Title
Multiplex Visibility Graphs To Investigate Recurrent Neural Network Dynamics
Abstract
A recurrent neural network (RNN) is a universal approximator of dynamical systems, whose performance often depends on sensitive hyperparameters. Tuning them properly may be difficult and, typically, based on a trial-and-error approach. In this work, we adopt a graph-based framework to interpret and characterize internal dynamics of a class of RNNs called echo state networks (ESNs). We design principled unsupervised methods to derive hyperparameters configurations yielding maximal ESN performance, expressed in terms of prediction error and memory capacity. In particular, we propose to model time series generated by each neuron activations with a horizontal visibility graph, whose topological properties have been shown to be related to the underlying system dynamics. Successively, horizontal visibility graphs associated with all neurons become layers of a larger structure called a multiplex. We show that topological properties of such a multiplex reflect important features of ESN dynamics that can be used to guide the tuning of its hyperparamers. Results obtained on several benchmarks and a real-world dataset of telephone call data records show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Year
DOI
Venue
2016
10.1038/srep44037
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Field
DocType
Volume
Graph,Visibility,Hyperparameter,Computer science,Multiplex,Recurrent neural network,Algorithm,Dynamical systems theory,Artificial intelligence,Complex network,Data records
Journal
7
ISSN
Citations 
PageRank 
2045-2322
1
0.36
References 
Authors
0
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Filippo Maria Bianchi116015.76
Lorenzo Livi230425.67
Cesare Alippi31040115.84
Robert Jenssen437043.06