1,066 research outputs found
Recognizing recurrent neural networks (rRNN): Bayesian inference for recurrent neural networks
Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are widely used in computational
neuroscience and machine learning applications. In an RNN, each neuron computes
its output as a nonlinear function of its integrated input. While the
importance of RNNs, especially as models of brain processing, is undisputed, it
is also widely acknowledged that the computations in standard RNN models may be
an over-simplification of what real neuronal networks compute. Here, we suggest
that the RNN approach may be made both neurobiologically more plausible and
computationally more powerful by its fusion with Bayesian inference techniques
for nonlinear dynamical systems. In this scheme, we use an RNN as a generative
model of dynamic input caused by the environment, e.g. of speech or kinematics.
Given this generative RNN model, we derive Bayesian update equations that can
decode its output. Critically, these updates define a 'recognizing RNN' (rRNN),
in which neurons compute and exchange prediction and prediction error messages.
The rRNN has several desirable features that a conventional RNN does not have,
for example, fast decoding of dynamic stimuli and robustness to initial
conditions and noise. Furthermore, it implements a predictive coding scheme for
dynamic inputs. We suggest that the Bayesian inversion of recurrent neural
networks may be useful both as a model of brain function and as a machine
learning tool. We illustrate the use of the rRNN by an application to the
online decoding (i.e. recognition) of human kinematics
Inverse problems and uncertainty quantification
In a Bayesian setting, inverse problems and uncertainty quantification (UQ) -
the propagation of uncertainty through a computational (forward) model - are
strongly connected. In the form of conditional expectation the Bayesian update
becomes computationally attractive. This is especially the case as together
with a functional or spectral approach for the forward UQ there is no need for
time-consuming and slowly convergent Monte Carlo sampling. The developed
sampling-free non-linear Bayesian update is derived from the variational
problem associated with conditional expectation. This formulation in general
calls for further discretisation to make the computation possible, and we
choose a polynomial approximation. After giving details on the actual
computation in the framework of functional or spectral approximations, we
demonstrate the workings of the algorithm on a number of examples of increasing
complexity. At last, we compare the linear and quadratic Bayesian update on the
small but taxing example of the chaotic Lorenz 84 model, where we experiment
with the influence of different observation or measurement operators on the
update.Comment: 25 pages, 17 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1201.404
Ensemble updating of binary state vectors by maximising the expected number of unchanged components
In recent years, several ensemble-based filtering methods have been proposed
and studied. The main challenge in such procedures is the updating of a prior
ensemble to a posterior ensemble at every step of the filtering recursions. In
the famous ensemble Kalman filter, the assumption of a linear-Gaussian state
space model is introduced in order to overcome this issue, and the prior
ensemble is updated with a linear shift closely related to the traditional
Kalman filter equations. In the current article, we consider how the ideas
underlying the ensemble Kalman filter can be applied when the components of the
state vectors are binary variables. While the ensemble Kalman filter relies on
Gaussian approximations of the forecast and filtering distributions, we instead
use first order Markov chains. To update the prior ensemble, we simulate
samples from a distribution constructed such that the expected number of equal
components in a prior and posterior state vector is maximised. We demonstrate
the performance of our approach in a simulation example inspired by the
movement of oil and water in a petroleum reservoir, where also a more na\"{i}ve
updating approach is applied for comparison. Here, we observe that the
Frobenius norm of the difference between the estimated and the true marginal
filtering probabilities is reduced to the half with our method compared to the
na\"{i}ve approach, indicating that our method is superior. Finally, we discuss
how our methodology can be generalised from the binary setting to more
complicated situations
Inverse Problems in a Bayesian Setting
In a Bayesian setting, inverse problems and uncertainty quantification (UQ)
--- the propagation of uncertainty through a computational (forward) model ---
are strongly connected. In the form of conditional expectation the Bayesian
update becomes computationally attractive. We give a detailed account of this
approach via conditional approximation, various approximations, and the
construction of filters. Together with a functional or spectral approach for
the forward UQ there is no need for time-consuming and slowly convergent Monte
Carlo sampling. The developed sampling-free non-linear Bayesian update in form
of a filter is derived from the variational problem associated with conditional
expectation. This formulation in general calls for further discretisation to
make the computation possible, and we choose a polynomial approximation. After
giving details on the actual computation in the framework of functional or
spectral approximations, we demonstrate the workings of the algorithm on a
number of examples of increasing complexity. At last, we compare the linear and
nonlinear Bayesian update in form of a filter on some examples.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1312.504
Parameter Identification in a Probabilistic Setting
Parameter identification problems are formulated in a probabilistic language,
where the randomness reflects the uncertainty about the knowledge of the true
values. This setting allows conceptually easily to incorporate new information,
e.g. through a measurement, by connecting it to Bayes's theorem. The unknown
quantity is modelled as a (may be high-dimensional) random variable. Such a
description has two constituents, the measurable function and the measure. One
group of methods is identified as updating the measure, the other group changes
the measurable function. We connect both groups with the relatively recent
methods of functional approximation of stochastic problems, and introduce
especially in combination with the second group of methods a new procedure
which does not need any sampling, hence works completely deterministically. It
also seems to be the fastest and more reliable when compared with other
methods. We show by example that it also works for highly nonlinear non-smooth
problems with non-Gaussian measures.Comment: 29 pages, 16 figure
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