Abstract: A database query comprising a logical table definition and at least one route tracing indicator is forwarded to at least one distributed database node within a distributed network of databases. At least one query response is received including distributed route tracing information associated with each distributed database node that processed the database query along a path associated with the at least one query response. The received distributed route tracing information is processed to characterize query route propagation within the distributed network of databases. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: An apparatus for enabling connections for use with a network comprising at least one vertex, the apparatus comprising: a receiver, for receiving a first message associated with the first vertex, wherein the first message comprises an indication that the first vertex wishes to join the network; a generator, responsive to receipt of the first message, for generating a second message associated with the at least one vertex, wherein the second message comprising an indication that the at least one vertex is operable to connect to the first vertex; and a probabilistic component for determining a first time value associated with transmission of the second message to the first vertex in accordance with probabilistic data.

Abstract: A logical table definition is received as part of a database query within a distributed database system. A determination is made as to whether the received logical table definition matches a local logical table definition. The query is processed in response to determining that the received logical table definition matches the local logical table definition. The query is forwarded to at least one other distributed database node.

Abstract: A logical table definition is received in association with a database query within a distributed database system. A determination is made as to whether the received logical table definition matches a local logical table definition. The query is processed in response to determining that the received logical table definition matches the local logical table definition. The query is forwarded to at least one other distributed database node. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A database query is received including a logical table identifier at a distributed database node within a distributed network of databases. The logical table identifier includes a dynamically-updatable constant column identifier. Local logical table definitions are filtered based upon the logical table identifier and the dynamically-updatable constant column identifier to identify a local logical table associated with the logical table identifier and the dynamically-updatable constant column identifier. A local query response is formed including data retrieved from a local physical database table mapped by the local logical table in response to identifying the local logical table associated with the logical table identifier and the dynamically-updatable constant column identifier. The database query is responded to, in response to forming the local query response, with at least the local query response.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided, for persistent querying in a federated database system. A federated database system has a plurality of connectable database management system nodes, each database node having at least one database. Persistent querying includes: receiving a query at a first database node and propagating the query from the first database node to other database nodes in the federated database system. A responding database node satisfying the query: obtains a query results set; defines a topic identifier for the query; and publishes subsequent messages relating to the topic identifier when data updates are available. The first database node receives query results sets from one or more responding nodes and the first database node subscribes to topic identifiers for publications of subsequent messages from the responding database nodes. Subsequent messages are published relating to the query along the connection through which the query is returned.

Abstract: A database query comprising a logical table definition and at least one route tracing indicator is forwarded to at least one distributed database node within a distributed network of databases. At least one query response is received including distributed route tracing information associated with each distributed database node that processed the database query along a path associated with the at least one query response. The received distributed route tracing information is processed to characterize query route propagation within the distributed network of databases. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A logical table definition is received in association with a database query within a distributed database system. A determination is made as to whether the received logical table definition matches a local logical table definition. The query is processed in response to determining that the received logical table definition matches the local logical table definition. The query is forwarded to at least one other distributed database node. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A database query is received that includes a logical query indicator at a distributed database node within a distributed network of databases. The logical query indicator includes at least one physical database query and at least one database node identifier that allows at least one distributed database node to identify at least one physical database to execute the physical database query against. It is determined that the at least one database node identifier matches a local node identifier. The at least one physical database query is executed against at least one local physical database table. A local query response is formed including data retrieved from the at least one local physical database table. The database query is responded to with at least the local query response. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: An apparatus for enabling connections for use with a network comprising at least one vertex, the apparatus comprising: a receiver, for receiving a first message associated with the first vertex, wherein the first message comprises an indication that the first vertex wishes to join the network; a generator, responsive to receipt of the first message, for generating a second message associated with the at least one vertex, wherein the second message comprising an indication that the at least one vertex is operable to connect to the first vertex; and a probabilistic component for determining a first time value associated with transmission of the second message to the first vertex in accordance with probabilistic data.

Abstract: A method for propagating a query in a system made up of a number connectable database management system nodes, where each node is associated at least one database, includes: selecting a first node from the number of nodes; generating at least one connection operable to propagate a query from the first node to a first subset of the number of nodes; generating at least one connection operable to propagate a query from a second node in the first subset to a second subset of the plurality of nodes; where at least one node in the second subset is different from nodes in the first subset.

Abstract: A method for managing a logical statement within a distributed database includes checking, responsive to receipt of a first logical statement for by first database management system node, whether the first logical statement is stored within a segment of the distributed database; and storing, responsive to a determination that the first logical statement is not stored within a segment of the distributed database, storing the first logical statement in at least one of non-unique fact table and unique fact table.

Abstract: A method and system for constructing a classifier for a set of records to be classified (108) into predicted classes (351-353) are provided. The set of records that are to be classified (108) are clustered into a plurality of clusters. A first classifier (106) is created that classifies records into the plurality of clusters (321-323) and the first classifier (106) is applied to a set of training records (110), each of the training records (331-334) having a predicted class (306). A classifier (107A-C) may then be created for each sub-set of training records (341-343) classed into each of the plurality of clusters and the classifier (107A-C) applied to a sub-set of records to be classified (311-313) formed in the corresponding cluster.

Abstract: A system for modifying a ruse base for use in processing data, wherein an instance of an entity comprises associated data, for use with a parser for identifying a first instance of an entity in data associated with a document set in accordance with a first rule and for using the first instance of the entity to identify a second instance of the entity in the data associated with the document set. The system comprises an accessor for accessing data associated with the second instance of the entity; and a generator for using the data associated with the second instance of the entity to generate a second rule.

Abstract: A system for providing context associated with data mining results, for use with a data mining application for mining a first document set and for determining, in response to the mining, a correlation. The system comprises: a search means for comparing the correlation against content of a second document set to search for a matching correlation; and an extractor for extracting, in response to finding the matching correlation in a document of the second document set, a set of contextual data associated with the document of the second document set.

Abstract: A system for information capture for use in an environment comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein a node communicates with another node via an electronic message and wherein expertise information is associated with a first set of the plurality of nodes. The system comprises means for receiving an input comprising expertise information, means for determining the first set of the plurality of nodes associated with expertise information, means for aggregating a second set of a plurality of nodes of the first set, wherein each node in the second set is associated with the expertise information and communicates with another node in the second set via an electronic message and means for generating a visual representation from information associated with: the second set of a plurality of nodes and the electronic messages associated with the second set of a plurality of nodes.

Abstract: The invention relates to an application adapted to run on a client apparatus connectable with a server across a network. The server is adapted to simultaneously share information (ideas) maintained therein with a plurality of heterogeneous clients. The application is able to retrieve ideas from the server and to define new ideas in a manner dependent on the client apparatus platform. The newly defined ideas can then be transmitted to the server for maintenance in a platform-independent manner. At the client, the information is rendered appropriately for that client.

Abstract: Automatically detecting and summarising at least one topic in at least one document of a document set, whereby each document has a plurality of terms and a plurality of sentences comprising a plurality of terms. Furthermore, the plurality of terms and the plurality of sentences are represented as a plurality of vectors in a two-dimensional space. Firstly, the documents are pre-processed to extract a plurality of significant terms and to create a plurality of basic terms. Next, the documents and the basic terms are formatted. The basic terms and sentences are reduced and then utilised to create a matrix. This matrix is then used to correlate the basic terms. A two-dimensional co-ordinate associated with each of the correlated basic terms is transformed to an n-dimensional coordinate. Next, the reduced sentence vectors are clustered in the n-dimensional space. Finally, to summarise topics, magnitudes of the reduced sentence vectors are utilised.

Abstract: A grinding machine, in particular a face grinder for grinding the faces of silicon wafers, has a grinding wheel spindle (20) and a work spindle (22) which are mounted so as to be pivotal about axes (A and B) respectively, each axis being perpendicular to the rotational axis of its respective spindle and being orthogonal to the rotation axis of the other spindle. Three sensors or probes (1 to 3) are provided to measure the position of one spindle relative to the other and to generate signals for controlling servo motors (26, 28) for adjusting the angular orientation of each spindle about its pivotal axis.

Abstract: The invention relates to an application adapted to run on a client apparatus connectable with a server across a network. The server is adapted to simultaneously share information (ideas) maintained therein with a plurality of heterogeneous clients. The application is able to retrieve ideas from the server and to define new ideas in a manner dependent on the client apparatus platform. The newly defined ideas can then be transmitted to the server for maintenance in a platform-independent manner. At the client, the information is rendered appropriately for that client.