The need for parameter estimation with massive datasets has reinvigorated interest in stochastic optimization and iterative estimation procedures. Stochastic approximations are at the forefront of this recent development as they yield procedures that are simple, general, and fast. However, standard stochastic approxima…
New method improves Robbins-Monro algorithm convergence with prior information.
problem Improving convergence speed of Robbins-Monro algorithm.
method Integrates prior information into Robbins-Monro iteration without regression model.
result Prior-information Robbins-Monro sequence converges faster than standard.
TCP provides well-calibrated prediction intervals for nonstationary time series.
problem Nonstationary time series forecasting with well-calibrated prediction intervals.
method Temporal Conformal Prediction (TCP) couples a modern quantile forecaster with a rolling split-conformal calibration layer.
result TCP achieves near-nominal coverage, providing slightly wider intervals than Historical Simulation.
Paper proves SHB convergence with biased gradients and approximate step sizes.
problem Establishing convergence of SHB with biased gradients and approximate step sizes.
method Generalizes SHB convergence conditions for biased gradients, approximate step sizes, and block updating.
result Proves convergence of SHB with new conditions for biased gradients and approximate step sizes.
We formulate simple assumptions, implying the Robbins-Monro conditions for the Q-learning algorithm with the local learning rate, depending on the number of visits of a particular state-action pair (local clock) and the number of iteration (global clock). It is assumed that the Markov decision process is communicatin…
The paper analyzes two ISGD modes for statistical inference, deriving error bounds and confidence intervals.
problem Statistical inference with implicit SGD for smooth convex functions.
method Proximal Robbins-Monro (proxRM) and proximal Polyak-Ruppert (proxPR) procedures for ISGD.
result Derives non-asymptotic error bounds and confidence interval estimators for model parameters.
Paper develops efficient methods for estimating Hessian inverses in stochastic optimization.
problem Estimating the inverse Hessian for convex function minimization.
method Robbins-Monro procedure for recursive estimation of the inverse Hessian.
result Develops universal stochastic Newton methods with improved efficiency.
Improved analysis for fair federated learning reduces dependence on noise floor.
problem Asymptotic stationarity in group fair federated learning with reduced noise floor dependence.
method DS FedProxGrad framework with inexact local proximal solutions and fairness regularization.
result Algorithm converges asymptotically to stationarity without dependence on a noise floor.
Though with progress, model learning and performing posterior inference still remains a common challenge for using deep generative models, especially for handling discrete hidden variables. This paper is mainly concerned with algorithms for learning Helmholz machines, which is characterized by pairing the generative mo…
Improved sampling efficiency with Random Reshuffling for Langevin dynamics.
problem Sampling efficiency in stochastic gradient algorithms.
method Random Reshuffling for Stochastic Gradient Langevin Dynamics (SGLD).
result Random Reshuffling leads to improved performance in sampling.
Online (also called "recursive" or "adaptive") estimation of fixed model parameters in hidden Markov models is a topic of much interest in times series modelling. In this work, we propose an online parameter estimation algorithm that combines two key ideas. The first one, which is deeply rooted in the Expectation-Maxim…
Gonogo offers tools for sensitivity experiments in R.
problem Conducting, analyzing, and simulating sensitivity experiments.
method Suite of R functions for various adaptive procedures.
result Achieving overlapping data and refining testing in distribution tails.
Paper proposes a new algorithm to reduce derivative pricing computation time.
problem Derivative pricing computational inefficiency.
method Combines multilevel Richardson-Romberg and importance sampling.
result Reduces computational time while maintaining accuracy.
New streaming methods improve convergence rates for optimization problems.
problem Optimizing large-scale, sequential data problems.
method Time-varying mini-batches and Polyak-Ruppert averaging for gradient-based algorithms.
result Time-varying mini-batches and averaging achieve optimal convergence and variance reduction.
Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) are two risk measures which are widely used in the practice of risk management. This paper deals with the problem of computing both VaR and CVaR using stochastic approximation (with decreasing steps): we propose a first Robbins-Monro procedure based on Rockaffela…
New method uses joint stochastic approximation to improve learning of discrete latent models.
problem Challenges in learning discrete latent variable models, especially with inference model gradients and log-likelihood optimization.
method Proposes a new method based on stochastic approximation theory that directly maximizes the target log-likelihood and minimizes the posterior-inference model divergence.
result Consistently outperforms recent competitive algorithms in generative modeling and structured prediction tasks.
Unified algorithm for stochastic optimization with time-varying momentum converges under general conditions.
problem Optimizing functions with time-varying gradients and biases.
method Unified algorithm using a time-varying momentum term.
result Convergence of the unified algorithm under general conditions.
Paper proposes efficient weight updates for edge nodes with minimal communication.
problem Inefficient and resource-intensive full weight updates for edge nodes.
method Deep partial updating, selecting a subset of weights to update.
result Achieves similar performance with fewer weight updates.
A new update rule for deep reinforcement learning reduces learning variance and variance in reference signals.
problem Learning variance and incorrect reference signals in deep reinforcement learning.
method t-soft update method inspired by student-t distribution, which reduces extreme updates and accelerates similar updates.
result The t-soft update method outperforms conventional methods in terms of return and variance in PyBullet robotics simulations.
Paper proves Jeffrey's update rule minimizes relative entropy.
problem Improving Bayesian learning algorithms.
method More concise proof of Jeffrey's update rule.
result Jeffrey's update rule reduces relative entropy.
AMUSE uses reinforcement learning to predict optimal model updates.
problem Concept drift weakens model performance over time.
method Reinforcement learning in a simulated environment.
result AMUSE proactively recommends updates based on performance improvements.
Information geometry applies concepts in differential geometry to probability and statistics and is especially useful for parameter estimation in exponential families where parameters are known to lie on a Riemannian manifold. Connections between the geometric properties of the induced manifold and statistical properti…
We shed new insights on the two commonly used updates for the online k-PCA problem, namely, Krasulina's and Oja's updates. We show that Krasulina's update corresponds to a projected gradient descent step on the Stiefel manifold of the orthonormal k-frames, while Oja's update amounts to a gradient descent step using…
Efficiently updates posterior tree distributions over meta-trees.
problem Updating posterior distributions over meta-trees efficiently.
method Batch updating method for posterior tree distributions.
result More efficient batch updating method.
Recently, the technique of local updates is a powerful tool in centralized settings to improve communication efficiency via periodical communication. For decentralized settings, it is still unclear how to efficiently combine local updates and decentralized communication. In this work, we propose an algorithm named as L…
The paper examines how updates to probabilistic models influence behavior based on evidence.
problem Understanding how updates to probabilistic models influence behavior based on evidence.
method Study of KL-regularized soft updates as Bayesian posterior updates within a single probabilistic model.
result Posterior updates determine relative incentives but not absolute rewards, which are ambiguous up to context-specific baselines.
Paper improves policy updates in reinforcement learning to speed up learning.
problem Slow learning and unlearning in policy optimization.
method Introduces a novel gradient update and a modified policy update.
result Proves modified policy update converges to global optimality.
Marginal maximum likelihood (MML) estimation is the preferred approach to fitting item response theory models in psychometrics due to the MML estimator's consistency, normality, and efficiency as the sample size tends to infinity. However, state-of-the-art MML estimation procedures such as the Metropolis-Hastings Robbi…
In this paper, we study the randomized distributed coordinate descent algorithm with quantized updates. In the literature, the iteration complexity of the randomized distributed coordinate descent algorithm has been characterized under the assumption that machines can exchange updates with an infinite precision. We con…
Proposes a new method for nonlinear Bayesian updates using ensemble kernel regression.
problem Nonlinear and non-Gaussian Bayesian updates for complex systems.
method Combines Kalman filtering for observed components and kernel density estimation for unobserved components, with subsampling and clustering.
result Reduces estimation errors in highly nonlinear scenarios compared to standard linear updates.
This paper analyzes how periodic and soft target updates stabilize linear Q-learning.
problem Theoretical explanation of stabilization mechanisms for linear Q-learning.
method Exact analysis using switched linear system dynamics and the joint spectral radius.
result Periodic and soft target updates can guarantee convergence to the exact projected Q-Bellman solution under specific conditions.
In this letter, we generalize the convolutional NMF by taking the β-divergence as the contrast function and present the correct multiplicative updates for its factors in closed form. The new updates unify the β-NMF and the convolutional NMF. We state why almost all of the existing updates are inexact and approximat…
EnKF's update is shown to be similar to Matheron's method in Gaussian process regression.
problem Data assimilation in high-dimensional systems.
method Empirical Matheron update applied to EnKF.
result Ensemble Kalman Filter's update is equivalent to an empirical Matheron update.
Improved HGF networks avoid negative precision errors in volatility updates.
problem Negative posterior precision errors in volatility-coupled nodes of HGF networks.
method Introduced a modified quadratic approximation to variational energy.
result Robust update equations across parameter space that track posterior faithfully.
Federated learning is a distributed learning method to train a shared model by aggregating the locally-computed gradient updates. In federated learning, bandwidth and privacy are two main concerns of gradient updates transmission. This paper proposes an end-to-end encrypted neural network for gradient updates transmiss…
Algorithm estimates bounds of updated classifier coefficients efficiently.
problem Determining sensitivity of updated classifiers without retraining.
method Proposes an algorithm to estimate upper and lower bounds of updated classifier coefficients.
result Estimates bounds with low computational complexity and tightness.
Develops efficient method for updating models with small data changes.
problem Efficiently updating models when data changes (e.g., adding/removing instances/features).
method Generalized Low-Rank Update (GLRU) for non-linear estimators.
result Provides updated solutions with computational complexity proportional to dataset changes.
GANs excel at learning high dimensional distributions, but they can update generator parameters in directions that do not correspond to the steepest descent direction of the objective. Prominent examples of problematic update directions include those used in both Goodfellow's original GAN and the WGAN-GP. To formally d…
A new method improves few-shot image classification by updating top layers.
problem Few-shot image classification with limited data.
method Layer-wise adaptive updating (LWAU) for meta-learning.
result LWAU outperforms existing methods with a clear margin and learns more efficiently.
A new method for efficient neural network fine-tuning using queryable low-rank update atoms.
problem Rigidity of static low-rank adaptation methods when input and depth-wise computation vary.
method A shared queryable memory of low-rank update atoms, allowing dynamic and context-sensitive adaptation.
result Improves final test performance and training stability compared to standard low-rank adaptation.
Study examines auditing fairness in evolving models, identifying strategic updates that preserve audit properties.
problem Auditing fairness in machine learning models that adapt to changing environments.
method Characterizes strategic updates that preserve audit properties, proposes a generic PAC auditing framework.
result Establishes distribution-free auditing bounds for statistical parity using the SP dimension.
Drop-Muon updates only some layers, speeding up training.
problem Conventional deep learning optimizers update all layers at once, which can be inefficient.
method Drop-Muon updates only a subset of layers per step, with randomized schedules.
result Drop-Muon achieves up to 1.4x faster training time with similar accuracy.
Most of real-world graphs are dynamic, i.e., they change over time by a sequence of update operations. While the regression problem has been studied for static graphs and temporal graphs, it is not investigated for general dynamic graphs. In this paper, we study regression over dynamic graphs. First, we present the not…
This work analyzes how often to update the target network in Q-learning.
problem Understanding the optimal frequency of target network updates in Q-learning.
method Formulated target updates as a nested optimization scheme, derived finite-time convergence analysis.
result Optimal target update frequency increases geometrically over time.
In this paper, we extend the β-CNMF to two dimensions and derive exact multiplicative updates for its factors. The new updates generalize and correct the nonnegative matrix factor deconvolution previously proposed by Schmidt and Mørup. We show by simulation that the updates lead to a monotonically decreasing β-dive…
In this paper, we present a novel approach for fine-tuning a decoder-side neural network in the context of image compression, such that the weight-updates are better compressible. At encoder side, we fine-tune a pre-trained artifact removal network on target data by using a compression objective applied on the weight-u…
Framework for safely updating machine learning models.
problem Continuous updates to machine learning models can lead to unintended consequences.
method Formalizes the problem as computing the largest locally invariant domain (LID), uses tractable primal-dual formulation.
result Matches or exceeds heuristic baselines for avoiding forgetting while providing formal safety guarantees.
Reparameterizes mirror descent as gradient descent for efficient sparse learning.
problem Efficiently training small sparse networks with mirror descent.
method Develops a framework to convert mirror descent updates into gradient descent updates on different parameters.
result Mirror descent can be reparameterized as gradient descent on modified parameters, facilitating standard backpropagation.