The (twisted) signature theorem of this paper is used in the following papers: Atiyah, The logarithm of the Dedekind eta-function, Math.Annalen 1987. Gromov and Lawson, Spin and scalar curvature in the presence of a fundamental group, Ann.of Math. 111 (1980). Gromov, Positive curvature, macroscopic dimension, spectral gaps and higher signatures, in "Functional analysis on the eve of the 21st century, II", Progress in Math. 132, Birkhauser 1996.