Revision of the Coptic block under ballot for the BMP of the UCS

This is a proposal to add characters for Coptic to the international character encoding standard Unicode. The characters were published in Unicode Standard version 4.1 in March 2005. Before Unicode version 4.1, Coptic was treated as a stylistic variant of Greek. The "Greek and Coptic" block of characters in Unicode included 14 Coptic characters. This document proposed the remaining characters that are needed for the representation of Coptic text. They were published in the "Coptic" block in Unicode 4.1. It includes logotypes used in Coptic as well as Nubian and Old Coptic characters

The Emerging Role of E-Agribusiness - State of the Art and Perspectives in Germany

The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the emerging role of electronic agribusiness and the corresponding consequences in Germany. The study was carried out as a consecutive step by step procedure, including empirical surveys in farm and agribusiness small and medium size enterprises, accompanied by case studies in agribusiness firms, and a technology assessment expert survey. The results indicate that internet penetration on farm and agribusiness enterprise levels is rather high, but currently information and communication activities clearly dominate over commercial business activities. The case studies show that the internal communication changed significantly due to the implementation of internet applications like emailing, newsgroups, periodic information sheets and video-conferencing. Additionally, external communication changes according to the availability of internet features, e.g. suppliers of parts established internet networks for co-ordinated sales activities. The technology assessment expert survey indicates a gain in importance for pre- and after-sales services and communication activities by using internet technologies. Conclusions are - among others - an increasing importance of e-agribusiness and correspondingly an acceleration of structural change, but low or no expected effects on ecological parameters and on the labour market.E-Business, E-Agribusiness, Technology assessment, Survey, Germany, Agribusiness,

Cyclosporin A Treatment Modulates Cytokine mRNA Expression by Inflammatory Cells Extracted from the Spinal Cord of Rats with Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Induced by Inoculation with Myelin Basic Protein

In Lewis rats, treatment with high doses of cyclosporin A (CsA) suppresses clinical signs of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), although disease occurs when treatment is ceased. Treatment with low doses of CsA causes EAE to take a chronic relapsing course. We have previously shown that CsA treatment causes a decline in the number of T cells and increased inflammatory cell apoptosis in the spinal cord. The present study was undertaken to assess whether CsA therapy also modulates cytokine mRNA expression by inflammatory cells in the spinal cord of rats with EAE, looking for changes that might contribute to the observed effects of CsA on the course of EAE. EAE was induced in Lewis rats by inoculation with myelin basic protein and adjuvants. At the peak of neurological signs, on day 14 after inoculation, rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of saline, or CsA at a dose of 8, 16, 32 or 64 mg/kg. The next day, rats were sacrificed, the spinal cords removed, inflammatory cells were extracted from the cords, and mRNA isolated from these cells. Expression of cytokine mRNA was assessed by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by quantitative real-time PCR. With both techniques, we found that CsA suppressed the expression of interferon-gamma mRNA and interleukin-2 (IL-2) mRNA. With real-time PCR, we found that CsA caused significantly increased expression of transforming growth factor-beta mRNA. With the different techniques, we observed no consistent pattern of alteration of expression of interleukin-10 or interleukin-4 mRNA. It is possible that these changes in cytokine mRNA expression contribute to the modulation of the clinical course of EAE that is produced by CsA treatment

Framework and baseline examination of the German National Cohort (NAKO)

The German National Cohort (NAKO) is a multidisciplinary, population-based prospective cohort study that aims to investigate the causes of widespread diseases, identify risk factors and improve early detection and prevention of disease. Specifically, NAKO is designed to identify novel and better characterize established risk and protection factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory and infectious diseases in a random sample of the general population. Between 2014 and 2019, a total of 205,415 men and women aged 19–74 years were recruited and examined in 18 study centres in Germany. The baseline assessment included a face-to-face interview, self-administered questionnaires and a wide range of biomedical examinations. Biomaterials were collected from all participants including serum, EDTA plasma, buffy coats, RNA and erythrocytes, urine, saliva, nasal swabs and stool. In 56,971 participants, an intensified examination programme was implemented. Whole-body 3T magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 30,861 participants on dedicated scanners. NAKO collects follow-up information on incident diseases through a combination of active follow-up using self-report via written questionnaires at 2–3 year intervals and passive follow-up via record linkages. All study participants are invited for re-examinations at the study centres in 4–5 year intervals. Thereby, longitudinal information on changes in risk factor profiles and in vascular, cardiac, metabolic, neurocognitive, pulmonary and sensory function is collected. NAKO is a major resource for population-based epidemiology to identify new and tailored strategies for early detection, prediction, prevention and treatment of major diseases for the next 30 years. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10654-022-00890-5

Large-scale assessment of physical activity in a population using high-resolution hip-worn accelerometry: the German National Cohort (NAKO)

Large population-based cohort studies utilizing device-based measures of physical activity are crucial to close important research gaps regarding the potential protective effects of physical activity on chronic diseases. The present study details the quality control processes and the derivation of physical activity metrics from 100 Hz accelerometer data collected in the German National Cohort (NAKO). During the 2014 to 2019 baseline assessment, a subsample of NAKO participants wore a triaxial ActiGraph accelerometer on their right hip for seven consecutive days. Auto-calibration, signal feature calculations including Euclidean Norm Minus One (ENMO) and Mean Amplitude Deviation (MAD), identification of non-wear time, and imputation, were conducted using the R package GGIR version 2.10-3. A total of 73,334 participants contributed data for accelerometry analysis, of whom 63,236 provided valid data. The average ENMO was 11.7 ± 3.7 mg (milli gravitational acceleration) and the average MAD was 19.9 ± 6.1 mg. Notably, acceleration summary metrics were higher in men than women and diminished with increasing age. Work generated in the present study will facilitate harmonized analysis, reproducibility, and utilization of NAKO accelerometry data. The NAKO accelerometry dataset represents a valuable asset for physical activity research and will be accessible through a specified application process

Sex Differences in the Relationship of Socioeconomic Position With Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Estimated Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Results of the German National Cohort

BACKGROUND: Using data from the largest German cohort study, we aimed to investigate sex differences in the relationship of socioeconomic position (SEP) with cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD risk factors, and estimated CVD risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 204 780 (50.5% women) participants from the baseline examination of the population-based NAKO (German National Cohort) were included. Logistic, multinomial, and linear regression models were used to estimate sex-specific odds ratios (ORs) and β coefficients with 95% CIs of CVD, CVD risk factors, and very high-risk score (Systemic Coronary Risk Estimation-2) for CVD associated with SEP. Women-to-men ratios of ORs (RORs) with 95% CIs were estimated. In women compared with men, low versus high SEP (educational attainment and relative income) was more strongly associated with myocardial infarction, hypertension, obesity, overweight, elevated blood pressure, antihypertensive medication, and current alcohol consumption, but less strongly with current and former smoking. In women with the lowest versus highest educational level, the OR for a very high 10-year CVD risk was 3.61 (95% CI, 2.88–4.53) compared with 1.72 (95% CI, 1.51– 1.96) in men. The women-to-men ROR was 2.33 (95% CI, 1.78–3.05). For the comparison of low versus high relative income, the odds of having a very high 10-year CVD risk was 2.55 (95% CI, 2.04–3.18) in women and 2.25 (95% CI, 2.08–2.42) in men (women-to-men ROR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.05–1.63]). CONCLUSIONS: In women and men, there was an inverse relationship between indicators of SEP and the likelihood of having several CVD risk factors and a very high 10-year CVD risk. This association was stronger in women, suggesting that CVD risk is more strongly influenced by SEP in women compared with men

Sustainable substrates - Fundamentals for product development and cooperation in the Northwest Metropolitan Region

Mit dem Ziel gemeinsam eine regionale Blumenerde für Hobbygärtner/innen ohne Torf zu entwickeln, startete das zweijährige von der Metropolregion Nordwest geförderte Projekt „Nachhaltige Erden“ im September 2017. Fragen rund um Produktentwicklung, Qualität, Wirtschaftlichkeit und Marketing beschäftigten die Teilnehmer/innen, die gemeinsam an einem Fahrplan zur Entwicklung des Produktes arbeiteten. Es wurden Versuchsreihen aufgestellt, bei denen Pflanzenwachstum und Lagerfähigkeit verschiedener möglicher Mischungen getestet wurden. Neben der Untersuchung der Eignung verschiedener Kompostherkünfte, stand die Optimierung der Rezeptur für das gemeinsame Produkt im Vordergrund. Die Versuche zeigten, dass die untersuchten torffreien Blumenerden bei empfindlichen Pflanzenarten zu Chlorosen und Minderwuchs führten. Weniger empfindliche Pflanzenarten entwickelten sich in den torffreien Blumenerden ebenso gut wie in einer torfbasierten Blumenerde. Die Versuche wurden von der Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen durchgeführt. Bereits seit März 2019 ist das im Projekt entwickelte Produkt, die „Regionale Blumen- & Pflanzerde“, auf dem Markt erhältlich.With the aim of developing a regional potting soil for hobby gardeners without peat, the two-year project „Sustainable substrates“ started in September 2017. It is funded by the Northwest Metropolitan Region. Questions concerning product development, quality, economic efficiency and marketing were the focus of the participants, who worked together to create a new product. Test series were established, in which plant growth and storage property of various possible mixtures were tested. In addition to investigating the suitability of different compost origins, the aim was to optimize the recipe for the common product. The test series showed that the investigated peat-free potting soils led to chlorosis and plant growth deficiency in case of sensitive plant species. Less sensitive plant species developed in peat-free potting soils in the same way than in peat-based potting soils. The tests were conducted by the Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony. The common product is already available since March 2019.DFG, SUB Göttingen, DGMTresearc