143 research outputs found
Chiral Supergravity
We study the linearized approximation of N=1 topologically massive
supergravity around AdS3. Linearized gravitino fields are explicitly
constructed. For appropriate boundary conditions, the conserved charges
demonstrate chiral behavior, so that chiral gravity can be consistently
extended to chiral supergravity.Comment: 30 page
Temperature dependent characterization of optical fibres for distributed temperature sensing in hot geothermal wells
This study was performed in order to select a proper fibre for the
application of a distributed temperature sensing system within a hot geothermal
well in Iceland. Commercially available high temperature graded index fibres
have been tested under in-situ temperature conditions. Experiments have been
performed with four different polyimide coated fibres, a fibre with an aluminum
coating and a fibre with a gold coating. To select a fibre, the relationship
between attenuation, temperature, and time has been analyzed together with SEM
micrographs. On the basis of these experiments, polyimide fibres have been
chosen for utilisation. Further tests in ambient and inert atmosphere have been
conducted with two polyimide coated fibres to set an operating temperature
limit for these fibres. SEM micrographs, together with coating colour changes
have been used to characterize the high temperature performance of the fibres.
A novel cable design has been developed, a deployment strategy has been worked
out and a suitable well for deployment has been selected.Comment: PACS: 42.81.Pa, 93.85.Fg, 47.80.Fg, 91.35.Dc, 07.20.Dt, 07.60.V
Moduli and (un)attractor black hole thermodynamics
We investigate four-dimensional spherically symmetric black hole solutions in
gravity theories with massless, neutral scalars non-minimally coupled to gauge
fields. In the non-extremal case, we explicitly show that, under the variation
of the moduli, the scalar charges appear in the first law of black hole
thermodynamics. In the extremal limit, the near horizon geometry is
and the entropy does not depend on the values of moduli at
infinity. We discuss the attractor behaviour by using Sen's entropy function
formalism as well as the effective potential approach and their relation with
the results previously obtained through special geometry method. We also argue
that the attractor mechanism is at the basis of the matching between the
microscopic and macroscopic entropies for the extremal non-BPS Kaluza-Klein
black hole.Comment: 36 pages, no figures, V2: minor changes, misprints corrected,
expanded references; V3: sections 4.3 and 4.5 added; V4: minor changes,
matches the published versio
Attractors with Vanishing Central Charge
We consider the Attractor Equations of particular , d=4
supergravity models whose vector multiplets' scalar manifold is endowed with
homogeneous symmetric cubic special K\"{a}hler geometry, namely of the
so-called and models. In this framework, we derive explicit
expressions for the critical moduli corresponding to non-BPS attractors with
vanishing central charge. Such formul\ae hold for a generic
black hole charge configuration, and they are obtained without formulating any
\textit{ad hoc} simplifying assumption. We find that such attractors are
related to the 1/2-BPS ones by complex conjugation of some moduli. By uplifting
to , d=4 supergravity, we give an interpretation of such a
relation as an exchange of two of the four eigenvalues of the
central charge matrix . We also consider non-BPS attractors with
non-vanishing ; for peculiar charge configurations, we derive
solutions violating the Ansatz usually formulated in literature. Finally, by
group-theoretical considerations we relate Cayley's hyperdeterminant (the
invariant of the stu model) to the invariants of the st^{2} and of the
so-called t^{3} model.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX fil
SAM Lectures on Extremal Black Holes in d=4 Extended Supergravity
We report on recent results in the study of extremal black hole attractors in
N=2, d=4 ungauged Maxwell-Einstein supergravities. For homogeneous symmetric
scalar manifolds, the three general classes of attractor solutions with
non-vanishing Bekenstein-Hawking entropy are discussed. They correspond to
three (inequivalent) classes of orbits of the charge vector, which sits in the
relevant symplectic representation R_{V} of the U-duality group. Other than the
1/2-BPS one, there are two other distinct non-BPS classes of charge orbits, one
of which has vanishing central charge. The complete classification of the
U-duality orbits, as well as of the moduli spaces of non-BPS attractors
(spanned by the scalars which are not stabilized at the black hole event
horizon), is also reviewed. Finally, we consider the analogous classification
for N>2-extended, d=4 ungauged supergravities, in which also the 1/N-BPS
attractors yield a related moduli space.Comment: 1+29 pages, 8 Tables. Contribution to the Proceedings of the School
on Attractor Mechanism 2007 (SAM2007), June 18--22 2007, INFN--LNF, Frascati,
Ital
Prognostic significance of troponin in patients with malignancy ( NIHR Health Informatics Collaborative TROP-MALIGNANCY study )
Background: Cardiac troponin is commonly raised in patients presenting with malignancy. The prognostic significance of raised troponin in these patients is unclear. Objectives: We sought to investigate the relation between troponin and mortality in a large, well characterised cohort of patients with a routinely measured troponin and a primary diagnosis of malignancy. Methods: We used the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Informatics Collaborative data of 5571 patients, who had troponin levels measured at 5 UK cardiac centres between 2010 and 2017 and had a primary diagnosis of malignancy. Patients were classified into solid tumour or haematological malignancy subgroups. Peak troponin levels were standardised as a multiple of each laboratory’s 99th -percentile upper limit of normal (xULN). Results: 4649 patients were diagnosed with solid tumours and 922 patients with haematological malignancies. Raised troponin was an independent predictor of mortality in all patients (Troponin > 10 vs. <1 adjusted HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.73 to 2.34), in solid tumours (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.19), and in haematological malignancy (HR 2.72, 95% CI 1.99 to 3.72). There was a significant trend in increasing mortality risk across troponin categories in all three subgroups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Raised troponin level is associated with increased mortality in patients with a primary diagnosis of malignancy regardless of cancer subtype. Mortality risk is stable for patients with a troponin level below the ULN but increases as troponin level increases above the ULN in the absence of acute coronary syndrome
Determinants of outcomes following surgery for type A acute aortic dissection: the UK National Adult Cardiac Surgical Audit
Aims
Operability of type A acute aortic dissections (TAAAD) is currently based on non-standardized decision-making process, and it lacks a disease-specific risk evaluation model that can predict mortality. We investigated patient, intraoperative data, surgeon, and centre-related variables for patients who underwent TAAAD in the UK.
Methods and results
We identified 4203 patients undergoing TAAAD surgery in the UK (2009–18), who were enrolled into the UK National Adult Cardiac Surgical Audit dataset. The primary outcome was operative mortality. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed with fast backward elimination of variables and the bootstrap-based optimism-correction was adopted to assess model performance. Variation related to hospital or surgeon effects were quantified by a generalized mixed linear model and risk-adjusted funnel plots by displaying the individual standardized mortality ratio against expected deaths. Final variables retained in the model were: age [odds ratio (OR) 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.03; P < 0.001]; malperfusion (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.51–2.12; P < 0.001); left ventricular ejection fraction (moderate: OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.14–1.71; P = 0.001; poor: OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.90–4.21; P < 0.001); previous cardiac surgery (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.71–3.07; P < 0.001); preoperative mechanical ventilation (OR 2.76, 95% CI 2.00–3.80; P < 0.001); preoperative resuscitation (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.14–9.87; P = 0.028); and concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.86–2.83; P < 0.001). We found a significant inverse relationship between surgeons but not centre annual volume with outcomes.
Conclusions
Patient characteristics, intraoperative factors, cardiac centre, and high-volume surgeons are strong determinants of outcomes following TAAAD surgery. These findings may help refining clinical decision-making, supporting patient counselling and be used by policy makers for quality assurance and service provision improvement
The effects of electrical hippocampal kindling of seizures on amino acids and kynurenic acid concentrations in brain structures
Our study demonstrated that the development of seizures during the electrically induced kindling of seizures is associated with significant changes in the concentration of kynurenic acid (KYNA) and its precursor, tryptophan (TRP). The primary finding of our study was an increase in KYNA levels and the KYNA/TRP ratio (a theoretical index of activity of the kynurenine pathway) in the amygdala and hippocampus of kindled animals. We also found decreases in the concentration of tryptophan in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Changes in the concentration of KYNA and TRP in the amygdala were accompanied by a significant decrease in γ-Aminobutryic Acid (GABA) levels and an increase in the glutamate/GABA ratio. Moreover, we found a significant negative correlation between the local concentrations of KYNA and glutamate in the amygdala of kindled rats. However, there were no changes in the local concentrations of the following amino acids: glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, glycine, taurine and alanine. In conclusion, these new results suggest a modulatory influence of KYNA on the process of epileptogenesis, characterized by a negative relationship between the KYNA and glutamate systems in the amygdala
Developing expert international consensus statements for opioid-sparing analgesia using the Delphi method
Introduction: The management of postoperative pain in anaesthesia is evolving with a deeper understanding of associating multiple modalities and analgesic medications. However, the motivations and barriers regarding the adoption of opioid-sparing analgesia are not well known. Methods: We designed a modified Delphi survey to explore the perspectives and opinions of expert panellists with regard to opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia. 29 anaesthetists underwent an evolving three-round questionnaire to determine the level of agreement on certain aspects of multimodal analgesia, with the last round deciding if each statement was a priority. Results: The results were aggregated and a consensus, defined as achievement of over 75% on the Likert scale, was reached for five out of eight statements. The panellists agreed there was a strong body of evidence supporting opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia. However, there existed multiple barriers to widespread adoption, foremost the lack of training and education, as well as the reluctance to change existing practices. Practical issues such as cost effectiveness, increased workload, or the lack of supply of anaesthetic agents were not perceived to be as critical in preventing adoption. Conclusion: Thus, a focus on developing specific guidelines for multimodal analgesia and addressing gaps in education may improve the adoption of opioid-sparing analgesia
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