Diet of Capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus L.) released in the Harz Mountains

Von 1999 bis 2003 kamen im Nationalpark Harz (Niedersachsen) 83 gezüchtete juvenile Auerhühner frei, die zuvor mit Sendern ausgestattet und anschließend regelmäßig geortet wurden. Es wurde geprüft, ob die ausgewilderten Auerhühner ein ähnliches Nahrungsspektrum haben wie Wildvögel. Der Hintergrund dabei sind Erkenntnisse darüber, dass gezüchtete Hühnervögel aufgrund der hochverdaulichen und nährstoffreichen Volierennahrung ernährungsphysiologisch schlecht auf ein Leben im Freiland vorbereitet sind. Es wurden 109 Losungsproben gesammelt und die darin enthaltenen Nahrungsreste mikroskopisch aufbereitet, mit Hilfe einer Vergleichssammlung und der arttypischen Epidermiskennzeichen bestimmt und ihre Anteile geschätzt. Als Hauptnahrungskomponenten der im Herbst ausgewilderten Auerhühner sind für die Monate Oktober bis Februar Fichte (34 %), Heidelbeere (26 %) und Kräuter (20 %) zu nennen. Bei den im Frühjahr frei gelassenen Vögeln dominierten Fichte (56 %) und Gräser (20 %). Der Koniferenanteil bleibt jedoch in den Herbst- und insbesondere in den Wintermonaten hinter den Erwartungen zurück, besteht doch die Ernährung wild lebender Auerhühner im Winter nahezu ausschließlich aus Nadeln. Betrachtet man die drei Auswilderungstermine im Herbst (1999, 2002 und 2003) separat, fällt auf, dass der Fichtenanteil in den Monaten Dezember bis Februar mit minimal 18 % bis maximal 64 % auf äußerst niedrigem Niveau schwankt. Eine Umstellung auf die Winternadelnahrung, wie sie bei Wildvögeln bereits in den Herbstmonaten erfolgt, konnte nur anhand von Einzelproben nachgewiesen werden und verlief deutlich zeitversetzt (Februar). Günstige Witterungsbedingungen bis weit in die Wintermonate hinein (Verfügbarkeit der Krautschicht als Nahrungsquelle) und ernährungsphysiologische Defizite (geringe Verdauungsleistung) werden als Ursachen dafür diskutiert. Da das Hauptziel von solchen Artenschutzprogrammen die Ausbringung überlebensfähiger Individuen sein muss, ist zukünftig verstärkt darauf zu achten, dass die dafür notwendigen Grundlagen garantiert sind. Eine Voraussetzung dabei ist die Entwicklung umsetzbarer Fütterungsprogramme für Auswilderungszuchten und deren erfolgreiche Etablierung. Gelingen diese nicht, ist der weitere Einsatz von Zuchtvögeln für Ansiedlungsprojekte nicht zu befürworten.From 1999 to 2003, 83 captive-reared juvenile Capercaillies Tetrao urogallus were released in the Harz Mountains National Park (Lower Saxony), fitted with VHF transmitters and tracked regularly. The aim of the study was to find out whether the released Capercaillies use a diet similar to wild birds. The background here is knowledge about nutritionally impaired captivereared grouse due to highly- digestible and nutrient- rich commercial poultry food provided in aviaries, leading to deficits in survival in the wild. 109 droppings were collected and examined microscopically for food fragments. Plant remains were determined using a reference collection of food plants and based on generic cellular structures. The main nutritional components found in droppings collected between October and February of birds released in autumn were spruce Picea abies (34 %), bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus (26 %) and herbs (20 %). The diet of birds released in spring was dominated by spruce (56 %) and grass (20 %). The proportion of conifers in autumn and winter was lower than expected in comparison to wild Capercaillies which feed almost exclusively on needles in winter. Considering the three release dates in autumn (1999, 2002 and 2003) separately revealed that the proportion of spruce was low between December and February ranging from 18 % to 64 %. Diet change towards conifer needles, as occurring in wild birds in autumn, could only be proved on the basis of individual samples and was delayed into February. Favourable climatic conditions allowing the birds to forage on the ground until well into the winter season, as well as nutritonal deficits such as a lower digestive capacity may have caused this shift. Since the main goal of such conservation action has to be releasing survivable individuals, future release projects of grouse have to fulfil some basics. Among them is a feeding routine which fulfils the nutritional requirements for successful preparation for the wild. If this requirement is not met the further use of captive-reared grouse for release projects is not longer recommended

Survival, causes of death and spacing of captive-reared Capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus L.) released in the Harz Mountains National Park

Im Zeitraum 1999 bis 2003 wurden im Harz 83 gezüchtete Auerhühner besendert und nach der Auswilderung telemetrisch überwacht. Das Hauptziel war dabei, über Daten zu Überlebenschancen, Raum- und Habitatnutzung und zur Ernährung der Auswilderungstiere eine effektive Erfolgskontrolle zu ermöglichen und Optimierungsvorschläge für zukünftige Auswilderungsbestrebungen geben zu können. Von den mit Sendern ausgestatteten Tieren überlebten ca. 23 % (n = 18) bis zum Sender- oder Kontaktverlust. Die mediane Überlebensdauer betrug 13 Tage, wobei Hennen länger überlebten (18 Tage) als Hähne (12 Tage). Die höchsten Verluste (79 %, n = 48) traten innerhalb der ersten vier Wochen nach der Ausbringung auf. Von 61 registrierten Totfunden entfielen 62 % auf den Fuchs, 10 % auf den Habicht und 7 % auf den Luchs. Neben Totfunden mit unklarer Ursache, verendeten einzelne Tiere im Verkehr, aufgrund von Unterernährung oder wurden von Hunden getötet. Die Hauptgründe für die hohen Verluste unter den ausgewilderten Auerhühnern sind in physiologischen und ethologischen Defiziten aufgrund der Gehegezucht zu suchen. Hier seien insbesondere mangelhafte Feindkenntnis, und die wahrscheinlich unzureichende Anpassung an die Freilandnahrung zu nennen. Zudem waren 5 % der Verluste auf angelockte Prädatoren im Umfeld der Eingewöhnungsvoliere zurückzuführen. Die Auswilderungstiere nutzten Aktionsräume (Suchgebiete) zwischen unter einem bis zu 17.100 ha, wobei die Mehrzahl der Aktionsräume (77 %) bis zu 1.000 ha umfasste. Die ermittelten Aktionsraumgröße und auch die maximale Entfernung zum Auswilderungsort nahmen mit der Ortungsdauer zu. Das mitunter weiträumige Verstreichen der Auswilderungstiere könnte auf die allgemein starke Dispersion juveniler Auerhühner, aber auch auf vom Habitat her ungeeignete Auswilderungsorte zurückzuführen sein. Innerhalb der Aktionsräume etablierten die Vögel räumlich kleinere Nutzungszentren die zumeist bis zum Totfund oder Senderverlust frequentiert blieben. Die Größe der Nutzungszentren (n = 17) variierte zwischen 0,5 ha und bis zu 327 ha. Täglich legten die Vögel in ca. 70 % aller Fälle nicht mehr als 500 m zurück. Etwa 67 % aller Ortungen entfielen auf einen 3-km-Radius um den Aussetzungsort. Maximalwerte verwiesen auf Distanzen bis ca. 22 km (W). Methodisch ist aufgrund der Ergebnisse die Auswilderung direkt aus den Transportkisten ohne Akklimatisierung in Eingewöhnungsvolieren zu empfehlen. So ließen sich zusätzliche Verluste am Auswilderungspunkt vermeiden, und zudem bliebe man flexibel in der Wahl des Auswilderungsortes. Weitere Optimierungsmaßnahmen in der Zucht und Auswilderungsmethodik sind unerlässlich (z. B. frühzeitig intensivierte artgerechte Ernährung, Trainingsprogramme, angemessene Krankheitsprophylaxe), ohne deren erfolgreiche Umsetzung die weitere Auswilderung von Gehegetieren nicht weiter verantwortbar bleibt.From 1999 to 2003, 83 captive-reared Capercaillies were fitted with transmitters, released in the Harz Mountains region, and subsequently tracked by radio telemetry. The purpose was to achieve an effective record of survival chances, spacing, habitat use and feeding habits of the released birds, in order to evaluate the success of the project and to improve measures for future reintroduction projects. Some 23% (n = 18) of the radio-marked birds survived until either the transmitter or contact was lost. The median survival duration was 13 days, whereby hens (18 days) survived longer than cocks (12 days). The highest losses (79%, n = 48) occurred within the first four weeks after release. Of 61 deaths recorded, 62% were victims of foxes, 10 % were killed by Goshawks, and 7% by Lynxes. In addition to mortalities where cause of death was unclear, individual birds were killed by traffic, dogs or died of under-nourishment. The main causes of the high mortality rate can be sought in the physiological and ethological deficits, which result from rearing in captivity. These include in particular a lack of predator-experience, and a probable inability to adjust adequately to food sources in the wild. Additionally, 5% of the losses were related to predators attracted to the area of the acclimatization pen. The released birds had activity ranges (“search areas”) from less than 1 ha to up to 17.000 ha, whereby the majority of activity ranges (77%) comprised up to 1.000 ha. The recorded size of the activity range, as well as the maximum distance from the release site, increased with the length of the location period. The wide-ranging dispersal of the released birds in some cases was not only due to the generally marked dispersion of the juvenile Capercaillies, but possibly also to the unsuitability of the habitat at the release sites. Within the activity ranges birds established smaller centres of activity, which they frequented until at least death, or loss of the transmitter. The size of the activity centres (n = 17) varied between 0.5 and 327 ha. In 70% of all cases, the birds covered a daily distance of not more than 500 m. Some 67 % of all locations fell within a radius of 3 km from the release site. The greatest distances recorded were up to a maximum of 22 km (W). Arising from project experience, release direct from transport boxes is recommended. This helps to avoid additional losses at the acclimatization pen, and the release site can be selected more flexibly. Other improvement measures in the rearing and release methods are essential (e.g. early intensified diet provision appropriate to the species, training programmes, adequate disease prophylaxis), without which further releases of captive-reared grouse into the wild can no longer be justified

A comparative analysis of agile methodologies development of Process Control System

The paper presents a comparative analysis of agile development methodologies APCS. You can find descriptions of modern methodologies, principles and techniques

Wild Red Deer Benefit the Conservation of European Semi-Natural Open Habitats

Traditional land use practices have shaped European landscapes for millennia. Agricultural intensification and declining popularity of pastoral farming in the past century have resulted in a tremendous loss of extensively used open landscapes and associated biodiversity. Today, conservation management needs to prevent secondary succession of many open habitats. Large or inaccessible target areas unsuitable for conventional conservation measures might benefit from grazing by wild herbivores, which do not require fencing nor regular welfare monitoring. In a military training area in Germany, we studied the quantitative and qualitative effects of wild red deer in two protected open habitat types (lowland hay meadows and European dry heaths) based on grazing exclusion experiments over three years. Using movable exclusion cages, we showed that the amount of biomass annually removed by red deer was similar to the forage removal in livestock-based conservation grazing systems. Mown grasslands were particularly attractive to red deer owing to enhanced productivity and forage quality, suggesting that red deer grazing activities can be influenced by mowing. In addition, we compared the vegetation development in grasslands and heathlands with and without red deer grazing using open and permanently fenced plots. Grassland plant diversity decreased in fenced plots. In both habitat types, different structural vegetation characteristics, e.g. increasing sward and litter height, indicated successional developments when red deer grazing was excluded. Our results substantiate that allowing red deer access to open landscapes could not only alleviate potential conflicts with forestry, but can also promote open vegetation structure and diversity, thus providing a valuable contribution to the conservation management of semi-natural habitats

Economics of medically unexplained symptoms: a systematic review of the literature

Objective: To review cost-of-illness studies (COI) and economic evaluations (EE) conducted for medically unexplained symptoms and to analyze their methods and results. Methods: We searched the databases PubMed, PsycINFO and National Health Service Economic Evaluations Database of the University of York. Cost data were inflated to 2006 using country-specific gross domestic product inflators and converted to 2006 USD purchasing power parities. Results: We identified 5 COI and 8 EE, of which 6 were cost-minimization analyses and 2 were cost-effectiveness analyses. All studies used patient level data collected between 1980 and 2004 and were predominantly conducted in the USA (n = 10). COI found annual excess health care costs of somatizing patients between 432 and 5,353 USD in 2006 values. Indirect costs were estimated by only one EE and added up to about 18,000 USD per year. In EE, educational interventions for physicians as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches for patients were evaluated. For both types of interventions, effectiveness was either shown within EE or by previous studies

Die Evangelischen Pfarramtsbüchereien in Württemberg 1933-1945

Als Volksbibliotheken sind in der Evangelischen Landeskirche Württembergs zwischen 1933 und 1945 am ehesten die Bibliotheken der Pfarrämter sowie die der den Pfarrämtern vorgesetzten Dekanatämter zu bezeichnen. Diese Bibliotheken wurden von den jeweiligen Pfarrern bzw. Dekanen im Rahmen ihrer Amtsführung mitbetreut. Dazu kommen evangelische Vereinsbibliotheken wie beispielsweise die des Christlichen Vereins Junger Männer (CVJM). Die zeitgenössisch als „Bücherei“ bezeichnete Bibliothek des Oberkirchenrats in Stuttgart nahm ihre Funktion als ausschließliche Behördenbibliothek wahr und die kulturhistorisch bedeutende Bibliothek des Evangelischen Stifts in Tübingen hatte ebenfalls nicht den Charakter einer öffentlich zugänglichen Bibliothek. Volksbibliothekare in herausgehobener Position gab es aus diesem Grund in der Evangelischen Landeskirche Württembergs im Gegensatz zum staatlichen Volksbüchereiwesen nicht. Für die Zeit des Nationalsozialismus ist eine berufsständische Untersuchung der Handlungsspielräume von hauptamtlichen Volksbibliothekaren im evangelischen Württemberg daher nicht möglich. Ziel dieses Beitrags kann es deshalb nur sein, zu untersuchen, wie sich die württembergischen Pfarrer, Dekane und sonstigen Verantwortlichen hinsichtlich der von ihnen betreuten Bibliotheken während des Nationalsozialismus positioniert haben.Between 1933 and 1945 in the Church of Wuerttemberg, the only public libraries were those of the parish priests and those given to the parish priests by the deanships. These libraries were entrusted to the prevailing priests/deans in order that they could carry out their work. There were also libraries belonging to associations, such as the Young Men’s Christian Association. The contemporary library of the Stuttgart Church Assembly perceived its role as the exclusive official library, and the eminent history of civilization library of the Protestant Seminary in Tuebingen did not have the role of an open, accessible library either. For this reason, in contrast to the state public library system, in the Protestant Church of Wuerttemberg there were no librarians in prominent positions. At the time of National Socialism research into the role of principal librarians in Protestant Wuerttemberg is therefore not possible. The aim of this article can therefore only be to examine how the priests, deans and other responsible individuals of Wuerttemberg proceeded in regard to the libraries which were entrusted to them during the time of National Socialism

Expression and Potential Function of ␤-Amyloid Precursor Proteins during Cutaneous Wound Repair

sAPP, the secretory domain of the ␤-amyloid precursor protein (APP), exerts a growth promoting and motogenic activity on keratinocytes. Here we report on the expression of APP and its homologue, the amyloid precursor like protein 2 (APLP2), during cutaneous wound repair using a full-thickness excisional wound healing model in mice. In unwounded skin APP was predominantly expressed in the basal cell layer. During wound healing increased suprabasal expression of APP was observed in all cell layers of the hyperproliferative epithelium at the wound margin. APP mRNA was increased up to 2.3-fold, whereas the APLP2 mRNA was decreased. Immunocytochemically, all proliferation competent keratinocytes of the normal as well as the wound site epidermis showed increased expression of APP but not of APLP2. Using culture models of keratinocyte differentiation the release of sAPP was found to be significantly higher in proliferating cells, i.e., when cultured at subconfluency or at low [Ca 2؉ ], than in quiescent, partially differentiated keratinocytes cultured at confluency or at high [Ca 2؉ ]. Our results suggest that sAPP secretion is presumably also increased in proliferation competent keratinocytes of the wound margin and that sAPP due to its growth promoting and motogenic function might participate in the control of epidermal wound repair. © 2002 Elsevier Science (USA

Red Deer Browsing Decelerates Shrub Regrowth Despite Increasing Wolf Presence

Semi-natural open habitats in Europe have been shaped by traditional land use practices, such as extensive mowing or livestock grazing. However, socio-economic transformations have led to the abandonment of many grassland and heathland areas and conservation management is now required to maintain these biodiverse habitats. Grazing by wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) can be a convenient alternative to laborious mechanical management or livestock grazing. Yet it remains unclear if free-ranging ungulates can counteract shrub growth sufficiently to maintain open habitats—especially with natural predators, i.e. wolves (Canis lupus), recolonizing Europe. To assess red deer effects on shrub regrowth after clearance, we installed a cohort of open and fenced plots (17 pairs) in 2016, when wolf presence in our study area (Grafenwöhr military training area, DE) was negligible. When wolf presence had become frequent in 2020, we set up a second cohort (41 paired plots). For both cohorts, the vegetation in the shrub and herb layer was significantly higher in fenced than open plots already after one year. Shrub height increased continuously and dead herbaceous biomass accumulated under red deer exclusion. Consequently, wild red deer can slow down shrub succession in open habitats even under increasing predation pressure. Regardless of wolf presence, a wildlife management that enables red deer to forage in open landscapes could thus reduce the required frequency of conservation management interventions