CLIC: Curriculum Learning and Imitation for object Control in non-rewarding environments

In this paper we study a new reinforcement learning setting where the environment is non-rewarding, contains several possibly related objects of various controllability, and where an apt agent Bob acts independently, with non-observable intentions. We argue that this setting defines a realistic scenario and we present a generic discrete-state discrete-action model of such environments. To learn in this environment, we propose an unsupervised reinforcement learning agent called CLIC for Curriculum Learning and Imitation for Control. CLIC learns to control individual objects in its environment, and imitates Bob's interactions with these objects. It selects objects to focus on when training and imitating by maximizing its learning progress. We show that CLIC is an effective baseline in our new setting. It can effectively observe Bob to gain control of objects faster, even if Bob is not explicitly teaching. It can also follow Bob when he acts as a mentor and provides ordered demonstrations. Finally, when Bob controls objects that the agent cannot, or in presence of a hierarchy between objects in the environment, we show that CLIC ignores non-reproducible and already mastered interactions with objects, resulting in a greater benefit from imitation

Detecting Changes in a Distillation Column by Using a Sequential Probability Ratio Test

AbstractIn chemical plants, a reliable detection of anomalies is important for a safe operation. To this end, a fault detection (FD) method of abnormal operations applicable to a chemical process is presented in this paper. This method couples an Artificial Neural Network-Multi-Layer Perceptron (ANN-MLP) with a statistical module based on the sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) of Wald, for the analysis of the process residuals. To detect a change, this combination uses the mean and the standard deviation of the residual noise obtained from applying a NARX (Nonlinear Auto-Regressive with eXogenous input) model. The FD effectiveness is tested under real abnormal circumstances on a real plant as a distillation column. The experimental results obtained show the relevance of this method for the fast detection and the monitoring of this chemical process

CURIOUS: Intrinsically Motivated Modular Multi-Goal Reinforcement Learning

In open-ended environments, autonomous learning agents must set their own goals and build their own curriculum through an intrinsically motivated exploration. They may consider a large diversity of goals, aiming to discover what is controllable in their environments, and what is not. Because some goals might prove easy and some impossible, agents must actively select which goal to practice at any moment, to maximize their overall mastery on the set of learnable goals. This paper proposes CURIOUS, an algorithm that leverages 1) a modular Universal Value Function Approximator with hindsight learning to achieve a diversity of goals of different kinds within a unique policy and 2) an automated curriculum learning mechanism that biases the attention of the agent towards goals maximizing the absolute learning progress. Agents focus sequentially on goals of increasing complexity, and focus back on goals that are being forgotten. Experiments conducted in a new modular-goal robotic environment show the resulting developmental self-organization of a learning curriculum, and demonstrate properties of robustness to distracting goals, forgetting and changes in body properties.Comment: Accepted at ICML 201

L’influence De La Professionnalisation De La GRH Sur La Valorisation Du Métier De L’enseignant- Chercheur : Le Rôle De L’approche Compétence, Cas Des Enseignants Des Grandes Écoles Revue De Littérature Et Essai De Proposition D’un Cadre Conceptuel

Teaching in universities is currently the main subject of this study, whereby the notions of professionalization and academic pedagogy is considered. The desire to promote the profession of university professor is remarkable as it comes against logics of recognition that are not very compatible. For this reason, particular attention must be paid to the human resource management policy concerning university professors in all aspects of their professional life: their careers, their training needs, their working conditions, and so on. It must also be thought out and focused on results and competitiveness, particularly with regard to the attractiveness and management of positions. This is with a view to ensure better professionalization of the public it trains. The originality of this paper lies in proposing a conceptual framework of reflection and analysis. It aims to understand to what extent the valorization of the profession depends on the professionalization of the HR practices through the setting up of a true competency approach. This approach aims at defining the skills profile of the Moroccan university professors who will serve to better guide and professionalize human resources management activities. Also, the study aims to replace pedagogy as the fundamental competence of the profile of university professor at the heart of the teaching-learning processes of the Moroccan higher education schools

Path integral of the hydrogen atom, the Jacobi's principle of least action and one-dimensional quantum gravity

A path integral evaluation of the Green's function for the hydrogen atom initiated by Duru and Kleinert is studied by recognizing it as a special case of the general treatment of the separable Hamiltonian of Liouville-type. The basic dynamical principle involved is identified as the Jacobi's principle of least action for given energy which is reparametrization invariant, and thus the appearance of a gauge freedom is naturally understood. The separation of variables in operator formalism corresponds to a choice of gauge in path integral, and the Green's function is shown to be gauge independent if the operator ordering is properly taken into account. Unlike the conventional Feynman path integral,which deals with a space-time picture of particle motion, the path integral on the basis of the Jacobi's principle sums over orbits in space. We illustrate these properties by evaluating an exact path integral of the Green's function for the hydrogen atom in parabolic coordinates, and thus avoiding the use of the Kustaanheimo-Stiefel transformation. In the present formulation , the Hamiltonian for Stark effect is converted to the one for anharmonic oscillators with an unstable quartic coupling. We also study the hydrogen atom path integral from a view point of one-dimensional quantum gravity coupled to matter fields representing the electron coordinates. A simple BRST analysis of the problem with an evaluation of Weyl anomaly is presented .Comment: 29pages. Manuscript has been substantially modified and extended , to emphasize the gauge theoretical aspects of the problem. The title itself has been changed accordingl