A fair reward system boosts participation in federated learning.
problem Fairness in federated learning among competitive agents with siloed data.
method Hierarchically fair federated learning (HFFL) framework with proportional rewards based on contribution levels.
result Efficacy of HFFL in maintaining fairness and facilitating federated learning in competitive settings.
OP-GFNs sample candidates in order-preserving proportion to a learned reward function.
problem Sampling diverse candidates with varying rewards in multi-objective optimization.
method Order-Preserving GFlowNets (OP-GFNs) use a learned reward function consistent with a provided order on candidates.
result Training OP-GFNs sparsifies the reward landscape, focusing on higher-ranked candidates.
Paper connects Plackett-Luce and Cox models for preference estimation.
problem Estimating preferences from annotated data.
method Connects Plackett-Luce model to Cox Proportional Hazards model.
result Implications of the connection between the two models.
Motivated by applications of bandit algorithms in education, we consider a stochastic multi-armed bandit problem with ε-contaminated rewards. We allow an adversary to give arbitrary unbounded contaminated rewards with full knowledge of the past and future. We impose the constraint that for each time t the…
The paper introduces a new intrinsic reward method for exploration in reinforcement learning.
problem Improving exploration in reinforcement learning agents.
method Intrinsic rewards proportional to the entropy of future state-action features.
result The new objective leads to improved visitation of features within individual trajectories.
The paper tackles resource allocation for arms with unknown and random rewards, achieving optimal regret bounds.
problem Allocating resources on arms with unknown and random rewards.
method Developed two algorithms with optimal regret bounds for b∈[0,1], demonstrating a phase transition at b=1/2. result Achieved optimal gap-dependent and gap-independent regret bounds for b∈[0,1]. SA-GFN corrects biases in GFlowNets due to graph symmetries.
problem Systematic biases in state transition probability computations.
method Incorporates symmetry corrections into the learning process through reward scaling.
result Eliminates need for explicit state transition computations.
Local search improves GFlowNets' ability to generate high-reward samples.
problem GFlowNets struggle with over-exploration in high-reward space.
method Local search focusing on high-reward samples via backtracking and reconstruction.
result Significant performance improvement in biochemical tasks.
New RL approach uses future state and action visitation measures for better exploration.
problem Improving exploration in reinforcement learning.
method Intrinsic reward based on future state and action visitation measures, using contraction operators.
result Policies achieve good state-action space coverage and high performance.
Optimal strategy proposed for maximizing cumulative reward in continuum-armed bandits.
problem Maximizing cumulative reward in a scenario with limited resources and unknown stochastic rewards.
method Proposed an optimal strategy for a nonparametric setting with side information on actions.
result Optimal regret scales as \(O(T^{1/3})\) up to poly-logarithmic factors when \(T\) is proportional to \(N\).
A new framework isolates exploration challenges in RL without explicit rewards.
problem Challenges in reinforcement learning, especially exploration.
method Reward-free RL framework, collecting trajectories without a reward function, then computing policies for various reward functions.
result Efficient algorithm that conducts exploration and computes near-optimal policies for multiple reward functions.
BatchGFN uses generative flow networks for efficient batch active learning.
problem Efficiently selecting informative batches for active learning.
method Generative flow networks to sample batches proportional to a batch reward.
result Constructs highly informative batches with a single forward pass per point.
New model accounts for continuous human trajectories in robotics.
problem Inaccurate probabilistic models of human behavior in robotics.
method Developed a new probabilistic model that considers distances between continuous trajectories.
result The new model outperforms existing models in explaining human behavior and improving robot inference.
We study decision making in environments where the reward is only partially observed, but can be modeled as a function of an action and an observed context. This setting, known as contextual bandits, encompasses a wide variety of applications including health-care policy and Internet advertising. A central task is eval…
GFlowNets sample diverse candidates in active learning.
problem Sampling diverse candidates in active learning.
method Generative Flow Networks (GFlowNets) for proportional sampling.
result GFlowNets estimate joint and marginal distributions.
Theoretical proof shows COMs are a type of contrastive divergence model with improved sampling.
problem Improving sampling quality in offline model-based optimization.
method Showed COMs are contrastive divergence models, proposed Langevin MCMC sampler, and decoupled model.
result Improved sampling quality achieved by decoupling model and using Langevin MCMC.
ACE improves GFlowNet exploration efficiency by balancing complementary search strategies.
problem Efficient exploration of diverse high-probability regions in GFlowNets.
method Adaptive Complementary Exploration (ACE) trains a separate GFlowNet to search underexplored regions.
result Significantly improves approximation accuracy and diverse state discovery.
Paper proposes Langevin dynamics for adaptive IRL of stochastic gradient algorithms.
problem Estimating reward functions from noisy gradient estimates of stochastic gradient agents.
method Generalized Langevin dynamics algorithm for IRL.
result Proposed algorithms asymptotically generate samples proportional to exp(R(θ)).
New algorithm for combinatorial bandit problems reduces regret.
problem Optimal selection of sets of arms in bandit problems.
method SGB algorithm with optimized exploration of unselected arms.
result Achieves (1−1/e)-regret bound of O(n31k32T32log(T)32). Ranking metrics are a family of metrics largely used to evaluate recommender systems. However they typically suffer from the fact the reward is affected by the order in which recommended items are displayed to the user. A classical way to overcome this position bias is to uniformly shuffle a proportion of the recommend…
New research shows fixed-budget best-arm identification cannot match static oracle performance.
problem Fixed-budget best-arm identification's performance limitations.
method Analysis of various adaptive and static algorithms for best-arm identification.
result For any algorithm, there exists at least one instance where the error decay rate is at most \((1 + \frac{\log(K)}{8})^{-1}\) times that of the static oracle.
New algorithm balances user reward and statistical inference by mixing TS with UR based on difference size.
problem Combining statistical inference with user reward in adaptive experiments.
method TS-PostDiff algorithm that uses UR when differences are small and TS when large.
result TS-PostDiff reduces false positives and increases statistical power for small differences, while maximizing reward for large ones.
Optimal best arm identification for multi-objective bandits with fixed error probability.
problem Identifying the best arm for each of multiple objectives with fixed confidence.
method Surrogate proportions to sample arms at each time step, eliminating max-min optimisation.
result Asymptotically optimal algorithm for multi-objective best arm identification.
Generative flow networks use RL to learn probabilistic models efficiently.
problem Training generative models with RL for compositional discrete objects.
method Reformulate GFlowNet training as entropy-regularized RL with specific reward and regularizer.
result Entropy-regularized RL can be competitive with established GFlowNet training methods.
This paper explores a new form of the linear bandit problem in which the algorithm receives the usual stochastic rewards as well as stochastic feedback about which features are relevant to the rewards, the latter feedback being the novel aspect. The focus of this paper is the development of new theory and algorithms fo…
Experimentally, it has been observed that humans and animals often make decisions that do not maximize their expected utility, but rather choose outcomes randomly, with probability proportional to expected utility. Probability matching, as this strategy is called, is equivalent to maximum entropy reinforcement learning…
Contextual information helps identify the best arm more efficiently.
problem Best arm identification with contextual covariate information.
method Proposed a context-aware version of the 'Track-and-Stop' strategy.
result Expected number of arm draws matches lower bound asymptotically.
SPReD uses uncertainty to decide imitation from demonstrations.
problem Learning from sparse rewards with few demonstrations.
method Ensemble methods to model Q-value distributions, probabilistic and advantage-based uncertainty quantification.
result Significant gains in reinforcement learning across multiple tasks.
The paper proposes a new method for learning reward models from ordinal feedback, improving upon binary feedback.
problem Learning reward models from human preferences using binary feedback discards useful samples and loses fine-grained information.
method The paper introduces a framework for learning reward models under ordinal feedback, generalizing the Bradley-Terry model.
result Ordinal feedback reduces the Rademacher complexity compared to binary feedback, leading to better reward learning.
This work improves wireless network learning by using side-information about interference.
problem Improving online learning algorithms in wireless networks.
method Exploiting side-information like interference levels to improve learning algorithms.
result Improved learning algorithms achieve higher throughput with fewer samples.
Stable GFlowNets prevent loss spikes and mode collapse in training.
problem Unstable training of GFlowNets leading to loss spikes and mode collapse.
method Assessed sensitivity of GFlowNet objectives, derived loss-to-TV bounds, and proposed Stable GFlowNets.
result Stable GFlowNets improve training behavior and distributional fidelity.
Paper proposes a method to estimate true positive proportion without knowing it.
problem Bias in binary classifier performance due to different positive item proportions.
method Maximum likelihood estimator for true proportion of positives.
result Method accurately estimates true positive proportion in data sets.
Paper improves deep learning for instance-level classification from label proportions.
problem Dealing with noisy pseudo-labeling and high-entropy class distributions in LLP.
method Introducing a two-stage training approach with constrained optimization and mixup strategy.
result Significant performance improvement in instance-level classification.
Improved adaptive algorithms for identifying the best arm in MABs with fixed budget.
problem Identifying the best arm in stochastic Multi-Armed Bandits with a fixed sampling budget.
method Established a connection between Large Deviation Principles and adaptive algorithms, improving error probability bounds and devising new algorithms.
result The \sred algorithm outperforms existing algorithms in identifying the best arm.
Learning from Label Proportions (LLP) is a learning setting, where the training data is provided in groups, or "bags", and only the proportion of each class in each bag is known. The task is to learn a model to predict the class labels of the individual instances. LLP has broad applications in political science, market…
Develops a method to estimate average hazard under non-proportional hazards without relying on proportional hazards assumption.
problem Estimation of treatment effects when hazards are non-proportional, leading to unstable hazard ratios.
method Semiparametric, doubly robust framework for covariate-adjusted average hazard estimation.
result Valid sqrt{n} inference with small bias and near-nominal confidence-interval coverage across proportional and non-proportional hazards settings.
New learning rules achieve optimal sample complexity for weakly supervised classification.
problem Learning from label proportions in weakly supervised settings.
method Debiased proportional square loss and EasyLLP learning rule.
result Achieves optimal sample complexity in both realizable and agnostic settings.
New algorithm for countable bandits with optimal regret.
problem Stochastic bandit problem with countably many arms.
method Fully adaptive online learning algorithm with O(log n) expected cumulative regret.
result Achieves optimal regret of O(log n) after any number of plays n.
FR-LUX optimizes portfolio management by learning cost-aware policies robust to market conditions.
problem Transaction costs and regime shifts cause failure in live trading portfolios.
method Integrates three ingredients: microstructure-consistent execution model, trade-space trust region, and explicit regime conditioning.
result Achieves top average Sharpe ratio, maintains flat cost-performance slope, and superior risk-return efficiency.
learn2mix trains neural nets faster by adjusting class proportions dynamically.
problem Training neural nets efficiently with limited resources and imbalanced classes.
method Adaptive class proportion adjustment during training.
result Neural nets trained with learn2mix converge faster than static methods.
Several structure learning algorithms have been proposed towards discovering causal or Bayesian Network (BN) graphs. The validity of these algorithms tends to be evaluated by assessing the relationship between the learnt and the ground truth graph. However, there is no agreed scoring metric to determine this relationsh…
We study the problem of learning with label proportions in which the training data is provided in groups and only the proportion of each class in each group is known. We propose a new method called proportion-SVM, or ∝SVM, which explicitly models the latent unknown instance labels together with the known group …
Study examines how insurance affects households prone to proportional losses, especially those near poverty.
problem Impact of insurance on households susceptible to proportional losses, focusing on poverty traps.
method Modelled proportional capital losses with insurance, derived closed formulae and non-local differential equations.
result New formulae and methods to calculate trapping probability, constraints on parameters to prevent certainty of trapping.
A reinsurance contract should address the conflicting interests of the insurer and reinsurer. Most of existing optimal reinsurance contracts only considers the interests of one party. This article combines the proportional and stop-loss reinsurance contracts and introduces a new reinsurance contract called proportional…
Paper proposes a new method for estimating mixture proportions without irreducibility assumption.
problem Estimating mixture proportions when component distributions are not irreducible.
method Developed a resampling-based meta-algorithm that adapts existing MPE algorithms to non-irreducible settings.
result Empirical results show improved estimation performance compared to baseline methods and regrouping-based algorithms.
Contextual multi-armed bandit algorithms are widely used in sequential decision tasks such as news article recommendation systems, web page ad placement algorithms, and mobile health. Most of the existing algorithms have regret proportional to a polynomial function of the context dimension, d. In many applications ho…
Paper improves signal proportion estimation by accounting for variable dependence.
problem Traditional estimators assume independence, limiting applicability in real-world scenarios.
method Integrates arbitrary covariance dependence information using principal factor approximation.
result Method outperforms state-of-the-art estimators in accuracy and detection of weaker signals.
RLSbench benchmarks domain adaptation under label proportion shifts, revealing widespread failures and proposing a two-step meta-algorithm.
problem Domain adaptation under label proportion shifts is poorly understood and inconsistent across methods.
method RLSbench introduces a large-scale benchmark with 500 distribution shift pairs. It proposes a two-step meta-algorithm to improve domain adaptation methods under label proportion shifts.
result The two-step meta-algorithm improves domain adaptation methods by 2-10% accuracy points under large label proportion shifts.