Abstract
This paper describes an FPGA-based system capable of computing the distance of objects in a scene to two stereo cameras, and use that information to isolate objects in the foreground. For this purpose, four disparity maps are generated in real time, according to different similarity metrics and sweep directions, and then merged into a single foreground-versus-background bitmap. Our main contribution is a custom-built hardware architecture for the disparity map calculation, and an optional post-processing stage that coarsens the output to improve resilience against spurious results. The system was described in Verilog, and a prototype implemented on a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA proved capable of processing 640x480 black-and-white images at a maximum frame rate of 40 fps, using 3x3 matching windows and detecting disparities of up to 135 pixels. ©2010 IEEE.

Abstract
This paper describes and evaluates a method to generate partial FPGA configurations at run-time. The proposed technique is aimed at adaptive embedded systems that employ run-time reconfiguration to achieve high flexibility and performance. The approach is based on the availability of a library of partial bitstreams for a set of basic components. New partial configurations for circuits defined by netlists of basic components are created by merging together a default bitstream of the target area, the relocated configurations of the components, and the configurations of the switch matrices used for building the connections between the components. An implementation targeting the Virtex-II Pro platform FPGA is described. It runs on the embedded 300MHz PowerPC CPU present in the FPGA. The proof-of-concept implementation was used to create partial configurations at run-time for 20 circuits with up to 21 components and 288 connections. The complete configuration creation process took between 7s and 97 s.

Abstract
Adaptive embedded systems can achieve enhanced flexibility by performing run-time reconfiguration of hardware. This paper describes a method to generate at run-time new partial FPGA configurations corresponding to arithmetic expressions. This is achieved by merging available partial bitstreams of arithmetic components to produce a new partial bitstream for a specific FPGA area. The connections among the components are mapped to the switch matrices of the reconfigurable fabric, and the corresponding information is added to the new partial configuration. The proposed method was implemented for a Virtex-II Pro FPGA with a 300 MHz PowerPC 405 CPU. It was used to create partial configurations in less than 69 s for sets of arithmetic circuits with up to 25 components and 208 connections.

Abstract
The Erlang programming language is a concurrency oriented functional language, based on the notion of independent processes and uses message passing for communication between processes. It is specially adapted to the realization of highly reliable distributed systems. In this paper it is analyzed the use of the Erlang's computational paradigm for the design and implementation of application specific heterogeneous computational systems. The main objective is to use for the low level implementation the same computational model used in high level view of the system. This will allow an easier and faster design space exploration and optimization. © 2010 IEEE.

Abstract
Although resynthesis may seem a simple analysis/synthesis process, it is a quite complex task, even more when it comes to recreating a singing voice. This paper presents a system whose goal is to start with an original audio stream of someone singing and recreate the same performance (melody, phonetics, dynam-ics) using an internal vocal sound library (choir or solo voice). By extracting dynamics and pitch information, and looking for phonetic similarities between the original audio frames and the frames of the sound library, a completely new audio stream is created. The obtained audio results, although not perfect (mainly due to the existence of audio artifacts), show that this technologi-cal approach may become an extremely powerful audio tool.

Abstract
Although resynthesis may seem a simple analysis/synthesis process, it is a quite complex task, even more when it comes to recreating a singing voice. This paper presents a system whose goal is to start with an original audio stream of someone singing and recreate the same performance (melody, phonetics, dynam-ics) using an internal vocal sound library (choir or solo voice). By extracting dynamics and pitch information, and looking for phonetic similarities between the original audio frames and the frames of the sound library, a completely new audio stream is created. The obtained audio results, although not perfect (mainly due to the existence of audio artifacts), show that this technologi-cal approach may become an extremely powerful audio tool.