The context of this article is the program to study the bicategory of spans of graphs as an algebra of processes, with applications to concurrency theory. The objective here is to study functorial aspects of reachability, minimization and minimal realization. The compositionality of minimization has application to model-checking.

Many data sets are incomplete. For correct analysis of such data, one can either use algorithms that are designed to handle missing data or use imputation. Imputation has the benefit that it allows for any type of data analysis. Obviously, this can only lead to proper conclusions if the provided data completion is both highly accurate and maintains all statistics of the original data.1 In this ...

The minimisation of edge crossings in a book drawing of a graph G is one of important goals for a linear VLSI design, and the two-page crossing number of a graph G provides an upper bound for the standard planar crossing number. We propose several new heuristics for the 2-page drawing problem and test them on benchmark test sets like Rome graphs, Random Connected Graphs and some typical graphs....

Practically, some intermediary realizations are used in order to simulate, numerically, dynamic systems. One of the most popular is the state-space realization. It reveals to be very useful to study the impact of Finite Word Length implementation, especially in the case of embedded controller. Numerous works concerned the design of the ”best” realization concerning parameterisation, numerical n...

The energy crisis during the 1970s sparked the development of renewable energy sources and energy conservation measures. As supply eventually met demand, these programs were scaled back. Ten years later, the hazards of pollution led to work on minimisation and reversal of the environmental impact of fossil fuel extraction, transport and consumption [1]. The United States Department of Energy pr...

In our cooperation with a Portuguese paper producer, Respicio et al. (2002), we identified two major sequencing objectives: (1) the minimisation of the maximum number of open stacks and (2) the minimisation of the average order spread. The space around the cutting saw is narrow. As the number of produced items increase, packing mistakes arise. Objective (1) concerns the minimisation of these mi...

A situation analysis was undertaken to assess impediments to health impact assessment (HIA) in the South-East Asia Region of WHO (SEARO). The countries of the region were assessed on the policy framework and procedures for HIA, existing infrastructure required to support HIA, the capacity for undertaking HIA, and the potential for intersectoral collaboration. The findings show that environmenta...

The determinants of health are those factors that have the potential to affect health, either positively or negatively, and include a range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors. In the practice of health impact assessment (HIA), the stage at which the determinants of health are considered for inclusion is during the scoping step. The scoping step is intended to identify how ...

The nine health impact assessment (HIA) case studies in this issue represent a considerable contribution to the HIA literature and provide a number of lessons. These lessons include the value of using evidence in HIA to aid decision-making; the various forms that stakeholder and community involvement in HIA can take; and the fact that HIA can act as a catalyst for intersectoral engagement. They...

Routine husbandry procedures, such as castration and tail docking, are known to induce pain and distress in lambs (Grant, 2004; Kent et al., 2001). This raises important welfare concerns and has attracted debate on the acceptability of such practices. The most common method of castration and tail docking involves the application of a rubber ring to the scrotum or tail, usually without anesthesi...