Abstract
The multi-agent systems paradigm, enhanced with biological inspired concepts, such as swarm intelligence and self-organization, offers an alternative way to design control solutions that address the current demands for flexible, robust, responsive and adaptive manufacturing and automation systems. Being the development of these systems traditionally complex, the use of modelling and simulating environments may contribute for the fast prototyping and proof of concept of these solutions. This paper explores the use of these environments and uses the NetLogo platform to illustrate the development of an agent-based control application for an experimental production system. The designed and tested agent-based system exhibits robustness and adaptation to changing environments based on the stigmergy concept.

Abstract
In this work, a multiwavelength Raman fiber laser based on a highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber is presented. A laser resonator is formed when the Raman amplification with cooperative Rayleigh scattering in a dispersion compensating fiber is used as a distributed mirror and combined with a highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber loop mirror. The multiwavelength Raman fiber laser presents 11 stable channels per nm with a peak power of similar to 1.5mW. Stable multiwavelength lasing at room temperature is achieved due to the low sensitivity to temperature and environmental noise of the highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber based fiber loop mirror.

Abstract
This paper proposes neural networks in combination with wavelet transform for short-term electricity prices forecasting. In the new deregulated framework, producers and consumers require short-term price forecasting to derive their bidding strategies to the electricity market. Accurate forecasting tools are required for producers to maximize their profits and for consumers to maximize their utilities. The accuracy of the price forecasting attained with the proposed approach is thoroughly evaluated, reporting the numerical results from a real-world case study based on the electricity market of mainland Spain. © 2010 CRL Publishing Ltd.

Abstract
Parallel manipulators have attracted the attention of researchers from different areas such as: high-precision robotics, machine-tools, simulators and haptic devices. The choice of a particular structural configuration and its dimensioning is a central issue to the performance of these manipulators. A solution to the dimensioning problem, normally involves the definition of performance criteria as part of an optimization process. In this paper the kinematic design of a 6-dof parallel robotic manipulator for maximum dexterity is analyzed. The condition number of the inverse kinematic jacobian is defined as the measure of dexterity and solutions that minimize this criterion are found through a genetic algorithm formulation. Subsequently a neuro-genetic formulation is developed and tested. It is shown that the neuro-genetic algorithm can find close to optimal solutions for maximum dexterity, significantly reducing the computational load.

Abstract
We apply state-of-the art deductive verification tools to check security-relevant properties of cryptographic software, including safety, absence of error propagation, and correctness with respect to reference implementations. We also develop techniques to help us in our task, focusing on methods oriented towards increased levels of automation, in scenarios where there are clear obvious limits to such automation. These techniques allow us to integrate automatic proof tools with an interactive proof assistant, where the latter is used off-line to prove once-and-for-all fundamental lemmas about properties of programs. The techniques developed have independent interest for practical deductive verification in general. © 2010 Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Abstract
An inclinometer sensor based on optical fibre-taper-modal Michelson interferometer is demonstrated. The magnitude of the tilt (bending angle of the fibre taper interferometer) is obtained by passive interferometric interrogation based on the generation of two quadrature phase-shifted signals from two fibre Bragg gratings. Optical phase-to-rotation sensitivity of 1.13 rad/degree with a 14 mrad/root Hz resolution is achieved.