Robust Detection of Rare Species Using Environmental DNA: the Importance of Primer Specificity

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is being rapidly adopted as a tool to detect rare animals. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) using probe-based chemistries may represent a particularly powerful tool because of the method\u27s sensitivity, specificity, and potential to quantify target DNA. However, there has been little work understanding the performance of these assays in the presence of closely related, sympatric taxa. If related species cause any cross-amplification or interference, false positives and negatives may be generated. These errors can be disastrous if false positives lead to overestimate the abundance of an endangered species or if false negatives prevent detection of an invasive species. In this study we test factors that influence the specificity and sensitivity of TaqMan MGB assays using co-occurring, closely related brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and bull trout (S. confluentus) as a case study. We found qPCR to be substantially more sensitive than traditional PCR, with a high probability of detection at concentrations as low as 0.5 target copies/ml. We also found that number and placement of base pair mismatches between the Taqman MGB assay and non-target templates was important to target specificity, and that specificity was most influenced by base pair mismatches in the primers, rather than in the probe. We found that insufficient specificity can result in both false positive and false negative results, particularly in the presence of abundant related species. Our results highlight the utility of qPCR as a highly sensitive eDNA tool, and underscore the importance of careful assay design

Counterintuitive active directional swimming behaviour by Atlantic salmon during seaward migration in the coastal zone

Acknowledgements We thank the Cromarty Firth District Salmon Fishery Board for logistical support and three anonymous referees who improved an earlier draft of this paper. Funding for this work came from Scottish & Southern Energy Renewables. We are grateful for the skills and expertise of Bill Ruck at Moray First Marine along with the crews of Marine Scotland Science vessels who were integral to the successful deployment and recovery of equipment. Some receivers were also made available from the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) The data underlying this article will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Seeking Abraham: A Report of Furman University\u27s Task Force on Slavery and Justice

After more than a year of study, the Furman University Task Force on Slavery and Justice presents its findings in this report. The report includes the Task Force’s values and process, a presentation of the history of Furman’s early ties to slavery, a number of short vignettes by individual Task Force members, and a number of recommendations for the university to address. Members of the Task Force represent diverse students and alumni, as well as faculty and staff. The report is the result of commissioning a history, activating student research projects, hosting scholars who consulted with the Task Force, creating oral histories and curating viewpoints, and attending Universities Studying Slavery, a consortium headquartered at the University of Virginia with more than 40 international colleges and universities. The university has made a commitment to serious consideration of the entire report

Shipboard electronics thermoacoustic cooler

A thermoacoustic refrigerator that was optimized for preservation of biological samples in space, was modified for use as a cooler for the CV-2095 shipboard radar electronics rack. The thermoacoustic cooler was tested in the laboratory and demonstrated at sea aboard USS DEYO (DD-989). In the laboratory, using a calibrated heat load, the data acquisition system was able to account for the total energy balance to within 4%. At the highest operating power aboard ship, 226.6 Watts of acoustic power was used to provide 419 Walls of useful cooling power, corresponding to a coefficient of performance of 1.85. Taking into account the 53.9% electroacoustic efficiency of the loudspeakers, the Shipboard Electronics ThermoAcoustic Cooler (SETAC) provided one Watt of cooling for each Watt of electrical power input.http://archive.org/details/shipboardelectro1094531400NANAU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) authors

Recent Trademark Dilution Cases Redefine Concept of fame

This paper offers an overview of trademark dilution law in the USA and then presents two recent sport-related decisions that illuminate the application of the doctrine to sport-related trademarks through interpretation of the 2006 amendments to the Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995 ( FTDA ). The first case involves Adidas and dilution involving a national brand while the second involves University of Texas and dilution involving a college team mark. Both decisions provide guidance to sport-related brands and sport teams, and particularly colleges and universities, that seek to bring dilution claims (typically brought in conjunction with trademark infringement and unfair competition claims)