159,692 research outputs found
(Near) Optimal Adaptivity Gaps for Stochastic Multi-Value Probing
Consider a kidney-exchange application where we want to find a max-matching in a random graph. To find whether an edge e exists, we need to perform an expensive test, in which case the edge e appears independently with a known probability p_e. Given a budget on the total cost of the tests, our goal is to find a testing strategy that maximizes the expected maximum matching size.
The above application is an example of the stochastic probing problem. In general the optimal stochastic probing strategy is difficult to find because it is adaptive - decides on the next edge to probe based on the outcomes of the probed edges. An alternate approach is to show the adaptivity gap is small, i.e., the best non-adaptive strategy always has a value close to the best adaptive strategy. This allows us to focus on designing non-adaptive strategies that are much simpler. Previous works, however, have focused on Bernoulli random variables that can only capture whether an edge appears or not. In this work we introduce a multi-value stochastic probing problem, which can also model situations where the weight of an edge has a probability distribution over multiple values.
Our main technical contribution is to obtain (near) optimal bounds for the (worst-case) adaptivity gaps for multi-value stochastic probing over prefix-closed constraints. For a monotone submodular function, we show the adaptivity gap is at most 2 and provide a matching lower bound. For a weighted rank function of a k-extendible system (a generalization of intersection of k matroids), we show the adaptivity gap is between O(k log k) and k. None of these results were known even in the Bernoulli case where both our upper and lower bounds also apply, thereby resolving an open question of Gupta et al. [Gupta et al., 2017]
Solving the Generalized Steiner Problem in edge-survivable networks
The Generalized Steiner Problem with Edge-Connectivity constraints (GSP-EC) consists of computing the minimal cost subnetwork of a given feasible network where some pairs of nodes must satisfy edge-connectivity requirements. It can be applied in the design of communications networks where connection lines can fail and is known to be an NP-Complete problem. In this paper we introduce an algorithm based on GRASP (Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure), a combinatorial optimization metaheuristic that has proven to be very effective for such problems. Promising results are obtained when testing the algorithm over a set of heterogeneous network topologies and connectivity requirements; in all cases with known optimal cost, optimal or near-optimal solutions are found
Approximation Algorithms for Stochastic Boolean Function Evaluation and Stochastic Submodular Set Cover
Stochastic Boolean Function Evaluation is the problem of determining the
value of a given Boolean function f on an unknown input x, when each bit of x_i
of x can only be determined by paying an associated cost c_i. The assumption is
that x is drawn from a given product distribution, and the goal is to minimize
the expected cost. This problem has been studied in Operations Research, where
it is known as "sequential testing" of Boolean functions. It has also been
studied in learning theory in the context of learning with attribute costs. We
consider the general problem of developing approximation algorithms for
Stochastic Boolean Function Evaluation. We give a 3-approximation algorithm for
evaluating Boolean linear threshold formulas. We also present an approximation
algorithm for evaluating CDNF formulas (and decision trees) achieving a factor
of O(log kd), where k is the number of terms in the DNF formula, and d is the
number of clauses in the CNF formula. In addition, we present approximation
algorithms for simultaneous evaluation of linear threshold functions, and for
ranking of linear functions.
Our function evaluation algorithms are based on reductions to the Stochastic
Submodular Set Cover (SSSC) problem. This problem was introduced by Golovin and
Krause. They presented an approximation algorithm for the problem, called
Adaptive Greedy. Our main technical contribution is a new approximation
algorithm for the SSSC problem, which we call Adaptive Dual Greedy. It is an
extension of the Dual Greedy algorithm for Submodular Set Cover due to Fujito,
which is a generalization of Hochbaum's algorithm for the classical Set Cover
Problem. We also give a new bound on the approximation achieved by the Adaptive
Greedy algorithm of Golovin and Krause
Active Classification: Theory and Application to Underwater Inspection
We discuss the problem in which an autonomous vehicle must classify an object
based on multiple views. We focus on the active classification setting, where
the vehicle controls which views to select to best perform the classification.
The problem is formulated as an extension to Bayesian active learning, and we
show connections to recent theoretical guarantees in this area. We formally
analyze the benefit of acting adaptively as new information becomes available.
The analysis leads to a probabilistic algorithm for determining the best views
to observe based on information theoretic costs. We validate our approach in
two ways, both related to underwater inspection: 3D polyhedra recognition in
synthetic depth maps and ship hull inspection with imaging sonar. These tasks
encompass both the planning and recognition aspects of the active
classification problem. The results demonstrate that actively planning for
informative views can reduce the number of necessary views by up to 80% when
compared to passive methods.Comment: 16 page
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