La conception de jeux vidéo éducatifs : une méthodologie de recherche/création

De façon générale, cette thèse identifie et définit l'ensemble des concepts théoriques et pratiques nécessaires à l'exercice de la conception de jeux vidéo éducatifs en tenant compte des aspects d'intention, d'information, d'interface et d'interactivité. Elle répond à la question suivante : comment outiller et assister efficacement un artiste ou un créateur dans la démarche complexe de la conception de jeux vidéo éducatifs? En effet, les personnes abordant la conception multimédia se sentent souvent dépourvues lorsqu'il est question de développer ou de conceptualiser ce type d'œuvre. C'est d'abord parce qu'il s'agit d'un champ d'étude relativement nouveau qui cherche encore ses codes langagiers. Ensuite, il s'agit de se référer aux niveaux de complexité générés par des projets ludiques et pédagogiques intégrant à la fois des notions de science de l'information (gestion de la connaissance, bases de données), des notions d'esthétique et de forme (arts visuels, design graphique) et des notions d'informatique (langage de programmation, vie et intelligence artificielles). Les résultats de la recherche se présentent sous la forme d'une méthodologie de recherche/création systémique appuyée par une intervention prenant la forme d'une série de quatre capsules multimédias interactives couvrant l'ensemble des résultats générés. Ces capsules s'adressent à des professionnels œuvrant tant dans le domaine de la culture, de l'éducation, de la science, des arts et des communications que dans ceux de la recherche et de l'expérimentation. Elles décrivent, illustrent et démontrent les potentialités expressives, narratives, cognitives et interactives du langage multimédia; elles présentent le champ d'intervention dans son ensemble, incluant les concepts, les théories, les méthodes et les outils nécessaires à sa compréhension, à son élaboration et à sa pratique esthétique, ludique, pédagogique et communicationnelle. De façon plus précise, une première capsule présente des notions définissant le multimédia, ses multiples applications ainsi que les différents contextes de production dans lesquels elles se déploient. Une deuxième capsule expose ensuite des notions de langage cinématographique et hypermédia qui seront utiles pour la conception multimédia. Une troisième capsule aborde des notions relatives à la pédagogie, et comment celles-ci peuvent s'appliquer à la conception de jeux vidéo éducatifs. Enfin, la dernière capsule présente un modèle de devis de conception multimédia adapté aux productions culturelles ludo-éducatives. À travers l'ensemble de ces capsules, des exemples permettront de visualiser et d'expérimenter l'ensemble des concepts répondant aux énoncés théoriques et pratiques exposés par la recherche.\ud ______________________________________________________________________________ \ud MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : jeux vidéo éducatifs, design multimédia, scénarisation multimédia, conception multimédia, conception hypermédia, loisir éducatif, jeu éducatif, enseignement par le jeu, apprentissage par le jeu, interface graphique, méthodologie de conception

Association of cartilage-specific deletion of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ with abnormal endochondral ossification and impaired cartilage growth and development in a murine model

Objective Long bones develop through the strictly regulated process of endochondral ossification within the growth plate, resulting in the replacement of cartilage by bone. Defects in this process can result in skeletal abnormalities and a predisposition to degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Studies suggest that activation of the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is an important therapeutic target in OA. To devise PPARγ-related therapies in OA, it is critical to identify the role of this transcription factor in cartilage biology. Therefore, this study sought to determine the in vivo role of PPARγ in endochondral ossification and cartilage development, using cartilage-specific PPARγ-knockout (KO) mice. Methods Cartilage-specific PPARγ-KO mice were generated using the Cre/loxP system. Histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to assess the patterns of ossification, proliferation, differentiation, and hypertrophy of chondrocytes, skeletal organization, bone density, and calcium deposition in the KO mice. Results PPARγ-KO mice exhibited reductions in body length, body weight, length of the long bones, skeletal growth, cellularity, bone density, calcium deposition, and trabecular bone thickness, abnormal organization of the growth plate, loss of columnar organization, shorter hypertrophic zones, and delayed primary and secondary ossification. Immunohistochemical analyses for Sox9, 5-bromo-2\u27-deoxyuridine, p57, type X collagen, and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 revealed reductions in the differentiation, proliferation, and hypertrophy of chondrocytes and in vascularization of the growth plate in mutant mice. Isolated chondrocytes and cartilage explants from mutant mice showed aberrant expression of Sox9 and extracellular matrix markers, including aggrecan, type II collagen, and matrix metalloproteinase 13. In addition, chondrocytes from mutant mice exhibited enhanced phosphorylation of p38 and decreased expression of Indian hedgehog. Conclusion The presence of PPARγ is required for normal endochondral ossification and cartilage development in vivo. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology

3D genomics across the tree of life reveals condensin II as a determinant of architecture type

We investigated genome folding across the eukaryotic tree of life. We find two types of three-dimensional(3D) genome architectures at the chromosome scale. Each type appears and disappears repeatedlyduring eukaryotic evolution. The type of genome architecture that an organism exhibits correlates with theabsence of condensin II subunits. Moreover, condensin II depletion converts the architecture of thehuman genome to a state resembling that seen in organisms such as fungi or mosquitoes. In this state,centromeres cluster together at nucleoli, and heterochromatin domains merge. We propose a physicalmodel in which lengthwise compaction of chromosomes by condensin II during mitosis determineschromosome-scale genome architecture, with effects that are retained during the subsequent interphase.This mechanism likely has been conserved since the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes.C.H. is supported by the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds; C.H., Á.S.C., and B.D.R. are supported by an ERC CoG (772471, “CohesinLooping”); A.M.O.E. and B.D.R. are supported by the Dutch Research Council (NWO-Echo); and J.A.R. and R.H.M. are supported by the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF). T.v.S. and B.v.S. are supported by NIH Common Fund “4D Nucleome” Program grant U54DK107965. H.T. and E.d.W. are supported by an ERC StG (637597, “HAP-PHEN”). J.A.R., T.v.S., H.T., R.H.M., B.v.S., and E.d.W. are part of the Oncode Institute, which is partly financed by the Dutch Cancer Society. Work at the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics is sponsored by the NSF (grants PHY-2019745 and CHE-1614101) and by the Welch Foundation (grant C-1792). V.G.C. is funded by FAPESP (São Paulo State Research Foundation and Higher Education Personnel) grants 2016/13998-8 and 2017/09662-7. J.N.O. is a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research. E.L.A. was supported by an NSF Physics Frontiers Center Award (PHY-2019745), the Welch Foundation (Q-1866), a USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant (2017-05741), the Behavioral Plasticity Research Institute (NSF DBI-2021795), and an NIH Encyclopedia of DNA Elements Mapping Center Award (UM1HG009375). Hi-C data for the 24 species were created by the DNA Zoo Consortium (www.dnazoo.org). DNA Zoo is supported by Illumina, Inc.; IBM; and the Pawsey Supercomputing Center. P.K. is supported by the University of Western Australia. L.L.M. was supported by NIH (1R01NS114491) and NSF awards (1557923, 1548121, and 1645219) and the Human Frontiers Science Program (RGP0060/2017). The draft A. californica project was supported by NHGRI. J.L.G.-S. received funding from the ERC (grant agreement no. 740041), the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant no. BFU2016-74961-P), and the institutional grant Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu (MDM-2016-0687). R.D.K. is supported by NIH grant RO1DK121366. V.H. is supported by NIH grant NIH1P41HD071837. K.M. is supported by a MEXT grant (20H05936). M.C.W. is supported by the NIH grants R01AG045183, R01AT009050, R01AG062257, and DP1DK113644 and by the Welch Foundation. E.F. was supported by NHGR

Osteocrin is a specific ligand of the natriuretic peptide clearance receptor that modulates bone growth

Osteocrin (Ostn) is a recently discovered secreted protein produced by cells of the osteoblast lineage that shows a well conserved homology with members of the natriuretic peptide (NP) family. We hypothesized that Ostn could interact with the NP receptors, thereby modulating NP actions on the skeleton. Ostn binds specifically and saturably to the NP peptide receptor-C (NPR-C) receptor with a K-d of similar to 5 nM with no binding to the GC-A or GC-B receptors. Deletion of several of the residues deemed important for NP binding to NPR-C led to abolition of Ostn binding, confirming the presence of a "natriuretic motif." Functionally, Ostn was able to augment C-type natriuretic peptide-stimulated cGMP production in both pre-chondrocytic (ATDC5) and osteoblastic (UMR106) cells, suggesting increased NP levels due to attenuation of NPR-C associated NP clearance. Ostn-transgenic mice displayed elongated bones and a marked kyphosis associated with elevated bone cGMP levels, suggesting that elevated natriuretic peptide activity contributed to the increased bone length possibly through an increase in growth plate chondrocyte proliferation. Thus, we have demonstrated that Ostn is a naturally occurring ligand of the NPR-C clearance receptor and may act to locally modulate the actions of the natriuretic system in bone by blocking the clearance action of NPR-C, thus locally elevating levels of C-type natriuretic peptide

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Educational Video Game Design : a research/design methodology

Publ. également en anglais sous le titre: Educational video game design : a research/design methodology.Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 8 mars 2010)Thèse (Ph.D.) - Université du Québec à Montréal, 2007

Le Roman de Tobit (filiation, fiction et vérité)

Le livre biblique de Tobit ouvre aux questions du rapport à l'origine et de la structuration subjective. Par le biais de l'histoire de sa mise en forme et de son inclusion dans le corpus biblique canonique, le roman de Tobit invite à une réflexion sur la filiation, la fiction et la vérité. Ce texte n'est ni fixe ni immuable et s'y recoupent une multitude de voix. A la lumière d'éléments de psychanalyse, il fournit une illustration des pièges tendus par un imaginaire qui se réclame d'inspiration divine. Tobit, l'homme bon, croit pouvoir transcender les registres les plus habituels de la condition et des relations humaines en se fusionnant à la Loi divine. Or, par l'épreuve qui s'abat sur lui à partir de Tb 2,10, un vide se creuse là où il était plein de sa propre rigueur morale. Ce passage peut évoquer aujourd'hui une dimension que Lacan nomme le symbolique, né du jeu des signifiants. La dimension de l'Autre est suggéré par la lecture proposé de la figure d'Azarias/Raphaël.STRASBOURG-B.N.U.S. (674821001) / SudocSTRASBOURG-Théologie Catho. (674822201) / SudocSTRASBOURG-Théologie Protest. (674822202) / SudocSudocFranceF