Evaluation of the N33∗N weak coupling constants by means of current algebra

Abstract The form factors of the N33∗N weak axial vertex are expressed in terms of the form factors of the nucleon. A relation between N33∗Nπ and NNπ coupling constants and an estimate of the mass of a 1+ meson are obtained

Ab initio simulations of Cu binding sites in the N-terminal region of PrP

The prion protein (PrP) binds Cu2+ ions in the octarepeat domain of the N-terminal tail up to full occupancy at pH=7.4. Recent experiments show that the HGGG octarepeat subdomain is responsible for holding the metal bound in a square planar coordination. By using first principle ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the Car-Parrinello type, the Cu coordination mode to the binding sites of the PrP octarepeat region is investigated. Simulations are carried out for a number of structured binding sites. Results for the complexes Cu(HGGGW)+(wat), Cu(HGGG) and the 2[Cu(HGGG)] dimer are presented. While the presence of a Trp residue and a H2O molecule does not seem to affect the nature of the Cu coordination, high stability of the bond between Cu and the amide Nitrogens of deprotonated Gly's is confirmed in the case of the Cu(HGGG) system. For the more interesting 2[Cu(HGGG)] dimer a dynamically entangled arrangement of the two monomers, with intertwined N-Cu bonds, emerges. This observation is consistent with the highly packed structure seen in experiments at full Cu occupancy.Comment: 4 pages, conference proceedin

A New Supersymmetric Extension of Conformal Mechanics

In this paper a new supersymmetric extension of conformal mechanics is put forward. The beauty of this extension is that all variables have a clear geometrical meaning and the super-Hamiltonian turns out to be the Lie-derivative of the Hamiltonian flow of standard conformal mechanics. In this paper we also provide a supersymmetric extension of the other conformal generators of the theory and find their "square-roots". The whole superalgebra of these charges is then analyzed in details. We conclude the paper by showing that, using superfields, a constraint can be built which provides the exact solution of the system.Comment: 11 pages, no figure

Modelling background charge rearrangements near single-electron transistors as a Poisson process

Background charge rearrangements in metallic single-electron transistors are modelled in two-level tunnelling systems as a Poisson process with a scale parameter as only variable. The model explains the recent observation of asymmetric Coulomb blockade peak spacing distributions in metallic single-electron transistors. From the scale parameter we estimate the average size of the tunnelling systems, their density of states, and the height of their energy barrier. We conclude that the observed background charge rearrangements predominantly take place in the substrate of the single-electron transistor.Comment: 7 pages, 2 eps figures, used epl.cls macro include

On the dynamics of quasi-geostrophic intergyre gyres

An important aspect of the present climatic change concerns the wind-stress anomalies over the ocean. It is possible to associate to them a special current field, which appears between the subtropical and the subpolar gyres and is known as intergyre gyre. In the present paper we investigate its dynamics by including recent models of stochastic wind field into the classical model of ocean circulation at the basin scale of Rhines and Young. In the framework of an analytical approach, developed at the geostrophic level of approximation, we explore the circulation patterns of this recently discovered characteristic of double gyres

Symmetry defects in single-gyre, wind-driven oceanic systems

We explore some symmetry properties of the leading terms that constitute the solution describing the flow field structure in a wind-driven, bottom-dissipated ocean. Both the weakly non-linear and the highly non-linear regime are investigated. The main result is that the northward displacement and the westward intensification of the current system, which are typical of the subtropical gyres (for instance the North Atlantic Ocean), can be ascribed to an interplay between the symmetries of these terms. Moreover, a duality relationship allows us to relate the conclusions concerning one regime to the other

Tales from Dubna’s Oakwood: Bogoliubov, Pontecorvo, and the JINR Seminars

Not much has been said about the scientific milieu in which Bru- no Pontecorvo worked after his emigration to the USSR (1950): the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna. In this paper, we begin to fill this gap by focusing on some of the distinguished scientists he interacted with, besides direct collaborations, paying particular attention to Nikolai N. Bogoliubov around 1957