Optimising whole body computed tomography doses for paediatric trauma patients: a Swiss retrospective analysis.

We aimed to evaluate the impact of a low-dose whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) protocol on radiation doses in paediatric major trauma patients. Retrospective cohort study of paediatric trauma patients (<16 years) at a national level 1 paediatric trauma centre (PTC) over a 6 year period prior and post introduction of a low-dose WBCT protocol (2014-2019). Demographic data, patient characteristics, CT device, and exposure information including scan range, dose-length product, and volume CT dose index were collected. Effective dose (ED) and exposure parameters were compared before and after protocol introduction. Forty-eight patients underwent WBCT during the study period. Prior to introduction of the low-dose protocol (n= 18), the ED was 20.6 mSv (median 20.1 ± 5.3 mSv [range 12.5-30.7]). After introduction of the low-dose WBCT protocol (n= 30), mean ED was 4.8 mSv (median 2.6 ± 5.0 [range: 0.8-19.1]). This resulted in a reduction of 77% in mean ED (pvalue <0.001). Significant radiation dose reduction of 77% can be achieved with low-dose WBCT protocols in PTCs

B-physics with Nf=2N_f=2 Wilson fermions

We report the final results of the ALPHA collaboration for some B-physics observables: $f_B$, $f_{B_s}$ and $m_b$. We employ CLS configurations with 2 flavors of $O(a)$ improved Wilson fermions in the sea and pion masses ranging down to 190 MeV. The b-quark is treated in HQET to order $1/m_b$. The renormalization, the matching and the improvement were performed non-perturbatively, and three lattice spacings reaching $a=0.048$ fm are used in the continuum extrapolation

Decay constants of B-mesons from non-perturbative HQET with two light dynamical quarks

We present a computation of B-meson decay constants from lattice QCD simulations within the framework of Heavy Quark Effective Theory for the b-quark. The next-to-leading order corrections in the HQET expansion are included non-perturbatively. Based on Nf=2 gauge field ensembles, covering three lattice spacings a (0.08-0.05)fm and pion masses down to 190MeV, a variational method for extracting hadronic matrix elements is used to keep systematic errors under control. In addition we perform a careful autocorrelation analysis in the extrapolation to the continuum and to the physical pion mass limits. Our final results read fB=186(13)MeV, fBs=224(14)MeV and fBs/fB=1.203(65). A comparison with other results in the literature does not reveal a dependence on the number of dynamical quarks, and effects from truncating HQET appear to be negligible.Comment: 16 pages including figures and table

The b-quark mass from non-perturbative Nf=2N_f=2 Heavy Quark Effective Theory at O(1/mh)O(1/m_h)

We report our final estimate of the b-quark mass from $N_f=2$ lattice QCD simulations using Heavy Quark Effective Theory non-perturbatively matched to QCD at $O(1/m_h)$. Treating systematic and statistical errors in a conservative manner, we obtain $\overline{m}_{\rm b}^{\overline{\rm MS}}(2 {\rm GeV})=4.88(15)$ GeV after an extrapolation to the physical point.Comment: 15 pages including figures and tables; as published in Phys.Lett.B / typo in table 4 corrected / footnote 1 expande

CP-Violating Asymmetries in Charmless Non-Leptonic Decays B→PP,PV,VVB \to PP, PV, VV in the Factorization Approach

We present estimates of the direct (in decay amplitudes) and indirect (mixing- induced) CP-violating asymmetries in the non-leptonic charmless two-body decay rates for $B \to PP$, $B \to PV$ and $B \to VV$ decays and their charged conjugates, where P(V) is a light pseudoscalar (vector) meson. These estimates are based on a generalized factorization approach making use of next-to-leading order perturbative QCD contributions which generate the required strong phases. No soft final state interactions are included. We study the dependence of the asymmetries on a number of input parameters and show that there are at least two (possibly three) classes of decays in which the asymmetries are parametrically stable in this approach. The decay modes of particular interest are: \optbar{B^0} \to \pi^+ \pi^-, \optbar{B^0} \to K_S^0 \pi^0, \optbar{B^0} \to K_S^0 \eta^\prime, \optbar{B^0} \to K_S^0 \eta and \optbar{B^0} \to \rho^+ \rho^-. Likewise, the CP-violating asymmetry in the decays \optbar{B^0} \to K_S^0 h^0 with $h^0=\pi^0,K_S^0, \eta,\eta^\prime$ is found to be parametrically stable and large. Measurements of these asymmetries will lead to a determination of the phases $\sin 2\alpha$ and $\sin 2 \beta$ and we work out the relationships in these modes in the present theoretical framework. We also show the extent of the so-called "penguin pollution" in the rate asymmetry $A_{CP}(\pi^+ \pi^-)$ and of the "tree shadow" in the asymmetry $A_{CP}(K_S^0\eta^\prime)$ which will effect the determination of $\sin 2 \alpha$ and $\sin 2 \beta$ from the respective measurements. CP-violating asymmetries in $B^\pm \to \pi^\pm \eta^\prime$, $B^\pm \to K^{*\pm} \eta$, $B^\pm \to K^{*\pm} \eta^\prime$ and $B^\pm \to K^{*\pm}\rho^0$ are potentially interesting and are studied here.Comment: 42 pages (LaTex) including 19 figures, requires epsfig.sty; submitted to Phys. Rev.

apeNEXT: A multi-TFlops Computer for Simulations in Lattice Gauge Theory

We present the APE (Array Processor Experiment) project for the development of dedicated parallel computers for numerical simulations in lattice gauge theories. While APEmille is a production machine in today's physics simulations at various sites in Europe, a new machine, apeNEXT, is currently being developed to provide multi-Tflops computing performance. Like previous APE machines, the new supercomputer is largely custom designed and specifically optimized for simulations of Lattice QCD.Comment: Poster at the XXIII Physics in Collisions Conference (PIC03), Zeuthen, Germany, June 2003, 3 pages, Latex. PSN FRAP15. Replaced for adding forgotten autho

A perturbative approach to BB decays into two π\pi mesons

The modified perturbative approach in which transverse degrees of freedom as well as Sudakov suppressions are taken into account, is applied to $B$ decays into two $\pi$ mesons. The influence of various model parameters (CKM matrix elements, $B$ decay constant, mesonic wave functions) on the results as well as short distance corrections to the weak Hamiltonian are discussed in some detail. The perturbative contributions to the $B$ decays yield branching ratios of the order of $10^{-7}\;-\;10^{-6}$ which values are well below the upper limit for the $\bar{B}^0\to\pi^+\pi^-$ branching ratio as measured by CLEO.Comment: 26 pages, RevTex, 6 figures appended (compressed and uuencode using 'uufiles'

Two body decays of the bb-quark: Applications to direct CP violation, searches for electro-weak penguins and new physics

A systematic experimental search for two-body hadronic decays of the b-quark of the type b to quark + meson is proposed. These reactions have a well defined experimental signature and they should be theoretically cleaner compared to exclusive decays. Many modes have appreciable branching ratios and partial rate asymmetries may also be quite large (about 8-50%) in several of them. In a few cases electroweak penguins appear to be dominant and may be measurable. CP violating triple correlation asymmetries provide a clean test of the Standard Model.Comment: 12 pages 1 figure 1 tabl

Progress and status of APEmille

We report on the progress and status of the APEmille project: a SIMD parallel computer with a peak performance in the TeraFlops range which is now in an advanced development phase. We discuss the hardware and software architecture, and present some performance estimates for Lattice Gauge Theory (LGT) applications.Comment: Talk presented at LATTICE97, 3 pages, Late

Isospin Structure of Penguins And Their Consequences in BB Physics

Isospin structure of gluon mediated or strong penguin is significantly altered when the full electroweak corrections are included. This has the consequence that some previous analyses which relied on a simple isospin structure in charmless $B$ decays become inapplicable. We present the general Hamiltonian in next-to-leading order QCD, and illustrate our conclusion quantitatively for $B\rightarrow \pi\pi$ and $B\rightarrow K\pi$ decays in the factorization approximation. Some remarks on CP asymmetries in $B$ decays are also made.Comment: Revtex, 11 pages, typos in eq.(17) were correcte