Search for the Standard Model Higgs Boson in ATLAS

The latest search for the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson based on 4.7-4.9 fb-1 of pp collision data at sqrt(s)=7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector is presented here.Comment: To appear in the conference proceedings of XX International Workshop on Deep-Inelastic Scattering and Related Subjects, Bonn, Germany, 26 - 30 Mar 201

Searches for Beyond the Standard Model Higgs Bosons in ppbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

The recent results on various Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) Higgs boson searches performed by the DZERO experiment at the Tevatron are presented here. In particular, the Higgs bosons in supersymmetric models and fermiophobic scenario have been investigated. No significant excess over the Standard Model (SM) expectations have been observed and accordingly limits have been established on the corresponding model parameters.Comment: To appear in the AIP conference proceedings for Susy09, the 17th International Conference on Supersymmetry and the Unification of Fundamental Interaction

Top Quark Decay Properties

Due to the large production cross-section, many of the top quark properties can be measured very precisely at the LHC. A very few recent results, probed only through the top quark decay vertices are presented here. These results are based on proton-proton collision datasets recorded by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at sqrt(s)=7, 8 and 13 TeV. All the measurements and observed limits are consistent with the Standard Model (SM) predictions, while strong bounds on anomalous Wtb couplings are established.Comment: conference proceedings for LHCP201

Sovereignty by Subtraction: The Multilateral Agreement on Investment

The proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAl) represents a major step in the evolution of sovereignty, which includes the power of a nation-state to govern without external controls. A panelist at the 1998 Cornell International Law journal Symposium introduced the MAl as an example of multilateral sovereignty to achieve commonly held goals of global economic integration. This perspective posits that the MAl is an exercise in sovereignty by subtraction, aiming to limit governing power rather than promote its joint exercise. Its critics call the MAl a slow motion coup d\u27etat, a bill of rights for investors, a threat to sovereignty, and a corporate rule treaty, because it (1) empowers foreign investors to challenge the law-making authority of nation states and subnational governments, (2) is composed of a fifty-page text of fourteen investor-protection standards that exceed the scope of any existing agreement/ (3) and acts through an international forum with the power to award monetary damages against the offending government. U.S. negotiators counter that the MAl protects foreign investors from discrimination by giving them rights analogous to those they already enjoy under the U.S. Constitution. In addition, U.S. negotiators maintain that an agreement that poses significant limits on U.S. sovereignty is unacceptable. This article suggests a more modest analogy than a virtual coup d\u27etat. It simply seeks to explain that the MAl would have a greater impact on U.S. law making power than acknowledged by MAl supporters, who claim that it merely repeats domestic principles of non-discrimination. For example, the MAl aims to limit U.S. States\u27 traditional powers to discriminate. The first objective of this article is truth in advertising: the MAl would disrupt state and local lawmaking capacity. The capacity of cities, counties, and states to serve as our laboratories of democracy hangs in the balance. States act as successful laboratories for testing future national policy in virtually every sector of governance, including banking regulation, economic development, government purchasing, consumer protection, working conditions, health and medical insurance, and environmental law. The second objective is to bring some order to the MAl sovereignty debate. Previous writers have brought conceptual order to the comparison of state sovereignty and international law under NAFTA and the WTO agreements. This article extends the analysis to the MAl to (1) inform the bottom-up view of the MAl from the perspective of those who would lose power if it is implemented, and (2) shape positive policy options to maintain the constitutional balance between federalism and private investor protection

Mal-Adjusted: Integration of Selves in Joss Whedon\u27s \u3ci\u3eFirefly\u3c/i\u3e

Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity offer a brand new take on the well established science fiction film genre, one that many authors and viewers believe needed Whedon’s fresh new ideas to prevent further stagnating of the genre. Whedon’s Firefly focuses on the lives of Malcolm Reynolds (Mal) and his crew aboard the Firefly-class space ship named Serenity. Mal is the most compelling of the characters on the show because he is, in a way, the most fragile one. In the series premiere, “Serenity,” Mal is a complete man, fighting as a volunteer in a civil war. After his army is abandoned in Serenity Valley by their commanders while the latter negotiate a peace treaty, something inside Mal breaks; he becomes a fractured man, losing his faith in God, in humanity and in government. Over the next six years, he buys the spaceship Serenity and gathers a close-knit crew in an attempt to put himself back together and to create a new identity for himself. Mal\u27s identity conflict speaks to Firefly\u27s viewers, and we are able to relate not only to Mal and his desire to protect himself and his pseudo-family, but also to his efforts to make himself whole by establishing a place for himself in the world. Mal’s search for self identification through the development of loyal relationships is what inspires viewers to connect to Mal, which contributes to their untiring devotion to the Firefly verse. By analyzing each of Firefly’s characters in relation to Mal, I examine how they contribute to his efforts to rebuild his identity through the construction of a combined family unit. I use close analysis of the episodes of Firefly and the film Serenity, as well as several essays and articles written about the series and film. I also take into account interviews by creator, Joss Whedon, and actor, Nathan Fillion, about the development of the character Mal and the series as a whole. Actor Nathan Fillion, who plays Mal, writes: “Looking at Kaylee, I could tell what kind of man Mal was. Speaking to Zoe, I could tell what kind of leader Mal was. Arguing with Wash and Jayne, I knew the limits of Mal’s patience. They made me Mal. Looking back, I know now that everyone in the cast was, in essence, his or her character” (Fillion 52). Viewers are able to identify with every character on Firefly because they are modeled after real people. Mal, and the rest of Serenity’s crew, are the kinds of people who don’t care how society defines them; they are the ones who strongly stand apart from the rest of society and give everyone else hope that they too can live their lives as fully realized individuals. Fans’ love for Firefly proves that there is a strong unit of viewers who rely on television not only to provide entertainment, but also to provide for them a set of inspiring, realistic characters who they can relate to

Effective computer-aided assessment of mathematics; principles, practice and results

This article outlines some key issues for writing effective computer-aided assessment (CAA) questions in subjects with substantial mathematical or statistical content, especially the importance of control of random parameters and the encoding of wrong methods of solution (mal-rules) commonly used by students. The pros and cons of using CAA and different question types are discussed. Issues surrounding the selection and encoding of mal-rules are highlighted, especially for multi-choice and responsive numerical input questions. These generate mal-rule-specific feedback, the mal-rule used being deduced 15 from the student’s selection or input. Student answer file data from the use of over 800 questions and their embedding within an overall assessment regime is analysed and presented to show that this has had a very beneficial effect on the examination performance of a large cohort of first-year economics students in their mathematics module over the last 6 years. Question analysis of over 270,000 question attempts, identifying the most 20 difficult/discriminating questions, shows that the questions are robust, valid and span an appropriate range of difficulties. The idea of underlying mal-rules is examined to see how far this explains this range