97 research outputs found
Joint Structure Learning of Multiple Non-Exchangeable Networks
Several methods have recently been developed for joint structure learning of
multiple (related) graphical models or networks. These methods treat individual
networks as exchangeable, such that each pair of networks are equally
encouraged to have similar structures. However, in many practical applications,
exchangeability in this sense may not hold, as some pairs of networks may be
more closely related than others, for example due to group and sub-group
structure in the data. Here we present a novel Bayesian formulation that
generalises joint structure learning beyond the exchangeable case. In addition
to a general framework for joint learning, we (i) provide a novel default prior
over the joint structure space that requires no user input; (ii) allow for
latent networks; (iii) give an efficient, exact algorithm for the case of time
series data and dynamic Bayesian networks. We present empirical results on
non-exchangeable populations, including a real data example from biology, where
cell-line-specific networks are related according to genomic features.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference
on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS
Joint estimation of multiple related biological networks
Graphical models are widely used to make inferences concerning interplay in
multivariate systems. In many applications, data are collected from multiple
related but nonidentical units whose underlying networks may differ but are
likely to share features. Here we present a hierarchical Bayesian formulation
for joint estimation of multiple networks in this nonidentically distributed
setting. The approach is general: given a suitable class of graphical models,
it uses an exchangeability assumption on networks to provide a corresponding
joint formulation. Motivated by emerging experimental designs in molecular
biology, we focus on time-course data with interventions, using dynamic
Bayesian networks as the graphical models. We introduce a computationally
efficient, deterministic algorithm for exact joint inference in this setting.
We provide an upper bound on the gains that joint estimation offers relative to
separate estimation for each network and empirical results that support and
extend the theory, including an extensive simulation study and an application
to proteomic data from human cancer cell lines. Finally, we describe
approximations that are still more computationally efficient than the exact
algorithm and that also demonstrate good empirical performance.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/14-AOAS761 the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
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