Related papers: Markov decision processes: on the convergence of t…
A simple and natural algorithm for reinforcement learning (RL) is Monte Carlo Exploring Starts (MCES), where the Q-function is estimated by averaging the Monte Carlo returns, and the policy is improved by choosing actions that maximize the…
This brief paper presents simple simulation-based algorithms for obtaining an approximately optimal policy in a given finite set in large finite constrained Markov decision processes. The algorithms are adapted from playing strategies for…
Processes (MDPs) often require frequent decision making, that is, taking an action every microsecond, second, or minute. Infinite horizon discount reward formulation is still relevant for a large portion of these applications, because…
Purpose: In recent years Monte-Carlo sampling methods, such as Monte Carlo tree search, have achieved tremendous success in model free reinforcement learning. A combination of the so called upper confidence bounds policy to preserve the…
We introduce a new micro-macro Markov chain Monte Carlo method (mM-MCMC) to sample invariant distributions of molecular dynamics systems that exhibit a time-scale separation between the microscopic (fast) dynamics, and the macroscopic…
In this paper we study a periodic-review single-commodity setup-cost inventory model with backorders and holding/backlog costs satisfying quasiconvexity assumptions. We show that the Markov decision process for this inventory model…
In this paper, we analyse piecewise deterministic Markov processes, as introduced in Davis (1984). Many models in insurance mathematics can be formulated in terms of the general concept of piecewise deterministic Markov processes. In this…
In reinforcement learning, Monte Carlo algorithms update the Q function by averaging the episodic returns. In the Monte Carlo UCB (MC-UCB) algorithm, the action taken in each state is the action that maximizes the Q function plus an Upper…
This paper studies the approximation of optimal control policies by quantized (discretized) policies for a very general class of Markov decision processes (MDPs). The problem is motivated by applications in networked control systems,…
Markov Decision Processes are classically solved using Value Iteration and Policy Iteration algorithms. Recent interest in Reinforcement Learning has motivated the study of methods inspired by optimization, such as gradient ascent. Among…
This paper studies discounted Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) with finite sets of states and actions. Value iteration is one of the major methods for finding optimal policies. For each discount factor, starting from a finite number of…
In the context of Markov decision processes running in continuous time, one of the most intriguing challenges is the efficient approximation of finite horizon reachability objectives. A multitude of sophisticated model checking algorithms…
In many applications, it is of interest to approximate data, given by mxn matrix A, by a matrix B of at most rank k, which is much smaller than m and n. The best approximation is given by singular value decomposition, which is too time…
We introduce and analyze a parallel sequential Monte Carlo methodology for the numerical solution of optimization problems that involve the minimization of a cost function that consists of the sum of many individual components. The proposed…
We study Markov Decision Processes (MDP) wherein states correspond to causal graphs that stochastically generate rewards. In this setup, the learner's goal is to identify atomic interventions that lead to high rewards by intervening on…
Value iteration is a well-known method of solving Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) that is simple to implement and boasts strong theoretical convergence guarantees. However, the computational cost of value iteration quickly becomes…
The Robbins-Monro stochastic approximation algorithm is a foundation of many algorithmic frameworks for reinforcement learning (RL), and often an efficient approach to solving (or approximating the solution to) complex optimal control…
This is a concise mathematical introduction to Monte Carlo methods, a rich family of algorithms with far-reaching applications in science and engineering. Monte Carlo methods are an exciting subject for mathematical statisticians and…
We study the feature-scaled version of the Monte Carlo algorithm with linear function approximation. This algorithm converges to a scale-invariant solution, which is not unduly affected by states having feature vectors with large norms. The…
We consider an auto-scaling technique in a cloud system where virtual machines hosted on a physical node are turned on and off depending on the queue's occupation (or thresholds), in order to minimise a global cost integrating both energy…