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arXiv Machine Learning

Conditional Kernel Stein Discrepancy

The paper introduces a Conditional Kernel Stein Discrepancy (CKSD) that extends traditional Kernel Stein Discrepancies to evaluate goodness‑of‑fit for conditional distributions. By employing an operator‑valued kernel on the covariate space, the authors lift unconditional KSDs to settings where only a conditional target model and joint samples are available, covering both smooth manifolds and discrete spaces. They prove that the CKSD statistic vanishes exactly when the conditional model matches the true conditional distribution for almost all covariates, and demonstrate its practical effectiveness through experiments on level, power, and runtime.

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arXiv Machine Learning
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Measuring Differences between Conditional Distributions using Kernel Embeddings

The paper introduces a unified framework for measuring divergences between conditional distributions using kernel embeddings, termed conditional maximum mean discrepancy (CMMD). It defines a family of CMMD metrics—CMMD_0, CMMD_1, and CMMD_2—each based on different RKHS embeddings, and generalizes them to a level‑s CMMD with clear assumptions and operator‑based smoothing connections. Additionally, the authors present a novel doubly robust estimator for CMMD and demonstrate through experiments that the metric captures complex conditional dependencies for statistical testing.

By Peter Moskvichev, Siu Lun Chau, Dino Sejdinovic
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arXiv Machine Learning
Jul 28

Minimax Lower Bounds of Kernel Discrepancy Estimation: MMD, HSIC, KSD

arXiv:2607. 24235v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Over the past 20 years, kernel discrepancies have been leveraged as a highly powerful tool for quantifying the disagreement of distributions, with numerous successful applications in two-sample, goodness-of-fit, and independence testing, among others.

By Jose Cribeiro-Ramallo, Florian Kalinke, Zolt\'an Szab\'o
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arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 8

Unbounded Characteristic and Universal Kernels

arXiv:2610.09731v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Kernel methods are among the most powerful tools in machine learning and statistics, with a large number of successful applications. Their immense su...

By Jose Cribeiro-Ramallo, Florian Kalinke, Zolt\'an Szab\'o
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arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 23

Conditional Distributional Treatment Effects: Doubly Robust Estimation and Testing

The paper introduces a new estimand for conditional distributional treatment effects that captures how treatments influence the entire outcome distribution, including variance and tail risks, in a covariate-dependent manner. It presents a doubly robust estimator that is minimax optimal locally and uses it to construct a test for global homogeneity of conditional potential outcome distributions. The test accommodates discrepancies beyond the maximum mean discrepancy, guarantees valid type‑1 error, is consistent against fixed alternatives, and includes a computationally efficient, permutation‑free algorithm with exact closed‑form expressions for two natural discrepancies.

By Saksham Jain, Alex Luedtke
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