A Model for Fission Yield Uncertainty Propagation based on the URANIE platform

A considerable support has been given in URANIE utilization by the research group of DEN/DER/SPRC/LECyInternational audienceIn the present work, we analyze how fission yields uncertainties can be propagated in a burn-upcalculation. The first part of the work is dedicated to the fission yield covariances generation in CONRAD(COde for Nuclear Reaction Analysis and Data Assimilation) to be used in the neutronic code APOLLO2.Fission yield covariance files are in fact unavailable in present nuclear databases such as JEFF-3.2and ENDF/B-VII. To propagate such uncertainties, we adopted a statistical method which has a solidtheoretical base and a relatively simple implementation. Fission yields have been therefore treated asrandom variables to be sampled from a normal input parameter multivariate distribution, taking intoaccount correlations. Successively, a statistical representative number of calculations are carried out withthe different sampled input data. An output multivariate probability distribution for core characteristicsis then inferred. Random variable sampling and statistical post-processing has been performed usingURANIE, a sensitivity and uncertainty analysis platform based on ROOT. This methodology is appliedon a simplified geometry, leaving further developments for more complicated layout to future works

Benralizumab for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis: a retrospective, multicentre, cohort study.

Interleukin-5 (IL-5) inhibitors represent novel therapies for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). This study assessed the effectiveness and safety of the IL-5 receptor inhibitor benralizumab in a European cohort of patients with EGPA. This retrospective cohort study included patients with EGPA from 28 European referral centres of the European EGPA Study Group across six countries (Italy, France, UK, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland) who received benralizumab as any line of treatment between Jan 1, 2019, and Sep 30, 2022. We assessed the rates of complete response, defined as no disease activity (Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score [BVAS] of 0) and a prednisone dose of up to 4 mg/day, in contrast to partial response, defined as a BVAS of 0 and a prednisone dose greater than 4 mg/day. Active disease manifestations, pulmonary function, variation in glucocorticoid dose, and safety outcomes were also assessed over a 12-month follow-up. 121 patients with relapsing-refractory EGPA treated with benralizumab at the dose approved for eosinophilic asthma were included (64 [53%] women and 57 [47%] men; median age at the time of beginning benralizumab treatment 54·1 years [IQR 44·2-62·2]). Complete response was reported in 15 (12·4%, 95% CI 7·1-19·6) of 121 patients at month 3, 25 (28·7%, 19·5-39·4) of 87 patients at month 6, and 32 (46·4%, 34·3-58·8) of 69 patients at month 12; partial response was observed in an additional 43 (35·5%, 27·0-44·8) patients at month 3, 23 (26·4%, 17·6-37·0) at month 6, and 13 (18·8%, 10·4-30·1) at month 12. BVAS dropped from 3·0 (IQR 2·0-8·0) at baseline to 0·0 (0·0-2·0) at months 3 and 6, and to 0·0 (0·0-1·0) at month 12. The proportion of patients with systemic manifestations, active peripheral neurological disease, ear, nose, and throat involvement, and pulmonary involvement decreased, with an improvement in lung function tests. Six patients relapsed after having a complete response. The oral prednisone (or equivalent) dose decreased from 10·0 mg/day (5·0-12·5) at baseline to 5·0 mg/day (3·6-8·5) at month 3 (p<0·01), to 5·0 mg/day (2·5-6·3) at month 6, and to 2·5 mg/day (0·0-5·0) at month 12 (p<0·0001). 19 (16%) of 121 patients had adverse events and 16 (13%) discontinued benralizumab. These data suggest that benralizumab could be an effective treatment for EGPA in real-life clinical practice. Further clinical trials are required to confirm the efficacy of benralizumab in patients with a higher baseline disease activity. None

Measurement of the B-d(0) oscillation frequency using kaons, leptons and jet charge

A measurement of the mass difference, Delta m(d), be tween the two physical B-d(0) states has been obtained from the analysis of the impact parameter distribution of a lepton emitted at large transverse momentum (p(t)) relative to the jet axis and from the analysis of the flight distance distribution of secondary vertices tagged by either a high p(t) lepton or an identified kaon. In the opposite hemisphere of the event, the charge of the initial quark has been evaluated using a high p(t) lepton, a charged kaon or the mean jet charge, With 1.7 million hadronic Z(0) decays recorded by DELPHI between 1991 and 1993, Delta m(d) is found to be: Delta m(d) = 0.531 (+0.050)(-0.046) (stat.) +/- 0.078 (syst.) ps(-1)

Determination of vertical bar V-cb vertical bar from the semileptonic decay B-0->D*(-)l(+)nu

Semileptonic decays B --> D*(-)l(+)nu X were selected from a sample of 3.1 million hadronic Z decays collected by the DELPHI detector at LEP. A topological search for semileptonic B decays to resonant and non-resonant D*(-)pi(+) states was performed and the ratio of the branching fractions: Br(B --> D*(-)l(+)nu X)/Br(B --> D*(-)l(+)nu X) + Br(B-0 --> D*(-)l(+)nu) = 0.19 +/- 0.10(stat) +/- 0.06(syst) was determined. Taking into account this contribution, the differential decay width of B-0 --> D*(-)l(+)nu was measured as a function of the momentum transfer from the B to the D*(-) in two separate analyses, using exclusive and inclusive methods of D*(-) reconstruction. The distributions were fitted over the full momentum transfer range to extract the product of /V-cb/ times the normalization of the decay form factor F(q(max)(2)): F(q(max)(2))/V-cb/ = (35.4 +/- 1.9(stat) +/- 2.4(syst)) . 10(-3). The value of /V-cb/ was computed using theoretical calculations of F(q(max?2), giving: /V-cb/ = (38.9 +/- 2.0(stat) +/- 2.6(syst) +/- 1.7(theory)) . 10(-3). The total branching fraction Br(B-0 --> D*(-)l(-)nu) was determined to be: Br(B-0 --> D*(-)l(+)nu) = (5.52 +/- 0.17(stat) +/- 0.68(syst))%

Production of Strange B-baryons Decaying Into Xi-/+-l-/+ Pairs At Lep

An excess of events containing, in a jet, a same-sign Xi(-/+) - l(-/+) pair as compared to those with an opposite-sign Xi(-/+) - l(-/+) pair has been observed in an analysis of 1.7 million hadronic Z(o) decays collected by the DELPHI detector at LEP between 1991 and 1993 inclusive. The probability for this signal to come from non B-baryon decays is less than 5 x 10(-4). The measured production fraction corresponds to: P(b --> B - baryon) x BR(B - baryon --> Xi(-) l(-) X) = (5.9 +/- 2.1 +/- 1.0) x 10(-4), per lepton species, averaged for electrons and muons and assuming the two channels have an equal contribution. Semileptonic decays of Lambda(b) baryons can account for less than 10% of these events and the major part of the signal has to originate from Xi(b) semileptonic decays, Using the subsample of these events where the Xi(-/+) trajectory has been measured in the Vertex Detector, the lifetime of B-baryons producing a Xi(-/+) in their semileptonic decay final state is found to be: tau(B - baryon --> Xi(-) l(-) X) = 1.5(-0.4)(+0.7) +/- 0.3 ps

Measurement of the partial decay width R(b)(0)=Gamma(b(b)over-bar)/Gamma(had) of the Z with the DELPHI detector at LEP

The partial decay width of the Z to quark pairs has been measured by the DELPHI detector at LEP. B-hadrons, containing b-quarks, were tagged by several methods using tracks with large impact parameters to the primary vertex complemented sometimes by event shape variables or using leptons with high transverse momentum relative to the hadron. In order to reduce the systematic uncertainties, in all methods the b-tagging efficiency has been extracted directly from the data. Combining all methods, the value: Gamma()/Gamma(had) = 0.2216 +/- 0.0016(stat.) +/- 0.0021(syst.) was found, where the production fraction was fixed to its Standard Model value

Determination of |Vcb_{cb}| from the semileptonic decay B0^{0} --> D∗−*^{-}l+ν^{+}\nu

Semileptonic decays B \rightarrow D^{*-} \ell^+ \nu X were selected from a sample of 3.1 million hadronic Z decays collected by the DELPHI detector at LEP. A topological search for semileptonic B decays to resonant %(D^{**}) and non-resonant D^{*-} \pi^{+} states was performed and the ratio of the branching fractions: \frac {Br ({\mathrm{B} \rightarrow {\mathrm D}^{*-}} \ell^+ \nu X)} {Br({\mathrm{B} \rightarrow {\mathrm D}^{*-}} \ell^+ \nu X) + Br( {\mathrm{B}^0 \rightarrow \mathrm{D}^{*-}} \ell^+ \nu)} = 0.19 \pm 0.10({\mathrm{stat}}) \pm 0.06({\mathrm{syst}}) was determined. Taking into account this contribution, %DB the differential production fraction of the decay the differential decay width of {\mathrm{B}^{0} \rightarrow \mathrm{D}^{*-}} \ell^+ \nu was measured as a function of the momentum transfer from the B to the D^{*-} in two separate analyses, using exclusive and inclusive methods of D^{*-} reconstruction. The distributions were fitted %DB with a linear function over the full momentum transfer range to extract the product of \mathrm{|V_{cb}|} times the normalization of the decay form factor F(q^2_{max}): F(q^2_{max})\mathrm{|V_{cb}|} = (35.0 \pm 1.9({\mathrm{stat}}) \pm 2.3({\mathrm{syst}}) )~\cdot~10^{-3}. The value of \mathrm|V_{cb}| was computed using theoretical calculations of F(q^2_{max}), giving: {\mathrm{|V_{cb}|}} = (38.5 \pm 2.1({\mathrm{stat}}) \pm 2.5({\mathrm{syst}}) \pm 1.7({\mathrm{theory}}))~\cdot~10^{-3}. The total branching fraction Br(\mathrm{B}^{0} \rightarrow D^{*-} \ell^+ \nu) was determined to be: Br ({\mathrm{B}^0 \rightarrow \mathrm{D}^{*-}} \ell^+ \nu) = (5.47 \pm 0.16({\mathrm{stat}}) \pm 0.67({\mathrm{syst}})) \%

Measurement of inclusive pi0 production in hadronic Z0 decays

An analysis is presented of inclusive \pi^0 production in Z^0 decays measured with the DELPHI detector. At low energies, \pi^0 decays are reconstructed by \linebreak using pairs of converted photons and combinations of converted photons and photons reconstructed in the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter (HPC). At high energies (up to x_p = 2 \cdot p_{\pi}/\sqrt{s} = 0.75) the excellent granularity of the HPC is exploited to search for two-photon substructures in single showers. The inclusive differential cross section is measured as a function of energy for {q\overline q} and {b \bar b} events. The number of \pi^0's per hadronic Z^0 event is N(\pi^0)/ Z_{had}^0 = 9.2 \pm 0.2 \mbox{(stat)} \pm 1.0 \mbox{(syst)} and for {b \bar b}~events the number of \pi^0's is {\mathrm N(\pi^0)/ b \overline b} = 10.1 \pm 0.4 \mbox{(stat)} \pm 1.1 \mbox{(syst)} . The ratio of the number of \pi^0's in b \overline b events to hadronic Z^0 events is less affected by the systematic errors and is found to be 1.09 \pm 0.05 \pm 0.01. The measured \pi^0 cross sections are compared with the predictions of different parton shower models. For hadronic events, the peak position in the \mathrm \xi_p = \ln(1/x_p) distribution is \xi_p^{\star} = 3.90^{+0.24}_{-0.14}. The average number of \pi^0's from the decay of primary \mathrm B hadrons is found to be {\mathrm N} (B \rightarrow \pi^0 \, X)/\mbox{B hadron} = 2.78 \pm 0.15 \mbox{(stat)} \pm 0.60 \mbox{(syst)}