Abstract
Power-Quality (PQ) is a crucial competitive and developing factor to all economic areas. The economic impact resulting from a bad PQ will be drastic to all consumers. Computers, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), commuted power sources and fluorescent lamps/tubes are examples of nonlinear loads that have for main drawback the consumption of non-sinusoidal current. This paper presents a useful computer tool that can simulate and predict the behavior of non-linear loads and LV power systems with main focus on residential electrical grids. The paper also reviews some of the basic concepts and techniques related with power quality parameters and how they can be computed and presented in the simulation tool. The tool has an easy-to-use, friendly interface, and can be used as a tool to teach design techniques or as a laboratory to study the applicability of methods to real situations. The students can do simulations with their own data on Microsoft™ Windows® based platforms. © 2011 IEEE.

Abstract
Data-mining over software can reveal similar patterns on software code. This can give important insights for the design of hardware cores, especially considering the benefits of the merge of software kernels and their implementation as a single hardware core. However, software codes have characteristics that make inadequate the direct use of typical data mining tools, mainly related to their large number of samples and the imprecise definition of code features for mining. Those characteristics affect negatively the performance of the most known data mining methods. To solve this problem, we propose in this paper the use of three techniques: the Normalized Compression Distance, the Neighbor Joining, and the Fast Newman algorithm. We combine these three techniques and propose a new approach for data mining of code repositories (DAMICORE). DAMICORE works with different types of code representations. Experiments reveal DAMICORE can indicate important software similarities at source code level. Specifically, merging soft-ware kernels identified by DAMICORE results in FPGA cores with size smaller than the overall hardware size needed when implementing a core for each kernel. © 2011 IEEE.

Abstract
Reaching the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the necessary statistical literacy for citizens' understanding of what they entail requires that National Statistical Offices (NSOs) become more involved in the promotion of statistical literacy in cooperation with national statistical societies, international organizations like IASE and ISLP and national education institutions. All these stakeholders share an interest in the promotion of statistical literacy in schools yet for rather different reasons. Sharing the different skills that each possesses could have benefits for the long term goals of each stakeholder, could help improve school curricula, contribute to the debate on what constitutes statistical literacy and what is the best way to help citizens achieve it, and make the path to evidence based decision making easier. In this paper we present examples of what National Statistics Offices can and can not do regarding the promotion of statistical literacy in schools. We illustrate the common and singular aspects of their programs for schools and discuss how they follow the current trends in statistics education while helping the National Statistics Office's goal of promoting their statistics products and creating more users of official statistics. The work of the International Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP) is discussed in the context of drawing together stakeholders and resources.

Abstract
The measured characteristics of a R-EAM, acting as a base station, were used to assess the performance of a radio-over-fiber uplink for possible provision of wireless services within aircrafts. The specific case of deployment of UWB signals was analyzed. We conclude that laser RIN is a performance degradation factor that imposes a limit on the achievable SNR, especially for a zero biased modulator. A laser RIN of -160 dB/Hz would be required in order to avoid the RIN limitation. Additionally, in this case the performance becomes limited by shot noise. Although the zero bias case seems limitative, the R-EAM can be optimum biased using a small battery, which can last for several months, allowing the base-station to operate as a passive device. © 2011 IEEE.

Abstract
Kolmogorov complexity and Shannon entropy are conceptually different measures. However, for any recursive probability distribution, the expected value of Kolmogorov complexity equals its Shannon entropy, up to a constant. We study if a similar relationship holds for Renyi and Tsallis entropies of order alpha, showing that it only holds for alpha = 1. Regarding a time-bounded analogue relationship, we show that, for some distributions we have a similar result. We prove that, for universal time-bounded distribution m(t)(x), Tsallis and Renyi entropies converge if and only if alpha is greater than 1. We also establish the uniform continuity of these entropies.

Abstract
In embedded reconfigurable computing systems, general purpose processors (GPPs) are typically extended with coprocessors to meet specific goals, such as higher performance and/or energy savings. Coprocessors can range from specialized modules which execute a specific task to reconfigurable arrays of ALUs. This paper presents our ongoing work on techniques to dynamically offload computations being executed by a GPP to a coprocessor. We present our method for identifying repetitive instruction traces, named as Mega blocks, as well as transformations which can be applied over those Mega blocks. We also present a proof-of-concept implementation of a system which transparently moves computations from a GPP to a Specialized Reconfigurable Array (SRA). Finally, we present our current and planned work. © 2011 IEEE.