Improving Search with Supervised Learning in Trick-Based Card Games

In trick-taking card games, a two-step process of state sampling and evaluation is widely used to approximate move values. While the evaluation component is vital, the accuracy of move value estimates is also fundamentally linked to how well the sampling distribution corresponds the true distribution. Despite this, recent work in trick-taking card game AI has mainly focused on improving evaluation algorithms with limited work on improving sampling. In this paper, we focus on the effect of sampling on the strength of a player and propose a novel method of sampling more realistic states given move history. In particular, we use predictions about locations of individual cards made by a deep neural network --- trained on data from human gameplay - in order to sample likely worlds for evaluation. This technique, used in conjunction with Perfect Information Monte Carlo (PIMC) search, provides a substantial increase in cardplay strength in the popular trick-taking card game of Skat.Comment: Accepted for publication at AAAI-1

Secure Interactive Electronic Negotiations in Business to Business Marketplaces

In this paper, we discuss security aspects of interactive bilateral multi-attribute negotiations. We introduce this type of electronic negotiations and maintain that it will be an important functional aspect of business-to-business electronic marketplaces. We discuss the general application architecture and the process flow for this type of negotiations. We introduce the relevant security issues and show how these issues can be dealt with, especially within a business relationship where a lower degree of trust prevails. To this purpose, we introduce and discuss a protocol for secure interactive electronic negotiations

Development and Implementation Strategies for International ERP Software Projects

In this paper we address a question highly relevant for many companies developing and implementing ERP or other software internationally. These companies have to integrate subsidiaries all over the world by using standard business processes implemented within the software, while at the same time take care of country-specific and other local requirements. The paper presents a framework of three different strategies, evaluates these strategies, and reports case study results that allow the comparison of these strategies. It is shown, that these strategies are not only relevant for ERP projects, but also for other software projects, especially global e-commerce projects

Rebstock: Integration of Multi-attributed Negotiations within Business Processes

Abstract. For the integration of electronic negotiation systems within information systems, it is essential to model both using the same modelling paradigm to avoid frictions. We develop a generic model of electronic negotiations using Petri nets as a formal base focussing especially on the underlying processes. We introduce a negotiation scenario from which we derive the relevant processes, protocols and information objects, explaining the motivation for negotiations as well. Our approach is modular and allows an extension in various dimensions- however in this paper we concentrate on the idea of integrating electronic negotiations within business processes. As such, our models can be used as formal guide for integrating negotiation environments within workflow management systems and for simulating and verifying electronic negotiation scenarios.