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Gaussian Mixture Model with unknown diagonal covariances via continuous sparse regularization

arXiv.org Machine Learning

This paper addresses the statistical estimation of Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) with unknown diagonal covariances from independent and identically distributed samples. We employ the Beurling-LASSO (BLASSO), a convex optimization framework that promotes sparsity in the space of measures, to simultaneously estimate the number of components and their parameters. Our main contribution extends the BLASSO methodology to multivariate GMMs with component-specific unknown diagonal covariance matrices-a significantly more flexible setting than previous approaches requiring known and identical covariances. We establish non-asymptotic recovery guarantees with nearly parametric convergence rates for component means, diagonal covariances, and weights, as well as for density prediction. A key theoretical contribution is the identification of an explicit separation condition on mixture components that enables the construction of non-degenerate dual certificates-essential tools for establishing statistical guarantees for the BLASSO. Our analysis leverages the Fisher-Rao geometry of the statistical model and introduces a novel semi-distance adapted to our framework, providing new insights into the interplay between component separation, parameter space geometry, and achievable statistical recovery.


Causal DAG Summarization (Full Version)

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Causal inference aids researchers in discovering cause-and-effect relationships, leading to scientific insights. Accurate causal estimation requires identifying confounding variables to avoid false discoveries. Pearl's causal model uses causal DAGs to identify confounding variables, but incorrect DAGs can lead to unreliable causal conclusions. However, for high dimensional data, the causal DAGs are often complex beyond human verifiability. Graph summarization is a logical next step, but current methods for general-purpose graph summarization are inadequate for causal DAG summarization. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing a causal graph summarization objective that balances graph simplification for better understanding while retaining essential causal information for reliable inference. We develop an efficient greedy algorithm and show that summary causal DAGs can be directly used for inference and are more robust to misspecification of assumptions, enhancing robustness for causal inference. Experimenting with six real-life datasets, we compared our algorithm to three existing solutions, showing its effectiveness in handling high-dimensional data and its ability to generate summary DAGs that ensure both reliable causal inference and robustness against misspecifications.