Ad-hoc study on soldiers calibration procedure in Virtual Reality

International audienceFrench Army infantrymen's are equipped today with a combat system called FELIN, which includes an infrared sighting device: the IR sight. One of the first manipulations learned by the soldier is the IR sight calibration. Currently, calibration training is a two-step process. The first step consists of practicing on a 2D WIMP software until making no mistakes. Then, the soldiers can apply his knowledge in the real situation on the shooting range. In this paper, we present an ad-hoc study of a learning method including a prototype in Virtual Reality for training on the FELIN IR sight calibration procedure. It has been experimented on real infantrymen learners in an infantry school. Results showed an attractive added value of Virtual Reality in this specific use case. It improved the learners' intrinsic motivation to repeat the training task as well as the learning efficiency. It also helped the training team to identify specific mistake types not detected by the traditional learning software

Training soldiers to calibration procedures in Virtual Reality, the FELIN IR sight use case

National audienceThe infantrymen of the French army are equipped today with a combat system called FELIN, which includes an infrared sighting device: the IR sight. One of the first manipulations learnt by the soldier is the IR sight calibration. Currently, calibration training is a two-step procedure. The first step consists in practicing on a 2D WIMP software, and virtually practicing until making no mistakes. Then, if the soldier succeeds without mistakes, he can apply his knowledge in real situation on the shooting range. In this paper, we present a learning method that includes a prototype in Virtual Reality for training on the FELIN IR sight calibration procedure. We experimented it on real infantrymen learners in an infantry school. Results showed interesting added value of Virtual Reality in this specific use case. It improved the learners' motivation, learning efficiency and helped to identify specific mistake types not detected by the traditional learning software

Calcitization of aragonitic bryozoans in Cenozoic tropical carbonates from East Kalimantan, Indonesia

© The Author(s) 2016. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The file attached is the published version of the article

Early Energy Deficit in Huntington Disease: Identification of a Plasma Biomarker Traceable during Disease Progression

Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, with no effective treatment. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying HD have not been elucidated, but weight loss, associated with chorea and cognitive decline, is a characteristic feature of the disease that is accessible to investigation. We, therefore, performed a multiparametric study exploring body weight and the mechanisms of its loss in 32 presymptomatic carriers and HD patients in the early stages of the disease, compared to 21 controls. We combined this study with a multivariate statistical analysis of plasma components quantified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. We report evidence of an early hypermetabolic state in HD. Weight loss was observed in the HD group even in presymptomatic carriers, although their caloric intake was higher than that of controls. Inflammatory processes and primary hormonal dysfunction were excluded. 1H NMR spectroscopy on plasma did, however, distinguish HD patients at different stages of the disease and presymptomatic carriers from controls. This distinction was attributable to low levels of the branched chain amino acids (BCAA), valine, leucine and isoleucine. BCAA levels were correlated with weight loss and, importantly, with disease progression and abnormal triplet repeat expansion size in the HD1 gene. Levels of IGF1, which is regulated by BCAA, were also significantly lower in the HD group. Therefore, early weight loss in HD is associated with a systemic metabolic defect, and BCAA levels may be used as a biomarker, indicative of disease onset and early progression. The decreased plasma levels of BCAA may correspond to a critical need for Krebs cycle energy substrates in the brain that increased metabolism in the periphery is trying to provide

Développement d'un modèle éléments finis pour la simulation d'écoulements à surface libre (application au soudage)

Ce travail est porté sur le développement d'un modèle éléments finis tridimensionnel destiné à l'étude des transferts thermiques dans les pièces à souder et de l'écoulement dans le bain liquide obtenu lors d'une opération de soudage par fusion. Le modèle numérique développé permet de prendre en compte l'évolution de la surface libre du bain de fusion par l'utilisation d'un maillage mobile. Ce maillage mobile est géré numériquement par la méthode Lagrange-Euler Arbitraire (ALE). La validation du modèle a consisté en la réalisation de problèmes tests avec notamment la simulation d'un écoulement à surface libre pour lequel nous disposons d'une solution analytique. Nous nous sommes intéréssés plus spécifiquement à trois des phénomènes physiques générant l'écoulement du métal liquide dans le bain de fusion. Il s'agit de l'effet d'entraînement dû à la vitesse de soudage, de l'effet Marangoni et de l'effet de la pression du procédé de soudage. Les simulations, réalisées en séparant les phénomènes moteurs de l'écoulement, ont permis de quantifier l'influence de l'écoulement du métal liquide sur la distribution de température dans les cas traités.This work is focused on the development of a three-dimensional finite element model to study the heat transfer in the whole pieces to weld and the fluid flow in the weld pool resulting from the welding process. The numerical model allows us to consider the evolution of the free surface of the molten pool by the use of a moving mesh. The moving mesh is numerically implemented with an ALE Method. Validation of the model is conducted by the way of several tests problems with notably the numerical simulation of a free surface flow with an analytical solution. We have been interested more specifically to three of the main physical phenomena generating fluid flow in the molten pool. These are the driving effect due to the welding speed, the Marangoni effect and the welding process pressure. The numerical simulations, being performed separating the physical phenomena, have permitted to quantify the influence of the weld pool flow on the temperature distribution in the cases treated.AIX-MARSEILLE1-Inst.Médit.tech (130552107) / SudocSudocFranceF

DRIFTSONDES, Providing In Situ Long-Duration Dropsonde Observations over Remote Regions

A field-tested, balloon-borne dropsonde platform fills an important gap in in-situ research measurement capabilities by delivering high-resolution, MIST dropsondes to remote locations from heights unobtainable by research aircraft.National Science Foundation’s Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences and Office of Polar ProgramsNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Science Council of TaiwanTaiwan Central Weather BureauOffice of Naval ResearchThe national and international THORPEX project officesNational Science Foundation supported these field projects through their support of the U.S. THORPEX project Office, and the Lower Atmospheric Observing FacilitiesATM-0301213ATM-9732665ANT-0733007ANT-1002057AGS-0736003NA17GP1376NSC 96- 2745-M-002-004NSC 97-2111-M-002-005NSC 97-2111-M-002-016-MY3N00173-08-1-G007N00014- 09-WR20008MOTC-CWB-97-6M-0

Outils décisionnels dans la gestion des pollutions accidentelles des cours d'eau : vers des solutions écologiquement durables

National audienceIndustries regularly interface with natural environment. The natural environment is often impacted when accidental industrial pollution occurs. Classical procedure makes use of physico-chemical analyses to state the pollution of the environment. However, diagnosis on the living is often neglected in this inventory. The authors suggest an approach adapted to rivers to identify the impacts on the living. This approach may be a decisional tool for field operationals and a first step towards rehabilitation or ecological restoration of environment.L'interface milieu naturel-industrie est une constante dans l'occupation des sols. Lorsqu'un accident d'origine industrielle survient, ce milieu naturel est souvent largement impacté. Les procédures qui se mettent en place font appel à des analyses physico-chimiques pour faire l'état de la pollution du milieu, mais le diagnostic sur le vivant est souvent négligé. Les auteurs proposent une démarche adaptée aux cours d'eau pour le diagnostic des impacts sur le vivant, qui peut s'avérer un outil décisionnel pour les acteurs de terrain en vue d'une réhabilitation ou d'une restauration écologique du milieu