1,253 research outputs found

    Multivariate Modeling of Quasar Variability with an Attention-based Variational Autoencoder

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    This thesis applied HeTVAE, an attention-based VAE neural network capable of multivariate modeling of time series, to a dataset of several thousand multi-band AGN light curves from ZTF and was one of the first attempts to use a neural network to harness the stochastic light curves in their multivariate form. Whereas standard models of AGN variability make prior assumptions, HeTVAE uses no prior knowledge and is able to learn the data distribution in a regularized latent space, reading semantic information via its up-to-date self-supervised training regimen. We have successfully created a dataset class for preprocessing the irregular multivariate time series and in order to interface with the quasi-off-the-shelf network more conveniently. Also, we have trained several different model iterations using one, two or all three of the filter dimensions from ZTF on Durhamā€™s NCC compute cluster, while configuring useful hyper parameter choices to work robustly for the astronomical dataset. In the network's training, we employed the Adam optimizer with a reduce-on-plateau learning rate schedule and a KL-annealing schedule optimize the VAEā€™s performance. In experimenting, we show how the VAE has learned the data distribution of the light curves by generating simulated light curves and its interpretability by visualizing attention scores and by visualizing the way the light curves are distributed along the continuous latent space using PCA. We show it orders the light curves across a smooth gradient from those those that have both low amplitude short-term variation and high amplitude long-term variation, to those with little variability, to those with both short-term and long-term high-amplitude variation in the condensed space. We also use PCA to display a potential filtering algorithm that enables parsing through large datasets in an intuitive way and present some of the pitfalls of algorithmic bias in anomaly detection. Finally, we fine-tuned the structurally correct but imprecise multivariate interpolations output by HeTVAE to three objects to show how they could improve constraints on time-delay estimates in the context of reverberation mapping for the relatively poor-cadenced ZTF data. In short, HeTVAE's use cases are ranged and it is a step in the right direction as far as being able to help organize and process the millions of AGN light curves incoming from Vera C. Rubin Observatoryā€™s Legacy Survey of Space and Time in their full 6 optical broadband filter multivariate form

    LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volume

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    LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volum

    Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion. Collected Works, Volume 5

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    This ļ¬fth volume on Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different ļ¬elds of applications and in mathematics, and is available in open-access. The collected contributions of this volume have either been published or presented after disseminating the fourth volume in 2015 in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals, or they are new. The contributions of each part of this volume are chronologically ordered. First Part of this book presents some theoretical advances on DSmT, dealing mainly with modiļ¬ed Proportional Conļ¬‚ict Redistribution Rules (PCR) of combination with degree of intersection, coarsening techniques, interval calculus for PCR thanks to set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA), rough set classiļ¬ers, canonical decomposition of dichotomous belief functions, fast PCR fusion, fast inter-criteria analysis with PCR, and improved PCR5 and PCR6 rules preserving the (quasi-)neutrality of (quasi-)vacuous belief assignment in the fusion of sources of evidence with their Matlab codes. Because more applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the fourth book of DSmT in 2015, the second part of this volume is about selected applications of DSmT mainly in building change detection, object recognition, quality of data association in tracking, perception in robotics, risk assessment for torrent protection and multi-criteria decision-making, multi-modal image fusion, coarsening techniques, recommender system, levee characterization and assessment, human heading perception, trust assessment, robotics, biometrics, failure detection, GPS systems, inter-criteria analysis, group decision, human activity recognition, storm prediction, data association for autonomous vehicles, identiļ¬cation of maritime vessels, fusion of support vector machines (SVM), Silx-Furtif RUST code library for information fusion including PCR rules, and network for ship classiļ¬cation. Finally, the third part presents interesting contributions related to belief functions in general published or presented along the years since 2015. These contributions are related with decision-making under uncertainty, belief approximations, probability transformations, new distances between belief functions, non-classical multi-criteria decision-making problems with belief functions, generalization of Bayes theorem, image processing, data association, entropy and cross-entropy measures, fuzzy evidence numbers, negator of belief mass, human activity recognition, information fusion for breast cancer therapy, imbalanced data classiļ¬cation, and hybrid techniques mixing deep learning with belief functions as well

    On the Utility of Representation Learning Algorithms for Myoelectric Interfacing

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    Electrical activity produced by muscles during voluntary movement is a reflection of the firing patterns of relevant motor neurons and, by extension, the latent motor intent driving the movement. Once transduced via electromyography (EMG) and converted into digital form, this activity can be processed to provide an estimate of the original motor intent and is as such a feasible basis for non-invasive efferent neural interfacing. EMG-based motor intent decoding has so far received the most attention in the field of upper-limb prosthetics, where alternative means of interfacing are scarce and the utility of better control apparent. Whereas myoelectric prostheses have been available since the 1960s, available EMG control interfaces still lag behind the mechanical capabilities of the artificial limbs they are intended to steerā€”a gap at least partially due to limitations in current methods for translating EMG into appropriate motion commands. As the relationship between EMG signals and concurrent effector kinematics is highly non-linear and apparently stochastic, finding ways to accurately extract and combine relevant information from across electrode sites is still an active area of inquiry.This dissertation comprises an introduction and eight papers that explore issues afflicting the status quo of myoelectric decoding and possible solutions, all related through their use of learning algorithms and deep Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models. Paper I presents a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for multi-label movement decoding of high-density surface EMG (HD-sEMG) signals. Inspired by the successful use of CNNs in Paper I and the work of others, Paper II presents a method for automatic design of CNN architectures for use in myocontrol. Paper III introduces an ANN architecture with an appertaining training framework from which simultaneous and proportional control emerges. Paper Iv introduce a dataset of HD-sEMG signals for use with learning algorithms. Paper v applies a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model to decode finger forces from intramuscular EMG. Paper vI introduces a Transformer model for myoelectric interfacing that do not need additional training data to function with previously unseen users. Paper vII compares the performance of a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network to that of classical pattern recognition algorithms. Lastly, paper vIII describes a framework for synthesizing EMG from multi-articulate gestures intended to reduce training burden

    Reinforcement learning in large state action spaces

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    Reinforcement learning (RL) is a promising framework for training intelligent agents which learn to optimize long term utility by directly interacting with the environment. Creating RL methods which scale to large state-action spaces is a critical problem towards ensuring real world deployment of RL systems. However, several challenges limit the applicability of RL to large scale settings. These include difficulties with exploration, low sample efficiency, computational intractability, task constraints like decentralization and lack of guarantees about important properties like performance, generalization and robustness in potentially unseen scenarios. This thesis is motivated towards bridging the aforementioned gap. We propose several principled algorithms and frameworks for studying and addressing the above challenges RL. The proposed methods cover a wide range of RL settings (single and multi-agent systems (MAS) with all the variations in the latter, prediction and control, model-based and model-free methods, value-based and policy-based methods). In this work we propose the first results on several different problems: e.g. tensorization of the Bellman equation which allows exponential sample efficiency gains (Chapter 4), provable suboptimality arising from structural constraints in MAS(Chapter 3), combinatorial generalization results in cooperative MAS(Chapter 5), generalization results on observation shifts(Chapter 7), learning deterministic policies in a probabilistic RL framework(Chapter 6). Our algorithms exhibit provably enhanced performance and sample efficiency along with better scalability. Additionally, we also shed light on generalization aspects of the agents under different frameworks. These properties have been been driven by the use of several advanced tools (e.g. statistical machine learning, state abstraction, variational inference, tensor theory). In summary, the contributions in this thesis significantly advance progress towards making RL agents ready for large scale, real world applications

    Introduction to Facial Micro Expressions Analysis Using Color and Depth Images: A Matlab Coding Approach (Second Edition, 2023)

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    The book attempts to introduce a gentle introduction to the field of Facial Micro Expressions Recognition (FMER) using Color and Depth images, with the aid of MATLAB programming environment. FMER is a subset of image processing and it is a multidisciplinary topic to analysis. So, it requires familiarity with other topics of Artifactual Intelligence (AI) such as machine learning, digital image processing, psychology and more. So, it is a great opportunity to write a book which covers all of these topics for beginner to professional readers in the field of AI and even without having background of AI. Our goal is to provide a standalone introduction in the field of MFER analysis in the form of theorical descriptions for readers with no background in image processing with reproducible Matlab practical examples. Also, we describe any basic definitions for FMER analysis and MATLAB library which is used in the text, that helps final reader to apply the experiments in the real-world applications. We believe that this book is suitable for students, researchers, and professionals alike, who need to develop practical skills, along with a basic understanding of the field. We expect that, after reading this book, the reader feels comfortable with different key stages such as color and depth image processing, color and depth image representation, classification, machine learning, facial micro-expressions recognition, feature extraction and dimensionality reduction. The book attempts to introduce a gentle introduction to the field of Facial Micro Expressions Recognition (FMER) using Color and Depth images, with the aid of MATLAB programming environment.Comment: This is the second edition of the boo

    A Survey of Zero-shot Generalisation in Deep Reinforcement Learning

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    The study of zero-shot generalisation (ZSG) in deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) aims to produce RL algorithms whose policies generalise well to novel unseen situations at deployment time, avoiding overfitting to their training environments. Tackling this is vital if we are to deploy reinforcement learning algorithms in real world scenarios, where the environment will be diverse, dynamic and unpredictable. This survey is an overview of this nascent field. We rely on a unifying formalism and terminology for discussing different ZSG problems, building upon previous works. We go on to categorise existing benchmarks for ZSG, as well as current methods for tackling these problems. Finally, we provide a critical discussion of the current state of the field, including recommendations for future work. Among other conclusions, we argue that taking a purely procedural content generation approach to benchmark design is not conducive to progress in ZSG, we suggest fast online adaptation and tackling RL-specific problems as some areas for future work on methods for ZSG, and we recommend building benchmarks in underexplored problem settings such as offline RL ZSG and reward-function variation

    Geometric Learning on Graph Structured Data

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    Graphs provide a ubiquitous and universal data structure that can be applied in many domains such as social networks, biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science. In this thesis we focus on two fundamental paradigms in graph learning: representation learning and similarity learning over graph-structured data. Graph representation learning aims to learn embeddings for nodes by integrating topological and feature information of a graph. Graph similarity learning brings into play with similarity functions that allow to compute similarity between pairs of graphs in a vector space. We address several challenging issues in these two paradigms, designing powerful, yet efficient and theoretical guaranteed machine learning models that can leverage rich topological structural properties of real-world graphs. This thesis is structured into two parts. In the first part of the thesis, we will present how to develop powerful Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) for graph representation learning from three different perspectives: (1) spatial GNNs, (2) spectral GNNs, and (3) diffusion GNNs. We will discuss the model architecture, representational power, and convergence properties of these GNN models. Specifically, we first study how to develop expressive, yet efficient and simple message-passing aggregation schemes that can go beyond the Weisfeiler-Leman test (1-WL). We propose a generalized message-passing framework by incorporating graph structural properties into an aggregation scheme. Then, we introduce a new local isomorphism hierarchy on neighborhood subgraphs. We further develop a novel neural model, namely GraphSNN, and theoretically prove that this model is more expressive than the 1-WL test. After that, we study how to build an effective and efficient graph convolution model with spectral graph filters. In this study, we propose a spectral GNN model, called DFNets, which incorporates a novel spectral graph filter, namely feedback-looped filters. As a result, this model can provide better localization on neighborhood while achieving fast convergence and linear memory requirements. Finally, we study how to capture the rich topological information of a graph using graph diffusion. We propose a novel GNN architecture with dynamic PageRank, based on a learnable transition matrix. We explore two variants of this GNN architecture: forward-euler solution and invariable feature solution, and theoretically prove that our forward-euler GNN architecture is guaranteed with the convergence to a stationary distribution. In the second part of this thesis, we will introduce a new optimal transport distance metric on graphs in a regularized learning framework for graph kernels. This optimal transport distance metric can preserve both local and global structures between graphs during the transport, in addition to preserving features and their local variations. Furthermore, we propose two strongly convex regularization terms to theoretically guarantee the convergence and numerical stability in finding an optimal assignment between graphs. One regularization term is used to regularize a Wasserstein distance between graphs in the same ground space. This helps to preserve the local clustering structure on graphs by relaxing the optimal transport problem to be a cluster-to-cluster assignment between locally connected vertices. The other regularization term is used to regularize a Gromov-Wasserstein distance between graphs across different ground spaces based on degree-entropy KL divergence. This helps to improve the matching robustness of an optimal alignment to preserve the global connectivity structure of graphs. We have evaluated our optimal transport-based graph kernel using different benchmark tasks. The experimental results show that our models considerably outperform all the state-of-the-art methods in all benchmark tasks

    Deep Generative Modelling of Human Behaviour

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    Human action is naturally intelligible as a time-varying graph of connected joints constrained by locomotor anatomy and physiology. Its prediction allows the anticipation of actions with applications across healthcare, physical rehabilitation and training, robotics, navigation, manufacture, entertainment, and security. In this thesis we investigate deep generative approaches to the problem of understanding human action. We show that the learning of generative qualities of the distribution may render discriminative tasks more robust to distributional shift and real-world variations in data quality. We further build, from the bottom-up, a novel stochastically deep generative modelling model taylored to the problem of human motion and demonstrate many of itā€™s state-of-the-art properties such as anomaly detection, imputation in the face of incomplete examples, as well as synthesisā€”and conditional synthesisā€”of new samples on massive open source human motion datasets compared to multiple baselines derived from the most relevant pieces of literature

    Novel neural architectures & algorithms for efficient inference

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    In the last decade, the machine learning universe embraced deep neural networks (DNNs) wholeheartedly with the advent of neural architectures such as recurrent neural networks (RNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), transformers, etc. These models have empowered many applications, such as ChatGPT, Imagen, etc., and have achieved state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance on many vision, speech, and language modeling tasks. However, SOTA performance comes with various issues, such as large model size, compute-intensive training, increased inference latency, higher working memory, etc. This thesis aims at improving the resource efficiency of neural architectures, i.e., significantly reducing the computational, storage, and energy consumption of a DNN without any significant loss in performance. Towards this goal, we explore novel neural architectures as well as training algorithms that allow low-capacity models to achieve near SOTA performance. We divide this thesis into two dimensions: \textit{Efficient Low Complexity Models}, and \textit{Input Hardness Adaptive Models}. Along the first dimension, i.e., \textit{Efficient Low Complexity Models}, we improve DNN performance by addressing instabilities in the existing architectures and training methods. We propose novel neural architectures inspired by ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to reinforce input signals and attend to salient feature regions. In addition, we show that carefully designed training schemes improve the performance of existing neural networks. We divide this exploration into two parts: \textsc{(a) Efficient Low Complexity RNNs.} We improve RNN resource efficiency by addressing poor gradients, noise amplifications, and BPTT training issues. First, we improve RNNs by solving ODEs that eliminate vanishing and exploding gradients during the training. To do so, we present Incremental Recurrent Neural Networks (iRNNs) that keep track of increments in the equilibrium surface. Next, we propose Time Adaptive RNNs that mitigate the noise propagation issue in RNNs by modulating the time constants in the ODE-based transition function. We empirically demonstrate the superiority of ODE-based neural architectures over existing RNNs. Finally, we propose Forward Propagation Through Time (FPTT) algorithm for training RNNs. We show that FPTT yields significant gains compared to the more conventional Backward Propagation Through Time (BPTT) scheme. \textsc{(b) Efficient Low Complexity CNNs.} Next, we improve CNN architectures by reducing their resource usage. They require greater depth to generate high-level features, resulting in computationally expensive models. We design a novel residual block, the Global layer, that constrains the input and output features by approximately solving partial differential equations (PDEs). It yields better receptive fields than traditional convolutional blocks and thus results in shallower networks. Further, we reduce the model footprint by enforcing a novel inductive bias that formulates the output of a residual block as a spatial interpolation between high-compute anchor pixels and low-compute cheaper pixels. This results in spatially interpolated convolutional blocks (SI-CNNs) that have better compute and performance trade-offs. Finally, we propose an algorithm that enforces various distributional constraints during training in order to achieve better generalization. We refer to this scheme as distributionally constrained learning (DCL). In the second dimension, i.e., \textit{Input Hardness Adaptive Models}, we introduce the notion of the hardness of any input relative to any architecture. In the first dimension, a neural network allocates the same resources, such as compute, storage, and working memory, for all the inputs. It inherently assumes that all examples are equally hard for a model. In this dimension, we challenge this assumption using input hardness as our reasoning that some inputs are relatively easy for a network to predict compared to others. Input hardness enables us to create selective classifiers wherein a low-capacity network handles simple inputs while abstaining from a prediction on the complex inputs. Next, we create hybrid models that route the hard inputs from the low-capacity abstaining network to a high-capacity expert model. We design various architectures that adhere to this hybrid inference style. Further, input hardness enables us to selectively distill the knowledge of a high-capacity model into a low-capacity model by cleverly discarding hard inputs during the distillation procedure. Finally, we conclude this thesis by sketching out various interesting future research directions that emerge as an extension of different ideas explored in this work
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