Control versus Data Flow in Parallel Database Machines

The execution of a query in a parallel database machine can be controlled in either a control flow way, or in a data flow way. In the former case a single system node controls the entire query execution. In the latter case the processes that execute the query, although possibly running on different nodes of the system, trigger each other. Lately, many database research projects focus on data flow control since it should enhance response times and throughput. The authors study control versus data flow with regard to controlling the execution of database queries. An analytical model is used to compare control and data flow in order to gain insights into the question which mechanism is better under which circumstances. Also, some systems using data flow techniques are described, and the authors investigate to which degree they are really data flow. The results show that for particular types of queries data flow is very attractive, since it reduces the number of control messages and balances these messages over the node

On the selection of secondary indices in relational databases

An important problem in the physical design of databases is the selection of secondary indices. In general, this problem cannot be solved in an optimal way due to the complexity of the selection process. Often use is made of heuristics such as the well-known ADD and DROP algorithms. In this paper it will be shown that frequently used cost functions can be classified as super- or submodular functions. For these functions several mathematical properties have been derived which reduce the complexity of the index selection problem. These properties will be used to develop a tool for physical database design and also give a mathematical foundation for the success of the before-mentioned ADD and DROP algorithms

An Evaluation of Physical Disk I/Os for Complex Object Processing

In order to obtain the performance required for nonstandard database environments, a hierarchical complex object model with object references is used as a storage structure for complex objects. Several storage models for these complex objects, as well as a benchmark to evaluate their performance, are described. A cost model for analytical performance evaluation is developed, and the analytical results are validated by means of measurements on the DASDBS, complex object storage system. The results show which storage structures for complex objects are the most efficient under which circumstance

Value of thrombus CT Characteristics in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thrombus CT characteristics might be useful for patient selection for intra-arterial treatment. Our objective was to study the association of thrombus CT characteristics with outcome and treatment effect in patients with acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 199 patients for whom thin-section NCCT and CTA within 30 minutes from each other were available in the Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute ischemic stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) study. We assessed the following thrombus characteristics: location, distance from ICA terminus to thrombus, length, volume, absolute and relative density

Observer variability of absolute and relative thrombus density measurements in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Introduction: Thrombus density may be a predictor for acute ischemic stroke treatment success. However, only limited data on observer variability for thrombus density measurements exist. This study assesses the variability and bias of four common thrombus density measurement methods by expert and non-expert observers. Methods: For 132 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke, three experts and two trained observers determined thrombus density by placing three standardized regions of interest (ROIs) in the thrombus and corresponding contralateral arterial segment. Subsequently, absolute and relative thrombus densities were determined using either one or three ROIs. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was determined, and Bland–Altman analysis was performed to evaluate interobserver and intermethod agreement. Accuracy of the trained observer was evaluated with a reference expert observer using the same statistical analysis. Results: The highest interobserver agreement was obtained for absolute thrombus measurements using three ROIs (ICCs ranging from 0.54 to 0.91). In general, interobserver agreement was lower for relative measurements, and for using one instead of three ROIs. Interobserver agreement of trained non-experts and experts was similar. Accuracy of the trained observer measurements was comparable to the expert interobserver agreement and was better for absolute measurements and with three ROIs. The agreement between the one ROI and three ROI methods was good. Conclusion: Absolute thrombus density measurement has superior interobserver agreement compared to relative density measurement. Interobserver variation is smaller when multiple ROIs are used. Trained non-expert observers can accurately and reproducibly assess absolute thrombus densities using three ROIs

Methodology to Implement an Amoeba Complex Object Server

The paper describes the methodology used in the design of a complex object server application for the Amoeba distributed operating system. It uses the top-down design that was suggested by Parnas, in which a model is turned into an implementation by gradually adding details. The paper also describes the abstraction levels that show up if going from a specification of the behaviour towards an implementation, and shows the methodology in which performance will be measured (instead of estimated) whereas the system has not yet been functionally implemented in its entiret

Methodology to Implement an Amoeba Complex Object Server

This paper describes the methodology we use in the design of a complex object server application for the Amoeba distributed operating system. We use the topdown design that was suggested by Parnas, in which a model is turned into an implementation by gradually adding details. We describe the abstraction levels that show up if going from a specification of the behaviour towards an implementation, and we show our methodology in which performance will be measured (instead of estimated) whereas the system has not yet been functionally implemented in its entirety. 1 Introduction Within the Starfish project, several Dutch universities are cooperating in the design, implementation, and application of a transparent distributed computing system. The distributed operating system Amoeba [1] is used as a base to experiment with. The University of Twente studies the performance aspects of an extensible complex object server for Amoeba. The object server, which we call ACOS (Amoeba Complex Object ..