Design sensitivity analysis using EAL. Part 1: Conventional design parameters

A numerical implementation of design sensitivity analysis of builtup structures is presented, using the versatility and convenience of an existing finite element structural analysis code and its database management system. The finite element code used in the implemenatation presented is the Engineering Analysis Language (EAL), which is based on a hybrid method of analysis. It was shown that design sensitivity computations can be carried out using the database management system of EAL, without writing a separate program and a separate database. Conventional (sizing) design parameters such as cross-sectional area of beams or thickness of plates and plane elastic solid components are considered. Compliance, displacement, and stress functionals are considered as performance criteria. The method presented is being extended to implement shape design sensitivity analysis using a domain method and a design component method

W42 - a scalable spatial database system for holding Digital Elevation Models

The design of a scalable system for holding spatial data in general and digital elevation models (DEMs) in specific has to account for the characteristics of data from various application fields. The data can be heterogeneous in coverage, as well as in resolution, information content and quality. A database aiming at the representation of world-wide DEMs has to consider these differences in the design of the system with respect to the structure and the algorithms. The database system W42, which is presented in the work at hand, is a scalable spatial database system capable of holding, extracting, mosaicking, and fusing spatial data represented in raster- as well as in vector-format. Design aspects for this task can be specified as holding spatial data in unique data structures and providing unique access functions to the data. These are subject of this work as well as first experiences gained from the implementation of part of the extensions made for the TanDEM-X mission

A Database Interface for Complex Objects

We describe a formal design for a logical query language using psi-terms as data structures to interact effectively and efficiently with a relational database. The structure of psi-terms provides an adequate representation for so-called complex objects. They generalize conventional terms used in logic programming: they are typed attributed structures, ordered thanks to a subtype ordering. Unification of psi-terms is an effective means for integrating multiple inheritance and partial information into a deduction process. We define a compact database representation for psi-terms, representing part of the subtyping relation in the database as well. We describe a retrieval algorithm based on an abstract interpretation of the psi-term unification process and prove its formal correctness. This algorithm is efficient in that it incrementally retrieves only additional facts that are actually needed by a query, and never retrieves the same fact twice

engineering approach to atomic transaction verification: use of a simple object model to achieve semantics-based reasoning at compile-time

In this paper, we take an engineering approach to atomic transaction verification. We discuss the design and implementation of a verification tool that can reason about the semantics of atomic database operations. To bridge the gap between language design and automated reasoning, we make use of a simple model of objects that imitates the type-tagged memory structure of an implementation. This simple model is sufficient to describe the operational semantics of the typical features of an object-oriented database programming language, such as bounded iteration, heterogeneity, object creation, and nil values. The same model lends itself to automated reasoning with a theorem prover system. We are thus able to apply theorem prover technology to verification problems that address transaction semantics. The work has applications in the areas of transaction safety, semantics-based concurrency control, and cooperative work. The approach is illustrated by a graph editing example, with heterogeneous node structures

Exploration into technical procedures for vertical integration

Issues in the design and use of a digital geographic information system incorporating landuse, zoning, hazard, LANDSAT, and other data are discussed. An eleven layer database was generated. Issues in spatial resolution, registration, grid versus polygonal structures, and comparison of photointerpreted landuse to LANDSAT land cover are examined

Influence of concrete composition on chloride ingress and carbonation : analysis by means of an extended data-set

In 2015 an IWT-TETRA project, called DurOBet, was initiated focusing on service life design assessment according to different chloride diffusion and carbonation models applied on Belgian concrete mixtures. The main purpose of this research project is to develop a quantitative method for a service-life based design of concrete structures, more particular applicable for the Belgian concrete industry. In this way an improvement of the deemed-to-satisfy approach of the EN206-1 code can be established which is more reliable with regards to service life predictions of concrete structures. In the framework of this DurOBet project it was decided to develop an extensive database incorporating concrete related results on i) fresh properties, ii) hardened properties and iii) durability related properties such as porosity, permeability and more specifically on chloride ingress and carbonation. The data originate from numerous journal articles and conference papers, doctoral research projects and master thesis studies. At this time more than 100 papers or studies were investigated, reported between 1992 and 2016, generating a dataset of over a thousand unique concrete recipes, geographically spread but with focus on the concrete mixes applicable for the Belgian industry. Both traditional and self-compacting concrete mixes are incorporated into the database. This database is being used for the analysis of the durability related properties, such as the chloride diffusion and carbonation coefficient, and their relation with mix proportioning parameters of the concrete mixtures (cement or binder content, type of binder, water-to-binder ratio,…). The main focus of this paper is to highlight the framework of the database: the mix proportioning of the concrete mixes is being discussed and the origin of the concrete data (country, reference info, etc.). By means of data mining and some known relations with respect to the durability related properties, e.g. correlation between w/b-ratio and chloride diffusion coefficient, are being evaluated

Database Systems - Present and Future

The database systems have nowadays an increasingly important role in the knowledge-based society, in which computers have penetrated all fields of activity and the Internet tends to develop worldwide. In the current informatics context, the development of the applications with databases is the work of the specialists. Using databases, reach a database from various applications, and also some of related concepts, have become accessible to all categories of IT users. This paper aims to summarize the curricular area regarding the fundamental database systems issues, which are necessary in order to train specialists in economic informatics higher education. The database systems integrate and interfere with several informatics technologies and therefore are more difficult to understand and use. Thus, students should know already a set of minimum, mandatory concepts and their practical implementation: computer systems, programming techniques, programming languages, data structures. The article also presents the actual trends in the evolution of the database systems, in the context of economic informatics.database systems - DBS, database management systems – DBMS, database – DB, programming languages, data models, database design, relational database, object-oriented systems, distributed systems, advanced database systems

LOGICAL AND PHYSICAL TEMPORAL-DATABASE DESIGN

This paper examines problems and approaches to logical and physical temporal-database design. The logical model is used to determine the functionality required of the physical design. Due to the special nature of temporal data, existing database structures are inadequate. The nature of physical design problems are examined and some solutions proposed. A multi-dimensional file partitioning algorithm is proposed; this algorithm is appropriate for certain temporal-database environments

CONSTRUCTION OF COMPUTATIONAL 3D STRUCTURES OF PROTEIN DRUG TARGETS OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS

Objective: This study aims in constructing a three-dimensional modeled protein structure of potential drug targets in Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Methods: The protein models were constructed using SWISS-Model online tool. The constructed protein models were submitted in online database called Protein Model Database (PMDB) for public access to the structures. Results: A total of 100 protein sequences of M. tuberculosis were retrieved from UniProt database and were subjected for sequence similarity search and homology model construction. The constructed models were subjected for Ramachandran plot analysis to validate the quality of the structures. A total of 69 structures were considered to be of significant quality and were submitted to the online database PMDB. Conclusion: These predicted structures would help greatly in identification and drug design to various strains of M. tuberculosis that are sensitive and resistant to different antibiotics. This would greatly help in drug development and personalized drug treatment against different strains of the pathogen. This database would significantly support the structure-based computational drug design applications toward personalized medicine in regard to differences in the various strains of the pathogen