240 research outputs found
New Cases of Universality Theorem for Gravitational Theories
The "Universality Theorem" for gravity shows that f(R) theories (in their
metric-affine formulation) in vacuum are dynamically equivalent to vacuum
Einstein equations with suitable cosmological constants. This holds true for a
generic (i.e. except sporadic degenerate cases) analytic function f(R) and
standard gravity without cosmological constant is reproduced if f is the
identity function (i.e. f(R)=R). The theorem is here extended introducing in
dimension 4 a 1-parameter family of invariants R' inspired by the
Barbero-Immirzi formulation of GR (which in the Euclidean sector includes also
selfdual formulation). It will be proven that f(R') theories so defined are
dynamically equivalent to the corresponding metric-affine f(R) theory. In
particular for the function f(R)=R the standard equivalence between GR and
Holst Lagrangian is obtained.Comment: 10 pages, few typos correcte
Two-Dimensional Dilaton-Gravity Coupled to Massless Spinors
We apply a global and geometrically well-defined formalism for
spinor-dilaton-gravity to two-dimensional manifolds. We discuss the general
formalism and focus attention on some particular choices of the dilatonic
potential. For constant dilatonic potential the model turns out to be
completely solvable and the general solution is found. For linear and
exponential dilatonic potentials we present the class of exact solutions with a
Killing vector.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX, minor changes in text and format, final version to
appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Fluorescein for resection of high-grade gliomas: A safety study control in a single center and review of the literature
Background: The importance of a complete resection of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) has been highlighted in scientific literature, in order to limit tumor recurrence and above all to improve disease-free survival rates. Several fluorescent biomarkers have been tested to improve intraoperative identification of residual tumor; 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and fluorescein sodium (FS) are now starting to play a central role in glioma surgery. We performed a retrospective analysis on 47 patients operated for HGGs. Here we report our preliminary data. Methods: Data of 47 consecutive patients with HGG have been collected in our study (25 males, 22 females; mean age: 60.3 years, range: 27-86 years). Fluorescein (5 mg/kg of body weight) was injected intravenously right after the induction of general anesthesia. A YELLOW 560 filter was used on an OPMI Pentero 900 microscope (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Oberkochen, Germany) to complete a microsurgical tumor removal. Glioma resection and quality of life were evaluated preoperative and postoperatively. Results: Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 53.2% (n = 25) of patients. A subtotal resection (STR) (>95%) was achieved in 29.8% (n = 14), while a partial resection (PR) (<95%) was obtained in 17% (n = 8) of patients. Overall, in 83% (n = 39) of patients who underwent fluorescence-guided surgery the resection rate achieved was >95%. No adverse effects correlated to fluorescein have been recorded. Conclusion: Fluorescein seems to be safe and effective in the resection of HGGs, allowing a high rate of gross total removal of contrast enhanced areas
Boundary Conditions, Energies and Gravitational Heat in General Relativity (a Classical Analysis)
The variation of the energy for a gravitational system is directly defined
from the Hamiltonian field equations of General Relativity. When the variation
of the energy is written in a covariant form it splits into two (covariant)
contributions: one of them is the Komar energy, while the other is the
so-called covariant ADM correction term. When specific boundary conditions are
analyzed one sees that the Komar energy is related to the gravitational heat
while the ADM correction term plays the role of the Helmholtz free energy.
These properties allow to establish, inside a classical geometric framework, a
formal analogy between gravitation and the laws governing the evolution of a
thermodynamic system. The analogy applies to stationary spacetimes admitting
multiple causal horizons as well as to AdS Taub-bolt solutions.Comment: Latex file, 31 pages; one reference and two comments added, misprints
correcte
On the universality of the Carter and McLenaghan formula
It is shown that the formula of the isometry generators of the spinor
representation given by Carter and McLenaghan is universal in the sense that
this holds for any representation either in local frames or even in natural
ones. The point-dependent spin matrices in natural frames are introduced for
any tensor representation deriving the covariant form of the isometry
generators in these frames.Comment: 7 pages, no figure
Flat bidifferential ideals and semihamiltonian PDEs
In this paper we consider a class of semihamiltonian systems characterized by
the existence of a special conservation law.
The density and the current of this conservation law satisfy a second order
system of PDEs which has a natural interpretation in the theory of flat
bifferential ideals. The class of systems we consider contains important
well-known examples of semihamiltonian systems. Other examples, like genus 1
Whitham modulation equations for KdV, are related to this class by a
reciprocal trasformation.Comment: 18 pages. v5: formula (36) corrected; minor change
Remarks on Conserved Quantities and Entropy of BTZ Black Hole Solutions. Part II: BCEA Theory
The BTZ black hole solution for (2+1)-spacetime is considered as a solution
of a triad-affine theory (BCEA) in which topological matter is introduced to
replace the cosmological constant in the model. Conserved quantities and
entropy are calculated via Noether theorem, reproducing in a geometrical and
global framework earlier results found in the literature using local
formalisms. Ambiguities in global definitions of conserved quantities are
considered in detail. A dual and covariant Legendre transformation is performed
to re-formulate BCEA theory as a purely metric (natural) theory (BCG) coupled
to topological matter. No ambiguities in the definition of mass and angular
momentum arise in BCG theory. Moreover, gravitational and matter contributions
to conserved quantities and entropy are isolated. Finally, a comparison of BCEA
and BCG theories is carried out by relying on the results obtained in both
theories.Comment: PlainTEX, 20 page
Peripheral facial palsy following ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The lesson we have learned
The most frequent complications after shunt surgery are infective and obstructive. Other types are less common, and eventually occur due to technical errors during brain ventricular puncture, opening the intraperitoneal cavity or the tunnelling of the catheter between the two points. Although rare, there are well-reported complications related to the poor positioning of the distal catheter, with perforation of organs and tissues. We report a very rare case of a male patient with normal pressure hydrocephalus submitted to ventriculoperitoneal shunt. During tunnelling of the shunt stylet, a peripheral facial palsy due to injury to the extra cranial segment of the facial nerve occurred. To the best of our knowledge this is the second case described in Literature. The patient and the surgeon should be aware of this very rare but possible complication in shunt surgery being careful to the course of the facial nerve in the mastoid region
With a little help from my friends: The role of intraoperative fluorescent dyes in the surgical management of high-grade gliomas
High-grade gliomas (HGGs) are the most frequent primary malignant brain tumors in adults, which lead to death within two years of diagnosis. Maximal safe resection of malignant gliomas as the first step of multimodal therapy is an accepted goal in malignant glioma surgery. Gross total resection has an important role in improving overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), but identification of tumor borders is particularly difficult in HGGS. For this reason, imaging adjuncts, such as 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) or fluorescein sodium (FS) have been proposed as superior strategies for better defining the limits of surgical resection for HGG. 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is implicated as precursor in the synthetic pathway of heme group. Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is an intermediate compound of heme metabolism, which produces fluorescence when excited by appropriate light wavelength. Malignant glioma cells have the capacity to selectively synthesize or accumulate 5-ALA-derived porphyrins after exogenous administration of 5-ALA. Fluorescein sodium (FS), on the other hand, is a fluorescent substance that is not specific to tumor cells but actually it is a marker for compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) areas. Its effectiveness is confirmed by multicenter phase-II trial (FLUOGLIO) but lack of randomized phase III trial data. We conducted an analytic review of the literature with the objective of identifying the usefulness of 5-ALA and FS in HGG surgery in adult patients
Gauge Formalism for General Relativity and Fermionic Matter
A new formalism for spinors on curved spaces is developed in the framework of
variational calculus on fibre bundles. The theory has the same structure of a
gauge theory and describes the interaction between the gravitational field and
spinors. An appropriate gauge structure is also given to General Relativity,
replacing the metric field with spin frames. Finally, conserved quantities and
superpotentials are calculated under a general covariant form.Comment: 18 pages, Plain TEX, revision, explicit expression for superpotential
has been adde
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