In this paper, we present Agent Assist, a virtual assistant which helps IT support staff to resolve tickets faster. It is essentially a conversation system which provides procedural and often complex answers to queries. This system can ingest knowledge from various sources like application documentation, ticket management systems and knowledge transfer video recordings. It uses an ensemble of techniques like question classification, knowledge graph based disambiguation, information retrieval, etc., to provide quick and relevant solutions to problems from various technical domains and is currently being used in more than 650 projects within IBM.

Question answering is one of the primary challenges of natural language understanding. In realizing such a system, providing complex long answers to questions is a challenging task as opposed to factoid answering as the former needs context disambiguation. The different methods explored in the literature can be broadly classified into three categories namely: 1) classification based, 2) knowledge graph based and 3) retrieval based. Individually, none of them address the need of an enterprise wide assistance system for an IT support and maintenance domain. In this domain the variance of answers is large ranging from factoid to structured operating procedures; the knowledge is present across heterogeneous data sources like application specific documentation, ticket management systems and any single technique for a general purpose assistance is unable to scale for such a landscape. To address this, we have built a cognitive platform with capabilities adopted for this domain. Further, we have built a general purpose question answering system leveraging the platform that can be instantiated for multiple products, technologies in the support domain. The system uses a novel hybrid answering model that orchestrates across a deep learning classifier, a knowledge graph based context disambiguation module and a sophisticated bag-of-words search system. This orchestration performs context switching for a provided question and also does a smooth hand-off of the question to a human expert if none of the automated techniques can provide a confident answer. This system has been deployed across 675 internal enterprise IT support and maintenance projects.

With the omnipresence of mobile devices coupled with recent advances in automatic speech recognition capabilities, there has been a growing demand for natural language query (NLQ) interface to retrieve information from the knowledge bases. Business users particularly find this useful as NLQ interface enables them to ask questions without the knowledge of the query language or the data schema. In this paper, we apply an existing research technology called ``ATHENA: An Ontology-Driven System for Natural Language Querying over Relational Data Stores'' in the industry domain of SAP-ERP systems. The goal is to enable users to query SAP-ERP data using natural language. We present the challenges and their solutions of such a technology transfer. We present the effectiveness of the natural language query interface on a set of questions given by a set of SAP practitioners.

This demonstration exhibits a web service application which allows consumers of civic information and municipal administrators to display, distribute, and manage details about local board entities. The application was developed by a group of volunteer citizens associated with Open Nebraska and represents one of the groups' initial efforts to collaborate with a local government. The goal of the application system is to facilitate better data processing and to increase data accessibility.

This paper reports results from a Mathematics and Science Partnership grant designed primarily to help teachers from six elementary schools on the North Shore of O‘ahu develop a profound understanding of fundamental mathematics (PUFM) (Ma, 1999). Five of these schools had not met minimum requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act; among them there were also 19 teachers not fully licensed in Hawaii, therefore not meeting the definition of “highly qualified teacher.” Thirty-three teachers self-selected to participate for 1, 2, or all 3 project years ( X per year, 18.6 6). Grade levels taught ranged from Kindergarten through grade 6, with 31 regular education teachers and 2 special educators. To help teachers develop PUFM, the project focused on increased mathematics content knowledge while simultaneously addressing • changed teacher beliefs in the direction of Standards-based mathematics education (NCTM, 1991, 2000); • pedagogical practices focusing on student development of mathematical reasoning and problem solving via discourse-based instruction; and • evidence of measurable/observable student gains in reasoning and problem solving. The extent to which the project met its overall goals is described in reports available from baileyj@byuh.edu. This paper reports progress toward the following specific outcomes: (a) changed teacher beliefs; (b) mathematics content knowledge addressed during the third year of the project; and (c) transformations in teacher practice. The first two outcomes were selected primarily to share instrumentation that may be helpful to other professional development researchers. The third outcome provides insights into understanding and contextualizing the realities of teacher change.

PART 1: CRIMINAL JUSTICE (a) ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT 1999, SS 12-18 (b) POLICE POWERS AND ISSUES DURING INVESTIGATION STOP AND SEARCH Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1988, ss 1-3 Codes of Practice, Code A Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, s. 60 THE POWER TO TAKE INTIMATE AND NON-INTIMATE BODY SAMPLES Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, ss 61-65 Criminal Evidence (Amendment) Act 1997, ss 1-4 ARREST Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, ss 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 56 Sch 2 Codes of Practice, Code C, para 3.1, para 3.15 DETENTION Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s 37, s 38, ss 39-44 Codes of Practice C, paras 2, 5, 6 and 8 IDENTIFICATION Codes of Practice D QUESTIONING AND CONFESSIONS Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s 58, 82(3) Codes of Practice C, para 10, 11, 12, 14 Codes of Practice E, para 3, 4 CONTROL AND ABUSE OF POWER POWERS Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Part IX Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, s 55 PROSECUTORIAL REVIEW Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 BAIL Bail Act 1976, ss 3-7 Sch 1 pt 1 para 2-6,9 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Bail Amendment Act 1993 Crime and Disorder Act 1998, s 56 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, ss 129-133 MODE OF TRIAL Criminal Law Act 1997, pt III, ss 14-26 Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, s 19 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, s 48 Crime and Disorder Act 1998, s 51 TRIAL BY JURY Juries Act 1974, ss 1, 3, 8, 17 Contempt of Court Act 1981, s 8 (c) ISSUES DURING TRIAL, EVIDENCE AND PROCEDURE DISCLOSURE Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 VUNERABLE WITNESSES Criminal Justice Act 1998 s 32, 34 Criminal Justice Act 1991, s 52(2) Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, ss 16-30, 34-43 RIGHT TO SILENCE/DRAWING INFERENCES Criminal Justice Act 1967 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Schedule 3 JURY'S IGNORANCE OF DEFENDANT'S CRIMINAL RECORD Criminal Evidence Act 1898, ss 1(e) and (f) Thief Act 1969, s 27(3) APPEALS AND REVEIWS Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, s 108, 111 Supreme Court Act 1981, s 48 Criminal Appeal Act 1968 (as amended), s 2, 7(1), 33 Criminal Appeal Act 1995, s 8, 13 Part II: Sentencing DEFERMENT OF SENTENCE Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 COMMITTAL FROM CROWN COURT FOR SENTENCE Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 REMISSION OF SENTENCE: YOUNG OFFENDERS ETC Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 REMAND BY MAGISTRATE'S COURT FOR MEDICAL EXAMINATION Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 CUSTODIAL SENTENCES ETC Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 Criminal Justice Act 1967, s 67 Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 Magistrate's Courts Act 1980 Murder/Abolition of Death Penalty Act 1965 Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 SUSPENDED SENTENCES OF IMPRISONMENT Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 SEXUAL OFFENDERS SUBJECT TO NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT Sex Offenders Act 1997 Notification Requirements for Sex Offenders COMMUNITY ORDERS AND REFERRAL Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 Community Orders: General Provisions Curfew Orders Renaming Certain Community Orders Community Rehabilitation Orders Community Punishment Orders Community Punishment and Rehabilitation Orders Drug Treatment and Testing Orders Drug Abstinence Orders Orders for Persistent Petty Offenders Schedule 3 Breach of Requirement of Order Attendance Centre Orders Supervision Orders Action Plan Orders Reparation Orders for Young Offenders Mandatory and Discretionary Referral of Young Offenders Parenting Orders Binding Over of Parent or Guardian FINANCIAL PENALTIES AND ORDERS Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 Financial Circumstances Orders Fines Compensation Orders Young Offenders Miscellaneous Powers POWERS TO DEPRIVE OFFENDER OF PROPERTY USED ETC FOR PURPOSES OF CRIME Purposes of Crime Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 Firearms Act 1968 Prevention of Crime Act 1953 RESTITUTION ORDERS Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 CONFISCATION ORDERS Drug Trafficking Act 1994 Criminal Justice Act 1988 RECOMMENDATION FOR DEPORTATION Immigration Act 1971 EXCLUSION FROM LICENSED PREMISES Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons Act) 1980 FOOTBALL BANNING ORDERS Football Spectators Act 1989 Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 DISQUALIFICATION FROM DRIVING Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 MENTALLY DISADVANTAGED OFFENDERS Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 Community Rehabilitation Orders Supervision Orders Mental Health Act 1983 Hospital and Guardianship Orders Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964 Schedule 1

A mature mathematics teacher (one in the latter stages of a successful career in teaching secondary mathematics) sought support in making a paradigm shift to a technology-integrated pedagogy in the context of a state's emerging standards-based curriculum. The teacher had concerns regarding his ability to make the paradigm shift, but he was willing to make the effort because he believed that integrating technology as an instruction/production tool would increase student achievement in mathematics. This article describes the teacher's experience. Students in two of his three high school geometry classes were introduced to altered teaching methods involving technology. The first class created instructional modules using presentation and Web page software, and a second class used student-created instructional modules. A third geometry class received traditional instruction based on text and lecture. Two topics, angles and circles, were taught using this format. Another topic, lines, was taught traditionally to all three classes. Interestingly, students across the three groups had numerically higher end-of-unit test scores for both lines and circles, much more acceptable to the teacher, than for angles. Recommendations are in order in regard to teacher support for technology integration. (C) 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

nThe Law Commission has recently produced its important report on Partial Defences to Murder.(1) In doing so it states that the response of its consultees was overwhelming "that the law was flawed to the extent that it was beyond reform by the courts"(2) and consequently makes recommendations "in the belief that the law will be greatly improved by their adoption".' In this article we argue that, in its haste to rid the law of the majority approach in Morgan Smith together with the need for a "loss of self-control", the Commission offers a reformed provocation plea which is deeply problematical, resulting from the Report's failure to deal with the fundamental issue of how emotions affect human behaviour. We also briefly comment on the Commission's proposals for diminished responsibility.