Scalable iterative methods for sampling from massive Gaussian random vectors

Sampling from Gaussian Markov random fields (GMRFs), that is multivariate Gaussian ran- dom vectors that are parameterised by the inverse of their covariance matrix, is a fundamental problem in computational statistics. In this paper, we show how we can exploit arbitrarily accu- rate approximations to a GMRF to speed up Krylov subspace sampling methods. We also show that these methods can be used when computing the normalising constant of a large multivariate Gaussian distribution, which is needed for both any likelihood-based inference method. The method we derive is also applicable to other structured Gaussian random vectors and, in particu- lar, we show that when the precision matrix is a perturbation of a (block) circulant matrix, it is still possible to derive O(n log n) sampling schemes.Comment: 17 Pages, 4 Figure

Gossip consensus algorithms via quantized communication

This paper considers the average consensus problem on a network of digital links, and proposes a set of algorithms based on pairwise ''gossip'' communications and updates. We study the convergence properties of such algorithms with the goal of answering two design questions, arising from the literature: whether the agents should encode their communication by a deterministic or a randomized quantizer, and whether they should use, and how, exact information regarding their own states in the update.Comment: Accepted for publicatio

Locally E-optimal designs for exponential regression models

In this paper we investigate locally E- and c-optimal designs for exponential regression models of the form _k i=1 ai exp(??ix). We establish a numerical method for the construction of efficient and locally optimal designs, which is based on two results. First we consider the limit ?i ? ? and show that the optimal designs converge weakly to the optimal designs in a heteroscedastic polynomial regression model. It is then demonstrated that in this model the optimal designs can be easily determined by standard numerical software. Secondly, it is proved that the support points and weights of the locally optimal designs in the exponential regression model are analytic functions of the nonlinear parameters ?1, . . . , ?k. This result is used for the numerical calculation of the locally E-optimal designs by means of a Taylor expansion for any vector (?1, . . . , ?k). It is also demonstrated that in the models under consideration E-optimal designs are usually more efficient for estimating individual parameters than D-optimal designs. --E-optimal design,c-optimal design,exponential models,locally optimal designs,Chebyshev systems,heteroscedastic polynomial regression

Locally D-optimal Designs for Exponential Regression

We study locally D-optimal designs for some exponential models that are frequently used in the biological sciences. The model can be written as an algebraic sum of two or three exponential terms. We show that approximate locally D-optimal designs are supported at a minimal number of points and construct these designs numerically. --