alpha-decay of excited states in 11C and 11B

Studies of the 16O(9Be,alpha7Be)14C and 7Li(9Be,alpha7Li)5He reactions at E{beam}=70 MeV have been performed using resonant particle spectroscopy techniques. The 11C excited states decaying into alpha+7Be(gs) are observed at 8.65, 9.85, 10.7 and 12.1 MeV as well as possible states at 12.6 and 13.4 MeV. This result is the first observation of alpha-decay for excited states above 9 MeV. The alpha+7Li(gs) decay of 11B excited states at 9.2, 10.3, 10.55, 11.2, (11.4), 11.8, 12.5,(13.0), 13.1, (14.0), 14.35, (17.4) and (18.6) MeV is observed. The decay processes are used to indicate the possible three-centre 2alpha+3He(3H) cluster structure of observed states. Two rotational bands corresponding to very deformed structures are suggested for the positive-parity states. Excitations of some observed T=1/2 resonances coincide with the energies of T=3/2 states which are the isobaric analogs of the lowest 11Be states. Some of these states may have mixed isospin.Comment: accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics

Population Genetics, Life History, and Ecology of Arctic Marine Fishes

... My research uses a comparative approach to reveal genetic, ecological, and life-history adaptations of Arctic fish species to the unique challenges of their environment at the northern extreme of their ranges. This paper highlights recent developments in my doctoral research, which can be separated into two general areas. The first is directed towards advancing knowledge of the evolutionary ecology and biodiversity of noncommercial Arctic marine fishes. The second concerns landlocked populations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) persisting as marine relicts in saline coastal lakes on Baffin Island, at the northern extreme of the species' range in Canada. ... Noncommercial fishes were sampled from bycatch taken during Fisheries and Oceans Canada's turbot surveys in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait in September and October 2004. Trawling occurred at randomized stations in depth strata ranging from 400 to 1500 m in depth in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait .... My goal was to obtain approximately 100 specimens of species for which we had already obtained large samples of conspecifics or closely related taxa from temperate Atlantic waters. ... As conspecific samples are obtained, we will collect basic biological data, such as distribution, length, weight, sex, age, growth rate, fecundity, and age and size at maturity, to compare these features between high Arctic and temperate Atlantic populations. The most notable trend in the bycatch obtained during the fall of 2004 surveys ... was the paucity of species occurring to the north of Lancaster Sound. ... Species diversity was slightly higher ... off northeastern Baffin Island .... Our fieldwork in 2003 confirmed that the large cod in these lakes [Qasigialiminiq and Tariujarusiq Lakes, southwestern end of Cumberland Sound] were Gadus morhua, and not the more frequently landlocked Greenland cod, Gadus ogac, and that the lakes were saline meromictic lakes akin to Ogac Lake. ... The objectives of this part of my research include (i) basic physical, chemical, and biotic characterization of Arctic lakes in which Atlantic cod occur, and (ii) the study of aspects of their population biology, life history, and genetics. ... we have collected data on the length, weight, sex, maturity, liver weight, gonad weight, and stomach contents from 100 subadult and adult cod from each lake, and from a further 100 juvenile cod from Ogac Lake. Tissue samples and otoliths were also collected, for genetic and age/growth analysis, respectively. Underwater video was used to qualify benthic macrofauna and to observe cod behaviour in all three lakes. Plankton tows were made ... to compare micro-invertebrate populations among lakes .... Bathymetric measurements were taken using sonar across a number of transects in both Qasigialiminiq and Tariujarusiq to compare them to Ogac Lake.... Salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen strata were measured in each basin of each lake, again to compare abiotic limnology across lakes and over time at Ogac Lake. ... Temperature data loggers were deployed near the outflow of each lake to record the timing and frequency of tidal inflows. ... During the series of high spring tides that entered Ogac Lake in early July 2004, we collected samples of marine biota flowing into the lake, .... These samples consisted primarily of marine fish larvae and amphipods, although a high biomass of jelly-plankton ... was also observed entering the lake. ... Although Qasigialiminiq and Tariujarusiq are salt meromictic lakes, similar to Ogac Lake, both are warmer at all depths, and surface salinity is higher at Tariujarusiq (7 per mil) than at the other two lakes <1 per mil). ... Cannibalism appears to be less frequent among adult and subadult cod in the Cumberland Sound lakes (~14%) compared to Ogac Lake (~35%). ... Remarkably, our most conservative estimate of fish and amphipod biomass entering the lake during a 55-minute tidal inflow is 238 kg. .. Our calculations from tide predictions suggest that between 35 and 45 tides enter the lake during the open-water season each year. ... tidal inflows are crucial not only to replenish lake salinity, but also as a vital source of nutritive biomass to support these populations. The results of our genetic studies revealed remarkably low allelic variation at seven polymorphic microsatellite loci, providing evidence that these are small, inbred, and isolated marine relict populations. ... The fact that all three cod lakes occur in areas that were glaciated during the last ice age, and that the contemporary range of Atlantic cod in Canadian waters is constrained to the northern tip of Labrador, suggests that Atlantic cod probably extended their range northward during a postglacial period of ameliorated Arctic Ocean conditions, and colonized these coastal lakes, which would have been in the process of formation by glacioisostatic rebound during that period. ..

Mediterranean diet associated with lower frailty risk: A large cohort study of 21,643 women admitted to hospitals

Background Mediterranean diet is traditionally considered as a healthy dietary pattern, while its association with frailty has not been confirmed. This study investigated associations between Mediterranean diet and risk of frailty among women admitted to hospitals in England from an older-aged women’s cohort study. Methods A modified Mediterranean diet was evaluated from a validated 217-item food frequency questionnaire. Incident frailty was determined using a hospital frailty risk score based on linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics up to March 2019. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Further subgroup analyses stratified by age and body mass index (BMI), and sensitivity analyses were additionally explored. Results Over a mean follow-up of 13 years, there were 14,838 (68.6%) cases of frailty out of 21,643 individuals included in this study. Compared with low adherence to Mediterranean diet, moderate adherence was associated with 5% (HR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.91, 0.99) lower risk of frailty, with high adherence associated with even lower risk (HR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.85, 0.94). The magnitude of above associations remained consistent in subgroups stratified by age and BMI, except the association between moderate adherence and risk of frailty was attenuated in the ≥60-year (HR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.93, 1.06) and the BMI > 24.9 kg/m2 (HR = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.91, 1.03) subgroups. Conclusions Adherence to Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk of frailty. The better the adherence, the greater the magnitude of the protective association. Older and overweight women may potentially benefit from greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet regarding frailty prevention

Mediterranean diet associated with lower frailty risk: a large cohort study of 21,643 women admitted to hospitals

Background Mediterranean diet is traditionally considered as a healthy dietary pattern, while its association with frailty has not been confirmed. This study investigated associations between Mediterranean diet and risk of frailty among women admitted to hospitals in England from an older-aged women’s cohort study. Methods A modified Mediterranean diet was evaluated from a validated 217-item food frequency questionnaire. Incident frailty was determined using a hospital frailty risk score based on linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics up to March 2019. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Further subgroup analyses stratified by age and body mass index (BMI), and sensitivity analyses were additionally explored. Results Over a mean follow-up of 13 years, there were 14,838 (68.6%) cases of frailty out of 21,643 individuals included in this study. Compared with low adherence to Mediterranean diet, moderate adherence was associated with 5% (HR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.91, 0.99) lower risk of frailty, with high adherence associated with even lower risk (HR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.85, 0.94). The magnitude of above associations remained consistent in subgroups stratified by age and BMI, except the association between moderate adherence and risk of frailty was attenuated in the ≥ 60-year (HR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.93, 1.06) and the BMI > 24.9 kg/m2 (HR = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.91, 1.03) subgroups. Conclusions Adherence to Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk of frailty. The better the adherence, the greater the magnitude of the protective association. Elderly and overweight women may potentially benefit from greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet regarding frailty prevention

Foods, nutrients and risk of in-hospital frailty in women: findings from a large prospective cohort study

Frailty is increasingly prevalent worldwide because of aging populations. Diet may play a role as a modifiable risk factor. This study aimed to investigate associations between die-tary factors and risk of frailty in the UK Women’s Cohort admitted to hospitals in England. Consumption of foods and nutrients were estimated using a validated 217-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Incident frailty was assessed via a hospital frailty risk score based on linkage with hospital episode statistics. Out of 25,186 participants admitted to hospitals, 6919 (27%) were identified with frailty and 10,562 (42%) with pre-frailty over a mean follow-up of 12.7 years. After adjustment for confounding, we observed a 12% increase in risk of frailty with each additional 10g/MJ intake of total meat (HR=1.12, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.17), with the highest risk observed for processed meats (HR=1.45, 95%CI: 1.21, 1.73). Similar associations were observed with pre-frailty and more severe. Vegetable intake was associated with slightly lower risk of frailty (HR=0.98, 95%CI: 0.97, 1.00). There was no evidence of association between most nutrient intakes and in-hospital frailty risk. Overall, our findings suggest that reducing consumption of meat, especially processed meat, in adults may be beneficial regarding the development of frailty. Keywords: Frailty; Dietary intakes; Meat consumption; Processed meat; Nutrients; Hospital Episode Statistic

Zero-tolerance biosecurity protects high-conservation-value island nature reserve

Barrow Island, north-west coast of Australia, is one of the world's significant conservation areas, harboring marsupials that have become extinct or threatened on mainland Australia as well as a rich diversity of plants and animals, some endemic. Access to construct a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant, Australia's largest infrastructure development, on the island was conditional on no non-indigenous species (NIS) becoming established. We developed a comprehensive biosecurity system to protect the island's biodiversity. From 2009 to 2015 more than 0.5 million passengers and 12.2 million tonnes of freight were transported to the island under the biosecurity system, requiring 1.5 million hrs of inspections. No establishments of NIS were detected. We made four observations that will assist development of biosecurity systems. Firstly, the frequency of detections of organisms corresponded best to a mixture log-normal distribution including the high number of zero inspections and extreme values involving rare incursions. Secondly, comprehensive knowledge of the island's biota allowed estimation of false positive detections (62% native species). Thirdly, detections at the border did not predict incursions on the island. Fourthly, the workforce detected more than half post-border incursions (59%). Similar approaches can and should be implemented for all areas of significant conservation value. Keyword