Learning End-to-End Goal-Oriented Dialog with Multiple Answers

In a dialog, there can be multiple valid next utterances at any point. The present end-to-end neural methods for dialog do not take this into account. They learn with the assumption that at any time there is only one correct next utterance. In this work, we focus on this problem in the goal-oriented dialog setting where there are different paths to reach a goal. We propose a new method, that uses a combination of supervised learning and reinforcement learning approaches to address this issue. We also propose a new and more effective testbed, permuted-bAbI dialog tasks, by introducing multiple valid next utterances to the original-bAbI dialog tasks, which allows evaluation of goal-oriented dialog systems in a more realistic setting. We show that there is a significant drop in performance of existing end-to-end neural methods from 81.5% per-dialog accuracy on original-bAbI dialog tasks to 30.3% on permuted-bAbI dialog tasks. We also show that our proposed method improves the performance and achieves 47.3% per-dialog accuracy on permuted-bAbI dialog tasks.Comment: EMNLP 2018. permuted-bAbI dialog tasks are available at - https://github.com/IBM/permuted-bAbI-dialog-task

Deciphering the Distance between Distance Education and Working Professionals in Difficult Geographies

This study investigates the factors that draw working professionals towards distance education programs, and the factors that sustain their distance education experience. The study is conducted in difficult terrains of Uttarakhand, a hilly state in India which helps us investigate the phenomenon in difficult geographies. Through interviews of ten working professionals in this difficult geography these factors are deduced and a conceptual model is then developed. We also tried to find theoretical linkages to the factors identified. The findings are of value to distance educators and students alike

Utility of Gastric Lavage in Vigorous Neonates Delivered with Meconium Stained Liquor: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective. To determine the incidence of feed intolerance in vigorous babies with meconium stained liquor (MSL) who received prophylactic gastric lavage as compared to those who were not subjected to this procedure. Design. Randomized controlled trial. Setting. Tertiary care teaching hospital. Participants/Intervention. 330 vigorous babies delivered with MSL and satisfying the predefined inclusion criteria were randomized either to receive gastric lavage (group A, n=165) or to not receive gastric lavage (group B, n=153). Clinical monitoring was subsequently performed and recorded in prestructured proforma. Results. There was no significant statistical difference (P>0.05) in incidence of feed intolerance in “lavage” and “no lavage” groups. Secondary Outcome. There was no evidence of secondary respiratory distress in either group. None of the patients in the lavage group exhibited adverse effects owing to the procedure. Conclusions. There is no role of prophylactic gastric lavage in neonates born with MSL

BLDC motor driven electric skateboard using SVPWM

Several problems are faced by today’s generation. One of them is the increase in pollution in our everyday life. Each of us can play a part in reducing this by using some environmentally friendly method such as cycles which requires mechanical force. Another way to accomplish this is by using electricity to produce this mechanical force i.e. electric motor. In this paper BLDC motor driven electric skateboard is designed with mathematical calculation, verified with simulation and developed as a experimental setup

PREVALENCE OF REFRACTIVE ERRORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN AN URBAN SETUP: A PROSPECTIVE AND OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of refractive errors and their types by their age, sex, and class among the students of secondary school in an urban area of state of Punjab, North India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on a total of 1545 school children, aged between 10 and 16 years studying in 6th–10th class. Sample size included 822 males and 723 females. Snellen’s distant test types and self-illuminated streak retinoscope were used for this study. Results: Cumulative prevalence of refractive errors was found to be 35.21% among the students. The distribution among the type of refractive errors was: Myopia – 65.07%, Hypermetropia – 14.89%, and Astigmatism – 20.04%. The prevalence among the male and female students was 34.91% and 35.55%, respectively. Conclusion: This study supports the screening of school children for visual acuity and their refractive errors so that they can be identified to improve their quality of life at present and also to prevent any long-term visual disability

APPLICATION OF QUALITY BY DESIGN APPROACH FOR THE OPTIMIZATION OF ORODISPERSIBLE FILM FORMULATION

Objective: The present study was done to understand the effect of formulation variables on the quality of orodispersible films using quality by design (QbD) approach as mentioned in ICH Q8 (R2) guideline.Methods: A definitive screening design of experiments (DoE) was used to identify and classify the critical formulation variables affecting critical quality attributes (CQA) using 2×2 factorial design. Based on prescreening study, the critical formulation variables, i.e. concentration of film-forming polymer and plasticizers (propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol 400 [PEG 400]) were kept in the range of 1.5–2.5% w/w and 0.5–1% v/v, respectively. A total of eight laboratory-scale formulations were prepared which were provided by DoE using solvent casting method. These batches were evaluated for CQA's, i.e. mechanical properties such as folding endurance (FD) and disintegration time (DT). Data were analyzed for elucidating interactions between two variables and for providing a predictive model for the process. Finally, the drug was incorporated into optimized batches, and these were evaluated for in vitro dissolution study in simulated saliva (pH 6.8) as well as their mechanical properties.Results: The results suggested that the concentration of film-forming polymer and plasticizer was critical to manufacture orodispersible film with desired CQA, i.e. mechanical property (FD [>150 folds]) and DT (<60 s). The percent drug release, FD, and DT of optimized Formulation I (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose [HPMC] E5 (2%) and propylene glycol [0.15 mL]) were found to be 82.13%±0.260 (in 15 min), 164±2, and 49±1.5 s, respectively, and for optimized Formulation II (HPMC E5 [2%] and PEG 400 [0.15 mL]) was found to be 64.26%±2.026 (in 15 min) and 218±6 and 55±4 s, respectively.Conclusion: From the results, it has been found that the percentage drug release of naratriptan hydrochloride containing propylene glycol as a plasticizer was greater than the formulation containing PEG 400 as plasticizer. From this, we concluded that QbD is very much useful approach to get an optimized formulation in an economic and faster way in comparison to traditional method (hit and trail methods). The futuristic application of the film will involve the management of an acute migraine

Artificial intelligence adoption in extended HR ecosystems: enablers and barriers. An abductive case research

Artificial intelligence (AI) has disrupted modern workplaces like never before and has induced digital workstyles. These technological advancements are generating significant interest among HR leaders to embrace AI in human resource management (HRM). Researchers and practitioners are keen to investigate the adoption of AI in HRM and the resultant human–machine collaboration. This study investigates HRM specific factors that enable and inhibit the adoption of AI in extended HR ecosystems and adopts a qualitative case research design with an abductive approach. It studies three well-known Indian companies at different stages of AI adoption in HR functions. This research investigates key enablers such as optimistic and collaborative employees, strong digital leadership, reliable HR data, specialized HR partners, and well-rounded AI ethics. The study also examines barriers to adoption: the inability to have a timely pulse check of employees’ emotions, ineffective collaboration of HR employees with digital experts as well as external HR partners, and not embracing AI ethics. This study contributes to the theory by providing a model for AI adoption and proposes additions to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology in the context of AI adoption in HR ecosystems. The study also contributes to the best-in-class industry HR practices and digital policy formulation to reimagine workplaces, promote harmonious human–AI collaboration, and make workplaces future-ready in the wake of massive digital disruptions