Spoiler reviews have a positive and statistically significant relationship with box office revenue. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled «Do Spoilers Really Spoil? Using Topic Modeling to Measure the Effect of Spoiler Reviews on Box Office Revenue» and is authored by Jun Hyun (Joseph) Ryoo, Xin (Shane) Wang and Shijie Lu.…

Web-based analytics have demonstrated their value in predicting the spread of infectious disease, and a new study indicates the value of analyzing Google web searches for keywords related to COVID-19. Strong correlations were found between keyword searches on the internet search engine Google Trends and COVID-19 outbreaks in parts of the U.S., according to a…

Fast and reliable internet access is fundamental for research and development activity around the world. Seamless connectivity is a privilege we often take for granted. But in developing nations, technological limitations can become stumbling blocks to efficient communication and cause significant disadvantages. Pete Goldsmith, director of the Soybean Innovation Lab at University of Illinois, works…

Researchers have developed an algorithm that may be able to spot illicit online pharmacies that could be providing customers with substandard medications without their knowledge, among other potential problems. In a study, a team of Penn State researchers report that an algorithm they developed may be able to spot illicit online pharmacies that could be…

Researchers introduce a tool they’ve developed to improve the fairness of online rankings without sacrificing their usefulness or relevance. Because most people choose from the tops of these lists, they rarely see the vast majority of the options, creating a potential for bias in everything from hiring to media exposure to e-commerce. In a new…

Researchers have found that artificial intelligence algorithms can influence people’s preferences for fictitious political candidates or potential romantic partners, depending on whether recommendations were explicit or covert. From Facebook to Google search results, many people encounter A.I. algorithms every day. Private companies are conducting extensive research on the data of their users, generating insights into…

A new strategy for modeling the spread of COVID-19 incorporates smartphone-captured data on people’s movements and shows promise for aiding development of optimal lockdown policies. Evidence shows that lockdowns are effective in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. However, they do come at a high economic cost, and in practice, not everybody follows government guidance on…

Data scientists who developed highly accurate computer modeling to predict trends for COVID-19 cases nationwide have new research that shows how important a high rate of vaccination is to reducing case numbers and controlling the pandemic. Vaccination is making a striking difference in Minnesota and keeping the current level of positive cases from becoming an…

Nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as isolation, quarantines, and lockdowns, have been implemented in an effort to contain the pandemic, but these are often disruptive and costly. In a new article, researchers identify new and sustainable interventions to contain outbreaks while minimizing the economic and social costs. They built a data-driven mobility model to simulate COVID-19 spreading…

A new analysis suggests that, in order to boost freedoms and protect against overwhelming new waves of COVID-19, the pace at which restrictions to reduce spread are lifted must be directly tied to the pace of vaccination. More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, vaccination programs now hold promise to ease many burdens…