Machine learning can assess the effectiveness of mathematical tools used to predict the movements of financial markets, according to new research based on the largest dataset ever used in this area. The researchers’ model could also predict future market movements, an extraordinarily difficult task because of markets’ massive amounts of information and high volatility. «What…

While many programs and initiatives have been implemented to address the prevalence of substance abuse among homeless youth in the United States, they don’t always include data-driven insights about environmental and psychological factors that could contribute to an individual’s likelihood of developing a substance use disorder. Now, an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm could help predict…

Researchers have shown that an approach called federated learning is successful in the context of brain imaging, by being able to analyze magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of brain tumor patients and distinguish healthy brain tissue from cancerous regions. An emerging technique called federated learning is a solution to this dilemma, according to a study…

Researchers describe the improved mathematical methodology of an open source tool called Gerrychain, which can help observers detect gerrymandering in a voting district plan by creating an ensemble of alternate maps that also meet legal voting criteria. In an article in the Harvard Data Science Review, the researchers describe the improved mathematical methodology of an…

Prompted by the increasing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) in society, researchers investigated public attitudes toward the ethics of AI. Their findings quantify how different demographics and ethical scenarios affect these attitudes. As part of this study, the team developed an octagonal visual metric, analogous to a rating system, which could be useful to AI…

In recent years, shared electric scooters (e-scooters) have taken cities by storm. But how are people using this new mode of transportation? A new study has some interesting data to share on e-scooter users. Self-reported safety behaviors didn’t always match with observations: the reported use of helmets (13% while riding) far outweighed researchers’ observations in…

Researchers were able to accurately predict outbreaks of COVID-19 in Connecticut municipalities using anonymous location information from mobile devices, according to a new study. The novel analysis applied in the study could help health officials stem community outbreaks of COVID-19 and allocate testing resources more efficiently, the researchers said. The novel analysis applied in the…

Researchers have come up with a computer model that mirrors the way misinformation spreads in real life. The work might provide insight on how to protect people from the current contagion of misinformation that threatens public health and the health of democracy. No, it’s not a virus. It’s the contagious spread of misinformation and disinformation…

A new study questions conventional methods of calculating carbon emissions liability based on point source pollution by introducing new ‘bottleneck’ theory. Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) emit carbon dioxide when burned, which scientists say is the greenhouse gas primarily responsible for global warming and climate change. Climate change causes numerous problems that economists…

Asymptomatic COVID-19 cases are the bane of computer modelers’ existences — they throw off the modeling data to an unknown degree. A new approach explores using historic epidemic data from eight different countries to estimate the transmission rate and fraction of under-reported cases. «Asymptomatic cases are the ‘dark matter’ of epidemics,» said Nick Hengartner, one…