Abstract
This paper describes a method for automatically assessing the quality of manufactured roof-tiles using digital audio signal processing and pattern recognition techniques. A prototype system has been developed that is based on a mixed PC/DSP platform, where the real-time constraint is one of the main key issues. The suitability of the classification process for implementation in an industrial environment is also addressed.

Abstract
The multi-stream based automatic speech recognisers can obtain higher recognition rates than the conventional systems. This advantage is particularly evident on recognition tasks where the robustness to certain types of noise is critical, which is a very important issue in real-world applications. However most of the multi-stream based approaches remain limited to a research topic due to their higher computation complexity. The fact of this problem has not been addressed satisfactorily in the literature is the main motivation for this study. In our work we investigated the acceleration of the acoustic likelihoods computation, the most time consuming part of the whole recogniser. This paper presents results on the computational complexity of the Gaussian mixture emissions estimation in a multi-stream statistical framework. Some results concerning the recognition performance dependence on the numeric precision at different stages of that process are presented too. In order to achieve a higher acceleration of some critical computation blocks, a hardware implementation is proposed, based on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology.

Abstract
Software engineers use abstraction to better understand, model and reason about the surrounding world. Recently Architecture Description Languages (ADLs) introduced new levels of abstraction with potential use at run-time to support system evolution. In this paper we propose the FORMAware architecture that blends run-time architectural representation with a reflective programming model to address adaptation issues and promote the proximity between design and development. Reflection opens up composition architecture. through a replaceable default style manager that permits to execute architecture reconfigurations. This manager enforces the structural integrity of the architecture through a set of style rules that developers may change to meet other architectural strategies. Each reconfiguration runs in the scope of a transaction that we may commit or rollback.

Abstract
We report the first experimental observation of optical spatial shock-wave pairs. The shock waves consist of two coupled kink and antikink beams that remain locked to each other throughout propagation in a nonlinear diffusion-driven photorefractive crystal. These coupled shock-wave pairs move undistorted at angles that fall outside their original angular sector of propagation.

Abstract
The main purpose of this research was to create a portable equipment capable of measuring colour and turbidity during production of port wine. Actually, human, chemical and colour analysis are performed in key production stages for quality control. Several wine transformation processes are done without any kind of control. By using a fibre optic illuminator with a tungsten/halogen light source and a small spectrometer with fibre optic input, it was possible to perform angular measurements in wine samples. We have adapted these optical devices with a specially designed mechanical equipment which allows the passage of the wine during production. The spectral measurements were acquired in four different angular positions in a bypass of the mechanical support. This way we could determine colour coordinates and spectral transmittance and turbidity for three stages of a Ruby production. The entire equipment assembly had been previously calibrated in terms of colour and turbidity determination. The obtained results are in agreement with wine transformations between measurements, showing a small variation in colour and a high diminishing in spectral turbidity when filtration was performed. Transmittance has also increased after filtration turning the wine more limpid as it should be for human appreciation.

Abstract
A method for the in-circuit functional testing of SigmaDelta modulators is described which can be built in large integrated circuits or systems-on-chip. It allows for measuring gain and phase, as well as total harmonic distortion and signal to noise and harmonic distortion ratio parameters. This method can be built in-circuit using existing computational resources, such as digital signal processors or (re)configurable logic, which can therefore be used to implement both mission and test operations. Both simulation and experimental results were obtained which are in close agreement with those expected from the theory.