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We exhibit optimal control strategies for a simple toy problem in which the underlying dynamics depend on a parameter that is initially unknown and must be learned. We consider a cost function posed over a finite time interval, in contrast…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2020-02-27 Charles L. Fefferman , Bernat Guillen Pegueroles , Clarence W. Rowley , Melanie Weber

Using stochastic gradient search and the optimal filter derivative, it is possible to perform recursive (i.e., online) maximum likelihood estimation in a non-linear state-space model. As the optimal filter and its derivative are…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2021-01-05 Vladislav Z. B. Tadic , Arnaud Doucet

Adaptive importance sampling (AIS) uses past samples to update the \textit{sampling policy} $q_t$ at each stage $t$. Each stage $t$ is formed with two steps : (i) to explore the space with $n_t$ points according to $q_t$ and (ii) to exploit…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2018-10-04 Bernard Delyon , François Portier

We study a regret minimization problem with the existence of multiple best/near-optimal arms in the multi-armed bandit setting. We consider the case when the number of arms/actions is comparable or much larger than the time horizon, and…

Machine Learning · Statistics 2020-10-23 Yinglun Zhu , Robert Nowak

We study pure exploration with infinitely many bandit arms generated i.i.d. from an unknown distribution. Our goal is to efficiently select a single high quality arm whose average reward is, with probability $1-\delta$, within $\varepsilon$…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2023-06-06 Xiao-Yue Gong , Mark Sellke

We study a generalization of the multi-armed bandit problem with multiple plays where there is a cost associated with pulling each arm and the agent has a budget at each time that dictates how much she can expect to spend. We derive an…

Machine Learning · Statistics 2019-09-13 Alexander Luedtke , Emilie Kaufmann , Antoine Chambaz

Both entropy-minimizing and entropy-maximizing (curiosity) objectives for unsupervised reinforcement learning (RL) have been shown to be effective in different environments, depending on the environment's level of natural entropy. However,…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-08-19 Adriana Hugessen , Roger Creus Castanyer , Faisal Mohamed , Glen Berseth

We consider the infinite-horizon, average-reward restless bandit problem in discrete time. We propose a new class of policies that are designed to drive a progressively larger subset of arms toward the optimal distribution. We show that our…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-03-31 Yige Hong , Qiaomin Xie , Yudong Chen , Weina Wang

Adaptive sampling schemes are well known to create complex dependence that may invalidate conventional inference methods. A recent line of work shows that this need not be the case for UCB-type algorithms in multi-armed bandits. A central…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2026-01-30 Qiyang Han

We study the Inverse Contextual Bandit (ICB) problem, in which a learner seeks to optimize a policy while an observer, who cannot access the learner's rewards and only observes actions, aims to recover the underlying problem parameters.…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-03-05 Yuqi Kong , Xiao Zhang , Weiran Shen

We propose an algorithm for non-stationary kernel bandits that does not require prior knowledge of the degree of non-stationarity. The algorithm follows randomized strategies obtained by solving optimization problems that balance…

Machine Learning · Statistics 2023-02-21 Kihyuk Hong , Yuhang Li , Ambuj Tewari

This paper investigates asymptotic behaviors of gradient descent algorithms (particularly accelerated gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent) in the context of stochastic optimization arising in statistics and machine learning…

Machine Learning · Statistics 2019-11-13 Yazhen Wang

We study the problem of nonstochastic bandits with expert advice, extending the setting from finitely many experts to any countably infinite set: A learner aims to maximize the total reward by taking actions sequentially based on bandit…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2021-03-29 X. Flora Meng , Tuhin Sarkar , Munther A. Dahleh

Selecting the most suitable algorithm for a given problem instance remains a challenging task, particularly in online or dynamic environments where problem characteristics evolve over time. Relying solely on instantaneous performance…

Multiagent Systems · Computer Science 2026-05-26 Jayprakash S. Nair , Jimson Mathew , Shivashankar B. Nair

The problem of selecting optimal backdoor adjustment sets to estimate causal effects in graphical models with hidden and conditioned variables is addressed. Previous work has defined optimality as achieving the smallest asymptotic…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2023-06-26 Jakob Runge

Reinforcement learning (RL) problems are fundamental in online decision-making and have been instrumental in finding an optimal policy for Markov decision processes (MDPs). Function approximations are usually deployed to handle large or…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2025-05-20 Jiashuo Jiang , Yiming Zong , Yinyu Ye

Non-parametric episodic memory can be used to quickly latch onto high-rewarded experience in reinforcement learning tasks. In contrast to parametric deep reinforcement learning approaches in which reward signals need to be back-propagated…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2023-04-25 Zhao Yang , Thomas M. Moerland , Mike Preuss , Aske Plaat

Classical reinforcement learning assumes the agent interacts with a fixed environment whose behavior does not depend on the agent's policy. This assumption breaks down in non-realizable settings where other actors might anticipate the…

This paper presents an auto-optimal model predictive control (MPC) framework enhanced with active learning, designed to autonomously track optimal operational conditions in an unknown environment,where the conditions may dynamically adjust…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2025-12-05 Yuan Tan , Jun Yang , Zhongguo Li , Wen-Hua Chen , Shihua Li

We propose a data-driven framework to enable the modeling and optimization of human-machine interaction processes, e.g., systems aimed at assisting humans in decision-making or learning, work-load allocation, and interactive advertising.…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2019-03-19 Jiaxiao Zheng , Gustavo de Veciana