Are There Nuclear Structure Effects on the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance and Nuclear Incompressibility near A~90?

"Background-free" spectra of inelastic $\alpha$-particle scattering have been measured at a beam energy of 385 MeV in $^{90, 92}$Zr and $^{92}$Mo at extremely forward angles, including 0$^{\circ}$. The ISGMR strength distributions for the three nuclei coincide with each other, establishing clearly that nuclear incompressibility is not influenced by nuclear shell structure near $A\sim$90 as was claimed in recent measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

Isoscalar Giant Monopole, Dipole, and Quadrupole Resonances in 90,92^{90,92}Zr and 92^{92}Mo

The isoscalar giant monopole, dipole, and quadrupole strength distributions have been deduced in $^{90, 92}$Zr, and $^{92}$Mo from "background-free" spectra of inelastic $\alpha$-particle scattering at a beam energy of 385 MeV at extremely forward angles, including 0$^{\circ}$. These strength distributions were extracted by a multipole-decomposition analysis based on the expected angular distributions of the respective multipoles. All these strength distributions for the three nuclei practically coincide with each other, affirming that giant resonances, being collective phenomena, are not influenced by nuclear shell structure near $A\sim$90, contrary to the claim in a recent measurement.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures; Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1607.0219

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

Strategies to Prolong the Intravaginal Residence Time of Drug Delivery Systems

WOS: 000272231000007PubMed ID: 20067707The vagina has been studied as a suitable site for local and systemic delivery of drugs. There are a large number of vaginal medications on the market. Most of them, however, require frequent applications due to their short vaginal residence time. A prolonged vaginal residence time of formulations is therefore a key parameter for improved therapeutic efficacy. Promising approaches for prolonging the residence time base on mucoadhesion, were in- situ sol-to-gel transition and mechanical fixation. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems can be tailored to adhere to the vaginal tissue. In-situ gelling systems offer the advantage of increased viscosity in vaginal cavity and consequently reduce outflow from the vagina. Mechanical fixation needs specially shaped drug delivery systems and reduce the frequency of administration significantly. In this review, an overview on these different strategies and systems is provided. Furthermore, the techniques to evaluate the potential of these systems for prolonged vaginal residence time are described