Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of evidence-based guidelines for follow up of women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (CIN2/3) in Italian screening programmes

*Correspondence: paolo.giorgirossi@ausl.re. it (Paolo Giorgi Rossi) §The following are members of the GISCi working group on follow up after treatment: Anna Iossa and Giovanni Maina Coordinators, Karin Louise Andersson, Riccardo Anselmi, Angelo Baldoni, Fausto Boselli, Cinzia Campari, Francesca Maria Carozzi, Luciano Cianferoni, Silvano Costa, Paolo Cristiani, Annarosa Del Mistro, Gian Piero Fantin, Concetta Fumia, Paola Garutti, Paolo Giorgi Rossi, Fabio Landoni, Lisa Lelli, Tiziano Maggino, Daria Minucci, Luciano Mariani ‡, Giovanna Piazzesi, Patrizio Raggi, Raffaella Ribaldone, Maria Teresa Sandri, Noemi Spolti, Barbara Torrini, Maria Grazia Troncone, Mariaconcetta Tufi, Francesco Venturelli, Simona Venturoli, Carmen Beatriz Visioli. ‡Dead author.
Perceptions and Experiences of Participating in PMTCT Option B Plus: An Explorative Study on HIV-positive Pregnant Women in Eswatini

Eswatini has adopted the PMTCT Option B+ approach as a strategy for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This study aimed to explore how pregnant Swazi women perceived and experienced PMTCT Option B+ and examined challenges they faced in disclosing their HIV status to their male partners. We interviewed 15 HIV-positive pregnant women selected using purposeful sampling from the PMTCT programme in Manzini Region, Eswatini. The data were analysed thematically. The women had to deal with the pregnancy, the HIV-positive test results, the immediacy of the antiretroviral treatment (ART), and disclosure issues, all in one visit. They perceived the mandatory HIV testing and the same-day ART initiation as coercive. Regardless, they perceived PMTCT in a positive manner and as a gateway to early treatment for them. The drive to enroll in and remain in PMTCT was motivated by the belief in the efficacy of ART and the desire to protect their unborn babies from HIV infection. Their anticipation of rejection and violence from their partners led to their delaying disclosure and initiation of ART. Following disclosure, some of them were stigmatised, blamed for the infection, and abandoned by their partners. As Eswatini continues to roll out Option B+, there is a need to consider providing individualised counselling sessions to meet the individual needs of women.
Putting Teams into the Gig Economy: A Field Experiment at a Ride-Sharing Platform

The gig economy provides workers with the benefits of autonomy and flexibility but at the expense of work identity and coworker bonds. Among the many reasons why gig workers leave their platforms, one unexplored aspect is the lack of an organization identity. In this study, we develop a team formation and interteam contest field experiment at a ride-sharing platform. We assign drivers to teams either randomly or based on similarity in age, hometown location, or productivity. Having these teams compete for cash prizes, we find that (1) compared with those in the control condition, treated drivers work longer hours and earn 12% higher revenue during the contest; (2) the treatment effect persists two weeks postcontest, albeit with half of the effect size; and (3) drivers in hometown-similar teams are more likely to communicate with each other, whereas those in age-similar teams continue to work longer hours and earn higher revenue during the two weeks after the contest ends. Together, our results show that platform designers can leverage team identity and team contests to increase revenue and worker engagement in a gig economy. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: Financial support from the platform through the Michigan Institute for Data Science is gratefully acknowledged. Supplemental Material: The e-companion are data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022. 4624 .
The role of individual values in the behavior of using discount coupons

Purpose – The research analyzed the determinants (Performance Expectation, Expectation of Effort, Social Influence, Facilitating Conditions, Hedonic Motivation, Value and Habit) of the intention and the behavior of using online discount coupons, through UTAUT2 in the Brazilian context. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was adopted with an instrument adapted from Yang (2010) and Christino et al. (2019) validated by experts. Made available online, the instrument collected 309 responses for analysis using the structural equation modeling technique. Findings – The results validated the positive relationships for Facilitating Conditions, Hedonic Motivation, Perceived Value, Habit and Performance Expectation - the highest’s coefficients. The influence of Expectation on Effort and Social Influence has not been validated. Research limitations/implications – The results cannot be generalized to all Brazilian individuals, in addition to considering recognized determinants of international literature. For this reason, suggestions are made for continuing and deepening the research. Practical implications – The results contribute by indicating the main perceptions that lead to the intention and use of discount coupons, which are the performance expectation and the habit. Thus, managers can develop their sales strategies considering such factors while society can establish strategies to more sustainable purchases. Originality/value – The research discusses the determinants of UTAUT2 in the Brazilian context to explain the intention and behavior of using online discount coupons, which are grouped together are unprecedented in Brazilian literature.
Biometric indices and population parameters of three polynemid fishes from Batang Lassa Estuary of East Malaysia

The length-weight relationships (LWRs), condition factor (Kn), growth, mortality and exploitation status of three polynemid fishes, i.e., Filimanus xanthonema (Valenciennes, 1831), Polynemus melanochir (Valenciennes, 1831) and Polynemus paradiseus (Linnaeus, 1758) from Batang Lassa River estuary were estimated. Fish samples were caught during April 2019 to September 2020 using the ESBN (locally called Gnian) having 1.25 to 4.00 cm mesh size. The total length (TL) and body weight of each individual fish was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm and 0.01 g respectively. The growth coefficients (b) for F. xanthonema, P. melanochir and P. paradiseus, were 2.880, 2.717 and 2.724 with the R2 values 0.956, 0.972 and 0.936 respectively. Estimated growth coefficients indicated a negative allometric growth pattern for all three threadfin fishes. To date, information regarding length-weight relationships for F. xanthonema and P. melanochir is insufficient whereas the information is available for P. paradiseus. About 40–48% of fishes exhibited flat or thin body shape (Kn < 1), 48–50% were rounded or fat (Kn > 1) and only 1–3% of fishes showed proportional body shape (Kn = 1). The growth parameters L∞, K and ϕ’ were estimated at 15.75 cm, 0.95 yr−1 and 2.37 for F. xanthonema; 27.61 cm 0.87 yr−1 and 2.82 for P. melanochir; and 27.30 cm, 0.58 yr−1 and 2.64 for P. paradiseus; respectively. The estimated natural mortality (M) included 2.10, 1.69 and 1.30 yr−1; the fishing mortality (F) 0.57, 0.67 and 0.60 yr−1; and exploitation ratio (E) 0.21, 0.28 and 0.31 for F. xanthonema, P. melanochir and P. paradiseus respectively. The study concluded that the stocks are still under exploitation (E < 0.5) condition. However, the studied Batang Lassa estuary could be a potential nursery ground considering the minimum lengths of 5.0, 3.8 and 4.0 cm for F. xanthonema, P. melanochir and P. paradiseus respectively. Therefore, management initiatives are needed to escape juvenile catches.
How to Design a CBDC? Remuneration, Collateral Haircuts and Quantity Constraints

Central banks have initiated work to assess the potential issuance of central bank digital currency (CBDC) and gauge the macro-financial impact of different CBDC design parameters. We study the macroeconomic effects of CBDC, taking into account that, to steer the quantity of CBDC, the central bank can set the lending and deposit rates for CBDC as well as collateral and quantity requirements. In our dynamic general equilibrium model, timing and information frictions create a need for inside (bank deposits) and outside money (CBDC) to finance production. Less restrictive provision of CBDC reduces bank deposits. A positive interest spread on CBDC or stricter collateral or quantity constraints reduce welfare but can contain bank disintermediation, especially if the elasticity of substitution between bank deposits and CBDC is small. The first-best resource allocation in this set-up is characterised by CBDC being unconstrained by neither collateral requirements nor a quantitative cap and by the spread between the CBDC lending and deposit rate being zero. SUERF Policy Briefs No 197, October 2021
Balanced scorecard-based performance assessment of Turkish banking sector with the Analytic Network Process (ANP)

In the last decade, Performance assessment of banking sectors in advanced economies became a prominent issue investment decision. This paper aims to evaluate the balanced-scorecard-based performance of the Turkish banking sector using the Analytic Network Process Approach. Within this scope, all 33 deposit banks were intended to analyze out of 34 banks. Within this scope, we made an analysis in order to determine which perspectives of the balanced scorecard approach are appropriate for each type of bank (state banks, private banks, foreign banks). In this study, we used Analytic Network Process (ANP) approaches so as to achieve this objective. With a balanced-scorecard performance assessment of the banking sector using the ANP approach, all the factor priorities have been extracted and normalized to one for each cluster and final priorities have been obtained. The final priorities and rankings of each perspective of the balanced scorecard and the type of bank ownership have been assessed in the model. According to the results of the analysis, Findings demonstrate that (i) financial factor of balanced scorecard approach has the first rank with 65.7 percent; (ii) Customer perceptive is in the second rank with 22.1 percent. (iii)Third and fourth ranks have close results, (iv) learning and growth stay in the third rank with 6.3 percent (v) internal factor has the weakest importance with 5.9%, (vi) state banks into bank ownership have the highest rank with 53.9 percent, (vii) Private owned banks are the second in the relative performance of the bank groups with 36.1%, (viii) Balanced scorecard based performance of foreign banks are replaced in the last order with approximately 10%.
FOSTERING THE EMERGENCE OF WRITING IN A SYMBOLIC PLAY CONTEXT: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF A COLLABORATIVE STUDY IN ATIKAMEKW COMMUNITIES

Education for Aboriginal children has undergone several changes in recent years. The residential school period has had numerous consequences for families and children, including the loss of their identity and of their mother tongue. Today, education is the responsibility of communities and many have chosen to educate kindergarten children in an Aboriginal language, among others in the Atikamekw community involved in this study. The discovery of writing, that is to say, reading and writing, begins in family environments and continues in preschool. Atikamekw teachers must continue to engage children in writing in the Native language despite the lack of books and teaching materials in Atikamekw available to them. Educational interventions based on oral language, including symbolic play, help foster children’s development in the emergence of writing. This research therefore focuses on the documentation of Atikamekw teachers’ role in preschool to promote introduction to writing of children through symbolic play.
The soft X-ray Neupert effect as a proxy for solar energetic particle injection-A proof-of-concept physics-based forecasting model

The acceleration and injection of solar energetic particles (SEPs) near the Sun is one of the major unsolved problems in contemporary SEP transport modeling efforts. Here, we establish a new approach to the injection problem by utilizing a correlation between the soft X-ray thermal emission in solar flares, and their hard X-ray counterpart, the so-called Neupert effect, which is indicative of the presence of non-thermal particles. We show that the resulting injection function, in the initial phase of the flare, is similar to those inferred from inverting the transport problem based on in-situ observations. For few cases, we find early injections with no in-situ correspondence, that can be caused by particles accelerated before there is a magnetic connection between the source and the spacecraft. The method has limitations for long-duration injections, since it is not applicable to the decay phase of the flare where particle trapping might play a role. For a sample of SEP events in 1980, observed with the Helios-1 and IMP8 spacecraft, we show the results of a 2D SEP transport model based on this approach. We discuss that, with this method, a physics-based, real-time operational SEP now-cast model for the heliosphere is feasible.
RRAM-Based STDP Network for Edge Computing in Wearable/Implantable Devices

With the technology advancement of wearable and implantable devices, the demand is increasing for low power computing circuits that allow processing of the acquired data on the edge to shorten the response time and save data bandwidth. Resistive-memory-based computing circuits have attracted broad interests due to their potential to implement low-power computing-in-memory macros and neuromorphic processors. This paper explores the hardware implementation of an artificial spiking neural network with the capability of online STDP learning by using a low-power analog CMOS circuit and a resistive random-access memory (RRAM) device. We examined the low power characteristics of the proposed circuit and its potential use for in situ signal processing, which holds promise for neural recording applications using implantable devices such as neural probes.
Role of sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer: a review

Gynaecology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Idibell, Universitat de Barcelona, 08907 L‘Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Nuclear medicine Department Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Idibell, Universitat de Barcelona, 08907 L‘Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Pathology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Idibell, Universitat de Barcelona, 08907 L‘Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Radiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Idibell, Universitat de Barcelona, 08907 L ‘Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Oncological Radiotherapy Department, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Univeristat de Barcelona, 08908 L‘Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Medical Oncology Department, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08908 L‘Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Ordovician enigmatic sclerite-type elements from western Argentina: possible oldest axial components of alcyonacean octocorals

The unusual findings of Lower and Middle Ordovician tiny sclerite-type elements in the San Juan Formation of the Argentine Precordillera are described and analysed. The well-preserved silicified and phosphatized association consists of spindle-shaped morphotypes, ornamented with small regular granules or tubercles with some elements connected by their tips in a linear manner. Some morphologic characteristics of these mostly fused or connected sclerite-type elements are present in the alcyonacean octocorals. Their affinities with sponge spicules are also discussed. The oldest records of alcyonacean sclerites have been dated as late Llandovery to late Wenlock (Silurian). The discovery of possible octocoral skeletal elements in the Lower Ordovician of western Argentina may represent the oldest occurrence of such fundamental skeletal elements in the evolutionary history of the octocorals. Although a proper group assignment is still speculative at this state of knowledge, there is an implication that these early forms could be axial skeletal elements comparable to those seen in the Scleraxonia or Calcaxonia octocorals. One new genus Catenatus and new species Catenatus argentinus are described.
Feedback and uptake in videoconferences for online intercultural exchange

Incidental focus on form (FonF) refers to the treatment of linguistic elements incidentally arising in a communicative setting during a meaning-focused activity. Videoconferencing for Online Intercultural Exchange (OIE) projects represents a typical meaning-focused communication activity but incidental FonF in group-based OIE projects is underexplored. The present study investigated the longitudinal changes of feedback types and factors related to successful uptake in Zoom-based videoconferences during a five-week OIE project. Chinese students and US students participated in weekly Zoom videoconferences to collect intercultural student ethnography data for their group projects with English as the exchange language. The videoconferences were recorded, transcribed, coded, and subsequently analysed quantitatively. Results returned that recast, clarification request, and translation were more frequently used but their frequencies did not significantly fluctuate throughout the OIE project, while metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, and explicit corrective feedback were less commonly used but their frequencies of use varied significantly. Repair provider (self-repair vs. other repair) and English proficiency were significantly associated with Chinese students’ successful uptake. The findings have implications for incorporating OIE and similar virtual exchange models into language teaching and learning.
The influence of the vulnerability of sectors on their survival and probability of insolvency: the case of small and medium entities in Spain

This paper looks at a sample of small and medium entities in Spain and analyzes the effect of the vulnerability of sectors to insolvency on their survival and the probability that they will go bankrupt. We collected data from solvent and insolvent firms in Spain over the period 2012-2016, and grouped them according to the percentage of insolvencies by sector (highest, lowest, and a reference group). The results show that no differences in the endurance of the firms emerge among the groups, while some variables appear to be relevant when the logit analysis is applied. Survival depends on liquidity and size in all industries, but profitability and turnover are also essential for the group with the highest levels of insolvency. The probability of bankruptcy is mainly explained by turnover and short-term solvency. Size and turnover have negative effects on bankruptcy. Age is also a common factor, but with a different interpretation for each technique. The main contribution of this paper is the analysis of insolvency in the two dimensions of survival and probability according to the sectorial insolvency rate.
Context-dependent Networks in Multivariate Time Series: Models, Methods, and Risk Bounds in High Dimensions

High-dimensional autoregressive generalized linear models arise naturally for capturing how current events trigger or inhibit future events, such as activity by one member of a social network can affect the future activities of his or her neighbors. While past work has focused on estimating the underlying network structure based solely on the times at which events occur on each node of the network, this paper examines the more nuanced problem of estimating context-dependent networks that reflect how features associated with an event (such as the content of a social media post) modulate the strength of influences among nodes. Specifically, we leverage ideas from compositional time series and regularization methods in machine learning to conduct context-dependent network estimation for high-dimensional autoregressive time series of annotated event data. Two models and corresponding estimators are considered in detail: an autoregressive multinomial model suited to categorical features and a logistic-normal model suited to features with mixed membership in different categories. Importantly, the logistic-normal model leads to a convex negative log-likelihood objective and captures dependence across categories. We provide theoretical guarantees for both estimators that are supported by simulations. We further validate our methods and demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches through two real data examples and a synthetic data-generating model. Finally, a mixture approach enjoying both approaches’ merits is proposed and illustrated on synthetic and real data examples.
Catching the thief: Nectar robbing behaviour by bumblebees on naturalised Fuchsia magellanica in Ireland

Fuchsia magellanica (Ongaraceae) is a plant with a traditionally ornithopholous pollination system, pollinated primarily by hummingbirds in its native range. As a naturalised alien plant in Ireland, F. magellanica is visited largely by bumblebees, with evidence for nectar robbing behaviour of the long-tubed flowers. We aimed to investigate nectar robbing behaviour of bumblebees on F. magellanica, and in particular whether floral and pollinator traits (size) determined likelihood of nectar robbing. While F. magellanica was visited by a number of bumblebee species, only two with shorter tongue lengths were observed to rob nectar from flowers. Although there was no observed relationship between intra-specific bee body size and nectar robbing behaviour, nectar robbing was observed most frequently in the site with the highest number of bees. Proportions of robbed flowers were low overall and varied between populations, but there was a significant relationship between flower size and whether it was nectar robbed with larger flowers robbed more often. Our work suggests that floral size determines whether a flower-visitor will choose to nectar rob or not in this system. Nectar robbing may also be related to bee density which could suggest this behaviour is driven by competition for resources, or that it is learnt by observing other bees.
Ensemble Multiple Sequence Alignment of Proteins (DRAFT)

The multiple sequence alignments computed by an aligner for different settings of its parameters, as well as the alignments computed by different aligners using their default settings, can differ markedly in accuracy. Parameter advising is the task of choosing a parameter setting for an aligner to maximize the accuracy of the resulting alignment. We extend parameter advising to aligner advising, which in contrast chooses among a set of aligners to maximize accuracy. In the context of aligner advising, default advising selects from a set of aligners that are using their default settings, while general advising selects both the aligner and its parameter setting. In this paper, we apply aligner advising for the first time, to create a true ensemble aligner. Through cross-validation experiments on benchmark protein sequence alignments, we show that parameter advising boosts an aligner’s accuracy beyond its default setting for virtually all of the standard aligners currently used in practice. Furthermore, aligner advising with a collection of aligners further improves upon parameter advising with any single aligner, though surprisingly the performance of default advising on testing data is actually superior to general advising due to less overfitting to training data. The new ensemble aligner that results from aligner advising is significantly more accurate than the best single default aligner, especially on hard-to-align sequences. This successfully demonstrates how to construct out of a collection of individual aligners, a more accurate ensemble aligner. keywords: Multiple sequence alignment, parameter advising, aligner advising, accuracy estimation, ensemble methods.