Experimental feeding validates nanofluidic array technology for DNA detection of ungulate prey in wolf scats

The study of carnivores' diet is a key component to enhance knowledge on the ecology of predators and their effect on prey populations. Although molecular approaches to detect prey DNA in carnivore scats are improving, the validation of their accuracy, a prerequisite for reliable applications within ecological frameworks, is still lagging behind the methodological advances. Indeed, variation in detection probability among prey species can occur, representing a potentially insidious source of bias in food-habit studies of carnivores. Calibration of DNA-based methods involves the optimization of specificity and sensitivity and, whereas priority is usually given to the former to avoid false positives, sensitivity is rarely investigated so that false negatives may be largely overlooked. We conducted feeding trials with captive wolves (Canis lupus) to validate a nanofluidic array technology recently developed for the detection of multiple prey species in scats. Using 371 scat samples from 12 wolves fed with a single-prey diet, the sensitivity of our nanofluidic array method varied between 0.45 and 0.95 for the six main ungulate prey species. The method sensitivity was enhanced by using multiple markers per species and by a relatively low threshold of number of amplifying markers required to confirm a detection. Yet, at least two markers should be used to avoid false positives. By acknowledging sources of bias in sensitivity to reliably interpret the results of DNA-based dietary methods, our study highlights the relevance of feeding experiments to optimally calibrate the relative thresholds to define a positive detection and investigate the occurrence and extent of biases in sensitivity

Cardiovascular and cancer mortality in relation to dietary polychlorinated biphenyls and marine polyunsaturated fatty acids: A nutritional-toxicological aspect of fish consumption

Background. Co-exposure to environmental contaminants present in fish could mitigate the beneficial effects of fish consumption and possibly explain the lack of association observed for mortality in some geographical regions. Objective. To assess the independent associations of dietary exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and long-chain omega-3 fish fatty acids intake with cardiovascular and cancer mortality. Methods. We used the prospective population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men comprising 32 952 women and 36 545 men, free from cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes at baseline in 1998. Validated estimates of dietary PCBs and long-chain omega-3 fish fatty acids [i.e. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] intake were obtained via a food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Information on death was ascertained through register linkage. Results. During a mean follow-up of 15.5 years, we ascertained 16 776 deaths. We observed for cardiovascular mortality, comparing extreme quintiles in multivariable models mutually adjusted for PCBs and EPA-DHA, dose-dependent associations for dietary PCB exposure, hazard ratio (HR) 1.31 (CI 95%: 1.08 to 1.57; P-trend 0.005) and for dietary EPA-DHA intake, HR 0.79 (CI 95%: 0.66 to 0.95; P-trend 0.041). For cancer mortality, no clear associations were discerned. Conclusion. The beneficial effect of fish consumption on the cardiovascular system seems compromised by co-exposure to PCBs – one likely explanation for the inconsistent associations observed between fish consumption and mortalityThe Swedish Research Council under the grant no 2017-00822 and 2017-00644 (SIMPLER) supported the stud

Transverse Momentum Spectra of Pions in Particle and Nuclear Collisions and Some Ratio-Behaviours: Towards A Combinational Approach

The nature of transverse momentum dependence of the inclusive cross-sections for secondary pions produced in high energy hadronic($PP$), hadronuclear($PA$) and nuclear($AA$) collisions has here been exhaustively investigated for a varied range of interactions in a unified way with the help of a master formula. This formula evolved from a new combination of the basic Hagedorn's model for particle(pion) production in PP scattering at ISR range of energies, a phenomenological approach proposed by Peitzmann for converting the results of $NN(PP)$ reactions to those for either $PA$ or $AA$ collisions, and a specific form of parametrization for mass number-dependence of the nuclear cross sections. This grand combination of models(GCM) is then applied to analyse the assorted extensive data on various high energy collisions. The nature of qualitative agreement between measurements and calculations on both the inclusive cross-sections for production of pions, and some ratios of them as well, is quite satisfactory. The modest successes that we achieve here in dealing with the massive data-sets are somewhat encouraging in view of the diversity of the reactions and the very wide range of interaction energies.Comment: 19 pages, 19 figure

Multiple Interactions in Two-Photon Collisions

We compute cross sections for events where two pairs of partons scatter off each other in the same $\gamma\gamma$ reaction, giving rise to at least 3 high--{\mbox{$p_T^{}$}} jets. Unlike in {\mbox{$p \bar p$}}\ collisions we find the signal to lie well above the background from higher order QCD processes. If the usual ``eikonaliztion" assumption is correct, the signal should be readily observable at LEP2, and might already be detectable in data taken at TRISTAN.Comment: 8 pages, plain LaTeX, 2 figures (not included). A compressed PS file of the entire paper, including figures, can be obtained via anonymous ftp from ftp://phenom.physics.wisc.edu/pub/preprints/1995/madph-95-921.ps.

Relevance of baseline hard proton-proton spectra for high-energy nucleus-nucleus physics

We discuss three different cases of hard inclusive spectra in proton-proton collisions: high $p_T$ single hadron production at $\sqrt{s}\approx$ 20 GeV and at $\sqrt{s}$ = 62.4 GeV, and direct photon production at $\sqrt{s}$ = 200 GeV; with regard to their relevance for the search of Quark Gluon Plasma signals in A+A collisions at SPS and RHIC energies.Comment: Proceeds. Hot Quarks 2004 Int. Workshop on the Physics of Ultrarelativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions. 26 pages. 26 figs. [minor corrs., refs. added

Examination of direct-photon and pion production in proton-nucleon collisions

We present a study of inclusive direct-photon and pion production in hadronic interactions, focusing on a comparison of the ratio of gamma/pi0 yields with expectations from next-to-leading order perturbative QCD (NLO pQCD). We also examine the impact of a phenomenological model involving k_T smearing (which approximates effects of additional soft-gluon emission) on absolute predictions for photon and pion production and their ratio.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures. Minor changes in wording and in figure

Signals for Double Parton Scattering at the Fermilab Tevatron

Four double-parton scattering processes are examined at the Fermilab Tevatron energy. With optimized kinematical cuts and realistic parton level simulation for both signals and backgrounds, we find large samples of four-jet and three-jet+one-photon events with signal to background ratio being 20\%-30\%, and much cleaner signals from two-jet+two-photon and two-jet+$e^+e^-$ final states. The last channel may provide the first unambiguous observation of multiple parton interactions, even with the existing data sample accumulated by the Tevatron collider experiments.Comment: 7 pages, plain LaTeX, 2 tables, no figures. A compressed PS file is available by anonymous ftp at ftp://phenom.physics.wisc.edu/pub/preprints/1996/madph-96-945.ps.

Double parton scatterings in b-quark pairs production at the LHC

A sizable rate of events where two pairs of b-quarks are produced contemporarily is foreseen at the CERN LHC, as a consequence of the large parton luminosity. At very high energies both single and the double parton scatterings contribute to the process, the latter mechanisms, although power suppressed, giving the dominant contribution to the integrated cross section.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Inclusive Dielectron Cross Sections in p+p and p+d Interactions at Beam Energies from 1.04 to 4.88 GeV

Measurements of dielectron production in p+p and p+d collisions with beam kinetic energies from 1.04 to 4.88 GeV are presented. The differential cross section is presented as a function of invariant pair mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity. The shapes of the mass spectra and their evolution with beam energy provide information about the relative importance of the various dielectron production mechanisms in this energy regime. The p+d to p+p ratio of the dielectron yield is also presented as a function of invariant pair mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity. The shapes of the transverse momentum and rapidity spectra from the p+d and p+p systems are found to be similar to one another for each of the beam energies studied. The beam energy dependence of the integrated cross sections is also presented.Comment: 15 pages and 16 figure