Sales forecasting uses historical sales figures, in association with products characteristics and peculiarities, to predict short-term or long-term future performance in a business, and it can be ...used to derive sound financial and business plans. By using publicly available data, we build an accurate regression model for online sales forecasting obtained via a novel feature selection methodology composed by the application of the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm ENORA (Evolutionary NOn-dominated Radial slots based Algorithm) as search strategy in a wrapper method driven by the well-known regression model learner Random Forest. Our proposal integrates feature selection for regression, model evaluation, and decision making, in order to choose the most satisfactory model according to an a posteriori process in a multi-objective context. We test and compare the performances of ENORA as multi-objective evolutionary search strategy against a standard multi-objective evolutionary search strategy such as NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorted Genetic Algorithm), against a classical backward search strategy such as RFE (Recursive Feature Elimination), and against the original data set.
Ports are gateways for many marine organisms transported by ships worldwide, especially non-indigenous species (NIS). In this study carried out in North Iberian ports (Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay) ...we have observed 38% of exotic macroinvertebrates. Four species, namely the barnacle Austrominius modestus, the tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and the pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis, exhibited clear signs of invasiveness. A total of 671 barcode (cytochrome oxidase subunit I or 18S rRNA) genes were obtained and confirmed the species status of some cryptic NIS. Negative and significant correlation between diversity estimators of native biota and proportion of NIS suggests biotic resistance in ports. This could be applied to management of port biota for contributing to prevent the settlement of biopollutants in these areas which are very sensitive to biological invasions.
•Marine biological invasions often use ports as gateways.•Fouling macrobiota was sampled from eight ports within south Bay of Biscay.•DNA barcoding helped to identify phenotypically plastic species.•Negative correlation between native biodiversity and frequency of exotics was found.•Results suggest native biodiversity protects against invasions in ports.
Marine biological invasions threaten global biodiversity nowadays. In this article, we have studied fouling communities from 10 port areas of south Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) and Gulf of Lion ...(Mediterranean Sea). A total of 834 individuals were genetically barcoded and corresponded to 95 different species. A total of 76 native species 8 genera and 1 family were identified, 58 from the Bay of Biscay and 23 from the Gulf of Lion. Furthermore, 19 species were identified as non-indigenous or cryptogenic (18 from the Bay of Biscay and 4 from the Gulf of Lion). We found a high proportion of Antipode non-indigenous species (NIS) that represented the 19.3% of all sampled individuals and the 54.21% of NIS specimens of this study. A framework for inference of donor regions based on a phylogenetic screening of genetic sequences was proposed as a proof of concept and tested, as well as models for the relationship between NIS introductions, maritime imports and distance to NIS native range and inferred donor areas. Consistent generalized linear models (GLM) with positive association between NIS genetic diversity and distance, not with maritime growth weight imports, strongly suggest that distant NIS could pose higher invasion risk than closer species. Selection for wider tolerance ranges during the long travel -direct or stepwise, as well as environmental similarity between donor and receiving regions, may explain these results.
Water and Society V Mambretti, S; Miralles i Garcia, J. L
2019, 2019-12-06, Letnik:
239
eBook
Encompassing papers form the 2019 Water and Society Conference, this book is a collection of latest trans-disciplinary research on issues related to the nature of water, and its use and exploitation ...by society. This book demonstrates the need to bridge the gap between specialists in physical sciences, biology, environmental sciences and health.
The status of aquatic ecosystems has historically been monitored by the use of biotic indices. However, few biotic measures consider the presence of non-indigenous species as a sign of anthropogenic ...pollution and habitat disturbance even when this may seriously affect the metric scores and ecological status classifications of an environment. Today, biological invasions are currently one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and sustainable blue economies around the world. In this work, environmental assessments were conducted in the Port of Gijon, Northern Spain, using eDNA metabarcoding, and the gAMBI (genetics based AZTI Marine Biotic Index) was estimated. Results indicate a high/good ecological status within the port. However, nine non-indigenous species and five invasive species were found, and a modification of the gAMBI that includes species invasiveness was proposed: Blue-gNIS. The index was preliminary tested against existing validated indices such as gAMBI, BENTIX (based on the ecology of macroinvertebrates) and ALEX (based on the invasiveness of the species). Blue-gNIS classified the port in a good ecological status and showed its potential usefulness to achieve more complete water quality assessments of ports.
•eDNA Metabarcoding showed to be an effective tool for conducting environmental evaluations in ports and coastal waters.•The Blue-gNIS index is proposed, which considers exotic species to perform environmental assessments of marine ecosystems.•A preliminary calibration showed significant correlations among Blue-gNIS and other existing indices such as gAMBI or ALEX.•Fourteen exotic species were detected and the port of Gijon was classified in a good ecological status by the Blue-gNIS.
Estrada G, Fatjó‐Vilas M, Muñoz MJ, Pulido G, Miñano MJ, Toledo E, Illa JM, Martín M, Miralles ML, Miret S, Campanera S, Bernabeu C, Navarro ME, Fañanás L. Cannabis use and age at onset of psychosis: ...further evidence of interaction with COMT Val158Met polymorphism.
Objective: To examine, in a sample of young psychiatric patients, (n = 157, mean age 17.01 years (SD = 3.6)) whether i) age at first cannabis use and age at emergence of psychiatric disorders are related and ii) such a relationship is modulated by the Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene.
Method: Cannabis use profiles and COMT Val158Met genotypes were obtained from 80 inpatients with schizophrenia‐spectrum disorders and 77 inpatients with other non‐psychotic disorders.
Results: First, age at first cannabis use correlates with age at onset in both schizophrenia‐spectrum and other psychiatric disorder groups: those who started using cannabis earlier had an earlier age at onset of psychiatric disorders. Second, the distribution of the Val158Met genotypes was not different either between diagnosis groups or between cannabis users and non‐users. Third, an interaction between Val158Met genotypes and cannabis use was observed specifically on age at emergence of psychotic disorders, with Val/Val genotype carriers showing an earlier age at onset than Met carriers.
Conclusion: Our results suggest the importance of brain maturation timing in which exposure to cannabis occurs. The COMT Val158Met genotype seems to modulate the association between cannabis and age at onset of psychotic disorders. These results are consistent with previous studies.
Sustainable Sea is a strategy game developed for educational purposes in which players assume the role of fishermen while learning concepts related to the sustainable management of fishing resources. ...Players earn points as they apply sustainable policies. The game was tested on high-school students and students pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees in Asturias (Spain). Pre- and post-tests were performed to evaluate the knowledge acquired from playing the game. The game was also evaluated as an educational tool using a satisfaction survey. A general increase in the understanding of fisheries sustainable management concepts was observed (significant in the bachelor's degree group), and the students exhibited a significant preference for this alternative teaching tool.
Low-grade MgO may be an economically feasible alternative in the stabilization of heavy metals from heavily contaminated soils. The use of MgO is described acting as a buffering agent within the pH ...9–11 range, minimizing heavy metals solubility and avoiding the redissolution that occurs when lime is used. The effectiveness of LG-MgO has been studied as stabilizer agent of heavily polluted soils mainly contaminated by the flue-dust of the pyrite roasting. The use of LG-MgO as a reactive medium ensures that significant rates of metal fixation, greater than 80%, are achieved. The heavy metals leachate from the stabilized soil samples show a concentration lower than the limit set to classify the waste as non-special residue. Regardless of the quantity of stabilizer employed (greater than 10%), LG-MgO provides an alkali reservoir that allows guaranteeing long-term stabilization without varying the pH conditions.
As urban populations continue to increase it is essential to consider ways of reducing their impact in terms of the use of natural resources, waste production and climate change. The 2nd ...International Conference on Urban Agriculture and City Sustainability addressed these challenges and this volume includes research on the search for new solutions.
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