Position Weight Matrix or Acyclic Probabilistic Finite Automaton: Which model to use? A decision rule inferred for the prediction of transcription factor binding sites.

Prediction of transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) is an example of application of Bioinformatics where DNA molecules are represented as sequences of A, C, G and T symbols. The most used model in this problem is Position Weight Matrix (PWM). Notwithstanding the advantage of being simple, PWMs cannot capture dependency between nucleotide positions, which may affect prediction performance.

Assessment microbial risks for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. based on the surveillance of the water supply systems in Colombia, 2014-2018.

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. cause gastrointestinal diseases of zoonotic origin as well transmitted from person to person, being various reported outbreaks associated with water.

Assessment of health risks from recreational exposure to Giardia and Cryptosporidium in coastal bathing waters.

Some Brazilian beaches are impacted by raw or poorly treated sewage. Thus, users (beachgoers, sports people, and children) are exposed to pathogens, which pose health concerns. This study aimed to estimate the probability of infection and disease by Giardia and Cryptosporidium, using the quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), for three groups of bathers: children, adults, and open water swimmers.

Detection and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium species and Giardia assemblages in two watersheds in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are associated with cases of water and foodborne outbreaks in the world. This study included 50 samples of surface raw water collected from two watersheds in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The isolation of (oo)cysts was performed in accordance with the U.

Assessing the probability of infection by Salmonella due to sewage sludge use in agriculture under several exposure scenarios for crops and soil ingestion.

A deeper understanding about the risks involved in sewage sludge practice in agriculture is required. The aims of the present study were to determine the annual risk of infection of consuming lettuce, carrots and tomatoes cultivated in soil amended with sewage sludge. The risk to agricultural workers of accidental ingestion of sludge or amended soil was also investigated.

Assessing the infection risk of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in public drinking water delivered by surface water systems in Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

A survey of Giardia and Cryptosporidium was conducted in surface water used as drinking water sources by public water systems in four densely urbanized regions of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment, based on protozoa concentrations, was performed to estimate the probability of protozoa infection associated with drinking water ingestion. A total of 206 source water samples were analyzed over a 24 month period using the USEPA Method 1623.