Introduction. Progress in astronomy: from gravitational waves to space weather.

This brief paper introduces and reviews the 'visions of the future' articles prepared by leading young scientists throughout the world for the first of two Christmas 2008 Triennial issues of Phil. Trans. R.

Observation of Y(3940) --> J/psiomega in B --> J/psiomegaK at BABAR.

We present a study of the decays B;{0,+}-->J/psiomegaK;{0,+} using 383x10;{6} BB[over ] events obtained with the BABAR detector at PEP-II. We observe Y(3940)-->J/psiomega, with mass 3914.6_{-3.

Measurements of B --> {pi,eta,eta;{'}}lnu_{l} branching fractions and determination of |V_{ub}| with semileptonically tagged B mesons.

We report measurements of branching fractions for the decays B-->Plnu_{l}, where P are the pseudoscalar charmless mesons pi;{-}, pi;{0}, eta and eta;{'}, based on 348 fb;{-1} of data collected with the BABAR detector, using B0 and B+ mesons found in the recoil of a second B meson decaying as B-->D;{(*)}lnu_{l}. Assuming isospin symmetry, we combine pionic branching fractions to obtain B(B;{0}-->pi;{-}l;{+}nu_{l})=(1.54+/-0.

Observation of the bottomonium ground state in the decay Upsilon(3S)-->gammaetab.

We report the results of a search for the bottomonium ground state etab(1S) in the photon energy spectrum with a sample of (109+/-1) million of Upsilon(3S) recorded at the Upsilon(3S) energy with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B factory at SLAC. We observe a peak in the photon energy spectrum at Egamma=921.2(-2.

Evidence for CP violation in B0-->J/psipi0 decays.

We present measurements of the branching fraction and time-dependent CP asymmetries in B0-->J/psipi0 decays based on 466 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB over events collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory. We measure the CP asymmetry parameters S= -1.23+/-0.

The effects of aging on hypoglossal motoneurons in rats.

Aging can result in a loss of neuronal cell bodies and a decrease in neuronal size in some regions of the brain and spinal cord. Motoneuron loss in the spinal cord is thought to contribute to the progressive decline in muscle mass and strength that occurs with age (sarcopenia). Swallowing disorders represent a large clinical problem in elderly persons; however, age-related alterations in cranial motoneurons that innervate muscles involved in swallowing have been understudied.

A comparison of reactive oxygen species metabolism in the rat aorta and vena cava: focus on xanthine oxidase.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators in vascular biology. Venous function, although relevant to cardiovascular disease, is still understudied. We compared aspects of ROS metabolism between a major artery (the aorta) and a major vein (the vena cava, VC) of the rat, with the hypothesis that venous ROS metabolism would be overall increased compared with its arterial counterpart.

The contribution of type I interferon signaling to immunity induced by alphavirus replicon vaccines.

The type I interferon (IFN) system is critical for protecting the mammalian host from numerous virus infections and plays a key role in shaping the antiviral adaptive immune response. In this report, the importance of type I IFN signaling was assessed in a mouse model of alphavirus-induced humoral immune induction. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles (VRP) expressing the hemagglutinin (HA) gene from influenza virus (HA-VRP) were used to vaccinate both wildtype (wt) and IFN alpha/beta receptor knockout (RKO) mice.

Measurement of the decay B(-) ---> D(*0)e(-)nu[overline](e).

Using 226 x 10(6) BB[overline] events recorded on the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC e(+)e(-) PEP-II storage rings, we reconstruct B(-) ---> D(*0)e(-)nu[overline](e) decays using the decay chain D(*0) --> D(0)pi(0) and D(0)-->K(-)pi(+). From the dependence of their differential rate on w, the dot product of the four velocities of B(-) and D(*0), and using the form factor description by Caprini et al. with the parameters F(1) and rhoA(1)(2), we obtain the results rhoA(1)(2) = 1.

Alphavirus replicon particles acting as adjuvants promote CD8+ T cell responses to co-delivered antigen.

Alphavirus replicon particles induce strong antibody and CD8+ T cell responses to expressed antigens in numerous experimental systems. We have recently demonstrated that Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles (VRP) possess adjuvant activity for systemic and mucosal antibody responses. In this report, we demonstrate that VRP induced an increased and balanced serum IgG subtype response to co-delivered antigen, with simultaneous induction of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies, and increased both systemic and mucosal antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses, as measured by an IFN-gamma ELISPOT assay.

The early career progress of baccalaureate healthcare management students.

Programs in healthcare management are increasingly asked to demonstrate program outcomes by identifying graduates working in the profession of healthcare management. In particular, standards under AUPHA's certification process for undergraduate programs require that programs identify programmatic and educational outcomes. However, little is known about the career track of undergraduate healthcare management graduates.

Nonmucosal alphavirus vaccination stimulates a mucosal inductive environment in the peripheral draining lymph node.

The strongest mucosal immune responses are induced following mucosal Ag delivery and processing in the mucosal lymphoid tissues, and much is known regarding the immunological parameters which regulate immune induction via this pathway. Recently, experimental systems have been identified in which mucosal immune responses are induced following nonmucosal Ag delivery. One such system, footpad delivery of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles (VRP), led to the local production of IgA Abs directed against both expressed and codelivered Ags at multiple mucosal surfaces in mice.

Head covering and the risk for SIDS: findings from the New Zealand and German SIDS case-control studies.

Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to identify risk factors for being found with the head covered in sudden infant death syndrome cases and determine whether head covering was likely to be an agonal event or potentially part of the causal pathway in some cases. By using the data from 2 sudden infant death syndrome case-control studies, consistency of the findings could be assessed.

Methods: Two case-control studies were assessed: (1) the New Zealand Cot Death Study (1987-1990, 393 sudden infant death syndrome cases) and (2) a German SIDS case-control study (1998-2001, 333 sudden infant death syndrome cases).

Observation of tree-level B decays with ss production from gluon radiation.

We report on our search for decays proceeding via a tree-level b-->c quark transition in which a gluon radiates into an ss[over ] pair. We present observations of the decays B;{-}-->D_{s};{+}K;{-}pi;{-} and B[over ];{0}-->D_{s};{+}K_{S};{0}pi;{-} and evidence for B;{-}-->D_{s};{+}K;{-}K;{-} and set upper limits on the branching fractions for B[over ];{0}-->D_{s};{+}K_{S};{0}pi;{-} and B;{-}-->D_{s};{+}K;{-}K;{-} using 383x10;{6} Upsilon(4S)-->BB[over ] events collected by the BABAR detector at SLAC. We present evidence that the invariant mass distributions of D_{s};{+}K;{-} pairs from B;{-}-->D_{s};{+}K;{-}pi;{-} decays are inconsistent with the phase-space model, suggesting the presence of charm resonances lying below the D_{s};{+}K;{-} threshold.

Measurements of partial branching fractions for B-->Xulnu and determination of |Vub|.

We present partial branching fractions for inclusive charmless semileptonic B decays B[over ]-->X_{u}lnu[over ], and the determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V_{ub}|. The analysis is based on a sample of 383 x 10;{6} Upsilon(4S) decays into BB[over ] pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II e;{+}e;{-} storage rings. We select events using the invariant mass M_{X} of the hadronic system, the invariant mass squared, q;{2}, of the lepton and neutrino pair, the kinematic variable P+, or one of their combinations.

Measurement of the branching fractions of exclusive _B-->D(*)(pi)l-_nu l decays in events with a fully reconstructed B meson.

We report a measurement of the branching fractions for _B-->D(*)(pi)l- _nu(l) decays based on 341.1 fb(-1) of data collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II e+ e- storage rings. Events are tagged by fully reconstructing one of the B mesons in a hadronic decay mode.

Search for CPT and lorentz violation in B0-B[over ]0 oscillations with dilepton events.

We report results of a search for CPT and Lorentz violation in B(0)-B[over ](0) oscillations using inclusive dilepton events from 232 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB[over ] decays recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B Factory at SLAC. We find 2.8sigma significance, compatible with no signal, for variations in the complex CPT violation parameter z at the Earth's sidereal frequency and extract values for the quantities Deltaa(micro) in the general Lorentz-violating standard-model extension.

Factors related to academic success in at-risk senior nursing students.

The disposition of at-risk students who fail to meet nursing program progression standards is a challenging predicament for both students and faculty. There is little evidence to inform progression decisions regarding remediation and/or probation. More needs to be known about the phenomenon of at-risk students, and the interventions that can transform these individuals into successful graduates and nurses.

High-performance teams for current and future physician leaders: an introduction.

The scope of patient management increasingly crosses the defined lines of multiple medical specialties and services to meet patient needs. Concurrently, many hospitals and health-care systems have adapted new multidisciplinary team structures that provide patient-centric care as opposed to the more traditional discipline-centered delivery of care. As health care continues to evolve, the use of teams becomes even more critical in allowing interdependence between multiple disciplines to provide excellent care delivery and ongoing patient management.

Observation of B;{0}-->K;(*0)K[over ](*0) and Search for B;(0)-->K;(*0)K;(*0).

We report the observation of the b-->d penguin-dominated decay B;{0}-->K;{*0}K[over ];{*0} with a sample of 383.2+/-4.2 million BB[over ] pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e;{+}e;{-} collider at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

Search for lepton flavor violating decays tau+/--->l+/-omega.

A search for lepton flavor violating decays of a tau to a lighter-mass charged lepton and an omega vector meson is performed using 384.1 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) annihilation data collected with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center PEP-II storage ring. No signal is found, and the upper limits on the branching ratios are determined to be B(tau(+/-)-->e;{+/-}omega)<1.

Search for CP violation in the decays D0 --> K- K+ and D0 --> pi- pi+.

We measure time-integrated CP-violating asymmetries of neutral charmed mesons in the modes D0 --> K(-) K(+) and D0 --> pi(-) pi(+) with the highest precision to date by using D0 --> K(-) pi(+) decays to correct detector asymmetries. An analysis of 385.8 fb(-1) of data collected with the BABAR detector yields values of a(CP)(KK)=(0.

Observation of B+-->a1+(1260)K0 and B0-->a1-(1260)K+.

We present branching fraction measurements of the decays B(+)-->a(1)(+)(1260)K(0) and B(0)-->a(1)(-)(1260)K(+) with a(1)(+/-)(1260)-->pi(-/+)pi(+/-)pi(+/-). The data sample corresponds to 383 x 10(6) BB pairs produced in e(+)e(-) annihilation through the Upsilon(4S) resonance. We measure the products of the branching fractions B(B(+)-->a(1)(+)(1260)K(0)B(a(1)(+)(1260)-->pi(-)pi(+)pi(+))=(17.

Measurement of the absolute branching fraction of D0-->K-pi+.

We measure the absolute branching fraction for D(0)-->K(-)pi(+) using partial reconstruction of B(0)-->D(*+)Xl(-)nu(l) decays, in which only the charged lepton and the pion from the decay D(*+)-->D(0)pi(+) are used. Based on a data sample of 230 x 10(6) BB pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC, we obtain B(D(0)-->K(-)pi(+)) = (4.007+/-0.