Abstract
This paper presents an approach that enables the staging of choreographies for education and training purposes in multiple virtual world platforms. Choreography is the description of a set of actions that must or may be executed by a group of participants, including the goals to be achieved and any restrictions that may exist. For capturing and representing multi-actor multidomain choreographies an approach based on ontologies with distinct levels of abstraction is adopted. Further, this paper proposes a modelling driven approach and a set of processes that, through mappings between ontologies, enable the automatic construction of a platform-specific choreography from a platform-independent one, thus reducing the time and effort of the choreography development. For this, the MDA paradigm was adopted and adapted in a way where models can reflect two dimensions of independence: platform independence and application domain independence. We also point the guidelines for staging the choreography in a virtual world platform.

Abstract
Background: Given the limited available time of in-service professionals, the balance between the perceived importance of the course content and training needs is essential for the acceptance and attractiveness of training courses aimed at them. Objectives: The goal of the paper is to contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and business training programs for European SME managers. Methods/Approach: In six European countries a survey focusing on SME managers’ views on the importance of individual items from a list of potential course content items, and their training needs was carried out, and followed by an analysis using exploratory and multivariate techniques. It was aimed at identifying homogeneous groups of managers with common training needs and perceptions of content importance. Results: Homogeneous groups of managers who assign the same importance to certain competences and who have common training needs are identified. Conclusions: Results of our research could help training institutions to develop courses aimed at SME managers. The balancing approach proved to be an interesting method of combining conflicting requirements for the training course curriculum development.

Abstract
Gesture-based interfaces to control systems using full body or upper torso motions are becoming more common, particularly in the entertainment industry but increasingly in other domains. These interfaces may represent significant hurdles for individuals with motion or balance impairments. Even for non-impaired users, commands which are not readily represented by body mimicry require users to learn new non-intuitive gestures for adding layers of complexity in commands. In this paper, a reflection and clarification of these challenges is presented, based on some sample usage cases. Then a possibly solution path is presented, resorting to an idea originating in a science fiction novel, the shamanic interface imagined by Daniel Suarez. A reflection on its feasibility and on possible paths towards its creation is presented, as well as the possible impacts to render gesture-based interfaces more accessible to all and potentially easier to learn due to enhanced cultural awareness. The basic idea presented in this reflection paper is that the creation of a concern-separation layer between the gestures being executed by the users and their interpretation by computing systems can contribute both to the access by users with special needs and to all users in general, by enabling customized approaches to gesture-based control. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Abstract

Abstract
Computer-supported online 3-D virtual world environments have been waxed and waned in interest and representativeness for supporting collaborative- and simulation-based practices. In a post-modern societal framework that requires inexpensive solutions for high-risk situations, research efforts in virtual worlds have developed a basis for understanding the use of virtual reality for multidisciplinary scenarios such as distance learning, training, therapy treatments, and social interaction. Complex relationships can be established simultaneously between several students functioning as integrated learning units using different media, and interacting with their physical environment in the context of real-world settings. In this sense, a recurrently updated research agenda for virtual worlds can characterize the current needs at a systematic way. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 35 publications to identify gaps and opportunities for research in collaborative three-dimensional environments based on content analysis. At a general perspective, there is a lack of established approaches to measure the influence and research potential of sociocultural factors in virtual worlds’ usage, autism spectrum and other healthcare-related settings, learning outcomes, content characteristics, task support for groups and crowds, and online data collection.

Abstract
Este artigo apresenta resultados de dois projetos enquadrados no Plano de Inovação 2013-2014: Move4Health, com o Instituto de Telecomunicações e Online-Gym, com o INESC TEC. Ainda que em cenários e abordagens distintas, ambos exploram o recurso a deteção de movimento (motion capture) em tempo real e sem recurso a marcadores (realtime markerless mocap), para explorar a oportunidade de introdução de novas aplicações e serviços de eHealth e well being particularmente vocacionados para o segmento senior e para o envelhecimento ativo.