reiter@aifh.ed.ac.uk (06/02/91)
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June 1991 Volume 1, No. 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SCIENCE WATCH: The Search for a Malaria Vaccine . . . . . . . . . 2
Global Warming and World Food Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
TECHNOLOGY: Health Workers Get Information Fast By E-Mail . . . . 3
"Ham" Radio to the Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
ORGANIZATIONS: Biomass Users Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
VITA: Ground Stations for the "Orbiting Mailbox" . . . . . . . . . 5
New Information System in Cape Verde . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Technical Problems for Our Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
BOOKS: "Eating Well" May Mean Eating Badly . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Eastern Europe's Environmental Prospects . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ANNOUNCEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
DevelopNet News is published by Volunteers in Technical Assistance
(VITA) in Arlington, Virginia, USA.
DevelopNet News page 2
S C I E N C E W A T C H
THE SEARCH FOR A MALARIA VACCINE: A LITTLE GOOD NEWS
The bad news has not changed: a vaccine for malaria will take some years
to develop. The good news is a small scientific breakthrough that will
change the way we think about developing vaccines.
When an infected mosquito "bites" a human or other host, the microscop-
ically tiny malaria parasites are injected into the blood. At this stage
in their complex life cycle they are known as sporozoites. They are car-
ried at once to the liver where they quickly multiply to enormous num-
bers and change their form and behavior. They go back into the blood,
where they destroy vast numbers of red blood cells, thus causing the
chills and fevers often associated with malaria.
Can a person develop immunity to malaria? In malarious areas of the
world, exposure to sporozoites for 20 or more years often leads to a
partial resistance to infection that prevents serious illness and death.
An effective vaccine likewise would cause the body to develop resistance
to the disease.
Several years ago, it was shown that if sporozoites were weakened with
radiation and then injected into mice, the mice developed full immunity
to later infection by the parasites. The procedure, which also worked
for monkeys and human volunteers, was too costly for commercial vaccine
production. However, the result was exciting news for research workers,
who now looked for the specific molecule on the surface of the sporozo-
ite that caused the mouse (or human) to develop immunity.
They found it. The "surface antigen," a protein molecule called CS, was
purified and enough of it was made in the laboratory to inject into
mice. Sadly, it gave only partial protection against malaria. For years,
research workers have been unable to understand why the irradiated
sporozoites gave much better protection than CS.
Now Srisin Khusmith (Naval Medical Research Unit, Bethesda, USA) and her
colleagues think they know have the answer: a second surface protein,
slightly different from CS, was also present but had not been studied.
When Khusmith's group immunized mice with both proteins, the mice were
fully protected.
Does this discovery make it easier to develop a vaccine against human
malaria? Although mouse malaria is not an entirely faithful model of the
human disease, the discovery lets research workers plan better
approaches to a human malaria vaccine. For the first time, they are
planning one-disease vaccines based on two or more different antigenic
substances.
A serious problem in developing a vaccine is that the parasite changes
its coatings at every stage in its life cycle. In this way they can
escape damage from immune mechanisms based on earlier stages. Thus,
DevelopNet News page 3
according to Stephen L. Hoffman (Naval Medical Research Unit), "a
universally effective malaria vaccine will probably have to include
antigens from different stages of the parasite's life cycle."
Although some world regions are malaria-free, the World Health Organ-
ization estimates that every year there are 270 million new cases of
this disabling or fatal disease and about one million persons die of it.
Some 2 billion (2,100 million) people live in malarious areas. That is
why even small steps forward in malaria research are eagerly watched all
over the world.
Sources: Srisin Khusmith and others, "Protection Against Malaria by
Vaccination with Sporozoite Surface Protein 2 Plus CS Protein." Science,
vol. 252, pp. 715-718, 3 May 1991. Stephen L. Hoffman and others,
"Progress Toward Malaria Preerythrocytic Vaccines." Science, vol. 252,
pp. 520-521, 30 April 1991.
GLOBAL WARMING AND WORLD FOOD SUPPLY
About 10 million people die of hunger and nutritional diseases each
year. With climatic change resulting from global warming, that number
could double, even if food production keeps up with population growth,
according to a recent computer modelling study. But if food production
increases only half as much as population growth, the number of hunger-
related deaths could increase about five-fold over past levels. Even
favorable climate change that enhances crop production may not prevent a
four-fold increase in deaths if population growth outpaces production by
about 0.8% a year.
Gretchen Daily and Paul Ehrlich (Stanford University, California, USA)
base their predictions on the likely effects of global warming on agri-
culture and the population. They used a computer model to calculate
population size and the production, consumption, and storage of grain
under different climatic conditions. Their report recently appeared in
the Proceedings of the Royal Society (London).
Source: Far Eastern Agriculture, January/February 1991.
T E C H N O L O G Y
LATIN AMERICA: HEALTH WORKERS GET INFORMATION FAST BY E-MAIL
A doctor in Valparaiso, Chile, needs the latest information on how to
monitor certain heart patients. A public health librarian in Sao Paulo,
Brazil, wants an update on childhood diarrhea. Both workers now have
fast and cheap access to the largest medical library in the world
through e-mail networks. They can access the databases of the National
Library of Medicine (NLM; Bethesda, USA) from any computer that is
connected to BITNET or Internet, asking for a search of NLM's books and
journals by subject, author, or title.
DevelopNet News page 4
How long does it take to get an answer from NLM? A reply, in the form of
bibliographies or abstracts, comes back in as little as 2.3 minutes,
with an average delay of 1.5 hours. The delay does not include the short
time needed for the search itself. In a recent test period, the length
of the average search request was 700 Bytes and the average reply was 33
kilo Bytes.
Requests came to NLM from BITNET, Internet, FidoNet and UUCP. NLM has
developed software called Grateful Med to help distant microcomputer
users to write proper search requests. Victor Cid and Andres Stutzin
(University of Chile, Santiago) wrote the BITNIS software that provides
the headers and closing statements for correct routing through the
BITNET system to NLM.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and NLM aim to make NLM's
Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLARS) available
through BITNET nodes to all countries in the PAHO area. Argentina,
Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela are
now participating, in addition to Canada and the USA.
Source: Carlos A. Gamboa, PAHO; sua@nihcu .
"HAM" RADIO TO THE RESCUE
In Third-World countries, the toll in human life and suffering caused by
natural disasters is at times staggering. When disaster strikes, commun-
ications channels fail. But then, when local relief efforts are mobil-
ized, it is vital to assess the damage, locate the injured, and get word
out to friendly governments and international agencies about what help
is needed. The IBM Boca Radio Club (Boca Raton, USA), whose region of
the world is often visited by hurricanes, has helped to equip its local
area for emergency communications and assisted in recent emergencies in
Jamaica in the nearby Caribbean Sea.
Over the years, radio amateurs ("hams") have contributed enormously to
relief efforts by transmitting messages during disasters. Ham radio
networks now use packet radio to transmit text and data from battery-
operated, portable, personal computers. Specially designed wind-
resistant towers boost international transmission of radio signals
through links to low-earth-orbiting satellites.
In partnership with the Club, the IBM firm and its international affil-
iates have helped to install modern equipment of these kinds not only in
Boca Raton, but also at the Radio Club Peruano (Lima, Peru). These loca-
tions are now linked to a worldwide packet-radio network that includes
IBM employees who are also radio amateurs around the world. The network
is available for general humanitarian assistance and helps the company
to provide disaster relief to its employees and their communities in
times of need.
DevelopNet News page 5
Sources: Eric Marler of IBM is on VITA's board of directors;
marler@vnet.ibm.com . Don W. Williams is with IBM and the IBM Boca Radio
Club.
O R G A N I Z A T I O N S
BIOMASS USERS NETWORK
The Biomass Users Network (BUN) is a network for developing countries
active in the bioenergy field. International organizations, donor
agencies, and consultative and manufacturing groups also participate.
Its program areas are: (1) protection, rehabilitation, and development
of degraded and fragile lands; (2) revitalization and diversification of
the sugarcane industry to protect the environment; (3) sustainable
production and efficient utilization of biomass fuels; and (4) promoting
economically viable and environmentally sound utilization of agricul-
tural residues. The BUN publishes a bimonthly newsletter containing
articles on bioenergy projects and research.
Information: Biomass Users Network, P.O. Box 1800-2100, Guadalupe, San
Jose, Costa Rica. Phone (506) 40-89-97. Fax (506) 40-89-98.
V I T A : P r o j e c t F o c u s
GROUND STATIONS FOR THE "ORBITING MAILBOX"
VITA's "orbiting mailbox," a satellite-borne communications device, pas-
ses over every spot on the earth twice every 24 hours at an altitude of
800 km. When the satellite is in receiving distance over a ground sta-
tion, the ground station uploads or transmits messages for storage in
the satellite's memory and similarly downloads or retrieves messages or
other computer files. The satellite will then "store and forward" the
new messages or files from the ground station to their destination which
can be anywhere in the world. Depending upon the location of the source
and destination stations, a message can be sent, unloaded at its desti-
nation a maximum of 12 hours later, and the answer sent back to the
originating station all within 24 hours.
The ground stations receive and transmit "packets" of digitized computer
information as radio waves. Packet radio stations may be powered by
batteries or solar cells. Thus, they have great potential applications
in remote areas in developing countries where conventional grid power
and telephones are unavailable. When packet radio is linked to such a
low-earth-orbit satellite as the one used by VITA, it becomes a ground
station for global communications. An entire station costs between
$4,000 and $6,000: relatively cheap, especially considering that comput-
ers and radios can be used for other purposes when not linked to the
satellite.
DevelopNet News page 6
VITA's use of the satellite is at the prototype stage; networks of oper-
ational satellites and ground stations will eventually be used by dis-
aster relief and development organizations where rapid, accurate commun-
ications are required.
A dozen nongovernmental organizations, universities, and multilateral
development agencies around the world plan to use the present satellite
with their own ground stations in cooperation with VITA. The first
installations are planned for early summer. VITA's satellite communica-
tions specialist, Eric Rosenberg, will travel to Freetown, Sierra Leone,
to install a ground station for Foster Parents Plan International and
provide instruction in its use. Other likely places for ground stations
this summer include Djibouti and Pakistan, where there are sponsoring
organizations affiliated with VITA. It is expected that 18 to 24 sta-
tions will be installed in the demonstration network by the end of the
year. VITA already operates a ground station at its headquarters in
Arlington, Virginia.
The PACSAT Communications Experiment (PCE), part of VITA's VITASAT
communications program, is carried by the UoSAT-3 satellite built and
operated by the University of Surrey (U.K.). PCE was developed and
designed with funds provided to VITA by the Margaret W. and Herbert
Hoover, Jr. Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Persons
interested in setting up ground stations are invited to contact Gary
Gariott at VITA.
NEW INFORMATION SYSTEM IN CAPE VERDE
Farm and fisheries products support the island republic of Cape Verde,
located off the west coast of Africa. A documentation specialist from
the capital city of Praia, Maria Helena Delgado, has just completed two
weeks of intensive training at VITA's headquarters in the development of
information resources. She learned about running a specialized documen-
tation center; developing skills in modern, but low-cost information
storage and retrieval; and using computers to manage documentation serv-
ices. Back at home, Delgado will first create a manual classification
system to suit her country's needs. Then she will computerize it.
Delgado was originally trained as an agricultural engineer. She is now
head librarian in the Directorate of Soil Conservation, Forestry, and
Renewable Energies in the Ministry of Rural Development and Fisheries.
Her studies at VITA in April and May 1991 were part of a professional
visit to the USA sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International
Development.
DevelopNet News page 7
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS FOR OUR READERS
VITA's Inquiry Service recently received questions on these topics. Can
you answer them?
1. A group in Ghana would like information on the technology and method
of processing and coating aluminum printing plates, and where processing
machinery and coating chemicals can be obtained.
2. The chemistry department of a U.S. university is developing a project
to recycle newspaper as animal bedding and is seeking information on the
degradation products of newspaper, including the ink.
3. An organization working in sustainable development would like infor-
mation on how to convert gasoline and kerosene cookstoves, lanterns and
similar appliances to use alcohol as fuel.
You can help by sending your ideas to DevelopNet News. If you use e-
mail, please complete the "Subject:" line of your message to speed
delivery.
B O O K S
"EATING WELL" MAY MEAN EATING BADLY: WORLD DIETARY CHANGES
World Health Organization. Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of
Chronic Diseases [English and French], WHO Technical Report Series, No.
797. Geneva: author, 1990. Available through WHO Distribution and Sales,
1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, and WHO Publications Center USA, 49
Sheridan Avenue, Albany, New York, 12210.
A group of experts examined the evidence linking dietary factors to the
development of several chronic diseases, including coronary heart
disease, hypertension, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. They
were also asked to give advice on prevention, in the light of the sci-
entific evidence and the importance of the health problems.
For each main nutrient group. the report sets up a lower intake limit to
prevent deficiency disease, and an upper limit to prevent chronic
disease. Recommended daily intakes are also given.
The prevention of diet-related chronic diseases should be approached
through populations rather than individuals. The entire populations of
most affluent countries are at risk. Indeed, massive changes would be
needed to shift dietary patterns closer to a "safe" range of intakes.
Moreover, the diets in developing countries now show a universal and
spontaneous shift towards "affluent" types.
The concluding sections are devoted to public policies on food and
nutrition. The authors predict that the new nutritional objectives of
preventing both deficiency diseases and chronic diseases will have
DevelopNet News page 8
immense implications for policy makers. These persons will need to
balance health needs against the cost of changes in farming, food
consumption patterns, and international trade.
EASTERN EUROPE'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROSPECTS
Green Revolutions: Environmental Reconstruction in Eastern Europe and
the Soviet Union. By Hilary French. Worldwatch Institute, 1775
Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036, 1990.
"Although the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries have environ-
mental regulations more stringent than those of Western nations, the
poor enforcement of those laws has left Eastern Europe in a quagmire of
polluted rivers and contaminated land. . . . Previously suppressed
reports and new studies released this year are grim," according to a
review in the March 1991 issue of the magazine BioScience.
Public opinion in the USSR and Eastern Europe leans toward cleaning up
the environment. Environmental groups (the green movement) also played a
role in bringing down some Eastern European governments. The costs of
cleanup are daunting; resources are tight. French suggests that Western
nations consider the decontamination of Eastern Europe as a precondition
rather than an obstacle to economic development.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE WORKSHOP
A workshop on Using Permaculture and Appropriate Technology to Extend
Traditional Techniques will be held in Oaxaca, Mexico, June 22 - July 6,
1991, and in Cottage Grove, Oregon, August 3 - 17, 1991. "The workshop
[is] intended for people working or interested in sustainable agricul-
ture, permaculture, third world development, rainforests, deconsumer-
izing, stewardship of the earth, ecological living, [and] organic food.
. . Everything will be translated into English and Spanish." Cost of
the course is $750 and includes tuition, meals, accommodations, and
field trips, but not travel to and from course locations. Fifty percent
of tuition fees goes toward scholarships for Third World participants.
Information: Aprovecho Institute, 80574 Hazelton Road, Cottage Grove,
Oregon 97424. Phone: (503) 942-9434.
FOOD INDUSTRY PROJECTS COURSE
The National Institute of Small Industry Extension Training (NISIET) in
Hyderabad, India, will offer a Food Industry Projects training course
for individuals in developing countries. Scheduled for October 28 -
December 20, 1991, the course will cover the development of food indus-
tries and scope in select product lines; location and infrastructural
DevelopNet News page 9
requirements; assessment of technologies and details of alternatives;
transfer of technology; quality control and standards; packaging; mar-
keting and distribution; and formulation of projects and preparation of
feasibility ANd project reports covering economic, technical, and finan-
cial aspects.
Information: The Registrar, NISIET, Yousufguda, Hyderabad 500 045,
India. Phone: 238544. Telex: 425-6381.
CONSULTANTS NEEDED
AFRICA -- agriculture/small enterprise. Long- and short-term consultants
in international business (banking and credit loan experience; energy
(all areas); agriculture; international accounting; information manage-
ment; agricultural marketing and economics. Overseas experience and
fluency in French or Spanish are required. Send resume to Regina Wynn,
VITA.
ZAMBIA -- consultants in small enterprise. Candidates should have exper-
ience in small business and finance, and carpentry or blacksmithing.
Send resume to Regina Wynn, VITA.
JOIN VITA'S ELECTRONIC FORUM
VITA's public, on-line discussion list, DEVEL-L, provides a forum for
the exchange of ideas and information on a wide range of issues and
topics related to technology transfer in international development; for
example, technologies, communications in development, sustainable agri-
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SUB DEVEL-L your_full_name
to either of these addresses:
(BITNET:) LISTSERV@AUVM or (Internet:) LISTSERV@AUVM.AUVM.EDU .
VITA'S PUBLICATIONS LISTED
VITA publishes how-to manuals, technical bulletins, state-of-the-art
technical papers, and industrial profiles. The topics include agricul-
ture, animal husbandry, crafts, food processing, housing and construc-
tion, renewable energy and energy conservation, water supply and sani-
tation, and small business development, and more. The publications have
been used successfully by students, teachers, and extension workers
DevelopNet News page 10
throughout the world. Relevance of subject matter, clarity of instruc-
tion, and easy-to-follow plans and illustrations make these materials
invaluable resources for do-it-yourselfers and development workers
alike.
You can now read or download a price list of selected VITA publications,
many offered at reduced rates. Just call VITANet, VITA's electronic bul-
letin board, at (703) 527-1086. For a printed version or a complete
catalog, contact Brij Mathur at VITA.
Correction
In the May 1991 issue of DevelopNet News the telephone number
for EcoNet was incorrectly shown. The correct number is (415)
442-0220. EcoNet's new address is 18 De Boon Street, San
Francisco, California 94107.
* * *
DevelopNet News is an electronic newsletter published monthly by Volun-
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development organization located in Arlington, Virginia. It invites
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Editor: Patricia Mantey
Editorial Assistant: Rafe Ronkin (VITA Volunteer)
VITA specializes in information dissemination and communications tech-
nology and offers services in the areas of sustainable agriculture, food
processing, renewable energy applications, water sanitation and supply,
small enterprise development, and information management. VITA is cur-
rently involved in long- and short-term projects in 10 countries in
Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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--
Ehud Reiter
(e.reiter@edinburgh.ac.uk)xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) (06/03/91)
Please think about your audience. Block ASCII titles make no sense at all in a bandwidth sensitive medium, and are frankly an insult to the minority of blind Usenet patrons. Save it for the print media.