Wie werden die Gesamtnährstoffgehalte des Ackerbodens durch Biomasseein- und -austräge im Agroforstsystem beeinflusst?

Der Rückgang organischer Bodensubstanz durch den kontinuierlichen Entzug von Nährstoffen und Biomasse mit dem Erntegut ist eine der Hauptursachen für die Degradierung intensiv genutzter Ackerböden. Agroforstsysteme können ein Schlüssel zu einer nachhaltigen Erhöhung der Bodenfruchtbarkeit sein, da zusätzliche Ausgangsstoffe für die Bildung organischer Bodensubstanz wie Laubstreu und Wurzelexsudate dem Agrarökosystem zugeführt werden. Im Rahmen des BonaRes-SIGNAL-(„Sustainable intensification of agriculture through agroforestry“) Projektes werden die Quantität und Qualität der oberirdischen Biomasseein- und -austräge für zwei Alley Cropping-Agroforstsysteme mit Ackerkulturen bzw. Grünland in Niedersachsen bestimmt. Es werden räumliche Ertragsanalysen der Ackerkulturen und Grünlandbestände durchgeführt und die räumliche und zeitliche Verteilung und Zersetzung der Laubstreu gemessen. Das Poster präsentiert erste Ergebnisse zur Beeinflussung der Gesamtnährstoffgehalte des Ackerbodens durch die zusätzlichen Biomasseeinträge der schnellwachsenden Bäume und die Biomasseausträge durch die Ernte der Ackerkulturen, sowie zu der Frage welche Ackerbodenbereiche neben den Kulturpflanzen auch von den Bäumen durchwurzelt und somit als Nährstoffquelle genutzt werden

Long-term effects of an inpatient weight-loss program in obese children and the role of genetic predisposition-rationale and design of the LOGIC-trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased worldwide, which is a serious concern as obesity is associated with many negative immediate and long-term health consequences. Therefore, the treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is strongly recommended. Inpatient weight-loss programs have shown to be effective particularly regarding short-term weight-loss, whilst little is known both on the long-term effects of this treatment and the determinants of successful weight-loss and subsequent weight maintenance.</p> <p>The purpose of this study is to evaluate the short, middle and long-term effects of an inpatient weight-loss program for children and adolescents and to investigate the likely determinants of weight changes, whereby the primary focus lies on the potential role of differences in polymorphisms of adiposity-relevant genes.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The study involves overweight and obese children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years, who participate in an inpatient weight-loss program for 4 to 6 weeks. It started in 2006 and it is planned to include 1,500 participants by 2013. The intervention focuses on diet, physical activity and behavior therapy. Measurements are taken at the start and the end of the intervention and comprise blood analyses (DNA, lipid and glucose metabolism, adipokines and inflammatory markers), anthropometry (body weight, height and waist circumference), blood pressure, pubertal stage, and exercise capacity. Physical activity, dietary habits, quality of life, and family background are assessed by questionnaires. Follow-up assessments are performed 6 months, 1, 2, 5 and 10 years after the intervention: Children will complete the same questionnaires at all time points and visit their general practitioner for examination of anthropometric parameters, blood pressure and assessment of pubertal stage. At the 5 and 10 year follow-ups, blood parameters and exercise capacity will be additionally measured.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Apart from illustrating the short, middle and long-term effects of an inpatient weight-loss program, this study will contribute to a better understanding of inter-individual differences in the regulation of body weight, taking into account the role of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p><a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01067157">NCT01067157</a>.</p

Sharing data for future research-engaging participants' views about data governance beyond the original project:a DIRECT Study

Purpose: Biomedical data governance strategies should ensure that data are collected, stored, and used ethically and lawfully. However, research participants’ preferences for how data should be governed is least studied. The Diabetes Research on Patient Stratification (DIRECT) project collected substantial amounts of health and genetic information from patients at risk of, and with type II diabetes. We conducted a survey to understand participants’ future data governance preferences. Results will inform the postproject data governance strategy. Methods: A survey was distributed in Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Results: In total 855 surveys were returned. Ninety-seven percent were supportive of sharing data postproject, and 90% were happy to share data with universities, and 56% with commercial companies. The top three priorities for data sharing were highly secure database, DIRECT researchers to monitor data used by other researchers, and researchers cannot identify participants. Respondents frequently suggested that a postproject Data Access Committee should involve a DIRECT researcher, diabetes clinician, patient representative, and a DIRECT participant. Conclusion: Preferences of how data should be governed, and what data could be shared and with whom varied between countries. Researchers are considered as key custodians of participant data. Engaging participants aids in designing governance to support their choices

Structure and principles of oxidic hexaphases: A review

This paper is about the general structure and the formation of oxidic hexaphase types according to their crystal chemistry. Oxidic hexaphases exhibit hexagonal symmetry and consist of mixed layer structures stacked along the crystallographic c-axis. There are two main types of hexaphases: the magnetoplumbite and β-alumina type. Every hexaphase has a spinel structure that integrates blocks with either a rock salt or β-alumina structure. Both block types contain a characteristic cation. The formation of oxidic hexaphases depends on various factors: In addition to the size and charge of the characteristic cation the size of the spinel block in the crystallographic a-b direction is a decisive factor. Furthermore, the spinel block can be modified by replacing the present trivalent scaffolding cations with bivalent cations, resulting in more complex hexaphases such as the X, W, Z and Y types or β‴ types

Obesity genes and weight loss during lifestyle intervention in children with obesity.

Importance: Genome-wide association studies have identified genetic loci influencing obesity risk in children. However, the importance of these loci in the associations with weight reduction through lifestyle interventions has not been investigated in large intervention trials. Objective: To evaluate the associations between various obesity susceptibility loci and changes in body weight in children during an in-hospital, lifestyle intervention program. Design, Setting, and Participants: Long-term Effects of Lifestyle Intervention in Obesity and Genetic Influence in Children (LOGIC), an interventional prospective cohort study, enrolled 1429 children with overweight or obesity to participate in an in-hospital lifestyle intervention program. Genotyping of 56 validated obesity single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) was performed, and the associations between the SNVs and body weight reduction during the intervention were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models for each SNV. The LOGIC study was conducted from January 6, 2006, to October 19, 2013; data analysis was performed from July 15, 2015, to November 6, 2016. Exposures: A 4- to 6-week standardized in-hospital lifestyle intervention program (daily physical activity, calorie-restricted diet, and behavioral therapy). Main Outcomes and Measures: The association between 56 obesity-relevant SNVs and changes in body weight and body mass index. Results: Of 1429 individuals enrolled in the LOGIC Study, 1198 individuals (mean [SD] age, 14.0 [2.2] years; 670 [56%] girls) were genotyped. A mean (SD) decrease was noted in body weight of -8.7 (3.6) kg (95% CI, -15.7 to -1.8 kg), and body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) decreased by -3.3 (1.1) (95% CI, -5.4 to -1.1) (both P &lt; .05). Five of 56 obesity SNVs were statistically significantly associated with a reduction of body weight or body mass index (all P &lt; 8.93 × 10-4 corresponding to Bonferroni correction for 56 tests). Compared with homozygous participants without the risk allele, homozygous carriers of the rs7164727 (LOC100287559: 0.42 kg; 95% CI, 0.31-0.53 kg, P = 4.00 × 10-4) and rs12940622 (RPTOR: 0.35 kg; 95% CI, 0.18-0.52 kg; P = 1.86 × 10-5) risk alleles had a lower reduction of body weight, whereas carriers of the rs13201877 (IFNGR1: 0.65 kg; 95% CI, 0.51-0.79 kg; P = 2.39 × 10-5), rs10733682 (LMX1B: 0.45 kg; 95% CI, 0.27-0.63 kg; P = 6.37 × 10-4), and rs2836754 (ETS2: 0.56 kg; 95% CI, 0.38-0.74 kg; P = 1.51 × 10-4) risk alleles were associated with a greater reduction of body weight after adjustment for age and sex. Conclusions and Relevance: Genes appear to play a minor role in weight reduction by lifestyle in children with overweight or obesity. The findings suggest that environmental, social, and behavioral factors are more important to consider in obesity treatment strategies

Energy and wood production in alley cropping agroforestry systems

PosterBioenergy was the second most important source of renewable energy - after wind-energy - in Germany to provide electricity during 2012. As the German government fixed an objective of 35 % of renewable resources in the final energy consumption by 2020, biomass production will continue to increase (Böhme and Musiol, 2013). Wood, as a source of renewable bioenergy can contribute to combined or separate heat and/or power production. It can be produced on farm land in short rotation coppices (SRC), mostly with poplars and willows. Such plantations have a high tree number and short harvest cycles (3 to 6 years), reaching a total of 6000 ha in Germany. Agroforestry systems combine tree and crop exploitation on one field, offering the possibility to simultaneously produce energy wood and food products. Many authors report of the benefits of such combination, especially of the increase in productivity of both, the annual and perennial plants compared to a conventional cropping system with only trees or annual crops (Dupraz and Liagre, 2011). Other positive effects of such a system can be the prevention of wind erosion, the introduction of valuable landscape structures and raising biodiversity (Nair, 1993). However, little information can be found on the productivity of short rotation coppice in alley cropping systems. In 2008, such a system has been established with poplars near Brunswick in Lower Saxony. The border rows among the six rows of the SRC-strips are showing a faster growth than the middle rows, profiting possibly from a higher light availability. They have bigger stem diameters and after coppicing more shoots resprouting from the stool. Leeward rows can produce even more biomass than the windward rows, while no increase in ash content could be observed. Thus, short rotation coppice in agroforestry can be more productive than extensive plantations of SRC, especially due to the higher proportion of side rows contributing to sustainable energy wood production