General Dimensions Research Articles

Is the EMI model a QFT? An inquiry on the space of allowed entropy functions

The mutual information I(A, B) of pairs of spatially separated regions satisfies, for any d-dimensional CFT, a set of structural physical properties such as positivity, monotonicity, clustering, or Poincaré invariance, among others. If one imposes the extra requirement that I(A, B) is extensive as a function of its arguments (so that the tripartite information vanishes for any set of regions, I3(A, B, C ) ≡ 0), a closed geometric formula involving integrals over ∂A and ∂B can be obtained. We explore whether this “Extensive Mutual Information” model (EMI), which in fact describes a free fermion in d = 2, may similarly correspond to an actual CFT in general dimensions. Using the long-distance behavior of IEMI(A, B) we show that, if it did, it would necessarily include a free fermion, but also that additional operators would have to be present in the model. Remarkably, we find that IEMI(A, B) for two arbitrarily boosted spheres in general d exactly matches the result for the free fermion current conformal block {G}_{Delta =left(d-1right),J=1}^d . On the other hand, a detailed analysis of the subleading contribution in the long-distance regime rules out the possibility that the EMI formula represents the mutual information of any actual CFT or even any limit of CFTs. These results make manifest the incompleteness of the set of known constraints required to describe the space of allowed entropy functions in QFT.

Dimensional reduction and (Anti) de Sitter bounds

Dimensional reduction has proven to be a surprisingly powerful tool for delineating the boundary between the string landscape and the swampland. Bounds from the Weak Gravity Conjecture and the Repulsive Force Conjecture, for instance, are exactly preserved under dimensional reduction. Motivated by its success in these cases, we apply a similar dimensional reduction analysis to bounds on the gradient of the scalar field potential V and the mass scale m of a tower of light particles in terms of the cosmological constant Λ, which ideally may pin down ambiguous O(1) constants appearing in the de Sitter Conjecture and the (Anti) de Sitter Distance Conjecture, respectively. We find that this analysis distinguishes the bounds left|nabla Vright|/Vge sqrt{4/left(d-2right)} , m ≲ |Λ|1/2, and m ≲ |Λ|1/d in d-dimensional Planck units. The first of these bounds is equivalent to the strong energy condition in Einstein-dilaton gravity and precludes accelerated expansion of the universe. It is almost certainly violated in our universe, though it may apply in asymptotic limits of scalar field space. The second bound cannot be satisfied in our universe, though it is saturated in supersymmetric AdS vacua with well-understood uplifts to 10d/11d supergravity. The third bound likely has a limited range of validity in quantum gravity as well, so it may or may not apply to our universe. However, if it does apply, it suggests a possible relation between the cosmological constant and the neutrino mass, which (by the see-saw mechanism) may further provide a relation between the cosmological constant problem and the hierarchy problem. We also work out the conditions for eternal inflation in general spacetime dimensions, and we comment on the behavior of these conditions under dimensional reduction.

Measuring Leader Perfectionism in Organizations: The Development of Theoretical Construct and Scale

Leader perfectionism is widely recognized as an important, yet profoundly underinvestigated, construct that lacks conceptual clarity and valid measurement. To address this lack, our research intends to develop a clear conceptualization and an integrative multidimensional measurement of leader perfectionism. We conducted two inductive studies, the focus group interview and the study using critical incident technique, to confirm our conceptualization and generate items and dimensionality of leader perfectionism. We finally define leader perfectionism as leaders’ dispositional desire for perfection from themselves and/or their employees, which is characterized by multiple cognition and behavioral characteristics. Moreover, we empirically developed a two-level multidimensional scale. The higher level contains two general dimensions of leader self-oriented perfectionism and leader subordinate-oriented perfectionism, under which the lower level is consisted of 15 subdimensions (8 for leader self-oriented perfectionism and 7 for leader subordinate-oriented perfectionism) to capture specific facets of leader perfectionism.

Flat-band solutions in D -dimensional decorated diamond and pyrochlore lattices: Reduction to molecular problem

Flat-band models have been of particular interest from both fundamental aspects and realization in materials. Beyond the canonical examples such as Lieb lattices and line graphs, a variety of tight-binding models are found to possess flat bands. However, analytical treatment of dispersion relations is limited, especially when there are multiple flat bands with different energies. In this paper, we present how to determine flat-band energies and wave functions in tight-binding models on decorated diamond and pyrochlore lattices in generic dimensions $D \geq 2$. For two and three dimensions, such lattice structures are relevant to various organic and inorganic materials, and thus our method will be useful to analyze the band structures of these materials.

Lord\u2013Wingersky Algorithm Version 2.5 with Applications

Item response theory scoring based on summed scores is employed frequently in the practice of educational and psychological measurement. Lord and Wingersky (Appl Psychol Meas 8(4):453–461, 1984) proposed a recursive algorithm to compute the summed score likelihood. Cai (Psychometrika 80(2):535–559, 2015) extended the original Lord–Wingersky algorithm to the case of two-tier multidimensional item factor models and called it Lord–Wingersky algorithm Version 2.0. The 2.0 algorithm utilizes dimension reduction to efficiently compute summed score likelihoods associated with the general dimensions in the model. The output of the algorithm is useful for various purposes, for example, scoring, scale alignment, and model fit checking. In the research reported here, a further extension to the Lord–Wingersky algorithm 2.0 is proposed. The new algorithm, which we call Lord–Wingersky algorithm Version 2.5, yields the summed score likelihoods for all latent variables in the model conditional on observed score combinations. The proposed algorithm is illustrated with empirical data for three potential application areas: (a) describing achievement growth using score combinations across adjacent grades, (b) identification of noteworthy subscores for reporting, and (c) detection of aberrant responses.

Influence of paternal general parenting on Latino early adolescents' energy balance-related behaviours and interactions with behaviour-specific parenting practices.

To investigate the influence of general parenting dimensions on adolescents' energy balance-related behaviours (EBRB) and its interactions with behaviour-specific parenting practices based on Darling and Steinberg's contextual model of parenting style. Multiple linear regression analyses and the Hayes PROCESS procedure to analyse self-reported cross-sectional survey data. In-person survey. Latino early adolescents and their fathers (n 225 dyads) recruited using convenience sampling from metropolitan areas of north-central USA. Both paternal parenting dimensions of warmth and autonomy granting were positively associated with adolescents' fruit intake, vegetable intake and physical activity. Coercive control was positively associated with adolescents' sugary drink intake and sweets/salty snack intake. These associations were predominantly mediated by the parenting practices of setting expectations/allowances, role modelling, and managing availability and accessibility for corresponding EBRB. After adjusting for parenting practices, paternal warmth was inversely associated with adolescents' screen time, paternal autonomy was positively associated with sugary drink intake, and both paternal warmth and autonomy granting were positively associated with adolescents' fast food intake. In addition, positive associations between fathers' parenting practices and adolescents' sugary drink intake were significantly stronger among those who perceived high v. low levels of paternal warmth and autonomy granting. Paternal warmth and autonomy granting showed mixed effects on adolescents' EBRB, and coercive control showed undesirable relationships with adolescents' dietary intake via interactions with behaviour-specific parenting practices. Lifestyle intervention programmes for Latino adolescents need to consider incorporating paternal parenting education components.

Homogeneous Dirichlet wavelets on the interval diagonalizing the derivative operator, and application to free-slip divergence-free wavelets

This paper presents a new construction of a homogeneous Dirichlet wavelet basis on the unit interval, linked by a diagonal differentiation-integration relation to a standard biorthogonal wavelet basis. This allows to compute the solution of Poisson equation by renormalizing the wavelet coefficients - as in Fourier domain but using locally supported basis functions with boundary conditions-, which yields a linear complexity O(N) for this problem. Another application concerns the construction of free-slip divergence-free wavelet bases of the hypercube, in general dimension, with an associated decomposition algorithm as simple as in the periodic case.

Two Applications of the Analytic Conformal Bootstrap: A Quick Tour Guide

We reviewed the recent developments in the study of conformal field theories in generic space time dimensions using the methods of the conformal bootstrap, in its analytic aspect. These techniques are solely based on symmetries, particularly on the analytic structure and in the associativity of the operator product expansion. We focused on two applications of the analytic conformal bootstrap: the study of the ϵ expansion of the Wilson–Fisher model via the introduction of a dispersion relation and the large N expansion of the maximally supersymmetric Super Yang–Mills theory in four dimensions.

Prospective Prediction of Depression and Anxiety by Integrating Negative Emotionality and Cognitive Vulnerabilities in Children and Adolescents.

Negative emotionality (NE) and multiple cognitive vulnerabilities (CVs) (negative inferential style, brooding, self-criticism, dependency, dysfunctional attitudes) independently predict internalizing outcomes. The present study examined whether NE and CVs could be structurally integrated into a common factor reflecting shared variance across risks, and specific factors reflecting unique variance in risks. We evaluated the validity and utility of this integrated model via prospective prediction of future depression and anxiety compared to alternative models (NE and CVs individually, a correlated factor model). Youth from a large community sample (N = 571; M = 13.58years old; 55% girls, 44% boys) reported on NE and CVs. Depression and anxiety symptoms based on youth report, and disorder onset based on youth and caregiver diagnostic interviews were assessed over a 1½ years follow-up. Results supported a structural model including a general NE-CV dimension and specific dimensions for NE, common cognitive risk, negative inferential style, and brooding; model invariance was obtained from late childhood through late adolescence and for girls and boys. The integrated general NE-CV factor more consistently and strongly predicted future depressive (β = 0.58) and anxiety (β = 0.56) symptoms, and onsets of depression (OR = 1.81) and anxiety (OR = 2.23) relative to NE and CV risk dimensions across alternative models (ps < .01). The general NE-CV dimension represents an important means to efficiently represent transdiagnostic risk for internalizing outcomes among youth.

Peningkatan Efikasi Diri Matematika melalui Metode Belajar Mind Map

This study aims to test empirically the effect of the mind maps visual learning method on increasing the self-efficacy of learning mathematics in junior high school students. The research design used a quasi-experimental design with the one-group pretest-posttest design. The research subjects were collected using a non-random purposive sampling technique with 22 students who had moderate to low self-efficacy scores. Data collection used the mathematics self-efficacy scale, and data analysis using repeated analysis of variance. The results showed that there was a difference in the average score of learning mathematics self-efficacy between pre-test and post-test. This finding may indicate that the mind maps visual learning method has a positive effect on increasing the self-efficacy of learning mathematics in junior high school students. The increase in the average self-efficacy score in the generalization dimension was 5.8 points, the level dimension was 4.5 points, and the strength dimension was 3.1 points.

Asymmetric memory for birth language perception versus production in young international adoptees

Adults who as children were adopted into a different linguistic community retain knowledge of their birth language. The possession (without awareness) of such knowledge is known to facilitate the (re)learning of birth-language speech patterns; this perceptual learning predicts such adults' production success as well, indicating that the retained linguistic knowledge is abstract in nature. Adoptees' acquisition of their adopted language is fast and complete; birth-language mastery disappears rapidly, although this latter process has been little studied. Here, 46 international adoptees from China aged four to 10 years, with Dutch as their new language, plus 47 matched non-adopted Dutch-native controls and 40 matched non-adopted Chinese controls, undertook across a two-week period 10 blocks of training in perceptually identifying Chinese speech contrasts (one segmental, one tonal) which were unlike any Dutch contrasts. Chinese controls easily accomplished all these tasks. The same participants also provided speech production data in an imitation task. In perception, adoptees and Dutch controls scored equivalently poorly at the outset of training; with training, the adoptees significantly improved while the Dutch controls did not. In production, adoptees' imitations both before and after training could be better identified, and received higher goodness ratings, than those of Dutch controls. The perception results confirm that birth-language knowledge is stored and can facilitate re-learning in post-adoption childhood; the production results suggest that although processing of phonological category detail appears to depend on access to the stored knowledge, general articulatory dimensions can at this age also still be remembered, and may facilitate spoken imitation.

The development and initial validation of the White Fragility Scale.

Over the last couple of years, the topic of White fragility has garnered a considerable degree of attention. White fragility is considered a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress can become intolerable and trigger a range of emotional and behavioral reactions intended to restore a sense of racial comfort (DiAngelo, White fragility: Why it's so hard for White people to talk about racism, 2018, Beacon Press). In effort to measure the expression of White fragility, we developed and evaluated the psychometric properties of the 21-item White Fragility Scale (WFS). Data consisted of two independent samples of White participants recruited from M-Turk (327) and a Midwest University's Psychpool (234). Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence for a bifactor model consisting of one general White fragility factor and three specific factors of Emotional Defensiveness, Accommodation of Safety, and Exceptionism. Ancillary bifactor indices supported treating the WFS as a unidimensional measure of White fragility yet also revealed meaningful utility of the Accommodation of Safety subscale. Concurrent validity evidence for the WFS was established through significant associations with modern racism, general and specific dimensions of colorblind racial attitudes, and social dominance orientation. In addition, nonsignificant, near-zero correlations with social desirability provided support for divergent validity. Recommendations for future research involving the WFS are provided as well as practical implications for professionals whose work requires a certain degree of racial stamina. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Coaches’ attitudes to injury and injury prevention: a qualitative study of Irish field hockey coaches

Translating injury prevention research into practice has been challenging, which may be due to a poor understanding of the contextual factors influencing the occurrence of injury. Coaches are key figure...

Non-Perturbative Propagators in Quantum Gravity

We employ non-perturbative renormalisation group methods to compute the full momentum dependence of propagators in quantum gravity in general dimensions. We disentangle all different graviton and Faddeev–Popov ghost modes and find qualitative differences in the momentum dependence of their propagators. This allows us to reconstruct the form factors that are quadratic in curvature from first principles, which enter physical observables like scattering cross sections. The results are qualitatively stable under variations of the gauge fixing choice.

The think tanks of some countries in the Asia-Pacific region

The article provides a brief analysis of the brain centers of some countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It is shown how the analytical centers of these countries were transformed under the influence of liberalization and democratization. The object of attention of the brain centers of the countries of a certain region in general dimensions are the problems of state formation and processes outside the countries; activity, place, role and interaction of political parties, public organizations, movements and their leaders in the socio-political life of countries and their geopolitical position.&#x0D; The aim of the article is to study the processes of formation and functioning of analytical centers in Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Turkey and Japan.

The Burden of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Signs and Symptoms in Quality of Life: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, recurrent and debilitating inflammatory skin disease of the hair follicle that usually presents as painful, deep-seated inflamed lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing areas of the body. HS patients suffer from uncomfortable signs and symptoms, such as pain, pruritus, malodour and suppuration, which may impair patients’ quality of life (QoL). Although HS patients frequently experience these signs and symptoms, they are only occasionally assessed by clinicians and, unexpectedly, the scientific evidence available is limited and heterogeneous. The aim of this study is to summarize the evidence regarding the impact of HS signs and symptoms on QoL to serve as a basis for future research and help clinicians to consider them in the daily care of HS patients. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA Guidelines. The following search algorithm was used: (hidradenitis or “acne inversa”) and (pain or itch or odour or malodour or suppuration or oozing or drainage) and (“quality of life”). The literature search identified 836 references, 17 of them met the eligible criteria and were included for analysis, representing 4929 HS patients. Mean age of the participants was 36.28 years and there was a predominance of female sex among study participants. The BMI of the population was in the range of over-weight and about two out five patients were active smokers. Studies included patients with mild to moderate HS, with a mean disease duration of 13.69 years. The HS signs and symptoms assessed were pain, pruritus, malodour and suppuration. Overall, the higher intensity of a sign or symptom correlated with poorer general QoL or specific QoL dimensions including sexual distress, anxiety, depression and sleep. The most frequently employed tool to assess QoL was the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). DLQI was used in 52.9% of the studies (9/17) with a mean value of 10.70 (2.16 SD). The scores employed to assess signs and symptoms severity were subjective and varied between studies, being the numerical rating scale (NRS) for each of the most used symptoms. The mean NRS value for pain was 3.99 and the mean NRS for pruritus was 4.99. In conclusion, we have summarized, categorized and analyzed the scientific evidence regarding signs and symptoms in HS patients and their impairment in QoL. Their assessment should be thorough and included during routine evaluation of HS patients to motivate therapeutic modifications and increase patients’ health.

Extended Solitary Confinement for Managing Prison Systems: Placement Disparities and Their Implications

Despite concerns and debates about the policy of using extended solitary confinement for managing individuals deemed to be too violent or disruptive to be controlled any other way—for the broader goal of system order and safety—empirical assessments of disparities in placements into this form of incarceration are limited. Prior studies typically have not compared extended solitary management (ESM) populations to general prison populations or dimensions along which disparities in ESM placements may arise. This paper identifies groups that may be more likely to be placed in ESM and policy concerns unique to each. Drawing on a study of one large state prison system, we examine disparities in ESM placement, including multiple, early, and longer duration placements. Implications of these disparities and the possibility that there may be differential experiences in and effects of ESM are discussed.

Temporal Discounting of Money and Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Hoarding Level.

The current study examines the association of individual hoarding levels with temporal discounting of different commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on their hoarding level, participants were assigned to the Hoarding Group (HG) or the Non-Hoarding Group (NHG). Participants performed two delay discounting tasks: a traditional task with monetary options and a modified task, where money was replaced with disposable surgical masks, a needed commodity during the pandemic. Results revealed a stronger preference for immediate commodity, therefore a higher discount rate, when evaluating surgical masks compared to money in the whole sample, and an overall higher tendency in discounting both type of rewards in the NHG compared to the HG. Moreover, non-hoarders discounted money significantly more than hoarders, while no significant differences were detected in the surgical mask version of the task. Possible explanations for this result are discussed in the light of a situational frame that makes salient the notion of scarcity, like the one induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The hoarding dimension of cluttering was found to be the only dimension to significantly correlate with the discount rate on surgical masks. Altogether, these findings shed light on the role of general hoarding level and specific hoarding dimensions on intertemporal preferences with different commodities by contributing to the theoretical debate about impulsivity in hoarders' behavior. Furthermore, the present results help to understand the general population's preferences during times of crisis, thus contributing to the investigation of the effects of COVID-19 on consumers' behavior.

Performance Prediction Program for Wind-Assisted Cargo Ships

Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS) can play a key role in achieving the IMO 2050 targets on reducing the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 50%. The present project deals with the development of a six degree of freedom (DoF) Performance Prediction Program (PPP) for wind-assisted cargo ships aimed at contributing knowledge on WAPS performance. It is a fast and easy tool, able to predict the performance of any commercial ship with three possible different WAPS installed: rotor sails, rigid wing sails and DynaRigs; with only the ship main particulars and general dimensions as input data. The tool is based on semi-empirical methods and a WAPS aerodynamic database created from published data on lift and drag coefficients, which can be interpolated with the aim to scale to different sizes and configurations. A model validation is carried out to evaluate its reliability. The results are compared with the real sailing data of a Long Range 2 (LR2) class wind-assisted tanker vessel, the Maersk Pelican. The study indicates that the PPP shows good agreement with the technology suppliers’ own modelling tool and reasonable agreement with the trends of the real sailing measurements. However, for downwind sailing conditions, the predictions are more conservative than the measured values. Lastly, results showing and comparing power savings for the three different WAPS are presented. Rotor Sails are found to be the most efficient WAPS studied with a much higher potential of driving force generation per square meter of projected sail area.

Hypergeometric Expression for the Resolvent of the Discrete Laplacian in Low Dimensions

We present an explicit formula for the resolvent of the discrete Laplacian on the square lattice, and compute its asymptotic expansions around thresholds in low dimensions. As a by-product we obtain a closed formula for the fundamental solution to the discrete Laplacian. For the proofs we express the resolvent in a general dimension in terms of the Appell--Lauricella hypergeometric function of type $C$ outside a disk encircling the spectrum. In low dimensions it reduces to a generalized hypergeometric function, for which certain transformation formulas are available for the desired expansions.