1,984 research outputs found
Augmented Probability Simulation Methods for Non-cooperative Games
We present a robust decision support framework with computational algorithms
for decision makers in non-cooperative sequential setups. Existing simulation
based approaches can be inefficient when there is a large number of feasible
decisions and uncertain outcomes. Hence, we provide a novel alternative to
solve non-cooperative sequential games based on augmented probability
simulation. We propose approaches to approximate subgame perfect equilibria
under complete information, assess the robustness of such solutions and,
finally, approximate adversarial risk analysis solutions when lacking complete
information. This framework could be especially beneficial in application
domains such as cybersecurity and counter-terrorism
Decentralized Randomly Distributed Multi-agent Multi-armed Bandit with Heterogeneous Rewards
We study a decentralized multi-agent multi-armed bandit problem in which
multiple clients are connected by time dependent random graphs provided by an
environment. The reward distributions of each arm vary across clients and
rewards are generated independently over time by an environment based on
distributions that include both sub-exponential and sub-gaussian distributions.
Each client pulls an arm and communicates with neighbors based on the graph
provided by the environment. The goal is to minimize the overall regret of the
entire system through collaborations. To this end, we introduce a novel
algorithmic framework, which first provides robust simulation methods for
generating random graphs using rapidly mixing Markov chains or the random graph
model, and then combines an averaging-based consensus approach with a newly
proposed weighting technique and the upper confidence bound to deliver a
UCB-type solution. Our algorithms account for the randomness in the graphs,
removing the conventional doubly stochasticity assumption, and only require the
knowledge of the number of clients at initialization. We derive optimal
instance-dependent regret upper bounds of order in both sub-gaussian
and sub-exponential environments, and a nearly optimal mean-gap independent
regret upper bound of order up to a factor.
Importantly, our regret bounds hold with high probability and capture graph
randomness, whereas prior works consider expected regret under assumptions and
require more stringent reward distributions.Comment: 14 pages, under revie
Hierarchical testing designs for pattern recognition
We explore the theoretical foundations of a ``twenty questions'' approach to
pattern recognition. The object of the analysis is the computational process
itself rather than probability distributions (Bayesian inference) or decision
boundaries (statistical learning). Our formulation is motivated by applications
to scene interpretation in which there are a great many possible explanations
for the data, one (``background'') is statistically dominant, and it is
imperative to restrict intensive computation to genuinely ambiguous regions.
The focus here is then on pattern filtering: Given a large set Y of possible
patterns or explanations, narrow down the true one Y to a small (random) subset
\hat Y\subsetY of ``detected'' patterns to be subjected to further, more
intense, processing. To this end, we consider a family of hypothesis tests for
Y\in A versus the nonspecific alternatives Y\in A^c. Each test has null type I
error and the candidate sets A\subsetY are arranged in a hierarchy of nested
partitions. These tests are then characterized by scope (|A|), power (or type
II error) and algorithmic cost. We consider sequential testing strategies in
which decisions are made iteratively, based on past outcomes, about which test
to perform next and when to stop testing. The set \hat Y is then taken to be
the set of patterns that have not been ruled out by the tests performed. The
total cost of a strategy is the sum of the ``testing cost'' and the
``postprocessing cost'' (proportional to |\hat Y|) and the corresponding
optimization problem is analyzed.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009053605000000174 in the
Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Locality in Network Optimization
In probability theory and statistics notions of correlation among random
variables, decay of correlation, and bias-variance trade-off are fundamental.
In this work we introduce analogous notions in optimization, and we show their
usefulness in a concrete setting. We propose a general notion of correlation
among variables in optimization procedures that is based on the sensitivity of
optimal points upon (possibly finite) perturbations. We present a canonical
instance in network optimization (the min-cost network flow problem) that
exhibits locality, i.e., a setting where the correlation decays as a function
of the graph-theoretical distance in the network. In the case of warm-start
reoptimization, we develop a general approach to localize a given optimization
routine in order to exploit locality. We show that the localization mechanism
is responsible for introducing a bias in the original algorithm, and that the
bias-variance trade-off that emerges can be exploited to minimize the
computational complexity required to reach a prescribed level of error
accuracy. We provide numerical evidence to support our claims
Model Calibration in Watershed Hydrology
Hydrologic models use relatively simple mathematical equations to conceptualize and aggregate the complex, spatially distributed, and highly interrelated water, energy, and vegetation processes in a watershed. A consequence of process aggregation is that the model parameters often do not represent directly measurable entities and must, therefore, be estimated using measurements of the system inputs and outputs. During this process, known as model calibration, the parameters are adjusted so that the behavior of the model approximates, as closely and consistently as possible, the observed response of the hydrologic system over some historical period of time. This Chapter reviews the current state-of-the-art of model calibration in watershed hydrology with special emphasis on our own contributions in the last few decades. We discuss the historical background that has led to current perspectives, and review different approaches for manual and automatic single- and multi-objective parameter estimation. In particular, we highlight the recent developments in the calibration of distributed hydrologic models using parameter dimensionality reduction sampling, parameter regularization and parallel computing
Contribuciones a la Seguridad del Aprendizaje Automático
Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Matemáticas, leída el 05-11-2020Machine learning (ML) applications have experienced an unprecedented growth over the last two decades. However, the ever increasing adoption of ML methodologies has revealed important security issues. Among these, vulnerabilities to adversarial examples, data instances targeted at fooling ML algorithms, are especially important. Examples abound. For instance, it is relatively easy to fool a spam detector simply misspelling spam words. Obfuscation of malware code can make it seem legitimate. Simply adding stickers to a stop sign could make an autonomous vehicle classify it as a merge sign. Consequences could be catastrophic. Indeed, ML is designed to work in stationary and benign environments. However, in certain scenarios, the presence of adversaries that actively manipulate input datato fool ML systems to attain benefits break such stationarity requirements. Training and operation conditions are not identical anymore. This creates a whole new class of security vulnerabilities that ML systems may face and a new desirable property: adversarial robustness. If we are to trust operations based on ML outputs, it becomes essential that learning systems are robust to such adversarial manipulations...Las aplicaciones del aprendizaje automático o machine learning (ML) han experimentado un crecimiento sin precedentes en las últimas dos décadas. Sin embargo, la adopción cada vez mayor de metodologías de ML ha revelado importantes problemas de seguridad. Entre estos, destacan las vulnerabilidades a ejemplos adversarios, es decir; instancias de datos destinadas a engañar a los algoritmos de ML. Los ejemplos abundan: es relativamente fácil engañar a un detector de spam simplemente escribiendo mal algunas palabras características de los correos basura. La ofuscación de código malicioso (malware) puede hacer que parezca legítimo. Agregando unos parches a una señal de stop, se podría provocar que un vehículo autónomo la reconociese como una señal de dirección obligatoria. Cómo puede imaginar el lector, las consecuencias de estas vulnerabilidades pueden llegar a ser catastróficas. Y es que el machine learning está diseñado para trabajar en entornos estacionarios y benignos. Sin embargo, en ciertos escenarios, la presencia de adversarios que manipulan activamente los datos de entrada para engañar a los sistemas de ML(logrando así beneficios), rompen tales requisitos de estacionariedad. Las condiciones de entrenamiento y operación de los algoritmos ya no son idénticas, quebrándose una de las hipótesis fundamentales del ML. Esto crea una clase completamente nueva de vulnerabilidades que los sistemas basados en el aprendizaje automático deben enfrentar y una nueva propiedad deseable: la robustez adversaria. Si debemos confiaren las operaciones basadas en resultados del ML, es esencial que los sistemas de aprendizaje sean robustos a tales manipulaciones adversarias...Fac. de Ciencias MatemáticasTRUEunpu
Deep controlled learning of dynamic policies with an application to lost-sales inventory control
Recent literature established that neural networks can represent good
policies across a range of stochastic dynamic models in supply chain and
logistics. We propose a new algorithm that incorporates variance reduction
techniques, to overcome limitations of algorithms typically employed in
literature to learn such neural network policies. For the classical lost sales
inventory model, the algorithm learns neural network policies that are vastly
superior to those learned using model-free algorithms, while outperforming the
best heuristic benchmarks by an order of magnitude. The algorithm is an
interesting candidate to apply to other stochastic dynamic problems in supply
chain and logistics, because the ideas in its development are generic
- …