Iterative minimization algorithms appear in various areas including machine learning, neural networks, and information theory.The em algorithm is one of the famous iterative minimization algorithms in the area of machine learning, and the Arimoto-Blahut algorithm is a typical iterative algorithm in the area of information theory.However, these two topics had been separately studied for a long time. In this paper, we generalize an algorithm that was recently proposed in the context of the Arimoto-Blahut algorithm.Then, we show various convergence theorems, one of which covers the case when each iterative step is done approximately.Also, we apply this algorithm to the target problem of the em algorithm, and propose its improvement. In addition, we apply it to other various problems in information theory.
Continual learning algorithms strive to acquire new knowledge while preserving prior information. Often, these algorithms emphasise stability and restrict network updates upon learning new tasks. In many cases, such restrictions come at a cost to the model's plasticity, i.e. the model's ability to adapt to the requirements of a new task. But is all change detrimental? Here, we approach this question by proposing that activation spaces in neural networks can be decomposed into two subspaces: a readout range in which change affects prior tasks and a null space in which change does not alter prior performance. Based on experiments with this novel technique, we show that, indeed, not all activation change is associated with forgetting. Instead, the only change in the subspace visible to the readout of a task can lead to decreased stability, while restricting change outside of this subspace is associated only with a loss of plasticity. Analysing various commonly used algorithms, we show that regularisation-based techniques do not fully disentangle the two spaces and, as a result, restrict plasticity more than need be. We expand our results by investigating a linear model in which we can manipulate learning in the two subspaces directly and thus causally link activation changes to stability and plasticity. For hierarchical, nonlinear cases, we present an approximation that enables us to estimate functionally relevant subspaces at every layer of a deep nonlinear network, corroborating our previous insights. Together, this work provides novel means to derive insights into the mechanisms behind stability and plasticity in continual learning and may serve as a diagnostic tool to guide developments of future continual learning algorithms that stabilise inference while allowing maximal space for learning.
Despite great performance on many tasks, language models (LMs) still struggle with reasoning, sometimes providing responses that cannot possibly be true because they stem from logical incoherence. We call such responses \textit{strong hallucinations} and prove that they follow from an LM's computation of its internal representations for logical operators and outputs from those representations. Focusing on negation, we provide a novel solution in which negation is treated not as another element of a latent representation, but as \textit{an operation over an LM's latent representations that constrains how they may evolve}. We show that our approach improves model performance in cloze prompting and natural language inference tasks with negation without requiring training on sparse negative data.
Random features models play a distinguished role in the theory of deep learning, describing the behavior of neural networks close to their infinite-width limit. In this work, we present a thorough analysis of the generalization performance of random features models for generic supervised learning problems with Gaussian data. Our approach, built with tools from the statistical mechanics of disordered systems, maps the random features model to an equivalent polynomial model, and allows us to plot average generalization curves as functions of the two main control parameters of the problem: the number of random features $N$ and the size $P$ of the training set, both assumed to scale as powers in the input dimension $D$. Our results extend the case of proportional scaling between $N$, $P$ and $D$. They are in accordance with rigorous bounds known for certain particular learning tasks and are in quantitative agreement with numerical experiments performed over many order of magnitudes of $N$ and $P$. We find good agreement also far from the asymptotic limits where $D\to \infty$ and at least one between $P/D^K$, $N/D^L$ remains finite.
The morphology and hierarchy of the vascular systems are essential for perfusion in supporting metabolism. In human retina, one of the most energy-demanding organs, retinal circulation nourishes the entire inner retina by an intricate vasculature emerging and remerging at the optic nerve head (ONH). Thus, tracing the vascular branching from ONH through the vascular tree can illustrate vascular hierarchy and allow detailed morphological quantification, and yet remains a challenging task. Here, we presented a novel approach for a robust semi-automatic vessel tracing algorithm on human fundus images by an instance segmentation neural network (InSegNN). Distinct from semantic segmentation, InSegNN separates and labels different vascular trees individually and therefore enable tracing each tree throughout its branching. We have built-in three strategies to improve robustness and accuracy with temporal learning, spatial multi-sampling, and dynamic probability map. We achieved 83% specificity, and 50% improvement in Symmetric Best Dice (SBD) compared to literature, and outperformed baseline U-net. We have demonstrated tracing individual vessel trees from fundus images, and simultaneously retain the vessel hierarchy information. InSegNN paves a way for any subsequent morphological analysis of vascular morphology in relation to retinal diseases.
Under a generalised estimating equation analysis approach, approximate design theory is used to determine Bayesian D-optimal designs. For two examples, considering simple exchangeable and exponential decay correlation structures, we compare the efficiency of identified optimal designs to balanced stepped-wedge designs and corresponding stepped-wedge designs determined by optimising using a normal approximation approach. The dependence of the Bayesian D-optimal designs on the assumed correlation structure is explored; for the considered settings, smaller decay in the correlation between outcomes across time periods, along with larger values of the intra-cluster correlation, leads to designs closer to a balanced design being optimal. Unlike for normal data, it is shown that the optimal design need not be centro-symmetric in the binary outcome case. The efficiency of the Bayesian D-optimal design relative to a balanced design can be large, but situations are demonstrated in which the advantages are small. Similarly, the optimal design from a normal approximation approach is often not much less efficient than the Bayesian D-optimal design. Bayesian D-optimal designs can be readily identified for stepped-wedge cluster randomised trials with binary outcome data. In certain circumstances, principally ones with strong time period effects, they will indicate that a design unlikely to have been identified by previous methods may be substantially more efficient. However, they require a larger number of assumptions than existing optimal designs, and in many situations existing theory under a normal approximation will provide an easier means of identifying an efficient design for binary outcome data.
Deploying machine learning models into sensitive domains in our society requires these models to be explainable. Genetic Programming (GP) can offer a way to evolve inherently interpretable expressions. GP-GOMEA is a form of GP that has been found particularly effective at evolving expressions that are accurate yet of limited size and, thus, promote interpretability. Despite this strength, a limitation of GP-GOMEA is template-based. This negatively affects its scalability regarding the arity of operators that can be used, since with increasing operator arity, an increasingly large part of the template tends to go unused. In this paper, we therefore propose two enhancements to GP-GOMEA: (i) semantic subtree inheritance, which performs additional variation steps that consider the semantic context of a subtree, and (ii) greedy child selection, which explicitly considers parts of the template that in standard GP-GOMEA remain unused. We compare different versions of GP-GOMEA regarding search enhancements on a set of continuous and discontinuous regression problems, with varying tree depths and operator sets. Experimental results show that both proposed search enhancements have a generally positive impact on the performance of GP-GOMEA, especially when the set of operators to choose from is large and contains higher-arity operators.
As technology and gadgets continue to evolve, the need for bot-friendly and user-friendly internet becomes increasingly critical. This work discusses a methodology for implementation and feasibility of replacing traditional CAPTCHA mechanisms with Nano(XNO) cryptocurrency micropayments as a win-win solution and leverages the decentralized and secure nature of cryptocurrencies to introduce a micropayment-based authentication system. This approach not only enhances security by adding a financial barrier for automated bots but also provides a more seamless and efficient user experience. The benefits of this approach include reducing the burden on users while creating a socio-economic model that incentivizes internet service providers and content creators, even when accessed by bots. Furthermore, the integration of XNO micropayments could potentially contribute to the broader adoption and acceptance of digital currencies in everyday online transactions.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are episodes of high concentrations of algae that are potentially toxic for human consumption. Mollusc farming can be affected by HABs because, as filter feeders, they can accumulate high concentrations of marine biotoxins in their tissues. To avoid the risk to human consumption, harvesting is prohibited when toxicity is detected. At present, the closure of production areas is based on expert knowledge and the existence of a predictive model would help when conditions are complex and sampling is not possible. Although the concentration of toxin in meat is the method most commonly used by experts in the control of shellfish production areas, it is rarely used as a target by automatic prediction models. This is largely due to the irregularity of the data due to the established sampling programs. As an alternative, the activity status of production areas has been proposed as a target variable based on whether mollusc meat has a toxicity level below or above the legal limit. This new option is the most similar to the actual functioning of the control of shellfish production areas. For this purpose, we have made a comparison between hybrid machine learning models like Neural-Network-Adding Bootstrap (BAGNET) and Discriminative Nearest Neighbor Classification (SVM-KNN) when estimating the state of production areas. The study has been carried out in several estuaries with different levels of complexity in the episodes of algal blooms to demonstrate the generalization capacity of the models in bloom detection. As a result, we could observe that, with an average recall value of 93.41% and without dropping below 90% in any of the estuaries, BAGNET outperforms the other models both in terms of results and robustness.
Inner products of neural network feature maps arises in a wide variety of machine learning frameworks as a method of modeling relations between inputs. This work studies the approximation properties of inner products of neural networks. It is shown that the inner product of a multi-layer perceptron with itself is a universal approximator for symmetric positive-definite relation functions. In the case of asymmetric relation functions, it is shown that the inner product of two different multi-layer perceptrons is a universal approximator. In both cases, a bound is obtained on the number of neurons required to achieve a given accuracy of approximation. In the symmetric case, the function class can be identified with kernels of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces, whereas in the asymmetric case the function class can be identified with kernels of reproducing kernel Banach spaces. Finally, these approximation results are applied to analyzing the attention mechanism underlying Transformers, showing that any retrieval mechanism defined by an abstract preorder can be approximated by attention through its inner product relations. This result uses the Debreu representation theorem in economics to represent preference relations in terms of utility functions.
Classic algorithms and machine learning systems like neural networks are both abundant in everyday life. While classic computer science algorithms are suitable for precise execution of exactly defined tasks such as finding the shortest path in a large graph, neural networks allow learning from data to predict the most likely answer in more complex tasks such as image classification, which cannot be reduced to an exact algorithm. To get the best of both worlds, this thesis explores combining both concepts leading to more robust, better performing, more interpretable, more computationally efficient, and more data efficient architectures. The thesis formalizes the idea of algorithmic supervision, which allows a neural network to learn from or in conjunction with an algorithm. When integrating an algorithm into a neural architecture, it is important that the algorithm is differentiable such that the architecture can be trained end-to-end and gradients can be propagated back through the algorithm in a meaningful way. To make algorithms differentiable, this thesis proposes a general method for continuously relaxing algorithms by perturbing variables and approximating the expectation value in closed form, i.e., without sampling. In addition, this thesis proposes differentiable algorithms, such as differentiable sorting networks, differentiable renderers, and differentiable logic gate networks. Finally, this thesis presents alternative training strategies for learning with algorithms.