1,112 research outputs found
Multidisciplinary perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the law
This open access book presents an interdisciplinary, multi-authored, edited collection of chapters on Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) and the Law. AI technology has come to play a central role in the modern data economy. Through a combination of increased computing power, the growing availability of data and the advancement of algorithms, AI has now become an umbrella term for some of the most transformational technological breakthroughs of this age. The importance of AI stems from both the opportunities that it offers and the challenges that it entails. While AI applications hold the promise of economic growth and efficiency gains, they also create significant risks and uncertainty. The potential and perils of AI have thus come to dominate modern discussions of technology and ethics – and although AI was initially allowed to largely develop without guidelines or rules, few would deny that the law is set to play a fundamental role in shaping the future of AI. As the debate over AI is far from over, the need for rigorous analysis has never been greater. This book thus brings together contributors from different fields and backgrounds to explore how the law might provide answers to some of the most pressing questions raised by AI. An outcome of the Católica Research Centre for the Future of Law and its interdisciplinary working group on Law and Artificial Intelligence, it includes contributions by leading scholars in the fields of technology, ethics and the law.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A little does a lot:Can small-scale planting for pollinators make a difference?
Insect pollinators are declining globally as a result of the anthropogenic pressures that have destroyed native habitats and eroded ecosystems. These declines have been associated with agricultural productivity losses, threatening food security. Efforts to restore habitat for pollinators are underway, emphasizing large-scale habitat creation like wildflower strips, yet ignoring the impact of smaller or more isolated patch-creation. A meta-analysis of 31 independent published studies assessed the effect of scale of pollinator planting interventions (herbaceous strips, hedgerows, fertiliser/grazing/mowing control). We assessed pollinator species richness and abundance against size of intervention and type. Pollinator conservation interventions increased species richness and abundance in almost all of the studies examined, with the greatest increases in pollinator ecological metrics seen from hedgerows covering 40 m² and herbaceous interventions at 500 m². We then analysed results from a 5-year study that deployed small pollinator habitats (30 m²) at community gardens and farms (150,000 m²). Together, we show that small interventions (∼500 m²) can significantly benefit pollinators, but only when sufficiently densely distributed at a landscape level. Though we understand the effects of single interventions at various scales, future research is needed to understand how these relatively small interventions act cumulatively at a landscape scale, and within this context whether larger areas are still needed for some species. Nonetheless, these preliminary data are promising, and may play an important role in convincing smaller landowners to act to preserve insect pollinators
The role of quantum coherence and dissipation in cosmology
This thesis looks at different manifestations that the non-unitary dynamics proper of dissipation can have during the inflationary era and the late-time universe. For starters, we formalise the calculation of the primordial spectrum in warm inflation, which significantly differs in terms of phenomenology from the standard inflationary picture because of the extra degrees of freedom that originate due to the dissipation of energy from the inflaton field into a thermal radiation bath.
Then, turning our attention to inflation in the context of string theory, we point out how the fluctuation-dissipation dynamic in warm inflation makes it robust against most of the so-called swampland conjectures. Nevertheless, that is not the case for the trans-Planckian censorship conjecture (TCC), which severely limits the duration of inflation to avoid trans-Planckian (TP) modes becoming observable, threatening the EFT description of inflation. In general, only models of inflation with a small energy scale can satisfy the TCC, effectively destroying any hope of experimental confirmation of inflation. To deal with this, we proposed a multi-stage warm inflation scenario with radiation-dominated eras in between. Such a model proved successful in opening a wider range of available energies that could make a model satisfying the TCC produce sizeable tensor perturbations. However, we also argue in favour of refinements of TCC that could make most high-energy models consistent with the conjecture. To do this, we looked at several mechanisms of subhorizon decoherence, like preheating and warm inflation itself, ultimately proving that keeping TP modes hidden inside the horizon is not enough to prevent their classicalisation, negating in this way the original premise of TCC.
Next, in a different direction, we study inflationary perturbations as an open quantum system, with an environment composed of subhorizon fluctuations and a system of superhorizon modes. We argue that this is the most appropriate way to study the physics of inflationary perturbations, as opposed to standard Wilsonian EFTs. We use the technology of open quantum systems in two big setups: scalar and tensor perturbations. In both cases, we compute the corrections to the two-point correlation function due to gravitational nonlinearities present in the Einstein-Hilbert action. This allowed us to explore topics such as long-time IR behaviour, (non-)Markovian behaviour, and the relation between this method and a standard loop expansion.
Finally, we changed our gears and looked at the viability of establishing quantum communication channels mediated by photons across astronomical and cosmological distances. For this, we survey multiple factors that could potentially disrupt the quantum state of the photons, like charged particles in space or the gravitational field of astrophysical bodies. We concluded that the x-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum would be ideal for establishing a quantum communication channel
Black holes in cosmological spacetimes and alternative theories of gravity
This thesis is dedicated to the study of spacetimes surrounding black holes within the
context of cosmology, high energy physics and modified theories of gravity. We do this by
applying and adapting modern numerical relativity techniques to probe the inhomogeneous
and strong field regime in a number of different scenarios.
The first application we consider is the nonlinear evolution of unstable flux compactifi-
cations in a low-energy limit of string theory. Going beyond stationary solutions and their
perturbations, we find rich dynamics, in some cases finding that the evolution from an
unstable homogeneous state to a stable warped compactification can serve as a toy-model
for slow-roll inflation, while in other cases finding solutions that eventually evolve to a
singular state.
We then apply the methods for numerically evolving scalar fields coupled to the Ein-
stein field equations to address several problems in early universe cosmological scenarios.
We study the conditions under which inflation can arise from very inhomogeneous initial
conditions. To do so, we introduce and compare several different ways of constucting ini-
tial data with large inhomogeneities in both the scalar field and time derivative profiles,
by solving for the coupled Einstein constraint equations. We then study the evolution of
various classes of initial conditions in both single- and two-field inflationary models. In
some of the cases studied, the initial gradient and kinetic energy are much larger than
the inflationary energy scale such that black holes can form. Taken together, our results
suggest inflation can arise from highly inhomogeneous conditions.
Using the same numerical techniques, we study the nonlinear classical dynamics and evo-
lutions of black holes in a particular nonsingular bouncing cosmology. We find that for
sufficiently large black holes the black hole apparent horizon can disappear during the
contraction phase. Despite this, we show that most of the local cosmological evolution
remains largely unaffected by the presence of the black hole. For all the cases explored,
the black hole’s event horizon persists throughout the bounce, suggesting the nonsingular
bouncing model under study is fairly robust to large perturbations.
Finally, we use and further develop a novel formulation of the Einstein field equations
for evolving a large class of modified theories of gravity. We use this formulation to study
the nonlinear dynamics of binary black hole mergers in a specific class of theories, where
the black holes acquire a scalar charge. We consider quasi-circular inspirals with different
mass-ratios, varying the coupling parameter introducing deviations from General Relativity
and quantifying the impact on the emitted scalar and gravitational waveforms. We also
compare our numerical results to analytic post-Newtonian calculations of the radiation
emitted during the inspiral
Economic and Social Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Energy Sector
The purpose of the Special Issue was to collect the results of research and experience on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the energy sector and the energy market, broadly understood, that were visible after a year. In particular, the impact of COVID-19 on the energy sector in the EU, including Poland, and the US was examined. The topics concerned various issues, e.g., the situation of energy companies, including those listed on the stock exchange, mining companies, and those dealing with renewable energy. The topics related to the development of electromobility, managerial competences, energy expenditure of local government units, sustainable development of energy, and energy poverty during a pandemic were also discussed
Government policies to improve food environments: A population and equity lens
Over the past decades, the number of people with overweight and obesity has significantly increased. This rise is linked to a changing food environment that is now filled with cheap and high-calorie foods. As a result, we are increasingly tempted to make unhealthy food choices. Additionally, there are significant socioeconomic inequalities in diets between low and high socioeconomic groups. To promote healthier food consumption for the entire population, especially for those in low socioeconomic groups, government policies leading to a healthier food environment are crucial. Studies from this thesis, using the 'Healthy Food Environment Policy Index' (an international research tool), demonstrate that both the Dutch government and the European Union have implemented very few policy measures to create a healthy food environment. Experts who participated in these studies recommend the implementation of multiple universal, structural, preventive policy measures in both the Netherlands and in the European Union. These measures include banning the marketing of unhealthy foods targeted at children or imposing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Other studies from this thesis, based on theories and stakeholder interviews, indicate that such policy measures can contribute to reducing socioeconomic inequalities in diets. Furthermore, these policies should be aligned and combined with measures addressing other important determinants of dietary behavior, such as poverty. This is essential to shift the current food system, which leads to a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, towards a system focused on promoting public health
Pharmaceutical compounding and drug repositioning from hospital pharmacy in situations of therapeutic gap
This doctoral thesis focuses on offering therapeutic alternatives through
pharmaceutical compounding and drug repositioning from the hospital pharmacy to cover therapeutic gaps. An
ophthalmic compounded formulation of cysteamine in hyaluronic acid packaged in novel single-dose containers
was developed for the treatment of ocular cystinosis. On the other hand, an inhaled compounded formulation of
ethanol was developed for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and subsequently studied for efficacy and safety
in the phase II clinical trial ALCOVID-19. In both cases, appropriate galenic development and characterisation has
been performed in conjunction with preclinical pharmacokinetic studies prior to appropriate translation into clinical
practice
Parity-violation signatures in the large-scale distribution of galaxies
openLast year, two separate experimental groups, Oliver H. E. Philcox et al. and Hou et al., reported claims of parity-violating signatures
in the connected four-point correlation function of the matter over-density field δ(t, x), which is often
referred to as the galaxy-four point correlation function. The matter over-density field parametrizes
the excess of matter-energy density with respect to the homogeneous background and it’s defined
as δ(t, x) ≡
(δρ(t,x)−ρ¯(t))/
ρ¯(t)
, where ρ(t, x) is the energy density field and ρ¯(t) is the average density
field. The four-point correlation function is the most simple statistic capable of detecting parity
violation in the case of a scalar field. The galaxy four-point correlation function basically quantifies
the excess of quartets of galaxies compared to a random distribution. If these measurements are
confirmed, they would have two fundamental implications. First of all, the detection of a connected
correlator beyond the two-point statistic serves as possible evidence of primordial non-Gaussianity.
Moreover, since we know that weak forces play no role in the formation of large-scale structures it
would be evidence of new physics.
The goal of this work is to investigate the possibility to formulate an inflationary model capable of leaving parity-violating imprints on late-times observables. Consequently, we examine
the inflationary phase within the framework of parity-violating theories of modified gravity. We
need to modify the standard scenario of single-field slow-roll Inflation with standard gravitational
interaction since it is parity-conserving. We examine the dynamical Chern-Simons (dCS) theory
of modified gravity, which extends the standard inflationary model with the lowest-order parity violating coupling between the inflaton and the graviton. In this context, we demonstrate that dCS
leaves a distinctive parity-violating signature in the primordial trispectrum of scalar perturbations.
However, the signal is too weak to account for the observed parity violation. Thus, we explore
alternative theories where, a priori, an enhancement is feasible due to gravitational waves’ birefringence, i.e. the two chiral polarizations, left and right, of the graviton propagate at different speeds.
We present an original analysis of the graviton-mediated trispectrum in the case of the chiral-scalar
tensor theories of gravity. The graviton-mediated trispectrum is the leading parity-violating contribution to the Fourier transform of the four-point correlation function. The theories we analyze
extend Chern-Simons gravity by including parity-violating operators containing first and second
derivatives of the non-minimally coupled inflaton field. We manage to generate a parity-violating
signal, but we don’t observe any significant enhancement compared to the previous scenario
International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022
This conference proceedings gathers work and research presented at the International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022 (IASSC2022) held on July 3, 2022, in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. The conference was jointly organized by the Faculty of Information Management of Universiti Teknologi MARA Kelantan Branch, Malaysia; University of Malaya, Malaysia; Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta, Indonesia; Universitas Ngudi Waluyo, Indonesia; Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines; and UCSI University, Malaysia. Featuring experienced keynote speakers from Malaysia, Australia, and England, this proceeding provides an opportunity for researchers, postgraduate students, and industry practitioners to gain knowledge and understanding of advanced topics concerning digital transformations in the perspective of the social sciences and information systems, focusing on issues, challenges, impacts, and theoretical foundations. This conference proceedings will assist in shaping the future of the academy and industry by compiling state-of-the-art works and future trends in the digital transformation of the social sciences and the field of information systems. It is also considered an interactive platform that enables academicians, practitioners and students from various institutions and industries to collaborate
- …