We aim at development white-box machine learning algorithms. We focus here on algorithms for learning axioms in description logic. We extend the Class Expression Learning for Ontology Engineering (CELOE) algorithm contained in the DL-Learner tool. The approach uses multiple search trees and a shared pool of refinements in order to split the search space in smaller subspaces. We introduce the conjunction operation of best class expressions from each tree, keeping the results which give the most information. The aim is to foster exploration from a diverse set of starting classes and to streamline the process of finding class expressions in ontologies. %, particularly in large search spaces. The current implementation and settings indicated that the Forest Mixing approach did not outperform the traditional CELOE. Despite these results, the conceptual proposal brought forward by this approach may stimulate future improvements in class expression finding in ontologies. % and influence. % the way we traverse search spaces in general.
Feedforward neural networks (FNNs) are typically viewed as pure prediction algorithms, and their strong predictive performance has led to their use in many machine-learning applications. However, their flexibility comes with an interpretability trade-off; thus, FNNs have been historically less popular among statisticians. Nevertheless, classical statistical theory, such as significance testing and uncertainty quantification, is still relevant. Supplementing FNNs with methods of statistical inference, and covariate-effect visualisations, can shift the focus away from black-box prediction and make FNNs more akin to traditional statistical models. This can allow for more inferential analysis, and, hence, make FNNs more accessible within the statistical-modelling context.
Quantum supervised learning, utilizing variational circuits, stands out as a promising technology for NISQ devices due to its efficiency in hardware resource utilization during the creation of quantum feature maps and the implementation of hardware-efficient ansatz with trainable parameters. Despite these advantages, the training of quantum models encounters challenges, notably the barren plateau phenomenon, leading to stagnation in learning during optimization iterations. This study proposes an innovative approach: an evolutionary-enhanced ansatz-free supervised learning model. In contrast to parametrized circuits, our model employs circuits with variable topology that evolves through an elitist method, mitigating the barren plateau issue. Additionally, we introduce a novel concept, the superposition of multi-hot encodings, facilitating the treatment of multi-classification problems. Our framework successfully avoids barren plateaus, resulting in enhanced model accuracy. Comparative analysis with variational quantum classifiers from the technology's state-of-the-art reveal a substantial improvement in training efficiency and precision. Furthermore, we conduct tests on a challenging dataset class, traditionally problematic for conventional kernel machines, demonstrating a potential alternative path for achieving quantum advantage in supervised learning for NISQ era.
Machine learning (ML) may be oblivious to human bias but it is not immune to its perpetuation. Marginalisation and iniquitous group representation are often traceable in the very data used for training, and may be reflected or even enhanced by the learning models. In the present work, we aim at clarifying the role played by data geometry in the emergence of ML bias. We introduce an exactly solvable high-dimensional model of data imbalance, where parametric control over the many bias-inducing factors allows for an extensive exploration of the bias inheritance mechanism. Through the tools of statistical physics, we analytically characterise the typical properties of learning models trained in this synthetic framework and obtain exact predictions for the observables that are commonly employed for fairness assessment. Despite the simplicity of the data model, we retrace and unpack typical unfairness behaviour observed on real-world datasets. We also obtain a detailed analytical characterisation of a class of bias mitigation strategies. We first consider a basic loss-reweighing scheme, which allows for an implicit minimisation of different unfairness metrics, and quantify the incompatibilities between some existing fairness criteria. Then, we consider a novel mitigation strategy based on a matched inference approach, consisting in the introduction of coupled learning models. Our theoretical analysis of this approach shows that the coupled strategy can strike superior fairness-accuracy trade-offs.
We discuss techniques of estimation and inference for nonlinear cohort panels with learning from experience, showing, inter alia, the consistency and asymptotic normality of the nonlinear least squares estimator employed in the seminal paper by Malmendier and Nagel (2016, QJE). Potential pitfalls for hypothesis testing are identified and solutions proposed. Monte Carlo simulations verify the properties of the estimator and corresponding test statistics in finite samples, while an application to a panel of survey expectations demonstrates the usefulness of the theory developed.
Statistical learning methods are widely utilized in tackling complex problems due to their flexibility, good predictive performance and its ability to capture complex relationships among variables. Additionally, recently developed automatic workflows have provided a standardized approach to implementing statistical learning methods across various applications. However these tools highlight a main drawbacks of statistical learning: its lack of interpretation in their results. In the past few years an important amount of research has been focused on methods for interpreting black box models. Having interpretable statistical learning methods is relevant to have a deeper understanding of the model. In problems were spatial information is relevant, combined interpretable methods with spatial data can help to get better understanding of the problem and interpretation of the results. This paper is focused in the individual conditional expectation (ICE-plot), a model agnostic methods for interpreting statistical learning models and combined them with spatial information. ICE-plot extension is proposed where spatial information is used as restriction to define Spatial ICE curves (SpICE). Spatial ICE curves are estimated using real data in the context of an economic problem concerning property valuation in Montevideo, Uruguay. Understanding the key factors that influence property valuation is essential for decision-making, and spatial data plays a relevant role in this regard.
Nowadays, deep-learning image coding solutions have shown similar or better compression efficiency than conventional solutions based on hand-crafted transforms and spatial prediction techniques. These deep-learning codecs require a large training set of images and a training methodology to obtain a suitable model (set of parameters) for efficient compression. The training is performed with an optimization algorithm which provides a way to minimize the loss function. Therefore, the loss function plays a key role in the overall performance and includes a differentiable quality metric that attempts to mimic human perception. The main objective of this paper is to study the perceptual impact of several image quality metrics that can be used in the loss function of the training process, through a crowdsourcing subjective image quality assessment study. From this study, it is possible to conclude that the choice of the quality metric is critical for the perceptual performance of the deep-learning codec and that can vary depending on the image content.
Most state-of-the-art machine learning techniques revolve around the optimisation of loss functions. Defining appropriate loss functions is therefore critical to successfully solving problems in this field. We present a survey of the most commonly used loss functions for a wide range of different applications, divided into classification, regression, ranking, sample generation and energy based modelling. Overall, we introduce 33 different loss functions and we organise them into an intuitive taxonomy. Each loss function is given a theoretical backing and we describe where it is best used. This survey aims to provide a reference of the most essential loss functions for both beginner and advanced machine learning practitioners.
The remarkable practical success of deep learning has revealed some major surprises from a theoretical perspective. In particular, simple gradient methods easily find near-optimal solutions to non-convex optimization problems, and despite giving a near-perfect fit to training data without any explicit effort to control model complexity, these methods exhibit excellent predictive accuracy. We conjecture that specific principles underlie these phenomena: that overparametrization allows gradient methods to find interpolating solutions, that these methods implicitly impose regularization, and that overparametrization leads to benign overfitting. We survey recent theoretical progress that provides examples illustrating these principles in simpler settings. We first review classical uniform convergence results and why they fall short of explaining aspects of the behavior of deep learning methods. We give examples of implicit regularization in simple settings, where gradient methods lead to minimal norm functions that perfectly fit the training data. Then we review prediction methods that exhibit benign overfitting, focusing on regression problems with quadratic loss. For these methods, we can decompose the prediction rule into a simple component that is useful for prediction and a spiky component that is useful for overfitting but, in a favorable setting, does not harm prediction accuracy. We focus specifically on the linear regime for neural networks, where the network can be approximated by a linear model. In this regime, we demonstrate the success of gradient flow, and we consider benign overfitting with two-layer networks, giving an exact asymptotic analysis that precisely demonstrates the impact of overparametrization. We conclude by highlighting the key challenges that arise in extending these insights to realistic deep learning settings.
Graph representation learning for hypergraphs can be used to extract patterns among higher-order interactions that are critically important in many real world problems. Current approaches designed for hypergraphs, however, are unable to handle different types of hypergraphs and are typically not generic for various learning tasks. Indeed, models that can predict variable-sized heterogeneous hyperedges have not been available. Here we develop a new self-attention based graph neural network called Hyper-SAGNN applicable to homogeneous and heterogeneous hypergraphs with variable hyperedge sizes. We perform extensive evaluations on multiple datasets, including four benchmark network datasets and two single-cell Hi-C datasets in genomics. We demonstrate that Hyper-SAGNN significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on traditional tasks while also achieving great performance on a new task called outsider identification. Hyper-SAGNN will be useful for graph representation learning to uncover complex higher-order interactions in different applications.
Deep learning constitutes a recent, modern technique for image processing and data analysis, with promising results and large potential. As deep learning has been successfully applied in various domains, it has recently entered also the domain of agriculture. In this paper, we perform a survey of 40 research efforts that employ deep learning techniques, applied to various agricultural and food production challenges. We examine the particular agricultural problems under study, the specific models and frameworks employed, the sources, nature and pre-processing of data used, and the overall performance achieved according to the metrics used at each work under study. Moreover, we study comparisons of deep learning with other existing popular techniques, in respect to differences in classification or regression performance. Our findings indicate that deep learning provides high accuracy, outperforming existing commonly used image processing techniques.