Measurements of CP-Violating Asymmetries in B0 to a1(1260)^{+-} pi^{-+} Decays

We present measurements of CP-violating asymmetries in the decay B0 -> a_1(1260)^{+-} pi^{-+} with a_1(1260)^{+-} -> pi^{-+} pi^{+-} pi^{+-}. The data sample corresponds to 384 million B B-bar pairs collected with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B-factory at SLAC. We measure the CP-violating asymmetry A^{a1pi}_{CP}=-0.07+-0.07+-0.02, the mixing-induced CP violation parameter S_{a1pi}= 0.37 +-0.21+-0.07, the direct CP violation parameter C_{a1pi}=-0.10+-0.15+-0.09, and the parameters DeltaC_{a1pi}=0.26+-0.15+-0.07 and DeltaS_{a1pi}=-0.14+-0.21+-0.06. From these measured quantities we exstract the angle alpha_{eff}= 78.6^{0} +- 7.3^{0}.Comment: 4 pages, 2 postscript figures Invited talk at the 4th International Workshop on the CKM Unitary Triangle, 12/12/2006 - 16/12/2006, Nagoya, Japa

Finding a reflexive voice : -- researching the problems of implementing new learning practices within a New Zealand manufacturing organisation : a 100pt thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Human Resources Management at Massey University

This study explored the social forces mediating manager's participation in a new reflexive participative learning practice designed to improve profitability within a New Zealand manufacturing organisation. Despite a large theoretical and managerial body of literature on organisational learning there has been little empirical investigation of how people experience and engage their reflexivity towards challenging the status-quo to create high level learning and new knowledge. Power was identified as a potential moderator of the reflexive learning experience and the variable relations of power and learning were constructed from a review of literature and these relationships were explored and investigated within the case study. Two prevailing discourses were identified as powerful moderators of public reflexivity, the traditionalist discourse which constructed managers actions and conversations towards insularism and survivalist concerns and the productionist discourse in which institutionalised production practices encircled and mediated managers actions and what constituted legitimacy in conversations. This study used a critical action research method to place the reflexive experience of managers and the researcher at the centre of the study and provide data representative of the social discourses that constructed variable freedoms and constraints upon the reflexive voice

Subwavelength hyperspectral THz studies of articular cartilage

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Terahertz-spectroscopy probes dynamics and spectral response of collective vibrational modes in condensed phase, which can yield insight into composition and topology. However, due to the long wavelengths employed (λ = 300 μm at 1THz), diffraction limited imaging is typically restricted to spatial resolutions around a millimeter. Here, we demonstrate a new form of subwavelength hyperspectral, polarization-resolved THz imaging which employs an optical pattern projected onto a 6 μm-thin silicon wafer to achieve near-field modulation of a co-incident THz pulse. By placing near-field scatterers, one can measure the interaction of object with the evanescent THz fields. Further, by measuring the temporal evolution of the THz field a sample's permittivity can be extracted with 65 μm spatial resolution due to the presence of evanescent fields. Here, we present the first application of this new approach to articular cartilage. We show that the THz permittivity in this material varies progressively from the superficial zone to the deep layer, and that this correlates with a change in orientation of the collagen fibrils that compose the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tissue. Our approach enables direct interrogation of the sample's biophysical properties, in this case concerning the structure and permittivity of collagen fibrils and their anisotropic organisation in connective tissue.The research presented in this work was funded by QinetiQ & EPSRC under iCase award 12440575 and grant number EP/K041215/1