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Visualising gas heating from an RF plasma loudspeaker
In an electro-acoustic transduction mechanism, an ac modulation (here in the audio frequency range) of the electric field in an atmospheric pressure air plasma gives rise to a rapid increase in the gas temperature and dimensions of the gas volume. As in natural lightning, the rapid expansion in the ionised column though the air produces external pressure variations at the modulation frequency.
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Spatial and temporal measurement of the gas temperature can identify the nature of the thermal expansion and provide a direct approach to understanding its relationship to the sound pressure wave that is generated. However, the established method through spectroscopic measurement of rotational line emission from nitrogen molecules is limited to the main current channel where relaxation and subsequent optical emission of the excited nitrogen molecules occurs. The wider picture is revealed through the use of the Schlieren method where the refractive index gradients caused by gas heating in the plasma are imaged
Extending Feynman's Formalisms for Modelling Human Joint Action Coordination
The recently developed Life-Space-Foam approach to goal-directed human action
deals with individual actor dynamics. This paper applies the model to
characterize the dynamics of co-action by two or more actors. This dynamics is
modelled by: (i) a two-term joint action (including cognitive/motivatonal
potential and kinetic energy), and (ii) its associated adaptive path integral,
representing an infinite--dimensional neural network. Its feedback adaptation
loop has been derived from Bernstein's concepts of sensory corrections loop in
human motor control and Brooks' subsumption architectures in robotics.
Potential applications of the proposed model in human--robot interaction
research are discussed.
Keywords: Psycho--physics, human joint action, path integralsComment: 6 pages, Late
Modelling the hepatitis B vaccination programme in prisons
A vaccination programme offering hepatitis B (HBV) vaccine at reception into prison has been introduced into selected prisons in England and Wales. Over the coming years it is anticipated this vaccination programme will be extended. A model has been developed to assess the potential impact of the programme on the vaccination coverage of prisoners, ex-prisoners, and injecting drug users (IDUs). Under a range of coverage scenarios, the model predicts the change over time in the vaccination status of new entrants to prison, current prisoners and IDUs in the community. The model predicts that at baseline in 2012 57% of the IDU population will be vaccinated with up to 72% being vaccinated depending on the vaccination scenario implemented. These results are sensitive to the size of the IDU population in England and Wales and the average time served by an IDU during each prison visit. IDUs that do not receive HBV vaccine in the community are at increased risk from HBV infection. The HBV vaccination programme in prisons is an effective way of vaccinating this hard-to-reach population although vaccination coverage on prison reception must be increased to achieve this
Prediction with Expert Advice under Discounted Loss
We study prediction with expert advice in the setting where the losses are
accumulated with some discounting---the impact of old losses may gradually
vanish. We generalize the Aggregating Algorithm and the Aggregating Algorithm
for Regression to this case, propose a suitable new variant of exponential
weights algorithm, and prove respective loss bounds.Comment: 26 pages; expanded (2 remarks -> theorems), some misprints correcte
Toward Interpretable Deep Reinforcement Learning with Linear Model U-Trees
Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has achieved impressive success in many
applications. A key component of many DRL models is a neural network
representing a Q function, to estimate the expected cumulative reward following
a state-action pair. The Q function neural network contains a lot of implicit
knowledge about the RL problems, but often remains unexamined and
uninterpreted. To our knowledge, this work develops the first mimic learning
framework for Q functions in DRL. We introduce Linear Model U-trees (LMUTs) to
approximate neural network predictions. An LMUT is learned using a novel
on-line algorithm that is well-suited for an active play setting, where the
mimic learner observes an ongoing interaction between the neural net and the
environment. Empirical evaluation shows that an LMUT mimics a Q function
substantially better than five baseline methods. The transparent tree structure
of an LMUT facilitates understanding the network's learned knowledge by
analyzing feature influence, extracting rules, and highlighting the
super-pixels in image inputs.Comment: This paper is accepted by ECML-PKDD 201
Self-Modification of Policy and Utility Function in Rational Agents
Any agent that is part of the environment it interacts with and has versatile
actuators (such as arms and fingers), will in principle have the ability to
self-modify -- for example by changing its own source code. As we continue to
create more and more intelligent agents, chances increase that they will learn
about this ability. The question is: will they want to use it? For example,
highly intelligent systems may find ways to change their goals to something
more easily achievable, thereby `escaping' the control of their designers. In
an important paper, Omohundro (2008) argued that goal preservation is a
fundamental drive of any intelligent system, since a goal is more likely to be
achieved if future versions of the agent strive towards the same goal. In this
paper, we formalise this argument in general reinforcement learning, and
explore situations where it fails. Our conclusion is that the self-modification
possibility is harmless if and only if the value function of the agent
anticipates the consequences of self-modifications and use the current utility
function when evaluating the future.Comment: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) 201
Information theoretic approach to interactive learning
The principles of statistical mechanics and information theory play an
important role in learning and have inspired both theory and the design of
numerous machine learning algorithms. The new aspect in this paper is a focus
on integrating feedback from the learner. A quantitative approach to
interactive learning and adaptive behavior is proposed, integrating model- and
decision-making into one theoretical framework. This paper follows simple
principles by requiring that the observer's world model and action policy
should result in maximal predictive power at minimal complexity. Classes of
optimal action policies and of optimal models are derived from an objective
function that reflects this trade-off between prediction and complexity. The
resulting optimal models then summarize, at different levels of abstraction,
the process's causal organization in the presence of the learner's actions. A
fundamental consequence of the proposed principle is that the learner's optimal
action policies balance exploration and control as an emerging property.
Interestingly, the explorative component is present in the absence of policy
randomness, i.e. in the optimal deterministic behavior. This is a direct result
of requiring maximal predictive power in the presence of feedback.Comment: 6 page
Power Law Scaling for a System of Interacting Units with Complex Internal Structure
We study the dynamics of a system composed of interacting units each with a
complex internal structure comprising many subunits. We consider the case in
which each subunit grows in a multiplicative manner. We propose a model for
such systems in which the interaction among the units is treated in a mean
field approximation and the interaction among subunits is nonlinear. To test
the model, we identify a large data base spanning 20 years, and find that the
model correctly predicts a variety of empirical results.Comment: 4 pages with 4 postscript figures (uses Revtex 3.1, Latex2e,
multicol.sty, epsf.sty and rotate.sty). Submitted to PR
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