45,078 research outputs found
Solving Factored MDPs with Hybrid State and Action Variables
Efficient representations and solutions for large decision problems with
continuous and discrete variables are among the most important challenges faced
by the designers of automated decision support systems. In this paper, we
describe a novel hybrid factored Markov decision process (MDP) model that
allows for a compact representation of these problems, and a new hybrid
approximate linear programming (HALP) framework that permits their efficient
solutions. The central idea of HALP is to approximate the optimal value
function by a linear combination of basis functions and optimize its weights by
linear programming. We analyze both theoretical and computational aspects of
this approach, and demonstrate its scale-up potential on several hybrid
optimization problems
On Simultaneous Two-player Combinatorial Auctions
We consider the following communication problem: Alice and Bob each have some
valuation functions and over subsets of items,
and their goal is to partition the items into in a way that
maximizes the welfare, . We study both the allocation
problem, which asks for a welfare-maximizing partition and the decision
problem, which asks whether or not there exists a partition guaranteeing
certain welfare, for binary XOS valuations. For interactive protocols with
communication, a tight 3/4-approximation is known for both
[Fei06,DS06].
For interactive protocols, the allocation problem is provably harder than the
decision problem: any solution to the allocation problem implies a solution to
the decision problem with one additional round and additional bits of
communication via a trivial reduction. Surprisingly, the allocation problem is
provably easier for simultaneous protocols. Specifically, we show:
1) There exists a simultaneous, randomized protocol with polynomial
communication that selects a partition whose expected welfare is at least
of the optimum. This matches the guarantee of the best interactive, randomized
protocol with polynomial communication.
2) For all , any simultaneous, randomized protocol that
decides whether the welfare of the optimal partition is or correctly with probability requires
exponential communication. This provides a separation between the attainable
approximation guarantees via interactive () versus simultaneous () protocols with polynomial communication.
In other words, this trivial reduction from decision to allocation problems
provably requires the extra round of communication
Immunity and Simplicity for Exact Counting and Other Counting Classes
Ko [RAIRO 24, 1990] and Bruschi [TCS 102, 1992] showed that in some
relativized world, PSPACE (in fact, ParityP) contains a set that is immune to
the polynomial hierarchy (PH). In this paper, we study and settle the question
of (relativized) separations with immunity for PH and the counting classes PP,
C_{=}P, and ParityP in all possible pairwise combinations. Our main result is
that there is an oracle A relative to which C_{=}P contains a set that is
immune to BPP^{ParityP}. In particular, this C_{=}P^A set is immune to PH^{A}
and ParityP^{A}. Strengthening results of Tor\'{a}n [J.ACM 38, 1991] and Green
[IPL 37, 1991], we also show that, in suitable relativizations, NP contains a
C_{=}P-immune set, and ParityP contains a PP^{PH}-immune set. This implies the
existence of a C_{=}P^{B}-simple set for some oracle B, which extends results
of Balc\'{a}zar et al. [SIAM J.Comp. 14, 1985; RAIRO 22, 1988] and provides the
first example of a simple set in a class not known to be contained in PH. Our
proof technique requires a circuit lower bound for ``exact counting'' that is
derived from Razborov's [Mat. Zametki 41, 1987] lower bound for majority.Comment: 20 page
A multi-spacecraft view of a giant filament eruption during 26/27 September 2009
We analyze multi-spacecraft observations of a giant filament eruption that
occurred during 26 and 27 September 2009. The filament eruption was associated
with a relatively slow coronal mass ejection (CME). The filament consisted of a
large and a small part, both parts erupted nearly simultaneously. Here we focus
on the eruption associated with the larger part of the filament. The STEREO
satellites were separated by about 117 degree during this event, so we
additionally used SoHO/EIT and CORONAS/TESIS observations as a third eye (Earth
view) to aid our measurements. We measure the plane-of-sky trajectory of the
filament as seen from STEREO-A and TESIS view-points. Using a simple
trigonometric relation, we then use these measurements to estimate the true
direction of propagation of the filament which allows us to derive the true
R=R_sun v/s time profile of the filament apex. Furthermore, we develop a new
tomographic method that can potentially provide a more robust three-dimensional
reconstruction by exploiting multiple simultaneous views. We apply this method
also to investigate the 3D evolution of the top part of filament. We expect
this method to be useful when SDO and STEREO observations are combined. We then
analyze the kinematics of the eruptive filament during its rapid acceleration
phase by fitting different functional forms to the height-time data derived
from the two methods. We find that, for both methods, an exponential function
fits the rise profile of the filament slightly better than parabolic or cubic
functions. Finally, we confront these results with the predictions of
theoretical eruption models.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Astrophysical Journa
Exponential Lower Bounds for Polytopes in Combinatorial Optimization
We solve a 20-year old problem posed by Yannakakis and prove that there
exists no polynomial-size linear program (LP) whose associated polytope
projects to the traveling salesman polytope, even if the LP is not required to
be symmetric. Moreover, we prove that this holds also for the cut polytope and
the stable set polytope. These results were discovered through a new connection
that we make between one-way quantum communication protocols and semidefinite
programming reformulations of LPs.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. This version of the paper will appear in the
Journal of the ACM. The earlier conference version in STOC'12 had the title
"Linear vs. Semidefinite Extended Formulations: Exponential Separation and
Strong Lower Bounds
Beyond Geometry : Towards Fully Realistic Wireless Models
Signal-strength models of wireless communications capture the gradual fading
of signals and the additivity of interference. As such, they are closer to
reality than other models. However, nearly all theoretic work in the SINR model
depends on the assumption of smooth geometric decay, one that is true in free
space but is far off in actual environments. The challenge is to model
realistic environments, including walls, obstacles, reflections and anisotropic
antennas, without making the models algorithmically impractical or analytically
intractable.
We present a simple solution that allows the modeling of arbitrary static
situations by moving from geometry to arbitrary decay spaces. The complexity of
a setting is captured by a metricity parameter Z that indicates how far the
decay space is from satisfying the triangular inequality. All results that hold
in the SINR model in general metrics carry over to decay spaces, with the
resulting time complexity and approximation depending on Z in the same way that
the original results depends on the path loss term alpha. For distributed
algorithms, that to date have appeared to necessarily depend on the planarity,
we indicate how they can be adapted to arbitrary decay spaces.
Finally, we explore the dependence on Z in the approximability of core
problems. In particular, we observe that the capacity maximization problem has
exponential upper and lower bounds in terms of Z in general decay spaces. In
Euclidean metrics and related growth-bounded decay spaces, the performance
depends on the exact metricity definition, with a polynomial upper bound in
terms of Z, but an exponential lower bound in terms of a variant parameter phi.
On the plane, the upper bound result actually yields the first approximation of
a capacity-type SINR problem that is subexponential in alpha
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