The CaveUT system:Immersive entertainment based on a game engine

We describe recent developments in the CaveUT software, which supports immersive virtual reality installations based on the Unreal Tournament game engine. CaveUT implements several high-end VR features such as real-time stereoscopy with head and hand tracking. We demonstrate the use of CaveUT in the SAS Cube™, a PC-based CAVE™-like immersive four-screen display. One of the main advantages of the system is to support fully immersive VR while retaining the game engine’s advanced features for interaction and behavioral (or AI) systems. We illustrate the use of CaveUT on two installations: an artistic VR installation and an immersive interactive storytelling system

CaveUDK: a VR game engine middleware

Previous attempts at developing immersive versions of game engines have faced difficulties in achieving both overall high performance and preserving reusability of software developments. In this paper, we present a high-level VR middleware based on one of the most successful commercial game engines: the Unreal® Engine 3.0 (UE3). We describe a VR framework implemented as an extension to the Unreal® Development Kit (UDK) supporting CAVE"-like installations. Our approach relies on a distributed architecture reinforced by specific replication patterns to synchronize the user's point of view and interactions within a multi-screen installation. Our performance benchmarks indicated that our immersive port does not affect the game engine performance, even with complex real-time applications, such as fast-paced multiplayer First Person Shooter (FPS) games or high-resolution graphical environments with 2M+ polygons. A user study also demonstrated the capacity of our VR middleware to elicit high spatial presence while maintaining low cybersickness effects. With free distribution, we believe such a platform can support future Entertainment and VR research

De 20 000 à 18 000 BP en Quercy : apports de la séquence du Cuzoul de Vers à la compréhension de l'évolution des comportements socio-économiques entre Solutréen récent et Badegoulien

Essai de synthèse des travaux menés autour du gisement du Cuzoul de Vers (Lot)

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of osteosarcoma in young children: a retrospective series of 15 cases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy in childhood and adolescence. However, it is very rare in children under 5 years of age. Although studies in young children are limited in number, they all underline the high rate of amputation in this population, with conflicting results being recently reported regarding their prognosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To enhance knowledge on the clinical characteristics and prognosis of osteosarcoma in young children, we reviewed the medical records and histology of all children diagnosed with osteosarcoma before the age of five years and treated in SFCE (Société Française des Cancers et leucémies de l'Enfant) centers between 1980 and 2007.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifteen patients from 7 centers were studied. Long bones were involved in 14 cases. Metastases were present at diagnosis in 40% of cases. The histologic type was osteoblastic in 74% of cases. Two patients had a relevant history. One child developed a second malignancy 13 years after osteosarcoma diagnosis.</p> <p>Thirteen children received preoperative chemotherapy including high-dose methotrexate, but only 36% had a good histologic response. Chemotherapy was well tolerated, apart from a case of severe late convulsive encephalopathy in a one-year-old infant. Limb salvage surgery was performed in six cases, with frequent mechanical and infectious complications and variable functional outcomes.</p> <p>Complete remission was obtained in 12 children, six of whom relapsed. With a median follow-up of 5 years, six patients were alive in remission, seven died of their disease (45%), in a broad range of 2 months to 8 years after diagnosis, two were lost to follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Osteosarcoma seems to be more aggressive in children under five years of age, and surgical management remains a challange.</p

Causality and Virtual Reality Art

In this paper, we discuss how a cognitive concept, causality, can be used for the conceptual underpinning of Virtual Reality Art installations. Causality plays an important role in our construction of reality and, as such, it makes sense to use it as a principle to define VR experiences. We have developed a VR platform using cognitive data on causal perception to create artificial event co-occurrences in virtual worlds, which can be perceived as possible outcomes for user actions. After a preliminary validation of this technology by user experiments, it has been used to implement prototypes of artistic installations by two different artists. We describe the technical approach behind the elicitation of causal perception in virtual reality, and illustrate its use through the two artistic installations being developed with this new VR platform

Cavazza M.: The CaveUT System: Immersive Entertainment Based on a Game Engine

We describe the development of the CaveUT system, which is a software supporting immersive virtual reality installations based on the Unreal Tournament game engine. CaveUT implements several high-end VR features such as real-time stereoscopy with head and hand tracking. We demonstrate the use of CaveUT in the SAS Cube™, a PC-based CAVE™-like immersive fourscreen display. One of the main advantages of the system is to support full immersive VR while retaining the advanced features of game engines in terms of interaction and inclusion of behavioural (or AI) systems. We illustrate the use of CaveUT on two installations: an artistic VR installation and an immersive interactive storytelling system

La perception par les pédiatres des contraintes économiques : quelle incitation dans la prise en charge de l’obésité infantile ?

International audienceEarly detection and prevention are essential in the management of childhood obesity. The "public health" approach has expanded the scope of the traditional economic analysis to study the supply of prevention: the role of doctors is particularly crucial to the provision of secondary prevention (screening). It is then important to understand what kind of incentives may encourage doctors or pediatricians to intervene actively in the management of childhood obesity. We propose in this work to study the perceptions of pediatricians of the economic constraints they face in their routine practice. This analyse is done in the light of their different profiles that we have built on the basis of their knowledge (K), attitudes (A), beliefs (B) and practice (P) regarding childhood obesity. We draw consequences on incentives (not necessarily economic) that should be put in place to improve care on a daily basis.Le dépistage précoce et la prévention sont essentiels dans la prise en charge de l'obésité infantile. L'approche « santé publique » a élargi le champ de l'analyse économique à l'étude de l'offre de prévention : le rôle des médecins est central particulièrement pour la fourniture de prévention secondaire (dépistage). Il s'agit alors de comprendre quels incitatifs peuvent encourager les médecins ou pédiatres à intervenir activement dans la prise en charge de l'obésité infantile. Ce travail propose d'étudier les perceptions qu'ont les pédiatres des contraintes économiques auxquelles ils sont confrontés dans leur pratique de routine en les analysant au regard de leurs différents profils que nous avons construits sur la base de leurs connaissances (K), attitudes (A), croyances (B) et pratiques (P) en matière de prise en charge de l'obésité de l'enfant. Il en tire des conséquences sur des incitatifs (pas nécessairement économiques) qu'il faudrait mettre en place pour améliorer la prise en charge au quotidien de cette affection chronique