440 research outputs found
Vergleich der muttergebundenen und der künstlichen Aufzucht in Bezug auf Gesundheit, Gewichtsentwicklung und chronischen Stress bei Milchviehkälbern
In artificial rearing, calves are separated from their dam usually within 24h after birth
and any further social contacts to the mother are prevented. Although this is common
in practice we expect severe consequences on the health state, weight gain and
stress response of the young calf. Two groups of calves suckled by their mother (unrestricted
contact, n=14; contact twice daily for 15 minutes each before milking, n=15)
were compared to two control groups that were both fed via automatic milk feeder
(maximal six times daily, n=14; twice daily, n=14). The calves of the four treatment
groups were kept in the same barn and cows were milked twice daily. All calves were
weaned at 13 weeks of age. The calves were weighed weekly until 3 weeks after
weaning. The health state of each animal was assessed daily and all veterinary treatments
were recorded until weaning. Stress response to a long-term stressor (absence
of the mother) was assessed by stimulation of the HPA axis by ACTH administration
(at 11 weeks of age). For statistical analyses, linear mixed-effects models were used.
The health state of both suckled groups was poorer (p=0.046, caused by diarrhoea),
but the number of animals that had to be treated by a veterinarian did not differ. During
the milk feeding period, weight gain was better in suckled calves (p<0.001). After
weaning, the weight gain of all treatment groups was diminished, especially in suckled
calves (p<0.001). Cortisol response to ACTH administration was reduced in calves fed
via an automatic milk feeder (p<0.001). The higher weight gain in suckled calves
before weaning can be explained by the large milk amounts the calves received.
These results suggest that suckled calves show fewer signs of chronic stress. We
conclude that rearing without contact with the mother causes chronic stress in young
calves in terms of desensitization of the HPA axis
Effects of weight, temperature and behaviour on the circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol in growing pigs
In farm animals, salivary cortisol has become a widely used parameter for measuring stress responses. However, only few studies have dealt with basal levels of concentration of cortisol in pigs and its circadian rhythm. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of ambient temperature and thermoregulatory behaviour on the circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol levels in fattening pigs. Subjects were 30 fattening pigs of different weight (60 to 100 kg), kept in six groups in an uninsulated building in pens with partly slatted floors. Saliva samples were taken every 2 h over periods of 24 h at different ambient temperatures at two times in winter and four times in summer. Thermoregulatory behaviour was recorded in the same 24-h time periods. The effect of time of day, body weight, ambient temperature and behaviour on the cortisol level was analysed using a mixed-effects model. Two peaks of cortisol levels per day were found. This circadian pattern became more pronounced with increasing weight and on days where thermoregulatory behaviour was shown. Mean cortisol levels per day were affected by weight but not by thermoregulatory behaviour. From our data, we conclude that long-term variations in cortisol concentration may be influenced by increasing age and weight more than by the respective experimental situation. In assessing animal welfare, it seems more reliable to consider the circadian pattern of cortisol concentration instead of only one value per da
E7(7) invariant Lagrangian of d=4 N=8 supergravity
We present an E7(7) invariant Lagrangian that leads to the equations of
motion of d=4 N=8 supergravity without using Lagrange multipliers. The
superinvariance of this new action and the closure of the supersymmetry algebra
are proved explicitly for the terms that differ from the Cremmer--Julia
formulation. Since the diffeomorphism symmetry is not realized in the standard
way on the vector fields, we switch to the Hamiltonian formulation in order to
prove the invariance of the E7(7) invariant action under general coordinate
transformations. We also construct the conserved E7(7)-Noether current of
maximal supergravity and we conclude with comments on the implications of this
manifest off-shell E7(7)-symmetry for quantizing d=4 N=8 supergravity, in
particular on the E7(7)-action on phase space.Comment: 45 pages, references adde
Counterterms vs. Dualities
We investigate and clarify the mutual compatibility of the higher order
corrections arising in supergravity and string theory effective actions and the
non-linear duality symmetries of these theories. Starting from a conventional
tree level action leading to duality invariant equations of motion, we show how
to accommodate duality invariant counterterms given as functionals of both
electric and magnetic fields in a perturbative expansion, and to deduce from
them a non-polynomial bona fide action satisfying the Gaillard-Zumino
constraint. There exists a corresponding consistency constraint in the
non-covariant Henneaux-Teitelboim formalism which ensures that one can always
restore diffeomorphism invariance by perturbatively solving this functional
identity. We illustrate how this procedure works for the R^2 \nabla F \nabla F
and F^4 counterterms in Maxwell theory.Comment: 15 page
Epidemiology, comorbidities, and healthcare utilization of patients with chronic urticaria in Germany
Abstract Background Comprehensive data on the epidemiology and comorbidities of chronic urticaria (CU) in Germany are either limited, or not contemporary. Objectives To investigate the epidemiology of CU, overall comorbidities and healthcare resource utilized by patients with CU in Germany, using an anonymized statutory health insurance (SHI) database. Methods Anonymized SHI claims research database of the Institute for Applied Health Research, Berlin [InGef] (01 January 2015–30 September 2018) was used to analyse insured individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of CU (ICD‐10‐GM codes). Twelve‐month diagnosed prevalence and incidence, comorbidities (vs. atopic dermatitis and psoriasis), and healthcare utilization by patients with CU were investigated. Results Of 4 693 772 individuals of all ages listed in the database, 3 538 540 were observable during 2017. Overall, 17 524 patients (˜0.5%) were diagnosed with CU; chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU: 71.2%), chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU: 19.7%), CSU+CIndU (9.1%). Females, vs. males, had higher diagnosed prevalence (0.62% vs. 0.37%) and diagnosed incidence (0.18% vs. 0.11%) of CU among all patients. Patients most frequently visited general practitioners (41.3% of total visits). Hypertensive diseases (43.5%), lipoprotein metabolism disorders (32.1%) and affective disorders (26.0%) were the most frequently reported comorbidities of special interest. Rates of most comorbidities of special interests were similar to atopic dermatitis and psoriasis patients, and all higher vs. overall population. More than half (54.1%) of all CU patients were not prescribed any treatment. Second‐generation H 1 ‐antihistamines were the most commonly prescribed medication for adult (17.9%) and paediatric (27.9%) patients. Patients with CIndU (paediatric, 15.5%; adult, 7.8%) were more often hospitalized versus patients with CSU (paediatric, 9.9%; adult, 4.6%). Conclusions In Germany, prevalence of CU along with multiple comorbidities may pose increased burden on the healthcare system. Awareness of adhering to treatment guidelines, and aiming for complete control of urticaria, needs to be driven and may improve outcomes
Epidemiology, comorbidities, and healthcare utilization of patients with chronic urticaria in Germany
Background: Comprehensive data on the epidemiology and comorbidities of chronic urticaria (CU) in Germany are either limited, or not contemporary.
Objectives: To investigate the epidemiology of CU, overall comorbidities and healthcare resource utilized by patients with CU in Germany, using an anonymized statutory health insurance (SHI) database.
Methods: Anonymized SHI claims research database of the Institute for Applied Health Research, Berlin [InGef] (01 January 2015-30 September 2018) was used to analyse insured individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of CU (ICD-10-GM codes). Twelve-month diagnosed prevalence and incidence, comorbidities (vs. atopic dermatitis and psoriasis), and healthcare utilization by patients with CU were investigated.
Results: Of 4 693 772 individuals of all ages listed in the database, 3 538 540 were observable during 2017. Overall, 17 524 patients (˜0.5%) were diagnosed with CU; chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU: 71.2%), chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU: 19.7%), CSU+CIndU (9.1%). Females, vs. males, had higher diagnosed prevalence (0.62% vs. 0.37%) and diagnosed incidence (0.18% vs. 0.11%) of CU among all patients. Patients most frequently visited general practitioners (41.3% of total visits). Hypertensive diseases (43.5%), lipoprotein metabolism disorders (32.1%) and affective disorders (26.0%) were the most frequently reported comorbidities of special interest. Rates of most comorbidities of special interests were similar to atopic dermatitis and psoriasis patients, and all higher vs. overall population. More than half (54.1%) of all CU patients were not prescribed any treatment. Second-generation H1 -antihistamines were the most commonly prescribed medication for adult (17.9%) and paediatric (27.9%) patients. Patients with CIndU (paediatric, 15.5%; adult, 7.8%) were more often hospitalized versus patients with CSU (paediatric, 9.9%; adult, 4.6%).
Conclusions: In Germany, prevalence of CU along with multiple comorbidities may pose increased burden on the healthcare system. Awareness of adhering to treatment guidelines, and aiming for complete control of urticaria, needs to be driven and may improve outcomes
Generalized E(7(7)) coset dynamics and D=11 supergravity
The hidden on-shell E(7(7)) symmetry of maximal supergravity is usually
discussed in a truncation from D=11 to four dimensions. In this article, we
reverse the logic and start from a theory with manifest off-shell E(7(7))
symmetry inspired by West's coset construction. Following de Wit's and
Nicolai's idea that a 4+56 dimensional "exceptional geometry" underlies maximal
supergravity, we construct the corresponding Lagrangian and the supersymmetry
variations for the 56 dimensional subsector. We prove that both the dynamics
and the supersymmetry coincide with D=11 supergravity in a truncation to d=7 in
the expected way.Comment: 42 pages, v2: references adde
Pure type I supergravity and DE(10)
We establish a dynamical equivalence between the bosonic part of pure type I
supergravity in D=10 and a D=1 non-linear sigma-model on the Kac-Moody coset
space DE(10)/K(DE(10)) if both theories are suitably truncated. To this end we
make use of a decomposition of DE(10) under its regular SO(9,9) subgroup. Our
analysis also deals partly with the fermionic fields of the supergravity theory
and we define corresponding representations of the generalized spatial Lorentz
group K(DE(10)).Comment: 28 page
The Development and Use of Pitfall and Probe Traps for Capturing Insects in Stored Grain
The development and use of pitfall and probe traps for capture of insects in bulk-stored grain are outlined. Unbaited traps are effective in detecting infestations and they detect a large number of species compared with grain-sampling devices. The effectiveness of the traps is related to temperature, trapping period, and grain moisture content; and traps are less reliable for detecting insect species that are less mobile, have a non uniform distribution in grain, feed within kernels, or can escape from the traps. Comparisons are given between effectiveness of probe traps and grain sampling for detecting insects, and experience using probe traps in stored grain is reporte
Kann bei Rindern Stress bei der Schlachtung durch ein positives Handling in den ersten Lebenstagen vermindert werden?
Die vorliegende Studie untersuchte, ob ein positives Handling innerhalb der ersten Lebenstage bei Mutterkuhkälbern einen stressreduzierenden Effekt auf die Tiere bei der Schlachtung hat
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