Count Regression and Machine Learning Approach for Zero-Inflated Over-Dispersed Count Data. Application to Micro-Retail Distribution and Urban Form

This paper investigates the relationship between urban form and the spatial distribution of micro-retail activities. In the last decades, several works demonstrated how configurational properties of the street network and morphological descriptors of the urban built environment are significantly related to store distribution. However, two main challenges still need to be addressed. On the one side, the combined effect of different urban form properties should be considered providing a holistic study of the urban form and its relationship to retail patterns. On the other, analytical approaches should consider the discrete, skewed and zero-inflated nature of the micro-retail distribution. To overcome these limitations, this work compares two sophisticated modelling procedure: Penalised Count Regression and Machine Learning approaches. While the former is specifically conceived to account for retail count distribution, the latter can capture non-linear behaviours in the data. The two modelling procedures are implemented on the same large dataset of street-based measures describing the urban form of the French Riviera. The outcomes of the two modelling approaches are compared in terms of prediction performance and selection frequencies of the most recurrent variables among the implemented models

BEVERAGE LIGHTLY CARBONATED WITH LEMONGRASS

In recent years, there is a growing interest in nutraceuticals which provide health benefits and are alternative to modern medicine. Nutrients, herbals and dietary supplements are major constituents of nutraceuticals which make them instrumental in maintaining health, act against various disease conditions and thus promote the quality of life. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) has been used as a modulator of mood and cognitive function, with anxiolytic and antibacterial effect.  The aim of this work was to develop an innovative, non-dairy, functional beverage using herbal Lemon Balm extract as a natural ingredient which would also be antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity. It was used for the preparation of based a lemongrass infusion. Several based grouts were tested to produce a drink with a reduced sugar content. a pickle basis of sucrose and sucralose, which was prepared with heating at 85°C /15min was used. As additives were used malic acid, ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate. It was added to ice water cooling until it reaches 0˚C. We analyze physicochemical property, microbiological for 35 days and sensory evaluation on the 21 days of the final product. Thus, from the results, the product was characterized: total acidity = 0.01g/100mL, pH 3.9, soluble solids: 8.6 °Brix and absence of microbiological standard. The sensory results of this beverage showed greater preference and acceptability index. Given the general acceptance of the product, technical feasibility and quality, it is considered timely to enter the same market

Estudo das condições microbiológicas e teores de nitrito em salames produzidos no Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe – Santa Catarina, Brasil

A região Meio-Oeste de Santa Catarina merece destaque na produção de suínos pelos grandes frigoríficos instalados. A imigração italiana trouxe também para esta região pequenas indústrias beneficiadoras com o intuito de agregar valor e produzir produtos cárneos, como salames. Os pequenos frigoríficos processadores situados na região do Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe, não possuem laboratórios próprios para monitorar a qualidade das matérias-primas utilizadas na fabricação de salames nem mesmo do produto a ser destinado ao consumidor; por conta disso, as amostras são enviadas a laboratórios de terceiros onde se avalia o produto, comprovando sua qualidade e o cumprimento das exigências legais. Nesse contexto, o objetivo com este trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade microbiológica de salames produzidos por três empresas do Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe, bem como determinar os teores de nitritos e compará-los aos valores estabelecidos pela Legislação vigente no País. As análises foram executadas entre agosto e setembro de 2016 utilizando metodologia oficial determinada pelo Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento. Concluiu-se que todas as amostras atenderam aos padrões microbiológicos exigidos pela Legislação. Os resultados obtidos para as análises de nitrito demonstram que 100% das amostras das três marcas analisadas continham teores de nitritos dentro da Legislação vigente, ou seja, abaixo de 150 mg/kg, o que prova que a produção de salames em pequenas agroindústrias desta região do Estado de Santa Catarina encontra-se em condições seguras de consumo. Palavras-chave: Embutidos cárneos. Conservantes. Nitrito de sódio. Contaminação de alimentos. Padrões microbiológicos

No longer locally extinct? Tracing the origins of a lion (Panthera leo) living in Gabon

Lions (Panthera leo) are of particular conservation concern due to evidence of recent, widespread population declines in what has hitherto been seen as a common species, robust to anthropogenic disturbance. Here we use non-invasive methods to recover complete mitochondrial genomes from single hair samples collected in the field in order to explore the identity of the Gabonese Plateaux Batéké lion. Comparison of the mitogenomes against a comprehensive dataset of African lion sequences that includes relevant geographically proximate lion populations from both contemporary and ancient sources, enabled us to identify the Plateaux Batéké lion as a close maternal relative to now extirpated populations found in Gabon and nearby Congo during the twentieth century, and to extant populations of Southern Africa. Our study demonstrates the relevance of ancient DNA methods to field conservation work, and the ability of trace field samples to provide copious genetic information about free-ranging animals.Acknowledgements We thank the laboratory technicians of the Centre for GeoGenetics and the staff of the Danish National High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Centre for technical assistance. This project received funding from the European Union�s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF-298820, and ERC Consolidator Grant 681396 � Extinction Genomics. Fieldwork in Gabon was funded by Panthera and The Aspinall Foundation. We thank the Staff at Projet Protection Gorilles Gabon and the Gabonese National Park Agency for their assistance in fieldwork. Thanks also to Tony King for helpful comments on the manuscript. Permission to collect and export the samples was granted by the respective Ministries of the Environment (Eaux et Forets) in Gabon and Congo, and by Gabon�s National Park Agency (ANPN).Scopu

Describing the residential valorisation of urban space at the street level. The French Riviera as example

There is a growing concern regarding the use of relatively coarse units for the aggregation of various spatial information. Researchers thus suggest that the street segment might be better suited than areal units for carrying out such a task. Furthermore, the street segment has recently become one of the most prominent spatial units, for example, to study street network centrality, retail density, and urban form. In this paper, we thus propose to use the street segment as unit of analysis for calculating the residential valorisation of urban space. To be more specific, we define a protocol that characterises street segments through a measure of central tendency and one of dispersion of prices. Moreover, through Bayesian clustering, it classifies street segments according to the most probable combination house type-valuation to provide a picture of local submarkets. We apply this methodology to the housing transactions exchanged in the French Riviera, in the period 2008–2017, and observe that outputs seem to align with local specificities of the housing market of that region. We suggest that the proposed protocol can be useful as an explorative tool to question and interpret the housing market, in any metropolitan region, at a fine level of spatial granularity

MiR-155 has a protective role in the development of non-alcoholic hepatosteatosis in mice

Hepatic steatosis is a global epidemic that is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. MicroRNAs (miRs) are regulators that can functionally integrate a range of metabolic and inflammatory pathways in liver. We aimed to investigate the functional role of miR-155 in hepatic steatosis. Male C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and miR-155−/− mice were fed either normal chow or high fat diet (HFD) for 6 months then lipid levels, metabolic and inflammatory parameters were assessed in livers and serum of the mice. Mice lacking endogenous miR-155 that were fed HFD for 6 months developed increased hepatic steatosis compared to WT controls. This was associated with increased liver weight and serum VLDL/LDL cholesterol and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, as well as increased hepatic expression of genes involved in glucose regulation (Pck1, Cebpa), fatty acid uptake (Cd36) and lipid metabolism (Fasn, Fabp4, Lpl, Abcd2, Pla2g7). Using miRNA target prediction algorithms and the microarray transcriptomic profile of miR-155−/− livers, we identified and validated that Nr1h3 (LXRα) as a direct miR-155 target gene that is potentially responsible for the liver phenotype of miR-155−/− mice. Together these data indicate that miR-155 plays a pivotal role regulating lipid metabolism in liver and that its deregulation may lead to hepatic steatosis in patients with diabetes

Molecular identification of papillomavirus in ducks

Papillomaviruses infect many vertebrates, including birds. Persistent infections by some strains can cause malignant proliferation of cells (i.e. cancer), though more typically infections cause benign tumours, or may be completely subclinical. Sometimes extensive, persistent tumours are recorded– notably in chaffinches and humans. In 2016, a novel papillomavirus genotype was characterized from a duck faecal microbiome, in Bhopal, India; the sixth papillomavirus genotype from birds. Prompted by this finding, we screened 160 cloacal swabs and 968 faecal samples collected from 299 ducks sampled at Ottenby Bird Observatory, Sweden in 2015, using a newly designed real-time PCR. Twenty one samples (1.9%) from six individuals (2%) were positive. Eighteen sequences were identical to the published genotype, duck papillomavirus 1. One additional novel genotype was recovered from three samples. Both genotypes were recovered from a wild strain domestic mallard that was infected for more than 60 days with each genotype. All positive individuals were adult (P = 0.004). Significantly more positive samples were detected from swabs than faecal samples (P < 0.0001). Sample type data suggests transmission may be via direct contact, and only infrequently, via the oral-faecal route. Infection in only adult birds supports the hypothesis that this virus is sexually transmitted, though more work is required to verify this.Thanks to duck trappers at Ottenby Bird Observatory for support and sample collection, and to Abbtesaim Jawad for DNA extraction. This work was supported by the Crafoord Foundation Sweden (grants number 20160971 and 20170671). This is contribution no. 306 from Ottenby Bird Observatory