The Semileptonic Decays D→π(ρ)eνD\to \pi(\rho) e \nu and B→π(ρ)eνB\to \pi (\rho) e \nu from QCD Sum Rules

We investigate the semileptonic decays of B and D mesons into $\pi$ and $\rho$ mesons, respectively, by means of QCD sum rules. We find that for the vector formfactors involved the pole dominance hypothesis is valid to good accuracy with pole masses in the expected range. Pole dominance, however, does not apply to the axial formfactors which results in specific predictions for the predominant polarization of the $\rho$ meson and the shape of the lepton spectrum. For the total decay rates we find $\Gamma (\bar B^0 \to \pi^+ e^- \bar\nu) = (5.1\pm 1.1)\,|V_{ub}|^2\, 10^{12}\,{\rm s^{-1}}$, $\Gamma ( D^0 \to \pi^- e^+ \nu) = (8.0\pm 1.7)\,|V_{cd}|^2\, 10^{10}\,{\rm s^{-1}}$, $\Gamma (\bar B^0 \to \rho^+ e^- \bar\nu) = (1.2\pm 0.4\,)\,|V_{ub}|^2\, 10^{13}\,{\rm s^{-1}}$ and $\Gamma (D^0 \to \rho^- e^+\nu) = (2.4\pm 0.7)\,|V_{cd}|^2\, 10^{9}\,{\rm s^{-1}}$.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures included as uu-encoded file, needs REVTEX, TUM--T31--39/9

Incorporating Environmental Impacts in the Measurement of Agricultural Productivity Growth

Agricultural production is known to have environmental impacts, both adverse and beneficial, and it is desirable to incorporate at least some of these impacts in an environmentally sensitive productivity index. In this paper, we construct indicators of water contamination from the use of agricultural chemicals. These environmental indicators are merged with data on marketed outputs and purchased inputs to form a state-by-year panel of relative levels of outputs and inputs, including environmental impacts. We do not have prices for these undesirable by products, since they are not marketed. Consequently, we calculate a series of Malmquist productivity indexes, which do not require price information. Our benchmark scenario is a conventional Malmquist productivity index based on marketed outputs and purchased inputs only. Our comparison scenarios consist of environmentally sensitive Malmquist productivity indexes that include indicators of risk to human health and to aquatic life from chronic exposure to pesticides. In addition, we derive a set of virtual prices of the undesirable by-products that can be used to calculate an environmentally sensitive Fisher index of productivity change.environmental impacts, productivity growth, Environmental Economics and Policy,

QCD Calculation of the B→π,KB \rightarrow \pi,K Form Factors

We calculate the form factors for the heavy-to-light transitions $B\rightarrow \pi,K$ by means of QCD sum rules using $\pi$ and $K$ light-cone wave functions. Higher twist contributions as well as gluonic corrections are taken into account. The sensitivity to the shape of the leading-twist wave functions and effects of SU(3)-breaking are discussed. The results are compared with quark model predictions and with the results from QCD sum rules for three-point correlators.Comment: 13 pages +5 figures available upon request , LaTeX , CERN-TH.6880/93, MPI-Ph/93-32, LMU-07/9

Citrate and malonate increase microbial activity and alter microbial community composition in uncontaminated and diesel-contaminated soil microcosms

Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are among the most prevalent sources of environmental contamination. It has been hypothesized that plant root exudation of low molecular weight organic acid anions (carboxylates) may aid degradation of PHCs by stimulating heterotrophic microbial activity. To test their potential implication for bioremediation, we applied two commonly exuded carboxylates (citrate and malonate) to uncontaminated and diesel-contaminated microcosms (10 000 mg kg−1; aged 40 days) and determined their impact on the microbial community and PHC degradation. Every 48 h for 18 days, soil received 5 µmol g−1 of (i) citrate, (ii) malonate, (iii) citrate + malonate or (iv) water. Microbial activity was measured daily as the flux of CO2. After 18 days, changes in the microbial community were assessed by a community-level physiological profile (CLPP) and 16S rRNA bacterial community profiles determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Saturated PHCs remaining in the soil were assessed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Cumulative soil respiration increased 4- to 6-fold with the addition of carboxylates, while diesel contamination resulted in a small, but similar, increase across all carboxylate treatments. The addition of carboxylates resulted in distinct changes to the microbial community in both contaminated and uncontaminated soils but only a small increase in the biodegradation of saturated PHCs as measured by the n-C17 : pristane biomarker. We conclude that while the addition of citrate and malonate had little direct effect on the biodegradation of saturated hydrocarbons present in diesel, their effect on the microbial community leads us to suggest further studies using a variety of soils and organic acids, and linked to in situ studies of plants, to investigate the role of carboxylates in microbial community dynamics

Low molecular weight organic anions (carboxylates) increase microbial activity and alter microbial community composition in uncontaminated and diesel contaminated soil

Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are among the most prevalent sources of environmental contamination. It has been hypothesized that plant root exudation of low molecular weight organic acid anions (carboxylates) may aid degradation of PHCs by stimulating heterotrophic microbial activity. We, therefore, applied two commonly-exuded carboxylates (citrate and malonate) to uncontaminated and diesel contaminated microcosms (10,000 mg kg–1; aged 40 days) to determine their impact on the microbial community and PHC degradation. Every 48 hours for 18 days, soil received 5 μmol g–1 of i) citrate, ii) malonate, iii) citrate + malonate or iv) water. Microbial activity was measured daily as the flux of CO2. After 18 days, changes in the microbial community were assessed by community level physiological profiles and 16S rRNA bacterial community profiles determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Saturated PHCs remaining in the soil were assessed by GCMS. Cumulative soil respiration increased four- to six-fold with the addition of carboxylates, while diesel contamination resulted in a small, but similar, increase across all carboxylate treatments. The addition of carboxylates resulted in distinct changes to the microbial community, but only a small decrease in the n-C17: pristane biomarker. We conclude that carboxylate addition can increase microbial activity and modify the microbial community in both uncontaminated and diesel-contaminated soils. The impact of these changes on PHC biodegradation and rhizosphere processes, more generally, merits further research

Flavour SU(3) Symmetry in Charmless B Decays

QCD sum rules are used to estimate the flavour SU(3)-symmetry violation in two-body B decays to pions and kaons. In the factorizable amplitudes the SU(3)-violation manifests itself in the ratio of the decay constants f_K/f_pi and in the differences between the B->K, B_s->K and B->pi form factors. These effects are calculated from the QCD two-point and light-cone sum rules, respectively, in terms of the strange quark mass and the ratio of the strange and nonstrange quark-condensate densities. Importantly, QCD sum rules predict that SU(3) breaking in the heavy-to-light form factors can be substantial and does not vanish in the heavy-quark mass limit. Furthermore, we investigate the strange-quark mass dependence of nonfactorizable effects in the B->K pi decay amplitudes. Taking into account these effects we estimate the accuracy of several SU(3)-symmetry relations between charmless B-decay amplitudes.Comment: Two references added, version to be published in Phys.Rev.D, 21 pages, 12 postscript figure

Next--to--Leading Order Corrections to Meson Masses in the Heavy Quark Effective Theory

We use the QCD sum rule approach to calculate the splitting between vector and pseudoscalar mesons containing one light and one heavy quark, and the kinetic energy of the heavy quark. Our result for the splitting induced by the chromomagnetic interaction agrees to the experimental data on charm and beauty mesons. For the matrix element of the kinetic energy operator, we obtain the value $K=-(0.60\pm 0.10)\, {\rm GeV}^2$.Comment: 33 ps., PS figures included, requires REVTEX.3 and psfig, TUM-T31-42/93/R (additional contribution to kinetic energy taken into account, marginal changes in the results

Flavor Changing Effects in Family Nonuniversal Z' Models

Flavor-changing and CP-violating interactions of Z' to fermions are generally present in models with extra U(1) gauge symmetry that are string-inspired or related to broken gauged family symmetry. We study the consequences of such couplings in fermion electric dipole moments, muon g-2, and K and B meson mixings. From experimental limits or measured values, we constrain the off-diagonal Z' couplings to fermions. Some of these constraints are comparable or stronger than the existing constraints obtained from other observables.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure

Analyticity Properties and Unitarity Constraints of Heavy Meson Form Factors

We derive new bounds on the b-number form factor $F(q^2)$ of the B meson. (Revised version of hep-ph/9306214).Comment: 22 page

Ward Identities, B-> \rho Form Factors and |V_ub|

The exclusive FCNC beauty semileptonic decay B-> \rho is studied using Ward identities in a general vector meson dominance framework, predicting vector meson couplings involved. The long distance contributions are discussed which results to obtain form factors and |V_ub|. A detailed comparison is given with other approaches.Comment: 30 pages+four postscript figures, an Appendix adde