arXiv Machine Learning

Network Learning with Semi-relaxed Gromov-Wasserstein

arXiv:2606. 02223v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Estimating the generative mechanism of large-scale networks is a fundamental challenge in statistical machine learning.

arXiv Machine Learning
Aug 26

Multi-Source Complex Network Reconstruction via Wasserstein Distributionally Robust Optimization and Algorithm Unrolling

The paper introduces MS‑WDRO, a multi‑source Wasserstein distributionally robust optimization framework for reconstructing complex network topologies from scarce target‑domain data and abundant heterogeneous source data. It fuses sources via a weighted Wasserstein barycenter, builds an ambiguity set around it, and solves a regularized Laplacian estimator using a provably convergent ADMM scheme. The authors provide finite‑sample guarantees, demonstrate that naive aggregation is suboptimal, and show through experiments on synthetic data and the ABIDE I neuroimaging dataset that MS‑WDRO outperforms seven baselines in graph recovery, sample efficiency, and diagnostic utility, especially when target samples are limited.

By Chuansen Peng, Yifan Xia, Jinshan Zhong, Xiaojing Shen
arXiv Machine Learning
Aug 31

Optimal Transport for Network Comparison: A Review with Machine Learning Applications

The paper reviews the use of optimal transport for comparing undirected, unweighted graphs, focusing on three main distances: Wasserstein, Gromov-Wasserstein, and Bures-Wasserstein. It discusses closed-form solutions for the Wasserstein distance in one dimension, how transport plans identify influential nodes after perturbations, and derives spectral bounds for the Bures-Wasserstein distance to avoid full decompositions. The authors evaluate these distances on synthetic clustering data and a real-world time‑series network for anomaly detection.

By James Hyun, Fran\c{c}ois G. Meyer
arXiv Machine Learning
Aug 28

Gromov-Monge Flow Matching for Equivariant Graph Generation

The paper introduces Gromov-Monge Flow Matching, a method that incorporates permutation-equivariance into generative graph models by aligning graph pairs up to node relabeling using the Gromov–Monge distance. It shows theoretically that quotient couplings can be lifted to aligned representatives without extra cost and that symmetrization yields equivariant flow-matching minimizers, even for categorical endpoints. Practically, the authors build minibatch couplings with Gromov–Wasserstein relaxations and optional outer assignments, improving sample quality in continuous graph and categorical molecular generation while remaining compatible with standard equivariant architectures.

By Moritz Piening, Christian Wald
arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 17

Provable Guarantees for Spectral Structured Prediction

The paper presents provable guarantees for a spectral method that recovers binary node labels on signed graphs with edge‑flip noise. It provides graph‑structure‑agnostic bounds on approximate inference accuracy and maximum angle deviation, using matrix concentration and eigenvector perturbation techniques. The results connect to the Cheeger constant and are validated with synthetic experiments, marking the first theoretical analysis of this spectral approach.

By Violet Zheng, Jean Honorio
arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 24

Variational Bayesian Flow Network for Graph Generation

The paper introduces Variational Bayesian Flow Network (VBFN), a graph generation model that lifts Bayesian updates to a joint Gaussian belief family with structured precisions, enabling coupled node and edge updates in a single fusion step. By constructing sample‑agnostic sparse precisions from a representation‑induced dependency graph, VBFN avoids label leakage while enforcing node‑edge consistency. Experiments on synthetic and molecular graph datasets show that VBFN improves fidelity and diversity over baseline methods.

By Yida Xiong, Jiameng Chen, Xiuwen Gong, Jia Wu, Shirui Pan, Wenbin Hu