Electromagnetic Radiation Hardness of Diamond Detectors

The behavior of artificially grown CVD diamond films under intense electromagnetic radiation has been studied. The properties of irradiated diamond samples have been investigated using the method of thermally stimulated current and by studying their charge collection properties. Diamonds have been found to remain unaffected after doses of 6.8 MGy of 10 keV photons and 10 MGy of MeV-range photons. This observation makes diamond an attractive detector material for a calorimeter in the very forward region of the proposed TESLA detector.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure

1,8-cineol potentiates IRF3-mediated antiviral response in human stem cells and an ex vivo model of rhinosinusitis

Common cold is one of the most frequent human inflammatory diseases caused by viruses and can facilitate bacterial super-infections resulting in sinusitis or pneumonia. The active ingredient of the drug Soledum, 1,8-cineole, is commonly applied for treating inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract. However, the potential of 1,8-cineole for treating primary viral infections of the respiratory tract remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate for the first time that 1,8-cineole potentiates Poly(I:C)-induced activity of the anti-viral transcription factor Interferon Regulatory Factor 3, while simultaneously reducing pro-inflammatory NF-κB-activity in human cell lines, inferior turbinate stem cells (ITSCs) and ex vivo cultivated human nasal mucosa. Co-treatment of cell lines with Poly(I:C) and 1,8-cineole resulted in significantly increased IRF3 reporter gene activity compared to Poly(I:C) alone, whereas NF-κB-activity was reduced. Accordingly, 1,8-cineole- and Poly(I:C)-treatment led to increased nuclear translocation of IRF3 in ITSCs and a human ex vivo model of rhinosinusitis compared to the Poly(I:C)-treated approach. Nuclear translocation of IRF3 was significantly increased in ITSCs and slice cultures treated with LPS and 1,8-cineole compared to the LPS-treated cells mimicking bacterial infection. Our findings strongly suggest that 1,8-cineole potentiates the antiviral activity of IRF3 in addition to its inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory NF-κB-signalling and may thus broaden its field of application

Reconfigurable frequency coding of triggered single photons in the telecom C--band

In this work, we demonstrate reconfigurable frequency manipulation of quantum states of light in the telecom C-band. Triggered single photons are encoded in a superposition state of three channels using sidebands up to 53 GHz created by an off-the-shelf phase modulator. The single photons are emitted by an InAs/GaAs quantum dot grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy within the transparency window of the backbone fiber optical network. A cross-correlation measurement of the sidebands demonstrates the preservation of the single photon nature; an important prerequisite for future quantum technology applications using the existing telecommunication fiber network.Comment: Samuel Gyger and Katharina D. Zeuner contributed equall

Ba3Ga3N5 - A Novel Host Lattice for Eu2+ - Doped Luminescent Materials with Unexpected Nitridogallate Substructure

The alkaline earth nitridogallate Ba3Ga3N5 was synthesized from the elements in a sodium flux at 760°C utilizing weld shut tantalum ampules. The crystal structure was solved and refined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Ba3Ga3N5 (space group C2/c (No. 15), a = 16.801(3), b = 8.3301(2), c = 11.623(2) Å, β = 109.92 (3)°, Z = 8) contains a hitherto unknown structural motif in nitridogallates, namely, infinite strands made up of GaN4 tetrahedra, each sharing two edges and at least one corner with neighboring GaN4 units. There are three Ba2+ sites with coordination numbers six or eight, respectively, and one Ba2+ position exhibiting a low coordination number 4 corresponding to a distorted tetrahedron. Eu2+ - doped samples show red luminescence when excited by UV irradiation at room temperature. Luminescence investigations revealed a maximum emission intensity at 638 nm (FWHM =2123 cm−1). Ba3Ga3N5 is the first nitridogallate for which parity allowed broadband emission due to Eu2+ - doping has been found. The electronic structure of both Ba3Ga3N5 as well as isoelectronic but not isostructural Sr3Ga3N5 was investigated by DFT methods. The calculations revealed a band gap of 1.53 eV for Sr3Ga3N5 and 1.46 eV for Ba3Ga3N5

Studies of aging and HV break down problems during development and operation of MSGC and GEM detectors for the Inner Tracking System of HERA-B

The results of five years of development of the inner tracking system of the HERA-B experiment and first experience from the data taking period of the year 2000 are reported. The system contains 184 chambers, covering a sensitive area of about 20 * 20 cm2 each. The detector is based on microstrip gas counters (MSGCs) with diamond like coated (DLC) glass wafers and gas electron multipliers (GEMs). The main problems in the development phase were gas discharges in intense hadron beams and aging in a high radiation dose environment. The observation of gas discharges which damage the electrode structure of the MSGC led to the addition of the GEM as a first amplification step. Spurious sparking at the GEM cannot be avoided completely. It does not affect the GEM itself but can produce secondary damage of the MSGC if the electric field between the GEM and the MSGC is above a threshold depending on operation conditions. We observed that aging does not only depend on the dose but also on the spot size of the irradiated area. Ar-DME mixtures had to be abandoned whereas a mixture of 70% Ar and 30% CO2 showed no serious aging effects up to about 40 mC/cm deposited charge on the anodes. X-ray measurements indicate that the DLC of the MSGC is deteriorated by the gas amplification process. As a consequence, long term gain variations are expected. The Inner Tracker has successfully participated in the data taking at HERA-B during summer 2000.Comment: 29 pages, 22 figure

Non-perturbative electron dynamics in crossed fields

Intense AC electric fields on semiconductor structures have been studied in photon-assisted tunneling experiments with magnetic field applied either parallel (B_par) or perpendicular (B_per) to the interfaces. We examine here the electron dynamics in a double quantum well when intense AC electric fields F, and tilted magnetic fields are applied simultaneously. The problem is treated non-perturbatively by a time-dependent Hamiltonian in the effective mass approximation, and using a Floquet-Fourier formalism. For B_par=0, the quasi-energy spectra show two types of crossings: those related to different Landau levels, and those associated to dynamic localization (DL), where the electron is confined to one of the wells, despite the non-negligible tunneling between wells. B_par couples parallel and in-plane motions producing anti-crossings in the spectrum. However, since our approach is non-perturbative, we are able to explore the entire frequency range. For high frequencies, we reproduce the well known results of perfect DL given by zeroes of a Bessel function. We find also that the system exhibits DL at the same values of the field F, even as B_par non-zero, suggesting a hidden dynamical symmetry in the system which we identify with different parity operations. The return times for the electron at various values of field exhibit interesting and complex behavior which is also studied in detail. We find that smaller frequencies shifts the DL points to lower field F, and more importantly, yields poorer localization by the field. We analyze the explicit time evolution of the system, monitoring the elapsed time to return to a given well for each Landau level, and find non-monotonic behavior for decreasing frequencies.Comment: REVTEX4 + 11 eps figs, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Paracrine effects of TLR4-polarised mesenchymal stromal cells are mediated by extracellular vesicles

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells able to give rise to bone, cartilage and fat cells. In addition, they possess immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive properties that are mainly mediated through secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs). In a previous issue of Journal of Translational Medicine, Ti and colleagues demonstrated that preconditioning of MSCs with bacterial lipopolysaccharides results in secretion of EVs that can polarise mac‑ rophages towards anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Moreover, the authors suggest that EVs of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated MSCs are superior to EVs of untreated MSCs concerning their ability to support wound healing. Our commentary critically discusses parallel efforts of other laboratories to generate conditioned media from stem cells for therapeutic applications, and highlights impact and significance of the study of Ti et al. Finally, we summarise its limitations and spotlight areas that need to be addressed to better define the underlying molecular mechanisms

Li14Ln5[Si11N19O5]O2F2 with Ln = Ce, Nd-Representatives of a Family of Potential Lithium Ion Conductors

The isotypic layered oxonitridosilicates Li14Ln5[Si11N19O5]O2F2 (Ln = Ce, Nd) have been synthesized using Li as fluxing agent and crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pmmn (Z = 2, Li14Ce5[Si11N19O5]O2F2: a = 17.178(3), b = 7.6500(15), c = 10.116(2) Å, R1 = 0.0409, wR2 = 0.0896; Li14Nd5 Si11N19O5]O2F2: a = 17.126(2), b = 7.6155 15), c = 10.123(2) Å, R1 = 0.0419, wR2 = 0.0929). The silicate layers consist of dreier and sechser rings interconnected via common corners, yielding an unprecedented silicate substructure. A topostructural analysis indicates possible 1D ion migration pathways between five crystallographic independent Li positions. The specific Li-ionic conductivity and its temperature dependence were determined by impedance spectroscopy as well as DC polarization/depolarization measurements. The ionic conductivity is on the order of 5 × 10−5 S/cm at 300°C, while the activation energy is 0.69 eV. Further adjustments of the defect chemistry (e.g., through doping)can make these compounds interesting candidates for novel oxonitridosilicate based ion conductors

Topological states in photonic systems

Optics played a key role in the discovery of geometric phase. It now joins the journey of exploring topological physics, bringing bosonic topological states that equip us with the ability to make perfect photonic devices using imperfect interfaces.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMR-1419807)United States. Department of Energy (DE-SC0001299