Domestic Politics and Conflict in the Cases of Israel, Palestine and Lebanon

When analysing conflicts from either academic or policy perspectives, conflict parties are often treated as monolithic 'black boxes'. Analysis tends to be centred on relations between principal parties and third party actors both in phases of conflict and of peace. In turn, attention is often focussed on the day to day evolution of relations between conflict parties, at the expense of the underlying long-term drivers of conflict and peace, which often lie within conflict parties themselves. This is particularly true in the Middle East, where the succession of crises in the region often leaves analysts and policy-makers little time to reflect upon the structural root drivers of conflict. Stemming from this premise, this report draws out some of the main structural, interestbased and ideational domestic drivers within three conflict parties in the Middle East: Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. On the basis of this analysis, this report examines the extent and manner in which these domestic drivers have impinged upon the ensuing inter-connected conflict hubs in the region; namely the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, between Israel and Lebanon and Syria, and between Syria and Lebanon. This report also discusses how external parties and most importantly EU actors have affected these conflicts by operating – deliberately or not – on their respective domestic drivers. In turn, we conclude by drawing out alternative policy approaches that could aid the EU pursue its oft-quoted objective to contribute and promote peace in the region

The European Union, borders and conflict transformation: the case of Cyprus

Much of the existing literature on the European Union (EU), conflict transformation and border dynamics has been premised on the assumption that the nature of the border determines EU intervention and the consequences that flow from this in terms of EU impact. The article aims to transcend this literature through assessing how domestic interpretations influence EU border transformation in conflict situations, taking Cyprus as a case study. Moreover, the objective is to fuse the literature on EU bordering impact and perceptions of the EU’s normative projection in conflict resolution. Pursuing this line of inquiry is an attempt to depart from the notion of borders being constructed solely by unidirectional EU logics of engagement or bordering practices to a conceptualization of the border as co-constituted space, where the interpretations of the EU’s normative projections by conflict parties, and the strategies that they pursue, can determine the relative openness of the EU border

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Solvent-Polymer Interdiffusion. I. Fickian diffusion

The interdiffusion of a solvent into a polymer melt has been studied using large scale molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation techniques. The solvent concentration profile and weight gain by the polymer have been measured as a function of time. The weight gain is found to scale as t^{1/2}, which is expected for Fickian type of diffusion. The concentration profiles are fit very well assuming Fick's second law with a constant diffusivity. The diffusivity found from fitting Fick's second law is found to be independent of time and equal to the self diffusion constant in the dilute solvent limit. We separately calculated the diffusivity as a function of concentration using the Darken equation and found that the diffusivity is essentially constant for the concentration range relevant for interdiffusion.Comment: 17 pages and 7 figure

Myrtle Seeds (Myrtus communis L.) as a Rich Source of the Bioactive Ellagitannins Oenothein B and Eugeniflorin D2

The increasing popularity of "Mirto" liqueur, produced from Myrtus communis berries, has led to the planting of domesticated cultivars, expanding myrtle berry production. To promote the use of cultivated berries, the content in the nutraceutical compounds ellagitannins has been investigated both in spontaneous and cultivated fruits. Oenothein B and eugeniflorin D2, characterized by 1H and 13C NMR, were isolated and quantified using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-MS/MS). The antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities of oenothein B were assayed in vitro. Large amounts of oenothein B and eugeniflorin D2 were detected in seeds (12 \ub1 2.4 and 5.8 \ub1 1.2 mg/g). The oenothein B concentration in liqueurs was 194 \ub1 22 mg/L. This macrocyclic ellagitannin dimer showed anti-Candida (minimal inhibitory concentration <8-64 \u3bcg/mL) and anti-inflammatory properties. Cultivated myrtle berries are a source of nutraceutical compounds. The high concentration of oenothein B in liqueur suggests a possible contribution to the organoleptic and biological properties of the beverage

Core Microbiota and Metabolome of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Corvina Grapes and Musts.

The composition and changes of the fungal population and of the metabolites present in grapes and in ferments of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Corvina, one of the major components of the Amarone musts, were dissected aiming at the identification of constant characteristics possibly influenced by the productive process. The fungal populations and metabolomic profiles were analyzed in three different vintages. 454-pyrosequencing on the ribosomal ITS1 region has been used to identify the fungal population present in Corvina grapes and fresh must. Samples were also subjected to metabolomics analysis measuring both free volatile compounds and glycosylated aroma precursors through an untargeted approach with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Albeit strongly dependent on the climate, both the mycobiota and metabolome of Corvina grapes and fresh musts show some characteristics recursive in different vintages. Such persistent characteristics are likely determined by the method adopted to produce Amarone or other dry wines made from partially dried grapes. In particular, the harsh conditions imposed by the prolonged withering appear to contribute to the shaping of the fungal populations. The fungal genera and metabolites present in different vintages in V. vinifera L. cv. Corvina grapes and fresh musts represent core components of the peculiar technique of production of Amarone. Their identification allows the in-depth understanding and improved control of the process of production of this economically and culturally relevant wine

Calculation of atomic spontaneous emission rate in 1D finite photonic crystal with defects

We derive the expression for spontaneous emission rate in finite one-dimensional photonic crystal with arbitrary defects using the effective resonator model to describe electromagnetic field distributions in the structure. We obtain explicit formulas for contributions of different types of modes, i.e. radiation, substrate and guided modes. Formal calculations are illustrated with a few numerical examples, which demonstrate that the application of effective resonator model simplifies interpretation of results.Comment: Cent. Eur. J. Phys, in pres