Ökologische Tierzucht: Status Quo, Möglichkeiten und Erfordernisse in der Rinder- und Schweinezucht

Die im Rahmen der Status-quo-Analyse durchgeführte Befragung der ökologischen Verbände, der Zuchtverbände und -unternehmen sowie der Verarbeitungs- und Vermarktungsbetriebe ergab, dass die ökologisch wirtschaftenden Betriebe auf vorhandene Rassen zurückgreifen. Die alten und gefährdeten Haustierrassen spielen im ökologischen Landbau eine untergeordnete Rolle, da sie in den Leistungsmerkmalen den übrigen Rassen unterlegen sind. Als Zuchtziele für die Schweinezucht werden neben den ökonomisch wichtigen Merkmalen MFA, TZ und FUA auf der Vaterseite die Merkmale Stressresistenz und Fleischbeschaffenheit und auf der Mutterseite die Merkmale Vitalität und Muttereigenschaften als Zuchtzielmerkmale vorgeschlagen. Darüber hinaus sollte die Grundfutterverwertung aufgrund des geforderten Raufutteranteils beachtet werden. Für das Zuchtziel in einem Zuchtprogramm für ökologisch erzeugte Rinder wird eine stärkere Gewichtung der funktionalen Merkmale und insbesondere der funktionalen Nutzungsdauer gefordert. Von den Zuchtverbänden und -unternehmen wurde betont, dass ein eigenes Zuchtprogramm sowohl in der ökologischen Rinder- als auch in der ökologischen Schweinezucht zu hohe Kosten verursachen würde, da der Absatzmarkt zu klein ist. Die anschließende Evaluierung verschiedener Zuchtplanungsalternativen für die ökologische Rinderzucht ergab, dass der Anteil künstlicher Besamung nicht unter 50 % fallen sollte, da es sonst zu einem starken Abfall des Zuchtfortschrittes und des Züchtungsgewinnes kommt. Die Erhöhung der wirtschaftlichen Gewichte der funktionalen Merkmale um 50 und um 100 % führte zu einer Verbesserung der naturalen Zuchtfortschritte der funktionalen Merkmale allerdings auf Kosten der Produktionsmerkmale. Ebenfalls eine Verbesserung der funktionalen Merkmale kann durch eine Erhöhung der Anzahl Töchter/Testbulle auf 100 und mehr erzielt werden

Halothanempfindlichkeit und beziehungen zur fleischleistung von den vaterrassen piétrain und belgische landrasse

International audienc

Mapping the porcine RN gene to chromosome 15

International audienc

THE ESTIMATION OF GENETIC DISTANCE BETWEEN GERMAN CATTLE BREEDS

Za budući izbor uzgoja potrebno je očuvanje genetske raznolikosti u životinja. U filogenetskim proučavanjima mikrosateliti su dokazani kao snažno sredstvo. (Bowcock et al. 1994.). Procjena genetskih udaljenosti što se temelji na učestalosti alela mikrosatelitskih markera pomoći će u procjeni veličine razlika između usko povezanih pasmina stoke. Pasmina Shorthom i Angler mogu se identificirati kao sporedne pasmine, pa je stoga razvoj programa očuvanja vrlo koristan. Prilagođenje pasmine Orginal Black Pied još nije jasno. Odredit će se dodatni markeri kako bi se povećala točnost procjene. Niti vrijednosti udaljenosti između Holsteina i mliječnog Red Pied niti slični uzgojni ciljevi čini se da nisu razuman razlog da se ove pasmine drže odijeljeno. Ovaj će rad biti od pomoći u odlučivanju o očuvanju pasmina u posebnim programima očuvanja konzervacijom in vivo i in vitro

Hannibal's trek across the alps: Geomorphological Analysis of sites of geoarchaeological interest

International audienceA ~2200 year-old question related to Hannibal's invasion route across the Alps into Italia, has been argued by classicists without recovery of material evidence. A comparison of topographical descriptions in the ancient literature with environmental parameters in the Alps, attempted here for the first time, provides a database against which various pathways can be assessed. Identification of sites using geological, geomorphological, astronomical, chemical and petrological methods leads to the exclusion of certain transit points and targeting of others where geoarchaeological excavation might yield important evidence related to the military culture of ancient Carthage

Alzheimer-associated cerebrospinal fluid fragments of neurogranin are generated by Calpain-1 and prolyl endopeptidase

BACKGROUND: Neurogranin (Ng) is a small 7.6 kDa postsynaptic protein that has been detected at elevated concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), both as a full-length molecule and as fragments from its C-terminal half. Ng is involved in postsynaptic calcium (Ca) signal transduction and memory formation via binding to calmodulin in a Ca-dependent manner. The mechanism of Ng secretion from neurons to CSF is currently unknown, but enzymatic cleavage of Ng may be of relevance. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the enzymes responsible for the cleavage of Ng, yielding the Ng fragment pattern of C-terminal fragments detectable and increased in CSF of AD patients. METHODS: Fluorigenic quenched FRET probes containing sequences of Ng were utilized to identify Ng cleaving activities among enzymes known to have increased activity in AD and in chromatographically fractionated mouse brain extracts. RESULTS: Human Calpain-1 and prolyl endopeptidase were identified as the candidate enzymes involved in the formation of endogenous Ng peptides present in CSF, cleaving mainly in the central region of Ng, and between amino acids 75_76 in the Ng sequence, respectively. The cleavage by Calpain-1 affects the IQ domain of Ng, which may deactivate or change the function of Ng in Ca2+/calmodulin -dependent signaling for synaptic plasticity. While shorter Ng fragments were readily cleaved in vitro by prolyl endopeptidase, the efficiency of cleavage on larger Ng fragments was much lower. CONCLUSIONS: Calpain-1 and prolyl endopeptidase cleave Ng in the IQ domain and near the C-terminus, respectively, yielding specific fragments of Ng in CSF. These fragments may give clues to the roles of increased activities of these enzymes in the pathophysiology of AD, and provide possible targets for pharmacologic intervention

Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age-Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy, I: History and Geological Reconstruction

Controversy over the alpine route that Hannibal of Carthage followed from the Rhône Basin into Italia has raged amongst classicists and ancient historians for over two millennia. The motivation for identifying the route taken by the Punic Army through the Alps lies in its potential for identifying sites of historical archaeological significance and for the resolution of one of history's most enduring quandaries. Here, we present stratigraphic, geochemical and microbiological evidence recovered from an alluvial floodplain mire located below the Col de la Traversette (~3000 m asl—above sea level) on the French/Italian border that potentially identifies the invasion route as the one originally proposed by Sir Gavin de Beer (de Beer 1974). The dated layer is termed the MAD bed (mass animal deposition) based on disrupted bedding, greatly increased organic carbon and key/specialized biological components/compounds, the latter reported in Part II of this paper. We propose that the highly abnormal churned up (bioturbated) bed was contaminated by the passage of Hannibal's animals, possibly thousands, feeding and watering at the site, during the early stage of Hannibal's invasion of Italia (218 bc)