Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
When Online Reviews Meet Sales Volume Information: Is More or Accurate Information Always Better?

This paper studies how two types of market-generated information, namely, online reviews and past sales volume information, jointly affect consumer purchase decisions as well as firms' pricing strategies. We build a two-period duopoly model in a market with herding consumers who have different preferences and are unsure of the quality difference between products. In addition, a firm's sales volume is uncertain because of the existence of "irregular" consumers. We find that the impacts of online reviews and sales volume information on firms' profits are mutually enhancing. The impact of such market-generated information depends on both product characteristics the level of consumers' misfit for the nonpreferred product and how consumers a priori perceive the quality difference between the products. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that more/accurate information is beneficial to high-quality firms, as well as consumers, we find that such information can be detrimental to firms, as firms adjust prices to induce, or react to, favorable market-generated information. Accordingly, consumers may not benefit from such market-generated information if the gain from less uncertainty cannot offset the loss from higher product prices. Such findings offer guidelines for firms to design better pricing strategies, as well as information policies, such as whether or not to promote more informative reviews. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017. 0715 .
The migration of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons in the developing rat is associated with a transient, caudal projection of the vomeronasal nerve

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) neurons originate in the olfactory placode and vomeronasal organ and migrate to the brain from embryonic day 14 (E14) in the rat. We investigated the development of the vomeronasal nerve and its role as a guide for migrating LHRH neurons. Using fluorescent, lipophilic dye tracing methods, we observed axons that emerge from the vomeronasal organ and cross the nasal septum as several large fascicles. At E14–15, these fascicles converge as they enter the region of the cribriform plate and subsequently disperse, projecting dorsally and caudally across the olfactory bulb and rostral forebrain. At E16, the dorsal branch of the vomeronasal nerve forms a more tightly fasciculated projection; the caudal fibers remain dispersed, extending along the medial forebrain. The number of caudally directed axons decreases during development, leaving four or five present at postnatal day 4 (P4). Immunohistochemical studies indicate that the vomeronasal nerve can be divided into four spatially distinct subpopulations of fibers. One subset, composed of caudal fibers that terminate in the lamina terminalis, selectively expresses TAG-1, a transient axonal surface glycoprotein and PSA-N-CAM, a highly polysialated form of neural cell adhesion molecule. The extension and subsequent retraction of this branch of the vomeronasal nerve corresponds spatially and temporally with the migration of LHRH neurons from the nasal cavity to the brain. Our studies show that between E14 and E18, LHRH neurons migrate in contact with the TAG-1+, PSA-N-CAM+ caudal branch of the vomeronasal nerve.
Comparison of vascular stiffness in vascular dementia, Alzheimer dementia and cognitive impairment

Abstract Defining the vascular component(s) of the clinical diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and vascular dementia (VaD) continues to be problematic. The goal of this study was to determine whether vascular stiffness, measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), is altered in VaD, to study the utility of PWV in differentiating VaD from Alzheimer dementia (AD) and the relationship between PWV and cognitive function. A qualitative and quantitative structured analysis of the literature was conducted until September 2010, using a search strategy based on the key words: dementia, vascular dementia, dementia of vascular origin, cognitive function and arterial stiffness or pulse wave velocity. Seventeen studies assessed large vessel vascular stiff by PWV and related it to cognitive function or dementia. Six of these studies compared PWV in 154 persons with VaD, 207 with AD and 197 controls without dementia. Mean PWV was significantly (p < 0.0001) higher in VaD compared with controls. Mean PWV was significantly (p = 0.002) higher in VaD compared with AD. Fourteen studies examined the relationship between PWV and cognitive function. The majority of studies (nine of 14) reported a significant correlation between PWV and cognitive function. Four of eight studies that evaluated the relation using univariate analysis reported a significant correlation of PWV with the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) or Hasegawa Dementia Scale, and the correlation with MMSE between studies showed a close agreement of correlation coefficients (0.206 to 0.27). In multivariate analysis, adjusted for a wide range of possible confounding factors, the majority or 80% (eight out of 10) studies comprising a population of 6,034 individuals found a significant inverse relationship between PWV and cognitive function. In summary, vascular stiffness is inversely related to cognitive function. Vascular stiffness is greater in VaD compared with AD, suggesting PWV may be useful in identifying VaD.
The Theory of Probabilistic Databases

ABS! l’RACT A theory of probabilistic databases is outlined. This theory is one component of an integrated approach to data-modelling that accomodates both probabilistic and relational data. In fact, many of the results presented here were developed in the context of a framework for structural modelling of systems. Much that is fundamental to relational database theory was also developed in this context, and previous to the introduction by Codd of the relational model of data. Probabilistic databases can store types of information that cannot be represented using the relational model. Probabilistic databases may also be viewed as generalisations of relational databases; any relational database can be represented without loss of information by a probabilistic database. A number of relational database concepts are shown to have probabilistic counterparts. In many cases, it is preferable to deal with the probabilistic formulation of a concept even when applying it to a relational database. For example, we define a new project-join mapping for relational databases that is based on transf orming a relational to a probabilistic database. This mapping is shown to have more fmed points than the standard one.
A Relationship of Speech Perception and Amplification forHearing-Impaired Listeners

A Relationship of Speech Perception and Amplification for Hearing-Impaired Listeners Woojae Han and Jont B. Allen Hallym Univ., Div. of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Chuncheon, Korea Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, IL, USA Individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) are treated with hearing aids and/or a cochlear implant, based on their pure-tone thresholds and speech perception scores. Although these assistive listening devices do help those individuals communicate in quiet surroundings, many still have difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments. The purpose of current study is to compare results of consonant perception when using flat gain (or most comfortable level, MCL) and to see changes in consonant error rate occurred by hearing impairment after applying a frequency specific amplification. Twenty American English speakers with mild-to-moderate SNHL were tested. Isolated English consonant-vowel (CV) syllables, consisting of sixteen consonants followed by the /a/ vowel, were used as stimuli. They were presented monaurally in quiet and at five different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in speech-weighted noise. To compare the consonant error between ‘no NAL-R amplification’ (flat gain) and ‘NAL-R amplification’ conditions, all subjects were tested in the two conditions. When simulating the NAL-R condition, its formula was calculated in two steps for each subject, by obtaining the required gain as a function of frequency. Overall consonant percent errors were decreased with NAL-R correction, compared to the no NAL-R conditions. When we look at the aided audibility and average consonant errors (or scores) after fitting a hearing aid, hearing-impaired (HI) speech perception seems better than before wearing the hearing aid. However, there is a significant difference among consonants: some consonants obtain great benefit from NAL-R and others do not. Also, subjects who have similar pure-tone audibility do not receive the same benefit from the amplification. We conclude that although current amplification fitting methods can offer positive benefit on average to the speech perception of HI listeners, they cannot offer equally positive benefits to every consonant and every HI listener.
[Confirmation of the high prevalence of attention deficit disorder in a Colombian community].

INTRODUCTION Using a shortened rating scale, the prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been reported to be very higher in a Colombian population. However, these data require clinical confirmation. OBJECTIVE To confirm clinically the prevalence of ADHD in Colombian children and adolescents. PATIENTS AND METHODS A randomized sample of 4 to 17 year old children and adolescents--184 males and 157 females--was selected from the schools. Sample was stratified in two socioeconomic status: high (4, 5, 6) and low (1, 2, 3). Several parents' and teachers' rating scales for the diagnosis of ADHD, standardized and validated in the Colombian population, were applied to the sample. The diagnosis of ADHD was confirmed using a semi-structured psychiatric and neurological interview, and medical histories revisions. RESULTS Analysis found that prevalence of ADHD is 17.1%. Distribution for ADHD types was: combined 9.4%, inattentive 6.7% and hyperactive-impulsive 1%. Prevalence for boys was significant higher (21.8%) than for girls (10.9%) (chi 2 = 11.8, p < 0.01). In male predominate combined type and in female inattentive. Higher prevalence was found in low socioeconomic strata. Preschool children have lower prevalence (6.2%) than school 6 to 11 year old children (22.6%) and adolescents (21.6%). CONCLUSION A higher prevalence of ADHD was confirmed in Colombian population.
Analysis of secure unicast links in stochastic wireless networks

We analyze the effect of fading onto the probability of non-zero secrecy capacity, denoted Pr{Cs:i > 0}, in stochastic wireless random networks modeled as Secrecy-Graphs. Specifically, we derive expressions to characterize the probability that the secrecy capacity of a unicast channel to a legitimate node is non-zero, in the case when the channel is affected by Nakagami-m fading, and in the presence of a random (unknown) number of eavesdroppers. The results show that fading can increase the probability of finding information-theoretic secure channels in such conditions, depending on the relative density of legitimate nodes and eavesdroppers.
Technique Tip: Fixation of Mitchell's Osteotomy Using a PLLA Screw

The most commonly accepted advantages of bioabsorbable implants are the elimination of the need for removal of hardware and its related cost. Bioabsorbable implants are mechanically weaker than metallic devices. Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) is mechanically the strongest of bioabsorbable materials. Its strength is adequate for fixation of fracture or osteotomy of small bones, including distal metatarsal osteotomy in hallux valgus surgery. Because of slow hydrolysis and degradation in bone, local inflammatory reaction is rare. A screw head remaining in the subcutaneous tissue may protrude causing pain or an aseptic foreign-body reaction. Removal of the PLLA screw head is easily achieved with a micro bone-saw, which prevents foreign body reactions in the subcutaneous tissue as well as subcutaneous protrusion. Most orthopaedic surgeons employing Mitchell’s bunionectomy or distal metatarsal osteotomies fix the osteotomy with a screw or K-wires. Rigid fixation of a distal osteotomy by hardware assists early return to the patient’s normal activities. Some patients complain of pain at the prominent site of screw head protrusion, which requires surgery to remove the screw. We have used a bioabsorbable PLLA screw in fixing of Mitchell’s bunionectomy and remove the screw head, preventing a subcutaneous foreign-body reaction to PLLA and eliminating the need for operation to remove the screw. A distal step-cut osteotomy of the first metatarsal was performed as described by Mitchell. Temporary fixation of the osteotomy using 0.045 inch K-wire was done, and a poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) cortical screw (PL-Fix screw, Zimmer Japan, Tokyo, Japan) with a diameter of 3.5 mm was inserted into the metatarsal from 10 mm proximal to the osteotomy line in a distal and lateral direction (Fig. 1). A depth gauge was used to determine the length of the screw. We selected a screw at least 3 mm over length. After insertion of the screw, the screw head was removed using a micro bone-saw at the level of the cortical bone surface. The K-wire used for temporal fixation was removed (Figs. 2, 3). FOOT & ANKLE INTERNATIONAL Copyright © 2003 by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, Inc.
A Spectrum Efficient Multi-User Transmission Scheme for 5G Systems With Low Complexity

To maximize the system throughput for downlink multi-user transmission considering fairness among the users, superposition coding (SC) with all the users scheduled simultaneously is optimal. But it would also lead to high implementation complexity at receivers. In this paper, a simplified downlink multi-user transmission scheme is proposed via combining SC and time division multiplexing (TDM). All the users are divided into multiple user groups and only the users within each user group are scheduled simultaneously via SC. Closed-form expression for the system throughput by the proposed scheme is derived and numerical results are provided to demonstrate the difference in the system throughputs by the proposed scheme and the optimal SC as well as TDM. With the proposed scheme, a good tradeoff between performance and complexity can be achieved. It is shown that the proposed scheme can reduce the implementation complexity considerably at the cost of a little system throughput loss.
β-arrestin–biased signaling through the β2-adrenergic receptor promotes cardiomyocyte contraction

Significance Commonly prescribed drugs for congestive heart failure (CHF) include β-adrenergic receptor antagonists or β-blockers. These drugs operate by inhibiting deleterious apoptotic signaling and normalizing inotropic signaling from these receptors. As the β-adrenergic receptor (β1AR) (dominant subtype in the heart) is systematically down-regulated during CHF while Gi (a G protein that antagonizes contractile signaling) is up-regulated, the ability to selectively control β2AR signaling becomes an attractive therapeutic approach. It is proposed that biasing receptor interaction with β-arrestins (promoting antiapoptotic signaling and possibly contraction) over G proteins may be therapeutically advantageous for the treatment of CHF. Here, we report a β-arrestin–biased pepducin of the β2AR that is able to induce cardiomyocyte contractility and antiapoptotic signaling to provide a pharmacological template for next-generation cardiovascular pharmaceuticals. β-adrenergic receptors (βARs) are critical regulators of acute cardiovascular physiology. In response to elevated catecholamine stimulation during development of congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic activation of Gs-dependent β1AR and Gi-dependent β2AR pathways leads to enhanced cardiomyocyte death, reduced β1AR expression, and decreased inotropic reserve. β-blockers act to block excessive catecholamine stimulation of βARs to decrease cellular apoptotic signaling and normalize β1AR expression and inotropy. Whereas these actions reduce cardiac remodeling and mortality outcomes, the effects are not sustained. Converse to G-protein–dependent signaling, β-arrestin–dependent signaling promotes cardiomyocyte survival. Given that β2AR expression is unaltered in CHF, a β-arrestin–biased agonist that operates through the β2AR represents a potentially useful therapeutic approach. Carvedilol, a currently prescribed nonselective β-blocker, has been classified as a β-arrestin–biased agonist that can inhibit basal signaling from βARs and also stimulate cell survival signaling pathways. To understand the relative contribution of β-arrestin bias to the efficacy of select β-blockers, a specific β-arrestin–biased pepducin for the β2AR, intracellular loop (ICL)1–9, was used to decouple β-arrestin–biased signaling from occupation of the orthosteric ligand-binding pocket. With similar efficacy to carvedilol, ICL1–9 was able to promote β2AR phosphorylation, β-arrestin recruitment, β2AR internalization, and β-arrestin–biased signaling. Interestingly, ICL1–9 was also able to induce β2AR- and β-arrestin–dependent and Ca2+-independent contractility in primary adult murine cardiomyocytes, whereas carvedilol had no efficacy. Thus, ICL1–9 is an effective tool to access a pharmacological profile stimulating cardioprotective signaling and inotropic effects through the β2AR and serves as a model for the next generation of cardiovascular drug development.
Variable resolution Markov modelling of signal data for image compression

Traditionally, Markov models have not been successfully used for compression of signal data other than binary image data. Due to the fact that exact substring matches in non-binary signal data are rare, using full resolution conditioning information generally tends to make Markov models learn slowly, yielding poor compression. However, as is shown in this paper, such models can be successfully applied to non-binary signal data compression by continually adjusting the resolution and order to minimize the code-length of the past samples in the hope that this choice will best compress the future samples as well, a technique inspired by Rissanen's minimum description length (MDL) principle. Performance of this method meets or exceeds current approaches.
Fault Tolerant Wireless Mesh Network: An Approach

Wireless mesh networks (WM Ns) have achieved significant development because of fast deployment, easy maintenance and low investment compared with traditional wireless networks. Since WM Ns are typically used as wireless backbones, they have the nature that the wireless communication is not constant. Hence, it is important to defend them against link or node failures. In this paper we present an innovative algorithm for fault-tolerant base station planning using antenna arrays in the backbone networks. The algorithm first detects the node’s as well as link failure’s and then rectifies them using our proposed algorithm. Our paper propose a solution for building a fault tolerant network that can tolerate up to n faults where n is the number of antenna arrays used.
Some Basic Mathematical Constraints for the Geometric Conflation Problem

The geometric conflation problem is really pressing nowadays. New demands and challenges arisen from SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructures) make the coordination of diverse information more and more necessary in order to answer new questions. As the inception of a PAI (Program of Accuracy Improvement), the UPM (Polytechnic University of Madrid) has signed a collaboration agreement with the IGN (National Geographic Institute) in order to research the harmonization procedures between its 1:25 000 series, the cadastral cartography 1:1000 and the street guide information 1:1000 collected by the INE (National Statistical Institute). This paper does not tackle the attribute issue but the geometry one, so just the two first mentioned cartographies have been considered. A number of situations found in this geometric conflation project are analysed in this work. The different types of geometric transformations that can correct these defects are commented. We also collect and formalize some basic mathematical constraints derived from cartography rules like topology relationship preservation.
EigenFairing: 3D Model Fairing using Image Coherence

A surface is often modeled as a triangulated mesh of 3D points and textures associated with faces of the mesh. The 3D points could be either sampled from range data or derived from a set of images using a stereo or Structurefrom-Motion algorithm. When the points do not lie at critical points of maximum curvature or discontinuities of the real surface, faces of the mesh do not lie close to the modeled surface. This results in textural artifacts, and the model is not perfectly coherent with a set of actual images—the ones that are used to texture-map its mesh. This paper presents a technique for perfecting the 3D surface model by repositioning its vertices so that it is coherent with a set of observed images of the object. The textural artifacts and incoherence with images are due to the non-planarity of a surface patch being approximated by a planar face, as observed from multiple viewpoints. Image areas from the viewpoints are used to represent texture for the patch in eigenspace. The eigenspace representation captures variations of texture, which we seek to minimize. A coherence measure based on the difference between the face textures reconstructed from eigenspace and the actual images is used to reposition the vertices so that the model is improved or faired. We refer to this technique of model refinement as EigenFairing, by which the model is faired, both geometrically and texturally, to better approximate the real surface.
Imprinting diseases and IVF: Danish National IVF cohort study.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of imprinting diseases in children born after IVF with the incidence in naturally conceived children. METHODS All singleton children born in Denmark from January 1, 1995 through December 31, 2001 were stratified into children born without and after IVF, and were followed from birth until the end of 2002 in the National Register of Patients and the Central Register of Psychiatric Diseases, which include all discharge diagnoses from somatic and psychiatric hospitals/clinics, respectively. Included in the study were malignancies, mental, behavioural and neurological diseases, congenital syndromes, and developmental disturbances. Only diagnosis codes potentially relevant for imprinting diseases were included. RESULTS During the 7-year study period, 442,349 singleton non-IVF and 6052 IVF children were born. Mean follow-up time was 4.5 and 4.1 years for the two groups, respectively, corresponding to 2 million and 25 000 follow-up years. In the IVF/non-IVF cohort, we detected 0/72 children with cancer, 47/3766 with mental diseases, 72/3654 neurological diseases, 4/287 congenital syndromes and 96/6727 developmental disturbances, in a total of 219/14,506 clinical outcomes. The number of children with specific imprinting diseases in the non-IVF group was 54: 44 kidney cancers, five retinoblastoma, three Prader-Willi syndrome and two Russel-Silver syndrome. Anticipating the same occurrence in IVF children, the total expected number was calculated to be 0.74. The observed number in the IVF group was 0. We found a significantly increased risk of cerebral palsy in the IVF group, with a rate ratio (RR) (IVF:non-IVF) of 1.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-2.8; P < 0.01], and of sleeping disturbances, with an RR 2.0 (95% CI 1.2-3.3). The incidence rate of childhood cancers, mental diseases, congenital syndromes and developmental disturbances was equal in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS We found no indication of an increased risk of imprinting diseases after IVF, but an 80% increased risk of cerebral palsy. We observed equal frequencies of childhood cancers, mental diseases, congenital syndromes and developmental disturbances in the two groups. Danish register data do not support reports of an increased risk of imprinting diseases after IVF.