Man Provides Low-cost Prosthetic Arms for Sudanese Amputees

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. amputee /ˌæmpyʊˈti/ (n.) – a person who lost a limb or a part of the limb

Example: The amputee now wears an artificial leg.

2. daunting /dɔntɪŋ, dɑntɪŋ/ (adj.) – having a tendency to discourage or frighten others

Example: The country’s situation after the war is daunting.  

3. war-torn /wɔr tɔrn/ (adj.) – disrupted and destroyed by war

Example: War-torn countries need a lot of help to rebuild their nations.

4. limb /lɪm/ (n.) – an arm or a leg

Example: His lower artificial limbs enable Ron to walk again after losing his legs. 

5. feat /fit/ (n.) – a very remarkable act or achievement

Example: Helping thousands of suffering children in Africa can be considered a feat.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A man has brought hope to thousands of amputees in Sudan by providing artificial arms. This man is Mick Ebeling, the co-founder of Not Impossible Labs, a group that aims to create solutions for daunting health issues. Currently, Ebeling is helping out amputees in war-torn Sudan. Around 50,000 people lost their limbs in the Sudanese war, many of whom are children. What inspired Ebeling to help the amputees in Sudan is a heartbreaking story featured in an article from the Time Magazine. The article is about an American doctor living in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains and his patient Daniel Omar. Omar lost his arms to an Antonov bomb while he was taking care of his family’s cows. Ebeling started a group that could develop an inexpensive, 3-D printed arm in six hours. This effort is supported by Intel and Precipart, an engineering company. An arm would cost only $100 to make, an incredible feat considering that a standard prosthetic arm costs around $3,000 to $30,000. The project, which Ebeling called “Project Daniel,” was able to equip Omar with an arm. Now, Omar is more independent and is able to feed himself for the first time in two years. Also, he is now working at a hospital to help other amputees. To make sure that the project will continue even after he left Sudan, Ebeling trained local volunteers on how to do the 3-D printed arm. He left 3-D printers, laptops, and plastic materials to the volunteers. They are able to produce an arm a week while working only at night.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you think other people should follow what Ebeling did to help the Sudanese amputees? Why or why not?

·         How else can Sudanese amputees be helped? Explain.

Discussion B

·         How do you think war-torn countries can be helped by other countries? Explain.

·         How can wars be prevented?

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Humans Can Smell Diseases

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. overdrive /ˈoʊvərˌdraɪv/ (n.) – an intensely high level of activity

Example: Our body experiences an overdrive during exercise.  

2. elicit /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ (v.) – to produce or bring about something

Example: Physical exercise elicits heavy breathing and sweating.

3. stale /steɪl/ (adj.) – referring to food or drink that is no longer fresh

Example: I threw the stale bread into the garbage can.

4. ramp up /ræmp ʌp/ (phrasal v.) – to greatly increase the level of something

Example: Eating chocolates and candies ramps up a diabetic’s sugar level. 

5. saline /ˈseɪlin, -laɪn/ (adj.) – containing salt

Example: Seawater is highly saline.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A new study claims that people can actually smell when a person is sick or has a certain disease. Professor Mats Olsson of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute led a team of researchers to look into the ability of humans to detect disease by smelling. The scientists say that a person’s immune system can go into an overdrive after a few hours of exposure to bacteria. This overactivity elicits a certain smell that may be a sign of a particular illness. According to the researchers, scientific evidence shows that diseases actually have particular smells. For example, a diabetic person may smell of acetone while a person suffering from scrofula, an infection of the lymph nodes, may smell like stale beer. To further prove this claim, the researchers asked eight healthy people to participate in the study. Some participants were injected with a form of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toxin made from bacteria and is known to ramp up the immune system. The rest of the participants, on the other hand, were injected with a saline solution. Within four hours, the participants wore very tight shirts to absorb their sweat. Afterwards, 40 volunteers were then asked to smell the shirts. The volunteers reported that the shirts from the group injected with LPS had a more intense and unpleasant smell. They also noted that the said shirts had an unhealthier smell.   From these results, the researchers inferred that the greater immune system response a person has, the unhealthier his or her sweat would smell. While further research is still required, researchers say that this result is very significant especially in identifying markers for illnesses.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you think the sense of smell can really distinguish certain illnesses? Why or why not?

·         Do you agree that the result of this study is significant? Explain.

Discussion B

·         Why is it important to detect illnesses in advance? Explain.

·         What are other ways of detecting illnesses early on? Explain.

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Norway Library Offers Free E-Books

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. e-book /ˈiˌbʊk/ (n.) – a book version read through computers or gadgets

Example: Famous novels can now be ordered online as e-books.

2. genre /ˈʒɑnrə/ (n.) – specific class or category in arts and literature

Example: Most of the known books today are in the fantasy genre.

3. copyrighted /ˈkɒpiˌraɪtd/ (adj.) – protected by a legal right that prevents others to republish a material

Example: Some copyrighted books can be downloaded in illegal websites.

4. bestselling /ˈbɛstˈsɛlɪŋ/ (adj.) – successfully sold many copies

Example: The publisher of the bestselling Harry Potter book series continues to make good profit.

5. out of stock /aʊt ʌv stɒk/ (idiom) – not available

Example: The latest edition of the book is currently out of stock.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

The National Library of Norway now offers free e-book versions of various popular books. Readers can access online books of different genres through the website “bokhylla” [bou-KHEE-la] (bookshelf in Norwegian). National Library head Vigdis Moe Skarstein [veg-dis mou SKAR-stahyn] said digitizing books is important in preserving these works for future generations. While most e-book collections from other libraries come from old books, works published until year 2000 are available in bokhylla. The website operates legally since the authors of the copyrighted books have agreed with this project. The National Library signed an agreement with a group called Kopinor that represents major authors and publishers. Kopinor gets paid for every e-book page and the organization distributes the money among its members. While these online books are free, only Internet users in Norway and foreign researchers can view the books in the website. Also, readers cannot download the e-books. Authors can request for the removal of their work. So far, the site has removed 3,500 books. Most of them are school and children’s books, which have good sales in the market. Bestselling novels by famous authors mostly compose the 135,000 e-books available in bokhylla. Another 115,000 will soon be added. Norway has been successful in its  attempt to make e-books mainly because of its agreement with Kopinor. With this partnership, there is less complication in copyright issues. Before, many countries tried to digitize collections in their national libraries but got stuck in copyright problems. According to Skarstein, the project does not seem to affect the sales of the printed books. Instead, bokhylla serves as a way to make some out of stock books available.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you approve of bokhylla’s project? Why or why not?

·         If you were an author, would you let your work be available as free e-book? Kindly explain.

Discussion B

·         What are the most important books in your country?

·         Why should these books be preserved?

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Study Says Alcohol Drinking During Pregnancy Can Benefit Child

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. mild /maɪld/ (adj.) – slight or not too much

Example: The doctor allowed mild exercises for the recovering patient.

2. behavior /bɪˈheɪvyər/ (n.) – the way a person acts or responds to certain situations

Example: Good parents raise children with proper behavior.

3. conception /kənˈsɛpʃən/ (n.) – the process in which the fetus develops in the womb

Example: Women should avoid unsafe medicine during conception.

4. promising /ˈprɒməsɪŋ/ (adj.) – shows great potential to succeed

Example: The promising musician can play various instruments.

5. indulge /ɪnˈdʌldʒ/ (v.) – to enjoy yourself with something

Example: He indulged himself in too much alcohol.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Research from Denmark shows that pregnant women who have mild drinking habits are likely to give birth to disciplined children. Janni Niclasen, a psychologist from the University of Copenhagen [koh-puhn-HEY-guhn], studied how alcohol consumption among pregnant women is related to children’s behavioral and emotional development. She asked 100,000 pregnant participants about their drinking habits and lifestyle. When the women’s children reached the age of seven, Niclasen conducted another study to assess the kids’ behavior. According to Niclasen, mothers who took small quantities of alcohol while pregnant have children who behave better than those born to women who avoided drinking. These children are more emotionally mature and showed better manners. While alcohol may affect conception, Niclasen considered other possible factors. She observed that those who drank at least 90 units of alcohol are highly educated and follow a healthy lifestyle among the group. Ninety units is equal to a glass of wine a week or one bottle per month. The findings may be promising, but Niclasen does not encourage pregnant women to indulge in alcohol. She acknowledged that other factors like parents’ guidance and the child’s level of intelligence were not included in the study. The research also did not focus on mothers who drank larger amounts of alcohol. Health institutions greatly discourage pregnant women from drinking. Janet Fyle, a policy adviser from Royal College of Midwives, argued that alcohol will always be harmful for babies. She said that a mother gets well-mannered children by raising them properly and not by drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         What do you think motivated Niclasen to conduct this study?

·         Are you convinced by the results of the study? Why or why not?

Discussion B

·         In your opinion, how can parents raise well-behaved children?

·         Why do you think some children misbehave?

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‘Microneedle’ Gives Painless Injection

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. injection /ɪnˈdʒɛkʃən/ (n.) – the process of using a needle to insert fluid in the body

Example: The patient hates injections because he is afraid of needles.

2. patch /pætʃ/ (n.) – a small material put on skin, often for clinical purposes

Example: He put medical patches on his knee until the pain is gone.

3. vaccination /ˌvæksəˈneɪʃən/ (n.) – the act of injecting a drug that prevents viral infection and diseases

Example: Babies and kids are required to have vaccinations against measles and chicken pox.

4. motivate /ˈmoʊtəˌveɪt/ (v.) – to encourage a person into doing something

Example: His desire to treat illnesses motivated him to become a doctor.

5. release /riˈlis/ (v.) – to make something available for purchase

Example: The drug company released a new cure for the disease.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Patients who hate injections can now have a painless option with newly-developed microneedles. Scientists from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a medical injection method that does not require big needles. Dr. Boris Stoeber [BAWR-is STOH-ber] led the project, which began in 1999. The microneedle patch is a square, flat metal plate that measures eight millimeters. One patch contains 50 to 100 microneedles, which look like volcanoes through the microscope. Stoeber claims that the microneedles will feel just like sandpaper when pressed on the skin. According to Stoeber, the invention can make the process of injecting medicine much easier. Diabetic [dahy-uh-BET-ik] people can benefit well with microneedles, especially when checking blood sugar levels. Vaccinations can also be done through microneedles. And more importantly, patients can take blood tests and other laboratory procedures involving injections without feeling scared of painful needles. To provide proof, Stoeber tested his product on drug injection in 2004. Results showed that the microneedles were effective in injecting drugs and the participants reported no pain during the process. The inspiration behind this invention came from Stoeber’s fear of needles during his childhood. He usually suffered from allergies and often needed injections. His painful experiences with needles thus motivated him to develop the product. According to Stoeber, one patch will cost only 10 US cents. He hopes to release the product in the market by 2018. For now, UBC scientists are currently working on getting more scientific findings to improve the microneedles’ design and efficiency.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you think microneedles can really be a good replacement to traditional injection? Kindly explain.

·         In your opinion, how else can microneedles be beneficial in the medical industry?

Discussion B

·         How does technology affect the health industry? Kindly discuss briefly.

·         Do you think experts should further simplify medical procedures and laboratory tests? Why or why not?

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