Entwicklung eines zeitlichen und räumlichen Entscheidungshilfesystems gegen den Erbsenwickler (Cydia nigricana, Fabricius)

Pea moths (Cydia nigricana) can cause severe damages in pea crops (Pisum sativum). Larvae feed on the seeds in the pods and contaminate them with feces. In the cultivation of organic green peas 0.5 % damaged seeds lead to the denial of whole pea fields (Schulz & Saucke 2005). There can be a yield loss in forage peas and a loss of quality of seeds for propagation. Within the framework of the project to improve the spatial and temporal cultivation strategy of peas to get less damage due to pea moths, is the intention. For a better spatial and temporal cultivation strategy, the DSS creates a map with areas with an infestation risk factor. The higher the risk factor, the earlier the new fields should be cultivated. Therefore, the first part of the DSS works with georeferenced data, like distances between fields of the previous year and the currently planned fields and their infestation risk. The coincidence of the flowering of peas and the flight of pea moths is very important for the infestation. Hence, the second part of the DSS predicts the phenology of the pea and the development of the pea moth for a better precision of the pest control

Erbsenwickler (Cydia nigricana) in Gemüse- und Körnererbsen: Grundlagen zur Befallsprognose und Schadensprävention

Spatio-temporal distribution, combined with aspects of insect biology and ecology can influence the infestation risk of the key pea pest Cydia nigricana in vegetable- and field peas. The proximity of pea fields of the previous cultivation period highly affects the infestation potential of the moth. The presented study aims to monitor the infestation development in three different regions in Germany (North Hesse, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt) in four consecutive years and to relate empirical pest incidences to key factors as crop abundance, the distance to previous pea fields, the pea plant phenology and climatic conditions. In a next step, these data will form the basis for the elaboration of a computer-aided decision support system, which assists farmers in implementing preventive strategies based on risk avoidance

Free fatty acids link metabolism and regulation of the insulin-sensitizing fibroblast growth factor-21

OBJECTIVE—Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21 improves insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism in obese or diabetic animal models, while human studies revealed increased FGF-21 levels in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Given that FGF-21 has been suggested to be a peroxisome proliferator–activator receptor (PPAR) –dependent regulator of fasting metabolism, we hypothesized that free fatty acids (FFAs), natural agonists of PPAR, might modify FGF-21 levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The effect of fatty acids on FGF-21 was investigated in vitro in HepG2 cells. Within a randomized controlled trial, the effects of elevated FFAs were studied in 21 healthy subjects (13 women and 8 men). Within a clinical trial including 17 individuals, the effect of insulin was analyzed using an hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and the effect of PPAR activation was studied subsequently in a rosiglitazone treatment trial over 8 weeks. RESULTS—Oleate and linoleate increased FGF-21 expression and secretion in a PPAR-dependent fashion, as demonstrated by small-interfering RNA–induced PPAR knockdown, while palmitate had no effect. In vivo, lipid infusion induced an increase of circulating FGF-21 in humans, and a strong correlation between the change in FGF-21 levels and the change in FFAs was observed. An artificial hyperinsulinemia, which was induced to delineate the potential interaction between elevated FFAs and hyperinsulinemia, revealed that hyperinsulinemia also increased FGF-21 levels in vivo, while rosiglitazone treatment had no effect. CONCLUSIONS—The results presented here offer a mechanism explaining the induction of the metabolic regulator FGF-21 in the fasting situation but also in type 2 diabetes and obesity

Place branding of seaports in the Middle East

This paper analyses seaports’ brand personalities as a means of understanding similarities and differences of these important locations and their relationship with their host place image. Drawing upon Aaker’s (J Mark Res 34:347–356, 1997) brand personality construct, the study presents lexical analysis from the websites of nine seaports in the Middle East. Each seaport’s website is content analysed, and the brand personality is measured using Aaker’s (1997) framework and Opoku’s (Licentiate Thesis, Lulea University of Technology, ISSN, 1402-1757, 2005) dictionary of synonyms. Findings show that seaports have developed a level of isomorphism upon particular dimensions of brand image; however, the findings also show the most distinctive seaports were linking their seaport to their place brand. In particular, the findings show only the Port of Jebel Ali has a clear and distinctive brand personality and to a lesser extent the Ports of Sohar, Shahid Rajee and Khor Fakkan. The research has important management implications of branding for public diplomacy and demonstrates seaport brand positioning in relation to place branding, used to inform public communication and marketing

On the Dark Side of Therapies with Immunoglobulin Concentrates: The Adverse Events

Therapy by human immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrates is a success story ongoing for decades with an ever increasing demand for this plasma product. The success of IgG concentrates on a clinical level is documented by the slowly increasing number of registered indication and the more rapid increase of the off-label uses, a topic dealt with in another contribution to this special issue of Frontiers in Immunology. A part of the success is the adverse event (AE) profile of IgG concentrates which is, even at life-long need for therapy, excellent. Transmission of pathogens in the last decade could be entirely controlled through the antecedent introduction by authorities of a regulatory network and installing quality standards by the plasma fractionation industry. The cornerstone of the regulatory network is current good manufacturing practice. Non-infectious AEs occur rarely and mainly are mild to moderate. However, in recent times, the increase in frequency of hemolytic and thrombotic AEs raised worrying questions on the possible background for these AEs. Below, we review elements of non-infectious AEs, and particularly focus on hemolysis and thrombosis. We discuss how the introduction of plasma fractionation by ion-exchange chromatography and polishing by immunoaffinity chromatographic steps might alter repertoire of specificities and influence AE profiles and efficacy of IgG concentrates