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

Guidelines for Integrating Value Sensitive Design in Responsible AI Toolkits

Value Sensitive Design (VSD) is a framework for integrating human values throughout the technology design process. In parallel, Responsible AI (RAI) advocates for the development of systems aligning with ethical values, such as fairness and transparency. In this study, we posit that a VSD approach is not only compatible, but also advantageous to the development of RAI toolkits. To empirically assess this hypothesis, we conducted four workshops involving 17 early-career AI researchers. Our aim was to establish links between VSD and RAI values while examining how existing toolkits incorporate VSD principles in their design. Our findings show that collaborative and educational design features within these toolkits, including illustrative examples and open-ended cues, facilitate an understanding of human and ethical values, and empower researchers to incorporate values into AI systems. Drawing on these insights, we formulated six design guidelines for integrating VSD values into the development of RAI toolkits.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures, 3 table

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

Mécanisme de formation des grains et propriétés des poudres laitières associées :Une approche multi-échelles

Aujourd’hui, le séchage du lait ne vise plus uniquement à prolonger sa conservation mais à produire des poudres hautement fonctionnalisées, dont les propriétés nécessitent d’être parfaitement maîtrisées. Ainsi, le contrôle de la morphologie des grains et de leurs propriétés physiques est devenu un enjeu scientifique intégrant des connaissances issues des sciences de l’interface et des colloïdes en milieu concentré. Notre étude s’est portée sur les deux principales classes de protéines laitières : les protéines solubles et les micelles de caséines. Une approche multi-échelles a permis de découpler la complexité du phénomène de séchage (Figure 1). Elle a consisté à étudier en temps réel et in situ le processus de séchage d’une goutte unique. Puis, ces résultats ont été confrontés et validés avec l’aide d’un séchoir pilote produisant des gouttes monodispersées de tailles et de formes parfaitement contrôlées. Enfin, des essais de séchage à l’échelle semi-industrielle ont permis de valider les connaissances acquises sur le comportement des protéines laitières. Le principal résultat innovant de ce travail est la mise en évidence de l'impact de la matière sur la formation de la peau à la surface de la goutte au cours du séchage et des propriétés mécaniques de la coque qui en découlent, et cela de manière indépendante de la température de séchage et du système de formation des gouttes

Protein kind driven droplet and particule morphology and resulting dairy powder properties: a multiscale approach

Spray drying is a well-established process but certain aspects of droplet-particle transition are not yet fully understood, resulting in variability in terms of powder quality and performance. Therefore, understanding precisely how the particle is formed and how it can be controlled still remain a major challenge. This work aims to break down the complexity of the drying phenomenon using an exploratory multi-scale approach (figure 1). Particle formation of milk proteins (whey proteins and casein micelles) was investigated using different experimental systems (single pendant droplet, mono-dispersed droplets and spraying cone droplets) in controlled drying environments. The results showed that the drying of a single protein droplet included three distinct stages highlighted with the occurrence of specific morphological events (constant rate shrinkage, buckling instability, vacuole nucleation). According to the type of proteins, these drying stages differed in drying kinetics and droplet dynamics, leading to characteristic and reproducible particle shapes whatever the droplet configuration and the drying conditions. These different kinds of drying behavior were related to specific skin formation conditions and different responses of the protein material to internal stress. Finally, by means of this multi-scale approach, this work highlighted the particular signature of milk proteins in a concentrated state and in general the impact of the matter in the droplet drying process

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

Drying of a single droplet to investigate process–structure– function relationships: a review

Drying usually results in various types of particle morphology that influence the properties and the functionality of powders. Understanding how the final shape of the particle is formed is therefore a key issue for industrial applications. However, it is difficult to carry out relevant studies and interpret them on an industrial scale, mainlybecause of the complexity and scale of the drying operation and the difficulty of monitoring drying parameters in situ. To overcome these difficulties, experiments are currently performed with the simplest system conceivable: drying of a single droplet in a controlled environment. Different approaches are available in the literature in order tostudy the drying of a single droplet, from a sessile droplet to a free-flying droplet. This review aims to illustrate results obtained with these experiments, and their key contributions to fundamental and applied understanding of drying (or evaporation) phenomena are discussed. It is shown that investigation of a single droplet may be a key approach to spray drying in order to improve understanding of the chemical and physicalmechanismsinvolved in particle processing and governing the properties of the final particle

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