To address weaknesses in the current foot and mouth disease (FMD) control system and to inform the formulation of a national control strategy, Mongolia conducted two separate risk assessments, one ...for the Eastern region which in the past has seen re-current introductions of infection, and one for the Western region, where freedom from disease had been demonstrated over several years until FMD was re-introduced in 2013. The risk assessment was conducted in three stages: first local experts developed entry, exposure and consequence pathways during separate workshops in both regions, then data was collected, compiled and analysed, and finally, during a second workshop local experts provided risk estimations for both regions and identified recommendations for risk management. Risk estimates for each pathway were individually recorded, which ensured that views of all experts were equally represented in the risk estimation and which allowed assessing possible impact of different factors related to the background of participating local experts on risk estimates. Entry risk pathways with highest risk estimates were related to livestock movements and in the consequence assessment due to direct contacts. Uncertainty, for which disagreement between participants acted as a proxy, was high in entry pathways and in the assessment of effectiveness of control measures.
The risk assessment was conducted with local experts who had no previous risk assessment experience. Through their involvement in the whole process however, they assumed a high level of ownership and despite lively discussions for some risk pathways, a high level of agreement was achieved and credible results were communicated to decision makers. Especially valuable were the derived recommendations. Through the risk assessment the local experts gained a thorough understanding of the FMD risk which resulted in sensible and realistic recommendations, which, if implemented, can lead to a sustainable strengthening of the Mongolian capacities to prevent, control and eradicate FMD. The process was underlined by extensive field data collection, which helped to address important data gaps and therefore to improve quality and reliability of findings. The Mongolian veterinary authority was very committed to the risk assessment and several recommendations have already been integrated in the revision of the national FMD strategy.
A search for the rare two-body charmless baryonic decay $B^+ \to p \bar\Lambda$ is performed with $pp$ collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $3\mbox{\,fb}^{-1}$, collected by ...the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. An excess of $B^+ \to p \bar\Lambda$ candidates with respect to background expectations is seen with a statistical significance of 4.1 standard deviations, and constitutes the first evidence for this decay. The branching fraction, measured using the $B^+ \to K^0_{\mathrm S} \pi^+$ decay for normalisation, is \begin{eqnarray} \mathcal{B}(B^+ \to p \bar\Lambda) & = & ( 2.4 \,^{+1.0}_{-0.8} \pm 0.3 ) \times 10^{-7} \,, \nonumber \end{eqnarray} where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.
The $B_s^0\pi^\pm$ invariant mass distribution is investigated in order to search for possible exotic meson states. The analysis is based on a data sample recorded with the LHCb detector ...corresponding to $3$ fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ and $8$ TeV. No significant excess is found, and upper limits are set on the production rate of the claimed $X(5568)$ state. Upper limits are also set as a function of the mass and width of a possible exotic meson decaying to the $B_s^0\pi^\pm$ final state.
(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae and/or non-USASCII text omitted; see image).The suppressed decay Lambda sub( )b super(0) arrow right p pi super(-) mu super(+) mu super(-), excluding the J/ psi and ...psi (2S) arrow right mu super(+) mu super(-) resonances, is observed for the first time with a significance of 5.5 standard deviations. The analysis is performed with proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb super(-1) collected with the LHCb experiment. The Lambda sub( )b super(0) arrow right p pi super(-) mu super(+) mu super(-) branching fraction is measured relative to the Lambda sub( )b super(0) arrow right J/ psi ( arrow right mu super(+) mu super(-))p pi super(-) branching fraction giving ... ... where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This is the first observation of a b arrow right d transition in a baryonic decay. Figure not available: see fulltext.
(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae and/or non-USASCII text omitted; see image).The ratio of branching fractions and the difference in CP asymmetries of the decays B super(+) arrow right J/ psi pi ...super(+) and B super(+) arrow right J/ psi K super(+) are measured using a data sample of pp collisions collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb super(-1) at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. The results are ... ... ... ... where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. Combining this result with a recent LHCb measurement of ... provides the most precise estimate to date of CP violation in the decay B super(+) arrow right J/ psi pi super(+), ... ...Figure not available: see fulltext.
Measurements of the differential branching fraction and angular moments of the decay B super(0) arrow right K super(+) pi super(-) mu super(+) mu super(-) in the K super(+) pi super(-) invariant mass ...range 1330 < m(K super(+) pi super(-)) < 1530 MeV/c super(2) are presented. Proton-proton collision data are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb super(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment. Differential branching fraction measurements are reported in five bins of the invariant mass squared of the dimuon system, q super(2), between 0.1 and 8.0 GeV super(2) /c super(4). For the first time, an angular analysis sensitive to the S-, P- and D-wave contributions of this rare decay is performed. The set of 40 normalised angular moments describing the decay is presented for the q super(2) range 1.1-6.0 GeV super(2) /c super(4). Figure not available: see fulltext.
(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae and/or non-USASCII text omitted; see image).A measurement of the cross-section for W arrow right e nu production in pp collisions is presented using data corresponding ...to an integrated luminosity of 2 fb super(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of ... TeV. The electrons are required to have more than 20 GeV of transverse momentum and to lie between 2.00 and 4.25 in pseudorapidity. The inclusive W production cross-sections, where the W decays to e nu , are measured to be ... ... ... ... where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic, the third are due to the knowledge of the LHC beam energy and the fourth are due to the luminosity determination. Differential cross-sections as a function of the electron pseudorapidity are measured. The W super(+) /W super(-) cross-section ratio and production charge asymmetry are also reported. Results are compared with theoretical predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. Finally, in a precise test of lepton universality, the ratio of W boson branching fractions is determined to be ... ... where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. Figure not available: see fulltext.
(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae and/or non-USASCII text omitted; see image).The ratio of branching fractions ... is measured with pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass ...energies of 7 TeV and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb super(-1). It is found to be R sub( )K pi = 0.079 plus or minus 0.007 plus or minus 0.003, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This measurement is consistent with the previous LHCb result, while the uncertainties are significantly reduced. Figure not available: see fulltext.
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