Action Selection for Interaction Management: Opportunities and Lessons for Automated Planning

The central problem in automated planning---action selection---is also a primary topic in the dialogue systems research community, however, the nature of research in that community is significantly different from that of planning, with a focus on end-to-end systems and user evaluations. In particular, numerous toolkits are available for developing speech-based dialogue systems that include not only a method for representing states and actions, but also a mechanism for reasoning and selecting the actions, often combined with a technical framework designed to simplify the task of creating end-to-end systems. We contrast this situation with that of automated planning, and argue that the dialogue systems community could benefit from some of the directions adopted by the planning community, and that there also exist opportunities and lessons for automated planning

SAVASA project @ TRECVID 2012: interactive surveillance event detection

In this paper we describe our participation in the interactive surveillance event detection task at TRECVid 2012. The system we developed was comprised of individual classifiers brought together behind a simple video search interface that enabled users to select relevant segments based on down~sampled animated gifs. Two types of user -- `experts' and `end users' -- performed the evaluations. Due to time constraints we focussed on three events -- ObjectPut, PersonRuns and Pointing -- and two of the five available cameras (1 and 3). Results from the interactive runs as well as discussion of the performance of the underlying retrospective classifiers are presented

Attributional triadic relationships between end-users, specifiers, and vendors: evidence from building supply retailers

Purpose: This study proposes to evaluate product attributes in an unusual triad of actors: end-users, vendors, and specifiers. The differences in perceptions of product attributes between these triadic actors can bias strategic marketing decisions for functional and aesthetic products in a building supply retailer, which is understudied in the retail literature. Theoretical framework: The study uses the attribution theory approach and provides a new perspective to explain differences in attribute evaluations in this triad (end user-specifier-vendor). Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses are tested in two countries' functional and aesthetic building material categories. Attribute evaluations were performed using the ranking method and Borda count. We used ANOVA, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and the Mahalanobis squared distance (MSD) for the estimations. Findings: The hypothesis tests confirmed the difference in attribute evaluations between end-users, vendors, and specifiers for functional products; however, as we hypothesized, no difference was found for aesthetic products. Practical & social implications of research: Our discussion will help retail practitioners avoid bias in marketing strategy. In the development of new products, manufacturing companies should consider differences between actors, especially in collaborative product developments. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by using an attribution theory approach and provides a new perspective to explain differences in attribute evaluations in this triad (end-user-specifier-vendor). We provide insights into allocating causes and responsibility in product attribute selection

End-user involvement in a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research of non-pharmacological interventions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder delivered in school settings: reflections on the impacts and challenges.

JOURNAL ARTICLEBACKGROUND: The benefits of end-user involvement in health-care research are widely recognized by research agencies. There are few published evaluations of end-user involvement in systematic reviews. OBJECTIVES: (i) Describe end-user involvement in a complex mixed-methods systematic review of ADHD in schools, (ii) reflect on the impact of end-user involvement, (iii) highlight challenges and benefits experienced and (iv) provide suggestions to inform future involvement. METHODS: End-users were involved in all stages of the project, both as authors and as members of an advisory group. In addition, several events were held with groups of relevant end-users during the project. RESULTS: End-user input (i) guided the direction of the research, (ii) contributed to a typology of interventions and outcomes, (iii) contributed to the direction of data analysis and (iv) contributed to the robustness of the syntheses by demonstrating the alignment of interim findings with lived experiences. Challenges included (i) managing expectations, (ii) managing the intensity of emotion, (iii) ensuring that involvement was fruitful for all not just the researcher, (iv) our capacity to communicate and manage the process and (v) engendering a sense of involvement amongst end-users. CONCLUSIONS: End-user involvement was an important aspect of this project. To minimize challenges in future projects, a recognition by the project management team and the funding provider that end-user involvement even in evidence synthesis projects is resource intensive is essential to allow appropriate allocation of time and resources for meaningful engagement.NIHR HTA programmeNIHRExeter NHS Foundation Trus