University of Ioannina

About: University of Ioannina is a education organization based out in Ioannina, Greece. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 7654 authors who have published 20594 publications receiving 671560 citations. The organization is also known as: Panepistimio Ioanninon.

Search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a W or a Z boson and decaying to bottom quarks

Abstract: A search for the standard model Higgs boson (H) decaying to bb¯ when produced in association with a weak vector boson (V) is reported for the following channels: W(μν)H, W(eν)H, W(τν)H, Z(μμ)H, Z(ee)H, and Z(νν)H. The search is performed in data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to 5.1 inverse femtobarns at s√=7 TeV and up to 18.9 fb−1 at s√=8 TeV, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. An excess of events is observed above the expected background with a local significance of 2.1 standard deviations for a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV, consistent with the expectation from the production of the standard model Higgs boson. The signal strength corresponding to this excess, relative to that of the standard model Higgs boson, is 1.0±0.5.

Fatigue Properties of Highly Oriented Polypropylene Tapes and All-Polypropylene Composites:

Abstract: This paper describes the fatigue behaviour of newly developed all-polypropylene (all-PP) tapes and composites, with reference to the composite processing conditions, testing temperature and making a comparison with commercial alternatives. All-PP tapes are highly oriented and their failure behaviour follows that of other highly oriented polymers. All-PP woven composites fail ultimately due to PP tape failure. However, this failure mode is accompanied by delamination of fabrics in the woven structure. Consolidation pressure plays a decisive role in controlling the interlaminar properties and hence the delamination resistance and furthermore the fatigue limit of the composite. Comparison of all-PP woven composites with commercial alternatives based on glass and natural fibres reveals the excellent relative performance of all-PP composites under fatigue loads. Fatigue properties of all-PP composites are however sensitive to the testing temperature, and elevated temperatures can lead to a rapid reduction of the fatigue resistance of these all-polymer systems.

Interest rates and bank risk-taking

Abstract: In a recent line of research the low interest-rate environment of the early to mid 2000s is viewed as an element that triggered increased risk-taking appetite of banks in search for yield. This paper uses approximately 18,000 annual observations on euro area banks over the period 2001-2008 and presents strong empirical evidence that low interest rates indeed increase bank risk-taking substantially. This result is robust across a number of different specifications that account, inter alia, for the potential endogeneity of interest rates and/or the dynamics of bank risk. Notably, among the banks of the large euro area countries this effect is less pronounced for French institutions, which held on average a relatively low level of risk assets. Finally, the distributional effects of interest rates on bank risk-taking due to individual bank characteristics reveal that the impact of interest rates on risk assets is diminished for banks with higher equity capital and is amplified for banks with higher off-balance sheet items.

High prevalence of anti-cardiolipin and other autoantibodies in a healthy elderly population.

Abstract: Serum samples from 64 apparently healthy individuals (32 men and 32 women, mean age 810 years) were examined for the prevalence of several autoantibodies, including rheumatoid factor (RF), antinuclear antibodies (ANA), antibodies to extracted cellular antigens Ro (SSA), La (SSB), Sm, U1nRNP and Scl-70 IgG and IgM isotype-specific ELISA methods were applied for the detection of antibodies to ssDNA (anti-ssDNA), to dsDNA (anti-dsDNA) and to cardiolipin (anti-CL) The sera of this elderly population were found to contain a plethora of autoantibodies; RF was detected in 141%, ANA in 313% and anti-Ro (SSA) in 16% of the individuals Precipitating antibodies to La (SSB), Sm, U1nRNP and Scl-70 were absent, while 156% of the sera displayed precipitating antibodies to a common undefined human spleen antigen ELISA methods revealed anti-ssDNA in 172% of the individuals, anti-dsDNA in 141% and anti-CL in an extremely high incidence (516%) Notably, the above autoantibodies were exclusively of IgG isotype Tests of 261 sera from healthy non-elderly individuals disclosed only anti-CL (IgG and IgM isotypes) in 23% of them The levels of IgA and IgG immunoglobulins were increased in 234% and 297% of the elderly subjects, respectively IgM was elevated in 31%, but it was also found decreased in 94% This study documents the high incidence of autoantibodies in the healthy elderly, including for the first time, anti-CL antibodies Furthermore, the relative impairment in IgM autoantibody production observed, possibly indicates the involution of the senescent immune system