Abstract
3D Virtual Labs are the support of learning, a tool of education in the future. Learning in a 3D environment allows greater interaction with contents in a unique way as students perceive it as being really there. Simulations are being designed, a combination of real-world environment with the information supplied by devices, where measurements can be replicated and data analyzed. This study presents a virtual scenario of a Measurements and Instrumentation laboratory. Electrical Engineering courses aim to train students to succeed in meeting the challenges within competitive and ever-changing professional contexts. In order to prepare undergraduate students for ongoing success, the courses must provide effective training in the application and development of practices, typically implemented in large projects and organizations. Developing high quality engineering course units is definitely a challenging task. Courses can be provided remotely, but careful planning is required to design quality course units because problems may occur in meeting quality targets. The developments in information and communication technologies (ICT), including multimedia and internet-based education platforms, facilitate the creation of reliable solutions to these challenges. Studies show that a smart application of multimedia technologies and web-based education platforms can provide great results towards better quality of engineering courses. Many challenges on how to suitably approach the educational process have already been put forward. Higher Education institutions use multiple approaches to teaching and learning, combining a range of methods, including e-learning, videoconferencing, face-to-face teaching and hard-copy resources in course delivery. The authors present a software model for engineering, which is based mainly on the Wirefusion (R) software, and a virtualreality platform called VEMA. The project intends to improve the quality of teaching and learning in higher education through effective application of information technologies and the sciences of learning. 3D virtual learning environments arise as solutions to the extent that, in addition to offering features associated with communication and information sharing, they promote flexible learning spaces and moments. At the level of higher education, and in accordance with the paradigm of Bologna, virtual environments acquire special importance to allow learning beyond the classroom time and space.

Abstract
In the previous research the authors developed a family of semantic measures that are adaptable to any semantic graph, being automatically tuned with a set of parameters. The research presented in this paper extends this approach by also tuning the graph. This graph reduction procedure starts with a disconnected graph and incrementally adds edge types, until the quality of the semantic measure cannot be further improved. The validation performed used the three most recent versions of WordNet and, in most cases, this approach improves the quality of the semantic measure.

Abstract

Abstract
In this paper it is described the prototyping of an instrumented chair that allows to fully-automate the "Timed Up and Go" and "30-Second Chair Stand" tests assessment. The presented functional chair prototype is a low cost approach that uses inexpensive sensors and the Arduino platform as the data acquisition board, with its software developed resorting to LabVIEW. The "Timed up and go test" consists in measuring the time spent in the task execution of standing up from a chair, walk three meters with a maximum speed without running, turn a cone and going back to the initial position. The "30-Second Chair Stand" test consists in the count of the number of completed chair stands in 30 seconds. It are agility and strength tests easy to setup and execute although they lack of repeatability, whenever the measures are taken manually, due to the rough errors that are introduced.

Abstract
A study of a sensor for hydrogen (H-2) detection based on fiber Bragg gratings coated with palladium (Pd) with self-temperature compensation is presented. The cladding around the gratings was reduced down to 50 mu m diameter by a chemical etching process. One of the gratings was left uncoated, and the other was coated with 150 nm of Pd. It was observed that palladium hydride has unstable behavior in environments with high humidity level. A simple solution to overcome this problem based on a Teflon tape is presented. The sensing device studied was able to respond to H-2 concentrations in the range 0%-1% v/v at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, achieving sensitivities larger than 20 pm/% v/v. Considering H-2 concentrations in nitrogen up to 1%, the performance of the sensing head was characterized for different thicknesses of Pd coating ranging from 50 to 200 nm. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America

Abstract
Handwritten signature recognition is still the most widely accepted method to validate paper based documents. However, in the digital world, there is no readymade way to distinguish a real handwritten signature on a scanned document from a forged copy of another signature made by the same person on another document that is simply "pasted" into the forged document. In this paper we describe how we are using the touch screen of smartphones or tablets to collect handwritten signature images and associated biometric markers derived from the motion direction of handwritten signatures that are made directly into the device touchscreen. These time base biometric markers can then be converted into signaling time waves, by using the dragging or lifting movements the user makes with a touch screen omnidirectional tip stylus, when he handwrites is signature at the device touchscreen. These time/space signaling time waves can then be converted into a biometric bit stream that can be matched with previously enrolled biometric markers of the user's handwritten signature. In this paper we contend that the collection of these simple biometric features is sufficient to achieve a level of user recognition and authentication that is sufficient for the majority of online user authentication and digital documents authenticity.