Searches for invisibly decaying Higgs bosons with the CMS detector

Searches for invisibly decaying Higgs bosons using the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and their interpretations are described. These searches are motivated both by a desire to characterise the newly observed Higgs boson, and by the cosmological observation of very weakly interacting matter in the universe, which is called dark matter. In order to provide context for these searches, introductions to the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics and several extensions to the SM which incorporate dark matter are given. The searches described in this thesis use data recorded in proton-proton collisions in 2012 and focus on the most sensitive mode, Vector Boson Fusion (VBF) production. The first search uses 19.5 fb 1 of data promptly reconstructed in 2012 and results in an observed (expected) limit on the invisible branching fraction of the 125 GeV Higgs boson, B (H -> inv), of 0.65 (0.49) at the 95% confidence level (CL) [1]. The second search uses 19.2 fb 1 of data collected using triggers with looser thresholds and reconstructed later, in 2013. This search resulted in an observed (expected) limit on B (H -> inv) of 0.57 (0.40) at the 95% CL [2]. Combinations of these searches with searches in other production channels are also described, the most sensitive of which results in an observed (expected) limit on B (H -> inv) of 0.36 (0.30) at 95% CL [3]. Projections of the sensitivity of these analyses in Run 2 and interpretations of their results as limits on various models of dark matter are also given [4].Open Acces

A Strategic Audit of a Company in the Alcoholic Beverages Industry: Anheuser-Busch InBev

This strategic audit provides a comprehensive analysis of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world\u27s largest brewer. The audit examines the company\u27s business model, competitive position, financial performance, and future growth prospects. It also assesses the impact of external factors such as changing consumer preferences, government regulations, and technological innovations on the company\u27s operations. The audit identifies key strengths and weaknesses of Anheuser-Busch InBev, as well as potential opportunities and threats in the beer industry. Based on this analysis, the audit provides recommendations for strategic actions that the company can take to enhance its competitive position, achieve sustainable growth, and mitigate potential risks. Overall, this strategic audit aims to provide valuable insights into Anheuser-Busch InBev\u27s strategic direction and potential for long-term success in the global beer market

Vector boson fusion searches for dark matter at the LHC

The vector boson fusion (VBF) event topology at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) allows efficient suppression of dijet backgrounds and is therefore a promising target for new physics searches. We consider dark matter models which interact with the Standard Model through the electroweak sector: either through new scalar and pseudoscalar mediators which can be embedded into the Higgs sector, or via effective operators suppressed by some higher scale, and therefore have significant VBF production cross-sections. Using realistic simulations of the ATLAS and CMS analysis chain, including estimates of major error sources, we project the discovery and exclusion potential of the LHC for these models over the next decade.Comment: 16 pages, 2 tables, 12 figure

Study of strawberry flavored milk under pulsed electric field processing

Few studies exist on flavored milk processed by pulsed electric fields (PEF). The main concern is product stability. This study aimed to analyze the degradation of coloring agent Allura Red in strawberry milk under PEF. Four systems were tested containing Allura Red: two commercial milks and two model systems. PEF conditions were 40 kV/cm, 48 pulses (2.5 μs), and 55 °C; coloring agent was quantified via RP-HPLC. After processing, only minor changes were observed in color, Allura Red concentration, and pH. During storage (32 d) at refrigerated conditions (4 °C) commercial samples maintained pH above 6. Model systems dropped below pH 6 after 10 days of storage. Color of samples showed important decrease in a⁎; hue angle and chroma changed during storage. HPLC analysis reported a bi-phasic effect in Allura Red concentrations versus time. Concentration changed, reaching a maximum value during the middle of storage, possibly attributed to microbial growth, pH reduction, or interaction of proteins. However, PEF affected the stability of Allura Red in milk when additional ingredients were not added to the product

Production and Use of Ceramics in the First Millennium BC: Jebel Moya, Sudan

The site of Jebel Moya, situated in the center of the southern Gezira Plain in southcentral Sudan, has an occupational sequence spanning at least five millennia until around 2000 years ago. Renewed excavation is shedding new light on its occupational chronology and socioeconomic history, including activities such as burial, savanna herding, and domesticated sorghum cultivation practices dating to at least the mid-third millennium BC. In the present study, predominantly final phase pottery sherds from the first millennium BC to the start of the first millennium AD (Assemblage 3) have been analyzed via a combination of thin section petrography and instrumental geochemistry to determine their raw materials and place of manufacture and reconstruct their manufacturing technology. Organic residue analysis was also conducted to identify the products processed within vessels found at the site. The results suggest the existence of a well-developed local ceramic craft tradition that persisted for over one thousand years. Pots from Assemblage 3 were used to process, store, and consume animal and plant products, thus reinforcing emerging evidence for early agro-pastoral activities

Study of strawberry flavored milk under pulsed electric field processing

Few studies exist on flavored milk processed by pulsed electric fields (PEF). The main concern is product stability. This study aimed to analyze the degradation of coloring agent Allura Red in strawberry milk under PEF. Four systems were tested containing Allura Red: two commercial milks and two model systems. PEF conditions were 40 kV/cm, 48 pulses (2.5 μs), and 55 °C; coloring agent was quantified via RP-HPLC. After processing, only minor changes were observed in color, Allura Red concentration, and pH. During storage (32 d) at refrigerated conditions (4 °C) commercial samples maintained pH above 6. Model systems dropped below pH 6 after 10 days of storage. Color of samples showed important decrease in a⁎; hue angle and chroma changed during storage. HPLC analysis reported a bi-phasic effect in Allura Red concentrations versus time. Concentration changed, reaching a maximum value during the middle of storage, possibly attributed to microbial growth, pH reduction, or interaction of proteins. However, PEF affected the stability of Allura Red in milk when additional ingredients were not added to the product

Crisis interpreting and deaf community access in the COVID-19 pandemic

Scientific and public health knowledge must be communicated efficiently to the public during a health crisis to allow communities to respond, recover, and prepare. Public briefings and national campaigns are important components of this communication, and sign language interpreting may be an element of this process. This paper examines the experiences of sign language interpreters during the COVID-19 crisis in Ireland and the UK, and explores their role in providing access to scientific and public health information for the Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) community. Findings in this study are based on interviews conducted in the first half of 2020 with 16 Irish Sign Language (ISL) or British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters or science communicators, 11 of whom had direct experience of interpreting during COVID-19 public briefings. These interviews constitute authentic accounts of sign language interpreters working during a global health crisis. Interviews were qualitatively analysed using theoretical assumptions from Witter-Merithew and Nicodemus (2010) about the development of specialisation among sign language interpreters to discuss how specialised competence and scientific understanding factored into participants' experiences and to derive lessons to inform future crises

The effect of the beta phase on the micromechanical response of dual-phase titanium alloys

This paper investigates the role of beta phase on the micro-mechanical behaviour of dual-phase titanium alloys, with particular emphasis on the phenomenon of cold dwell fatigue, which occurs in such alloys under room temperature conditions. A strain gradient crystal plasticity model is developed and calibrated against micro-pillar compression test data for a dual-phase alpha-beta specimen. The effects of key microstructural variables, such as relative beta lath orientation, on the micromechanical response of idealised alpha-beta colony microstructures are shown to be consistent with previously-published test data. A polycrystal study on the effects of the calibrated alpha-beta crystal plasticity model on the local micromechanical variables controlling cold dwell fatigue is presented. The presence of the alpha-beta phase is predicted to increase dwell fatigue resistance compared to a pure alpha phase microstructure

Iron-Catalyzed Heck-Type Alkenylation of Functionalized Alkyl Bromides

The ability of iron to controllably generate alkyl radicals from alkyl halides as a key step in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has been adapted to facilitate a formal Heck cross-coupling between styrenes and functionalized alkyl bromides. A simple FeCl₂ catalyst in a coordinating solvent gave excellent activity without the need for expensive ligands. Tertiary, secondary, and even primary alkyl bromides are tolerated to give the products in moderate to good yields (up to 94% yield). The easily accessible reagents and operational simplicity make this reaction a method of choice for the alkenylation of alkyl halides, especially for functionalized tertiary alkyl halides, which are difficult to target by classic palladium-catalyzed Heck reactions because of the competing β-hydride elimination