3,909 research outputs found
Deep learning systems as complex networks
Thanks to the availability of large scale digital datasets and massive
amounts of computational power, deep learning algorithms can learn
representations of data by exploiting multiple levels of abstraction. These
machine learning methods have greatly improved the state-of-the-art in many
challenging cognitive tasks, such as visual object recognition, speech
processing, natural language understanding and automatic translation. In
particular, one class of deep learning models, known as deep belief networks,
can discover intricate statistical structure in large data sets in a completely
unsupervised fashion, by learning a generative model of the data using
Hebbian-like learning mechanisms. Although these self-organizing systems can be
conveniently formalized within the framework of statistical mechanics, their
internal functioning remains opaque, because their emergent dynamics cannot be
solved analytically. In this article we propose to study deep belief networks
using techniques commonly employed in the study of complex networks, in order
to gain some insights into the structural and functional properties of the
computational graph resulting from the learning process.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure
Stochastic Synapses Enable Efficient Brain-Inspired Learning Machines
Recent studies have shown that synaptic unreliability is a robust and
sufficient mechanism for inducing the stochasticity observed in cortex. Here,
we introduce Synaptic Sampling Machines, a class of neural network models that
uses synaptic stochasticity as a means to Monte Carlo sampling and unsupervised
learning. Similar to the original formulation of Boltzmann machines, these
models can be viewed as a stochastic counterpart of Hopfield networks, but
where stochasticity is induced by a random mask over the connections. Synaptic
stochasticity plays the dual role of an efficient mechanism for sampling, and a
regularizer during learning akin to DropConnect. A local synaptic plasticity
rule implementing an event-driven form of contrastive divergence enables the
learning of generative models in an on-line fashion. Synaptic sampling machines
perform equally well using discrete-timed artificial units (as in Hopfield
networks) or continuous-timed leaky integrate & fire neurons. The learned
representations are remarkably sparse and robust to reductions in bit precision
and synapse pruning: removal of more than 75% of the weakest connections
followed by cursory re-learning causes a negligible performance loss on
benchmark classification tasks. The spiking neuron-based synaptic sampling
machines outperform existing spike-based unsupervised learners, while
potentially offering substantial advantages in terms of power and complexity,
and are thus promising models for on-line learning in brain-inspired hardware
Cognition-Based Networks: A New Perspective on Network Optimization Using Learning and Distributed Intelligence
IEEE Access
Volume 3, 2015, Article number 7217798, Pages 1512-1530
Open Access
Cognition-based networks: A new perspective on network optimization using learning and distributed intelligence (Article)
Zorzi, M.a , Zanella, A.a, Testolin, A.b, De Filippo De Grazia, M.b, Zorzi, M.bc
a Department of Information Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
b Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
c IRCCS San Camillo Foundation, Venice-Lido, Italy
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Abstract
In response to the new challenges in the design and operation of communication networks, and taking inspiration from how living beings deal with complexity and scalability, in this paper we introduce an innovative system concept called COgnition-BAsed NETworkS (COBANETS). The proposed approach develops around the systematic application of advanced machine learning techniques and, in particular, unsupervised deep learning and probabilistic generative models for system-wide learning, modeling, optimization, and data representation. Moreover, in COBANETS, we propose to combine this learning architecture with the emerging network virtualization paradigms, which make it possible to actuate automatic optimization and reconfiguration strategies at the system level, thus fully unleashing the potential of the learning approach. Compared with the past and current research efforts in this area, the technical approach outlined in this paper is deeply interdisciplinary and more comprehensive, calling for the synergic combination of expertise of computer scientists, communications and networking engineers, and cognitive scientists, with the ultimate aim of breaking new ground through a profound rethinking of how the modern understanding of cognition can be used in the management and optimization of telecommunication network
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