The evidence for automated grading in diabetic retinopathy screening

Peer reviewedPostprin

Coherence Generalises Duality: A Logical Explanation of Multiparty Session Types

Wadler introduced Classical Processes (CP), a calculus based on a propositions-as-types correspondence between propositions of classical linear logic and session types. Carbone et al. introduced Multiparty Classical Processes, a calculus that generalises CP to multiparty session types, by replacing the duality of classical linear logic (relating two types) with a more general notion of coherence (relating an arbitrary number of types). This paper introduces variants of CP and MCP, plus a new intermediate calculus of Globally-governed Classical Processes (GCP). We show a tight relation between these three calculi, giving semantics-preserving translations from GCP to CP and from MCP to GCP. The translation from GCP to CP interprets a coherence proof as an arbiter process that mediates communications in a session, while MCP adds annotations that permit processes to communicate directly without centralised control

PCGRL: Procedural Content Generation via Reinforcement Learning

We investigate how reinforcement learning can be used to train level-designing agents. This represents a new approach to procedural content generation in games, where level design is framed as a game, and the content generator itself is learned. By seeing the design problem as a sequential task, we can use reinforcement learning to learn how to take the next action so that the expected final level quality is maximized. This approach can be used when few or no examples exist to train from, and the trained generator is very fast. We investigate three different ways of transforming two-dimensional level design problems into Markov decision processes and apply these to three game environments.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, published at AIIDE202

A Trivariate Causality Test among Economic Growth, Government Expenditure and Inflation Rate: Evidence from Nigeria

This study examined the causal relationships among economic growth, government expenditure and inflation rate in Nigeria over the period 1970 to 2010. The study utilized both the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and the Philip Perron tests to examine the properties of the variables. It was observed that the variables were found to be stationary, though not in their level form but in their first difference. In addition, the Johansen and Juselius (JJ) co-integration technique indicated the presence of co-integration among the variables while the tri-variate vector error correction model (VECM) showed the presence of bi-directional causality between government expenditures and economic growth both in the short run and in the long run. Also, it was revealed that in the short run a unidirectional causality existed from economic growth and government expenditure to inflation rate while no feedback from inflation rate was observed. Based on these findings, this study recommends that government should implement policies that would moderate government spending in order to reduce inflation rate. To compliment for the loss in economic growth through the reduction in government spending, lending rate should be moderated to encourage private investment in the Nigerian economy. Keywords: Economic growth, Government Expenditure, Inflation Rate, Trivariate Causality, VEC Mode

Some Model Amendments to Maine (and other States\u27) Land Use Control Legislation

This model legislation consisting of ten separate provisions is intended to clarify and/or expand existing Maine law dealing with planning and land use regulation. It expands existing statutes by addressing a number of issues not presently covered by law. The overarching purpose of the proposed legislation is to underscore that planning and the imposition of land use regulations is not exclusively the responsibility of local governments but instead is a shared duty of the state and local governments. This is clearly stated in the text and commentary of Provision I, and is a theme that pervades all ten legislative proposals. Secondarily, Provision I and those that follow make clear that it is the State with its resources and larger geographical reach that is in the best position to assure that comprehensive plans and land use regulations are consistent, fair, and applied in a manner that protects and balances the rights and interests of all Maine citizens

Temporal trends in mammal responses to fire reveals the complex effects of fire regime attributes

Fire is a major ecological process in many ecosystems worldwide. We sought to identify which attributes of fire regimes affect temporal change in the presence and abundance of Australian native mammals. Our detailed study was underpinned by time series data on 11 mammal species at 97 long-term sites in southeastern Australia between 2003 and 2013. We explored how temporal aspects of fire regimes influenced the presence and conditional abundance of species. The key fire regime components examined were: (1) severity of a major fire in 2003, (2) interval between the last major fire (2003) and the fire prior to that, and (3) number of past fires. Our long-term data set enabled quantification of the interactions between survey year and each fire regime variable: an ecological relationship missing from temporally restricted studies. We found no evidence of any appreciable departures from the assumption of independence of the sites. Multiple aspects of fire regimes influenced temporal variation in the presence and abundance of mammals. The best models indicated that six of the 11 species responded to two or more fire regime variables, with two species influenced by all three fire regime attributes. Almost all species responded to time since fire, either as an interaction with survey year or as a main effect. Fire severity or its interaction with survey year was important for most terrestrial rodents. The number of fires at a site was significant for terrestrial rodents and several other species. Our findings contain evidence of the effects on native mammals of heterogeneity in fire regimes. Temporal response patterns of mammal species were influenced by multiple fire regime attributes, often in conjunction with survey year. This underscores the critical importance of long-term studies of biota that are coupled with data sets characterized by carefully documented fire history, severity, and frequency. Long-term studies are essential to predict animal responses to fires and guide management of when and where (prescribed) fire or, conversely, long-unburned vegetation is needed. The complexity of observed responses highlights the need for large reserves in which patterns of heterogeneity in fire regimes can be sustained in space and over time. © 2015 by the Ecological Society of America. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record*