Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders

Background: Missing information is a constant issue in the clinical setting. The presence of missing values (MV) is triggered by the wrong acquisition of data or sudden events in the patient’s health condition. Imputation arises to replace the non-existent information with the twofold purpose of ben...

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Main Authors: Edwar Macias, Javier Serrano, Jose Lopez Vicario, Antoni Morell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2022-01-01
Series:Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine Update
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666990022000052
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author Edwar Macias
Javier Serrano
Jose Lopez Vicario
Antoni Morell
author_facet Edwar Macias
Javier Serrano
Jose Lopez Vicario
Antoni Morell
author_sort Edwar Macias
collection DOAJ
description Background: Missing information is a constant issue in the clinical setting. The presence of missing values (MV) is triggered by the wrong acquisition of data or sudden events in the patient’s health condition. Imputation arises to replace the non-existent information with the twofold purpose of benefiting from existing information and reducing bias in clinical settings. Mechanisms based on deep learning and multiple imputation (MI) are leading alternatives to impute MVs because of their capacity to extract complex relationships and the consideration of uncertainty that MI adds. Objective: This study aims to improve the reconstruction of missing information through a novel imputation alternative that integrates a MI paradigm into deep learning models. Methods: The proposed method integrates the MI paradigm into the latent representations of an autoencoder, the so-called codes. The average code is then computed, boosting a better latent representation of data. Finally, the average code is decoded to reconstruct MVs. Results: The proposed method is tested in 6 datasets with different patters of MVs. It is compared with solutions based on autoencoders and generative adversarial networks. For the random appearance of MVs, the proposed method outperforms 97% of the scenarios with a reconstruction gain that ranges 1.04-1.45. For the other MVs mechanisms, the proposed method improves the reconstruction in at least 69% of the experiments, with a gain of 1.13-1.91. Conclusion: The findings of the proposed approach showed that the reconstructive capacity of the average code outperforms in most of the scenarios its competitors and close to the best solution in the rest of the scenarios. The integration of the MI paradigm into latent representations of data and the computation of average codes allow a more robust representation of the data and enables the enhancement of current state-of-the-art methods for high MVs rates.
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spelling doaj.art-c5cb5a9cb97e41099fc9fbd763306bc12022-12-22T04:41:09ZengElsevierComputer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine Update2666-99002022-01-012100053Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencodersEdwar Macias0Javier Serrano1Jose Lopez Vicario2Antoni Morell3Corresponding author.; Wireless Information Networking (WIN) Group - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra 08193, SpainWireless Information Networking (WIN) Group - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra 08193, SpainWireless Information Networking (WIN) Group - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra 08193, SpainWireless Information Networking (WIN) Group - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra 08193, SpainBackground: Missing information is a constant issue in the clinical setting. The presence of missing values (MV) is triggered by the wrong acquisition of data or sudden events in the patient’s health condition. Imputation arises to replace the non-existent information with the twofold purpose of benefiting from existing information and reducing bias in clinical settings. Mechanisms based on deep learning and multiple imputation (MI) are leading alternatives to impute MVs because of their capacity to extract complex relationships and the consideration of uncertainty that MI adds. Objective: This study aims to improve the reconstruction of missing information through a novel imputation alternative that integrates a MI paradigm into deep learning models. Methods: The proposed method integrates the MI paradigm into the latent representations of an autoencoder, the so-called codes. The average code is then computed, boosting a better latent representation of data. Finally, the average code is decoded to reconstruct MVs. Results: The proposed method is tested in 6 datasets with different patters of MVs. It is compared with solutions based on autoencoders and generative adversarial networks. For the random appearance of MVs, the proposed method outperforms 97% of the scenarios with a reconstruction gain that ranges 1.04-1.45. For the other MVs mechanisms, the proposed method improves the reconstruction in at least 69% of the experiments, with a gain of 1.13-1.91. Conclusion: The findings of the proposed approach showed that the reconstructive capacity of the average code outperforms in most of the scenarios its competitors and close to the best solution in the rest of the scenarios. The integration of the MI paradigm into latent representations of data and the computation of average codes allow a more robust representation of the data and enables the enhancement of current state-of-the-art methods for high MVs rates.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666990022000052Average codeDeep learningAutoencoderMultiple imputation
spellingShingle Edwar Macias
Javier Serrano
Jose Lopez Vicario
Antoni Morell
Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders
Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine Update
Average code
Deep learning
Autoencoder
Multiple imputation
title Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders
title_full Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders
title_fullStr Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders
title_full_unstemmed Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders
title_short Multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders
title_sort multiple imputation using the average code from autoencoders
topic Average code
Deep learning
Autoencoder
Multiple imputation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666990022000052
work_keys_str_mv AT edwarmacias multipleimputationusingtheaveragecodefromautoencoders
AT javierserrano multipleimputationusingtheaveragecodefromautoencoders
AT joselopezvicario multipleimputationusingtheaveragecodefromautoencoders
AT antonimorell multipleimputationusingtheaveragecodefromautoencoders