Fiducial and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production measured in the four-lepton decay channel in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production in the H→ZZ∗ → 4ℓ decay channel are presented. The cross sections are determined within a fiducial phase space and corrected for detection efficiency and resolution effects. They are based on 20.3 fb−¹ of pp collision data, produced at √s = 8 TeV centre-of-mass energy at the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector. The differential measurements are performed in bins of transverse momentum and rapidity of the four-lepton system, the invariant mass of the subleading lepton pair and the decay angle of the leading lepton pair with respect to the beam line in the four-lepton rest frame, as well as the number of jets and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The measured cross sections are compared to selected theoretical calculations of the Standard Model expectations. No significant deviation from any of the tested predictions is found

Search for the Standard Model Higgs boson decay to μ+μ− with the ATLAS detector

A search is reported for Higgs boson decay to μ+μ−μ+μ− using data with an integrated luminosity of 24.8 fb−124.8 fb−¹ collected with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The observed dimuon invariant mass distribution is consistent with the Standard Model background-only hypothesis in the 120–150 GeV search range. For a Higgs boson with a mass of 125.5 GeV, the observed (expected) upper limit at the 95% confidence level is 7.0 (7.2) times the Standard Model expectation. This corresponds to an upper limit on the branching ratio BR(H→μ+μ−)of 1.5×10−31.5×10−3

Influence of foliar-applied calcium nitrate on strawberry plants grown under salt-stressed conditions

A pot experiment was carried out with strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) cultivars Oso Grande and Camarosa in sand culture to investigate the effects of foliar-applied calcium nitrate [Ca(NO ) ] to plants grown at high salinity (NaCl, 35 mmol/L). Treatments were (i) nutrient solution alone (C), (ii) nutrient solution + Ca(NO ) (9 mmol/L) as a foliar application (C+Fo), (iii) nutrient solution + NaCl (35 mmol/L) (C+S) and (iv) nutrient solution + NaCl (35 mmol/L) + Ca(NO ) (9 mmol/L) as a foliar application twice weekly (C+S+Fo). The plants grown at high NaCl had less dry matter and lower fruit yield and chlorophyll content than those grown in normal nutrient solution for both cultivars. Foliar Ca(NO ) sprays ameliorated the negative effects of salinity on plant growth, chlorophyll content and fruit yield. Membrane permeability increased with high NaCl and was reduced by Ca(NO ) sprays. Sodium concentration in plant tissues increased in both cultivars in the high NaCl treatment. Concentrations of calcium and nitrogen were much lower in plants grown in high NaCl than in unstressed plants and foliar Ca(NO ) sprays increased concentrations of both nutrients.Peer reviewe

The Interrelationship Between Managerial Ownership and Board Structure

The paper tests the hypothesis that high managerial ownership entrenches managers by allowing the CEO to create a board that is unlikely to monitor. The results show a strong negative relationship between the level of managerial ownership and corporate governance factors, such as, the split of the roles of the CEO and the Chairman, the proportion of non-executive directors, and the appointment of a non-executive director as a Chairman. I also find that companies with low managerial ownership are more likely to change their board structure to comply with the Cadbury (1992) recommendations. The results suggest that managers, through their high ownership, choose a board that is unlikely to monitor. Overall, the findings cast doubt on the effectiveness of the board as an internal corporate governance mechanism when managerial ownership is high. Copyright 2006 The Author Journal compilation (c) 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.