782 research outputs found
Predicting the public health benefit of vaccinating cattle against Escherichia coli O157
Identifying the major sources of risk in disease transmission is key to designing effective controls. However, understanding of transmission dynamics across species boundaries is typically poor, making the design and evaluation of controls particularly challenging for zoonotic pathogens. One such global pathogen is Escherichia coli O157, which causes a serious and sometimes fatal gastrointestinal illness. Cattle are the main reservoir for E. coli O157, and vaccines for cattle now exist. However, adoption of vaccines is being delayed by conflicting responsibilities of veterinary and public health agencies, economic drivers, and because clinical trials cannot easily test interventions across species boundaries, lack of information on the public health benefits. Here, we examine transmission risk across the cattle–human species boundary and show three key results. First, supershedding of the pathogen by cattle is associated with the genetic marker stx2. Second, by quantifying the link between shedding density in cattle and human risk, we show that only the relatively rare supershedding events contribute significantly to human risk. Third, we show that this finding has profound consequences for the public health benefits of the cattle vaccine. A naïve evaluation based on efficacy in cattle would suggest a 50% reduction in risk; however, because the vaccine targets the major source of human risk, we predict a reduction in human cases of nearly 85%. By accounting for nonlinearities in transmission across the human–animal interface, we show that adoption of these vaccines by the livestock industry could prevent substantial numbers of human E. coli O157 cases
Determination of alpha_s using Jet Rates at LEP with the OPAL detector
Hadronic events produced in e+e- collisions by the LEP collider and recorded
by the OPAL detector were used to form distributions based on the number of
reconstructed jets. The data were collected between 1995 and 2000 and
correspond to energies of 91 GeV, 130-136 GeV and 161-209 GeV. The jet rates
were determined using four different jet-finding algorithms (Cone, JADE, Durham
and Cambridge). The differential two-jet rate and the average jet rate with the
Durham and Cambridge algorithms were used to measure alpha(s) in the LEP energy
range by fitting an expression in which order alpah_2s calculations were
matched to a NLLA prediction and fitted to the data. Combining the measurements
at different centre-of-mass energies, the value of alpha_s (Mz) was determined
to be
alpha(s)(Mz)=0.1177+-0.0006(stat.)+-0.0012$(expt.)+-0.0010(had.)+-0.0032(theo.)
\.Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.
Colour reconnection in e+e- -> W+W- at sqrt(s) = 189 - 209 GeV
The effects of the final state interaction phenomenon known as colour
reconnection are investigated at centre-of-mass energies in the range sqrt(s) ~
189-209 GeV using the OPAL detector at LEP. Colour reconnection is expected to
affect observables based on charged particles in hadronic decays of W+W-.
Measurements of inclusive charged particle multiplicities, and of their angular
distribution with respect to the four jet axes of the events, are used to test
models of colour reconnection. The data are found to exclude extreme scenarios
of the Sjostrand-Khoze Type I (SK-I) model and are compatible with other
models, both with and without colour reconnection effects. In the context of
the SK-I model, the best agreement with data is obtained for a reconnection
probability of 37%. Assuming no colour reconnection, the charged particle
multiplicity in hadronically decaying W bosons is measured to be (nqqch) =
19.38+-0.05(stat.)+-0.08 (syst.).Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.
Scaling violations of quark and gluon jet fragmentation functions in e+e- annihilations at sqrt(s) = 91.2 and 183-209 GeV
Flavour inclusive, udsc and b fragmentation functions in unbiased jets, and
flavour inclusive, udsc, b and gluon fragmentation functions in biased jets are
measured in e+e- annihilations from data collected at centre-of-mass energies
of 91.2, and 183-209 GeV with the OPAL detector at LEP. The unbiased jets are
defined by hemispheres of inclusive hadronic events, while the biased jet
measurements are based on three-jet events selected with jet algorithms.
Several methods are employed to extract the fragmentation functions over a wide
range of scales. Possible biases are studied in the results are obtained. The
fragmentation functions are compared to results from lower energy e+e-
experiments and with earlier LEP measurements and are found to be consistent.
Scaling violations are observed and are found to be stronger for the
fragmentation functions of gluon jets than for those of quarks. The measured
fragmentation functions are compared to three recent theoretical
next-to-leading order calculations and to the predictions of three Monte Carlo
event generators. While the Monte Carlo models are in good agreement with the
data, the theoretical predictions fail to describe the full set of results, in
particular the b and gluon jet measurements.Comment: 46 pages, 17 figures, Submitted to Eur. Phys J.
Search for Yukawa Production of a Light Neutral Higgs Boson at LEP
Within a Two-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) a search for a light Higgs boson in
the mass range of 4-12 GeV has been performed in the Yukawa process e+e- -> b
bbar A/h -> b bbar tau+tau-, using the data collected by the OPAL detector at
LEP between 1992 and 1995 in e+e- collisions at about 91 GeV centre-of-mass
energy. A likelihood selection is applied to separate background and signal.
The number of observed events is in good agreement with the expected
background. Within a CP-conserving 2HDM type II model the cross-section for
Yukawa production depends on xiAd = |tan beta| and xihd = |sin alpha/cos beta|
for the production of the CP-odd A and the CP-even h, respectively, where tan
beta is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the Higgs doublets and
alpha is the mixing angle between the neutral CP-even Higgs bosons. From our
data 95% C.L. upper limits are derived for xiAd within the range of 8.5 to 13.6
and for xihd between 8.2 to 13.7, depending on the mass of the Higgs boson,
assuming a branching fraction into tau+tau- of 100%. An interpretation of the
limits within a 2HDM type II model with Standard Model particle content is
given. These results impose constraints on several models that have been
proposed to explain the recent BNL measurement of the muon anomalous magnetic
moment.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.
Extended Longevity of Reproductives Appears to be Common in Fukomys Mole-Rats (Rodentia, Bathyergidae)
African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia) contain several social, cooperatively breeding species with low extrinsic mortality and unusually high longevity. All social bathyergids live in multigenerational families where reproduction is skewed towards a few breeding individuals. Most of their offspring remain as reproductively inactive “helpers” in their natal families, often for several years. This “reproductive subdivision” of mole-rat societies might be of interest for ageing research, as in at least one social bathyergid (Ansell's mole-rats Fukomys anselli), breeders have been shown to age significantly slower than non-breeders. These animals thus provide excellent conditions for studying the epigenetics of senescence by comparing divergent longevities within the same genotypes without the inescapable short-comings of inter-species comparisons. It has been claimed that many if not all social mole-rat species may have evolved similar ageing patterns, too. However, this remains unclear on account of the scarcity of reliable datasets on the subject. We therefore analyzed a 20-year breeding record of Giant mole-rats Fukomys mechowii, another social bathyergid species. We found that breeders indeed lived significantly longer than helpers (ca. 1.5–2.2fold depending on the sex), irrespective of social rank or other potentially confounding factors. Considering the phylogenetic positions of F. mechowii and F. anselli and unpublished data on a third Fukomys-species (F. damarensis) showing essentially the same pattern, it seems probable that the reversal of the classic trade-off between somatic maintenance and sexual reproduction is characteristic of the whole genus and hence of the vast majority of social mole-rats
Tests of model of color reconnection and a search for glueballs using gluon jets with a rapidity gap
Gluon jets with a mean energy of 22 GeV and purity of 95% are selected from
hadronic Z0 decay events produced in e+e- annihilations. A subsample of these
jets is identified which exhibits a large gap in the rapidity distribution of
particles within the jet. After imposing the requirement of a rapidity gap, the
gluon jet purity is 86%. These jets are observed to demonstrate a high degree
of sensitivity to the presence of color reconnection, i.e. higher order QCD
processes affecting the underlying color structure. We use our data to test
three QCD models which include a simulation of color reconnection: one in the
Ariadne Monte Carlo, one in the Herwig Monte Carlo, and the other by Rathsman
in the Pythia Monte Carlo. We find the Rathsman and Ariadne color reconnection
models can describe our gluon jet measurements only if very large values are
used for the cutoff parameters which serve to terminate the parton showers, and
that the description of inclusive Z0 data is significantly degraded in this
case. We conclude that color reconnection as implemented by these two models is
disfavored. The signal from the Herwig color reconnection model is less clear
and we do not obtain a definite conclusion concerning this model. In a separate
study, we follow recent theoretical suggestions and search for glueball-like
objects in the leading part of the gluon jets. No clear evidence is observed
for these objects.Comment: 42 pages, 18 figure
Measurement of triple gauge boson couplings from WW production at LEP energies up to 189 GeV
A measurement of triple gauge boson couplings is presented, based on W-pair
data recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP during 1998 at a centre-of-mass
energy of 189 GeV with an integrated luminosity of 183 pb^-1. After combining
with our previous measurements at centre-of-mass energies of 161-183 GeV we
obtain k_g=0.97 +0.20 -0.16, g_1^z=0.991 +0.060 -0.057 and lambda_g=-0.110
+0.058 -0.055, where the errors include both statistical and systematic
uncertainties and each coupling is determined by setting the other two
couplings to their SM values. These results are consistent with the Standard
Model expectations.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
W Boson Polarisation at LEP2
Elements of the spin density matrix for W bosons in e+e- -> W+W- -> qqln
events are measured from data recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP. This
information is used calculate polarised differential cross-sections and to
search for CP-violating effects. Results are presented for W bosons produced in
e+e- collisions with centre-of-mass energies between 183 GeV and 209 GeV. The
average fraction of W bosons that are longitudinally polarised is found to be
(23.9 +- 2.1 +- 1.1)% compared to a Standard Model prediction of (23.9 +-
0.1)%. All results are consistent with CP conservation.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.
Search for the Standard Model Higgs Boson with the OPAL Detector at LEP
This paper summarises the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in e+e-
collisions at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV performed by the OPAL
Collaboration at LEP. The consistency of the data with the background
hypothesis and various Higgs boson mass hypotheses is examined. No indication
of a signal is found in the data and a lower bound of 112.7GeV/C^2 is obtained
on the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson at the 95% CL.Comment: 51 pages, 21 figure
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