Large Direct CP Violation in B^0 -> pi^+ pi^- and an Enhanced Branching Ratio for B^0 -> pi^0 pi^0

Recent measurements of B^0 -> pi pi decays reveal two features that are in conflict with conventional calculations: the channel B^0 (Bbar^0) -> pi^+ pi^- shows a large direct CP-violating asymmetry, and the channel B^0 (B^0) -> pi^0 pi^0 has an unexpectedly high branching ratio. We show that both features can be understood in terms of strong-interaction mixing of pi pi and D Dbar channels in the isospin-zero state, an effect that is important because of the large experimentally observed ratio Gamma(B^0 / Bbar^0 -> D^+ D^-) / Gamma (B^0 / Bbar^0 -> pi^+ pi^-) approx. 50. Our dynamical model correlates the branching ratios and the CP-violating parameters C and S, for the decays B^0 (Bbar^0) -> pi^+ pi^-, B^0 (Bbar^0) -> pi^0 pi^0, B^0 (Bbar^0) -> D^+ D^- and B^0 (Bbar^0) -> D^0 Dbar^0.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; v2: Misprint corrected in Eq. (12), second line: -a_m replaced by +a_m. To appear in Phys. Lett.

A model independent and rephase invariant parametrization of CP violation

The phenomenological description of the neutral B meson system is proposed in terms of the fundamental CP-violating observables and within a rephasing invariant formalism. This generic formalism can select the time-dependent and time-integrated asymmetries which provide the basic tools to discriminate the different kinds of possible CP-violating effects in dedicated experimental B-meson facilities.Comment: 19 pages, Plain Te

Help-Seeking Attitudes and Distress Disclosure Among Syrian Refugees in Germany

Many refugees experience a wide range of mental health problems, but typically use mental health services less often than settled residents. Practical constraints like limited access to mental health care and language barriers largely account for this discrepancy. However, little is known about the psychological aspects explaining this difference in mental health service usage, like attitudes toward psychological help-seeking and the disclosure of distress. The present study compares German residents’ and Syrian refugees’ attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help ( N = 384). Refugees reported more depressive symptoms and functional impairment than residents. Crucially, refugees also held more negative attitudes toward professional psychological help-seeking than residents. These group differences in attitudes were to a large part mediated by distress disclosure. We conclude that it is important to achieve a thorough understanding of how to address help-seeking attitudes and to encourage distress disclosure to promote treatment of mental health issues among many refugees.</jats:p

Maple-Swarm: programming collective behavior for ensembles by extending HTN-planning

Programming goal-oriented behavior in collective adaptive systems is complex, requires high effort, and is failure-prone. If the system's user wants to deploy it in a real-world environment, hurdles get even higher: Programs urgently require to be situation-aware. With our framework Maple, we previously presented an approach for easing the act of programming such systems on the level of particular robot capabilities. In this paper, we extend our approach for ensemble programming with the possibility to address virtual swarm capabilities encapsulating collective behavior to whole groups of agents. By using the respective concepts in an extended version of hierarchical task networks and by adapting our self-organization mechanisms for executing plans resulting thereof, we can achieve that all agents, any agent, any other set of agents, or a swarm of agents execute (swarm) capabilities. Moreover, we extend the possibilities of expressing situation awareness during planning by introducing planning variables that can get modified at design-time or run-time as needed. We illustrate the possibilities with examples each. Further, we provide a graphical front-end offering the possibility to generate mission-specific problem domain descriptions for ensembles including a lightweight simulation for validating plans

Optimization of the design of OMNIS, the observatory of multiflavor neutrinos from supernovae

A Monte Carlo code has been developed to simulate the operation of the planned detectors in OMNIS, a supernova neutrino observatory. OMNIS will detect neutrinos originating from a core collapse supernova by the detection of spalled neutrons from Pb- or Fe-nuclei. This might be accomplished using Gd-loaded liquid scintillator. Results for the optimum configuration for such modules with respect to both neutron detection efficiency and cost efficiency are presented. Careful consideration has been given to the expected levels of radioactive backgrounds and their effects. The results show that the amount of data to be processed by a software trigger can be reduced to the <10kHz region and a neutron, once produced in the detector, can be detected and identified with an efficiency of >30%.Comment: Elsevier preprint; 29 pages, 23 figure

Are B to PI K CP-asymmetries quantized ?

Search for patterns in the numerous B-decay modes now available is necessary in order to test the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa theory of CP-violation. In particular, the well-structured pattern of B to PI K branching ratios may lead to a quantized spectrum for direct CP-asymmetries, providing in this way a rather unique opportunity to discriminate between strong final state interaction models.Comment: Latex, 12 pages, 3 ps figures. Few comments added, final version to appear in Eur.Phys.J.

Inelastic Final-State Interactions and Two-body Hadronic B decays into Single-Isospin channels

The role of inelastic final-state interactions in CP asymmetries and branching ratios is investigated in certain chosen single isospin two-body hadronic B decays. Treating final-state interactions through Pomeron and Regge exchanges, we demonstrate that inelastic final state interactions could lead to sizeable effects on the CP asymmetry.Comment: 23 pages, Latex, 1 eps-figur