Related papers: The Complexity of the Simplex Method
We address the solution of Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) models with strong relaxations that are derived from Dantzig-Wolfe decompositions and allow a pseudo-polynomial pricing algorithm. We exploit their network-flow…
The existence of a polynomial pivot rule for the simplex method for linear programming, policy iteration for Markov decision processes, and strategy improvement for parity games each are prominent open problems in their respective fields.…
Probabilistic model checking aims to prove whether a Markov decision process (MDP) satisfies a temporal logic specification. The underlying methods rely on an often unrealistic assumption that the MDP is precisely known. Consequently,…
Value iteration is a fundamental algorithm for solving Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). It computes the maximal $n$-step payoff by iterating $n$ times a recurrence equation which is naturally associated to the MDP. At the same time, value…
Choosing the optimization algorithm that performs best on a given machine learning problem is often delicate, and there is no guarantee that current state-of-the-art algorithms will perform well across all tasks. Consequently, the more…
The synthesis problem for partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) is to compute a policy that satisfies a given specification. Such policies have to take the full execution history of a POMDP into account, rendering the…
We consider a generic convex optimization problem associated with regularized empirical risk minimization of linear predictors. The problem structure allows us to reformulate it as a convex-concave saddle point problem. We propose a…
We study the sample complexity of the plug-in approach for learning $\varepsilon$-optimal policies in average-reward Markov decision processes (MDPs) with a generative model. The plug-in approach constructs a model estimate then computes an…
We consider the problem of controlling a Markov decision process (MDP) with a large state space, so as to minimize average cost. Since it is intractable to compete with the optimal policy for large scale problems, we pursue the more modest…
The unit commitment problem is a short-term planning problem in the energy industry. Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition is a popular approach to solve the problem. This paper focuses on primal heuristics used with Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition. We…
Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) are stochastic optimization problems that model situations where a decision maker controls a system based on its state. Partially observed Markov decision processes (POMDPs) are generalizations of MDPs where…
We prove that computing a shortest monotone path to the optimum of a linear program over a simple polytope is NP-hard, thus resolving a 2022 open question of De Loera, Kafer, and Sanit\`a. As a consequence, finding a shortest sequence of…
We study computational aspects of a well-known single-winner voting rule called the Schulze method [Schulze, 2003] which is used broadly in practice. In this method the voters give (weak) ordinal preference ballots which are used to define…
Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition (DWD) is a classical algorithm for solving large-scale linear programs whose constraint matrix involves a set of independent blocks coupled with a set of linking rows. The algorithm decomposes such a model into a…
We consider continuous linear programs over a continuous finite time horizon $T$, with a constant coefficient matrix, linear right hand side functions and linear cost coefficient functions, where we search for optimal solutions in the space…
We expand the basic geometric elements of the simplex method to linear programs in locally convex topological vector spaces and provide conditions under which the method converges in value to optimality. This setting generalizes many…
The monotone path polytope of a polytope $P$ encapsulates the combinatorial behavior of the shadow vertex rule (a pivot rule used in linear programming) on $P$. Computing monotone path polytopes is the entry door to the larger subject of…
Robust Markov Decision Processes (RMDPs) have recently been recognized as a valuable and promising approach to discovering a policy with creditable performance, particularly in the presence of a dynamic environment and estimation errors in…
In this paper, we study a simple iterative method for finding the Dantzig selector, which was designed for linear regression problems. The method consists of two main stages. The first stage is to approximate the Dantzig selector through a…
Semidefinite programs (SDPs) -- some of the most useful and versatile optimization problems of the last few decades -- are often pathological: the optimal values of the primal and dual problems may differ and may not be attained. Such SDPs…