48,542 research outputs found
Bayesian Updating, Model Class Selection and Robust Stochastic Predictions of Structural Response
A fundamental issue when predicting structural response by using mathematical models is how to treat both modeling and excitation uncertainty. A general framework for this is presented which uses probability as a multi-valued
conditional logic for quantitative plausible reasoning in the presence of uncertainty due to incomplete information. The
fundamental probability models that represent the structure’s uncertain behavior are specified by the choice of a stochastic
system model class: a set of input-output probability models for the structure and a prior probability distribution over this set
that quantifies the relative plausibility of each model. A model class can be constructed from a parameterized deterministic
structural model by stochastic embedding utilizing Jaynes’ Principle of Maximum Information Entropy. Robust predictive
analyses use the entire model class with the probabilistic predictions of each model being weighted by its prior probability, or if
structural response data is available, by its posterior probability from Bayes’ Theorem for the model class. Additional robustness
to modeling uncertainty comes from combining the robust predictions of each model class in a set of competing candidates
weighted by the prior or posterior probability of the model class, the latter being computed from Bayes’ Theorem. This higherlevel application of Bayes’ Theorem automatically applies a quantitative Ockham razor that penalizes the data-fit of more
complex model classes that extract more information from the data. Robust predictive analyses involve integrals over highdimensional spaces that usually must be evaluated numerically. Published applications have used Laplace's method of
asymptotic approximation or Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms
A Partially Reflecting Random Walk on Spheres Algorithm for Electrical Impedance Tomography
In this work, we develop a probabilistic estimator for the voltage-to-current
map arising in electrical impedance tomography. This novel so-called partially
reflecting random walk on spheres estimator enables Monte Carlo methods to
compute the voltage-to-current map in an embarrassingly parallel manner, which
is an important issue with regard to the corresponding inverse problem. Our
method uses the well-known random walk on spheres algorithm inside subdomains
where the diffusion coefficient is constant and employs replacement techniques
motivated by finite difference discretization to deal with both mixed boundary
conditions and interface transmission conditions. We analyze the global bias
and the variance of the new estimator both theoretically and experimentally. In
a second step, the variance is considerably reduced via a novel control variate
conditional sampling technique
USLV: Unspanned Stochastic Local Volatility Model
We propose a new framework for modeling stochastic local volatility, with
potential applications to modeling derivatives on interest rates, commodities,
credit, equity, FX etc., as well as hybrid derivatives. Our model extends the
linearity-generating unspanned volatility term structure model by Carr et al.
(2011) by adding a local volatility layer to it. We outline efficient numerical
schemes for pricing derivatives in this framework for a particular four-factor
specification (two "curve" factors plus two "volatility" factors). We show that
the dynamics of such a system can be approximated by a Markov chain on a
two-dimensional space (Z_t,Y_t), where coordinates Z_t and Y_t are given by
direct (Kroneker) products of values of pairs of curve and volatility factors,
respectively. The resulting Markov chain dynamics on such partly "folded" state
space enables fast pricing by the standard backward induction. Using a
nonparametric specification of the Markov chain generator, one can accurately
match arbitrary sets of vanilla option quotes with different strikes and
maturities. Furthermore, we consider an alternative formulation of the model in
terms of an implied time change process. The latter is specified
nonparametrically, again enabling accurate calibration to arbitrary sets of
vanilla option quotes.Comment: Sections 3.2 and 3.3 are re-written, 3 figures adde
Bayesian Model Choice of Grouped t-copula
One of the most popular copulas for modeling dependence structures is
t-copula. Recently the grouped t-copula was generalized to allow each group to
have one member only, so that a priori grouping is not required and the
dependence modeling is more flexible. This paper describes a Markov chain Monte
Carlo (MCMC) method under the Bayesian inference framework for estimating and
choosing t-copula models. Using historical data of foreign exchange (FX) rates
as a case study, we found that Bayesian model choice criteria overwhelmingly
favor the generalized t-copula. In addition, all the criteria also agree on the
second most likely model and these inferences are all consistent with classical
likelihood ratio tests. Finally, we demonstrate the impact of model choice on
the conditional Value-at-Risk for portfolios of six major FX rates
Langevin and Hamiltonian based Sequential MCMC for Efficient Bayesian Filtering in High-dimensional Spaces
Nonlinear non-Gaussian state-space models arise in numerous applications in
statistics and signal processing. In this context, one of the most successful
and popular approximation techniques is the Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC)
algorithm, also known as particle filtering. Nevertheless, this method tends to
be inefficient when applied to high dimensional problems. In this paper, we
focus on another class of sequential inference methods, namely the Sequential
Markov Chain Monte Carlo (SMCMC) techniques, which represent a promising
alternative to SMC methods. After providing a unifying framework for the class
of SMCMC approaches, we propose novel efficient strategies based on the
principle of Langevin diffusion and Hamiltonian dynamics in order to cope with
the increasing number of high-dimensional applications. Simulation results show
that the proposed algorithms achieve significantly better performance compared
to existing algorithms
Flexible and practical modeling of animal telemetry data: hidden Markov models and extensions
We discuss hidden Markov-type models for fitting a variety of multistate random walks to wildlife movement data. Discrete-time hidden Markov models (HMMs) achieve considerable computational gains by focusing on observations that are regularly spaced in time, and for which the measurement error is negligible. These conditions are often met, in particular for data related to terrestrial animals, so that a likelihood-based HMM approach is feasible. We describe a number of extensions of HMMs for animal movement modeling, including more flexible state transition models and individual random effects (fitted in a non-Bayesian framework). In particular we consider so-called hidden semi-Markov models, which may substantially improve the goodness of fit and provide important insights into the behavioral state switching dynamics. To showcase the expediency of these methods, we consider an application of a hierarchical hidden semi-Markov model to multiple bison movement paths
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