Isoscalar off-shell effects in threshold pion production from pd collisions

We test the presence of pion-nucleon isoscalar off-shell effects in the $pd\to \pi^+ t$ reaction around the threshold region. We find that these effects significantly modify the production cross section and that they may provide the missing strength needed to reproduce the data at threshold.Comment: 6 pages, REVTeX, twocolumn, including 3 figures (Postscript), uses psfig, updated and extended versio

An efficient chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) protocol for studying histone modifications in peach reproductive tissues

Background: Perennial fruit trees display a growth behaviour characterized by annual cycling between growth and dormancy, with complex physiological features. Rosaceae fruit trees represent excellent models for studying not only the fruit growth/patterning but also the progression of the reproductive cycle depending upon the impact of climate conditions. Additionally, current developments in high‐throughput technologies have impacted Rosaceae tree research while investigating genome structure and function as well as (epi)genetic mechanisms involved in important developmental and environmental response processes during fruit tree growth. Among epigenetic mechanisms, chromatin remodelling mediated by histone modifications and other chromatin-related processes play a crucial role in gene modulation, controlling gene expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation is an effective technique to investigate chromatin dynamics in plants. This technique is generally applied for studies on chromatin states and enrichment of post-transcriptional modifications (PTMs) in histone proteins. Results: Peach is considered a model organism among climacteric fruits in the Rosaceae family for studies on bud formation, dormancy, and organ differentiation. In our work, we have primarily established specific protocols for chromatin extraction and immunoprecipitation in reproductive tissues of peach (Prunus persica). Subsequently, we focused our investigations on the role of two chromatin marks, namely the trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine in position 4 (H3K4me3) and trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) in modulating specific gene expression. Bud dormancy and fruit growth were investigated in a nectarine genotype called Fantasia as our model system. Conclusions: We present general strategies to optimize ChIP protocols for buds and mesocarp tissues of peach and analyze the correlation between gene expression and chromatin mark enrichment/depletion. The procedures proposed may be useful to evaluate any involvement of histone modifications in the regulation of gene expression during bud dormancy progression and core ripening in fruits

Why is the three-nucleon force so odd?

By considering a class of diagrams which has been overlooked also in the most recent literature on three-body forces, we extract a new contribution to the three-nucleon interaction which specifically acts on the triplet odd states of the two nucleon subsystem. In the static approximation, this 3N-force contribution is fixed by the underlying 2N interaction, so in principle there are no free parameters to adjust. The 2N amplitude however enters in the 3NF diagram in a form which cannot be directly accessed or constrained by NN phase-shift analysis. We conclude that this new 3N-force contribution provides a mechanism which implies that the presence of the third nucleon modifies the p-wave (and possibly the f-wave) components of the 2N subsystem in the triplet-isotriplet channels.Comment: 10 Pages, 7 figures, RevTeX, twocolumn, epsf (updated version with minor changes

The one-pion-exchange three-nucleon force and the AyA_y puzzle

We consider a new three-nucleon force generated by the exchange of one pion in the presence of a 2N correlation. The underlying irreducible diagram has been recently suggested by the authors as a possible candidate to explain the puzzle of the vector analyzing powers $A_y$ and $iT_{11}$ for nucleon-deuteron scattering. Herein, we have calculated the elastic neutron-deuteron differential cross section, $A_y$, $iT_{11}$, $T_{20}$, $T_{21}$, and $T_{22}$ below break-up threshold by accurately solving the Alt-Grassberger-Sandhas equations with realistic interactions. We have also studied how $A_y$ evolves below 30 MeV. The results indicate that this new 3NF diagram provides one possible additional contribution, with the correct spin-isospin structure, for the explanation of the origin of this puzzle.Comment: revised version: We have also studied how Ay evolves below 30 MeV, 4 Pages (twocolumn), 2 figures, uses psfig, RevTe

Comparison between two methods of solution of coupled equations for low-energy scattering

Cross sections from low-energy neutron-nucleus scattering have been evaluated using a coupled channel theory of scattering. Both a coordinate-space and a momentum-space formalism of that coupled-channel theory are considered.A simple rotational model of the channel interaction potentials is used to find results using two relevant codes, ECIS97 and MCAS, so that they may be compared. The very same model is then used in the MCAS approach to quantify the changes that occur when allowance is made for effects of the Pauli principle.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Nanoscale mosaicity revealed in peptide microcrystals by scanning electron nanodiffraction.

Changes in lattice structure across sub-regions of protein crystals are challenging to assess when relying on whole crystal measurements. Because of this difficulty, macromolecular structure determination from protein micro and nanocrystals requires assumptions of bulk crystallinity and domain block substructure. Here we map lattice structure across micron size areas of cryogenically preserved three-dimensional peptide crystals using a nano-focused electron beam. This approach produces diffraction from as few as 1500 molecules in a crystal, is sensitive to crystal thickness and three-dimensional lattice orientation. Real-space maps reconstructed from unsupervised classification of diffraction patterns across a crystal reveal regions of crystal order/disorder and three-dimensional lattice tilts on the sub-100nm scale. The nanoscale lattice reorientation observed in the micron-sized peptide crystal lattices studied here provides a direct view of their plasticity. Knowledge of these features facilitates an improved understanding of peptide assemblies that could aid in the determination of structures from nano- and microcrystals by single or serial crystal electron diffraction

Mirroring doubly excited resonances in argon.

New features are revealed in the low-energy photoionization spectrum of Ar by critically combining high photon resolution and differential photoelectron spectroscopic techniques. Two LS-forbidden doubly excited resonances are seen in the 3p−13/2,1/2 partial cross sections which exhibit mirroring profiles, resulting in complete cancellation in the total photoionization cross section, as was predicted by Liu and Starace [Phys. Rev. A 59, R1731 (1999)]. These results demonstrate that a new class of weakly spin-orbit induced, mirroring resonances should be observable in partial, but not in total, collisional cross sections involving atoms, molecules, and solids in general

Spin observables for the pd <-> pi+ t process around the Delta resonance

The proton analyzing power Ay0 and the deuteron tensor analyzing power T20 are evaluated for the pd pi+ t process, in the energy region around and above the Delta resonance. These calculations extend a previous analysis of the excitation function and differential cross-section, based on a model embodying one-- and two-body p-wave absorption mechanisms and isobar excitation. The three-nucleon bound state and the pd scattering state are evaluated through Faddeev techniques for both the Bonn and Paris potentials. The spin variables exhibit a greater sensitivity to the number of included three-nucleon partial waves than the cross-sections, while the role played by the initial-- or final-state interactions appears to be small. The results for the tensor analyzing power at backward angles show a non-negligible dependence on the potentials employed, consistently with what has been previously found for the cross-sections. The calculation of spin observables gives a clear indication that other reaction mechanisms (presumably s-wave two-body absorption) have to be included in the model, in order to reproduce the experimental data below the Delta-resonance, in analogy with the simpler pp pi+ d process.Comment: 14 pages, REVTeX, plus 6 figs., PostScript (PRC, to be published

Analysis of Sub-threshold Short Gamma-ray Bursts in Fermi GBM Data

The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) is currently the most prolific detector of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). Recently the detection rate of short GRBs (SGRBs) has been dramatically increased through the use of ground-based searches that analyze GBM continuous time tagged event (CTTE) data. Here we examine the efficiency of a method developed to search CTTE data for sub-threshold transient events in temporal coincidence with LIGO/Virgo compact binary coalescence triggers. This targeted search operates by coherently combining data from all 14 GBM detectors by taking into account the complex spatial and energy dependent response of each detector. We use the method to examine a sample of SGRBs that were independently detected by the Burst Alert Telescope on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, but which were too intrinsically weak or viewed with unfavorable instrument geometry to initiate an on-board trigger of GBM. We find that the search can successfully recover a majority of the BAT detected sample in the CTTE data. We show that the targeted search of CTTE data will be crucial in increasing the GBM sensitivity, and hence the gamma-ray horizon, to weak events such as GRB 170817A. We also examine the properties of the GBM signal possibly associated with the LIGO detection of GW150914 and show that it is consistent with the observed properties of other sub-threshold SGRBs in our sample. We find that the targeted search is capable of recovering true astrophysical signals as weak as the signal associated with GW150914 in the untriggered data.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, submitted to Ap

Renal involvement in mushroom poisoning: The case of Orellanus syndrome

none8Although mushroom poisoning is a rare cause of acute renal injury, in some cases it may lead to the development of a severe and irreversible renal failure. Orellanus syndrome is the most important example of organic renal damage related to mushroom consumption. It is caused by the ingestion of orellanine, the main toxin of different types of Cortinarius mushrooms (Cortinarius speciosissimus, C. orellanus, C. orellanoides, etc.), and it is characterized by progressive clinical phases with a predominant kidney involvement, finally requiring renal replacement therapy in about 10% of cases. Renal damage is often late and associated with a histological picture of interstitial nephritis. Diagnosis is essentially clinical and no specific therapy has been shown to be effective in preventing and treating renal damage. Here, we describe the case of a patient with mixed wild mushroom poisoning, presenting the typical clinical signs and course of the Orellanus syndrome. This case offers us the opportunity to review the main clinical features of this severe and little-known intoxication.openEsposito, P; La Porta, E; Calatroni, M; Bianzina, S; Libetta, C; Gregorini, M; Rampino, T; Dal Canton, AEsposito, P; La Porta, E; Calatroni, M; Bianzina, S; Libetta, Carmelo; Gregorini, Marilena; Rampino, Teresa; DAL CANTON, Antoni