TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given a part of an article. Your task is to generate headline (title) for this text. Preferred headlines are under fifteen words.
PROBLEM: We marry ideas from deep neural networks and approximate Bayesian inference to derive a generalised class of deep, directed generative models, endowed with a new algorithm for scalable inference and learning. Our algorithm introduces a recognition model to represent approximate posterior distributions, and that acts as a stochastic encoder of the data. We develop stochastic backpropagation – rules for back-propagation through stochastic variables – and use this to develop an algorithm that allows for joint optimisation of the parameters of both the generative and recognition model. We demonstrate on several real-world data sets that the model generates realistic samples, provides accurate imputations of missing data and is a useful tool for high-dimensional data visualisation.

SOLUTION: Stochastic Back-propagation and Variational Inference in  Deep Latent Gaussian Models

PROBLEM: We provide a general framework for computing lower-bounds on the sample complexity of recovering the underlying graphs of Ising models, given i.i.d. samples. While there have been recent results for specific graph classes, these involve fairly extensive technical arguments that are specialized to each specific graph class. In contrast, we isolate two key graph-structural ingredients that can then be used to specify sample complexity lower-bounds. Presence of these structural properties makes the graph class hard to learn. We derive corollaries of our main result that not only recover existing recent results, but also provide lower bounds for novel graph classes not considered previously. We also extend our framework to the random graph setting and derive corollaries for Erdős-Rényi graphs in a certain dense setting.

SOLUTION: On the Information Theoretic Limits of Learning Ising Models

PROBLEM: In this paper we describe COLIN, a forward-chaining heuristic search planner, capable of reasoning with COntinuous LINear numeric change, in addition to the full temporal semantics of PDDL2.1. Through this work we make two advances to the state-of-the-art in terms of expressive reasoning capabilities of planners: the handling of continuous linear change, and the handling of duration-dependent effects in combination with duration inequalities, both of which require tightly coupled temporal and numeric reasoning during planning. COLIN combines FF-style forward chaining search, with the use of a Linear Program (LP) to check the consistency of the interacting temporal and numeric constraints at each state. The LP is used to compute bounds on the values of variables in each state, reducing the range of actions that need to be considered for application. In addition, we develop an extension of the Temporal Relaxed Planning Graph heuristic of CRIKEY3, to support reasoning directly with continuous change. We extend the range of task variables considered to be suitable candidates for specifying the gradient of the continuous numeric change effected by an action. Finally, we explore the potential for employing mixed integer programming as a tool for optimising the timestamps of the actions in the plan, once a solution has been found. To support this, we further contribute a selection of extended benchmark domains that include continuous numeric effects. We present results for COLIN that demonstrate its scalability on a range of benchmarks, and compare to existing state-of-the-art planners.

SOLUTION:
COLIN: Planning with Continuous Linear Numeric Change