Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) methods are used to approximate posterior distributions in models with unknown or computationally intractable likelihoods. Both the accuracy and computational efficiency of ABC depend on the choice of summary statistic, but outside of special cases where the optimal summary statis…
Approximate Bayesian computation is an established and popular method for likelihood-free inference with applications in many disciplines. The effectiveness of the method depends critically on the availability of well performing summary statistics. Summary statistic selection relies heavily on domain knowledge and care…
Enhances weak lensing inference with neural summaries.
problem Extracting additional information from weak lensing convergence maps.
method Hybrid approach combining physics-based and neural summaries.
result Neural summaries extract up to 8 times more information than angular power spectra.
Unified approach for selecting summary statistics in ABC.
problem Efficient inference from large datasets in likelihood-free methods.
method Characterizing and unifying three classes of summary statistics, minimizing expected posterior entropy.
result EPE-minimizing summaries lead to competitive posterior inference.
Improves inference from sparse data with hybrid summary statistics.
problem Robust simulation-based inference from limited data.
method Augment traditional summary statistics with neural network outputs to maximize mutual information.
result Improves information extraction and makes inference robust in low-data settings.
Improved likelihood-free inference by localizing and refining low-dimensional approximations.
problem Poor performance of common likelihood-free methods in high-dimensional models.
method Localisation followed by refinement of low-dimensional summaries.
result Improved accuracy in marginal posteriors through localized and refined approximations.
Paper uses learned summary statistics for Bayesian inference with difficult likelihood functions.
problem Difficult to obtain exact likelihood function for observation data and simulation model.
method Simulation-based inference with learned summary statistics, using Cressie-Read discrepancy criterion.
result Effective inference performed over selected sample sets of observation data.
A new method improves likelihood-free Bayesian inference by transforming summary statistics and using efficient Variational Bayes.
problem Incorrectly assuming normally distributed summary statistics in likelihood-free Bayesian inference.
method Wasserstein Gaussianization transformation combined with robust BSL and efficient Variational Bayes.
result Highly efficient and reliable approximate Bayesian inference for likelihood-free problems.
The paper proposes using Autoencoders to learn summary statistics for Bayesian inference.
problem Approximating posterior distributions for models with intractable likelihood functions.
method Using Autoencoders to extract summary statistics that retain parameter information and cancel noise.
result The approach effectively learns summary statistics that improve posterior approximation.
Flexible multi-task learning framework using summary statistics.
problem Data-sharing constraints in healthcare settings.
method Proposes a flexible multi-task learning framework utilizing summary statistics and adaptive parameter selection.
result Systematic non-asymptotic analysis and simulations demonstrate the method's performance.
Develops methods for GWAS of high dimensional phenotypes using summary statistics.
problem Lack of methods to model pleiotropy in multi-phenotype GWAS.
method Bayesian inference model using summary statistics, fast computation, and biologically informed priors.
result Demonstrates utility in metabolite GWAS with interpretable pathway-level inference.
We consider the problem of parametric statistical inference when likelihood computations are prohibitively expensive but sampling from the model is possible. Several so-called likelihood-free methods have been developed to perform inference in the absence of a likelihood function. The popular synthetic likelihood appro…
LIDS assesses LLM summaries with interpretable key words.
problem Challenges in evaluating the quality of LLM summaries.
method BERT-SVD-based direction metric and SOFARI for key word extraction.
result LIDS provides interpretable key words for layered themes.
Develops methods to learn centre groupings from summary statistics in multi-centre studies.
problem Violation of homogeneity of parameters across centres in multi-centre studies.
method Clusters-of-Centres (CoC) algorithm that merges centres based on multivariate Cochran-type tests.
result Golden-partition recovery as the number of rounds grows with sample size.
Approximate Bayesian inference on the basis of summary statistics is well-suited to complex problems for which the likelihood is either mathematically or computationally intractable. However the methods that use rejection suffer from the curse of dimensionality when the number of summary statistics is increased. Here w…
Complicated generative models often result in a situation where computing the likelihood of observed data is intractable, while simulating from the conditional density given a parameter value is relatively easy. Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) is a paradigm that enables simulation-based posterior inference in su…
BayesFlow learns complex models using neural networks.
problem Estimating parameters in complex, non-likelihood models.
method Invertible neural networks for global Bayesian inference.
result Global probabilistic mapping from data to parameters.
Performing exact posterior inference in complex generative models is often difficult or impossible due to an expensive to evaluate or intractable likelihood function. Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) is an inference framework that constructs an approximation to the true likelihood based on the similarity between …
New mechanism for pure differential privacy on functional summaries using Laplace-like process.
problem Challenges in achieving differential privacy for complex, structured functional summaries.
method Independent Component Laplace Process (ICLP) mechanism for infinite-dimensional Hilbert space.
result Effective enhancement of utility of private summaries through oversmoothing.
We present a novel family of deep neural architectures, named partially exchangeable networks (PENs) that leverage probabilistic symmetries. By design, PENs are invariant to block-switch transformations, which characterize the partial exchangeability properties of conditionally Markovian processes. Moreover, we show th…
Approximate Bayesian Computation is widely used in systems biology for inferring parameters in stochastic gene regulatory network models. Its performance hinges critically on the ability to summarize high-dimensional system responses such as time series into a few informative, low-dimensional summary statistics. The qu…
Proposes φ-table for statistical SHAP explanations in regression models.
problem Lack of clear directional summaries, uncertainty, and fidelity in SHAP feature importance.
method SHAP importance selection, fitting a standardized linear surrogate, reporting coefficients, uncertainty, fidelity, and stability.
result Extends SHAP into a statistical global explanation with direction, uncertainty, fidelity, and stability.
Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) are likelihood-free Monte Carlo methods. ABC methods use a comparison between simulated data, using different parameters drew from a prior distribution, and observed data. This comparison process is based on computing a distance between the summary statistics from the simulated da…
Consider observing an undirected network that is `noisy' in the sense that there are Type I and Type II errors in the observation of edges. Such errors can arise, for example, in the context of inferring gene regulatory networks in genomics or functional connectivity networks in neuroscience. Given a single observed ne…
New method for analyzing compositional data, addressing biases in summary statistics.
problem Inadequate effect measures for compositional data, especially in high-dimensionality and sparsity.
method Perturbation-based effect measures, average perturbation effects.
result Proposed estimators efficiently estimate average perturbation effects, outperforming existing techniques.
Summary statistics of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) teach causal relationship between millions of genetic markers and tens and thousands of phenotypes. However, underlying biological mechanisms are yet to be elucidated. We can achieve necessary interpretation of GWAS in a causal mediation framework, looking to…
Neural networks help create summary statistics for complex models.
problem Creating summary statistics for models with intractable likelihood functions.
method Infomax learning with neural networks to maximize mutual information.
result Improves performance of approximate Bayesian computation and neural likelihood methods.
This paper introduces depth functions for ranking data, improving statistical summaries.
problem Lack of comprehensive statistical summaries for ranking data.
method Metric-based depth functions on symmetric group to define rankings, depths, and procedures.
result Novel depth functions provide a more informative summary of ranking data.
New method allows generating independent data matrices from summary statistics.
problem Generating independent data matrices from summary statistics like mean and covariance.
method Thinning a Wishart random matrix based on sample mean and covariance.
result It is possible to generate two independent data matrices from summary statistics.
Likelihood-free methods are an established approach for performing approximate Bayesian inference for models with intractable likelihood functions. However, they can be computationally demanding. Bayesian synthetic likelihood (BSL) is a popular such method that approximates the likelihood function of the summary statis…
Develops a method to estimate personalized treatment regimes from summary statistics.
problem Estimating optimal treatment regimes for a target population when individual-level data is unavailable.
method A weighting framework that tailors a treatment regime for the target population using summary statistics.
result Consistent and asymptotically normal estimator for optimal treatment regimes.
TopoFisher learns topological summaries by maximizing Fisher information, improving parameter efficiency and inference quality.
problem Simulation-based inference misses key information in low-order statistics, especially for non-Gaussian fields.
method TopoFisher uses a differentiable persistent-homology pipeline that learns topological summaries by maximizing local Gaussian Fisher information.
result TopoFisher recovers much of the available information and outperforms fixed topological vectorizations in weak gravitational lensing.
Parametric statistical models that are implicitly defined in terms of a stochastic data generating process are used in a wide range of scientific disciplines because they enable accurate modeling. However, learning the parameters from observed data is generally very difficult because their likelihood function is typica…
Paper introduces a novel framework for set input tasks in meta-learning.
problem Meta-learning problems with set inputs often require efficient summary networks.
method Prototype-oriented optimal transport (POT) framework to improve summary networks.
result Significantly improves summary statistics from sets in meta-learning.
Sig-PCA integrates model outputs and observations to correct model biases.
problem Improving model accuracy and reliability by correcting biases and numerical approximations.
method Sig-PCA framework that combines summary statistics from model outputs with localized observations via a neural network.
result Corrects model outputs to align closely with observational data, preserving essential statistical information.
FLUID uses flows to unify filtering and smoothing for complex systems.
problem Bayesian filtering and smoothing for high-dimensional nonlinear systems.
method FLUID encodes observation histories into a fixed summary statistic, using flows for filtering and smoothing.
result FLUID provides accurate approximations of filtering and smoothing distributions.
A new method for analyzing latent space models without reference configurations.
problem Posterior summaries of latent coordinates in Euclidean latent space models are not canonical due to likelihood invariance.
method Quotient-based posterior analysis using the centered Gram map.
result Intrinsic posterior summaries of mean structure and uncertainty can be computed directly from posterior samples.
A new method improves fitting neural data with spiking network models.
problem Fitting spiking network models to neural activity does not produce realistic data.
method Augment log-likelihood with dissimilarity terms measured by summary statistics and optimized via back-propagation.
result The new method generates more realistic neural activity statistics and improves network connectivity inference.
Active learning method for ABC statistics selection reduces expert work and improves posterior estimates.
problem Handling intractable likelihood functions in models with domain knowledge.
method Active learning method for selecting summary statistics in ABC.
result Better posterior estimates than existing methods, especially with limited simulation budget.
Plug-in robust NPE method adapts summaries independently of pretrained NPE.
problem Misspecification of neural posterior estimators under test data distribution.
method Minimum-distance summaries using maximum mean discrepancy (MMD).
result Substantial robustness gains with minimal additional overhead.
A novel Bayesian framework for private linear regression with MCMC.
problem Private linear regression in a distributed setting.
method Generative statistical model, MCMC algorithms, fast Bayesian estimation.
result The proposed methods provide well-rounded estimation and prediction.
Extends differential privacy to Riemannian manifolds, improving utility.
problem Releasing private statistical summaries on Riemannian manifolds.
method Extended Laplace or K-norm mechanism using intrinsic distances and volumes.
result Demonstrates rate optimality and utility improvement over ambient spaces.
A new ABC method uses variational approximations for efficient inference.
problem Computational challenges in Bayesian inference for complex models.
method Variational approximation for log-posterior, empirical likelihood for estimating expected log-likelihood, differential entropy estimation.
result Posterior consistency established for the proposed method.
Stochastic gradient descent converges to universal limits in high dimensions.
problem Statistical tasks in high dimensions with specific data projections.
method Stochastic gradient descent applied to mixture distributions, proving universality of limits.
result The ODE limits are universal for mixtures of arbitrary product distributions.
Many scientifically well-motivated statistical models in natural, engineering and environmental sciences are specified through a generative process, but in some cases it may not be possible to write down a likelihood for these models analytically. Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) methods, which allow Bayesian inf…
Survey of statistical queries and their applications.
problem Understanding statistical queries and their applications.
method Exploration of statistical queries model, definitions, and connections to learnability.
result Connections to learnability and applications in optimization, evolvability, and differential privacy.
Complex computer simulations are commonly required for accurate data modelling in many scientific disciplines, making statistical inference challenging due to the intractability of the likelihood evaluation for the observed data. Furthermore, sometimes one is interested on inference drawn over a subset of the generativ…
A model learns causal graphs from summary statistics of synthetic data.
problem Causal discovery algorithms are brittle with large sets of variables and limited data.
method A supervised model trained on synthetic data predicts causal graphs from summary statistics.
result The model generalizes well beyond its training set and runs on large graphs.