In reinforcement learning (RL) it is often possible to obtain sound, but incomplete, information about influences and independencies among problem variables and rewards, even when an exact domain model is unknown. For example, such information can be computed based on a partial, qualitative domain model, or via domain-specific analysis techniques. While, intuitively, such information appears us...

Although most smokers want to quit, the long-term success rate of quit attempts remains low; research is needed to understand the policy and environmental influences that can increase the success of cessation efforts. This paper uses regression methods to investigate self-reported exposure to policy and environmental influences on quit attempts, maintenance of a quit attempt for at least 6 mont...

BACKGROUND The Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) provides a basis for nation states to limit the political effects of tobacco industry philanthropy, yet progress in this area is limited. This paper aims to integrate the findings of previous studies on tobacco industry philanthropy with a new analysis of British American Tobacco's (BAT) record of charitable giving to develop a gener...

How do international organizations (IO) influence domestic social policy? This paper answers this question using a comparison of IO participation in the social insurance policymaking process in Mexico in the 1940s and 1990s. There are similarities and differences between the periods. During both periods, IOs contributed technical expertise to the policy design process. The principal IO particip...

PROBLEM The use of evidence-based policy is gaining attention in developing countries. Frameworks to analyse the process of developing policy and to assess whether evidence is likely to influence policy-makers are now available. However, the use of evidence in policies on caring for people with mental illness in developing countries has rarely been analysed. APPROACH This case study from Viet...

effects of dividend policy on corporate financial growth, is a major concern of most entities. whether dividends have an influence on the value of the firm, is an important question in dividend policy. this study aimed at investigating the effects of dividend policy on financial growth of media firms. the study was conducted in nairobi at the nation media group headquarters. respondents were se...

with the rise of nicholas sarkozy to power, in an evident spin, france’s foreign policy became american in essence. from the very first year of his presidency sarkozy adopted a parallel policy to the u.s. atlanticism is considered an important and inevitable leverage in sarkozy’s foreign policy and his government marked a high point in foreign policy after de goulle. this new approach is comple...

The objective of this research is to design an approach for selecting appropriate raw materials for facial tissues in Iran. There are three possibilities to maintain raw materials: (1) imported virgin pulp; (2) bagasse (sugar cane residue) plus some imported raw materials; and (3) recycled paper plus some imported raw materials. Owing to the shortage of raw materials as well as the high rate of...

As an important long-term incentive mode, the equity incentive promotes the managers to contribute to the interest uniformity of managers and shareholders. By using Paired-Samples T test methods and regression analysis method and choosing companies that issued the equity incentive plan in 2007 as the sample, this paper comparatively analyzes the differences in the performance of companies befor...