Neutron Skin Effects in Mirror Energy Differences: The Case of ^{23}Mg-^{23}Na.

Energy differences between analogue states in the T=1/2 ^{23}Mg-^{23}Na mirror nuclei have been measured along the rotational yrast bands. This allows us to search for effects arising from isospin-symmetry-breaking interactions (ISB) and/or shape changes. Data are interpreted in the shell model framework following the method successfully applied to nuclei in the f_{7/2} shell.

Neutron Skins and Halo Orbits in the sd and pf Shells.

The strong dependence of Coulomb energies on nuclear radii makes it possible to extract the latter from calculations of the former. The resulting estimates of neutron skins indicate that two mechanisms are involved. The first one-isovector monopole polarizability-amounts to noting that when a particle is added to a system it drives the radii of neutrons and protons in different directions, tending to equalize the radii of both fluids independently of the neutron excess.

From Agrobacterium to viral vectors: genome modification of plant cells by rare cutting restriction enzymes.

Researchers and biotechnologists require methods to accurately modify the genome of higher eukaryotic cells. Such modifications include, but are not limited to, site-specific mutagenesis, site-specific insertion of foreign DNA, and replacement and deletion of native sequences. Accurate genome modifications in plant species have been rather limited, with only a handful of plant species and genes being modified through the use of early genome-editing techniques.

New isomers in the full seniority scheme of neutron-rich lead isotopes: the role of effective three-body forces.

The neutron-rich lead isotopes, up to (216)Pb, have been studied for the first time, exploiting the fragmentation of a primary uranium beam at the FRS-RISING setup at GSI. The observed isomeric states exhibit electromagnetic transition strengths which deviate from state-of-the-art shell-model calculations. It is shown that their complete description demands the introduction of effective three-body interactions and two-body transition operators in the conventional neutron valence space beyond (208)Pb.