Abstract: Evidence profiling, in one aspect, may receive a candidate answer and supporting pieces of evidence. An evidence profile may be generated, the evidence profile communicating a degree to which the evidence supports the candidate answer as being correct. The evidence profile may provide dimensions of evidence, and each dimension may support or refute the candidate answer as being correct.

Abstract: Context-based disambiguation of acronyms and/or abbreviations may determine a target abbreviation and one or more keywords appearing in context with the target abbreviation in a received passage, the target abbreviation representing a shortened form of one or more word. A contextual search query including the target abbreviation and said one or more keywords may be generated. A pseudo document index may be searched for one or more expansions of the target abbreviation by invoking the contextual search query, the pseudo document index containing index of one or more pseudo documents, associated one or more abbreviations and associated context keywords. One or more pseudo documents associated with the target abbreviation may be returned based on the searching of the pseudo document index.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for generating answers to questions. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving an input query, identifying a plurality of candidate answers to the query; and for at least one of these candidate answers, identifying at least one proof of the answer. This proof includes a series of premises, and a multitude of documents are identified that include references to the premises. A set of these documents is selected that include references to all of the premises. This set of documents is used to generate one or more scores for the one of the candidate answers. A defined procedure is applied to the candidate answers to determine a ranking for the answers, and this includes using the one or more scores for the at least one of the candidate answers in the defined procedure to determine the ranking for this one candidate answer.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for generating answers to questions. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a query, conducting a search through one or more data sources to identify candidate answers to the query, and providing each of the candidate answers with a preliminary score. The method further comprises filtering out any of the candidate answers with a preliminary score that does not satisfy a defined condition. The candidate answers having preliminary scores that satisfy this condition form a subset of the candidate answers. Each of the candidate answers in this subset is processed to produce further scores. A ranking function is applied to these further scores to determine a ranking for each of the candidate answers in the subset; and after this ranking function is applied, one or more of the candidate answers are selected as one or more final answers to the query.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for efficiently retrieving relevant passages to questions based on a corpus of data. A processor device receives an input query and performs a query analysis to obtain searchable query terms. The processor performs: matching metadata associated with one or more documents against the query terms. The document metadata includes one or more of: a title of the documents, one or more user tags or clouds. Then the processor device performs: mapping matched document metadata to corresponding one or more documents; identifying corresponding matched documents to form a subcorpus of documents; and conducting a search in the data subcorpus using the searchable query terms to obtain one or more passages relevant input query from the identified documents.

Abstract: System, method and computer program product for 1) preparing queries for retrieving related content based on existing data content. For instance, titles of existing documents or entities extracted from documents can be used as queries. 2) Retrieving content from other repositories of unstructured, semi-structured, or structured data. For instance, web pages can be retrieved using existing search engines. 3) Extracting smaller units of text from the retrieved content. For instance, web pages can be split into coherent paragraphs of text. 4) Judging the quality of the smaller units of text and their relatedness to existing data. For instance, paragraphs can be scored using a statistical model based on lexico-syntactic features and topic models. 5) Synthesizing new sources from high-quality related text. For instance, paragraphs that score above a threshold can be concatenated into a new document.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for generating answers to questions. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving an input query, decomposing the input query into a plurality of different subqueries, and conducting a search in one or more data sources to identify at least one candidate answer to each of the subqueries. A ranking function is applied to each of the candidate answers to determine a ranking for each of these candidate answers; and for each of the subqueries, one of the candidate answers to the subquery is selected based on this ranking. A logical synthesis component is applied to synthesize a candidate answer for the input query from the selected the candidate answers to the subqueries. In one embodiment, the procedure applied by the logical synthesis component to synthesize the candidate answer for the input query is determined from the input query.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product are disclosed for searching for information using a knowledge base. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a query; formulizing the query, including dividing the query into a plurality of parts; for each of the parts, identifying a source, using the knowledge, that addresses that part; and combining the sources to answer the query. In one embodiment, the query includes text; the text is separated into a plurality of segments; and, for each of the segments, at least one source is identified addressing the segment. In an embodiment, a logical proof is formulated having a conclusion that is an answer to the query, and a sequence of statements that establish said conclusion; and a proof of this conclusion is generated by identifying two or more documents that assert the sequence of statements.

Abstract: A bipolar stimulator probe suitable for application of intramuscular stimulation provides an active stimulator electrode and a reference electrode as part of a single tool. The separation between the electrodes is significantly greater than the electrode separation of known bipolar stimulator probes and bipolar bar electrode configurations. The probe tool may be configured to permit adjustment of the fixed relative position of the electrodes within a given range. By providing a relatively wide spacing between the two electrodes, the tool can be used to approximate the effect of monopolar stimulation with a separate reference electrode, with the electrical stimulus producing less pain to the patient compared to bipolar stimulation where the two electrodes are spaced apart by only 2-4 cm or less.

Abstract: Composite electrode pads/plugs are configured to be utilized in an electrical stimulator device, particularly one designed to provide surface-applied electrical twitch obtaining intramuscular stimulation (eToims®). The composite pads/plugs include a porous liquid absorbent (e.g., felt) plug sized to be placed in a receptacle of the stimulator device, and a composite pad of porous liquid absorbent (e.g., cotton) material that covers the plug. In an embodiment, the composite pad is formed of cotton stuffing material encased between two sheets of cotton mesh/pad material. The composite pads/plugs can serve to increase, and improve wetting of, the surface area which contacts the patient and delivers the electrical stimulation. In addition to convenience of application, the disclosed structures have been found to help reduce sharp pain felt by the patient during stimulation, without interfering with the ability of the electricity to penetrate deeply in order to provide effective eToims®.

Abstract: A modality of electrical twitch obtaining intramuscular stimulation pain relief therapy utilizes a surface probe with a conductive tip to apply surface electrical stimulation of relatively high voltage locally and focally to muscle motor points and regions of adjacent motor end plate zones. The surface-applied electrical stimulation through intact skin readily facilitates the elicitation of forceful twitch responses from muscle fibers associated with the stimulated motor points and motor end plate zones, without requiring needle penetration into the patient's flesh. Rapid movement between multiple treatment sites is possible allowing treatment of a larger number of muscle motor point areas in afflicted muscles and more muscles to be treated in a single treatment session. The therapeutic effect of the twitches increases with the force and number of the twitches.

Abstract: A bipolar stimulator probe suitable for application of intramuscular stimulation provides an active stimulator electrode and a reference electrode as part of a single tool. The separation between the electrodes is significantly greater than the electrode separation of known bipolar stimulator probes and bipolar bar electrode configurations. The probe tool may be configured to permit adjustment of the fixed relative position of the electrodes within a given range. By providing a relatively wide spacing between the two electrodes, the tool can be used to approximate the effect of monopolar stimulation with a separate reference electrode, with the electrical stimulus producing less pain to the patient compared to bipolar stimulation where the two electrodes are spaced apart by only 2-4 cm or less.

Abstract: A bipolar stimulator probe suitable for application of intramuscular stimulation provides an active stimulator electrode and a reference electrode as part of a single tool. The separation between the electrodes is significantly greater than the electrode separation of known bipolar stimulator probes and bipolar bar electrode configurations. The probe tool may be configured to permit adjustment of the fixed relative position of the electrodes within a given range. By providing a relatively wide spacing between the two electrodes, the tool can be used to approximate the effect of monopolar stimulation with a separate reference electrode, with the electrical stimulus producing less pain to the patient compared to bipolar stimulation where the two electrodes are spaced apart by only 2-4 cm or less.

Abstract: An intramuscular stimulation (IMS) device and method permit electrical and mechanical modes of stimulation to be carried out individually or together. The gun-like stimulation device permits a disposable needle applicator unit including a needle and elongate sheath to be removably attached thereto. Different needle penetration depths are obtainable with a single needle by virtue of a drive carriage with a position selecting element. To help avoid repetitive strain injury to a treating physician, a processor may monitor a body contact sensor and continue an intramuscular stimulation cycle only so long as contact is detected. In order to ensure that only a single IMS operation is performed during a period of body contact, performance of a further intramuscular stimulation cycle may be prevented unless it is determined that body contact was broken at a time following a previous IMS cycle.

Abstract: An automatic call routing system for directing a call to a desired destination. The routing system poses questions to a caller and uses the caller's responses create a query which is used to direct the call to a destination associated with one of a plurality of documents created during a training phase. The documents are created by receiving calls, collecting caller contributions to each call, directing each call to a destination by a human operator, and storing and processing the caller contributions to each call directed to a particular destination. If a caller's responses do not permit a call to be unambiguously routed to a destination, the routing system poses clarifying questions and receives caller responses. The caller responses are used to create a refined query for use in a subsequent attempt to route the call.

Abstract: A computer-based system for using a relational database to dynamically configure an application program easily comprises a relational database including first table means containing first data, second table means containing configuration data, and an engine coupled to the relational database for using the configuration data to configure manipulation of the first data. The engine uses the configuration data to configure the appearance of the user interface, to configure the fields being displayed, to configure the expected type of information to be received, to configure the privileges of the user, to configure the column headers, etc.

Abstract: A modality of twitch obtaining intramuscular stimulation (IMS) pain relief therapy employs an EMG needle having a Teflon coated shaft and exposed conductive tip to apply micro-electrical stimulation locally and focally to muscle motor end plate zones or regions of adjacent motor end plate zones. The electrical stimulation facilitates the elicitation of strong twitch responses from muscle fibers associated with the stimulated motor end plates, generally without requiring physical needle manipulation following the initial pin insertion. Less skill is required to effectively elicit pain relieving twitch responses, thus facilitating training of medical personnel to carry the procedure. Rapid movement between multiple treatment sites is possible allowing treatment of a larger number of afflicted muscles and muscle areas in a single treatment session. The strength and number of twitches obtained at the treatment sites can provide substantial relief from regional and diffuse myofacsial pain of radiculopathic origin.

Abstract: A processing system which acts as a participant in the collaborative dialogue is first trained using a training algorithm. The training algorithm computes, in conjunction with a current turn of the training dialogue, a task initiative index and a dialogue initiative index for a next turn of the dialogue, using cues observed during the current turn, probability assignments associated with the observed cues, and current values of the task initiative index and the dialogue initiative index. The algorithm then predicts a task initiative holder and a dialogue initiative holder for the next turn of the training dialogue, using the task initiative index and dialogue initiative index computed for the next turn. The probability assignments associated with the observed cues are adjusted if the predicted task and dialogue initiative holders do not agree with corresponding respective actual task and dialogue initiative holders for the next turn.

Abstract: A modality of twitch obtaining intramuscular stimulation (IMS) pain relief therapy employs an EMG needle having a Teflon coated shaft and exposed conductive tip to apply micro-electrical stimulation locally and focally to muscle motor end plate zones or regions of adjacent motor end plate zones. The electrical stimulation facilitates the elicitation of strong twitch responses from muscle fibers associated with the stimulated motor end plates, generally without requiring physical needle manipulation following the initial pin insertion. Less skill is required to effectively elicit pain relieving twitch responses, thus facilitating training of medical personnel to carry the procedure. Rapid movement between multiple treatment sites is possible allowing treatment of a larger number of afflicted muscles and muscle areas in a single treatment session. The strength and number of twitches obtained at the treatment sites can provide substantial relief from regional and diffuse myofacsial pain of radiculopathic origin.