Fish or Fowl: A Wizard of Oz Evaluation of Dialogue Strategies in the Restaurant Domain

Recent work on evaluation of spoken dialogue systems suggests that the information presentation phase of complex dialogues is often the primary contributor to dialogue duration. This indicates that better algorithms are needed for the presentation of complex information in speech. Currently however we lack data about the tasks and dialogue strategies on which to base such algorithms. In this paper, we describe a Wizard of Oz tool and a study which applies user models based on multi-attribute decision theory to the problem of generating tailored and concise system responses for a spoken dialogue system. The resulting Wizard corpus will be distributed by the LDC as part of our work on the ISLE project

Some Key Challenges for Data Literacy

We discuss the motivation for holding the Data Literacy workshop at ACM WebSci 2015 and the key challenges for advancing the praxis and research of data literacy that emerged: defining data literacy; establishing its importance; identifying beneficial projects and building a community

Speech-plans: Generating evaluative responses in spoken dialogue

Recent work on evaluation of spoken dialogue systems indicates that better algorithms are needed for the presentation of complex information in speech. Current dialogue systems often rely on presenting sets of options and their attributes sequentially. This places a large memory burden on users, who have to remember complex trade-offs between multiple options and their attributes. To address these problems we build on previous work using multiattribute decision theory to devise speech-planning algorithms that present usertailored summaries, comparisons and recommendations that allow users to focus on critical differences between options and their attributes. We discuss the differences between speech and text planning that result from the particular demands of the speech situation.

Data Literacy - What is it and how can we make it happen?

With the advent of the Internet and particularly Open Data, data literacy (the ability of non-specialists to make use of data) is rapidly becoming an essential life skill comparable to other types of literacy. However, it is still poorly defined and there is much to learn about how best to increase data literacy both amongst children and adults. This issue addresses both the definition of data literacy and current efforts on increasing and sustaining it. A feature of the issue is the range of contributors. While there are important contributions from the UK, Canada and other Western countries, these are complemented by several papers from the Global South where there is an emphasis on grounding data literacy in context and relating it the issues and concerns of communities

Empirical Studies in Discourse

Introduction Computationaltheories of discourse are concerned with the context-based interpretation or generation of discourse phenomena in text and dialogue. In the past, research in this area focused on specifying the mechanismsunderlying particular discourse phenomena; the models proposed were often motivated by a few constructed examples. While this approach led to many theoretical advances, models developed in this manner are difficult to evaluate because it is hard to tell whether they generalize beyond the particular examples used to motivate them. Recently however the field has turned to issues of robustness and the coverage of theories of particular phenomena with respect to specific types of data. This new empirical focus is supported by several recent advances: an increasing theoretical consensus on discourse models; a large amount of online dialogue and textual corpora available; and improvements in component technologies and tools for building and testing discours

Cortisol is related to acute leukocytosis in maximal but not in hypertrophic dynamic resistance exercise

Introduction. Exercise induces immune changes that are multifactorial and include neuroendocrine factors. Acute resistance exercise is followed by marked increases in adrenaline, cortisol, growth hormone, and other factors that have immunomodulatory effects. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between leukocytosis and hormone responses to two different resistance exercises, low volume high load (gains in maximal strength, MAX) and high volume medium load (gains in muscle mass, HYP). Methods. Using a cross-over design twelve healthy men participated in bilateral leg press exercise consisting of 5 sets of 10 RM and 15 sets of 1 RM. The inter-set rest period was 3 minutes for MAX and 2 minutes for HYP. Venous blood samples were taken at baseline, immediately after (P0) and 15 (P15) and 30 (P30) minutes after the exercise. Basic blood count was analyzed using Sysmex KX-21N (TOA Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., Kobe, Japan). Serum cortisol (COR), testosterone (TES), and growth hormone (GH) concentrations were analyzed by an immunometric chemiluminence method (Immunlite R 1000, DPC, Los Angeles, USA) Results. Both exercises induced significant acute leukocytosis (p\u3c0.001). Leukocytosis was significantly higher after HYP (p\u3c0.01). COR and TES increased significantly after HYP (p\u3c0.01) but not in MAX. GH increased significantly (p\u3c0.05) in both exercises and stayed elevated at P30 in HYP. There was a significant negative correlation between acute leukocytosis and cortisol at P0 in MAX (R=-0.622, p=0.031) but not in HYP r=0.287 (p=0.366). Significant correlations between TES, GH and leukocytes were not observed. Conclusions. Clearly, manipulation of the rest period and load in resistance exercise alters endocrinal as well as immunological responses. Hypertrophic resistance exercise triggered significantly stronger immunological as well as endocrinal responses. In line with the previous studies (e.g. Kraemer et al. 1996) cortisol did not correlate with leukocytes nor with leukocyte subgroups in HYP. It might be that cortisol acts as an anti-inflammatory agent in MAX, however in HYP leukocytosis appears to be related to additional physiological mechanisms e.g. muscle damage and metabolic demands, which might explain why we did not observe the same in HYP. When considering recovery from resistance exercise the immune system should be monitored in addition to hormones

Candida albicans Hypha Formation and Mannan Masking of β-Glucan Inhibit Macrophage Phagosome Maturation

Received 28 August 2014 Accepted 28 October 2014 Published 2 December 2014 This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Janet Willment, Aberdeen Fungal Group, University of Aberdeen, for kindly providing the soluble Dectin-1-Fc reporter. All microscopy was performed with the assistance of the University of Aberdeen Core Microscopy & Histology Facility, and we thank the IFCC for their assistance with flow cytometry. We thank the Wellcome Trust for funding (080088, 086827, 075470, 099215, 097377, and 101873). E.R.B. and A.J.P.B. are funded by the European Research Council (ERC-2009-AdG-249793), and J.L. is funded by a Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellowship.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Estudio de prefactibilidad de una concesionaria de quioscos saludables para colegios en Lima Metropolitana

El objetivo del proyecto es evaluar a nivel de prefactibilidad, la viabilidad técnica, económica y financiera, para la implementación de una concesionaria de quioscos saludables en Lima Metropolitana. Para ello, se ha realizado los siguientes estudios: Estudio Estratégico, Estudio de Mercado, Organizacional, Legal y Estudio Financiero-Económico. En el Estudio Estratégico se analizó las variables del macro entorno que afectan el proyecto y el sector al cual nos enfocaremos, aplicando las cinco fuerzas de Porter. Asimismo, se desarrolló el análisis FODA, para plantear estrategias diferenciadoras, cumpliendo con los objetivos, misión y visión de la empresa. En el Estudio de Mercado, se determinó que el público objetivo se encuentra en La Molina, Lima, San Miguel, Santiago de Surco y San Isidro, de niveles socioeconómicos A y B, enfatizando este último NSE como principal, con mira a los estudiantes de primaria y secundaria. Además, se analizó los factores que influyen en la oferta y demanda de las transacciones de la empresa. Como demanda del proyecto, se consideró al 3% de la demanda insatisfecha, lo cual representa 8 colegios para el primer año con un crecimiento de 1 colegio por año. En el Estudio Técnico se definió la capacidad del centro de operaciones, expresada en unidades de producción por año por producto. Además, se tuvo en cuenta los diagramas de operaciones de cada producto para estandarizar procedimientos. Empleando un análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo, el distrito de Lima es considerado adecuado para la localización del Centro de Operaciones de Kausay Food’s. En el Estudio Organizacional y Legal, se definió la organización interna de la empresa, los roles y perfiles de cada trabajador, así como se determinó los respectivos trámites para inscribir la empresa, como también los permisos pertinentes de acuerdo al cumplimiento de la Ley a fin de lograr el funcionamiento legal de la empresa. En el Estudio Económico y Financiero se evalúo contar con el préstamo bancario de BBVA a largo plazo, con tasa efectiva anual de 12.72% en soles para el financiamiento de 55.31% del monto de inversión. Se determinó los presupuestos de ingreso y egreso por conceptos de ventas por cada ítem de la cartera de productos. Se clasificó los costos fijos y variables para hallar el punto de equilibrio. Se muestra el Estado de Ganancias y Pérdidas, el Balance General proyectado por 5 años, como también el flujo de Caja Económico y Financiero. Para concluir, se realizó el análisis de sensibilidad, en la cual se consideró 4 variables críticas del proyecto, 3 escenarios bajo tres diferentes COKs (optimista, conservador y pesimista) para ver qué tan sensible es antes los diferentes cambios. Bajo un escenario base y un perfil de riesgo medio, el costo de oportunidad (COK) para el proyecto es de 16.00%. El TIRE es de 24.87%, el TIRF es de 29.41%. El VANE es de S/. 58.450 y el VANF es de S/. 90,919. Por ello, al ser el VAN mayor que cero y el TIR mayor que el COK, se concluye que el proyecto es factible.Tesi

Health Professions Students\u27 Attitudes Toward Teamwork Before and After an Interprofessional Education Co-Curricular Experience

Background: Effective interprofessional collaboration may positively impact clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost effectiveness. However, educational silos and discipline-specific socialization have reinforced each health profession’s independent values, attitudes, and problem-solving approaches. Methods and Findings: Students’ (N = 376) attitudes about teamwork were measured with the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale, Teamwork, Roles, and Responsibilities subscale using a pretest-posttest design. Experiential learning strategies and a case study approach were used to introduce students to the roles and responsibilities of the students’ disciplines. There was a positive mean difference in pretest-posttest measures (p \u3c .001) with a moderate effect size (r = .27). Conclusions: Providing opportunities for pre-licensure health sciences students to understand the roles and responsibilities of other disciplines through IPE co-curricular learning can enhance positive attitudes toward teamwork