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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.

168,694 papers · 148 categories

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54108162216 · Jun 202019922001200920172026
48 results for feed-forward layers

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.

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 ↗

Efficient neural network optimization reduces costs and improves model performance.

problem High computational costs in optimizing neural networks, especially at scale.
method Introduces self-attentive feed-forward neural units (SAFFU) for efficient optimization.
result Explicit solutions outperform models optimized by backpropagation alone, and further training with backpropagation leads to better optima from smaller data sets.

It has been argued in the past that high-dimensional neural networks do not exhibit local minima capable of trapping an optimisation algorithm. However, the relationship between loss surface modality and the neural architecture parameters, such as the number of hidden neurons per layer and the number of hidden layers, …

2019-05-24abs ↗pdf ↗

The universal approximation property of various machine learning models is currently only understood on a case-by-case basis, limiting the rapid development of new theoretically justified neural network architectures and blurring our understanding of our current models' potential. This paper works towards overcoming th…

2019-10-08abs ↗pdf ↗

We propose a new optimization method for training feed-forward neural networks. By rewriting the activation function as an equivalent proximal operator, we approximate a feed-forward neural network by adding the proximal operators to the objective function as penalties, hence we call the lifted proximal operator machin…

2018-11-05abs ↗pdf ↗

Improved bounds on neural network regions using activation histograms.

problem Bounding the number of affine regions in ReLU networks.
method Analysis of algebraic topology problem, extension of framework to subnetwork composition.
result Slightly tighter bounds and insights into parameter initialization.

NFM improves deep learning by selectively processing hidden states.

problem Processing entire hidden states in each layer limits modularity and reusability.
method Introduces Neural Function Modules (NFM) with attention, sparsity, and feedback.
result Improves results in classification, generalization, generative modeling, and reinforcement learning.

Develops hyperparameter transfer methods for Dense Associative Memories.

problem Challenges in transferring hyperparameters for DenseAMs due to unique architecture and activation functions.
method Derives explicit prescriptions for hyperparameter transfer from small to large models.
result Excellent agreement between theoretical and empirical results.

Deep neural networks converge to Gaussian mixtures as layer width increases.

problem Understanding the distribution of outputs from deep neural networks.
method Proof and experiments with a simple model showing the convergence of neural network outputs to Gaussian mixtures.
result Neural networks converge to Gaussian mixtures as the width of the last hidden layer increases.

MTL improves multi-dimensional regression in luminescence sensing.

problem Challenges in modeling multi-dimensional regression problems with classical methods.
method Multi-task learning (MTL) with feed-forward neural networks (FFNNs).
result MTL allows predicting multiple parameters from a single set of measurements.

Single-layer Transformer can approximate any sequence mapping.

problem Lack of theoretical understanding of Transformers.
method Review of linear algebra, probability, and optimization concepts; detailed analysis of Transformer architecture.
result A single-layer Transformer can approximate any continuous sequence-to-sequence mapping to arbitrary precision.

The paper analyzes the training dynamics of a transformer for next-token prediction.

problem Understanding the non-asymptotic performance of transformers in next-token prediction.
method Characterizes training dataset properties, designs a two-stage training algorithm, and analyzes attention gradient properties.
result Trained transformers converge sub-linearly to max-margin solutions and exhibit linear convergence in cross-entropy loss.

We propose a feed-forward inference method applicable to belief and neural networks. In a belief network, the method estimates an approximate factorized posterior of all hidden units given the input. In neural networks the method propagates uncertainty of the input through all the layers. In neural networks with inject…

2018-03-28abs ↗pdf ↗

Paper proposes an efficient method to optimize neural networks without backpropagation.

problem Computational inefficiency and scalability issues in neural network optimization.
method Derives explicit solutions to optimize neural networks, reducing computational costs.
result Explicit solutions achieve near-optimality and can discover better optima than backpropagation.

The paper sets information-theoretic lower bounds for neural networks' parameter recovery and excess risk.

problem Establishing sample complexity lower bounds for neural network parameters and excess risk.
method Using information-theoretic tools, the paper proves lower bounds by constructing a generative network.
result Proves information-theoretic lower bounds for exact parameter recovery and positive excess risk.

Recent work has shown that convolutional networks can be substantially deeper, more accurate, and efficient to train if they contain shorter connections between layers close to the input and those close to the output. In this paper, we embrace this observation and introduce the Dense Convolutional Network (DenseNet), w…

2020-01-08abs ↗pdf ↗

New conditions ensure deep neural networks can approximate any function on non-Euclidean spaces.

problem Understanding how to modify neural network architectures to approximate functions on non-Euclidean spaces.
method Developed conditions for feature and readout maps that preserve universal approximation capabilities.
result Modified architectures can deterministically approximate any classifier on non-Euclidean spaces.

In this paper, a Neural network is derived from first principles, assuming only that each layer begins with a linear dimension-reducing transformation. The approach appeals to the principle of Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) to find the posterior distribution of the input data of each layer, conditioned on the layer output va…

2020-02-18abs ↗pdf ↗

NN2Poly converts deep neural networks into polynomial models for better understanding.

problem Improving neural network interpretability and theoretical understanding.
method Taylor expansion on activation functions, combinatorial properties, and polynomial coefficients calculation.
result NN2Poly accurately represents deep feed-forward neural networks as polynomial models.

The study explains how transformer components enable in-context learning.

problem Understanding how transformer components contribute to in-context learning.
method Analyzed a two-attention-layer transformer model trained on Markov chain data.
result Gradient flow converges to a limiting model with a copier, selector, and classifier mechanism.

Deep neural networks with heavy-tailed weights converge to stable distributions.

problem Understanding the convergence of heavy-tailed weights in infinitely-wide neural networks.
method Analyzing infinitely-wide multi-layer perceptrons with i.i.d. symmetric αα-stable weight distributions.
result The vector of pre-activation values converges to i.i.d. symmetric αα-stable distributions.

Study reveals Transformer's expressive power and mechanisms.

problem Understanding the approximation properties of Transformer for sequence modeling.
method Systematic study of Transformer's components and their combined effects, establishing approximation rates.
result Reveals roles of critical parameters in Transformer, such as number of layers and attention heads.

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.

Semi-supervised learning algorithms typically construct a weighted graph of data points to represent a manifold. However, an explicit graph representation is problematic for neural networks operating in the online setting. Here, we propose a feed-forward neural network capable of semi-supervised learning on manifolds w…

2019-08-21abs ↗pdf ↗

Stable processes emerge as limits of deep neural networks with symmetric stable distributions.

problem Understanding the behavior of deep neural networks as they become infinitely wide.
method Analyzing fully connected feed-forward deep neural networks with symmetric stable distributions and showing the limit as a stable process.
result The infinite wide limit of the network is a stable process with multivariate stable distributions.

Proposes a new CG interpretation of neural networks for better theoretical analysis.

problem Lack of theoretical analysis in neural networks interpretation.
method Interprets neural networks as chain graphs and feed-forward as approximate inference.
result Provides novel theoretical support and insights for various neural network techniques.

Transformers can interpolate finite input sequences exactly.

problem Interpolating finite input sequences of arbitrary lengths.
method Constructing a transformer with alternating feed-forward and self-attention layers, and low-rank parameter matrices.
result Exact interpolation of datasets of finite input sequences in R^d with corresponding output sequences of smaller or equal length.

We present a confidence-based single-layer feed-forward learning algorithm SPIRAL (Spike Regularized Adaptive Learning) relying on an encoding of activation spikes. We adaptively update a weight vector relying on confidence estimates and activation offsets relative to previous activity. We regularize updates proportion…

2016-11-18abs ↗pdf ↗

New duality found linking neural network weights and activities for better generalization.

problem Understanding and improving neural network generalization.
method Activity-weight duality mapping between neural network layers.
result Generalization loss can be decomposed into geometric factors of sharpness and weight standard deviation.

The convolutional layers are core building blocks of neural network architectures. In general, a convolutional filter applies to the entire frequency spectrum of the input data. We explore artificially constraining the frequency spectra of these filters and data, called band-limiting, during training. The frequency dom…

2019-11-21abs ↗pdf ↗

Study neural networks by mapping correlations, revealing essential statistics.

problem Understanding information processing in trained neural networks.
method Characterize neural network as distribution transformations, focusing on correlation functions.
result Higher-order correlations are crucial for internal layers, while input layer captures more.

Many activation functions have been proposed in the past, but selecting an adequate one requires trial and error. We propose a new methodology of designing activation functions within a neural network at each layer. We call this technique an "activation ensemble" because it allows the use of multiple activation functio…

2017-02-24abs ↗pdf ↗

We propose reinforcement learning on simple networks consisting of random connections of spiking neurons (both recurrent and feed-forward) that can learn complex tasks with very little trainable parameters. Such sparse and randomly interconnected recurrent spiking networks exhibit highly non-linear dynamics that transf…

2019-06-04abs ↗pdf ↗

While neural networks have acted as a strong unifying force in the design of modern AI systems, the neural network architectures themselves remain highly heterogeneous due to the variety of tasks to be solved. In this chapter, we explore how to adapt the Layer-wise Relevance Propagation (LRP) technique used for explain…

2019-09-25abs ↗pdf ↗

A new KD layer lets student models learn and apply teacher knowledge explicitly.

problem Implicit action of traditional KD on student's feature transform limits its use in intermediate layers.
method Proposes a learnable KD layer that explicitly embeds teacher's knowledge in feature transform.
result Improves KD with two abilities: leveraging teacher's knowledge and feeding forward knowledge deeper.

LIFE framework improves model accuracy and interpretability.

problem Achieving high prediction accuracy and interpretability in neural networks.
method Three-step process: subset definition, feature creation, and linear model combination.
result LIFE consistently outperforms other models in prediction accuracy and interpretability.