Spatial and nonspatial escape strategies in the Barnes maze.

The Barnes maze is a spatial memory task that requires subjects to learn the position of a hole that can be used to escape the brightly lit, open surface of the maze. Two experiments assessed the relative importance of spatial (extra-maze) versus proximal visible cues in solving the maze. In Experiment 1, four groups of mice were trained either with or without a discrete visible cue marking the location of the escape hole, which was either in a fixed or variable location across trials.

How knowledgeable are physician assistants and nurse practitioners about physical therapy?

Non-physician providers (NPPs) are on the front line for referring consumers for physical therapy (PT) services. Previous studies have assessed physicians' knowledge and utilization of PT. No studies have examined these same issues for physician assistants (PAs) or nurse practitioners (NPs).

Cooperation and virulence in acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.

Background: Efficient host exploitation by parasites is frequently likely to depend on cooperative behaviour. Under these conditions, mixed-strain infections are predicted to show lower virulence (host mortality) than are single-clone infections, due to competition favouring non-contributing social 'cheats' whose presence will reduce within-host growth. We tested this hypothesis using the cooperative production of iron-scavenging siderophores by the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an insect host.

A photometric redshift of z = 6.39 +/- 0.12 for GRB 050904.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows are the most brilliant transient events in the Universe. Both the bursts themselves and their afterglows have been predicted to be visible out to redshifts of z approximately 20, and therefore to be powerful probes of the early Universe. The burst GRB 000131, at z = 4.

The afterglow and elliptical host galaxy of the short gamma-ray burst GRB 050724.

Despite a rich phenomenology, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are divided into two classes based on their duration and spectral hardness--the long-soft and the short-hard bursts. The discovery of afterglow emission from long GRBs was a watershed event, pinpointing their origin to star-forming galaxies, and hence the death of massive stars, and indicating an energy release of about 10(51) erg. While theoretical arguments suggest that short GRBs are produced in the coalescence of binary compact objects (neutron stars or black holes), the progenitors, energetics and environments of these events remain elusive despite recent localizations.

Hypermutability impedes cooperation in pathogenic bacteria.

When the supply of beneficial mutations limits adaptation, bacterial mutator alleles can reach high frequencies by hitchhiking with advantageous mutations. However, when populations are well adapted to their environments, the increased rate of deleterious mutations makes hypermutability selectively disadvantageous. Here, we consider a further cost of hypermutability: its potential to break down cooperation (group-beneficial behavior that is costly to the individual).

The afterglow of GRB 050709 and the nature of the short-hard gamma-ray bursts.

The final chapter in the long-standing mystery of the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) centres on the origin of the short-hard class of bursts, which are suspected on theoretical grounds to result from the coalescence of neutron-star or black-hole binary systems. Numerous searches for the afterglows of short-hard bursts have been made, galvanized by the revolution in our understanding of long-duration GRBs that followed the discovery in 1997 of their broadband (X-ray, optical and radio) afterglow emission. Here we present the discovery of the X-ray afterglow of a short-hard burst, GRB 050709, whose accurate position allows us to associate it unambiguously with a star-forming galaxy at redshift z = 0.

The pimFABCDE operon from Rhodopseudomonas palustris mediates dicarboxylic acid degradation and participates in anaerobic benzoate degradation.

Bacteria in anoxic environments typically convert aromatic compounds derived from pollutants or green plants to benzoyl-CoA, and then to the C7 dicarboxylic acid derivative 3-hydroxypimelyl-CoA. Inspection of the recently completed genome sequence of the purple nonsulfur phototroph Rhodopseudomonas palustris revealed one predicted cluster of genes for the beta-oxidation of dicarboxylic acids. These genes, annotated as pimFABCDE, are predicted to encode acyl-CoA ligase, enoyl-CoA hydratase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and acyl-CoA transferase enzymes, which should allow the conversion of odd-chain dicarboxylic acids to glutaryl-CoA, and even-chain dicarboxylic acids to succinyl-CoA.

Complete genome sequence of the metabolically versatile photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris.

Rhodopseudomonas palustris is among the most metabolically versatile bacteria known. It uses light, inorganic compounds, or organic compounds, for energy. It acquires carbon from many types of green plant-derived compounds or by carbon dioxide fixation, and it fixes nitrogen.

The bright optical afterglow of the nearby gamma-ray burst of 29 March 2003.

Past studies of cosmological gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been hampered by their extreme distances, resulting in faint afterglows. A nearby GRB could potentially shed much light on the origin of these events, but GRBs with a redshift z View Article and Find Full Text PDF

W/SiC x-ray multilayers optimized for use above 100 keV.

We have developed a new depth-graded multilayer system comprising W and SiC layers, suitable for use as hard x-ray reflective coatings operating in the energy range 100-200 keV. Grazing-incidence x-ray reflectance at E = 8 keV was used to characterize the interface widths, as well as the temporal and thermal stability in both periodic and depth-graded W/SiC structures, whereas synchrotron radiation was used to measure the hard x-ray reflectance of a depth-graded multilayer designed specifically for use in the range E approximately 150-170 keV. We have modeled the hard x-ray reflectance using newly derived optical constants, which we determined from reflectance versus incidence angle measurements also made using synchrotron radiation, in the range E = 120-180 keV.

Early optical emission from the gamma-ray burst of 4 October 2002.

Observations of the long-lived emission--or 'afterglow'--of long-duration gamma-ray bursts place them at cosmological distances, but the origin of these energetic explosions remains a mystery. Observations of optical emission contemporaneous with the burst of gamma-rays should provide insight into the details of the explosion, as well as into the structure of the surrounding environment. One bright optical flash was detected during a burst, but other efforts have produced negative results.

Hawthorn.

A review with 54 references covers all aspects of hawthorn, the genus Crataegus, including its traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and clinical effects. Although the effectiveness of hawthorn on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases has received extensive attention worldwide, further scientific research on various areas such as pharmacokinetics, mechanism of actions will be necessary to ensure its safe and effective usage.

Pharmacokinetics of human growth hormone administered subcutaneously with two different injection systems.

The bioavailability of recombinant human growth hormone (somatropin, CAS 12629-01-5) was compared between a transcutaneous jet injection device and subcutaneous cannula injection. Thirteen healthy male subjects received 8.64 IU somatropin once with jet and once with cannula injection in a randomized cross-over study.

How do skilled nursing rehabilitation managers track efficiency and costs?

Financial and efficiency indicators have not been used extensively by skilled nursing (SNF) rehabilitation managers, but may prove useful in the prospective payment system (PPS)-dominated long-term care (LTC) environment. The purpose of this pilot study was to demonstrate a method for measuring the extent of SNF rehabilitation managers' use of volume, revenue, cost, and manpower indicators; and whether usages differ among occupational, physical, and speech therapy managers. The subjects were 74 occupational, 75 physical, and 72 speech therapy managers employed by a multinational health care corporation.

Facing racism and the moral responsibility of human rights knowledge.

Anthropologists working in arenas of human rights advocacy must be prepared to negotiate dilemmas of human responsibility. Those focusing on racial discrimination as a breach of international human rights conventions must contend with trends in social research that feed into politically consequential claims that neither race nor racism exist as significant social facts. An examination of the global sociocultural and geopolitcal landscape, the human rights system, and models of change reveals that contemporary racism in both its marked and unmarked varieties warrants anthropologists' critical scrutiny and, depending on individual epistemological and political inclination, sociopolitical intervention.

Development of thermally formed glass optics for astronomical hard X-ray telescopes.

The next major observational advance in hard X-ray/soft gamma-ray astrophysics will come with the implementation of telescopes capable of focusing 10-200 keV radiation. Focusing allows high signal-to-noise imaging and spectroscopic observations of many sources in this band for the first time. The recent development of depth-graded multilayer coatings has made the design of telescopes for this bandpass practical, however the ability to manufacture inexpensive substrates with appropriate surface quality and figure to achieve sub-arcminute performance has remained an elusive goal.

Cervical wet mount as a negative predictor for gonococci- and Chlamydia trachomatis-induced cervicitis in a gravid population.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a wet mount preparation of endocervical secretions from obstetric patients can accurately rule out the presence of gonococci and Chlamydia trachomatis.

Study Design: Gravid patients were screened for gonococci and C trachomatis with a deoxyribonucleic acid probe and a wet mount preparation of endocervical secretions. The number of polymorphonuclear lymphocytes was counted and averaged per x400 high-power field.

Non-linear pharmacokinetic modelling of intravenous elgodipine.

Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE, SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The 1,4-dihydropyridine elgodipine was given as continuous infusion at various rates (5, 10, 15, 20, 40 microg/kg/h for 48, 48, 48, 24, or 6 h, respectively) to five groups of 6-12 healthy male subjects (total 42). Elgodipine plasma concentrations were measured with HPLC in 20-24 samples from each subject. Concentrations increased overproportionally with dose.