Abstract
The versatile transceiver in study for the Super Large Hadron Collider (SLHC) will have to endure severe radiation and temperature conditions while providing a high speed digital communication link to cover the experiment requirements. For this, characterization and model analysis of the electro-optic components (in particular the semiconductor laser), is of utmost importance as it will enable the correct design and optimization of the transceiver. It will also enable the prediction of the impact on the link performance when the physical characteristics of the device are changed due to the environmental circumstances. A measurement methodology is presented that leads to the conception of a model implemented in Verilog-A, for designing a robust system capable of complying with the demanding requirements of the experiment. The theoretical model shows a good agreement with the experimental data. This model was created based on a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL), but can be applied to a variety of lasers.

Abstract
A method based on the theory of inverse scattering, more specifically the layer-peeling method, is used for the design of planar microwave electromagnetic bandgap filters in microstrip technology. The method was originally used for the design of fiber Bragg gratings. To validate the method, a 4-pole Chebyshev filter was designed and constructed. The measured results are shown to agree well with the specifications.

Abstract
In the context of the versatile link project, a set of semiconductor lasers were studied and modelled aiming at the optimization of the laser driver circuit. High frequency measurements of the laser diode devices in terms of reflected and transmission characteristics were made and used to support the development of a model that can be applied to study their input impedance characteristics and light modulation properties. Furthermore the interaction between the laser driver, interconnect network and the laser device itself can be studied using this model. Simulation results will be compared to measured data to validate the model and methodology.

Abstract
First generation of overlay P2P networks had scalability problems although offering useful keyword-base searching functionality. The new generation of structured networks, based on Distributed Hash Tables (DHT), solved the scalability problem but at the same time eliminated the possibility of performing searches by proximity. This can be considered as an effective limitation as users of P2P networks will most often not have the complete information about the data they are looking for. Accordingly they tend to submit general queries to the network, hoping to receive back a list of results that match their needs. In this paper we describe a solution that is able to profit from the best of the two approaches. It relies on a two-layer architecture, offering on the top layer a set of Web Services to upload, search and retrieve content and on the bottom layer a fully structured P2P network (DHT-based) for distribution and downloading efficiency. Central to our solution, is the use of distributed databases, implemented at the top layer, holding descriptive metadata of the uploaded digital objects. The developed system also makes use of the JXTA project at the top layer and the Bit Torrent suite of protocols at the bottom layer. © 2009 IADIS.

Abstract
Context-aware applications are fast becoming popular as a means of enriching users' experiences in various multimedia content access and delivery scenarios. Nevertheless, the definition, identification, and representation of contextual information are still open issues that need to be addressed. In this paper, we briefly present our work developed within the VISNET II Network of Excellence (NoE) project on context-based content adaptation in Virtual Collaboration Systems (VCSs). Based on the conducted research, we conclude that MPEG-21 Digital Item Adaptation (DIA) is the most complete standardization initiative to represent context for content adaptation. However, tools defined in MPEG-21 DIA Usage Environment Descriptors (UEDs) are not adequate for Virtual Collaboration application scenarios, and thus, we propose potential extensions to the available UEDs.

Abstract
The use of context is already a reality in different application fields. One such example is the Robotics field, where sensors are used to capture information about the surrounding environment, allowing the system to react to changes. But also in the multimedia cornmunications field, some work has recently emerged to allow combining sensed context and use that combined information to decide how to adapt the content. This paper describes the MULTICAO ontology, which lies at the core of an Adaptation Decision Engine, providing it with a formal description of the surrounding environment in a similar way as humans would describe it. This way the system has higher chances to take adaptation decisions that best meet users' expectations.