Area spectra of the rotating BTZ black hole from quasinormal modes

Following Bekenstein's suggestion that the horizon area of a black hole should be quantized, the discrete spectrum of the horizon area has been investigated in various ways. By considering the quasinormal mode of a black hole, we obtain the transition frequency of the black hole, analogous to the case of a hydrogen atom, in the semiclassical limit. According to Bohr's correspondence principle, this transition frequency at large quantum number is equal to classical oscillation frequency. For the corresponding classical system of periodic motion with this oscillation frequency, an action variable is identified and quantized via Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization, from which the quantized spectrum of the horizon area is obtained. This method can be applied for black holes with discrete quasinormal modes. As an example, we apply the method for the both non-rotating and rotating BTZ black holes and obtain that the spectrum of the horizon area is equally spaced and independent of the cosmological constant for both cases

AdS/BCFT Correspondence for Higher Curvature Gravity: An Example

We consider the effects of higher curvature terms on a holographic dual description of boundary conformal field theory. Specifically, we consider three-dimensional gravity with a specific combination of Ricci tensor square and curvature scalar square, so called, new massive gravity. We show that a boundary entropy and an entanglement entropy are given by similar expression with those of the Einstein gravity case when we introduce an {\it effective} Newton's constant and an {\it effective} cosmological constant. We also show that the holographic g-theorem still holds in this extension, and we give some comments about the central charge dependence of boundary entropy in the holographic construction. In the same way, we consider new type black holes and comment on the boundary profile. Moreover, we reproduce these results through auxiliary field formalism in this specific higher curvature gravity.Comment: 27pages, minor corrections, accepted in JHE

Real-world association of adherence with outcomes and economic burden in patients with tuberculosis from South Korea claims data

Objectives We analyzed tuberculosis (TB)-related costs according to treatment adherence, as well as the association between treatment adherence, treatment outcomes, and costs related to drug-susceptible TB in South Korea. Methods Patients who had newly treated TB in South Korea between 2006 and 2015 were selected from nationwide sample claims data and categorized into adherent and non-adherent groups using the proportion of days TB drugs covered. Patients were followed-up from the initiation of TB treatment. The mean five-year cumulative costs per patient were estimated according to adherence. Moreover, we evaluated the relative ratios to identify cost drivers such as adherence, treatment outcomes, and baseline characteristics using generalized linear models. Four treatment outcomes were included: treatment completion, loss to follow-up, death, and the initiation of multidrug-resistant TB treatment. Results Out of the 3,799 new patients with TB, 2,662 were adherent, and 1,137 were non-adherent. Five years after initiating TB treatment, the mean TB-related costs were USD 2,270 and USD 2,694 in the adherent and non-adherent groups, respectively. The TB-related monthly cost per patient was also lower in the adherent than in the non-adherent (relative ratio = 0.89, 95% CI 0.92–0.98), while patients who were lost to follow-up spent more on TB-related costs (2.52, 2.24–2.83) compared to those who completed the treatment. Conclusion Non-adherent patients with TB spend more on treatment costs while they have poorer outcomes compared to adherent patients with TB. Improving patient adherence may lead to effective treatment outcomes and reduce the economic burden of TB. Policymakers and providers should consider commitment programs to improve patient’s adherence

High Mobility Amorphous Polymer-Based 3D Stacked Pseudo Logic Circuits through Precision Printing

Direct printing of conjugated polymer thin-film transistors enables the fabrication of deformable devices with low cost, high throughput, and large area. However, a relatively poor device performance of printed devices remains a major obstacle to their application in high-end display backplanes and integrated circuits. In this study, high-performance and highly stackable printed organic transistors is developed, arrays, and circuits using a near-amorphous polymer, indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole (IDT-BT). The printed devices exhibited high saturation mobility (>1 cm2 V−1 s−1), high on/off ratio (>107), and low subthreshold slope (245 mV dec−1). In addition, 16 × 16 printed IDT-BT arrays achieved 100% fabrication yield, with excellent device-to-device uniformity and low variations of mobility (9.55%) and threshold voltage (4.51%), and good operational and environmental stability (>365 days). Furthermore, five stacked 3D transistors are demonstrated with an excellent 3D uniformity without compromising device performance due to a low required thermal budget for processing amorphous IDT-BT. Finally, a new concept of 3D universal logic gate with high voltage gain (33.91 V/V) and record density (100 printed transistors per cm2) is proposed and fabricated, which is relevant for the commercialization of low-cost printed display backplanes and high-density integrated circuits based on highly processable polymeric semiconductors

Area spectra versus entropy spectra in black holes in topologically massive gravity

We consider the area and entropy spectra of black holes in topologically massive gravity with gravitational Chern-Simons term. The examples we consider are the BTZ black hole and the warped AdS black hole. For the non-rotating BTZ black hole, the area and entropy spectra are equally spaced and independent of the coupling constant \v of the Chern-Simons term. For the rotating BTZ black hole case, the spectra of the inner and outer horizon areas are not equally spaced in general and dependent of the coupling constant \v. However the entropy spectrum is equally spaced and independent of the coupling constant \v. For the warped AdS black holes for $\v >1$ by using the quasinormal modes obtained without imposing the boundary condition at radial infinity we find again that the entropy spectrum is equally spaced and independent of the coupling constant \v, while the spectra of the inner and outer horizon areas are not equally spaced and dependent of the coupling constant \v. Our result implies that the entropy spectrum has a universal behavior regardless of the presence of the gravitational Chern-Simons term, and therefore it implies that the entropy is more `fundamental' than the horizon area.Comment: 16 page

Cost-effectiveness of all-oral regimens for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Korea: comparison with conventional injectable-containing regimens

Background Regimens for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) have been changed from injectable-containing regimens to all-oral regimens. The economic effectiveness of new all-oral regimens compared with conventional injectable-containing regimens was scarcely evaluated. This study was conducted to compare the cost-effectiveness between all-oral longer-course regimens (the oral regimen group) and conventional injectable-containing regimens (the control group) to treat newly diagnosed MDR-TB patients. Methods A health economic analysis over lifetime horizon (20 years) from the perspective of the healthcare system in Korea was conducted. We developed a combined simulation model of a decision tree model (initial two years) and two Markov models (remaining 18 years, six-month cycle length) to calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) between the two groups. The transition probabilities and cost in each cycle were assumed based on the published data and the analysis of health big data that combined country-level claims data and TB registry in 2013–2018. Results: The oral regimen group was assumed to spend 20,778 USD more and lived 1.093 years or 1.056 quality-adjusted life year (QALY) longer than the control group. The ICER of the base case was calculated to be 19,007 USD/life year gained and 19,674 USD/QALY. The results of sensitivity analyses showed that base case results were very robust and stable, and the oral regimen was cost-effective with a 100% probability for a willingness to pay more than 21,250 USD/QALY. Conclusion This study confirmed that the new all-oral longer regimens for the treatment of MDR-TB were cost-effective in replacing conventional injectable-containing regimens

Holographic Renormalization and Stress Tensors in New Massive Gravity

We obtain holographically renormalized boundary stress tensors with the emphasis on a special point in the parameter space of three dimensional new massive gravity, using the so-called Fefferman-Graham coordinates with relevant counter terms. Through the linearized equations of motion with a standard prescription, we also obtain correlators among these stress tensors. We argue that the self-consistency of holographic renormalization determines counter terms up to unphysical ambiguities. Using these renormalized stress tensors in Fefferman-Graham coordinates, we obtain the central charges of dual CFT, and mass and angular momentum of some $AdS$ black hole solutions. These results are consistent with the previous ones obtained by other methods. In this study on the Fefferman-Graham expansion of new massive gravity, some aspects of higher curvature gravity are revealed.Comment: Version accepted for publication in JHEP, conclusion revised, references adde

Phosphate uptake and growth characteristics of transgenic rice with phosphate transporter 1 (OsPT1) gene overexpression under high phosphate soils

Farmers have used phosphate fertilizer to provide sufficient yields. However, overuse of phosphorus accumulate in soil and causes soil and water pollution. We evaluated the phosphate acquisition and growth characteristics of OsPT1 transgenic rice (OsPT1-OX, over-expressing the high affinity phosphate transporter 1) in high phosphate soils with different level of nitrogen fertilizer treatment to investigate its removal ability of excessive phosphate from soil. OsPT1-OX had shorter culm length but more tillers than those of wild-type plants in each soil conditions. Phosphate content per dry weight of OsPT1-OX was 1.8 times higher than that of wild-type under control fertilizer treated conditions. Although the dry weight of OsPT1-OX was not different from that of wild-type plants, whole plant phosphate content was 1.7 times higher than that of wild-type plants under control fertilizer conditions. Tiller number and phosphate content per dry weight of wild-type plants increased following high levels of phosphate application, but did not change following additional nitrogen application. Tiller number and phosphate content per dry weight of OsPT1-OX did not also change under the high phosphate condition, but increased following nitrogen application under similar conditions. Whole plant phosphate content was also highest under high nitrogen and high phosphate application conditions. These results suggest that OsPT1-OX may reduce phosphate content in soils containing excess phosphate and may be further effective under high nitrogen condition.Key words: Phosphate content, fertilizer treatment, phosphate transporter, rice, soil

Adherence is an optimal factor for maximizing the effective and safe use of oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation

Few studies assessed the association between major adverse cardiovascular events and adherence to warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of adherence to oral anticoagulants (OACs) in patients with AF using claims data (July 2014–April 2019). Using the initial 3-month medication possession rate (MPR), patients were categorized into adherent (MPR ≥ 0.8) or non-adherent (MPR < 0.8) groups. Propensity score matching of non-adherent group to adherent group was conducted for warfarin (1:1) and DOAC (1:3), respectively. Incidence of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), intracranial hemorrhage, and all-cause death was assessed in the matched cohort (67,147 patients). The hazard ratio (HR) for adherence to OAC was estimated using the Cox proportional hazard model with adjusting covariate including age and sex. The risk for ischemic stroke, MI, and all-cause death was lower in the DOAC adherent group than in the DOAC non-adherent group (HR: 0.78; 95% confidence intervals: 0.73–0.84; 0.75, 0.60–0.94; 0.54, 0.51–0.57, respectively). Adherence to OAC was not associated with the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (1.01, 0.85–1.20). Commitment programs to improve adherence in patients with AF could maximize drug effectiveness and safety

Round Cell Variant of Myxoid Liposarcoma in a Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)

A 5-year-old, female, Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata) was diagnosed with round cell variant of myxoid liposarcoma. At necropsy, multifocal to coalescing, reddish tan to white nodules, ranging from 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter, were noted throughout the omentum and retroperitoneum. Similar neoplastic nodules were also present in diaphragm, abdominal wall, and on hepatic capsule. Microscopically, neoplastic masses consisted of round to polyhedral cells, which had round, often eccentric nuclei and abundant eosinophilic granular and microvacuolated cytoplasm; Oil red O staining demonstrated large numbers of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm. Ultrastructurally, the cytoplasm of the tumor cells was packed with occasional lipid vacuoles and numerous enlarged mitochondria. Immunohistochemistry revealed tumor cells were positive for vimentin, while negative to cytokeratin, actin, and Factor VIII–related antigen. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of round-cell variant of myxoid liposarcoma in nonhuman primate.This study was supported through Brain Korea 21 Program for Veterinary Science