WE REPORTED a couple of weeks ago on a strange article in the British
Medical Journal about how Viagra can make cut flowers stand up
straight鈥攊ncidentally, the article was in volume 319, not 313 as stated
(Feedback, 21 April). Now we have come across another odd article in the
journal, this time in vol 321, p 1619.
It begins soberly enough: 鈥淭inea imbricata, a superficial fungal infection of
man, has an ornate appearance composed of concentric circles or serpiginous
scaly plaques. The condition is common in several humid tropical regions,
especially in parts of Polynesia and Melanesia. . .鈥�
Then it heads suddenly into unexpected territory: 鈥淪everal Gungan inhabitants
of Naboo, a planet of the Galactic Republic depicted in Star Wars Episode 1:
The Phantom Menace, have skin with the distinctive annular and polycyclic
pattern of tinea imbricata. Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan who figures prominently in
this movie, shows this eruption. . .鈥�
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The rest of the article debates the question of whether humans acquired the
disease from contact with Gungans, or vice versa.
We hope the BMJ鈥檚 readers share its editorial staff鈥檚 lively sense
of humour..
THEY just keep coming in. RAS (redundant acronym . . .) syndrome turns out to
be far more common than even we suspected (see Feedback, 21 April).
Readers have drawn our attention to the fact that in Britain you can save
with Lloyds TSB bank (trustee savings . . .), while in Australia you can put
your money into the ASB bank (Auckland savings . . .). Then there鈥檚 DAT tape
(digital audio . . .), EIN number (employee identification . . .) LCD display
(liquid crystal . . .), PAT testing (portable appliance . . .), FIRE engine
(fully integrated robotised . . .), DERV vehicle (diesel-engine road . . .),
PATS scheme (patient assistance travel . . .), laser amplification (light
amplification by stimulated emission of radiation . . .) and, something of a
special case, Op-Amp amplifier (operational amplifier . . .). Meanwhile, a
recent edition of The Guardian featured an article about HIPC and
non-HIPC countries鈥�, (highly indebted poor . . .).
Reader Keith Huggett has even found two examples of what he calls
second-order RAS syndrome. One is the ABS braking system (automatic . . .). The
second is a Sussex-based company called MEL Equipment Limited. Its previous
name, Mullard Equipment Limited, was shortened to the snappier MEL and then
expanded again in the spirit of RAS syndrome. In similar vein, Judith Price
points out NCP car parks (national . . .).
If you think all that鈥檚 bad enough, spare a thought for reader John Haward,
whose life is positively swamped by RAS syndrome. Haward works for an IT
development project called Project Felix, in Australia, which involves the
following: APN number (Australian product . . .), TAC code (type area . . .),
EAN number (European article . . .), UPC code (universal product . . .), SWET
team (special world-class enablement . . .), WBS structure (work breakdown . .
.), PAWS system (production and warehouse . . .), TIBS system (Telstra interface
broker . . .), ELADS system (electronic lodgment and delivery . . .), MBS system
(masterpack business . . .). He also faces a whole raft of redundant testings:
IST testing (integrated system . . .), BUAT testing (business unit acceptance . . .),
CAT testing (which refers to both corporate and customer acceptance . . .),
PAT testing (production acceptance . . .) and ETET testing (end-to-end . . .).
Phew!
OUR thanks go to Alan Walton of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge
University, who has sent us a paper he co-authored with his colleague Avik
Chakravarty. Entitled 鈥淟ight emission from collapsing superheated steam bubbles
in water鈥�, it appears in the Journal of Luminescence (vol 92, p
27).
Here鈥檚 how the abstract begins: 鈥淭he first observations of light emission
accompanying the collapse of superheated steam bubbles injected into water are
reported. A commercial cappucino machine provided the steam and the luminescence
was observed using a high-grain image intensifier . . .鈥�
Unfortunately, we are not told what make of cappucino machine was used, so
anyone wishing to repeat the experiment will have to get in touch with
Walton.
HO, HO, HO. Here is a spoof announcement doing the rounds on the Internet in
response to Britain鈥檚 foot and mouth epidemic: 鈥淎tlanta, Georgia. 杏吧原创s at
the Center for Disease Control today confirmed that foot and mouth disease
cannot be spread by Microsoft鈥檚 Outlook e-mail application鈥攂elieved to be
the first time the program has ever failed to propagate a major virus.鈥�
THE PHENOMENON of crustacean resurrection is not widely known, but we have
just come a strong hint that it takes place. It comes in the latest issue of the
Bulletin of the European Association of Fish Pathologists, in a paper
called 鈥淚n vitro treatments of deltamethrin against the isopod parasite
Ceratothoa oestroides, a pathogen of seabass Dicentrarchus labrax
尝鈥�.
The last line of the abstract reads: 鈥淭he best concentration was proved to be
0.05 milligrams per litre, where all parasites died at 2 hours and remained dead
for 48 hours.鈥�
And then what happened? Who knows?
CUSTOMERS paying at the till in the Cambridge branch of Sainsbury鈥檚
supermarket can easily find themselves depressed about the amount of money they
have spent. They are hardly cheered up by the message the till displays as they
bag their shopping and prepare to leave.
鈥淕oodbye hope . . .鈥� it tells them.
Those who stick around long enough after this shock will notice that the
message is scrolling. It concludes by adding 鈥�. . . to see you again.鈥�
A SIGNPOST in the town centre of Brentwood in Essex, helpfully directs
visitors to a local attraction. In large letters, it prominently declares:
鈥淪ecret Nuclear Bunker鈥�