Causes of the Violation of Integrity Constraints for Supporting the Quality of Databases

[EN] The quality of the information provided by databases can be captured by integrity constraints. Thus, violated cases of constraints may serve as a basis for measuring the quality of given database states. A quality metric with the potential of more accuracy is obtained by measuring the causes, i.e., data that are responsible for constraint violations. Such measures also serve for controlling quality impairment across updates.Partially supported by FEDER and the Spanish grants TIN2009-14460-C03 and TIN2010-17139Decker, H. (2011). Causes of the Violation of Integrity Constraints for Supporting the Quality of Databases. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 6786:283-292. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21934-4_24S2832926786Ceri, S., Gottlob, G., Tanca, L.: What you always wanted to know about Datalog (and never dared to ask). TKDE 1(1), 146–166 (1989)Christiansen, H., Martinenghi, D.: On simplification of database integrity constraints. Fundam. Inform. 71(4), 371–417 (2006)Decker, H.: Answers that Have Integrity in Databases that Violate Constraints. Presented at the ICALP Workshop SDKB 2010, to appear in the Post-Workshop Proceedings of SDKB (2011)Decker, H.: Toward a uniform cause-based approach to inconsistency-tolerant database semantics. In: Meersman, R., Dillon, T., Herrero, P. (eds.) OTM 2010. LNCS, vol. 6427, pp. 983–998. Springer, Heidelberg (2010)Decker, H.: Quantifying the Quality of Stored Data by Measuring their Integrity. In: Proc. DIWT 2009, Workshop SMM, pp. 823–828. IEEE, Los Alamitos (2009)Decker, H., Martinenghi, D.: Inconsistency-tolerant Integrity Checking. TKDE 23(2), 218–234 (2011)Decker, H., Martinenghi, D.: Modeling, measuring and monitoring the quality of information. In: Heuser, C.A., Pernul, G. (eds.) ER 2009. LNCS, vol. 5833, pp. 212–221. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)Grant, J., Hunter, A.: Measuring inconsistency in knowledgebases. J. Intelligent Information Systems 27(2), 159–184 (2006)Ramakrishnan, R., Gehrke, J.: Database Management Systems. McGraw-Hill, New York (2003

Street Outreach Workers: Best Practices and Lessons Learned

Street outreach workers are an important part of the Senator Charles E. Shannon Jr. Community Safety Initiative (CSI) comprehensive gang and youth violence reduction strategy in Massachusetts1. Street outreach involves the use of individuals to “work the streets,” making contact with youth in neighborhoods with high levels of gang activity. These individuals are generally not employed by the criminal justice system agencies but rather are based in community service organizations or other non- governmental agencies. Street outreach workers provide an important bridge between the community, gang-involved youth, and the agencies (whether social service or law enforcement) that respond to the problems of delinquency and gangs. This guide offers information, guidance, and lessons learned from street outreach programs nationally and within the Massachusetts Shannon CSI communities to help guide existing street outreach programs and support communities considering developing new street outreach programs

Clinical presentation and outcome of dogs treated medically or surgically for thoracolumbar intervertebral disc protrusion

To date, few studies have investigated the clinical characteristics of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc protrusion (IVDP). The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the presentation and outcome of dogs receiving medical or surgical treatment for thoracolumbar IVDP. Eighty-four dogs were included, with a median age of 9.4 years. German shepherd dogs and Staffordshire bull terriers were the most common breeds. Significantly more surgically treated dogs (n=53) had neurological deficits and were non-ambulatory, compared with medically treated (n=31). Outcome data were available for 27 of 31 medically managed dogs; 11 initially improved, 7 remained stable and 9 deteriorated. Of 18 dogs that initially improved or stabilised, 10 (55.6 per cent) demonstrated recurrence of clinical signs within 12 months of diagnosis. Outcome data were available for 45 of 50 surgically treated dogs that survived to hospital discharge; 34 improved, 9 remained stable and 2 deteriorated following surgery. Of 43 dogs that improved or stabilised with surgical treatment, 11 (25.6 per cent) demonstrated recurrence of clinical signs within 12 months of surgery. Overall, significantly more surgically treated dogs (71.1 per cent) had a successful outcome, consisting of sustained clinical improvement of more than 12 months duration, compared with medically treated dogs (29.6 per cent)

THE NUCLEAR ROCKET: NEW POWERPLANT FOR SPACE VEHICLE PROPULSION

A fundamental and practical survey is made of nuclear rocket application to space vehicle propulsion. The engine is described and propellant and radiation effects are discussed. Project Rover is summarized and performance requirements for a space vehicle are discussed. It is concluded that nuclear rockets can provide substantial performance, reliability, and economic advantages for difficult space missions. (T.R.H.