Describes state variables in sequential decision problems, linking them to Markovian and non-Markovian models.
problem Sequential decision problems, especially in active learning and POMDPs, where decisions affect what is observed and learned.
method Canonical framework and novel two-agent perspective of POMDPs, defining state variables to claim Markovian or non-Markovian models.
result Properly modeled sequential decision problems are Markovian, while real decision problems are often non-Markovian.
The study examines robust decision-making in volatile financial markets, finding action robustness is more impactful than uncertainty tolerance.
problem Sequential decision making in high-frequency markets under evolving uncertainty.
method Analyzes two dimensions of robustness: uncertainty tolerance and action robustness, using simulations and empirical evidence.
result Action robustness has a larger impact on profitability than uncertainty tolerance, and excessive robustness can reduce profitability in illiquid markets.
Develops methods for finding counterfactual explanations in sequential decision making.
problem Finding counterfactual explanations for sequential decision making processes.
method Formal characterization of sequential actions and states using Markov decision processes and Gumbel-Max structural causal model. Introduces a polynomial time algorithm based on dynamic programming.
result Algorithm finds optimal counterfactual explanations for sequential decision making.
We develop a probabilistic framework for sequential random projection.
problem Challenges of sequential decision-making under uncertainty.
method Novel construction of a stopped process and method of mixtures.
result Achieved a non-asymptotic probability bound for random projection.
Develops a new framework for analyzing sequential decision-making problems using information theory.
problem Lack of information-theoretic generalization bounds for sequential decision-making problems.
method Introduces a sequential supersample framework that separates learner filtration from proof-side enlargement, controlling the generalization gap by sequential CMI.
result Establishes a sequential CMI that controls the generalization gap in sequential decision-making problems.
IDS algorithm optimizes sequential decisions in various monitoring settings.
problem Optimizing sequential decisions in complex monitoring scenarios.
method Information-directed sampling (IDS) algorithm for linear partial monitoring.
result IDS achieves nearly worst-case rate optimality in finite-action games.
Paper formalizes a reinforcement learning model for complex information structures.
problem Complex interdependence in sequential decision-making problems.
method Formalizes a novel reinforcement learning model with explicit information structure representation.
result Upper bound on sample complexity of learning general sequential decision-making problems.
New approach optimizes decisions based on uncertainty in predictions.
problem Mismatch between prediction accuracy and decision loss in sequential design.
method Directional uncertainty-guided approach to sequential experimental design.
result Directional uncertainty-based design stops earlier and performs better.
New algorithms for fast online decision making using neural networks and martingale posteriors.
problem Online sequential decision making under uncertainty.
method Martingale posterior neural networks for fast online learning and decision making.
result Achieves competitive performance-speed trade-offs in non-stationary contextual bandits and Bayesian optimization.
Novel algorithm reduces feature inclusion in online decision-making.
problem Optimizing decision-making for personalized user experiences with fairness.
method Online Batched Sequential Inclusion (OBSI) algorithm for sequential feature inclusion.
result OBSI outperforms other algorithms in terms of regret, relevance of features, and compute.
Unified framework for human-like decision making in various sequential tasks.
problem Real-life decision-making involves diverse strategies leading to similar outcomes.
method Two-stream reward processing mechanism for flexible and unified models.
result Framework unified MAB, CB, and RL with comparable performance.
A new MDP with Bandits approach for sequential decision making in linear-flow scenarios.
problem Sequential decision making with limited feedback in a linear-flow context.
method Formulated as an MDP with Bandits, using Thompson sampling for action selection and exact dynamic programming for allocation.
result The proposed MDP with Bandits algorithm outperforms other methods in sequential decision making.
OMLE combines optimism and MLE for efficient sequential decision making.
problem Efficiently solving sequential decision making problems, especially in partially observable settings.
method Combines optimism for exploration and maximum likelihood estimation for model learning.
result OMLE learns near-optimal policies for a wide range of sequential decision making problems.
Framework for deferring decisions to experts in sequential medical settings.
problem Myopic and non-adaptive decision-making by ML models in sequential medical contexts.
method Sequential Learning-to-Defer (SLTD) framework using model-based reinforcement learning.
result Adaptive deferral policy improves trade-off between long-term outcomes and deferral frequency.
Paper develops a framework for learning interpretable representations of sequential decision behavior.
problem Obtaining a transparent description of existing behavior.
method Inverse decision modeling framework, formalizing both forward and inverse problems.
result Learning interpretable representations of behavior, including suboptimal actions, biased beliefs, and imperfect knowledge.
LinearAPT optimizes decision-making under resource constraints for a linear threshold problem.
problem Optimizing sequential decisions with a linear threshold under resource limitations.
method LinearAPT, an adaptive algorithm for fixed-budget TLB problem.
result LinearAPT achieves theoretical upper bounds and robust performance on various datasets.
PDTS improves robustness in sequential decision-making.
problem Robust active task sampling for efficient and reliable decision-making.
method Characterizes robust active task sampling as a Markov decision process, proposes PDTS method.
result Significantly improves zero-shot and few-shot adaptation robustness.
We extend CS divergence to conditional distributions and show its advantages in time series data and sequential decision making.
problem Quantifying the closeness between conditional distributions.
method Developed and estimated a conditional Cauchy-Schwarz divergence using kernel density estimation.
result Conditional CS divergence outperforms previous methods in time series clustering and sequential decision making.
Study shows how AI model can improve decision-making with missing data.
problem Sequential decision-making with missing covariates.
method Introduced model elasticity to quantify imputation discrepancy; used statistical learning and regression for calibration.
result Calibrating pre-trained models can significantly reduce regret in decision-making.
Deep learning complements OR/MS for decision-making under uncertainty.
problem Sequential decision-making in uncertain environments.
method Integration of deep learning and OR/MS frameworks.
result Deep learning enhances adaptability and scalability in decision systems.
Develops BPDS for better financial portfolio decisions.
problem Model uncertainty in financial time series forecasting.
method Bayesian dynamic modelling and predictive decision synthesis.
result Improved predictive and decision outcomes compared to traditional Bayesian analysis.
Improved distributed learning with reduced communication costs.
problem Efficient communication in resource-constrained environments for distributed learning.
method Proposed a cost-effective partial communication protocol.
result Communication cost is reduced to O(logT), improving significantly on full communication. A new method uses active learning to improve bile duct stone evaluation.
problem Efficiently collecting necessary patient data in sequential healthcare decisions.
method Developed an active learning-based multistage sequential decision-making model.
result Improves estimation efficiency by 62%-1838% compared to baseline methods.
A new sequential method estimates Poisson means in streaming data, achieving optimality and efficiency.
problem Estimating Poisson means in a streaming, or online, framework.
method A quasi-Bayesian approach based on Newton's algorithm for a sequential estimate.
result Established frequentist guarantees including consistency and asymptotic optimality.
We solve a broad class of sequential decision-making problems with partially observed states.
problem Sequential decision-making under uncertainty with partially observed states.
method Modeling as a partially observed Markov decision process (POMDP) and separating state and modulation process.
result The approach allows for specialized approximate solution procedures.
New method controls false discoveries in real-time data streams.
problem Online testing of hypotheses with strict error constraints and no future data.
method Structure-adaptive sequential testing (SAST) with alpha-investment algorithm.
result Substantial power gain over existing online testing rules.
The Markov assumption (MA) is fundamental to the empirical validity of reinforcement learning. In this paper, we propose a novel Forward-Backward Learning procedure to test MA in sequential decision making. The proposed test does not assume any parametric form on the joint distribution of the observed data and plays an…
Paper tackles non-monotonic resource utilization in sequential decision-making.
problem Sequential decision-making under uncertainty with resource constraints.
method Introduces a new MDP policy with constant regret against LP relaxation.
result Develops a learning algorithm with logarithmic regret for unknown outcome distributions.
New method estimates policy performance under unobserved confounding.
problem Estimating policy performance when decisions depend on unobserved variables.
method Developed worst-case bounds for robust OPE under unobserved confounding.
result Efficient procedure for computing worst-case bounds, proving statistical consistency.
New active learning strategy improves decision-making accuracy.
problem Maximizing decision-making accuracy in sequential data acquisition.
method Introduces a novel active learning criterion that maximizes expected information gain on the posterior decision distribution.
result Improved performance in decision-making accuracy compared to existing alternatives.
Batched Neural Bandits reduces policy updates in sequential decision-making.
problem Sequential decision-making with batched policy changes.
method BatchNeuralUCB algorithm combining neural networks and optimism.
result Achieves similar regret as fully sequential version with fewer policy updates.
New method optimizes decision-making in uncertain environments.
problem Optimal decision-making under partial observability.
method Nested sequential Monte Carlo algorithm for continuous POMDPs.
result Demonstrated effectiveness on continuous POMDP benchmarks.
Detects data drift in deep learning models using neural embeddings.
problem Detecting changes in data distribution in deep learning models.
method Formulates drift detection in a sequential decision framework and introduces a loss function to balance false alarms and quick detection.
result Demonstrates improved ability to balance false alarms and quick detection in change detection.
Study resource allocation strategies in sequential decisions with unknown rewards.
problem Sequential resource allocation with unknown rewards.
method Design combinatorial multi-armed bandit algorithms for discrete or continuous budgets.
result Prove algorithms achieve logarithmic cumulative regret under semi-bandit feedback.
New method selects features for sequential decision making.
problem Dynamic feature selection for instance-wise decisions.
method Latent variable model trained in a supervised manner; reasoning across stochastic latent space.
result Outperforms existing methods on various datasets.
Motivated by real-world machine learning applications, we consider a statistical classification task in a sequential setting where test samples arrive sequentially. In addition, the generating distributions are unknown and only a set of empirically sampled sequences are available to a decision maker. The decision maker…
Diffusion approximations optimize sequential experimentation for uncertain parameters.
problem Maximizing reward from unknown parameter Θ with delayed action.
method Bayesian sequential experimentation framework, dynamic programming, diffusion asymptotics.
result Derives diffusion approximation for optimal experimentation strategy.
Meta-KeL learns kernels from offline data to improve sequential decision-making.
problem Adaptive confidence sets for prediction functions in sequential decision-making tasks.
method Meta-KeL: meta-learning a kernel from offline data; structured sparsity estimator for unknown kernel combinations.
result Valid confidence sets that become as tight as those given the true unknown kernel with increasing offline data.
AAggFF improves federated learning fairness through sequential decision making.
problem Achieving client-level fairness in federated learning systems.
method Unified online convex optimization framework for adaptive aggregation strategies.
result AAggFF achieves better client-level fairness in federated learning.
Paper presents algorithm for optimal job selection with dynamic scoring.
problem Optimal job assignment in a sequential selection process with dynamic scores.
method Developed using dynamic programming, with extensions for partial and no-information cases.
result Algorithm allows for optimal job assignment with limited information.
Parallelized bandit algorithms speed up decision-making.
problem Sequential exploration limits decision-making speed.
method Developed parallel contextual bandit algorithms.
result Regret nearly identical to sequential algorithms.
This paper explores minimax-Bayes solutions for reinforcement learning problems.
problem How to select appropriate priors for decision making under uncertainty in sequential decision making.
method Study of minimax-Bayes solutions for various reinforcement learning problems.
result Minimax policies are more robust than standard priors.
We address challenges in collaborative black-box optimization through three frameworks.
problem Challenges in distributed experimentation, heterogeneity, and privacy in black-box optimization.
method Three unifying frameworks: global, local, and predictive.
result Shift from descriptive/predictive to prescriptive federated learning in black-box optimization.
The paper proposes a fair reinforcement learning framework to prevent healthcare disparities.
problem Unfair reinforcement learning policies in healthcare can lead to socioeconomically-disadvantaged subgroups being underprivileged.
method The paper introduces a counterfactual fairness framework and a sequential data preprocessing algorithm to achieve fair sequential decision making.
result The proposed approach greatly enhances fair access to counseling in a digital health dataset designed to reduce opioid misuse.
The paper emphasizes the importance of joint predictions over marginal predictions for decision-making.
problem The need for accurate joint predictions in decision-making problems.
method The paper analyzes combinatorial decision problems, sequential predictions, and multi-armed bandits, introducing an approximate Thompson sampling algorithm and new regret bounds.
result Accurate joint predictions are essential for good performance in decision-making problems.
New batched Langevin Thompson Sampling reduces communication costs for sequential decision making.
problem Efficiently learning unknown reward distributions and transition dynamics in batched settings.
method Langevin Thompson Sampling with logarithmic communication costs.
result Order-optimal regret guarantees for stochastic MABs and RL.
Efficiently selects top-m designs for various contexts using sequential sampling.
problem Optimizing selection of top-m designs across different contexts.
method Formulated as a stochastic dynamic programming problem, developed sequential sampling policy.
result Asymptotically optimal sampling ratios for efficient selection.
New method for robust policy evaluation in offline reinforcement learning with sequentially exogenous unobserved confounders.
problem Offline reinforcement learning in domains with unobserved confounders.
method Orthogonalized robust fitted-Q-iteration with closed-form solutions and bias-correction.
result Effective in simulations and real-world data, improving robustness and computational ease.