Loopy and generalized belief propagation are popular algorithms for approximate inference in Markov random fields and Bayesian networks. Fixed points of these algorithms correspond to extrema of the Bethe and Kikuchi free energy. However, belief propagation does not always converge, which explains the need for approach…
arXiv research
A locally-built, LLM-digested index of recent arXiv papers in quant finance, geometry/topology, and statistical ML — keyword search served straight from SQLite on this machine.
Trend · papers per month
Inference problems in graphical models can be represented as a constrained optimization of a free energy function. It is known that when the Bethe free energy is used, the fixedpoints of the belief propagation (BP) algorithm correspond to the local minima of the free energy. However BP fails to converge in many cases o…
This paper introduces a new approach to active inference using constrained Bethe Free Energy.
The Bethe free energy approximation is reliable when convex on a submanifold, the 'Bethe box'.
New result on critical points of Bethe free energy under deformation retracts.
We address the problem of computing approximate marginals in Gaussian probabilistic models by using mean field and fractional Bethe approximations. We define the Gaussian fractional Bethe free energy in terms of the moment parameters of the approximate marginals, derive a lower and an upper bound on the fractional Beth…
We address the problem of computing approximate marginals in Gaussian probabilistic models by using mean field and fractional Bethe approximations. As an extension of Welling and Teh (2001), we define the Gaussian fractional Bethe free energy in terms of the moment parameters of the approximate marginals and derive an …
New method estimates Nishimori temperature for node classification in weighted graphs.
Adaptive approximations improve variational inference for complex models.
We propose to learn deep undirected graphical models (i.e., MRFs) with a non-ELBO objective for which we can calculate exact gradients. In particular, we optimize a saddle-point objective deriving from the Bethe free energy approximation to the partition function. Unlike much recent work in approximate inference, the d…
Inference in general Markov random fields (MRFs) is NP-hard, though identifying the maximum a posteriori (MAP) configuration of pairwise MRFs with submodular cost functions is efficiently solvable using graph cuts. Marginal inference, however, even for this restricted class, is in #P. We prove new formulations of deriv…
It is known that fixed points of loopy belief propagation (BP) correspond to stationary points of the Bethe variational problem, where we minimize the Bethe free energy subject to normalization and marginalization constraints. Unfortunately, this does not entirely explain BP because BP is a dual rather than primal algo…
New algorithm minimizes FE objectives for synthetic AIF agents.
Belief propagation is a fundamental message-passing algorithm for probabilistic reasoning and inference in graphical models. While it is known to be exact on trees, in most applications belief propagation is run on graphs with cycles. Understanding the behavior of "loopy" belief propagation has been a major challenge f…
Two EP frameworks ensure integrable beliefs in Bayesian estimation problems.
Learning in restricted Boltzmann machine is typically hard due to the computation of gradients of log-likelihood function. To describe the network state statistics of the restricted Boltzmann machine, we develop an advanced mean field theory based on the Bethe approximation. Our theory provides an efficient message pas…
Loopy belief propagation (LBP), which is equivalent to the Bethe approximation in statistical mechanics, is a message-passing-type inference method that is widely used to analyze systems based on Markov random fields (MRFs). In this paper, we propose a message-passing-type method to analytically evaluate the quenched a…
We propose an approach for approximating the partition function which is based on two steps: (1) computing the partition function of a simplified model which is obtained by deleting model edges, and (2) rectifying the result by applying an edge-by-edge correction. The approach leads to an intuitive framework in which o…
In this paper, we address the inverse problem, or the statistical machine learning problem, in Markov random fields with a non-parametric pair-wise energy function with continuous variables. The inverse problem is formulated by maximum likelihood estimation. The exact treatment of maximum likelihood estimation is intra…
We propose a hierarchy for approximate inference based on the Dobrushin, Lanford, Ruelle (DLR) equations. This hierarchy includes existing algorithms, such as belief propagation, and also motivates novel algorithms such as factorized neighbors (FN) algorithms and variants of mean field (MF) algorithms. In particular, w…
Generalized belief propagation converges to optimal solutions on graphs with motifs.
Study curves evolving on hypersurfaces with free boundaries, preserving length.
The paper uses belief propagation to analyze rankings and partial orders from partial information.
The typical behavior of optimal solutions to portfolio optimization problems with absolute deviation and expected shortfall models using replica analysis was pioneeringly estimated by S. Ciliberti and M. Mézard [Eur. Phys. B. 57, 175 (2007)]; however, they have not yet developed an approximate derivation method for fin…
New Bethe-Hessian method improves community detection in sparse networks.
We consider the problem of maximum a posteriori (MAP) inference in discrete graphical models. We present a parallel MAP inference algorithm called Bethe-ADMM based on two ideas: tree-decomposition of the graph and the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). However, unlike the standard ADMM, we use an inexa…
We present a joint message passing approach that combines belief propagation and the mean field approximation. Our analysis is based on the region-based free energy approximation method proposed by Yedidia et al. We show that the message passing fixed-point equations obtained with this combination correspond to station…
We study the long time existence theory for a non local flow associated to a free boundary problem for a trapped non liquid drop. The drop has free boundary components on two horizontal plates and its free energy is anisotropic and axially symmetric. For axially symmetric initial surfaces with sufficiently large volume…
Many inference problems in structured prediction are naturally solved by augmenting a tractable dependency structure with complex, non-local auxiliary objectives. This includes the mean field family of variational inference algorithms, soft- or hard-constrained inference using Lagrangian relaxation or linear programmin…
We address the problem of learning the parameters in graphical models when inference is intractable. A common strategy in this case is to replace the partition function with its Bethe approximation. We show that there exists a regime of empirical marginals where such Bethe learning will fail. By failure we mean that th…
Poisson variational autoencoders introduce a metabolic cost term that penalizes high baseline activity.
Bayesian inference learns free energy landscapes from experimental data.
Factor graphs are important models for succinctly representing probability distributions in machine learning, coding theory, and statistical physics. Several computational problems, such as computing marginals and partition functions, arise naturally when working with factor graphs. Belief propagation is a widely deplo…
Paper proves unique energy-minimizing curves in constrained spaces.
Energy quantization for surfaces with area, volume, and mean curvature constraints.
We investigate different ways of generating approximate solutions to the pairwise Markov random field (MRF) selection problem. We focus mainly on the inverse Ising problem, but discuss also the somewhat related inverse Gaussian problem because both types of MRF are suitable for inference tasks with the belief propagati…
The Hawking energy is nonnegative and rigid on area-constrained surfaces in general relativity.
Study of critical points for 4D conformally invariant curvature energies.
Bounds on the log partition function are important in a variety of contexts, including approximate inference, model fitting, decision theory, and large deviations analysis. We introduce a new class of upper bounds on the log partition function, based on convex combinations of distributions in the exponential domain, th…
Energy savings for DNN inference on resource-constrained devices.
Study on the Euler-Plateau energy with elastic modulus, focusing on minimizers and critical surfaces.
We show that the homogeneous and the 2-lobe Delaunay tori in the 3-sphere provide the only isothermic constrained Willmore tori in 3-space with Willmore energy below . In particular, every constrained Willmore torus with Willmore energy below and non-rectangular conformal class is non-degenerated.
Many DNN-enabled vision applications constantly operate under severe energy constraints such as unmanned aerial vehicles, Augmented Reality headsets, and smartphones. Designing DNNs that can meet a stringent energy budget is becoming increasingly important. This paper proposes ECC, a framework that compresses DNNs to m…
A fast spectral algorithm detects community structure in evolving graphs.
Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are increasingly deployed in highly energy-constrained environments such as autonomous drones and wearable devices while at the same time must operate in real-time. Therefore, reducing the energy consumption has become a major design consideration in DNN training. This paper proposes the fir…
New optimization method for sampling from unknown density measures.
Study finds necessary conditions for black hole geometries to asymptotically approach Kerr-de Sitter spacetime.
A new energy-efficient pruning method for federated learning.