An e-learning tool for database administration

In this paper, we describe an item of "intelligent" educational software that is intended to help students taking university computer science courses to understand the fundamentals of transaction scheduling. The software, implemented in PROLOG, empowers students to construct their own learning environment and is able to provide tailored forms of feedback to different types of learner. We describe the development and evaluation of the software, and we present details of the analysis of the results of our investigation into the effectiveness of the software as a teaching and learning tool. Our results suggest that our learning tool provides students with a different and valuable type of learning experience, which traditional methods do not provide

Dependency theory e-learning tool

In this paper, we describe an e-learning tool that we have developed to assist University students studying Relational Schema design. The tool employs Expert System techniques to create a learning environment in which students can explore the concepts of dependency theory, and the normalization process. The tool is able to respond in an individualistic way to student input and allows students to construct their own learning environment and develop their understanding of the material at a pace that is controlled by the individual student. Our formative and summative tests indicate that the tool provides students with a different and valuable type of learning experience when compared with a traditional, textbook-based approach

The GZK Bound and Strong Neutrino-Nucleon Interactions above 10^19eV: a Progress Report

Cosmic ray events above 10^19 eV have posed a fundamental problem for more than thirty years. Recent measurements indicate that these events do not show the features predicted by the GZK bound. The events may, in addition, display angular correlations with point sources. If these observations are confirmed for point sources further than 50 - 100 Mpc, then strong interactions for the neutrino are indicated. Recent work on extra spatial dimensions provides a context for massive spin-2 exchanges capable of generating cross sections in the 1 - 100 mb range, as indicated by data. Applications of extra-dimension physics are controversial, and we comment on several contentious issues.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; talk by JPR at 7th Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics, Quebec City, May, 200

Protecting federated databases using a practical implementation of a formal RBAC policy

This paper describes the use of formally specified RBAC policies for protecting federated relational database systems that are accessed over a wide area network. The method that is described combines a formally specified RBAC policy with both temporal and locational constraints. It does not depend on any security mechanism supported by a specific DBMS and is thus portable across platforms

An e-learning tool for understanding schedule properties

In this paper, we describe an e-learning tool that we have developed to assist University students studying various modules on database systems. We use the acronym DTST (viz. a learning tool for Database Transaction Schedule Testing) to refer to our learning tool. DTST enables students to actively construct their own learning environment, it can respond in an individualistic way to student input, and it has a built-in web interface that makes it widely accessible. Field tests conducted on DTST suggest that it provides students with a different and valuable type of learning experience that traditional methods do not provide

An intelligent tutoring system for program semantics

In this paper, we describe an item of e-learning software that is intended to help students taking university computer science courses to understand the fundamentals of logic programming and deductive database semantics. The software is implemented in PROLOG and empowers students to explore their understanding of the semantics of logic programs and deductive databases. The software is also able to intelligently diagnose student misconceptions and includes a number of example programs/databases that permit students to test their understanding. We describe the development and evaluation of the software, and we present details of the analysis of the results of our investigation into the effectiveness of our e-learning tool. The results of our field study of the e-learning tool suggests that it of value in helpingstudents to understand program and database semantics

A database transaction scheduling tool in Prolog

In this paper, we describe an item of "intelligent" educational software that is intended to help students taking university computer science courses to understand the fundamentals of transaction scheduling. The software, implemented in PROLOG, empowers students to construct their own learning environment and is able to provide tailored forms of feedback to different types of learner. We describe the development and evaluation of the software, and we present details of the analysis of the results of our investigation into the effectiveness of the software as a teaching and learning tool. Our results suggest that our learning tool provides students with a different and valuable type of learning experience, which traditional methods do not provide

The eyes of suckermouth armoured catfish (Loricariidae, subfamily Hypostomus): pupil response, lenticular longitudinal spherical aberration and retinal topography

The dilated, round pupils of a species of suckermouth armoured catfish (Liposarcus pardalis) constrict slowly on illumination (over 35-40 min) to form crescent-shaped apertures. Ray tracing of He-Ne laser beams shows that the lenses of a related species (Pterygoplichthys etentaculus), which also has a crescent-shaped pupil, are well corrected for longitudinal spherical aberration, suggesting that the primary purpose of the irregular pupil in armoured catfish is not to correct such aberration. It is suggested that the iris operculum may serve to camouflage the pupil of these substrate-dwelling species. An examination of the catfish retina shows the photoreceptors to be exclusively single cones interspersed with elongate rods and demonstrates the presence of multiple optic nerve head papillae. Two areas of high ganglion cell density, each side of a vertically oriented falciform process, provide increased spatial resolving power along the axes examining the substrate in front of and behind the animal

A logic programming e-learning tool for teaching database dependency theory

In this paper, we describe an "intelligent" tool for helping to teach the principles of database design. The software that we present uses PROLOG to implement a teaching tool with which students can explore the concepts of dependency theory, and the normalization process. Students are able to construct their own learning environment and can develop their understanding of the material at a pace that is controlled by the individual student

Risk Factors for Hospital Malpractice Exposure: Implications for Managers and Insurers

The possibility of identifying certain variables that might serve as predictors of above- or below-average medical malpractice claims experience was explored. Results showed that it is possible to identify significant risk factors