244 research outputs found
Learning Symbolic Operators for Task and Motion Planning
Robotic planning problems in hybrid state and action spaces can be solved by
integrated task and motion planners (TAMP) that handle the complex interaction
between motion-level decisions and task-level plan feasibility. TAMP approaches
rely on domain-specific symbolic operators to guide the task-level search,
making planning efficient. In this work, we formalize and study the problem of
operator learning for TAMP. Central to this study is the view that operators
define a lossy abstraction of the transition model of a domain. We then propose
a bottom-up relational learning method for operator learning and show how the
learned operators can be used for planning in a TAMP system. Experimentally, we
provide results in three domains, including long-horizon robotic planning
tasks. We find our approach to substantially outperform several baselines,
including three graph neural network-based model-free approaches from the
recent literature. Video: https://youtu.be/iVfpX9BpBRo Code:
https://git.io/JCT0gComment: IROS 202
GLIB: Efficient Exploration for Relational Model-Based Reinforcement Learning via Goal-Literal Babbling
We address the problem of efficient exploration for transition model learning
in the relational model-based reinforcement learning setting without extrinsic
goals or rewards. Inspired by human curiosity, we propose goal-literal babbling
(GLIB), a simple and general method for exploration in such problems. GLIB
samples relational conjunctive goals that can be understood as specific,
targeted effects that the agent would like to achieve in the world, and plans
to achieve these goals using the transition model being learned. We provide
theoretical guarantees showing that exploration with GLIB will converge almost
surely to the ground truth model. Experimentally, we find GLIB to strongly
outperform existing methods in both prediction and planning on a range of
tasks, encompassing standard PDDL and PPDDL planning benchmarks and a robotic
manipulation task implemented in the PyBullet physics simulator. Video:
https://youtu.be/F6lmrPT6TOY Code: https://git.io/JIsTBComment: AAAI 202
SPH Simulations of Direct Impact Accretion in the Ultracompact AM CVn Binaries
The ultracompact binary systems V407 Vul (RX J1914.4+2456) and HM Cnc (RX
J0806.3+1527) - a two-member subclass of the AM CVn stars - continue to pique
interest because they defy unambiguous classification. Three proposed models
remain viable at this time, but none of the three is significantly more
compelling than the remaining two, and all three can satisfy the observational
constraints if parameters in the models are tuned. One of the three proposed
models is the direct impact model of Marsh & Steeghs (2002), in which the
accretion stream impacts the surface of a rapidly-rotating primary white dwarf
directly but at a near-glancing angle. One requirement of this model is that
the accretion stream have a high enough density to advect its specific kinetic
energy below the photosphere for progressively more-thermalized emission
downstream, a constraint that requires an accretion spot size of roughly
1.2x10^5 km^2 or smaller. Having at hand a smoothed particle hydrodynamics code
optimized for cataclysmic variable accretion disk simulations, it was
relatively straightforward for us to adapt it to calculate the footprint of the
accretion stream at the nominal radius of the primary white dwarf, and thus to
test this constraint of the direct impact model. We find that the mass flux at
the impact spot can be approximated by a bivariate Gaussian with standard
deviation \sigma_{\phi} = 164 km in the orbital plane and \sigma_{\theta} = 23
km in the perpendicular direction. The area of the the 2\sigma ellipse into
which 86% of the mass flux occurs is roughly 47,400 km^2, or roughly half the
size estimated by Marsh & Steeghs (2002). We discuss the necessary parameters
of a simple model of the luminosity distribution in the post-impact emission
region.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
Self correction of refractive error among young people in rural China: results of cross sectional investigation
Objective To compare outcomes between adjustable spectacles and conventional methods for refraction in young people
Perspective and Costing in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, 1974-2018
OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine perspective and costing approaches used in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) and the distribution of reported incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). METHODS: We analyzed the Tufts Medical Center's CEA and Global Health CEA registries, containing 6907 cost-per-quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) and 698 cost-per-disability-adjusted-life-year (DALY) studies published through 2018. We examined how often published CEAs included non-health consequences and their impact on ICERs. We also reviewed 45 country-specific guidelines to examine recommended analytic perspectives. RESULTS: Study authors often mis-specified or did not clearly state the perspective used. After re-classification by registry reviewers, a healthcare sector or payer perspective was most prevalent (74%). CEAs rarely included unrelated medical costs and impacts on non-healthcare sectors. The most common non-health consequence included was productivity loss in the cost-per-QALY studies (12%) and patient transportation in the cost-per-DALY studies (21%). Of 19,946 cost-per-QALY ratios, the median ICER was US430/DALY (IQR 67-3400), and 8% were cost saving and DALY averting. Based on 16 cost-per-QALY studies (2017-2018) reporting 68 ICERs from both the healthcare sector and societal perspectives, the median ICER from a societal perspective (US30,402/QALY [IQR 10,486-77,179]). Most governmental guidelines (67%) recommended either a healthcare sector or a payer perspective. CONCLUSION: Researchers should justify and be transparent about their choice of perspective and costing approaches. The use of the impact inventory and reporting of disaggregate outcomes can reduce inconsistencies and confusion
Correction to : Perspective and Costing in Cost‑Effectiveness Analysis, 1974-2018
The article Perspective and Costing in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Complete Genome Sequence of Geobacter sp. Strain FeAm09, a Moderately Acidophilic Soil Bacterium
A moderately acidophilic Geobacter sp. strain, FeAm09, was isolated from forest soil. The complete genome sequence is 4,099,068 bp with an average GC content of 61.1%. No plasmids were detected. The genome contains a total of 3,843 genes and 3,608 protein-coding genes, including genes supporting iron and nitrogen biogeochemical cycling
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