scholarly journals Bayesian Metric Multidimensional Scaling

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Bakker ◽  
Keith T. Poole

In this article, we show how to apply Bayesian methods to noisy ratio scale distances for both the classical similarities problem as well as the unfolding problem. Bayesian methods produce essentially the same point estimates as the classical methods, but are superior in that they provide more accurate measures of uncertainty in the data. Identification is nontrivial for this class of problems because a configuration of points that reproduces the distances is identified only up to a choice of origin, angles of rotation, and sign flips on the dimensions. We prove that fixing the origin and rotation is sufficient to identify a configuration in the sense that the corresponding maxima/minima are inflection points with full-rank Hessians. However, an unavoidable result is multiple posterior distributions that are mirror images of one another. This poses a problem for Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The approach we take is to find the optimal solution using standard optimizers. The configuration of points from the optimizers is then used to isolate a single Bayesian posterior that can then be easily analyzed with standard MCMC methods.

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. R1003-R1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia K. Stuart ◽  
Susan E. Minkoff ◽  
Felipe Pereira

Bayesian methods for full-waveform inversion allow quantification of uncertainty in the solution, including determination of interval estimates and posterior distributions of the model unknowns. Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods produce posterior distributions subject to fewer assumptions, such as normality, than deterministic Bayesian methods. However, MCMC is computationally a very expensive process that requires repeated solution of the wave equation for different velocity samples. Ultimately, a large proportion of these samples (often 40%–90%) is rejected. We have evaluated a two-stage MCMC algorithm that uses a coarse-grid filter to quickly reject unacceptable velocity proposals, thereby reducing the computational expense of solving the velocity inversion problem and quantifying uncertainty. Our filter stage uses operator upscaling, which provides near-perfect speedup in parallel with essentially no communication between processes and produces data that are highly correlated with those obtained from the full fine-grid solution. Four numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the method. The two-stage MCMC algorithm produce the same results (i.e., posterior distributions and uncertainty information, such as medians and highest posterior density intervals) as the Metropolis-Hastings MCMC. Thus, no information needed for uncertainty quantification is compromised when replacing the one-stage MCMC with the more computationally efficient two-stage MCMC. In four representative experiments, the two-stage method reduces the time spent on rejected models by one-third to one-half, which is important because most of models tried during the course of the MCMC algorithm are rejected. Furthermore, the two-stage MCMC algorithm substantially reduced the overall time-per-trial by as much as 40%, while increasing the acceptance rate from 9% to 90%.


Author(s):  
Siddhartha Chib

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of Monte Carlo methods for generating variates from a target probability distribution that are based on Markov chains. These methods, called Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, are widely used to summarize complicated posterior distributions in Bayesian statistics and econometrics. This article begins with an intuitive explanation of the ideas and concepts that underlie popular algorithms such as the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm and multi-block algorithm. It provides the concept of a source or proposal density, which is used to supply a randomization step or an acceptance condition to determine if the candidate draw should be accepted. It is important to assess the performance of the sampling algorithm to determine the rate of mixing. Finally, this article offers an extensive discussion of marginal likelihood calculation using posterior simulator output.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 577-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garnett P. McMillan ◽  
John B. Cannon

Purpose This article presents a basic exploration of Bayesian inference to inform researchers unfamiliar to this type of analysis of the many advantages this readily available approach provides. Method First, we demonstrate the development of Bayes' theorem, the cornerstone of Bayesian statistics, into an iterative process of updating priors. Working with a few assumptions, including normalcy and conjugacy of prior distribution, we express how one would calculate the posterior distribution using the prior distribution and the likelihood of the parameter. Next, we move to an example in auditory research by considering the effect of sound therapy for reducing the perceived loudness of tinnitus. In this case, as well as most real-world settings, we turn to Markov chain simulations because the assumptions allowing for easy calculations no longer hold. Using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, we can illustrate several analysis solutions given by a straightforward Bayesian approach. Conclusion Bayesian methods are widely applicable and can help scientists overcome analysis problems, including how to include existing information, run interim analysis, achieve consensus through measurement, and, most importantly, interpret results correctly. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7822592


Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 146 (2) ◽  
pp. 735-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Uimari ◽  
Ina Hoeschele

A Bayesian method for mapping linked quantitative trait loci (QTL) using multiple linked genetic markers is presented. Parameter estimation and hypothesis testing was implemented via Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. Parameters included were allele frequencies and substitution effects for two biallelic QTL, map positions of the QTL and markers, allele frequencies of the markers, and polygenic and residual variances. Missing data were polygenic effects and multi-locus marker-QTL genotypes. Three different MCMC schemes for testing the presence of a single or two linked QTL on the chromosome were compared. The first approach includes a model indicator variable representing two unlinked QTL affecting the trait, one linked and one unlinked QTL, or both QTL linked with the markers. The second approach incorporates an indicator variable for each QTL into the model for phenotype, allowing or not allowing for a substitution effect of a QTL on phenotype, and the third approach is based on model determination by reversible jump MCMC. Methods were evaluated empirically by analyzing simulated granddaughter designs. All methods identified correctly a second, linked QTL and did not reject the one-QTL model when there was only a single QTL and no additional or an unlinked QTL.


Stat ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 304-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Miroshnikov ◽  
Zheng Wei ◽  
Erin Marie Conlon

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 4295-4314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Lu ◽  
Daniel Ricciuto ◽  
Anthony Walker ◽  
Cosmin Safta ◽  
William Munger

Abstract. Calibration of terrestrial ecosystem models is important but challenging. Bayesian inference implemented by Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling provides a comprehensive framework to estimate model parameters and associated uncertainties using their posterior distributions. The effectiveness and efficiency of the method strongly depend on the MCMC algorithm used. In this work, a differential evolution adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) algorithm is used to estimate posterior distributions of 21 parameters for the data assimilation linked ecosystem carbon (DALEC) model using 14 years of daily net ecosystem exchange data collected at the Harvard Forest Environmental Measurement Site eddy-flux tower. The calibration of DREAM results in a better model fit and predictive performance compared to the popular adaptive Metropolis (AM) scheme. Moreover, DREAM indicates that two parameters controlling autumn phenology have multiple modes in their posterior distributions while AM only identifies one mode. The application suggests that DREAM is very suitable to calibrate complex terrestrial ecosystem models, where the uncertain parameter size is usually large and existence of local optima is always a concern. In addition, this effort justifies the assumptions of the error model used in Bayesian calibration according to the residual analysis. The result indicates that a heteroscedastic, correlated, Gaussian error model is appropriate for the problem, and the consequent constructed likelihood function can alleviate the underestimation of parameter uncertainty that is usually caused by using uncorrelated error models.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 939-968
Author(s):  
S. Nakano ◽  
K. Suzuki ◽  
K. Kawamura ◽  
F. Parrenin ◽  
T. Higuchi

Abstract. A technique for estimating the age–depth relationship in an ice core and evaluating its uncertainty is presented. The age–depth relationship is mainly determined by the accumulation of snow at the site of the ice core and the thinning process due to the horizontal stretching and vertical compression of ice layers. However, since neither the accumulation process nor the thinning process are fully understood, it is essential to incorporate observational information into a model that describes the accumulation and thinning processes. In the proposed technique, the age as a function of depth is estimated from age markers and δ18O data. The estimation is achieved using the particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) method, in which the sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) method is combined with the Markov chain Monte Carlo method. In this hybrid method, the posterior distributions for the parameters in the models for the accumulation and thinning processes are computed using the Metropolis method, in which the likelihood is obtained with the SMC method. Meanwhile, the posterior distribution for the age as a function of depth is obtained by collecting the samples generated by the SMC method with Metropolis iterations. The use of this PMCMC method enables us to estimate the age–depth relationship without assuming either linearity or Gaussianity. The performance of the proposed technique is demonstrated by applying it to ice core data from Dome Fuji in Antarctica.


Author(s):  
Vassilios Stathopoulos ◽  
Mark A. Girolami

Bayesian analysis for Markov jump processes (MJPs) is a non-trivial and challenging problem. Although exact inference is theoretically possible, it is computationally demanding, thus its applicability is limited to a small class of problems. In this paper, we describe the application of Riemann manifold Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods using an approximation to the likelihood of the MJP that is valid when the system modelled is near its thermodynamic limit. The proposed approach is both statistically and computationally efficient whereas the convergence rate and mixing of the chains allow for fast MCMC inference. The methodology is evaluated using numerical simulations on two problems from chemical kinetics and one from systems biology.


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