Abstract
Nowadays virtual communities are spread all over the web, providing users a cyber-place to share a common purpose and interact with each other around the world. These environments face new challenges in order to provide their users with better tools to interact and fulfill the environment's goals. In this context we propose a model to create regulated interaction environments based on the theater metaphor: the Social Theatres. A multi-layer software architecture (ASTeaS) was developed to support this web-based interaction model, allowing easy construction of such social interaction spaces and adaptation to users' devices. In this paper we discuss the usage of interaction regulation in virtual environments supported by the Social Theatres model, evaluating the users interaction in case study scenarios. © 2010 IEEE.

Abstract
The autonomy of blind people in their daily life depends on their knowledge of the surrounding world, and they are aided, by keen senses and assistive devices that help them to deduce their surroundings. Existing solutions require that users carry a wide range of devices and, mostly, do not include mechanisms to ensure the autonomy of users in the event of system failure. This paper presents the nav4b system that combines guidance and navigation with object's recognition, extending traditional aids (white cane and smartphone). A working prototype was installed on the UTAD campus to perform experiments with blind users.

Abstract
Mass adoption of virtual world platforms for education and training implies efficient management of computational resources. In Second Life Grid and OpenSimulator, commonly used for this purpose, a key resource is the number of servers required to support educational spaces. Educational activities can take place at different altitudes over the same virtual land, for different classes. This way a single virtual world server can sustain several different educational spaces/classes, reducing the number of servers needed to make available different classrooms or other educational spaces. One issue whose importance is emphasized in such conditions is that of class privacy, bearing in mind that most privacy-management features of these platforms are land-based, not space-based. In this paper, we provide an overview of the issues to consider when planning privacy in these platforms and the methodologies that can be developed and implemented to ensure it at an adequate level, including the extra privacy possible in OpenSimulator regarding Second Life Grid. © 2010 IEEE.

Abstract
The need for contact, sharing and socializing is part of human nature, so that the community's role is vital to the survival of the species. With the development of Information and Communication Technologies and their influence on society and everyday life, led the search for new ways to build relationships and create communities among people, creating virtual communities; turn social networks emerge as new forms of association that respond to more complex understanding of human interaction in a way that the wider community; these to promote your main goal, more integrated into the games as a tool of socialization. The impact of current games at various levels, as the social and economic development, and its applicability in various fields, it becomes important to analyze the contribution of the community. It is intended in this article, a description of the factors that motivate this research to a later stage to develop the proposed objectives: to analyze the new social reality and develop a model that allows adapting the health games to social games in order to foster the creation / sustainability of communities based on social networks, aiming to raise awareness of health issues, increasing knowledge and sharing of experiences of members of communities. © 2011 IEEE.

Abstract
The growth of the Internet and its associated technologies did open space for a new type of human interaction: virtual, social interaction environments. The introduction of regulated interaction in these virtual interaction spaces may be a solution towards their organization and inherent increased credibility. In this paper we propose a model for interaction regulation and control for virtual, social interaction spaces, called Social Theatres. A multi-layer software architecture was developed to support this web-based interaction model, allowing easy construction of such social interaction spaces and adaptation to users' devices. This paper discusses the advantages of regulated interaction, addresses the Social Theatre metaphor and presents the software architecture for the implementation of these regulated social interaction spaces.

Abstract