Abstract
Higher-order statistics (HOS) are a powerful analysis tool in digital signal processing. The most difficult task to use it effectively is the estimation of higher-order moments of sampled data, taken from real systems. For applications that require real-time processing, the performance achieved by common microprocessors or digital signal processors is not good enough to carry out the large number of calculations needed for their estimation. This paper presents ProHos-1, an experimental vector processor for the estimation of the higher-order moments up to the fourth-order. The processor's architecture exploits the structure of the algorithm, to process in parallel four vectors of the input data in a pipe-lined fashion, executing the equivalent to 11 operations in each clock cycle. The design of dedicated control circuits led to high clock rate and small hardware complexity, thus suitable for implementation as an ASIC (Application Specific integrated Circuit).

Abstract
This paper presents the recent developments of the project Multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for Coastal Oceanography, of the University of Porto. The project envisages the development of a highly operational and low-cost system for scientific and environmental data collection in the Portuguese coastal waters. The project activities suggested the development of a Generalized Vehicle (GV) Control Architecture for multiple vehicles. Reconfigurability, reliability and operational effectiveness, are at the basis of this control architecture, which encompasses human intervention besides the cooperation among AUVs and other system devices. A simulation environment was developed in SHIFT, to support the design and testing of the GV control architecture. SHIFT is a new specification language for describing dynamic networks of hybrid automata, which constitute the most adequate formalism for this problem domain.

Abstract
This paper addresses the design of a hybrid feedback control system enabling a car-like, rectangular vehicle to perform a tight L-shaped turn maneuver, This case constitutes an effort towards the definition of a general purpose methodology for hybrid feedback control synthesis. The design effort encompasses the synthesis of a set of modalities and mechanisms to detect relevant events enabling the overall motion coordination so that a global goal is attempted, Simulations of the implemented controller have shown a strong robustness with respect lo modeling uncertainty and execution errors.

Abstract
This paper addresses the design of a hybrid feedback control system enabling a car-like, rectangular vehicle to perform a tight L-shaped turn maneuver. This case constitutes an effort towards the definition of a general purpose methodology for hybrid feedback control synthesis. The design effort encompasses the synthesis of a set of modalities and mechanisms to detect relevant events enabling the overall motion coordination so that a global goal is attempted. Simulations of the implemented controller have shown a strong robustness with respect to modeling uncertainty and execution errors.

Abstract

Abstract
The environmental management domain is vast and encompasses many identifiable activities: impact assessment, planning, project evaluation, etc. In particular, this paper focusses on the modelling of the project evaluation activity. The environmental decision support system under development aims to provide assistance to project developers in the selection of adequate locations, guaranteeing the compliance with the applicable regulations and the existing development plans as well as satisfying the specified project requirements. The inherent multidisciplinarity features of this activity lead to the adoption of the Multi-Agent paradigm, and, in particular, to the modelling of the involved agencies as a community of cooperative autonomous agents, where each agency contributes with its share of problem solving to the final system's recommendation. To achieve this behaviour the many conclusions of the individual agencies have to be justifiably accommodated: not only they may differ, but can be interdependent, complementary, irreconcilable, or simply, independent. We propose different solutions (involving both local and global consistency) to support the adequate merge of the distinct perspectives that inevitably arise during this type of decision making.