A system for creating virtual reality content from make-believe games

International audiencePretend play is a storytelling technique, naturally used from very young ages, which relies on object substitution to represent the characters of the imagined story. We propose a system which assists the storyteller by generating a virtualized story from a recorded dialogue performed with 3D printed figurines. We capture the gestures and facial expressions of the storyteller using Kinect cameras and IMU sensors and transfer them to their virtual counterparts in the story-world. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate our system with an improvised story involving a prince and a witch, which was successfully recorded and transferred into 3D animation

Construire des pratiques participatives dans les bibliothèques

Participer et faire participer les citoyens, les publics ? Qui participe, comment et jusqu’où ? Que devient le professionnel avec ce nouveau paradigme ? Comment emporter l’adhésion des habitants ? De plus en plus de bibliothèques s’engagent activement dans la participation, selon des modalités et des niveaux d’implication variés. Cette mutation des pratiques renouvelle les réflexions engagées autour des publics : ne plus seulement mettre les publics au centre du cercle mais créer les conditions pour les accompagner à dessiner ce cercle. Empowerment, co-construction, crowdsourcing, savoirs partagés, participation démocratique… cet ouvrage permet de clarifier les notions attachées aux dynamiques participatives et propose un cadre de réflexion qui permettra aux bibliothécaires de construire leurs modes d’action entre PirateBox, BiblioRemix, comités d’usagers, design de service et autres formes de projets participatifs. Organisé en trois parties - Repenser la bibliothèque ensemble, Partager les savoirs, Décider ensemble ? – ce volume présente également un ensemble de témoignages de praticiens du sujet, en France et aux États-Unis, de la préfiguration d’une bibliothèque à son réaménagement, en passant par la création de plateformes collaboratives et de nouveaux services. L’expérience d’un musée et l’aventure d’un centre social viennent enrichir le panorama

Heme Drives Susceptibility of Glomerular Endothelium to Complement Overactivation Due to Inefficient Upregulation of Heme Oxygenase-1

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a severe disease characterized by microvascular endothelial cell (EC) lesions leading to thrombi formation, mechanical hemolysis and organ failure, predominantly renal. Complement system overactivation is a hallmark of aHUS. To investigate this selective susceptibility of the microvascular renal endothelium to complement attack and thrombotic microangiopathic lesions, we compared complement and cyto-protection markers on EC, from different vascular beds, in in vitro and in vivo models as well as in patients. No difference was observed for complement deposits or expression of complement and coagulation regulators between macrovascular and microvascular EC, either at resting state or after inflammatory challenge. After prolonged exposure to hemolysis-derived heme, higher C3 deposits were found on glomerular EC, in vitro and in vivo, compared with other EC in culture and in mice organs (liver, skin, brain, lungs and heart). This could be explained by a reduced complement regulation capacity due to weaker binding of Factor H and inefficient upregulation of thrombomodulin (TM). Microvascular EC also failed to upregulate the cytoprotective heme-degrading enzyme heme-oxygenase 1 (HO-1), normally induced by hemolysis products. Only HUVEC (Human Umbilical Vein EC) developed adaptation to heme, which was lost after inhibition of HO-1 activity. Interestingly, the expression of KLF2 and KLF4—known transcription factors of TM, also described as possible transcription modulators of HO-1- was weaker in micro than macrovascular EC under hemolytic conditions. Our results show that the microvascular EC, and especially glomerular EC, fail to adapt to the stress imposed by hemolysis and acquire a pro-coagulant and complement-activating phenotype. Together, these findings indicate that the vulnerability of glomerular EC to hemolysis is a key factor in aHUS, amplifying complement overactivation and thrombotic microangiopathic lesions

The architecture of monospecific microalgae biofilms 2

International audienceMicroalgae biofilms have been proposed as an alternative to suspended cultures in 10 commercial and biotechnological fields. However, little is known about their architecture which 11 may strongly impact biofilm behavior, bioprocess stability and productivity. In order to unravel the 12 architecture of microalgae biofilms, four species of commercial interest were cultivated in 13 microplates and characterized using a combination of confocal laser scanning microscopy and FTIR-14 spectroscopy. In all the species, the biofilm biovolume and thickness increased over time and 15 reached a plateau after 7 days, the final biomass reached was very different though. The roughness 16 decreased during maturation, reflecting cell division and voids filling. The extracellular polymeric 17 substances content of the matrix remained constant in some species and increased over time in some 18 others. Vertical profiles showed that young biofilms presented a maximum cell density at 20 µm 19 above the substratum co-localized with matrix components. In mature biofilms, the maximum 20 density of cells moved at a greater distance from the substratum (30-40 µm) whereas the maximum 21 coverage of matrix components remained in deeper layer. Carbohydrates and lipids were the main 22 macromolecules changing during biofilm maturation. Our results revealed that the architecture of 23 microalgae biofilms is species-specific. However, time is similarly affecting the structural and 24 biochemical parameters. 2

Design and synthesis of epicocconone's analogues as fluorescent dyes for trapping proteins interacting with G-Quadruplex

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Design and synthesis of Epicocconone-DNA binder hybrids : Analysing the DNA-Protein interaction

International audienc

Design and synthesis of epicocconone's analogues as fluorescent dyes for trapping proteins interacting with G-Quadruplex

International audienc