Learning to search efficiently for causally near-optimal treatments

Finding an effective medical treatment often requires a search by trial and error. Making this search more efficient by minimizing the number of unnecessary trials could lower both costs and patient suffering. We formalize this problem as learning a policy for finding a near-optimal treatment in a minimum number of trials using a causal inference framework. We give a model-based dynamic programming algorithm which learns from observational data while being robust to unmeasured confounding. To reduce time complexity, we suggest a greedy algorithm which bounds the near-optimality constraint. The methods are evaluated on synthetic and real-world healthcare data and compared to model-free reinforcement learning. We find that our methods compare favorably to the model-free baseline while offering a more transparent trade-off between search time and treatment efficacy

Fastighetsbildning inom detaljplan : Mindre avvikelser inom aktuella och inaktuella detaljplaner

Municipalities have the sole responsibility of planning within its jurisdiction. This is partially done through detailed plans. In the detailed plan the municipalities can regulate construction and property subdivision. After the implementation deadline expires the detailed plan still holds legal force but it can be argued that the plans objective is obsolete and that the plan may be amended or repealed due to old age. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate minor deviations in current and outdated detailed plans when it comes to cadastral procedure, if they differ regarding minor deviations. In order to answer the research questions a survey of the cadastral procedures archives has been made and interviews with experts from both government and municipal Cadastral Authority have been carried out. Lantmäteriet, the Swedish mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authority has made efforts to improve the cooperation with the municipalities in which the governmental Cadastral Authority has worked, thru the so-called principle of consultation. Here however production equalization obstructed further use of the principles. Furthermore, the interviewees recognized that the acceptance of minor deviations from detailed plans weren’t dependent on whether a detailed plan was outdated or not, as much it depended on how old the it was. In the archives investigation we found that the range of acceptance of minor deviations differs between municipalities. It also differed in how many ordinances that were made in - or out of detailed plans and if the plans were current - or outdated. An example of this is Orust municipality where a large majority of ordinances were made out of plan unlike Härryda municipality were a great majority of the cadastral procedures was made within detailed plans. Of the various cadastral procedures, reallotment was the most common. Subdivision was the most common when it came to minor deviation. It was also more commonly occurred that a minor deviation was made in outdated detailed plans rather than current detailed plans

Hedonic value of social media sharing : A quantitative study of how intentions to share affects hedonic value

The purpose of the paper is to explain the relation between motivations of intention to shareon social media and hedonic value. There has been a deductive approach to the research ofthe paper. The data which have been gathered has been done in a quantitative manner, bymaking use of a survey. The theoretical concepts which have been operationalized for thesurvey are the following, social conversation, social presence, easy-connection, intention toshare and hedonic value. There are four different hypotheses that have been developed andtested in the project. Social conversation has a positive impact on the intent to share contenton social media. Social presence has a positive impact on the intent to share content on socialmedia. Easy-connection has a positive impact on intent to share on social media and intentionto share has a positive impact on the hedonic value of social media use. The findings arefollowing, the first three hypotheses got rejected therefore, motivations of intention to shareon social media are connected with easy-connection, social conversation, and social presence.Additionally, intention to share on social media is accepted as having a positive impact on thehedonic value of social media use

Learning to search efficiently for causally near-optimal treatments

Finding an effective medical treatment often requires a search by trial and error. Making this search more efficient by minimizing the number of unnecessary trials could lower both costs and patient suffering. We formalize this problem as learning a policy for finding a near-optimal treatment in a minimum number of trials using a causal inference framework. We give a model-based dynamic programming algorithm which learns from observational data while being robust to unmeasured confounding. To reduce time complexity, we suggest a greedy algorithm which bounds the near-optimality constraint. The methods are evaluated on synthetic and real-world healthcare data and compared to model-free reinforcement learning. We find that our methods compare favorably to the model-free baseline while offering a more transparent trade-off between search time and treatment efficacy

Utformning av användbara webbapplikationer med fokus på navigerbarhet : En explorativ fallstudie av webapplikationen iBokhyllan

Det har aldrig varit lika viktigt som idag att ta hänsyn till internetanvändarens flyktiga uppmärksamhet. Konsten att bevara denna uppmärksamhet är lika komplex som den är ung, och varje dag formuleras nya verktyg för just detta ändamål. Denna rapport ämnar undersöka hur man som webbdesigner kan utforma en webbapplikation som uppnår bra navigerbarhet och därmed god användbarhet, i syfte att inte förlora användares uppmärksamhet. Författarna av denna text utvecklade en webbapplikation i syfte att skaffa sig ett verktyg att kunna nyttja i experiment som ämnar svara på frågan. Efter en serie experiment med användare som testar webbapplikationen har författarna lyckats påvisa och mäta värdet hos webbapplikationselement såsom navigeringsfält, tilläggslänkar och sökfunktioner och deras effekt på webbapplikationen

Utformning av användbara webbapplikationer med fokus på navigerbarhet : En explorativ fallstudie av webapplikationen iBokhyllan

Det har aldrig varit lika viktigt som idag att ta hänsyn till internetanvändarens flyktiga uppmärksamhet. Konsten att bevara denna uppmärksamhet är lika komplex som den är ung, och varje dag formuleras nya verktyg för just detta ändamål. Denna rapport ämnar undersöka hur man som webbdesigner kan utforma en webbapplikation som uppnår bra navigerbarhet och därmed god användbarhet, i syfte att inte förlora användares uppmärksamhet. Författarna av denna text utvecklade en webbapplikation i syfte att skaffa sig ett verktyg att kunna nyttja i experiment som ämnar svara på frågan. Efter en serie experiment med användare som testar webbapplikationen har författarna lyckats påvisa och mäta värdet hos webbapplikationselement såsom navigeringsfält, tilläggslänkar och sökfunktioner och deras effekt på webbapplikationen

The Business of Banking Models, Risk and Regulation

This book offers new insights on banking business models, risks and regulation proposals in the aftermath of the European financial crisis. It investigates the main issues affecting the business of banking nowadays, such as low interest rates and non-performing loans. The combined effect of low to negative interest rates and weak economic growth has encouraged banks to shift their business towards new areas less associated with interest rates, which financial markets and institutional investors are currently evaluating. Contributions also shed new light on topics not yet fully investigated by current literature, such as banks\u2019 short selling bans after Brexit, the European Deposit Guarantee Scheme and banks\u2019 risk appetite framework. This book will be of interest to researchers, scholars and practitioners

Rätt att bo kvar : en handbok i organisering mot hyreshöjningar och gentrifiering

Det här är en handbok som skrivits för att användas praktiskt i kampen om hyresrättens framtid. Boken har växt fram ur gemensamma erfarenheter av att ta strid mot renoveringar med höga hyreshöjningar som följd. Det har gett oss både kunskaper om lokal organisering och en övertygelse om vikten av att hyresgäster ska ha rätt till att påverka framtiden i de bostadsområden de bor i. De senaste åren har vi kunnat se hur hyreslägenheter renoveras med omfattande hyreshöjningar som följd. Konsekvenserna har blivit att många hyresgäster har tvingats flytta, ibland från bostadsområden de bott i under lång tid, då de inte längre har råd att betala hyran. Om inte hyresgäster går samman och kräver sina rättigheter kommer inget förändras och flera tusentals människor tvingas flytta. Den här handboken ska användas som ett praktiskt verktyg för lokal organisering. Vi som har gjort den här boken är engagerade i olika rörelser, några av oss är också forskare med inriktning mot bostad- spolitik och stadsutveckling. Boken har tillkommit genom en kollektiv process, där många varit inblandade för att bidra med sina erfarenheter och perspektiv. En lista med alla medverkande inklusive de rörelser som står bakom den här boken finns lägst bak