2,364 research outputs found
Breast cancer risk factors and a novel measure of volumetric breast density: cross-sectional study
We conducted a cross-sectional study nested within a prospective cohort of breast cancer risk factors and two novel measures of breast density volume among 590 women who had attended Glasgow University (1948–1968), replied to a postal questionnaire (2001) and attended breast screening in Scotland (1989–2002). Volumetric breast density was estimated using a fully automated computer programme applied to digitised film-screen mammograms, from medio-lateral oblique mammograms at the first-screening visit. This measured the proportion of the breast volume composed of dense (non-fatty) tissue (Standard Mammogram Form (SMF)%) and the absolute volume of this tissue (SMF volume, cm3). Median age at first screening was 54.1 years (range: 40.0–71.5), median SMF volume 70.25 cm3 (interquartile range: 51.0–103.0) and mean SMF% 26.3%, s.d.=8.0% (range: 12.7–58.8%). Age-adjusted logistic regression models showed a positive relationship between age at last menstrual period and SMF%, odds ratio (OR) per year later: 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.08, P=0.004). Number of pregnancies was inversely related to SMF volume, OR per extra pregnancy: 0.78 (0.70–0.86, P<0.001). There was a suggestion of a quadratic relationship between birthweight and SMF%, with lowest risks in women born under 2.5 and over 4 kg. Body mass index (BMI) at university (median age 19) and in 2001 (median age 62) were positively related to SMF volume, OR per extra kg m−2 1.21 (1.15–1.28) and 1.17 (1.09–1.26), respectively, and inversely related to SMF%, OR per extra kg m−2 0.83 (0.79–0.88) and 0.82 (0.76–0.88), respectively, P<0.001. Standard Mammogram Form% and absolute SMF volume are related to several, but not all, breast cancer risk factors. In particular, the positive relationship between BMI and SMF volume suggests that volume of dense breast tissue will be a useful marker in breast cancer studies
Environmental influences on human innovation and behavioural diversity in southern Africa 92–80 thousand years ago
Measurement of the quasi-elastic axial vector mass in neutrino-oxygen interactions
The weak nucleon axial-vector form factor for quasi-elastic interactions is
determined using neutrino interaction data from the K2K Scintillating Fiber
detector in the neutrino beam at KEK. More than 12,000 events are analyzed, of
which half are charged-current quasi-elastic interactions nu-mu n to mu- p
occurring primarily in oxygen nuclei. We use a relativistic Fermi gas model for
oxygen and assume the form factor is approximately a dipole with one parameter,
the axial vector mass M_A, and fit to the shape of the distribution of the
square of the momentum transfer from the nucleon to the nucleus. Our best fit
result for M_A = 1.20 \pm 0.12 GeV. Furthermore, this analysis includes updated
vector form factors from recent electron scattering experiments and a
discussion of the effects of the nucleon momentum on the shape of the fitted
distributions.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 6 table
A Study of Time-Dependent CP-Violating Asymmetries and Flavor Oscillations in Neutral B Decays at the Upsilon(4S)
We present a measurement of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in
neutral B meson decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II
asymmetric-energy B Factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The data
sample consists of 29.7 recorded at the
resonance and 3.9 off-resonance. One of the neutral B mesons,
which are produced in pairs at the , is fully reconstructed in
the CP decay modes , , , () and , or in flavor-eigenstate
modes involving and (). The flavor of the other neutral B meson is tagged at the time of
its decay, mainly with the charge of identified leptons and kaons. The proper
time elapsed between the decays is determined by measuring the distance between
the decay vertices. A maximum-likelihood fit to this flavor eigenstate sample
finds . The value of the asymmetry amplitude is determined from
a simultaneous maximum-likelihood fit to the time-difference distribution of
the flavor-eigenstate sample and about 642 tagged decays in the
CP-eigenstate modes. We find , demonstrating that CP violation exists in the neutral B meson
system. (abridged)Comment: 58 pages, 35 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Mammographic breast density as a biomarker of effects of isoflavones on the female breast
Measurement of the Branching Fraction for B- --> D0 K*-
We present a measurement of the branching fraction for the decay B- --> D0
K*- using a sample of approximately 86 million BBbar pairs collected by the
BaBar detector from e+e- collisions near the Y(4S) resonance. The D0 is
detected through its decays to K- pi+, K- pi+ pi0 and K- pi+ pi- pi+, and the
K*- through its decay to K0S pi-. We measure the branching fraction to be
B.F.(B- --> D0 K*-)= (6.3 +/- 0.7(stat.) +/- 0.5(syst.)) x 10^{-4}.Comment: 7 pages, 1 postscript figure, submitted to Phys. Rev. D (Rapid
Communications
Evidence for the Rare Decay B -> K*ll and Measurement of the B -> Kll Branching Fraction
We present evidence for the flavor-changing neutral current decay and a measurement of the branching fraction for the related
process , where is either an or
pair. These decays are highly suppressed in the Standard Model,
and they are sensitive to contributions from new particles in the intermediate
state. The data sample comprises
decays collected with the Babar detector at the PEP-II storage ring.
Averaging over isospin and lepton flavor, we obtain the branching
fractions and , where the
uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The significance of
the signal is over , while for it is .Comment: 7 pages, 2 postscript figues, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Search for the W-exchange decays B0 --> Ds(*)- Ds(*)+
We report a search for the decays , , in a sample of 232
million decays to \BBb ~pairs collected with the \babar detector
at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy storage ring. We find no significant
signal and set upper bounds for the branching fractions: and at 90% confidence level.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PRD-R
Measurement of Branching Fraction and Dalitz Distribution for B0->D(*)+/- K0 pi-/+ Decays
We present measurements of the branching fractions for the three-body decays
B0 -> D(*)-/+ K0 pi^+/-B0 -> D(*)-/+ K*+/- using
a sample of approximately 88 million BBbar pairs collected by the BABAR
detector at the PEP-II asymmetric energy storage ring.
We measure:
B(B0->D-/+ K0 pi+/-)=(4.9 +/- 0.7(stat) +/- 0.5 (syst)) 10^{-4}
B(B0->D*-/+ K0 pi+/-)=(3.0 +/- 0.7(stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) 10^{-4}
B(B0->D-/+ K*+/-)=(4.6 +/- 0.6(stat) +/- 0.5 (syst)) 10^{-4}
B(B0->D*-/+ K*+/-)=(3.2 +/- 0.6(stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) 10^{-4}
From these measurements we determine the fractions of resonant events to be :
f(B0-> D-/+ K*+/-) = 0.63 +/- 0.08(stat) +/- 0.04(syst) f(B0-> D*-/+ K*+/-) =
0.72 +/- 0.14(stat) +/- 0.05(syst)Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Measurement of the B+ --> p pbar K+ Branching Fraction and Study of the Decay Dynamics
With a sample of 232x10^6 Upsilon(4S) --> BBbar events collected with the
BaBar detector, we study the decay B+ --> p pbar K+ excluding charmonium decays
to ppbar. We measure a branching fraction Br(B+ --> p pbar
K+)=(6.7+/-0.5+/-0.4)x10^{-6}. An enhancement at low ppbar mass is observed and
the Dalitz plot asymmetry suggests dominance of the penguin amplitude in this B
decay. We search for a pentaquark candidate Theta*++ decaying into pK+ in the
mass range 1.43 to 2.00 GeV/c2 and set limits on Br(B+ -->
Theta*++pbar)xBr(Theta*++ --> pK+) at the 10^{-7} level.Comment: 8 pages, 7 postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. D (Rapid
Communications
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