Abstract: Methods for Markov boundary discovery are important recent developments in pattern recognition and applied statistics, primarily because they offer a principled solution to the variable/feature selection problem and give insight about local causal structure. Currently there exist two major local method families for identification of Markov boundaries from data: methods that directly implement the definition of the Markov boundary and newer compositional Markov boundary methods that are more sample efficient and thus often more accurate in practical applications. However, in the datasets with hidden (i.e., unmeasured or unobserved) variables compositional Markov boundary methods may miss some Markov boundary members.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for automatically analyzing data and constructing data classification models based on the data. In an embodiment of the method, the method includes selecting a best combination of methods from a plurality of classification, predictor selection, and data preparatory methods; and determining a best model that corresponds to one or more best parameters of the classification, predictor selection, and data preparatory methods for the data to be analyzed. The best model; and returning a small set of predictors sufficient for the classification task.

Abstract: The learning method taught in this patent document is significantly different from previous methods for automatic classification of citations that are labor intensive and subject to human bias and error. The present invention automatically generates and avoids these limitations. A set of operational definitions and features uniquely suited to the scientific literature is disclosed along with their use with a learning method that is capable of analyzing the textual content of articles along with bibliometric data to accurately classify instrumental citations.

Abstract: Methods for discovery of a Markov boundary from data constitute one of the most important recent developments in pattern recognition and applied statistics, primarily because they offer a principled solution to the variable/feature selection problem and give insight about local causal structure. Even though there is always a single Markov boundary of the response variable in faithful distributions, distributions with violations of the intersection property of probability theory may have multiple Markov boundaries. Such distributions are abundant in practical data-analytic applications, and there are several reasons why it is important to discover all Markov boundaries from such data. The present invention is a novel computer implemented generative method (termed TIE*) that can discover all Markov boundaries from a data sample drawn from a distribution. TIE* can be instantiated to discover all and only Markov boundaries independent of data distribution.

Abstract: A method of determining a local causal neighborhood of a target variable from a data set can include identifying variables of the data set as candidates of the local causal neighborhood using statistical characteristics, and including the identified variables within a candidate set. False positive variables can be removed from the candidate set according to further statistical characteristics applied to each variable of the candidate set. The remaining variables of the candidate set can be identified as the local causal neighborhood of the target variable.