Exploring Links between Conversational Agent Design Challenges and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Recent years have seen a steady rise in the popularity and use of Conversational Agents (CA) for different applications, well before the more immediate impact of large language models. This rise has been accompanied by an extensive exploration and documentation of the challenges of designing and creating conversational agents. Focusing on a recent scoping review of the socio-technical challenges of CA creation, this opinion paper calls for an examination of the extent to which interdisciplinary collaboration (IDC) challenges might contribute towards socio-technical CA design challenges. The paper proposes a taxonomy of CA design challenges using IDC as a lens, and proposes practical strategies to overcome them which complement existing design principles. The paper invites future work to empirically verify suggested conceptual links and apply the proposed strategies within the space of CA design to evaluate their effectiveness

Drying colloidal systems: laboratory models for a wide range of applications

The drying of complex fluids provides a powerful insight into phenomena that take place on time and length scales not normally accessible. An important feature of complex fluids, colloidal dispersions and polymer solutions is their high sensitivity to weak external actions. Thus, the drying of complex fluids involves a large number of physical and chemical processes. The scope of this review is the capacity to tune such systems to reproduce and explore specific properties in a physics laboratory. A wide variety of systems are presented, ranging from functional coatings, food science, cosmetology, medical diagnostics and forensics to geophysics and art

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Comment les caractéristiques physico-chimiques du concentré et les paramètres de séchage gouvernent-ils les propriétés intrinsèques des poudres de lait ?

Plusieurs équipes de recherche rennaises utilisent des expériences aux interfaces fluides planes pour connaître et comprendre les propriétés de biomolécules variées. Lors d’une journée d’échanges, des scientifiques de l'UMR STLO et d’autres équipes contribueront à dresser le panorama des thématiques concernées et montrer le potentiel de ces expériences.Une journée d'échanges scientifiques est organisée par l'Institut de Physique de Rennes, le 22 janvier 2015. Elle vise à illustrer le potentiel et à construire une vision d'ensemble des expériences aux interfaces planes, dans des domaines scientifiques aussi variés que la physique des mousses et émulsions, les technologies de transformation des aliments, la digestion néonatale des lipides laitiers ou l'interaction de protéines avec les membranes biologiques. L'opportunité de montrer que les expériences aux interfaces planes livrent des informations abondantes et pertinentes.absen

Le lait, potion ou poison ?

Le lait, potion ou poison ?. Emission "Allo Docteurs, Magazine de la Santé

Buckling and collapse during drying of a single aqueous dispersion of casein micelle droplet

The drying process for dairy products is based on rapid removal of water, quickly concentrating milk components to finally form dry particles. The change in concentration may have a considerable effect on the product structure and influence the final characteristics of the dry material. The aim of this study was to investigate the drying behaviour of a major milk protein, i.e. caseins. The droplet – particle conversion was investigated through a single droplet system and by combining complementary methods. Our results showed that the drying process for caseins comprised three stages involving different evaporation rates and droplet dynamics. A thin layer was formed in the early stage of drying that underwent surface instabilities such as buckling and invagination of the droplet. The drying of caseins led to the formation of a deflated and wrinkled particle shape. These results suggest particular mechanical properties of the casein shell leading to a predictable and a characteristic particle shape

Mechanical properties of milk protein skins layers after drying: understanding the mechanisms of particle formation from whey protein isolate and native phosphocaseinate

The spray drying of milk proteins usually leads to dry particles of which the final shape can influencesphysical and functional properties of powders. The aim of this study was to understand the mechanismsof particle formation by considering the mechanical properties of materials making up the two mainclasses of milk proteins: whey proteins and casein micelles. The progressive solidification of the interfaceof the droplet during drying time was studied by high speed camera and fluorescence microscopy, indifferent experimental conditions. The mechanical properties of the final protein materials were thencharacterized by micro indentation testing. The drying dynamics of whey protein and casein micelledroplets showed different timescales and mechanical lengths, whatever the drying conditions and thedroplet configurations, leading to typical mechanical instability at the surface i.e. buckling and fracture.The interface of casein micelles reached solegel transition earlier estimated at around 156 g.L 1following by elastic and plastic regimes in which the shell distorted and buckled to form a final wrinkledparticle. In contrast, the interface of whey proteins became elastic at only half the drying time estimatedat around 414 g.L 1, retaining a spherical shape, which finally fractured at the end of drying. The mechanicaldifference between the two plastic shells might be explained by the behaviour of proteins injamming conditions. Analogous behaviour could be discussed between the casein micelles and soft anddeformable colloids on the one hand, and between whey proteins and hard spheres on the other

Shape, shell, and vacuole formation during the drying of a single concentrated whey protein droplet

International audienceThe drying of milk concentrate droplets usually leads to specific particle morphology influencing their properties and their functionality. Understanding how the final shape of the particle is formed therefore represents a key issue for industrial applications. In this study, a new approach to the investigation of droplet−particle conversion is proposed. A single droplet of concentrated globular proteins extracted from milk was deposited onto a hydrophobic substrate and placed in a dry environment. Complementary methods (high-speed camera, confocal microscopy, and microbalance) were used to record the drying behavior of the concentrated protein droplets. Our results showed that whatever the initial concentration, particle formation included three dynamic stages clearly defined by the loss of mass and the evolution of the internal and external shapes of the droplet. A new and reproducible particle shape was related in this study. It was observed after drying a smooth, hemispherical cap-shaped particle, including a uniform protein shell and the nucleation of an internal vacuole. The particle morphology was strongly influenced by the drying environment, the contact angle, and the initial protein concentration, all of which governed the duration of the droplet shrinkage, the degree of buckling, and the shell thickness. These results are discussed in terms of specific protein behaviors in forming a predictable and a characteristic particle shape. The way the shell is formed may be the starting point in shaping particle distortion and thus represents a potential means of tuning the particle morphology.Anglai

Drying behavior of a single droplet of milk protein suspension

Thèse CIFRE confidentielle => pour plus d'info contacter Romain Jeantet et Pierre Schuck : UMR 1253 Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Oeuf. STLO, (Institut supérieur des sciences agronomiques, agroalimentaires, horticoles et du paysage), Centre de recherche de Rennesabsen

The UAS thioredoxin-like domain of UBXN7 regulates E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of RNF111/Arkadia

Abstract Background E3 ubiquitin ligases play critical roles in regulating cellular signaling pathways by inducing ubiquitylation of key components. RNF111/Arkadia is a RING E3 ubiquitin ligase that activates TGF-β signaling by inducing ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of the transcriptional repressor SKIL/SnoN. In this study, we have sought to identify novel regulators of the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of RNF111 by searching for proteins that specifically interacts with its RING domain. Results We found that UBXN7, a member of the UBA-UBX family, directly interacts with the RING domain of RNF111 or its related E3 RNF165/ARK2C that shares high sequence homology with RNF111. We showed that UBXN7 docks on RNF111 or RNF165 RING domain through its UAS thioredoxin-like domain. Overexpression of UBXN7 or its UAS domain increases endogenous RNF111, while an UBXN7 mutant devoid of UAS domain has no effect. Conversely, depletion of UBXN7 decreases RNF111 protein level. As a consequence, we found that UBXN7 can modulate degradation of the RNF111 substrate SKIL in response to TGF-β signaling. We further unveiled this mechanism of regulation by showing that docking of the UAS domain of UBXN7 inhibits RNF111 ubiquitylation by preventing interaction of the RING domain with the E2 conjugating enzymes. By analyzing the interactome of the UAS domain of UBXN7, we identified that it also interacts with the RING domain of the E3 TOPORS and similarly regulates its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity by impairing E2 binding. Conclusions Taken together, our results demonstrate that UBXN7 acts as a direct regulator for the E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF111, RNF165, and TOPORS and reveal that a thioredoxin-like domain can dock on specific RING domains to regulate their E3 ubiquitin ligase activity