Set-Oriented Mining for Association Rules in Relational Databases

Describe set-oriented algorithms for mining association rules. Such algorithms imply performing multiple joins and may appear to be inherently less efficient than special-purpose algorithms. We develop new algorithms that can be expressed as SQL queries, and discuss the optimization of these algorithms. After analytical evaluation, an algorithm named SETM emerges as the algorithm of choice. SETM uses only simple database primitives, viz. sorting and merge-scan join. SETM is simple, fast and stable over the range of parameter values. The major contribution of this paper is that it shows that at least some aspects of data mining can be carried out by using general query languages such as SQL, rather than by developing specialized black-box algorithms. The set-oriented nature of SETM facilitates the development of extension

Blind frequency-offset estimator for OFDM systems transmitting constant-modulus symbols

We address the problem of carrier frequency offset (CFO) synchronization in OFDM communications systems in the context of frequency-selective fading channels. We consider the case where the transmitted symbols have constant modulus, i.e., PSK constellations. A novel blind CFO estimation algorithm is developed. The new algorithm is shown to greatly outperform a recently published blind technique that exploits the fact that practical OFDM systems are not fully loaded. Further, the proposed algorithm is consistent even when the system is fully loaded. Finally, the proposed CFO estimator is obtained via a one-dimensional search, the same as with the existing virtual subcarrier-based estimator, but achieves a substantial gain in performance (10-dB SNR or one order of magnitude in CFO MSE)

Channel estimation and symbol detection for block transmission using data-dependent superimposed training

We address the problem of frequency-selective channel estimation and symbol detection using superimposed training. The superimposed training consists of the sum of a known sequence and a data-dependent sequence that is unknown to the receiver. The data-dependent sequence cancels the effects of the unknown data on channel estimation. The performance of the proposed approach is shown to significantly outperform existing methods based on superimposed training (ST)

Associations Between Positive Body Image, Sexual Liberalism, and Unconventional Sexual Practices in U.S. Adults

While studies have documented robust relationships between body image and sexual health outcomes, few studies have looked beyond sexual functioning in women. Here, we hypothesized that more positive body image would be associated with greater sexual liberalism and more positive attitudes toward unconventional sexual practices. An online sample of 151 women and 164 men from the U.S. completed measures of sexual liberalism, attitudes toward unconventional sexual practices, and indices of positive body image (i.e., body appreciation, body acceptance by others, body image flexibility, and body pride), and provided their demographic details. Regression analyses indicated that, once the effects of sexual orientation, relationship status, age, and body mass index had been accounted for, higher body appreciation was significantly associated with greater sexual liberalism in women and men. Furthermore, higher body appreciation and body image flexibility were significantly associated with more positive attitudes toward unconventional sexual practices in women and men. These results may have implications for scholars working from a sex-positive perspective, particularly in terms of understanding the role body image plays in sexual attitudes and behaviors

Examination of the factor structure of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) among British and Trinidadian adults

Much debate in schizotypal research has centred on the factor structure of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), with research variously showing higher-order dimensionality consisting of two to seven dimensions. In addition, cross-cultural support for the stability of those factors remains limited. Here, we examined the factor structure of the SPQ among British and Trinidadian adults. Participants from a White British sub-sample (n = 351) resident in the UK and from an African Caribbean sub-sample (n = 284) resident in Trinidad completed the SPQ. The higher-order factor structure of the SPQ was analysed through confirmatory factor analysis, followed by multiple-group analysis for the model of best-fit. Between-group differences for sex and ethnicity were investigated using multivariate analysis of variance in relation to the higher-order domains. The model of best-fit was the four-factor structure, which demonstrated measurement invariance across groups. Additionally, these data had an adequate fit for two alternative models: a) 3 factors and b) a modified 4-factor. The British sub-sample had significantly higher scores across all domains than the Trinidadian group, and men scored significantly higher on the disorganised domain than women. The four-factor structure received confirmatory support and, importantly, support for use with populations varying in ethnicity and culture

Distributed optimization framework for in-network data processing

In-Network Processing (INP) is an effective way to aggregate and process data from different sources and forward the aggregated data to other nodes for further processing until it reaches the end user. There is a trade-off between energy consumption for processing data and communication energy spent on transferring the data. Specifically, aggressive data aggregation consumes much energy for processing, but results in less data for transmission, thus using less energy for communications, and vice versa. An essential requirement in the INP process is to ensure that the user expectation of quality of information (QoI) is delivered during the process. Using wireless sensor networks for illustration and with the aim of minimising the total energy consumption of the system, we study and formulate the trade-off problem as a nonlinear optimisation problem where the goal is to determine the optimal data reduction rate, while satisfying the QoI required by the user. The formulated problem is a Signomial Programming (SP) problem, which is a non-convex optimisation problem and very hard to be solved directly. We propose two solution frameworks. First, we introduce an equivalent problem which is still SP and non-convex as the original one, but we prove that the strong duality property holds, and propose an efficient distributed algorithm to obtain the optimal data reduction rates, while delivering the required QoI. The second framework applies to the system with identical nodes and parameter settings. In such cases, we prove that the complexity of the problem can be reduced logarithmically. We evaluate our proposed frameworks under different parameter settings and illustrate the validity and performance of the proposed techniques through extensive simulation

“Mirror, mirror…” A preliminary investigation of skin tone dissatisfaction and its impact among British adults

This study examined skin tone dissatisfaction, measured using a skin tone chart, among a multiethnic sample of British adults. A total of 648 British White individuals, 292 British South Asians, and 260 British African Caribbean participants completed a visual task in which they were asked to indicate their actual and ideal skin tones. They also completed measures of body appreciation, self-esteem, and ethnic identity attachment. Results showed that Asians had a lighter skin tone ideal than White and African Caribbean participants. Conversely, White participants had higher skin tone dissatisfaction (preferring a darker skin tone) than Asian and African Caribbean participants, who preferred a lighter skin tone. Results also showed that skin tone dissatisfaction predicted body appreciation once the effects of participant ethnicity, age, ethnic identity attachment, and self-esteem had been accounted for. Implications of our findings and suggestions for future research are discussed