Valuing reward

Reward shaping for valuing communications during multi-agent coordination

Decentralised coordination in multi-agent systems is typically achieved using communication. However, in many cases, communication is expensive to utilise because there is limited bandwidth, it may be dangerous to communicate, or communication may simply be unavailable at times. In this context, we argue for a rational approach to communication — if it has a cost, the agents should be able to c...

Asymptotic Behavior of Multivariate Reward Processes with Nonlinear Reward Functions

COVARIANCE MATRIX OF MULTIVARIATE REWARD PROCESSES WITH NONLINEAR REWARD FUNCTIONS

Multivariate reward processes with reward functions of constant rates, defined on a semi-Markov process, first were studied by Masuda and Sumita, 1991. Reward processes with nonlinear reward functions were introduced in Soltani, 1996. In this work we study a multivariate process , , where are reward processes with nonlinear reward functions respectively. The Laplace transform of the covar...

Valuing Nature

Nature conservation work has come a long way in just over a century. In the 19th century, species were grouped into useful and harmful ones. Protection, which was beginning to be enshrined in laws and international treaties, was only extended to the useful species. Nuisances such as lions and bears were unflinchingly earmarked for destruction. Since the foundation of the International Union for...

Valuing vaccination.

Vaccination has led to remarkable health gains over the last century. However, large coverage gaps remain, which will require significant financial resources and political will to address. In recent years, a compelling line of inquiry has established the economic benefits of health, at both the individual and aggregate levels. Most existing economic evaluations of particular health intervention...