Non-spectator Contributions To The Lifetime of Λb\Lambda_{b}

In this work, we evaluate the contributions of non-spectator effects to the lifetimes of $\Lambda_b$ and B-mesons. Based on the well-established models and within a reasonable range of the concerned parameters, the contributions can reduce the lifetime of $\Lambda_b$ by $7 \sim 8$ compared to that of B-mesons which are not significantly affected. This might partly explain the measured ratio $\tau(\Lambda_{b})/\tau(B^{0})=0.79$ \cite{Data}, which has been a long-standing discrepancy between theory and experimental data

Non-Borrowing Students’ Perceptions of Student Loans and Strategies of Paying for College

With the notable shift from grants to loans over the past several decades, many researchers have argued the positive impact of financial aid on student college choice, enrollment, and persistence. However, literature indicates that students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to take loans to finance postsecondary education than those from affluent conditions. Qualitative research on the reasons for non-borrowers’ aversion to loans and strategies for college payment is rather scant. This study explores 30 lower- or lower-middle-class non-borrowing students’ lived experiences surrounding student loans from a qualitative phenomenological research lens. Data are collected from semi-structured interviews. Data analysis shows four main reasons that the participants generally avoid borrowing as they decide where to attend and how to pay for college: parental influence, fear of economic burden, underestimation of the value of college education, and lack of information about the loan system. The strategies they employ for college payment include scholarships and grants, family support, part-time jobs, and prepaid college tuition programs. This study uses peer debriefing to ensure its trustworthiness. Limitations of this study and implications for future research and practice are discussed

Reducing the Tension Between the BICEP2 and the Planck Measurements: A Complete Exploration of the Parameter Space

A large inflationary tensor-to-scalar ratio $r_\mathrm{0.002} = 0.20^{+0.07}_{-0.05}$ is reported by the BICEP2 team based on their B-mode polarization detection, which is outside of the $95\%$ confidence level of the Planck best fit model. We explore several possible ways to reduce the tension between the two by considering a model in which $\alpha_\mathrm{s}$, $n_\mathrm{t}$, $n_\mathrm{s}$ and the neutrino parameters $N_\mathrm{eff}$ and $\Sigma m_\mathrm{\nu}$ are set as free parameters. Using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique to survey the complete parameter space with and without the BICEP2 data, we find that the resulting constraints on $r_\mathrm{0.002}$ are consistent with each other and the apparent tension seems to be relaxed. Further detailed investigations on those fittings suggest that $N_\mathrm{eff}$ probably plays the most important role in reducing the tension. We also find that the results obtained from fitting without adopting the consistency relation do not deviate much from the consistency relation. With available Planck, WMAP, BICEP2 and BAO datasets all together, we obtain $r_{0.002} = 0.14_{-0.11}^{+0.05}$, $n_\mathrm{t} = 0.35_{-0.47}^{+0.28}$, $n_\mathrm{s}=0.98_{-0.02}^{+0.02}$, and $\alpha_\mathrm{s}=-0.0086_{-0.0189}^{+0.0148}$; if the consistency relation is adopted, we get $r_{0.002} = 0.22_{-0.06}^{+0.05}$.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PL