25,070 research outputs found
Average-case Approximation Ratio of Scheduling without Payments
Apart from the principles and methodologies inherited from Economics and Game
Theory, the studies in Algorithmic Mechanism Design typically employ the
worst-case analysis and approximation schemes of Theoretical Computer Science.
For instance, the approximation ratio, which is the canonical measure of
evaluating how well an incentive-compatible mechanism approximately optimizes
the objective, is defined in the worst-case sense. It compares the performance
of the optimal mechanism against the performance of a truthful mechanism, for
all possible inputs.
In this paper, we take the average-case analysis approach, and tackle one of
the primary motivating problems in Algorithmic Mechanism Design -- the
scheduling problem [Nisan and Ronen 1999]. One version of this problem which
includes a verification component is studied by [Koutsoupias 2014]. It was
shown that the problem has a tight approximation ratio bound of (n+1)/2 for the
single-task setting, where n is the number of machines. We show, however, when
the costs of the machines to executing the task follow any independent and
identical distribution, the average-case approximation ratio of the mechanism
given in [Koutsoupias 2014] is upper bounded by a constant. This positive
result asymptotically separates the average-case ratio from the worst-case
ratio, and indicates that the optimal mechanism for the problem actually works
well on average, although in the worst-case the expected cost of the mechanism
is Theta(n) times that of the optimal cost
Cross-Layer Adaptive Feedback Scheduling of Wireless Control Systems
There is a trend towards using wireless technologies in networked control
systems. However, the adverse properties of the radio channels make it
difficult to design and implement control systems in wireless environments. To
attack the uncertainty in available communication resources in wireless control
systems closed over WLAN, a cross-layer adaptive feedback scheduling (CLAFS)
scheme is developed, which takes advantage of the co-design of control and
wireless communications. By exploiting cross-layer design, CLAFS adjusts the
sampling periods of control systems at the application layer based on
information about deadline miss ratio and transmission rate from the physical
layer. Within the framework of feedback scheduling, the control performance is
maximized through controlling the deadline miss ratio. Key design parameters of
the feedback scheduler are adapted to dynamic changes in the channel condition.
An event-driven invocation mechanism for the feedback scheduler is also
developed. Simulation results show that the proposed approach is efficient in
dealing with channel capacity variations and noise interference, thus providing
an enabling technology for control over WLAN.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures; Open Access at
http://www.mdpi.org/sensors/papers/s8074265.pd
Opportunity costs calculation in agent-based vehicle routing and scheduling
In this paper we consider a real-time, dynamic pickup and delivery problem with timewindows where orders should be assigned to one of a set of competing transportation companies. Our approach decomposes the problem into a multi-agent structure where vehicle agents are responsible for the routing and scheduling decisions and the assignment of orders to vehicles is done by using a second-price auction. Therefore the system performance will be heavily dependent on the pricing strategy of the vehicle agents. We propose a pricing strategy for vehicle agents based on dynamic programming where not only the direct cost of a job insertion is taken into account, but also its impact on future opportunities. We also propose a waiting strategy based on the same opportunity valuation. Simulation is used to evaluate the benefit of pricing opportunities compared to simple pricing strategies in different market settings. Numerical results show that the proposed approach provides high quality solutions, in terms of profits, capacity utilization and delivery reliability
Expert operator's associate: A knowledge based system for spacecraft control
The Expert Operator's Associate (EOA) project is presented which studies the applicability of expert systems for day-to-day space operations. A prototype expert system is developed, which operates on-line with an existing spacecraft control system at the European Space Operations Centre, and functions as an 'operator's assistant' in controlling satellites. The prototype is demonstrated using an existing real-time simulation model of the MARECS-B2 telecommunication satellite. By developing a prototype system, the extent to which reliability and effectivens of operations can be enhanced by AI based support is examined. In addition the study examines the questions of acquisition and representation of the 'knowledge' for such systems, and the feasibility of 'migration' of some (currently) ground-based functions into future spaceborne autonomous systems
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