Persistence of Immunity Following 2-Dose Priming with a 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine at 6 and 10 Weeks or 6 and 14 Weeks of Age in Nepalese Toddlers

BACKGROUND: The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has had a substantial impact on invasive pneumococcal disease. Previously, we compared immunity following vaccination with the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) administered at 2 slightly different schedules: at 6 and 10 weeks of age, and at 6 and 14 weeks of age, both followed by a 9-month booster. In this study, we followed up those participants to evaluate the medium-term persistence of serotype-specific pneumococcal immunity at 2-3 years of age. METHOD: Children from the previous studies were contacted and after taking informed consent from their parents, blood samples and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected. Serotype-specific IgG antibody concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, for the 10 vaccine serotypes, at a WHO pneumococcal serology reference laboratory. FINDINGS: Two hundred twenty out of the 287 children who completed the primary study returned at 2-3 years of age to provide a blood sample and nasopharyngeal swab. The nasopharyngeal carriage rate of PCV10 serotypes in the 6 + 14 group was higher than the 6 + 10 group (13.4% vs. 1.9%). Nevertheless, the proportion of toddlers with serum pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG greater than or equal to 0.35 µg/mL was comparable for all PCV10 serotypes between the 6 + 10 week and 6 + 14 week groups. Similarly, the geometric mean concentrations of serum pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG levels were similar in the 2 groups for all serotypes, except for serotype 19F which was 32% lower in the 6 + 10 group than the 6 + 14 group. CONCLUSION: Immunization with PCV10 at 6 + 10 weeks or 6 + 14 weeks, with a booster at 9 months in each case, results in similar persistence of serotype-specific antibody at 2-3 years of age. Thus, protection from pneumococcal disease is expected to be similar when either schedule is used

Direct Measurement of the Top Quark Mass at D0

We determine the top quark mass m_t using t-tbar pairs produced in the D0 detector by \sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV p-pbar collisions in a 125 pb^-1 exposure at the Fermilab Tevatron. We make a two constraint fit to m_t in t-tbar -> b W^+bbar W^- final states with one W boson decaying to q-qbar and the other to e-nu or mu-nu. Likelihood fits to the data yield m_t(l+jets) = 173.3 +- 5.6 (stat) +- 5.5 (syst) GeV/c^2. When this result is combined with an analysis of events in which both W bosons decay into leptons, we obtain m_t = 172.1 +- 5.2 (stat) +- 4.9 (syst) GeV/c^2. An alternate analysis, using three constraint fits to fixed top quark masses, gives m_t(l+jets) = 176.0 +- 7.9 (stat) +- 4.8 (syst) GeV/C^2, consistent with the above result. Studies of kinematic distributions of the top quark candidates are also presented.Comment: 43 pages, 53 figures, 33 tables. RevTeX. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Measurement of the WW Boson Mass

A measurement of the mass of the $W$ boson is presented based on a sample of 5982 $W \rightarrow e \nu$ decays observed in $p\overline{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 1.8~TeV with the D\O\ detector during the 1992--1993 run. From a fit to the transverse mass spectrum, combined with measurements of the $Z$ boson mass, the $W$ boson mass is measured to be $M_W = 80.350 \pm 0.140 (stat.) \pm 0.165 (syst.) \pm 0.160 (scale) GeV/c^2$.Comment: 12 pages, LaTex, style Revtex, including 3 postscript figures (submitted to PRL

Search for a Fourth Generation Charge -1/3 Quark via Flavor Changing Neutral Current Decay

We report on a search for pair production of a fourth generation charge -1/3 quark (b') in pbar p collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV at the Fermilab Tevatron using an integrated luminosity of 93 pb^-1. Both quarks are assumed to decay via flavor changing neutral currents (FCNC). The search uses the signatures gamma + 3 jets + mu-tag and 2 gamma + 2 jets. We see no significant excess of events over the expected background. We place an upper limit on the production cross section times branching fraction that is well below theoretical expectations for a b' quark decaying exclusively via FCNC for b' quark masses up to m(Z) + m(b).Comment: Eleven pages, two postscript figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Search for First Generation Scalar Leptoquark Pairs in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV

We have searched for first generation scalar leptoquark (LQ) pairs in the enu+jets channel using ppbar collider data (integrated luminosity= 115 pb^-1) collected by the DZero experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron during 1992-96. The analysis yields no candidate events. We combine the results with those from the ee+jets and nunu+jets channels to obtain 95% confidence level (CL) upper limits on the LQ pair production cross section as a function of mass and of beta, the branching fraction to a charged lepton. Comparing with the next-to-leading order theory, we set 95% CL lower limits on the LQ mass of 225, 204, and 79 GeV/c^2 for beta=1, 1/2, and 0, respectively.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters Replaced to correct visitor addresse

Search for Top Squark Pair Production in the Dielectron Channel

This report describes the first search for top squark pair production in the channel stop_1 stopbar_1 -> b bbar chargino_1 chargino_1 -> ee+jets+MEt using 74.9 +- 8.9 pb^-1 of data collected using the D0 detector. A 95% confidence level upper limit on sigma*B is presented. The limit is above the theoretical expectation for sigma*B for this process, but does show the sensitivity of the current D0 data set to a particular topology for new physics.Comment: Five pages, including three figures, submitted to PRD Brief Report

Limits on Anomalous WWgamma and WWZ Couplings

Limits on the anomalous WWgamma and WWZ couplings are presented from a simultaneous fit to the data samples of three gauge boson pair final states in pbar-p collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV: Wgamma production with the W boson decaying to enu or munu, W boson pair production with both of the W bosons decaying to enu or munu, and WW or WZ production with one W boson decaying to enu and the other W boson or the Z boson decaying to two jets. Assuming identical WWgamma and WWZ couplings, 95 % C.L. limits on the anomalous couplings of -0.30<Delta kappa<0.43 (lambda = 0) and -0.20<lambda<0.20 (Delta kappa = 0) are obtained using a form factor scale Lambda = 2.0 TeV. Limits found under other assumptions on the relationship between the WWgamma and WWZ couplings are also presented.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Search for W~1Z~2\widetilde{W}_1\widetilde{Z}_2 Production via Trilepton Final States in ppˉp\bar{p} collisions at s=1.8\sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV

We have searched for associated production of the lightest chargino, $\widetilde{W}_1$, and next-to-lightest neutralino, $\widetilde{Z}_2$, of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at \mbox{$\sqrt{s}$ = 1.8 TeV} using the \D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.5$\pm 0.7$ \ipb were examined for events containing three isolated leptons. No evidence for $\widetilde{W}_1\widetilde{Z}_2$ pair production was found. Limits on $\sigma(\widetilde{W}_1\widetilde{Z}_2)$Br$(\widetilde{W}_1\to l\nu\widetilde{Z}_1)$Br$(\widetilde{Z}_2\to l\bar{l}\widetilde{Z}_1)$ are presented.Comment: 17 pages (13 + 1 page table + 3 pages figures). 3 PostScript figures will follow in a UUEncoded, gzip'd, tar file. Text in LaTex format. Submitted to Physical Review Letters. Replace comments - Had to resumbmit version with EPSF directive

Measurement of the Top Quark Pair Production Cross Section in pbarp Collisions

We present a measurement of the ttbar production cross section in ppbar collisions at root(s) = 1.8TeV by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron. The measurement is based on data from an integrated luminosity of approximately 125 pb^-1 accumulated during the 1992-1996 collider run. We observe 39 ttbar candidate events in the dilepton and lepton+jets decay channels with an expected background of 13.7+-2.2 events. For a top quark mass of 173.3GeV/c^2, we measure the ttbar production cross section to be 5.5+-1.8 pb.Comment: 11 pages with 3 encapsulated PostScript figures and 2 PostScript table included in the body of the articl