Investigations on T violation and CPT symmetry in the neutral kaon system -- a pedagogical approach --

During the recent years experiments with neutral kaons have yielded remarkably sensitive results which are pertinent to such fundamental phenomena as CPT invariance (protecting causality), time-reversal invariance violation, coherence of wave functions, and entanglement of kaons in pair states. We describe the phenomenological developments and the theoretical conclusions drawn from the experimental material. An outlook to future experimentation is indicated.Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures. See arXiv:hep-ph/0603075 for an enlarged versio

Strategies for Universal Prevention of Depression in Adolescents

Background: The occurrence of depressive disorders in adolescence is of high individual and social importance because of their prevalence and persistence into adulthood and their co-morbidity with other psychological disorders and psychosocial problems. International researchers have recognized the seriousness of depressive disorders in adolescence and thus have been involved in the development and evaluation of prevention programs. Methods: This article will present the difficulties encountered in prevention research with adolescents and in the determination of prevention program efficacy. The main focus will be an overview of current prevention programs and their efficacy with special attention paid to programs featured in the German language literature. Finally, this article will highlight future directions for prevention research. Conclusions: In spite of some critical points, there appears to be a positive outlook for depression prevention programs for adolescents. There is currently support for universal depression prevention programs that may be incorporated into school settings and on which future research may build. It is expected that the methodological problems highlighted in this article may be corrected in the next few years, which may result in more effective, easily integrated programs and a more thorough understanding of adolescent depression

A high purity measurement of RbR_b at SLD

Precision measurement of Rb can provide important information about the Standard Model and beyond. SLD has developed a new method for measuring Rb with very high purity. This measurement has the lowest systematic error reported to date and future measurements using this method will likely have the lowest total uncertainty. This paper will be divided into the five sections: introduction, hardware, topological vertexing tag method, results and conclusions. The introduction will discuss the importance of Rb and the problems with other measurement techniques. The hardware section will give a brief description of the SLC/SLD system concentrating on its advantages over LEP. An outlook towards the future of SLD Rb measurements will be included in the conclusions

A randomised feasibility study to investigate the impact of education and the addition of prompts on the sedentary behaviour of office workers

Abstract Background Office workers have been identified as being at risk of accumulating high amounts of sedentary time in prolonged events during work hours, which has been associated with increased risk of a number of long-term health conditions. There is some evidence that providing advice to stand at regular intervals during the working day, and using computer-based prompts, can reduce sedentary behaviour in office workers. However, evidence of effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability for these types of intervention is currently limited. Methods A 2-arm, parallel group, cluster-randomised feasibility trial to assess the acceptability of prompts to break up sedentary behaviour was conducted with office workers in a commercial bank (n = 21). Participants were assigned to an education only group (EG) or prompt and education group (PG). Both groups received education on reducing and breaking up sitting at work, and the PG also received hourly prompts, delivered by Microsoft Outlook over 10 weeks, reminding them to stand. Objective measurements of sedentary behaviour were made using activPAL monitors worn at three time points: baseline, in the last 2 weeks of the intervention period and 12 weeks after the intervention. Focus groups were conducted to explore the acceptability of the intervention and the motivations and barriers to changing sedentary behaviour. Results Randomly generated, customised prompts, delivered by Microsoft Outlook, with messages about breaking up sitting, proved to be a feasible and acceptable way of delivering prompts to office workers. Participants in both groups reduced their sitting, but changes were not maintained at follow-up. The education session seemed to increase outcome expectations of the benefits of changing sedentary behaviour and promote self-regulation of behaviour in some participants. However, low self-efficacy and a desire to conform to cultural norms were barriers to changing behaviour. Conclusions Prompts delivered by Microsoft Outlook were a feasible, low-cost way of prompting office workers to break up their sedentary behaviour, although further research is needed to determine whether this has an additional impact on sedentary behaviour, to education alone. The role of cultural norms, and promoting self-efficacy, should be considered in the design of future interventions. Trial registration This study was registered retrospectively as a clinical trial on ClinicalTrials.gov (ID no. NCT02609282 ) on 23 March 2015

A study of land use alternatives for Disneyland periphery property

The objective of this research study is to evaluate land use alternatives for Disney-controlled property in the Disneyland area. The three specific objectives of the research include: 1) An analysis of the general characteristics and future land use plans which affect possible land uses in Disneyland; 2) An analysis of present development in the Disneyland area; 3) A detailed analysis of those land uses which, after preliminary review, appear to be most favorable for Disney controlled property. This research study is limited to consideration of alternative uses of Disney-controlled property and considers other properties in the area only as they affect the Disney property. The report includes the following sections: 1) introduction, 2) general characteristics of the area, 3) preliminary evaluation of alternative land use, 4) the outlook for auditorium facilities in the Disneyland area, 5) the outlook for restaurant development in the periphery area, 6) the outlook for a continuing exposition of the California way of life, 7) summary and conclusions, and appendix A

Mobile Business in the Vending Industry

The business of operating vending machines substantially changes by the use of telemetry via wireless technologies. This technology enables operators to change their business processes from a fixed periodical to a needs-based operating and maintenance, generating efficiency and effectiveness added values. In addition, significant advantages can be achieved by real-time error reports, by analyzing and optimizing the product range and the profitability. The paper provides a general introduction in the vending market and the operating process. Based on this, drawbacks and opportunities of the use of mobile communication techniques in vending machines for a business process reengineering are discussed and criteria for the choice of telemetry-equipped vending machines’ locations are developed. The feasibility of the proposed concepts is examined with regard to the current technical state-of-the-art. Finally, conclusions are drawn and an outlook on the future of mobile vending is given.mobile business; mobile business processes; mobile BPR; vending industry; telemetry

Headroom approach to device development: Current and future directions

OBJECTIVES: The headroom approach to medical device development relies on the estimation of a value-based price ceiling at different stages of the development cycle. Such price-ceilings delineate the commercial opportunities for new products in many healthcare systems. We apply a simple model to obtain critical business information as the product proceeds along a development pathway, and indicate some future directions for the development of the approach. METHODS: Health economic modelling in the supply-side development cycle for new products. RESULTS: The headroom can be used: initially as a 'reality check' on the viability of the device in the healthcare market; to support product development decisions using a real options approach; and to contribute to a pricing policy which respects uncertainties in the reimbursement outlook. CONCLUSIONS: The headroom provides a unifying thread for business decisions along the development cycle for a new product. Over the course of the cycle attitudes to uncertainty will evolve, based on the timing and manner in which new information accrues. Within this framework the developmental value of new information can justify the costs of clinical trials and other evidence-gathering activities. Headroom can function as a simple shared tool to parties in commercial negotiations around individual products or groups of products. The development of similar approaches in other contexts holds promise for more rational planning of service provision

Historical influence on the practice of chiropractic radiology: part II - thematic analysis on the opinions of diplomates of the American Chiropractic College of Radiology about the future

Background: Over the past 20 years, various authors have addressed the question of the future of chiropractic. Most were positive about the future, with some advocating evidence-based practice and integration with mainstream healthcare, some advocating continued separation with an emphasis on subluxation-based care or the traditional/historical paradigm of chiropractic, and some calling for tolerance and unity. No papers were found specifically inquiring about the future of chiropractic radiology. Methods: The study population consisted of all current members of the American Chiropractic College of Radiology (ACCR), estimated at 190 people, known as chiropractic radiologists or Diplomates of the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology (DACBRs). An internet-based, anonymous survey using SurveyMonkey was implemented, supplemented by hard copies distributed at a conference. The main point of interest for this paper is the final item of the overall questionnaire. This item inquired about the future of chiropractic radiology. Thematic analysis was used on the responses, coded in both constructionist and inductive ways to extract both a general outlook and more specific themes. The inductive themes were also assigned secondarily to a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Results: The overall response rate to the survey was 38% (73/190); within the group of respondents, 71 of 73 (98%) answered the item that is the subject of this paper. Opinions on the outlook for chiropractic radiology in the future were more negative than positive, with 14 respondents giving a positive outlook, 26 negative, and 14 non-committal. 28 respondents advocated integration with the wider healthcare community, 11 recommended emphasising separateness or a focus on working within chiropractic, and 15 did not express an opinion on this issue. Ten strengths were noted, 11 weaknesses, 57 opportunities, and 30 threats. Conclusions: The increasing necessity of demonstrating evidence for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in healthcare makes it likely that chiropractic radiologists and the wider chiropractic profession will need to take a more active position on evidence-based practice. Re-evaluation of guidelines and legislation as well as enforcement policies and practices will be necessary. The consequences of failing to do so may include increased marginalisation and reduced viability as a profession