Semantic heterogeneity: comparing new semantic web approaches with those of digital libraries

To demonstrate that newer developments in the semantic web community, particularly those based on ontologies (simple knowledge organization system and others) mitigate common arguments from the digital library (DL) community against participation in the Semantic web. The approach is a semantic web discussion focusing on the weak structure of the Web and the lack of consideration given to the semantic content during indexing. The points criticised by the semantic web and ontology approaches are the same as those of the DL ‘‘Shell model approach’’ from the mid-1990s, with emphasis on the centrality of its heterogeneity components (used, for example, in vascoda). The Shell model argument began with the ‘‘invisible web’’, necessitating the restructuring of DL approaches. The conclusion is that both approaches fit well together and that the Shell model, with its semantic heterogeneity components, can be reformulated on the semantic web basis. A reinterpretation of the DL approaches of semantic heterogeneity and adapting to standards and tools supported by the W3C should be the best solution. It is therefore recommended that – although most of the semantic web standards are not technologically refined for commercial applications at present – all individual DL developments should be checked for their adaptability to the W3C standards of the semantic web. A unique conceptual analysis of the parallel developments emanating from the digital library and semantic web communities. (author's abstract

The Concepts of Semantic Heterogeneity and Ontology of

vascoda (www.vascoda.de) is today the most important project to achieving a new innovative infrastructure in the field of scientific information in Germany. The aim is to integrate high-quality information from the deep and from the visible web by using search engine technology (FAST) and new concepts to integrate the data, not only technically, but to solve the problem of semantic heterogeneity at a high level of quality. In contrast to the ontology and semantic web approach that of semantic heterogeneity in the context of the shell model started from the invisible web, opening itself to the visible, not vice versa, and is putting the reuse of existing semantic knowledge (thesauri) in the foreground. The consequences of these differences and the common features of both approaches are in the focus of the paper

Principles of content analysis for information retrieval systems: an overview

"Unquestionably, the content analysis which has emerged as part of Information Retrieval Systems (IRS, e.g. literature databases) over the past 20 years has much in common with the content analysis used by linguists or in the social sciences. However, its intrinsic value stems from the special context in which it is used: a) Close interdependencies link the selected content analysis with the retrieval situation. The user’s retrieval strategies, which are intended to obtain information relevant to the current problem situation, and the available aids (e.g. expansion lists or user-friendly browsing tools) affect the efficacy of some analysis techniques (e.g. noun phrase analysis from computer linguistics) to a considerable extent. b) Normally, a commercial IRS handles mass data, thus necessitating the use of a reduced content analysis even today. Full morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic text analyses are unthinkable simply for efficiency reasons but also for knowledge reasons. Content analysis in IRS is therefore a component part of a special type of restricted system which obeys its own laws. Against the backdrop of these considerations, forms of content analysis in present-day commercial retrieval systems are studied and promising expansions and alternatives are proposed." (author's abstract

Growth in Unemployment Raises Poverty Rates: Most Low-Wage Earnings Constitute Supplement to Primary Household Income

Inequality with respect to personal earned income has increased in recent years. This trend has gone hand in hand with changes in both the employment constellations of households and the labor market activity of individuals (e.g. through 'minijobs'). In particular, the years since 2000 have seen a rise in the share of households with no market income because their members are either registered or hidden unemployed. These findings do not necessarily indicate an increase in relative poverty, because the latter depends on net household income and not just on individual primary incomes. While the risk of poverty also increased in recent years amongst low-wage earners, the rise only applied to those 47% of low-wage earners who live in households without another gainfully employed household member. More than half of all low-wage earners live in households that have a below-average risk of poverty. Unemployment still represents the principal risk factor for poverty. Whereas the likelihood of being poor in the event of unemployment was 29% in 1993, this risk had increased by ten percentage points by 2003. For an unemployed person living alone or whose spouse or partner was not working, the risk of poverty in 2003 was a substantial risk of 53%.

The large scale magnetic field structure of the spiral galaxy NGC 5775

In order to better determine the large-scale 3D-structure of magnetic fields in spiral galaxies we present a Faraday rotation analysis of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 5775. Deep radio-continuum observations in total power and linear polarization were performed at 8.46 GHz with the VLA and the 100-m Effelsberg telescope. They were analyzed together with archival 4.86 and 1.49 GHz VLA-data. We thus can derive rotation measures from a comparison of three frequencies and determine the intrinsic magnetic field structure. A very extended halo is detected in NGC 5775, with magnetic field lines forming an X-shaped structure. Close to the galactic disk the magnetic field is plane-parallel. The scaleheights of the radio emission esimated for NGC 5775 are comaprable with other galaxies. The rotation measure distribution varies smoothly on both sides along the major axis from positive to negative values. From the derived distribution of rotation measures and the plane-parallel intrinsic magnetic field orientation along the galactic midplane we conclude that NGC 5775 has an 'even axisymmetric' large-scale magnetic field configuration in the disk as generated by an \alpha \Omega -dynamo which is accompanied by a quadrupolar poloidal field. The magnetic field lines of the plane-parallel component are pointing 'outwards'. The observed X-shaped halo magnetic field, however, cannot be explained by the action of the disk's mean-field dynamo alone. It is probably due to the influence of the galactic wind together with the dynamo action.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, A&A accepte

Growth in Unemployment Raises Poverty Rates: Most Low-Wage Earnings Constitute Supplement to Primary Household Income

Inequality with respect to personal earned income has increased in recent years. This trend has gone hand in hand with changes in both the employment constellations of households and the labor market activity of individuals (e.g. through 'minijobs'). In particular, the years since 2000 have seen a rise in the share of households with no market income because their members are either registered or hidden unemployed. These findings do not necessarily indicate an increase in relative poverty, because the latter depends on net household income and not just on individual primary incomes. While the risk of poverty also increased in recent years amongst low-wage earners, the rise only applied to those 47% of low-wage earners who live in households without another gainfully employed household member. More than half of all low-wage earners live in households that have a below-average risk of poverty. Unemployment still represents the principal risk factor for poverty. Whereas the likelihood of being poor in the event of unemployment was 29% in 1993, this risk had increased by ten percentage points by 2003. For an unemployed person living alone or whose spouse or partner was not working, the risk of poverty in 2003 was a substantial risk of 53%

Standardisierung von der Heterogenität her denken - zum Entwicklungsstand bilateraler Transferkomponenten für digitale Fachbibliotheken

"Lösungen für die Probleme beim Aufbau fachwissenschaftlicher Informationsangebote im Web führen weit über die bisher gewohnten Denkweisen von Informationszentren und Bibliothekaren hinaus. Die diskutierte Leitlinie 'Standardisierung von der Heterogenität her zu denken' charakterisiert den Wandel am deutlichsten. Er ist nicht nur technologisch, sondern inhaltlich-konzeptuell. Der im Folgenden dargestellte Stand spiegelt das Ergebnis der Entwicklung der letzten sechs Jahre wider und fasst die realisierten Teilkomponenten solch einer Modellsicht zusammen." (Autorenreferat

Integration von Ansätzen neuronaler Netzwerke in die Systemarchitektur von ViBSoz und CARMEN

"Zu den Grundstrategien der Behandlung semantischer Heterogenität gehört auch der Einsatz neuronaler Netze in Transfermodulen zwischen Dokumentenbeständen mit unterschiedlichen Inhaltserschließungssystemen. Sowohl die Frage, welches Netzwerkmodell am erfolgversprechendsten ist, als auch die Frage, ob neuronale Netze im Kontext integrierter Fachinformationssysteme in der Praxis einen Mehrwert erbringen können, wurden in einer Kooperation vom IZ mit der Universität Hildesheim im Rahmen eines Promotionsvorhabens erforscht (siehe dazu IZ-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 20). Im Arbeitsbericht Nr. 21 geht es um die Konsequenzen aus diesen Ergebnissen für integrierte sozialwissenschaftliche Informationssysteme." (Autorenreferat

Total Package Design für Digitale Bibliotheken und Fachinformation

Heterogenitätskomponenten und das Schalenmodell - wie sie im Wissenschaftsportal vascoda und dem sozialwissenschaftlichen Fachportal sowiport eingesetzt werden - kann man heute als so weit entwickelte und bewährte Grundkonzepte für Digitale Bibliotheken (Digital Libraries: DL) betrachten, dass ihr Einsatz und ihre Weiterentwicklung auch über vascoda hinaus deutliche Verbesserungen gegenüber traditionellen Ansätzen der DL und Fachinformation versprechen. Diese Modellansätze entstanden als Reaktion auf die IT-Umbrüche des letzten Jahrzehnts und den daraus erwachsenden neuen Anforderungen an DL und Fachinformationszentren. Sie werden im Folgenden kurz zusammengefasst dargestellt. Der zweite Aspekt des Aufsatzes, die Überlegungen zum Total Package Design (TPD), hat demgegenüber einen anderen Charakter und Entwicklungsstand. Mit TPD sollen die Ansätze zur Heterogenitätsbehandlung und die des Schalenmodells in einen größeren - auch organisatorisch und praktisch motivierten - Zusammenhang gebracht werden. TPD versteht sich als Denkmodell: Bei allem, was man in Fachinformationszentren und DL-Institutionen erforscht/ plant/ entwickelt/ einsetzt, soll stets das Gesamtpaket im Auge behalten werden, insbesondere der Aspekt Kosten vs. Nutzen und der von Trade-off Effekten. Suboptimale Teillösungen in einem Problembereich werden z.B. bewusst in Kauf genommen, wenn sich dadurch die Gesamtlösung optimieren lässt. TPD bestimmt bei isoliert betrachtet gleichwertigen Modellvarianten auch, welche Lösungsstrategie bevorzugt wird. Der hier vorgenommene Versuch, DL-Konzepte wie Heterogenitätsbehandlung und Schalenmodell im Kontext von TPD neu und umfassender zu reformulieren, erscheint trotz vieler Unwägbarkeiten und noch bestehender Vagheiten als Grundidee erfolgversprechend genug, um sich damit in der Fachinformation und den DL zu befassen - mit offenem Ausgang. (Autorenreferat