DelosDLMS: From the DELOS vision to the implementation of a future digital library management system

DelosDLMS is a novel digital library management system (DLMS) that has been developed as an integration effort within the DELOS Network of Excellence, a European Commission initiative funded under its fifth and sixth framework programs. In this paper, we describe DelosDLMS that takes into account the recommendations of several activities that were initiated by DELOS including the DELOS vision for digital libraries (DLs). A key aspect of DelosDLMS is its novel generic infrastructure that allows the generation of digital library systems out of a set of basic system services and DL services in a modular and extensible way. DL services like feature extraction, visualization, intelligent browsing, media-type-specific indexing, support for multilinguality, relevance feedback and many others can easily be incorporated or replaced. A further key aspect of DelosDLMS is its robustness against failures and its scalability for large collections and many parallel user requests. We discuss the current status of an effort to build DelosDLMS, a Digital Library Management System that integrates in various ways several components developed by DELOS members and showcases a great variety of functionality that is outlined as part of the DELOS visio

Principles of cartilage tissue engineering in TMJ reconstruction

Diseases and defects of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), compromising the cartilaginous layer of the condyle, impose a significant treatment challenge. Different regeneration approaches, especially surgical interventions at the TMJ's cartilage surface, are established treatment methods in maxillofacial surgery but fail to induce a regeneration ad integrum. Cartilage tissue engineering, in contrast, is a newly introduced treatment option in cartilage reconstruction strategies aimed to heal cartilaginous defects. Because cartilage has a limited capacity for intrinsic repair, and even minor lesions or injuries may lead to progressive damage, biological oriented approaches have gained special interest in cartilage therapy. Cell based cartilage regeneration is suggested to improve cartilage repair or reconstruction therapies. Autologous cell implantation, for example, is the first step as a clinically used cell based regeneration option. More advanced or complex therapeutical options (extracorporeal cartilage engineering, genetic engineering, both under evaluation in pre-clinical investigations) have not reached the level of clinical trials but may be approached in the near future. In order to understand cartilage tissue engineering as a new treatment option, an overview of the biological, engineering, and clinical challenges as well as the inherent constraints of the different treatment modalities are given in this paper

The two roles of nested relations in the DASDBS project

The paper gives an overview of the nested relational model and its two roles in the Darmstadt Database System (DASDBS) project, which was started in 1982 to develop an extensible database architecture supporting a variety of application specific front-ends with a common kernel system. In its first role the nested relational model serves as a model for the kernel interface describing hierarchical storage clusters. In its second role the nested relational algebra appears as a basic language for a KL-ONE-oriented semantic data model at an object-oriented layer upon the kernel

Introduction to the special issue on database and information retrieval integration

ISSN:1066-8888ISSN:0949-877

A Synthesis of Complex Objects and Object-Orientation

Complex Object models, semantic or knowledge representation models on the one side, and object-oriented models on the other side are currently considered candidates for future databases. Either of them have their particular strongpoints and weaknesses, such that up to now no single model could be identified to suit all needs. Database models provide limited structuring capabilities and too poor semantics and object-oriented approaches suffer from their navigational one-object-at-a-time style of operation, that is, they need set oriented "object algebra" operations. In this paper we show how the approaches can be mixed into a single coherent approach, in an evolutionary way preserving their respective advantages: flexibility through powerful structuring primitives, rich semantics, encapsulation, and efficiency through optimizable descriptive, set-oriented query and update languages