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We resolve the open question regarding the sample complexity of policy learning for maximizing the long-run average reward associated with a uniformly ergodic Markov decision process (MDP), assuming a generative model. In this context, the…
Optimization problems consist of either maximizing or minimizing an objective function. Instead of looking for a maximum solution (resp. minimum solution), one can find a minimum maximal solution (resp. maximum minimal solution). Such…
The purpose of this note is to show how the method of maximum entropy in the mean (MEM) may be used to improve parametric estimation when the measurements are corrupted by large level of noise. The method is developed in the context on a…
It is well known that, under standard regularity conditions, the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) satisfies a central limit theorem and converges in distribution to a Gaussian random variable as the sample size grows. This paper…
We study the problem of synthesizing a controller that maximizes the entropy of a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) subject to a constraint on the expected total reward. Such a controller minimizes the predictability of…
In compressive sensing, one important parameter that characterizes the various greedy recovery algorithms is the iteration bound which provides the maximum number of iterations by which the algorithm is guaranteed to converge. In this…
In this paper, we study a number of well-known combinatorial optimization problems that fit in the following paradigm: the input is a collection of (potentially inconsistent) local relationships between the elements of a ground set (e.g.,…
Random constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) such as random $3$-SAT are conjectured to be computationally intractable. The average case hardness of random $3$-SAT and other CSPs has broad and far-reaching implications on problems in…
Compressed sensing applied to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows to reduce the scanning time by enabling images to be reconstructed from highly undersampled data. In this paper, we tackle the problem of designing a sampling mask for an…
The problem of constrained Markov decision process is considered. An agent aims to maximize the expected accumulated discounted reward subject to multiple constraints on its costs (the number of constraints is relatively small). A new dual…
This paper describes an extension to the constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) called MUSE CSP (MUltiply SEgmented Constraint Satisfaction Problem). This extension is especially useful for those problems which segment into multiple sets of…
Maximum entropy models provide the least constrained probability distributions that reproduce statistical properties of experimental datasets. In this work we characterize the learning dynamics that maximizes the log-likelihood in the case…
We explore a method of statistical estimation called Maximum Entropy on the Mean (MEM) which is based on an information-driven criterion that quantifies the compliance of a given point with a reference prior probability measure. At the core…
The research problem in this work is the relaxation of maximizing non-negative submodular plus modular with the entire real number domain as its value range over a family of down-closed sets. We seek a feasible point $\mathbf{x}^*$ in the…
The classical Maximum-Entropy Principle (MEP) based on Shannon entropy is widely used to construct least-biased probability distributions from partial information. However, the Shore-Johnson axioms that single out the Shannon functional…
Empirical best prediction (EBP) is a well-known method for producing reliable proportion estimates when the primary data source provides only small or no sample from finite populations. There are potential challenges in implementing…
We consider the utility maximization problem under convex constraints with regard to theoretical results which allow the formulation of algorithmic solvers which make use of deep learning techniques. In particular for the case of random…
Given $m < n$, we consider the problem of ``best'' approximating an $n\text{-d}$ probability measure $\rho$ via an $m\text{-d}$ measure $\nu$ such that $\mathrm{supp}\ \nu$ has bounded total ``complexity.'' When $\rho$ is concentrated near…
We study the dynamics of piecewise affine surface homeomorphisms from the point of view of their entropy. Under the assumption of positive topological entropy, we establish the existence of finitely many ergodic and invariant probability…
Approximate linear programming (ALP) is an efficient approach to solving large factored Markov decision processes (MDPs). The main idea of the method is to approximate the optimal value function by a set of basis functions and optimize…