Abstract
The production of scientific publications is a cooperative activity that usually involves several authors. Current solutions of cooperative editors do not contemplate features such as references management and publications deposit. In this context, the authors have previously developed the PaperFlow platform that integrates the three main functionalities required to produce scientific publications: a cooperative text editor, a cooperative reference manager and a connector to scientific digital repositories. However, this approach did not included tools for a previous important stage: the conception of the scientific publications. This paper proposes an evolution of the original platform to accommodate the conception stage. For this purpose, the specification of PaperFlow/R includes new functionalities such as whiteboards, communication tools and versioning control that improve the cooperation abilities of the platform. © 2010 IEEE.

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract
The user experience of ubiquitous environments is a determining factor in their success. The characteristics of such systems must be explored as early as possible to anticipate potential user problems, and to reduce the cost of redesign. However, the development of early prototypes to be evaluated in the target environment can be disruptive to the ongoing system and therefore unacceptable. This paper reports on an ongoing effort to explore how model-based rapid prototyping of ubiquitous environments might be used to avoid actual deployment while still enabling users to interact with a representation of the system. The paper describes APEX, a framework that brings together an existing 3D Application Server with CPN Tools. APEX-based prototypes enable users to navigate a virtual world simulation of the envisaged ubiquitous environment. The APEX architecture and the proposed CPN-based modelling approach are described. An example illustrates their use.

Abstract
Typical computing systems based on general purpose processors (GPPs) are extended with coarse-grained reconfigurable arrays (CGRAs) to provide higher performance and/or energy savings. In order for applications to take advantage of these computing systems, efficient dynamic mapping techniques are required. Those dynamic mapping techniques will be responsible for automatically moving computations originally running in the GPP to the CGRA. The concept of dynamic compilation, widespread in the context of JIT compilation to GPPs, is receiving more attention by the reconfigurable computing community. This paper presents our approach to dynamically map computations to CGRAs coupled to a GPP. Specifically, we present the identification of large sequences of instructions, MegaBlocks, being executed in a GPP. These MegaBlocks are then mapped to the target CGRA. We evaluate the potential of the MegaBlocks over Basic Blocks and SuperBlocks to increase the IPC when targeting a CGRA and considering the execution of a number of representative benchmarks. © 2010 IEEE.

Abstract
Experimental results are shown demonstrating that multiple surface plasma waves can be excited in optical fibres at the 1.5 mu m optical communications region for the range of refractive indices of aqueous media using doubly deposited tapered fibre structures, well known to exhibit small or zero sensitivity to polarization. Well-defined plasmon dips were obtained with high sensitivity to the surrounding refractive index. This characteristic, together with the substantial flexibility for local and distributed measurement associated with optical fibre sensing supported by the C-Band technology, indicate that these devices can be very advantageously used for chemical, biological and environmental sensing.