omega-3 fatty acids contribute to the asthma-protective effect of unprocessed cow's milk

Background: Living on a farm has repeatedly been shown to protect children from asthma and allergies. A major factor involved in this effect is consumption of unprocessed cow's milk obtained directly from a farm. However, this phenomenon has never been shown in a longitudinal design, and the responsible milk components are still unknown. Objectives: We sought to assess the asthma-protective effect of unprocessed cow's milk consumption in a birth cohort and to determine whether the differences in the fatty acid (FA) composition of unprocessed farm milk and industrially processed milk contributed to this effect. Methods: The Protection Against Allergy-Study in Rural Environments (PASTURE) study followed 1133 children living in rural areas in 5 European countries from birth to age 6 years. In 934 children milk consumption was assessed by using yearly questionnaires, and samples of the ``usually'' consumed milk and serum samples of the children were collected at age 4 years. Doctor-diagnosed asthma was parent reported at age 6 years. In a nested case-control study of 35 asthmatic and 49 nonasthmatic children, 42 FAs were quantified in milk samples. Results: The risk of asthma at 6 years of age was reduced by previous consumption of unprocessed farm milk compared with shop milk (adjusted odds ratio for consumption at 4 years, 0.26; 95% CI,0.10-0.67). Part of the effect was explained by the higher fat content of farm milk, particularly the higher levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated FAs (adjusted odds ratio, 0.29; 95% CI,0.11-0.81). Conclusion: Continuous farm milk consumption in childhood protects against asthma at school age partially by means of higher intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated FAs, which are precursors of anti-inflammatory mediators.Peer reviewe

Webbasierte Schwachstellenanalyse an landwirtschaftlichen Biogasanlagen

Eine suboptimale Dimensionierung oder ein ineffizienter Betrieb landwirtschaftlicher Biogasanlagen haben negative Umweltwirkungen und eine mangelhafte Wirtschaftlichkeit zur Folge. Wir stellen hier eine Bewertungsmethode vor, mit der eine betriebsindividuelle Schwachstellenanalyse und eine vergleichende Bewertung von Biogasanlagen möglich werden. Die Methode kombiniert Elemente aus Fuzzy-Sets und Expertensystemen, um Biogasanlagen hinsichtlich verschiedener Kriterien zu bewerten. Die Bewertungsergebnisse für einzelne Anlagen und die Rangfolge in einem Anlagenvergleich sind hierbei unabhängig von der jeweiligen Stichprobe, da die einzelnen Kriterien auf Basis des Standes von Wissenschaft und Technik bewertet werden. Um den Bewertungsalgorithmus einem breiteren Nutzerkreis verfügbar zu machen, wurde die Web-Anwendung „Biogas Doc“ entwickelt, mit welcher die erforderlichen Informationen zur Anlagenkonfiguration sowie die Daten zum Betriebsergebnis der Biogasanlage strukturiert erfasst und dargestellt werden können. Mit der Anwendung kann der Nutzer prinzipiell auch die Auswirkungen von Repowering-Maßnahmen oder Änderungen bei den Einsatzstoffen auf wichtige Leistungskennwerte der Biogasanlage simulieren und damit zuverlässiger planen

Species-Specific Identification of Campylobacters by Partial 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Species-specific identification of campylobacters is problematic, primarily due to the absence of suitable biochemical assays and the existence of atypical strains. 16S rRNA gene (16S rDNA)-based identification of bacteria offers a possible alternative when phenotypic tests fail. Therefore, we evaluated the reliability of 16S rDNA sequencing for the species-specific identification of campylobacters. Sequence analyses were performed by using almost 94% of the complete 16S rRNA genes of 135 phenotypically characterized Campylobacter strains, including all known taxa of this genus. It was shown that 16S rDNA analysis enables specific identification of most Campylobacter species. The exception was a lack of discrimination among the taxa Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli and atypical C. lari strains, which shared identical or nearly identical 16S rDNA sequences. Subsequently, it was investigated whether partial 16S rDNA sequences are sufficient to determine species identity. Sequence alignments led to the identification of four 16S rDNA regions with high degrees of interspecies variation but with highly conserved sequence patterns within the respective species. A simple protocol based on the analysis of these sequence patterns was developed, which enabled the unambiguous identification of the majority of Campylobacter species. We recommend 16S rDNA sequence analysis as an effective, rapid procedure for the specific identification of campylobacters

Rotational Properties of the Jupiter Trojans: I. Light Curves of 80 Objects

We present the results of a Jupiter Trojans’ light curve survey aimed at characterizing the rotational properties of Trojans in the approximate size range 60–150 km. The survey, which was designed to provide reliable and unbiased estimates of rotation periods and amplitudes, resulted in light curves for a total of 80 objects, 56 of which represent the first determinations published to date and nine of which supersede previously published erroneous values. Our results more than double the size of the existing database of rotational properties of Jovian Trojans in the selected size range. The analysis of the distributions of the rotation periods and light curve amplitudes is the subject of companion papers