Measurement of the Lifetime Difference Between B_s Mass Eigenstates

We present measurements of the lifetimes and polarization amplitudes for B_s --> J/psi phi and B_d --> J/psi K*0 decays. Lifetimes of the heavy (H) and light (L) mass eigenstates in the B_s system are separately measured for the first time by determining the relative contributions of amplitudes with definite CP as a function of the decay time. Using 203 +/- 15 B_s decays, we obtain tau_L = (1.05 +{0.16}/-{0.13} +/- 0.02) ps and tau_H = (2.07 +{0.58}/-{0.46} +/- 0.03) ps. Expressed in terms of the difference DeltaGamma_s and average Gamma_s, of the decay rates of the two eigenstates, the results are DeltaGamma_s/Gamma_s = (65 +{25}/-{33} +/- 1)%, and DeltaGamma_s = (0.47 +{0.19}/-{0.24} +/- 0.01) inverse ps.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; as published in Physical Review Letters on 16 March 2005; revisions are for length and typesetting only, no changes in results or conclusion

Economic burden of human papillomavirus-related diseases in Italy

INTRODUCTION: Human papilloma virus (HPV) genotypes 6, 11, 16, and 18 impose a substantial burden of direct costs on the Italian National Health Service that has never been quantified fully. The main objective of the present study was to address this gap: (1) by estimating the total direct medical costs associated with nine major HPV-related diseases, namely invasive cervical cancer, cervical dysplasia, cancer of the vulva, vagina, anus, penis, and head and neck, anogenital warts, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, and (2) by providing an aggregate measure of the total economic burden attributable to HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 infection. METHODS: For each of the nine conditions, we used available Italian secondary data to estimate the lifetime cost per case, the number of incident cases of each disease, the total economic burden, and the relative prevalence of HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18, in order to estimate the aggregate fraction of the total economic burden attributable to HPV infection. RESULTS: The total direct costs (expressed in 2011 Euro) associated with the annual incident cases of the nine HPV-related conditions included in the analysis were estimated to be €528.6 million, with a plausible range of €480.1-686.2 million. The fraction attributable to HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 was €291.0 (range €274.5-315.7 million), accounting for approximately 55% of the total annual burden of HPV-related disease in Italy. CONCLUSIONS: The results provided a plausible estimate of the significant economic burden imposed by the most prevalent HPV-related diseases on the Italian welfare system. The fraction of the total direct lifetime costs attributable to HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 infections, and the economic burden of noncervical HPV-related diseases carried by men, were found to be cost drivers relevant to the making of informed decisions about future investments in programmes of HPV prevention

First level trigger using pixel detector for the CMS experiment

A proposal for a pixel-based Level 1 trigger for the Super-LHC is presented. The trigger is based on fast track reconstruction using the full pixel granularity exploiting a readout which connects different layers in specific trigger towers. The trigger will implement the current CMS high level trigger functionality in a novel concept of intelligent detector. A possible layout is discussed and implications on data links are evaluated. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Evidence for B-s(0)->phi phi decay and measurements of branching ratio and A(CP) for B+->phi K+

We present the first evidence of charmless decays of the $B_s^0$ meson, the decay \phiphi, and a measurement of the Branching Ratio \BR(\phiphi) using $180 {\rm pb}^{-1}$ of data collected by the \cdfii experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. In addition, the BR and direct CP asymmetry for the \phik\ decay are measured. We obtain: \BR (\phiphi) = (14 \ase{6}{5}(stat.) \pm 6(syst.)) \times 10^{-6}, \BR (\phik) = (7.6 \pm 1.3(stat.) \pm 0.6(syst.)) \times 10^{-6}, and \ACP(\phik) = -0.07 \pm 0.17 (stat.) \ase{0.03}{0.02} (syst.). Both decays are governed in the Standard Model by second order (penguin) b \myto s\bar{s}s amplitudes.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters Fixed few typos plus additional comments to introduction suggested by referee'

Measurement of the Forward-Backward Charge Asymmetry from W --> e nu Production in p anti-p Collisions at s**(1/2) = 1.96 TeV

We report a measurement of the forward-backward charge asymmetry of electrons from W boson decays in p anti-p collisions at s**(1/2) = 1.96 TeV using a data sample of 170 pb-1 collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The asymmetry is measured as a function of electron rapidity and transverse energy and provides new input on the momentum fraction dependence of the u and d quark parton distribution within the proton