On the classification of quantum W-algebras

In this paper we consider the structure of general quantum W-algebras. We introduce the notions of deformability, positive-definiteness, and reductivity of a W-algebra. We show that one can associate a reductive finite Lie algebra to each reductive W-algebra. The finite Lie algebra is also endowed with a preferred $sl(2)$ subalgebra, which gives the conformal weights of the W-algebra. We extend this to cover W-algebras containing both bosonic and fermionic fields, and illustrate our ideas with the Poisson bracket algebras of generalised Drinfeld-Sokolov Hamiltonian systems. We then discuss the possibilities of classifying deformable W-algebras which fall outside this class in the context of automorphisms of Lie algebras. In conclusion we list the cases in which the W-algebra has no weight one fields, and further, those in which it has only one weight two field.Comment: 28 page

Pupils or prisoners? Institutional geographies and internal exclusion in UK secondary schools

This is the accepted version of the following article: Barker, J., Alldred, P., Watts, M. and Dodman, H. (2010), Pupils or prisoners? Institutional geographies and internal exclusion in UK secondary schools. Area, 42: 378–386, which has been published in final form at the link below. Copyright © 2010 The Authors.A growing interest in the geographies of schooling has led to an exploration of a variety of school spaces. An increasing number of secondary schools offer internal fixed-term exclusions so that temporary removal from school is not seen as ‘time off’ for students. This particular strategy has led to the creation of a new type of space in schools. Drawing upon research undertaken in a London secondary school, this paper explores the geography of these new secluded spaces. We highlight that the configuration of physical space in Seclusion Units and the regulation of spatial practices create highly controlled and segregated spaces of punishment. We explore the powerful transformative effects of these spaces to change students' behaviour, social interaction and attitudes to learning. However, rather than simply creating docile subjects, we recognise that domination is never complete and we explore the extent and the limit of student resistance to the discipline and control of the Seclusion Unit

Dynamics of opinion formation in a small-world network

The dynamical process of opinion formation within a model using a local majority opinion updating rule is studied numerically in networks with the small-world geometrical property. The network is one in which shortcuts are added to randomly chosen pairs of nodes in an underlying regular lattice. The presence of a small number of shortcuts is found to shorten the time to reach a consensus significantly. The effects of having shortcuts in a lattice of fixed spatial dimension are shown to be analogous to that of increasing the spatial dimension in regular lattices. The shortening of the consensus time is shown to be related to the shortening of the mean shortest path as shortcuts are added. Results can also be translated into that of the dynamics of a spin system in a small-world network.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Phase transitions in Ising model on a Euclidean network

A one dimensional network on which there are long range bonds at lattice distances $l>1$ with the probability $P(l) \propto l^{-\delta}$ has been taken under consideration. We investigate the critical behavior of the Ising model on such a network where spins interact with these extra neighbours apart from their nearest neighbours for $0 \leq \delta < 2$. It is observed that there is a finite temperature phase transition in the entire range. For $0 \leq \delta < 1$, finite size scaling behaviour of various quantities are consistent with mean field exponents while for $1\leq \delta\leq 2$, the exponents depend on $\delta$. The results are discussed in the context of earlier observations on the topology of the underlying network.Comment: 7 pages, revtex4, 7 figures; to appear in Physical Review E, minor changes mad

Watch Out for the Beast: Fear Information and Attentional Bias in Children

Although valenced information about novel animals changes the implicit and explicit fear beliefs of children (Field & Lawson, 2003), how it might lead to anxiety is unknown. One possibility, based on cognitive models of anxiety, is that fear information creates attentional biases similar to those seen in anxiety disorders. Children between 7 and 9 years old were given positive information about 1 novel animal, negative information about another, and no information about the 3rd. A pictorial dot-probe task was used, immediately or with a 24-hr delay, to test for attentional biases to the different animals. The results replicated the finding that fear information changes children's fear beliefs. Regardless of whether there was a delay, children acquired an attentional bias in the left visual field toward the animal about which they held negative beliefs compared to the control animal. These results imply a possible way in which fear information might contribute to acquired fear

Choice of device to view video lectures: an analysis of two independent cohorts of first-year university students

Video lectures and mobile learning devices have become prominent, but little is known about device choices for watching video lectures. The setting for this study, a university that provided perpetual access to personal computers and free tablet devices to all first-year students, provided a unique opportunity to study device choice in a setting where both tablets and personal computers were perpetually available. Weekly video lectures on a first-year module were made from October to April in two independent cohorts of students. YouTube analytics were used to record data on device usage for video lecture views. Tablets were initially used for almost 70% of views. However, tablet usage declined throughout the academic year, and tablets were overtaken by personal computers as the preferred device in the second half of the academic year. Findings suggest that an initial preference for using tablets to view video lectures lasts only a few months

Costs of healthy living for older adults: the need for dynamic measures of health-related poverty to support evidence-informed policy-making and real-time decision-making

Objectives This study aimed to examine the dynamic properties of the costs of healthy living for older adults and to compare these costs to the timing and levels of Pension Credit for older adults on low incomes. Study design This was a longitudinal descriptive study. Methods We used monthly inflation data and the concept of a ‘Minimum Income for Healthy Living’ (MIHL) to estimate the dynamic changes in MIHL from 2003 to 2022 and compared these costs with Pension Credit levels for older adults on low incomes. Results Progress in closing the gap between the MIHL and Pension Credit has been reversed by recent sharp increases in costs. From April 2021 to April 2022, the MIHL for single older adults rose from £5.57 per week below to £8.29 per week above Pension Credit levels. Conclusions There is a need for dynamic measures of health-related poverty to support evidence-informed policy-making and real-time decision-making to mitigate the health impacts on older adults

Scale-free networks with tunable degree distribution exponents

We propose and study a model of scale-free growing networks that gives a degree distribution dominated by a power-law behavior with a model-dependent, hence tunable, exponent. The model represents a hybrid of the growing networks based on popularity-driven and fitness-driven preferential attachments. As the network grows, a newly added node establishes $m$ new links to existing nodes with a probability $p$ based on popularity of the existing nodes and a probability $1-p$ based on fitness of the existing nodes. An explicit form of the degree distribution $P(p,k)$ is derived within a mean field approach. For reasonably large $k$, $P(p,k) \sim k^{-\gamma(p)}{\cal F}(k,p)$, where the function ${\cal F}$ is dominated by the behavior of $1/\ln(k/m)$ for small values of $p$ and becomes $k$-independent as $p \to 1$, and $\gamma(p)$ is a model-dependent exponent. The degree distribution and the exponent $\gamma(p)$ are found to be in good agreement with results obtained by extensive numerical simulations.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PR

Hidden in plain sight: exploring men’s use of complementary and alternative medicine

Despite the increased attention given to the relationship between masculinity and health, the analysis of men’s use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is relatively underdeveloped compared to studies of female use. Through the thematic synthesis of existing research studies, this paper collates and analyses patterns of, and motivations for, male usage of CAM. We reveal that there are significant levels of male use of CAM which cannot be explained by recourse to general or gendered patterns of health seeking behaviour or health status. Men who use CAM tend to exhibit similar demographic characteristics to female users, but also show patterns of engagement that both reinforce and challenge hegemonic masculinity. The paper suggests that there remains a need to investigate the nuances and complexities of the motivations behind male usage patterns, and interrogate how these intersect with the performance of masculine selves