Query processing of pre-partitioned data using Sandwich Operators

textabstractIn this paper we present the Sandwich Operators, an elegant approach to exploit pre-sorting or pre-grouping from clustered storage schemes in operators such as Aggregation/Grouping, HashJoin, and Sort of a database management system. Thereby, each of these operator types is "sandwiched" by two new operators, namely PartitionSplit and PartitionRestart. PartitionSplit splits the input relation into its smaller independent groups on which the sandwiched operator is executed. After a group is processed PartitionRestart is used to trigger the execution on the following group. Executing one of these operator types with the help of the Sandwich Operators introduces minimal overhead and does not penalty performance of the sandwiched operator as its implementation remains unchanged. On the contrary, we show that sandwiched execution of an operator results in lower memory consumption and faster execution time. PartitionSplit and PartitionRestart replace special implementations of partitioned versions of these operator. Sandwich Operators also turn blocking operators in streaming operators, resulting in faster response times for the first query results

High-Definition Optical Coherence Tomography for the in vivo Detection of Demodex Mites

Background: Demodex mites are involved in different skin diseases and are commonly detected by skin scrape tests or superficial biopsies. A new high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) with high lateral and axial resolution in a horizontal (en-face) and vertical (slice) imaging mode might offer the possibility of noninvasive and fast in vivo examination of demodex mites. Methods: Twenty patients with demodex-related skin diseases and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were examined by HD-OCT. Mites per follicle and follicles per field of view were counted and compared to skin scrape tests. Results: HD-OCT images depicted mites in the en-face mode as bright round dots in groups of 3-5 mites per hair follicle. In the patients with demodex-related disease, a mean number of 3.4 mites per follicle were detected with a mean number of 2.9 infested follicles per area of view compared to a mean of 0.6 mites in 0.4 infested follicles in the controls. The skin scrape tests were negative in 21% of the patients. Conclusion: The innovative HD-OCT enables fast and noninvasive in vivo recognition of demodex mites and might become a useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of demodex-related skin diseases. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Automatic Schema Design for Co-Clustered Tables

Schema design of analytical workloads provides opportunities to index, cluster, partition and/or materialize. With these opportunities also the complexity of finding the right setup rises. In this paper we present an automatic schema design approach for a table co-clustering scheme called Bitwise Dimensional Co-Clustering, aimed at schemas with a moderate amount dimensions, but not limited to typical star and snowflake schemas. The goal is to design one primary schema and keep the knobs to turn to a minimum while providing a robust schema for a wide range of queries. In our approach a clustered schema is derived by trying to apply dimensions throughout the whole schema and co-cluster as many tables as possible according to at least one common dimension. Our approach is based on the assumption that initially foreign key relationships and a set of dimensions are defined based on classic DDL

Impact of natural climate change and historical land use on landscape development in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Climate variations and historical land use had a major impact on landscape development in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica). In southeast Brazil, rainforest expanded under warm-humid climate conditions in the late Holocene, but have been dramatically reduced in historical times. Nevertheless, the numerous remaining forest fragments are of outstanding biological richness. In our research in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro we aim at the reconstruction of the late Quaternary landscape evolution and an assessment of human impact on landscapes and rainforests. In this context, special focus is given on (a) effects of climate variations on vegetation cover, soil development, and geomorphological processes, and (b) spatial and temporal land use and landscape degradation patterns. In this paper we present some new results of our interdisciplinary research in the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range, state of Rio de Janeiro

Automated Synthesis of Tableau Calculi

This paper presents a method for synthesising sound and complete tableau calculi. Given a specification of the formal semantics of a logic, the method generates a set of tableau inference rules that can then be used to reason within the logic. The method guarantees that the generated rules form a calculus which is sound and constructively complete. If the logic can be shown to admit finite filtration with respect to a well-defined first-order semantics then adding a general blocking mechanism provides a terminating tableau calculus. The process of generating tableau rules can be completely automated and produces, together with the blocking mechanism, an automated procedure for generating tableau decision procedures. For illustration we show the workability of the approach for a description logic with transitive roles and propositional intuitionistic logic.Comment: 32 page

On the Hybrid Extension of CTL and CTL+

The paper studies the expressivity, relative succinctness and complexity of satisfiability for hybrid extensions of the branching-time logics CTL and CTL+ by variables. Previous complexity results show that only fragments with one variable do have elementary complexity. It is shown that H1CTL+ and H1CTL, the hybrid extensions with one variable of CTL+ and CTL, respectively, are expressively equivalent but H1CTL+ is exponentially more succinct than H1CTL. On the other hand, HCTL+, the hybrid extension of CTL with arbitrarily many variables does not capture CTL*, as it even cannot express the simple CTL* property EGFp. The satisfiability problem for H1CTL+ is complete for triply exponential time, this remains true for quite weak fragments and quite strong extensions of the logic

Analyse und Untersuchung der Quantisierungseffekte beim Goertzel-Filter

Digitale Filter können in praktischen Anwendungen nur mit endlicher Wortbreite realisiert werden. Deshalb müssen Quantisierungseffekte verstanden werden, um die Eigenschaften und die Performanz der digitalen Filter geeignet einstellen zu können. Die am stärksten beeinflussten Aspekte sind neben Frequenzgang, die Stabilität und das Signal-Rausch-Verhältnis. Zu geringe Wortbreiten führen zu drastischen Veränderungen der Filtereigenschaften. Eine zu konservativ gewählte Wortbreite hingegen, erhöht die Größe und somit die Anzahl der Operationen des Filters unnötigerweise. Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, für eine bestimmte Filterklasse optimale Wortbreiten zu finden, welche sowohl die Anzahl der Berechnungen und damit Operationen minimieren als auch sicherstellen, dass vorgegebene Toleranzbereiche für spezifizierte Filtereigenschaften eingehalten werden können. Die Untersuchungen werden an einem Goertzel-Filter durchgeführt, welches aufgrund seiner effizienten Eigenschaften besonders für die spektrale Bewertung von Mixed-Signal Schaltungen und Systemen geeignet ist