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Related papers: Shape-constrained Estimation of Value Functions

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We develop a trust-region method for efficiently minimizing the sum of a smooth function, a nonsmooth convex function, and the composition of a finite-valued support function with a smooth function. Optimization problems with this structure…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2026-04-09 Drew P. Kouri

We study the estimation of the value function for continuous-time Markov diffusion processes using a single, discretely observed ergodic trajectory. Our work provides non-asymptotic statistical guarantees for the least-squares…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2025-02-07 Wenlong Mou

We derive an asymptotic theory of nonparametric estimation for a time series regression model $Z_t=f(X_t)+W_t$, where \ensuremath\{X_t\} and \ensuremath\{Z_t\} are observed nonstationary processes and $\{W_t\}$ is an unobserved stationary…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2009-09-29 Hans Arnfinn Karlsen , Terje Myklebust , Dag Tjøstheim

We use the geometry of suitably generalised potentials to solve risk-sensitive Markovian optimal stopping problems. As in the linear case due to Dynkin and Yushkievich (1967), the value function is the pointwise infimum of those functions…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2025-06-12 Tomasz Kosmala , John Moriarty

In the first part of this thesis, we focus on American options in the Heston model. We first give an analytical characterization of the value function of an American option as the unique solution of the associated (degenerate) parabolic…

Probability · Mathematics 2019-11-13 Giulia Terenzi

In this paper we propose a novel variance reduction approach for additive functionals of Markov chains based on minimization of an estimate for the asymptotic variance of these functionals over suitable classes of control variates. A…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2020-02-18 D. Belomestny , L. Iosipoi , E. Moulines , A. Naumov , S. Samsonov

We develop a method for computing policies in Markov decision processes with risk-sensitive measures subject to temporal logic constraints. Specifically, we use a particular risk-sensitive measure from cumulative prospect theory, which has…

Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science 2020-04-21 Murat Cubuktepe , Ufuk Topcu

We deal with the convergence of the value function of an approximate control problem with uncertain dynamics to the value function of a nonlinear optimal control problem. The assumptions on the dynamics and the costs are rather general and…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2021-05-31 Andrea Pesare , Michele Palladino , Maurizio Falcone

We present an algorithm to approximate the solutions to variational problems where set of admissible functions consists of convex functions. The main motivator behind this numerical method is estimating solutions to Adverse Selection…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2008-03-07 Ivar Ekeland , Santiago Moreno

Location estimation is a central problem in functional data analysis. In this paper, we investigate penalized spline estimators of location for discretely sampled functional data under a broad class of convex loss functions. Our framework…

Methodology · Statistics 2025-08-19 Ioannis Kalogridis

We propose a new non parametric technique to estimate the CALL function based on the superhedging principle. Our approach does not require absence of arbitrage and easily accommodates bid/ask spreads and other market imperfections. We prove…

General Finance · Quantitative Finance 2020-03-03 Gianluca Cassese

We construct an unbiased estimator for function value evaluated at the solution of a partial differential equation with random coefficients. We show that the variance and expected computational cost of our estimator are finite and our…

Probability · Mathematics 2019-04-23 Jose Blanchet , Fengpei Li , Xiaoou Li

A linear functional of an object from a convex symmetric set can be optimally estimated, in a worst-case sense, by a linear functional of observations made on the object. This well-known fact is extended here to a nonlinear setting: other…

Functional Analysis · Mathematics 2025-12-25 Simon Foucart

For complex latent variable models, the likelihood function is not available in closed form. In this context, a popular method to perform parameter estimation is Importance Weighted Variational Inference. It essentially maximizes the…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2025-01-16 Badr-Eddine Cherief-Abdellatif , Randal Douc , Arnaud Doucet , Hugo Marival

We present a new unbiased algorithm that estimates the expected value of f(U) via Monte Carlo simulation, where U is a vector of d independent random variables, and f is a function of d variables. We assume that f does not depend equally on…

Computation · Statistics 2020-06-02 Nabil Kahale

We propose a novel definition of Shapley values with uncertain value functions based on first principles using probability theory. Such uncertain value functions can arise in the context of explainable machine learning as a result of…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2023-04-03 Raoul Heese , Sascha Mücke , Matthias Jakobs , Thore Gerlach , Nico Piatkowski

We provide general adaptive upper bounds for estimating nonparametric functionals based on second order U-statistics arising from finite dimensional approximation of the infinite dimensional models. We then provide examples of functionals…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2021-06-07 Lin Liu , Rajarshi Mukherjee , James Robins , Eric Tchetgen Tchetgen

We address the problem of learning an unknown smooth function and its derivatives from noisy pointwise evaluations under the supremum norm. While classical nonparametric regression provides a strong theoretical foundation, traditional…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-03-10 Davide Maran , Marcello Restelli

Data can be assumed to be continuous functions defined on an infinite-dimensional space for many phenomena. However, the infinite-dimensional data might be driven by a small number of latent variables. Hence, factor models are relevant for…

Methodology · Statistics 2022-05-18 Israel Martínez-Hernández , Jesús Gonzalo , Graciela González-Farías

We describe an approximate dynamic programming approach to compute lower bounds on the optimal value function for a discrete time, continuous space, infinite horizon setting. The approach iteratively constructs a family of lower bounding…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2024-12-20 Paul N. Beuchat , Joseph Warrington , John Lygeros