In deep reinforcement learning, experience replay buffers are used to reduce the effects of sequential data and make better use of past experiences. Prioritized Experience Replay (PER) improves upon random sampling by selecting transitions based on their temporal difference (TD) error. However, PER does not consider how important each transition is or how many times it has been used during training. In this paper, we propose a new method for adaptive prioritization that takes into account three additional transition-level factors: reward, usage count (counter), and policy probability—collectively referred to as RCP values. These values are normalized and used alongside the TD error to calculate the probability of selecting each transition from the replay buffer. We evaluate our method on several Atari environments and show that using any of the RCP values individually can improve performance compared to standard PER. To combine all three RCP components, we explore three aggregation functions: minimum, maximum, and mean. Experimental results show that the best aggregation method depends on the environment. However, the mean function generally provides stable improvements across tasks, as it balances all RCP signals and avoids over-relying on any single factor.

In this paper, I address the issue of the possible applicability of the ideas of Karl R. Popper’s social and political philosophy in the contemporary political life of postcolonial countries. Through reference to the reception of Popper’s philosophy in Central and Eastern Europe, I argue that Popper’s writings were effective in catalysing the political wholesale transformation by undermining Marxists’ pretensions to scientific status rather than through his anti-utopian and anti-revolutionary political recommendations. In the context of attempts to apply Popper’s ideas in postcolonial countries, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, I claim that the influence of Popper’s social thought on the politics of those countries may not be as effective as expected or desired.

In this paper, we introduce a new mixed priority scheme that utilizes the logarithmically equi-spaced random transmitter power levels (LESRTPL) model to control the assignment of the transmitter power levels, assigned to each priority class, adaptively. Packets, of different priority classes contending simultaneously over the wireless channels to capture a contention slot, will transmit using LESRTPLs set pre-assigned to them using an adaptive prioritized controlled capture (APCC) scheme. Higher priority classes are assigned stronger power levels according to their priority index and the estimated number of backlogged packets on the frame. The wireless channel capture model includes Rayleigh fading, shadowing, and path loss. The throughput of the algorithm is analyzed and its delay performance evaluated using simulation models. Results show that the new priority scheme offers significant improvement to the throughput and the waiting time of the different priority classes over Basic Aloha Algorithms, especially to high priority class packets.

In this paper, a new approach has been introduced for the design of an ATM switching system. IUSTA (Iran University of Science & Technology ATM switch) is proposed as ATM switch architecture based on a knockout principle with output queuing. Intrinsic broadcast, multicast capabilities and priority functionality are important features of IUSTA. In this paper an architectural design is provided to construct arbitrary large switches based on simple basic building blocks. By use of these features, IUSTA reaches to 10-14 for cell loss probability with the modest size component.

Because the immune system of cancer patients is suppressed, they are at increased risk of various infections. In cancer patients, infection is not only associated with several complications but also may interrupt their treatment. Besides, such infections may cause hospitalization, which has negative consequences (1). According to an old belief, people with a weakimmune system (e. g., cancer patients) cannotmountanimmuneresponse to vaccines. However, evidence suggests otherwise. For instance, several studies have investigated the impact of the flu vaccine on cancer patients and reported confer protection. The same is true for the pneumococcal vaccine, which, generally speaking, cancer patients should receive...

This paper discussed the scheduling problem of outpatients in a radiology center with an emphasis on priority. For more compatibility to real-world conditions, we assume that the elapsed times in different stages to be uncertain that follow from the specific distribution function. The objective is to minimize outpatients’ total spent time in a radiology center. The problem is formulated as a flexible open shop scheduling problem and a stochastic programming model. By considering the specific distribution function for uncertain variables, deterministic mixed integer linear programming (MILP) is developed such that the proposed problem can be solved by a linear programming solver in small size. Besides an effective heuristic method is proposed for the moderate size problem. To indicate the applicability of the proposed model, it has been applied to a real radiology center. The results from the proposed optimization models indicate an increase in outpatients’ satisfaction, as well as the improvement of the efficiency and productivity of the radiology center.

Introduction: Despite the existence of the human health rights at global and national levels, patent laws are singularly in the battle against public health crises due to exclude others from making, using and selling the patented health products. These laws impose costs on health care systems and cause of human death worldwide. Methods: A retrospective literature search was conducted using appropriate key words. In addition to international intellectual property rights, published studies were reviewed. Results: Experiences from the Medicines Act in 1997 of the South Africa and the current pandemic showed that compulsory licensing and parallel importation do not have the necessary effectiveness and cause economic and political pressure of developed countries on developing countries. In addition, high price of technology transfer, insufficient disclosure of necessary data and commercial impediments by patent holders, make virtually impossible to apply TRIPS waivers in national emergencies and pandemics. Insufficient manufacturing capacity of health products manufacturers and prompt need of people worldwide to essential health products in public health crises, lack of transparency and interpretable Articles of the TRIPS Agreement hamper rapid and sufficient production, adequate and equally supply of the effective and affordable essential health products. Conclusion: The South Africa case and the current pandemic clearly showed the ineffectiveness of TRIPS waivers, public health endangerment and loss of human lives in public health crises. Once and for all, through national legislation and international treaties, the lack of access issues to essential health products in public and global health crises must be solved