Abstract
This paper describes an automated approach to hardware design space exploration, through a collaboration between parallelizing compiler technology and high-level synthesis tools. We present a compiler algorithm that automatically explores the large design spaces resulting from the application of several program transformations commonly used in application-specific hardware designs. Our approach uses synthesis estimation techniques to quantitatively evaluate alternate designs for a loop nest computation. We have implemented this design space exploration algorithm in the context of a compilation and synthesis system called DEFACTO, and present results of this implementation on five multimedia kernels. Our algorithm derives an implementation that closely matches the performance of the fastest design in the design space, and among implementations with comparable performance, selects the smallest design. We search on average only 0.3% of the design space. This technology thus significantly raises the level of abstraction for hardware design and explores a design space much larger than is feasible for a human designer.

Abstract
As new standards for technology specifications related to XML are unveiled, and stable tools to implement them become available, the widespread usage of XML as an universal format for data exchange between heterogeneous systems (using the Internet), will increasingly become a reality. Therefore, in order to deal efficiently with the large amounts of XML data that will be generated in the near future it is imperative to find efficient alternatives for the storage and management of this special kind of data. For that matter, object-oriented databases seem to be a good alternative. In this paper, we begin with an analysis of the different alternatives available to store and manage XML data. After that, we concentrate our attention on the Object-Oriented (OO) database approach and, in that context, we present a first set of rules that allow the translation from a simple database schema specified in ODL (Object Definition Language) into a schema specified in XML-SCHEMA. In the near future we intend not only to expand this set with new rules that will handle other, more complex, OO modeling constructs, but also to create another set Of transformation rules to work the other way round (i. e. from XML-SCHEMA to ODL). Our aim is to cover all the possible modeling situations one may come across in OO database schemas specified in ODL.

Abstract
The XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language), proposed by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) as the new standard for data representation and exchange in the Internet, is a document mark-up (meta) language that seems adequate to the needs of today's World Wide Web. With the proliferation of XML documents in the Web, it is necessary to store and query them efficiently. In this article, it is our purpose to investigate the different approaches currently available to the storage and management of XML data. Moreover, we intend to analyse the main characteristics of some of the XML query languages, which have been proposed both by the Database and Internet communities, namely XML-QL, XQL, Quilt, and Xquery. The latter has been proposed by the W3C Query Working Group with the purpose of providing a standard for a XML query language. We believe that a query language such as Xquery will certainly accelerate the utilization of XML as an alternative approach to data storage, since it will make possible to interrogate, efficiently and in unpredictable ways (queries ad hoc), XML documents.

Abstract

Abstract
In the scope of virtual and networked enterprises, we propose a way to integrate quality management into enterprise modeling and allow for quality certification of the whole enterprise. ISO 9001:2000 is presented as a suitable standard for these enterprises quality management systems implementation. On the other hand, quality management system certification in the scope of ISO 10011 is quite difficult, being presented some alternative scenarios for certification.

Abstract
A study on the evolution of free amino acids and biogenic amines in Azeitao cheese during 4 weeks at different temperatures of storage (4 and 25 degreesC) was performed. Free amino acids and biogenic amines were determined by RP-HPLC with visible detection, following extraction from the cheese and derivatization with dabsyl chloride. The method presented a linear relation between peak area and concentration from 2-200 mg/l. The detection limit value was less than 1.5 mg/l. The average repeatability was less than 4%. The major free amino acids were proline, valine, isoleucine and leucine and the major amines were tyramine, cadaverine and histamine. Room temperature (25 degreesC) promoted a significant increase of the contents of valine, leucine, tyramine and putrescine, expressed as g/kg of dry matter. These two free amino acids and two biogenic amines may serve as indicators of temperatures changes in ripened cheese.