21,751 research outputs found
Supervised Classification: Quite a Brief Overview
The original problem of supervised classification considers the task of
automatically assigning objects to their respective classes on the basis of
numerical measurements derived from these objects. Classifiers are the tools
that implement the actual functional mapping from these measurements---also
called features or inputs---to the so-called class label---or output. The
fields of pattern recognition and machine learning study ways of constructing
such classifiers. The main idea behind supervised methods is that of learning
from examples: given a number of example input-output relations, to what extent
can the general mapping be learned that takes any new and unseen feature vector
to its correct class? This chapter provides a basic introduction to the
underlying ideas of how to come to a supervised classification problem. In
addition, it provides an overview of some specific classification techniques,
delves into the issues of object representation and classifier evaluation, and
(very) briefly covers some variations on the basic supervised classification
task that may also be of interest to the practitioner
Laplacian Mixture Modeling for Network Analysis and Unsupervised Learning on Graphs
Laplacian mixture models identify overlapping regions of influence in
unlabeled graph and network data in a scalable and computationally efficient
way, yielding useful low-dimensional representations. By combining Laplacian
eigenspace and finite mixture modeling methods, they provide probabilistic or
fuzzy dimensionality reductions or domain decompositions for a variety of input
data types, including mixture distributions, feature vectors, and graphs or
networks. Provable optimal recovery using the algorithm is analytically shown
for a nontrivial class of cluster graphs. Heuristic approximations for scalable
high-performance implementations are described and empirically tested.
Connections to PageRank and community detection in network analysis demonstrate
the wide applicability of this approach. The origins of fuzzy spectral methods,
beginning with generalized heat or diffusion equations in physics, are reviewed
and summarized. Comparisons to other dimensionality reduction and clustering
methods for challenging unsupervised machine learning problems are also
discussed.Comment: 13 figures, 35 reference
Consistency in Models for Distributed Learning under Communication Constraints
Motivated by sensor networks and other distributed settings, several models
for distributed learning are presented. The models differ from classical works
in statistical pattern recognition by allocating observations of an independent
and identically distributed (i.i.d.) sampling process amongst members of a
network of simple learning agents. The agents are limited in their ability to
communicate to a central fusion center and thus, the amount of information
available for use in classification or regression is constrained. For several
basic communication models in both the binary classification and regression
frameworks, we question the existence of agent decision rules and fusion rules
that result in a universally consistent ensemble. The answers to this question
present new issues to consider with regard to universal consistency. Insofar as
these models present a useful picture of distributed scenarios, this paper
addresses the issue of whether or not the guarantees provided by Stone's
Theorem in centralized environments hold in distributed settings.Comment: To appear in the IEEE Transactions on Information Theor
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