Abstract
This paper presents experience obtained in modelling and simulation of stakeholder-driven interactions for improved transport service design. The presented results describe value-aware, service model driven design artefacts supporting smart transport service development. The Socio-Technical System Engineering process is used in order to generate modelling and simulation artefacts, based on an executable representation of requirements. As a case study, the paper presents an improved design approach for a city transport information service to support travellers with valuable information regarding planning a trip in a city. This attempt to integrate agent-based modelling and simulation experience into the development of smart transport services emphasises the role of the development platform that provides tools for model analysis, validation, simulation, and real-time animation. The development platform's role in transposing the above mentioned aspects in practice is emphasized and integration guidelines of the STSE process steps with the IBM Rational Rhapsody (R) development platform are described.

Abstract

Abstract
This paper aims to discuss both the ICT and grid architectures of the Évora Demonstrator under the project SENSIBLE. The demonstrator is focused on testing grid management functions under normal and emergency operation in a rural low voltage grid, taking advantage of electrochemical, electromechanical and thermal storage technologies as well as renewable energy sources (photovoltaics) that will be deployed at both distribution grid and at clients' electrical installation. In addition, the community engagement strategy is presented since it is crucial for the full implementation of the project.

Abstract
This paper presents a method that allows mobile devices to be globally self-localised in indoor localisation systems by transmitting to them data from position reference anchors. The objective is to establish a reliable one-way down-link communication through signals used in the localisation process in a typically strong fading and multipath channel environment. This is accomplished by using signal processing techniques, including coding and forward error correction, to transmit data using a specific transmission control protocol. Experimental results, using audio as the signal between anchors and the mobile device, demonstrate successful data transmission in realistic scenarios like a common noisy and reverberant room. Spread spectrum noise-like masked signals 49 dB below background noise were sufficient to attain correct data reception at four metres distance between a loudspeaker anchor and a mobile device's microphone.

Abstract
Over the last three decades, several despeckling filters have been developed by researchers to reduce the speckle noise inherently present in ultrasound B-scan images without losing the diagnostic information. This paper compiles and compares well-known techniques mostly used in the smoothing or suppression of speckle noise in ultrasound images. A comparison of the methods studied is done based on an experiment, using quality metrics, texture analysis and interpretation of profiles to evaluate their performance and show the benefits each one can contribute to denoising and feature preservation. To test the methods, a noise-free image of a kidney is used and then the Field II program simulates a B-mode ultrasound image. By this way, the smoothing techniques can be compared using numeric metrics, taking the noise-free image as a reference. In this study, a total of 17 different speckle reduction algorithms have been documented based on spatial filtering, diffusion filtering and wavelet filtering, with 15 qualitative metrics estimation. We use the tendencies observed in our study in real images. A new evaluation metric is proposed to evaluate the despeckling results.

Abstract