Modular invariance of string theory on AdS_3

We discuss the modular invariance of the SL(2,R) WZW model. In particular, we discuss in detail the modular invariants using the \hat{sl}(2,R) characters based on the discrete unitary series of the SL(2,R) representations. The explicit forms of the corresponding characters are known when no singular vectors appear. We show, for example, that from such characters modular invariants can be obtained only when the level k < 2 and infinitely large spins are included. In fact, we give a modular invariant with three variables Z(z,\tau, u) in this case. We also argue that the discrete series characters are not sufficient to construct a modular invariant compatible with the unitarity bound, which was proposed to resolve the ghost problem of the SL(2,R) strings.Comment: 12 pages, no figures, latex; v2: a reference added, minor corrections; v3: some changes in presentation, version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Neutrino emissions in all flavors up to the pre-bounce of massive stars and the possibility of their detections

This paper is a sequel to our previous one (Kato et al.2015), which calculated the luminosities and spectra of electron-type anti-neutrinos ($\bar{\nu}_e$'s) from the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae. Expecting that a capability to detect electron-type neutrinos ($\nu_e$'s) will increase dramatically with the emergence of liquid-argon detectors such as DUNE, we broaden the scope in this study to include all-flavors of neutrinos emitted from the pre-bounce phase. We pick up three progenitor models of an electron capture supernova (ECSN) and iron-core collapse supernovae (FeCCSNe). We find that the number luminosities reach $\sim10^{57} \mathrm{s^{-1}}$ and $\sim10^{53} \mathrm{s^{-1}}$ at maximum for $\nu_e$ and $\bar{\nu}_e$, respectively. We also estimate the numbers of detection events at terrestrial neutrino detectors including DUNE, taking flavor oscillations into account and assuming the distance to the progenitors to be 200 pc. It is demonstrated that $\bar{\nu}_e$'s from the ECSN-progenitor will be undetected at almost all detectors, whereas we will be able to observe $\gtrsim$15900 $\nu_e$'s at DUNE for the inverted mass hierarchy. From the FeCCSN-progenitors, the number of $\bar{\nu}_e$ events will be largest for JUNO, 200-900 $\bar{\nu}_e$'s, depending on the mass hierarchy whereas the number of $\nu_e$ events at DUNE is $\gtrsim$2100 for the inverted mass hierarchy. These results imply that the detection of $\bar{\nu}_e$'s is useful to distinguish FeCCSN- from ECSN-progenitors, while $\nu_e$'s will provide us with detailed information on the collapse phase regardless of the type and mass of progenitor.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables, accepted to Ap

Perovskite solar cells for roll-to-roll fabrication

Perovskite solar cell (PSCs) is considered as the game changer in emerging photovoltaics technology. The highest certified efficiency is 22% with high temperature processed (∼500 °C) TiO2 based electron transport layer (ETL). High temperature process is a rudimentary hindrance towards roll-to-roll processing of PSCs on flexible substrates. Low temperature solution process (<150 °C) ZnO based ETL is one of the most promising candidate for large scale roll-to-roll fabrication of cells as it has nearly identical electron affinity (4.2 eV) of TiO2. The mixed organic perovskite (MA0.6FA0.4PbI3) devices with Al doped ZnO (AZO) ETL demonstrate average cell efficiency over 16%, which is the highest ever reported efficiency for this device configuration. The energy level alignment and related interfacial charge transport dynamics at the interface of ZnO and perovskite films and the adjacent charge transport layers are investigated. Significantly improved device stability, hysteresis free device photocurrent have been observed in MA0.6FA0.4PbI3 cells. A systematic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, frequency dependent capacitance spectra, surface morphology and topography characterization have been conducted to understand the role of interfacial electronic properties between perovskite and neighbouring layers in perovskite device. A standardized degradation study, interfacial electronic property and capacitive spectra analysis of aged device, have been measured to understand the enhanced device stability in mixed MA0.6FA0.4PbI3 cells. Slow perovskite material decomposition rate and augmented device lifetime with AZO based devices have been found to be correlated with the more hydrophobic and acidic nature of AZO surface compared to pristine ZnO film

Impact of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation on cardiac disorders in patients with coexisting heart failure

AIMS: We sought to investigate the time course of cardiac disorders after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with coexisting heart failure (HF) during long-term follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed consecutive 280 patients undergoing first-time catheter ablation for AF who had coexisting HF, which was defined as prior HF hospitalization, estimated right ventricular systolic pressure ≥45 mmHg, or B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) ≥200 pg/dL before the procedure. The primary endpoints were improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), E/e', BNP, left atrial dimension (LAD), and mitral regurgitation (MR) at 1 year. The secondary endpoints were serial changes of LVEF, E/e', BNP, LAD, and MR at 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years and cumulative incidence of HF hospitalization. During the mean follow-up of 5.1 ± 3.0 years, 70.7% of patients were free from recurrent AF. Among patients with LVEF < 50%, E/e' ≥ 15, BNP ≥ 200 pg/dL, LAD ≥ 40 mm, and moderate-to-severe MR, changes in those parameters from baseline to 1 year were 34.5 ± 9.9% to 43.2 ± 14.4% (P < 0.001), 19.7 ± 3.9 to 12.5 ± 6.6 (P < 0.001), 290 to 85 pg/dL (P < 0.001), and 100% to 37.8% (P < 0.001), respectively. The improvements in the cardiac disorders were maintained up to 5 years except for E/e'. In patients with LVEF < 40%, significant delayed improvement of LVEF beyond 1 year was observed (ΔLVEF = 10.5 ± 18.5, P = 0.001), but not in patients with LVEF of 40-49%. The cumulative incidence of HF hospitalization was 12.6% at 5 years. Baseline diastolic dysfunction was the only independent predictor for subsequent HF hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing AF ablation with coexisting HF, all cardiac disorders significantly improved after the procedure, which was mostly maintained during 5 year follow-up

Integrated genetic and epigenetic analysis defines novel molecular subgroups in rhabdomyosarcoma.

横紋筋肉腫におけるゲノム・エピゲノム異常の全体図を解明 -横紋筋肉腫を4群に分類-. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2015-07-03.Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue sarcoma in childhood. Here we studied 60 RMSs using whole-exome/-transcriptome sequencing, copy number (CN) and DNA methylome analyses to unravel the genetic/epigenetic basis of RMS. On the basis of methylation patterns, RMS is clustered into four distinct subtypes, which exhibits remarkable correlation with mutation/CN profiles, histological phenotypes and clinical behaviours. A1 and A2 subtypes, especially A1, largely correspond to alveolar histology with frequent PAX3/7 fusions and alterations in cell cycle regulators. In contrast, mostly showing embryonal histology, both E1 and E2 subtypes are characterized by high frequency of CN alterations and/or allelic imbalances, FGFR4/RAS/AKT pathway mutations and PTEN mutations/methylation and in E2, also by p53 inactivation. Despite the better prognosis of embryonal RMS, patients in the E2 are likely to have a poor prognosis. Our results highlight the close relationships of the methylation status and gene mutations with the biological behaviour in RMS

Sex differences in patients with acute decompensated heart failure in Japan: observation from the KCHF registry

Aims: The association between sex and long‐term outcome in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) has not been fully studied yet in Japanese population. The aim of this study was to determine differences in baseline characteristics and management of patients with ADHF between women and men and to compare 1‐year outcomes between the sexes in a large‐scale database representing the current real‐world clinical practice in Japan. Methods and results: Kyoto Congestive Heart Failure registry is a prospective cohort study enrolling consecutive patients hospitalized for ADHF in Japan among 19 centres. Baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, management, and 1‐year outcomes were compared between men and women. A total of 3728 patients who were alive at discharge constituted the current study population. There were 1671 women (44.8%) and 2057 men. Women were older than men [median (IQR): 83 (76–88) years vs. 77 (68–84) years, P < 0.0001]. Hypertensive and valvular heart diseases were more prevalent in women than in men (28.0% vs. 22.5%, P = 0.0001; and 26.9% vs. 14.0%, P < 0.0001, respectively), whereas ischaemic aetiology was less prevalent in women than in men (20.0% vs. 32.5%, P < 0.0001). Women less often had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (<40%) than men (27.5% vs. 45.1%, P < 0.0001). The cumulative incidence of all‐cause death or hospitalization for heart failure was not significantly different between women and men (33.6% vs. 34.3%, P = 0.71), although women were substantially older than men. After multivariable adjustment, the risk of all‐cause death or hospitalization for heart failure was significantly lower among women (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.84, 95% confidence interval: 0.74–0.96, P = 0.01). Conclusions: Women with heart failure were older and more often presented with preserved EF with a non‐ischaemic aetiology and were associated with a reduced adjusted risk of 1‐year mortality compared with men in the Japanese population

Clinically relevant subgroups in COPD and asthma

As knowledge of airways disease has grown, it has become apparent that neither chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) nor asthma is a simple, easily defined disease. In the past, treatment options for both diseases were limited; thus, there was less need to define subgroups. As treatment options have grown, so has our need to predict who will respond to new drugs. To date, identifying subgroups has been largely reported by detailed clinical characterisation or differences in pathobiology. These subgroups are commonly called "phenotypes"; however, the problem of defining what constitutes a phenotype, whether this should include comorbid diseases and how to handle changes over time has led to the term being used loosely. In this review, we describe subgroups of COPD and asthma patients whose clinical characteristics we believe have therapeutic or major prognostic implications specific to the lung, and whether these subgroups are constant over time. Finally, we will discuss whether the subgroups we describe are common to both asthma and COPD, and give some examples of how treatment might be tailored in patients where the subgroup is clear, but the label of asthma or COPD is not

Clinical characteristics, management strategies and outcomes of patients with recurrent venous thromboembolism in the real world

There is a paucity of data on management strategies and clinical outcomes after recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE). In a multicenter registry enrolling 3027 patients with acute symptomatic VTE, the current study population was divided into the following 3 groups: (1) First recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy (N = 110); (2) First recurrent VTE after discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy (N = 116); and (3) No recurrent VTE (N = 2801). Patients with first recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy more often had active cancer (45, 25 and 22%, P < 0.001). Among 110 patients with first recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy, 84 patients (76%) received warfarin at recurrent VTE with the median prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) value at recurrent VTE of 1.6, although patients with active cancer had a significantly higher median PT-INR value at recurrent VTE compared with those without active cancer (2.0 versus 1.4, P < 0.001). Within 90 days after recurrent VTE, 23 patients (20.9%) during anticoagulation therapy and 24 patients (20.7%) after discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy died. Active cancer was a major cause of recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy as a patient-related factor, while sub-optimal intensity of anticoagulation therapy was a major cause of recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy as a treatment-related factor, particularly in patients without active cancer