Deep reinforcement learning from human preferences

For sophisticated reinforcement learning (RL) systems to interact usefully with real-world environments, we need to communicate complex goals to these systems. In this work, we explore goals defined in terms of (non-expert) human preferences between pairs of trajectory segments. We show that this approach can effectively solve complex RL tasks without access to the reward function, including Atari games and simulated robot locomotion, while providing feedback on less than one percent of our agent's interactions with the environment. This reduces the cost of human oversight far enough that it can be practically applied to state-of-the-art RL systems. To demonstrate the flexibility of our approach, we show that we can successfully train complex novel behaviors with about an hour of human time. These behaviors and environments are considerably more complex than any that have been previously learned from human feedback

Information Architecture for Organizations: An Ontological Approach

In the scope of corporations, information and knowledge management are essential practices that are carried out through information systems. In this chapter, we discuss the foundations of an ontological-based architecture for organizing information and knowledge within corporations. Our research focus on three main efforts: (i) to shed some light on the ontological status of corporations, (ii) to understand the relations between corporate units, and (iii) to approach the duties that corporations have to manage. After presenting background theories, we analyze the corporation through two dimensions, namely, a descriptive and a normative. While the former approaches the structure of the corporation from the point of view of its units, the latter approaches it from the point of view of duties and obligations. The descriptive side of our investigation is conducted through principles of top-level formal ontologies; the normative side is addressed through the so-called social ontology. The relevance of developing such analysis rests on the need of a better understanding of corporations, its structures, and its activities. Such insight can provide a formal framework suitable to be applied in information systems, working in the context of modern technologies like the Semantic Web

Factor demand linkages, technology shocks, and the business cycle

This paper argues that factor demand linkages can be important for the transmission of both sectoral and aggregate shocks. We show this using a panel of highly disaggregated manufacturing sectors together with sectoral structural VARs. When sectoral interactions are explicitly accounted for, a contemporaneous technology shock to all manufacturing sectors implies a positive response in both output and hours at the aggregate level. Otherwise there is a negative correlation, as in much of the existing literature. Furthermore, we find that technology shocks are important drivers of the business cycle

Exposing the human nude phenotype [4]

Peer reviewedSubmitted Versio

THE INFLUENCE OF CONTINGENCY FACTORS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BUDGETING SYSTEM IN A BRAZILIAN TEXTILE MANUFACTURING COMPANY - Influência dos Fatores Contingenciais no Desenvolvimento do Sistema Orçamentário em uma Empresa Brasileira de Manufatura Têxtil

This research aims to investigate how contingency factors influenced the evolution of the company and its budgeting system in a Brazilian textile industrial organization. We used the contingency theory to understand the effect that changes in the environment, strategy, structure, technology and size have on management control systems. Through a case study in a textile company located in southern Brazil, which has 4,000 employees and 400 cost centers distributed in eight manufacturing plants, we obtained evidence concerning the propositions that contingency factors influence the development of the company, therefore, define, and characterize the budgeting system, the typology, components and reasons for use. From the triangulation of interviews, document analysis, questionnaires and observation, we can observe that the environment was the main agent in the evolution of the company, forcing the company to redirect through a strategic renewal, guided by an outside consultant. After implementing the strategic renewal, the company obtained an increase in revenue, number of stores and production volume. These improvements were marked in budget practice changes, turning to the approach zero-based and middle-up guidance. To the reasons for use were incorporated the strategy formation, besides operational planning and performance evaluation