We present the first temporal-difference learning algorithm for off-policy control with unrestricted linear function approximation whose per-time-step complexity is linear in the number of features. Our algorithm, Greedy-GQ, is an extension of recent work on gradient temporal-difference learning, which has hitherto been restricted to a prediction (policy evaluation) setting, to a control settin...

the main goal of this research was an evaluate of wheat production's support policy in iran. for the purpose, producer support estimate (pse) indicator, which is an indication of the extent of direct and indirect government support for wheat producers, was used for the duration of 1989-2004 period. results showed that this indicator increased from -126 billion rls (local currency) in 1989 ...

Malawi, like other countries with a generalized HIV epidemic, is striving to reach the ambitious targets set by UNAIDS known as the three 90's for testing, provision of antiretroviral therapy and viral suppression. Assisted by Malawi's progressive policies on HIV/AIDS, it appears possible that Malawi will attain these targets, but only by employing innovative program approaches to service deliv...

Recent work on monetary policy has focused on the trade-o¤ between output volatility and in‡ation volatility. This literature is based largely on models of closed economies. Three conclusions about optimal policy characterize these models. First, the central bank faces an in‡ation-output gap volatility trade-o¤ only in the presence of cost-push shocks. Second, aggregate demand shocks should be ...

Language planning is a time and society specific activity; any inquiry into the practices of language planning requires an awareness of the peculiar and historical context in which language planning measures emerged and were implemented, and the sociopolitical effects of these policies. The aim of this paper is to describe the language planning policies adopted by the Singapore government. An o...

Network management requires a lot of manual work. Due to ongoing growth of the Internet, more self-management is needed in order to deal with the growing complexity. Autonomic communication systems address this issue. Often, they make use of policy-based management systems. Policy-based management is an approach to simplify management by the use of rules. Policy refinement, i.e. breaking down h...

HIA is based on the theory of health determinants, which recognizes that well-being is determined by a wide range of economic, social and environmental factors, by heredity and medical intervention. The intended HIA procedure represents a new approach to the evaluation of all cantonal policies in order to assess their potential health impacts and to improve the quality of governmental decision ...

The golden era of the pharmaceutical industry has brought the world many useful new medicines, a very powerful industry, and nice profits for shareholders. The global pharmaceutical market was worth USD 650bn in 2007, and has potential to grow, especially in middle-income countries. However, the free market mechanism that helped to shape the global pharmaceutical system now shows some distinct ...

The Nonproliferation Review/Winter 1997 40 Mingquan Zhu is a professor in the Department of International Relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. He is also affiliated with Fudan’s Center for American Studies and the Program on Arms Control and Regional Security. He is the author of two recent books: Nuclear Proliferation: Danger and Prevention (1994) and U.S. National Security Policy...

We use two different nonparametric methods to determine whether there were multiple regimes in U.S. monetary policy over the period 1955—2003. We model monetary policy using two different versions of Taylor’s rule for the nominal interest rate target. By contrast with parametric tests for regime changes, the nonparametric methods we use allow the data to determine the dimensions on which to spl...