| 1. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(författare)
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Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
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Ingår i: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Abate, E., et al.
(författare)
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Combined performance tests before installation of the ATLAS Semiconductor and Transition Radiation Tracking Detectors
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) Inner Detector provides charged particle tracking in the centre of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The Inner Detector consists of three subdetectors: the Pixel Detector, the Semiconductor Tracker (SCT), and the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT). This paper summarizes the tests that were carried out at the final stage of SCT+TRT integration prior to their installation in ATLAS. The combined operation and performance of the SCT and TRT barrel and endcap detectors was investigated through a series of noise tests, and by recording the tracks of cosmic rays. This was a crucial test of hardware and software of the combined tracker detector systems. The results of noise and cross-talk tests on the SCT and TRT in their final assembled configuration, using final readout and supply hardware and software, are reported. The reconstruction and analysis of the recorded cosmic tracks allowed testing of the offline analysis chain and verification of basic tracker performance parameters, such as efficiency and spatial resolution, in combined operation before installation.
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| 3. |
- Abdallah, J, et al.
(författare)
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Photon events with missing energy in e(+)e(-) collisions at root s=130 to 209 GeV
- 2005
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 38:4, s. 395-411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The production of single- and multi-photon events has been studied in the reaction e(+) e(-) --> gamma(gamma) + invisible particles. The data collected with the DELPHI detector during the years 1999 and 2000 at centre-of-mass energies between 191 GeV and 209 GeV was combined with earlier data to search for phenomena beyond the Standard Model. The measured number of light neutrino families was consistent with three and the absence of an excess of events beyond that predicted by the Standard Model processes was used to set limits on new physics. Both model-independent searches and searches for new processes predicted by supersymmetric and extra-dimensional models have been made. Limits on new non-standard model interactions between neutrinos and electrons were also determined.
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| 4. |
- Abat, E., et al.
(författare)
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Study of the response of the ATLAS central calorimeter to pions of energies from 3 to 9 GeV
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5087 .- 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 607:2, s. 372-386
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A fully instrumented slice of the ATLAS central detector was exposed to test beams from the SPS (Super Proton Synchrotron) at CERN in 2004. in this paper, the response of the central calorimeters to pions with energies in the range between 3 and 9 GeV is presented. The linearity and the resolution of the combined calorimetry (electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters) was measured and compared to the prediction of a detector simulation program using the toolkit Geant 4. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Lumbreras, B., et al.
(författare)
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Meat intake and bladder cancer in a prospective study: a role for heterocyclic aromatic amines?
- 2008
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Ingår i: Cancer Causes and Control. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-7225 .- 0957-5243. ; 19:6, s. 649-656
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective The suspect carcinogens, heterocyclic amines (HAAs), found in well-done meat require host-mediated metabolic activation before inducing DNA mutations. The role of SULT1A1 and of NAT2 on the activation of HAAs suggests that NAT2 rapid acetylator genotype and SULT1A1 allele variants can have an effect on HAA carcinogenicity. Methods Data were collected as part of a case-control study nested within the EPIC cohort, the Gen Air investigation. EPIC is a prospective study designed to investigate the relationship between nutrition and cancer. Information was collected through a non-dietary questionnaire on lifestyle variables and through a dietary questionnaire. The subjects were restricted to non-smokers. We calculated the matched odds ratio for bladder cancer risk using logistic regression, controlling for potential confounders. Results There were 227 bladder cases and 612 controls matched 1:3. Meat intake and NAT2 genotype were not independently associated with bladder cancer risk. A significant relationship was observed between bladder cancer risk and consumption of meat only among subjects with the rapid NAT2 genotype (odds ratios [OR] 2.9, 95% CI 1.0-7.9 for the 2nd quartile of meat intake; 3.6, 95% CI 1.3-9.7 for the 3rd quartile; and 3.5, 95% CI 1.2-9.7 for the 4th quartile), and was not present among subjects with the slow genotype. An interaction between NAT2 and meat intake was found in logistic regression (P = 0.034). No association was observed for SULT1A *1/2 genotype (1.0; 95% CI 0.7-1.5) and for SULT1A1 *2/2 genotype (0.9; 95% CI 0.5-1.7). Conclusions These results are suggestive of a role of meat intake and NAT2 on bladder cancer risk. They support the hypothesis that among subjects with the rapid NAT2 acetylation genotype higher levels of HAAs exposure are a bladder cancer risk factor. We did not observe an effect of SULT1A1 allele variants on this cancer. The present study adds new information on the possible long-term adverse effects of diets with high meat intake.
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| 6. |
- Orfanos, P, et al.
(författare)
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Eating out of home and its correlates in 10 European countries. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study
- 2007
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1475-2727 .- 1368-9800. ; 10:12, s. 1515-1525
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To compare the average out-of-home (OH) consumption of foods and beverages, as well as energy intake, among populations from 10 European countries and to describe the characteristics of substantial OH eaters, as defined for the purpose of the present study, in comparison to other individuals. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Dietary data were collected through single 24-hour dietary recalls, in which the place of consumption was recorded. For the present study, substantial OH eaters were defined as those who consumed more than 25% of total daily energy intake at locations other than the household premises. Mean dietary intakes and the proportion of substantial OH eaters are presented by food group and country. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds of being a substantial OH eater in comparison to not being one, using mutually adjusted possible non-dietary determinants. SETTING: Ten European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). SUBJECTS: The subjects were 34 270 individuals, 12 537 men and 21 733 women, aged 35-74 years. RESULTS: The fraction of energy intake during OH eating was generally higher in northern European countries than in the southern ones. Among the food and beverage groups, those selectively consumed outside the home were coffee/tea/waters and sweets and, to a lesser extent, cereals, meats, added lipids and vegetables. Substantial OH eating was positively associated with energy intake and inversely associated with age and physical activity. Substantial OH eating was less common among the less educated compared with the more educated, and more common during weekdays in central and north Europe and during the weekend in south Europe. CONCLUSIONS: Eating outside the home was associated with sedentary lifestyle and increased energy intake; it was more common among the young and concerned in particular coffee/tea/waters and sweets.
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| 7. |
- Allen, N. E., et al.
(författare)
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Animal foods, protein, calcium and prostate cancer risk: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
- 2008
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Ingår i: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1532-1827 .- 0007-0920. ; 98:9, s. 1574-1581
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We examined consumption of animal foods, protein and calcium in relation to risk of prostate cancer among 142 251 men in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Associations were examined using Cox regression, stratified by recruitment centre and adjusted for height, weight, education, marital status and energy intake. After an average of 8.7 years of follow-up, there were 2727 incident cases of prostate cancer, of which 1131 were known to be localised and 541 advanced-stage disease. A high intake of dairy protein was associated with an increased risk, with a hazard ratio for the top versus the bottom fifth of intake of 1.22 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-1.41, P-trend = 0.02). After calibration to allow for measurement error, we estimated that a 35-g day(-1) increase in consumption of dairy protein was associated with an increase in the risk of prostate cancer of 32% (95% CI: 1-72%, P-trend = 0.04). Calcium from dairy products was also positively associated with risk, but not calcium from other foods. The results support the hypothesis that a high intake of protein or calcium from dairy products may increase the risk for prostate cancer.
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| 8. |
- Ferrari, P., et al.
(författare)
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A bivariate measurement error model for nitrogen and potassium intakes to evaluate the performance of regression calibration in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5640 .- 0954-3007. ; 63:4s, s. 179-187
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, the performance of 24-h dietary recall (24-HDR) measurements as reference measurements in a linear regression calibration model is evaluated critically at the individual (within-centre) and aggregate (between-centre) levels by using unbiased estimates of urinary measurements of nitrogen and potassium intakes. Methods: Between 1995 and 1999, 1072 study subjects (59% women) from 12 EPIC centres volunteered to collect 24-h urine samples. Log-transformed questionnaire, 24-HDR and urinary measurements of nitrogen and potassium intakes were analysed in a multivariate measurement error model to estimate the validity of coefficients and error correlations in self-reported dietary measurements. In parallel, correlations between means of 24-HDR and urinary measurements were computed. Linear regression calibration models were used to estimate the regression dilution (attenuation) factors. Results: After adjustment for sex, centre, age, body mass index and height, the validity coefficients for 24-HDRs were 0.285 (95% confidence interval: 0.194, 0.367) and 0.371 (0.291, 0.446) for nitrogen and potassium intakes, respectively. The attenuation factors estimated in a linear regression calibration model were 0.368 (0.228, 0.508) for nitrogen and 0.500 (0.361, 0.639) for potassium intakes; only the former was different from the estimate obtained using urinary measurements in the measurement error model. The aggregate-level correlation coefficients between means of urinary and 24-HDR measurements were 0.838 (0.637, 0.932) and 0.756 (0.481, 0.895) for nitrogen and potassium intakes, respectively. Conclusions: This study suggests that 24-HDRs can be used as reference measurements at the individual and aggregate levels for potassium intake, whereas, for nitrogen intake, good performance is observed for between-centre calibration, but some limitations are apparent at the individual level. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2009) 63, S179-S187; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2009.80
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| 9. |
- Manuguerra, M., et al.
(författare)
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Multi-factor dimensionality reduction applied to a large prospective investigation on gene-gene and gene-environment interactions
- 2007
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Ingår i: Carcinogenesis. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0143-3334 .- 1460-2180. ; 28:2, s. 414-422
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is becoming increasingly evident that single-locus effects cannot explain complex multifactorial human diseases like cancer. We applied the multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method to a large cohort study on gene-environment and gene-gene interactions. The study (case-control nested in the EPIC cohort) was established to investigate molecular changes and genetic susceptibility in relation to air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in non-smokers. We have analyzed 757 controls and 409 cases with bladder cancer (n = 124), lung cancer (n = 116) and myeloid leukemia (n = 169). Thirty-six gene variants (DNA repair and metabolic genes) and three environmental exposure variables (measures of air pollution and ETS at home and at work) were analyzed. Interactions were assessed by prediction error percentage and cross-validation consistency (CVC) frequency. For lung cancer, the best model was given by a significant gene-environment association between the base excision repair (BER) XRCC1-Arg399Gln polymorphism, the double-strand break repair (DSBR) BRCA2-Asn372His polymorphism and the exposure variable 'distance from heavy traffic road', an indirect and robust indicator of air pollution (mean prediction error of 26%, P < 0.001, mean CVC of 6.60, P = 0.02). For bladder cancer, we found a significant 4-loci association between the BER APE1-Asp148Glu polymorphism, the DSBR RAD52-3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) polymorphism and the metabolic gene polymorphisms COMT-Val158Met and MTHFR-677C > T (mean prediction error of 22%, P < 0.001, mean CVC consistency of 7.40, P < 0.037). For leukemia, a 3-loci model including RAD52-2259C > T, MnSOD-Ala9Val and CYP1A1-Ile462Val had a minimum prediction error of 31% (P < 0.001) and a maximum CVC of 4.40 (P = 0.086). The MDR method seems promising, because it provides a limited number of statistically stable interactions; however, the biological interpretation remains to be understood.
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| 10. |
- Pischon, T., et al.
(författare)
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General and Abdominal Adiposity and Risk of Death in Europe
- 2008
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Ingår i: New England Journal of Medicine. - 0028-4793. ; 359:20, s. 2105-2120
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND Previous studies have relied predominantly on the body-mass index (BMI, the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) to assess the association of adiposity with the risk of death, but few have examined whether the distribution of body fat contributes to the prediction of death. METHODS We examined the association of BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio with the risk of death among 359,387 participants from nine countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). We used a Cox regression analysis, with age as the time variable, and stratified the models according to study center and age at recruitment, with further adjustment for educational level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and height. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 9.7 years, 14,723 participants died. The lowest risks of death related to BMI were observed at a BMI of 25.3 for men and 24.3 for women. After adjustment for BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio were strongly associated with the risk of death. Relative risks among men and women in the highest quintile of waist circumference were 2.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.80 to 2.33) and 1.78 (95% CI, 1.56 to 2.04), respectively, and in the highest quintile of waist-to-hip ratio, the relative risks were 1.68 (95% CI, 1.53 to 1.84) and 1.51 (95% CI, 1.37 to 1.66), respectively. BMI remained significantly associated with the risk of death in models that included waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that both general adiposity and abdominal adiposity are associated with the risk of death and support the use of waist circumference or waist-tohip ratio in addition to BMI in assessing the risk of death.
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