Search

Background: The uncertainty in the 29P(p, ɣ )30S reaction rate over 0.1 ≤ T ≤ 1.3GK was previously determined to span approximately four orders of magnitude due to the uncertain location of two previously unobserved 3+ and 2+ resonances in the Ex = 4.7-4.8 MeV region in 30S. Therefore, the abundances of silicon isotopes synthesized in novae, which are relevant for the identification of presolar grains of putative nova origin, were uncertain by a factor of 3. Purpose: (a) To investigate the level structure of 30S above the proton threshold [4394.9(7) keV] via chargedparticle spectroscopy using the 32S(p, t)30S reaction and in-beam y-ray spectroscopy using the 28Si(³He, ny)30S reaction to calculate the 29P(p, ɣ)30S reaction rate, (b) To explore the impact of this rate on the abundances of silicon isotopes synthesized in novae. Methods: Differential cross sections of the 32S(p, t)30S reaction were measured at 34.5 MeV. Distorted-wave Bom approximation calculations were performed to constrain the spin-parity assignments of the observed levels, including the two astrophysically important levels. An energy-level scheme was deduced from ɣ-ɣ coincidence measurements using the 28Si(³He, nɣ)30S reaction. Spin-parity assignments based on measurements of ɣ-ray angular distributions and ɣ-ɣ directional correlation from oriented nuclei were made for most of the observed levels of 30S. Results: The resonance energies corresponding to the states with 4.5 MeV ≤ Ex ≤ 6 MeV, ncluding the two astrophysically important states predicted previously, are measured with significantly better precision than before. The spin-parity assignments of both astrophysically important resonances are confirmed. The uncertainty in the rate of the 29P(p, ɣ)30S reaction is substantially reduced over the temperature range of interest. Finally, the influence of this rate on the abundance ratios of silicon isotopes synthesized in novae are obtained via ID hydrodynamic nova simulations. Conclusions: The uncertainty in the 29P(p, ɣ)30S reaction rate is reduced to the point that it no longer affects the silicon isotopic abundance ratios significantly, and, thus, the results of our nova hydrodynamic simulation for the nucleosynthesis in the Si-Ca mass region are more reliable than before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a measurement of 18 Ne + α scattering in inverse kinematics, in order to search for experimental evidence of α -cluster structure in 22 Mg above the alpha threshold ( E thr = 8 . 14 MeV ) and determine the astrophysical rates of the 18 Ne( α , p) 21 Na reaction under the conditions of break-out from the Hot-CNO cycle. A high intensity 18 Ne beam at 2.54 AMeV was successfully produced at CRIB (CNS Radioactive Ion Beam separator) of the Center for Nuclear Study, the University of Tokyo. This paper presents the in-flight production of the radioactive 18 Ne beam by using the production reaction 3 He( 16 O, 18 Ne)n with a windowed cryogenic gas target, which was employed in the mentioned resonant α -scattering experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Advanced Implantation Detector Array (AIDA) is a state-of-the-art detector system for the measurement of the decay properties of exotic nuclei at fragmentation/fission facilities. Built around stacks of up to eight 8 cm × 8 cm , 128 × 128 strip (16384 pixels) or up to four 24 cm × 8 cm , 384 × 128 strip (49152 pixels) double sided silicon strip detectors, the positions of both implanted ions and their subsequent decay products can be measured to sub-mm precision. The large number of pixels per detector provide implant-decay correlations at implantation rates ∼ kHz. To process signals from the large number of strips application specific integrated circuits provide low and high gain signal processing per strip (20 GeV and 20 MeV full scale range) with a dynamic range of 1000:1, or better. A summary of the system and the analysis methodologies used are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 11C(α,p)14N reaction is an important α-induced reaction competing with β-limited hydrogen-burning processes in high-temperature explosive stars. We directly measured its reaction cross sections both for the ground-state transition (α,p0) and the excited-state transitions (α,p1) and (α,p2) at relevant stellar energies 1.3-4.5 MeV by an extended thick-target method featuring time of flight for the first time. We revised the reaction rate by numerical integration including the (α,p1) and (α,p2) contributions and also low-lying resonances of (α,p0) using both the present and the previous experimental data which were totally neglected in the previous compilation works. The present total reaction rate lies between the previous (α,p0) rate and the total rate of the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model calculation, which is consistent with the relevant explosive hydrogen-burning scenarios such as the νp process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodisintegration of 9Be through the l/2+ state near neutron threshold and cluster dipole resonance below giant dipole resonance was measured with quasi-monochromatic γ-ray beams produced in the inverse Compton scattering of laser photons. The cross section for the l/2+ state is revisited, being consistent with the 2001 data. The cross section for the cluster dipole resonance is consistent with the cluster dipole sum-rule which however degenerates for the two-body (n-8Be) and three-body(n-α-α) configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 14O(α,p) 17F reaction plays an important role as the trigger reaction for the x-ray burst. Purpose: The direct measurement of 14O(α,p) 17F was made for studying the resonant states in 18Ne and determining the reaction rate of 14O(α,p) 17F at astrophysical temperatures. Methods: The differential cross section of the 14O(α,p) 17F reaction was measured using a 2.5-MeV/u 14O radioactive beam and the thick target method in inverse kinematics. Three sets of ΔE-E Si telescopes were installed and coincidence measurements were performed. We analyzed single-proton decay events using the time-of-flight (TOF) information of the recoiling protons. Results: The excitation function of 14O(α,p) 17F was acquired for excitation energies between 7.2 and 10.4 MeV in 18Ne by considering the two channels which decay to the ground state and first excited state of 17F. Several new, as well as previously known, states in 18Ne were observed and their resonance parameters were extracted from R-matrix analysis. The contributions of four resonances over the excitation energy range, 7 < Ex < 8.2 MeV, to the 14O(α,p) 17F reaction rate were calculated. Conclusions: We observed very strong single-proton decay events, but did not observe strong double-proton decay events as in a previous study by Fu et al. The reaction rates contributed by the 7.35-, 7.58-, and 7.72-MeV states were estimated to be dominant at temperatures T9 > 2. Among these three states, the 7.35-MeV state was found to enhance the reaction rate by a factor of 10 greater than the other two resonance states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The properties of resonances in 26Si are important to better constrain the 25Al(p,γ)26Si reaction rate relevant to the synthesis of galactic 26Algs and energy generation in explosive stellar environment at higher temperature. Purpose: 21Al + p elastic scattering was measured to further constrain and investigate disagreements in resonance parameters for the high-lying excited states of 26Si with high statistics and without background contamination within the target. Methods: The experiment was performed by bombarding a thick H2 target with an 25Al radioactive ion beam. The resonances at excitation energies of 6.6-8.3 MeV in the 26Si compound nucleus were studied at the low-energy radioactive-ion beam facility CRIB (Center for Nuclear Study Radioactive Ion Beam separator) at the University of Tokyo. Results: Six resonant states were observed and their resonance parameters were extracted by an R-matrix analysis. Our resonance parameters for two levels are in good agreement with the results of previous studies, while for four others, excitation energy, proton partial width, and spin-parity assignment disagree with the results of recent study via elastic scattering of 25Al + p. Conclusion: The parameters of resonant states in 26Si determined in the present work for the 25Al(p,γ)26Si reaction rate are consistent with that of the previous result, solving spin-parity assignment discrepancies between experiments, relevant at higher temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 14O(αp)17F reaction is one of the key reactions involved in the breakout from the hot-CNO cycle to the rp-process in type-I x-ray bursts (XRBs). The resonant properties in the compound nucleus 18Ne have been investigated through resonant elastic scattering of 17F+p. The radioactive 17F beam was separated by the Center for Nuclear Study radioactive ion beam separator (CRIB) and bombarded a thick H2 gas target at 3.6 MeV/nucleon. The recoiling hght particles were measured by three Δ E-E silicon telescopes at laboratory angles of Θ1ab ≈3°, 10°, and 18°. Five resonances at Ex = 6.15, 6.28, 6.35, 6.85, and 7.05 MeV were observed in the excitation functions, and their spin-parities have been determined based on an R-matrix analysis. In particular, Jπ = 1- was hrmly assigned to the 6.15-MeV state which dominates the thermonuclear 140 (αp)17F rate below 2 GK. As well, a possible new excited state in 18Ne was observed at Ex = 6.85 ± 0 .1 1 MeV with tentative 7 = 0 assignment. This state could be the analog state of the 6.880 MeV (0-) level in the mirror nucleus 180, or a bandhead state (0+) of the six-particle four-hole (6p-4h) band. A new thermonuclear 140 (α,p)17F rate has been determined, and the astrophysical impact of multiple recent rates has been examined using an XRB model. Contrary to previous expectations, we find only a modest impact on predicted nuclear energy generation rates from using reaction rates differing by up to several orders of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of the nuclear shell structure in the region of the neutron-rich shell-breaking nucleus 32Mg has been the subject of considerable interest. We present here the first determination of the overlap of the ground and two first excited states in 31 Mg with a neutron coupled to the ground state in 30 Mg based on studies of its isobaric analog resonances in 31 Al. The excitation function for proton resonant elastic scattering on 30 Mg was measured close to 0° in the laboratory frame by bombarding a thick polyethylene target with a 30 Mg beam at an energy of 2.92 MeV/nucleon at the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. Three resonances were successfully resolved, and angular momenta and total and proton resonance widths were determined by using -matrix analysis. The deduced spectroscopic factor for the ground state in 31 Mg is consistent with the shell-model calculation, whereas those for the first and second excited states could not be reproduced. These results show that a drastic change in structure occurs between 30 Mg and 31 Mg and that the onset of structural change in this region therefore occurs between these two isotopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 18Ne(α,p)21Na reaction is thought to be one of the key breakout reactions from the hot CNO cycles to the rp process in type I x-ray bursts. In this work, the resonant properties of the compound nucleus 22Mg have been investigated by measuring the resonant elastic scattering of 21Na + p. An 89-MeV 21Na radioactive beam delivered from the CNS Radioactive Ion Beam Separator bombarded an 8.8 mg/cm² thick polyethylene (CH2)n target. The 21Na beam intensity was about 2 × 105 pps, with a purity of about 70% on target. The recoiled protons were measured at the center-of-mass scattering angles of θc.m. ≈ 175.2°, 152.2°, and 150.5° by three sets of ΔE-E telescopes, respectively. The excitation function was obtained with the thick-target method over energies Ex(22Mg) = 5.5-9.2 MeV. In total, 23 states above the proton-threshold in 22Mg were observed, and their resonant parameters were determined via an R-matrix analysis of the excitation functions. We have made several new Jα assignments and confirmed some tentative assignments made in previous work. The thermonuclear 18Ne(α,p)21Na rate has been recalculated based on our recommended spin-parity assignments. The astrophysical impact of our new rate has been investigated through one-zone postprocessing x-ray burst calculations. We find that the 18Ne(α,p)21Na rate significantly affects the peak nuclear energy generation rate, reaction fluxes, and onset temperature of this breakout reaction in these astrophysical phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 18Ne(a,p)21Na reaction provides a pathway for breakout from the hot CNO cycles to the rp process in type-I x-ray bursts. To better determine this astrophysical reaction rate, the resonance parameters of the compound nucleus 22Mg have been investigated by measuring the resonant elastic scattering of 21Na+p. An 89 MeV 21Na radioactive ion beam was produced at the CNS Radioactive Ion Beam Separator and bombarded an 8.8 mg/cm2 thick polyethylene target. The recoiled protons were measured at scattering angles of θc.m.~175° and 152¯ by three θE-E silicon telescopes. The excitation function was obtained with a thick-target method over energies Ex(22Mg) = 5.5-9.2 MeV. The resonance parameters have been determined through an R-matrix analysis. For the first time, the Jπ values for ten states above the a threshold in 22Mg have been experimentally determined in a single consistent measurement. We have made three new Jπ assignments and confirmed seven of the ten tentative assignments in the previous work. The 18Ne(a,p)21Na reaction rate has been recalculated, and the astrophysical impact of our new rate has been investigated through one-zone postprocessing x-ray burst calculations. We find that the 18Ne(a,p)21Na rate significantly affects the peak nuclear energy generation rate and the onset temperature of this breakout reaction in these phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of massive stars with very low-metallicities depends critically on the amount of CNO nuclides which they produce. The 12N(p, γ)130 reaction is an important branching point in the rap processes, which are believed to be alternative paths to the slow 3a process for producing CNO seed nuclei and thus could change the fate of massive stars. In the present work, the angular distribution of the 2H(12N, 130)n proton transfer reaction at Ec.m. = 8.4 MeV has been measured for the first time. Based on the Johnson-Soper approach, the square of the asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC) for the virtual decay of 13Og s. --> 12N 4- p was extracted to be 3.92 ± 1.47 fm-' from the measured angular distribution and utilized to compute the direct component in the 12N(p, γ)130 reaction. The direct astrophysical S factor at zero energy was then found to be 0.39 ±0.15 keV b. By considering the direct capture into the ground state of 130, the resonant capture via the first excited state of 130 and their interference, we determined the total astrophysical S factors and rates of the 12N(p, γ130 reaction. The new rate is two orders of magnitude slower than that from the REACLIB compilation. Our reaction network calculations with the present rate imply that 12N(p, γ)130 will only compete successfully with the ß+ decay of 12N at higher (~2 orders of magnitude) densities than initially predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of 26Si states by neutron removal from a fast radioactive beam of 27si has been performed. A beam of 27si of energy 84.3 MeV/nucleon impinged on a polypropylene foil (C3H6) of 180 mg/cm2 thickness. Deexcitation γ rays were detected with a highly segmented germanium detector array, in coincidence with the 26Si recoils, and the corresponding 26Si level energies were determined. In comparing our results to two previous y-ray spectroscopic studies of 26Si level structures, we find good agreement with a recent measurement of the 12C(16O,2nγ)26Si reaction. Our results support the use of excitation energies from that study in helping determine the important resonance energies for the thermonuclear 25Al(p, γ)26Si reaction rate. We do not observe a bound state at 4093 keV reported in an earlier study of the 24Mg(3He,nγ)26Si reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron single-particle states in the neutron-rich nucleus 35Si, which is located beside the N = 20 shell breaking nucleus 32Mg, were investigated through their isobaric analog resonances. The excitation function for 34Si+p elastic scattering was measured around 0d in the laboratory frame by the thick target inverse kinematics method with a 34Si beam around 5 MeV/nucleon and a thick polyethylene target. Eight resonances were successfully observed. Angular momenta and proton and total widths of the resonances were assigned using R-matrix analysis. With the help of information of the β decay study, six isobaric analog resonances were identified. Spectroscopic factors and spin-parities of the corresponding parent states in 35Si are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

25A1 + p elastic scattering in inverse kinematics was measured to explore the level structure of 26Si above its proton threshold. The 2H(24Mg, n) 25A1 reaction was used to produce a 3.4 MeV/nucleon 25A1 radioactive beam with intensities of about 106 ions per second on target. By using a thick target of (CH2)n, a center-of-mass energy range of 3 MeV was scanned, reaching up to about 8.5 MeV in excitation energy in 26Si. This energy range covered the region of importance for the 25Al(p, &ggr;)26Si at temperatures characteristic of explosive nucleosynthesis. Level parameters of six strong s-wave 25Al + p resonances in 26Si were extracted from fits to the measured excitation functions using the R-matrix formalism. Two new levels have been discovered, while for two others, our spin-parity assignments disagree with the results of some previous studies. Lastly, our resonance parameters for the remaining two levels are in good agreement with past experimental work, and with recent shell-model calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new measurement of α resonant scattering on 7Li was performed over the excitation energy of 10.2-13.0 MeV in 11B at the low-energy RI beam facility CNS Radioactive Ion Beam separator (CRIB) of the Center for Nuclear Study (CNS), University of Tokyo. The excitation function of 7Li+α at 180° in the center-of-mass system was successfully measured for the first time with the inverse kinematics method, providing important information on the α cluster structure in 11B and the reaction rate of 7Li(α,γ), which is relevant to the 11B production in the ? process in core-collapse supernovae. The excitation function of the 7Li(α,p) reaction cross section for 11.7-13.1 MeV was also measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of proton-unbound 30S states strongly determines the thermonuclear 29P(p,γ)30S reaction rate at temperatures characteristic of explosive hydrogen burning in classical novae and type I x-ray bursts. Specifically, the rate had been previously predicted to be dominated by two low-lying, unobserved, levels in the Ex= 4.7-4.8 MeV region, with spin and parity assignments of 3+ and 2+. In recent experimental work, two candidate levels were observed with energies of 4.699 MeV and 4.814 MeV, but no experimental information on their spins and parities was obtained. We have performed an in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy study of 30S with the 28Si(3He, nγ)30S reaction. By constructing the decay schemes of proton-unbound states with a γ-γ coincidence analysis of their decay γ rays, their Jπ values were inferred from a comparison to the known decay schemes of the corresponding mirror states in 30Si. For the two aforementioned states, our results strongly corroborate the spin-parity assignments assumed in recent evaluations of the 29P(p,γ)30S reaction rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sequence of excited states has been established for the first time in the proton-rich nucleus 48Fe (Z=26, N=22). The technique of mirrored (i.e. analogue) one-nucleon knockout reactions was applied, in which the T z = ±2 mirror pair, 48Fe/48Ti were populated via one-neutron/one-proton knockout from the secondary beams 49Fe/49V, respectively. The analogue properties of the reactions were used to help establish the new level scheme of 48Fe. The inclusive and exclusive cross sections were determined for the populated states. Large differences between the cross sections for the two mirrored reactions were observed and have been interpreted in terms of different degrees of binding of the mirror nuclei and in the context of the recent observations of suppression of spectroscopic strength as a function of nuclear binding, for knockout reactions on light solid targets. Mirror energy differences (MED) have been determined between the analogue T = 2 states and compared with the shell model predictions. MED for this mirror pair, due to their location in the shell, are especially sensitive to excitations out of the f 7 / 2 shell, and present a stringent test of the shell-model prescription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level structure of 30P up to 8.25 MeV was investigated via in-beam &#947-ray spectroscopy using the 28Si(³He,p&#947)30P reaction at 9 MeV at the University of Tsukuba Tandem Accelerator Complex in Japan. An energy level scheme was deduced from &#947-&#947 coincidence measurements. 47 new transitions have been observed from the previously known states (mostly resonances), thereby reducing the uncertainties in the excitation energies of 17 states from 3 to 10 keV to values of < 1 keV. Furthermore, spin assignments based on measurements of &#947-ray angular distributions and &#947-&#947 directional correlation of oriented nuclei (DCO ratios) were made for several observed levels of 30P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of reactions with weakly-bound proton-rich nuclei at energies near the Coulomb barrier is a long-standing open question owing to the paucity of experimental data. In this study, a complete kinematics measurement was performed for the proton drip-line nucleus 17F interacting with 58Ni at four energies near the Coulomb barrier. Thanks to the powerful performance of the detector array, exhaustive information on the reaction channels, such as the differential cross sections for quasielastic scattering, exclusive and inclusive breakup, as well as for fusion-evaporation protons and alphas, was derived for the first time. The angular distributions of quasielastic scattering and exclusive breakup can be described reasonably well by the continuum-discretized coupled-channels calculations. The inclusive breakup was investigated using the three-body model proposed by Ichimura, Austern, and Vincent, and results indicate the non-elastic breakup is the dominant component. The total fusion cross sections were determined by the fusion-evaporation protons and alphas. Based on the measured exclusive breakup data, the analysis of the classical dynamical simulation code PLATYPUS demonstrates that the incomplete fusion plays a minor role. Moreover, compared with 16O+58Ni, both the reaction and total fusion cross sections of 17F+58Ni exhibit an enhancement in the sub-barrier energy region, which mainly arises from couplings to the continuum states. This work indicates that the information of full reaction channels is crucially important to comprehensively understand the reaction mechanisms of weakly bound nuclear systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The 22Mg nucleus plays an important role in nuclear astrophysics, specially in the 22Mg(α,p)25Al and proton capture 22Mg(p,γ)23Al reactions. It is believed that 22Mg is a waiting point in the αp-process of nucleosynthesis in novae. We proposed a direct measurement of the 22Mg+α resonance reaction in inverse kinematics using a radioactive ion (RI) beam. A 22Mg beam of 3.73MeV/u was produced at CRIB (Center for Nuclear Study (CNS) low-energy RI Beam) facility of the University of Tokyo located at RIKEN (Japan) in 2011. In this paper we present the results about the production of the 22Mg beam used for the direct measurement of the scattering reaction 22Mg(α,α)22Mg, and the stellar reaction 22Mg(α,p)25Al in the energy region concerning an astrophysical temperature of T 9=1–3GK. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The astrophysically important states in 26Si have been studied with different reactions because of their dominant contribution to the 25Al(p,γ)26Si reaction rate at nova temperatures. We performed two different experiments to study the states of interest in 26Si, with the aim of reducing the main uncertainty in the current 25Al(p,γ)26Si rate by determining the level parameters of the dominant states more accurately. One is the p(27Si,26Si*)d experiment at NSCL, in which we measured the gamma-ray decays from the excited states in 26Si. The other one is the 25Al+p elastic scattering experiment with CRIB at RIKEN. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Study Design: Non-randomized clinical trial., Objectives: Examine the feasibility, physical and psychosocial effects of a high intensity functional training (HIFT) exercise program for people with spinal cord injury (pSCI) and their care partners (CPs)., Setting: Community fitness center in a Medically Underserved Area (Fort Smith, USA.) METHODS: A single-group design with three assessment points (before the program, at midpoint (13 weeks), and post-program (25 weeks) was used to examine the effects of up to 49 HIFT sessions over 25-weeks. Sessions were 60 to 75 min in duration and adapted to the abilities of participants. Feasibility measures included recruitment, retention, attendance, safety and fidelity (exercise intensity rated via session-Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Physical measures included cardiovascular endurance, anaerobic power, and muscular strength. Psychosocial measures included perceived social support for exercise, exercise self-efficacy and health-related quality of life., Results: Fourteen pSCI (7 with paraplegia and 7 with tetraplegia, 2 females) and 6 CPs (4 females) were included (median age = 60) (IQR = 15.8). Recruitment rates were 40% for pSCI and 32% for CPs. On average, participants attended 73% (22%) of exercise sessions with a median session-RPE of 5 (IQR = 1). Retention rates were 83% and 67% for pSCI and CPs, respectively. For pSCI and their CPs, large effect sizes were observed for cardiovascular endurance, anaerobic power, muscular strength, and social support for exercise., Conclusions: For pSCI and their CPs, HIFT appears feasible and potentially leads to improvements in physical and psychosocial health for both groups., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Various forms of exercise have proven health benefits for people with Parkinson's (pwPD) yet high intensity functional training (HIFT) has yet to be studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility, physical and psychosocial impacts of a HIFT program for pwPD and their care partners (CPs)., Design: A single group, pre-post design with assessments before, in the middle (13 weeks), and after the 25-week intervention., Setting: Community fitness facility., Participants: Fourteen pwPD (10 at Hoehn Yahr Stage ≤2, 4 females) and 10 CPs (5 females) were included (mean age = 71.5 (6.1))., Intervention: A 25-week HIFT program (≤49 exercise sessions, ≤75 min long)., Measures: Recruitment, retention, attendance, safety and exercise intensity (measured via session-Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)) was assessed in addition to cardiovascular endurance, lower extremity strength, walking speed, balance, exercise self-efficacy, balance confidence, social support for exercise and health-related quality of life., Analysis: Descriptive data was used to describe feasibility measures. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare pre- and post-program data. Effect size, r , was calculated., Results: Recruitment rates were ≥40% for pwPD and CPs and retention rates were 80% for pwPD and 62.5% for CPs. Average session attendance was 71.2% with 15 adverse events reported, including 7 non-injurious falls. Median session-RPE was 5 (IQR = 1) out of 10. PwPD demonstrated significant improvements in cardiovascular endurance, self-selected and fast walking speeds, balance and social support for exercise. CPs demonstrated significant improvements in cardiovascular endurance and lower extremity strength. Exercise self-efficacy, balance confidence and health-related quality of life did not significantly change for pwPD or CPs., Conclusion: High intensity functional training appears feasible for pwPD and their CPs and may lead to health benefits. Healthcare providers should consider HIFT as another option to engage pwPD in community-based exercise., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The increased cultivation of Cannabis sativa L. in North America, represented by high Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol-containing (high-THC) cannabis genotypes and low-THC-containing hemp genotypes, has been impacted by an increasing number of plant pathogens. These include fungi which destroy roots, stems, and leaves, in some cases causing a build-up of populations and mycotoxins in the inflorescences that can negatively impact quality. Viroids and viruses have also increased in prevalence and severity and can reduce plant growth and product quality. Rapid diagnosis of the occurrence and spread of these pathogens is critical. Techniques in the area of molecular diagnostics have been applied to study these pathogens in both cannabis and hemp. These include polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technologies, including RT-PCR, multiplex RT-PCR, RT-qPCR, and ddPCR, as well as whole-genome sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics. In this study, examples of how these technologies have enhanced the rapidity and sensitivity of pathogen diagnosis on cannabis and hemp will be illustrated. These molecular tools have also enabled studies on the diversity and origins of specific pathogens, specifically viruses and viroids, and these will be illustrated. Comparative studies on the genomics and metabolomics of healthy and diseased plants are urgently needed to provide insight into their impact on the quality and composition of cannabis and hemp-derived products. Management of these pathogens will require monitoring of their spread and survival using the appropriate technologies to allow accurate detection, followed by appropriate implementation of disease control measures.

The dynamics of a nuclear open quantum system could be revealed in the correlations between the breakup fragments of halo nuclei. The breakup mechanism of a proton halo nuclear system is of particular interest as the Coulomb polarization may play an important role, which, however, remains an open question. Here we use a highly efficient silicon detector array and measure the correlations between the breakup fragments of 8 B incident on 120 Sn at near-barrier energies. The energy and angular correlations can be explained by a fully quantum mechanical method based on the state-of-the-art continuum discretized coupled channel calculations. The results indicate that, compared to the neutron halo nucleus 6 He, 8 B presents distinctive reaction dynamics: the dominance of the elastic breakup. This breakup occurs mainly via the short-lived continuum states, almost exhausts the 7 Be yield, indicating the effect of Coulomb polarization on the proton halo state. The correlation information reveals that the prompt breakup mechanism dominates, occurring predominantly on the outgoing trajectory. We also show that, as a large environment, the continuum of 8 B breakup may not significantly influence elastic scattering and complete fusion., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The β-delayed one- and two-neutron emission probabilities (P&#95;{1n} and P&#95;{2n}) of 20 neutron-rich nuclei with N≥82 have been measured at the RIBF facility of the RIKEN Nishina Center. P&#95;{1n} of ^{130,131}Ag, ^{133,134}Cd, ^{135,136}In, and ^{138,139}Sn were determined for the first time, and stringent upper limits were placed on P&#95;{2n} for nearly all cases. β-delayed two-neutron emission (β2n) was unambiguously identified in ^{133}Cd and ^{135,136}In, and their P&#95;{2n} were measured. Weak β2n was also detected from ^{137,138}Sn. Our results highlight the effect of the N=82 and Z=50 shell closures on β-delayed neutron emission probability and provide stringent benchmarks for newly developed macroscopic-microscopic and self-consistent global models with the inclusion of a statistical treatment of neutron and γ emission. The impact of our measurements on r-process nucleosynthesis was studied in a neutron star merger scenario. Our P&#95;{1n} and P&#95;{2n} have a direct impact on the odd-even staggering of the final abundance, improving the agreement between calculated and observed Solar System abundances. The odd isotope fraction of Ba in r-process-enhanced (r-II) stars is also better reproduced using our new data.

Proposed mechanisms for the production of calcium in the first stars (population III stars)-primordial stars that formed out of the matter of the Big Bang-are at odds with observations 1 . Advanced nuclear burning and supernovae were thought to be the dominant source of the calcium production seen in all stars 2 . Here we suggest a qualitatively different path to calcium production through breakout from the 'warm' carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle through a direct experimental measurement of the 19 F(p, γ) 20 Ne breakout reaction down to a very low energy point of 186 kiloelectronvolts, reporting a key resonance at 225 kiloelectronvolts. In the domain of astrophysical interest 2 , at around 0.1 gigakelvin, this thermonuclear 19 F(p, γ) 20 Ne rate is up to a factor of 7.4 larger than the previous recommended rate 3 . Our stellar models show a stronger breakout during stellar hydrogen burning than previously thought 1,4,5 , and may reveal the nature of calcium production in population III stars imprinted on the oldest known ultra-iron-poor star, SMSS0313-6708 6 . Our experimental result was obtained in the China JinPing Underground Laboratory 7 , which offers an environment with an extremely low cosmic-ray-induced background 8 . Our rate showcases the effect that faint population III star supernovae can have on the nucleosynthesis observed in the oldest known stars and first galaxies, which are key mission targets of the James Webb Space Telescope 9 ., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

We report the first (in)elastic scattering measurement of ^{25}Al+p with the capability to select and measure in a broad energy range the proton resonances in ^{26}Si contributing to the ^{22}Mg(α,p) reaction at type I x-ray burst energies. We measured spin-parities of four resonances above the α threshold of ^{26}Si that are found to strongly impact the ^{22}Mg(α,p) rate. The new rate advances a state-of-the-art model to remarkably reproduce light curves of the GS 1826-24 clocked burster with mean deviation <9% and permits us to discover a strong correlation between the He abundance in the accreting envelope of the photospheric radius expansion burster and the dominance of ^{22}Mg(α,p) branch.

Fluorine is one of the most interesting elements in nuclear astrophysics, where the ^{19}F(p,α)^{16}O reaction is of crucial importance for Galactic ^{19}F abundances and CNO cycle loss in first generation Population III stars. As a day-one campaign at the Jinping Underground Nuclear Astrophysics experimental facility, we report direct measurements of the essential ^{19}F(p,αγ)^{16}O reaction channel. The γ-ray yields were measured over E&#95;{c.m.}=72.4-344  keV, covering the Gamow window; our energy of 72.4 keV is unprecedentedly low, reported here for the first time. The experiment was performed under the extremely low cosmic-ray-induced background environment of the China JinPing Underground Laboratory, one of the deepest underground laboratories in the world. The present low-energy S factors deviate significantly from previous theoretical predictions, and the uncertainties are significantly reduced. The thermonuclear ^{19}F(p,αγ)^{16}O reaction rate has been determined directly at the relevant astrophysical energies.

Summary: Dynamic models formulated as ordinary differential equations can provide information about the mechanistic and causal interactions in biological systems to guide targeted interventions and to design further experiments. Inaccurate knowledge about the structure, functional form and parameters of interactions is a major obstacle to mechanistic modeling. A further challenge is the open nature of biological systems which receive unknown inputs from their environment. The R-package SEEDS implements two recently developed algorithms to infer structural model errors and unknown inputs from output measurements. This information can facilitate efficient model recalibration as well as experimental design in the case of misfits between the initial model and data., Availability and Implementation: For the R-package seeds, see the CRAN server https://cran.r-project.org/package=seeds., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Mathematical modeling is seen as a key step to understand, predict, and control the temporal dynamics of interacting systems in such diverse areas like physics, biology, medicine, and economics. However, for large and complex systems we usually have only partial knowledge about the network, the coupling functions, and the interactions with the environment governing the dynamic behavior. This incomplete knowledge induces structural model errors which can in turn be the cause of erroneous model predictions or misguided interpretations. Uncovering the location of such structural model errors in large networks can be a daunting task for a modeler. Here, we present a data driven method to search for structural model errors and to confine their position in large and complex dynamic networks. We introduce a coherence measure for pairs of network nodes, which indicates, how difficult it is to distinguish these nodes as sources of an error. By clustering network nodes into coherence groups and inferring the cluster inputs we can decide, which cluster is affected by an error. We demonstrate the utility of our method for the C. elegans neural network, for a signal transduction model for UV-B light induced morphogenesis and for synthetic examples., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Kahl and Kschischo.)

A series of compounds (including CCG-1423 and CCG-203971) discovered through an MRTF/SRF-dependent luciferase screen has shown remarkable efficacy in a variety of in vitro and in vivo models, including significant reduction of melanoma metastasis and bleomycin- induced fibrosis. Although these compounds are efficacious in these disease models, the molecular target is unknown. Here, we describe affinity isolation-based target identification efforts which yielded pirin, an iron-dependent cotranscription factor, as a target of this series of compounds. Using biophysical techniques including isothermal titration calorimetry and X-ray crystallography, we verify that pirin binds these compounds in vitro. We also show with genetic approaches that pirin modulates MRTF- dependent luciferase reporter activity. Finally, using both siRNA and a previously validated pirin inhibitor, we show a role for pirin in TGF- β - induced gene expression in primary dermal fibroblasts. A recently developed analog, CCG-257081, which co crystallizes with pirin, is also effective in the prevention of bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis.

Background: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an increasingly popular approach for obesity prevention efforts among ethnically diverse communities. There is limited documentation for practitioners and researchers attempting to initiate new CBPR partnerships within predominantly Hispanic communities., Objectives: To document the process underlying the initiation of a new CBPR collaborative and the development of a culturally relevant community resource guide for physical activity and nutrition., Setting: Three similar cities in southwest Kansas (40-60% Hispanic). The mission of local partner organizations included health or serving Hispanic community needs., Results: The CBPR collaborative combined community-specific cultural and historical information with physical activity and nutrition health education materials into community-specific resource guides. The guides were tailored to each community, culturally relevant, and highlighted free and low-cost resources. The guides were printed in English and Spanish and distributed to residents. Evaluation of the guide's reach showed small-moderate dissemination, and good acceptance by community residents., Conclusion: Collaborative CBPR partnerships for obesity prevention can be formed by identifying a common, realistic and practical goal such as the creation of a community resource guide for physical activity and nutrition. The approach is relatively noninvasive for community members, requires minimal resources from community agencies and represents a positive first step in the CBPR approach to obesity and chronic disease prevention. Currently, the guide is being used in combination with other health promotion efforts to prevent obesity and related diseases. Furthermore, our CBPR partnership continues to thrive and provide the necessary foundation for health promotion efforts.

A new measurement of the beta-delayed alpha decay of 16N has been performed using a set of high efficiency ionization chambers. Sources were made by implantation of a 16N beam, yielding very clean alpha spectra down to energies as low as 400 keV. Our data are in good agreement with earlier results. For the S factor S(E1), we obtain a value of 74 +/- 21 keV b. In spite of improvements in the measurement, the error in S(E1) remains relatively large because of the correlations among the fit parameters and the uncertainties inherent to the extrapolation.

A cytotoxicity test was performed as a parameter for the nonspecific defense capacity in chickens using blood and saccharomyces cells (SCT). The test has the special merit of frequent repetitions of the results by two parallel test arrangements. The results of individual animals were not altered during a period of 14 days, as well as relatively not being affected by actual day fluctuation as long as environmental changes or antigenic changes do not appear. The cytotoxic activity is due to cellular defense mechanisms, especially concerning the activity of granulocytes, thrombocytes and monocytes but not lymphocytes and erythrocytes. The lysozyme contents of plasma show a very space cytotoxic activity against saccharomyces cells.

A cytotoxicity test using blood and saccharomyces cells (SCT) was experimentally applied in a sample of pedigreed commercial chickens from different lines over 3 generations to test its usefulness as a parameter for the nonspecific defense capacity. The results clearly show a significant difference between the SC rates in the different lines. Positive heritabilities exist between the SC rates of the 3 generations. The correlations between SC rates of males in the first generation and parameters of layer productivity of their daughters are nonsignificant. The possibility to integrate the parameter SC into the selection index is critically discussed.