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Auxiliary variables for Bayesian inference in multi-class queueing networks

Statistics and Computing volume 28, pages 1187–1200 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Queueing networks describe complex stochastic systems of both theoretical and practical interest. They provide the means to assess alterations, diagnose poor performance and evaluate robustness across sets of interconnected resources. In the present paper, we focus on the underlying continuous-time Markov chains induced by these networks, and we present a flexible method for drawing parameter inference in multi-class Markovian cases with switching and different service disciplines. The approach is directed towards the inferential problem with missing data, where transition paths of individual tasks among the queues are often unknown. The paper introduces a slice sampling technique with mappings to the measurable space of task transitions between the service stations. This can address time and tractability issues in computational procedures, handle prior system knowledge and overcome common restrictions on service rates across existing inferential frameworks. Finally, the proposed algorithm is validated on synthetic data and applied to a real data set, obtained from a service delivery tasking tool implemented in two university hospitals.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable remarks and suggestions that have improved the quality of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Horizon Digital Economy Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Iker Perez

  2. School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    David Hodge & Theodore Kypraios

Authors
  1. Iker Perez
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  2. David Hodge
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  3. Theodore Kypraios
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iker Perez.

Additional information

Work supported by RCUK through the Horizon Digital Economy Research Grants (EP/G065802/1, EP/M000877/1) and The Health Foundation through the Insight 2014 project “Informatics to identify and inform best practice in out of hours secondary care” (7382).

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Perez, I., Hodge, D. & Kypraios, T. Auxiliary variables for Bayesian inference in multi-class queueing networks. Stat Comput 28, 1187–1200 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11222-017-9787-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11222-017-9787-x

Keywords

  • Queueing networks
  • Continuous-time Markov chains
  • Uniformization
  • Markov chain Monte Carlo
  • Slice sampler