Planning with Information-Processing Constraints and Model Uncertainty in Markov Decision Processes

Information-theoretic principles for learning and acting have been proposed to solve particular classes of Markov Decision Problems. Mathematically, such approaches are governed by a variational free energy principle and allow solving MDP planning problems with information-processing constraints expressed in terms of a Kullback-Leibler divergence with respect to a reference distribution. Here we consider a generalization of such MDP planners by taking model uncertainty into account. As model uncertainty can also be formalized as an information-processing constraint, we can derive a unified solution from a single generalized variational principle. We provide a generalized value iteration scheme together with a convergence proof. As limit cases, this generalized scheme includes standard value iteration with a known model, Bayesian MDP planning, and robust planning. We demonstrate the benefits of this approach in a grid world simulation.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Natural History in Mexican Trades Magazines, 1840-1855

La Historia natural fue una disciplina científica cuya vertiente divulgativa tuvo un espacio importante en varias revistas de México destinadas a los grupos de artesanos del país que se publicaron en los años 1840-1855. Los escritos de esta ciencia en las páginas de dichas publicaciones periódicas constituyó uno de los probables recursos que estos lectores tuvieron para instruirse informalmente en cuestiones científicas aplicadas a su vida laboral en términos botánicos, zoológicos y mineralógicos. La lectura de los escritos naturalistas tuvo entre uno de sus fines el aprovechamiento racional y pragmático de los recursos naturales del país con fines artesanales. El periodo de estudio se caracteriza por abarcar los años previos a la fundación de la Escuela de Artes y Oficios (1856) en la ciudad de México. Los escritos de las revistas para artesanos incidieron en que en dicho establecimiento educativo se impartieran formalmente y por primera vez las cátedras científicas y técnicas que requerían los jóvenes alumnos provenientes de los gremios de artesanos de varias regiones de la república.The educational aspect of Natural History, as a scientific discipline, occupied an important place in various Mexican magazines intended for artisan groups, published in the years 1840-1855. The scientific articles in these magazines were one of the available resources for these readers to educate themselves informally in sciences which could be applied to their work, such as Botany, Zoology and Mineralogy. The reading of the naturalists’ works had, among its aims, a rational and pragmatic use of the natural resources of the country for artisans’ needs. The study period covers the years before the founding of the Escuela de Artes y Oficios (1856) in Mexico City. The articles in these trades magazines had an impact on this educational institution, as the scientific and technical subjects needed by young students from the craftsmen’s guilds of the various regions of the republic, were taught formally for the first time

Transforming teacher perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse families through critical reflection

Doctor of EducationCurriculum and Instruction ProgramsSocorro G HerreraPublic schools are continuously looking for ways to meet their goal of engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families to increase the academic achievement of students. Teachers’ assumptions and biases towards CLD families are often influenced by their own perspectives and epistemologies. These qualities are often revealed when teachers enroll in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) coursework. In this qualitative study, teachers from a Midwest urban school district enrolled in a federally funded graduate-level TESOL course sequence that focused on transformative learning projects to help them build capacity in teaching their CLD students. During these courses, teachers were given opportunities to use critical reflection as a means to understand the importance of equitable and inclusive learning spaces for their CLD learners. One objective of this project included increasing family engagement opportunities with their CLD families. This qualitative narrative inquiry study focused on the experiences of six white female teachers that engaged in a home visit process with CLD students’ families. Data was collected through student Identity Surveys to provide teachers with opportunities to gain insight about the learners and their family contexts. The teachers conducted the home visit and then wrote extensive narratives in a Reflection Wheel Journal (RWJ) (Herrera & Murry, 2005) in which they critically reflected on their process and their learning. The researcher collected data from the surveys, journals and semi-structured teacher interviews about the home visit process. The results of this study provide insight into what teachers learned from CLD families and how their previously held perceptions about their students and families changed over time. The study found that when In-Service teachers utilized the lens of Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth (2005, 2013) framework, to understand their assumptions and the new knowledge they learned with the families, their narratives revealed elements of teacher transformation. The themes that emerged from the teachers were recognizing their own biases and discomfort due to prior socialization patterns, while they also affirmed the value of cultural and linguistic capital of their students. Recommendations discussed include actively investigating the Yosso’s notion of Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) of their CLD families, intentionally including critical reflection in teaching practices, developing a school culture that supports CLD families, and incorporating CCW as part of pre-service teacher licensure

The Associanism and the National Museum of Mexico´s Directive Board, 1830-1840

La Junta Directiva del Museo Nacional y el Jardín Botánico fue una asociación culta que fomentó el desarrollo de ambas instituciones científicas de la ciudad de México en la década de 1830. Particularmente, este cuerpo letrado se interesó en consolidar al Gabinete de Historia natural perteneciente al museo, como escaparate de los recursos naturales del país. Asimismo, fue partícipe de la organización, administración y reglamentación del museo, y se preocupó por que éste consiguiera una sede propia.The Board of the National Museum and the Botanical Garden was an illustrated association that promoted the development of both scientific institutions of Mexico City in the 1830s. This Board was interested in consolidate the Cabinet of Natural history belonging to the museum, as a showcase for the country's natural resources. The Board was also a participant in the organization, administration and regulation of the museum, and was interested in it got its own building.Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México IN 30381

Los establecimientos científicos de la ciudad de México vistos por viajeros, 1821-1855

Los distintos diarios y memorias de viajeros que recorrieron la ciudad de México durante la primera mitad del siglo XIX, 1821-1855, son una valiosa fuente para la historia de la práctica científica en los primeros años de vida del México independiente. ElThe different diaries and memories of travelers who visited the city of Mexico during first half of century XIX, 1821-1855, are a valuable source for the history of the scientific practice in the first years of life of independent Mexico. The developmen

THE SEARCH FOR GENUINE SELF IN THE CARIBBEAN CULTURAL HORIZON AND MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATION

De maneira geral, os povos que dão forma ao México e à América Central são imaginativos e profundamente místicos. Estudar a fundo o caminho dos artistas pré-colombianos que habitavam esses territórios faz muito sentido hoje em dia, não só porque nos permite esclarecer algumas das vertentes mais  antigas  do  referidos   componentes, mas também porque sua compreensão pertinente supõe um desafio epistêmico complexo que demanda esquemas flexíveis bem assentados, o concurso de diversas disciplinas e uma abordagem holística sui generis dos fenômenos históricos. Naquela civilização, o caminho do artista genuíno era um processo penoso, longo e com características iniciáticas. O indivíduo passava por múltiplos umbrais/degraus antes de metamorfosear-se em artista verdadeiro. Aquele que dialogava com Deus e com seu  próprio  coração  até  converter-se  em  mago, em xamã, um ser  com  poder  suficiente  para  transmutar  a  palavra ou a matéria. Este legado complementa de modo inegável a riqueza cultural do universo caribenho, cujo passado remoto recebeu não só    a influência e as contribuições de grupos nômades como os tainos e   os caribes, ou as migrações de navegantes e guerreiros provenientes do sudoeste (margens do rio Orinoco), mas também do estabelecimento de portos e cidades insulares y continentais ao longo do poente caribenho (principalmente no México, Belize, Guatemala e Honduras), que fomentaram a navegação, o comércio e o contato humano desde antes da era cristã. Lugares cuja pulsão, presença e grandiosidade artística se explicam precisamente por esses fundamentos místico- estéticos. Uma profusão e diversidade de objetos culturais e vestígios arquitetônicos esplêndidos (entre outros Tulum, Xel-Há, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres,   Xcaret,  Xcalak,  Cerros,  Laguna  de  On, Ka’k’Naab, Naj, Tunich, Alta Verapaz, Quiriguá, Copán), comprovam esta outra linhagem do passado remoto do Caribe, que liga seus nutrientes com duas culturas impregnadas por aquele patrimônio estético, os maias e os nahuas. Uma dimensão que nos permite entrever ao mesmo tempo o peso e a importância que poderia chegar a representar o Caribe para a própria civilização originária da Mesoamérica. Palavras-chave: Misticismo. Verdadero Artista. Proceso iniciático. Transformación spiritual. Flor y canto Resumen En general, los pueblos que conforman a México y a Centroamérica son imaginativos y profundamente místicos. Estudiar a fondo el camino de los artistas precolombinos que habitaban su territorio resulta significativo hoy día no sólo porque nos permite esclarecer algunas   de las vertientes más antiguas de dichos componentes, sino porque    su comprensión pertinente, entraña un reto epistémico complejo que demanda esquemas flexibles bien cimentados, el concurso de diversas disciplinas y un acercamiento holístico sui generis a fenómenos históricos. El camino del artista genuino era entonces un proceso arduo, largo y de tintes iniciáticos. Atravesaba umbrales/peldaños múltiples antes de metamorfosearse en artista verdadero. Aquél que dialogaba con Dios y con su propio corazón hasta convertirse en mago, en chamán, en un ser con suficiente poder para transmutar la palabra o la materia. Este legado resulta innegable para complementar la riqueza cultural del universo caribeño, cuyo pasado remoto recibió no sólo el influjo    y las aportaciones de grupos móviles como los taínes, los caribes o  las migraciones de navegantes y guerreros provenientes del sudeste (esto es, de las márgenes del río Orinoco), sino del establecimiento de puertos y ciudades insulares y continentales a todo lo largo del poniente caribeño (principalmente de México, Belice, Guatemala y Honduras), que fomentaron la navegación, el comercio y el contacto humano desde antes de la era cristiana. Sitios, cuya pulsión, presencia y grandeza artística se explican precisamente por esa cimentación místico- estética. Una profusión y diversidad de objetos culturales y vestigios arquitectónicos espléndidos (entre otros, Tulum, Xel-Há, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres,  Xcaret, Xcalak, Cerros, Laguna de On,  Ka’k’Naab,  Naj, Tunich, Alta Verapaz, Quiriguá, Copán), que comprueba la otra raigambre del pasado remoto del Caribe al ligar sus nutrientes con dos de las culturas que abrevan de esa herencia estética, los mayas y los nahuas. Una dimensión que nos permite entrever a su vez el peso y la importancia que podría llegar a representar el Caribe para la propia civilización originaria de Mesoamérica. Palabras claves: Misticismo. Verdadero artista. Proceso iniciático. Transformación spiritual. Flor y canto Abstract In general, Mexican and Central American peoples are deeply mystical. To study in depth the path of its pre-Columbian artists is significant not only because it allows us to clarify some of the earliest underpinnings of such mysticism, but because it demands also an epistemological complex challenge requiring flexible schemes firmly established, the meeting of various disciplines and an holistic special approach to historical phenomena. The way of the true artist was then a hard and long process, with dyes of an initiatic process. He ought to walk an extended distance in order to developing into an exceptional being that combined awareness of the Master, the world, nature and knowledge itself.  Someone, who deals with and learn to discuss the legacy of   the past, of his congeners and of things. Someone who goes through many thresholds / steps before metamorphosing into a genuine artist. One, capable of dialoguing with God and his own heart to become a magician, a shaman, a being powerful enough to transmute the word  or matter. This legacy is undeniable to complement the Caribbean’s cultural wealth, whose distant past received not only the influence   and contributions of mobile groups such as Taínes, the Caribes and  the movement of navigators and warriors from the southeast (that is, from Orinoco’s riverbank), but the establishment of ports and insular and mainland cities throughout the Caribbean West (mainly Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras), which allowed navigation, trade and human contact before the Christian era. Sites, whose drive and artistic greatness is explained precisely for such mystical-aesthetic foundation. A profusion and diversity of cultural objects and splendid architectural remains (among others, Tulum, Xel-Há, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Xcaret, Xcalak, Hills, Laguna de On, Ka’k’Naab, Naj Tunich, Alta Verapaz, Quirigua or Copan), which show the other root of the Caribbean distant past which links their nutrients to two cultures that drink from this aesthetic heritage: the Mayan and Nahuatl. A dimension that allows  us to glimpse the weight and importance that could eventually have the Caribbean itself for the Mesoamerican native civilization. Keywords: Mysticism. True artist. Rite of passage. Spiritual transformation. Flower and son