Advancing agricultural greenhouse gas quantification\u3csup\u3e*\u3c/sup\u3e

Better information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation potential in the agricultural sector is necessary to manage these emissions and identify responses that are consistent with the food security and economic development priorities of countries. Critical activity data (what crops or livestock are managed in what way) are poor or lacking for many agricultural systems, especially in developing countries. In addition, the currently available methods for quantifying emissions and mitigation are often too expensive or complex or not sufficiently user friendly for widespread use

Synthesis and Review: Advancing agricultural greenhouse gas quantification

Reducing emissions of agricultural greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as methane and nitrous oxide, and sequestering carbon in the soil or in living biomass can help reduce the impact of agriculture on climate change while improving productivity and reducing resource use. There is an increasing demand for improved, low cost quantification of GHGs in agriculture, whether for national reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), underpinning and stimulating improved practices, establishing crediting mechanisms, or supporting green products. This ERL focus issue highlights GHG quantification to call attention to our existing knowledge and opportunities for further progress. In this article we synthesize the findings of 21 papers on the current state of global capability for agricultural GHG quantification and visions for its improvement. We conclude that strategic investment in quantification can lead to significant global improvement in agricultural GHG estimation in the near term

Synthesis and Review: Advancing agricultural greenhouse gas quantification

Reducing emissions of agricultural greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as methane and nitrous oxide, and sequestering carbon in the soil or in living biomass can help reduce the impact of agriculture on climate change while improving productivity and reducing resource use. There is an increasing demand for improved, low cost quantification of GHGs in agriculture, whether for national reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), underpinning and stimulating improved practices, establishing crediting mechanisms, or supporting green products. This ERL focus issue highlights GHG quantification to call attention to our existing knowledge and opportunities for further progress. In this article we synthesize the findings of 21 papers on the current state of global capability for agricultural GHG quantification and visions for its improvement. We conclude that strategic investment in quantification can lead to significant global improvement in agricultural GHG estimation in the near term

The PinK Study - Methodology of the Follow-up Survey of a Cohort Study of Couples Undergoing Fertility Treatment

The paper describes the follow-up survey of the PinK study 'Paare in Kinderwunschbehandlung' (couples undergoing fertility treatment). This interdisciplinary study aims at a broader and better understanding of the situation of couples with an unfulfilled desire to have a child. The focus in the follow-up survey is on the situation of the couples one year after their first visit to a fertility clinic in Rhineland-Palatinate or in the capital of Hesse, Wiesbaden. Approximately one year after the baseline survey, self-administered questionnaires were sent to respondents who had signed a written agreement to remain in the study. The field period lasted from June 2013 to August 2014. The final sample consists of 140 women and 93 men. In 89 couples both partners participated. The longitudinal data set includes 224 respondents. The share of baseline survey participants who also participated in the follow-up is 39.6 %. This report describes the study design and materials for the follow-up as well as the sample and analyses the selectivity of dropouts from the baseline sample

MP2 - Mathe/Plus/Praxis: Strategien zur Vorbeugung gegen Studienabbruch

Die Grundlagenfächer, und dabei insbesondere die Mathematik, stellen in den Ingenieurwissenschaften für eine große Gruppe von Studierenden eine scheinbar unüberwindliche Hürde dar. Im Projekt MP2 – Mathe/Plus/Praxis wurden an der Fakultät für Mathematik der Ruhr-Universität Bochum Maßnahmen entwickelt und erprobt, um hohen Durchfallquoten und unnötigem Studienabbruch in der Studieneingangsphase der Ingenieurwissenschaften entgegenzuwirken. Die Ausgestaltungen der beiden Teilprojekte MathePlus und MathePraxis, die bisherigen Evaluationsergebnisse sowie aktuelle Weiterentwicklungen werden näher vorgestellt. 10.11.2014 | Herold Dehling, Eva Glasmachers, Birgit Griese, Jörg Härterich & Michael Kallweit (Bochum

Macrophage-Induced Pro-Fibrotic Gene Expression in Tubular Cells after Ischemia/Reperfusion Is Paralleled but Not Directly Mediated by C5a/C5aR1 Signaling

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is inevitable during kidney transplantation and causes acute kidney injury (AKI), which affects immediate outcome and leads to chronic changes such as fibrotic remodeling of the graft. We investigated pro-fibrotic signaling after I/R, focusing on the complement component and receptor C5a/C5aR1 and macrophage/tubule crosstalk. Male Dark Agouti rats were subjected to I/R and their kidneys were harvested 10 min, 6 h, 24 h, 3 days, 5 days and 8 weeks after reperfusion. The development of renal fibrosis was assessed by the detection of Vimentin (VIM), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen by immunohistochemistry and Sirius Red staining, respectively. The characterization of C5a/C5aR1 activity and C5aR1+ cells was performed by multiplex mRNA analysis, ELISA, immunofluorescence flow cytometry and in situ hybridization in animal models and cell culture analyses. In the cell culture experiments, we focused on macrophage/tubule cell crosstalk in co-culture experiments and mimicked in vivo conditions by hypoxia/reoxygenation and supplementation with C5a. Already 6–24 h after the induction of I/R in the rat model, C5a concentration in the plasma was significantly increased compared to the control. The matrix components VIM and α-SMA peaked on day 5 and declined after 8 weeks, when an increase in collagen was detected using Sirius Red. In contrast to early I/R-induced C5a activation, renal C5ar1 expression was maximal at day 5 and C5 expression increased until week 8, indicating that the renal upregulation of expression is not required for early complement activation. C5aR1 mRNA was detected in neutrophils and macrophages, but not in proximal tubular cells in the injured kidneys. The macrophage/tubular cell co-culture experiments showed that macrophages were mainly responsible for the increased expression of fibrosis-associated genes in tubule cells ( ACTA2 , VIM , SNAI1 , TGFB1 and FGF-2 ), and hypoxia/reoxygenation had a partially enhancing effect. A direct pro-fibrotic effect of C5a was not observed. Increased TGF-ß levels were dependent on the differentiation of macrophages to the M2 subtype. In conclusion, the early activation of mesenchymal markers in tubular epithelial cells leads to long-term fibrotic remodeling characterized by VIM expression and driven by TGF-ß-dependent macrophage/tubular crosstalk. The chemoattractive properties of complement C5a may contribute to the recruitment of pro-fibrotic macrophages.This project was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)–Project ID: 509149993, TRR 374 C2.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation

Immunochemotherapy and Maintenance With Obinutuzumab or Rituximab in Patients With Previously Untreated Marginal Zone Lymphoma in the Randomized GALLIUM Trial

The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab (G)- versus rituximab (R)-chemotherapy in a subgroup of patients with previously untreated marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) in the phase III GALLIUM trial (NCT01332968). Patients had stage III/IV (or stage II with bulky disease), splenic, nodal, or extranodal MZL requiring treatment. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive G- or R-chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone; cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone; or bendamustine, allocated at patient level). Patients with complete/partial response at the end of induction (EOI) received G/R maintenance. Investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS), other time-to-event endpoints, response, and safety were assessed. Overall, 195 patients with MZL were included in this analysis: G-chemotherapy (n = 99), R-chemotherapy (n = 96). Median observation time: 59.3 months. No meaningful difference was observed between arms for PFS (4-y PFS rates: G-chemotherapy, 72.6%; R-chemotherapy, 64.1%), other time-to-event endpoints, or EOI response rates (by computed tomography [CT; G-chemotherapy, 81.8%; R-chemotherapy, 81.3%] and positron emission tomography CT [G-chemotherapy, 79.2%; R-chemotherapy, 87.5%]). All patients experienced ≥1 adverse event (AE). G-chemotherapy was associated with a higher incidence of grade 3–5 (86.1% versus 77.4%), grade 5 (14.9% versus 9.7%), and serious (66.3% versus 51.6%) AEs versus R-chemotherapy. Both arms had a higher incidence of grade 3–5 and serious AEs than patients with follicular lymphoma (GALLIUM), with G-chemotherapy being less tolerable than R-chemotherapy. Based on the observed tolerability of G-chemotherapy versus R-chemotherapy, and the comparable efficacy of G-chemotherapy and R-chemotherapy in this analysis, G-chemotherapy cannot be recommended as first-line treatment for MZL

Association of cultural origin and migration status with work-related mental health of migrants and refugees in Europe: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionMigrants make up a significant proportion of the European working population. Previous studies have already shown that migrants and refugees often suffer from poor work-related conditions in the host country, which might have an impact on mental health. Thus, the main objective of this systematic review is to analyse and summarise existing research on work-related conditions of migrants and refugees in Europe and to investigate the relationship of these conditions with their mental health.Methods and analysisThree electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL) will be systematically searched for eligible articles using quantitative study designs (randomised controlled trials, cohort, case–control and cross-sectional studies with and without control groups) written in English, German, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish or Turkish and published from 1st January 2016 onwards. The primary health outcomes will be diagnosed psychiatric and psychological disorders, suicide and suicide attempts, psychiatric and psychological symptoms, and perceived distress. The secondary health outcomes will be more general concepts of mental health such as well-being, life satisfaction and quality of life. Outcome measures must have been assessed by validated questionnaires. Screening of all articles, reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews as well as data extraction will be performed independently by two review authors. Methodological quality of primary studies will be assessed and discussed. The results of the primary studies will be summarised descriptively. Migrants and natives, migrants and refugees, migrants of different cultural backgrounds and migrants living in different host countries will be compared in terms of the association between their work-related conditions and their mental health.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review is excluded from ethical approval because it will use previously approved published data from primary studies. The results of this review will be submitted to a related peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021244840

Multiplex gene analysis reveals T-cell and antibody-mediated rejection-specific upregulation of complement in renal transplants

In renal transplantation, complement is involved in ischemia reperfusion injury, graft rejection and dysfunction. However, it is still unclear how induction of complement and its activation are initiated. Using allograft biopsies of a well-characterized cohort of 28 renal transplant patients with no rejection (Ctrl), delayed graft function (DGF), acute T-cell-mediated (TCMR) or antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) we analyzed differences in complement reaction. For that mRNA was isolated from FFPE sections, quantified with a multiplex gene expression panel and correlated with transplant conditions and follow-up of patients. Additionally, inflammatory cells were quantified by multiplex immunohistochemistry. In allograft biopsies with TCMR and ABMR gene expression of C1QB was 2-4 fold elevated compared to Ctrl. In TCMR biopsies, mRNA counts of several complement-related genes including C1S, C3, CFB and complement regulators CFH, CR1 and SERPING1 were significantly increased compared to Ctrl. Interestingly, expression levels of about 75% of the analyzed complement related genes correlated with cold ischemia time (CIT) and markers of inflammation. In conclusion, this study suggest an important role of complement in transplant pathology which seems to be at least in part triggered by CIT. Multiplex mRNA analysis might be a useful method to refine diagnosis and explore new pathways involved in rejection

Climate-smart land use requires local solutions, transdisciplinary research, policy coherence and transparency

Successfully meeting the mitigation and adaptation targets of the Paris Climate Agreement (PA) will depend on strengthening the ties between forests and agriculture. Climate-smart land use can be achieved by integrating climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and REDD+. The focus on agriculture for food security within a changing climate, and on forests for climate change mitigation and adaptation, can be achieved simultaneously with a transformational change in the land-use sector. Striving for both independently will lead to competition for land, inefficiencies in monitoring and conflicting agendas. Practical solutions exist for specific contexts that can lead to increased agricultural output and forest protection. Landscape-level emissions accounting can be used to identify these practices. Transdisciplinary research agendas can identify and prioritize solutions and targets for integrated mitigation and adaptation interventions. Policy coherence must be achieved at a number of levels, from international to local, to avoid conflicting incentives. Transparency must lastly be integrated, through collaborative design of projects, and open data and methods. Climate-smart land use requires all these elements, and will increase the likelihood of successful REDD+ and CSA interventions. This will support the PA as well as other initiatives as part of the Sustainable Development Goals