Towards an Evaluation Methodology for Computational Trust Systems

Interactive reinforcement learning methods utilise an external information source to evaluate decisions and accelerate learning. Previous work has shown that human advice could significantly improve learning agents’ performance. When evaluating reinforcement learning algorithms, it is common to repeat experiments as parameters are altered or to gain a sufficient sample size. In this regard, to require human interaction every time an experiment is restarted is undesirable, particularly when the expense in doing so can be considerable. Additionally, reusing the same people for the experiment introduces bias, as they will learn the behaviour of the agent and the dynamics of the environment. This paper presents a methodology for evaluating interactive reinforcement learning agents by employing simulated users. Simulated users allow human knowledge, bias, and interaction to be simulated. The use of simulated users allows the development and testing of reinforcement learning agents, and can provide indicative results of agent performance under defined human constraints. While simulated users are no replacement for actual humans, they do offer an affordable and fast alternative for evaluative assisted agents. We introduce a method for performing a preliminary evaluation utilising simulated users to show how performance changes depending on the type of user assisting the agent. Moreover, we describe how human interaction may be simulated, and present an experiment illustrating the applicability of simulating users in evaluating agent performance when assisted by different types of trainers. Experimental results show that the use of this methodology allows for greater insight into the performance of interactive reinforcement learning agents when advised by different users. The use of simulated users with varying characteristics allows for evaluation of the impact of those characteristics on the behaviour of the learning agent.

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Emergy as a Tool to Evaluate Ecosystem Services: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137102 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7102

Author(s):

Ana Carolina V. Nadalini ◽

Ricardo de Araujo Kalid ◽

Ednildo Andrade Torres

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Bibliometric Analysis ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Evaluation Methodology ◽

Review Of The Literature ◽

Ecological Aspects ◽

Valuation Of Ecosystem Services ◽

Emergy Evaluation

The objective of this paper is to present a review of current research on the valuation of ecosystem services, using emergy evaluation methodology (EME). A bibliometric analysis and a systematic review were carried out between 2000 and 2020, using all of Web of Science database subfields that collected 187 papers, selected through the keywords “emergy” and “ecosystem services”. In the second part of the research, we carried out a new search on Web of Science of the 187 initial articles produced, with the words “valuation” and “economic”, in order to analyze those directly related to the evaluation of ecosystem services. The results showed that the EME method is an effective tool to evaluate ecosystem services, since it relates economic and ecological aspects in the evaluations. The research also indicated that the use of isolated methods does not appear to be the most appropriate solution, and that emergy used in combination with other methodologies can be used to obtain more accurate and comprehensive results to evaluate natural resources.

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Manual on the proper use of sodium astatide ([211At]NaAt) injections in clinical trials for targeted alpha therapy (1st edition)

Annals of Nuclear Medicine ◽

10.1007/s12149-021-01619-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tadashi Watabe ◽

Makoto Hosono ◽

Seigo Kinuya ◽

Takahiro Yamada ◽

Sachiko Yanagida ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Japanese Society ◽

Radiation Safety ◽

Safety Management ◽

Evaluation Methodology ◽

Targeted Alpha Therapy ◽

Safety Issues ◽

Safety Standards ◽

And Training ◽

Alpha Therapy

AbstractWe present the guideline for use of [211At] sodium astatide (NaAt) for targeted alpha therapy in clinical trials on the basis of radiation safety issues in Japan. This guideline was prepared by a study supported by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, and approved by the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine on 8th Feb, 2021. The study showed that patients receiving [211At]NaAt do not need to be admitted to a radiotherapy room and outpatient treatment is possible. The radiation exposure from the patient is within the safety standards of the ICRP and IAEA recommendations for the general public and caregivers. Precautions for patients and their families, safety management associated with the use of [211At]NaAt, education and training, and disposal of medical radioactive contaminants are also included in this guideline. Treatment using [211At]NaAt in Japan should be carried out according to this guideline. Although this guideline is applied in Japan, the issues for radiation protection and evaluation methodology shown here are considered internationally useful as well.

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Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Challenges in Szekszárd Wine Region, Hungary

Climate ◽

10.3390/cli9020025 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 25

Author(s):

Attila Buzási

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Evaluation Methodology ◽

Intrinsic Factors ◽

Vulnerability Assessments ◽

The Future ◽

Climate Vulnerability ◽

High Level ◽

Wine Region ◽

Lock In

Wine producers face several challenges regarding climate change, which will affect this industry both in the present and the future. Vulnerability assessments are at the forefront of current climate research, therefore, the present paper has two main aims. First, to assess two components of climate vulnerability regarding the Szekszárd wine region, Hungary; second, to collect and analyze adaptation farming techniques in terms of environmental sustainability aspects. Exposure analyses revealed that the study area will face several challenges regarding intensive drought periods in the future. Sensitivity indicators show the climate-related characteristics of the most popular grapevines and their relatively high level of susceptibility regarding changing climatic patterns. Since both external and intrinsic factors of vulnerability show deteriorating trends, the development of adaptation actions is needed. Adaptation interventions often provide unsustainable solutions or entail maladaptation issues, therefore, an environmental-focused sustainability assessment of collected interventions was performed to avoid long-term negative path dependencies. The applied evaluation methodology pointed out that nature-based adaptation actions are preferred in comparison to using additional machines or resource-intensive solutions. This study can fill the scientific gap by analyzing this wine region for the first time, via performing an ex-ante lock-in analysis of available and widely used adaptation interventions in the viticulture sector.

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