pwc-archive/papers-with-abstracts huggingface dataset:
To Distill or Not to Distill? On the Robustness of Robust Knowledge Distillation
Authors: Abdul Waheed, Karima Kadaoui, Muhammad Abdul-Mageed
Date: 2024-06-06 00:00:00
Tasks: Automatic Speech Recognition, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Diversity, Knowledge Distillation, speech-recognition, Speech Recognition

Arabic is known to present unique challenges for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). On one hand, its rich linguistic diversity and wide range of dialects complicate the development of robust, inclusive models. On the other, current multilingual ASR models are compute-intensive and lack proper comprehensive evaluations. In light of these challenges, we distill knowledge from large teacher models into smaller student variants that are more efficient. We also introduce a novel human-annotated dataset covering five under-represented Arabic dialects for evaluation. We further evaluate both our models and existing SoTA multilingual models on both standard available benchmarks and our new dialectal data. Our best-distilled model's overall performance ($45.0$\% WER) surpasses that of a SoTA model twice its size (SeamlessM4T-large-v2, WER=$47.0$\%) and its teacher model (Whisper-large-v2, WER=$55.1$\%), and its average performance on our new dialectal data ($56.9$\% WER) outperforms all other models. To gain more insight into the poor performance of these models on dialectal data, we conduct an error analysis and report the main types of errors the different models tend to make. The GitHub repository for the project is available at \url{https://github.com/UBC-NLP/distill-whisper-ar}.
Small-E: Small Language Model with Linear Attention for Efficient Speech Synthesis
Authors: Théodor Lemerle, Nicolas Obin, Axel Roebel
Date: 2024-06-06 00:00:00
Tasks: Decoder, Inductive Bias, Language Modeling, Language Modelling, Small Language Model, Speech Synthesis, text-to-speech, Text to Speech, Voice Cloning

Recent advancements in text-to-speech (TTS) powered by language models have showcased remarkable capabilities in achieving naturalness and zero-shot voice cloning. Notably, the decoder-only transformer is the prominent architecture in this domain. However, transformers face challenges stemming from their quadratic complexity in sequence length, impeding training on lengthy sequences and resource-constrained hardware. Moreover they lack specific inductive bias with regards to the monotonic nature of TTS alignments. In response, we propose to replace transformers with emerging recurrent architectures and introduce specialized cross-attention mechanisms for reducing repeating and skipping issues. Consequently our architecture can be efficiently trained on long samples and achieve state-of-the-art zero-shot voice cloning against baselines of comparable size. Our implementation and demos are available at https://github.com/theodorblackbird/lina-speech.
Multi-Label Classification for Implicit Discourse Relation Recognition
Authors: Wanqiu Long, N. Siddharth, Bonnie Webber
Date: 2024-06-06 00:00:00
Tasks: Classification, Multi-Label Classification, MUlTI-LABEL-ClASSIFICATION, Relation

Discourse relations play a pivotal role in establishing coherence within textual content, uniting sentences and clauses into a cohesive narrative. The Penn Discourse Treebank (PDTB) stands as one of the most extensively utilized datasets in this domain. In PDTB-3, the annotators can assign multiple labels to an example, when they believe that multiple relations are present. Prior research in discourse relation recognition has treated these instances as separate examples during training, and only one example needs to have its label predicted correctly for the instance to be judged as correct. However, this approach is inadequate, as it fails to account for the interdependence of labels in real-world contexts and to distinguish between cases where only one sense relation holds and cases where multiple relations hold simultaneously. In our work, we address this challenge by exploring various multi-label classification frameworks to handle implicit discourse relation recognition. We show that multi-label classification methods don't depress performance for single-label prediction. Additionally, we give comprehensive analysis of results and data. Our work contributes to advancing the understanding and application of discourse relations and provide a foundation for the future study
Evaluating the Smooth Control of Attribute Intensity in Text Generation with LLMs
Authors: Shang Zhou, Feng Yao, chengyu dong, Zihan Wang, Jingbo Shang
Date: 2024-06-06 00:00:00
Tasks: Attribute, Text Generation

Controlling the attribute intensity of text generation is crucial across scenarios (e.g., writing conciseness, chatting emotion, and explanation clarity). The remarkable capabilities of large language models (LLMs) have revolutionized text generation, prompting us to explore such \emph{smooth control} of LLM generation. Specifically, we propose metrics to assess the range, calibration, and consistency of the generated text's attribute intensity in response to varying control values, as well as its relevance to the intended context. To quantify the attribute intensity and context relevance, we propose an effective evaluation framework leveraging the Elo rating system and GPT4, both renowned for their robust alignment with human judgment. We look into two viable training-free methods for achieving smooth control of LLMs: (1) Prompting with semantic shifters, and (2) Modifying internal model representations. The evaluations of these two methods are conducted on $5$ different attributes with various models. Our code and dataset can be obtained from \url{https://github.com/ShangDataLab/Smooth-Control}.
Unsupervised representation learning with Hebbian synaptic and structural plasticity in brain-like feedforward neural networks
Authors: Naresh Ravichandran, Anders Lansner, Pawel Herman
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Malware Detection, Representation Learning

Neural networks that can capture key principles underlying brain computation offer exciting new opportunities for developing artificial intelligence and brain-like computing algorithms. Such networks remain biologically plausible while leveraging localized forms of synaptic learning rules and modular network architecture found in the neocortex. Compared to backprop-driven deep learning approches, they provide more suitable models for deployment of neuromorphic hardware and have greater potential for scalability on large-scale computing clusters. The development of such brain-like neural networks depends on having a learning procedure that can build effective internal representations from data. In this work, we introduce and evaluate a brain-like neural network model capable of unsupervised representation learning. It builds on the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN), which has earlier been implemented as abstract as well as biophyscially detailed recurrent attractor neural networks explaining various cortical associative memory phenomena. Here we developed a feedforward BCPNN model to perform representation learning by incorporating a range of brain-like attributes derived from neocortical circuits such as cortical columns, divisive normalization, Hebbian synaptic plasticity, structural plasticity, sparse activity, and sparse patchy connectivity. The model was tested on a diverse set of popular machine learning benchmarks: grayscale images (MNIST, F-MNIST), RGB natural images (SVHN, CIFAR-10), QSAR (MUV, HIV), and malware detection (EMBER). The performance of the model when using a linear classifier to predict the class labels fared competitively with conventional multi-layer perceptrons and other state-of-the-art brain-like neural networks.
LLM-POET: Evolving Complex Environments using Large Language Models
Authors: Fuma Aki, Riku Ikeda, Takumi Saito, Ciaran Regan, Mizuki Oka
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Language Modelling, Large Language Model

Creating systems capable of generating virtually infinite variations of complex and novel behaviour without predetermined goals or limits is a major challenge in the field of AI. This challenge has been addressed through the development of several open-ended algorithms that can continuously generate new and diverse behaviours, such as the POET and Enhanced-POET algorithms for co-evolving environments and agent behaviour. One of the challenges with existing methods however, is that they struggle to continuously generate complex environments. In this work, we propose LLM-POET, a modification of the POET algorithm where the environment is both created and mutated using a Large Language Model (LLM). By fine-tuning a LLM with text representations of Evolution Gym environments and captions that describe the environment, we were able to generate complex and diverse environments using natural language. We found that not only could the LLM produce a diverse range of environments, but compared to the CPPNs used in Enhanced-POET for environment generation, the LLM allowed for a 34% increase in the performance gain of co-evolution. This increased performance suggests that the agents were able to learn a more diverse set of skills by training on more complex environments.
Robust Inference of Dynamic Covariance Using Wishart Processes and Sequential Monte Carlo
Authors: Hester Huijsdens, David Leeftink, Linda Geerligs, Max Hinne
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Econometrics, Variational Inference

Several disciplines, such as econometrics, neuroscience, and computational psychology, study the dynamic interactions between variables over time. A Bayesian nonparametric model known as the Wishart process has been shown to be effective in this situation, but its inference remains highly challenging. In this work, we introduce a Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) sampler for the Wishart process, and show how it compares to conventional inference approaches, namely MCMC and variational inference. Using simulations we show that SMC sampling results in the most robust estimates and out-of-sample predictions of dynamic covariance. SMC especially outperforms the alternative approaches when using composite covariance functions with correlated parameters. We demonstrate the practical applicability of our proposed approach on a dataset of clinical depression (n=1), and show how using an accurate representation of the posterior distribution can be used to test for dynamics on covariance
Dynamical mixture modeling with fast, automatic determination of Markov chains
Authors: Christopher E. Miles, Robert J. Webber
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Time Series

Markov state modeling has gained popularity in various scientific fields due to its ability to reduce complex time series data into transitions between a few states. Yet, current frameworks are limited by assuming a single Markov chain describes the data, and they suffer an inability to discern heterogeneities. As a solution, this paper proposes a variational expectation-maximization algorithm that identifies a mixture of Markov chains in a time-series data set. The method is agnostic to the definition of the Markov states, whether data-driven (e.g. by spectral clustering) or based on domain knowledge. Variational EM efficiently and organically identifies the number of Markov chains and dynamics of each chain without expensive model comparisons or posterior sampling. The approach is supported by a theoretical analysis and numerical experiments, including simulated and observational data sets based on ${\tt Last.fm}$ music listening, ultramarathon running, and gene expression. The results show the new algorithm is competitive with contemporary mixture modeling approaches and powerful in identifying meaningful heterogeneities in time series data.
Convergence of the majorized PAM method with subspace correction for low-rank composite factorization model
Authors: Ting Tao, Yitian Qian, Shaohua Pan
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Matrix Completion

This paper focuses on the convergence certificates of the majorized proximal alternating minimization (PAM) method with subspace correction, proposed in \cite{TaoQianPan22} for the column $\ell_{2,0}$-norm regularized factorization model and now extended to a class of low-rank composite factorization models from matrix completion. The convergence analysis of this PAM method becomes extremely challenging because a subspace correction step is introduced to every proximal subproblem to ensure a closed-form solution. We establish the full convergence of the iterate sequence and column subspace sequences of factor pairs generated by the PAM, under the KL property of the objective function and a condition that holds automatically for the column $\ell_{2,0}$-norm function. Numerical comparison with the popular proximal alternating linearized minimization (PALM) method is conducted on one-bit matrix completion problems, which indicates that the PAM with subspace correction has an advantage in seeking lower relative error within less time.
Dynamic Online Recommendation for Two-Sided Market with Bayesian Incentive Compatibility
Authors: Yuantong Li, Guang Cheng, Xiaowu Dai
Date: 2024-06-04 00:00:00
Tasks: Recommendation Systems

Recommender systems play a crucial role in internet economies by connecting users with relevant products or services. However, designing effective recommender systems faces two key challenges: (1) the exploration-exploitation tradeoff in balancing new product exploration against exploiting known preferences, and (2) dynamic incentive compatibility in accounting for users' self-interested behaviors and heterogeneous preferences. This paper formalizes these challenges into a Dynamic Bayesian Incentive-Compatible Recommendation Protocol (DBICRP). To address the DBICRP, we propose a two-stage algorithm (RCB) that integrates incentivized exploration with an efficient offline learning component for exploitation. In the first stage, our algorithm explores available products while maintaining dynamic incentive compatibility to determine sufficient sample sizes. The second stage employs inverse proportional gap sampling integrated with an arbitrary machine learning method to ensure sublinear regret. Theoretically, we prove that RCB achieves $O(\sqrt{KdT})$ regret and satisfies Bayesian incentive compatibility (BIC) under a Gaussian prior assumption. Empirically, we validate RCB's strong incentive gain, sublinear regret, and robustness through simulations and a real-world application on personalized warfarin dosing. Our work provides a principled approach for incentive-aware recommendation in online preference learning settings.
Corpus Poisoning via Approximate Greedy Gradient Descent
Authors: Jinyan Su, Preslav Nakov, Claire Cardie
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Information Retrieval, RAG, Retrieval, Retrieval-augmented Generation

Dense retrievers are widely used in information retrieval and have also been successfully extended to other knowledge intensive areas such as language models, e.g., Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems. Unfortunately, they have recently been shown to be vulnerable to corpus poisoning attacks in which a malicious user injects a small fraction of adversarial passages into the retrieval corpus to trick the system into returning these passages among the top-ranked results for a broad set of user queries. Further study is needed to understand the extent to which these attacks could limit the deployment of dense retrievers in real-world applications. In this work, we propose Approximate Greedy Gradient Descent (AGGD), a new attack on dense retrieval systems based on the widely used HotFlip method for efficiently generating adversarial passages. We demonstrate that AGGD can select a higher quality set of token-level perturbations than HotFlip by replacing its random token sampling with a more structured search. Experimentally, we show that our method achieves a high attack success rate on several datasets and using several retrievers, and can generalize to unseen queries and new domains. Notably, our method is extremely effective in attacking the ANCE retrieval model, achieving attack success rates that are 15.24\% and 17.44\% higher on the NQ and MS MARCO datasets, respectively, compared to HotFlip. Additionally, we demonstrate AGGD's potential to replace HotFlip in other adversarial attacks, such as knowledge poisoning of RAG systems.
CHIQ: Contextual History Enhancement for Improving Query Rewriting in Conversational Search
Authors: Fengran Mo, Abbas Ghaddar, Kelong Mao, Mehdi Rezagholizadeh, Boxing Chen, Qun Liu, Jian-Yun Nie
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Conversational Search

In this paper, we study how open-source large language models (LLMs) can be effectively deployed for improving query rewriting in conversational search, especially for ambiguous queries. We introduce CHIQ, a two-step method that leverages the capabilities of LLMs to resolve ambiguities in the conversation history before query rewriting. This approach contrasts with prior studies that predominantly use closed-source LLMs to directly generate search queries from conversation history. We demonstrate on five well-established benchmarks that CHIQ leads to state-of-the-art results across most settings, showing highly competitive performances with systems leveraging closed-source LLMs. Our study provides a first step towards leveraging open-source LLMs in conversational search, as a competitive alternative to the prevailing reliance on commercial LLMs. Data, models, and source code will be publicly available upon acceptance at https://github.com/fengranMark/CHIQ.
QAGCF: Graph Collaborative Filtering for Q&A Recommendation
Authors: Changshuo Zhang, Teng Shi, Xiao Zhang, Yanping Zheng, Ruobing Xie, Qi Liu, Jun Xu, Ji-Rong Wen
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Collaborative Filtering, Contrastive Learning, Graph Neural Network

Question and answer (Q&A) platforms usually recommend question-answer pairs to meet users' knowledge acquisition needs, unlike traditional recommendations that recommend only one item. This makes user behaviors more complex, and presents two challenges for Q&A recommendation, including: the collaborative information entanglement, which means user feedback is influenced by either the question or the answer; and the semantic information entanglement, where questions are correlated with their corresponding answers, and correlations also exist among different question-answer pairs. Traditional recommendation methods treat the question-answer pair as a whole or only consider the answer as a single item, which overlooks the two challenges and cannot effectively model user interests. To address these challenges, we introduce Question & Answer Graph Collaborative Filtering (QAGCF), a graph neural network model that creates separate graphs for collaborative and semantic views to disentangle the information in question-answer pairs. The collaborative view disentangles questions and answers to individually model collaborative information, while the semantic view captures the semantic information both within and between question-answer pairs. These views are further merged into a global graph to integrate the collaborative and semantic information. Polynomial-based graph filters are used to address the high heterophily issues of the global graph. Additionally, contrastive learning is utilized to obtain robust embeddings during training. Extensive experiments on industrial and public datasets demonstrate that QAGCF consistently outperforms baselines and achieves state-of-the-art results.
Differentiable Time-Varying Linear Prediction in the Context of End-to-End Analysis-by-Synthesis
Authors: Chin-Yun Yu, György Fazekas
Date: 2024-06-07 00:00:00
Tasks: Audio Synthesis

Training the linear prediction (LP) operator end-to-end for audio synthesis in modern deep learning frameworks is slow due to its recursive formulation. In addition, frame-wise approximation as an acceleration method cannot generalise well to test time conditions where the LP is computed sample-wise. Efficient differentiable sample-wise LP for end-to-end training is the key to removing this barrier. We generalise the efficient time-invariant LP implementation from the GOLF vocoder to time-varying cases. Combining this with the classic source-filter model, we show that the improved GOLF learns LP coefficients and reconstructs the voice better than its frame-wise counterparts. Moreover, in our listening test, synthesised outputs from GOLF scored higher in quality ratings than the state-of-the-art differentiable WORLD vocoder.
Block-FeDL: Electric Vehicle Charging Load Forecasting using Federated Learning and Blockchain
Authors: Syed Muhammad Danish, Aroosa Hameed, Ali Ranjha, Gautam Srivastava, Kaiwen Zhang
Date: 2024-05-29 00:00:00
Proceeding: IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (TVT) 2024 5
Tasks: Federated Learning, Load Forecasting

The increased charging demand resulting from the rapid development of electric vehicles (EVs) poses various challenges to the stable operation of the distribution network and smart grid. Due to the stochastic EV charging behaviour, the high charging demand at the charging stations (CSs) elevates the load curve which may lead to a spatially imbalanced load demand. As such, forecasting the highly stochastic EV charging load considering an individual EV's unique charging behaviour can result in maintaining the safe operation of the grid and distribution network. Therefore, in this work, we propose Block-FeDL, a blockchain-based Federated Learning (FL) approach for EV charging load forecasting considering the private and sensitive charging information of each EV user. Thereafter, we use a Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory (BiLSTM) model within the FeDL for predicting the EV charging load patterns at each client. Moreover, instead of using a centralized server for global model aggregation, we use blockchain technology, where the model aggregation is performed in a decentralized manner and the local model parameters shared by the FL clients can be validated and securely recorded. Lastly, the results show that the Block-FeDL outperform the second-best baseline method by 95\%, 96\% and 77\% in terms of  mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean square error (RMSE) for forecasting the EV charging load.
SAM-PM: Enhancing Video Camouflaged Object Detection using Spatio-Temporal Attention
Authors: Muhammad Nawfal Meeran, Gokul Adethya T, Bhanu Pratyush Mantha
Date: 2024-06-09 00:00:00
Tasks: Image Segmentation, object-detection, Object Detection, Semantic Segmentation

In the domain of large foundation models, the Segment Anything Model (SAM) has gained notable recognition for its exceptional performance in image segmentation. However, tackling the video camouflage object detection (VCOD) task presents a unique challenge. Camouflaged objects typically blend into the background, making them difficult to distinguish in still images. Additionally, ensuring temporal consistency in this context is a challenging problem. As a result, SAM encounters limitations and falls short when applied to the VCOD task. To overcome these challenges, we propose a new method called the SAM Propagation Module (SAM-PM). Our propagation module enforces temporal consistency within SAM by employing spatio-temporal cross-attention mechanisms. Moreover, we exclusively train the propagation module while keeping the SAM network weights frozen, allowing us to integrate task-specific insights with the vast knowledge accumulated by the large model. Our method effectively incorporates temporal consistency and domain-specific expertise into the segmentation network with an addition of less than 1% of SAM's parameters. Extensive experimentation reveals a substantial performance improvement in the VCOD benchmark when compared to the most recent state-of-the-art techniques. Code and pre-trained weights are open-sourced at https://github.com/SpiderNitt/SAM-PM