Optimal Scoring Rules for Multi-dimensional Effort

This paper develops a framework for the design of scoring rules to optimally incentivize an agent to exert a multi-dimensional effort. This framework is a generalization to strategic agents of the classical knapsack problem (cf. Briest, Krysta, and V\"ocking, 2005, Singer, 2010) and it is foundational to applying algorithmic mechanism design to the classroom. The paper identifies two simple families of scoring rules that guarantee constant approximations to the optimal scoring rule. The truncated separate scoring rule is the sum of single dimensional scoring rules that is truncated to the bounded range of feasible scores. The threshold scoring rule gives the maximum score if reports exceed a threshold and zero otherwise. Approximate optimality of one or the other of these rules is similar to the bundling or selling separately result of Babaioff, Immorlica, Lucier, and Weinberg (2014). Finally, we show that the approximate optimality of the best of those two simple scoring rules is robust when the agent's choice of effort is made sequentially

Cluster Dynamical Mean Field Theories

Cluster Dynamical Mean Field Theories are analyzed in terms of their semiclassical limit and their causality properties, and a translation invariant formulation of the cellular dynamical mean field theory, PCDMFT, is presented. The semiclassical limit of the cluster methods is analyzed by applying them to the Falikov-Kimball model in the limit of infinite Hubbard interaction U where they map to different classical cluster schemes for the Ising model. Furthermore the Cutkosky-t'Hooft-Veltman cutting equations are generalized and derived for non translation invariant systems using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism. This provides a general setting to discuss causality properties of cluster methods. To illustrate the method, we prove that PCDMFT is causal while the nested cluster schemes (NCS) in general and the pair scheme in particular are not. Constraints on further extension of these schemes are discussed.Comment: 26 page

Virtual Knot Cobordism

This paper defines a theory of cobordism for virtual knots and studies this theory for standard and rotational virtual knots and links. Non-trivial examples of virtual slice knots are given. Determinations of the four-ball genus of positive virtual knots are given using the results of a companion paper by the author and Heather Dye and Aaron Kaestner. Problems related to band-passing are explained, and a theory of isotopy of virtual surfaces is formulated in terms of a generalization of the Yoshikawa moves.Comment: 32 pages, 43 figures, LaTeX documen

Quantum Information Complexity and Amortized Communication

We define a new notion of information cost for quantum protocols, and a corresponding notion of quantum information complexity for bipartite quantum channels, and then investigate the properties of such quantities. These are the fully quantum generalizations of the analogous quantities for bipartite classical functions that have found many applications recently, in particular for proving communication complexity lower bounds. Our definition is strongly tied to the quantum state redistribution task. Previous attempts have been made to define such a quantity for quantum protocols, with particular applications in mind; our notion differs from these in many respects. First, it directly provides a lower bound on the quantum communication cost, independent of the number of rounds of the underlying protocol. Secondly, we provide an operational interpretation for quantum information complexity: we show that it is exactly equal to the amortized quantum communication complexity of a bipartite channel on a given state. This generalizes a result of Braverman and Rao to quantum protocols, and even strengthens the classical result in a bounded round scenario. Also, this provides an analogue of the Schumacher source compression theorem for interactive quantum protocols, and answers a question raised by Braverman. We also discuss some potential applications to quantum communication complexity lower bounds by specializing our definition for classical functions and inputs. Building on work of Jain, Radhakrishnan and Sen, we provide new evidence suggesting that the bounded round quantum communication complexity of the disjointness function is \Omega (n/M + M), for M-message protocols. This would match the best known upper bound.Comment: v1, 38 pages, 1 figur