30793 research outputs found
Sort by
Belief in belief: Even atheists in secular countries show intuitive preferences favoring religious belief
Get PDFData, Materials, and Software Availability:
Anonymized raw data have been deposited in OSF (https://osf.io/gxft8/) (59).We find evidence of belief in belief—intuitive preferences for religious belief over atheism, even among atheist participants—across eight comparatively secular countries. Religion is a cross-cultural human universal, yet explicit markers of religiosity have rapidly waned in large parts of the world in recent decades. We explored whether intuitive religious influence lingers, even among nonbelievers in largely secular societies. We adapted a classic experimental philosophy task to test for this intuitive belief in belief among people in eight comparatively nonreligious countries: Canada, China, Czechia, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam (total N = 3,804). Our analyses revealed strong evidence that 1) people intuitively favor religious belief over atheism and that 2) this pattern was not moderated by participants’ own self-reported atheism. Indeed, 3) even atheists in relatively secular societies intuitively prefer belief to atheism. These inferences were robust across different analytic strategies and across other measures of individual differences in religiosity and religious instruction. Although explicit religious belief has rapidly declined in these countries, it is possible that belief in belief may still persist. These results speak to the complex psychological and cultural dynamics of secularization.We acknowledge the following financial support: John Templeton Foundation (#60624 and #61928 to all; #62631 to R.M.R.), the NOMIS Foundation (“Collective Delusions: Social Identity and Scientific Misbeliefs” to R.T.M.), and a Leverhulme International Professorship Grant (LIP-2022-001 to R.T.M.)
Connectedness Between US Futures Markets and the Macroeconomy. A Time-Varying Approach
Get PDFThis working paper has not been certified by peer review.This study contributes new empirical evidence on the dynamic connectedness among US futures markets and the macroeconomy from 1997 to 2017 and covers two periods of increased uncertainty such as the tech bubble and the global financial crisis. A time-varying parameter VAR model (TVP-VAR) is used in conjunction with the recently developed connectedness approach by Diebold and Yilmaz (2014), Korobilis and Yilmaz (2018) and Koop and Korobilis (2013). Findings suggest a strong link between futures markets and the macroeconomy, particularly during crisis periods. Total connectedness ranged between 60% and 78% before the crisis, surged to 90% with the onset of the crisis and remained high at nearly 80% until the sample concluded. Results show different responses to the global financial crisis in terms of spillovers. Monetary policy variables significantly influenced other markets and macroeconomic variables primarily up to the onset of the crisis, while futures markets and most macroeconomic factors contributed to others predominantly after the crisis. Importantly, futures market volatilities show a higher contribution to (from) the macroeconomy as a group compared to futures market returns. Thus, futures market volatilities not only explain better macroeconomic forecast error variance but capture better market expectations about future changes in the macroeconomy...
Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Heritage Research: the Challenges in UK Copyright Law and Policy
Get PDFArtificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising our relationship with cultural heritage, enhancing access to, engagement with and preservation of collections and heritage sites. AI is also being used as a valuable research tool in the context of heritage collections. However, as materials protected by copyright materials may be used in AI development, training and use may use copyright protected materials, copyright law can may become an obstacle to such important AI deployments in the heritage sector, an area which is currently understudied from the United Kingdom (UK) perspective. This article explores the intricate interplay between cultural heritage, AI and copyright law, establishing demonstrating the main copyright law and policy challenges facing cultural heritage professionals and researchers in using AI in the Unitedregulation and copyright policy discussions in the UK. This exploration underscores the imperative for an inclusive policy dialogue that considers the perspectives and evidence of the cultural heritage sector in its full breadth and diversity (including related researchers) in shaping copyright law reform and AI regulation, and for further research to be carried out in this field.The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Brunel Interdisciplinary Research Labs (BRIL); the Athena Swan Research Grant; and Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) with funds from the Arts and Humanities Research Council [grant number AH/X007146/1]. The BRIL funding supported the initial development of this research (including covering Research Assistantship costs). The research was further developed during Paula Westenberger’s Athena Swan Research leave, allowing further research and initial drafting to be conducted (including covering Research Assistantship costs). The final stage of research and writing up occurred thanks to Paula Westenberger’s BRAID Research Fellowship, when the paper was completed. The APCs for this publication were funded by the UKRI open access block grant
Functionally important residues from graph analysis of coevolved dynamic couplings
Get PDFData availability:
All files required to run the simulations (topology, coordinates, input), processed trajectories (xtc), corresponding coordinates (pdb), can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.15876 (PDC-3) and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13693144 (SHV-1). DyNoPy is available at https://github.com/alepandini/DyNoPy, (copy archived at Pandini, 2024).
The following previously published data sets were used
Haider S (2024) Science Data Bank Ω-Loop mutations control the dynamics of the active site by modulating a network of hydrogen bonds in PDC-3 β-lactamase.
https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.15876
Haider S (2024) Zenodo Functionally Important Residues from Graph Analysis of Co-evolved Dynamical Couplings.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13693144This article reports the analysis of coevolutionary patterns and dynamical information for identifying functionally relevant sites. These findings are considered important due to the broad utility of the unified framework and network analysis capable of revealing communities of key residues that go beyond the residue-pair concept. The data are solid and the results are clearly presented.Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2017-222)
James A Garnett
Alessandro Pandin
Surgery scheduling based on large language models
No full textLarge Language Models (LLMs) have shown remarkable potential in various fields. This study explores their application in solving multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems–surgery scheduling problem. Traditional multi-objective optimization algorithms, such as the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II), often require domain expertise for designing precise operators. Here, we propose LLM-NSGA, where LLMs act as evolutionary optimizers, performing selection, crossover, and mutation operations. Results show that for 40 cases, LLMs can independently generate high-quality solutions from prompts. As problem size increases, LLM-NSGA outperformed traditional approaches like NSGA-II and MOEA/D, achieving average improvements of 5.39 %, 80 %, and 0.42 % in three objectives. While LLM-NSGA provided similar results to EoH, another LLM-based method, it outperformed EoH in overall resource allocation. Additionally, we applied LLMs for hyperparameter optimization, comparing them with Bayesian Optimization and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). LLMs reduced runtime by an average of 23.68 %, and their generated parameters, validated with NSGA-II, produced better surgery scheduling solutions. This demonstrates that LLMs can not only help traditional algorithms find better solutions but also optimize their parameters efficiently.This work is partially supported by HarmonicAI - Human-guided collaborative multi-objective design of explainable, fair and privacy-preserving AI for digital health distributed by European Commission (Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01-01, Project number: 101131117 and UKRI grant number EP/Y03743X/1).
The authors sincerely acknowledge the financial support (n°23 015699 01) provided by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region
Stability, Chemical Composition, and Structural and Electronic Properties of the Intermetallic Compound τ4-(Al1-xSix)5Fe
Get PDFSupplementary material is available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925838825038563#ack0005:~:text=Appendix%20A.-,Supplementary%20material,-References .τ4-Al3Si2Fe particles form during casting of Al-based alloys. They have strong impacts on the solidification process and the mechanical performance of the products. Meanwhile, experiments revealed notable variations in lattice parameters and chemical compositions for the manufactured Al alloys, and knowledge about the intrinsic properties of the τ4-phase is still far from complete. We here investigate the crystal chemistry and electronic properties of the τ4-phase using a combination of ab initio modelling and thermodynamics analysis. The study justified the τ4-Al3Si2Fe superstructure at low temperature. There is a shallow potential valley in the formation energy vs Si content curve, corresponding to its compositional and structural flexibility. Thermodynamics analysis revealed kinetic effects on its chemical composition during casting. The obtained information helps understand the formation of and characterize the Fe-IMCs particles in Al alloys, and design novel Al alloys and manufacturing processes for recycling Al.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, UK) under Grand nos. EP/v011804/1 and EP/S005102/1
Quantifying Bed Surface Roughness in Bedrock and Boulder-Bed Rivers
Get PDFData Availability Statement:
The data used in this paper is available via doi:10.5281/zenodo.14605934 (Houseago et al., 2024).Supporting Information is available online at: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JF007996#support-information-section .The surface roughness of river beds affects flow resistance and sediment transport. In rough-bed rivers (RBRs), where flow is shallow relative to roughness height, the surface roughness is difficult to define due to complex multi-scale roughness elements (bedrock, boulders, and sediment patches). Here, neither the sediment grain size distribution percentiles (e.g., D84) nor the bed elevation standard deviation Ζσ fully captures the surface roughness. This paper uses high-resolution digital elevation models of 20 RBR reaches to evaluate their channel morphology and surface roughness. A set of 29 different multi-scale elevation, gradient-based, and area-based, roughness metrics are assessed. Correlation analysis and robust feature selection identified interchangeable metrics, revealing which roughness metrics provided independent information on channel characteristics. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis showed that a comprehensive description of RBR topography requires the concurrent use of multiple metrics encompassing (a) a vertical or horizontal scale-based roughness metric, (b) a slope- or area-based metric, and (c) surface elevation skewness or kurtosis. Slope- and area-based metrics can include roughness directionality relative to the bulk flow. We demonstrate how surface roughness metrics, specifically the use of multiple metrics in unison, are suitably capable of representing and distinguishing between RBRs with differing characteristics. In some cases, rivers with different morphology types (e.g., boulder bed or bedrock) are found to have greater similarity in their surface roughness metrics than rivers classified as morphologically similar. We then discuss RBR morphological and roughness characteristics in the context of flow resistance and sediment transport processes.Natural Environment Research Council. Grant Number: NE/W00125X/1;
Durham University
Current methods for the evaluation of chemical contamination risks from abandoned coal and lead-zinc mine lands: protocol for a systematic evidence map
Get PDFData availability statement
Supplementary materials relating to this protocol can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14246187.Supplemental material is available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2833373X.2025.2587417# .Abandoned mine lands (AMLs) pose significant environmental risks by releasing contaminants that can adversely affect plants, animals, and human health, especially in highly contaminated areas. Guidance exists on conducting contaminated land risk assessments. Understanding and documenting changes in the methods used for AMLs risk assessments can help identify gaps and advances in practice, influencing future research, policy, and remediation efforts. The study aims to synthesise current methods for characterising the risks of chemical contamination associated with AMLs, with a focus on coal and lead-zinc mines due to their enduring toxic legacies. Searches will be conducted across six electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Academic Search Complete, and Business Source Premier (via EbscoHost), as well as grey literature sources. Eligible studies must include primary research assessing chemical risks from abandoned coal and lead-zinc mines. They must have assessed or measured risks associated with chemicals on ecological or human receptors at the community, population, or individual level. Studies retrieved from literature searches will undergo title and abstract screening, followed by a full-text assessment for eligibility. Following pilot screening, a single reviewer will screen all articles independently, with a second reviewer verifying accuracy for 20% of the sources. Data on methods for exposure assessment, including exposure modelling where relevant, selected safety thresholds, risk characterisation will be extracted from all eligible studies. Accuracy of the extraction process will also be verified by a second reviewer for 20% of the eligible articles. Collated methods will be categorised to establish current practices and compared with existing guidance to assess alignment and deviations. Results will be summarised narratively and presented in interactive, publicly accessible visualisations.This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council [grant number NE/S007229/1]
Combined In Situ EQCM-Raman Study of Zn Storage Mechanism in Polyaniline for Zinc-Ion Battery
Get PDFData Availability Statement:
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Brunel figshare at 10.17633/rd.brunel.29383454, reference number 29383454.Data Availability Statement:
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Brunel figshare at 10.17633/rd.brunel.29383454, reference number 29383454.Supporting Information is available online at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smtd.202501273#support-information-section .Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted increasing attention as safe, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage. Among various cathode materials for Zn batteries, polyaniline (PANI) is a potential material that presents benefits such as high conductivity and pseudocapacitive behavior. However, it often suffers from limited cycling stability and structural degradation during repeated charge–discharge processes. Here, in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM)-Raman technique is combined to understand the Zn storage behavior in PANI wherein limited Zn insertion is observed along with detachment of the polymer from the substrate. Through anion doping of PANI, the structural stability is enhanced, and the overall Zn cycling capability is improved. Ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies further reveal that doping of PANI significantly reduces the oxidation of PANI, which leads to an improved battery performance. The doped-PANI shows a high specific capacity of 310 and 235 mAh g−1 at 0.25 and 1 A g−1, respectively, and retains 85% of its initial capacity after 300 cycles at 1 A g−1. These results reveal that it is important to understand the storage mechanism to develop useful strategies to improve ZIBs performance.Science and Technology Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). Grant Number: 1059B192301430;
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Grant Number: EP/W015129/
Search for heavy pseudoscalar and scalar bosons decaying to a top quark pair in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV
Get PDFData availability statement:
Release and preservation of data used by the CMS Collaboration as the basis for publications is guided by the CMS data preservation, re-use and open access policy. The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request from the authors.A version of the article is available at arXiv:2507.05119v2 [hep-ex], https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.05119 . Comments: Replaced with the published version. Added the journal reference and the DOI. All the figures and tables can be found at https://cms-results.web.cern.ch/cms-results/public-results/publications/HIG-22-013 (CMS Public Pages). Report number: CMS-HIG-22-013, CERN-EP-2025-124. Journal reference: Rep. Prog. Phys. 88 (2025) 127801. Submission history: From: The CMS Collaboration: [v1] Mon, 7 Jul 2025 15:32:15 UTC (3,292 KB); [v2] Mon, 8 Dec 2025 15:18:41 UTC (3,291 KB).A search for pseudoscalar or scalar bosons decaying to a top quark pair (tt¯) in final states with one or two charged leptons is presented. The analyzed proton-proton collision data was recorded at √s = 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb^{−1}. The invariant mass mtt¯ of the reconstructed tt¯ system and variables sensitive to its spin and parity are used to discriminate against the standard model tt¯ background. Interference between pseudoscalar or scalar boson production and the standard model tt¯ continuum is included, leading to peak-dip structures in the mtt¯ distribution. An excess of the data above the background prediction, based on perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculations, is observed near the kinematic tt¯ production threshold, while good agreement is found for high mtt¯. The data are consistent with the background prediction if the contribution from the production of a color-singlet 1S[1]0 tt¯ quasi-bound state ηt, predicted by nonrelativistic QCD, is added. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the coupling between the pseudoscalar or scalar bosons and the top quark for boson masses in the range 365−1000 GeV, relative widths between 0.5 and 25%, and two background scenarios with or without ηt contribution.SCOAP3
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Research Online? Become a CORE Member to access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard! 👇