Before revision:  The simulation study demonstrates that VB can be a fast and scalable alternative to MSL and MCMC  , especially in applications in which fast predictions are paramount , as VB is observed to be between 2.8 and 17.7 times faster than the two competing methods .
After revision:  The simulation study demonstrates that VB can be a fast , scalable and accurate alternative to MSL and MCMC , especially in applications in which fast predictions are paramount , as VB is observed to be between 2.8 and 17.7 times faster than the two competing methods .