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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.

168,657 papers · 148 categories

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86172257343 · Jun 202019922001200920172026
48 results for attention layer

Recent trends of incorporating attention mechanisms in vision have led researchers to reconsider the supremacy of convolutional layers as a primary building block. Beyond helping CNNs to handle long-range dependencies, Ramachandran et al. (2019) showed that attention can completely replace convolution and achieve state…

2019-11-08abs ↗pdf ↗

This work proposes a collaborative multi-head attention layer to reduce model size without sacrificing accuracy.

problem Over-parameterization in transformer models trained with large datasets.
method Proposes a collaborative multi-head attention layer that shares key/query projections.
result Reduction in model size by 4 for same accuracy and speed.

This study examines a single attention layer's capabilities using random features.

problem Understanding the learning and generalization of a single multi-head attention layer.
method Random feature setting with large number of heads, frozen query and key matrices, and trainable value matrices.
result Random-feature attention layer can express a broad class of permutation-invariant target functions.

We present an attention mechanism inspired from definition of screened Coulomb potential. This attention mechanism was used to interpret the Graph Attention (GAT) model layers and training dataset by using a flexible and scalable framework (CoulGAT) developed for this purpose. Using CoulGAT, a forest of plain and resne…

2019-12-18abs ↗pdf ↗

Softmax attention approximates complex functions and subsumes many known universal approximators.

problem Universal approximation of continuous sequence-to-sequence functions.
method Interpolation-based analysis of attention's internal mechanism, showing its ability to approximate ReLU functions.
result Softmax attention is a universal approximator for continuous sequence-to-sequence functions.

Transformer networks have lead to important progress in language modeling and machine translation. These models include two consecutive modules, a feed-forward layer and a self-attention layer. The latter allows the network to capture long term dependencies and are often regarded as the key ingredient in the success of…

2019-07-02abs ↗pdf ↗

The Transformer is a fully attention-based alternative to recurrent networks that has achieved state-of-the-art results across a range of NLP tasks. In this paper, we analyze the structure of attention in a Transformer language model, the GPT-2 small pretrained model. We visualize attention for individual instances and…

2019-06-07abs ↗pdf ↗

The study compares feed-forward and attention layers in language models.

problem Understanding the role of feed-forward and attention layers in language models.
method Empirical and theoretical analysis in a synthetic setting.
result Feed-forward layers learn simple distributional associations, while attention layers focus on in-context reasoning.

As an important part of speech recognition technology, automatic speech keyword recognition has been intensively studied in recent years. Such technology becomes especially pivotal under situations with limited infrastructures and computational resources, such as voice command recognition in vehicles and robot interact…

2019-07-10abs ↗pdf ↗

Paper analyzes infinite-width attention layers using Tensor Programs.

problem Capturing the infinite-width limit of attention layers.
method Tensor Programs framework to rigorously identify the limit distribution.
result Derives exact form of infinite-width limit distribution without Gaussian approximations.

A method to automatically choose feature dimensions in linear attention for better approximation quality.

problem Choosing the feature dimension in linear attention to balance quality and efficiency.
method Statistical degrees of freedom for determining feature dimension, layer-wise training strategy.
result Our method achieves smaller approximation error compared to fixed dimensions and improves model performance.

Attention layers are sensitive to single words, improving generalization over random features.

problem Understanding why attention layers are effective in NLP tasks.
method Study of word sensitivity in random features using BERT-Base word embeddings.
result Attention layers have high word sensitivity, improving generalization over random features.

Transformer attention layers solve single-location regression tasks.

problem Understanding token-wise sparsity and internal linear representations in attention-based models.
method Introduce single-location regression task and a simplified predictor based on self-attention layers.
result Transformer attention layers are asymptotically Bayes optimal and can learn underlying structures effectively.

In general, a self-attention mechanism has been applied for speaker embedding encoding. Previous studies focused on training the self-attention in a high-level layer, such as the last pooling layer. However, the effect of low-level features was reduced in the speaker embedding encoding. Therefore, we propose masked cro…

2020-01-28abs ↗pdf ↗

GACAN combines multi-granularity time series for traffic forecasting.

problem High dynamics and complex spatial-temporal dependency of road networks in traffic forecasting.
method Graph Attention-Convolution-Attention Networks (GACAN) with Att-Conv-Att (ACA) block.
result GACAN outperforms state-of-the-art baselines in traffic forecasting.

Acoustic scenes are rich and redundant in their content. In this work, we present a spatio-temporal attention pooling layer coupled with a convolutional recurrent neural network to learn from patterns that are discriminative while suppressing those that are irrelevant for acoustic scene classification. The convolutiona…

2019-04-06abs ↗pdf ↗

This study analyzes how one-layer transformers learn regular language recognition tasks.

problem Understanding how one-layer transformers solve regular language recognition tasks like even pairs and parity check.
method Theoretical analysis of training dynamics and gradient descent for a one-layer transformer.
result A one-layer transformer can solve even pairs directly but needs CoT for parity check. Training phases show rapid growth in attention layer followed by logarithmic growth in linear layer.

Linear attention in Transformers can be interpreted as dynamic VAR models.

problem Misalignment between Transformers and autoregressive forecasting objectives.
method Interpreting linear attention as VAR, rearranging MLP, attention, and flow.
result SAMoVAR improves performance, interpretability, and efficiency.

Transformers show strengths and weaknesses in complexity analysis.

problem Understanding the strengths and limitations of attention layers in transformers.
method Analysis of representation power through complexity parameters and task-specific constructions.
result Transformers can solve sparse averaging tasks with logarithmic complexity, but triple detection tasks require linear complexity.

The study reveals the spectral structure of attention layers and its implications for generalization.

problem Understanding the spectral structure and generalization of trained attention layers.
method Empirical risk minimization in a single-head tied-attention layer, using random matrix theory, spin-glass theory, and approximate message passing.
result Exact high-dimensional characterization of training and test error, interpolation and recovery thresholds, and spectrum of the key and query matrices.

ConViT combines CNN and ViT strengths, improving image classification.

problem Combining the strengths of CNNs and ViTs while avoiding their limitations.
method Introducing GPSA, a form of positional self-attention with a soft convolutional inductive bias.
result ConViT outperforms DeiT on ImageNet while offering improved sample efficiency.

Introduces Causal Energy Minimization to understand Transformer layers.

problem Empirical parameterization of Transformer blocks remains largely unexplored.
method Causal Energy Minimization framework that recasts Transformer layers as optimization steps on conditional energy functions.
result Identifies design space for Transformer layers including weight sharing and energy-based interpretations.

Sparse Transformers can approximate dense Transformers with only O(n) connections.

problem Can sparse Transformers approximate arbitrary sequence-to-sequence functions?
method Proposed sufficient conditions for universal approximation and proved that sparse Transformers with O(n) connections can approximate dense models.
result Sparse Transformers with O(n) connections can approximate the same function class as dense models with n^2 connections.

This study analyzes why attention layers in neural networks can cause signal loss and proposes a solution.

problem Pathological behavior of attention layers in neural networks, leading to signal loss.
method Spectral analysis using Random Matrix Theory to identify and mitigate rank collapse in width.
result A novel solution to mitigate rank collapse in width by removing outlier eigenvalues.

Lipschitz normalization boosts deep attention models, especially for graph neural networks.

problem Gradient explosion in deep graph attention networks leads to poor performance.
method Enforcing Lipschitz continuity by normalizing attention scores.
result Deep GAT models with LipschitzNorm achieve state-of-the-art results for tasks with long-range dependencies.

New method prevents entropy collapse in Transformer training, leading to more stable and robust models.

problem Training instability in Transformers, especially in attention layers.
method Spectral normalization with a learned scalar to prevent entropy collapse.
result Prevents entropy collapse, leading to more stable training.

Transformers learn to perform logistic regression in-context.

problem Understanding how transformers learn to perform specific tasks in-context.
method Constructed multi-layer transformers that perform in-context logistic regression through normalized gradient descent.
result Transformers can be trained to perform in-context logistic regression effectively.

Single-head attention approximates any function under various norms.

problem Universal approximation of functions using attention mechanisms.
method Interpreting attention as partitioning and summing linear transformations.
result Single-head attention can approximate any continuous function under LL_\infty-norm and Lebesgue integrable functions under LpL_p-norm.

New framework shows cross-attention improves multi-modal in-context learning.

problem Understanding multi-modal in-context learning in neural networks.
method Mathematical framework and linearized cross-attention mechanism.
result Cross-attention mechanism is provably optimal for multi-modal in-context learning.

TSAM predicts directed temporal links using GCN and self-attention.

problem Predicting links in directed temporal networks.
method GCN, self-attention mechanism, autoencoder architecture, graph attentional layers, graph convolutional layers, graph recurrent unit layer.
result TSAM outperforms benchmarks on four realistic networks.

Recently popularized graph neural networks achieve the state-of-the-art accuracy on a number of standard benchmark datasets for graph-based semi-supervised learning, improving significantly over existing approaches. These architectures alternate between a propagation layer that aggregates the hidden states of the local…

2018-03-10abs ↗pdf ↗

LATTE tackles heterogeneous network embedding challenges with layer-stacked attention.

problem Aggregating higher-order indirect relations in heterogeneous networks.
method Layer-stacked ATTention Embedding (LATTE) that decomposes meta relations at each layer.
result LATTE achieves state-of-the-art performance on benchmark datasets.

Transformers can cluster data from Gaussian mixtures without supervision.

problem Clustering data from Gaussian mixtures without labeled data.
method Theoretical analysis of attention-based layers, focusing on a simplified two-head attention layer and an identity matrix attention layer.
result Attention-based layers can align with true mixture centroids and adapt to input-specific distributions.

Bayesian theory explains abrupt emergence of copy subcircuit in attention.

problem Understanding the abrupt emergence of the copy subcircuit in attention during training.
method Deriving a closed-form posterior over the attention matrix and reducing it to a low-dimensional order parameter space.
result Derive a phase transition in the amount of training data.

Graph attention is not always beneficial; conditions for perfect node classification are identified.

problem Understanding when graph attention mechanisms improve node classification performance.
method Theoretical analysis using Contextual Stochastic Block Models (CSBMs).
result Graph attention mechanisms are more effective when structure noise exceeds feature noise, and simpler graph convolution operations are better when feature noise predominates.

This work studies learning a multi-head attention layer from random examples.

problem Learning a multi-head attention layer from random examples.
method The work initiates the study of provably learning a multi-head attention layer from random examples, providing upper and lower bounds.
result The first nontrivial upper and lower bounds for learning a multi-head attention layer from random examples are given.

Study examines infinite limits of transformer dynamics, identifying key parameterizations.

problem Understanding the training dynamics of transformer models in the feature learning regime.
method Analysis of infinite scaling limits using dynamical mean field theory.
result Identified parameterizations that admit well-defined infinite width and depth limits.