Covariate Information Matrix for Sufficient Dimension Reduction

Sufficient Dimension Reduction: An Information-Theoretic Viewpoint

There has been a lot of interest in sufficient dimension reduction (SDR) methodologies, as well as nonlinear extensions in the statistics literature. The SDR methodology has previously been motivated by several considerations: (a) finding data-driven subspaces that capture the essential facets of regression relationships; (b) analyzing data in a ‘model-free’ manner. In this article, we develop an approach to interpreting SDR techniques using information theory. Such a framework leads to a more assumption-lean understanding of what SDR methods do and also allows for some connections to results in the information theory literature.

Covariate Information Number for Feature Screening in Ultrahigh-Dimensional Supervised Problems

Contemporary high-throughput experimental and surveying techniques give rise to ultrahigh-dimensional supervised problems with sparse signals; that is, a limited number of observations (n), each with a very large number of covariates (p >> n), only a small share of which is truly associated with the response. In these settings, major concerns on computational burden, algorithmic stability, and statistical accuracy call for substantially reducing the feature space by eliminating redundant covariates before the use of any sophisticated statistical analysis. Along the lines of Sure Independence Screening (Fan and Lv, 2008) and other model- and correlation-based feature screening methods, we propose a model-free procedure called Covariate Information Number - Sure Independence Screening (CIS). CIS uses a marginal utility connected to the notion of the traditional Fisher Information, possesses the sure screening property, and is applicable to any type of response (features) with continuous features (response). Simulations and an application to transcriptomic data on rats reveal the comparative strengths of CIS over some popular feature screening methods.