Related papers: Beyond dynamic programming
Finding optimal policies which maximize long term rewards of Markov Decision Processes requires the use of dynamic programming and backward induction to solve the Bellman optimality equation. However, many real-world problems require…
Stochastic optimization algorithms have been successfully applied in several domains to find optimal solutions. Because of the ever-growing complexity of the integrated systems, novel stochastic algorithms are being proposed, which makes…
We consider the dynamic inventory problem with non-stationary demands. It has long been known that non-stationary (s, S) policies are optimal for this problem. However, finding optimal policy parameters remains a computational challenge as…
The mathematical framework of hybrid system is a recent and general tool to treat control systems involving control action of heterogeneous nature. In this paper, we construct and test a semi-Lagrangian numerical scheme for solving the…
In this paper, we investigate dynamic optimization problems featuring both stochastic control and optimal stopping in a finite time horizon. The paper aims to develop new methodologies, which are significantly different from those of mixed…
The Receding Horizon Control (RHC) strategy consists in replacing an infinite-horizon stabilization problem by a sequence of finite-horizon optimal control problems, which are numerically more tractable. The dynamic programming principle…
Off-policy evaluation of sequential decision policies from observational data is necessary in applications of batch reinforcement learning such as education and healthcare. In such settings, however, unobserved variables confound observed…
The history of learning for control has been an exciting back and forth between two broad classes of algorithms: planning and reinforcement learning. Planning algorithms effectively reason over long horizons, but assume access to a local…
We present a methodology for obtaining explicit solutions to infinite time horizon optimal stopping problems involving general, one-dimensional, It\^o diffusions, payoff functions that need not be smooth and state-dependent discounting.…
Reinforcement learning algorithms describe how an agent can learn an optimal action policy in a sequential decision process, through repeated experience. In a given environment, the agent policy provides him some running and terminal…
We consider a broad class of dynamic programming (DP) problems that involve a partially linear structure and some positivity properties in their system equation and cost function. We address deterministic and stochastic problems, possibly…
We study automated intrusion prevention using reinforcement learning. In a novel approach, we formulate the problem of intrusion prevention as an optimal stopping problem. This formulation allows us insight into the structure of the optimal…
Direct policy optimization in reinforcement learning is usually solved with policy-gradient algorithms, which optimize policy parameters via stochastic gradient ascent. This paper provides a new theoretical interpretation and justification…
Learning in a lifelong setting, where the dynamics continually evolve, is a hard challenge for current reinforcement learning algorithms. Yet this would be a much needed feature for practical applications. In this paper, we propose an…
Risk scores are simple classification models that let users make quick risk predictions by adding and subtracting a few small numbers. These models are widely used in medicine and criminal justice, but are difficult to learn from data…
In this paper, we consider the infinite-horizon reach-avoid zero-sum game problem, where the goal is to find a set in the state space, referred to as the reach-avoid set, such that the system starting at a state therein could be controlled…
Discrete-choice life cycle models of labor supply can be used to estimate how social security reforms influence employment rate. In a life cycle model, optimal employment choices during the life course of an individual must be solved.…
This paper provides a systematic comparison between Fitted Dynamic Programming (DP), where demand is estimated from data, and Reinforcement Learning (RL) methods in finite-horizon dynamic pricing problems. We analyze their performance…
Efficiently allocating incoming jobs to nodes in large-scale clusters can lead to substantial improvements in both cluster utilization and job performance. In order to allocate incoming jobs, cluster schedulers usually rely on a set of…
We present an accelerated algorithm for the solution of static Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations related to optimal control problems. Our scheme is based on a classic policy iteration procedure, which is known to have superlinear…