Adaptation to Easy Data in Prediction with Limited Advice

We derive an online learning algorithm with improved regret guarantees for `easy' loss sequences. We consider two types of `easiness': (a) stochastic loss sequences and (b) adversarial loss sequences with small effective range of the losses. While a number of algorithms have been proposed for exploiting small effective range in the full information setting, Gerchinovitz and Lattimore [2016] have shown the impossibility of regret scaling with the effective range of the losses in the bandit setting. We show that just one additional observation per round is sufficient to circumvent the impossibility result. The proposed Second Order Difference Adjustments (SODA) algorithm requires no prior knowledge of the effective range of the losses, $\varepsilon$, and achieves an $O(\varepsilon \sqrt{KT \ln K}) + \tilde{O}(\varepsilon K \sqrt[4]{T})$ expected regret guarantee, where $T$ is the time horizon and $K$ is the number of actions. The scaling with the effective loss range is achieved under significantly weaker assumptions than those made by Cesa-Bianchi and Shamir [2018] in an earlier attempt to circumvent the impossibility result. We also provide a regret lower bound of $\Omega(\varepsilon\sqrt{T K})$, which almost matches the upper bound. In addition, we show that in the stochastic setting SODA achieves an $O\left(\sum_{a:\Delta_a>0} \frac{K^3 \varepsilon^2}{\Delta_a}\right)$ pseudo-regret bound that holds simultaneously with the adversarial regret guarantee. In other words, SODA is safe against an unrestricted oblivious adversary and provides improved regret guarantees for at least two different types of `easiness' simultaneously.Comment: Fixed a mistake in the proof and statement of Theorem

Puppy nutrition – what are the consequences of improper nutrition

The nutrient requirement for puppies is affected by the age and size of the dog. The nutritional requirements for growing individuals are higher than for adult dogs. They have a higher requirement of energy, protein, calcium, and phosphorous to be able to grow and develop. The requirements are as highest after weaning and is slowly decreasing when the puppy is growing. Puppies of larger sizes grow in a quicker rate and during a longer period than smaller breeds. The energy requirement is also lower for puppies of a larger size than smaller ones in comparison to the weight of the puppies. There are several different formulas to calculate the energy need for puppies. They all take the age and weight into consideration but usually do not take the activity level into consideration and not individual differences. The amount of protein different puppies require does not differ much between breeds. The protein requirement is usually calculated in relation to the energy need and differ a bit between breeds, larger breeds require a slightly lower amount of protein per kilo bodyweight in comparison to smaller breeds. Calcium and phosphorous are two important minerals in puppy nutrition. The requirement of calcium and phosphorous is calculated in relation of the energy need of the puppy. There is still a discussion among researchers about the optimal level, but most agree that puppies of larger breeds are more sensitive to the right concentration of calcium than puppies of smaller breeds. Because of this thus food for larger breeds of puppies contain lower amount of calcium per kcal to avoid overfeeding of calcium. The feed also needs to be balanced between the minerals and energy to provide a correct amount of minerals in comparison to the energy requirement. There are several risks with improper feeding of puppies. If the puppies are not given the correct amount of calcium and phosphorous this increases the risks of skeletal diseases, DOD (developmental orthopedic disease). Another risk of improper feeding is overfeeding and that is most common with feeding ad libitum (free feeding). Overfeeding is increasing the risk for overweight, which is a big stress for the body, especially for larger breeds and overweight increases the risks of DOD. How much energy, protein, and minerals the puppies should be given differ a lot between different written sources. In general puppies of larger breeds should be given a lower amount of energy and calcium per kilo bodyweight which is usually accomplished by giving then puppy food formulated for larger breeds. It is also important to take into consideration that all puppies are different, and it is important to acknowledge the recommended dosage of a food is a recommendation. A highly active puppy probably need more food than a puppy who doesn’t exercise as much. Pay attention to the body condition of the puppy and make sure that it have a healthy body conditions score

The Value of Experience

Speaking about and diagramming sex with overhead slides dehumanizes the act and the people involved. Sexual intercourse is performed by all mammals, and represents an essential part of nature. The public school system\u27s attempt to inhibit students from fully understanding this act serves to distort this most sacred existential role. Larson Thune is a sophomore finance major. He also serves as the President of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity here at JMU. In his free time, he enjoys reading, skiing, tennis, and sailing

Sense of Duration

The following writings contain different segments about the concept of time. To best describe certain feelings and thoughts concerning my ideas and work I have used poetry and short stories in a prosaic manner. I also felt it necessary to include some historic facts about the history of time and its measuring devices

What the Kindertransportees tell us about the acquisition of English

The study is mainly based von narrative interviews that I have collected in 2017 and 2018 with people from former Refugee children, among them Kinder of the Kindertransport (1938/39), an almost exclusively Jewish group of migrants to the UK from Nazi Germany, as well as from Austria, Poland and the then Czechoslovakia (vgl. Thüne 2019, Gerettet). In this article I focus on the question what they remember from the process of language learning. And above all, how did they deal with the abrupt change of language and culture? As a linguist, my interest centres on questions such as whether these people – who today of course have reached an advanced age – are still able to speak German, what sort of attitude they have towards the German language, and whether or not they have maintained an active role for it in their families