The First Challenge on Generating Instructions in Virtual Environments

This paper describes the First Challenge on Generating Instructions in Virtual Environments (GIVE-1). GIVE is a shared task for generation systems which give real-time natural-language instructions to users in a virtual 3D world. These systems are evaluated by connecting users and NLG systems over the Internet. We describe the design and results of GIVE-1 as well as the participating NLG systems, and validate the experimental methodology by comparing the results collected over the Internet with results from a more traditional laboratory-based experiment.25 page(s

The software architecture for the First Challenge on Generating Instructions in Virtual Environments.

The GIVE Challenge is a new Internet-based evaluation effort for natural language generation systems. In this paper, we motivate and describe the software infrastructure that we developed to support this challenge

Report on the First NLG Challenge on Generating Instructions in Virtual Environments (GIVE)

We describe the first installment of the Challenge on Generating Instructions in Virtual Environments (GIVE), a new shared task for the NLG community. We motivate the design of the challenge, describe how we carried it out, and discuss the results of the system evaluation

Report on the Second NLG Challenge on Generating Instructions in Virtual Environments (GIVE-2)

We describe the second installment of the Challenge on Generating Instructions in Virtual Environments (GIVE-2), a shared task for the NLG community which took place in 2009-10. We evaluated seven NLG systems by connecting them to 1825 users over the Internet, and report the results of this evaluation in terms of objective and subjective measures

Abstracts from the NIHR INVOLVE Conference 2017

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Integration of oncology and palliative care : a Lancet Oncology Commission

Full integration of oncology and palliative care relies on the specific knowledge and skills of two modes of care: the tumour-directed approach, the main focus of which is on treating the disease; and the host-directed approach, which focuses on the patient with the disease. This Commission addresses how to combine these two paradigms to achieve the best outcome of patient care. Randomised clinical trials on integration of oncology and palliative care point to health gains: improved survival and symptom control, less anxiety and depression, reduced use of futile chemotherapy at the end of life, improved family satisfaction and quality of life, and improved use of health-care resources. Early delivery of patient-directed care by specialist palliative care teams alongside tumour-directed treatment promotes patient-centred care. Systematic assessment and use of patient-reported outcomes and active patient involvement in the decisions about cancer care result in better symptom control, improved physical and mental health, and better use of health-care resources. The absence of international agreements on the content and standards of the organisation, education, and research of palliative care in oncology are major barriers to successful integration. Other barriers include the common misconception that palliative care is end-of-life care only, stigmatisation of death and dying, and insufficient infrastructure and funding. The absence of established priorities might also hinder integration more widely. This Commission proposes the use of standardised care pathways and multidisciplinary teams to promote integration of oncology and palliative care, and calls for changes at the system level to coordinate the activities of professionals, and for the development and implementation of new and improved education programmes, with the overall goal of improving patient care. Integration raises new research questions, all of which contribute to improved clinical care. When and how should palliative care be delivered? What is the optimal model for integrated care? What is the biological and clinical effect of living with advanced cancer for years after diagnosis? Successful integration must challenge the dualistic perspective of either the tumour or the host, and instead focus on a merged approach that places the patient's perspective at the centre. To succeed, integration must be anchored by management and policy makers at all levels of health care, followed by adequate resource allocation, a willingness to prioritise goals and needs, and sustained enthusiasm to help generate support for better integration. This integrated model must be reflected in international and national cancer plans, and be followed by developments of new care models, education and research programmes, all of which should be adapted to the specific cultural contexts within which they are situated. Patient-centred care should be an integrated part of oncology care independent of patient prognosis and treatment intention. To achieve this goal it must be based on changes in professional cultures and priorities in health care

Acoustic performance of a resonating perforated liner with incident axial and circumferential acoustic modes

Perforated liners are a common form of passive damping device used in engineering applications to damp acoustic pressure fluctuations. The liner has many orifices arranged over the surface with a rear cavity, where the liner can be designed to resonate akin to an array of Helmholtz resonators in parallel. However, whilst a Helmholtz resonator is insensitive to the incident mode, the large surface area and rear cavity of a perforated liner can generate internal mode shapes that affect the acoustic performance. This paper presents a quasi-one-dimensional analytical model capable of capturing the variation in acoustic performance as the internal cavity segmentation is altered with incident higher-order acoustic modes in a narrow annular duct. Thus, the model can allow the generation of circumferential mode shapes. The model shows, when the liner is highly segmented circumferentially, the liner behaviour is akin to that with an incident axial wave. The segmentation causes the internal cavity pressure to fluctuate uniformly at a similar frequency to a Helmholtz resonator with the same effective cavity dimensions. When the cavity length is significant relative to the wavelength, circumferential mode shapes are generated within the cavity and the frequency of resonance increases based on the circumferential frequency component. The model is then compared to an example experimental data set obtained from a facility designed to allow circumferential modes to cut-on simultaneously with an axial mode. A description of the facility and the multi-microphone decomposition method applied to decompose simultaneous modes of unknown orders and relative magnitudes is presented. The model has good agreement with the experimental results for a small cavity segmentation, although there is deviation observed at high frequencies when the cavity length becomes significant relative to the circumferential wavelength

Pricing Microfinance Loans and Loan Guarantees using Biased Loan Write-off Data

We present a simple, easy to implement methodology for pricing microfinance loans and loan guarantees using publicly available data on loan write-offs by Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs). Our methodology takes into account the selection bias inherent in available data in that MFIs that do not report loan write-off data are less likely to be better performers. Our quantitative analysis is consistent with pricing seen in a recent securitization deal. Our analysis suggests how securitization and loan guarantees can greatly expand the supply of funds for microfinance loans