6 nember 24, 2003 ess (price must personal possessions item doesn’t sell, qualify for the 5 icelled early. MUSIC Mobile DJ“- Peler Bloa . weddings. Sound, Uglt )reat rates. Discount pack ble. 979-260-I92S lative/Texas Country Bare lyer. Call Kevin 979-226 PETS Albino $300. Negotiate )477-4575. 3S for adoption! $50 r- abies. The Cat's Grade ens, free to good horn >-9512, Melissa. CPA registered w/shots 0239. L ESTATE 7 NATION Wednesday, September 24, 2003 THE BATTALION Researchers study drought as a way to predict West Nile virus By Janet McConnaughey THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW ORLEANS — The worst outbreaks of West Nile virus seem to follow summer droughts preceded by mild winters, a pattern researchers are studying as a possible way to predict where the virus might hit hardest. “Drought is where this is focused,” says Paul R. Epstein of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. Though Epstein sounds convinced, other researchers say more work is needed. “1 suspect that it is going to be more complicated than just saying that West Nile virus transmission will increase or decrease based on periods of rainfall,” said Dr. Ned Hayes, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epstein, one of several researchers studying factors in the spread of West Nile for a seven-year govern ment study, points to these historical patterns: The initial U.S. outbreak in New York in 1999 followed a three-month drought and three- week heat wave. Last year’s devastating spread followed a year of widespread warm win ters and spring or summer droughts. a This year the disease has spread through out the West with Colorado reporting more West Nile virus cases than any other state. Colorado, Nebraska and other slides with the worst out breaks all have had droughts. The Harvard researcher may be right, but he hasn’t proven it, said Dr. Bob Shope, a Texas professor who echoed the CDC official’s caution. There has been no controlled study and more data is needed, said Shope who teaches at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Still, Epstein explains how drought could intensify an outbreak, especially in urban areas. Standing water collects in drains and catch basins, stag nating and attracting the female house mosquito for egg-laying. Ponds and creeks dry up, reducing the numbers of frogs, dragon flies and other predators. Remaining sources of clean water become a gathering spot for birds making them an easier target for the insects. While house mosquitoes prefer birds to people, later in the summer, the species that find people just as tasty as birds become more pervasive. Epstein’s research was sparked by similar patterns with St. Louis encephalitis, a closely related bug. That encephalitis strain first showed up in this country in 1933, three years into the Dust Bowl drought that started in the East and moved west. At the CDC in the 1970s, Dr. Thomas Monath compared St. Louis encephalitis and weather. Ten of the first 12 big urban outbreaks, he found, came after two-month droughts; an 11 th occurred after one month of drought. The fact that the mosquitoes that spread St. Louis encephali tis also are thought to spread West Nile strengthens the argu ment, but three or four years is probably just not enough time to make any absolute conclusions, Monath said. "With St. Louis encephalitis, we were able to look back about 40 years over a series of multiple outbreaks.” Going after larvae as much as possible is a good idea in areas prone to either virus, he said. “It’s much easier to control or prevent the disease by early meas ures than it is to try to pre vent an outbreak once the virus is cranked up.” I suspect that it is going to be more complicated than just saying that West Nile virus transmis sion will increase or decrease hosed on periods of rainfall — Dr. Ned Hayes epidemiologist CALL FOR PAPERS Texas A&M University Undergraduate Journal of Science All undergrads doing research are eligible to submit their work for possible publication. DEADLINE: Sept. 30, 2003 Rm. 230 Reed-McDonald or at uis.tamu.edu ACCUTANE] Prescribed for Acne: Have you or your loved one taken Accutane? Side Effects: • Birth Defects • Inflammatory Bowel Disease + Damage to Major Ornns including; • Liver, Kidneys, Pancreas. 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Lots-ol- I Ticket dismissal/insur M-T(6pm-9pm), W- Fri.&Sat.- Fri(6pm-8pm| jm), Sat(8am-2:30pm), erving you 20yrs. Inol eland Kiva Inn, Ste.20t plebee's). Walk-ins wel- t. Lowest price by law, S. 846-6117. Show-up CHICAGO (AP) — A night club owner and three other men were charged with manslaughter in a stampede that killed 21 people last win ter — a tragedy prosecutors said was caused in part by the owners packing the place to five times its capacity. E2 nightclub owner Dwain Kyles, his alleged partner Calvin Hollins Jr., party pro moter Marco Flores and Hollins’ son, Calvin Hollins III, a club manager, pleaded innocent Tuesday. A grand jury handed up the sealed indictments last week. “They put individuals into a precarious situation where any incident could — and unfortunately in this situation did — lead to tragedy,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine. Involuntary manslaughter involving multiple deaths car ries up to 10 years in prison. The Feb. 17 stampede at the E2 nightclub started after someone used pepper spray to break up a dance-floor fight. Patrons fled for the doors, crushing each other on a narrow staircase. Prosecutor Robert Egan, reading from the indictment, said the owners willfully packed the club with about 1,200 people on the night of the stampede, roughly five times its capacity of 240. Safety officials urge adoption of new device to prevent electrical fires Is it the wind that generates electricity? Or is it the idea that harnessed it? At GE, we believe in the power of ideas. Ideas that not only turn wind into electricity but make the world a better place than it was the day before. If you have those kinds of ideas, we hope you contact us. se cleaning. A&M stu- i s available. Chelsea I 10-219-0665. 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Homes with old wiring are especially vulnerable to this problem, which can occur when wires or cords overheat or are pinched by furniture, pierced by nails, frayed from age or gnawed by rodents. AFCIs cost as little as $25, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission said installing one can be danger ous and should be done only by a licensed electrician. While not officially recom mending that all consumers use AFCIs, the safety com mission said people should consider having them installed, particularly in the more than 50 million U.S. homes with wiring more than 40 years old. Hal Stratton, chairman of the safety commission, said homeowners should have the wiring in their homes tested to see if an AFCI would improve safety. Electrical fires cause hundreds of millions of dollars in property dam age each year, according to the safety commission. tors California to buy 2^00 acres and create SI50 million nature preserve needed. Pays well in 3-9455. ' Experienced native H, A&M Ph.D. student li, 713-385-3814, 0 3anese@hotmail.com ling full service erent each time appeals to you, me join us, we iwing positions: a must. 10-25 work some day isary, as long as week. variable hours a LOS ANGELES (AP) — The state has agreed to buy 2,800 acres for a tentative $150 million to block con struction of a $2 billion golf course and housing com munity and create a nature preserve in its place. State officials said the deal with landowner Washington Mutual, the nation’s largest lending bank, is expected to win final approval in early October, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. Washington Mutual planned to build a 3,050-home golf course community on the oak-dotted Ahmanson Ranch land on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The plan was approved by Ventura County in 1990, but since then various lawsuits and the discovery of a rare frog and flower had stalled the development. The planned $2 billion devel opment would have brought in 8,000 residents and resulted in 37,500 more vehicle trips per day on area streets and free ways, according to an environ mental impact report. A $1.5 million campaign to save the acreage was joined by celebrities including director Rob Reiner. The property is a convenient location for hikers and bikers and serves as a wildlife corri dor at the head of the Malibu Creek watershed. The acquisition would be subsidized by Proposition 50, a bond measure approved by voters last year for land and wildlife preservation. The future relies on inventions from GE. GE’s future relies on people like you. GE Careers gecareers.com GE On-Campus Interviews Koldus October 23, 2003 GE is targeting top Aggie Engineering and Business talent. re-select signup prior to September 29th. www.gecareers.com