Joint models have received increasing attention during recent years with extensions into various directions; numerous hazard functions, different association structures, linear and non-linear longitudinal trajectories amongst others. Here, we present a partially joint model Bayesian smoothing spline component to capture where the data can assume non-Gaussian distributions. Our approach is stabl...

Exposure to air pollution in the form of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is known cause diseases and cancers. Consequently, public are increasingly seeking health warnings associated with levels PM2.5 using mobile phone applications websites. Often, these existing platforms provide one-size-fits-all guidance, not incorporating user specific personal preferences. This study demonstrates an innov...

Understanding the key factors influencing population dynamics of fish stocks requires knowledge their spatial distribution and seasonal habitat selection, but these spatio-temporal are often not explicitly included in ecological studies stock assessment models. This study standardized data sardine fishery-dependent catch-per-unit- effort (CPUE) from west coast Portugal using Bayesian hierarchic...

In this work we consider a hierarchical spatio-temporal model for particulate matter (PM) concentration in the North-Italian region Piemonte. The model involves a Gaussian Field (GF), affected by a measurement error, and a state process characterized by a first order autoregressive dynamic model and spatially correlated innovations. This kind of model is well discussed and widely used in the ai...

Statistical approaches for inferring the spatial distribution of taxa (Species Distribution Models, SDMs) commonly rely on available occurrence data, which is often clumped and geographically restricted. Although available SDM methods address some of these factors, they could be more directly and accurately modelled using a spatially-explicit approach. Software to fit models with spatial autoco...

Invasive alien species are among the most important, least controlled, and least reversible of human impacts on the world’s ecosystems, with negative consequences affecting biodiversity and socioeconomic systems. Species distribution models have become a fundamental tool in assessing the potential spread of invasive species in face of their native counterparts. In this study we compared two dif...

The Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can actively induce its own uptake by epithelial cells and fibroblasts through a surface-exposed 80 kDa protein, internalin (InIA), encoded by inIA. We studied the distribution and the DNA polymorphism of inIA sequences in a wide variety of wild strains of L. monocytogenes as compared to other Listeria species. This was done by PCR-amplifying i...