Rollout, Policy Iteration, and Distributed Reinforcement Learning

Rollout, Policy Iteration, and Distributed Reinforcement Learning
Author: Dimitri Bertsekas
Publisher: Athena Scientific
Total Pages: 498
Release: 2021-08-20
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1886529078

The purpose of this book is to develop in greater depth some of the methods from the author's Reinforcement Learning and Optimal Control recently published textbook (Athena Scientific, 2019). In particular, we present new research, relating to systems involving multiple agents, partitioned architectures, and distributed asynchronous computation. We pay special attention to the contexts of dynamic programming/policy iteration and control theory/model predictive control. We also discuss in some detail the application of the methodology to challenging discrete/combinatorial optimization problems, such as routing, scheduling, assignment, and mixed integer programming, including the use of neural network approximations within these contexts. The book focuses on the fundamental idea of policy iteration, i.e., start from some policy, and successively generate one or more improved policies. If just one improved policy is generated, this is called rollout, which, based on broad and consistent computational experience, appears to be one of the most versatile and reliable of all reinforcement learning methods. In this book, rollout algorithms are developed for both discrete deterministic and stochastic DP problems, and the development of distributed implementations in both multiagent and multiprocessor settings, aiming to take advantage of parallelism. Approximate policy iteration is more ambitious than rollout, but it is a strictly off-line method, and it is generally far more computationally intensive. This motivates the use of parallel and distributed computation. One of the purposes of the monograph is to discuss distributed (possibly asynchronous) methods that relate to rollout and policy iteration, both in the context of an exact and an approximate implementation involving neural networks or other approximation architectures. Much of the new research is inspired by the remarkable AlphaZero chess program, where policy iteration, value and policy networks, approximate lookahead minimization, and parallel computation all play an important role.

MACHINE LEARNING

MACHINE LEARNING
Author: Chandra S.S., Vinod
Publisher: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
Total Pages: 600
Release: 2021-01-01
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9389347475

The present book is primarily intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students of computer science and engineering, information technology, and electrical and electronics engineering. It bridges the gaps in knowledge of the seemingly difficult areas of machine learning and nature inspired computing. The text is written in a highly interactive manner, which satisfies the learning curiosity of any reader. Content of the text has been diligently organized to offer seamless learning experience. The text begins with introduction to machine learning, which is followed by explanation of different aspects of machine learning. Various supervised, unsupervised, reinforced and nature inspired learning techniques are included in the text book with numerous examples and case studies. Different aspects of new machine learning and nature inspired learning algorithms are explained in-depth. The well-explained algorithms and pseudo codes for each topic make this book useful for students. The book also throws light on areas like prediction and classification systems. Key Features • Day to day examples and pictorial representations for deeper understanding of the subject • Helps readers easily create programs/applications • Research oriented approach • More case studies and worked-out examples for each machine learning algorithm than any other book

Advanced Finite Element Method in Structural Engineering

Advanced Finite Element Method in Structural Engineering
Author: Yu-Qiu Long
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 715
Release: 2009-09-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3642003168

Advanced Finite Element Method in Structural Engineering systematically introduces the research work on the Finite Element Method (FEM), which was completed by Prof. Yu-qiu Long and his research group in the past 25 years. Seven original theoretical achievements - for instance, the Generalized Conforming Element method, to name one - and their applications in the fields of structural engineering and computational mechanics are discussed in detail. The book also shows the new strategies for avoiding five difficulties that exist in traditional FEM (shear-locking problem of thick plate elements; sensitivity problem to mesh distortion; non-convergence problem of non-conforming elements; accuracy loss problem of stress solutions by displacement-based elements; stress singular point problem) by utilizing foregoing achievements.

Machine Learning Refined

Machine Learning Refined
Author: Jeremy Watt
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 597
Release: 2020-01-09
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1108480721

An intuitive approach to machine learning covering key concepts, real-world applications, and practical Python coding exercises.

Probabilistic Machine Learning

Probabilistic Machine Learning
Author: Kevin P. Murphy
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 858
Release: 2022-03-01
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0262369303

A detailed and up-to-date introduction to machine learning, presented through the unifying lens of probabilistic modeling and Bayesian decision theory. This book offers a detailed and up-to-date introduction to machine learning (including deep learning) through the unifying lens of probabilistic modeling and Bayesian decision theory. The book covers mathematical background (including linear algebra and optimization), basic supervised learning (including linear and logistic regression and deep neural networks), as well as more advanced topics (including transfer learning and unsupervised learning). End-of-chapter exercises allow students to apply what they have learned, and an appendix covers notation. Probabilistic Machine Learning grew out of the author’s 2012 book, Machine Learning: A Probabilistic Perspective. More than just a simple update, this is a completely new book that reflects the dramatic developments in the field since 2012, most notably deep learning. In addition, the new book is accompanied by online Python code, using libraries such as scikit-learn, JAX, PyTorch, and Tensorflow, which can be used to reproduce nearly all the figures; this code can be run inside a web browser using cloud-based notebooks, and provides a practical complement to the theoretical topics discussed in the book. This introductory text will be followed by a sequel that covers more advanced topics, taking the same probabilistic approach.

Statistical Learning with Sparsity

Statistical Learning with Sparsity
Author: Trevor Hastie
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2015-05-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1498712177

Discover New Methods for Dealing with High-Dimensional DataA sparse statistical model has only a small number of nonzero parameters or weights; therefore, it is much easier to estimate and interpret than a dense model. Statistical Learning with Sparsity: The Lasso and Generalizations presents methods that exploit sparsity to help recover the underl

The Analytics Edge

The Analytics Edge
Author: Dimitris Bertsimas
Publisher:
Total Pages: 462
Release: 2016
Genre: Computer simulation
ISBN: 9780989910897

"Provides a unified, insightful, modern, and entertaining treatment of analytics. The book covers the science of using data to build models, improve decisions, and ultimately add value to institutions and individuals"--Back cover.

The Lion Way

The Lion Way
Author: Roberto Battiti
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-02-21
Genre: Artificial intelligence
ISBN: 9781496034021

Learning and Intelligent Optimization (LION) is the combination of learning from data and optimization applied to solve complex and dynamic problems. The LION way is about increasing the automation level and connecting data directly to decisions and actions. More power is directly in the hands of decision makers in a self-service manner, without resorting to intermediate layers of data scientists. LION is a complex array of mechanisms, like the engine in an automobile, but the user (driver) does not need to know the inner workings of the engine in order to realize its tremendous benefits. LION's adoption will create a prairie fire of innovation which will reach most businesses in the next decades. Businesses, like plants in wildfire-prone ecosystems, will survive and prosper by adapting and embracing LION techniques, or they risk being transformed from giant trees to ashes by the spreading competition.