70 research outputs found
Formal and Informal Financing Decisions of Small Businesses
This study investigates small businesses’ financing decisions. Drawing upon asymmetric information theory, institutional theory and relevant literature on cognitive financial constraints, human capital and social capital, we propose a theoretical framework in which financing determinants come from three dimensions: entrepreneurs’ individual factors, organisational (firm-level) factors and contextual (institutional) factors. We employ this model to distinguish four types of firms: (1) firms that use no external finance, (2) firms that use informal finance only, (3) firms that use formal finance only and (4) firms that use both formal and informal finance. An empirical test on Vietnamese small businesses shows that factors from all three dimensions are important in understanding small businesses’ financing decisions
Circulating microparticles: square the circle
Background: The present review summarizes current knowledge about microparticles (MPs) and provides a systematic overview of last 20 years of research on circulating MPs, with particular focus on their clinical relevance. Results: MPs are a heterogeneous population of cell-derived vesicles, with sizes ranging between 50 and 1000 nm. MPs are capable of transferring peptides, proteins, lipid components, microRNA, mRNA, and DNA from one cell to another without direct cell-to-cell contact. Growing evidence suggests that MPs present in peripheral blood and body fluids contribute to the development and progression of cancer, and are of pathophysiological relevance for autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, cardiovascular, hematological, and other diseases. MPs have large diagnostic potential as biomarkers; however, due to current technological limitations in purification of MPs and an absence of standardized methods of MP detection, challenges remain in validating the potential of MPs as a non-invasive and early diagnostic platform. Conclusions: Improvements in the effective deciphering of MP molecular signatures will be critical not only for diagnostics, but also for the evaluation of treatment regimens and predicting disease outcomes
Measurement of D s <sup>±</sup> production asymmetry in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV
The inclusive production asymmetry is measured in collisions
collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of
and 8 TeV. Promptly produced mesons are used, which decay as
, with . The measurement is
performed in bins of transverse momentum, , and rapidity, ,
covering the range GeV and . No kinematic
dependence is observed. Evidence of nonzero production asymmetry is
found with a significance of 3.3 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and
additional information, are available at
https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2018-010.htm
Observation of the decay Λ <sub>b</sub> <sup>0</sup> → ψ(2S)pπ<sup>−</sup>
International audienceThe Cabibbo-suppressed decay Λ → ψ(2S)pπ is observed for the first time using a data sample collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions corresponding to 1.0, 2.0 and 1.9 fb of integrated luminosity at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV, respectively. The ψ(2S) mesons are reconstructed in the μμ final state. The branching fraction with respect to that of the Λ → ψ(2S)pK decay mode is measured to b
Measurement of the B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} Branching Fraction and Effective Lifetime and Search for B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} Decays.
A search for the rare decays B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} and B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} is performed at the LHCb experiment using data collected in pp collisions corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^{-1}. An excess of B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} decays is observed with a significance of 7.8 standard deviations, representing the first observation of this decay in a single experiment. The branching fraction is measured to be B(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=(3.0±0.6_{-0.2}^{+0.3})×10^{-9}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The first measurement of the B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} effective lifetime, τ(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=2.04±0.44±0.05 ps, is reported. No significant excess of B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} decays is found, and a 95% confidence level upper limit, B(B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})<3.4×10^{-10}, is determined. All results are in agreement with the standard model expectations
Search for CP violation in Λb0→pK− and Λb0→pπ− decays
A search for CP violation in Λb0→pK− and Λb0→pπ− decays is presented using a sample of pp collisions collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0fb−1. The CP -violating asymmetries are measured to be ACPpK−=−0.020±0.013±0.019 and ACPpπ−=−0.035±0.017±0.020, and their difference ACPpK−−ACPpπ−=0.014±0.022±0.010, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. These are the most precise measurements of such asymmetries to date
Measurement of indirect CP asymmetries in D-0 -> K-K+ and D-0 -> pi(-)pi(+) decays using semileptonic B decays
Time-dependent asymmetries in the decay rates of the singly
Cabibbo-suppressed decays and are measured in collision data corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of 3.0 fb collected by the LHCb experiment. The mesons
are produced in semileptonic -hadron decays, where the charge of the
accompanying muon is used to determine the initial state as or
. The asymmetries in effective lifetimes between and
decays, which are sensitive to indirect violation, are
determined to be \begin{align*}
A_{\Gamma}(K^-K^+) = (-0.134 \pm 0.077 \; {}^{+0.026}_{-0.034})\% \,
A_{\Gamma}(\pi^-\pi^+) = (-0.092\pm 0.145 \; {}^{+0.025}_{-0.033})\% \,
\end{align*} where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second
systematic. This result is in agreement with previous measurements and with the
hypothesis of no indirect violation in decays.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure
Precise measurements of the properties of the B-1(5721)(0,+) and B-2*(5747)(0,+) states and observation of B-+,B-0 pi(-,+) mass structures
Invariant mass distributions of B+pi- and B0pi+ combinations are investigated
in order to study excited B mesons. The analysis is based on a data sample
corresponding to 3.0 fb-1 of pp collision data, recorded by the LHCb detector
at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. Precise measurements of the masses
and widths of the B_1(5721)^(0,+) and B_2*(5747)^(0,+) states are reported.
Clear enhancements, particularly prominent at high pion transverse momentum,
are seen over background in the mass range 5850--6000 MeV in both B+pi- and
B0pi+ combinations. The structures are consistent with the presence of four
excited B mesons, labelled B_J(5840)^(0,+) and B_J(5960)^(0,+), whose masses
and widths are obtained under different hypotheses for their quantum numbers.Comment: 29 pages, 5 Figures, 8 Table
Measurement of the B0s→μ+μ− Branching Fraction and Effective Lifetime and Search for B0→μ+μ− Decays
See paper for full list of authors - All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2017-001.html - Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.International audienceA search for the rare decays B0s→μ+μ− and B0→μ+μ− is performed at the LHCb experiment using data collected in pp collisions corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb−1. An excess of B0s→μ+μ− decays is observed with a significance of 7.8 standard deviations, representing the first observation of this decay in a single experiment. The branching fraction is measured to be B(B0s→μ+μ−)=(3.0±0.6+0.3−0.2)×10−9, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The first measurement of the B0s→μ+μ− effective lifetime, τ(B0s→μ+μ−)=2.04±0.44±0.05 ps, is reported. No significant excess of B0→μ+μ− decays is found and a 95 % confidence level upper limit, B(B0→μ+μ−)<3.4×10−10, is determined. All results are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations
- …