597 research outputs found
Higher Equations of Motion in Liouville Field Theory
An infinite set of operator-valued relations in Liouville field theory is
established. These relations are enumerated by a pair of positive integers
, the first representative being the usual Liouville equation of
motion. The relations are proven in the framework of conformal field theory on
the basis of exact structure constants in the Liouville operator product
expansions. Possible applications in 2D gravity are discussed.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of the VI International Conference
``CFT and Integrable Models'', Chernogolovka, Russia, September 200
The association between burning mouth syndrome and urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome: A case-control study
Background: The overlap between some painful conditions is widespread. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overlap between burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and urological chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS) in an outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Methods: A controlled clinical study was performed. BMS patients and healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Patients were screened through laboratory test and a complete urological examination. Two validated questionnaires were submitted to all the patients: National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) and International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS). Results: A total of 50 BMS patients and 50 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the items of the IPSS questionnaire of Incomplete Emptying (UÂ =Â 750, PÂ <.001), Intermittency (UÂ =Â 768.5, PÂ <.001), QoL (UÂ =Â 848, PÂ <.002), and Total Symptom score (UÂ =Â 1040, PÂ =.05) were found. Moreover, the responses of NIH-CPSI showed statistically significant differences regarding Pain subscale (UÂ =Â 714, PÂ <.001), QoL Impact subscale (UÂ =Â 1016.500, PÂ =.05), and NIH-CPSI total score (UÂ =Â 953.500, PÂ =.002). Conclusion: To the best our knowledge, the reported data demonstrate for the first time an association between BMS and UCPPS. Further studies with a larger sample are needed to confirm the co-occurrence of urological symptoms in patients with burning mouth syndrome
A SURVEY ON THE FRAUDULENT USE OF ANABOLIC SUBSTANCES IN BOVINES SLAUGHTERED IN MOLISE
An investigation has been performed on the fraudulent use of anabolic substances in the Region of Molise. One hundred fourty-four bovines (12-24 months old, 123 males and 21 females) have been included in the survey. Ante-mortem assessment on their behaviour and clinical analysis on some target organs were carried out. After slaughtering, samples of prostate, bulbo-urethral glands, Bartholin's glands, mammary gland, ovaries, thymus and thyroid were collected and processed for an anatomo-histopathological evaluation, as suggested in the guidelines of the Italian National Plan for Residues (PNR) 2009. Overall, the 15% of the subjects analysed have been classified as "suspect", whereas the 44% as "uncertain" and the remaining 59% as "negative". The lesion most frequently found was a serious atrophy of the thymic parenchyma with fat infiltration (15% of males and 14% of females), suggesting a prevalence of an illegal use of cortisonic drugs
The operator algebra of the discrete state operators in 2D gravity with non-vanishing cosmological constant
Remarks are given to the structure of physical states in 2D gravity coupled
to matter. The operator algebra of the discrete state operators is
calculated for the theory with non-vanishing cosmological constant.Comment: 17 page
Switchable Solvent Selective Extraction of Hydrophobic Antioxidants from Synechococcus bigranulatus
Hydrophobic molecules, in particular, carotenoids, have been directly extracted from Synechococcus bigranulatus ACUF680 by means of secondary amine switchable solvent N-ethylbutylamine (EBA) without any other pretreatment. EBA was able to extract hydrophobic molecules from both fresh and frozen biomass at the same extent of the conventional procedure (about 20% of dry biomass). In particular, selective extraction of a zeaxanthin-enriched fraction (green fraction, GF) and a β-carotene-enriched fraction (orange fraction, OF) was obtained. The ratio between zeaxanthin and β-carotene was 4.4 ± 1.5 for GF, 0.07 ± 0.06 for OF, and about 1 for conventional extraction. These fractions showed in vitro antioxidant activity (IC50 values of 0.056 ± 0.013 and 0.024 ± 0.008 mg mL-1 for GF and OF, respectively) and biocompatibility on immortalized cells. Moreover, OF and GF were able to protect cells from oxidative stress, both before and after thermal treatment. Results clearly indicate that EBA is a good candidate to specifically extract β-carotene and zeaxanthin from the wet biomass of S. bigranulatus without affecting their biological activity. Skipping energy-intensive operations to break the cells and using either fresh or frozen biomass may be the driving factors to use EBA switchable solvent on an industrial scale
The Statistical Mechanics of the (2+1)-Dimensional Black Hole
The presence of a horizon breaks the gauge invariance of (2+1)-dimensional
general relativity, leading to the appearance of new physical states at the
horizon. I show that the entropy of the (2+1)-dimensional black hole can be
obtained as the logarithm of the number of these microscopic states.Comment: 12 pages, UCD-94-32 and NI-9401
Noncritical String Correlators, Finite-N Matrix Models and the Vortex Condensate
We carry out a systematic study of correlation functions of momentum modes in
the Euclidean c=1 string, as a function of the radius and to all orders in
perturbation theory. We obtain simple explicit expressions for several classes
of correlators in terms of special functions. The Normal Matrix Model is found
to be a powerful calculational tool that computes c=1 string correlators even
at finite N. This enables us to obtain a simple combinatoric formula for the
2n-point function of unit momentum modes, which after T-duality determines the
vortex condensate. We comment on possible applications of our results to
T-duality at c=1 and to the 2d black hole/vortex condensate problem.Comment: 38 pages, LaTe
Is hypogammaglobulinemia a constant feature in Good's syndrome?
Thymomas are rare tumors, which can be associated to a variety of paraneoplastic syndromes, including a fatal hypogammaglobulinemia, namely Good's Syndrome (GS). Although the combination of thymoma and hypogammaglobulinemia is regarded as sufficient for diagnosis of Good's syndrome, some thymoma patients with a clear clinical picture of immunodeficiency present normal levels of immunoglobulins. We describe the case of a patient, with a 20-year history of thymoma, who underwent several operations and lines of chemotherapy, and suffered from recurrent infections, including one rare skin infection from Pseudoallescheria boydii. The patient constantly presented normal levels of gammaglobulins
A rare case of solitary fibrous tumour of the pelvis in an 18-year-old young man: Ct and mri features with pathologic correlations
Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are mesenchymal neoplasms of fibroblastic origin, even if commonly seen in the pleura, they can occur anywhere in the body. SFT presents as a slow growing, often asymptomatic mass, generally affecting middle-aged adults regardless of the sex. We report a rare case of an 18-year-old man referred to our institution to perform computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to investigate a pelvic mass incidentally discovered at abdominal ultrasound examination. A well circumscribed, heterogenous and hypervascular lesion was described at imaging, with absence of calcifica-tions, hemorrhage, necrosis nor cystic degeneration. The mass removal was performed via the Da Vinci-assisted robotic surgery. Histopathological evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of SFT. CT and MRI can aid the identification of SFT, providing useful information which needs to be supported by histopathological analysis
Consistency conditions and trace anomalies in six dimensions
Conformally invariant quantum field theories develop trace anomalies when
defined on curved backgrounds. We study again the problem of identifying all
possible trace anomalies in d=6 by studying the consistency conditions to
derive their 10 independent solutions. It is known that only 4 of these
solutions represent true anomalies, classified as one type A anomaly, given by
the topological Euler density, and three type B anomalies, made up by three
independent Weyl invariants. However, we also present the explicit expressions
of the remaining 6 trivial anomalies, namely those that can be obtained by the
Weyl variation of local functionals. The knowledge of the latter is in general
necessary to disentangle the universal coefficients of the type A and B
anomalies from calculations performed on concrete models.Comment: 16 pages, LaTe
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