Paula Alavesa

Dimerization of human lysyl hydroxylase 3 (LH3) is mediated by the amino acids 541-547.

Lysyl hydroxylases (LH), which catalyze the post-translational modifications of lysines in collagen and collagen-like proteins, function as dimers. However, the amino acids responsible for dimerization and the role of dimer formation in the enzymatic activities of LH have not yet been identified. We have localized the region responsible for the dimerization of lysyl hydroxylase 3 (LH3), a multifunctional enzyme of collagen biosynthesis, to a sequence of amino acids between the glycosyltransferase activity and the lysyl hydroxylase activity domains. This area is covered by amino acids 541-547 in human LH3, but contains no cysteine residues. The region is highly conserved among LH isoforms, and is also involved in the dimerization of LH1 subunits. Dimerization is required for the LH activity of LH3, whereas it is not obligatory for the glycosyltransferase activities. In order to determine whether complex formation can occur between LH molecules originating from different species, and between different LH isoforms, double expressions were generated in a baculovirus system. Heterocomplex formation between mouse and human LH3, between human LH1 and LH3 and between human LH2 and LH3 was detected by western blot analyses. However, due to the low amount of complexes formed, the in vivo function of heterocomplexes remains unclear.

VirtualOulu: collaborative, immersive and extensible 3D city model on the web

In this paper, we describe the creation of a photorealistic digital 3D representation of a real world city and its subsequent publication as an open and collaborative 3D virtual world on the web using an open source software platform. We present the guidelines and conventions used in the collaborative development process of the model. We report the design and implementation of the web user interface of the model that exploits on dynamic on demand (un)loading of assets during navigation to reduce memory consumption on user device. We demonstrate the extensibility of the model with example applications. We report an empirical performance evaluation of the web user interface in terms of download latencies and memory consumption, and frame rate achieved with three different types of user devices during navigation. We identify a rendering bottleneck in the current implementation and present a candidate solution for fixing it.

Props: 3D-game-like mediator for improvisational storytelling

This paper introduces Props, a 3D-game-like system for mediating collaborative and improvisational storytelling. Props combines a virtual 3D stage and the surrounding physical world into a hybrid space for storytelling. Prop master sets the stage for a story that is narrated by a narrator by speaking or acting. The iterative and collaborative process of staging, narrating and acting goes on until the players agree that the story has been told. We evaluated Props by hosting several storytelling events where Props was played by audiences from different age groups. As the theoretical framework in the analysis of the storytelling events we use an extension of the Church–Murray aesthetics of virtual environments. The data shows that the interaction from props and prop masters to narrators dominates storytelling, and that the participants generally enjoyed playing Props.

Combining Storytelling Tradition and Pervasive Gaming

In recent years storytelling has gone through various attempts of renaissance, thanks to a recreational storytelling revivalist movement, which has not been largely successful. Pervasive gaming is an all-encompassing branch in gaming and has the potential to reach a large amount of people. Moreover, it provides a way to mix modern society with age-old traditions like storytelling. This paper describes the development of a small scale pervasive game embedding at the same time social and improvisational features and the use of this game by amateur storytellers. The game, Props, aims to take storytelling from oblivion to modern urban environments.

Street art gangs: location based hybrid reality game

We present a location based mixed reality game called Street Art Gangs that we have developed to explore the playful appropriation of the hybrid reality comprising of a city center and its detailed virtual replica represented as a 3D virtual model. In the real streets SAG is played with a mobile phone app that allows tagging predefined locations around the city to claim their ownership and busting nearby players of competing gangs. The virtual game world is viewed with a PC app that allows observing the current owners of taggable locations, the locations of other players, and the locations of patrolling virtual policemen busting players. We have developed two incremental versions of SAG that have been evaluated with tournaments in the wild. We conceptualize the findings of the tournaments with de Souza e Silvas theoretical framework for hybrid reality games. Our findings suggest that players preferred to play the game on real city streets while the added value of the virtual game world remained marginal. The size of the game both in terms of area and the number of taggable locations turned out to have a major impact on gameplay.

Hybrid avatars: enabling co-presence in multiple realities

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are quickly making their way into peoples everyday lives. Typically, these technologies are used separately to create either plain VR or AR applications rather than harnessing the possibilities of combining the two. In this position paper, we introduce a novel concept of hybrid avatar that enables avatar-based interactions between VR and AR users visiting the same place both in the real world and its virtual counterpart. We illustrate a generic architecture for implementing hybrid avatar interactions, present our prototype implementation and discuss the implementation related challenges. Main contribution of this paper is to provide new ideas for research on the areas of VR, AR, and hybrid reality.

Anarchy or Order on the Streets: Review Based Characterization of Location Based Mobile Games

Location based mobile games have traditionally relied on implicit codes of conduct, legal ordinances, common social norms, or community emergent rules. However, these games are becoming increasingly popular and enforcing these implicit or explicit restrictions has become difficult. In this paper, we present a critical and systematic review of both commercial and non-commercial location based mobile games. We list selected characteristics of the games and highlight their connection to the affordances and restrictions on urban game arenas. We also demonstrate the feasibility of our characterization by applying it to two recent location based mobile games, Pokemon GO [53] and Street Art Gangs [4].

A platform for pervasive games for research

Pervasive games take advantage of ubiquitous infrastructure of our urban environment. Their architecture can be complex. We have begun to develop a platform that makes it possible to create pervasive games from a simple location based mobile game to a complex pervasive live action role playing game. In this paper, we present the concept and current architecture of our platform and briefly describe the games that have been developed on top of it.

Air Tandem: A Collaborative Bodily Game Exploring Interpersonal Synchronization

In this paper we introduce a game design that utilizes the synchronization and flow of the movement in contrast to the pace of movement (speed) utilized in many exertion games. We present Air Tandem, a bodily game that explorers synchronized limb movements to move a shared avatar from a start to a finish line on a projected route. The game is designed for a two player team. In the future we plan to use this game to gain insight on the sensory cues the players use to achieve synchrony.

AVATAREX: Telexistence System based on Virtual Avatars

The telexistence technology can provide many kinds of benefits for the society. These include new ways of remote work, empowerment of handicapped and elderly people, and creation of new immersive and environmentally-friendly forms of tourism, travel, shopping, sports and leisure time activities. In this paper, we introduce AVATAREX, a telexistence system based on virtual avatars. AVATAREX provides means for connecting users that are simultaneously occupying the same space in the real world and its virtual replica. Using an indoor prototype implementation of AVATAREX and a simple collaborative game, we investigated how users experience co-presence in a telexistence system based on virtual avatars and measured the performance of AVATAREX on high-end smart glasses. Based on our findings, users wearing virtual reality gear reported a stronger sense of co-presence compared to users wearing augmented reality gear. Unexpectedly, users wearing smart glasses reported a lower sense of co-presence than users using a tablet for augmented reality experience.