Statistical user simulation with a hidden agenda

Recent work in the area of probabilistic user simulation for training statistical dialogue managers has investigated a new agenda-based user model and presented preliminary experiments with a handcrafted model parameter set. Training the model on dialogue data is an important next step, but non-trivial since the user agenda states are not observable in data and the space of possible states and state transitions is intractably large. This paper presents a summary-space mapping which greatly reduces the number of state transitions and introduces a tree-based method for representing the space of possible agenda state sequences. Treating the user agenda as a hidden variable, the forward/backward algorithm can then be successfully applied to iteratively estimate the model parameters on dialogue data. © 2007 Association for Computational Linguistics.

Changes in biomechanical properties of the coronary artery wall contribute to maintained contractile responses to endothelin-1 in atherosclerosis.

AIMS: Our aim was to determine whether alterations in biomechanical properties of human diseased compared to normal coronary artery contribute to changes in artery responsiveness to endothelin-1 in atherosclerosis. MAIN METHODS: Concentration-response curves were constructed to endothelin-1 in normal and diseased coronary artery. The passive mechanical properties of arteries were determined using tensile ring tests from which finite element models of passive mechanical properties of both groups were created. Finite element modelling of artery endothelin-1 responses was then performed. KEY FINDINGS: Maximum responses to endothelin-1 were significantly attenuated in diseased (27±3 mN, n=55) compared to normal (38±2 mN, n=68) artery, although this remained over 70% of control. There was no difference in potency (pD2 control=8.03±0.06; pD2 diseased=7.98±0.06). Finite element modelling of tensile ring tests resulted in hyperelastic shear modulus μ=2004±410 Pa and hardening exponent α=22.8±2.2 for normal wall and μ=2464±1075 Pa and α=38.3±6.7 for plaque tissue and distensibility of diseased vessels was decreased. Finite element modelling of active properties of both groups resulted in higher muscle contractile strain (represented by thermal reactivity) of the atherosclerotic artery model than the normal artery model. The models suggest that a change in muscle response to endothelin-1 occurs in atherosclerotic artery to increase its distensibility towards that seen in normal artery. SIGNIFICANCE: Our data suggest that an adaptation occurs in medial smooth muscle of atherosclerotic coronary artery to maintain distensibility of the vessel wall in the presence of endothelin-1. This may contribute to the vasospastic effect of locally increased endothelin-1 production that is reported in this condition.

Scaling arguments for the fluxes in turbulent miscible fountains

For established axisymmetric turbulent miscible Boussinesq fountains in quiescent uniform environments, expressions are developed for the fluxes of volume, momentum and buoyancy at the outflow from the fountain: the outflow referring to the counterflow at the horizontal plane of the source. The fluxes are expressed in terms of the fountain source conditions and two dimensionless functions of the source Froude number, Fr0: a radial function (relating a horizontal scale of the outflow to the source radius) and a volume flux function (relating the outflow and source volume fluxes). The forms taken by these two functions at low Fr0 and high Fr0 are deduced, thereby providing the outflow fluxes and outflow Froude number solely in terms of the source conditions. For high Fr0, the outflow Froude number, Frout, is shown to be invariant, indicating (by analogy with plumes for which the 'far-field' Froude number is invariant with source Froude number) that the outflow may be regarded as 'far-field' since the fluxes within the fountain have adjusted to attain a balance which is independent of the source conditions. Based on Frout, the fluxes in the plume that forms beyond the fountain outflow are deduced. Finally, from the results of previously published studies, we show that the scalings deduced for fountains are valid for 0.0025 ≲ Fr0 ≲ 1.0 for low Fr0 and Fr0≳ 3.0 for high Fr0. © 2014 Cambridge University Press.