A Study of the LEP and SLD Measurements of AbA_b

A systematic study is made of the data dependence of the parameter $A_{\rm{b}}$, that, since 1995, has shown a deviation from the Standard Model prediction of between 2.4 and 3.1 standard deviations. Issues addressed include: the effect of particular measurements, values found by individual experiments, LEP/SLD comparison, and the treatment of systematic errors. The effect, currently at the 2.4$\sigma$ level, is found to vary in the range from 1.7$\sigma$ to 2.9$\sigma$ by excluding marginal or particularly sensitive data. Since essentially the full LEP and SLD Z decay data sets are now analysed the meaning of the deviation, (new physics, or marginal statistical fluctuation) is unlikely to be given by the present generation of colliders.Comment: 15 pages 7 figures 7 table

Clock-transport synchronisation for neutrino time-of-flight measurements

A method to synchronise, at the sub-nanosecond level, clocks used for neutrino time-of-flight measurements is proposed. Clocks situated near the neutrino source and target are compared with a moveable clock that is transported between them. The general-relativistic theory of the procedure was tested and verified in an experiment performed by Hafele and Keating in 1972. It is suggested that use of such a synchronisation method may contribute to a precise test of the Sagnac effect ---a measured velocity greater than $c$--- for neutrinos of the proposed LBNE beam between Fermilab and the Homestake mine.Comment: 11 pages 5 figures 2 table