0000000000089103
AUTHOR
Chen X
Improved measurements of electroweak parameters from Z decays into fermion pairs
The properties of the Z resonance are measured on the basis of 190000 Z decays into fermion pairs collected with the ALEPH detector at LEP. Assuming lepton universality, M(Z) = (91.182 +/- 0.009exp +/- 0.020L;P) GeV, GAMMA(Z) = (2484 +/- 17) MeV, sigma(had)0 = (41.44 +/- 0.36) nb, and GAMMA(had)/GAMMA(ll) = 21.00 +/- 0.20. The corresponding number of light neutrino species is 2.97 +/- 0.07. The forward-backward asymmetry in leptonic decays is used to determine the ratio of vector to axial-vector coupling constants of leptons: g(V)2(M(Z)2)/g(A)2(M(Z)2) = 0.0072 +/- 0.0027. Combining these results with ALEPH results on quark charge and bbBAR asymmetries, and tau-polarization, sin2 theta(W)(M(…
Measurements of mean lifetime and branching fractions of b hadrons decaying to J/ψ
From a data sample of 450 000 hadronic events recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP, 92 +/- 10 events are observed containing a J/psi meson decaying to mu+mu- or e+e-. From these data the measured inclusive branching fraction for a b flavoured hadron to decay to a J/psi is BR(b --> J/psiX) = (1.21 +/- 0.13 (stat.) +/- 0.08 (syst.))%, and the average b hadron lifetime in the events tagged with a J/psi is tau(b) = 1.35(-0.17)+0.19 +/- 0.05 ps. Five events are observed consistent with the exclusive decay B+/- --> J/psiK+/- and from these events the exclusive branching fraction is measured to be BR(B+/- --> J/psiK+/-) = (0.22 +/- 0.10 +/- 0.02)%. Upper limits for other exclusive branching rat…
Loneliness and social adaptation in Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese and Italian children
Background: Research on children's loneliness has been conducted mostly in Western, especially North American, cultures. The purpose of the study was to examine relations between loneliness and social adaptation among children and adolescents in four different societies. Methods: A total of 2263 children from grade 3 to grade 6, aged 9 to 12 years, in Brazil, Canada, P. R. China, and Southern Italy participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure of loneliness. Information about social behaviors and peer relationships was obtained from peer assessments. Results: Multi-group analyses revealed that the overall patterns of relations among social behaviors, peer re…
Properties of Hadronic Z-decays and Test of QCD Generators
Distributions are presented of event shape variables, jet roduction rates and charged particle momenta obtained from 53 000 hadronic Z decays. They are compared to the predictions of the QCD + hadronization models JETSET, ARIADNE and HERWIG, and are used to optimize several model parameters. The JETSET and ARIADNE coherent parton shower (PS) models with running alpha(s) and string fragmentation yield the best description of the data. The HERWIG parton shower model with cluster fragmentation fits the data less well. The data are in better agreement with JETSET PS than with JETSET O(alpha(s)2) matrix elements (ME) even when the renormalization scale is optimized.
A measurement of the b baryon lifetime
In 451 000 hadronic Z0 decays, recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP, the yields of lambdal- and lambdal+ combinations are measured. Semileptonic decays of b baryons result in a signal of 122 +/- 18(stat.)+22/-23(syst.) lambdal- combinations. From a fit to the impact parameter distribution of the leptons in the lambdal- sample, the lifetime of b baryons is measured to be 1.12+0.32/-0.29(stat.) +/- 0.16(syst.) ps.
Parenting beliefs and behaviors: Initial findings from the International Consortium for the Study of Social and Emotional Development (ICSSED)
The chapter is focused on the ways by which cultures impart meanings to behavior and determine how individuals (i.e. parents and peers) perceive, evaluate and react to behavior, regulating, at the same time, its developmental process. Specifically, the behavior under examination is behavioral inhibition defined as a pattern of responding or behaving such that when unfamiliar and/or challenging situation are encountered, the child show signs of reactive anxiety, distress or disorganization and the child has difficulties to calm down. Data were collected in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, India and Korea. The goal of the study was to explore cultural differences among countries regar…
Body mass index and complications following major gastrointestinal surgery
Aim Previous studies reported conflicting evidence on the effects of obesity on outcomes after gastrointestinal surgery. The aims of this study were to explore the relationship of obesity with major postoperative complications in an international cohort and to present a meta-analysis of all available prospective data.Methods This prospective, multicentre study included adults undergoing both elective and emergency gastrointestinal resection, reversal of stoma or formation of stoma. The primary end-point was 30-day major complications (Clavien-Dindo Grades III-V). A systematic search was undertaken for studies assessing the relationship between obesity and major complications after gastroint…
Evidence for b baryons in Z decays
Abstract In 160 000 hadronic Z decays recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP, the yields of Λl− and Λl+ combinations have been measured. The observed excess of Λl− over Λl+ of 53±13 is interpreted as evidence for b baryons and their semileptonic decay. Assuming that three body decay processes such as Λ b →Λ c + l − v dominate the semileptonic decay of b baryons, this ex cess corresponds to a product branching ratio BR ( b →Λ b )· BR (Λ b →Λ c + l − v )· BR (Λ c + →ΛX) = (0.95±0.22 ( stat. )±0.21( syst. ))% , where Λb and Λc+ denote the bottom and charm baryons respectively.
MEASUREMENT OF THE PRODUCTION-RATES OF ETA AND ETA' IN HADRONIC-Z DECAYS
The decays eta --> gammagamma and eta' --> etapi+pi- have been observed in hadronic decays of the Z produced at LEP. The fragmentation functions of both the eta and eta' have been measured. The measured multiplicities for x > 0.1 are 0.298 +/- 0.023 +/- 0.021 and 0.068 +/- 0.018 +/- 0.016 for eta and eta' respectively. While the fragmentation function for the eta is fairly well described by the JETSET Monte Carlo, it is found that the production rate of the eta' is a factor of four less than the corresponding prediction.
Liraglutide and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes.
BACKGROUND: In a randomized, controlled trial that compared liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 analogue, with placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk who were receiving usual care, we found that liraglutide resulted in lower risks of the primary end point (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes) and death. However, the long-term effects of liraglutide on renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes are unknown. METHODS: We report the prespecified secondary renal outcomes of that randomized, controlled trial in which patients were assigned to receive liraglutide or placebo. The secondary renal outcome was a co…
AN INVESTIGATION INTO INTERMITTENCY
The results of an investigation based on ALEPH data, e+ e- --> hadrons at square-root s = 91 GeV, into fluctuations in rapidity space are presented. It is found that the behaviour of the factorial moments is well represented by the Lund parton shower model. An estimate is made of the scale of fluctuations needed to describe the data. Differential moments are introduced and are used to demonstrate that within the average represented by the traditional factorial moments the pattern of fluctu10.1007/BF01483869ations is itself a strong function of rapidity. This pattern is shown to be primarily associated with the emission of hard gluons. The implied structure between the hadron clusters and pa…