Marching To Peace

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Themenbezogenes Netzwerk: Rinder-, Schweine- und Hühnerzucht im ökologischen Landbau

Das Netzwerk arbeitete in Form von tierartbezogenen Arbeitsgruppen, die ihre Ergebnisse in Workshops diskutieren. Koordiniert wurden die Fachgruppen von ausgewiesenen Experten; die administrative Koordination übernahm die Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft. Es wurden 7 Workshops mit insgesamt 100 Teilnehmern organisiert. Das Netzwerk tauschte Praxiserfahrungen und Forschungsergebnisse zur Tierzucht aus, definierte Zuchtziele und erarbeitete den Handlungsbedarf in der Rinder-, Schweine- und Hühnerzucht für den Ökologischen Landbau. Bisher werden im Biolandbau bei allen Tierarten weitgehend die gleichen Rassen und Linien und damit die gleiche Genetik gehalten wie in der konventionellen Landwirtschaft. Aus ethischen Gründen und wegen der abweichenden Haltungs- und Fütterungsbedingungen ist langfristig eine Tierzucht für die ökologische Landwirtschaft erforderlich. Da mit extensiven Formen der konventionellen Tierhaltung (Legehennen-Freilandhaltung, Grundfutterbetonte Fütterung von Milchvieh in Grünlandgebieten, Schweinmast auf Stroh) Übereinstimmung bei wesentlichen Zuchtzielen erreicht werden kann, sind entsprechende Kooperationen erforderlich. Viel versprechende Arbeitsansätze für Praxis und Wissenschaft wurden identifiziert: - In der Rinderzucht: Zucht auf Lebensleistung, Weiterentwicklung und Ausdehnung des ÖZW, Förderung der einzelbetrieblichen Handlungsebene in der Züchtung. - In der Hühnerzucht Kooperation mit Zuchtunternehmen zur Anpassung bestimmter Hybridlinien an die Anforderungen des ökologischen Landbaus, Leistungsprüfung für verschiedene Hybrid-Herkünfte, Screening von Rassegeflügel in Feld- und Stationsprüfungen unter Öko-Bedingungen, Entwicklung von Zuchtprogrammen für bäuerliche Rassezucht. - In der Schweinezucht Prüfung verschiedener Genotypen unter richtlinienkonformen Bedingungen und exemplarische Kooperationen mit regionalen Züchtervereinigungen zur partiellen Anpassung ihrer Zuchtarbeit an die Anforderungen der ökologischen und artgerechten Schweinehaltung. - Schließlich ist die Bewertung von Züchtungstechniken wie Künstliche Besamung, Embryotransfer, in-vitro-Fertilisation und Marker gestützte Selektion, die in den Richtlinien für Ökologischen Landbau kritisch beurteilt oder ausgeschlossen sind, anhand transparenter Kriterien erforderlich

Innovative Nitrogen and Carbon Removal

The aerobic systems have been the most widely biological treatment used for municipal and industrial wastewater but show serious problem with sludge sedimentation, high energy demand and microbial inhibition. On the other hand, the anaerobic digestion (AD) of wastewater is considered the best alternative to remove the organic compounds and to recover energy via methane production. Nevertheless, AD has a problem: the treatment of industrial wastewater with high organic nitrogen content reaches high free ammonia (NH3) concentrations due to the protein degradation. NH3 inhibits the methanogenic process and is toxic to the environment, and then, it must be removed before its final disposition. Several physicochemical processes have been evaluated for the recovery or/and treatment of ammonium from wastewater. The most frequent treatments are gas stripping and magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation. These methods are effective, but they are very expensive compared to biological treatments. Moreover, these techniques usually require more power consumption than the biological process. The technologies based on partial nitrification and Anammox (PN‐A) are the ones with better performance. Thus, this chapter mainly focuses on biological processes based on AD, denitrification and PN‐A for the removal of carbon and nitrogen from industrial wastewater with recovery of energy and water

Could thioredoxin h be involved in early response to gravitropic stimulation of poplar stems?

The perception of gravity is essential for plant development. Trees constantly develop specialized woody tissues, termed « reaction wood » to correct inclined branch and stem growth in order to adopt an optimal position. Despite the economical impact of reaction wood occurrence and itsimportance from a developmental point of view, the perception and response to the gravitational stimulus have not been extensively studied in woody species in which primary and secondary growth occur. Using complementary approaches (proteomics, qRT-PCR, immunolocalization), we have compared straight polar stems to stems that were inclined at 35° from the vertical axis for periods of time varying from 10 min to 6 hours depending on the experiments. The proteomics approach revealed that thirty six percent of the identified proteins that were differentially expressed after gravistimulation were established as potential Thioredoxin targets. qRT-PCR indicated an early induction of Thioredoxin h expression following gravistimulation. In situ immunolocalization indicated that Thioredoxin h protein co-localized with the amyloplasts located in the endodermalcells which may be specialized in gravity perception. These investigations suggest the involvement of Thioredoxin h in the first events of signal transduction in inclined poplar stems, leading to reaction wood formation

Light Nuclei near Neutron and Proton Drip Lines in the Relativistic Mean-Field Theory

We have made a detailed study of the ground-state properties of nuclei in the light mass region with atomic numbers Z=10-22 in the framework of the relativistic mean-field (RMF) theory. The nonlinear $\sigma\omega$ model with scalar self-interaction has been employed. The RMF calculations have been performed in an axially deformed configuration using the force NL-SH. We have considered nuclei about the stability line as well as those close to proton and neutron drip lines. It is shown that the RMF results provide a good agreement with the available empirical data. The RMF predictions also show a reasonably good agreement with those of the mass models. It is observed that nuclei in this mass region are found to possess strong deformations and exhibit shape changes all along the isotopic chains. The phenomenon of the shape coexistence is found to persist near the stability line as well as near the drip lines. It is shown that the magic number N=28 is quenched strongly, thus enabling the corresponding nuclei to assume strong deformations. Nuclei near the neutron and proton drip lines in this region are also shown to be strongly deformed.Comment: 49 pages Latex, 12 postscript figures, to appear in Nuclear Physics

CB1 Agonism Alters Addiction-Related Behaviors in Mice Lacking Mu or Delta Opioid Receptors

Opioids are powerful analgesics but the clinical utility of these compounds is reduced by aversive outcomes, including the development of affective and substance use disorders. Opioid systems do not function in isolation so understanding how these interact with other neuropharmacological systems could lead to novel therapeutics that minimize withdrawal, tolerance, and emotional dysregulation. The cannabinoid system is an obvious candidate as anatomical, pharmacological, and behavioral studies point to opioid-cannabinoid interactions in the mediation of these processes. The aim of our study is to uncover the role of specific cannabinoid and opioid receptors in addiction-related behaviors, specifically nociception, withdrawal, anxiety, and depression. To do so, we tested the effects of a selective CB1 agonist, arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide (ACEA), on mouse behavior in tail immersion, naloxone-precipitated withdrawal, light-dark, and splash tests. We examined cannabinoid-opioid interactions in these tests by comparing responses of wildtype (WT) mice to mutant lines lacking either Mu or Delta opioid receptors. ACEA, both acute or repeated injections, had no effect on nociceptive thresholds in WT or Mu knockout (KO) mice suggesting that analgesic properties of CB1 agonists may be restricted to chronic pain conditions. The opioid antagonist, naloxone, induced similar levels of withdrawal in all three genotypes following ACEA treatment, confirming an opioidergic contribution to cannabinoid withdrawal. Anxiety-like responses in the light-dark test were similar across WT and KO lines; neither acute nor repeated ACEA injections modified this behavior. Similarly, administration of the Delta opioid receptor antagonist, naltrindole, alone or in combination with ACEA, did not alter responses of WT mice in the light-dark test. Thus, there may be a dissociation in the effect of pharmacological blockade vs. genetic deletion of Delta opioid receptors on anxiety-like behavior in mice. Finally, our study revealed a biphasic effect of ACEA on depressive-like behavior in the splash test, with a prodepressive state induced by acute exposure, followed by a shift to an anti-depressive state with repeated injections. The initial pro-depressive effect of ACEA was absent in Mu KO mice. In sum, our findings confirm interactions between opioid and cannabinoid systems in withdrawal and reveal reduced depressive-like symptoms with repeated CB1 receptor activation

LIVING BIOMASS SUPPORTED ON A NATURAL-FIBER BIOFILTER FOR LEAD REMOVAL

Living biomass biofilters constitute an excellent alternative for heavy metal bioremediation. In situ biomass and exopolysaccharides production involve a crucial advantage over other bioremediation alternatives such as lignocellulosic biomass-based materials. In this study, a biofilm-forming bacterium was isolated from an ambient exposed to heavy metals. Bacterial biomass was inoculated on a biofilter packed with Furcraea andina fibers. The goal was to develop a continuous low-cost biofilter to remove low-to-moderate concentrations of Pb2+. Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics were determined for the fibers and the biofilm developed on the fibers. Biofilm presence had positive effects on the maximum adsorption capacity and the process kinetics. Biofilters packed with 20 g of F. andina fibers, with and without living biomass biofilm, were evaluated under continuous inflow of Pb2+ (325mg/day) at a concentration of 50 mg/L. The best results were obtained with the biofilm- fiber biofilter where total adsorption on Pb2+ were observed for 72 h. Maximum absorption capacity was 48.75 mg/g at pH=7

Improvement of nitrate and nitrite reduction rates prediction

Reported models of denitrification rates integrate in an unique parameter the pH-dependent inhibition by HNO2 and the pH effect on the bacterial metabolic activity; furthermore, they do not quantify separately the pH effect on the nitrate and on the nitrite reduction rates. The goal of this work was to quantify both effects on the kinetics of nitrate and nitrite reduction to improve the models' predictive value. Assays were performed at a pH range of 6.5-9.0 in batch reactors at 37\ubaC with an activated sludge. At the studied pH range and at below the HNO2 inhibitory concentration (0.004 mg L-1), the maximum nitrate reduction rate diminished 23% and 50% by decreasing or increasing, respectively, one pH unit from 8.0. The maximum nitrite reduction at pH 8.0 diminished 15% at pH 7.0 and 40% at pH 9.0. At HNO2 concentrations over the inhibitory concentration, except at pH > 8.0, the maximum nitrate reduction rate diminished 50% upon decreasing the pH from 8.0 to 7.0 or increasing it from 8.0 to 9.0. Inclusion of the pH effect in the reported models improved their predictive value; average deviations from the experimental data were reduced from 53% to 10.7% or 33.8% to 10.5% for nitrite and nitrate reduction rates, respectively

Carbon Isotopes Near Drip Lines in the Relativistic Mean-Field Theory

We have investigated the ground-state properties of carbon isotopes in the framework of the relativistic mean-field (RMF) theory. RMF calculations have been performed with the non-linear scalar self-coupling of the $\sigma$ meson using an axially symmetric deformed configuration. We have also introduced the vector self-coupling of the $\omega$ meson for the deformed mean-field calculations. The results show that the RMF predictions on radii and deformations are in good agreement with the available experimental data. It is shown that several carbon isotopes possess a highly deformed shape akin to a superdeformation. The single-particle structure of nuclei away from the stability line has been discussed with a view to understand the properties near the neutron drip line. Predictions of properties of carbon isotopes away from the stability line are made.Comment: Revtex, 29 pages, 11 postscript figures include