1 Web Search with Metadata Links and Multimedia Presentations

In this paper, we propose adding metadata to web for the purpose of performing semantics-based web searches and for producing multimedia presentations as a response to users ’ requests. The model uses (a) topics and “topic maps ” as metadata in reaching to relevant worldwide web documents, (b) topic prerequisites and corequisites, also called topic metalinks, to define metadata-based navigational pathways on the web and to reach to web documents that constitute sources, and (c) multimedia presentations, called Topic Comprehension Presentations, for presenting possibly large sources to users in a controlled manner. We investigate automated searching techniques that utilize in an integrated manner (i) topic metalink- and source-information in web documents and in topic map databases, (ii) webaccessible topic map databases, and (iii) local “user-profile ” databases that contain users’ knowledge on topics. The query output of such a search will be a list of Topic Comprehension Presentations, from which the user for playout purposes will choose one. We describe the first version of a Topic Comprehension Tool that partially implements the proposed framework, and report its preliminary testing

A language and a physical organization technique for summary tables

A summary table IS a tabular representation of summary data, and is a useful data structure for statistical databases Priventive summary tables are basic building blocks of summmy tables, and can be represented as relations with set-valued attributes In this paper, we propose a set of summary table manipulation operators that, together with an algebra of set-valued relations, form an algebraic language for mampulatmg set-valued relations and arbitrary summary tables We then describe a physlcal orgamzatlon technique for summary tables, and discuss an lmplementatlon for summary table operators utlltzmg this techmque.Case Western Reserve University // // United State

Genomic Pathways Database and Biological Data Management

In this paper we discuss the properties of biological data, and challenges it poses for data management, and argue that, in order to meet the data management requirements for “digital biology”, careful integration of the existing technologies and the development of new data management techniques for biological data are needed. Based on this premise, we present PathCase: Case Pathways Database System. PathCase is an integrated set of software tools for modeling, storing, analyzing, visualizing, and querying biological pathways data at different levels of genetic, molecular, biochemical and organismal detail. The novel features of the system include: (a) genomic information integrated with other biological data and presented starting from pathways, (b) design for biologists who are possibly unfamiliar with genomics, but whose research is essential for annotating gene and genome sequences with biological functions, (c) database design, implementation and graphical tools which enable users to visualize pathways data in multiple abstraction levels, and to pose exploratory queries, (d) a wide range of different types of queries including, “path ” and “neighborhood queries”, and graphical visualization of query outputs, and, (e) an implementation that allows for web(XML)-based dissemination of query outputs (i.e., pathways data in BIOPAX format) to researchers in the community, giving them control on the use of pathways data

VISUAL: A Graphical Icon-Based Query Language

VISUAL is a graphical icon-based query language designed for scientific databases where visualization of the relationships are important for the domain scientist to express queries. Graphical objects are not tied to the underlying formalism; instead, they represent the relationships of the application domain. VISUAL supports relational, nested, and object-oriented models naturally and has formal basis. In addition to set and bag constructs for complex objects, sequences are also supported by the data model. Concepts of external and internal queries are developed as modularization tools. A new parallel/distributed query processing paradigm is presented. VISUAL query processing techniques are also discussed. * 1. Introduction VISUAL is an object-oriented graphical database query language. It is designed for scientific databases where the data has spatial properties, includes sequences and complex objects, and queries are of exploratory in nature. Although many query languages have been..

A Graphical Icon-Based Query Language

VISUAL is a graphical icon-based query language designed for scientific databases where visualization of the relationships are important for the domain scientist to express queries. Graphical objects are not tied to the underlying formalism; instead, they represent the relationships of the application domain. VISUAL supports relational, nested, and object-oriented models naturally and has formal basis. In addition to set and bag constructs for complex objects, sequences are also supported by the data model. Concepts of external and internal queries are developed as modularization tools. A new parallel/distributed query processing paradigm is presented. VISUAL query processing techniques are also discussed. * 1. Introduction VISUAL is an object-oriented graphical database query language. It is designed for scientific databases where the data has spatial properties, includes sequences and complex objects, and queries are of exploratory in nature. Although many query languages have been..

A Scientific Multimedia Database System for Polymer Science Experiments

This paper describes SciMMDB, a scientific multimedia database system designed for Polymer Science experiment data applications. SciMMDB maintains multimedia data of type video, text and picture (as well as other standard data types), and allows users to (1) form multimedia presentation streams about experiments, (2) define a presentation which organizes a number of presentation streams for playout purposes, and (3) control the playout of a presentation. To form video, text or picture streams, a presentation stream construction language is described. Queries in this language express spatial and temporal relationships involving content objects; and, efficient evaluation of such queries are facilitated by indexing structures. SciMMDB uses IB+trees for queries involving temporal intervals. In SciMMDB, presentation streams are formed into a presentation using the notion of presentation graphs. During the playout of a presentation, each presentation stream in the presentation is played out..