Statistical Computing Applications of Bayesian Modeling

Kyunghee Han Chair
University of Illinois at Chicago
 
Monday, Aug 4: 8:30 AM - 10:20 AM
4042 
Contributed Papers 
Music City Center 
Room: CC-104D 

Main Sponsor

Section on Statistical Computing

Presentations

Physics-Informed Gaussian Process with applications in ODE/PDE parameter estimation

Parameter estimation for nonlinear dynamic system models, represented by ordinary differential equations (ODEs) or partial differential equations (PDEs), using noisy and sparse experimental data is a vital task in many fields. We propose a fast and accurate method, physics-informed Gaussian process, for this task. Our method uses a Gaussian process model over system components, explicitly conditioned on the physics information that gradients of the Gaussian process must satisfy the ODE/PDE system. By doing so, we completely bypass the need for numerical integration and achieve substantial savings in computational time. Our method is also suitable for inference with unobserved system components and provides uncertainty quantification. Our method is distinct from existing approaches as we provide a principled statistical construction under a Bayesian framework, which rigorously incorporates the ODE/PDE system through conditioning. 

Keywords

Physics-Informed Gaussian Process

Non-linear Differential Equations

Bayesian Inference 

First Author

Shihao Yang, Georgia Institute of Technology

Presenting Author

Shihao Yang, Georgia Institute of Technology

Bayesian Selection Approach for Categorical Responses via Multinomial Probit Models

In this paper, a multinomial probit model is proposed to examine a categorical response variable, with the main objective being the identification of the influential variables in the model. To this end, a Bayesian selection technique is employed featuring two hierarchical indicators, where the first indicator denotes a variable's relevance to the categorical response, and the subsequent indicator relates to the variable's importance at a specific categorical level, which aids in assessing its impact at that level. The selection process relies on the posterior indicator samples generated through an MCMC algorithm. The efficacy of our Bayesian selection strategy is demonstrated through both simulation and an application to a real-world example. 

Keywords

Indicator

Componentwise Gibbs sampler

MCMC algorithm

Median probability criterion 

Co-Author(s)

Ray-Bing Chen, National Tsing Hua University
Kuo-Jung Lee

First Author

Chi-Hsiang Chu, National University of Kaohsiung

Presenting Author

Ray-Bing Chen, National Tsing Hua University

Empirical Bayesian Modeling of Kronecker Product Relevancy in Gaussian Arrays

Analyzing the covariances of modern datasets has become increasingly difficult with the growing size and often large time complexity of covariance estimation techniques. For data which admit a multiway structure, the tensor normal model has become ubiquitous in modeling the covariance due to its ability to model covariances through smaller sequential operations mode-wise. However, the structural assumptions required by the tensor normal necessarily limit the flexibility of the covariance. Such limitations on flexibility have been tested in spatio-temporal contexts and found to be impractical in some cases.

In this work, we consider a Cholesky factor parametrization for the precision matrix of a tensor normal which directly relaxes one of the structural assumptions of the tensor normal distribution's covariance without loss of analytic tractability of the likelihood. We connect this parametrization with the Log-Cholesky Riemannian metric's Frechet Mean, and use this parametrization to then construct a hierarchical empirical Bayes model for relevancy detection in the sum of Kronecker products model. 

Keywords

Hamiltonian Monte Carlo

Riemannian Geometry

Separable Covariance

matrix normal distribution

Pitsianis - Van Loan
decomposition 

Co-Author

Martin Wells, Cornell University

First Author

Quinn Simonis, Cornell University

Presenting Author

Quinn Simonis, Cornell University

Granger Causality Inference for High-Dimensional Nonlinear Time Series with a Deep Particle Filter

Identifying Granger causality in high-dimensional time series is crucial for understanding their complex dependence structures and improving forecasting accuracy, particularly in fields such as finance and neuroscience. In this work, we propose a novel deep state-space model in which state transitions are jointly modeled using a deep neural network, while the measurement equation remains linear to facilitate downstream analysis. To efficiently handle long-term high-dimensional time series, we develop a scalable Bayesian deep particle filtering algorithm that tracks latent states and uncovers the temporal dependencies between time series. We establish the convergence properties of the proposed algorithm, ensuring its theoretical soundness. Our method offers a principled approach to discovering causal relationships in challenging high-dimensional time series applications. We demonstrate its effectiveness through both simulated data and real-world applications, including the one-minute log returns of Nasdaq stocks. 

Keywords

High-dimensional time series

Granger causality

Nonlinear state space models

Deep particle filtering

Bayesian deep neural networks 

Co-Author(s)

Qifan Song
Faming Liang, Purdue University

First Author

Heekyung Ahn, Purdue University

Presenting Author

Heekyung Ahn, Purdue University

Integrating satellite-based human settlement detection probability in spatial population modelling

Advanced statistical modelling techniques which utilise satellite-based human settlement data within a robust geostatistical modelling framework have been developed to fill small area population data gaps and support development and humanitarian programmes, across many countries of the world. However, the detection of human settlement by remote sensing satellites can be affected by environmental and topographical factors such as canopy, snow or cloud cover, and topographical variations in mountainous landscapes, and similarities between buildings and surrounding landscapes. Here, using a Bayesian statistical hierarchical joint modelling approach, we extend existing geospatial estimation methods by simultaneously modelling human settlement detection probability and population density, to account for false detection rates in satellite observations within a coherent bottom-up population modelling strategy. Our methodology was validated using a simulation study and showed a reduction of between 21% to 49% in relative bias, and a 28% reduction in relative bias when applied to produce gridded population estimates (at 100m-by-100m resolution) for Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Keywords

Bayesian Geospatial Joint Modelling, Small area population estimates, Remote sensing, False positive rates, Geoststitics, INLA-SPDE, Hierarchical models 

Co-Author(s)

Ortis Yankey, University of Southampton
Somnath Chaudhuri, University of Southampton
Attila Lazar, University of Southampton
Andrew Tatem, University of Southampton

First Author

Chris Nnanatu, University of Southampton

Presenting Author

Chris Nnanatu, University of Southampton

Multi-Teacher Bayesian Knowledge Distillation

Knowledge distillation is a powerful method for model compression, enabling the efficient deployment of complex deep learning models (teachers), including large language models. However, its statistical mechanisms remain unclear, and uncertainty evaluation is often overlooked, especially in real-world scenarios requiring diverse teacher expertise. To address these challenges, we introduce Multi-Teacher Bayesian Knowledge Distillation (MT-BKD), where a distilled student model learns from multiple teachers within the Bayesian framework. Our approach leverages Bayesian inference to capture inherent uncertainty in the distillation process. We introduce a teacher-informed prior, integrating external knowledge from teacher models and training data, offering better generalization, robustness, and scalability. Additionally, an entropy-based weighting mechanism adjusts each teacher's influence, allowing the student to combine multiple sources of expertise effectively. MT-BKD enhances interpretability, improves predictive accuracy, and provides uncertainty quantification. Our experiments show improved performance and robust uncertainty quantification, highlighting the strengths of MT-BKD. 

Keywords

Uncertainty Quantification

Large Language Models

Bayesian Priors

Image Classification

Protein Subcellular Prediction 

Co-Author(s)

Yongkai Chen
Ping Ma, University of Georgia
Wenxuan Zhong, University of Georgia

First Author

Luyang Fang, University of Georgia

Presenting Author

Luyang Fang, University of Georgia