New method for causal discovery in high dimensions with confounder blanket assumption.
problem Inferring causal relationships from observational data in high dimensions.
method Relaxes parametric restrictions and sparsity constraints, focusing on confounder blanket.
result Provable sound and complete structure learning algorithm with finite sample error control.
New algorithm learns causal structures by intersecting Markov blankets.
problem Learning causal relationships from data.
method Endogenous and Exogenous Markov Blankets Intersection (EEMBI) algorithm.
result EEMBI-PC integrates PC algorithm steps for improved accuracy.
This paper extends stable blanket theory to models with hidden variables and causal cycles.
problem Identifying stable predictors in models with hidden variables and causal cycles.
method Use acyclic directed mixed graphs (ADMGs) and directed graphs (DGs) with m-separation and σ-separation to characterize and construct intervention-stable predictor sets. result Graphical characterizations of Markov blankets, stable frontiers, and stable blankets in models with hidden variables and cycles.
Markov networks are extensively used to model complex sequential, spatial, and relational interactions in a wide range of fields. By learning the structure of independences of a domain, more accurate joint probability distributions can be obtained for inference tasks or, more directly, for interpreting the most signifi…
New methods for Markov Blanket discovery using MML outperform existing approaches.
problem Causal discovery from large datasets.
method Developed three new methods of Markov Blanket discovery using Minimum Message Length.
result Our best MML method is consistently competitive and has advantageous features.
A family of Markov blankets in a faithful Bayesian network satisfies the symmetry and consistency properties. In this paper, we draw a bijection between families of consistent Markov blankets and moral graphs. We define the new concepts of weak recursive simpliciality and perfect elimination kits. We prove that they ar…
Developing feature selection algorithms that move beyond a pure correlational to a more causal analysis of observational data is an important problem in the sciences. Several algorithms attempt to do so by discovering the Markov blanket of a target, but they all contain a forward selection step which variables must pas…
New approach infers object type from physical data and functional requirements.
problem Classical design theory treats object type as a given, but this paper argues it should be inferred.
method C-DMBD, a constrained extension of Dynamic Markov Blanket Detection algorithm, models product surface as a Markov blanket.
result Requirement-steered inference is computationally tractable and models different object types with different parameterizations.
This paper considers a Bayesian view for estimating a sub-network in a Markov random field. The sub-network corresponds to the Markov blanket of a set of query variables, where the set of potential neighbours here is big. We factorize the posterior such that the Markov blanket is conditionally independent of the networ…
We consider the problem of inferring the directed, causal graph from observational data, assuming no hidden confounders. We take an information theoretic approach, and make three main contributions. First, we show how through algorithmic information theory we can obtain SCI, a highly robust, effective and computational…
Learning Markov blanket (MB) structures has proven useful in performing feature selection, learning Bayesian networks (BNs), and discovering causal relationships. We present a formula for efficiently determining the number of MB structures given a target variable and a set of other variables. As expected, the number of…
The paper provides PAC bounds for estimating causal effects using covariate adjustment with a valid set.
problem Estimating causal effects in high-dimensional settings without randomized experiments.
method PAC learning perspective, valid adjustment set, $\eps$-Markov blanket, constraint-based algorithms.
result PAC-bounds the estimation error of covariate adjustment by a term exponential in the size of the adjustment set.
We propose a novel distributed inference algorithm for continuous graphical models, by extending Stein variational gradient descent (SVGD) to leverage the Markov dependency structure of the distribution of interest. Our approach combines SVGD with a set of structured local kernel functions defined on the Markov blanket…
Proposes a new approach for domain adaptation using latent representations.
problem Handling distribution shifts between source and target domains in high-dimensional data.
method Learn compact latent representations based on the label's Markov blanket, partitioning into parents, children, and spouses.
result General domain adaptation can be achieved by learning representations of the label's parents, children, and spouses.
Markov blanket feature selection, while theoretically optimal, is generally challenging to implement. This is due to the shortcomings of existing approaches to conditional independence (CI) testing, which tend to struggle either with the curse of dimensionality or computational complexity. We propose a novel two-step a…
LIC compiles probabilistic models to generate efficient MCMC proposals.
problem Creating accurate Metropolis-Hastings proposals for Bayesian inference.
method Integrates probabilistic graphical models and neural networks in an open-source framework to optimize proposal distributions.
result LIC produces more efficient and robust MCMC proposals compared to existing methods.
Paper introduces a flow-based framework for representation learning.
problem Capturing fine-grained structural details in complex data distributions.
method Zero-flow criterion for conditional independence and a tractable loss function.
result The zero-flow criterion enables learning of sufficient information from data.
Proposes a weaker faithfulness assumption for causal discovery.
problem Violation of the faithfulness assumption in causal discovery.
method Proposes a new assumption called 2-adjacency faithfulness and a modified Grow and Shrink algorithm.
result Proves the correctness of the modified algorithm under weaker assumptions.
SCTL scales causal domain adaptation without prior knowledge.
problem Domain adaptation with covariate shift and invariances across domains.
method SCTL: scalable causal discovery algorithm based on Markov blanket.
result SCTL achieves scalable and robust domain adaptation.
The paper proposes a method to precisely decompose confounders and estimate treatment effects.
problem Estimating treatment effects from observational data with confounder identification and balancing.
method Learning decomposed representations to identify and balance confounders and non-confounders.
result The method achieves more precise treatment effect estimation than existing methods.
Research shows continual learning challenges in confounded datasets.
problem Challenges in mitigating confounders in continual learning settings.
method Formal description of continual confounders, construction of ConCon dataset.
result Standard continual learning methods fail to ignore confounders.
Counterfactual fairness not equivalent to demographic parity, finds study.
problem Equivalence between causal and probabilistic concepts in fairness metrics.
method Close examination of recent claim about counterfactual fairness.
result Counterfactual fairness is not equivalent to demographic parity.
VISTA learns causal structures by integrating local subgraphs, improving accuracy and efficiency.
problem Efficiently learning causal structures from high-dimensional observational data.
method VISTA decomposes the global causal structure learning problem into local subgraphs based on Markov Blankets, integrating them via a weighted voting mechanism.
result VISTA achieves notable improvements in accuracy and efficiency over existing methods.
Statistical learning on biological data can be challenging due to confounding variables in sample collection and processing. Confounders can cause models to generalize poorly and result in inaccurate prediction performance metrics if models are not validated thoroughly. In this paper, we propose methods to control for …
In this work we present a review of the state of the art of information theoretic feature selection methods. The concepts of feature relevance, redundance and complementarity (synergy) are clearly defined, as well as Markov blanket. The problem of optimal feature selection is defined. A unifying theoretical framework i…
Causal inference from observational data requires assumptions. These assumptions range from measuring confounders to identifying instruments. Traditionally, causal inference assumptions have focused on estimation of effects for a single treatment. In this work, we construct techniques for estimation with multiple treat…
Detect hidden confounding in observational data using multiple environments.
problem Detect hidden confounding in observational data.
method Theoretical framework and simulation studies to test for hidden confounding.
result The proposed procedure correctly predicts hidden confounding, especially when bias is large.
Machine learning confound removal biases results, leading to misleading predictions.
problem Common confound removal methods in machine learning lead to misleading predictions.
method Featurewise removal of confound variance by linear regression before applying ML.
result This common deconfounding approach can leak information, amplifying null or moderate effects.
KRCD detects unobserved confounders in nonlinear observational data.
problem Detecting unobserved confounders in nonlinear observational studies.
method Kernel Regression Confounder Detection (KRCD) using reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces.
result KRCD outperforms existing methods and achieves superior computational efficiency.
Study identifies conditions for proxy adjustment in confounded binary treatment outcomes.
problem Average causal effect estimation with a non-differentially mismeasured binary confounder.
method Identifies conditions for proxy adjustment in the presence of a non-differentially mismeasured binary confounder.
result Adjusting for a non-differentially mismeasured binary proxy can improve estimation of the average causal effect.
New method estimates policy performance under unobserved confounding.
problem Estimating policy performance when decisions depend on unobserved variables.
method Developed worst-case bounds for robust OPE under unobserved confounding.
result Efficient procedure for computing worst-case bounds, proving statistical consistency.
Consistent estimator derived for confounding strength in observational data.
problem Estimating confounding strength in observational data is challenging due to unobserved confounders.
method Derived and adapted a consistent estimator using tools from random matrix theory.
result The original estimator is not consistent, but an adapted one is.
A new method uses randomized trials to estimate the strength of unobserved confounding.
problem Unobserved confounding compromises causal conclusions from non-randomized studies.
method Designs a statistical test to detect unobserved confounding strength and estimates a lower bound.
result Estimates an asymptotically valid lower bound on unobserved confounding strength.
This paper tackles confounding biases in data augmentation.
problem Mitigating spurious correlations and confounding variables in training data.
method Formal analysis and counterfactual data augmentation.
result Removing confounding biases leads to invariant features and better generalization.
New method recovers latent confounders from high-dimensional proxy variables.
problem Detecting latent confounders from high-dimensional proxy variables.
method Proxy Confounder Factorization (PCF) framework using ICA-PCF and GD-PCF.
result ICA-PCF recovers confounders with high correlation and low error in synthetic and real-world data.
Proposes tests to control confounding bias in predictive models.
problem Lack of non-parametric tests for confounding bias in predictive modeling.
method Partial and full confounder tests for probing null hypotheses of unconfounded and fully confounded models.
result Reveals previously unreported or hard-to-correct confounders in machine learning models.
New method tackles confounded bandit problems with dual instrumental variables.
problem Confounded contextual bandit problems where noise affects both contexts and rewards.
method Dual instrumental variable regression applied to reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces.
result Near-optimal convergence rate and computationally efficient algorithms proved.
New approach for causal inference with interdependent, time-varying latent confounders.
problem Estimating causal effects with interdependent, time-varying latent confounders.
method Variational estimation with a representer theorem and random input space.
result Demonstrates effectiveness on various temporal datasets.
Causal discovery from data affected by latent confounders is an important and difficult challenge. Causal functional model-based approaches have not been used to present variables whose relationships are affected by latent confounders, while some constraint-based methods can present them. This paper proposes a causal f…
Estimating the individual treatment effect (ITE) from observational data is essential in medicine. A central challenge in estimating the ITE is handling confounders, which are factors that affect both an intervention and its outcome. Most previous work relies on the unconfoundedness assumption, which posits that all th…
CARE improves LLM aggregation by accounting for shared confounders.
problem LLM judges' correlated errors due to shared latent confounders.
method CARE explicitly models judges' scores as true quality and confounders.
result CARE reduces aggregation error by up to 26.8% across various benchmarks.
New algorithm learns any part of a Bayesian network structure efficiently.
problem Learning specific parts of a Bayesian network structure is computationally inefficient.
method APS-L, a new algorithm that divides V-structures into collider and non-collider types and recursively finds them in Markov blankets.
result The APSL algorithm efficiently and accurately learns any part of a Bayesian network structure.
Proposes BDCM to handle unmeasured confounders in causal inference.
problem Handling unmeasured confounders in causal inference.
method Backdoor criterion to find variables for diffusion model.
result Captures counterfactual distribution more precisely.
New methods prioritize acquiring confounding features for efficient treatment effect estimation.
problem Efficient treatment effect estimation from observational data with missing confounding information.
method Proposes two acquisition strategies: covariate balancing and reducing factual outcome error.
result Our proposed methods, especially reducing factual outcome error, improve sample efficiency for treatment effect estimation.
Valid causal inference with unobserved confounding in high-dimensional settings.
problem Estimating causal effects with unobserved confounders in high-dimensional data.
method Proposes methods to estimate causal effects with valid confidence intervals in the presence of unobserved confounders and high-dimensional nuisance models.
result Valid semiparametric inference can be obtained with unobserved confounding, and uncertainty intervals are proposed.
Spectral deconfounding improves machine learning models by reducing hidden confounding effects.
problem Machine learning models can be misled by hidden confounders, leading to unreliable predictions.
method Develops a nonlinear spectral deconfounding framework for gradient boosting that modifies boosting dynamics to slow down in confounding-aligned directions.
result Spectrally deconfounded boosting improves estimation of the target function under hidden confounding and is more scalable.
We propose a method for inferring the existence of a latent common cause ('confounder') of two observed random variables. The method assumes that the two effects of the confounder are (possibly nonlinear) functions of the confounder plus independent, additive noise. We discuss under which conditions the model is identi…
Study shows how adjusting for a binary proxy can bound causal effects.
problem Bounding causal effects with a binary confounder and proxy.
method Monotonicity assumption applied to a binary confounder and observed proxy.
result Adjusting for a proxy produces a measure of the effect between unadjusted and true measures.