Stein's method improves probabilistic inference and learning.
problem Improving probabilistic inference and learning methods.
method Constructing Stein discrepancies from Stein operators and Stein sets, discussing their properties.
result Connection between Stein operators and Stein variational gradient descent.
GC Stein manifolds characterized with embeddings and functions.
problem Characterize GC Stein manifolds using embeddings and functions.
method Extended Cartan's Theorem A and B, defined L-plurisubharmonic functions, established GH embeddings. result Characterized GC Stein manifolds via L-plurisubharmonic exhaustion functions and GH embeddings. Stochastic Stein Discrepancies improve inference efficiency.
problem Intractable computation of Stein discrepancies.
method Subsampled approximations of Stein operators.
result Stochastic Stein Discrepancies inherit convergence properties of standard SDs.
We give a bordism-theoretic characterisation of those closed almost contact (2q+1)-manifolds (with q > 2) which admit a Stein fillable contact structure. Our method is to apply Eliashberg's h-principle for Stein manifolds in the setting of Kreck's modified surgery. As an application, we show that any simply connected a…
Improved sampling method using regularized Stein Variational Gradient Flow.
problem Improving the accuracy of sampling methods in machine learning.
method Proposed Regularized Stein Variational Gradient Flow to interpolate between SVGD and Wasserstein Gradient Flow.
result Established theoretical properties and provided preliminary numerical evidence of improved performance.
Develops Stein's method for Riemannian manifolds using diffusion.
problem Bounding integral metrics on probability measures on Riemannian manifolds.
method Exploits the relationship between diffusion generators and Stein operators to derive Stein factors.
result Derives curvature-dependent Stein factors that generalize existing results for Euclidean spaces.
It is shown that every subcritical Stein manifold is deformation equivalent to the product of a Stein manifold with $\C$.
Regularized Stein thinning improves MCMC output approximations.
problem Pathologies in Stein thinning leading to poor approximations.
method Theoretical analysis and regularization to improve KSD.
result Regularized Stein thinning alleviates pathologies and improves efficiency.
Study Stein and Milnor fillings of links from surface singularities.
problem Comparing Stein and Milnor fillings of links from surface singularities.
method Analyzing the topology and obstructions of Stein fillings and Milnor fillings.
result Milnor fillings have bounded topology, while Stein fillings can be more varied.
Stein's method (Stein, 1973; 1981) is a powerful tool for statistical applications and has significantly impacted machine learning. Stein's lemma plays an essential role in Stein's method. Previous applications of Stein's lemma either required strong technical assumptions or were limited to Gaussian distributions with …
Stein transport improves Bayesian inference with faster convergence and reduced variance.
problem Efficiently approximating posterior distributions in Bayesian inference.
method A novel Bayesian inference method using Stein transport, which pushes particles along a curve of tempered distributions.
result Stein transport reaches posterior approximations faster and more accurately than Stein variational gradient descent (SVGD).
In this paper we survey results on the existence of holomorphic embeddings and immersions of Stein manifolds into complex manifolds. Most results pertain to proper maps into Stein manifolds. We include a new result saying that every continuous map X→Y between Stein manifolds is homotopic to a proper holomorphic em…
The paper improves Stein importance sampling for Markov chain samples.
problem Improving the accuracy of sampling from complex distributions.
method Reproducing Stein kernels approach for post-hoc correction.
result Consistent estimators for target distributions using geometrically ergodic Markov chains.
Counterexample found for Stein property of certain solvable Lie groups.
problem Stein property of simply connected unimodular solvable Lie groups with left-invariant complex structures.
method Constructing a solvable Lie group with specific properties.
result A simply connected solvable Lie group with a left-invariant complex structure whose universal cover is not Stein.
A new framework improves kernel Stein discrepancy tests for validating distributions.
problem Improving goodness-of-fit testing for non-normal distributions.
method Introducing Sf-KSD, a unifying framework for studying Stein operators in KSD-based tests.
result Sf-KSD guides the development of new tests and outperforms existing methods.
Stein variational gradient descent (SVGD) is a deterministic sampling algorithm that iteratively transports a set of particles to approximate given distributions, based on an efficient gradient-based update that guarantees to optimally decrease the KL divergence within a function space. This paper develops the first th…
2-stein submanifolds in space forms have constant curvature if normal connection is flat or codimension is 2.
problem Characterizing submanifolds with constant curvature in space forms.
method Analyzing submanifolds with flat normal connection or codimension 2.
result 2-stein submanifolds have constant curvature under specified conditions.
We show that, under a certain condition, contact 5-manifolds can `coarsely' distinguish smooth structures on compact Stein 4-manifolds via contact open books. We also give a simple sufficient condition for an infinite family of Stein 4-manifolds to have an infinite subfamily of pairwise non-diffeomorphic Stein 4-manifo…
We give an algorithm which produces infinitely many pairwise exotic Stein fillings of the same contact 3-manifolds, applying positive allowable Lefschetz fibrations over the disk. As a corollary, for a large class of Stein fillings, we realize the topological invariants (i.e. fundamental group, homology group, homology…
Sliced kernelized Stein discrepancy improves goodness-of-fit tests and model learning in high dimensions.
problem The curse-of-dimensionality in kernelized Stein discrepancy (KSD).
method Sliced Stein discrepancy and its scalable variants using optimal one-dimensional projections.
result Significantly outperforms KSD and baselines in goodness-of-fit tests and improves model learning.
For any integer n≥2, we construct an infinite family of Stein fillable contact (4n−1)-manifolds each of which admits infinitely many pairwise homotopy inequivalent Stein fillings.
The square root of Fredholm determinants causes numerical instabilities in option pricing models.
problem Numerical instabilities in Fourier-based option pricing for the Volterra Stein-Stein model.
method Characterization of determinant crossing behavior, derivation of transform to handle crossings, efficient algorithms.
result Significant improvement in accuracy and reduction in computational cost for Fourier-based pricing.
Study Stein fillings of planar contact 3-manifolds with relative trisection genus 2.
problem Classify Stein fillings of planar contact 3-manifolds under constraints on their relative trisections.
method Partial classification of diffeomorphism types of fillings with relative trisections of genus at most 2.
result Partially classify the diffeomorphism types of Stein fillings with relative trisections of genus at most 2.
Study continuity and Hölder estimates for solutions on Stein spaces.
problem Continuity and Hölder estimates for solutions to degenerate complex Monge-Ampère equations.
method Prove continuity up to the boundary and local Hölder estimates on the regular locus.
result Local Hölder estimates on the regular locus for solutions to degenerate complex Monge-Ampère equations.
Improving scalability and stability of Stein discrepancies for scalable goodness-of-fit testing
problem Improving scalability and stability of Stein discrepancies for scalable goodness-of-fit testing
method Reformulating Stein discrepancy construction as an explicit SNR^2 maximisation problem
result Avoiding exponential SNR^2 collapse and achieving stable SNR^2
Much of machine learning relies on comparing distributions with discrepancy measures. Stein's method creates discrepancy measures between two distributions that require only the unnormalized density of one and samples from the other. Stein discrepancies can be combined with kernels to define kernelized Stein discrepanc…
Paper proves existence of compatible Lefschetz fibrations on 6-ball and Stein domains.
problem Existence of compatible Lefschetz fibrations on Stein domains.
method Topological proof for 6-ball fibrations, construction of relative Stein pairs.
result Existence of compatible Lefschetz fibrations on Stein domains of dimension six.
New Stein operator improves robustness in model inference.
problem Improving robustness in inference for unnormalized models.
method Density-power weighted Stein operator (γ-Stein operator). result Robust methods for goodness-of-fit testing and posterior approximation.
Characterizes Stein surfaces with finite homotopy rank-sum.
problem Finite homotopy rank-sum in Stein spaces.
method Rational homotopy theory, classification of Stein surfaces.
result Affine Stein surfaces with finite fundamental group are either simply connected or of order 2.
A new method reduces complexity and uncertainty in neural networks.
problem Uncertainty quantification in complex neural networks.
method Condensed Stein Variational Gradient Descent (cSVGD) method.
result Condensed SVGD provides uncertainty quantification on parameters.
We characterize the closed, oriented, Seifert fibered 3-manifolds which are oriented boundaries of Stein manifolds. We also show that for this class of 3-manifolds the existence of Stein fillings is equivalent to the existence of symplectic fillings.
We continue our study of contact structures on manifolds of dimension at least five using complex surgery theory. We show that in each dimension 2q+1 > 3 there are 'maximal' almost contact manifolds to which there is a Stein cobordism from any other (2q+1)-dimensional contact manifold. We show that the product M x S^2 …
A unified summary is given of the existence theory of Stein manifolds in all dimensions, based on published and pending literature. Eliashberg's characterization of manifolds admitting Stein structures requires an extra delicate hypothesis in complex dimension 2, which can be eliminated by passing to the topological se…
For a 4-manifold represented by a framed knot in S3, it has been well known that the 4-manifold admits a Stein structure if the framing is less than the maximal Thurston-Bennequin number of the knot. In this paper, we prove either the converse of this fact is false or there exists a compact contractible oriented smo…
Study shows patterns in Stein fillability of trefoil surgeries.
problem Determining Stein fillability of contact structures.
method Analyzing surgeries on the trefoil knot.
result Patterns in Stein fillability identified.
New Legendrian knots found with equivalent Stein traces.
problem Characterizing slopes and Legendrian isotopy types.
method Contact annulus twist, Weinstein handlebody equivalences, dualizable patterns.
result First example of Legendrian knots with equivalent Stein traces.
A new test assesses how well observed networks fit a specified ERGM model.
problem Testing the goodness of fit for ERGMs with a single network observation.
method Kernel Stein discrepancy combined with a discrete Stein operator for ERGMs, Monte Carlo simulation.
result The test provides theoretical and practical support for assessing ERGM fit.
Study on Hölder continuity of complex Monge-Ampère solutions on Stein spaces.
problem Understanding continuity of solutions to complex Monge-Ampère equations on Stein spaces.
method Analyzing solutions with Lp densities and Hölder boundary data on Stein spaces with isolated singularities. result Solutions are Hölder continuous outside singular points if boundary data is Hölder continuous.
Infinitely many 3D shapes have multiple ways to be filled with special surfaces.
problem Understanding how many ways 3D shapes can be filled with special surfaces.
method Examined 3D shapes supported by planar open books and found multiple ways to fill them with special surfaces.
result Found infinitely many 3D shapes that can be filled with multiple, non-homeomorphic special surfaces.
We construct a family of Stein fillable contact homology 3-spheres such that each contact structure of the family is supported by an open book with planar page, and a Stein filling of the contact manifold is of Mazur type.
New open books defy positive factorisation in genus one.
problem Understanding Stein fillable contact structures and their monodromies.
method Constructing an infinite family of open books with specific properties.
result Monodromies of constructed open books do not admit positive factorisations.
It is known that the only Stein filling of the standard contact structure on S^3 is B^4. In this paper, we construct simply connected exotic compact Stein 4-manifold pairs for any Betti number b2≥1; we do this by enlarging corks and plugs.
The existence of a positive allowable Lefschetz fibration on a compact Stein surface with boundary was established by Loi and Piergallini by using branched covering techniques. Here we give an alternative simple proof of this fact and construct explicitly the vanishing cycles of the Lefschetz fibration, obtaining a dir…
We show that there exist infinitely many simply connected compact Stein 4-manifolds with b_2=2 such that they are all homeomorhic but mutually non-diffeomorphic, and they are Stein fillings of the same contact 3-manifold on their boundaries. We also describe their handlebody pictures.
Paper analyzes SVGD algorithm for non-asymptotic convergence.
problem Optimizing a set of particles to approximate a target probability distribution.
method Finite time analysis of SVGD algorithm, providing descent lemma and convergence rates.
result SVGD algorithm decreases the objective at each iteration and converges to the target distribution.
Stein shrinkage improves BN robustness against adversarial attacks.
problem Improving BN robustness against adversarial attacks.
method Applying Stein shrinkage to BN mean and variance estimates.
result Stein shrinkage outperforms vanilla BN in adversarial settings.
A new method de-randomizes MCMC dynamics using the Stein operator.
problem Estimating complex target distributions in Bayesian inference.
method De-randomized kernel-based particle samplers that discretize the fiber-gradient Hamiltonian flow.
result GSVGD de-randomizes complex MCMC dynamics, maintaining high sample quality.
New Stein fillings found for rational surface singularities.
problem Exploring Stein fillings of rational surface singularities.
method Using planar open books and Lefschetz fibrations, describe Stein fillings via symplectic disk arrangements.
result Many rational singularities admit Stein fillings not diffeomorphic to Milnor fibers.