319 research outputs found
The use of embolic signal detection in multicenter trials to evaluate antiplatelet efficacy: signal analysis and quality control mechanisms in the CARESS (Clopidogrel and Aspirin for Reduction of Emboli in Symptomatic carotid Stenosis) trial
<p><b>Background and Purpose:</b> The CARESS (Clopidogrel and Aspirin for Reduction of Emboli in Symptomatic carotid Stenosis) trial proved the effectiveness of the combination of clopidogrel and aspirin compared with aspirin alone in reducing presence and number of microembolic signals (MES) in patients with recently symptomatic carotid stenosis. The present study aimed at installing primary and secondary quality control measures in CARESS because MES evaluation relies on subjective judgment by human experts.</p>
<p><b>Methods:</b> As primary quality control, centers participating in CARESS evaluated a reference digital audio tape (DAT) before the study containing both MES and artifacts. Interobserver agreement of classifying signals as MES was expressed as proportions of specific agreement of positive ratings (ps±values). For all DATs included in CARESS (n=300), online number of MES and off-line number of MES read by the central reader were compared using correlation coefficients. As secondary control, a sample of 16 of 300 DATs was cross-validated by another independent reader (post-trial validator).</p>
<p><b>Results:</b> For the reference tape, the cumulative ps±value was 0.894 based on 12 of 14 observers. Two observers with very different results improved after a training procedure. Agreement between post-trial validator and central reader was ps+=0.805, indicating very good agreement. Correlation between online evaluation and off-line evaluation of DATs was very good overall (cumulative Ï=0.84; P<0.001).</p>
<p><b>Conclusion:</b> Multicenter studies using MES as outcome parameter are feasible. However, primary and secondary quality control procedures are important.</p>
Detecting a stochastic background of gravitational radiation: Signal processing strategies and sensitivities
We analyze the signal processing required for the optimal detection of a
stochastic background of gravitational radiation using laser interferometric
detectors. Starting with basic assumptions about the statistical properties of
a stochastic gravity-wave background, we derive expressions for the optimal
filter function and signal-to-noise ratio for the cross-correlation of the
outputs of two gravity-wave detectors. Sensitivity levels required for
detection are then calculated. Issues related to: (i) calculating the
signal-to-noise ratio for arbitrarily large stochastic backgrounds, (ii)
performing the data analysis in the presence of nonstationary detector noise,
(iii) combining data from multiple detector pairs to increase the sensitivity
of a stochastic background search, (iv) correlating the outputs of 4 or more
detectors, and (v) allowing for the possibility of correlated noise in the
outputs of two detectors are discussed. We briefly describe a computer
simulation which mimics the generation and detection of a simulated stochastic
gravity-wave signal in the presence of simulated detector noise. Numerous
graphs and tables of numerical data for the five major interferometers
(LIGO-WA, LIGO-LA, VIRGO, GEO-600, and TAMA-300) are also given. The treatment
given in this paper should be accessible to both theorists involved in data
analysis and experimentalists involved in detector design and data acquisition.Comment: 81 pages, 30 postscript figures, REVTE
Lower limit on the neutralino mass in the general MSSM
We discuss constraints on SUSY models with non-unified gaugino masses and R_P
conservation. We derive a lower bound on the neutralino mass combining the
direct limits from LEP, the indirect limits from gmuon, bsgamma, Bsmumu and the
relic density constraint from WMAP. The lightest neutralino (mneutralino=6GeV)
is found in models with a light pseudoscalar with MA<200GeV and a large value
for . Models with heavy pseudoscalars lead to mneutralino>18(29)GeV
for . We show that even a very conservative bound from the
muon anomalous magnetic moment can increase the lower bound on the neutralino
mass in models with mu<0 and/or large values of . We then examine
the potential of the Tevatron and the direct detection experiments to probe the
SUSY models with the lightest neutralinos allowed in the context of light
pseudoscalars with high . We also examine the potential of an e+e-
collider of 500GeV to produce SUSY particles in all models with neutralinos
lighter than the W. In contrast to the mSUGRA models, observation of at least
one sparticle is not always guaranteed.Comment: 37 pages, LateX, 16 figures, paper with higher resolution figures
available at
http://wwwlapp.in2p3.fr/~boudjema/papers/bound-lsp/bound-lsp.htm
Time-integrated luminosity recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e+e- collider
This article is the Preprint version of the final published artcile which can be accessed at the link below.We describe a measurement of the time-integrated luminosity of the data collected by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider at the Ï(4S), Ï(3S), and Ï(2S) resonances and in a continuum region below each resonance. We measure the time-integrated luminosity by counting e+e-âe+e- and (for the Ï(4S) only) e+e-âÎŒ+ÎŒ- candidate events, allowing additional photons in the final state. We use data-corrected simulation to determine the cross-sections and reconstruction efficiencies for these processes, as well as the major backgrounds. Due to the large cross-sections of e+e-âe+e- and e+e-âÎŒ+ÎŒ-, the statistical uncertainties of the measurement are substantially smaller than the systematic uncertainties. The dominant systematic uncertainties are due to observed differences between data and simulation, as well as uncertainties on the cross-sections. For data collected on the Ï(3S) and Ï(2S) resonances, an additional uncertainty arises due to Ïâe+e-X background. For data collected off the Ï resonances, we estimate an additional uncertainty due to time dependent efficiency variations, which can affect the short off-resonance runs. The relative uncertainties on the luminosities of the on-resonance (off-resonance) samples are 0.43% (0.43%) for the Ï(4S), 0.58% (0.72%) for the Ï(3S), and 0.68% (0.88%) for the Ï(2S).This work is supported by the US Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada), the Commissariat Ă lâEnergie Atomique and Institut National de Physique NuclĂ©aire et de Physiquedes Particules (France), the Bundesministerium fĂŒr Bildung und Forschung and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany), the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy), the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (The Netherlands), the Research Council of Norway, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciĂłn (Spain), and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom). Individuals have received support from the Marie-Curie IEF program (European Union) and the A.P. Sloan Foundation (USA)
Measurement of the B0-anti-B0-Oscillation Frequency with Inclusive Dilepton Events
The - oscillation frequency has been measured with a sample of
23 million \B\bar B pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II
asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. In this sample, we select events in which both B
mesons decay semileptonically and use the charge of the leptons to identify the
flavor of each B meson. A simultaneous fit to the decay time difference
distributions for opposite- and same-sign dilepton events gives ps.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Physical Review Letter
First observation of the decay and a measurement of the ratio of branching fractions
The first observation of the decay using
data collected by the LHCb detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV,
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb, is reported. A
signal of events is obtained and the absence of signal is
rejected with a statistical significance of more than nine standard deviations.
The branching fraction is measured relative to
that of : , where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and
the third is due to the uncertainty on the ratio of the and
hadronisation fractions.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett. B; ISSN 0370-269
Observation of the baryonic decay B \uaf 0 \u2192 \u39bc+ p \uaf K-K+
We report the observation of the baryonic decay B\uaf0\u2192\u39bc+p\uafK-K+ using a data sample of 471
7106 BB\uaf pairs produced in e+e- annihilations at s=10.58GeV. This data sample was recorded with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring at SLAC. We find B(B\uaf0\u2192\u39bc+p\uafK-K+)=(2.5\ub10.4(stat)\ub10.2(syst)\ub10.6B(\u39bc+))
710-5, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the uncertainty of the \u39bc+\u2192pK-\u3c0+ branching fraction, respectively. The result has a significance corresponding to 5.0 standard deviations, including all uncertainties. For the resonant decay B\uaf0\u2192\u39bc+p\uaf\u3c6, we determine the upper limit B(B\uaf0\u2192\u39bc+p\uaf\u3c6)<1.2
710-5 at 90% confidence level
Search for Darkonium in e+e- Collisions
Collider searches for dark sectors, new particles interacting only feebly with ordinary matter, have largely focused on identifying signatures of new mediators, leaving much of dark sector structures unexplored. In particular, the existence of dark matter bound states (darkonia) remains to be investigated. This possibility could arise in a simple model in which a dark photon (A0 ) is light enough to generate an attractive force between dark fermions. We report herein a search for a JPC ÂŒ 1ââ darkonium state, the ÏD, produced in the reaction eĂŸeâ â ÎłÏD, ÏD â A0 A0 A0 , where the dark photons subsequently decay into pairs of leptons or pions, using 514 fbâ1 of data collected with the BABAR detector. No significant signal is observed, and we set bounds on the Îł â A0 kinetic mixing as a function of the dark sector coupling constant for 0.001 < mA0 < 3.16 GeV and 0.05 < mÏD < 9.5 GeV.publishedVersio
Measurement of the CP-Violating Asymmetry Amplitude sin2
We present results on time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in neutral B decays to several CP eigenstates. The measurements use a data sample of about 88 million Y(4S) --> B Bbar decays collected between 1999 and 2002 with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at SLAC. We study events in which one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in a final state containing a charmonium meson and the other B meson is determined to be either a B0 or B0bar from its decay products. The amplitude of the CP-violating asymmetry, which in the Standard Model is proportional to sin2beta, is derived from the decay-time distributions in such events. We measure sin2beta = 0.741 +/- 0.067 (stat) +/- 0.033 (syst) and |lambda| = 0.948 +/- 0.051 (stat) +/- 0.017 (syst). The magnitude of lambda is consistent with unity, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation of no direct CP violation in these modes
A search for the decay
We search for the rare flavor-changing neutral-current decay in a data sample of 82 fb collected with the {\sl BABAR}
detector at the PEP-II B-factory. Signal events are selected by examining the
properties of the system recoiling against either a reconstructed hadronic or
semileptonic charged-B decay. Using these two independent samples we obtain a
combined limit of
at the 90% confidence level. In addition, by selecting for pions rather than
kaons, we obtain a limit of using only the hadronic B reconstruction method.Comment: 7 pages, 8 postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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