TOWARDS GESTURE-BASED MULTI-USER INTERACTIONS IN COLLABORATIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

We present a virtual reality (VR) setup that enables multiple users to participate in collaborative virtual environments and interact via gestures. A collaborative VR session is established through a network of users that is composed of a server and a set of clients. The server manages the communication amongst clients and is created by one of the users. Each user's VR setup consists of a Head Mounted Display (HMD) for immersive visualisation, a hand tracking system to interact with virtual objects and a single-hand joypad to move in the virtual environment. We use Google Cardboard as a HMD for the VR experience and a Leap Motion for hand tracking, thus making our solution low cost. We evaluate our VR setup though a forensics use case, where real-world objects pertaining to a simulated crime scene are included in a VR environment, acquired using a smartphone-based 3D reconstruction pipeline. Users can interact using virtual gesture-based tools such as pointers and rulers

EL ESTADO NACIÓN Y LA CONTRADICCIÓN CAPITAL-TRABAJO EN ARGENTINA: SOBRE LAS FUNCIONES DE LEGITIMACIÓN Y ACUMULACIÓN DE LOS PROGRAMAS SOCIALES DE EMPLEO ARGENTINOS (2002-2011)

En el marco del proceso de reestructuración del capital, la presente investigación se propone analizar cómo los programas sociales de empleo argentinos, así como los discursos oficiales a ellos referidos, responden a las históricas funciones de acumulación y legitimación de los gobiernos capitalistas (2002-2011), con el propósito de problematizar sobre el papel de los primeros en la contradicción contemporánea capital- trabajo en Argentina, y- desde un nivel mayor de abstracción-, sobre el papel de los Estados nacionales en el proceso de acumulación del capital, principalmente en lo que refiere a la gestión de la fuerza de trabajo. Para ello se utilizó una metodología cualitativa basada en el Análisis del Contenido de la normativa y discursos oficiales referida a la creación, implementación y contextualización de los programas. Concluimos la presente investigación documental señalando el carácter funcional de los programas al proceso de reestructuración del capital. Desde sus orígenes, los programas sociales de empleo constituyen una de las tantas estrategias utilizadas por este último para valorizarse y transitar sus crisis cíclicas y estructurales: su implementación, además de reproducir y disponer fuerza de trabajo necesaria para la acumulación del capital, viabiliza los procesos de flexibilización productiva y del trabajo. PALABRAS CLAVES: Estado, Capital-Trabajo, Programas Sociales de Empleo

Crescimento e desenvolvimento de pessegueiros 'Chimarrita' e 'Maciel' sobre diferentes porta-enxertos e locais de cultivo.

Objetivou-se com o presente trabalho avaliar a influência dos porta-enxertos no que se refere ao crescimento vegetativo e desenvolvimento dos pessegueiro 'Chimarrita' e 'Maciel' em três locais de cultivo. O experimento foi desenvolvido em três locais de cultivo: 1 (Embrapa Uva e Vinho), 2 (EEA UFRGS) e 3 (CAP UFPel), em três anos. As cultivares de pessegueiro utilizadas foram: 'Chimarrita' e 'Maciel' enxertadas sobre seis porta-enxertos ('Aldrighi', 'Capdeboscq', 'Flordaguard', 'Nemaguard', 'Okinawa' e Umezeiro), no espaçamento 1,5 X 5,0m e conduzidas no sistema em ?V?. Foram avaliados: volume de copa, diâmetro de tronco, massa fresca da poda, produção por planta acumulada, comprimento, espessura, gemas floríferas e densidade florífera do ramo produtivo. Também foi avaliado de forma visual o ponto de enxertia. O porta-enxerto Umezeiro induziu menor vigor nos três locais de cultivo estudados e na média dos três anos. Ele pode ser indicado para utilização sob 'Maciel' nas condições edafoclimáticas do local 3. No local 1 o porta-enxerto, 'Nemaguard' possui alto vigor e maior produção acumulada, sendo o mais indicado. Já para o local 2, os porta-enxertos 'Capdeboscq', 'Okinawa' e 'Flordaguard' são os mais indicados. Os porta-enxertos afetam as características de crescimento e desenvolvimento das cultivares 'Chimarrita' e 'Maciel', o vigor destas é menor sobre o portaenxerto Umezeiro nos três locais de cultivo. Todos os portaenxertos podem ser indicados para os três locais de cultivo, com exceção do Umezeiro, que somente pode ser indicado em combinação com a cultivar 'Maciel' no local 3

Nintedanib Treatment for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients Who Have Been Switched from Pirfenidone Therapy: A Retrospective Case Series Study

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and effectiveness of nintedanib as a first-line therapy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients have been demonstrated by clinical trials and real-life studies. Our aim was to examine the safety profile and effectiveness of nintedanib when it is utilized as a second-line treatment in subjects who have discontinued pirfenidone. METHODS: The medical charts of 12 patients who were switched from pirfenidone to nintedanib were examined retrospectively. The drug's safety was defined by the number of adverse events (AEs) that were reported; disease progression was evaluated based on the patient's vital status and changes in forced vital capacity (FVC) at 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: The numbers of patients experiencing AEs and of the AEs per patient in our study group didn't significantly differ with respect to a group of 56 individuals who were taking nintedanib as a first-line therapy during the study period (5/12 vs. 22/56; p = 0.9999, and 0.00 (0.00-1.00) vs. 0.00 (0.00-3.00); p = 0.517, respectively). Two out of the 3 patients who had been switched to nintedanib due to a rapid disease progression showed stabilized FVC values. CONCLUSIONS: Nintedanib was found to have an acceptable safety profile in the majority of the IPF patients switched from pirfenidone. Prospective studies are warranted to determine if the drug can effectively delay disease progression in these patients

Exploiting poly(I:C) to induce cancer cell apoptosis

TLR3 belong to the Toll-like receptors family, it is mainly expressed on immune cells where it senses pathogen-associated molecular patterns and initiates innate immune response. TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) was developed to mimic pathogens infection and boost immune system activation to promote anti-cancer therapy. Accordingly, TLR agonists were included in the National Cancer Institute list of immunotherapeutic agents with the highest potential to cure cancer. Besides well known effects on immune cells, poly(I:C) was also shown, in experimental models, to directly induce apoptosis in cancer cells expressing TLR3. This review presents the current knowledge on the mechanism of poly(I:C)-induced apoptosis in cancer cells. Experimental evidences on positive or negative regulators of TLR3-mediated apoptosis induced by poly(I:C) are reported and strategies are proposed to successfully promote this event in cancer cells. Cancer cells apoptosis is an additional arm offered by poly(I:C), besides activation of immune system, for the treatment of various type of cancer. A further dissection of TLR3 signaling would contribute to greater resolution of the critical steps that impede full exploitation of the poly(I:C)-induced apoptosis. Experimental evidences about negative regulator of poly(I:C)-induced apoptotic program should be considered in combinations with TLR3 agonists in clinical trials

Installazioni interattive per la valorizzazione di strumenti musicali antichi: il flauto di Pan del Museo di Scienze Archeologiche e d’Arte dell’Università degli Studi di Padova

Questo articolo descrive un progetto relativo all\u2019implementazione di un flauto di Pan virtuale all\u2019interno di una installazione museale che verr\ue0 esposta presso il Museo di Scienze Archeologiche e d\u2019Arte dell\u2019Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Padova. In primo luogo, l\u2019articolo introduce il problema della conservazione attiva e della valorizzazione degli strumenti in ambito museale. A seguire descrive l\u2019installazione multimediale progettata appositamente per valorizzare un antico flauto di Pan ritrovato in Egitto, negli anni Trenta, durante una campagna di scavi archeologici. Il reperto \ue8 stato sottoposto a svariate analisi, quali scansioni 3D e Tomografia Computerizzata, da cui sono state estratte le misure interne ed esterne del flauto. Queste sono state indispensabili per ricavare l\u2019intonazione delle canne e quindi creare il modello alla base del flauto virtuale. Infine, l\u2019articolo descrive in maniera approfondita le scelte progettuali, le modalit\ue0 di interazione e l\u2019implementazione delle due sezioni dell\u2019installazione dedicata al suono. L\u2019utente, infatti, pu\uf2 \u201csuonare\u201d il flauto utilizzando come input sia i comandi touch, sia il \u201csoffio\u201d