Optimierte Anwendung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln zur Regulierung des Kartoffelkäfers (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) im Ökologischen Landbau

The Colorado Potato Beetle is one of the most important pests of potatoes. The effect of various plant protection products based on neem (NeemAzal-T/S), pyrethrum/rape oil (Spruzit Neu) and Bacillus thuringiensis - B.t.t. (Novodor FC) against this pest has been compared in a field experiment from 2004 until 2006. The combined application of neem and B.t.t.-product have reduced the number of Colorado Potato Beetle larvae as well as the losses of plant material by feed of the beetle larvae significantly. In three years of field experiments the application of pyrethrum/rape oil has shown no significant effect to reduce the number of Colorado Potato Beetles

Creating a model Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system within the flour milling industry

Foodborne illnesses and diseases have been a major concern to the food industry worldwide. Foodborne illnesses are caused by several disease-causing germs that have contaminated food. Researchers have identified over 250 foodborne diseases. Most of them are infectious, caused by various bacteria; and parasites. Chemicals and harmful toxins are other factors that can contaminate food and cause foodborne illnesses. The top viruses that cause foodborne illnesses in the US are norovirus, salmonella, clostridium perfringens, campylobacter, and staphylococcus aureus (staph). Some germs do not cause as many illnesses. However, when they do, they have a higher risk of causing individuals to end up hospitalized. Those viruses include Clostridium botulinum (botulism), listeria, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and vibrio (Hedberg, 1999). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they estimate that 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 get hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year (FDA 2022). The purpose of this study is to show how the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system has been proven to be effective in the food industry. It is a food safety tool that manages the hazards associated with food production plants and farm-to-table within the past three decades, the U.S. government agencies have issued a succession of regulations that require a HACCP plan development for certain types of foods. The HACCP plan system is a proactive control approach and is globally accepted for manufacturers to prevent recalls and outbreaks, along with reducing financial losses (Gillion 2005)

Hashtag Usage in a Geographically-Local Microblogging App

This paper studies for the first time the usage and propagation of hashtags in a new and fundamentally different type of social media that is i) without profiles and ii) location-based to only show nearby posted content. Our study is based on analyzing the mobile-only Jodel microblogging app, which has an established user base in several European countries and Saudi Arabia. All posts are user to user anonymous (i.e., no displayed user handles) and are only displayed in the proximity of the user's location (up to 20 km). It thereby forms local communities and opens the question of how information propagates within and between these communities. We tackle this question by applying established metrics for Twitter hashtags to a ground-truth data set of Jodel posts within Germany that spans three years. We find the usage of hashtags in Jodel to differ from Twitter; despite embracing local communication in its design, Jodel hashtags are mostly used country-wide

Power Training Improves the Sensorimotor Cortical Oscillations in Youth with Cerebral Palsy

Background: Our magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging studies have shown that youth with cerebral palsy (CP) demonstrate altered sensorimotor beta (18-24Hz) cortical oscillations when controlling their leg motor actions and these anomalous cortical oscillations are linked with the extent of their mobility impairments. Current therapeutic trends for improving mobility have shifted from strength training to high-velocity power training, which has shown improvements in isokinetic strength, power production and mobility of youth with CP. However, no studies have assessed whether these clinically relevant improvements are linked with changes in the sensorimotor cortical oscillations. The objective of this study was to utilize MEG brain imaging to examine the potential changes in sensorimotor cortical oscillations following power training. Methods: Youth with CP (N=11; Age=15.9 ±1.1yrs; GMFCS I-III) and neurotypical controls (NT) (N=16; Age=14.6 ±0.8yrs) were recruited to participate in this study. The youth with CP underwent 24 high-velocity leg press power training sessions that were performed on a Total Gym® sled. Pre-Post bilateral leg press 1-repetition maximum (1RM) and peak power production were used to assess the muscular performance changes. The 1-minute walk was used to assess mobility changes. During MEG recordings, participants used their right leg to complete a goal-directed isometric target-matching task. Advanced beamforming methods were subsequently used to image the strength of the sensorimotor beta oscillatory power. The NTs only underwent the baseline MEG assessment. Results: Youth with CP increased their 1RM (Pre=158.3 ±24.7kg, Post=247.5 ±41.5kg, p\u3c0.01), and peak power production (Pre=509.9 ±64.7W, Post=677.1 ±113.3W, p=0.04). Participants with CP also improved their 1-minute walk (Pre=77.4 ±9.2m, Post=80.8 ±8.4m, p = 0.02). The beta sensorimotor cortical oscillations in the leg region were stronger in the youth with CP prior to training compared with the NTs (CP=-25.9±1.8%; NT=-17.2±3.6%, p=0.04). However, the youth with CP had a reduction in the strength of the beta oscillations after undergoing the power training (pre=-25.9 ±1.8%, post=-14.8 ±3.6%, p=0.02), and the strength of the oscillations was not significantly different from the NTs after training (p=0.68). Lastly, the peak power production after training was tightly linked with the strength of the post-therapy sensorimotor cortical oscillations (r=0.79, p=0.03). Conclusion: Power training appears to improve the neural generators that control the leg motor actions, and these neuroplastic changes partly contribute to improvements in the peak power production of youth with CP. Potentially, power training might provide the key therapeutic ingredients for complementary muscular and neurological plastic change.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/chri_forum/1001/thumbnail.jp

A powerful mitochondria-targeted iron chelator affords high photoprotection against solar ultraviolet A radiation

Mitochondria are the principal destination for labile iron, making these organelles particularly susceptible to oxidative damage on exposure to ultraviolet A (UVA, 320–400 nm), the oxidizing component of sunlight. The labile iron-mediated oxidative damage caused by UVA to mitochondria leads to necrotic cell death via adenosine triphosphate depletion. Therefore, targeted removal of mitochondrial labile iron via highly specific tools from these organelles may be an effective approach to protect the skin cells against the harmful effects of UVA. In this work, we designed a mitochondria-targeted hexadentate (tricatechol-based) iron chelator linked to mitochondria-homing SS-like peptides. The photoprotective potential of this compound against UVA-induced oxidative damage and cell death was evaluated in cultured primary skin fibroblasts. Our results show that this compound provides unprecedented protection against UVA-induced mitochondrial damage, adenosine triphosphate depletion, and the ensuing necrotic cell death in skin fibroblasts, and this effect is fully related to its potent iron-chelating property in the organelle. This mitochondria-targeted iron chelator has therefore promising potential for skin photoprotection against the deleterious effects of the UVA component of sunlight

Dual selective iron chelating probes for the monitoring of mitochondrial labile iron pools

Mitochondria-targeted peptides incorporating dual fluorescent and selective iron chelators have been designed as novel biosensors for the mitochondrial labile iron pool.</p

Die Wahrnehmung von Leistungen direktabsetzender Betriebe des ökologischen Landbaus durch Verbraucher

In a holistic approach customers were asked in qualitative interviews about their perception of organic farms which run their own shops. Besides the organic quality they like the competent service, the traditional look and details. They regard the farms shops as pleasant. Many customers visit the farm and animals. Other consumers living near the farm like a wide range of products contact to their neighbourhood and exchange information. The seasonal fluctuations in supply are accepted. Most customers, though different in age and motivation, are aware of ecological and health topics. Customers praise the good taste, the real freshness and good quality. In a second series of Interviews customers of organic shops were asked to define the farm shop related meaning of the word “atmosphere”. They regard it as the classical idyllic small farm agriculture