Global Form Research Articles

Axion domain walls, small instantons, and non-invertible symmetry breaking

Non-invertible global symmetry often predicts degeneracy in axion potentials and carries important information about the global form of the gauge group. When these symmetries are spontaneously broken they can lead to the formation of stable axion domain wall networks which support topological degrees of freedom on their worldvolume. Such non-invertible symmetries can be broken by embedding into appropriate larger UV gauge groups where small instanton contributions lift the vacuum degeneracy, and provide a possible solution to the domain wall problem. We explain these ideas in simple illustrative examples and then apply them to the Standard Model, whose gauge algebra and matter content are consistent with several possible global structures. Each possible global structure leads to different selection rules on the axion couplings, and various UV completions of the Standard Model lead to more specific relations. As a proof of principle, we also present an example of a UV embedding of the Standard Model which can solve the axion domain wall problem. The formation and annihilation of the long-lived axion domain walls can lead to observables, such as gravitational wave signals. Observing such signals, in combination with the axion coupling measurements, can provide valuable insight into the global structure of the Standard Model, as well as its UV completion.

Analysis of nonlinear problems using the Dual Mesh Control Domain Method with arbitrary meshes

The Dual Mesh Control Domain Method (DMCDM), proposed and developed by the second author, is a recent advancement in the field of numerical methods. This method represents a blend of the Finite Element Method (FEM) and the Finite Volume Method (FVM), each having its primary domains of popularity. The DMCDM incorporates the concepts of interpolation, duality, and numerical integration from the former and the idea of satisfying the integral (global) form of the differential (or balance) equations from the latter. In this paper, we present a fresh and systematic approach to solving two-dimensional nonlinear problems, including advection–diffusion problems, with arbitrary primal meshes. We develop an approach where element-level equations are derived and assembled in a manner similar to that of the FEM, as opposed to using nodal equations, as has been the convention in all of the previous works involving the DMCDM. Additionally, we extend the previous works to include higher-order interpolation, specifically quadratic interpolation. In short, we provide formulations for four-node bilinear and nine-node biquadratic elements of quadrilateral shape, enabling the application of the DMCDM to arbitrary primal and dual meshes. Finally, we explore the Newton iteration method for linearizing the nonlinear system of equations that arises from the DMCDM discretization. We present numerical results and comparisons against available exact and numerical solutions to verify the accuracy and robustness of the DMCDM.

Contrast Discrimination and Global Form Perception in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma and Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma.

This study explored early (contrast discrimination) and intermediate (global form perception) visual processing in primary subtypes of glaucoma: primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). We aimed to understand early and intermediate visual processing in POAG and PACG, matched for similar visual field defect severity. Early visual processing was measured using a contrast discrimination task described by Porkorny and Smith (1997), and intermediate processing using a global form perception task using glass pattern coherence thresholds. Thresholds were determined centrally and at a single midperipheral location (12.5°) in a quadrant without visual field defects. Controls were tested in corresponding quadrants to individuals with glaucoma. Sixty participants (20 POAG, 20 PACG, and 20 age-matched controls), aged 50 to 77years, were included. Visual field defects were matched between POAG and PACG, with mean deviation values of -6.53 ± 4.46 (range: -1.5 to -16.85) dB and -6.2 ± 4.24 (range: -1.37 to -16.42) dB, respectively. Two-Way ANOVA revealed significant differences in thresholds between the glaucoma groups and the control group for both contrast discrimination and global form perception tasks, with higher thresholds in the glaucoma groups. Post hoc analyses showed no significant contrast discrimination difference between POAG and PACG, but POAG had significantly higher thresholds than PACG for form perception. In form perception, POAG showed slightly worse performance than PACG, suggesting that individuals with POAG may experience more severe functional damage than PACG of similar visual field severity.

International legal framework of education for human rights

International legal framework of education for human rights

Study shows nonprofits continue to fight high turnover

New research from global accounting form UHY shows that the high turnover rate facing many nonprofits can be attributed to factors such as staffing shortages, loss of faith in leadership, inadequate resources and opportunities in other industries—many of the same reasons for turnover in the for‐profit sector.

Moving Object Detection in Freely Moving Camera via Global Motion Compensation and Local Spatial Information Fusion.

Motion object detection (MOD) with freely moving cameras is a challenging task in computer vision. To extract moving objects, most studies have focused on the difference in motion features between foreground and background, which works well for dynamic scenes with relatively regular movements and variations. However, abrupt illumination changes and occlusions often occur in real-world scenes, and the camera may also pan, tilt, rotate, and jitter, etc., resulting in local irregular variations and global discontinuities in motion features. Such complex and changing scenes bring great difficulty in detecting moving objects. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a new MOD method that effectively leverages local and global visual information for foreground/background segmentation. Specifically, on the global side, to support a wider range of camera motion, the relative inter-frame transformations are optimized to absolute transformations referenced to intermediate frames in a global form after enriching the inter-frame matching pairs. The global transformation is fine-tuned using the spatial transformer network (STN). On the local side, to address the problem of dynamic background scenes, foreground object detection is optimized by utilizing the pixel differences between the current frame and the local background model, as well as the consistency of local spatial variations. Then, the spatial information is combined using optical flow segmentation methods, enhancing the precision of the object information. The experimental results show that our method achieves a detection accuracy improvement of over 1.5% compared with the state-of-the-art methods on the datasets of CDNET2014, FBMS-59, and CBD. It demonstrates significant effectiveness in challenging scenarios such as shadows, abrupt changes in illumination, camera jitter, occlusion, and moving backgrounds.

Liquefaction-induced large deformation method with automatic time-step mapping and interfacial interpolation improvement: Case study of the San Fernando dam

This study constructed the u-p equation for saturated soil in the meshfree global weak form within the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) framework to solve the problem of liquefaction-induced large deformation induced by strong seismic loading. The interpolation improvement in the near-interface zone was achieved using domain truncation optimization and the local nodal refinement algorithm, and the relative error of the shape function was proposed as the judgment criterion for radial basis function (RBF) field variable mapping. Finally, a high precision meshfree liquefaction-induced large deformation method (MFLLDM) with automatic time step mapping and interfacial zone interpolation improvement was established. The MFLLDM achieved the efficient dynamic updating of soil stress state and pore pressure information in space during the deformation process and more accurately depicted the localized large shear deformation characteristics of the soil in the near-interface zone. The proposed method was integrated into a custom-built large-scale finite element method (FEM) computing system (GEODYNA), based on object-oriented and super element program design technology. This enabled the efficient coupled analysis of MFLLDM in the liquefied-induced large deformation zone and FEM in the small deformation zone. Numerical consolidation examples were used to validate the accuracy, convergence, and applicability of the soil elasto-plastic model for MFLLDM. The method was then used to simulate the liquefaction damage of the San Fernando dam, which reproduced the development process of large slip deformation and high-water pressure ratio for the upstream dam slope.

Continuous Organizational Agility in a Highly Regulated Industry

Unlike those in other industries, highly regulated entities, such as banks, are required to be agile to business uncertainties and unforeseen risks while complying with the growing regulations. Moreover, banks pose constant challenges in the form of digitization, globalization, automation, analytics, and other forces of change that will continue to accelerate; thus, implementing a short-term agile transformation strategy will burden the company with inefficiencies. Expanding organizational and strategic management theory for the conceptualization, continuous organizational agility will follow as the manifestation of the intertwined routine dynamics-dynamic capabilities-organizational agility relationship. This study reviewed, synthesized, extended the literature, and proposed the research idea based on the relationship between routine dynamics, dynamic capabilities, and their impact on organizational agility in an integrated model. Generally, the proposed model aims to clarify: (1) the ability of an agile company to maintain stability while being dynamic and (2) the development of a more efficient trade-off between agility and efficiency during the agile transformation process. This study may provide fruitful avenues for enriching literature and future study since a dearth of empirical evidence addresses the relationship.

Responsibility in the Anthropocene: Paul Ricoeur and the Summons to Responsibility amid Global Environmental Degradation

ABSTRACTThe nomenclature of the Anthropocene for this geological epoch marks in a novel way the global impact of human activity on the world. Consequently, it creatively raises the alarm bell of global environmental devastation. However, the narrative implicit in the Anthropocene presents challenges to use it as a departure point for developing an ethics of responsibility, as it contains morally relevant but ambiguous etiologies, phenomenological challenges to discrete human agency, and the potential erasure of both causes and victims of global environmental degradation. This challenge compounds the challenges to traditional models of responsibility‐as‐imputation by global forms of environmental degradation signaled in the Anthropocene. Our new epoch demands new models of responsibility. This article draws upon neglected work by Paul Ricoeur to reconstruct a twofold model of responsibility: (1) responsibility‐as‐imputation and (2) responsibility for the fragile other and the domains that amplify fragility. It shows that a twofold model can more completely respond to harms elicited by anthropogenic environmental degradation by maintaining the benefits of traditional models of responsibility‐as‐accountability while dramatically expanding the subject and objects of responsibility through attention to the fragile and thus better serving us as we navigate responsibility in the Anthropocene.

Defining Trajectories of Linguistic, Cognitive-Communicative, and Quality of Life Outcomes in Aphasia: Longitudinal Observational Study Protocol

ObjectiveTo describe the trajectories of linguistic, cognitive-communicative, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes after stroke in persons with aphasia. DesignLongitudinal observational study from inpatient rehabilitation to 18 months after stroke. SettingFour US mid-west inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). ParticipantsWe plan to recruit 400 adult (older than 21 years) English speakers who meet the following inclusion criteria: (1) Diagnosis of aphasia after a left-hemisphere infarct confirmed by CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); (2) first admission for inpatient rehabilitation due to a neurologic event; and (3) sufficient cognitive capacity to provide informed consent and participate in testing. Exclusion criteria include any neurologic condition other than stroke that could affect language, cognition or speech, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, or the presence of right-hemisphere lesions. InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresSubjects are administered a test battery of linguistic, cognitive-communicative, and HRQOL measures. Linguistic measures include the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised and the Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale. Cognitive-communicative measures include the Communication Participation Item Bank, Connor's Continuous Performance Test-3, the Communication Confidence Rating Scale for Aphasia, the Communication Effectiveness Index, the Neurological Quality of Life measurement system (Neuro-QoL) Communication short form, and the Neuro-QoL Cognitive Function short form. HRQOL measures include the 39-item Stroke & Aphasia Quality of Life Scale, Neuro-QoL Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Depression, Ability to Participate in Social Roles & Activities, and Satisfaction with Social Roles & Activities tests, and the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement and Information System 10-item Global Health short form. The test battery is administered initially during inpatient rehabilitation, and at 3-, 6-, 12-, and 18-months post-IRF discharge. Biomarker samples are collected via saliva samples at admission and a subgroup of participants also undergo resting state fMRI scans. ResultsNot applicable. ConclusionsThis longitudinal observational study will develop trajectory models for recovery of clinically relevant linguistic, cognitive-communicative, and quality of life outcomes over 18 months after inpatient rehabilitation. Models will identify individual differences in the patterns of recovery based on variations in personal, genetic, imaging, and therapy characteristics. The resulting models will provide an unparalleled representation of recovery from aphasia resulting from stroke. This improved understanding of recovery will enable clinicians to better tailor and plan rehabilitation therapies to individual patient's needs.

Generalized symmetries and anomalies of 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$ SCFTs

We study generalized global symmetries and their ’t Hooft anomalies in 3d \mathcal{N}=4𝒩=4 superconformal field theories (SCFTs). Following some general considerations, we focus on good quiver gauge theories, comprised of balanced unitary nodes and unbalanced unitary and special unitary nodes. While the global form of the Higgs branch symmetry group may be determined from the UV Lagrangian, the global form of Coulomb branch symmetry groups and associated mixed ’t Hooft anomalies are more subtle due to potential symmetry enhancement in the IR. We describe how Coulomb branch symmetry groups and their mixed ’t Hooft anomalies can be deduced from the UV Lagrangian by studying center charges of various types of monopole operators, providing a concrete and unambiguous way to implement ’t Hooft anomaly matching. The final expression for the symmetry group and ’t Hooft anomalies has a concise form that can be easily read off from the quiver data, specifically from the positions of the unbalanced and flavor nodes with respect to the positions of the balanced nodes. We provide consistency checks by applying our method to compute symmetry groups of 3d \mathcal{N}=4𝒩=4 theories corresponding to magnetic quivers of 4d Class S theories and 5d SCFTs. We are able to match these results against the flavor symmetry groups of the 4d and 5d theories computed using independent methods. Another strong consistency check is provided by comparing symmetry groups and anomalies of two theories related by 3d mirror symmetry.

Quantization of Axion-Gauge Couplings and Noninvertible Higher Symmetries.

We derive model-independent quantization conditions on the axion couplings (sometimes known as the anomaly coefficients) to the standard model gauge group [SU(3)×SU(2)×U(1)_{Y}]/Z_{q} with q=1, 2, 3, 6. Using these quantization conditions, we prove that any QCD axion model to the right of the E/N=8/3 line on the |g_{aγγ}|-m_{a} plot must necessarily face the axion domain wall problem in a postinflationary scenario. We further demonstrate the higher-group and noninvertible global symmetries in the standard model coupled to a single axion. These generalized global symmetries lead to universal bounds on the axion string tension and the monopole mass. If the axion were discovered in the future, our quantization conditions could be used to constrain the global form of the standard model gauge group.

Theorizing knowledgescape as a transnational mediating force: Artificial intelligence and global flows

As a global technoscientific form involving various forces and stakeholders, research and development (R&D) in artificial intelligence (AI) transcends corporate, national and institutional boundaries. Incorporating transnational rhetorical analysis and corpus-assisted discourse analysis, this article examines the global cultural flows surrounding AI constructed in official and media discourses in the US and China. We propose a new theoretical concept of knowledgescape that expands the toolkits of global flows and provides new explanatory power about global innovation and competition. This concept sheds light on the global processes, mechanisms and power dynamics of the production, dissemination, consumption and contestation of cutting-edge knowledge.

A note on the Gauss–Manin connection for abelian schemes

We study differential forms on the universal vector extension A^{\natural} of an abelian scheme A in characteristic zero, and derive a new construction of the D -group scheme structure on A^{\natural} . This gives, in particular, a rather simple description of the Gauss–Manin connection on the de Rham cohomology of A in terms of global algebraic differential forms on A^{\natural} . The key ingredient is the computation of the coherent cohomology of A^{\natural} , due to Coleman and Laumon.

‘‘Made in Korea’’: Tradition and Transculturality in Changgeuk Lear

Abstract: Changgeuk Lear of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea presents an intriguing case of interculturalism. Produced in 2022 by an elite creative team representative of Korean theatre , Lear is remarkable for its lack of traditional spectacles that have characterized many Korean Shakespeare performances. This essay analyzes the transcultural esthetics of changgeuk Lear in comparison to the Koreanized spectacle of changgeuk Romeo and Juliet (2009), placing both productions in the history of changgeuk and the efforts to popularize the genre in the global age. The ontology of Lear is underpinned by a new notion of living tradition promoted by Kim Sung-Nyeo, which I relate to the concept of transculturation. I propose to reclaim the term transculturality for intercultural performance discourses, thereby deconstructing the false dichotomy of Korea as tradition and the West as modernity. Through a dynamic fusion of traditional chang and global art forms , changgeuk Lear creates a transcultural “K-opera” that represents a renewed sense of Koreanness .

Twitter & world literature: The development of hashtag communities as a global writing practice

As a popular writing form, Twitter / X literature (“Twitter Literature”) seems to have come and gone without leaving a lasting impression, and even the use of Twitter by well-known writers reached its peak in the early to mid-2010s. Around this same time, a number of scholars hailed the advent of Twitter literature as the next big thing, and they began analyzing the unique structures and affordances of this new literary form. Yet as Simone Murray aptly puts it, the failure of these “predictions to come to pass is not reason to abandon the question of the digital's significance for literary culture.” Instead, Murray understands these failed predictions as examples of scholarly overreaching, and she urges that scholars of contemporary digital literature “provide better answers… attentive to the varied and sometimes contradictory permutations of contemporary digital culture.” As part of this effort to “provide better answers,” this article calls attention to the development of a new, global form of discourse that transcends social media publishing platforms: the hashtag.The hashtag is a new symbol used in a performative act that calls into being a global community even as it stands as a descriptive signifier of a given text. This article examines the rhetoric and signification of the hashtag as a politically-inflected, transformative writing practice, specifically using the hashtag as a way of understanding the ambiguous writing practices developing on Twitter. By focusing particularly on the amateur writing community on Twitter, I analyze how this community has deployed hashtags to grow a global audience, advance political discussions, and circulate across linguistic borders, thereby creating a new kind of world literature independent of traditional and post-press publishing regulations.

CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE: THE CONCERNS AND RESPONSE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

As the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) gains traction in transnational connectivity and infrastructure development, it meets increasing opposition from Western countries. Generally, It is viewed in the US-led Western world as an alternative form of globalization involving the leading role of China and increased participation of the Eastern powers. China’s engagement in the development of regional infrastructures under BRI and its economic and political ramifications have raised concerns in the West, including the European Union (EU). Economic concerns and prospective political ramifications connected with China’s grand initiative tend to shape the EU’s sceptical approach towards BRI. The EU is alarmed by the expansion of the BRI not only in Europe but also in other world regions. Despite regional connectivity being a common interest of the EU and China, the former’s sceptical approach towards BRI calls for an in-depth examination of the phenomenon. This paper explains the factors that account for the EU’s sceptical approach vis-à-vis the BRI and evaluates its response to the Chinese mega project

Challenges to Water Resource Management: The Role of Economic and Modeling Approaches

The field of water management is continually changing. Water has been subject to external shocks in the form of climate change and globalization. Water management analysis is subject to disciplinary developments and inter-disciplinary interactions. Are these developments well-documented in the literature? Initial observations in the interdisciplinary literature suggest that results are fragmented, implying that a state-of-the-art review is needed. This paper aims to close such a gap by reviewing recent developments in water economics that address increasing perceptions of water scarcity by looking first at changes in the supply and quality of water and then at the impacts of climate change on water supply extremes. Among responses to such challenges, this paper identifies changes to water use patterns by including and co-managing water from different sources, including surface and groundwater, reclaimed wastewater, and desalinated water. Technological advancements are also among the resources that address water challenges. Water challenges are also reflected in the management of internationally shared water. A recent surge in scientific work identified international treaties as a significant contributor to international water management. This paper reviews recently employed economic approaches, such as experimental economics, game theory, institutional economics, and valuation methods. And, finally, it explores modeling approaches, including hydro-economic and computable general equilibrium models, that are being used to deal with water challenges.

Microsatellite-based analysis reveals Aedes aegypti populations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia result from colonization by both the ancestral African and the global domestic forms.

The Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) mosquito is the main vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika and is well established today all over the world. The species comprises two forms: the ancestral form found throughout Africa and a global domestic form that spread to the rest of the tropics and subtropics. In Saudi Arabia, A. aegypti has been known in the southwest since 1956, and previous genetic studies clustered A. aegypti from Saudi Arabia with the global domestic form. The purpose of this study was to assess the genetic structure of A. aegypti in Saudi Arabia and determine their geographic origin. Genetic data for 17 microsatellites were collected for A. aegypti ranging from the southwestern highlands of Saudi Arabia on the border of Yemen to the north-west in Madinah region as well as from Thailand and Uganda populations (as representatives of the ancestral African and global domestic forms, respectively). The low but significant level of genetic structuring in Saudi Arabia was consistent with long-distance dispersal capability possibly through road connectivity and human activities, that is, passive dispersal. There are two main genetic groupings in Saudi Arabia, one of which clusters with the Ugandan population and the other with the Thailand population with many Saudi Arabian individuals having mixed ancestry. The hypothesis of genetic admixture of the ancestral African and global domestic forms in Saudi Arabia was supported by approximate Bayesian computational analyses. The extent of admixture varied across Saudi Arabia. African ancestry was highest in the highland area of the Jazan region followed by the lowland Jazan and Sahil regions. Conversely, the western (Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah) and Najran populations corresponded to the global domesticated form. Given potential differences between the forms in transmission capability, ecology and behaviour, the findings here should be taken into account in vector control efforts in Saudi Arabia.

Clinical usefulness of the patient-generated subjective global assessment short form© for nutritional screening in patients with head and neck cancer: a multicentric study.

Nutritional screening and assessment are considered essential steps in nutritional care for cancer patients, malnutrition remains underreported in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical usefulness of the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment short form (PG-SGA SF©) for nutritional screening in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). This is a multicentre, cross-sectional study involving patients with HNC. The final score of the PG-SGA SF© was obtained and the nutritional status was diagnosed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA)®, classifying them as well-nourished or malnourished. Receiver operating characteristic curve, ordinal logistic regression, and C-statistic were used. In total, 353 patients with HNC were enrolled and the prevalence of malnutrition, according to the PG-SGA®, was 64.02% and the median final score of PG-SGA SF© was 11 points. The final score of the PG-SGA SF© had high accuracy (area under the curve = 0.915), and scores ≥9 had the best performance in diagnosing malnutrition. PG-SGA SF© final score ≥9 was associated with malnutrition (odds ratio = 28.32, 95% confidence interval= 15.98-50.17), with excellent discriminatory power (C-statistic = 0.872). In conclusion, the PG-SGA SF© demonstrated excellent performance for nutritional screening in patients with HNC. Given that it is a simple instrument that is faster to administer than the PG-SGA®, we recommend its use in clinical practice among such patients.