Follow-up question handling in the IMIX and Ritel systems: A comparative study

One of the basic topics of question answering (QA) dialogue systems is how follow-up questions should be interpreted by a QA system. In this paper, we shall discuss our experience with the IMIX and Ritel systems, for both of which a follow-up question handling scheme has been developed, and corpora have been collected. These two systems are each other's opposites in many respects: IMIX is multimodal, non-factoid, black-box QA, while Ritel is speech, factoid, keyword-based QA. Nevertheless, we will show that they are quite comparable, and that it is fruitful to examine the similarities and differences. We shall look at how the systems are composed, and how real, non-expert, users interact with the systems. We shall also provide comparisons with systems from the literature where possible, and indicate where open issues lie and in what areas existing systems may be improved. We conclude that most systems have a common architecture with a set of common subtasks, in particular detecting follow-up questions and finding referents for them. We characterise these tasks using the typical techniques used for performing them, and data from our corpora. We also identify a special type of follow-up question, the discourse question, which is asked when the user is trying to understand an answer, and propose some basic methods for handling it

The role of working memory sub-components in food choice and dieting success

Evidence suggests a role for self-reported working memory (WM) in self-reported food intake, but it is not known which WM sub-components are involved. It is also important to consider how individual differences in dietary restraint and disinhibition influence WM and the impact of this on food choice. The current study assessed the relationship between WM sub-components and food choice, using computerised measures of WM sub-components and a direct assessment of food intake. The role of dieting success (measured by restraint and disinhibition) as a distal predictor of food choice that influences food choices via WM, and the role of WM more generally in dieting success were investigated. Female undergraduate students (N = 117, mean age: 18.9 years, mean BMI: 21.6 kg/m2) completed computer tasks assessing three components of WM (updating, phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad) and a snack food taste-test. Greater visuospatial WM span was associated with a higher (lower) percentage of food intake that was low (high) energy dense. It was also found that unsuccessful dieters (high restraint, high disinhibition) had poorer visuospatial WM span and consumed a lower (higher) percentage of low (high) energy dense food. Visuospatial WM span significantly mediated the relationship between dieting success and percentage of low energy dense food intake. Further, dietary restraint was associated with poorer updating ability, irrespective of disinhibition. These findings suggest that better visuospatial WM is associated with a greater (reduced) preference for low (high) energy dense foods, and that deficits in visuospatial WM may undermine dieting attempts. Future work should assess whether the ability to deal with food cravings mediates the relationship between visuospatial WM and dieting success and investigate how WM may influence the mechanisms underlying behavioural control

Does neurocognitive training have the potential to improve dietary self-care in type 2 diabetes? Study protocol of a double blind randomised controlled trial

Dietary self-care is a key element of self-management in type 2 diabetes. It is also the most difficult aspect of diabetes self-management. Adhering to long-term dietary goals and resisting immediate food desires requires top-down inhibitory control over subcortical impulsive and emotional responses to food. Practising simple neurocognitive tasks can improve inhibitory control and health behaviours that depend on inhibitory control, such as resisting alcohol consumption. It is yet to be investigated, however, whether neurocognitive training can improve dietary self-care in people with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to investigate whether web-based neurocognitive training can improve the ability of people with type 2 diabetes to resist tempting foods and better adhere to a healthy dietary regime

Clinical Use of Cinacalcet in MEN1 Hyperparathyroidism

Background. Management of multiple-endocrine neoplasia type 1- (MEN1-) associated hyperparathyroidism is associated with high recurrence rates and high surgical morbidity due to multiple neck explorations. Cinacalcet, a calcimimetic agent licensed for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism and parathyroid carcinoma, may provide a medical alternative for the management of these complex patients. Methods. A prospective audit was performed of eight patients; three males and five females, aged 20–38 at diagnosis. Two patients commenced cinacalcet as primary treatment and six had previous surgery. Six patients had complications of hyperparathyroidism: renal calculi, renal dysfunction, and reduced bone mineral density. All were commenced on cinacalcet 30 mg bd for MEN1 associated hyperparathyroidism; doses were subsequently reduced to 30 mg od in four patients. Results. Significant reductions were observed in serum calcium and PTH measurements. Serum calcium reduced by a median of 0.35 mmol/L (P = .012 Wilcoxon Signed Rank). Serum PTH levels decreased by a median of 5.05 pmol/L (P = .012). There was no change in urine calcium. Duration ranged from 10–35 months with maintenance of control. Cinacalcet was well tolerated by six patients; one experienced nausea and one experienced diarrhoea. Conclusion. Cinacalcet is an effective and well-tolerated medical treatment for the management of complex primary hyperparathyroidism

An air shower array for LOFAR: LORA

LOFAR is a new form of radio telescope which can detect radio emission from air showers induced by very high-energy cosmic rays. It can also look for radio emission from particle cascades on the Moon induced by ultra high-energy cosmic rays or neutrinos. To complement the radio detection, we are setting up a small particle detector array LORA (LOfar Radboud Air shower array) within an area of $\sim 300$ m diameter in the LOFAR core. It will help in triggering and confirming the radio detection of air showers with the LOFAR antennas. In this paper, we present a short overview about LORA and discuss its current status.Comment: 10 pages (using article.cls), 6 figures, accepted for the proceedings of 22nd European Cosmic Ray Symposium, 3-6 August 2010, Finlan

Does working memory training improve dietary self-care in type 2 diabetes mellitus? Results of a double blind randomised controlled trial

Aims: Controlling food intake despite adequate knowledge remains a struggle for many people with type 2 diabetes. The present study investigated whether working memory training can reduce food intake and improve glycaemic control. It also examined training effects on cognition, food cravings, and dietary self-efficacy and self-care. Methods: In a double-blind multicentre parallel-group randomised controlled trial, adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomly allocated to receive 25 sessions of either active (n = 45) or control (n = 36) working memory training. Assessments at baseline, post-training and 3-month follow-up measured cognition, food intake (primary outcomes), glycaemic control (HbA1c) and cholesterol (secondary outcomes). Semi-structured interviews assessed participants’ experiences of the training. Results: Intention-to-treat ANOVAs (N = 81) showed improved non-trained updating ability in active compared to control training from pre-test (active M = 34.37, control M = 32.79) to post-test (active M = 31.35, control M = 33.53) and follow-up (active M = 31.81, control M = 32.65; g2 = 0.05). There were no overall effects of training on other measures of cognition, food intake, HbA1c, cholesterol, food cravings and dietary self-efficacy and self-care. In post-hoc analyses, those high in dietary restraint in the active training group showed a greater reduction in fat intake pre to post-test compared to controls. Interviews revealed issues around acceptability and performance of the training. Conclusions: Transfer of working memory training effects to non-trained behaviour were limited, but do suggest that training may reduce fat intake in those who are already motivated to do so. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN22806944

A systematic review of changes in women’s physical activity before and during pregnancy and the postnatal period

Objectives: To determine the magnitude and type of naturally occuring physical activity changes in women around the time of pregnancy. Background: This systematic review synthesises the results of studies examining naturally occurring physical activity in women before they become pregnant and the magnitude and type of changes during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for relevant articles and PRISMA guidelines for selection of articles were used. Only studies examining naturally occurring, non-intervention changes in regular activity levels were included. The quality assessment was based on protocols of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Of the initial 720 titles, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Results: Compared to pre-pregnancy, the magnitude of physical activity decreased over the course of pregnancy and postnatally and the types of activities tended to be of lesser intensity than pre-pregnancy. The quality of the research was varied; methodological limitations included using subjective methods of assessment of physical activity (9/24), failing to report reliabilities or validity of measures used (8/24), no information on parity (13/24) or level of fitness prior to pregnancy (11/24). Conclusion: The evidence suggests a marked decrease in the amount and type of moderate to strenuous physical activity during the transition to motherhood, which does not always increase again postpartum. Patient education targeting specific physical activities at regular intervals during and after pregnancy to improve long-term maternal health is necessary

Prevalence of human papillomavirus in Indonesia: a population-based study in three regions

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in the Indonesian population, yet little is known about the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV). We investigated age-specific prevalence of HPV types and possible risk factors of HPV positivity in a population-based sample of 2686 women, aged 15–70 years, in Jakarta, Tasikmalaya, and Bali, Indonesia. The overall HPV prevalence was 11.4%, age-standardized to the world standard population 11.6%. The most prevalent types found were HPV 52, HPV 16, HPV 18, and HPV 39, respectively, 23.2, 18.0, 16.1, and 11.8% of the high-risk HPV types. In 20.7% of infections, multiple types were involved. Different age-specific prevalence patterns were seen: overall high in Jakarta, and in Tasikmalaya, and declining with age in Bali. The number of marriages was most associated with HPV positivity (OR 1.81 95% CI 1.31–2.51)). Remarkably, in Indonesia HPV 16 and HPV 18 are equally common in the general population, as they are in cervical cancer. HPV 52 was the most prevalent type in the general population, suggesting that this type should be included when prophylactic HPV vaccination is introduced in Indonesia