Soil biological quality in short- and long-term field trials with conventional and organic fertility input types

Soils of the DOK trial and three other field trials with manure input were analysed for effects on soil biology. While long-term effects indicate a new steady state at the DOK trial site, differences at the other field trials suggest that fresh manure at the Bonn trial and chicken manure at the UK sites are at least temporarily advantageous, probably due to their relatively fast mineralization

The Paradox of Deontology

This thesis develops a deeper understanding of and provides an answer to the paradox of deontology. Traditional deontological views include deontic constraints that prohibit us from harming innocent people even to prevent greater harms of the same type. Although constraints correspond to widely shared moral intuitions, they seem to make traditional deontology unavoidably paradoxical: for how can it ever be morally wrong to minimise morally objectionable harm? The thesis argues that previous attempts to solve this paradox have been insufficient because they have failed to distinguish clearly between two distinct puzzles that together constitute the paradox. The first puzzle—the rationality paradox—says that if we think that we should not harm others in a certain way, it is rational by default to think that we should minimise the occurrences of that kind of harm overall. Thus, to answer the rationality paradox the deontologist must justify constraints by reference to some value that cannot be furthered by minimising the occurrences of harm. However, this will make her vulnerable to a second puzzle—the value paradox—which says that in the face of the severe harm that awaits the greater number of individuals, it seems morally inappropriate to be concerned with anything other than the minimisation of the occurrences of that kind of harm overall. The thesis develops a comprehensive approach that can address both these paradoxes. The hyperinviolability account developed in this thesis shows that traditional deontology ceases to appear paradoxical once we understand it as an agent-neutral moral theory that gives priority to our moral standing over the moral significance of what might happen to us

Cough induced rib fracture, rupture of the diaphragm and abdominal herniation

Cough can be associated with many complications. In this article, we present a 59 year old male patient with a very rare combination of a cough related stress fracture of the ninth rib, a traumatic rupture of the diaphragm, and an abdominal wall herniation. The hernia was repaired through surgical treatment without bowel resection, the diaphragm and the internal and oblique abdominal muscle were adapted, and the abdomen was reinforced with a prolene net. Although each individual injury is well documented in the literature, the combination of rib fracture, abdominal herniation and diaphragm rupture has not been reported

Frequency, symptoms and outcome of intestinal metastases of bronchopulmonary cancer. Case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: We report a new case of small bowel metastases from primary lung cancer. Such metastases are not exceptional, but their clinical manifestations are rare. CASE PRESENTATION: The case involved a 56-year-old man with a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (stage IV) that had been treated with chemotherapy. He presented fourteen months after diagnosis with an acute abdominal pain. Abdominal CT-scan demonstrated a perforated jejunum and he underwent emergency surgery. Postoperative pathologic analysis confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic pulmonary carcinoma. The patient was discharged after ten days, but died 8 weeks after surgery at home on tumor progression. CONCLUSION: We were able to find 58 documented similar cases in the literature. Most cases presented with bowel perforation or obstruction. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histological cell type followed by large cell carcinoma. Other metastases are often present, and the prognosis is mostly fatal at short term

Impact of soil management practices on soil fertility and disease suppressiveness

Soil management practices are targeted to provide adequate crop nutrition and to ensure durable soil fertility and to avoid negative environmental impacts. Soil management also aims to reduce pest and disease pressure on crops. Organic farming is believed to increase soil suppressiveness towards soil-borne diseases as well aerial diseases. In this paper we will discuss the potential of soil manage-ment as a tool to improve disease suppressiveness in practice

Einfluss von Mischanbau mit Hafer, flacher Bodenbearbeitung und Biofumigationsbrassicaceen auf Beikrautbesatz, Erbsenkrankheiten und Erträge in der Fruchtfolge mit Winterweizen

Experiments were conducted to determine how tillage intensity, the use of biofumigation brassica cover crops and mixed cropping with oats affect the performance of organic peas with respect to weed pressure, diseases, and yield. Fields were either ploughed to a depth of about 15-20 cm or only to about 8 cm in late summer followed by either Sinapis alba (low glucosinolate (GSC) content), Raphanus sativus (medium GSC) or Brassica juncea (high GSC). Brassicas were mulched in fall right before flowering and incorporated in the top soil. In mixtures with oats seed rate for peas was as in pure stands, for oats it was 20 %. There was a dramatic spring drought in 2011 resulting in severe water stress for the peas in 2011. Weeds were significantly reduced by about 45 % by oats in both years. Neither tillage nor any of the brassica cover crops or mixing with oats had a significant effect on root disease severity of peas or the pathogen composition. In both years pea lower stems and roots were mostly infected by Phoma medicaginis. In 2011, about half of the infected plants were also infected by Mycosphaerella pinodes and up to 20 % with Ascochyta pisi. Pea yields were 2.2 t ha-1 and 2.1 t ha-1 in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Oat yields were 3.0 and 4.9 t ha-1, respectively. Mixing with oats reduced pea yields by 32 and 63 % in 2010 and 2011, respectively while the oats yielded about 45 % of the pure stands. Tillage did not affect yields, however, pea yields in plots that had been planted to R. sativus as cover crop were significantly reduced. Subsequent wheat yields in the rotation were significantly higher after peas and the pea-oat mixture than after oats alone

Effekte von Kompostapplikationen auf Fußkrankheiten und Grünmasseertrag von Wintererbsen

Abstract: Effects of compost applications on foot diseases and biomass yield of winter peas. A field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of compost applications on the growth and health of winter peas from September 2009 to May 2010. A total of 5 t DM ha-1 of a 12 month old yard waste compost were applied in plots that were either uninoculated or inoculated with Phoma medicaginis grown on infested oat kernels. The control treatment received no compost and was left uninocu-lated. Main plots received all four treatments and were replicated four times. Compost slightly reduced the incidence of Mycosphaerella pinodes and Phoma medicaginis in March and the foot disease severity in May. Overall fresh matter production was significantly reduced by inoculation. These reductions were compensated by compost applications. There was great variation among main plots in the performance of the peas. Where peas performed poorly in the controls (i.e. low fresh matter yield) com-posts improved the performance considerably. Where performance was high, there were no more additional benefits of adding compost to the system

Acoustic Seafloor Classification of the German EEZ- Impact of sediment types, bioturbation, and natural and man-made seabed features on hydroacoustic images, Cruise No. AL520-2 [AL520/2], 20.03.2019 - 04.04.2019, Cuxhaven (Germany) - Cuxhaven (Germany), ASKAWZ IV

ALKOR cruise 520-2 was part of the project ASKAWZ (Acoustic Seafloor Classification of the German EEZ) coordinated and funded by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). The main goal of the cruise was the full area acoustic mapping of the westernmost part of the German EEZ (so called “Entenschnabel”) by sidescan sonar and the detection of natural and man-made structures (trawl marks, etc.) on the seafloor. The full area mapping was achieved by 61 sidescan sonar profiles, covering an area of ca. 640 km². A single-beam echosounder with automatic seafloor classification (QTC 5.5) was running simultaneously to the sidescan sonar. The acoustic backscatter data was “ground truthed” using Shipek grab and Box-corer (Reineck-Type) samples. In addition an underwater video camera was used to gather further seabed information. Additionally sidescan data was recorded in the Helgoland-Reef pockmark area. Here 13 lines were surveyed (ca. 10 km²) by sidescan sonar in order to document the development of the pockmark field