Holographic Kondo and Fano Resonances

We use holography to study a $(1+1)$-dimensional Conformal Field Theory (CFT) coupled to an impurity. The CFT is an $SU(N)$ gauge theory at large $N$, with strong gauge interactions. The impurity is an $SU(N)$ spin. We trigger an impurity Renormalization Group (RG) flow via a Kondo coupling. The Kondo effect occurs only below the critical temperature of a large-$N$ mean-field transition. We show that at all temperatures $T$, impurity spectral functions exhibit a Fano resonance, which in the low-$T$ phase is a large-$N$ manifestation of the Kondo resonance. We thus provide an example in which the Kondo resonance survives strong correlations, and uncover a novel mechanism for generating Fano resonances, via RG flows between $(0 + 1)$-dimensional fixed pointsComment: 5 pages + references, 6 figures; v2: discussion clarified, references added; as accepted by PR

Top-funded digital health companies offering lifestyle interventions for dementia prevention: Company overview and evidence analysis

Background and objective Dementia prevention has been recognized as a top priority by public health authorities due to the lack of a reversible cure. In this regard, digital dementia-preventive lifestyle services (DDLS) emerge as potentially pivotal services, aiming to address modifiable risk factors on a large scale. This study aims to identify the top-funded companies offering DDLS and evaluate their clinical evidence to gain insights into the international service landscape. Methods A systematic screening of two financial databases (Pitchbook and Crunchbase) was conducted. Corresponding published clinical evidence was collected through a systematic literature review and analyzed regarding study purpose, results, quality of results, and level of clinical evidence. Findings The ten top-funded companies offering DDLS received a total funding of EUR 128.52 million, of which three companies collected more than 75%. Clinical evidence was limited due to only nine eligible publications, small clinical subject groups, the absence of longitudinal study designs, and no direct evidence of dementia prevention. Conclusion Our study shows that the level of funding received by companies does not reflect the clinical effectiveness of DDLS. The study serves as an initial step toward understanding how DDLS are currently evaluated in today’s market and highlights the need for a more rigorous evaluation of DDLS effectiveness

The Effect of Non-lexical Verbal Signals on the Perceived Authenticity, Empathy and Understanding of a Listener

Active listening plays an important role in the relationship between clients and therapists. Here, we investigated whether variations of the confirmatory nonlexical verbal communication signal "mmh" influenced perceived authenticity, empathy and understanding of a listener. Eighty-one participants were in a conversation with an interviewer and reported about a difficult work experience. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: The control group did not receive any verbal feedback from the interviewer; In one experimental group (1x-mmh), the interviewer uttered several monosyllabic confirmatory nonlexical verbal signals ("mmh") during the presentation; In a second experimental group (3x-mmh) the interviewer voiced several three syllable "mmh-mmh-mmh" while listening. All participants were then asked to rate the perceived authenticity, empathy and understanding of the interviewer. Participants in the 3x-mmh condition rated the interviewer to be significantly less authentic than those in the other two groups. No differences in reported empathy and understanding were found. The use of consecutive confirmatory nonlexical verbal signals ("mmh") - at least as currently implemented - may influence the perceived authenticity of a listener

Design and development of a complex narrative intervention delivered by text messages to reduce binge drinking among socially disadvantaged men

Background: Socially disadvantaged men are at high risk of suffering from alcohol-related harm. Disadvantaged groups are less likely to engage with health promotion. There is a need for interventions that reach large numbers at low cost and which promote high levels of engagement with the behaviour change process. The aim of this study was to design a theoretically and empirically based text message intervention to reduce binge drinking by socially disadvantaged men. Results: Following MRC guidance, the intervention was developed in four stages. Stage 1 developed a detailed behaviour change strategy based on existing literature and theory from several areas. These included the psychological theory that would underpin the intervention, alcohol brief interventions, text message interventions, effective behaviour change techniques, narratives in behaviour change interventions and communication theory. In addition, formative research was carried out. A logic model was developed to depict the pathways between intervention inputs, processes and outcomes for behaviour change. Stage 2 created a narrative which illustrated and modelled key steps in the strategy. Stage 3 rendered the intervention into a series of text messages and ensured that appropriate behavioural change techniques were incorporated. Stage 4 revised the messages to ensure comprehensive coverage of the behaviour change strategy and coherence of the narrative. It also piloted the intervention and made final revisions to it. Conclusions: The structured, systematic approach to design created a narrative intervention which had a strong theoretical and empirical basis. The use of a narrative helped make the intervention realistic and allowed key behaviour change techniques to be modelled by characters. The narrative was intended to promote engagement with the intervention. The intervention was rendered into a series of short text messages, and subsequent piloting showed they were acceptable in the target group. Delivery of an intervention by text message offers a low-cost, low-demand method that can reach large numbers of people. This approach provides a framework for the design of behaviour change interventions which could be used for interventions to tackle other health behaviours

Hybridized Guided-Mode Resonances via Colloidal Plasmonic Self-Assembled Grating

For many photonic applications, it is important to confine light of a specific wavelength at a certain volume of interest at low losses. So far, it is only possible to use the polarized light perpendicular to the solid grid lines to excite waveguide-plasmon polaritons in a waveguide-supported hybrid structure. In our work, we use a plasmonic grating fabricated by colloidal self-assembly and an ultrathin injection layer to guide the resonant modes selectively. We use gold nanoparticles self-assembled in a linear template on a titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) layer to study the dispersion relation with conventional ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectroscopic methods. Supported with finite-difference in time-domain simulations, we identify the optical band gaps as hybridized modes: plasmonic and photonic resonances. Compared to metallic grids, the observation range of hybridized guided modes can now be extended to modes along the nanoparticle chain lines. With future applications in energy conversion and optical filters employing these cost-efficient and upscalable directed self-assembly methods, we discuss also the application in refractive index sensing of the particle-based hybridized guided modes. Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society

Mechanotunable Surface Lattice Resonances in the Visible Optical Range by Soft Lithography Templates and Directed Self-Assembly

We demonstrate a novel colloidal self-assembly approach toward obtaining mechanically tunable, cost-efficient, and low-loss plasmonic nanostructures that show pronounced optical anisotropy upon mechanical deformation. Soft lithography and template-assisted colloidal self-assembly are used to fabricate a stretchable periodic square lattice of gold nanoparticles on macroscopic areas. We stress the impact of particle size distribution on the resulting optical properties. To this end, lattices of narrowly distributed particles (∼2% standard deviation in diameter) are compared with those composed of polydisperse ones (∼14% standard deviation). The enhanced particle quality sharpens the collective surface lattice resonances by 40% to achieve a full width at half-maximum as low as 16 nm. This high optical quality approaches the theoretical limit for this system, as revealed by electromagnetic simulations. One hundred stretching cycles demonstrate a reversible transformation from a square to a rectangular lattice, accompanied by polarization-dependent optical properties. On the basis of these findings we envisage the potential applications as strain sensors and mechanically tunable filters. © 2019 American Chemical Society

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of 21,000 cases and 95,000 controls identifies new risk loci for atopic dermatitis

Genetic association studies have identified 21 loci associated with atopic dermatitis risk predominantly in populations of European ancestry. To identify further susceptibility loci for this common, complex skin disease, we performed a meta-analysis of >15 million genetic variants in 21,399 cases and 95,464 controls from populations of European, African, Japanese and Latino ancestry, followed by replication in 32,059 cases and 228,628 controls from 18 studies. We identified ten new risk loci, bringing the total number of known atopic dermatitis risk loci to 31 (with new secondary signals at four of these loci). Notably, the new loci include candidate genes with roles in the regulation of innate host defenses and T cell function, underscoring the important contribution of (auto)immune mechanisms to atopic dermatitis pathogenesis

Optimized dithranol-imiquimod-based transcutaneous immunization enables tumor rejection

Introduction: Transcutaneous immunization (TCI) is a non-invasive vaccination method promoting strong cellular immune responses, crucial for the immunological rejection of cancer. Previously, we reported on the combined application of the TLR7 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) together with the anti-psoriatic drug dithranol as novel TCI platform DIVA (dithranol/IMQ based vaccination). In extension of this work, we further optimized DIVA in terms of drug dose, application pattern and established a new IMQ formulation. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were treated on the ear skin with dithranol and IMQ-containing ointments together with ovalbumin-derived peptides. T cell responses were determined by flow cytometry and IFN-ɤ ELISpot assay, local skin inflammation was characterized by ear swelling. Results: Applying the adjuvants on separate skin sites, a reduced number of specific CD8+ T cells with effector function was detectable, indicating that the local concurrence of adjuvants and peptide antigens is required for optimal vaccination. Likewise, changing the order of dithranol and IMQ resulted in an increased skin inflammatory reaction, but lower frequencies of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells indicating that dithranol is essential for superior T cell priming upon DIVA. Dispersing nanocrystalline IMQ in a spreadable formulation (IMI-Sol+) facilitated storage and application rendering comparable immune responses. DIVA applied one or two weeks after the first immunization resulted in a massive increase in antigen-specific T cells and up to a ten-fold increased memory response. Finally, in a prophylactic tumor setting, double but no single DIVA treatment enabled complete control of tumor growth, resulting in full tumor protection. Discussion: Taken together, the described optimized transcutaneous vaccination method leads to the generation of a strong cellular immune response enabling the effective control of tumor growth and has the potential for clinical development as a novel non-invasive vaccination method for peptide-based cancer vaccines in humans

Laboratory soft X ray setup for transient absorption experiments in the liquid phase using a laser produced plasma source

With time resolved soft X ray spectroscopy, the element specific dynamics of the electronic structure of disordered systems can be investigated. Measurements of species in dilute liquid solutions are particularly challenging and require high photon flux combined with low experimental noise. This mostly limited these experiments to large scale facilities, especially for energies above the water window 533 eV . Based on a laser produced plasma source, our system enables, to the best of our knowledge, the first static and transient experiments in the liquid phase to be performed in the laboratory for energies up to 1400 eV and with a time resolution of 500 ps. We benchmark the system with static investigations of [Ni CN 4]2 amp; 8722; and transient experiments on the widely used model complex [Fe bpy 3]2 , both in an aqueous solution. The introduced self referencing concept ensures that the measurements are photon noise limited. Our results form the basis for further liquid phase experiments investigating the dynamics in diluted solution

The predictive value of the PRAETORIAN score for defibrillation test success in subcutaneous ICD patients:a sub-analysis of the PRAETORIAN-DFT trial

BACKGROUND: The PRAETORIAN score estimates the risk of failure of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) therapy, using generator and lead positioning on bidirectional chest radiographs. The PRAETORIAN-DFT trial investigates whether PRAETORIAN score calculation is non-inferior to defibrillation testing (DFT), with regard to first shock efficacy in spontaneous events.OBJECTIVE: This pre-specified sub-analysis assesses the predictive value of the PRAETORIAN score for defibrillation success in induced ventricular arrhythmias.METHODS: This multicenter investigator initiated trial randomized 965 patients between DFT or PRAETORIAN score calculation after de novo S-ICD implant. Successful DFT was defined as conversion of an induced ventricular arrhythmia in less than five seconds from shock delivery, within two attempts. Bidirectional chest radiographs were obtained after implantation. Predictive value of the PRAETORIAN score for DFT success was calculated for patients in the DFT arm.RESULTS: In total, 482 patients were randomized to undergo DFT. Of these patients, 457 underwent DFT according to protocol, of whom 445 had a successful DFT and 12 had a failed DFT. A PRAETORIAN score ≥ 90 had a positive predictive value of 25% for failed DFT and a PRAETORIAN score &lt; 90 had a negative predictive value of 99% for successful DFT. A PRAETORIAN score ≥ 90 was the strongest independent predictor for failed DFT (OR 33.77; CI 6.13-279.95, p&lt;0.001).CONCLUSION: A PRAETORIAN score &lt;90 serves as a reliable indicator for DFT success in S-ICD patients and a PRAETORIAN score ≥90 is a strong predictor for DFT failure.</p