Search for scalar diphoton resonances in the mass range 65-600 GeV with the ATLAS detector in pp collision data at √s = 8 TeV

A search for scalar particles decaying via narrow resonances into two photons in the mass range 65–600 GeV is performed using 20.3  fb−¹ of √s=8  TeV pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The recently discovered Higgs boson is treated as a background. No significant evidence for an additional signal is observed. The results are presented as limits at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section of a scalar boson times branching ratio into two photons, in a fiducial volume where the reconstruction efficiency is approximately independent of the event topology. The upper limits set extend over a considerably wider mass range than previous searches

Effects of Once-Weekly Exenatide on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular effects of adding once-weekly treatment with exenatide to usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes are unknown. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with type 2 diabetes, with or without previous cardiovascular disease, to receive subcutaneous injections of extended-release exenatide at a dose of 2 mg or matching placebo once weekly. The primary composite outcome was the first occurrence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. The coprimary hypotheses were that exenatide, administered once weekly, would be noninferior to placebo with respect to safety and superior to placebo with respect to efficacy. RESULTS: In all, 14,752 patients (of whom 10,782 [73.1%] had previous cardiovascular disease) were followed for a median of 3.2 years (interquartile range, 2.2 to 4.4). A primary composite outcome event occurred in 839 of 7356 patients (11.4%; 3.7 events per 100 person-years) in the exenatide group and in 905 of 7396 patients (12.2%; 4.0 events per 100 person-years) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 1.00), with the intention-to-treat analysis indicating that exenatide, administered once weekly, was noninferior to placebo with respect to safety (P<0.001 for noninferiority) but was not superior to placebo with respect to efficacy (P=0.06 for superiority). The rates of death from cardiovascular causes, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal or nonfatal stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, and hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome, and the incidence of acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and serious adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 2 diabetes with or without previous cardiovascular disease, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events did not differ significantly between patients who received exenatide and those who received placebo. (Funded by Amylin Pharmaceuticals; EXSCEL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01144338 .)

Measurement of the CP-violating phase ϕ<inf>s</inf> in Bs0→J/ψϕ decays in ATLAS at 13 TeV

A measurement of the Bs0→J/ψϕ decay parameters using 80.5fb-1 of integrated luminosity collected with the ATLAS detector from 13 Te proton–proton collisions at the LHC is presented. The measured parameters include the CP-violating phase ϕs, the width difference Δ Γ s between the Bs0 meson mass eigenstates and the average decay width Γ s. The values measured for the physical parameters are combined with those from 19.2fb-1 of 7 and 8 Te data, leading to the following: ϕs=-0.087±0.036(stat.)±0.021(syst.)radΔΓs=0.0657±0.0043(stat.)±0.0037(syst.)ps-1Γs=0.6703±0.0014(stat.)±0.0018(syst.)ps-1Results for ϕs and Δ Γ s are also presented as 68% confidence level contours in the ϕs–Δ Γ s plane. Furthermore the transversity amplitudes and corresponding strong phases are measured. ϕs and Δ Γ s measurements are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions

Does increased international competition increase the need for training?

Both politicians and parties in the labour market have in recent years stressed the importance of work-related training. Globalization, an increased international competition, is often said to be one important factor determining the need for more work-related training. The relationship between increased international competition and more training has almost become a stylized fact. However, we argue that this relationship is not empirically well enough founded. Therefore, in this note we test this relationship by answering the following question: Is it true that firms operating in an international competitive arena invest more in training for their workers compared to firms not operating in an international competitive arena? Evidence from representative firm-level data suggests that the answer is yes. Manufacturing firms operating in an international competitive arena do invest more in training for their workers compared to firms not operating in an international competitive arena. A natural interpretation of this result is that these firms respond to demands from fierce international competition by skilling their workforce through training at work.

The family gap and family friendly policies: the case of Norway

Norway has among the most generous family policies in the world. The most recent is the cash-for-care reform, which was implemented in 1998. We answer two main questions in this article: What is the level of the family gap in such a generous regime and how has it developed as a consequence of the latest reform? Results suggest that the family gap is rather modest in Norway compared to many other countries and we find no evidence of a worsening of the gap in recent years. A positive interpretation of these results is that the Norwegian labour market is fairly flexible, in the sense that it seems to be able to absorb even more generous family policies.