Random Forest permutation importance measure is asymptotically unbiased in sparse regression models.
problem Challenges in selecting informative variables in high-dimensional regression problems.
method Theoretical guarantees and asymptotic unbiasedness of permutation importance measure under specific assumptions.
result Permutation importance measure in Random Forest is asymptotically unbiased.
New algorithms estimate Hessians using random directions for faster stochastic optimization.
problem Efficiently estimating Hessians for stochastic optimization.
method Generalized Hessian estimators using random directions and noisy function measurements.
result Asymptotically unbiased estimators with lower bias for more measurements.
This work improves texture segmentation by automatically tuning hyperparameters for Total-Variation.
problem The challenge is to automatically select hyperparameters for Total-Variation texture segmentation.
method The approach involves extending Stein's unbiased gradient estimator to handle correlated Gaussian noise, leading to an automatic tuning method.
result The method provides an automatic way to select hyperparameters for Total-Variation texture segmentation.
Modified relative universality for unbiasedness and consistency in dimension reduction.
problem Gap in proof of unbiasedness and Fisher consistency in relative universality.
method Modified definition of relative universality using ǫ-measurability.
result Established unbiasedness and Fisher consistency rigorously.
Paper analyzes distributional reinforcement learning with value function approximation, introducing Bellman unbiasedness and a new algorithm.
problem Improving reinforcement learning by capturing environmental stochasticity and addressing infinite dimensionality.
method Introduces Bellman unbiasedness and proposes SF-LSVI algorithm for provably efficient distributional reinforcement learning.
result Achieves a tight regret bound of O(d_E H^3/2 √K) for distributional reinforcement learning.
The paper analyzes the randomized midpoint method for Langevin diffusions, revealing biases and asymptotic properties.
problem Analyzing biases and asymptotic properties of the randomized midpoint method for Langevin diffusions.
method Characterization of stationary distribution and asymptotic normality for numerical integration.
result The step-size needs to go to zero for the method to be asymptotically unbiased.
The paper studies the asymptotic behavior of adversarial training under ℓ∞-perturbation.
problem Theoretical guarantees for sparsity-recovery in adversarial training.
method Investigation of the asymptotic distribution of the adversarial training estimator in generalized linear models.
result The asymptotic distribution of the adversarial training estimator under ℓ∞-perturbation could have a positive probability mass at 0 when the true parameter is 0. We introduce Fisher consistency in the sense of unbiasedness as a desirable property for estimators of class prior probabilities. Lack of Fisher consistency could be used as a criterion to dismiss estimators that are unlikely to deliver precise estimates in test datasets under prior probability and more general dataset…
The estimation of risk measures recently gained a lot of attention, partly because of the backtesting issues of expected shortfall related to elicitability. In this work we shed a new and fundamental light on optimal estimation procedures of risk measures in terms of bias. We show that once the parameters of a model ne…
Proposes robust ABC method for outlier detection.
problem Outliers sensitivity in ABC methods.
method γ-divergence estimator with redescending property.
result Significantly higher robustness than existing methods.
New method improves model risk prediction using cross-audit projection.
problem Over-optimism in K-fold CV for binary classification. method Cross-audit projection (CAP) procedure combining resampling and asymptotic bias correction.
result CAP estimator achieves second-order asymptotic unbiasedness.
Paper addresses trade-off between robustness and specificity in machine learning.
problem Combating distributional uncertainties in training data compared to population distributions.
method Unified framework that unifies Bayesian, distributionally robust optimization, and regularization methods.
result Reveals the trade-off between robustness and specificity.
New method for evaluating sequential recommendations with lower variance.
problem Evaluating good sequences of music, video, news, and e-commerce recommendations.
method Proposes a new counterfactual estimator for sequential reward interactions with lower variance and asymptotic unbiasedness.
result Our method outperforms existing methods in bias and data efficiency for sequential track recommendations.
Optimal tests developed for sequential experiments with asymptotic properties.
problem Performing hypothesis tests after sequential experiments without prior design.
method Analyze asymptotic properties of sequential experiments; develop tests for Gaussian process observations.
result Asymptotic power function of any test can be matched by a specific test in a limit experiment.
PPAT uses predictions to improve risk estimation in active testing.
problem Exploiting informative predictions from black-box models for efficient risk estimation.
method Combines LURE estimator with prediction-powered control variate.
result PPAT outperforms existing methods in risk estimation and uncertainty quantification.
We propose Dirichlet Process mixtures of Generalized Linear Models (DP-GLM), a new method of nonparametric regression that accommodates continuous and categorical inputs, and responses that can be modeled by a generalized linear model. We prove conditions for the asymptotic unbiasedness of the DP-GLM regression mean fu…
New anomaly estimator reduces bias in MLE for normally distributed data.
problem Bias in Maximum Likelihood Estimation of structured anomalies.
method Derive a new anomaly estimator using a mixture model.
result New estimator is asymptotically unbiased regardless of anomaly family size.
We study the a.s. convergence of a sequence of random embeddings of a fixed manifold into Euclidean spaces of increasing dimensions. We show that the limit is deterministic. As a consequence, we show that many intrinsic functionals of the embedded manifolds also converge to deterministic limits. Particularly interestin…
Optimal reconciliation keeps some forecasts unchanged in hierarchical forecasting.
problem Keeping some forecasts unchanged in hierarchical forecasting.
method Formulates a method to keep some forecasts unchanged in a hierarchical forecasting system.
result Preserves unbiasedness and non-negativity of forecasts.
Cramming method evaluates learned policies from contextual bandits efficiently.
problem Evaluating final learned policies from contextual bandit algorithms.
method On-policy evaluation using a single pass of data, ensuring consistency and asymptotic normality.
result Cramming method reduces evaluation standard error by approximately 40% compared to off-policy methods.
Locally private online quantile regression method addresses privacy constraints.
problem Estimating and inferring quantile regression under local differential privacy constraints.
method Developed a finite-alphabet channel where users compute local contributions, apply randomized response, and send reports. A public decoder corrects distortion and reconstructs inputs for averaging.
result Established local privacy, decoder unbiasedness, consistency, asymptotic normality, and inference for scalar contrasts.
In this letter we investigate the information provided by the "compass rose" (Crack, T.F. and Ledoit, O. (1996), Journal of Finance, 51(2), pg. 751-762) patterns revealed in phase portraits of daily stock returns. It has been initially suggested that the compass rose is just a manifestation of price clustering and disc…
Combines neural networks with splitting-up method for filtering equations.
problem Approximating the solution of filtering equations for signal processes.
method Combines splitting-up method with neural networks.
result Produces an approximation of the unnormalised conditional distribution.
Proposes QMC-based QSW for 3D SW distance.
problem Intractable SW distance in 3D.
method Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) for QSW approximations.
result QMC-based QSW improves SW estimation.
Mix-n-Match improves uncertainty calibration in deep learning.
problem Post-hoc calibration of machine learning classifiers.
method Ensemble and composition strategies to improve accuracy, efficiency, and expressive power.
result Mix-n-Match strategies achieve better data-efficiency and expressive power while maintaining classification accuracy.
We wish to compute the gradient of an expectation over a finite or countably infinite sample space having K≤∞ categories. When K is indeed infinite, or finite but very large, the relevant summation is intractable. Accordingly, various stochastic gradient estimators have been proposed. In this paper, we de…
PEMC uses ML to enhance Monte Carlo simulations, reducing variance and runtime.
problem Computational inefficiency in Monte Carlo simulations for complex tasks.
method Prediction-Enhanced Monte Carlo (PEMC) framework that uses ML surrogates as predictors.
result PEMC provides unbiased evaluations with reduced variance and runtime compared to standard Monte Carlo.
New method for nonlinear SDR of complex non-Euclidean data.
problem Nonlinear SDR for complex non-Euclidean random objects.
method Fréchet Cumulative Covariance (FCCov) and neural networks.
result Robust and unbiased nonlinear SDR for complex data.
OSIRIS reduces variance in off-policy evaluation by omitting irrelevant states.
problem High variance in importance sampling-based OPE estimators.
method OSIRIS reduces variance by omitting likelihood ratios associated with states irrelevant to return.
result OSIRIS is unbiased and has lower variance than ordinary importance sampling.
We present a new method for conducting Monte Carlo inference in graphical models which combines explicit search with generalized importance sampling. The idea is to reduce the variance of importance sampling by searching for significant points in the target distribution. We prove that it is possible to introduce search…
QUACKIE creates a new benchmark for NLP interpretability.
problem Evaluating NLP interpretability methods is challenging due to biased ground truths.
method Formulated a custom classification task from question-answering datasets, generating unbiased ground truths.
result Demonstrated the effectiveness of current interpretability methods on the new benchmark.
Importance-weighting is a popular and well-researched technique for dealing with sample selection bias and covariate shift. It has desirable characteristics such as unbiasedness, consistency and low computational complexity. However, weighting can have a detrimental effect on an estimator as well. In this work, we empi…
New method uses imperfect LLM annotations for valid statistical inference in social science.
problem Inaccurate large language model annotations in social science research.
method Design-based supervised learning (DSL) combining imperfect LLM surrogates with gold-standard labels.
result DSL provides valid statistical inference with comparable predictive accuracy to existing methods.
Study evaluates new models using human feedback from another model.
problem Evaluate a new model using human feedback collected for another model.
method Formalize problem, propose model-based and model-free estimators, analyze unbiasedness, and empirically evaluate.
result Proposed estimators can predict absolute values, rank, and optimize evaluated policies.
This paper proposed a bias-compensated normalized maximum correntropy criterion (BCNMCC) algorithm charactered by its low steady-state misalignment for system identification with noisy input in an impulsive output noise environment. The normalized maximum correntropy criterion (NMCC) is derived from a correntropy based…
AM-PPI uses multiple predictors to reduce label cost in healthcare AI.
problem Reduces label cost in post-deployment monitoring of healthcare AI.
method Combines model predictions with a small labeled sample, routing each instance to a cost-appropriate subset of predictors.
result Produces narrower confidence intervals than single-predictor methods.
When learning from a batch of logged bandit feedback, the discrepancy between the policy to be learned and the off-policy training data imposes statistical and computational challenges. Unlike classical supervised learning and online learning settings, in batch contextual bandit learning, one only has access to a colle…
The policy gradient approach is a flexible and powerful reinforcement learning method particularly for problems with continuous actions such as robot control. A common challenge in this scenario is how to reduce the variance of policy gradient estimates for reliable policy updates. In this paper, we combine the followi…
Proposes Exogenous Matching for efficient counterfactual estimation.
problem Efficient estimation of counterfactual expressions in general settings.
method Transforms variance minimization into conditional distribution learning.
result Outperforms other importance sampling methods in counterfactual estimation.
We propose a scheme for recycling Gaussian random vectors into structured matrices to approximate various kernel functions in sublinear time via random embeddings. Our framework includes the Fastfood construction as a special case, but also extends to Circulant, Toeplitz and Hankel matrices, and the broader family of s…
Prognostic scores improve logistic regression analysis in RCTs with binary outcomes.
problem Non-collapsibility in logistic regression analysis of RCTs with binary endpoints.
method Prognostic score adjustment using AI predictions to address non-collapsibility.
result Prognostic score adjustment increases power or reduces sample size for estimating conditional odds ratios.
NQE uses quantile regression for fast SBI with cubic Hermite splines.
problem Efficient Bayesian inference for complex models with limited data.
method Neural Quantile Estimation (NQE) learns quantiles autoregressively and interpolates them using cubic Hermite splines.
result NQE achieves state-of-the-art performance on various benchmark problems.
The balance property is crucial for insurance pricing, ensuring total actuarial price equals loss. Maximum likelihood GLMs fulfill it, but Lindholm-Wüthrich suggests three methods, with constrained GLM being superior.
problem Ensuring the balance property in insurance pricing models
method Using constrained GLM fitting
result Constrained GLM fitting is superior to the two previously discussed balance correction methods
Novel compression method preserves privacy while reducing communication costs.
problem Reducing communication costs in differential privacy mechanisms.
method Poisson private representation (PPR) for compressing and simulating local randomizers.
result Achieves compression within a logarithmic gap from theoretical lower bound.
New method combines multiple datasets to estimate ATE with valid confidence intervals.
problem Combining multiple observational datasets to estimate ATE with valid confidence intervals.
method Prediction-powered inferences to shrink CIs and provide valid CIs.
result Valid confidence intervals for ATE from multiple datasets.
Understanding and developing a correlation measure that can detect general dependencies is not only imperative to statistics and machine learning, but also crucial to general scientific discovery in the big data age. In this paper, we establish a new framework that generalizes distance correlation --- a correlation mea…
DR-MCTS improves decision quality and sample efficiency in complex environments.
problem Improving decision quality and sample efficiency in complex environments.
method Integrates Doubly Robust off-policy estimation into Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS).
result DR-MCTS achieves superior performance in Tic-Tac-Toe and VirtualHome tasks.
The sample mean is among the most well studied estimators in statistics, having many desirable properties such as unbiasedness and consistency. However, when analyzing data collected using a multi-armed bandit (MAB) experiment, the sample mean is biased and much remains to be understood about its properties. For exampl…