Remarks on the Maximum Entropy Principle with Application to the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology

In the first part of the paper we work out the consequences of the fact that Jaynes’ Maximum Entropy Principle, when translated in mathematical terms, is a constrained extremum problem for an entropy function H ( p ) expressing the uncertainty associated with the probability distribution p. Consequently, if two observers use different independent variables p or g ( p ) , the associated entropy functions have to be defined accordingly and they are different in the general case. In the second part we apply our findings to an analysis of the foundations of the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology (M.E.T.E.) a purely statistical model of an ecological community. Since the theory has received considerable attention by the scientific community, we hope to give a useful contribution to the same community by showing that the procedure of application of MEP, in the light of the theory developed in the first part, suffers from some incongruences. We exhibit an alternative formulation which is free from these limitations and that gives different results

Lagrangian Submanifolds of Symplectic Structures Induced by Divergence Functions

Divergence functions play a relevant role in Information Geometry as they allow for the introduction of a Riemannian metric and a dual connection structure on a finite dimensional manifold of probability distributions. They also allow to define, in a canonical way, a symplectic structure on the square of the above manifold of probability distributions, a property that has received less attention in the literature until recent contributions. In this paper, we hint at a possible application: we study Lagrangian submanifolds of this symplectic structure and show that they are useful for describing the manifold of solutions of the Maximum Entropy principle

Application of optimal data-based binning method to spatial analysis of ecological datasets

Investigation of highly structured data sets to unveil statistical regularities is of major importance in complex system research. The first step is to choose the scale at which to observe the process, the most informative scale being the one that includes the important features while disregarding noisy details in the data. In the investigation of spatial patterns, the optimal scale defines the optimal bin size of the histogram in which to visualize the empirical density of the pattern. In this paper we investigate a method proposed recently by K.~H.~Knuth to find the optimal bin size of an histogram as a tool for statistical analysis of spatial point processes. We test it through numerical simulations on various spatial processes which are of interest in ecology. We show that Knuth optimal bin size rule reducing noisy fluctuations performs better than standard kernel methods to infer the intensity of the underlying process. Moreover it can be used to highlight relevant spatial characteristics of the underlying distribution such as space anisotropy and clusterization. We apply these findings to analyse cluster-like structures in plants' arrangement of Barro Colorado Island rainforest.Comment: 49 pages, 25 figure

Pain biomarkers in fibromyalgia syndrome. current understanding and future directions

Fibromyalgia is a complex and heterogeneous clinical syndrome, mainly characterized by the presence of widespread pain, possibly associated with a variety of other symptoms. Fibromyalgia can have an extremely negative impact on the psychological, physical and social lives of people affected, sometimes causing patients to experience dramatically impaired quality of life. Nowadays, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is still clinical, thus favoring diagnostic uncertainties and making its clear identification challenging to establish, especially in primary care centers. These difficulties lead patients to undergo innumerable clinical visits, investigations and specialist consultations, thus increasing their stress, frustration and even dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, research over the last 25 years regarding a specific biomarker for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia has been fruitless. The discovery of a reliable biomarker for fibromyalgia syndrome would be a critical step towards the early identification of this condition, not only reducing patient healthcare utilization and diagnostic test execution but also providing early intervention with guideline-based treatments. This narrative article reviews different metabolite alterations proposed as possible biomarkers for fibromyalgia, focusing on their associations with clinical evidence of pain, and highlights some new, promising areas of research in this context. Nevertheless, none of the analyzed metabolites emerge as sufficiently reliable to be validated as a diagnostic biomarker. Given the complexity of this syndrome, in the future, a panel of biomarkers, including subtype-specific biomarkers, could be considered as an interesting alternative research area

YOUNG PEOPLE IN TRANSITION FROM TRAINING TO WORK DURING THE COVID'S PANDEMIC: THE CASE OF FERRARA'S PROVINCE

openIl Covid ha segnato un periodo di grandi difficoltà per il nostro paese, sia dal punto di vista economiche che sociali. Una delle categorie sociali più colpite dagli effetti della pandemia sono stati sicuramente i giovani, che si sono trovati ancor più di prima svantaggiati nel mondo lavorativo. In particolare questo periodo di decrescita economica e problematiche sociali ha profondamente inciso sulla transizione dalla formazione all’ingresso nel mondo del lavoro dei più giovani, creando in loro forti disagi e demotivazione nei confronti del loro sviluppo in quanto figure professionali. Verrà analizzato nello specifico la realtà dei giovani ferraresi grazie a un'indagine svolta con la collaborazione del servizio Informagiovani

Antimicrobial susceptibility to zinc bacitracin of Clostridium perfringens of rabbit origin

Zinc bacitracin is widely used in Italian rabbit farms to control both Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy (ERE) and clostridiosis, and field results demonstrate useful activity. Nevertheless, data regarding the in vitro efficacy of zinc bacitracin against clostridia of rabbit origin are not available. In this study, the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of zinc bacitracin were evaluated in 123 C. perfringens strains isolated from rabbits in Italian fattening units. The agar dilution method was performed in Brucella Agar supplemented with laked sheep blood, haemin and vitamin K1, as recommended in NCCLS document M11-A6. Most strains (94.3%) had low MIC values (£ 0.5 mg/ml), and a few strains (4%) were inhibited by a concentration of 1 mg/ml. Two isolates (1.6%) had a MIC value of 16mg/ml. The MIC values of ATCC reference strains showed a good fit between each batch. MIC required to inhibit the 90% of organisms was 0.5 mg/ml and the presence of only two strains with MIC=16 mg/ml revealed the susceptibility to zinc bacitracin of Italian isolates of C. perfringens from rabbit and the absence of acquired resistance.Agnoletti, F.; Bacchin, C.; Bano, L.; Passera, A.; Favretti, M.; Mazzolini, E. (2007). Antimicrobial susceptibility to zinc bacitracin of Clostridium perfringens of rabbit origin. World Rabbit Science. 15(1):19-22. doi:10.4995/wrs.2007.609192215

Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Seafood and Potential Hazards for the Consumers

The risk of exposure to Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) when consuming Ready-to-Eat (RTE) seafood was assessed in the Veneto Region (Italy). Thirty-eight samples were analyzed, each sample consisted of three subunits belonging to the same batches. The first of the three units was examined immediately, the second was stored at +4°C (for all of its shelf-life) and the third at +10°C (for the latter third of its shelf-life) before the analysis. Chemical-physical and microbiological parameters were tested simultaneously. Culture results showed the presence of viable L. monocytogenes in 9 (23,68%) of the 38 samples analysed, 3 (33,33%) of which with a concentration >100 cfu/g. PCR tests yielded 12 L. monocytogenes positive samples. Semipreserves with aw (water activity) and pH values that favour L. monocytogenes growth were the only ones to result positive to microbiological and PCR tests. Temperature proved to be an important factor as it limits the growth of L. monocytogenes, including products with potentially high competitive microbial charges. Four different serotypes were recovered and ribotyping has helped to highlight the genomic variability of L. monocytogenes strains in food. This supports the hypothesis that L. monocytogenes continues to evolve genetically to the detriment of phenotypic conservation

Prevalence of foodborne pathogens in rural pigs and in derived cold pork meats - preliminary report

The rural breeding of one or two pigs and their domestic slaughtering is a significance reality in the Veneto Region, as a consequence of an ancient tradition still surviving in this countryside. In the eastern part of the Venice Province, about 2,500 rural pigs are bred and slaughtered ever year in the period between November and February. Many data are available on mdustnal breeding and processing, whereas very little is known about the prevalence of foodborne pathogens both in live ammals and in denved food, mainly sausage, salami and cold pork meats

Speech Analysis by Natural Language Processing Techniques: A Possible Tool for Very Early Detection of Cognitive Decline?

Background: The discovery of early, non-invasive biomarkers for the identification of “preclinical” or “pre-symptomatic” Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is a key issue in the field, especially for research purposes, the design of preventive clinical trials, and drafting population-based health care policies. Complex behaviors are natural candidates for this. In particular, recent studies have suggested that speech alterations might be one of the earliest signs of cognitive decline, frequently noticeable years before other cognitive deficits become apparent. Traditional neuropsychological language tests provide ambiguous results in this context. In contrast, the analysis of spoken language productions by Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques can pinpoint language modifications in potential patients. This interdisciplinary study aimed at using NLP to identify early linguistic signs of cognitive decline in a population of elderly individuals.Methods: We enrolled 96 participants (age range 50–75): 48 healthy controls (CG) and 48 cognitively impaired participants: 16 participants with single domain amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), 16 with multiple domain MCI (mdMCI) and 16 with early Dementia (eD). Each subject underwent a brief neuropsychological screening composed by MMSE, MoCA, GPCog, CDT, and verbal fluency (phonemic and semantic). The spontaneous speech during three tasks (describing a complex picture, a typical working day and recalling a last remembered dream) was then recorded, transcribed and annotated at various linguistic levels. A multidimensional parameter computation was performed by a quantitative analysis of spoken texts, computing rhythmic, acoustic, lexical, morpho-syntactic, and syntactic features.Results: Neuropsychological tests showed significant differences between controls and mdMCI, and between controls and eD participants; GPCog, MoCA, PF, and SF also discriminated between controls and aMCI. In the linguistic experiments, a number of features regarding lexical, acoustic and syntactic aspects were significant in differentiating between mdMCI, eD, and CG (non-parametric statistical analysis). Some features, mainly in the acoustic domain also discriminated between CG and aMCI.Conclusions: Linguistic features of spontaneous speech transcribed and analyzed by NLP techniques show significant differences between controls and pathological states (not only eD but also MCI) and seems to be a promising approach for the identification of preclinical stages of dementia. Long duration follow-up studies are needed to confirm this assumption