Query Translation in a Database Sharing Peer to Peer Network

In a peer to peer database sharing network users query data from all peers using one query as if they are querying data from one database. Implementing such a facility requires solutions to the problems of schema conflicts and query translation. Query translation is the problem of rewriting a query posed in terms of one schema to the query in terms of the other schema. Schema conflicts refer to the problems which come as the results of integrating data from databases which were designed independently. This paper proposes the architecture for integrating and querying databases in the peer to peer (P2P)network

Determining the preferred representation of temporal constraints in conceptual models

The need for expressing temporal constraints in conceptual models is well-known, but it is unclear which representation is preferred and what would be easier to understand by modellers. We assessed five different modes of representing temporal constraints, being the formal semantics, Description logics notation, a coding-style notation, temporal EER diagrams, and (pseudo-)natural language sentences. The same information was presented to 15 participants in an experimental evaluation. Principally, it showed that 1) there was a clear preference for diagrams and natural language versus a dislike for other representations; 2) diagrams were preferred for simple constraints, but the natural language rendering was preferred for more complex temporal constraints; and 3) a multi-modal modelling tool will be needed for the data analysis stage to be effective

Mapster: A Peer-to-Peer Data Sharing Environment

This paper describes a system called Mapster that allows users in a P2P network to share their databases. The research addresses problems of heterogeneity and scalability in P2P databases. To provide fine-grained access to users’ databases, schema matching and a super-peer topology are used. The schema matching component allows information to be translated by semi-automatically determining the mappings between the databases within the P2P network. A super-peer topology enables the schema matching techniques to operate effectively in large, dynamic, heterogeneous networks

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

A Web tool for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (CS03-18-00) ABSTRACT

Geographic information system (GIS) users are growing in numbers everyday. The need for GIS systems is on an increase. This requires that information be made available on a large scale. This is a major problem that many GIS users are faced with. They require a tool that will allow them to supply the dataset and rapidly generate a resulting geographic web map that will be accessible by virtually anyone. Having been approached by the Marine &amp; Coastal Management (MCM) services of Western Cape as well as the Cape Metropolitan Council (CMC) with this exact dilemma, we felt that their was a real need to develop a system that could help these GIS users. In essence, the system provides: • Useful and informative interactive mapping capabilities • A tool to dynamically generate these maps which can then be placed on the web for easy access The maps need to provide basic browsing capabilities, such as zooming, panning and layering various themes for display. Ideally it should provide added functionality, such as providing unique symbols for various features on the map. G-WIS, short for Geographic Web-tool Information System, is a tool that allows users to extract and publish these geographic web maps with relative ease. G-WIS is a stand-alone tool that is based on solid interface design Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee