Example 69.3 Choosing a PLS Model by Test Set Validation

This example demonstrates issues in spectrometric calibration. The data (Umetrics 1995) consist of spectrographic readings on 33 samples containing known concentrations of two amino acids, tyrosine and tryptophan. The spectra are measured at 30 frequencies across the overall range of frequencies. For example, Figure 69.3.1 shows the observed spectra for three samples, one with only tryptophan, one with only tyrosine, and one with a mixture of the two, all at a total concentration of .

Output 69.3.1 Spectra for Three Samples of Tyrosine and Tryptophan
Spectra for Three Samples of Tyrosine and Tryptophan

Of the 33 samples, 18 are used as a training set and 15 as a test set. The data originally appear in McAvoy et al. (1989).

These data were created in a lab, with the concentrations fixed in order to provide a wide range of applicability for the model. You want to use a linear function of the logarithms of the spectra to predict the logarithms of tyrosine and tryptophan concentration, as well as the logarithm of the total concentration. Actually, because of the possibility of zeros in both the responses and the predictors, slightly different transformations are used. The following statements create SAS data sets containing the training and test data, named ftrain and ftest, respectively.

data ftrain;
   input obsnam $ tot tyr f1-f30 @@;
   try = tot - tyr;
   if (tyr) then tyr_log = log10(tyr); else tyr_log = -8;
   if (try) then try_log = log10(try); else try_log = -8;
   tot_log = log10(tot);
   datalines;
17mix35 0.00003 0
 -6.215 -5.809 -5.114 -3.963 -2.897 -2.269 -1.675 -1.235
 -0.900 -0.659 -0.497 -0.395 -0.335 -0.315 -0.333 -0.377
 -0.453 -0.549 -0.658 -0.797 -0.878 -0.954 -1.060 -1.266
 -1.520 -1.804 -2.044 -2.269 -2.496 -2.714
19mix35 0.00003 3E-7
 -5.516 -5.294 -4.823 -3.858 -2.827 -2.249 -1.683 -1.218
 -0.907 -0.658 -0.501 -0.400 -0.345 -0.323 -0.342 -0.387
 -0.461 -0.554 -0.665 -0.803 -0.887 -0.960 -1.072 -1.272
 -1.541 -1.814 -2.058 -2.289 -2.496 -2.712
21mix35 0.00003 7.5E-7
 -5.519 -5.294 -4.501 -3.863 -2.827 -2.280 -1.716 -1.262
 -0.939 -0.694 -0.536 -0.444 -0.384 -0.369 -0.377 -0.421
 -0.495 -0.596 -0.706 -0.824 -0.917 -0.988 -1.103 -1.294
 -1.565 -1.841 -2.084 -2.320 -2.521 -2.729

   ... more lines ...   

mix6    0.0001 0.00009
 -1.140 -0.757 -0.497 -0.362 -0.329 -0.412 -0.513 -0.647
 -0.772 -0.877 -0.958 -1.040 -1.104 -1.162 -1.233 -1.317
 -1.425 -1.543 -1.661 -1.804 -1.877 -1.959 -2.034 -2.249
 -2.502 -2.732 -2.964 -3.142 -3.313 -3.576
;
data ftest;
   input obsnam $ tot tyr f1-f30 @@;
   try = tot - tyr;
   if (tyr) then tyr_log = log10(tyr); else tyr_log = -8;
   if (try) then try_log = log10(try); else try_log = -8;
   tot_log = log10(tot);
   datalines;
43trp6  1E-6 0
 -5.915 -5.918 -6.908 -5.428 -4.117 -5.103 -4.660 -4.351
 -4.023 -3.849 -3.634 -3.634 -3.572 -3.513 -3.634 -3.572
 -3.772 -3.772 -3.844 -3.932 -4.017 -4.023 -4.117 -4.227
 -4.492 -4.660 -4.855 -5.428 -5.103 -5.428
59mix6  1E-6 1E-7
 -5.903 -5.903 -5.903 -5.082 -4.213 -5.083 -4.838 -4.639
 -4.474 -4.213 -4.001 -4.098 -4.001 -4.001 -3.907 -4.001
 -4.098 -4.098 -4.206 -4.098 -4.213 -4.213 -4.335 -4.474
 -4.639 -4.838 -4.837 -5.085 -5.410 -5.410
51mix6  1E-6 2.5E-7
 -5.907 -5.907 -5.415 -4.843 -4.213 -4.843 -4.843 -4.483
 -4.343 -4.006 -4.006 -3.912 -3.830 -3.830 -3.755 -3.912
 -4.006 -4.001 -4.213 -4.213 -4.335 -4.483 -4.483 -4.642
 -4.841 -5.088 -5.088 -5.415 -5.415 -5.415

   ... more lines ...   

tyro2   0.0001 0.0001
 -1.081 -0.710 -0.470 -0.337 -0.327 -0.433 -0.602 -0.841
 -1.119 -1.423 -1.750 -2.121 -2.449 -2.818 -3.110 -3.467
 -3.781 -4.029 -4.241 -4.366 -4.501 -4.366 -4.501 -4.501
 -4.668 -4.668 -4.865 -4.865 -5.109 -5.111
;


The following statements fit a PLS model with 10 factors.

proc pls data=ftrain nfac=10;
   model tot_log tyr_log try_log = f1-f30;
run;

The table shown in Output 69.3.2 indicates that only three or four factors are required to explain almost all of the variation in both the predictors and the responses.

Output 69.3.2 Amount of Training Set Variation Explained
The PLS Procedure

Percent Variation Accounted for by Partial
Least Squares Factors
Number of
Extracted
Factors
Model Effects Dependent Variables
Current Total Current Total
1 81.1654 81.1654 48.3385 48.3385
2 16.8113 97.9768 32.5465 80.8851
3 1.7639 99.7407 11.4438 92.3289
4 0.1951 99.9357 3.8363 96.1652
5 0.0276 99.9634 1.6880 97.8532
6 0.0132 99.9765 0.7247 98.5779
7 0.0052 99.9817 0.2926 98.8705
8 0.0053 99.9870 0.1252 98.9956
9 0.0049 99.9918 0.1067 99.1023
10 0.0034 99.9952 0.1684 99.2707

In order to choose the optimal number of PLS factors, you can explore how well models based on the training data with different numbers of factors fit the test data. To do so, use the CV=TESTSET option, with an argument pointing to the test data set ftest. The following statements also employ the ODS Graphics features in PROC PLS to display the cross validation results in a plot.

ods graphics on;
 
proc pls data=ftrain nfac=10 cv=testset(ftest)
                             cvtest(stat=press seed=12345);
   model tot_log tyr_log try_log = f1-f30;
run;

The tabular results of the test set validation are shown in Output 69.3.3, and the graphical results are shown in Output 69.3.4. They indicate that, although five PLS factors give the minimum predicted residual sum of squares, the residuals for four factors are insignificantly different from those for five. Thus, the smaller model is preferred.

Output 69.3.3 Test Set Validation for the Number of PLS Factors
The PLS Procedure

Test Set Validation for
the Number of Extracted
Factors
Number of
Extracted
Factors
Root Mean PRESS Prob > PRESS
0 3.056797 <.0001
1 2.630561 <.0001
2 1.00706 0.0070
3 0.664603 0.0020
4 0.521578 0.3800
5 0.500034 1.0000
6 0.513561 0.5100
7 0.501431 0.6870
8 1.055791 0.1530
9 1.435085 0.1010
10 1.720389 0.0320

Minimum root mean PRESS 0.5000
Minimizing number of factors 5
Smallest number of factors with p > 0.1 4

Percent Variation Accounted for by Partial
Least Squares Factors
Number of
Extracted
Factors
Model Effects Dependent Variables
Current Total Current Total
1 81.1654 81.1654 48.3385 48.3385
2 16.8113 97.9768 32.5465 80.8851
3 1.7639 99.7407 11.4438 92.3289
4 0.1951 99.9357 3.8363 96.1652

Output 69.3.4 Test Set Validation Plot
 Test Set Validation Plot

The factor loadings show how the PLS factors are constructed from the centered and scaled predictors. For spectral calibration, it is useful to plot the loadings against the frequency. In many cases, the physical meanings that can be attached to factor loadings help to validate the scientific interpretation of the PLS model. You can use ODS Graphics with PROC PLS to plot the loadings for the four PLS factors against frequency, as shown in the following statements.

proc pls data=ftrain nfac=4 plot=XLoadingProfiles;
   model tot_log tyr_log try_log = f1-f30;
run;
 
ods graphics off;

The resulting plot is shown in Output 69.3.5.

Output 69.3.5 Predictor Loadings across Frequencies
Predictor Loadings across Frequencies

Notice that all four factors handle frequencies below and above about 7 or 8 differently. For example, the first factor is very nearly a simple contrast between the averages of the two sets of frequencies, and the second factor appears to be approximately a weighted sum of only the frequencies in the first set.