Spin-Isospin Excitations and Muon Capture by Nuclei

By analyzing the energy-weighted moments of the strength function calculated in RPA and beyond it is shown that the explanation of the effect of missing strength of Gamow-Teller transitions requires that residual interaction produce high-excited $1^{+}$ particle-hole collective states. The example of this interaction is presented. The manifestations of spin-isospin nuclear response in nuclear muon capture are discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. The talk at the XVI International School on Nuclear Physics, Neutron Physics and Nuclear Energy, September 19-26, Varna, Bulgari

Using Nanowire Film in LCD Displays for Flexible Placement of Chip-on-Glass

A transparent conducting film is used to attach chip-on-glass display drivers to the back of an electronic display. Transparent conducting films are electrically conductive and optically transparent. Thus, they can be used to make electrical connections across a wide area, such as an LCD screen, while still allowing light to pass through. In LCD applications, a transparent conducting film like silver nanowire film (SNF) may be used to connect display-driver integrated circuits to the main processor on a printed circuit board. Because SNF is very flexible, it can be wrapped around an edge (or multiple edges) of the display and the display drivers can be mounted on the back of the display, which reduces the need for a large display border for the chip-on-glass connections

Refractive effects in the scattering of loosely bound nuclei

A study of the interaction of loosely bound nuclei 6,7Li at 9 and 19 AMeV with light targets has been undertaken. With the determination of unambiguous optical potentials in mind, elastic data for four projectile-target combinations and one neutron transfer reaction 13C(7Li,8Li)12C have been measured on a large angular range. The kinematical regime encompasses a region where the mean field (optical potential) has a marked variation with mass and energy, but turns out to be sufficiently surface transparent to allow strong refractive effects to be manifested in elastic scattering data at intermediate angles. The identified exotic feature, a "plateau" in the angular distributions at intermediate angles, is fully confirmed in four reaction channels and interpreted as a pre-rainbow oscillation resulting from the interference of the barrier and internal barrier farside scattering subamplitudes.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables to submit to Phys. Rev.

Atmospheric neutrino and Long Baseline neutrino experiments

The results obtained by several experiments on atmospheric neutrino oscillations are summarized and discussed. Then the results obtained by different long baseline neutrino experiments are considered. Finally conclusions and perspectives are made.Comment: Invited Lecture at the Carpatian Summer School of Physics 2007, Sinaia, Romania, August 200

Structure and reactivity of small arteries in aging

Objective: Increased pulse pressure has been observed in aging subjects, but the impact on the structure and reactivity of small arteries has been scarcely evaluated. Methods: This study presents the modifications of vascular structure and function observed in female rats of 5, 18 and 32 months of age, and their relation to the prevailing hemodynamic status. Geometry and reactivity of perfused and pressurized basilar and mesenteric small arteries were analyzed in vitro using a video dimension analyzer. Results: Mean arterial pressure was similar in the three age groups, and only pulse pressure was increased in the oldest group. Media thickness and cross sectional area increased in basilar and mesenteric arteries of the oldest rats and these structural abnormalities were positively related to pulse pressure but not to mean, systolic or diastolic arterial pressure. Only minor changes of vascular reactivity were noted with age: there was a decreased contraction to angiotensin II in mesenteric arteries and an enhanced contraction to endothelin-1 in the basilar arteries. Conclusion: In conclusion, aging is associated with increased pulse pressure and hypertrophy of basilar and mesenteric resistance arteries, suggesting that this hemodynamic variable may influence cerebral and peripheral vascular structure in agin

Chronic ETA receptor blockade prevents endothelial dysfunction of small arteries in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice

Objective: This study investigated whether endothelial dysfunction occurs in mesenteric arteries of apoE-deficient mice and determined the role of endothelin (ET)-1, which is increased in human atherosclerosis, using an orally active endothelin ETA receptor antagonist. Methods: ApoE-deficient and C57BL/6J control mice were fed for 30 weeks with normal chow or high-fat Western-type diet alone or in combination with darusentan (LU135252; 50 mg/kg/day). Vasomotor reactivity of isolated small mesenteric arteries (I.D. 200-250 μm) was studied in vitro under perfused and pressurized conditions. Results: In both mouse strains, about one fourth of the endothelium-dependent relaxant response to acetylcholine was insensitive to inhibition by l-NAME and indomethacin. In mesenteric arteries of apoE-deficient mice on Western-type diet, increased intima-media thickness and levels of endothelin-1 protein were observed. In addition, NO-mediated endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was reduced without affecting l-NAME/indomethacin insensitive relaxation and contractions to endothelin-1 and serotonin were enhanced. Treatment with darusentan normalized vascular structure, NO-mediated relaxation to acetylcholine and contractions to endothelin-1 and serotonin without affecting blood pressure or plasma cholesterol levels. Conclusions: Severe hypercholesterolemia in apoE-deficient mice is associated with attenuation of NO-mediated relaxation to acetylcholine and increased vascular endothelin-1 content. Chronic ETA receptor blockade may provide a new therapeutic approach to improve NO-mediated endothelium-dependent vasomotion in small arterie