Vincenzi used the Media Commons to create a tutorial showing students the virtual reality world of Tilt Brush before they began using it in the lab. Their time in the lab was limited because of COVID-19 restrictions; the class met twice in small groups, with one session to experiment with Tilt Brush and a second session to complete the dress designs.
Vincenzi said the VR program makes the design process more flexible and spontaneous, and allows users to see their creations in different dimensions.
“It’s very suitable for the first stage of ideation of a fashion garment. Students can go around the mannequin and explore shape, colors, texture and different silhouettes,” she said. “I’ve sometimes seen students who came to the virtual reality lab with sketches and then when they are in virtual reality, they start with that idea and they end up with something very different.”
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. A proof-of-concept study conducted in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease offers new evidence that copper isotopes can be used to detect the amyloid-beta protein deposits that form in the brains of people living with – or at risk of developing – Alzheimer’s.
Several types of isotopes give off positively charged particles called positrons that are detectable by positron emission tomography scanners. The copper isotope used in the study, Cu-64, lasts much longer than the carbon or fluorine isotopes currently approved for use in human subjects, researchers report. Having access to longer-lasting diagnostic agents would make the process of diagnosing Alzheimer’s more accessible to people who live far from major medical centers. Any clinic with a PET scanner could have the agents shipped to it in time to use the compounds in brain scans of patients living nearby.