Meson2006 Summary: Theory

This is a summary of theoretical plenary contributions to the biennial hadron physics conference Meson2006, which was the ninth in this series. The topics covered in the meeting include low energy pion-pion and pion-nucleon interactions, photoproduction and hadronic production of light mesons and baryons,in-medium effects, recent developments in charmed mesons, charmonia and B mesons, the status of exotica, and some related topics such as final state interactions. In this contribution we review and summarize the plenary talks presented by theorists at the meeting, and emphasize some of the main points of their presentations. Where appropriate we will add brief comments on some aspects of QCD spectroscopy. Finally, following tradition, we conclude with a new Feynman story.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Feynman story. Invited summary talk (theory) at the 9th International Workshop on Meson Production, Properties and Interactions MESON2006 (Krakow, 9-13 June 2006

Update on Charmonium Theory

In this invited presentation I review some recent developments in the theory of charmonium that appear likely to be of importance for future experimental studies in this field. The specific areas considered are double charmonium production, LQCD studies of charmonium, recent results for hadron loops, c-cbar production cross sections at PANDA, charm molecules, and two recent developments, "charmiscelleny".Comment: 8 pp., 3 figures. Invited contribution to HADRON 2009 (XIIIth Internatl. Conf. on Hadron Spectroscopy, Tallahassee, FL, Nov.29 - Dec.4 2009)

Psi to N Nbar m

In this invited talk I discuss two recent applications of charmonium (Psi) decays to N Nbar m final states, where N is a nucleon and m is a light meson. There are several motivations for studying these decays: 1) They are useful for the study of N* spectroscopy; 2) they can be used to estimate cross sections for the associated charmonium production processes p pbar to Psi m, which PANDA plans to exploit in searches for charmonium hybrid exotics; and 3) they may allow the direct experimental measurement of NNm (meson-nucleon) strong couplings, which provide crucial input information for meson exchange models of the NN force. The latter two topics are considered in this talk, which will also compare results from a simple hadron pole model of these decays to recent experimental data.Comment: Invited contribution to Charm2010 (Fourth International Workshop on Charm Physics), Beijing, China, 21-24 Oct. 2010. 3 pages, 3 figures, uses epsfi

The impact on child developmental status at 12 months of volunteer home-visiting support

Home-visiting support during pregnancy or soon after the birth of an infant can be advantageous for maternal well being and infant development. The best results have been identified when home-visitors are professionals, especially nurses, and if a theoretically driven curriculum is followed with fidelity. Some suggest that disadvantaged families, who may avoid professional services, respond well to support from community volunteers but there is less evidence about their impact. This study identified potentially vulnerable mothers during pregnancy in randomly allocated neighbourhoods where local volunteer home-visiting schemes agreed to offered proactive volunteer support and control areas where the local home-visiting schemes did not offer this proactive service. Taking demographic, child and family factors into account there were no significant differences in infant cognitive development at 12 months of age between families who had been supported by a volunteer and those who had not. Better cognitive development was predicted by less reported parenting stress when infants were 2 months and a more stimulating and responsive home environment at 12 months. The results suggest that unstructured proactive volunteer support for potentially vulnerable families is not likely to enhance infant development. Limitations of the cluster randomised design are discussed

‘Work’ is a Four Letter Word? Disability, Work and Welfare

[Excerpt] This chapter suggests that to overcome the problem of disabled people’s ongoing disadvantage in mainstream employment and, therefore, society, a radical alternative strategy is required that poses a direct challenge to orthodox thinking on work, and associate policies that centre almost exclusively on disabled workers. Building on long standing analyses from within the disability studies literature, it is argued that an holistic approach is needed that includes: a/ the reconfiguration of the meaning of work for disabled people; b/ the de-stigmatisation of associate welfare provision; and c/ that the theoretical and practical foundations for such an approach have already been laid (Abberley 2002: Barnes 2000: 2003: Oliver and Barnes 1998). It begins with an overview of theoretical considerations with reference to the concept of ‘independent living’ for disabled people and the social model of disability. Attention will then centre on the organisation of labour, the reconfiguring of work for disabled people, and its implications for work and welfare in the 21st century

MESON2000 Conference Summary

This short contribution is a {\it lite} MESON2000 conference summary. As appropriate for the 600th anniversary of the Jagellonian University, it begins with a brief summary of the last 600 years of European history and its place in hadron physics. Next a ``physicist chirality'' order parameter PC is introduced. When applied to MESON2000 plenary speakers this order parameter illustrates the separation of hadron physicists into disjoint communities. The individual plenary talks in MESON2000 are next sorted according to the subconference associated with each of the 36 plenary speakers. Finally, I conclude with a previously unreported Feynman story regarding the use of models in hadron physics.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, uses appolb.cps and epsfig. MESON2000 Conference Summary Tal

Independent Living, Politics and Implications

[Excerpt] The idea of ‘independent’ living as used by the disabled people’s movement around the world is a radical concept firmly rooted in the ideological, cultural and pragmatic traditions of western society. It is a radical concept because it poses a direct challenge to conventional thinking on disability and combines both an ideological and practical solution to the everyday environmental and cultural problems encountered by disabled people and their families. Furthermore, the notion of ‘independent living’ has the potential not only to enhance the quality of life of people directly affected by disability, but also that of other structurally disadvantaged groups such as women, minority ethnic groups, lesbians and gay men, and older people. In order to explain these claims this paper is divided into two main sections. The first part will examine orthodox thinking on disability and an alternative perspective developed by disabled people themselves. The second will focus on the concept of independent living and its impact on policy development. The conclusion will address the ideological, cultural and practical implications of these developments

Rational Z_p-Equivariant Spectra

We find a simple algebraic model for rational G-equivariant spectra, where G is the p-adic integers, via a series of Quillen equivalences. This model, along with an Adams short exact sequence, will allow us to easily perform constructions and calculations.Comment: 24 page

Disability Studies: What’s the Point?

[Excerpt] While the content of these courses had much to offer in terms of furthering our understanding of the experience of ‘chronic illness’ and the ensuing economic and social outcomes in terms of daily living for disabled people and their families, the central focus always seemed to be either on the physical and psychological consequences of the condition, or the complexity of the relationship between the disabled individual and their social environment. ‘Disability’, usually defined as ‘functional limitation’, was caused by either: chronic illness/impairment or the complex interaction between the limitations of the body and/or mind, and society at large. The dominant ‘personal tragedy’ theory of disability was never seriously questioned and, with one or two notable exceptions, meaningful explanations for society’s responses to, and treatment of, people with impairments, whether real or ascribed, and ‘labelled’ disabled, were conspicuous by their absence