Responses by the Secretary of State for Education to the Education Select Committee

Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, appeared before the Education Select Committee on 18 December 2013, to answer questions from Committee members related to various aspects of education policy, including careers guidance. It was the first time his views on careers guidance have been expressed in the public domain. This analysis of his comments is based on the uncorrected transcript2, which the Secretary of State will have an opportunity to correct. The transcript is therefore not yet an approved formal record of the proceedings

Recent developments on the roles of employers and of careers professionals: a pivotal phase in determining future careers provision for young people.

This policy commentary reviews key statements and reports issued in February and the beginning of March 2014, including; Statements by Lord Nash (Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Schools) on the Government’s intentions with regard to the forthcoming revised Statutory Guidance for Schools; A speech by Nick Clegg (Deputy Prime Minister) in which he commented on careers guidance in schools; A progress report issued by the National Careers Council; and A Briefing Note issued by the Careers Sector Stakeholders Alliance.Careers Englan

Technique to eliminate computational instability in multibody simulations employing the Lagrange multiplier

A programming technique to eliminate computational instability in multibody simulations that use the Lagrange multiplier is presented. The computational instability occurs when the attached bodies drift apart and violate the constraints. The programming technique uses the constraint equation, instead of integration, to determine the coordinates that are not independent. Although the equations of motion are unchanged, a complete derivation of the incorporation of the Lagrange multiplier into the equation of motion for two bodies is presented. A listing of a digital computer program which uses the programming technique to eliminate computational instability is also presented. The computer program simulates a solid rocket booster and parachute connected by a frictionless swivel

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

On the boundary Ising model with disorder operators

We extend the well-known method of calculating bulk correlation functions of the conformal Ising model via bosonisation to situations with boundaries. Oshikawa and Affleck have found the boundary states of two decoupled Ising models in terms of the orbifold of a single free boson compactified on a circle of radius r=1; we adapt their results to include disorder operators. Using these boundary states we calculate the expectation value of a single disorder field on a cylinder with free boundary conditions and show that in the appropriate limits we recover the standard and frustrated partition functions. We also show how to calculate Ising correlation functions on the upper half plane.Comment: 12 pages, Latex2e, 6 figure

Careers work with young people: collapse or transition? An analysis of current developments in careers education and guidance for young people in England

This paper analyses the current information available (in July 2011) about the changes that are taking place in careers work following recent government policy initiatives and public-sector austerity measures. In particular, it examines the local developments that have emerged in relation to a national policy context in which: • Existing careers work is being radically reconfigured. • The new National Careers Service (NCS) will principally serve adults (apart from its telephone/web-based services, which will cover young people too). • Securing careers guidance for young people has been made the responsibility of schools. • The requirement for schools to provide careers education has been removed. • There has been very limited transition planning at national level: this has led to considerable local confusion. • In particular, there is continuing confusion about the future relationship of remaining face-to-face Connexions services to the NCS, and about the branding of such services. Implications for Connexions services, Local Authorities, schools, new market players and the careers profession are identified

On the relation between Phi(1,2) and Phi(1,5) perturbed minimal models

We consider the RSOS S-matrices of the Phi(1,5) perturbed minimal models which have recently been found in the companion paper [hep-th/9604098]. These S-matrices have some interesting properties, in particular, unitarity may be broken in a stronger sense than seen before, while one of the three classes of Phi(1,5) perturbations (to be described) shares the same Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz as a related Phi(1,2) perturbation. We test these new S-matrices by the standard Truncated Conformal Space method, and further observe that in some cases the BA equations for two particle energy levels may be continued to complex rapidity to describe (a) single particle excitations and (b) complex eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian corresponding to non-unitary S-matrix elements. We make some comments on identities between characters in the two related models following from the fact that the two perturbed theories share the same breather sector.Comment: LaTeX, 23 pages, 12 figures. Substantial revision of introductory section, new discussion of complex eigenvalues and non-unitary S-matrice

A non-rational CFT with c=1 as a limit of minimal models

We investigate the limit of minimal model conformal field theories where the central charge approaches one. We conjecture that this limit is described by a non-rational CFT of central charge one. The limiting theory is different from the free boson but bears some resemblance to Liouville theory. Explicit expressions for the three point functions of bulk fields are presented, as well as a set of conformal boundary states. We provide analytic and numerical arguments in support of the claim that this data forms a consistent CFT.Comment: latex2e, 37 pages, 4 figure