Abstract: Techniques for improving a semantic parser of a dialog system, by breaking the semantic parser into a coarse semantic parser and a fine semantic parser, are described. A method described herein includes accessing an utterance received in a dialog system. The utterance is a text-based natural language expression. The method further includes applying a coarse semantic parser to the utterance to determine an intermediate logical form for the utterance. The intermediate logical form indicates one or more intents in the utterance. The method further includes applying a fine semantic parser to the intermediate logical form to determine a logical form for the utterance. The logical form is a syntactic expression of the utterance according to an established grammar, and the logical form includes one or more parameters of the one or more intents. The logical form can be used to conduct a dialog with a user of the dialog system.

Abstract: A method for evaluating an assignment of a code, the method including providing a code previously assigned to a document based on a plurality of sets of attributes, each attribute in the plurality of sets of attributes previously believed to affect the assignment of the code; eliminating the attributes not common to the sets of attributes in the plurality of sets of attributes; and evaluating the assignment of the code based on the remaining attributes.

Abstract: An igniter for a combustor of a turbomachine includes a fuel inlet in fluid communication with a mixing plenum. The mixing plenum is positioned upstream of a mixing channel. An air inlet is in fluid communication with the mixing plenum and an ignition source is in operative communication with the mixing channel. The igniter may include a mounting flange configured for coupling the igniter to the combustor. The ignition source may be positioned proximate to a downstream end of the mixing channel and upstream of the mounting flange. The mixing channel may define a venturi shape. The venturi shape includes a converging section between an upstream end of the mixing channel and a venturi throat.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a device, method, and system for dynamically activating a lightweight mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) within a remote control creating an ad-hoc payment system within a media system. When the lightweight mPOS is activated, remote control may operate as an ad-hoc lightweight mPOS that is capable of receiving contactless payment information for purchase of content provided by a media device. The lightweight mPOS may be controlled by the media device in response to a request to purchase the content.

Abstract: Techniques described herein use backpropagation to train one or more machine learning (ML) models of a dialog system. For instance, a method includes accessing seed data that includes training tuples, where each training tuple comprising a respective logical form. The method includes converting the logical form of a training tuple to a converted logical form, by applying to the logical form a text-to-speech (TTS) subsystem, an automatic speech recognition (ASR) subsystem, and a semantic parser of a dialog system. The method includes determining a training signal by using an objective function to compare the converted logical form to the logical form. The method further includes training the TTS subsystem, the ASR subsystem, and the semantic parser via backpropagation based on the training signal. As a result of the training by backpropagation, the machine learning models are tuned work effectively together within a pipeline of the dialog system.

Abstract: Described herein are dialog systems, and techniques for providing such dialog systems, that are suitable for use on standalone computing devices. In some embodiments, a dialog system includes a dialog manager, which takes as input an input logical form, which may be a representation of user input. The dialog, manager may include a dialog state tracker, an execution subsystem, a dialog policy subsystem, and a context stack. The dialog state tracker may generate an intermediate logical form from the input logical form combined with a context from the context stack. The context stack may maintain a history of a current dialog, and thus, the intermediate logical form may include contextual information potentially missing from the input logical form. The execution subsystem may execute the intermediate logical form to produce an execution result, and the dialog policy subsystem may generate an output logical form based on the execution result.

Abstract: Techniques are described for using data stored for a user in association with context levels to improve the efficiency and accuracy of dialog processing tasks. A dialog system stores historical dialog data in association with a plurality of configured context levels. The dialog system receives an utterance and identifies a term for disambiguation from the utterance. Based on a determined context level, the dialog system identifies relevant historical data stored to a database. The historical data may be used to perform tasks such as resolving an ambiguity based on user preferences, disambiguating named entities based on a prior dialog, and identifying previously generated answers to queries. Based on the context level, the dialog system can efficiently identify the relevant information and use the identified information to provide a response.

Abstract: A filter arrangement includes first and second media packs with a support core in between. The support core includes a first ring at one end and, optionally, second ring at an opposite end. In some arrangements, at least a first member and second member extend from the first ring while being engagement-free to each other. In some arrangements, no more than a first member extends from the first ring, while being engagement-free relative to itself.

Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor die including a via, a layer of titanium tungsten (TiW) in contact with the via, and a copper pillar including a top portion and a bottom portion. The bottom portion is in contact with the layer of TiW. The copper pillar includes interdiffused zinc within the bottom portion.

Abstract: Techniques for noise data augmentation for training chatbot systems in natural language processing. In one particular aspect, a method is provided that includes receiving a training set of utterances for training an intent classifier to identify one or more intents for one or more utterances; augmenting the training set of utterances with noise text to generate an augmented training set of utterances; and training the intent classifier using the augmented training set of utterances. The augmenting includes: obtaining the noise text from a list of words, a text corpus, a publication, a dictionary, or any combination thereof irrelevant of original text within the utterances of the training set of utterances, and incorporating the noise text within the utterances relative to the original text in the utterances of the training set of utterances at a predefined augmentation ratio to generate augmented utterances.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes providing a user interface that allows selection of a product attribute and in the alternative allows selection of a previously defined rule. When a product attribute is selected in the user interface, a rule under construction that describes what products are to appear on a retail webpage is altered based on the selected product attribute. When a previously-defined rule is selected in the user interface, the rule under construction is modified so that the rule under construction uses the selected rule.

Abstract: A vibration damper for a fuel conduit of a gas turbine combustor includes a mounting portion and a damping portion. The mounting portion is secured to the fuel conduit, and the damping portion includes a stack of damping washers, a bushing on top of the stack of damping washers, a spring clip secured around the stack of damping washers and the bushing, and a shoulder bolt disposed through the bushing and the stack of damping washers and engaged to the mounting portion.

Abstract: An igniter for a combustor of a turbomachine includes a fuel inlet in fluid communication with a mixing plenum. The mixing plenum is positioned upstream of a mixing channel. An air inlet is in fluid communication with the mixing plenum and an ignition source is in operative communication with the mixing channel. The igniter may include a mounting flange configured for coupling the igniter to the combustor. The ignition source may be positioned proximate to a downstream end of the mixing channel and upstream of the mounting flange. The mixing channel may define a venturi shape. The venturi shape includes a converging section between an upstream end of the mixing channel and a venturi throat.

Abstract: Techniques are described for training and executing a machine learning model using data derived from a database. A dialog system uses data from the database to generate related training data for natural language understanding applications. The generated training data is then used to train a machine learning model. This enables the dialog system to leverage a large amount of available data to speed up the training process as compared to conventional labeling techniques. The dialog system uses the trained machine learning model to identify a named entity from a received spoken utterance and generate and output a speech response based upon the identified named entity.

Abstract: Techniques described herein use backpropagation to train one or more machine learning (ML) models of a dialog system. For instance, a method includes accessing seed data that includes training tuples, where each training tuple comprising a respective logical form. The method includes converting the logical form of a training tuple to a converted logical form, by applying to the logical form a text-to-speech (TTS) subsystem, an automatic speech recognition (ASR) subsystem, and a semantic parser of a dialog system. The method includes determining a training signal by using an objective function to compare the converted logical form to the logical form. The method further includes training the TTS subsystem, the ASR subsystem, and the semantic parser via backpropagation based on the training signal. As a result of the training by backpropagation, the machine learning models are tuned work effectively together within a pipeline of the dialog system.

Abstract: Techniques for improving a semantic parser of a dialog system, by breaking the semantic parser into a coarse semantic parser and a fine semantic parser, are described. A method described herein includes accessing an utterance received in a dialog system. The utterance is a text-based natural language expression. The method further includes applying a coarse semantic parser to the utterance to determine an intermediate logical form for the utterance. The intermediate logical form indicates one or more intents in the utterance. The method further includes applying a fine semantic parser to the intermediate logical form to determine a logical form for the utterance. The logical form is a syntactic expression of the utterance according to an established grammar, and the logical form includes one or more parameters of the one or more intents. The logical form can be used to conduct a dialog with a user of the dialog system.

Abstract: A retarding control assembly for a brake valve may include a bleed line configured for arrangement between a spring chamber of a brake command assembly and a tank line. The bleed line may include a check valve configured to allow fluid flow from the spring chamber to the tank and a check valve bypass configured to allow fluid flow from the tank line to the spring chamber passed the check valve and defining a restricted pathway.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a device, method, and system for dynamically activating a lightweight mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) within a remote control creating an ad-hoc payment system within a media system. When the lightweight mPOS is activated, remote control may operate as an ad-hoc lightweight mPOS that is capable of receiving contactless payment information for purchase of content provided by a media device. The lightweight mPOS may be controlled by the media device in response to a request to purchase the content.

Abstract: Some techniques described herein determine a correction model for a dialog system, such that the correction model corrects output from an automatic speech recognition (ASR) subsystem in the dialog system. A method described herein includes accessing training data. A first tuple of the training data includes an utterance, where the utterance is a textual representation of speech. The method further includes using an ASR subsystem of a dialog system to convert the utterance to an output utterance. The method further includes storing the output utterance in corrective training data that is based on the training data. The method further includes training a correction model based on the corrective training data, such that the correction model is configured to correct output from the ASR subsystem during operation of the dialog system.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a kit of parts comprising: in one part a) a water-borne stain; and, in another part b) a water-immiscible organic solvent-borne stain, wherein said water-borne stain is essentially free of resin and further contains at least one water-miscible organic solvent. The present disclosure is further directed to a method of coloring a wooden substrate comprising the steps of: a) applying a water-borne stain to a surface of the wooden substrate, wherein the water-borne stain is essentially free of resin and comprises at least one water-miscible organic solvent; and thereafter b) applying a water-immiscible organic solvent-borne stain to said surface.