Boucles de perception-action et interaction face-à-face

International audienceCet article explore un champ de recherches en plein essor : la communication face-à-face. Les performances et la robustesse des composants technologiques nécessaires à la mise en oeuvre de systèmes d'interaction face-à-face entre l'homme et un agent conversationnel - technologies vocales, vision par ordinateur, synthèse d'images, compréhension et génération de dialogues, etc. - sont maintenant matures. Nous esquissons ici un programme de recherche centré sur la modélisation des diverses boucles de perception-action impliquées dans la gestion de l'interaction et sur le paramétrage dynamique de ces boucles par les divers niveaux de compréhension de la scène dans laquelle humains, robots et agents conversationnels animés seront inévitablement plongés

Test and calibration method for the air charge of turbocharged gasoline engines

Die in dieser Arbeit vorgestellte Versuchs- und Applikationsmethode leistet einen Beitrag zur qualitativen und zeitlichen Optimierung der Lasterfassungsapplikation aktueller Ottomotoren. Die Versuchsmethode basiert auf Informationen des bis dato durchlaufenen Motorentwicklungsprozesses und reduziert durch Einsatz von DoE den benötigten Messaufwand. In der Applikationsmethode wird ein Motormodell eingesetzt, das aus physikalischen und datenbasierten Teilmodellen besteht. Die neu entwickelte Lasterfassungsfunktion wird mit Simulationsergebnissen des Motormodells appliziert. Abschließend wird die Methode anhand des aktuellen 3-Zylinder-Ottomotors validiert.In this thesis, a test and calibration method is presented, which contributes to an optimization regarding quality and time of the calibration of load determination for today’s gasoline engines. The method consists of a test and a calibration part. The test method takes information of the engine development process into account. By re-utilizing information and DoE, the required measurement effort is reduced. In the modelbased calibration method, an engine model is applied, which consists of both physical and data-based submodels. The new developed air charge determination function is calibrated with simulation results of the engine model. The method is validated by the current 3-cylinder engine

CELLULAR EVENTS IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE : ANALYSIS AND IN VITRO RESPONSE OF MOUSE SPLEEN CELL POPULATIONS SEPARATED BY DIFFERENTIAL FLOTATION IN ALBUMIN GRADIENTS

Cell suspensions from the spleens of normal mice or mice injected with sheep erythrocytes were separated on a discontinous bovine serum albumin density gradient. Four bands or subpopulations were obtained and were assayed for antibody-forming cells, and for antigen-sensitive precursor cells. The antibody-forming cells were assayed by the hemolytic plaque assay and the antigen-sensitive precursors were assayed by the number of plaque-forming cells which developed after 3 or 5 day's culture with antigen. It was found that both antibody-forming cells and their precursors were present in the denser region of the gradient when spleen cell suspensions were taken from unimmunized mice. In contrast, both antibody-forming cells and precursors floated to the top in cell suspensions from mice sacrificed 1, 2, or 3 days after antigen injection. The change in density was detectable as early as 12 hr and was complete by 18 hr. The cell which changed in density was specific for the antigen that brought about that change. The significance of these findings is discussed

The disease-specific clinical trial network for primary ciliary dyskinesia: PCD-CTN

Primary ciliary dyskinesia; Rare genetic disorder; Lung diseasesDiscinesia ciliar primaria; Trastorno genético raro; Enfermedades pulmonaresDiscinesia ciliar primària; Trastorn genètic rar; Malalties pulmonarsPrimary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by impaired mucociliary clearance leading to irreversible lung damage. In contrast to other rare lung diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF), there are only few clinical trials and limited evidence-based treatments. Management is mainly based on expert opinions and treatment is challenging due to a wide range of clinical manifestations and disease severity. To improve clinical and translational research and facilitate development of new treatments, the clinical trial network for PCD (PCD-CTN) was founded in 2020 under the framework of the European Reference Network (ERN)-LUNG PCD Core. Applications from European PCD sites interested in participating in the PCD-CTN were requested. Inclusion criteria consisted of patient numbers, membership of ERN-LUNG PCD Core, use of associated standards of care, experience in PCD and/or CF clinical research, resources to run clinical trials, good clinical practice (GCP) certifications and institutional support. So far, applications from 22 trial sites in 18 European countries have been approved, including >1400 adult and >1600 paediatric individuals with PCD. The PCD-CTN is headed by a coordinating centre and consists of a steering and executive committee, a data safety monitoring board and committees for protocol review, training and standardisation. A strong association with patient organisations and industrial companies are further cornerstones. All participating trial sites agreed on a code of conduct. As CTNs from other diseases have demonstrated successfully, this newly formed PCD-CTN operates to establish evidence-based treatments for this orphan disease and to bring new personalised treatment approaches to patients

Management der Primären Ciliären Dyskinesie

Die Primäre Ciliäre Dyskinesie (PCD, MIM 242650) ist eine seltene hereditäre Multisystemerkrankung mit klinisch heterogenem Phänotyp. Leitsymptom ist eine chronische Sekretretention der oberen und unteren Atemwege, welche durch die Dysfunktion motiler respiratorischer Zilien entsteht. In der Folge kommt es zur Ausbildung von Bronchiektasen, häufig zu einer Infektion durch Pseudomonas aeruginosa sowie einer abnehmenden Lungenfunktion bis hin zum Lungenversagen. Bislang gibt es kaum evidenzbasierte Therapieempfehlungen, da randomisierte Langzeitstudien zur Behandlung der PCD fehlten. In diesem Jahr wurden die Daten einer ersten placebokontrollierten Medikamentenstudie bei PCD veröffentlicht. Anlässlich dieses Meilensteins im Management der PCD wurde der vorliegende Übersichtsartikel als Konsens von Patientenvertretern sowie Klinikern, die langjährige Erfahrung in der Behandlung der PCD haben, verfasst. Diese Arbeit bietet eine Zusammenfassung aktuell eingesetzter Behandlungsverfahren, die überwiegend auf persönlichen Erfahrungen und Expertenmeinungen beruhen oder von anderen Atemwegserkrankungen wie der Cystischen Fibrose (CF), COPD oder Bronchiektasen-Erkrankung abgeleitet werden. Da es derzeit keine kurative Therapie für PCD gibt, stehen symptomatische Maßnahmen wie die regelmäßige Reinigung der Atemwege und die Behandlung von rezidivierenden Atemwegsinfektionen im Fokus. Nicht respiratorische Manifestationen werden organspezifisch behandelt. Um neben der ersten Medikamentenstudie mehr evidenzbasiertes Wissen zu generieren, werden weitere Projekte etabliert, u. a. ein internationales PCD-Register. Hierüber wird Patienten der Zugang zu klinischen und wissenschaftlichen Studien erleichtert und die Vernetzung behandelnder Zentren gefördert. Des Weiteren können Erkenntnisse über eine Genotyp-spezifische Erkrankungsschwere erlangt werden, um folglich die therapeutische Versorgung der Patienten zu verbessern und somit zu individualisieren. = Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD, MIM 242650) is a rare, hereditary multiorgan disease characterized by malfunction of motile cilia. Hallmark symptom is a chronic airway infection due to mucostasis leading to irreversible lung damage that may progress to respiratory failure. There is no cure for this genetic disease and evidence-based treatment is limited. Until recently, there were no randomized controlled trials performed in PCD, but this year, data of the first placebo-controlled trial on pharmacotherapy in PCD were published. This cornerstone in the management of PCD was decisive for reviewing currently used treatment strategies. This article is a consensus of patient representatives and clinicians, which are highly experienced in care of PCD-patients and provides an overview of the management of PCD. Treatments are mainly based on expert opinions, personal experiences, or are deduced from other lung diseases, notably cystic fibrosis (CF), COPD or bronchiectasis. Most strategies focus on routine airway clearance and treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infections. Non-respiratory symptoms are treated organ specific. To generate further evidence-based knowledge, other projects are under way, e. g. the International PCD-Registry. Participating in patient registries facilitates access to clinical and research studies and strengthens networks between centers. In addition, knowledge of genotype-specific course of the disease will offer the opportunity to further improve and individualize patient care

From Teamchef Arminius to Hermann Junior: glocalised discourse about a national foundation myth

If for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the ‘Battle of the Teutoburg Forest’, fought in 9 CE between Roman armies and Germanic tribes, was predominantly a reference point for nationalist and chauvinist discourses in Germany, the first decade of the twenty-first century has seen attempts to link public remembrance with local/regional identities on the one hand and international/intercultural contact on the other. In the run up to and during the ‘anniversary year’ of 2009, German media, sports institutions and various other official institutions articulating tourist, economic and political interests attempted to create a new ‘glocalised’ version of the public memory of the Teutoburg battle. Combining methods of Cognitive Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis, the paper analyses the narrative and argumentative topoi employed in this re-orientation of public memory, with a special emphasis on hybrid, post-national identity-construction. Das zweitausendjährige Gedenkjahr der „Schlacht im Teutoburger Wald“ im Jahr 2009 bot eine günstige Gelegenheit, die bis in die zweite Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts dominante Tradition nationalistisch–chauvinistischer Deutungen des Sieges von germanischen Stämmen über drei römische Legionen zu korrigieren und zu überwinden. Der Aufsatz analysiert mit Hilfe diskurslinguistischer Methoden die Anstrengungen regionaler Institutionen und Medien, die nationale Vereinnahmung des historischen Gedenkens kritisch zu thematisieren sowie neue, zum eine lokal situierte, zum andern international orientierte Identifikationsangebote anzubieten. Die Analyse zeigt, dass solche „de-nationalisierten“ Identifikationsangebote zwar teilweise auch früher verwendet wurden, aber heutzutage rekontextualisiert und auf innovative Weise in den Vordergrund gestellt werden

Afrikaans as Standaard Gemiddelde Europees:Wanneer ‘n lid uit sy taalarea beweeg

A recent trend in the study of Standard Average European is the extraterritorial perspective of examining the extent to which non-European languages have converged with this Sprachbund as a result of contact with one or more of its members. The present article complements this line of research in that it investigates the extent to which a European language has diverged from Standard Average European after leaving the linguistic area. The focus is on Dutch, a nuclear member of the Sprachbund, and Afrikaans, its colonial offshoot. The two languages are compared with respect to twelve of the most distinctive linguistic features of Standard Average European. Afrikaans is found to share ten of them with Dutch, including anticausative prominence and formally distinguished intensifiers and reflexives, and could therefore still be considered a core member of the Sprachbund, despite deviations in the expression of negative pronouns and the grammaticality of external possessor constructions. This relatively low degree of divergence may be attributed to the continuity from Settler Dutch to at least the variety of Afrikaans on which the standard language is based and to the important role that Dutch continued to play in the history of Afrikaans

Efficacy and safety of azithromycin maintenance therapy in primary ciliary dyskinesia (BESTCILIA): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND Use of maintenance antibiotic therapy with the macrolide azithromycin is increasing in a number of chronic respiratory disorders including primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). However, evidence for its efficacy in PCD is lacking. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of azithromycin maintenance therapy for 6 months in patients with PCD. METHODS The Better Experimental Screening and Treatment for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (BESTCILIA) trial was a multicentre, double-blind, parallel group, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial done at 6 European PCD clinics (tertiary paediatric care centres and university hospitals in Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and UK). Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PCD, aged 7-50 years old, and predicted FEV1 greater than 40% were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1), stratified by age and study site, via a web-based randomisation system to azithromycin 250 mg or 500 mg as tablets according to bodyweight (</≥ 40 kg) or identical placebo, three times a week for 6 months. The random allocation sequence was a permuted block randomisation, with a block size of four, generated by an external consultancy. Participants, investigators, and care providers were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was the number of respiratory exacerbations over 6 months. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered in the EU Clinical Trials Register, EudraCT number 2013-004664-58. FINDINGS Between June 24, 2014, and Aug 23, 2016, 102 patients were screened, of whom 90 were randomly assigned to either azithromycin (n=49) or placebo (n=41). The study was ended without having included the planned number of participants due to recruitment difficulties. The mean number of respiratory exacerbations over 6 months was 0·75 (SD 1·12) in the azithromycin group compared with 1·62 (1·64) in the placebo group, and participants receiving azithromycin had significantly lower rate of exacerbations during the individual treatment periods (rate ratio 0·45 [95% CI 0·26-0·78]; p=0·004). Four serious adverse events were reported, occurring in one (2%) of 47 participants in the azithromycin group and in three (7%) of 41 participants in the placebo group. Loose stools or diarrhoea were more common in the azithromycin group than in the placebo group (11 [23%] vs two [5%]). INTERPRETATION This first multinational randomised controlled trial on pharmacotherapy in PCD showed that azithromycin maintenance therapy for 6 months was well tolerated and halved the rate of respiratory exacerbations. Azithromycin maintenance therapy is an option for patients with PCD with frequent exacerbations potentially leading to reduced need for additional antibiotic treatments and preventing irreversible lung damage. FUNDING European Commission Seventh Framework Programme and Children's Lung Foundation (Denmark)