arXiv subjects

Silan Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Silan Zhang.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

ZIVR: An Incremental Variance Reduction Technique For Zeroth-Order Composite Problems

This paper investigates zeroth-order (ZO) finite-sum composite optimization. Recently, variance reduction techniques have been applied to ZO methods to mitigate the non-vanishing variance of 2-point estimators in constrained/composite optimization, yielding improved convergence rates. However, existing ZO variance reduction methods typically involve batch sampling of size at least $\Theta(n)$ or $\Theta(d)$, which can be computationally prohibitive for large-scale problems. In this work, we propose a general variance reduction framework, Zeroth-Order Incremental Variance Reduction (ZIVR), which supports flexible implementations$\unicode{x2014}$including a pure 2-point zeroth-order algorithm that eliminates the need for large batch sampling. Furthermore, we establish comprehensive convergence guarantees for ZIVR across strongly-convex, convex, and non-convex settings that match their first-order counterparts. Numerical experiments validate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.

math.OC↗

arXiv2024

Zeroth-Order Katyusha: An Accelerated Derivative-Free Method for Composite Convex Optimization

We investigate accelerated zeroth-order algorithms for smooth composite convex optimization problems. While for unconstrained optimization, existing methods that merge 2-point zeroth-order gradient estimators with first-order frameworks usually lead to satisfactory performance, for constrained/composite problems, there is still a gap in the complexity bound that is related to the non-vanishing variance of the 2-point gradient estimator near an optimal point. To bridge this gap, we propose the Zeroth-Order Loopless Katyusha (ZO-L-Katyusha) algorithm, leveraging the variance reduction as well as acceleration techniques from the first-order loopless Katyusha algorithm. We show that ZO-L-Katyusha is able to achieve accelerated linear convergence for compositve smooth and strongly convex problems, and has the same oracle complexity as the unconstrained case. Moreover, the number of function queries to construct a zeroth-order gradient estimator in ZO-L-Katyusha can be made to be O(1) on average. These results suggest that ZO-L-Katyusha provides a promising approach towards bridging the gap in the complexity bound for zeroth-order composite optimization.

math.OC↗

arXiv2022

Stable ion-tunable antiambipolarity in mixed ion-electron conducting polymers enables biorealistic artificial neurons

Bio-integrated neuromorphic systems promise for new protocols to record and regulate the signaling of biological systems. Making such artificial neural circuits successful requires minimal circuit complexity and ion-based operating mechanisms similar to that of biology. However, simple leaky integrate-and-fire model neurons, commonly realized in either silicon or organic semiconductor neuromorphic systems, can emulate only a few neural features. More functional neuron models, based on traditional complex Si-based complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or negative differential resistance (NDR) device circuits, are complicated to fabricate, not biocompatible, and lack ion- and chemical-based modulation features. Here we report a biorealistic conductance-based organic electrochemical neuron (c-OECN) using a mixed ion-electron conducting ladder-type polymer with reliable ion-tunable antiambipolarity. The latter is used to emulate the activation/inactivation of Na channels and delayed activation of K channels of biological neurons. These c-OECNs can then spike at bioplausible frequencies nearing 100 Hz, emulate most critical biological neural features, demonstrate stochastic spiking, and enable neurotransmitter and Ca2+-based spiking modulation. These combined features are impossible to achieve using previous technologies.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2022

Fully 3D-Printed Organic Electrochemical Transistors

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are currently being investigated for various applications, ranging from sensors to logics and neuromorphic hardware. The fabrication process must be compatible with flexible and scalable digital techniques to address this wide spectrum of applications. Here, we report a direct-write additive process to fabricate fully 3D printed OECTs. We developed 3D printable conducting, semiconducting, insulating, and electrolyte inks to achieve this. The 3D-printed OECTs, operating in the depletion mode, can be fabricated on thin and flexible substrates, yielding high mechanical and environmental stability. We also developed a 3D printable nanocellulose formulation for the OECT substrate, demonstrating one of the first examples of fully 3D printed electronic devices. Good dopamine biosensing capabilities (limit of detection down to 6 uM without metal gate electrodes) and long-term (~1 hour) synapses response underscore that the present OECT manufacturing strategy is suitable for diverse applications requiring rapid design change and digitally enabled direct-write techniques.

physics.app-ph↗