On the low energy limit of one loop photon-graviton amplitudes

We present first results of a systematic study of the structure of the low energy limit of the one-loop photon-graviton amplitudes induced by massive scalars and spinors. Our main objective is the search of KLT-type relations where effectively two photons merge into a graviton. We find such a relation at the graviton-photon-photon level. We also derive the diffeomorphism Ward identity for the 1PI one graviton - N photon amplitudes.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure. Final version to be published in Physics Letters

Dielectric constants and phonon modes of amorphous hafnium aluminate deposited by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Dielectric constants and long-wavelength optical phonon modes of amorphous hafnium aluminate films with a maximum aluminum content of 19 at. % are studied by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE). The hafnium aluminate films were prepared by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on silicon substrates. IRSE revealed one polar lattice mode and one impurity-type mode, which show all a systematic shift in frequency with varying Al content. The static dielectric constant decreases from 10.1 for 4.6 at. % Al to 8.1 for 19 at. % Al. The absolute values were found to be between 50% and 70% smaller than the values obtained from electrical measurements

Ultrasonic Testing of Rails Including Vertical Cracks - Numerical Modeling and Experimental Results

One of the possible reasons for the failure of rails in railway tracks is the appearance of vertical cracks in the head, neck or bottom of the rail (see Fig. 1). Therefore, it is necessary to detect such defects at an early stage when the cracks are still of smaller dimensions. For vertical cracks, results of ultrasonic pulse-echo measurements are difficult to interpret due to mode conversions at the crack and rail surfaces, respectively. For normal incidence, not only the attenuation of the primary wavefront but also new echoes due to converted wave modes can be observed in the A-scan data

3D printing of ultra‐thin veneers made of lithium disilicate using the LCM method in a digital workflow: A feasibility study

Objective This article highlights the feasibility of the additive fabrication of ultra-thin veneers made of lithium disilicate using the lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) method. Clinical Considerations An esthetical appealing restoration of anterior teeth with thin ceramic veneers is considered one of the ultimate challenges in restorative dental prosthetics. These sophisticated restorations can be fabricated in different ways. Both analog and digital subtractive manufacturing processes have been used to date. Either of the methods is highly demanding for the dental technician and dental engineering due to the required low ceramic layer thickness. Conclusion Modern additive manufacturing methods, for example LCM technology, enable the production of ultra-thin lithium disilicate veneers with layer thicknesses of down to 0.2 mm and could therefore represent a viable alternative for this indication in the future. Clinical Significance Digital technologies can help streamline workflows, make the outcome more predictable and reproducible, and even further optimize therapeutic restorative options such as highly esthetic veneers for anterior teeth. The reduced material thickness allows for a true non-prep solution or minimally invasive preparation

Effect of different N fertilization of vine on the tryptophan, free and total indole-3-acetic acid concentrations

The compound responsible for UTA (untypical ageing off-flavour) in wines is o-AAP (o-amino acetophenone). It is formed from IAA (indole-3-acetic acid), triggered by sulfurylation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different N fertilizer supply on this precursor in must and wine, making use of a long-term nitrogen fertilization experiment. Trp (Tryptophan) as well as free and conjugated IAA were determined in musts and wines produced from grapevines supplied with 0, 30, 60, 90 or 150 kg N ha-1 year-1. IAA concentrations in musts and wines varied highly over years (1994-1999), wines containing about half of the total IAA of musts. The IAA concentration in must was positively correlated with the concentration of amino acids in must, however, nitrogen supply did not have any effect, neither on Trp nor on IAA concentrations

Real-time observation of interfering crystal electrons in high-harmonic generation

Accelerating and colliding particles has been a key strategy to explore the texture of matter. Strong lightwaves can control and recollide electronic wavepackets, generating high-harmonic (HH) radiation which encodes the structure and dynamics of atoms and molecules and lays the foundations of attosecond science. The recent discovery of HH generation in bulk solids combines the idea of ultrafast acceleration with complex condensed matter systems and sparks hope for compact solid-state attosecond sources and electronics at optical frequencies. Yet the underlying quantum motion has not been observable in real time. Here, we study HH generation in a bulk solid directly in the time-domain, revealing a new quality of strong-field excitations in the crystal. Unlike established atomic sources, our solid emits HH radiation as a sequence of subcycle bursts which coincide temporally with the field crests of one polarity of the driving terahertz waveform. We show that these features hallmark a novel non-perturbative quantum interference involving electrons from multiple valence bands. The results identify key mechanisms for future solid-state attosecond sources and next-generation lightwave electronics. The new quantum interference justifies the hope for all-optical bandstructure reconstruction and lays the foundation for possible quantum logic operations at optical clock rates

Cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of Theileria annulata schizont surface proteins

The invasion of Theileria sporozoites into bovine leukocytes is rapidly followed by the destruction of the surrounding host cell membrane, allowing the parasite to establish its niche within the host cell cytoplasm. Theileria infection induces host cell transformation, characterised by increased host cell proliferation and invasiveness, and the activation of anti-apoptotic genes. This process is strictly dependent on the presence of a viable parasite. Several host cell kinases, including PI3-K, JNK, CK2 and Src-family kinases, are constitutively activated in Theileria-infected cells and contribute to the transformed phenotype. Although a number of host cell molecules, including IkB kinase and polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), are recruited to the schizont surface, very little is known about the schizont molecules involved in host-parasite interactions. In this study we used immunofluorescence to detect phosphorylated threonine (p-Thr), serine (p-Ser) and threonine-proline (p-Thr-Pro) epitopes on the schizont during host cell cycle progression, revealing extensive schizont phosphorylation during host cell interphase. Furthermore, we established a quick protocol to isolate schizonts from infected macrophages following synchronisation in S-phase or mitosis, and used mass spectrometry to detect phosphorylated schizont proteins. In total, 65 phosphorylated Theileria proteins were detected, 15 of which are potentially secreted or expressed on the surface of the schizont and thus may be targets for host cell kinases. In particular, we describe the cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of two T. annulata surface proteins, TaSP and p104, both of which are highly phosphorylated during host cell S-phase. TaSP and p104 are involved in mediating interactions between the parasite and the host cell cytoskeleton, which is crucial for the persistence of the parasite within the dividing host cell and the maintenance of the transformed state

Non-perturbative Interband Response of InSb Driven Off-resonantly by Few-cycle Electromagnetic Transients

Intense multi-THz pulses are used to study the coherent nonlinear response of bulk InSb by means of field-resolved four-wave mixing spectroscopy. At amplitudes above 5 MV/cm the signals show a clear temporal substructure which is unexpected in perturbative nonlinear optics. Simulations based on a two-level quantum system demonstrate that in spite of the strongly off-resonant character of the excitation the high-field pulses drive the interband resonances into a non-perturbative regime of Rabi flopping.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Effects of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on micropropagated grapevines: Influence of endophyte strain, P fertilization and growth medium

Einfluß vesikulär-arbuskulärer Mykorrhizapilze auf in vitro vermehrte Reben: Wirkung von Pilzstamm, Phosphatdüngung und KultursubstratIn vitro vermehrte Pflanzen der Unterlagssorte Vitis berlandieri x V. rupestris 1103 P wurden in steriles Substrat verpflanzt, das mit steigenden P-Gaben angereichert war, und während der Anpassungsphase mit verschiedenen Arten vesikulär-arbuskulärer Mykorrhizapilze (VAM) beimpft. In dem Substrat ohne P-Düngung förderten alle Pilzarten das Rebenwachstum; der positive Einfluß der Beimpfung war jedoch mit zunehmender Düngungsstufe verwischt. Zwei Pilzarten waren indessen auch noch bei der höchsten P-Konzentration in der Lage, das Pflanzenwachstum zu steigern. In einem weiteren Versuch wurde der Einfluß der VAM-Art Glomus caledonicum (NICOL. et GERD.) TRAPPE et GERD. in einem Torf/Sand-Gemisch geprüft, das mit 0 oder 10 % Erde versetzt war. Obwohl der VAM-Pilz die Wurzeln in beiden Fällen besiedelte, wurde eine signifikante Wachstumssteigerung nur in dem Erde enthaltenden Substrat festgestellt