1,406 research outputs found
DoWG Unleashed: An Efficient Universal Parameter-Free Gradient Descent Method
This paper proposes a new easy-to-implement parameter-free gradient-based
optimizer: DoWG (Distance over Weighted Gradients). We prove that DoWG is
efficient -- matching the convergence rate of optimally tuned gradient descent
in convex optimization up to a logarithmic factor without tuning any
parameters, and universal -- automatically adapting to both smooth and
nonsmooth problems. While popular algorithms following the AdaGrad framework
compute a running average of the squared gradients to use for normalization,
DoWG maintains a new distance-based weighted version of the running average,
which is crucial to achieve the desired properties. To complement our theory,
we also show empirically that DoWG trains at the edge of stability, and
validate its effectiveness on practical machine learning tasks.Comment: 22 pages, 1 table, 4 figure
Computation-Communication Trade-offs and Sensor Selection in Real-time Estimation for Processing Networks
Recent advances in electronics are enabling substantial processing to be
performed at each node (robots, sensors) of a networked system. Local
processing enables data compression and may mitigate measurement noise, but it
is still slower compared to a central computer (it entails a larger
computational delay). However, while nodes can process the data in parallel,
the centralized computational is sequential in nature. On the other hand, if a
node sends raw data to a central computer for processing, it incurs
communication delay. This leads to a fundamental communication-computation
trade-off, where each node has to decide on the optimal amount of preprocessing
in order to maximize the network performance. We consider a network in charge
of estimating the state of a dynamical system and provide three contributions.
First, we provide a rigorous problem formulation for optimal real-time
estimation in processing networks in the presence of delays. Second, we show
that, in the case of a homogeneous network (where all sensors have the same
computation) that monitors a continuous-time scalar linear system, the optimal
amount of local preprocessing maximizing the network estimation performance can
be computed analytically. Third, we consider the realistic case of a
heterogeneous network monitoring a discrete-time multi-variate linear system
and provide algorithms to decide on suitable preprocessing at each node, and to
select a sensor subset when computational constraints make using all sensors
suboptimal. Numerical simulations show that selecting the sensors is crucial.
Moreover, we show that if the nodes apply the preprocessing policy suggested by
our algorithms, they can largely improve the network estimation performance.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures. Accepted journal versio
Adaptive traffic signal control using approximate dynamic programming
This paper presents a study on an adaptive traffic signal controller for real-time operation. The controller aims for three operational objectives: dynamic allocation of green time, automatic adjustment to control parameters, and fast revision of signal plans. The control algorithm is built on approximate dynamic programming (ADP). This approach substantially reduces computational burden by using an approximation to the value function of the dynamic programming and reinforcement learning to update the approximation. We investigate temporal-difference learning and perturbation learning as specific learning techniques for the ADP approach. We find in computer simulation that the ADP controllers achieve substantial reduction in vehicle delays in comparison with optimised fixed-time plans. Our results show that substantial benefits can be gained by increasing the frequency at which the signal plans are revised, which can be achieved conveniently using the ADP approach
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