Abstract
In the context of the REFLECT project[1] we have developed an aspect-oriented compilation and synthesis toolchain that aims at facilitating the mapping of applications described in high-level imperative programming languages, such as C, to heterogeneous and configurable computing systems. More specifically, we have designed an aspect-oriented domain-specific language, called LARA[2], that allows programmers to convey application-specific and domain-specific knowledge as a way to capture non-functional concerns. The LARA specifications and the subsequent control of the tools via a code weaver allows a seamless exploration of alternative designs and run-time adaptive strategies, in effect enabling designspace exploration (DSE). © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric and taxonomy-based analysis of the field of CSCW to map its recent evolution at a quantitative and qualitative level. A model for semantic analytics and social evaluation is also discussed with emphasis on the hypothesis of putting crowds into the loop of bibliography classification process to improve the current labor-intensive, time-consuming, unrepeatable and sometimes subjective task of scientometricians. A total of 1,480 publications were carefully reviewed and subjected to scientometric data analysis methods and techniques. Analyzed parameters included document orientation, deviation from trend in the total number of citations, and publication activity by author's affiliation country. A semantic classification of 541 publications allows identifying growing trends and lacking research indicators. At a human-centered perspective, limitations are unfilled in the limitative analytical spectrum, laborious and time-consuming processes of data seeking, gathering, cataloguing and analysis, subjective results at a taxonomic level, lack of more bibliographic data analytics perspectives, and absence of human-centered results concerning cognitive aspects in meta-knowledge research practices. Hypotheses are suggested towards a crowd-enabled model for bibliography evaluation in order to understand the ways as humans and machines can work cooperatively and massively on scientific data to solve complex problems. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

Abstract
Robotics research in Portugal is increasing every year, but few students embrace it as one of their first choices for study. Until recently, job offers for engineers were plentiful, and those looking for a degree in science and technology would avoid areas considered to be demanding, like robotics. At the undergraduate level, robotics programs are still competing for a place in the classical engineering graduate curricula. Innovative and dynamic Master's programs may offer the solution to this gap. The Master's degree in autonomous systems at the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP), Porto, Portugal, was designed to provide a solid training in robotics and has been showing interesting results, mainly due to differences in course structure and the context in which students are welcomed to study and work.

Abstract
Attribute grammars are a suitable formalism to express complex software language analysis and manipulation algorithms, which rely on multiple traversals of the underlying syntax tree. Recently, Attribute Grammars have been extended with mechanisms such as references and high-order and circular attributes. Such extensions provide a powerful modular mechanism and allow the specification of complex fix-point computations. This paper defines an elegant and simple, zipper-based embedding of attribute grammars and their extensions as first class citizens. In this setting, language specifications are defined as a set of independent, off-the-shelf components that can easily be composed into a powerful, executable language processor. Several real examples of language specification and processing programs have been implemented in this setting.

Abstract

Abstract
Large scale information systems, such as public information systems for light-train/metro networks, must be able to fulfill contractualized Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in terms of end-to-end latencies and jitter, even in the presence of faults. Failure to do so has potential legal and financial implications for the software developers. Current middleware solutions have a hard time coping with these demands due, fundamentally, to a lack of adequate, simultaneous, support for fault-tolerance (FT) and real-time (RT) tasks. In this paper we present Stheno, a general purpose peer-to-peer (P2P) middleware system that builds on previous work from TAO and MEAD to provide: (a) configurable, transparent, FT support by taking advantage of the P2P layer topology awareness to efficiently implement Common Of The Shelf (COTS) replication algorithms and replica management strategies, and; (b) kernel-level resource reservation integrated with well-known threading strategies based on priorities to provide more robust support for soft real-time tasks. An evaluation of the first (unoptimized) prototype for the middleware shows that Stheno is able to match and often greatly exceed the SLA agreements provided by our target system, the light-train/metro information system developed and maintained by EFACEC, and currently deployed at multiple cities in Europe and Brazil. Copyright 2012 ACM.