Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advertising Strategy in the Presence of Reviews: An Empirical Analysis

Over the last fifteen years, one of the major developments online has been the growth and proliferation of review websites such as TripAdvisor. The ready availability of independent information from past users poses interesting questions for marketing strategy. What role does advertising play in the new environment? How should firms adjust their advertising strategy to the presence of reviews? In this paper we address these questions in the context of the hotel industry. Using a data set of TripAdvisor hotel reviews and another describing hotels' advertising expenditures, we show, first, that overall ad spending decreased from 2002 to 2015, suggesting that online reviews have had the effect of displacing advertising. Second, there is a negative causal relationship between TripAdvisor ratings and advertising spending in the cross-section: hotels with higher ratings spend less. This suggests that user ratings and advertising are substitutes, not complements. Third, this relationship is stronger for independent hotels than for chains, and stronger in competitive markets than in noncompetitive markets. The former suggests that a strong brand name provides some immunity to reviews, and the latter suggests that when ratings are pivotal, the advertising response might be particularly strong. Finally, we show that the relationship between user ratings and advertising has strengthened over time, as websites such as TripAdvisor have become more influential. This provides further confirmation that the effect of online ratings on advertising operates through the demand side, and not the supply side. Hotels seem to react to reviews if and only if consumers react to them.
Contraceptive efficacy and safety of estradiol valerate/dienogest in a healthy female population: a multicenter, open-label, uncontrolled Phase III study

Background To investigate the efficacy and safety of a combined oral contraceptive containing estradiol valerate and dienogest (EV/DNG) in healthy Asian women. Methods In this multicenter Phase III study, women received oral EV/DNG in a 28-day regimen for 13 cycles. The primary efficacy endpoint was the number of unintended pregnancies, measured by the Pearl Index (PI); secondary efficacy endpoints included bleeding pattern and cycle control parameters. Adverse events were monitored during the study and overall satisfaction with treatment was determined on completion of the study. Results A total of 954 Asian women (97.7% of subjects assigned to study medication; mean age 33.4 years) were treated. Five pregnancies were reported during EV/DNG treatment over 796.34 relevant woman-years of exposure, giving an unadjusted PI of 0.63 and a cumulative failure rate of 0.0049; 3 pregnancies during EV/DNG treatment over 760.35 relevant woman-years of exposure gave an adjusted PI of 0.39. The bleeding pattern improved during the reporting periods within the study. The proportion of women who experienced withdrawal bleeding decreased with treatment (84.9% of women during Cycle 1 vs 79.3% in Cycle 13), and the mean length of withdrawal bleeding decreased with treatment (4.2 vs 3.4 days). The number and maximum length of intracyclic bleeding/spotting episodes also decreased with EV/DNG. EV/DNG was well tolerated, and 92% of women included in the study were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with EV/DNG. Conclusion EV/DNG showed high contraceptive efficacy, was well tolerated in Asian women, and may be effectively used in this population. Clinical trials registry ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01638910.
A multi-body dynamics based numerical modelling tool for solving aquatic biomimetic problems

In this paper, a versatile multi-body dynamic algorithm is developed to integrate an incompressible fluid flow with a bio-inspired multibody dynamic system. Of particular interest to the biomimetic application, the algorithm is developed via four properly selected benchmark verifications. The present tool has shown its powerful capability for solving a variety of biomechanics fish swimming problems, including self-propelled multiple degrees of freedom with a rigid undulatory body, multiple deformable fins and an integrated system with both undulatory fish body and flexible fins. The established tool has paved the way for future investigation on more complex bio-inspired robots and live fish, for either propulsion or manoeuvring purposes.
An isolated population of the white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) in the principality of Liechtenstein

An isolated stock of Austropotamobius pallipes is studied in a small water system draining into a tributary to the river Alpenrhein in the Principality of Liechtenstein . The population is known to originate from one single stocking activity of 109 specimens in 1985. Crayfish stock is investigated by direct observation at night and by trap catching including mark and recapture. Essential ecomorphological properties of the waters are recorded in respect to their attraction for crayfish. The stock is spread over two small natural ground water ponds and some connected ditches. The settled area is only 850 metres in total longitudinal extension and the boundaries of the stock are very sharp over only few metres on all sides following distinct changes of morphometry, structure or water flow which prevent the population from expanding. In addition, isolation from the downstream fauna is given by a local source of water pollution. The distribution of population density shows a heterogeneous micro-scale pattern corresponding to the distribution of structures and substrates in the waters. The population was estimated to at least 2.000 individuals. No subsidiary stocks were found in the ditch system. Parasitic growth of Branchiobdella pentodonta is very high and affects all individuals. Fish stock is confined to the species bullhead Cottus gobio, minnow Phoxinus phoxinus and brown trout Salmo trutta f. fario in low densities. Fish predation has no impact on the crayfish population. The waters are situated in a natural reserve, neither fish nor crayfish stocks are exploited by man. Stock situation and management are discussed.
Association of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in metabolic syndrome

Abstract The aim of this case–control study was to assess TIMP2 level in subjects with or without metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to associate levels with non-alcoholic fatty liver changes (NAFLD). Thirty-three MetS subjects and 55 controls were recruited. Anthropometric data, lipid and glucose profile, TIMP2 and liver ultrasound was performed. High TIMP2 was seen in MetS group (145.28 ± 23.11 pg/ml) versus controls (19.06 ± 1.19 pg/ml; p < .001). Serum cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-c and glucose levels were significantly higher in MetS subjects (p < .05). MetS individuals (72.72%) showed positive fatty liver changes versus 14.5% controls. Elevated TIMP2 positively correlated with waist circumference, body fat, blood glucose and NAFLD. Furthermore, every unit rise in waist circumference and TIMP2 and a unit decrease in HDL were associated with higher odds of developing NAFLD (p < .05). There may be concurrent relationship between TIMP2 and NAFLD in MetS that requires further evaluation to improve risk assessment and early diagnosis of MetS.
The Neural Painter: Multi-Turn Image Generation

In this work we combine two research threads from Vision/ Graphics and Natural Language Processing to formulate an image generation task conditioned on attributes in a multi-turn setting. By multiturn, we mean the image is generated in a series of steps of user-specified conditioning information. Our proposed approach is practically useful and offers insights into neural interpretability. We introduce a framework that includes a novel training algorithm as well as model improvements built for the multi-turn setting. We demonstrate that this framework generates a sequence of images that match the given conditioning information and that this task is useful for more detailed benchmarking and analysis of conditional image generation methods.
Pediatric 131I-MIBG Therapy for Neuroblastoma: Whole-Body 131I-MIBG Clearance, Radiation Doses to Patients, Family Caregivers, Medical Staff, and Radiation Safety Measures

Purpose 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (131I-MIBG) has been used in the diagnosis and therapy of neuroblastoma in adult and pediatric patients for many years. In this study, we evaluated whole-body 131I-MIBG clearance and radiation doses received by patients, family caregivers, and medical staff to establish appropriate radiation safety measures to be used in therapy applications. Methods Research was focused on 23 children and adolescents with metastatic neuroblastoma, with ages ranging from 1.8 to 13 years, being treated with 131I-MIBG. Based on measured external dose rates from patients, dosimetric data to patients, family members, and others were calculated. Results The mean ± SD 131I-MIBG activity administered was 8.55 ± 1.69 GBq. Percent whole-body retention rates of 131I-MIBG at 24, 48, and 72 hours after administration were 48% ± 7%, 23% ± 7%, and 12% ± 6%, with a whole-body 131I-MIBG effective half-life of 23 ± 5 hours for all patients. The mean doses for patients were 0.234 ± 0.096 mGy·MBq−1 to red-marrow and 0.251 ± 0.101 mGy·MBq−1 to whole body. The maximum potential radiation doses transmitted by patients to others at 1.0 m was estimated to be 11.9 ± 3.4 mSv, with 97% of this dose occurring over 120 hours after therapy administration. Measured mean dose received by the 22 family caregivers was 1.88 ± 1.85 mSv, and that received by the 19 pediatric physicians was 43 ± 51 &mgr;Sv. Conclusion In this study, we evaluated the whole-body clearance of 131I-MIBG in 23 pediatric patients, and the radiation doses received by family caregivers and medical staff during these therapy procedures, thus facilitating the establishment of radiation safety measures to be applied in pediatric therapy.
Training Pilots for Unexpected Events: A Simulator Study on the Advantage of Unpredictable and Variable Scenarios

Objective: This study tested whether simulator-based training of pilot responses to unexpected or novel events can be improved by including unpredictability and variability in training scenarios. Background: Current regulations allow for highly predictable and invariable training, which may not be sufficient to prepare pilots for unexpected or novel situations in-flight. Training for surprise will become mandatory in the near future. Method: Using an aircraft model largely unfamiliar to the participants, one group of 10 pilots (the unpredictable and variable [U/V] group) practiced responses to controllability issues in a relatively U/V manner. A control group of another 10 pilots practiced the same failures in a highly predictable and invariable manner. After the practice, performance of all pilots was tested in a surprise scenario, in which the pilots had to apply the learned knowledge. To control for surprise habituation and familiarization with the controls, two control tests were included. Results: Whereas the U/V group required more time than the control group to identify failures during the practice, the results indicated superior understanding and performance in the U/V group as compared to the control group in the surprise test. There were no significant differences between the groups in surprise or performance in the control tests. Conclusion: Given the results, we conclude that organizing pilot training in a more U/V way improves transfer of training to unexpected situations in-flight. Application: The outcomes suggest that the inclusion of U/V simulator training scenarios is important when training pilots for unexpected situations.
Ensemble Learning for Effective Run-Time Hardware-Based Malware Detection: A Comprehensive Analysis and Classification

Malware detection at the hardware level has emerged recently as a promising solution to improve the security of computing systems. Hardware-based malware detectors take advantage of Machine Learning (ML) classifiers to detect pattern of malicious applications at run-time. These ML classifiers are trained using low-level features such as processor Hardware Performance Counters (HPCs) data which are captured at run-time to appropriately represent the application behaviour. Recent studies show the potential of standard ML-based classifiers for detecting malware using analysis of large number of microarchitectural events, more than the very limited number of HPC registers available in today’s microprocessors which varies from 2 to 8. This results in executing the application more than once to collect the required data, which in turn makes the solution less practical for effective run-time malware detection. Our results show a clear trade-off between the performance of standard ML classifiers and the number and diversity of HPCs available in modern microprocessors. This paper proposes a machine learning-based solution to break this trade-off to realize effective run-time detection of malware. We propose ensemble learning techniques to improve the performance of the hardware-based malware detectors despite using a very small number of microarchitectural events that are captured at run-time by existing HPCs, eliminating the need to run an application several times. For this purpose, eight robust machine learning models and two well-known ensemble learning classifiers applied on all studied ML models (sixteen in total) are implemented for malware detection and precisely compared and characterized in terms of detection accuracy, robustness, performance (accuracy × robustness), and hardware overheads. The experimental results show that the proposed ensemble learning-based malware detection with just 2 HPCs using ensemble technique outperforms standard classifiers with 8 HPCs by up to 17%. In addition, it can match the robustness and performance of standard ML-based detectors with 16 HPCs while using only 4 HPCs allowing effective run-time detection of malware.
Poster: A Weight-Based Approach to Combinatorial Test Generation

Combinatorial testing (CT) is very efficient to test parameterized systems. Kuhn et al. investigated the interaction faults of some real programs, and found that the faulty combinations are caused by the combination of no more than 6 parameters. Three or fewer parameters triggered a total of almost 90% of the failures in the application[3]. However, for high-quality software, simply testing all 3-way combinations is not sufficient [5], which may increase the risk of residual errors that lead to system failures and security weakness[4]. In addition, the number of test cases at 100% coverage for high-way is huge, which is beyond the farthest test overhead restrictions. Covering array is typically used as the test suite in CT, which should convey much information for the fault detection. We firstly proposed a weighted combinatorial coverage (CC), focusing on the fault detection capability of each test case instead of 100% percent t-way CC. Secondly, we give the test case selection algorithm FWA (fixed weight algorithm) using weighted CC metric. For generating each test case, our method first randomly generates several candidates, and selects the one that has the highest fault detection possibility with the different sampling pool size. Thirdly, we give the theorems for our algorithm and definitions for the weighted CC. Finally, we compared the selected sample sized and the fault-detection capabilities of FWA as well as t-wise algorithms by using the four benchmarks with configuration options interaction faults, and we found FWA is able to detect higher number of faults with the less selected sample size, specifically, FWA is able to detect high-wise interaction faults with the less selected sample size compared with the 4-wise as well as 5-wise algorithms.
The assessment of the habitat and water quality requirements of the stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) and noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) species in the rivers from the Anina Mountains (SW Romania)

The species Austropotamobius torrentium and Astacus astacus are two species known in the EU directives to require deeper understanding of their autecologic requirements before any sustainable conservation effort could be successfully applied. Therefore, the paper aims to analyze the occurrence of these two species of crayfish in the Anina Mountains (Romania) in relation to several physical-chemical indicators measured on site. The results suggest that the anthropogenic impacts registered in some of the sampling sites (e.g. organic pollution and river bed modification) might have triggered the disappearance of both species from the areas of the water sheds situated downstream villages and towns, deforestation sites and sewage treatment plants. The analysis suggest that both species might have similar ecologic requirements, with a BMWP score of 8 (out of a possible 10), therefore good indicators of pristine aquatic environments and with a possible toleration to pollution but only up to a moderate level. Nevertheless, the lack of cohabitation of the populations of both species at a local scale was discussed along with two possible explaining hypotheses: behavioral exclusion or different times and/or modalities of dispersal history.
Comparison of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and theory of mind: Improvement of posttraumatic growth and emotion regulation strategies

BACKGROUND: Assessing various therapeutic methods with the intention to decrease the problems relevant to abused children is of high significance. Accordingly, the present study seeks to compare the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF.CBT) with an emphasis on the theory of mind on posttraumatic growth and emotional regulation strategies in abused children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quasi-randomized clinical trial study was done on 39 abused children who referred to welfare organization centers in Ahvaz – Iran. After randomized allocation, the TF. CBT and theory of mind method were implemented for two groups. Before and after the interventions, posttraumatic growth and emotional regulation strategies were assessed with using Kilmer's posttraumatic growth inventory and Garnefski emotional regulation questionnaire. RESULTS: The study findings indicated that the mean of the posttraumatic growth and adaptive and maladaptive emotional regulation strategies in the TF.CBT group was significantly higher than that of other study groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: TF.CBT can lead to increased levels of posttraumatic growth and improve emotional regulation strategies in abused children. Theory of mind method can also be effective in improving emotional regulation strategies.
Assessing Personalized Software Defect Predictors

Software defect prediction models guide developers and testers to identify defect prone software modules in fewer time and effort, compared to manual inspections of the source code. The state-of-the-art predictors on publicly available software engineering data could catch around 70% of the defects. While early studies mostly utilize static code properties of the software, recent studies incorporate the people factor into the prediction models, such as the number of developers that touched a code unit, the experience of the developer, and interaction and cognitive behaviors of developers. Those information could give a stronger clue about the defect-prone parts because they could explain defect injection patterns in software development. Personalization has been emerging in many other systems such as social platforms, web search engines such that people get customized recommendations based on their actions, profiles and interest. Following this point of view, customization in defect prediction with respect to each developer would increase predictions' accuracy and usefulness than traditional, general models. In this thesis, we focus on building a personalized defect prediction framework that gives instant feedback to the developer at change level, based on historical defect and change data. Our preliminary analysis of the personalized prediction models of 121 developers in six open source projects indicate that, a personalized approach is not always the best model when compared to general models built for six projects. Other factors such as project characteristics, developer's historical data, the context and frequency of contributions, and/or development methodologies might affect which model to consider in practice. Eventually, this topic is open to improvement with further empirical studies on each of these factors
Accuracy of HbA1c as Monitored by External Quality Assessment and Compared With Patient Mean Values

Background: The accuracy and trueness of results from a laboratory test, such as the HbA1c test, should not be taken for granted but must be checked continuously. A tool for this is the participation in external quality assessment (EQA) for all laboratories performing the HbA1c-test. An additional possibility to detect changes in trueness is to monitor variations in patient cohort mean or median values that is not explained by changes in treatment or selection of patients. Methods: Results reported to an EQA scheme for HbA1c during 20 years have been extracted from Equalis database. The results are compared to current analytical performance specifications (APS) and to the mean HbA1c levels for the Swedish population of persons with type 2 diabetes. Results: The accuracy of the HbA1c test has improved during the period. The hospital lab methods used in Sweden now fulfil APS agreed by professional organizations in Sweden. The accuracy for point-of-care tests (POCT) methods vary over time and fulfil APS for some periods. The bias found for some of the methods might explain changes seen in patient mean values for HbA1c in Sweden during the period 2007-2017. Conclusions: The global standardization of HbA1c has resulted in an improved comparability for HbA1c-results worldwide. But even small variation in trueness for the methods in use might have important impact on mean HbA1c values for cohorts of patients. When a systematic error is observed for a specific method it is therefore essential that manufacturers correct the method without delay.
Effects of micronised dispersible ferric pyrophosphate combined with alpha-lactalbumin in pregnant women affected by iron deficiency anemia: results from a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed at evaluating the effects obtained by administering 30 mg of micronised dispersible ferric pyrophosphate plus 300 mg of alpha-lactalbumin (MDFP-AL) compared to 80 mg of ferrous gluconate (FG) in pregnant women affected by iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). PATIENTS AND METHODS We considered eligible all second-trimester singleton pregnancies in women affected by IDA. We excluded any other disease, twin pregnancies, any other pharmacologic/nutraceutical treatments (besides folic acid) before/during pregnancy. We randomized patients in two groups: one underwent treatment with 1 tablet of MDFP-AL/day, the other one with 1 tablet of FG/day, for 30 days. We evaluated hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, red blood cells (RBCs), serum iron, hematocrit (Hct), and side effects at baseline (T0), after 15 days (T1) and 30 days (T2). RESULTS 50 women met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. We did not observe significant differences between the two groups for mean age, gestational age at the enrollment and parity. In MDFP-AL group, after 15 days (T1) Hb, ferritin, serum iron and Hct and were significantly improved respect to baseline (T0); after 30 days (T2), all the parameters, including RBCs, were significantly improved respect to baseline (T0). Similarly, in FG group the investigated parameters were improved both after 15 (T1) and 30 days (T2) respect to baseline (T0), although less in percentage terms respect to MDFP-AL group. The side effects rate was 24% in FG group, whereas MDFP-AL group did not show any significant side effect. CONCLUSIONS Overall, MDFP-AL is more effective and safe than FG for the treatment of IDA in pregnant women.