Sufficient Dimension Folding for Regression Mean Function

In this article, we consider sufficient dimension folding for the regression mean function when predictors are matrix- or array-valued. We propose a new concept named central mean dimension folding subspace and its two local estimation methods: folded outer product of gradients estimation (folded-OPG) and folded minimum average variance estimation (folded-MAVE). We establish the asymptotic properties for folded-MAVE. A modified BIC criterion is used to determine the dimensions of the central mean dimension folding subspace. We evaluate the performances of the two local estimation methods by simulated examples and demonstrate the efficacy of folded-MAVE in finite samples. And in particular, we apply our methods to analyze a longitudinal study of primary biliary cirrhosis. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.