A response bias explanation of conservative human inference

Response bias explanation of conservative human inferenc

Power Corrections in Charmless B Decays

In this paper, we focus on the role of power corrections in QCD factorization(QCDF) method in charmless two-body nonleptonic $B$ meson decays. We use the ratio of the branching fraction of $B^+ \to \pi^+ K^{\ast 0}$ to that of $B^0 \to \pi^- \rho^+$, for which the theoretical uncertainties are greatly reduced, to show clearly that the power corrections in charmless B decays are probably large. With other similar ratios considered, for example, for the $B^0 \to K^- \rho^+$ decay, it is very likely that, among various sources of power corrections, annihilation topology plays an indispensable role at least for penguin dominated $\rm PV$ channels. We also consider some selective ratios of direct CP asymmetries. Among these, we find that, if power corrections other than the chirally enhanced power corrections and annihilation topology were negligible, QCDF would predict the direct CP asymmetry of $B \to \pi^+ \pi^-$ to be about 3 times larger than that of $B \to \pi^\pm K^\mp$, with opposite sign. Experimentally any significant deviation from this prediction would suggest either new physics or possibly the importance of long-distance rescattering effects.Comment: references and note added, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Semiclassical Green Function in Mixed Spaces

A explicit formula on semiclassical Green functions in mixed position and momentum spaces is given, which is based on Maslov's multi-dimensional semiclassical theory. The general formula includes both coordinate and momentum representations of Green functions as two special cases of the form.Comment: 8 pages, typeset by Scientific Wor

The impact of social housing developments on nearby property prices: A Nelson Mandela Bay Case Study

Social housing projects often face substantial “Not-in-my-backyard†(NIMBY) sentiment and as a result are frequently plagued by local opposition from communities who argue that nearby property prices will be affected adversely by these developments. International hedonic pricing studies conducted have, however, produced mixed results with some concluding that social housing developments may in fact lead to an improvement in surrounding property values. There is, however, a paucity of South African evidence. This study considers the validity of the most pervasive NIMBY argument, the claim that social housing developments negatively affect nearby property values, by considering the property prices of 170 single-family homes in the Walmer neighbourhood, Nelson Mandela Bay, as a function of their proximity to an existing low-cost housing development. The results of this study indicate that in the case of one Nelson Mandela Bay low-cost housing development, a negative impact is exerted on the property values of nearby houses.

The Kinematic Properties of Double-Barred Galaxies: Simulations Vs. Integral-Field Observations

Using high resolution N -body simulations, we recently reported that a dynamically cool inner disk embedded in a hotter outer disk can naturally generate a steady double-barred (S2B) structure. Here we study the kinematics of these S2B simulations, and compare them to integral-field observations from ATLAS3D and SAURON. We show that S2B galaxies exhibit several distinct kinematic features, namely: (1) significantly distorted isovelocity contours at the transition region between the two bars, (2) peaks in σLOS along the minor axis of inner bars, which we term “σ-humps”, that are often accompanied by ring/spiral-like features of increased σLOS, (3) h3 − v¯ anti-correlations in the region of the inner bar for certain orientations, and (4) rings of positive h4 when viewed at low inclinations. The most impressive of these features are the σ-humps; these evolve with the inner bar, oscillating in strength just as the inner bar does as it rotates relative to the outer bar. We show that, in cylindrical coordinates, the inner bar has similar streaming motions and velocity dispersion properties as normal large-scale bars, except for σz , which exhibits peaks on the minor axis, i.e., humps. These σz humps are responsible for producing the σ-humps. For three well-resolved early-type S2Bs (NGC 2859, NGC 2950, and NGC 3941) and a potential S2B candidate (NGC 3384), the S2B model qualitatively matches the integral-field data well, including the “σ-hollows” previously identified. We also discuss the kinematic effect of a nuclear disk in S2Bs