Learning Representation and Control in Markov Decision Processes

Learning Representation and Control in Markov Decision Processes

Author: Sridhar Mahadevan

Publisher: Now Publishers Inc

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 1601982380

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Provides a comprehensive survey of techniques to automatically construct basis functions or features for value function approximation in Markov decision processes and reinforcement learning.


Book Synopsis Learning Representation and Control in Markov Decision Processes by : Sridhar Mahadevan

Download or read book Learning Representation and Control in Markov Decision Processes written by Sridhar Mahadevan and published by Now Publishers Inc. This book was released on 2009 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a comprehensive survey of techniques to automatically construct basis functions or features for value function approximation in Markov decision processes and reinforcement learning.


Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement Learning

Author: Marco Wiering

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-03-05

Total Pages: 653

ISBN-13: 3642276458

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Reinforcement learning encompasses both a science of adaptive behavior of rational beings in uncertain environments and a computational methodology for finding optimal behaviors for challenging problems in control, optimization and adaptive behavior of intelligent agents. As a field, reinforcement learning has progressed tremendously in the past decade. The main goal of this book is to present an up-to-date series of survey articles on the main contemporary sub-fields of reinforcement learning. This includes surveys on partially observable environments, hierarchical task decompositions, relational knowledge representation and predictive state representations. Furthermore, topics such as transfer, evolutionary methods and continuous spaces in reinforcement learning are surveyed. In addition, several chapters review reinforcement learning methods in robotics, in games, and in computational neuroscience. In total seventeen different subfields are presented by mostly young experts in those areas, and together they truly represent a state-of-the-art of current reinforcement learning research. Marco Wiering works at the artificial intelligence department of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He has published extensively on various reinforcement learning topics. Martijn van Otterlo works in the cognitive artificial intelligence group at the Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands. He has mainly focused on expressive knowledge representation in reinforcement learning settings.


Book Synopsis Reinforcement Learning by : Marco Wiering

Download or read book Reinforcement Learning written by Marco Wiering and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-03-05 with total page 653 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reinforcement learning encompasses both a science of adaptive behavior of rational beings in uncertain environments and a computational methodology for finding optimal behaviors for challenging problems in control, optimization and adaptive behavior of intelligent agents. As a field, reinforcement learning has progressed tremendously in the past decade. The main goal of this book is to present an up-to-date series of survey articles on the main contemporary sub-fields of reinforcement learning. This includes surveys on partially observable environments, hierarchical task decompositions, relational knowledge representation and predictive state representations. Furthermore, topics such as transfer, evolutionary methods and continuous spaces in reinforcement learning are surveyed. In addition, several chapters review reinforcement learning methods in robotics, in games, and in computational neuroscience. In total seventeen different subfields are presented by mostly young experts in those areas, and together they truly represent a state-of-the-art of current reinforcement learning research. Marco Wiering works at the artificial intelligence department of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He has published extensively on various reinforcement learning topics. Martijn van Otterlo works in the cognitive artificial intelligence group at the Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands. He has mainly focused on expressive knowledge representation in reinforcement learning settings.


Stochastic Model Checking

Stochastic Model Checking

Author: Anne Remke

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-11-03

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 3662454890

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The use of stochastic models in computer science is wide spread, for instance in performance modeling, analysis of randomized algorithms and communication protocols which form the structure of the Internet. Stochastic model checking is an important field in stochastic analysis. It has rapidly gained popularity, due to its powerful and systematic methods to model and analyze stochastic systems. This book presents 7 tutorial lectures given by leading scientists at the ROCKS Autumn School on Stochastic Model Checking, held in Vahrn, Italy, in October 2012. The 7 chapters of this tutorial went through two rounds of reviewing and improvement and are summarizing the state-of-the-art in the field, centered around the tree areas of stochastic models, abstraction techniques and stochastic model checking.


Book Synopsis Stochastic Model Checking by : Anne Remke

Download or read book Stochastic Model Checking written by Anne Remke and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-03 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The use of stochastic models in computer science is wide spread, for instance in performance modeling, analysis of randomized algorithms and communication protocols which form the structure of the Internet. Stochastic model checking is an important field in stochastic analysis. It has rapidly gained popularity, due to its powerful and systematic methods to model and analyze stochastic systems. This book presents 7 tutorial lectures given by leading scientists at the ROCKS Autumn School on Stochastic Model Checking, held in Vahrn, Italy, in October 2012. The 7 chapters of this tutorial went through two rounds of reviewing and improvement and are summarizing the state-of-the-art in the field, centered around the tree areas of stochastic models, abstraction techniques and stochastic model checking.


Adaptive Representations for Reinforcement Learning

Adaptive Representations for Reinforcement Learning

Author: Simon Whiteson

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2010-10-05

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 3642139310

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book presents new algorithms for reinforcement learning, a form of machine learning in which an autonomous agent seeks a control policy for a sequential decision task. Since current methods typically rely on manually designed solution representations, agents that automatically adapt their own representations have the potential to dramatically improve performance. This book introduces two novel approaches for automatically discovering high-performing representations. The first approach synthesizes temporal difference methods, the traditional approach to reinforcement learning, with evolutionary methods, which can learn representations for a broad class of optimization problems. This synthesis is accomplished by customizing evolutionary methods to the on-line nature of reinforcement learning and using them to evolve representations for value function approximators. The second approach automatically learns representations based on piecewise-constant approximations of value functions. It begins with coarse representations and gradually refines them during learning, analyzing the current policy and value function to deduce the best refinements. This book also introduces a novel method for devising input representations. This method addresses the feature selection problem by extending an algorithm that evolves the topology and weights of neural networks such that it evolves their inputs too. In addition to introducing these new methods, this book presents extensive empirical results in multiple domains demonstrating that these techniques can substantially improve performance over methods with manual representations.


Book Synopsis Adaptive Representations for Reinforcement Learning by : Simon Whiteson

Download or read book Adaptive Representations for Reinforcement Learning written by Simon Whiteson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-10-05 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents new algorithms for reinforcement learning, a form of machine learning in which an autonomous agent seeks a control policy for a sequential decision task. Since current methods typically rely on manually designed solution representations, agents that automatically adapt their own representations have the potential to dramatically improve performance. This book introduces two novel approaches for automatically discovering high-performing representations. The first approach synthesizes temporal difference methods, the traditional approach to reinforcement learning, with evolutionary methods, which can learn representations for a broad class of optimization problems. This synthesis is accomplished by customizing evolutionary methods to the on-line nature of reinforcement learning and using them to evolve representations for value function approximators. The second approach automatically learns representations based on piecewise-constant approximations of value functions. It begins with coarse representations and gradually refines them during learning, analyzing the current policy and value function to deduce the best refinements. This book also introduces a novel method for devising input representations. This method addresses the feature selection problem by extending an algorithm that evolves the topology and weights of neural networks such that it evolves their inputs too. In addition to introducing these new methods, this book presents extensive empirical results in multiple domains demonstrating that these techniques can substantially improve performance over methods with manual representations.


Reinforcement Learning, second edition

Reinforcement Learning, second edition

Author: Richard S. Sutton

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2018-11-13

Total Pages: 549

ISBN-13: 0262352702

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The significantly expanded and updated new edition of a widely used text on reinforcement learning, one of the most active research areas in artificial intelligence. Reinforcement learning, one of the most active research areas in artificial intelligence, is a computational approach to learning whereby an agent tries to maximize the total amount of reward it receives while interacting with a complex, uncertain environment. In Reinforcement Learning, Richard Sutton and Andrew Barto provide a clear and simple account of the field's key ideas and algorithms. This second edition has been significantly expanded and updated, presenting new topics and updating coverage of other topics. Like the first edition, this second edition focuses on core online learning algorithms, with the more mathematical material set off in shaded boxes. Part I covers as much of reinforcement learning as possible without going beyond the tabular case for which exact solutions can be found. Many algorithms presented in this part are new to the second edition, including UCB, Expected Sarsa, and Double Learning. Part II extends these ideas to function approximation, with new sections on such topics as artificial neural networks and the Fourier basis, and offers expanded treatment of off-policy learning and policy-gradient methods. Part III has new chapters on reinforcement learning's relationships to psychology and neuroscience, as well as an updated case-studies chapter including AlphaGo and AlphaGo Zero, Atari game playing, and IBM Watson's wagering strategy. The final chapter discusses the future societal impacts of reinforcement learning.


Book Synopsis Reinforcement Learning, second edition by : Richard S. Sutton

Download or read book Reinforcement Learning, second edition written by Richard S. Sutton and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 549 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The significantly expanded and updated new edition of a widely used text on reinforcement learning, one of the most active research areas in artificial intelligence. Reinforcement learning, one of the most active research areas in artificial intelligence, is a computational approach to learning whereby an agent tries to maximize the total amount of reward it receives while interacting with a complex, uncertain environment. In Reinforcement Learning, Richard Sutton and Andrew Barto provide a clear and simple account of the field's key ideas and algorithms. This second edition has been significantly expanded and updated, presenting new topics and updating coverage of other topics. Like the first edition, this second edition focuses on core online learning algorithms, with the more mathematical material set off in shaded boxes. Part I covers as much of reinforcement learning as possible without going beyond the tabular case for which exact solutions can be found. Many algorithms presented in this part are new to the second edition, including UCB, Expected Sarsa, and Double Learning. Part II extends these ideas to function approximation, with new sections on such topics as artificial neural networks and the Fourier basis, and offers expanded treatment of off-policy learning and policy-gradient methods. Part III has new chapters on reinforcement learning's relationships to psychology and neuroscience, as well as an updated case-studies chapter including AlphaGo and AlphaGo Zero, Atari game playing, and IBM Watson's wagering strategy. The final chapter discusses the future societal impacts of reinforcement learning.


Representation Discovery using Harmonic Analysis

Representation Discovery using Harmonic Analysis

Author: Sridhar Mahadevan

Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers

Published: 2008-07-08

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1598296604

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Representations are at the heart of artificial intelligence (AI). This book is devoted to the problem of representation discovery: how can an intelligent system construct representations from its experience? Representation discovery re-parameterizes the state space - prior to the application of information retrieval, machine learning, or optimization techniques - facilitating later inference processes by constructing new task-specific bases adapted to the state space geometry. This book presents a general approach to representation discovery using the framework of harmonic analysis, in particular Fourier and wavelet analysis. Biometric compression methods, the compact disc, the computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner in medicine, JPEG compression, and spectral analysis of time-series data are among the many applications of classical Fourier and wavelet analysis. A central goal of this book is to show that these analytical tools can be generalized from their usual setting in (infinite-dimensional) Euclidean spaces to discrete (finite-dimensional) spaces typically studied in many subfields of AI. Generalizing harmonic analysis to discrete spaces poses many challenges: a discrete representation of the space must be adaptively acquired; basis functions are not pre-defined, but rather must be constructed. Algorithms for efficiently computing and representing bases require dealing with the curse of dimensionality. However, the benefits can outweigh the costs, since the extracted basis functions outperform parametric bases as they often reflect the irregular shape of a particular state space. Case studies from computer graphics, information retrieval, machine learning, and state space planning are used to illustrate the benefits of the proposed framework, and the challenges that remain to be addressed. Representation discovery is an actively developing field, and the author hopes this book will encourage other researchers to explore this exciting area of research. Table of Contents: Overview / Vector Spaces / Fourier Bases on Graphs / Multiscale Bases on Graphs / Scaling to Large Spaces / Case Study: State-Space Planning / Case Study: Computer Graphics / Case Study: Natural Language / Future Directions


Book Synopsis Representation Discovery using Harmonic Analysis by : Sridhar Mahadevan

Download or read book Representation Discovery using Harmonic Analysis written by Sridhar Mahadevan and published by Morgan & Claypool Publishers. This book was released on 2008-07-08 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Representations are at the heart of artificial intelligence (AI). This book is devoted to the problem of representation discovery: how can an intelligent system construct representations from its experience? Representation discovery re-parameterizes the state space - prior to the application of information retrieval, machine learning, or optimization techniques - facilitating later inference processes by constructing new task-specific bases adapted to the state space geometry. This book presents a general approach to representation discovery using the framework of harmonic analysis, in particular Fourier and wavelet analysis. Biometric compression methods, the compact disc, the computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner in medicine, JPEG compression, and spectral analysis of time-series data are among the many applications of classical Fourier and wavelet analysis. A central goal of this book is to show that these analytical tools can be generalized from their usual setting in (infinite-dimensional) Euclidean spaces to discrete (finite-dimensional) spaces typically studied in many subfields of AI. Generalizing harmonic analysis to discrete spaces poses many challenges: a discrete representation of the space must be adaptively acquired; basis functions are not pre-defined, but rather must be constructed. Algorithms for efficiently computing and representing bases require dealing with the curse of dimensionality. However, the benefits can outweigh the costs, since the extracted basis functions outperform parametric bases as they often reflect the irregular shape of a particular state space. Case studies from computer graphics, information retrieval, machine learning, and state space planning are used to illustrate the benefits of the proposed framework, and the challenges that remain to be addressed. Representation discovery is an actively developing field, and the author hopes this book will encourage other researchers to explore this exciting area of research. Table of Contents: Overview / Vector Spaces / Fourier Bases on Graphs / Multiscale Bases on Graphs / Scaling to Large Spaces / Case Study: State-Space Planning / Case Study: Computer Graphics / Case Study: Natural Language / Future Directions


Handbook of Simulation Optimization

Handbook of Simulation Optimization

Author: Michael C Fu

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-11-13

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1493913840

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Handbook of Simulation Optimization presents an overview of the state of the art of simulation optimization, providing a survey of the most well-established approaches for optimizing stochastic simulation models and a sampling of recent research advances in theory and methodology. Leading contributors cover such topics as discrete optimization via simulation, ranking and selection, efficient simulation budget allocation, random search methods, response surface methodology, stochastic gradient estimation, stochastic approximation, sample average approximation, stochastic constraints, variance reduction techniques, model-based stochastic search methods and Markov decision processes. This single volume should serve as a reference for those already in the field and as a means for those new to the field for understanding and applying the main approaches. The intended audience includes researchers, practitioners and graduate students in the business/engineering fields of operations research, management science, operations management and stochastic control, as well as in economics/finance and computer science.


Book Synopsis Handbook of Simulation Optimization by : Michael C Fu

Download or read book Handbook of Simulation Optimization written by Michael C Fu and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-13 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of Simulation Optimization presents an overview of the state of the art of simulation optimization, providing a survey of the most well-established approaches for optimizing stochastic simulation models and a sampling of recent research advances in theory and methodology. Leading contributors cover such topics as discrete optimization via simulation, ranking and selection, efficient simulation budget allocation, random search methods, response surface methodology, stochastic gradient estimation, stochastic approximation, sample average approximation, stochastic constraints, variance reduction techniques, model-based stochastic search methods and Markov decision processes. This single volume should serve as a reference for those already in the field and as a means for those new to the field for understanding and applying the main approaches. The intended audience includes researchers, practitioners and graduate students in the business/engineering fields of operations research, management science, operations management and stochastic control, as well as in economics/finance and computer science.


Artificial Intelligence XXXV

Artificial Intelligence XXXV

Author: Max Bramer

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-11-27

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 3030041913

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 38th SGAI International Conference on Innovative Techniques and Applications of Artificial Intelligence, AI 2018, held in Cambridge, UK, in December 2018. The 25 full papers and 12 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 46 submissions. There are technical and application papers which were organized in topical sections named: Neural Networks; Planning and Scheduling; Machine Learning; Industrial Applications of Artificial Intelligence; Planning and Scheduling in Action; Machine Learning in Action; Applications of Machine Learning; and Applications of Agent Systems and Genetic Algorithms.


Book Synopsis Artificial Intelligence XXXV by : Max Bramer

Download or read book Artificial Intelligence XXXV written by Max Bramer and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-11-27 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the proceedings of the 38th SGAI International Conference on Innovative Techniques and Applications of Artificial Intelligence, AI 2018, held in Cambridge, UK, in December 2018. The 25 full papers and 12 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 46 submissions. There are technical and application papers which were organized in topical sections named: Neural Networks; Planning and Scheduling; Machine Learning; Industrial Applications of Artificial Intelligence; Planning and Scheduling in Action; Machine Learning in Action; Applications of Machine Learning; and Applications of Agent Systems and Genetic Algorithms.


Autonomous Agents

Autonomous Agents

Author: Vedran Kordic

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2010-06-01

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 9533070897

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Multi agent systems involve a team of agents working together socially to accomplish a task. An agent can be social in many ways. One is when an agent helps others in solving complex problems. The field of multi agent systems investigates the process underlying distributed problem solving and designs some protocols and mechanisms involved in this process. This book presents a combination of different research issues which are pursued by researchers in the domain of multi agent systems.


Book Synopsis Autonomous Agents by : Vedran Kordic

Download or read book Autonomous Agents written by Vedran Kordic and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2010-06-01 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Multi agent systems involve a team of agents working together socially to accomplish a task. An agent can be social in many ways. One is when an agent helps others in solving complex problems. The field of multi agent systems investigates the process underlying distributed problem solving and designs some protocols and mechanisms involved in this process. This book presents a combination of different research issues which are pursued by researchers in the domain of multi agent systems.


Reinforcement Learning and Dynamic Programming Using Function Approximators

Reinforcement Learning and Dynamic Programming Using Function Approximators

Author: Lucian Busoniu

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2017-07-28

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1439821097

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From household appliances to applications in robotics, engineered systems involving complex dynamics can only be as effective as the algorithms that control them. While Dynamic Programming (DP) has provided researchers with a way to optimally solve decision and control problems involving complex dynamic systems, its practical value was limited by algorithms that lacked the capacity to scale up to realistic problems. However, in recent years, dramatic developments in Reinforcement Learning (RL), the model-free counterpart of DP, changed our understanding of what is possible. Those developments led to the creation of reliable methods that can be applied even when a mathematical model of the system is unavailable, allowing researchers to solve challenging control problems in engineering, as well as in a variety of other disciplines, including economics, medicine, and artificial intelligence. Reinforcement Learning and Dynamic Programming Using Function Approximators provides a comprehensive and unparalleled exploration of the field of RL and DP. With a focus on continuous-variable problems, this seminal text details essential developments that have substantially altered the field over the past decade. In its pages, pioneering experts provide a concise introduction to classical RL and DP, followed by an extensive presentation of the state-of-the-art and novel methods in RL and DP with approximation. Combining algorithm development with theoretical guarantees, they elaborate on their work with illustrative examples and insightful comparisons. Three individual chapters are dedicated to representative algorithms from each of the major classes of techniques: value iteration, policy iteration, and policy search. The features and performance of these algorithms are highlighted in extensive experimental studies on a range of control applications. The recent development of applications involving complex systems has led to a surge of interest in RL and DP methods and the subsequent need for a quality resource on the subject. For graduate students and others new to the field, this book offers a thorough introduction to both the basics and emerging methods. And for those researchers and practitioners working in the fields of optimal and adaptive control, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and operations research, this resource offers a combination of practical algorithms, theoretical analysis, and comprehensive examples that they will be able to adapt and apply to their own work. Access the authors' website at www.dcsc.tudelft.nl/rlbook/ for additional material, including computer code used in the studies and information concerning new developments.


Book Synopsis Reinforcement Learning and Dynamic Programming Using Function Approximators by : Lucian Busoniu

Download or read book Reinforcement Learning and Dynamic Programming Using Function Approximators written by Lucian Busoniu and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From household appliances to applications in robotics, engineered systems involving complex dynamics can only be as effective as the algorithms that control them. While Dynamic Programming (DP) has provided researchers with a way to optimally solve decision and control problems involving complex dynamic systems, its practical value was limited by algorithms that lacked the capacity to scale up to realistic problems. However, in recent years, dramatic developments in Reinforcement Learning (RL), the model-free counterpart of DP, changed our understanding of what is possible. Those developments led to the creation of reliable methods that can be applied even when a mathematical model of the system is unavailable, allowing researchers to solve challenging control problems in engineering, as well as in a variety of other disciplines, including economics, medicine, and artificial intelligence. Reinforcement Learning and Dynamic Programming Using Function Approximators provides a comprehensive and unparalleled exploration of the field of RL and DP. With a focus on continuous-variable problems, this seminal text details essential developments that have substantially altered the field over the past decade. In its pages, pioneering experts provide a concise introduction to classical RL and DP, followed by an extensive presentation of the state-of-the-art and novel methods in RL and DP with approximation. Combining algorithm development with theoretical guarantees, they elaborate on their work with illustrative examples and insightful comparisons. Three individual chapters are dedicated to representative algorithms from each of the major classes of techniques: value iteration, policy iteration, and policy search. The features and performance of these algorithms are highlighted in extensive experimental studies on a range of control applications. The recent development of applications involving complex systems has led to a surge of interest in RL and DP methods and the subsequent need for a quality resource on the subject. For graduate students and others new to the field, this book offers a thorough introduction to both the basics and emerging methods. And for those researchers and practitioners working in the fields of optimal and adaptive control, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and operations research, this resource offers a combination of practical algorithms, theoretical analysis, and comprehensive examples that they will be able to adapt and apply to their own work. Access the authors' website at www.dcsc.tudelft.nl/rlbook/ for additional material, including computer code used in the studies and information concerning new developments.