Exploiting P2P in the Creation of Game Worlds

Peer-to-peer networks are a promising platform for supporting entirely decentralized, distributed multi-user gaming; however, multi-player games typically require highly predictable performance from the underlying network. This is at odds with the inherently unreliable nature of peer-to-peer environments. Existing approaches to providing peer-to-peer support for multi-player gaming focus on compensating for the unpredictability of the underlying network. We propose that rather than trying to compensate for these factors, they can be exploited together with information about the peer-to-peer network in order to address the problem of maintaining a novel gaming experience in the absence of a central authority. In order to explore our proposition, we model the measurable properties of P2P networks within a distributed multi-player game – NetWorld. We do this in such a way that the heterogeneous and unpredictable nature of the peer-to-peer environment becomes a positive part of the player’s experience

Strange Loops: Apparent versus Actual Human Involvement in Automated Decision-Making

The era of AI-based decision-making fast approaches, and anxiety is mounting about when, and why, we should keep “humans in the loop” (“HITL”). Thus far, commentary has focused primarily on two questions: whether, and when, keeping humans involved will improve the results of decision-making (making them safer or more accurate), and whether, and when, non-accuracy-related values—legitimacy, dignity, and so forth—are vindicated by the inclusion of humans in decision-making. Here, we take up a related but distinct question, which has eluded the scholarship thus far: does it matter if humans appear to be in the loop of decision-making, independent from whether they actually are? In other words, what is stake in the disjunction between whether humans in fact have ultimate authority over decision-making versus whether humans merely seem, from the outside, to have such authority? Our argument proceeds in four parts. First, we build our formal model, enriching the HITL question to include not only whether humans are actually in the loop of decision-making, but also whether they appear to be so. Second, we describe situations in which the actuality and appearance of HITL align: those that seem to involve human judgment and actually do, and those that seem automated and actually are. Third, we explore instances of misalignment: situations in which systems that seem to involve human judgment actually do not, and situations in which systems that hold themselves out as automated actually rely on humans operating “behind the curtain.” Fourth, we examine the normative issues that result from HITL misalignment, arguing that it challenges individual decision-making about automated systems and complicates collective governance of automation

Debt to Society: The Role of Fines & Fees Reform in Dismantling the Carceral State

Fines and fees that result from contact with the criminal legal system serve as a suffocating debt for those against whom they are assessed. Many states have countless laws that require taxes, fines, and fees to be assessed against individuals involved in the criminal legal system at various stages of the criminal legal process, and they have the effect of permanently trapping individuals within the system. In Tennessee, for example, these debts, which can accumulate to over $10,000 in a single criminal case, stand in the way of individuals getting their criminal records expunged, keeping valid driver’s licenses, and restoring their voting rights, among other things. However, as in many other states, Tennessee’s legislature is decidedly hostile to the poor (particularly when poor people’s issues compete with the perceived financial health of government entities), and the urgency of the problem cannot wait for unwilling lawmakers to realize the change that thousands of people need. Using Tennessee as a case study and drawing on the author’s experiences working within the State’s system, this Article considers ways to effectively advocate for the elimination of court debt as a punishment for poverty. First, it provides an abbreviated history of court debt and explains how that history still impacts individuals today. This Article also draws upon the author’s experiences representing individuals in court, appearing before judges, and collaborating with other stakeholders to show the difficulty of achieving a state-wide movement for reform in Tennessee’s current political climate, a problem not unique to this state. Finally, the Article concludes by discussing how local actors can work within current legal frameworks to protect people from extortionist fine and fee policies and limit the harmful growth of the criminal legal system

New Measurements with Stopped Particles at the LHC

Metastable particles are common in many models of new physics at the TeV scale. If charged or colored, a reasonable fraction of all such particles produced at the LHC will stop in the detectors and give observable out of time decays. We demonstrate that significant information may be learned from such decays about the properties (e.g. charge or spin) of this particle and of any other particles to which it decays, for example a dark matter candidate. We discuss strategies for measuring the type of decay (two- vs three-body), the types of particles produced, and the angular distribution of the produced particles using the LHC detectors. We demonstrate that with O(10-100) observed decay events, not only can the properties of the new particles be measured but indeed even the Lorentz structure of the decay operator can be distinguished in the case of three-body decays. These measurements can not only reveal the correct model of new physics at the TeV scale, but also give information on physics giving rise to the decay at energy scales far above those the LHC can probe directly.Comment: 31 pages, 6 figures. References added, updated to reflect recent experimental results, version accepted for publication in Physical Review

Efficacy of Different Leuprolide Administration Schedules in Premenopausal Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Review

Background Leuprolide is a safe and effective treatment of estrogen receptor–positive premenopausal breast cancer. Data from the SOFT/TEXT trials solidified leuprolide in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as an effective hormonal treatment for premenopausal breast cancer. However, the efficacy of monthly leuprolide depot compared to leuprolide depot every 3 months in combination with an aromatase inhibitor in this patient population is unclear. Patients and Methods In this single center retrospective study, 201 patients were enrolled between January 1, 2015, and October 1, 2016; 100 were included in the 7.5 mg leuprolide monthly injection plus aromatase inhibitor group and 101 in the 22.5 mg leuprolide injection every 3 months plus aromatase inhibitor group. The primary end point was the proportion of patients who experienced ovarian ablation, defined as an estradiol concentration less than 40 pg/mL and a follicle-stimulating hormone concentration of 23 to 116 mU/mL after 3 months of treatment. Significance threshold was P < .05 (2 sided). Secondary end points included disease-free survival and overall survival at 1-year follow-up, as well as adverse events reported during treatment. Results All patients in the monthly leuprolide arm experienced ovarian ablation compared to 100 (99%) of 101 patients in the arm treated every 3 months ( P = 1). The disease-free survival rate at 1 year was 95% in the monthly leuprolide arm and 97% in the arm treated every 3 months ( P = .75). The overall survival rate at 1 year was 100% in the monthly leuprolide arm and 99% in the arm treated every 3 months ( P = 1). The most common treatment-related adverse events between the 2 groups were musculoskeletal pain, hot flashes, fatigue, and insomnia. Conclusion Leuprolide acetate depot administered every 3 months is as efficacious and tolerable as a monthly injection in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for premenopausal patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer

Working Paper

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. We analyze the correlations in patterns of trading for members of the Italian interbank trading platform e-MID. The trading strategy of a particular member institution is defined as the sequence of (intra-) daily net trading volumes within a certain semester. Based on this definition, we show that there are significant and persistent bilateral correlations between institutions&apos; trading strategies. In most semesters we find two clusters, with positively (negatively) correlated trading strategies within (between) clusters. We show that the two clusters mostly contain continuous net buyers and net sellers of money, respectively, and that cluster memberships of individual banks are highly persistent. Additionally, we highlight some problems related to our definition of trading strategies. Our findings add further evidence on the fact that preferential lending relationships on the micro-level lead to community structure on the macro-level. Terms of use: Documents in Keywords: interbank market, socio-economic networks, community identification JEL classification: G21, E42 Daniel Fricke Abstract We analyze the correlations in patterns of trading for members of the Italian interbank trading platform e-MID. The trading strategy of a particular member institution is dened as the sequence of (intra-) daily net trading volumes within a certain semester. Based on this denition, we show that there are signicant and persistent bilateral correlations between institutions&apos; trading strategies. In most semesters we nd two clusters, with positively (negatively) correlated trading strategies within (between) clusters. We show that the two clusters mostly contain continuous net buyers and net sellers of money, respectively, and that cluster memberships of individual banks are highly persistent. Additionally, we highlight some problems related to our denition of trading strategies. Our ndings add further evidence on the fact that preferential lending relationships on the micro-level lead to community structure on the macro-level. JEL-Classication: G21, E4