Vortex Production at Phase Transitions in Nonrelativistic and Relativistic Media

We examine string (vortex) formation at a quench for a weakly-coupled global U(1) theory when the excitation spectrum is non-relativistic. It is so similar to vortex production in the corresponding relativistic plasma as to reinforce arguments for the similarity of vorheptex production in the early universe and in low-temperature many-body physics.Comment: 23 pages, replaced version - tex problems correcte

What can we do for LGBQ youth in north Yorkshire

This report is the summary of a five-month project commissioned by Yorkshire MESMAC which investigated the provision of support for lesbian,gay, bisexual and questioning (LGBQ) youth livingin the North Yorkshire sub-region. The projectconsisted of two elements: Study - Part 1 The first part of the study was a mapping exerciseof the current support available to LGBQ youth(16-25) in the North Yorkshire sub-region. Fivevoluntary and 15 statutory sector service providers provided input. Assessment was based on the extent to which each service provider catered for the specific needs of LGBQ youth. Results indicated a deficit in LGBQ specific service provision. Support specifically aimed at the LGBQ population was limited to three voluntary sector service providers and one youth group. Generic service providers varied in their ability to cater for the needs of LGBQ youth and only one was found to adequately address the needs of LGBQ youth. Study - Part 2 The second part of the study involved a qualitative investigation into the experiences and perceived needs of twenty-two LGBQ youth living in the North Yorkshire sub-region. Participants reported a diverse range of needs linked to their perceptions of isolation and a lack of social support. Recommendations Based upon the findings from Parts 1 and 2 of this study, the following recommendations are offered: ● The development of a sub-regional internet site for rural LGBQ youth to access information and online support ● The establishment of LGBQ youth groups across the county, preferably run on weekends, and at times that coincide with the provision of public transport ● The provision of drop-in venues with appropriately trained support staff ● The provision of training opportunities for staff within generic support services. ● Regular evaluation of LGBQ youth provision among generic services and regular monitoring of access by LGBQ youth ● The development and maintenance of links between service providers for LGBQ communities and more generic service providers

Drug & alcohol use among LGBTS in the city of Leeds

Project A Representatives from seven drug and alcohol organisations in Leeds were interviewed about the services they provide and how accessible they believe those services to be to be for lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in the City of Leeds. Key findings: ● Only one of the groups had ever held an LGBT specific support group ● Only one of the groups were aware that they had LGB or, by implication, transgender clients, the rest were unsure as they do not ask such information of their clients ● Two of the groups had attended training sessions on LGBT specific issues ● None of the groups had any specific policies in place for treating/supporting LGBT clients ● Two of the groups had equality statements in their leaflets making LGBTs aware that they would be welcome ● Three of the support groups distributed their leaflets at LGBT support groups and venues Project B 101 participants completed a short questionnaire which asked about their use of alcohol and other substance, whether they had ever accessed any of the services in Leeds and had unprotected sex as a result of drug use. The main findings were as follows: ● 4% of the sample had no know history of substance use, including alcohol ● 21% of the sample reported using a Class ‘A’ substance, the most commonly cited was Ecstasy ● 4% of participants had attended a drug or alcohol support group in Leeds ● Of the 97 who had not accessed any of Leeds’ drug or alcohol services, 64 argued that they did not believe their alcohol/drug use to be a problem ● Of the 64, 20 scored highly on a standardised measure of drug and alcohol addiction risk ● 49% reported having had unsafe sex in the past year while under the influence of alcohol and/or other substances Recommendations The following recommendations are made: ● To increase awareness among drug and alcohol services of the specific needs of LGBTs ● To make drug and alcohol support services more accessible for LGBTs ● To increase awareness among LGBT communities of the existence and location of alcohol and drug services ● To increase awareness of the dangers associated with drug and alcohol us

Financial Market Integration of South Asian Countries: Panel data Analysis

According to Frankel (1992) in order to find financial integration from Feldstein Horoika (FH, 1980) model, the real interest parity must hold. This paper estimates the degree of financial market integration of South Asian countries i.e. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal with both the techniques. The study finds some degree of integration with FH model has which increased after 1990s, post liberalization period. Furthermore, Panel Unit Root techniques i.e. LLC, IPS and Hadri has been used to estimate the real interest rate differentials (RIDs) of South Asian countries are found to be stationary with USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Sweden, Netherland, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, China and Japan. The empirical evidence of integration with both the techniques in my study is unique in the literature. Even though, the RIDS technique provides strong evidence of integration, correlation between savings and investment is still significant.Financial Integration, interest rate parity, savings investment correlation, South Asian economy