Temporal Stream Algebra

Data stream management systems (DSMS) so far focus on event queries and hardly consider combined queries to both data from event streams and from a database. However, applications like emergency management require combined data stream and database queries. Further requirements are the simultaneous use of multiple timestamps after different time lines and semantics, expressive temporal relations between multiple time-stamps and exible negation, grouping and aggregation which can be controlled, i. e. started and stopped, by events and are not limited to fixed-size time windows. Current DSMS hardly address these requirements. This article proposes Temporal Stream Algebra (TSA) so as to meet the afore mentioned requirements. Temporal streams are a common abstraction of data streams and data- base relations; the operators of TSA are generalizations of the usual operators of Relational Algebra. A in-depth 'analysis of temporal relations guarantees that valid TSA expressions are non-blocking, i. e. can be evaluated incrementally. In this respect TSA differs significantly from previous algebraic approaches which use specialized operators to prevent blocking expressions on a "syntactical" level

Leveraging Social Networks in Direct Services: Are Foundations Doing All They Can?

· Social networks are critical to physical and mental health, and they shape how people see themselves and their possible futures. · Social networks represent an under-leveraged resource in social services’ efforts to alleviate poverty and other social challenges. · Foundations may be unintentionally creating barriers to practice that leverages social networks by incentivizing individually-focused, highly specific services delivered in standardized, replicable ways. · “Network-oriented” practice can help craft a new way forward that threads the needle between everything-is-different-for-everyone and everything- is-the-same-for-everyone. · By focusing funding on efforts that build and support social networks, foundations can deepen and sustain the impact of their funding

Analysing Temporal Relations – Beyond Windows, Frames and Predicates

This article proposes an approach to rely on the standard operators of relational algebra (including grouping and ag- gregation) for processing complex event without requiring window specifications. In this way the approach can pro- cess complex event queries of the kind encountered in appli- cations such as emergency management in metro networks. This article presents Temporal Stream Algebra (TSA) which combines the operators of relational algebra with an analy- sis of temporal relations at compile time. This analysis de- termines which relational algebra queries can be evaluated against data streams, i. e. the analysis is able to distinguish valid from invalid stream queries. Furthermore the analysis derives functions similar to the pass, propagation and keep invariants in Tucker's et al. \Exploiting Punctuation Seman- tics in Continuous Data Streams". These functions enable the incremental evaluation of TSA queries, the propagation of punctuations, and garbage collection. The evaluation of TSA queries combines bulk-wise and out-of-order processing which makes it tolerant to workload bursts as they typically occur in emergency management. The approach has been conceived for efficiently processing complex event queries on top of a relational database system. It has been deployed and tested on MonetDB

Building institutional capacity for industrial symbiosis development : a case study of an industrial symbiosis coordination network in China

Recent research has examined how the concept of institutional capacity relates to the ability of organisations to deliver industrial symbiosis, and in particular how that ability itself can develop over time. One approach to developing industrial symbiosis has been to build a network of local bodies to work together to this end. Terming such a body an industrial symbiosis coordination network, this study innovatively applies institutional capacity building theory in the context of a Chinese eco-industrial park. It examines how the coordination network developed the expertise to encourage local companies to engage in industrial symbiosis. This research consisted of a qualitative study, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis to analyse the development of an industrial symbiosis coordination network in Tianjin Binhai New Area. It is found that the network increased institutional capacity for local IS development by promoting relational links across organisational divisions and governance levels, and by increasing various types of knowledge for coordinating IS. The concept of institutional capacity building is shown to have cross-cultural applicability. Reflections on this study indicate that local government can play a vital role in building and maintaining an IS coordination network in the Chinese context, but that other bodies are also needed to mobilise institutional capacity for IS development

Psychological Contracts, OCB and Customer Service: An Exploratory Examination

This paper examines the relationships among the psychological contract, fairness, OCB, and customer service. We report on two exploratory studies that provide insight into psychological contract violations and subsequent perceptions of fairness, as well as OCB activity. A linkage is made between psychological contracts and behavior directed internally and those directed externally (i.e., customer service). We extend the current theory to suggest implications for effectively managing customer service employee OCB. Finally, suggestions are made for both practice and future research to be conducted in a multidisciplinary design

A new model to support the personalised management of a quality e-commerce service

The paper presents an aiding model to support the management of a high quality e-commerce service. The approach focuses on the service quality aspects related to customer relationship management (CRM). Knowing the individual characteristics of a customer, it is possible to supply a personalised and high quality service. A segmentation model, based on the "relationship evolution" between users and Web site, is developed. The method permits the provision of a specific service management for each user segment. Finally, some preliminary experimental results for a sport-clothing industry application are described

A Call to Arms: Revisiting Database Design

Good database design is crucial to obtain a sound, consistent database, and - in turn - good database design methodologies are the best way to achieve the right design. These methodologies are taught to most Computer Science undergraduates, as part of any Introduction to Database class. They can be considered part of the "canon", and indeed, the overall approach to database design has been unchanged for years. Moreover, none of the major database research assessments identify database design as a strategic research direction. Should we conclude that database design is a solved problem? Our thesis is that database design remains a critical unsolved problem. Hence, it should be the subject of more research. Our starting point is the observation that traditional database design is not used in practice - and if it were used it would result in designs that are not well adapted to current environments. In short, database design has failed to keep up with the times. In this paper, we put forth arguments to support our viewpoint, analyze the root causes of this situation and suggest some avenues of research.Comment: Removed spurious column break. Nothing else was change