Untersuchungen zur Wirksamkeit eines Poly-Vinyl-Pyrrolidon (PVP)–Jodkomplexes zur Behandlung der Dermatitis digitalis (D.d.) und zum Bewegungsverhalten von an D.d. erkrankten Milchkühen

In dieser Studie wurde die Wirksamkeit eines Poly-Vinyl-Pyrrolidon (PVP)-Jod-Komplexes zur Behandlung der Dermatitis digitalis (D.d.) überprüft. Zusätzlich wurden mögliche Zusammenhänge zwischen der D.d. und dem Bewegungsverhalten der Tiere, der Futteraufnahme und der Milchleistung untersucht. Bezüglich der Wirksamkeit des Jodkomplexes wurde die Studie als kontrollierter Versuch angelegt. Während eines Klauenpflegekurses am LVG (Lehr- und Versuchsgut der Universität München) wurden 16 Tiere ausgewählt, bei welchen D.d. in typischer Ausprägung vorhanden war. Die Tiere der Versuchsgruppe wurden während 5 aufeinanderfolgender Tage zweimal täglich mittels eines Drucksprühgerätes zuerst mit Leitungswasser zur Reinigung, danach mit der 7,5-prozentigen Jodlösung im Zwischenklauenspalt, im Fesselbereich plantar und dorsal besprüht. Die Tiere der Kontrollgruppe erfuhren die gleiche Behandlung mit Leitungswasser. Kontrolluntersuchungen fanden 6, 10 und 20 Tage nach Behandlung statt. Damit eine andere Applikationsform der Jod-Lösung getestet werden konnte, wurden 3 weitere Tiere mit „klassischen“, erosiven D.d.-Läsionen (M2) ausgewählt. Diesen wurde nach Reinigung und Trocknung ein mit der Jodlösung getränkter Tupfer auf die Veränderung gebracht und dieser mit einem Verband abgedeckt. Der Verband wurde am Versuchstag 7 entfernt und die Läsion überprüft und dokumentiert. Die Untersuchung der Schritthäufigkeit wurde mittels Pedometern durchgeführt, die an den Hintergliedmaßen im Bereich des Metatarsus angebracht wurden. Die Datenerfassung zum Bewegungsverhalten erfolgte täglich einmal zu etwa gleichen Untersuchungszeitpunkten. Tage an denen Klauenkontrollen erfolgten sowie die Daten brünstiger Tiere, wurden nicht gewertet. Die Pedometer wurden 17 Tage vor antibiotischer Behandlung angebracht. Am Versuchstag 0 erfolgte eine Untersuchung im Klauenstand, dann wurden 3 Tage lang Messungen durchgeführt. Am Tag 6 erfolgte eine erneute Kontrolle im Pflegestand. Die Läsionen wurden mit Wasser und Bürste gereinigt, getrocknet und dann mit 2 Lagen (Abstand von 30 Sekunden) eines chlortetracyclinhaltigen Sprays (Aureomycin®, Fa. Forte Dodge, Veterinär GmbH, Würselen) behandelt. An den Tagen 6, 10 und 20 wurden Kontrollen im Klauenstand vorgenommen. 10 Tiere erfüllten die Einschlusskriterien zu Beginn und über die gesamte Dauer des Versuchs. Sowohl während der Erstuntersuchung, als auch über den gesamten Beobachtungszeitraum zeigte keines der Tiere eine sichtbare Lahmheit. Folgende Ergebnisse wurden erzielt: 1. Wiederholtes Besprühen von Läsionen mit einem 7,5 prozentigem Poly-Vinyl-Pyrrolidon-Jod-Komplex war zur Behandlung der Dermatitis digitalis unwirksam. 2. Eine Anwendung unter Verband erbrachte keinen deutlichen Erfolg. 3. Die Schrittzahl pro 24 Stunden an den 3 Tagen vor Behandlung lag im Mittel bei 3901 Schritten (Stdv. 1233), der Mittelwert über 3 Tage nach Behandlung bei 3444 Schritte (Stdv. 955) pro 24 Std. (p>0,05). Es konnten somit keine signifikanten Veränderungen in der Schrittzahl pro 24 Stunden beim Vergleich der Zeiträume vor und nach einer Behandlung mit Chlortetracyclinspray bei an Dermatitis digitalis erkrankten Rindern erkannt werden. 4. Die Grundfutteraufnahme lag vor der Behandlung im Mittel bei 28,60 kg (Stdv. 6,17), nach Behandlung lag dieser Wert bei 25,43 kg (Stdv. 4,97); p<0,05. 5. Die Anzahl der Besuche am Futtertrog lag vor der Behandlung im Mittel bei 27,93 Besuchen (Stdv. 7,58), nach der Behandlung stieg sie auf 34,6 Besuche (Stdv. 8,99); p<0,05 6. Die Kraftfutteraufnahme im gleichen Zeitraum belief sich vor Behandlung auf 4,76 kg (Stdv. 1,54), nach Behandlung lag dieser Wert bei 5,37 kg (Stdv. 1,37); p>0,05. 7. Die Änderungen in Häufigkeit und Menge der Grundfutteraufnahme pro 24 Std. stehen in keinem plausiblen Zusammenhang mit der Therapie. Möglicherweise hat ein Wechsel der Silagesilos zu einer Beeinflussung des Bewegungsverhaltens geführt. Unter den in dieser Studie verwandten Methoden und Bedingungen konnte kein therapeutischer Effekt der PVP-Jod-Behandlung erkannt werden. Es konnte kein Zusammenhang zwischen Erkrankung und Bewegungsaktivität und Futteraufnahme festgestellt werden

How may tropical cyclones change in a warmer climate?

Tropical Cyclones (TC) under different climate conditions in the Northern Hemisphere have been investigated with the Max Planck Institute (MPI) coupled (ECHAM5/MPIOM) and atmosphere (ECHAM5) climate models. The intensity and size of the TC depend crucially on resolution with higher wind speed and smaller scales at the higher resolutions. The typical size of the TC is reduced by a factor of 2.3 from T63 to T319 using the distance of the maximum wind speed from the centre of the storm as a measure. The full three dimensional structure of the storms becomes increasingly more realistic as the resolution is increased. For the T63 resolution, three ensemble runs are explored for the period 1860 until 2100 using the IPCC SRES scenario A1B and evaluated for three 30 year periods at the end of the 19th, 20th and 21st century, respectively. While there is no significant change between the 19th and the 20th century, there is a considerable reduction in the number of the TC by some 20% in the 21st century, but no change in the number of the more intense storms. Reduction in the number of storms occurs in all regions. A single additional experiment at T213 resolution was run for the two latter 30-year periods. The T213 is an atmospheric only experiment using the transient Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) of the T63 resolution experiment. Also in this case, there is a reduction by some 10% in the number of simulated TC in the 21st century compared to the 20th century but a marked increase in the number of intense storms. The number of storms with maximum wind speeds greater than 50ms-1 increases by a third. Most of the intensification takes place in 2 the Eastern Pacific and in the Atlantic where also the number of storms more or less stays the same. We identify two competing processes effecting TC in a warmer climate. First, the increase in the static stability and the reduced vertical circulation is suggested to contribute to the reduction in the number of storms. Second, the increase in temperature and water vapor provide more energy for the storms so that when favorable conditions occur, the higher SST and higher specific humidity will contribute to more intense storms. As the maximum intensity depends crucially on resolution, this will require higher resolution to have its full effect. The distribution of storms between different regions does not, at first approximation, depend on the temperature itself but on the distribution of the SST anomalies and their influence on the atmospheric circulation. Two additional transient experiments at T319 resolution where run for 20 years at the end of the 20th and 21st century, respectively using the same conditions as in the T213 experiments. The results are consistent with the T213 study. The total number of tropical cyclones were similar to the T213 experiment but were generally more intense. The change from the 20th to the 21st century was also similar with fewer TC in total but with more intense cyclones

ARTEFACTS: How do we want to deal with the future of our one and only planet?

The European Commission’s Science and Knowledge Service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), decided to try working hand-in-hand with leading European science centres and museums. Behind this decision was the idea that the JRC could better support EU Institutions in engaging with the European public. The fact that European Union policies are firmly based on scientific evidence is a strong message which the JRC is uniquely able to illustrate. Such a collaboration would not only provide a platform to explain the benefits of EU policies to our daily lives but also provide an opportunity for European citizens to engage by taking a more active part in the EU policy making process for the future. A PILOT PROGRAMME To test the idea, the JRC launched an experimental programme to work with science museums: a perfect partner for three compelling reasons. Firstly, they attract a large and growing number of visitors. Leading science museums in Europe have typically 500 000 visitors per year. Furthermore, they are based in large European cities and attract local visitors as well as tourists from across Europe and beyond. The second reason for working with museums is that they have mastered the art of how to communicate key elements of sophisticated arguments across to the public and making complex topics of public interest readily accessible. That is a high-value added skill and a crucial part of the valorisation of public-funded research, never to be underestimated. Finally museums are, at present, undergoing something of a renaissance. Museums today are vibrant environments offering new techniques and technologies to both inform and entertain, and attract visitors of all demographics.JRC.H.2-Knowledge Management Methodologies, Communities and Disseminatio

Associations between depressive symptoms and disease progression in older patients with chronic kidney disease: results of the EQUAL study

Background Depressive symptoms are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with end-stage kidney disease; however, few small studies have examined this association in patients with earlier phases of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied associations between baseline depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes in older patients with advanced CKD and examined whether these associations differed depending on sex. Methods CKD patients (&gt;= 65 years; estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt;= 20 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were included from a European multicentre prospective cohort between 2012 and 2019. Depressive symptoms were measured by the five-item Mental Health Inventory (cut-off &lt;= 70; 0-100 scale). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to study associations between depressive symptoms and time to dialysis initiation, all-cause mortality and these outcomes combined. A joint model was used to study the association between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time. Analyses were adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Results Overall kidney function decline in 1326 patients was -0.12 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/month. A total of 515 patients showed depressive symptoms. No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time (P = 0.08). Unlike women, men with depressive symptoms had an increased mortality rate compared with those without symptoms [adjusted hazard ratio 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.93)]. Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with a higher hazard of dialysis initiation, or with the combined outcome (i.e. dialysis initiation and all-cause mortality). Conclusions There was no significant association between depressive symptoms at baseline and decline in kidney function over time in older patients with advanced CKD. Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with a higher mortality rate in men

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV

Search for supersymmetry in events with one lepton and multiple jets in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe