Isgur-Wise form factors of heavy baryons within a light-front constituent quark model

The space-like elastic form factors of baryons containing a heavy quark are investigated within a light-front constituent quark model in the limit of infinite heavy-quark mass, adopting a gaussian-like ansatz for the three-quark wave function. The results obtained for the Isgur-Wise form factors corresponding both to a spin-0 and a spin-1 light spectator pair are presented. It is found that the Isgur-Wise functions depend strongly on the baryon structure, being sharply different in case of diquark-like or collinear-type configurations in the three-quark system. It is also shown that the relativistic effects lead to a saturation property of the form factors as a function of the baryon size. Our results are compared with those of different models as well as with recent predictions from QCD sum rules and lattice QCD simulations; the latter ones seem to suggest the dominance of collinear-type configurations, in which the heavy-quark is sitting close to the center-of-mass of the light quark pair.Comment: latex, 15 pp., 6 figures with epsfig.st

Light-front CQM calculations of baryon electromagnetic form factors

The parameter-free predictions for the $N - P_{11}(1440)$ and $N - P_{33}(1232)$ electromagnetic transition form factors, obtained within our light-front constituent quark model using eigenfunctions of a baryon mass operator which includes a large amount of configuration mixing, are reported. The effects due to small components in the baryon wave functions, such as S'- and D-wave, are also investigated.Comment: to appear in the Proceedings of the International Workshop on Hadron Dynamics with the new DAPHNE and CEBAF facilities, Frascati, Italy, 11-14 November 199

A light-front description of electromagnetic form factors for J≤3/2J \leq {3/2} hadrons

A review of the hadron electromagnetic form factors obtained in a light-front constituent quark model, based on the eigenfunctions of a mass operator, is presented. The relevance of different components in the q-q interaction for the description of hadron experimental form factors is analysed.Comment: 6 pages, Latex, 3 Postscript figures included. Proceedings of "Nucleon 99", Frascati, June 1999. To appear in Nucl. Phys.

Extracellular vesicle-induced differentiation of neural stem progenitor cells

Neural stem progenitor cells (NSPCs) from E13.5 mouse embryos can be maintained in culture under proliferating conditions. Upon growth-factor removal, they may differentiate toward either neuronal or glial phenotypes or both. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that are part of the cell secretome; they may contain and deliver both proteins and genetic material and thus play a role in cell–cell communication, guide axonal growth, modulate synaptic activity and regulate peripheral nerve regeneration. In this work, we were interested in determining whether NSPCs and their progeny can produce and secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) and if their content can affect cell differentiation. Our results indicate that cultured NSPCs produce and secrete EVs both under proliferating conditions and after differentiation. Treatment of proliferating NSPCs with EVs derived from differentiated NSPCs triggers cell differentiation in a dose-dependent manner, as demonstrated by glial-and neuronal-marker expression

New results from an extensive aging test on bakelite Resistive Plate Chambers

We present recent results of an extensive aging test, performed at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility on two single--gap RPC prototypes, developed for the LHCb Muon System. With a method based on a model describing the behaviour of an RPC under high particle flux conditions, we have periodically measured the electrode resistance R of the two RPC prototypes over three years: we observe a large spontaneous increase of R with time, from the initial value of about 2 MOhm to more than 250 MOhm. A corresponding degradation of the RPC rate capabilities, from more than 3 kHz/cm2 to less than 0.15 kHz/cm2 is also found.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, presented at Siena 2002, 8th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors 21-24 October 2002, Siena, Ital

Nucleon generalized polarizabilities within a relativistic Constituent Quark Model

Nucleon generalized polarizabilities are investigated within a relativistic framework, defining such quantities through a Lorentz covariant multipole expansion of the amplitude for virtual Compton scattering. The key physical ingredients in the calculation of the nucleon polarizabilities are the Lorentz invariant reduced matrix elements of the electromagnetic transition current, which can be evaluated from off-energy-shell helicity amplitudes. The evolution of the proton paramagnetic polarizability, $\beta_{para}(q)$, as a function of the virtual-photon three-momentum transfer $q,$ is explicitly evaluated within a relativistic constituent quark model by adopting transition form factors obtained in the light-front formalism. The discussion is focussed on the role played by the effects due to the relativistic approach and to the transition form factors, derived within different models.Comment: 14 pages and three figures (included), to appear in Phys. Rev. C (May 1998