Bayesian Reasoning And Gaussian Processes For Machine Learning Applications

This book introduces Bayesian reasoning and Gaussian processes into machine learning applications. Bayesian methods are applied in many areas, such as game development, decision making, and drug discovery. It is very effective for machine learning algorithms in handling missing data and extracting information from small datasets. Bayesian Reasoning and Gaussian Processes for Machine Learning Applications uses a statistical background to understand continuous distributions and how learning can be viewed from a probabilistic framework. The chapters progress into such machine learning topics as belief network and Bayesian reinforcement learning, which is followed by Gaussian process introduction, classification, regression, covariance, and performance analysis of Gaussian processes with other models. FEATURES Contains recent advancements in machine learning Highlights applications of machine learning algorithms Offers both quantitative and qualitative research Includes numerous case studies This book is aimed at graduates, researchers, and professionals in the field of data science and machine learning.

A comprehensive and self-contained introduction to Gaussian processes, which provide a principled, practical, probabilistic approach to learning in kernel machines. Gaussian processes (GPs) provide a principled, practical, probabilistic approach to learning in kernel machines. GPs have received increased attention in the machine-learning community over the past decade, and this book provides a long-needed systematic and unified treatment of theoretical and practical aspects of GPs in machine learning. The treatment is comprehensive and self-contained, targeted at researchers and students in machine learning and applied statistics. The book deals with the supervised-learning problem for both regression and classification, and includes detailed algorithms. A wide variety of covariance (kernel) functions are presented and their properties discussed. Model selection is discussed both from a Bayesian and a classical perspective. Many connections to other well-known techniques from machine learning and statistics are discussed, including support-vector machines, neural networks, splines, regularization networks, relevance vector machines and others. Theoretical issues including learning curves and the PAC-Bayesian framework are treated, and several approximation methods for learning with large datasets are discussed. The book contains illustrative examples and exercises, and code and datasets are available on the Web. Appendixes provide mathematical background and a discussion of Gaussian Markov processes.

A practical introduction perfect for final-year undergraduate and graduate students without a solid background in linear algebra and calculus.

Machine learning methods extract value from vast data sets quickly and with modest resources. They are established tools in a wide range of industrial applications, including search engines, DNA sequencing, stock market analysis, and robot locomotion, and their use is spreading rapidly. People who know the methods have their choice of rewarding jobs. This hands-on text opens these opportunities to computer science students with modest mathematical backgrounds. It is designed for final-year undergraduates and master's students with limited background in linear algebra and calculus. Comprehensive and coherent, it develops everything from basic reasoning to advanced techniques within the framework of graphical models. Students learn more than a menu of techniques, they develop analytical and problem-solving skills that equip them for the real world. Numerous examples and exercises, both computer based and theoretical, are included in every chapter. Resources for students and instructors, including a MATLAB toolbox, are available online.

This book examines Gaussian processes in both model-based reinforcement learning (RL) and inference in nonlinear dynamic systems.First, we introduce PILCO, a fully Bayesian approach for efficient RL in continuous-valued state and action spaces when no expert knowledge is available. PILCO takes model uncertainties consistently into account during long-term planning to reduce model bias. Second, we propose principled algorithms for robust filtering and smoothing in GP dynamic systems.

A comprehensive introduction to Bayesian optimization that starts from scratch and carefully develops all the key ideas along the way.

This volume brings together the main results in the field of Bayesian Optimization (BO), focusing on the last ten years and showing how, on the basic framework, new methods have been specialized to solve emerging problems from machine learning, artificial intelligence, and system optimization. It also analyzes the software resources available for BO and a few selected application areas. Some areas for which new results are shown include constrained optimization, safe optimization, and applied mathematics, specifically BO's use in solving difficult nonlinear mixed integer problems. The book will help bring readers to a full understanding of the basic Bayesian Optimization framework and gain an appreciation of its potential for emerging application areas. It will be of particular interest to the data science, computer science, optimization, and engineering communities.

Artificial "neural networks" are widely used as flexible models for classification and regression applications, but questions remain about how the power of these models can be safely exploited when training data is limited. This book demonstrates how Bayesian methods allow complex neural network models to be used without fear of the "overfitting" that can occur with traditional training methods. Insight into the nature of these complex Bayesian models is provided by a theoretical investigation of the priors over functions that underlie them. A practical implementation of Bayesian neural network learning using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods is also described, and software for it is freely available over the Internet. Presupposing only basic knowledge of probability and statistics, this book should be of interest to researchers in statistics, engineering, and artificial intelligence.

This book presents recent advances of Bayesian inference in structured tensor decompositions. It explains how Bayesian modeling and inference lead to tuning-free tensor decomposition algorithms, which achieve state-of-the-art performances in many applications, including blind source separation; social network mining; image and video processing; array signal processing; and, wireless communications. The book begins with an introduction to the general topics of tensors and Bayesian theories. It then discusses probabilistic models of various structured tensor decompositions and their inference algorithms, with applications tailored for each tensor decomposition presented in the corresponding chapters. The book concludes by looking to the future, and areas where this research can be further developed. Bayesian Tensor Decomposition for Signal Processing and Machine Learning is suitable for postgraduates and researchers with interests in tensor data analytics and Bayesian methods.

This book introduces readers to Bayesian optimization, highlighting advances in the field and showcasing its successful applications to computer experiments. R code is available as online supplementary material for most included examples, so that readers can better comprehend and reproduce methods. Compact and accessible, the volume is broken down into four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the topic of computer experiments; it includes a variety of examples across many industries. Chapter 2 focuses on the task of surrogate model building and contains a mix of several different surrogate models that are used in the computer modeling and machine learning communities. Chapter 3 introduces the core concepts of Bayesian optimization and discusses unconstrained optimization. Chapter 4 moves on to constrained optimization, and showcases some of the most novel methods found in the field. This will be a useful companion to researchers and practitioners working with computer experiments and computer modeling. Additionally, readers with a background in machine learning but minimal background in computer experiments will find this book an interesting case study of the applicability of Bayesian optimization outside the realm of machine learning.