We discuss the relative merits of optimistic and randomized approaches to exploration in reinforcement learning. Optimistic approaches presented in the literature apply an optimistic boost to the value estimate at each state-action pair and select actions that are greedy with respect to the resulting optimistic value function. Randomized approaches sample from among statistically plausible valu...

Introduction An influential conjecture in neuroscience states that a brain organized according to principles of hierarchical predictive coding (HPC) can effectively and efficiently perform genuine Bayesian inferences, providing a neurally plausible account of how Bayesian models of cogntion may be physically implemented in the brain. However, each key subcomputation invoked in HPC potentially h...

The precise probability of a compound event (e.g. e1 _ e2; e1 ^ e2) depends upon the known relationships (e.g. independence, mutual exclusion, ignorance of any relationship, etc.) between the primitive events that constitute the compound event. To date, most research on probabilistic logic programming 20, 19, 22, 23, 24] has assumed that we are ignorant of the relationship between primitive eve...

Brain tumor segmentation from Magnetic Resonance Images (MRIs) is an important task to measure tumor responses to treatments. However, automatic segmentation is very challenging. This paper presents an automatic brain tumor segmentation method based on a Normalized Gaussian Bayesian classification and a new 3D Fluid Vector Flow (FVF) algorithm. In our method, a Normalized Gaussian Mixture Model...

All companies deal with valuation from time to time. Capital budgeting, company and asset valuation, or value based management rely on valuation. Two approaches are the foundation of valuation, discounted cash flow valuation and relative valuation. The first one is a bottom-up approach where the present value of an asset’s future cash flows is calculated, the second determines the value of an a...

Recent work on public goods contributions has examined the relationship between gender and free-riding behavior in studies using laboratory public goods. This research furthers this line of inquiry by examining gender as a possible explanation of hypothetical bias, which occurs in valuation studies using real world public goods. Results show that gender differences exist in hypothetical valuati...

Valuation of information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) has gained a lot of attention over the years resulting in a broad range of approaches. We examine the use of valuation methods in a case study of a large public organization. Life cycle analysis was used to position and relate valuation methods. We found that eight different methods were used and that there was limited coordi...

Using landscape analysis and economic valuation, this article shows how valuation techniques can inform prioritization of private forestland for ecosystem service conservation and highlights the methodological challenges in doing so. We classify forests according to six ecological and social characteristics. If ecosystem service priorities are known a priori, this landscape analysis might be su...