Reinforcement Learning has emerged as a useful framework for learning to perform a task optimally from experience in unknown systems. A major problem for such learning algorithms is how to balance optimally the exploration of the system, to gather knowledge, and the exploitation of current knowledge, to complete the task. Model-based Bayesian Reinforcement Learning (BRL) methods provide an opti...

Bayesian Reinforcement Learning (BRL) agents aim to maximise the expected collected rewards obtained when interacting with an unknown Markov Decision Process (MDP) while using some prior knowledge. State-of-the-art BRL agents rely on frequent updates of the belief on the MDP, as new observations of the environment are made. This offers theoretical guarantees to converge to an optimum, but is co...

A new pump-seeded, short-cavity Brillouin ring laser source layout intended for sensing applications is showcased, showing increased high maximum output (1.5 mW), a strong linewidth narrowing effect (producing light with of 10 kHz) and limited RIN (~-145 dB/Hz), providing an ultranarrow, highly stable BRL that can also be employed as pump-probe BOTDA applications.

This study aimed to describe trends in family spending on cigarettes and its share of family budget, comparing 2002 and 2009, using the Brazilian Household Budget Surveys from 2002/2003 and 2008/2009. The Expanded Consumer Price Index (IPCA) was used. The proportion of families that purchased cigarettes decreased from 23.5% to 18.2%, however their spending increased from BRL 55.36 to BRL 59.45....

This study was undertaken to address the current deficient knowledge of cellular response to nanosized particle exposure. The study evaluated the acute toxic effects of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles proposed for future use in industrial production methods using the in vitro rat liver derived cell line (BRL 3A). Different sizes of nanoparticles such as silver (Ag; 15, 100 nm), molybdenum (MoO(...

The Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) is one of the primary payloads aboard FY-4A geostationary meteorological satellite, which can provide high-frequency, wide coverage, and multiple spectral channel observations for China surrounding areas. There are currently few studies on aerosol optical depth (AOD) inversion from AGRI data. Based data, a new land AOD retrieval algorithm calle...

In this paper control of high index and non-regular linear differential-algebraicequation systems is addressed. Based on a generalization of the bounded real lemma (BRL) to index one systems, all linear output feedback controllers in standard, i.e. non-descriptor, state space form solving the control problem can be characterized via biaffine matrix inequalities (BMIs). In a second step a congru...