Biomasseabschätzung im ökologischen Feldfutterbau mittels drohnengestützten RGB-Aufnahmen

Monitoringansätze im ökologischen Futterbau, die den Biomasseertrag über den gesamten Betrieb abschätzen, ermöglichen es dem Landwirt, standortspezifische Managemententscheidungen zu treffen. Die pflanzliche Biomasse und ihre Höhe korrelieren miteinander, wodurch die Höhe des Bestandes zur Ertragsprognose verwendet werden kann. Fernerkundliche Messmethoden sind nützlich, um räumliche Informationen über die Pflanzenhöhe auch über größere Flächen zu erhalten. In dieser Studie wurde eine RGB-Kamera (rot, grün, blau), die an einem kleinen unbemannten Luftfahrzeug (Drohne) angebracht war, zur Ertragsabschätzung in einem ökologischen Futterbauexperiment verwendet. Das Experiment wurde 2016 mit zwei Leguminosen-Grasmischungen (Klee- und Luzernegras) sowie mit ihren reinen Leguminosen und Gräsern angelegt. In der Vegetationsperiode des nächsten Jahres wurden jede zweite Woche RGB-Aufnahmen durchgeführt. Parallel dazu wurden Referenzdaten für die Biomasseerträge und manuelle Höhenmessungen erstellt. 3D-Modelle, die aus den RGB-Aufnahmen erzeugt wurden, wurden zur Berechnung der Bestandeshöhe verwendet. Der Biomasseertrag wurde mit zufriedenstellenden Ergebnissen vorhergesagt

Methoden zur lasergestützten Abschätzung extensiver Grünlandbestände

In der Forstwirtschaft ist die lasergestützte Holzertragsabschätzung bereits eine etablierte Technik. In Graslandökosystemen hingegen fand diese Technik bisher weniger Aufmerksamkeit. Deshalb ist die Abschätzung extensiver Grünlandbestände mittels eines terrestrischen Laserscanners (TLS) noch wenig erforscht. Der Einsatz fernerkundlicher Methoden zur Erfassung qualitativer und quantitativer Parameter von extensiven Grünlandbeständen kann Managementstrategien zum Erhalt schützenswerter Ökosysteme unterstützen. Die Versuchsflächen befanden sich im „UNESCO Biosphärenreservat Rhön“ und wurden zu drei Terminen im Jahr mittels eines terrestrischen Laserscanners (Leica P30) gemessen. Vier Methoden zur Biomassebestimmung aus dreidimensionalen Punktwolken wurden auf die Datensätze angewendet: Die Methode der Vegetationshöhe, der Summe der Voxel, der mittleren 3d-Raster Höhe und das Volumen der konvexen Hülle. Die Methoden wurden teilweise modifiziert in Bezug auf einzelne funktionale Parameter, um die Modellstabilität und Modellstärke zu optimieren. Die Methoden wurden verglichen hinsichtlich ihrer Modellstärke, der Kalkulationsdauer und hinsichtlich der Anzahl an Scans, die in jede Punktwolke einfließen. Die Methoden wurden erfolgreich angewendet und die jeweils optimalen Parametereinstellungen wurden identifiziert. Die beste Modellstärke lieferte die Methode der Vegetationshöhe gemittelt aus den oberen 5 % aller Vegetationshöhenwerte (angepasstes R² 0,72). Die Korrelationen der Modelle mit dem gemessenen Frischmasseertrag fielen durchweg besser aus im Vergleich zum Trockenmasseertrag. Modelle der Vegetationshöhe, beruhend auf Punktwolken aus zwei Scans, erzielten die höchste Schätzgenauigkeit für Frisch- und Trockenmasseertrag (angepasstes R² 0,73 und 0,58)

Biomasseertrag, Lupinenanteil und Alkaloidgehalte in Bergmähwiesen in Abhängigkeit des Erntezeitpunktes

Die invasive Leguminose Lupinus polyphyllus (Vielblättrige Lupine) breitet sich in artenreichen Borstgrasrasen und Bergmähwiesen aus. Dort verdrängt sie gefährdete Rote-Liste Arten und verändert die Artenzusammensetzung. Wir führten ein Experiment durch um den Biomasseertrag und den Lupinenanteil an der Biomasse zu unterschiedlichen Nutzungszeitpunkten zu untersuchen. Zusätzlich wurde der Alkaloidgehalt der Lupinen ermittelt, da dieser einen Einsatz der Biomasse in der Tierernährung verhindern kann. Die Ergebnisse zeigten Bioamsseerträge vo 3,6 bis 3,9 t Trockenmasse pro Hektar und Lupinenanteile von ca. 30% im Mittel. Der Alkaloidgehalt in den Lupinen wies eine Spannweite zwischen 0,7 und 2,5% in der Trockenmasse auf und war signifikant abhängig vom untersuchten Pflanzenorgan. Die Samen und Blätter hatten signifikant höhere Alkaloidgehalte als die Stängel und Blüten

Classification of grassland successional stages using airborne hyperspectral imagery

Plant communities differ in their species composition, and, thus, also in their functional trait composition, at different stages in the succession from arable fields to grazed grassland. We examine whether aerial hyperspectral (414–2501 nm) remote sensing can be used to discriminate between grazed vegetation belonging to different grassland successional stages. Vascular plant species were recorded in 104.1 m2 plots on the island of Öland (Sweden) and the functional properties of the plant species recorded in the plots were characterized in terms of the ground-cover of grasses, specific leaf area and Ellenberg indicator values. Plots were assigned to three different grassland age-classes, representing 5–15, 16–50 and >50 years of grazing management. Partial least squares discriminant analysis models were used to compare classifications based on aerial hyperspectral data with the age-class classification. The remote sensing data successfully classified the plots into age-classes: the overall classification accuracy was higher for a model based on a pre-selected set of wavebands (85%, Kappa statistic value = 0.77) than one using the full set of wavebands (77%, Kappa statistic value = 0.65). Our results show that nutrient availability and grass cover differences between grassland age-classes are detectable by spectral imaging. These techniques may potentially be used for mapping the spatial distribution of grassland habitats at different successional stages

a 1-year follow-up analysis based on German health insurance administrative data from 2008 to 2014

Objectives To describe the use of drug-eluting stents (DESs) in the largest population of statutory health insurance members in Germany, including newly developed bio-resorbable vascular scaffolds (BVSs), and to evaluate 1-year complication rates of DES as compared with bare metal stents (BMSs) in this cohort. Design Routine data analysis of statutory health insurance claims data from the years 2008 to 2014. Setting The German healthcare insurance Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse covers approximately 30% of the German population and is the largest nationwide provider of statutory healthcare insurance in Germany. Participants and interventions We included all patients with a claims record for a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with either DES or BMS and additionally, from 2013, BVS. Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were excluded. Main outcome measure: major adverse cerebrovascular and cardiovascular event (MACCE, defined as mortality, AMI, stroke and transient ischaemic attack), bypass surgery, PCI and coronary angiography) at 1 year after the intervention. Results A total of 243 581 PCI cases were included (DES excluding BVS: 143 765; BVS: 1440; BMS: 98 376). The 1-year MACCE rate was 7.42% in the DES subgroup excluding BVS and 11.29% in the BMS subgroup. The adjusted OR for MACCE was 0.72 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.75) in patients with DES excluding BVS as compared with patients with BMS. In the BVS group, the proportion of 1-year MACCE was 5.0%. Conclusion The analyses demonstrate a lower MACCE rate for PCI with DES. BVSs are used in clinical routine in selected cases and seem to provide a high degree of safety, but data are still sparse

Self-reported health and life satisfaction in older emergency department patients: sociodemographic, disease-related and care-specific associated factors

Background: Self-reported health (SRH) and life satisfaction (LS) are patient-reported outcomes (PROs) that independently predict mortality and morbidity in older adults. Emergency department (ED) visits due to serious health problems or accidents might pose critical life events for patients. This study aimed (a) to characterize older patients' SRH and LS during the distinct event of an ED stay, and (b) to analyze concomitant associations of PROs with ED patients' sociodemographic, disease-specific and care-related variables. Methods: Study personnel recruited mostly older ED patients from three disease groups during a two-year period (2017-2019) in eight EDs in central Berlin, Germany, in the context of the health services research network EMANet. Cross-sectional data from the baseline patient survey and associated secondary data from hospital information systems were analyzed. Multilevel linear regression models with random intercept were applied to assess concomitant associations with SRH (scale: 0 (worst) to 100 (best)) and LS (scale: 0 (not at all satisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied)) as outcomes, including sensitivity analyses. Results: The final sample comprised N =1435 participants. Mean age was 65.18 (SD: 16.72) and 50.9% were male. Mean ratings of SRH were 50.10 (SD: 23.62) while mean LS scores amounted to 7.15 (SD: 2.50). Better SRH and higher LS were found in patients with cardiac symptoms (SRH: beta =4.35, p =.036; LS: beta =0.53, p =.006). Worse SRH and lower LS were associated with being in need of nursing care (SRH: beta=-7.52, p =-0.59, p =.003) and being unemployed (SRH: beta=-8.54, p =.002; LS: beta=-1.27, p <.001). Sex, age, number of close social contacts, and hospital stays in the previous 6 months were additionally related to the outcomes. Sensitivity analyses largely supported results of the main sample. Conclusions: SRH and LS were associated with different sociodemographic and disease-related variables in older ED patients. Nursing care dependency and unemployment emerged as significant factors relating to both outcomes. Being able to identify especially vulnerable patients in the ED setting might facilitate patient-centered care and prevent negative health outcomes. However, further longitudinal research needs to analyze trajectories in both outcomes and suitable intervention possibilities in the ED setting. Trial registration: EMANet sub-studies were registered separately: German Clinical Trials Register (EMAAge: DRKS00014273, registration date: May 16, 2018; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00014273; EMACROSS: DRKS00011930, registration date: April 25, 2017; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00011930); ClinicalTrials.gov (EMASPOT: NCT03188861, registration date: June 16, 2017; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03188861?term=NCT03188861&draw=2&rank=1)

High prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in two metropolitan emergency departments in Germany : a prospective screening analysis of 28,809 patients

Background and Aims: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies in Germany has been estimated to be in the range of 0.4–0.63%. Screening for HCV is recommended in patients with elevated ALT levels or significant risk factors for HCV transmission only. However, 15–30% of patients report no risk factors and ALT levels can be normal in up to 20–30% of patients with chronic HCV infection. The aim of this study was to assess the HCV seroprevalence in patients visiting two tertiary care emergency departments in Berlin and Frankfurt, respectively. Methods: Between May 2008 and March 2010, a total of 28,809 consecutive patients were screened for the presence of anti-HCV antibodies. Anti-HCV positive sera were subsequently tested for HCV-RNA. Results: The overall HCV seroprevalence was 2.6% (95% CI: 2.4–2.8; 2.4% in Berlin and 3.5% in Frankfurt). HCV-RNA was detectable in 68% of anti-HCV positive cases. Thus, the prevalence of chronic HCV infection in the overall study population was 1.6% (95% CI 1.5–1.8). The most commonly reported risk factor was former/current injection drug use (IDU; 31.2%) and those with IDU as the main risk factor were significantly younger than patients without IDU (p<0.001) and the male-to-female ratio was 72% (121 vs. 46 patients; p<0.001). Finally, 18.8% of contacted HCV-RNA positive patients had not been diagnosed previously. Conclusions: The HCV seroprevalence was more than four times higher compared to current estimates and almost one fifth of contacted HCV-RNA positive patients had not been diagnosed previously

Structural basis of human kinesin-8 function and inhibition

Kinesin motors play diverse roles in mitosis and are targets for anti-mitotic drugs. The clinical significance of these motors emphasizes the importance of understanding the molecular basis of their function. Equally, investigations into the modes of inhibition of these motors provide crucial information about their molecular mechanisms. Kif18A regulates spindle microtubules through its dual functionality – microtubule-based stepping and regulation of microtubule dynamics. We investigated the mechanism of Kif18A and its inhibition by the small molecule BTB-1. The Kif18A motor domain drives ATP-dependent plus-end microtubule gliding, and undergoes conformational changes consistent with canonical mechanisms of plus-end directed motility. The Kif18A motor domain also depolymerises microtubule plus and minus ends. BTB-1 inhibits both microtubule-based Kif18A activities. A reconstruction of BTB-1-bound, microtubule-bound Kif18A, in combination with computational modelling, identified an allosteric BTB-1 binding site near loop5, where it blocks the ATP-dependent conformational changes we characterised. Strikingly, BTB-1 binding is close to that of well-characterised Kif11 inhibitors that block tight microtubule binding, whereas BTB-1 traps Kif18A on the microtubule. Our work highlights a general mechanism of kinesin inhibition in which small molecule binding near loop5 prevents a range of conformational changes, blocking motor function

Genetic requirements for repair of lesions caused by single genomic ribonucleotides in S phase

Single ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) are transiently present in eukaryotic genomes. The RNase H2-dependent ribonucleotide excision repair (RER) pathway ensures error-free rNMP removal. In some pathological conditions, rNMP removal is impaired. If these rNMPs hydrolyze during, or prior to, S phase, toxic single-ended double-strand breaks (seDSBs) can occur upon an encounter with replication forks. How such rNMP-derived seDSB lesions are repaired is unclear. We expressed a cell cycle phase restricted allele of RNase H2 to nick at rNMPs in S phase and study their repair. Although Top1 is dispensable, the RAD52 epistasis group and Rtt101Mms1-Mms22 dependent ubiquitylation of histone H3 become essential for rNMP-derived lesion tolerance. Consistently, loss of Rtt101Mms1-Mms22 combined with RNase H2 dysfunction leads to compromised cellular fitness. We refer to this repair pathway as nick lesion repair (NLR). The NLR genetic network may have important implications in the context of human pathologies

SARS-CoV-2-Antikörperprävalenz bei medizinischem Fachpersonal -- Eine prospektive, serologische Kohortenstudie mit vier Testzeitpunkten in Thüringen 2020 bis 2021 (COVID-PraxImmun)

Im Verlauf der COVID-19-Pandemie zeigte sich schnell, dass für medizinisches Fachpersonal im Vergleich zur Allgemeinbevölkerung ein erhöhtes Risiko für SARS-CoV-2-Infektionen besteht. Um den SARS-CoV-2-Immunstatus bei medizinischem Personal in Thüringer Vertragsarztpraxen systematisch und flächendeckend zu untersuchen, führte die Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Thüringen eine Kohortenstudie durch, an der 3.658 ärztlich, psychologisch und zahnärztlich tätige Personen bzw. nicht ärztlich Tätige mit Patientenkontakt teilnahmen. Die SARS-CoV-2-Antikörperprävalenzen und deren Verlauf zwischen August 2020 und September 2021 werden im Epidemiologischen Bulletin 45/2022 dargestellt