The topological Kondo model out of equilibrium

The topological Kondo effect is a genuine manifestation of the nonlocality of Majorana modes. We investigate its out-of-equilibrium signatures in a model with a Cooper-pair box hosting four of these topological modes, each connected to a metallic lead. Through matrix-product-state techniques, we simulate the relaxation of the Majorana magnetization, which allows us to determine the related Kondo temperature. Then, we analyze the onset of electric transport after a quantum quench of a lead voltage. Our results apply to Majorana Cooper-pair boxes fabricated in double nanowire devices and provide non-perturbative evidence of the crossover from weak-coupling states to the strongly correlated topological Kondo regime. The latter dominates at the superconductor charge degeneracy points and displays the expected universal fractional zero-bias conductance.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Supplemental Materia

Il fardello della guerra. Governo della finanza pubblica e crisi finanziarie nello Stato di Milano fra centri e periferie (secc. XV-XVIII)

Il saggio analizza origini, sviluppi e modalità di gestione delle principali crisi finanziarie occorse nello Stato di Milano fra tardo Medioevo e il secondo Seicento, allorché le finanze pubbliche lombarde furono pressoché costantemente in deficit e si dovettero affrontare seri problemi non solo a livello di tesoreria centrale, ma anche di finanza locale (cittadina e rurale)

Diagnostic Accuracy of the Five-Word Test for Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer’s Disease

New diagnostic methods have been developed for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with the primary purpose of intercepting the transition-phase (mild cognitive impairment, MCI) between normal aging and dementia. We aimed to explore whether the five-word test (FWT) and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) are predictive for the early diagnosis of MCI due to AD (AD-MCI). We computed ROC analyses to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of MMSE and FWT in predicting abnormal CSF (t-Tau, p-Tau181, Aβ1–42) and amyloid-PET biomarkers. AD-MCI patients showed lower MMSE and FWT scores (all p 42, t-Tau and p-Tau181 values, with higher accuracy for the t-Tau/Aβ1–42 ratio. In conclusion, the FWT, as a single-domain cognitive screening test, seems to be prompt and moderately accurate tool for the identification of an underlying AD neuropathological process in patients with MCI, supporting the importance of associating biomarkers evaluation in the work-up of patients with dementing neurodegenerative disorders