Annotations play a key role in understanding and describing the data, and annotation management has become an integral component in most emerging applications such as scientific databases. Scientists need to exchange not only data but also their thoughts, comments and annotations on the data as well. Annotations represent comments, Lineage of data, description and much more. Therefore, several annotation management techniques have been proposed to efficiently and abstractly handle the annotations. However, with the increasing scale of collaboration and the extensive use of annotations among users and scientists, the number and size of the annotations may far exceed the size of the original data itself. However, current annotation management techniques don’t address large scale annotation management. In this work, we propose three chapters to that tackle the Big annotations from three different perspectives (1) User-Centric Annotation Propagation, (2) Proactive Annotation Management and (3) InsightNotes Summary-Based Querying. We capture users' preferences in profiles and personalizes the annotation propagation at query time by reporting the most relevant annotations (per tuple) for each user based on time plan. We provide three Time-Based plans, support static and dynamic profiles for each user. We support a proactive annotation management which suggests data tuples to be annotated in case new annotation has a reference to a data value and user doesn’t annotate the data precisely. Moreover, we provide an extension on the InsightNotes: Summary-Based Annotation Management in Relational Databases by adding query language that enable the user to query the annotation summaries and add predicates on the annotation summaries themselves. Our system is implemented inside PostgreSQL.

In this thesis, a scheme of using multiple controllers which handle multiple network devices has been proposed, while using OpenFlow controllers in the proactive operations paradigm, and this in order to face the problem of using a single controller in the SDN model, including the lack of reliability and scalability on such a model. The main characteristic of this new approach are focused on the ability to design a dynamic and highly programmable network, moving the intelligence from the underlying systems to the network itself through a controller. To evaluate the proper effects of this new approach, different dynamic and programmable networks that could simulate real scenarios and measure their performance contrasting the obtained results with the pragmatic theory has been implemented. The SDN (Software-Defined Network) controller (Open Daylight), has been utilized, and thoroughly examined. Different sort of nets has been worked out through diverse Open Daylight functionalities, either implementing the intelligence of the controller (bundle), or going through it by an outside intelligent application (External Orchestrator), and eventually sending it through Open Daylight (by making Open Daylight work as an interpreter/translator from its language to OpenFlow or another protocol language). Summing up, the scheme that has been proposed in this research which is the multiple-proactive mode approach and the single proactive controller has scored no packet loss at all, in which implies the strength of reliability of this scheme, while the multiple reactive mode approach has a range of 1-8% packet loss ratio and the single reactive mode approach has a range of 1-25% packet loss ratio. Also, in case of delay the improvement which was obtained from our approach scored an average reduction of 13% comparing with other tested schemes. Thus, these new and interesting technologies show an astonishing capability to add more efficiency in different types of Networks.

Risk management is one of the critical issues in supply chain management. Supply chain disruptions negatively impact on the performance and the business continuity of a firm, and the disruptions should be managed proactively if possible. One of the approaches for supply disruption management is to raise the level of inventory: supply disruptions can be reduced by simply increasing the safety stock level. However, inventory costs will be increased at the same time. Therefore it is assumed that having extra safety stock when and where needed is better than keeping a high safety stock all of the time. In this thesis, the concept of dynamic inventory management by supplier behavior monitoring is suggested and explored. Key to the concept is the assumption that out-of-control situations at a supplier can be causal triggers for stockouts, and that these triggers can be potentially predicted by using statistical monitoring tools. In the suggested approach, the statistical process control approach of using run tests is employed to monitor and evaluate the supplier behavior. The supplier’s yield rate is monitored as the performance measure, and the receiver’s safety stock level is increased when the supplier’s performance is detected to be potentially out-of-control (or about to reach an out-of-control situation). The simulation results under different yield rates indicate that stockouts can be reduced by monitoring the supplier behavior and dynamically adjusting inventory policy when production capacity is relatively loose and enough variability can be seen in the performance measure.

The objective of this study is to propose an approach that assists facility managers in obtaining the needed information to establish a proactive roof maintenance plan. Two main methodologies are used in this research. The first approach, Historical Maintenance Data Analysis (HMDA), investigates and pinpoints the root cause of roof leaks by thoroughly collecting and analyzing roof maintenance records. HMDA hypothesizes that a mathematical model can be developed to reveal relationships between potential roof leak causes and leak incidences. The second approach, Roof Service Life Prediction (RSLP), investigates the applicability of the Factor Method in roof maintenance. The use of RSLP for leak predictions is based on the assumption that the first-time leak has a linear relationship with the estimated service life (ESL) of the roof. This research demonstrates that roof maintenance records can be used to predict and identify major factors that are likely causes of roof leaks in a mathematical causal model. Roof leaks are not totally random events and can be predicted. In this study, three parameters (Age, Workmanship, and Roof Repair) have a significant impact on the roof leaks probability within the first three years of a roof life. A unit change of workmanship and roofs age increases the odds of a roof leak. On the other hand, changes in roof repair decrease the odds of a roof leak. The Factor Method performed in the RSLP confirms the existence of a relationship between the ESL and the first-time leak. The correlations discovered are positive and significant to highly significant. The extents of correlation are found to be low to medium. The finding also illustrates a relatively simple and useful factor method technique that can be applied to the roof maintenance decision-making process. The estimated service life of a roof provides a reasonable estimation of a maintenance-free period. When ESL information is used in conjunction with knowledge obtained from HMDA, the new synthesis of knowledge will expand the facility maintenance professionals ability to develop and schedule a proactive roof maintenance plan.

No description available.

The current study explored the nuanced associations between components of executive functioning (EF) and subtypes of aggression, using a latent variable approach. Participants were racially diverse undergraduate students who completed a self-report of reactive (RA) and proactive aggression (PA), and traditional neuropsychological tasks of EF. The appropriateness of using a nested bifactor model of EF was confirmed, and this bifactor model of EF was used to examine the specific associations between components of EF and RA and PA. Results revealed components of EF are differentially associated with RA and PA, such that impulsive, provoked aggression is associated with lower levels of goal-oriented inhibition and higher levels of flexibility, whereas planned, goal-oriented aggression is associated with higher levels of working memory. Findings from the current study underscore the importance of considering the multidimensional nature of EF as well as aggression when examining their associations with external constructs of interest.

This study aims to establish the knowledge and learning needs of parents with toddlers in order to formulate guidelines for a pro-active parental support programme. The topic represents a response to the need for information and skills expressed by numerous parents in the researcher's private practice. Contemporary parents continue to be confronted by the significance of the responsibility of parenthood. They also continue to experience learning deficiencies regarding their role as parents in spite of living in an age of information and technology. Intervention research was undertaken. The principal findings of this investigation were the following: parents participating in this investigation expressed the need for guidance that take into account two specific factors, namely that the program should be based on a Christian perspective and that the guidance should take the specific developmental phase of the child into consideration - the toddler phase in this case. Themes were also identified that these parents would like to see included in such a programme. These were: discipline, developmental phase, moral values and character development, emotional needs of toddlers, parental involvement in children's play, the uniqueness of every child, conflict management and communication, parental style, children and marriage, and aspects in the adult's world with a negative impact upon parental status. These themes were used as guidelines to compile a prototype parental support programme. This program was subjected to a pilot study involving three separate groups of parents. Guidelines were continuously evaluated and adapted where necessary. A final global evaluation confirmed the suitability of the program for further development and testing. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This study aims to establish the knowledge and learning needs of parents with toddlers in order to formulate guidelines for a pro-active parental support programme. The topic represents a response to the need for information and skills expressed by numerous parents in the researcher's private practice. Contemporary parents continue to be confronted by the significance of the responsibility of parenthood. They also continue to experience learning deficiencies regarding their role as parents in spite of living in an age of information and technology. Intervention research was undertaken. The principal findings of this investigation were the following: parents participating in this investigation expressed the need for guidance that take into account two specific factors, namely that the program should be based on a Christian perspective and that the guidance should take the specific developmental phase of the child into consideration - the toddler phase in this case. Themes were also identified that these parents would like to see included in such a programme. These were: discipline, developmental phase, moral values and character development, emotional needs of toddlers, parental involvement in children's play, the uniqueness of every child, conflict management and communication, parental style, children and marriage, and aspects in the adult's world with a negative impact upon parental status. These themes were used as guidelines to compile a prototype parental support programme. This program was subjected to a pilot study involving three separate groups of parents. Guidelines were continuously evaluated and adapted where necessary. A final global evaluation confirmed the suitability of the program for further development and testing. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

No description available.

Risk management is one of the critical issues in supply chain management. Supply chain disruptions negatively impact on the performance and the business continuity of a firm, and the disruptions should be managed proactively if possible. One of the approaches for supply disruption management is to raise the level of inventory: supply disruptions can be reduced by simply increasing the safety stock level. However, inventory costs will be increased at the same time. Therefore it is assumed that having extra safety stock when and where needed is better than keeping a high safety stock all of the time. In this thesis, the concept of dynamic inventory management by supplier behavior monitoring is suggested and explored. Key to the concept is the assumption that out-of-control situations at a supplier can be causal triggers for stockouts, and that these triggers can be potentially predicted by using statistical monitoring tools. In the suggested approach, the statistical process control approach of using run tests is employed to monitor and evaluate the supplier behavior. The supplier’s yield rate is monitored as the performance measure, and the receiver’s safety stock level is increased when the supplier’s performance is detected to be potentially out-of-control (or about to reach an out-of-control situation). The simulation results under different yield rates indicate that stockouts can be reduced by monitoring the supplier behavior and dynamically adjusting inventory policy when production capacity is relatively loose and enough variability can be seen in the performance measure.