High Quality Parallel Sessions with important Invited Speakers and  big international participation were the main features of this gathering. There existed Student Competition and the Prizes for the Best Students' papers were given during the conference.  

On the other hand, the authors of the best of the accepted papers received an invitation for sending an extended version to the WSEAS  reputable International Journals.


Photo from the opening (from left to right): Prof. Drigas, Prof. D' Attelis, Prof. Mastorakis
 

The conferences were held in the 5-Star Sea Resort Hotel CORFU HOLIDAY PALACE (former member of HILTON chain of hotels) well-known for its international reputation. WSEAS participants had discount rates in the room prices (52 EUR). Corfu is undoubtedly the most beautiful of the Ionian islands if not all the islands in Greece. Corfu, the Island of Phaeakon as it is called in Odyssey by Homer,  is lush, green and covered with lemon and orange groves, the last stop of Ulysseus in his long trip to Ithaca. A "magic" island with old imperial palaces, historical treasures, castles, venetian fortresses, orthodox churches, picturesque alleys ("cantounia"), historical and natural museums, traditional tavernas, all with a wonderful local color; not to mention the natural beauty (ong beaches and blue waters) and night life.




The Conferences offered 2 Banquets.  The first Banquet was the Banquet that the Mayor Mr. Yannis Trepeklis offered to the participants of the Conference in an excellent place inside the town of Corfu, in the so called "Bosceto" Garden also with food and beverages for the participants and their accompanied persons. The second Banquet was the Official Banquet of the Conference (August 24, 2005) around the Swimming pool of the Hotel (Corfu Holiday Palace), with live Greek and International Music and a variety of greek folklore dances  with live greek and international orchester, singers, and a great ballet of 8 dancers. See Details below.








SCIENTIFIC PART:
Conference Statistics:
Submitted papers: 487
Accepted papers: 246
from these 246 papers, the WSEAS Committee approved additional Journal Publication for the best papers of the conferences.

Review Process: Each paper was reviewed at least by 3 independent reviewers. The WSEAS Secretariat sent each paper to 5 reviewers. Some papers received review from 5 different referees. The WSEAS Secretariat had forwarded to the responsible for the correspondence author these comments by personalized emails. The full list of the reviewers will be available in the web page: http://www.worldses.org/reviewers.htm

Only authors of those papers, which are found to have very positive response from 3 referees and which are modified satisfactorily to take into account all the comments of (at least 3)  referees of the conference are invited to send an extended version in the WSEAS Journals (WSEAS Transactions). The extended version is checked again by two additional referees and a rejection or acceptance is notified to the authors. WSEAS Organizing Committee therefore congratulates those, who have been able to get the distinction of having their paper published in the Transactions.

WSEAS sent a full report of the whole review process and the whole correspondence
to the following international indexes that have recognized officially the Validity and the Reputation
of the WSEAS Conferences:

* INSPEC (IEE),
* AMS (American Mathematical Soceity),
* Mathematical Reviews,
* ZENTRABLATT,
* ISI (ISINET),
* ELSEVIER,
* CSA,
* ELP,
* NLG,
* Engineering Index,
* Directory of Published Proceedings,
* British Library,
* Swets Information Services

 

Plenary Lectures for the 5th WSEAS International Conference on POWER SYSTEMS AND ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY, (PSE ‘05) and  for the 5th WSEAS International Conference on APPLIED ELECTROMAGNETICS, WIRELESS and OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS

Prof. Dr-Eng. Christian Bouquegneau
Faculty Polytechnique de Mons, Belgium


In the Photo: Prof. Dr-Eng. Christian Bouquegneau

Abstract: The mechanism of thunderbolts development was not known one century ago; it is nowadays thanks to great technological improvements applied to measurements. In a cloud-to-ground discharge, the return stroke is upward though the leader can be either downward or upward, either negative or positive. Special attention is given to the negative ground flash formation and the attachment process. Up to date distributions of lightning peak currents and other current parameters are presented and comments made on thunderclouds, electrosphere phenomena (thunderstorms contribute to the electrical equilibrium of the Earth) and the lightning flash density around the world.  Four ways of studying lightning are emphasized:
 in the high-voltage laboratory the formation and the initial propagation of the positive upward leader is simulated (estimation of the electric fields parameters)
 by artificially triggered lightning in open air with a small rocket trailing a conducting wire, an insulated wire or a mixed conductor-insulator wire (validation of the previous parameters)
 the actual phenomenon can be detected and observed with electro-optical devices or other instrumented lightning rods
 mathematical models help us to better understand the lightning protection efficiency (from the electrical characteristics of the concerned leaders estimated in the laboratory and validated in nature) in the competition between various leaders

Facing the future, a lot of research work has to be done to solve numerous unknowns:
 we do not have enough experimental data to distinguish between the characteristics of the three types of cloud discharges: intracloud, intercloud and cloud-to-air flashe
 the mechanisms of formation and cloud electrification are not completely known
 the detailed physics of the preliminary breakdown and following sequences of the flash is not complete
 we do not possess enough data on natural lightning around the world
All these subjects will be covered with a special emphasize on our missing knowledge and future research!

Liberalization of the Power Supply Industry

Prof. Wladyslaw Mielczarski
Technical University of Lodz,
European Energy Institute, Poland

Abstract:  During the last ten years the power supply industry in Europe has been a subject of liberalization, which has changed fundamental rules of the power system operation and trade of energy. The first directive on market liberalization was issued in 1996 opening the door to the development of the electricity markets in European Community countries. The second directive EC/54/2003 aims at the entirely free trade of electricity allowing all customers including households to select the electricity supplier in 2007. The directive has also introduced unbundling resulting in the separation of competitive trade of electricity and regulated network services. The regulation 1228/2003 opens electricity markets to international trade. The lecture discuss the impact of the liberalization introduced by the European Commission on the power supply industry and electricity customers. The following topics are presented:
 The Directive EC/54/2003 and its major regulations
 Electricity markets as a universal measure to reduce the cost of production and delivery
 Crossborder power flow and trade
 Distributed generation and renewable energy sources
 New challenges for:
  o Power producers
  o Transmission system operators
  o Distribution system operators
  o Electricity users
  o Research and Academia
  o IT technologies
The analysis is illustrated by examples from various European countries.




 

Plenary Lectures for the 5th WSEAS International Conference on DISTANCE LEARNING and WEB ENGINEERING
(DIWEB ‘05),

Quality of Computer Adaptive Testing

Prof. Anastasios A. Economides
Director of CONTA (Computer Networks & Telematic Applications)
Information Systems Department
University of Macedonia
Thessaloniki 54006, Greece
economid@uom.gr , http://conta.uom.gr , http://www.uom.gr

Abstract: Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) is becoming very popular in mass examinations. A CAT system tailors the test to the ability of the individual examinee by adaptively selecting and presenting the items to each individual examinee. The items presented are selected taking into account the examinee’s individual performance during the test, or in other words how each examinee answered previous items. If the examinee answers the item presented correctly then a more difficult one is presented next. On the other hand, if the examinee answers the item incorrectly, an easier item is presented next. In this way low-ability examinees will be presented with relatively easy items, while high-ability ones with more difficult. The score will be determined from the level of the difficulty, and as a result, while all examinees may answer the same percentage of questions correctly the high ability ones will get a better score as they answer correctly more difficult items.  Several well-established exam organizations are using CAT systems to assess their examinees. In order to effectively design, develop and evaluate such CAT systems, quality parameters should be considered. This talk will present such quality parameters across the educational, economical and technical dimensions. Then, designers, developers and evaluators of CAT systems may rely on these quality parameters to make appropriate decisions.



 

Innovation, E-Services and New Economy

Prof. Athanassios S. Drigas
NCSR Demokritos - Net Media Lab’s Scientific Coordinator
Greece

Abstract: New economy is a term, describing something profoundly different from the typical postwar business cycle. For this weird and unprecedented economical entity, there are many approximations for an explanation.
Innovation and e-services, beyond their identity, as the major pillars, of information and knowledge society, which has transformed our social and individual lives, constitute the two most competitive causes of the novel phenomenon of new economy. E-services, that span from e-learning to e-commerce, from e-culture to e-health, and from e-government to e-democracy, comprise the basic tools to transform the structure of the society, to a more effective, fair, and productive organization in to the era of information and knowledge society.
E-services and innovation are included in the main kernel of EU group of policies known as e-Europe. Under this politic umbrella, the EU’s endeavor is covered, targeting, beyond of ICT infrastructures development, to fight also the so called, EU’s paradoxes: The large production of knowledge and innovation, in contrast to the little economical exploitation of this knowledge and innovation, on one hand and on the other hand the huge amount of information holding in contrast to the negative network information turnover. Beyond and over all the previously mentioned, new economy is a way for increasing profits of decreased investments, and the instruments for this are innovation and e-services.

 

BEST STUDENT PAPERS:

Best Student Paper Award for the 5th WSEAS International Conference on POWER SYSTEMS AND ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY, (PSE ‘05)
was given to Mr. A.Legarreta for his paper:
Detection and Analysis of Transients in Electrical Networks Based on a Multiresolution Scheme

Best Student Paper Award for the 5th WSEAS International Conference on APPLIED ELECTROMAGNETICS, WIRELESS and OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS
was given to  Mr. Kamran Arshad for his paper:
A new approach in modelling EM Wave Propagation in Troposphere using Finite Elements
 

Remark: The Best Student Paper Award for the 5th WSEAS International Conference on DISTANCE LEARNING and WEB ENGINEERING (DIWEB ‘05) was not granted.


SOCIAL PART:

Coffee-Breaks: The WSEAS Organizing Committee offered 6 very rich coffee-breaks. Each coffee-breaks were composed by filter coffee, tea,  juices, cakes, biscuits, sweets and 3 different fruit tarts for the WSEAS Guests. The Coffee-Breaks took place in a big balcony over the swimming pool and the participants had many opportunities to interchange ideas and proposal for common projects and collaboration.

Each Conference offered 2 Banquets.
The first Banquet was the Banquet that the Mayor Mr. Yannis Trepeklis offered to the participants of the Conference in an excellent place inside the town of Corfu, in the so called "Bosceto" Garden also with food and beverages for the participants and their accompanied persons.
 

The Picture in the left is from the Dance in Banquet of August 24.

 

The second Banquet was the Official Banquet of the Conference (August 18, 2005) around the Swimming pool of the Hotel (Corfu Holiday Palace), with live Greek and International Music and a variety of greek folklore dances  with live greek and international orchester, singers, and a great ballet of 8 dancers.The Picture in the left is from the Dance in Banquet of August 24.



The Picture is from the Dance in Banquet of August 24

The Banquets were impressive, with a variety of different courses (over than 50 different courses from greek and international cuisine)

The Orchester was composed by 5 players.

A special professional greek dances' ballet with 6 members with the name Caryatides, offered 2 hours entertainment to WSEAS Guests and taught ... Greek Dances.

The first Banquet was the Banquet that the Mayor Mr. Yannis Trepeklis offered to the participants of the Conference in an excellent place inside the town of Corfu, in the so called "Bosceto" Garden also with food and beverages for the participants and their accompanied persons. See Details below.
 

In the photo: the Mayor of Corfu, Mr. Yannis Trepeklis (right) and the Professor Nikos E. Mastorakis (left) during the first Banquet (August 20, 2005)

The overall impression of the meeting was excellent. WSEAS Administrative Council thank each of you for increasing the WSEAS Reputation by these wonderful and important meetings.
See also:  http://www.worldses.org/feedback2005.txt