Bedeutung der Megaherbivoren-Beweidung für die Renaturierung artenreicher Feuchtgrünländer auf ehemaligen Ackerflächen

Species-rich wet grasslands in floodplains are on focus of European nature conservation policy. However, since the seventies of the last century large areas with grasslands in floodplains have been meliorated, ploughed and used for intensive cropping in Germany. Therefore, restoration strategies for large-scale conversion of former arable land into species-rich grasslands and integration into a long-term sustainable land use regime are needed. Dealing with large areas in restoration projects causes high costs which often exceed the possibilities of NGO’s or other stakeholders. Aiming to develop and implement new cost-efficient strategies for restoration and long-term management of wetlands on former arable land local NGO’s and the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences started a co-operation within a project in a heavily degraded floodplain in the Elbe river valley. Up to now, more than 40 ha former arable land was successively bought and immediately grazed by large herbivores (Heck-cattle and Przewalski-horses). The local farmers apply a year-round grazing regime without additional feeding and low stocking density. Scientific evaluation of the project progress and experiments with different re-vegetation variants (natural recovery, hay transfer, seeding of commercial seed mixture) revealed the following results: (1) on former arable land immediate grazing with large herbivores without additional feeding is possible and leads to a successive development of typical grassland communities with low nutrient status, (2) integration of old pastures into the grazing system enhances colonization of native grassland species alongside animal tracks, (3) seeding of a commercial seed mixture impedes the colonization of native grassland species, (4) transfer of species-rich hay accelerates the colonization rate of several grassland species, and (5) highest cover of target species was found on regularly wet sites. Therefore, we conclude that grazing with large herbivores proved to be successful in converting former arable land into species-rich grasslands. Nevertheless, rising of the groundwater table is most important for further development of species-rich wet grasslands in the Wulfener Bruch.Artenreiche Feuchtgrünländer stehen stark im Fokus europäischer Naturschutzstrategien. Dennoch wurden auch in Deutschland, insbesondere in den 70er Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts, viele dieser Feuchtgrünländer durch Meliorationsmaßnahmen, Umbruch oder intensivste Grünlandnutzung zerstört oder degradiert. Es werden jetzt dringend Renaturierungsstrategien benötigt, die eine großflächige Umwandlung und nachhaltige Landnutzung dieser ehemaligen Ackerflächen in artenreiche Grünlandbestände gewährleisten können. Diese großflächigen Renaturierungsvorhaben überschreiten jedoch häufig die finanziellen Möglichkeiten von Naturschutzorganisationen oder anderen Interessensgruppen, so dass Methoden entwickelt und getestet werden müssen, die effektiv und dennoch kosteneffizient sind. Zusammen mit dem vor Ort aktiven Naturschutzbund initiierte die Hochschule Anhalt (FH) ein Projekt, um solche ehemaligen Ackerflächen in den Auenbereichen der Elbe wieder in artenreiches Grünland umzuwandeln und langfristig zu sichern. Mittlerweile konnten über 40 ha ehemalige Ackerflächen erworben und unverzüglich in ein Beweidungssystem mit Heckrindern und Przewalski-Pferden integriert werden. Durch die Bewirtschafter wird eine extensive Ganzjahresbeweidung ohne Zufütterung umgesetzt. Auf Basis der wissenschaftlichen Begleitung dieses Beweidungsprojektes und der Durchführung von verschiedenen Versuchsvarianten zur erfolgreichen Begrünung der Flächen (Spontanentwicklung, Mahdgutübertrag, Ansaat einer kommerziellen Regelsaatgutmischung) können mittlerweile folgende Ergebnisse belegt werden: (1) durch die extensive Beweidung mit Megaherbivoren unter dem Verzicht auf eine Zufütterung können auf ehemaligen Ackerflächen erfolgreich standorttypische Grünlandgesellschaften mit einem vergleichsweise niedrigen Nährstoffstatus entwickelt werden, (2) die Integration bereits bestehender artenreicher Grünländer in das Beweidungssystem fördert die schnelle Etablierung von Zielarten, insbesondere entlang der Hauptweidepfade, (3) eine Ansaat von herkömmlichen Regelsaatgutmischungen behindert die Etablierung standorttypischer Grünlandarten, (4) durch Mahdgutüberträge wird die Etablierungsrate verschiedener Zielarten erhöht, (5) am erfolgreichsten ist die Etablierung der Zielarten auf den bereits ganzjährig nassen Standorten. Die extensive Ganzjahresbeweidung mit Megaherbivoren ist folglich eine geeignete Methode für die Renaturierung artenreicher Grünlandbestände auf ehemals intensiv ackerbaulich genutzten Flächen. Es wird jedoch auch deutlich, dass neben der Beweidung die Anhebung der Grundwasserstände enorm wichtig für die positive Entwicklung dieser Grünlandbestände im Wulfener Bruch ist

Postpartum Ketosis Treatments – Propylene Glycol, Dextrose, or Both?

In a controlled study of early lactation hyperketonemic cows (defined as BHB concentrations in blood of 1.2 mmol/L and greater), we compared the effects of drenching with PG alone, intravenous dextrose alone, or both in combination, to an untreated control group. Results of this study showed that the combined treatment with dextrose and PG lowered BHB concentrations to the greatest extent during the treatment period compared with dextrose or PG alone. The increase in glucose and insulin concentrations due to intravenous dextrose was short-lived, as was the decrease in NEFA concentrations. Difference in the effects of the treatments on health outcomes, intakes, and milk production could not be described due to the small sample size and short duration of the study. Follow-up studies of a larger scale are planned to compare disease and production effects for these parameters and to assess the economic cost and benefit of each treatment strategy

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Fecal Escherichia coli Isolates in Dairy Cows Following Systemic Treatment with Ceftiofur or Penicillin

The existence of resistance mechanisms of bacteria against the action of antimicrobial drugs is a well documented fact and has complicated treatment of bacterial disease since the beginning of antimicrobial therapy in the last century. Drug resistance is a problem of veterinary and human medicine alike, especially when considering infections with food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella. Fecal E. coli isolates were used as a model to measure the effect of treating dairy cows systemically with ceftiofur on antimicrobial resistance of this important pathogen. Ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin, is an attractive treatment for certain diseases in dairy cattle such as metritis and interdigital necrobacillosis since withholding times for meat are short and milk does not need to be withheld from marketing. Third-generation cephalosporins are also used in human medicine, for example in the treatment of systemic non-typhoidal salmonellosis in children. Therefore, the emergence and spread of resistance towards this class of antimicrobials has been a focus of concern. Effects of ceftiofur treatment on a group of cattle were compared to a penicillin treated group and a healthy control group not receiving treatment. Reduction of susceptibility of E. coli was tested for ampicillin, tetracycline and three different concentrations of ceftiofur. A significant decrease in the concentration of fecal E. coli on days 2 and 7 post-treatment was detected in animals treated with ceftiofur. Treatment did not have a significant effect on the proportion of isolates expressing reduced susceptibility to ceftiofur. The result of the reduction of total E. coli count in the samples during and after ceftiofur use is consistent with results reported by other authors. The large number of isolates analyzed provided a high possibility of detecting major effects of ceftiofur treatment on E. coli susceptibility. However we did not observe a net increase in reduced susceptible E. coli isolates with the exception of decreased tetracycline susceptibility in the ceftiofur treated group on day 2. The results of this work lead to the conclusion that the emergence and spread of resistance-encoding genes in a bacterial population under the influence of ceftiofur are rare and that the effect could not be measured even though we were able to draw information on a large number of isolates analyzed compared to other investigations previously published on this topic. The results are applicable to commercial dairy herds with typical antimicrobial treatment practices comparable to those used in the US, including prior use of ceftiofur for treating individual sick animals

Supplemental Tables for The effect of heat treatment on colostral and newborn calf redox status and oxylipid biomarkers

Supplemental files for the publication The effect of heat treatment on colostral and newborn calf redox status and oxylipid biomarker

Evaluation de l'exposition professionnelle aux ultraviolets chez les travailleurs du bâtiment de la région valaisanne: une étude mandatée par l'Etat du Valais

Une exposition excessive, intermittente ou chronique, au rayonnement ultraviolet solaire est à l'origine de la majorité des cancers de la peau chez l'homme. L'augmentation de l'irradiation solaire au sol en raison de la pollution anthropique, l'élévation du niveau de vie (vacances dans des régions de forte irradiation) et le développement des activités de plein air contribuent à une augmentation de l'exposition. Ce n'est donc pas un hasard si, de tous les cancers, ce sont les cancers de la peau qui connaissent le plus fort taux de croissance (en terme de cas diagnostiqués). L'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer l'exposition individuelle aux ultraviolets chez les travailleurs en extérieur et de caractériser l'influence des facteurs individuels (posture, orientation par rapport au soleil) sur l'exposition effective. Des mesures d'exposition individuelle par dosimétrie UV ont été effectuées chez des travailleurs du bâtiment à trois niveaux d'altitude dans le canton du Valais.L'activité posturale et les conditions d'exposition durant les périodes de mesure ont par ailleurs été relevées. L'exposition mesurée lors de journées ensoleillées est importante. La dose journalière obtenue dépasse largement les limites d'exposition recommandées pour des peaux non protégées, justifiant pleinement l'emploi systématique de mesures préventives. Pour ces raisons, des campagnes ciblées, par le canal professionnel, chez les populations de travailleurs à risque sont recommandées. De plus, en raison d'un risque d'exposition subaiguë accru, les populations à risque devraient bénéficier d'un dépistage systématisé. [Auteurs]]]> Occupational Exposure ; Radiation Injuries ; Skin Neoplasms ; Ultraviolet Rays oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_B8AA106B58C9 2022-05-07T01:25:45Z openaire documents urnserval <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_B8AA106B58C9 Biomarker of food intake for assessing the consumption of dairy and egg products. info:doi:10.1186/s12263-018-0615-5 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1186/s12263-018-0615-5 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/30279743 Münger, L.H. Garcia-Aloy, M. Vázquez-Fresno, R. Gille, D. Rosana, ARR Passerini, A. Soria-Florido, M.T. Pimentel, G. Sajed, T. Wishart, D.S. Andres Lacueva, C. Vergères, G. Praticò, G. info:eu-repo/semantics/review article 2018 Genes &amp; nutrition, vol. 13, pp. 26 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/1555-8932 urn:issn:1555-8932 <![CDATA[Dairy and egg products constitute an important part of Western diets as they represent an excellent source of high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats. Dairy and egg products are highly diverse and their associations with a range of nutritional and health outcomes are therefore heterogeneous. Such associations are also often weak or debated due to the difficulty in establishing correct assessments of dietary intake. Therefore, in order to better characterize associations between the consumption of these foods and health outcomes, it is important to identify reliable biomarkers of their intake. Biomarkers of food intake (BFIs) provide an accurate measure of intake, which is independent of the memory and sincerity of the subjects as well as of their knowledge about the consumed foods. We have, therefore, conducted a systematic search of the scientific literature to evaluate the current status of potential BFIs for dairy products and BFIs for egg products commonly consumed in Europe. Strikingly, only a limited number of compounds have been reported as markers for the intake of these products and none of them have been sufficiently validated. A series of challenges hinders the identification and validation of BFI for dairy and egg products, in particular, the heterogeneous composition of these foods and the lack of specificity of the markers identified so far. Further studies are, therefore, necessary to validate these compounds and to discover new candidate BFIs. Untargeted metabolomic strategies may allow the identification of novel biomarkers, which, when taken separately or in combination, could be used to assess the intake of dairy and egg products

Heat treatment of bovine colostrum: II. Effects on calf serum immunoglobulin, insulin, and IGF-I concentrations, and the serum proteome.

In-depth analysis of colostrum components has identified hundreds of proteins, but data are sparse regarding their systemic uptake in the newborn calf. Moreover, heat treatment may influence these colostral components and their absorption. Our objectives were to describe the serum proteome of newborn calves before and after colostrum feeding and the possible effects of colostral heat treatment. Newborn Holstein heifer calves (n = 22) were randomized within pair and fed heat-treated (n = 11; 60°C, 60 min) or raw (n = 11) colostrum at 8.5% of birth body weight by esophageal feeder within 1 h of birth. After the single colostrum feeding, calves were not fed until after the 8-h time point, when milk was offered free-choice. Blood samples were taken immediately before feeding (0 h), as well as 4, 8, and 24 h after feeding. Whole blood packed cell volume (%), serum Brix percentage, and plasma glucose concentrations were determined for all time points. Plasma insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay for selected time points. Serum IgA and IgG were measured by radial immunodiffusion at 24 h. The serum proteome was analyzed using nano-scale reverse-phase chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (nano LC-MS/MS) in 0- and 8-h samples. For proteomics analysis, ratios of results for 8-h to 0-h samples were analyzed with false discovery rate adjustment. For all other outcomes, repeated-measures ANOVA was performed with the fixed effects of group, time, and their interaction, and random effect of pair. Serum Brix percentage and glucose concentrations increased over time and were independent of colostrum treatment. Serum IgG and IgA concentrations at 24 h did not differ between groups. Nano LC-MS/MS identified a total of 663 unique proteins in serum, of which 261 increased in abundance, whereas 67 decreased in abundance after feeding in both groups. Among serum proteins that increased in abundance and that were previously identified in colostrum, many belonged to those involved in immune response, coagulation, the classical complement pathway, or the antimicrobial peptide class of cathelicidins. Serum proteins that decreased in abundance and that were identified in colostrum belonged to the alternative complement pathway and the membrane attack complex. Thirty-eight proteins differed in calves that were fed heat-treated colostrum compared with those fed raw colostrum. Decreased abundances in calves fed heat-treated colostrum included several enzymes involved in glycolysis or glycogenolysis, whereas the incretin gastric inhibitory polypeptide and serum insulin were increased in this group. Our findings point to important innate immune defense pathways associated with colostrum ingestion in newborn calves. Furthermore, calves fed heat-treated colostrum showed differences in serum proteins and enzymes associated with carbohydrate metabolism

Corticosteroids reverse cytokine-induced block of survival and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a frequent complication of preterm delivery. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) released from astrocytes and microglia activated by infection or ischemia have previously been shown to impair survival and maturation of oligodendrocyte progenitors and could thus be considered as potential factors contributing to the generation of this disease. The first goal of the present study was to investigate whether exposure of oligodendrocyte precursors to these cytokines arrests the maturation of ion currents in parallel to its effects on myelin proteins and morphological maturation. Secondly, in the search for agents, that can protect differentiating oligodendrocyte precursor cells from cytokine-induced damage we investigated effects of coapplications of corticosteroids with proinflammatory cytokines on the subsequent survival and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To exclude influences from factors released from other cell types purified cultures of oligodendrocyte precursors were exposed to cytokines and/or steroids and allowed to differentiate for further 6 days in culture. Changes in membrane surface were investigated with capacitance recordings and Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy. Na⁺- and K⁺- currents were investigated using whole cell patch clamp recordings. The expression of myelin specific proteins was investigated using western blots and the precursor cells were identified using immunostaining with A2B5 antibodies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Surviving IFN-γ and TNF-α treated cells continued to maintain voltage-activated Na⁺- and K⁺currents characteristic for the immature cells after 6 days in differentiation medium. Corticosterone, dihydrocorticosterone and, most prominently dexamethasone, counteracted the deleterious effects of IFN-γ and TNF-α on cell survival, A2B5-immunostaining and expression of myelin basic protein. The most potent corticosteroid tested, dexamethasone, was shown to counteract cytokine effects on membrane surface extension and capacitance. Furthermore, coapplication of dexamethasone blocked the cytokine-induced downregulation of the inwardly rectifying potassium current in 80% of the precursor cells and restored the cytokine-blocked down-regulation of the voltage activated Na⁺- and K⁺currents during subsequent differentiation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results show that treatment of oligodendrocyte precursors with the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ block the differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors at the level of the differentiation of the voltage-gated ion currents. Co-treatment with corticosteroids at the time of cytokine application restores to a considerable extent survival and differentiation of oligodendrocytes at the level of morphological, myelin protein as well as ion current maturation suggesting the option for a functional restoration of cytokine-damaged immature oligodendrocytes.</p

Feeding disadvantaged children during the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus crisis has shone a light on pre-existing social, economic and health inequalities. This article examines what has been done to support children who rely on free school meals and holiday clubs to access healthy, nutritious food

White and Grey Matter Abnormalities in Autism Align with Verbal Ability

This whole-brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) analyzed white and grey matter concentrations, shape differences, and brain microstructure in 20 adolescents with ASD and 10 neurotypical controls. Evidence for significant group-related differences was found in nine regions, most associated with language processing, including the precentral gyrus, the anterior cingulate, the operculum, superior frontal, and superior temporal gyri. An additional analysis revealed that lower scores from a standardized measure of receptive verbal ability correlated with reduced white matter in the arcuate and uncinate fascicles, inthalamo-frontal and thalamo-cerebellar connections, and in interhemispheric connections passing through the callosal sections I and V. Our findings point to distinct neurological subgroups in ASD which align with the level of verbal ability

Kompetent in den höheren vermessungstechnischen Verwaltungsdienst - Ein akzentuierter Rückblick auf die wissenschaftliche Ausbildung am KIT

Die Bologna-Reform manifestiert im Rahmen der universitären Ausbildung die Fokussierung auf Lernziele und Kompetenzen, wodurch beispielsweise eine verbesserte Vergleichbarkeit von Studienleistungen ermöglicht wird. Hochschulabsolvent_innen eröffnen sich nach dem Studienabschluss weite und dynamische Berufsfelder; so kann der Berufsweg auch in den höheren Verwaltungsdienst führen. Basierend auf den Output-orientierten Studiengängen „Geodäsie und Geoinformatik“ am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie wird in diesem Beitrag von Absolvent_ innen und Wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiter_innen erörtert, welche studiumsbezogenen Faktoren den Einstieg in den Vorbereitungsdienst für die Laufbahn des höheren vermessungstechnischen Verwaltungsdienstes erleichtern und welche Schlüsse daraus für die universitäre Ausbildung gezogen werden können