Semirelativistic potential model for low-lying three-gluon glueballs

The three-gluon glueball states are studied with the generalization of a semirelativistic potential model giving good results for two-gluon glueballs. The Hamiltonian depends only on 3 parameters fixed on two-gluon glueball spectra: the strong coupling constant, the string tension, and a gluon size which removes singularities in the potential. The Casimir scaling determines the structure of the confinement. Low-lying $J^{PC}$ states are computed and compared with recent lattice calculations. A good agreement is found for $1^{--}$ and $3^{--}$ states, but our model predicts a $2^{--}$ state much higher in energy than the lattice result. The $0^{-+}$ mass is also computed.Comment: 2 figure

Unusual features of pomoviral RNA movement

This work is partially supported by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) DivisionPotato mop-top pomovirus (PMTV) is one of a few viruses that can move systemically in plants in the absence of the capsid protein (CP). Pomoviruses encode the triple gene block genetic module of movement proteins (TGB 1, 2, and 3) and recent research suggests that PMTV RNA is transported either as ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes containing TGB1 or encapsidated in virions containing TGB1. Furthermore, there are different requirements for local or systemic (long-distance) movement. Research suggests that nucleolar passage of TGB1 may be important for the long-distance movement of both RNP and virions. Moreover, and uniquely, the long-distance movement of the CP-encoding RNA requires expression of both major and minor CP subunits and is inhibited when only the major CP sub unit is expressed. This paper reviews pomovirus research and presents a current model for RNA movement.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Pentaquarks uuddqˉuudd\bar q with One Color Sextet Diquark

The masses of pentaquarks $uudd\bar s$ are calculated within the framework of a semirelativistic effective QCD Hamiltonian, using a diquark picture. This approximation allows a correct treatment of the confinement, assumed here to be similar to a Y-junction. With only color antitriplet diquarks, the mass of the pentaquark candidate $\Theta$ with positive parity is found around 2.2 GeV. It is shown that, if a color sextet diquark is present, the lowest $uudd\bar s$ pentaquark is characterized by a much smaller mass with a negative parity. A mass below 1.7 GeV is computed, if the masses of the color antitriplet and color sextet diquarks are taken similar

Twisted-light-induced optical transitions in semiconductors: Free-carrier quantum kinetics

We theoretically investigate the interband transitions and quantum kinetics induced by light carrying orbital angular momentum, or twisted light, in bulk semiconductors. We pose the problem in terms of the Heisenberg equations of motion of the electron populations, and inter- and intra-band coherences. Our theory extends the free-carrier Semiconductor Bloch Equations to the case of photo-excitation by twisted light. The theory is formulated using cylindrical coordinates, which are better suited to describe the interaction with twisted light than the usual cartesian coordinates used to study regular optical excitation. We solve the equations of motion in the low excitation regime, and obtain analytical expressions for the coherences and populations; with these, we calculate the orbital angular momentum transferred from the light to the electrons and the paramagnetic and diamagnetic electric current densities.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Comparative Metabolomics of Early Development of the Parasitic Plants Phelipanche aegyptiaca and Triphysaria versicolor.

Parasitic weeds of the family Orobanchaceae attach to the roots of host plants via haustoria capable of drawing nutrients from host vascular tissue. The connection of the haustorium to the host marks a shift in parasite metabolism from autotrophy to at least partial heterotrophy, depending on the level of parasite dependence. Species within the family Orobanchaceae span the spectrum of host nutrient dependency, yet the diversity of parasitic plant metabolism remains poorly understood, particularly during the key metabolic shift surrounding haustorial attachment. Comparative profiling of major metabolites in the obligate holoparasite Phelipanche aegyptiaca and the facultative hemiparasite Triphysaria versicolor before and after attachment to the hosts revealed several metabolic shifts implicating remodeling of energy and amino acid metabolism. After attachment, both parasites showed metabolite profiles that were different from their respective hosts. In P. aegyptiaca, prominent changes in metabolite profiles were also associated with transitioning between different tissue types before and after attachment, with aspartate levels increasing significantly after the attachment. Based on the results from 15N labeling experiments, asparagine and/or aspartate-rich proteins were enriched in host-derived nitrogen in T. versicolor. These results point to the importance of aspartate and/or asparagine in the early stages of attachment in these plant parasites and provide a rationale for targeting aspartate-family amino acid biosynthesis for disrupting the growth of parasitic weeds

Mitochondrial Dynamics and Apoptosis: A Painful Separation

Reporting in Molecular Cell, Sheridan et al. (2008) and Breckenridge et al. (2008) show that mitochondrial fragmentation is not required to induce cell death. Meanwhile, Yamaguchi et al. show that proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members promote cytochrome c mobilization through Opa1-mediated cristae remodeling. Therefore, the connection between mitochondrial structure and apoptosis is more complex than previously imagined