8 research outputs found
Laying hen husbandry: group size and use of hen-runs
With regard to welfare reasons, various label productions limit the number of laying hens allowed per flock. The question arose whether the group size has an influence on the use of laying hen runs
„Daß dies zu etwas Gutem führt, kann niemand sich vorstellen“: Die dystopischen Zukünfte der Reproduktionsmedizin und der Aufstieg der Bioethik
Fortschritte auf dem Terrain der Gen- und Reproduktionstechnologien werden regelmäßig von öffentlichen Deutungskämpfen flankiert, in denen Zukunftsbezüge in Gestalt technologischer Utopien und Dystopien Konjunktur haben – vom Unsterblichkeitsversprechen auf der einen bis zum Untergang der Menschheit auf der anderen Seite. Prototypisch zeigten sich solche Zukunftsvisionen in den im Beitrag untersuchten Debatten um die Reproduktionstechnologie der In-vitro-Fertilisation (IVF), die in den 1980er Jahren in den Printmedien in der BRD geführt wurden. Mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse wurden eine Reihe privilegierter Gegenstände identifiziert, an denen die Konstruktion dieser polarisierten Zukünfte ansetzte. Herausgearbeitet wurde zudem, mithilfe welcher Narrative, Metaphern und literarischen Referenzen die – vor allem dystopischen – Zukunftsszenarien produziert wurden. Darüber hinaus zeigt der Beitrag, welche Konsequenzen diese „gegenwärtigen Zukünfte“ hatten, wie sie also die „zukünftige Gegenwart“ geprägt haben. Aus dem Bündel rekonstruierbarer Folgen dieser Auseinandersetzungen wird vor allem eine Konsequenz herausgegriffen, die im Zusammenhang mit der weiteren Produktion und Zirkulation von Zukunftsszenarien zentral ist: Die Institutionalisierung einer professionellen Bioethik in der BRD. Als Reaktion auf die Verschränkung kultur- und kapitalismuskritischer Dystopien in den massenmedialen Debatten und auf eigenen Zukunftsszenarien zweiter und dritter Stufe fußend, etablierte sich diese Bioethik als von Politik, Medizin und Wissenschaft getragene Instanz der Entwicklung und Bewertung von Zukünften, die qua Rationalisierung dem unkontrollierten „Wuchern der Diskurse“ über die technologische Zukunft Einhalt gebieten sollte und zur Disziplinierung reproduktiver Zukünfte in den Debatten über die neuen Reproduktionstechnologien führte
Recommended from our members
Der Publikationsfonds für Open-Access-Monografien Brandenburg - der erste seiner Art auf Bundeslandebene
Seit Herbst 2021 steht Angehörigen der acht Hochschulen des Landes Brandenburg ein landesweiter Publikationsfonds für Open-Access-Monografien zur Verfügung. Dieser wird vom Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur Brandenburg (MWFK) bereitgestellt, von der Vernetzungs- und Kompetenzstelle Open Access Brandenburg (VuK) koordiniert und gemeinsam mit der AG Publikationsfonds für Open-Access-Monografien Brandenburg weiterentwickelt.
Im Poster werden Förderziele und -kriterien sowie der Workflow zwischen Autor:innen, VuK, Bibliotheken und Verlagen dargestellt. Zusätzlich gibt das Poster einen zahlenmäßigen Überblick zur bisherigen Nutzung des Fonds und stellt Herausforderungen und Erfahrungen aus einem Jahr Publikationsfonds-Betrieb dar (Stand Juni 2022).
Gestaltung: Nora Ancheva, https://www.togettr.d
The maize cytochrome P450 CYP79A61 produces phenylacetaldoxime and indole-3-acetaldoxime in heterologous systems and might contribute to plant defense and auxin formation
Exhaled nitric oxide in healthy children: Variability and a lack of correlation with atopy
Effects of paddock management on vegetation, nutrient accumulation, and internal parasites in laying hens
Management of paddocks for free-range layers requires an effort from farmers to minimize the adverse effects of these systems on animal health (e.g., parasites) and environment (e.g., nutrient accumulation and leaching). In this study, we report results from 2 on-farm experiments conducted to investigate (1) the effects of rotational versus continuous use of the paddocks and (2) the effects of wood chips in the area close to the pop holes (openings to the paddock) with regard to turf quality, nutrient load in the soil, and parasite infections. Rotational use of the hen paddocks led to a lower proportion of bare soil close to the house, but not in more distant regions. Covering the area in front of the house with wood chips did not reduce bare areas. Nitrogen and phosphorous contents in soil were similar in permanently and rotationally used paddocks; they were usually higher close to the house than in distant regions. Neither nutrient accumulated over the observation period. There was no significant effect of the 2 management regimens on worm burdens (Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum, Capillaria spp.) at the end of the laying period. Fecal egg counts were significantly reduced on rotationally used paddocks and (in 3 of 4 cases) on paddocks with wood chips in the area close to the pop holes compared with unmanaged paddocks. Based on the positive effects on turf quality, manageability, and helminth egg excretion, we recommend rotational paddock management and a permanently used, small all-weather run covered with wood chips or gravel for free-range layer flocks
Dual guidance structure for evaluation of patients with unclear diagnosis in centers for rare diseases (ZSE-DUO): study protocol for a controlled multi-center cohort study
Background: In individuals suffering from a rare disease the diagnostic process and the confirmation of a final diagnosis often extends over many years. Factors contributing to delayed diagnosis include health care professionals' limited knowledge of rare diseases and frequent (co-)occurrence of mental disorders that may complicate and delay the diagnostic process. The ZSE-DUO study aims to assess the benefits of a combination of a physician focusing on somatic aspects with a mental health expert working side by side as a tandem in the diagnostic process. Study design: This multi-center, prospective controlled study has a two-phase cohort design. Methods: Two cohorts of 682 patients each are sequentially recruited from 11 university-based German Centers for Rare Diseases (CRD): the standard care cohort (control, somatic expertise only) and the innovative care cohort (experimental, combined somatic and mental health expertise). Individuals aged 12 years and older presenting with symptoms and signs which are not explained by current diagnoses will be included. Data will be collected prior to the first visit to the CRD's outpatient clinic (T0), at the first visit (T1) and 12 months thereafter (T2). Outcomes: Primary outcome is the percentage of patients with one or more confirmed diagnoses covering the symptomatic spectrum presented. Sample size is calculated to detect a 10 percent increase from 30% in standard care to 40% in the innovative dual expert cohort. Secondary outcomes are (a) time to diagnosis/diagnoses explaining the symptomatology; (b) proportion of patients successfully referred from CRD to standard care; (c) costs of diagnosis including incremental cost effectiveness ratios; (d) predictive value of screening instruments administered at T0 to identify patients with mental disorders; (e) patients' quality of life and evaluation of care; and f) physicians' satisfaction with the innovative care approach. Conclusions: This is the first multi-center study to investigate the effects of a mental health specialist working in tandem with a somatic expert physician in CRDs. If this innovative approach proves successful, it will be made available on a larger scale nationally and promoted internationally. In the best case, ZSE-DUO can significantly shorten the time to diagnosis for a suspected rare disease
Sunlight exposure exerts immunomodulatory effects to reduce multiple sclerosis severity
Multiple sclerosis (MS) disease risk is associated with reduced sunexposure. This study assessed the relationship between measures of sun exposure (vitamin D [vitD], latitude) and MS severity in the setting of two multicenter cohort studies (n(NationMS) = 946, n(BIONAT) = 990). Additionally, effect-modification by medication and photosensitivity-associated MC1R variants was assessed. High serum vitD was associated with a reduced MS severity score (MSSS), reduced risk for relapses, and lower disability accumulation over time. Low latitude was associated with higher vitD, lower MSSS, fewer gadolinium-enhancing lesions, and lower disability accumulation. The association of latitude with disability was lacking in IFN-beta-treated patients. In carriers of MC1R:rs1805008(T), who reported increased sensitivity toward sunlight, lower latitude was associated with higher MRI activity, whereas for noncarriers there was less MRI activity at lower latitudes. In a further exploratory approach, the effect of ultraviolet (UV)-phototherapy on the transcriptome of immune cells of MS patients was assessed using samples from an earlier study. Phototherapy induced a vitD and type I IFN signature that was most apparent in monocytes but that could also be detected in B and T cells. In summary, our study suggests benefidal effects of sun exposure on established MS, as demonstrated by a correlative network between the three factors: Latitude, vitD, and disease severity. However, sun exposure might be detrimental for photosensitive patients. Furthermore, a direct induction of type I IFNs through sun exposure could be another mechanism of UV-mediated immune-modulation in MS