每日简报

MediEncoder：高维因果中介分析的非线性表示学习AI 解读

Causal mediation analysis decomposes a treatment effect into indirect pathways through mediators and direct pathways not operating through them. Modern biomedical studies often involve high-dimensional covariates and mediators that are noisy proxies for lower-dimensional latent biological processes. Existing methods typically rely on sparsity, linear factor models, or ignore the connection among variables in the learned representations, which can be restrictive when…

Plackett–Burman 设计应用中的因果推断AI 解读

Driven by four applications of Plackett-Burman (PB) designs, this paper proposes a causal inference framework based on potential outcomes. First, we define the causal effects of the PB designs under finite populations. The Neymanian estimator of causal effects is then obtained, including the estimated variance and covariance. Furthermore, we conduct a sharp null-hypothesis test and construct the Fisherian interval using an algorithm. Finally, the proposed methods are…

弱工具变量与处理效应异质性下对两阶段最小二乘目标量的推断AI 解读

Traditional inference on the coefficient in an instrumental variables regression does not retain size when the instrument set is weak. With constant treatment effects or one instrument, the Anderson and Rubin (1949) AR test, the Klieibergen (2002)-Moreira (2003) LM test, and the Moreira CLR test provide robust alternatives which retain validity. Under treatment effect heterogeneity, no valid inference procedure exists in the overidentified setting. This paper develops the…

一步结果插补：多重插补的替代方法AI 解读

Missing outcomes in randomized controlled trials are often handled by multiple imputation (MI). Rubin's rules are routinely used to estimate standard errors but can fail to provide valid standard error estimates for some commonly used procedures, such as reference-based imputation. We propose a one-step alternative by explicitly targeting the treatment effect implied by a given imputation model and constructing an efficient one-step estimator for that treatment effect via…

带均衡约束的结构估计序贯算法AI 解读

This study examines sequential algorithms with the Zero Jacobian Property (ZJP) for estimating structural models subject to equilibrium constraints. For the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), the current study shows that these algorithms attains fast (near-quadratic) local convergence in large samples to the solution of the constrained optimization problem. If consistent initial estimates of the parameters are available, the…

处理效应完全中介与因果机制可识别性的检验AI 解读

In causal analysis, understanding the causal mechanisms through which an intervention or treatment affects an outcome is often of central interest. We propose a test to evaluate (i) whether the causal effect of a treatment that is randomly assigned conditional on covariates is fully mediated by, or operates exclusively through, observed intermediate outcomes (referred to as mediators or surrogate outcomes), and (ii) whether the various causal mechanisms operating through…

中介模型与动态处理模型中的识别检验AI 解读

We propose a test for the identification of causal effects in mediation and dynamic treatment models that is based on two sets of observed variables, namely covariates to be controlled for and suspected instruments, building on the test by Huber and Kueck (2022) for single treatment models. We consider models with a sequential assignment of a treatment and a mediator to assess the direct treatment effect (net of the mediator), the indirect treatment effect (via the…

配对整群随机实验中基于设计的处理效应估计框架AI 解读

Paired cluster-randomized experiments (pCRTs) are common in education program impact evaluation trials. Although common, there is surprisingly no clear consensus regarding how to analyze this randomization design to estimate average treatment effects. Variance estimation is also complicated due to the dependency created through pairing clusters. Therefore, we aim to provide an intuitive and practical comparison between different estimation strategies for pCRTs to inform…

利用代理变量与工具变量处理 Perturb-seq 中的未观测混杂AI 解读

Emerging single-cell technologies that combine CRISPR-based genetic perturbations with single-cell RNA sequencing, such as Perturb-seq, offer unprecedented opportunities to uncover cause-and-effect relationships among genes. Nonetheless, Perturb-seq experiments are subject to unobserved factors that, if not properly handled, can severely bias the inferred causal relationships between genes. These latent factors may arise not only from intrinsic molecular features of the…