Learning the Designer's Preferences to Drive Evolution

This paper presents the Designer Preference Model, a data-driven solution that pursues to learn from user generated data in a Quality-Diversity Mixed-Initiative Co-Creativity (QD MI-CC) tool, with the aims of modelling the user's design style to better assess the tool's procedurally generated content with respect to that user's preferences. Through this approach, we aim for increasing the user's agency over the generated content in a way that neither stalls the user-tool reciprocal stimuli loop nor fatigues the user with periodical suggestion handpicking. We describe the details of this novel solution, as well as its implementation in the MI-CC tool the Evolutionary Dungeon Designer. We present and discuss our findings out of the initial tests carried out, spotting the open challenges for this combined line of research that integrates MI-CC with Procedural Content Generation through Machine Learning.Comment: 16 pages, Accepted and to appear in proceedings of the 23rd European Conference on the Applications of Evolutionary and bio-inspired Computation, EvoApplications 202

Cost Efficiency in Greek Banking

TThis study uses the distribution free approach to investigate cost efficiency in a panel of Greek banks over 1993-1999, a period characterized by major changes in the banking sector brought about by gradual financial deregulation. These reforms were supposed to provide an opportunity to Greek banks to improve their efficiency and to enhance their competitiveness in view of ongoing financial integration in Europe and the introduction of the euro. The results obtained indicate that important cost X-inefficiencies are in place. Some evidence is provided that bank characteristics such as bank size, type of ownership and risk behaviour do play a role in explaining differences in measured inefficiencies. Scale economies are also examined and the findings indicate that the Greek banking industry experiences economies of scale, though they have declined throughout the observed period. This suggests that competitive viability may be an important factor for further consolidation in the Greek banking industry.X-efficiency, scale economies, panel data

On-chip spectroscopy with thermally-tuned high-Q photonic crystal cavities

Spectroscopic methods are a sensitive way to determine the chemical composition of potentially hazardous materials. Here, we demonstrate that thermally-tuned high-Q photonic crystal cavities can be used as a compact high-resolution on-chip spectrometer. We have used such a chip-scale spectrometer to measure the absorption spectra of both acetylene and hydrogen cyanide in the 1550 nm spectral band, and show that we can discriminate between the two chemical species even though the two materials have spectral features in the same spectral region. Our results pave the way for the development of chip-size chemical sensors that can detect toxic substances

Pseudorapidity Distribution of Charged Particles in PbarP Collisions at root(s)= 630GeV

Using a silicon vertex detector, we measure the charged particle pseudorapidity distribution over the range 1.5 to 5.5 using data collected from PbarP collisions at root s = 630 GeV. With a data sample of 3 million events, we deduce a result with an overall normalization uncertainty of 5%, and typical bin to bin errors of a few percent. We compare our result to the measurement of UA5, and the distribution generated by the Lund Monte Carlo with default settings. This is only the second measurement at this level of precision, and only the second measurement for pseudorapidity greater than 3.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX format. For ps file see http://hep1.physics.wayne.edu/harr/harr.html Submitted to Physics Letters

Quantum Hilbert hotel

In 1924 David Hilbert conceived a paradoxical tale involving a hotel with an infinite number of rooms to illustrate some aspects of the mathematical notion of “infinity.” In continuous-variable quantum mechanics we routinely make use of infinite state spaces: here we show that such a theoretical apparatus can accommodate an analog of Hilbert’s hotel paradox. We devise a protocol that, mimicking what happens to the guests of the hotel, maps the amplitudes of an infinite eigenbasis to twice their original quantum number in a coherent and deterministic manner, producing infinitely many unoccupied levels in the process. We demonstrate the feasibility of the protocol by experimentally realizing it on the orbital angular momentum of a paraxial field. This new non-Gaussian operation may be exploited, for example, for enhancing the sensitivity of NOON states, for increasing the capacity of a channel, or for multiplexing multiple channels into a single one

A case report of adrenocorticotropic hormone to treat recurrent focal segmental glomerular sclerosis post-transplantation and biomarker monitoring

Background: Recurrent focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (rFSGS) in renal transplant recipients (RTR) is difficult to predict and treat. Early rFSGS is likely from circulating factors and preformed antibodies. Methods: We present the case of a 23-year-old white man who presented with rFSGS and acute renal failure requiring dialysis 9-months after a 1-haplotype matched living-related transplant. We retrospectively analyzed serum samples from various clinical stages for rFSGS biomarkers: serum glomerular albumin permeability (Palb), soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) serum level with suPAR-β3 integrin signaling on human podocytes, and angiotensin II type I receptor-antibody (AT1R-Ab) titer. Results: All biomarkers were abnormal at 1-year pre-transplant prior to initiation of dialysis and at the time of transplant. After initiation of hemodialysis, β3 integrin activity on human podocytes, in response to patient serum, as well as AT1R-Ab were further elevated. At the time of biopsy-proven recurrence, all biomarkers were abnormally high. One week after therapy with aborted plasmapheresis (secondary to intolerance), and high dose steroids, the Palb and suPAR- β3 integrin activity remained significantly positive. After 12-weeks of treatment with high-dose steroids, rituximab, and galactose, the patient remained hemodialysis-dependent. Three-months after his initial presentation we commenced adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, Acthar® Gel), 80 units subcutaneously twice weekly. Four-weeks later he was able to discontinue dialysis. After 8-months of maintenance ACTH therapy, his serum creatinine stabilized at 1.79 mg/dL with less than 1 gram of proteinuria. Conclusion: ACTH therapy was associated with improvement in renal function within 4 weeks. The use of rFSGS biomarkers may aid in predicting development of rFSGS

Procedural personas as critics for dungeon generation

This paper introduces a constrained optimization method which uses procedural personas to evaluate the playability and quality of evolved dungeon levels. Procedural personas represent archetypical player behaviors, and their controllers have been evolved to maximize a specific utility which drives their decisions. A “baseline” persona evaluates whether a level is playable by testing if it can survive in a worst-case scenario of the playthrough. On the other hand, a Monster Killer persona or a Treasure Collector persona evaluates playable levels based on how many monsters it can kill or how many treasures it can collect, respectively. Results show that the implemented two-population genetic algorithm discovers playable levels quickly and reliably, while the different personas affect the layout, difficulty level and tactical depth of the generated dungeons.The research was supported, in part, by the FP7 ICT project C2Learn (project no: 318480) and by the FP7 Marie Curie CIG project AutoGameDesign (project no: 630665).peer-reviewe

General anaesthesia versus local anaesthesia for carotidsurgery (GALA): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Background The eff ect of carotid endarterectomy in lowering the risk of stroke ipsilateral to severe atherosclerotic carotid-artery stenosis is off set by complications during or soon after surgery. We compared surgery under general anaesthesia with that under local anaesthesia because prediction and avoidance of perioperative strokes might be easier under local anaesthesia than under general anaesthesia. Methods We undertook a parallel group, multicentre, randomised controlled trial of 3526 patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic carotid stenosis from 95 centres in 24 countries. Participants were randomly assigned to surgery under general (n=1753) or local (n=1773) anaesthesia between June, 1999 and October, 2007. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with stroke (including retinal infarction), myocardial infarction, or death between randomisation and 30 days after surgery. Analysis was by intention to treat. The trial is registered with Current Control Trials number ISRCTN00525237. Findings A primary outcome occurred in 84 (4·8%) patients assigned to surgery under general anaesthesia and 80 (4·5%) of those assigned to surgery under local anaesthesia; three events per 1000 treated were prevented with local anaesthesia (95% CI –11 to 17; risk ratio [RR] 0·94 [95% CI 0·70 to 1·27]). The two groups did not signifi cantly diff er for quality of life, length of hospital stay, or the primary outcome in the prespecifi ed subgroups of age, contralateral carotid occlusion, and baseline surgical risk. Interpretation We have not shown a defi nite diff erence in outcomes between general and local anaesthesia for carotid surgery. The anaesthetist and surgeon, in consultation with the patient, should decide which anaesthetic technique to use on an individual basis