Innovative value-based price assessment in data-rich environments: Leveraging online review analytics through Data Envelopment Analysis to empower managers and entrepreneurs

This work introduces, develops, and empirically applies an innovative approach aimed at assessing selling prices based on the value perceived by the customers, as measured by electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in the guise of online reviews. To achieve this aim, it applies a constant return to scale Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach where the price is the input, and the value attributes are the outputs measured through eWOM in the form of online reviews. We empirically apply the model to the hotel sector by considering both the prices and the service attributes (i.e., staff, location, cleanliness, comfort, facilities and free wi-fi) of 364 hotels based in two leading Italian tourism destinations: Milan and Rome. Our findings suggest that online review analytics can be suitably embedded into analytical models to assess prices. The index developed innovatively supports value-based pricing by means of online review analytics and it is easy-to-perform, and parsimonious as it is based on widely available information on the Internet

A PRELIMINARY STUDY TO MODEL CARRYING ANGLE VARIATIONS DURING FLEXION-EXTENSION OF THE ELBOW

The aim of this work was to identify an accurate method to evaluate the variability of the carrying angle during the flexion extension of the elbow and to define a mathematical description of this movement applicable in sport and rehabilitation field. In order to develop this objective, we marked the arm and the forearm by six reflective markers of six healthy subjects performing the flexion extension movement and acquired the coordinates using six infrared cameras (VICON Motion System). Five repeated measures were performed for each subject in order to verify the reliability of the measures. Our results demonstrated that this movement can be easily modelled as a linear variation of the carrying angle in function of the flexion angle. The reliability between repeated measures was high and adopting a linear fit the accuracy was more than 94% in all cases. This is the first study to compute the flexion-extension movement by a carrying angle evaluation

Recent Results From the EU POF-PLUS Project: Multi-Gigabit Transmission Over 1 mm Core Diameter Plastic Optical Fibers

Recent activity to achieve multi-gigabit transmission over 1 mm core diameter graded-index and step-index plastic optical fibers for distances up to 50 meters is reported in this paper. By employing a simple intensity-modulated direct-detection system with pulse amplitude or digital multi-tone modulation techniques, low-cost transceivers and easy to install large-core POFs, it is demonstrated that multi-gigabit transmission up to 10 Gbit/s over 1-mm core diameter POF infrastructure is feasible. The results presented in this paper were obtained in the EU FP7 POF-PLUS project, which focused on applications in different scenarios, such as in next-generation in-building residential networks and in datacom applications

Embedding eWOM into efficiency DEA modelling: an application to the hospitality sector

This paper develops and tests an innovative DEA model in the hospitality sector, by originally embedding online customer ratings among the outputs of the model. Based on a sample of 268 independent hotels located in Rome (Italy), we test a eWOM-informed DEA model and find that the introduction of online ratings among the outputs of the model significantly affects the assessment of hotels’ efficiency regardless of hotel category. The efficiency rankings generated by the DEA models embedding eWOM are radically different compared to those resulting from DEA models exclusively based on financial variables. The number of hotels improving their position in the efficiency rankings is lower than the number of hotels decreasing in the ranking. However, the average efficiency variation is positive and higher for 2- and 3- stars hotels than for 4- and 5- stars hotels. Implications for researchers in hospitality and tourism, managers and practitioners are discussed

INFLUENCE OF AGE AND HAND GRIP STRENGTH ON FREESTYLE PERFORMANCES IN MASTER SWIMMERS

The aim of our work was to examine whether age and hand grip strength are correlated with 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m swimming performance times in Master swimmers and how correlation varies considering short, middle or long distances. The main finding of this work was that hand grip strength and age correlated significantly at each distance. Hand grip strength showed a relevant influence on performance time and explained 52% of variance of performance time in 50m race freestyle and only 15% in 800m race. Increasing age was a disadvantageous factor for performance time, and explained 45% of variance of performance time in 800m race freestyle and only 20% in 50 m race

Thickness dependent magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin LCMO epitaxial thin films

The magnetic properties of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) manganite thin films were studied with magnetometry and ferromagnetic resonance as a function of film thickness. They maintain the colossal magnetoresistance behavior with a pronounced metal-insulator transition around 150-200 K, except for the very thinnest films studied (3 nm). Nevertheless, LCMO films as thin as 3 nm remain ferromagnetic, without a decrease in saturation magnetization, indicating an absence of dead-layers, although below approx. 6 nm the films remain insulating at low temperature. Magnetization hysteresis loops reveal that the magnetic easy axes lie in the plane of the film for thicknesses in the range of 4-15 nm. Ferromagnetic resonance studies confirm that the easy axes are in-plane, and find a biaxial symmetry in-plane with two, perpendicular easy axes. The directions of the easy axes with respect to the crystallographic directions of the cubic SrTiO3 substrate differ by 45 degrees in 4 nm and 15 nm thick LCMO films.Comment: Presented at Intermag conference (Madrid, 2008). Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Magnetic

Transcriptional Analysis of Lennert Lymphoma Reveals a Unique Profile and Identifies Novel Therapeutic Targets

Lennert lymphoma (LL) is a lymphoepithelioid morphological variant of peripheral T-cell lymphoma—not otherwise specified (PTCL/NOS), clinically characterized by better prognosis if compared with other PTCL/NOS. Although well characterized as far as morphology and phenotype are concerned, very little is known regarding its molecular features. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional profile of this tumor aiming 1) to identify its cellular counterparts; 2) to better define its relation with other PTCLs—and, therefore, its possible position in lymphoma classification; and 3) to define pathogenetic mechanisms, possibly unveiling novel therapeutic targets. To address these issues, we performed gene and microRNA expression profiling on LL and other PTCL/NOS cases; we identified different genes and microRNAs that discriminated LL from other PTCL/NOS. Particularly, LL revealed a molecular signature significantly enriched in helper function and clearly distinguishable from other PTCL/NOS. Furthermore, PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway emerged as novel potential therapeutic target. In conclusion, based on the already known particular morphological and clinical features, the new molecular findings support the hypothesis that LL might be classified as a separate entity. Preclinical and clinical studies testing the efficacy of PI3K/MTOR inhibitors in this setting are warranted

Low-dose lenalidomide plus cytarabine induce complete remission that can be predicted by genetic profiling in elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients

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Role of microRNAs in the main molecular pathways of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignant neoplasia. HCC is characterized by a poor prognosis. The need to find new molecular markers for its diagnosis and prognosis has led to a progressive increase in the number of scientific studies on this topic. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA that play a role in almost all main cellular pathways. miRNAs are involved in the regulation of expression of the major tumor-related genes in carcinogenesis, acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. The aim of this review was to identify papers published in 2017 investigating the role of miRNAs in HCC tumorigenesis. miRNAs were classified according to their role in the main molecular pathways involved in HCC tumorigenesis: (1) mTOR; (2) Wnt; (3) JAK/STAT; (4) apoptosis; and (5) MAPK. The role of miRNAs in prognosis/response prediction was taken into consideration. Bearing in mind that the analysis of miRNAs in serum and other body fluids would be crucial for clinical management, the role of circulating miRNAs in HCC patients was also investigated. The most represented miRNA-regulated pathway in HCC is mTOR, but apoptosis, Wnt, JAK/STAT or MAPK pathways are also influenced by miRNA expression levels. These miRNAs could thus be used in clinical practice as diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic targets for HCC treatment