Beyond Rankings: Exploring the Impact of SERP Features on Organic Click-through Rates

Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) serve as the digital gateways to the vast expanse of the internet. Past decades have witnessed a surge in research primarily centered on the influence of website ranking on these pages, to determine the click-through rate (CTR). However, during this period, the landscape of SERPs has undergone a dramatic evolution: SERP features, encompassing elements such as knowledge panels, media galleries, FAQs, and more, have emerged as an increasingly prominent facet of these result pages. Our study examines the crucial role of these features, revealing them to be not merely aesthetic components, but strongly influence CTR and the associated behavior of internet users. We demonstrate how these features can significantly modulate web traffic, either amplifying or attenuating it. We dissect these intricate interaction effects leveraging a unique dataset of 67,000 keywords and their respective Google SERPs, spanning over 40 distinct US-based e-commerce domains, generating over 6 million clicks from 24 million views. This cross-website dataset, unprecedented in its scope, enables us to assess the impact of 24 different SERP features on organic CTR. Through an ablation study modeling CTR, we illustrate the incremental predictive power these features hold.Comment: submitted IEEE DSAA conference, 14 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Generative-Adversarial-Network-Based Data Augmentation for the Classification of Craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis is a congenital disease characterized by the premature closure of one or multiple sutures of the infant’s skull. For diagnosis, 3D photogrammetric scans are a radiation-free alternative to computed tomography. However, data is only sparsely available and the role of data augmentation for the classification of craniosynostosis has not yet been analyzed. In this work, we use a 2D distance map representation of the infants’ heads with a convolutional-neural-network-based classifier and employ a generative adversarial network (GAN) for data augmentation. We simulate two data scarcity scenarios with 15% and 10% training data and test the influence of different degrees of added synthetic data and balancing underrepresented classes. We used total accuracy and F1-score as a metric to evaluate the final classifiers. For 15% training data, the GAN-augmented dataset showed an increased F1-score up to 0.1 and classification accuracy up to 3 %. For 10% training data, both metrics decreased. We present a deep convolutional GAN capable of creating synthetic data for the classification of craniosynostosis. Using a moderate amount of synthetic data using a GAN showed slightly better performance, but had little effect overall. The simulated scarcity scenario of 10% training data may have limited the model’s ability to learn the underlying data distribution

Transmission of Stress-Induced Learning Impairment and Associated Brain Gene Expression from Parents to Offspring in Chickens

BACKGROUND: Stress influences many aspects of animal behaviour and is a major factor driving populations to adapt to changing living conditions, such as during domestication. Stress can affect offspring through non-genetic mechanisms, but recent research indicates that inherited epigenetic modifications of the genome could possibly also be involved. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Red junglefowl (RJF, ancestors of modern chickens) and domesticated White Leghorn (WL) chickens were raised in a stressful environment (unpredictable light-dark rhythm) and control animals in similar pens, but on a 12/12 h light-dark rhythm. WL in both treatments had poorer spatial learning ability than RJF, and in both populations, stress caused a reduced ability to solve a spatial learning task. Offspring of stressed WL, but not RJF, raised without parental contact, had a reduced spatial learning ability compared to offspring of non-stressed animals in a similar test as that used for their parents. Offspring of stressed WL were also more competitive and grew faster than offspring of non-stressed parents. Using a whole-genome cDNA microarray, we found that in WL, the same changes in hypothalamic gene expression profile caused by stress in the parents were also found in the offspring. In offspring of stressed WL, at least 31 genes were up- or down-regulated in the hypothalamus and pituitary compared to offspring of non-stressed parents. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that, in WL the gene expression response to stress, as well as some behavioural stress responses, were transmitted across generations. The ability to transmit epigenetic information and behaviour modifications between generations may therefore have been favoured by domestication. The mechanisms involved remain to be investigated; epigenetic modifications could either have been inherited or acquired de novo in the specific egg environment. In both cases, this would offer a novel explanation to rapid evolutionary adaptation of a population

Mental health problems among the Swedish reindeer-herding Sami population : in perspective of intersectionality, organisational culture and acculturation

The overall objective of the thesis was to investigate aspects of mental health among Swedish Sami reindeer herders and to deepen the understanding of the experience of the living conditions of young Sami reindeer-herding men. Theories of intersectionality, organisational culture and acculturation were used. Methods A questionnaire covering different aspects of mental health was distributed to the Sami population, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, selected parts of the Attitudes Towards Suicide questionnaire (ATTS) and the Job Control Questionnaire (JCQ). 15 interviews with young male reindeer-herders were conducted and analysed according to qualitative content analysis. Results A higher load of anxiety and depression was found in the Sami population, most evident regarding anxiety and among middle aged reindeer-herding men. Regarding alcohol risk consumption reindeer-herding Sami do not in general drink more than a geographically matched reference population, but reindeer-herding men reported a higher proportion of hazardous drinkers, and of teetotallers and periodic drinkers. The reindeer-herding population reported significantly higher exposure to suicide and suicidal behaviour among significant others. Reindeer-herds also reported higher prevalence of different types of suicidal problems. The main theme that emerged in qualitative analysis was ‘Being a young reindeer herder means so many (impossible) dreams and conditions’, and the five subthemes were ‘Being inside or outside is a question of identity’, ‘There is a paradox between being free/unfree’, ‘An experience of different threats and a feeling of powerlessness’, ‘Specific norms for how a ‘real’ reindeer-herder should be’ and ‘The different impacts and meanings of relations’. Conclusions The thesis hypothesizes that the reindeer-herding right as an including, excluding and enclosing historically induced border plays an important part when trying to understand the mental health problems in the group. At present, the situation within reindeer-herding is strained because of practical obstacles and feelings of unfairness and uninfluencability. Furthermore, lack of social support, except from the closest part of the family, and experiences of multi-layered conflicts. This – together with norms of reindeer-herding and reindeer-herders that e.g. say that the reindeer herder is a man who doesn’t show weakness – plays a role in the present mental health problems of the Swedish reindeer-herding population. This applies especially to young and middle-aged reindeer-herding men.Mental health among reindeer-herding Sami in Swede

Introducing Social Breathing : A Model of Engaging in Relational Systems

We address what it means to "engage in a relationship" and suggest Social Breathing as a model of immersing ourselves in the metaphorical social air around us, which is necessary for shared intention and joint action. We emphasize how emergent properties of social systems arise, such as the shared culture of groups, which cannot be reduced to the individuals involved. We argue that the processes involved in Social Breathing are: (1) automatic, (2) implicit, (3) temporal, (4) in the form of mutual bi-directional interwoven exchanges between social partners and (5) embodied in the coordination of the brains and behaviors of social partners. We summarize cross-disciplinary evidence suggesting that these processes involve a multi-person whole-brain-body network which is critical for the development of both we-ness and relational skills. We propose that Social Breathing depends on each individual's ability to sustain multimodal interwovenness, thus providing a theoretical link between social neuroscience and relational/multi-person psychology. We discuss how the model could guide research on autism, relationships, and psychotherapy

Suicidal expressions among the Swedish reindeer-herding Sami population

The objective of this study was to investigate suicidal expressions among reindeer-herding Sami in Sweden. Subjects: A total of 315 reindeer-herding Sami (167 men, 148 women) were compared with geographically matched reference populations comprising 1354 persons (652 men, 702 women). Methods: A questionnaire measuring different aspects of suicidal behaviour, such as exposure to suicide and suicidal ideation in significant others, own suicidal problems and attitudes towards suicide, was distributed to members of Sami villages through community leaders and to the reference group by post. Data were analysed with regard to population, gender, age group, mental health, alcohol use, work strain and formal education. Results: Comparison between groups did not reveal any differences in attitudes towards suicide; however, it did show significantly higher exposure to both suicide and suicidal behaviour in significant others in the Sami group. Compared to the reference group, both Sami women and especially Sami men reported a higher prevalence of various types of suicidal problems, particularly suicidal ideation. In addition, anxiety and alcohol use were associated with suicidal expressions in the Sami group. Conclusion: The study identifies reindeer-herding Sami men and women to be at particular risk for suicidal expressions. Specific attention should be paid to young and middle-aged Sami men with hazardous alcohol consumption and anxiety

Eye Contact in Video Communication : Experiences of Co-creating Relationships

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased number of persons have been forced to limit their interactions with friends and families to contact via video, which excludes eye-contact. The aim of this study was to examine individuals' experiences of the difference between forced skewed visuality and the ability for eye-contact in conversations. Two custom-made units allowed 15 participants interacting in dyads to alternate between being able to make eye contact and having that ability removed through skewed visuality. Participants reported their experiences in semi-structured interviews. Data analyzed with qualitative content analysis resulted in three themes: Shared eye contact allows us to create our relationship together; With eye contact, we adjust to each other to feel more connected and less intimidated; and We get more self-conscious when the visuality is skewed or shifting. The results imply that skewed visuality as forced lack of eye-contact in video conversations effects embodied non-verbal processes related to sense of connectedness and participatory sensemaking, creating a sense of both emotional and physical distance, as well as heightening self-awareness about the need of actively regulating the other. We argue that this is one of the ways to understand the impact of moving interactions to online communication

Emotional activation in video conferences equals that in in person meetings

Objective: The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of VCPs’ impact on the therapeutic factor emotion processing by investigating possible differences in emotional activation during autobiographical recall in VCPs and in person. Methods: We recruited 30 adult participants aged 21–53 (M = 26.50, SD = 6.68) with no current psychiatric diagnoses to join a controlled experiment. All participants completed two relaxation sessions and two autobiographical recall sessions. Each type of session was delivered once over a VCP and once in person. Emotional activation was measured by heart rate, skin conductance and self-assessment of affects during each session. Results: No significant differences in activation during autobiographical recall between VCP and in person. Conclusions: This result may indicate the viability of VCPs for work with emotion processing. We discuss the results in light of clients’ and therapists’ concerns about using VCPs in emotional work, with the caution that further practical implications should be considered

Psychiatrists' experiences of suicide assessment

Background: Clinical guidelines for suicide prevention often stress the identification of risk and protective factors as well as the evaluation of suicidal intent. However, we know very little about what psychiatrists actually do when they make these assessments. The aim was to investigate psychiatrists' own accounts of suicide assessment consultations, with a focus on their behaviors, attitudes and emotions. Method: Semi-structured in depth interviews were carried out with a purposive selection of 15 psychiatrists. Results: Thematic analysis revealed three main themes: understanding the patient in a precarious situation, understanding one's own reactions, and understanding how the doctor-patient relationship impacted on risk assessment and management decisions. Emotional contact and credibility issues were common subthemes that arose when the respondents talked about trying to understand the patient. The psychiatrists stressed the semi-intuitive nature of their assessments. Problems related to the use of risk factor assessments and rating scales were apparent. Assessment consultations could evoke physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety, and concerns about responsibility could lead to repressive management decisions. In situations of mutual trust, however, the assessment consultation could kick-start a therapeutic process. Conclusion: This study highlights psychiatrists' experiences in clinical suicide assessment situations. Findings have implications for professional development as well as for service delivery