pwc-archive/papers-with-abstracts huggingface dataset:
Off-Policy Evaluation for Large Action Spaces via Policy Convolution
Authors: Noveen Sachdeva, Lequn Wang, Dawen Liang, Nathan Kallus, Julian McAuley
Date: 2023-10-24 00:00:00
Tasks: Multi-Armed Bandits, Off-policy evaluation

Developing accurate off-policy estimators is crucial for both evaluating and optimizing for new policies. The main challenge in off-policy estimation is the distribution shift between the logging policy that generates data and the target policy that we aim to evaluate. Typically, techniques for correcting distribution shift involve some form of importance sampling. This approach results in unbiased value estimation but often comes with the trade-off of high variance, even in the simpler case of one-step contextual bandits. Furthermore, importance sampling relies on the common support assumption, which becomes impractical when the action space is large. To address these challenges, we introduce the Policy Convolution (PC) family of estimators. These methods leverage latent structure within actions -- made available through action embeddings -- to strategically convolve the logging and target policies. This convolution introduces a unique bias-variance trade-off, which can be controlled by adjusting the amount of convolution. Our experiments on synthetic and benchmark datasets demonstrate remarkable mean squared error (MSE) improvements when using PC, especially when either the action space or policy mismatch becomes large, with gains of up to 5 - 6 orders of magnitude over existing estimators.
The Mason-Alberta Phonetic Segmenter: A forced alignment system based on deep neural networks and interpolation
Authors: Matthew C. Kelley, Scott James Perry, Benjamin V. Tucker
Date: 2023-10-24 00:00:00

Forced alignment systems automatically determine boundaries between segments in speech data, given an orthographic transcription. These tools are commonplace in phonetics to facilitate the use of speech data that would be infeasible to manually transcribe and segment. In the present paper, we describe a new neural network-based forced alignment system, the Mason-Alberta Phonetic Segmenter (MAPS). The MAPS aligner serves as a testbed for two possible improvements we pursue for forced alignment systems. The first is treating the acoustic model in a forced aligner as a tagging task, rather than a classification task, motivated by the common understanding that segments in speech are not truly discrete and commonly overlap. The second is an interpolation technique to allow boundaries more precise than the common 10 ms limit in modern forced alignment systems. We compare configurations of our system to a state-of-the-art system, the Montreal Forced Aligner. The tagging approach did not generally yield improved results over the Montreal Forced Aligner. However, a system with the interpolation technique had a 27.92% increase relative to the Montreal Forced Aligner in the amount of boundaries within 10 ms of the target on the test set. We also reflect on the task and training process for acoustic modeling in forced alignment, highlighting how the output targets for these models do not match phoneticians' conception of similarity between phones and that reconciliation of this tension may require rethinking the task and output targets or how speech itself should be segmented.
Efficient Active Learning Halfspaces with Tsybakov Noise: A Non-convex Optimization Approach
Authors: Yinan Li, Chicheng Zhang
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Active Learning

We study the problem of computationally and label efficient PAC active learning $d$-dimensional halfspaces with Tsybakov Noise~\citep{tsybakov2004optimal} under structured unlabeled data distributions. Inspired by~\cite{diakonikolas2020learning}, we prove that any approximate first-order stationary point of a smooth nonconvex loss function yields a halfspace with a low excess error guarantee. In light of the above structural result, we design a nonconvex optimization-based algorithm with a label complexity of $\tilde{O}(d (\frac{1}{\epsilon})^{\frac{8-6\alpha}{3\alpha-1}})$, under the assumption that the Tsybakov noise parameter $\alpha \in (\frac13, 1]$, which narrows down the gap between the label complexities of the previously known efficient passive or active algorithms~\citep{diakonikolas2020polynomial,zhang2021improved} and the information-theoretic lower bound in this setting.
MEMPSEP III. A machine learning-oriented multivariate data set for forecasting the Occurrence and Properties of Solar Energetic Particle Events using a Multivariate Ensemble Approach
Authors: Kimberly Moreland, Maher Dayeh, Hazel M. Bain, Subhamoy Chatterjee, Andres Munoz-Jaramillo, Samuel Hart
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00

We introduce a new multivariate data set that utilizes multiple spacecraft collecting in-situ and remote sensing heliospheric measurements shown to be linked to physical processes responsible for generating solar energetic particles (SEPs). Using the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) flare event list from Solar Cycle (SC) 23 and part of SC 24 (1998-2013), we identify 252 solar events (flares) that produce SEPs and 17,542 events that do not. For each identified event, we acquire the local plasma properties at 1 au, such as energetic proton and electron data, upstream solar wind conditions, and the interplanetary magnetic field vector quantities using various instruments onboard GOES and the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. We also collect remote sensing data from instruments onboard the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO), Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO), and the Wind solar radio instrument WAVES. The data set is designed to allow for variations of the inputs and feature sets for machine learning (ML) in heliophysics and has a specific purpose for forecasting the occurrence of SEP events and their subsequent properties. This paper describes a dataset created from multiple publicly available observation sources that is validated, cleaned, and carefully curated for our machine-learning pipeline. The dataset has been used to drive the newly-developed Multivariate Ensemble of Models for Probabilistic Forecast of Solar Energetic Particles (MEMPSEP; see MEMPSEP I (Chatterjee et al., 2023) and MEMPSEP II (Dayeh et al., 2023) for associated papers).
Error analysis of generative adversarial network
Authors: Mahmud Hasan, Hailin Sang
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Generative Adversarial Network, LEMMA

The generative adversarial network (GAN) is an important model developed for high-dimensional distribution learning in recent years. However, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive method to understand its error convergence rate. In this research, we focus on studying the error convergence rate of the GAN model that is based on a class of functions encompassing the discriminator and generator neural networks. These functions are VC type with bounded envelope function under our assumptions, enabling the application of the Talagrand inequality. By employing the Talagrand inequality and Borel-Cantelli lemma, we establish a tight convergence rate for the error of GAN. This method can also be applied on existing error estimations of GAN and yields improved convergence rates. In particular, the error defined with the neural network distance is a special case error in our definition.
Learning Fair Representations with High-Confidence Guarantees
Authors: Yuhong Luo, Austin Hoag, Philip S. Thomas
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: All, Fairness, Representation Learning

Representation learning is increasingly employed to generate representations that are predictive across multiple downstream tasks. The development of representation learning algorithms that provide strong fairness guarantees is thus important because it can prevent unfairness towards disadvantaged groups for all downstream prediction tasks. To prevent unfairness towards disadvantaged groups in all downstream tasks, it is crucial to provide representation learning algorithms that provide fairness guarantees. In this paper, we formally define the problem of learning representations that are fair with high confidence. We then introduce the Fair Representation learning with high-confidence Guarantees (FRG) framework, which provides high-confidence guarantees for limiting unfairness across all downstream models and tasks, with user-defined upper bounds. After proving that FRG ensures fairness for all downstream models and tasks with high probability, we present empirical evaluations that demonstrate FRG's effectiveness at upper bounding unfairness for multiple downstream models and tasks.
Random Exploration in Bayesian Optimization: Order-Optimal Regret and Computational Efficiency
Authors: Sudeep Salgia, Sattar Vakili, Qing Zhao
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Bayesian Optimization, Computational Efficiency

We consider Bayesian optimization using Gaussian Process models, also referred to as kernel-based bandit optimization. We study the methodology of exploring the domain using random samples drawn from a distribution. We show that this random exploration approach achieves the optimal error rates. Our analysis is based on novel concentration bounds in an infinite dimensional Hilbert space established in this work, which may be of independent interest. We further develop an algorithm based on random exploration with domain shrinking and establish its order-optimal regret guarantees under both noise-free and noisy settings. In the noise-free setting, our analysis closes the existing gap in regret performance and thereby resolves a COLT open problem. The proposed algorithm also enjoys a computational advantage over prevailing methods due to the random exploration that obviates the expensive optimization of a non-convex acquisition function for choosing the query points at each iteration.
Burgers' pinns with implicit euler transfer learning
Authors: Vitória Biesek, Pedro Henrique de Almeida Konzen
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Transfer Learning

The Burgers equation is a well-established test case in the computational modeling of several phenomena such as fluid dynamics, gas dynamics, shock theory, cosmology, and others. In this work, we present the application of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) with an implicit Euler transfer learning approach to solve the Burgers equation. The proposed approach consists in seeking a time-discrete solution by a sequence of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). At each time step, the previous ANN transfers its knowledge to the next network model, which learns the current time solution by minimizing a loss function based on the implicit Euler approximation of the Burgers equation. The approach is tested for two benchmark problems: the first with an exact solution and the other with an alternative analytical solution. In comparison to the usual PINN models, the proposed approach has the advantage of requiring smaller neural network architectures with similar accurate results and potentially decreasing computational costs.
ADMM Algorithms for Residual Network Training: Convergence Analysis and Parallel Implementation
Authors: Jintao Xu, Yifei Li, Wenxun Xing
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Computational Efficiency

We propose both serial and parallel proximal (linearized) alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithms for training residual neural networks. In contrast to backpropagation-based approaches, our methods inherently mitigate the exploding gradient issue and are well-suited for parallel and distributed training through regional updates. Theoretically, we prove that the proposed algorithms converge at an R-linear (sublinear) rate for both the iteration points and the objective function values. These results hold without imposing stringent constraints on network width, depth, or training data size. Furthermore, we theoretically analyze our parallel/distributed ADMM algorithms, highlighting their reduced time complexity and lower per-node memory consumption. To facilitate practical deployment, we develop a control protocol for parallel ADMM implementation using Python's multiprocessing and interprocess communication. Experimental results validate the proposed ADMM algorithms, demonstrating rapid and stable convergence, improved performance, and high computational efficiency. Finally, we highlight the improved scalability and efficiency achieved by our parallel ADMM training strategy.
Safe and Interpretable Estimation of Optimal Treatment Regimes
Authors: Harsh Parikh, Quinn Lanners, Zade Akras, Sahar F. Zafar, M. Brandon Westover, Cynthia Rudin, Alexander Volfovsky
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00

Recent statistical and reinforcement learning methods have significantly advanced patient care strategies. However, these approaches face substantial challenges in high-stakes contexts, including missing data, inherent stochasticity, and the critical requirements for interpretability and patient safety. Our work operationalizes a safe and interpretable framework to identify optimal treatment regimes. This approach involves matching patients with similar medical and pharmacological characteristics, allowing us to construct an optimal policy via interpolation. We perform a comprehensive simulation study to demonstrate the framework's ability to identify optimal policies even in complex settings. Ultimately, we operationalize our approach to study regimes for treating seizures in critically ill patients. Our findings strongly support personalized treatment strategies based on a patient's medical history and pharmacological features. Notably, we identify that reducing medication doses for patients with mild and brief seizure episodes while adopting aggressive treatment for patients in intensive care unit experiencing intense seizures leads to more favorable outcomes.
Towards the Theory of Unsupervised Federated Learning: Non-asymptotic Analysis of Federated EM Algorithms
Authors: Ye Tian, Haolei Weng, Yang Feng
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Federated Learning

While supervised federated learning approaches have enjoyed significant success, the domain of unsupervised federated learning remains relatively underexplored. Several federated EM algorithms have gained popularity in practice, however, their theoretical foundations are often lacking. In this paper, we first introduce a federated gradient EM algorithm (FedGrEM) designed for the unsupervised learning of mixture models, which supplements the existing federated EM algorithms by considering task heterogeneity and potential adversarial attacks. We present a comprehensive finite-sample theory that holds for general mixture models, then apply this general theory on specific statistical models to characterize the explicit estimation error of model parameters and mixture proportions. Our theory elucidates when and how FedGrEM outperforms local single-task learning with insights extending to existing federated EM algorithms. This bridges the gap between their practical success and theoretical understanding. Our numerical results validate our theory, and demonstrate FedGrEM's superiority over existing unsupervised federated learning benchmarks.
ADMarker: A Multi-Modal Federated Learning System for Monitoring Digital Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Xiaomin Ouyang, Xian Shuai, Yang Li, Li Pan, Xifan Zhang, Heming Fu, Sitong Cheng, Xinyan Wang, Shihua Cao, Jiang Xin, Hazel Mok, Zhenyu Yan, Doris Sau Fung Yu, Timothy Kwok, Guoliang Xing
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Federated Learning, Privacy Preserving

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and related dementia are a growing global health challenge due to the aging population. In this paper, we present ADMarker, the first end-to-end system that integrates multi-modal sensors and new federated learning algorithms for detecting multidimensional AD digital biomarkers in natural living environments. ADMarker features a novel three-stage multi-modal federated learning architecture that can accurately detect digital biomarkers in a privacy-preserving manner. Our approach collectively addresses several major real-world challenges, such as limited data labels, data heterogeneity, and limited computing resources. We built a compact multi-modality hardware system and deployed it in a four-week clinical trial involving 91 elderly participants. The results indicate that ADMarker can accurately detect a comprehensive set of digital biomarkers with up to 93.8% accuracy and identify early AD with an average of 88.9% accuracy. ADMarker offers a new platform that can allow AD clinicians to characterize and track the complex correlation between multidimensional interpretable digital biomarkers, demographic factors of patients, and AD diagnosis in a longitudinal manner.
Reliable Generation of Privacy-preserving Synthetic Electronic Health Record Time Series via Diffusion Models
Authors: Muhang Tian, Bernie Chen, Allan Guo, Shiyi Jiang, Anru R. Zhang
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: De-identification, Denoising, Privacy Preserving, Time Series

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are rich sources of patient-level data, offering valuable resources for medical data analysis. However, privacy concerns often restrict access to EHRs, hindering downstream analysis. Current EHR de-identification methods are flawed and can lead to potential privacy leakage. Additionally, existing publicly available EHR databases are limited, preventing the advancement of medical research using EHR. This study aims to overcome these challenges by generating realistic and privacy-preserving synthetic electronic health records (EHRs) time series efficiently. We introduce a new method for generating diverse and realistic synthetic EHR time series data using Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models (DDPM). We conducted experiments on six databases: Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III and IV (MIMIC-III/IV), the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU), and non-EHR datasets on Stocks and Energy. We compared our proposed method with eight existing methods. Our results demonstrate that our approach significantly outperforms all existing methods in terms of data fidelity while requiring less training effort. Additionally, data generated by our method yields a lower discriminative accuracy compared to other baseline methods, indicating the proposed method can generate data with less privacy risk. The proposed diffusion-model-based method can reliably and efficiently generate synthetic EHR time series, which facilitates the downstream medical data analysis. Our numerical results show the superiority of the proposed method over all other existing methods.
A Doubly Robust Approach to Sparse Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Wonyoung Kim, Garud Iyengar, Assaf Zeevi
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: reinforcement-learning, Reinforcement Learning

We propose a new regret minimization algorithm for episodic sparse linear Markov decision process (SMDP) where the state-transition distribution is a linear function of observed features. The only previously known algorithm for SMDP requires the knowledge of the sparsity parameter and oracle access to an unknown policy. We overcome these limitations by combining the doubly robust method that allows one to use feature vectors of \emph{all} actions with a novel analysis technique that enables the algorithm to use data from all periods in all episodes. The regret of the proposed algorithm is $\tilde{O}(\sigma^{-1}_{\min} s_{\star} H \sqrt{N})$, where $\sigma_{\min}$ denotes the restrictive the minimum eigenvalue of the average Gram matrix of feature vectors, $s_\star$ is the sparsity parameter, $H$ is the length of an episode, and $N$ is the number of rounds. We provide a lower regret bound that matches the upper bound up to logarithmic factors on a newly identified subclass of SMDPs. Our numerical experiments support our theoretical results and demonstrate the superior performance of our algorithm.
UncertaintyPlayground: A Fast and Simplified Python Library for Uncertainty Estimation
Authors: Ilia Azizi
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: CPU, GPU, Prediction Intervals

This paper introduces UncertaintyPlayground, a Python library built on PyTorch and GPyTorch for uncertainty estimation in supervised learning tasks. The library offers fast training for Gaussian and multi-modal outcome distributions through Sparse and Variational Gaussian Process Regressions (SVGPRs) for normally distributed outcomes and Mixed Density Networks (MDN) for mixed distributions. In addition to model training with various hyperparameters, UncertaintyPlayground can visualize the prediction intervals of one or more instances. Due to using tensor operations, the library can be trained both on CPU and GPU and offers various PyTorch-specific techniques for speed optimization. The library contains unit tests for each module and ensures multi-platform continuous integration with GitHub Workflows (online integration) and Tox (local integration). Finally, the code is documented with Google-style docstrings and offers a documentation website created with MkDocs and MkDocStrings.
Triple Simplex Matrix Completion for Expense Forecasting
Authors: Cheng Qian, Lucas Glass, Nikos Sidiropoulos
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Matrix Completion, Time Series, Time Series Analysis

Forecasting project expenses is a crucial step for businesses to avoid budget overruns and project failures. Traditionally, this has been done by financial analysts or data science techniques such as time-series analysis. However, these approaches can be uncertain and produce results that differ from the planned budget, especially at the start of a project with limited data points. This paper proposes a constrained non-negative matrix completion model that predicts expenses by learning the likelihood of the project correlating with certain expense patterns in the latent space. The model is constrained on three probability simplexes, two of which are on the factor matrices and the third on the missing entries. Additionally, the predicted expense values are guaranteed to meet the budget constraint without the need of post-processing. An inexact alternating optimization algorithm is developed to solve the associated optimization problem and is proven to converge to a stationary point. Results from two real datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison to state-of-the-art algorithms.
GradSim: Gradient-Based Language Grouping for Effective Multilingual Training
Authors: Mingyang Wang, Heike Adel, Lukas Lange, Jannik Strötgen, Hinrich Schütze
Date: 2023-10-23 00:00:00
Tasks: Sentiment Analysis

Most languages of the world pose low-resource challenges to natural language processing models. With multilingual training, knowledge can be shared among languages. However, not all languages positively influence each other and it is an open research question how to select the most suitable set of languages for multilingual training and avoid negative interference among languages whose characteristics or data distributions are not compatible. In this paper, we propose GradSim, a language grouping method based on gradient similarity. Our experiments on three diverse multilingual benchmark datasets show that it leads to the largest performance gains compared to other similarity measures and it is better correlated with cross-lingual model performance. As a result, we set the new state of the art on AfriSenti, a benchmark dataset for sentiment analysis on low-resource African languages. In our extensive analysis, we further reveal that besides linguistic features, the topics of the datasets play an important role for language grouping and that lower layers of transformer models encode language-specific features while higher layers capture task-specific information.