Answer Viewing Design on Paid Q&A Platforms

The low-participation problem has long been a challenge facing many paid Q&A platforms. Recently, a new business model wherein users, in addition to raising a question and receiving a personalized answer, can pay a small amount of fees to view a non-personalized answer to a question asked by others, has drawn considerable public attention and is considered an effective means to tackling such a challenge. In this paper, we build a theoretical model to explore whether this new business model benefits the key stakeholders (Q&A platform, answerers, and users). We find that the platform is not always better off when the answer-viewing feature is introduced. Another interesting finding is that while answerers may engage in direct competition with the platform, they can sometimes be better off. Additionally, we find that although having a new way to participate in the platform, users may sometimes be worse off under the answer-viewing feature

Information Transparency and Market Efficiency in Blockchain-enabled Marketplaces: Role of Traders’ Analytical Ability

Classic economic theory asserts that full information transparency entails information symmetry and, thus, market efficiency. We test if this theory still holds in a blockchain-enabled marketplace where full information transparency is accomplished. We leverage the data from EnjinX, a non-fungible-token (NFT) marketplace, where the entire historical NFT transactions are symmetrically accessible to all buyers and sellers. We surprisingly observe substantial market inefficiencies. To explain this paradox that inefficiencies persist even in a fully information-transparent environment, we propose that traders’ limited analytical ability, rather than information asymmetry, ultimately drives market inefficiencies. We quantify analytical ability by examining whether traders’ performance can be augmented by machine-learning algorithms. And we find that having ten more historical transactions increases market efficiency by 1.10%. However, market efficiency could decrease by 69.02% when traders cannot effectively consume the available information. Our findings contribute to the literature by quantifying analytical ability and highlighting the analytical-ability divide phenomenon

Modeling Coordination in Offshore Software Development

Controlling and minimizing coordination costs has been shown to be an important factor to reduce overall project performance in distributed software development. In this research-in-progress paper we investigate the effects of software complexity, software integration, distributed labor division policies, learning effects on software coordination costs. Drawing from data collected on 130 software construction cycles in 34 large projects of a leading offshore development firm, we first present our analysis on how coordination costs relate to team organization factors and complexity of evolving software. We base our analytic model of coordination costs in offshore software development on these empirical relationships, and give an overview of our modeling approach. We apply our model of software coordination costs to develop resource allocation policies in the projects we studied. We consider both waterfall and iterative software development methodologies and also tandem and parallel integration schemes. Our modeling approach helps managers to develop a dynamic coordination policy to aid iterative software development in distributed development environments

Dentition Status and its effect on the Oral Health Related Quality of Life in a Rural Elderly Population: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: This study was conducted to find out the effect of dentition status on the oral health related quality of life of rural elderly people residing in an Indian population.Methods: A total of 368 elderly subjects from eight villages were included in the study. OHRQoL was measured by using a validated Hindi version of Geriatric Oral Health AsBackground: This study was conducted to find out the effect of dentition status on the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of rural elderly people in an Indian population. The main objectives included the assessment of age wise differences among the elderly segment, particularly the effect of coronal and root caries, missing teeth and filled teeth.Methods: A total of 368 (192 (52.17%) males and 176 (47.83%) females) elderly subjects from eight villages were included in the study. Oral Health Related Quality of life was measured by using a validated Hindi version of Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). Clinical assessment of the subjects was done regarding carious, missing, and filled teeth, and carious roots.Results: The mean GOHAI score was found to be 18.14 ± 5.71. The mean number of decayed crown was 1.34 ± 1.63, mean number of missing teeth was 12.74 ± 11.14, mean DMFT score was 14.08 ± 10.13, and mean number of teeth with root caries was 0.55 ± 1.17. Average number of carious roots was found to be maximum among 70-79 years age group followed by 60-69 years age group. Age wise differences were found to be statistically significant for mean number of decayed crown, missing teeth, root caries and mean DMFT.Conclusion: The results revealed that having more teeth present and less decayed teeth were found to be associated with better oral health related quality of life. The elderly are a special part of our society and need the utmost attention since they are most susceptible to oral diseases which impact their daily activities. Hence more light needs to be thrown on such issues to improve the overall health including the oral component.sessment Index (GOHAI). Clinical assessment of the subjects was done regarding carious, missing, filled teeth and carious roots.Results: The mean GOHAI score was found to be 18.14 ± 5.71. The mean decayed teeth were found to be 1.34 and mean DMFT was 14.08. Age wise differences were found to be statistically significant for mean number of decayed crown, missing teeth, root caries and mean DMFT.Conclusion: The results revealed the having more teeth present and less decayed teeth were found to be associated with better oral health related quality of life

IMPORTANCE OF HAIR GROWTH IN HISUTISM: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

The objective of the review is to explain the pathogenesis, causes and various treatment involved in hirsutism. This article discusses the disease’s pathogenesis, causes and diagnosis. This review looks at the main significant type of hairs and clinical studies on the role of several lifestyle therapies in hirsutism development. This review examines the numerous methods that causes hirsutism in order to discover new medicaments. In addition, it covers the various type of hirsutism therapy. Hirsutism, is reported to have the strongest impact on patients’ health-related quality of life, following in descending order by body mass index, irregular menses, and infertility. To assess the types of hairs and pathogenesis, sign and symptoms, as well as causes of hirsutism. Moreover, we studied the management of hirsutism and how to treat this. At least six to nine months of therapy are required to produce improvement in hirsutism. We suggest testing for elevated androgen levels in women with moderate or severe hirsutism or hirsutism of any degree when it is sudden in onset, rapidly progressive, or associated with other abnormalities such as menstrual dysfunction, obesity, or macroclitoris. For women with patient-important hirsutism despite cosmetic measures, we suggest either pharmacological therapy or direct hair removal methods. For pharmacological therapy, we suggest oral contraceptives for the majority of women, adding an Antiandrogens after 6 mo if the response is suboptimal. We recommend against androgen antagonist monotherapy unless adequate contraception is used. We suggest against using insulin-lowering drugs. For women who choose hair removal therapy, we suggest laser/photo epilation

Introduction of Software Products and Services Through Public 'Beta' Launches

Public 'Beta' launches have become a preferred route of entry into the markets for new software products and web site based services. While beta testing of novel products is nothing new, typically such tests were done by experts within firm boundaries. What makes public beta testing so attractive to firms? By introducing semi-completed products in the market, the firm can target the early adopter population, who can then build the potential market through the word of mouth effect by the time the actual version of the product is launched. In addition, the information gathered through the usage of the public beta gives significant insights into customer preferences and consequently helps in building a better product. We build these marketing and product development implications in an analytical model to compare the different product introduction strategies like 'skimming' or 'penetration pricing' with beta launches. This analysis is done for products of branded and unbranded Web 2.0 companies like Google and Flickr etc. We also examine the impact of different monetization models like direct pricing and advertising on the beta launch strategy

Optimization on Spot Weld Parameters in Resistance Spot Welding Process on AISI 304

The spot welding procedure is used in a variety of industrial applications. The most critical elements influencing welding quality, productivity, and cost are the spot welding parameters. This research examines the effect of welding factors such as welding current and welding time on the strength of various welding joint designs. Resistance spot welding (RSW) is used in the automotive industry for manufacturing. This research focused on the optimization of process parameters for resistance spot welding (RSW), as well as the tensile testing and spot weld diameter. The goals of this analysis are to comprehend the physics of the process and to demonstrate the effect of electrical current, weld time, and material type on the resistance spot welding process

A non-interventional, prospective, multicentric real life Indian study to assess safety and effectiveness of un-denatured type 2 collagen in management of osteoarthritis

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal condition affecting the quality of life. Undenatured collagen type II has emerged as one of the promising treatment options in treatment of OA. Despite being available in India, clinical safety and efficacy have not been evaluated. We performed a non-interventional, real-life study to determine its safety and efficacy in Indian population.Methods: A non-interventional, real-life study was performed in patients with OA of knee by 18 orthopaedicians in India. Patients enrolled were followed-up at day 30 (visit 2), day 60 (visit 3) and day 90 (visit 4). Efficacy was assessed by Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Visual Analogue scale (VAS) on each visit. Safety was assessed by incidence of suspected adverse events (AEs), and abnormal laboratory parameters.Results: Among 291 enrolled patients 226 patients completed the study. Mean age of the population was 56.2±8.7 years and 53.3% of them were females. In 291 patients included in safety analysis, at least one treatment emergent adverse event (TEAE) was seen in 4.47% patients. None of the AEs were serious or resulted in termination of patient from the study. Nausea (1.37%) and headache (1.03%) were the common AEs. Treatment with undenatured collagen type II was associated with significant reduction in WOMAC score (p<0.0001) and VAS scores (p<0.0001) from baseline to day 90.Conclusions: Undenatured collagen type II is safe and efficacious in Indian patients with OA. This can be considered early in the initial management of OA

Trifecta Outcomes in Open, Laparoscopy or Robotic Partial Nephrectomy: Does the Surgical Approach Matter?

This retrospective study evaluated perioperative outcomes of open partial nephrectomy (OPN), laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN), and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and identified predictive factors of Trifecta achievement for renal tumors that underwent partial nephrectomy (PN) in a single institutional cohort. The study involved patients who underwent PN from January 2011 to July 2018. Trifecta was defined as absence of perioperative complications, no positive surgical margins, and ischemia time <30 min. Fifty-five PN procedures were reviewed: 28 OPN, 14 LPN, and 13 RAPN. OPN, LPN and RAPN had similar median tumor size (5.75, 5.25, and 5 cm), nephrometry score (7, 6, and 6), and preoperative creatinine (1.09, 1.1, and 1.1 mg/dl, respectively). Blood loss was higher for OPN (550 ml) than for LPN (400 ml) and RAPN (300 ml), P = 0.042. Drain was removed after 6 days in OPN which was higher than LPN and RAPN (4.5 and 4 days, respectively), P = 0.008. OPN, LPN, and RAPN had similar median operative time (190, 180, and 180 min, respectively), P = 0.438. Median postoperative stay for OPN, LPN, and RAPN was 5, 6.5, and 10 days, respectively. Trifecta outcomes of 73.1%, 64.3%, and 61.53% were achieved in OPN, LPN, and RAPN, respectively, P = 0.730. It was concluded that Trifecta outcomes had no significant difference among OPN, LPN, and RAPN. LPN can produce as good results as RAPN. Keeping in mind the cost-effectiveness, LPN holds an important position in developing countries where expenditure by patient is a major factor

Antitumor Activity of Pembrolizumab in Biomarker-Unselected Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Results From the Phase Ib KEYNOTE-012 Expansion Cohort.

Purpose Treatment with pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed death-1 antibody, at 10 mg/kg administered once every 2 weeks, displayed durable antitumor activity in programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) -positive recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the KEYNOTE-012 trial. Results from the expansion cohort, in which patients with HNSCC, irrespective of biomarker status, received a fixed dose of pembrolizumab at a less frequent dosing schedule, are reported. Patients and Methods Patients with R/M HNSCC, irrespective of PD-L1 or human papillomavirus status, received pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously once every 3 weeks. Imaging was performed every 8 weeks. Primary end points were overall response rate (ORR) per central imaging vendor (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors v1.1) and safety. Secondary end points included progression-free survival, overall survival, and association of response and PD-L1 expression. Patients who received one or more doses of pembrolizumab were included in analyses. Results Of 132 patients enrolled, median age was 60 years (range, 25 to 84 years), 83% were male, and 57% received two or more lines of therapy for R/M disease. ORR was 18% (95% CI, 12 to 26) by central imaging vendor and 20% (95% CI, 13 to 28) by investigator review. Median duration of response was not reached (range, ≥ 2 to ≥ 11 months). Six-month progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 23% and 59%, respectively. By using tumor and immune cells, a statistically significant increase in ORR was observed for PD-L1-positive versus -negative patients (22% v 4%; P = .021). Treatment-related adverse events of any grade and grade ≥ 3 events occurred in 62% and 9% of patients, respectively. Conclusion Fixed-dose pembrolizumab 200 mg administered once every 3 weeks was well tolerated and yielded a clinically meaningful ORR with evidence of durable responses, which supports further development of this regimen in patients with advanced HNSCC