possible delisting after three consecutive years of non-compliance if a solution were not found to settle the dispute with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). The earliest that such a delisting could take place is in October 2023.

"The end of the mutual recognition between Hong Kong and the US is just bad timing," said BDO's managing director Clement Chan, the HKICPA's chairman in 2014. "Some people will easily link that up with the political situation" between the US, China and Hong Kong, he said, adding that the local experience rule applies to every professional body that the HKICPA has ties with.

"It is a fair requirement, and the HKICPA cannot just give the waiver to the US," he said.

Hong Kong is grouped with mainland China in a December 16 determination by the PCAOB of being "unable to inspect or investigate completely."

Chinese and US regulators have been working on a solution, with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) chairman Yi Huiman saying as recently as April 9 that the watchdog agency would "move forward" with a plan to work with the US to "establish an international regulatory environment for a highly [liberalised] capital market."

To forestall the spectre of expulsion from New York, numerous US-listed companies have sought to raise capital in Hong Kong, either in dual listings, or secondary offerings. Beginning with Alibaba's US$12.9 billion stock sale in November 2019, a string of China-domiciled companies had followed: Baidu, NetEase, JD.com, Xpeng.

More are on the way, said Nicolas Aguzin, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), the operator of the city's bourse, predicting that at least 180 companies are waiting for the right market moment to sell their stock.

Translation

因海外經驗可否被認受的爭議，港美雙方將終止相互承認對方專業會計師審計工作，令雙方緊張關係再添波瀾。

根據香港會計師公會 (HKICPA) 的一份聲明，與美國國際資歷評估委員會 (IQAB) 簽署的互認協議於 2011 年首次簽署並於 2020 年續簽，將於 12 月 31 日到期後不再生效。這個香港的會計師公會，擁有 45,000 名會員。

香港會計師公會說: “該會計師公會與 IQAB 未能就認可在美國獲得的會計經驗, 去達到海外培訓會計師在香港執業的一年本地經驗的要求達成協議，因此無法進行續期 互認協議” 。

“海外會計師擁有本地經驗很重要，香港和美國的法律和稅務法規存在很大差異”, Patrick Wong CPA 的執業董事 Edmund Wong Chun-sek 說，他同時代表香港立法機構的會計選區。

2011年的協議每三年更新一次，允許香港的註冊會計師在美國執業而無需另一輪資格，反之美國會計師在香港亦然。

香港會計師公會與澳洲、新西蘭、蘇格蘭、南非、加拿大、愛爾蘭和津巴布韋等12個會計機構簽訂了類似的協議。據其網站介紹，IQAB 的互認協議涵蓋除香港以外的七個會計機構：南非、澳大利亞、新西蘭、加拿大、愛爾蘭、墨西哥和蘇格蘭。它沒有回應 South China Morning Post 的置評請求。

這場爭端發生在美中關係惡化的敏感時期，香港夾在世界最大的兩個經濟體之間。前特朗普政府頒布了《2020 年外國公司責任法案》（HFCAA），該法案授權監管機構在美國上市的外國公司, 在被認為不符合美國監督委員會的審計要求時將其逐出。

如果沒有找出方案解決與上市公司會計監督委員會 (PCAOB) 爭議, 這使截至 3 月 31 日價值 1.4 萬億美元的 261 家中國公司 - 包括 SCMP 的所有者阿里巴巴集團控股和李嘉誠的 Hutchmed - 在連續三年不合規之後可能被退市。這種退市最早可能發生在 2023 年 10 月。

2014年擔任香港會計師公會主席、BDO 董事總經理 Clement Chan表示： “香港和美國結束互認只是時機不佳”; “有些人很容易將這與中美之間的政治局勢聯繫起來”; 他補充說，本地經驗規則適用於與香港會計師公會有聯繫的每個專業團體。

他說: “這是一個公平的要求，香港會計師公會不能僅僅給予美國豁免” 。

PCAOB 在 12 月 16 日確定香港 “無法徹底審計或查核” ，將香港與中國大陸歸為一類。

中國和美國監管機構一直在研究解決方案，中國證監會主席 Yi Huiman 最近在 4 月 9 日表示，監管機構將 “向前推進”，計劃與美國合作“建立一個高度[自由化]資本市場的國際監管環境。”

為了防避被逐出紐約的陰影，許多在美國上市的公司都試圖在香港籌集資金，無論是雙重上市，還是二次發行。從 2019 年 11 月阿里巴巴 129 億美元的股票發售開始，一系列在中國註冊的公司緊隨其後：百度、網易、京東、小鵬。

香港的交易所運營商, 即香港交易及結算所有限公司（HKEX）的首席執行官 Nicolas Aguzin 表示，更多的公司正在等待合適出售其股票的市場時機。

       So, Hong Kong and the United States will end the mutual recognition of audit work done by each other's professional accountants because of a dispute over the admissibility of overseas experience.

Acceptance of foreign tourists: Prime Minister Kishida announced its resumption from 10th next month

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

外国人観光客の受け入れ 来月10日から再開へ 岸田首相が表明

2022年5月26日 19時34分

新型コロナの水際対策をめぐって、岸田総理大臣は、外国人観光客の受け入れを来月10日から再開することを表明しました。

観光目的での入国の再開は、およそ2年ぶりです。

岸田総理大臣は、26日夜、東京都内で講演し、水際対策をめぐって「来月1日から1日の入国者総数を2万人に引き上げるとともに、入国時の検査実績で陽性率が低い国については入国時検査を行わずに入国を認めることにする」と述べました。

そのうえで「現在実施している実証事業とガイドラインの策定を受けて、来月10日から添乗員付きのパッケージツアーでの観光客受け入れを再開する」と述べ、外国人観光客の受け入れを来月10日から再開することを表明しました。

外国人の観光目的での入国の再開は、およそ2年ぶりです。

さらに「来月中に新千歳空港と那覇空港で国際線受け入れを再開できるよう準備を進める。感染が落ち着いている国や地域については、きょう、海外へ渡航する際の『感染症危険情報』のレベルを引き下げた」と述べました。

一方、岸田総理大臣は、ロシアの軍事侵攻や中国の覇権主義的行動などを念頭に、現在の国際秩序が揺らいでいると指摘したうえで「いまわれわれはアジア発の新たな国際秩序を必要としている。来年に友好協力50周年を迎える日・ASEANの新たな関係の方向性と協力のビジョンを打ち出すことを目指す」と述べました。

Translation

Regarding the border measures for the new Corona, Prime Minister Kishida announced that he would resume accepting foreign tourists starting from the 10th of next month.

It was the first time in about two years to resume tourist entry for sightseeing purposes.

Prime Minister Kishida gave a lecture in Tokyo on the night of the 26th, regarding border control he said that "We will raise the total number of people entering to 20,000 starting from on the 1st of next month, and at the time of entry, for those countries with a low positive rate in inspection records in the past, their tourists will allow entry without conducting an entry inspection. "

On top of that, he said, "Through complying with the current ongoing verification procedures and guidelines decisions, we will resume accepting tourists on package tours with tour guides starting from the 10th next month"; expressing the acceptance of foreign tourists staring from the 10^th next month.

It was the first time in about two years to resume foreign tourist entry for sightseeing purposes.

In addition, it was said that "We will prepare to resume accepting international flights at New Chitose Airport and Naha Airport next month. For countries and regions where infection has calmed down, in traveling overseas, today the level of ‘Infectious Disease Danger Information’ on them had been lowered.”

On the other hand, Prime Minister Kishida pointed out that the current international order was being shaken in view of Russia's military invasion and China's hegemonism, and added that "Now we need a new international order originating in Asia. We aim to set out a new direction in relations and cooperation between Japan and ASEAN, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of friendship and cooperation next year."

              So, for the first time in about two years Japan will allow foreign tourist entry for sightseeing purposes.