Semantic Database Models Research Articles

Design and Development of a Medical Image Databank for Assisting Studies in Radiomics.

CompreHensive Digital ArchiVe of Cancer Imaging - Radiation Oncology (CHAVI-RO) is a multi-tier WEB-based medical image databank. It supports archiving de-identified radiological and clinical datasets in a relational database. A semantic relational database model is designed to accommodate imaging and treatment data of cancer patients. It aims to provide key datasets to investigate and model the use of radiological imaging data in response to radiation. This domain of research area addresses the modeling and analysis of complete treatment data of oncology patient. A DICOM viewer is integrated for reviewing the uploaded de-identified DICOM dataset. In a prototype system we carried out a pilot study with cancer data of four diseased sites, namely breast, head and neck, brain, and lung cancers. The representative dataset is used to estimate the data size of the patient. A role-based access control module is integrated with the image databank to restrict the user access limit. We also perform different types of load tests to analyze and quantify the performance of the CHAVI databank.

A new semantic model with applications in a multimedia database system

AbstractWhen people realized that relational databases fall short in supporting advanced applications including multimedia data management due to the limited modeling power of the relational data model, researchers went ahead with devising semantic, object‐oriented data models in the 1980s (until early 1990s). While the later commercial development of database systems has led to the so‐called object‐relational databases since late 1990s, such a marriage of the two does not actually solve the problems encountered by multimedia data management. In this paper, we present a new semantic multimedia database model based on an extension to the traditional ANSI/SPARC three‐level architecture, attempting to cater for the unique requirements of multimedia data management. Various facilities of this semantic multimedia database model are described and discussed. A number of applications have been developed based on this new model, and in this paper we shall describe some of these including recipe modeling and graph mining for retrieval. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Active coordination of a CIM multi-database system

Abstract One of the major issues in the implementation of CIM databases is the maintenance of interdependencies among the heterogeneous databases. Typically, a CIM system is represented by a loosely integrated set of software products and production data. This work suggests the concept of a co-ordinator— a cunt roller which models and monitors interdependencies among the various data elements in the system. We suggest the use of an active semantic database model that is being developed in the framework of the PARDES project at the Technion as such a coordinator. A case study serves to illustrate the concept and its implementation throughout the paper.

A close look at the IFO data model

The IFO data model was proposed by Abiteboul and Hull [Abiteboul 87] as a formalized semantic database model. It has been claimed by the authors that the model subsumes the Relational model [Codd 70], the Entity-Relationship model [Chen 76], the Functional Data Model [Kerschberg 76] and virtually all of the structured aspects of the Semantic Data Model [Hammer 81], the INSYDE Model [King 85], and the Extended Semantic Hierarchy Model [Brodie 84].This paper examines the IFO data model as presented in [Abiteboul 87], compares it to other models, and thus concludes that the IFO data model is actually a subset of the Semantic Data Model proposed by Hammer in [Hammer 81]. The paper also shows that the IFO data model has failed to support concepts that are essential to both the E-R model and the Semantic Data Model which are claimed to be subsumed by the IFO model.Section 2 discusses the three IFO constructs, objects, fragments, and relationships. The mapping of these constructs to constructs in the Semantic Data Model is established as an informal proof of the result that the IFO model is subsumed by the SDM.Section 3 lists constructs supported by the Entity-Relationship model [Chen 76, Teorey 86] as will as constructs supported by SDM [Hammer 81]that the IFO data model fails to support.

A transputer T9000 family based architecture for parallel database machines

Parallel computing is a promising way to achieve high performance in a database system. The disk access speed has been a well known bottleneck for database machines, and the data intensive nature and the random communication patterns of databases make the interconnection network in a database machine difficult to design.This article describes the design of a highly parallel, high throughput database machine based on the new T9000 transputer family and a large number of relatively inexpensive disks. The database machine is designed to achieve a throughput of more than 10,000 elementary transactions per second and a total size in the range of terabytes. The Semantic Binary Database Model is employed by the system. Besides its logical aspects, this model's implementation facilitates the utilization of the parallel processing power and improves the reliability of the system.

Active interdatabase dependencies

This paper describes an active semantic database model that copes with the issues of automatic enforcement of dependencies among various portions of fragmented (possibly heterogenous) database. Dependencies are defined as computational invariants, which are database schema primitives. The invariants are defined independently of implementation issues such as distribution of the database and physical tool of implementation. Dependency definitions are translated into PATH structures (implementation-independent knowledge representation entities) that accumulate syntactic and semantic knowledge about the dependencies. After completion of the physical design, the PATH structures are refined using DMP (distributed matching protocol), which determines the contents of interdatabase transactions to maintain the consistency of a distributed system relative to the defined sequence of invariants. The paper discusses these concepts and relevant implementation issues and illustrates the concepts using a complete case study.

Database model for design data

The paper presents a Construction Database Model used for conceptual level modelling and manipulation of design objects. A primary intention of the CDM model is modelling hierarchically structured objects and generic dependencies between objects in design or in engineering applications. The CDM is an attribute based data model, therefore, all object properties are described by attributes. The leading idea of the CDM model is the representation of various abstractions identified in the semantic database models GSM, IFO, SAM* and FDM with attributes. To distinguish between different abstractions, the notion of attribute role is introduced. Attribute role divides attributes into different categories on the basis of the attribute meaning. Attributes can be of ordinary, structural, derived and implicit role, representing ordinary object properties, hierarchical structure, generic properties and properties defined implicitly with a specific abstraction.Special attention is paid to the representation of generic object properties, which are described by means of a derived attribute or constructor. The constructor enables the description and reevaluation of design object construction process.

Perspective on object databases

Databases based on object-oriented and semantic database models (‘object databases’) represent significant advances over their record-based historical predecessors. In the context of general-purpose database management systems, the fundamentals of object database models are examined. Comparisons are made with record-based databases, as represented by relational database technology. The principal concepts underlying structurally object-oriented (semantic) database models are presented. Finally, a historical perspective on the evolution of object database technology is provided.

A construction database model

The paper gives an overview of the main ideas of the design of Construction Database Model (CDM) constructed according to the principles of semantic databases. The principal goal of the CDM implementation is to provide a general purpose CAD program environment that is capable of storing all kinds of information in the process of geometric design. When designing the CDM we have considered the approaches to the CAD database design [1], in particular the work of Katz et al., [2], [3], and the principles of semantic database models [4], [5], [6], [7], [8] and [9]. Besides, the resulting implementation comprises unique ways of representing the design objects and their construction process by introducing the notion of constructed object. This feature which could be associated with the member attribute derivations of the Semantic Database Model, [4], will be the main issue of the paper. The CDM is implemented in a Kons Base (Construction DataBase) environment originally designed to fit the CAD applications.

Mapping a semantic database model to the relational model

The connection between semantic database models and the relational model is formally investigated using the Iris Data Model, which has been implemented using relational database techniques. The results focus on properties of relational schemas that are translations of Iris schemas. Two new types of constraints, cross-product constraints and multiplicity constraints are introduced to characterize the relational translations of Iris schemas. The connection established between Iris and relational schemas also yields new, unexpected information about Iris schemas. In particular, a notion of equivalence of Iris schemas is defined using their relational translations, and a result is obtained on simplifying the type structure of Iris schemas.

A semantic data model as the basis for an automated database design tool

The Automated Database Design system (ADD) obtains a requirements specification from a user and translates this into a prototype relation scheme and network schema. The requirements are formulated as a Semantic Database Model[1] and the user-interface designed to permit specification by computer-naive users. This paper describes the ADD system, discusses the usefulness of data models as the basis for an automated database design tool and offers some suggestions for enhancing their suitability to such an application.

A prescriptive database interface methodology for end-users

This paper describes an approach to constructing database interfaces for end-users; this approach is based on a semantic database model and an associated prescriptive methodology for the specification of database manipulations. By utilizing a meaning-based description of a database, it is possible to provide a simple, structured user interface that guides a user through the process of specifying a database manipulation (transaction). This prescriptive approach to database user interfaces can also be used to provide browsing facilities for database systems, and to provide the ability to persue both a database's contents and its structural organization (schema). A set of basic design principles for database end-user interfaces is described, and the limitations of current approaches to database interfaces are reviewed. A specific methodology for the specification of database transactions is described, in the context of a particular semantic database model. A prototype end-user interface tool, called a transaction specification aid, is discussed; this transaction specification aid uses a database description (schema) defined with a semantic database model to guide a user through the process of understanding the contents of a database and specifying a database transaction.

Abstraction in databases

This paper surveys current research and practice concerning abstraction in database systems. Classical and semantic database models are reviewed and emphasized, as fundamental database abstraction mechanisms.

Abstraction in databases

This paper surveys current research and practice concerning abstraction in database systems. Classical and semantic database models are reviewed and emphasized, as fundamental database abstraction mechanisms.

Abstraction in databases

This paper surveys current research and practice concerning abstraction in database systems. Classical and semantic database models are reviewed and emphasized, as fundamental database abstraction mechanisms.