Suchergebnisse

We summarize the potential impact that the European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation will have on the routine use of machine learning algorithms. Slated to take effect as law across the EU in 2018, it will place restrictions on automated individual decision-making (that is, algorithms that make decisions based on user-level predictors) which ''significantly affect'' users. When put into practice, the law may also effectively create a ''right to explanation,'' whereby a user can ask for an explanation of an algorithmic decision that significantly affects them. We argue that while this law may pose large challenges for industry, it highlights opportunities for computer scientists to take the lead in designing algorithms and evaluation frameworks which avoid discrimination and enable explanation.

As hollow-bearing trees become scarcer due to habitat loss, the use of nest boxes as a management tool for hollow-dependent species is likely to increase. However, nest-box use can be variable among species and habitats, and one possible reason may be that nest boxes offer little protection against extreme temperatures compared with natural hollows; this may be particularly important in the tropics. Here, we measured the microclimate of 16 nest boxes, installed as part of a recovery program for an endangered arboreal marsupial, the mahogany glider, during the summer in tropical north Queensland. We also measured the microclimate of 14 naturally occurring refuges (hollows in standing and fallen trees) at the same study sites. Nest boxes were significantly hotter during the day than were natural refuges (either in fallen or standing live trees) and experienced a greater range of temperatures. The most important factors explaining variation in daytime temperature in boxes was box aspect and the amount of canopy cover directly above the box: boxes that faced north, and those with greater canopy cover, were up to 7°C cooler than those that faced south or had little cover. We discuss our results in relation to the use of nest boxes in management plans for arboreal marsupials in the tropics.