We study the fundamental problem of learning an unknown, smooth probability function via pointwise Bernoulli tests. We provide a scalable algorithm for efficiently solving this problem with rigorous guarantees. In particular, we prove the convergence rate of our posterior update rule to the true probability function in…
We propose a class of nonparametric two-sample tests with a cost linear in the sample size. Two tests are given, both based on an ensemble of distances between analytic functions representing each of the distributions. The first test uses smoothed empirical characteristic functions to represent the distributions, the s…
Generalizes Fenchel conjugation to nonlinear functions on arbitrary sets.
problem Extending Fenchel conjugation to functions on arbitrary sets without structure.
method Replacing linear test functions with nonlinear ones, investigating properties including biconjugation.
result Derived further results on smooth manifolds and Lie groups, relating to convexity.
New measure captures differences across entire distributions of counterfactual outcomes.
problem Capturing differences across entire distributions of counterfactual outcomes.
method Entropic optimal transport measure, statistical functional, smooth transformation of embeddings.
result Established first-order and second-order pathwise differentiability.
Recently, there has been a growing interest in the problem of learning rich implicit models - those from which we can sample, but can not evaluate their density. These models apply some parametric function, such as a deep network, to a base measure, and are learned end-to-end using stochastic optimization. One strategy…
We consider the goodness-of-fit testing problem of distinguishing whether the data are drawn from a specified distribution, versus a composite alternative separated from the null in the total variation metric. In the discrete case, we consider goodness-of-fit testing when the null distribution has a possibly growing or…
New test uses neural networks to compare distributions, outperforming traditional methods.
problem Comparing distributions in high dimensions and higher orders of smoothness.
method Integral probability metrics with Radon bounded variation functions and neural networks.
result The Radon-Kolmogorov-Smirnov (RKS) test outperforms traditional methods in distinguishing distributions.
Sharp inequalities in unit ball with constraints on moments.
problem Establishing Sobolev trace inequalities with constraints.
method Constructing smooth test functions for higher order moments.
result Almost optimal Sobolev trace inequalities for 2nd and 4th orders.
New methods for scoring function decomposition improve forecast evaluation.
problem Improving forecast evaluation and understanding forecast components.
method Linear recalibration of forecasts for miscalibration, discrimination, and uncertainty.
result Enhanced statistical power and deeper insights into forecast components.
New tests compare regression functions using machine learning, overcoming dimensionality issues.
problem Comparing regression functions in high-dimensional settings.
method Generalized kernel-based conditional mean dependence, machine learning methods for flexible estimation.
result Established asymptotic properties of tests under fixed and high-dimensional regimes.
In this paper we study a sharp Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev (HLS) type inequality with Riesz potential on bounded smooth domains. We obtain the inequality for a general bounded domain Ω and show that if the extension constant for Ω is strictly larger than the extension constant for the unit ball B1 then extremal fun…
We extend the problem of finding Hamiltonian-invariant volume forms on a Poisson manifold to the problem of construction of Hamiltonian-invariant generalized functions. For this we introduce the notion of generalized center of a Poisson algebra, which is the space of generalized Casimir functions. We study as the case …
Unified framework for testing deep learning models with concept activation vectors.
problem Statistical instability and discontinuity in testing with concept activation vectors.
method Introducing α-TCAV, a generalized framework that replaces the indicator function with a parameterized smooth function.
result Unified probabilistic formulation that subsumes TCAV and Multi-TCAV, providing principled guidance on tuning the parameter.
New GP model estimates piecewise continuous functions.
problem Piecewise continuous regression functions in scientific and engineering applications.
method Local Gaussian process model with partitioned local data and joint estimation of boundaries.
result Superior performance over conventional GP models in estimating piecewise regression functions.
Private two-sample tests under LDP achieve minimax rates for multinomial and continuous data.
problem Achieving statistical utility while maintaining privacy in two-sample testing.
method Private permutation tests for multinomial data and adaptive tests for continuous data.
result Minimax optimal tests for private two-sample testing under LDP.
Paper introduces a new test for conditional independence using weighted partial copulas.
problem Testing conditional independence between variables.
method The approach uses a weighted partial copula function and a bootstrap procedure to compute regions of rejection.
result The proposed test has competitive power compared to existing methods.
Input-dependent smoothing mitigates classical issues but suffers from the curse of dimensionality.
problem Certifiably robust classifiers with input-dependent smoothing suffer from the curse of dimensionality.
method Proposed a theoretical and practical framework for input-dependent smoothing under strict restrictions.
result Input-dependent smoothing mitigates some classical issues but is limited by the curse of dimensionality.
Machine learning algorithms are known to be susceptible to data poisoning attacks, where an adversary manipulates the training data to degrade performance of the resulting classifier. In this work, we present a unifying view of randomized smoothing over arbitrary functions, and we leverage this novel characterization t…
Formula proves invariant matches for smooth and orbifold test configurations.
problem Proving equivalence of Donaldson-Futaki invariant and Futaki invariant.
method Equivariant localization formula.
result Invariant matches for smooth and orbifold test configurations.
New framework for robust hypothesis testing using Sinkhorn uncertainty sets.
problem Non-convex robust hypothesis testing problem.
method Exact mixed-integer exponential conic reformulation and convex approximation.
result Satisfactory testing performance and computational efficiency.
The paper establishes a correspondence for projective bundles over curves using test configurations and extremal metrics.
problem Establishing a correspondence for projective bundles over curves using test configurations and extremal metrics.
method Constructing compatible test configurations and using the generalized Calabi ansatz.
result The relative uniform stability of \( (\mathbb{P}(E),[ω]) \) implies the existence of an extremal metric.
This article studies local and global inference for smoothing spline estimation in a unified asymptotic framework. We first introduce a new technical tool called functional Bahadur representation, which significantly generalizes the traditional Bahadur representation in parametric models, that is, Bahadur [Ann. Inst. S…
Early stopping of iterative algorithms is an algorithmic regularization method to avoid over-fitting in estimation and classification. In this paper, we show that early stopping can also be applied to obtain the minimax optimal testing in a general non-parametric setup. Specifically, a Wald-type test statistic is obtai…
Unified smoothing for robust classification improves accuracy.
problem Improving robustness of classifiers against adversarial attacks.
method Learned smoothed densities and randomized smoothing.
result Provable robust accuracies higher than state-of-the-art defenses.
Nonparametric tests via kernel embedding of distributions have witnessed a great deal of practical successes in recent years. However, statistical properties of these tests are largely unknown beyond consistency against a fixed alternative. To fill in this void, we study here the asymptotic properties of goodness-of-fi…
We consider the problem of comparing probability densities between two groups. A new probabilistic tensor product smoothing spline framework is developed to model the joint density of two variables. Under such a framework, the probability density comparison is equivalent to testing the presence/absence of interactions.…
New adaptive test for NPIV models controls size and has superior power.
problem Testing inequality and equality restrictions in nonparametric IV models.
method Adaptive hypothesis test based on modified leave-one-out sample quadratic distance.
result Adaptive test attains the adaptive minimax rate of testing in L2. New method tests tree models without causing computational pressure.
problem Incompatibility of adversarial robustness testing with tree ensembles.
method Smooths tree ensembles with sigmoid functions and uses gradient descent.
result Successfully reveals adversarial vulnerability of tree ensemble models.
Develops a new method for neural network significance testing without strict constraints.
problem Testing neural networks without bounded weights or specific architectural constraints.
method Uses Rademacher complexity bounds, weakened Sobolev space membership conditions, and a modified sieve space construction.
result Achieves optimal convergence rates and valid asymptotic distributions for test statistics.
Backdoor attacks make models predict a specific class near triggers, smoothing their decision function.
problem Understanding and mitigating backdoor attacks on deep neural networks.
method Defined a measure to quantify backdoor smoothing and detected other smoothing patterns.
result Backdoor attacks induce a smoother decision function around triggered samples.
Paper explains how tree ensembles improve predictions by smoothing and regulating smoothness.
problem Understanding why tree ensembles perform well despite their complexity.
method Interpreting tree ensembles as adaptive and self-regularizing smoothers.
result Ensemble trees make more smooth predictions than individual trees and adjust smoothness based on input dissimilarity.
The paper proposes a method to model non-smooth functions using clustering, classification, and Gaussian process modeling.
problem Modeling discontinuities and non-smoothness in expensive computational models.
method Three-stage approach combining clustering, classification, and Gaussian process modeling.
result The approach successfully models discontinuities and non-smoothness in various functions.
Survival trees exhibit end-cut preference, leading to biased splits.
problem End-cut preference in survival trees causes biased splits and poor interpretability.
method Proposed a smooth sigmoid surrogate (SSS) approach to replace hard-threshold indicator function.
result Smooth sigmoid surrogate (SSS) effectively mitigates end-cut preference in survival trees.
Bayesian nonparametric LABS model adapts to function smoothness in Besov spaces.
problem Estimating functions with unknown smoothness in Besov spaces.
method Lévy Adaptive B-spline (LABS) regression model with automatic smoothness adaptation.
result LABS posterior contracts around true function in Besov classes at nearly minimax-optimal rates.
Bayesian Probabilistic Integration uses BART for high-dimensional, non-smooth functions.
problem Bayesian quadrature's limitations in high-dimensional or non-smooth functions.
method Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) priors for numerical integration.
result Explicit convergence rates can be obtained in various settings.
T-Cal tests model calibration with a minimax optimal test.
problem Detecting mis-calibration of predictive models using a finite validation dataset.
method T-Cal is a minimax optimal test for calibration based on a debiased plug-in estimator of the ℓ2-Expected Calibration Error (ECE). result T-Cal is a practical tool for testing the calibration of probabilistic classification methods.
Surrogate-based analysis of interactions via local effect smooths
problem Detecting and characterizing feature interactions in machine learning models
method Surrogate-based analysis using generalized additive models
result Empirical validation of effectiveness for pairwise interactions
Paper studies minimax optimal regression using Laplacian smoothing over graphs.
problem Minimax optimal regression over Sobolev spaces.
method Laplacian smoothing on neighborhood graphs.
result Upper bounds match minimax optimal rates for first-order Sobolev class.
We study the problem of independence testing given independent and identically distributed pairs taking values in a σ-finite, separable measure space. Defining a natural measure of dependence D(f) as the squared L2-distance between a joint density f and the product of its marginals, we first show that there is…
New algorithm for safer machine learning with different testing and training distributions.
problem Challenges in modern machine learning where training and testing distributions differ.
method First-order optimization algorithm for superquantile-based learning.
result Promising numerical results show the approach's effectiveness.
New framework certifies robustness for regression models.
problem Certifying robustness for regression models is challenging.
method Derives a prediction-centered certificate that exploits local geometry.
result Gradient information yields tighter robustness certificates.
New theory of distributions on spaces with singular submanifolds.
problem Defining distributions on spaces with singular submanifolds.
method Construction of thick distributions, operations, and special distributions.
result Clarified connection between thick and classical distributions.
Enhances random forests by smoothing predictions for better performance.
problem Suboptimal performance due to piecewise constant predictions in random forests.
method Kernel-based smoothing mechanism to introduce local regularity.
result Smoothed random forest model consistently improves predictive performance.
Optimal inference in distributed quantile regression without stringent scaling conditions.
problem Challenges in achieving optimal inference in distributed quantile regression due to the non-smooth nature of the QR loss function.
method Double-smoothing approach applied to local and global objective functions, with a trade-off between communication cost and statistical error.
result Established a finite-sample theoretical framework for distributed QR estimators, showing a trade-off between communication cost and statistical error.
Adversarial training leads to large generalization gap, decomposed into bias and variance.
problem Understanding the large generalization gap in adversarially trained models.
method Bias-Variance decomposition of test risk as a function of adversarial perturbation radius.
result Bias increases monotonically with adversarial perturbation radius and is dominant in test risk.
Two-sample tests using MMD control type I error and achieve optimal power.
problem Developing reliable nonparametric two-sample tests for small sample sizes.
method Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD) for constructing novel nonparametric tests, proving non-asymptotic error control and optimality.
result MMDAgg test controls type I error and achieves minimax rate over Sobolev balls, outperforming other tests.
In 1948 Feynman introduced functional integration. Long ago the problematic aspect of measures in the space of fields was overcome with the introduction of volume elements in Probability Space, leading to stochastic formulations. More recently Cartier and DeWitt-Morette focused on the definition of a proper integration…
Conditional independence testing is a fundamental problem underlying causal discovery and a particularly challenging task in the presence of nonlinear and high-dimensional dependencies. Here a fully non-parametric test for continuous data based on conditional mutual information combined with a local permutation scheme …