Sexualization of Children or Human Rights? Attitudes Toward Addressing Sexual-Orientation Diversity in School

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents are more likely to experience mental health problems than their heterosexual peers because they are victimized more often or fear discrimination. Governmental plans to improve this situation by addressing sexual diversity in German schools have been accompanied by public resistance and misinformation, e.g., that they aim to sexualize children. The present study assessed how widespread negative attitudes toward such plans really are and how they can be explained. A random sample of 2,013 German residents was surveyed by phone. Only 10% opposed promoting acceptance of LGB in school. Approval of such plans was predominantly predicted by respondents’ beliefs about sexual orientation and the plans’ aim, and only marginally by societal values. Respondents who knew that the plans’ aim was to promote acceptance of LGB and not to sexualize children and that children with same-sex parents are just as well off as those with heterosexual parents showed higher approval, whereas respondents who believed that homosexuality is affected by socialization showed higher opposition.Peer Reviewe

Dynamic variation of the microbial community structure during the long-time mono-fermentation of maize and sugar beet silage

This study investigated the development of the microbial community during a long-term (337 days) anaerobic digestion of maize and sugar beet silage, two feedstocks that significantly differ in their chemical composition. For the characterization of the microbial dynamics, the community profiling method terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) in combination with a cloning-sequencing approach was applied. Our results revealed a specific adaptation of the microbial community to the supplied feedstocks. Based on the high amount of complex compounds, the anaerobic conversion rate of maize silage was slightly lower compared with the sugar beet silage. It was demonstrated that members from the phylum Bacteroidetes are mainly involved in the degradation of low molecular weight substances such as sugar, ethanol and acetate, the main compounds of the sugar beet silage. It was further shown that species of the genus Methanosaeta are highly sensitive against sudden stress situations such as a strong decrease in the ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) concentration or a drop of the pH value. In both cases, a functional compensation by members of the genera Methanoculleus and/or Methanosarcina was detected. However, the overall biomass conversion of both feedstocks proceeded efficiently as a steady state between acid production and consumption was recorded, which further resulted in an equal biogas yield.DFG, KL 2069/3-

Verbesserung der Euter- und Stoffwechselgesundheit in der ökologischen Milchviehhaltung durch interdisziplinär entwickelte betriebsindividuelle Interventionsmaßnahmen Interventionsstudie in Deutschland

A nationwide interdisciplinary intervention study in 106 German organic dairy farms was carried out in order to develop preventive animal health management strategies for mastitis and metabolic disorders and to implement and validate this concept. After an initial farm visit focusing on the health situation and the potential risk factors includ-ing housing, herd management, feeding and forage production, individual evidence-based advice was provided by the project team. Intervention measures to improve herd health were implemented and their effectiveness was monitored for two years. Udder health regarding milk somatic cell count and treatment incidence for mastitis improved significantly, whereas the percentage of dry-off-treatments with antibiotics and internal teat-sealers increased significantly. Considering indicators of metabolic health, there was an improvement in treatment incidence of milk fever and ketosis, but the percentage of cows with a fat-protein-ratio above 1.5 in the first 100 days in milk -as indication of subclinical ketosis- did not change

Stoffwechselbelastungen zu Laktationsbeginn und ihr Einfluss auf die Eutergesundheit in ökologisch wirtschaftenden Milchviehbetrieben

As a part of the study „Health and performance of dairy cows in organic farming from an interdisciplinary point of view – an (intervention-) study on metabolic disorders and mastitis with regard to forage production, feeding management and husbandry practices” different udder health and metabolic parameters were determined in 106 dairy farms in Germany between January 2008 and April 2010. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare udder health and metabolic data in dry period and early lactation within the scope of a preliminary analysis. The analysis shows that relations exist between disturbances of the metabolism health and the udder health. Significant correlations between ketosis and hypocalcämia and udder health make clear that their control is vital for animal health management in organic dairy farms

Risiken und Chancen der Stoffwechsel- und Eutergesundheit im Zeitraum der Trockenperiode und der Frühlaktation in ökologisch wirtschaftenden Milchviehbetrieben

As a part of the study 'Health and performance of dairy cows in organic farming from an interdisciplinary point of view 13 an (intervention-) study on metabolic disorders and mastitis with regard to forage production, feeding management and husbandry practices' different udder health and metabolic variables were determined in 106 dairy farms in Germany between January 2008 and April 2010. The objective of this study was to evaluate udder health risks and metabolic risks in dry period and early lactation. Udder health and metabolic situation were similar to conventional dairy farms. Identified risks for metabolic health and udder health lay in the feeding area (homogenous feeding without a huge variation in body condition in lactation and dry period) and in the dry period therapy

Status quo der Tiergesundheitssituation in der ökologischen Milchviehhaltung in Deutschland - Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen bundesweiten Felderhebung

Die ökologische Tierhaltung hat das zentrale Anliegen, über vorbeugende Maßnahmen die Tiergesundheit zu erhalten und den Einsatz allopathischer Tierarzneimittel auf ein Mindestmaß zu reduzieren. Erkrankungskomplexe wie Eutergesundheits- und Stoffwechselstörungen sowie klinische Lahmheiten spielen jedoch auch in der ökologischen Milchviehhaltung eine große Rolle. Im Rahmen des Bundesprogramms Ökologischer Landbau wurde aus diesem Grund ein interdisziplinär angelegtes Projekt initiiert, das sich Fragen der Tiergesundheit in der ökologischen Milchviehhaltung widmet. Im Mittelpunkt dieser Interventionsstudie steht eine bundesweite Felderhebung mit insgesamt 106 ökologisch wirtschaftenden Milchviehbetrieben, die zum Ziel hat, anhand einer repräsentativen Praxiserhebung eine Datengrundlage für die Entwicklung einzelbetrieblicher Handlungsempfehlungen zu schaffen sowie deren Effektivität im Hinblick auf eine Verbesserung der Tiergesundheitssituation zu überprüfen. Hierfür fanden vier Betriebsbesuche in einer Praxisphase von zwei Jahren statt. Als Basis dienen ausgewählte Indikatoren der Euter- und Stoffwechselgesundheit sowie diesbezügliche Einflussfaktoren aus Haltungsumwelt, Herdenführung, Fütterung und Futterbau. Dieser Beitrag bietet einen Überblick über die Tiergesundheitssituation der Betriebe im Verlauf der 2-jährigen Praxisphase. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse belegen erneut die Bedeutung von (Euter- und Stoffwechsel-) Gesundheitsstörungen in der Praxis der ökologischen Milchviehhaltung. Die Größenordnungen lagen im Bereich von Angaben für konventionelle Milchviehbetriebe. Es besteht in allen Bereichen Optimierungsbedarf; gleichzeitig zeigt die große Variabilität zwischen den einzelnen Betrieben die auch unter Praxisbedingungen des ökologischen Landbaus vorhandenen Ausgestaltungsspielräume auf. Erste Auswertungen ergaben eine weitgehende Umsetzung der betriebsindividuellen Handlungsempfehlungen. Ein Jahr nach der Implementierung konnte eine nominelle Verbesserung der Tiergesundheitsindikatoren festgestellt werden. Ob sich diese Entwicklung der Tiergesundheitssituation im Projektverlauf auch statistisch absichern lässt (z. B. nominaler Rückgang der mittleren Inzidenz von Mastitisbehandlungen), ist Gegenstand der abschließenden Effektivitätskontrolle. Diese wird auch berücksichtigen, inwiefern in den entsprechenden Herdengesundheitsbereichen Handlungsempfehlungen ausgesprochen wurden bzw. ob Veränderungen auf die Umsetzung der einzelbetrieblichen Handlungsempfehlungen oder aber auf andere Faktoren wie z.B. jahresbedingte Schwankungen zurückzuführen sind

Intergroup contact and social change: Implications of negative and positive contact for collective action in advantaged and disadvantaged groups

Previous research has shown that (1) positive intergroup contact with an advantaged group can discourage collective action among disadvantaged-group members and (2) positive intergroup contact can encourage advantaged-group members to take action on behalf of disadvantaged outgroups. Two studies investigated the effects of negative as well as positive intergroup contact. Study 1 (N = 482) found that negative but not positive contact with heterosexual people was associated with sexual-minority students’ engagement in collective action (via group identification and perceived discrimination). Among heterosexual students, positive and negative contact were associated with, respectively, more and less LGB activism. Study 2 (N = 1,469) found that only negative contact (via perceived discrimination) predicted LGBT students’ collective action intentions longitudinally while only positive contact predicted heterosexual/cisgender students’ LGBT activism. Implications for the relationship between intergroup contact, collective action, and social change are discussed

Comparison of long-term mortality risk following normal exercise vs adenosine myocardial perfusion SPECT

A higher frequency of clinical events has been observed in patients undergoing pharmacological vs exercise myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). While this difference is attributed to greater age and co-morbidities, it is not known whether these tests also differ in prognostic ability among patients with similar clinical profiles. We assessed all-cause mortality rates in 6,069 patients, followed for 10.2 ± 1.7 years after undergoing exercise or adenosine SPECT. We employed propensity analysis to match exercise and adenosine subgroups by age, gender, symptoms, and coronary risk factors. Within our propensity-matched cohorts, adenosine patients had an annualized mortality rate event rates that was more than twice that of exercise patients (3.9% vs 1.6%, P < .0001). Differences in mortality persisted among age groups, including those <55 years old. In the exercise cohort, mortality was inversely related to exercise duration, with comparable mortality noted for patients exercising <3 min and those undergoing adenosine testing. Among patients with normal stress SPECT tests, those undergoing adenosine testing manifest a mortality rate that is substantially higher than that observed among adequately exercising patients, but comparable to that observed among very poorly exercising patients. This elevated risk underscores an important challenge for managing patients undergoing pharmacological stress testing