BACKGROUND Minimisation ensures excellent balance between groups for several prognostic factors, even in small samples. However, its use with unequal allocation ratios has been problematic. This paper describes a new minimisation scheme named sequence balance minimisation for unequal treatment allocations. METHODS Treatment- and factor-balancing properties were assessed in simulation studies ...

Alternate cycling of sludge in aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic regimes is a promising strategy that can reduce the sludge yield of conventional activated sludge (CAS) by up to 50% with potentially lower capital and operating cost than physical- and/or chemical-based sludge minimisation techniques. The mechanisms responsible for reducing sludge yield include alterations to cellular metabolism and...

A general framework for minimisation-based belief change is presented. A problem instance is made up of an undirected graph, where a formula is associated with each vertex. For example, vertices may represent spatial locations, points in time, or some other notion of locality. Information is shared between vertices via a process of minimisation over the graph. We give equivalent semantic and sy...

A general framework for minimisation-based belief change is presented. A problem instance is made up of an undirected graph, where a formula is associated with each vertex. For example, vertices may represent spatial locations, points in time, or some other notion of locality. Information is shared between vertices via a process of minimisation over the graph. We give equivalent semantic and sy...

We improve an existing bisimulation minimisation algorithm for tree automata by introducing backward and forward bisimulations and developing minimisation algorithms for them. Minimisation via forward bisimulation is also effective for deterministic automata and faster than the previous algorithm. Minimisation via backward bisimulation generalises the previous algorithm and is thus more effecti...

New terminology and new jargon often conceal the fact that what is being described is not new. This is the case with 'harm-minimisation'. It is only in the last few years that the general term 'harm-minimisation' has been used but in fact agencies have been promoting practices which could be described in this way for some considerable time. For example, in Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinics ...