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The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment aims at measuring the effective electron neutrino mass with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c2, i.e., improving on previous measurements by an order of magnitude. Neutrino mass data taking with KATRIN commenced in early 2019, and after only a few weeks of data recording, analysis of these data showed the success of KATRIN, improving on the known neutrino mass limit by a factor of about two. This success very much could be ascribed to the fact that most of the system components met, or even surpassed, the required specifications during long-term operation. Here, we report on the performance of the laser Raman (LARA) monitoring system which provides continuous high-precision information on the gas composition injected into the experiment's windowless gaseous tritium source (WGTS), specifically on its isotopic purity of tritium-one of the key parameters required in the derivation of the electron neutrino mass. The concentrations cx for all six hydrogen isotopologues were monitored simultaneously, with a measurement precision for individual components of the order 10-3 or better throughout the complete KATRIN data taking campaigns to date. From these, the tritium purity, εT, is derived with precision of

The available data on nuclear fusion cross sections important to energy generation in the Sun and other hydrogen-burning stars and to solar neutrino production are summarized and critically evaluated. Recommended values and uncertainties are provided for key cross sections, and a recommended spectrum is given for B8 solar neutrinos. Opportunities for further increasing the precision of key rates are also discussed, including new facilities, new experimental techniques, and improvements in theory. This review, which summarizes the conclusions of a workshop held at the Institute for Nuclear Theory, Seattle, in January 2009, is intended as a 10-year update and supplement to 1998, Rev. Mod. Phys. 70, 1265RMPHAT0034-686110.1103/RevModPhys.70.1265. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Carcinoid tumors are rare, slow-growing neuroendocrine neoplasms that often are indolent and may not become clinically apparent until there has been metastatic spread or evidence of carcinoid syndrome. Recent evidence has revealed that the overall incidence of carcinoid tumors has been steadily increasing, and although the disease was thought to be relatively benign, it is now considered one of increasing malignancy. Carcinoid tumors derive from different embryonic divisions of the gut: foregut carcinoid tumors commonly originate in the lungs, bronchi, or stomach; midgut carcinoid tumors in the small intestine, appendix, or proximal large bowel; and hindgut carcinoid tumors in the distal colon or rectum. Carcinoid syndrome, although rare, is most associated with midgut carcinoid tumors. The diagnosis of a carcinoid tumor often is coincidental with surgery performed for another reason. Treatment and prognosis are dependent on the location of the primary tumor and the degree and extent of metastasis at the time of diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In elderly patients, failure to thrive describes a state of decline that is multifactorial and may be caused by chronic concurrent diseases and functional impairments. Manifestations of this condition include weight loss, decreased appetite, poor nutrition, and inactivity. Four syndromes are prevalent and predictive of adverse outcomes in patients with failure to thrive: impaired physical function, malnutrition, depression, and cognitive impairment. Initial assessments should include information on physical and psychologic health, functional ability, socioenvironmental factors, and nutrition. Laboratory and radiologic evaluations initially are limited to a complete blood count, chemistry panel, thyroid-stimulating hormone level, urinalysis, and other studies that are appropriate for an individual patient. A medication review should ensure that side effects or drug interactions are not a contributing factor to failure to thrive. The impact of existing chronic diseases should be assessed. Interventions should be directed toward easily treatable causes of failure to thrive, with the goal of maintaining or improving overall functional status. Physicians should recognize the diagnosis of failure to thrive as a key decision point in the care of an elderly person. The diagnosis should prompt discussion of end-of-life care options to prevent needless interventions that may prolong suffering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Your local media can help you promote good health care to your entire community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hippocampal function was analysed by making recordings from hippocampal neurons in monkeys actively walking in the laboratory. 'Spatial view' cells, which respond when the monkey looks at a part of the environment, were analysed. It is shown that these cells code for the allocentric position in space being viewed and not for eye position, head direction or the place where the monkey is located. This representation of space 'out there' would be an appropriate part of a primate memory system involved in memories of where in an environment an object was seen, and more generally in the memory of particular events or episodes, for which a spatial component normally provides part of the context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been understood since 1897 that accelerating charges must emit electromagnetic radiation. Although first derived in 1904, cyclotron radiation from a single electron orbiting in a magnetic field has never been observed directly. We demonstrate single-electron detection in a novel radio-frequency spectrometer. The relativistic shift in the cyclotron frequency permits a precise electron energy measurement. Precise beta electron spectroscopy from gaseous radiation sources is a key technique in modern efforts to measure the neutrino mass via the tritium decay end point, and this work demonstrates a fundamentally new approach to precision beta spectroscopy for future neutrino mass experiments.

Graduate medical education (GME) has fallen short in training physicians to meet changes in the US population and health care delivery systems. The shortfall in training has happened despite a consensus on the need for accelerated change. This article discusses the varied causes of GME inertia and proposes a new funding mechanism coupled to a competitive peer-review process. The result would be to reward GME programs that are aligned with publicly set priorities for specialty numbers and training content. New teaching organizations and residency programs would compete on an equal footing with existing ones. Over a decade, all current programs would undergo peer review, with low review scores leading to partial, but meaningful, decreases in funding. This process would incentivize incremental and continual change in GME and would provide a mechanism for funding innovative training through special requests for proposals.

We report results of air monitoring started due to the recent natural catastrophe on 11 March 2011 in Japan and the severe ensuing damage to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor complex. On 17-18 March 2011, we registered the first arrival of the airborne fission products (131)I, (132)I, (132)Te, (134)Cs, and (137)Cs in Seattle, WA, USA, by identifying their characteristic gamma rays using a germanium detector. We measured the evolution of the activities over a period of 23 days at the end of which the activities had mostly fallen below our detection limit. The highest detected activity from radionuclides attached to particulate matter amounted to 4.4 ± 1.3 mBq m(-3) of (131)I on 19-20 March., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A claim for evidence of dark matter interactions in the DAMA experiment has been recently reinforced. We employ a new type of germanium detector to conclusively rule out a standard isothermal galactic halo of weakly interacting massive particles as the explanation for the annual modulation effect leading to the claim. Bounds are similarly imposed on a suggestion that dark pseudoscalars might lead to the effect. We describe the sensitivity to light dark matter particles achievable with our device, in particular, to next-to-minimal supersymmetric model candidates.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) used an array of 3He proportional counters to measure the rate of neutral-current interactions in heavy water and precisely determined the total active (nu_x) 8B solar neutrino flux. This technique is independent of previous methods employed by SNO. The total flux is found to be 5.54_-0.31;+0.33(stat)-0.34+0.36(syst)x10(6) cm(-2) s(-1), in agreement with previous measurements and standard solar models. A global analysis of solar and reactor neutrino results yields Deltam2=7.59_-0.21;+0.19x10(-5) eV2 and theta=34.4_-1.2;+1.3 degrees. The uncertainty on the mixing angle has been reduced from SNO's previous results.

In normal vision, visual scenes are predictable, as they are both spatially and temporally redundant. Evidence suggests that the visual system may use the spatio-temporal regularities of the external world, available in the retinal signal, to extract information from the visual environment and better reconstruct current and future stimuli. We studied this by recording neuronal responses of primary visual cortex (area V1) in anaesthetized and paralysed macaques during the presentation of dynamic sequences of bars, in which spatio-temporal regularities and local information were independently manipulated. Most V1 neurons were significantly modulated by events prior to and distant from stimulation of their classical receptive fields (CRFs); many were more strongly tuned to prior and distant events than they were to CRFs bars; and several showed tuning to prior information without any CRF stimulation. Hence, V1 neurons do not simply analyse local contours, but impute local features to the visual world, on the basis of prior knowledge of a visual world in which useful information can be distributed widely in space and time.

The spatio-temporal properties of saccadic eye movements can be influenced by the cognitive demand and the characteristics of the observed scene. Probably due to its crucial role in social communication, it is argued that face perception may involve different cognitive processes compared with non-face object or scene perception. In this study, we investigated whether and how face and natural scene images can influence the patterns of visuomotor activity. We recorded monkeys' saccadic eye movements as they freely viewed monkey face and natural scene images. The face and natural scene images attracted similar number of fixations, but viewing of faces was accompanied by longer fixations compared with natural scenes. These longer fixations were dependent on the context of facial features. The duration of fixations directed at facial contours decreased when the face images were scrambled, and increased at the later stage of normal face viewing. The results suggest that face and natural scene images can generate different patterns of visuomotor activity. The extra fixation duration on faces may be correlated with the detailed analysis of facial features.

There is an ever-greater emphasis on the maintenance of professional standards in communication among medical professionals. Much of the focus to date revolves around discourse between patients and families in the clinical arena and reflects standards developed by accrediting agencies and the government. Little has been written about the communication among professionals occurring in the administrative milieu that is largely unseen by those not engaged in the direct provision of or receipt of medical care. That rumours are a part of the interactive discourse is likely not unfamiliar to most in academia. Their potential for damage to the workplace and individuals is very real and requires recognition and in some situations, corporate action. There are options to reduce the likelihood of these kinds of communications and to manage them actively when they occur. What may result is an environment that leads to greater organisational confidence and individual productivity.

Surface characteristics of untreated and solvent extracted rice straw and intact rice plant stem and sheath tissue have been investigated using reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), electrokinetic analysis (EKA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Klason lignin and Kappa numbers were determined according to TAPPI standard methods. Sohxlet extractions were performed with hexanes, ethyl acetate, chloroform, ethanol-toluene and benzene-ethanol azeotropes. The FTIR reflectance spectra showed differences between the untreated sheath and stem tissues. It was found that the functional groups of the stem interior tissues were masked by another substance, which is proposed to be potassium oxalate monohydrate. This mineral salt, readily removed by water-washing, was affected by the solvent extractions with varying results. The extracted amounts ranged from 1 to 7%. While lipid removal was detectable by the FTIR reflectance method, the streaming potential method showed only slight differences between the curves representing the zeta potential (mV) as a function of pH of the untreated versus extracted samples. Reduced values of the iso-electric points were observed for the extracted samples as compared to the untreated rice straw, indicative of more acidic surface characteristics.

Centre-surround interaction in the primary visual cortex (area V1) has been studied extensively using artificial, abstract stimulus patterns, such as bars, gratings and simple texture patterns. In this experiment, we extend the study of centre-surround interaction by using natural scene images. We systematically varied the contrast of natural image surrounds presented outside the classical receptive field (CRF), and recorded neuronal response to a natural image patch presented within the CRF in area V1 of awake, fixating macaques. For the majority of neurons (67 out of 111), the natural image surrounds profoundly modulated, mainly by suppressing, neuronal responses to CRF images. These modulatory effects started at the earliest stage of neuronal responses, and often depended on the contrast and higher-order structures of the surrounds. For 47 out of 67 neurons, randomising the phases of the Fourier spectrum of the natural image surround diminished the centre-surround interaction. Our results suggest that the centre-surround interaction in area V1 can be extended to natural vision, and is sensitive to the higher-order structures of natural scene images, such as image contours.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory has precisely determined the total active (nu(x)) 8B solar neutrino flux without assumptions about the energy dependence of the nu(e) survival probability. The measurements were made with dissolved NaCl in heavy water to enhance the sensitivity and signature for neutral-current interactions. The flux is found to be 5.21 +/- 0.27(stat)+/-0.38(syst) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1), in agreement with previous measurements and standard solar models. A global analysis of these and other solar and reactor neutrino results yields Deltam(2)=7.1(+1.2)(-0.6) x 10(-5) eV(2) and theta=32.5(+2.4)(-2.3) degrees. Maximal mixing is rejected at the equivalent of 5.4 standard deviations.

Data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory have been used to constrain the lifetime for nucleon decay to "invisible" modes, such as n-->3nu. The analysis was based on a search for gamma rays from the deexcitation of the residual nucleus that would result from the disappearance of either a proton or neutron from 16O. A limit of tau(inv)>2 x 10(29) yr is obtained at 90% confidence for either neutron- or proton-decay modes. This is about an order of magnitude more stringent than previous constraints on invisible proton-decay modes and 400 times more stringent than similar neutron modes.

Spatial and temporal regularities commonly exist in natural visual scenes. The knowledge of the probability structure of these regularities is likely to be informative for an efficient visual system. Here we explored how manipulating the spatio-temporal prior probability of stimuli affects human orientation perception. Stimulus sequences comprised four collinear bars (predictors) which appeared successively towards the foveal region, followed by a target bar with the same or different orientation. Subjects' orientation perception of the foveal target was biased towards the orientation of the predictors when presented in a highly ordered and predictable sequence. The discrimination thresholds were significantly elevated in proportion to increasing prior probabilities of the predictors. Breaking this sequence, by randomising presentation order or presentation duration, decreased the thresholds. These psychophysical observations are consistent with a Bayesian model, suggesting that a predictable spatio-temporal stimulus structure and an increased probability of collinear trials are associated with the increasing prior expectation of collinear events. Our results suggest that statistical spatio-temporal stimulus regularities are effectively integrated by human visual cortex over a range of spatial and temporal positions, thereby systematically affecting perception.

Face perception plays a crucial role in primate social communication. We have investigated the pattern of eye movements produced by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) as they viewed images of faces. Eye positions were recorded accurately using implanted eye coils, while neutral upright, inverted and scrambled images of monkey and human faces were presented on a computer screen. The monkeys exhibited a similar eye scan pattern while viewing familiar and unfamiliar monkey face images, or while viewing monkey and human face images. No differences were observed in the distribution of viewing times, number of fixations, time into the trial of first saccade to local facial features, and the temporal and spatial characteristics of viewing patterns across the facial images. However, there was a greater probability of re-fixation of the eye region of unfamiliar faces during the first few seconds of the trial suggesting that the eyes are important for the initial encoding of identity. Indeed, the highest fixation density was found in the eye region of all the face images. The viewing duration and the number of fixations per image decreased when inverted or scrambled faces were presented. The eye region in these modified images remained the primary area of fixation. However, the number of fixations directed to the eyes decreased monotonically from the upright images through the inverted versions to the scrambled face images. Nonetheless, the eyes remain the most salient facial substructure regardless of the arrangement of other features, although the extent of salience which they attain may depend both on the low level properties of the eyes and on the global arrangement of facial features.

A faculty leadership development program has been initiated at the Medical College of Wisconsin in collaboration with faculty from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, School of Business Administration. The program's goal is to impart business-related knowledge and develop leadership skills among the senior and selected junior faculty members. The course is given over nine days in segments of three days over a five-month period. So far it has been given three times. Course evaluations by attendees indicate that the course is highly regarded and they consider it very useful in developing their managerial and leadership skills. This article describes how a free-standing medical school can collaborate with a business school to develop and offer a program customized to meet the management and leadership training needs of its faculty.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) has measured day and night solar neutrino energy spectra and rates. For charged current events, assuming an undistorted 8B spectrum, the night minus day rate is 14.0%+/-6.3%(+1.5%)(-1.4%) of the average rate. If the total flux of active neutrinos is additionally constrained to have no asymmetry, the nu(e) asymmetry is found to be 7.0%+/-4.9%(+1.3%)(-1.2%). A global solar neutrino analysis in terms of matter-enhanced oscillations of two active flavors strongly favors the large mixing angle solution.

Observations of neutral-current nu interactions on deuterium in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory are reported. Using the neutral current (NC), elastic scattering, and charged current reactions and assuming the standard 8B shape, the nu(e) component of the 8B solar flux is phis(e) = 1.76(+0.05)(-0.05)(stat)(+0.09)(-0.09)(syst) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1) for a kinetic energy threshold of 5 MeV. The non-nu(e) component is phi(mu)(tau) = 3.41(+0.45)(-0.45)(stat)(+0.48)(-0.45)(syst) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1), 5.3sigma greater than zero, providing strong evidence for solar nu(e) flavor transformation. The total flux measured with the NC reaction is phi(NC) = 5.09(+0.44)(-0.43)(stat)(+0.46)(-0.43)(syst) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1), consistent with solar models.

Solar neutrinos from (8)B decay have been detected at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory via the charged current (CC) reaction on deuterium and the elastic scattering (ES) of electrons. The flux of nu(e)'s is measured by the CC reaction rate to be straight phi(CC)(nu(e)) = 1.75 +/- 0.07(stat)(+0.12)(-0.11)(syst) +/- 0.05(theor) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1). Comparison of straight phi(CC)(nu(e)) to the Super-Kamiokande Collaboration's precision value of the flux inferred from the ES reaction yields a 3.3 sigma difference, assuming the systematic uncertainties are normally distributed, providing evidence of an active non- nu(e) component in the solar flux. The total flux of active 8B neutrinos is determined to be 5.44+/-0.99 x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1).

Spectroscopic studies of two beta rays from 100Mo are shown to be of potential interest for investigating both the Majorana nu mass by neutrinoless double beta decay (0nubetabeta) and low energy solar nu's by inverse beta decay. With a multiton 100Mo detector, coincidence studies of correlated betabeta from 0nubetabeta, together with the large Q value ( Q(betabeta)), permit identification of the nu-mass term with a sensitivity of approximately 0.03 eV. Correlation studies of the inverse beta decay and the successive beta decay of 100Tc, together with the large capture rates for low energy solar nu's, make it possible to detect, in real time, individual low energy solar nu in the same detector.

The function of the primate hippocampus and related structures was analysed by making recordings from the hippocampus, subiculum, presubiculum, and parahippocampal gyrus in monkeys actively walking in the laboratory. Head direction cells were found in the presubiculum. The firing rate of these cells was a function of the head direction of the monkey, with a response that was typically 10-100 times larger to the best as compared to the opposite direction. The mean half-amplitude width of the tuning of the cells was 76 degrees. The response of head direction cells in the presubiculum was not influenced by the place where the monkey was, there being the same tuning to head direction at different places in a room, and even outside the room. The response of these cells was also independent of the "spatial view" observed by the monkey, and also the position of the eyes in the head. The average information about head direction was 0.64 bits, about place was 0.10 bits, about spatial view was 0.27 bits, and about eye position was 0.04 bits. The cells maintained their tuning for periods of at least several minutes when the view details were obscured or the room was darkened. This representation of head direction could be useful together with the hippocampal spatial view cells and whole body motion cells found in primates in such spatial and memory functions as path integration.

Teamwork is essential in the provision of cancer aftercare. The primary care physician is an important part of the aftercare team as a source of information, comfort and guidance to the patient.

Hippocampal function was analyzed by making recordings from hippocampal neurons in monkeys actively walking in the laboratory. "Spatial view" cells, which respond when the monkey looks at a part of the environment, were analyzed. To assess quantitatively the information about the spatial environment represented by these cells, we applied information theoretic techniques to their responses. The average information provided by these cells about which location the monkey was looking at was 0.32 bits, and the mean across cells of the maximum information conveyed about which location was being looked at was 1.19 bits, measured in a period of 0.5 s. There were 16 locations for this analysis, each being one-quarter of one of the walls of the room. It also was shown that the mean spontaneous rate of firing of the neurons was 0.1 spikes/s, that the mean firing rate in the center of the spatial field of the neurons was 13.2 spikes/s, and that the mean sparseness of the representation measured in a 25-ms period was 0.04 and in a 500-ms time period was 0.19. (The sparseness is approximately equivalent to the proportion of the 25- or 500-ms periods in which the neurons showed one or more spikes.) Next it was shown that the mean size of the view fields of the neurons was 0.9 of a wall. In an approach to the issue of how an ensemble of neurons might together provide more precise information about spatial location than a single neuron, it was shown that in general the neurons had different centers for their view fields. It then was shown that the information from an ensemble of these cells about where in space is being looked at increases approximately linearly with the number of cells in the ensemble. This indicates that the number of places that can be represented increases approximately exponentially with the number of cells in the population. It is concluded that there is an accurate representation of space "out there" in the primate hippocampus. This representation of space out there would be an appropriate part of a primate memory system involved in memories of where in an environment an object was seen, and more generally in the memory of particular events or episodes, for which a spatial component normally provides part of the context.

Hippocampal function was analyzed by making recordings from hippocampal formation neurons in macaques actively walking in the laboratory. "Spatial view" cells, which respond when the monkey looks at a part of the environment were analyzed. It is shown that many of these cells retain their spatial characteristics when the view details are obscured totally by curtains and by darkness. It is shown that many of these cells respond more when the monkey is gazing toward one location in the room than toward other locations, even though none of the view details can be seen. Such cells were found in the CA1 region, the parahippocampal gyrus, and the presubiculum. Other cells stopped responding when the monkey looked toward the normally effective location in the environment if the view details were obscured. These cells were in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. The results indicate that for CA3 cells, the visual input is necessary for the normal spatial response of the neurons, and for other cells in the primate hippocampal formation, the response still depends on the monkey gazing toward that location in space when the view details are obscured. These latter cells therefore could reflect the operation of a memory system, in which the neuronal activity can be triggered by factors that probably include not only eye position command/feedback signals, but also probably vestibular and/or proprioceptive inputs. This representation of space "out there" would be an appropriate part of a primate memory system involved in memories of where in an environment an object was seen and more generally in the memory of particular events or episodes for which a spatial component normally provides part of the context.

Hippocampal function was analysed by making recordings in rhesus monkeys actively walking in the laboratory. In a sample of 352 cells recorded in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex, a population of 'spatial view' cells was found to respond when the monkey looked at a part of the environment. The responses of these hippocampal neurons (i) occur to a view of space 'out there', not to the place where the monkey is, (ii) depend on where the monkey is looking, as shown by measuring eye position, (iii) do not encode head direction, and (iv) provide a spatial representation that is allocentric, i.e. in world coordinates. This representation of space 'out there' would be an appropriate part of a primate memory system involved in memories of where in an environment an object was seen, and more generally in the memory of particular events or episodes for which a spatial component normally provides part of the context.

Objective: To assess the extent to which clinical and nonclinical variables have been used by mental health professionals in Manitoba to determine fitness to stand trial. Researchers at a forensic setting in another province have suggested that demographic variables account for as much of the variance in predicting the outcome of these assessments as clinical variables., Method: These variables were assessed by the examination of 100 fitness assessments conducted at Winnipeg's Forensic Services unit during a 2-year period., Results: Contrary to findings reported in Ontario, the variance in fitness evaluations in Manitoba was primarily accounted for by clinical rather than demographic variables., Conclusion: Since Manitoba's forensic clinicians were using standardized criteria that were very similar to 1992 Criminal Code revisions of fitness, the findings attest to the usefulness of these criteria.

Background and Objectives: Teaching office-based psychological counseling is an essential component of family practice training. Most counseling training has been adapted from other disciplines without adequately identifying residents' learning needs, attitudes, and beliefs about counseling. This study was designed to 1) assess family practice residents' perceived learning needs for counseling, and 2) elicit and clarify their attitudes and beliefs about counseling., Methods: Three consecutive groups of residents anonymously recorded their questions about psychological counseling. These questions were presented to the residents in focus groups for elaboration and clarification of underlying attitudes and beliefs. A consensus panel then categorized the learning needs and identified residents' attitudes and beliefs., Results: Eighty-six distinct learning need questions were identified. These items clustered into four categories: skill development, problem/patient selection, practice management, and role confusion. Focus group findings identified four major themes: the need for limits and boundaries, limited understanding of change and the therapeutic process, doubts about personal readiness, and difficulty with the integration of mind and body., Conclusion: These findings parallel the concerns of physicians in practice and reinforce the need to identify resident concerns about office-based counseling. Failure to identify and respond to learner concerns may limit the effectiveness of teaching efforts in this curricular area.