Abstract
Query specification for 3D object retrieval still relies on traditional interaction paradigms. The goal of our study was to identify the most natural methods to describe 3D objects, focusing on verbal and gestural expressions. Our case study uses LEGOR blocks. We started by collecting a corpus involving ten pairs of subjects, in which one participant requests blocks for building a model from another participant. This small corpus suggests that users prefer to describe 3D objects verbally, rarely resorting to gestures, and using them only as complement. The paper describes this corpus, addressing the challenges that such verbal descriptions create for a speech understanding system, namely the long complex verbal descriptions, involving dimensions, shapes, colors, metaphors, and diminutives. The latter connote small size, endearment or insignificance, and are only very common in informal language. In this corpus, they occurred in one out of seven requests. This experiment was the first step of the development of a prototype for searching LEGOR blocks combining speech and stereoscopic 3D. Although the verbal interaction in the first version is limited to relatively simple queries, its combination with immersive visualization allows the user to explore query results in a dataset with virtual blocks.

Abstract
Digitized radio-over-fiber (D-RoF) transport schemes are being pointed as viable alternative solutions to their analog counterparts, in order to avoid distortion/dynamic range problems. Here we propose a novel D-RoF architecture that takes advantage of a bandpass sigma-delta modulator at the transmitter which subsequently permits the usage of a simpler/cheaper base station that avoids the employment of a digital to analog converter. The proposed architecture exploits the properties of the digital signal to enable the extraction of an higher carrier frequency through the employment of a bandpass filter. Furthermore, we present a comprehensive analysis regarding the impact of a low-cost electro-optic modulation on the quality of received demodulated signal. Finally, a comparison performance analysis between the conventional D-RoF and the proposed architecture is presented. We conclude that although the proposed architecture performs similarly to conventional D-RoF schemes, it is more competitive for either upgrading installed systems as well as for new deployments. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America

Abstract
Purpose - This study investigates the use of the internet by the largest companies based in Sweden and Spain to communicate their engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Its purpose is to analyse to what extent, if any, are there differences in the CSR communication on the web sites companies from these two countries. Design/methodology/approach - The paper examines CSR communication on the internet by companies based in Sweden and Spain. Non-parametric statistics are used to analyse some factors that influence disclosure, namely country, industry affiliation, profitability, and size. Findings - Findings suggest that in spite of the existence of a high degree of similarity between CSR communication practices, companies from Spain place social responsibility information in more prominent sections and devote more space to said information. Swedish companies are found to disclose more their codes of conduct/ethics and CSR-related press clips and published articles. Research limitations/implications - The sample is small. There may be content analysis issues associated with subjectivity in the coding process. Originality/value - It adds to the scarce research on CSR communication by companies in these countries by providing new empirical data and extends prior research comparing such practices in different international models of CSR.

Abstract
Computer-supported online 3-D virtual world environments have been waxed and waned in interest and representativeness for supporting collaborative- and simulation-based practices. In a post-modern societal framework that requires inexpensive solutions for high-risk situations, research efforts in virtual worlds have developed a basis for understanding the use of virtual reality for multidisciplinary scenarios such as distance learning, training, therapy treatments, and social interaction. Complex relationships can be established simultaneously between several students functioning as integrated learning units using different media, and interacting with their physical environment in the context of real-world settings. In this sense, a recurrently updated research agenda for virtual worlds can characterize the current needs at a systematic way. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 35 publications to identify gaps and opportunities for research in collaborative three-dimensional environments based on content analysis. At a general perspective, there is a lack of established approaches to measure the influence and research potential of sociocultural factors in virtual worlds’ usage, autism spectrum and other healthcare-related settings, learning outcomes, content characteristics, task support for groups and crowds, and online data collection.

Abstract
There is an increasing concern about transient errors in deep sub-micron processor architectures. Software-only error detection approaches that exploit program invariants for silent error detection incur large execution overheads and are unreliable as state can be corrupted after invariant check points. In this paper we explore the use of configurable hardware structures for the continuous evaluation of high-level program invariants at the assembly-level. We evaluate the resource requirements and performance of the proposed hardware structures on a contemporary reconfigurable hardware device. The results, for a small set of kernels codes, reveal that these hardware structures require a very small number of resources and are fairly insensitive to the complexity of the invariants thus making the proposed hardware approach an attractive alternative to software-only invariant checking by integrating them in traditional processor architectures. © 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.

Abstract