Vergelijking N-bemestingsadviezen en N-wetgeving tussen een aantal EU-landen

Studie naar de verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen bemestingsadviezen en N-wetgeving tussen een aantal landen. De studie beperkte zich tot Vlaanderen (VL), Denemarken (DK), Duitsland (DL) en Frankrijk (FR) en tot de grote akkerbouwgewassen in Nederland (NL

Differentiatie stikstofbemestingsadviezen; Eerste verkenning bij het gewas maïs

In het Vierde Actieprogramma van de Nitraatrichtlijn wordt o.a. ingezet op innovaties om op melkveehouderij- en akker- en tuinbouwbedrijven de stikstofverliezen verder te verminderen. Eén van de opties is om stikstofbemestingsadviezen, daar waar mogelijk, te differentiëren naar groei- en bodemomstandigheden. In 2010 is een project gestart met als doel een verkenning van de mogelijkheden voor differentiatie van het stikstofbemestingsadvies bij het gewas maïs. Hierbij is gekeken naar zowel de landbouwkundige als milieukundige aspecten van differentiatie van het N-bemestingsadvies. Er is nagegaan op basis van welke factoren differentiatie zinvol is en in welke mate de optimale N-bemesting daarvan afhangt. Gekozen is voor het gewas maïs omdat dit een groot uitspoelingsgevoelig gewas is op zandgrond waar de uitspoelingsproblematiek het grootst is

Differentiatie stikstofbemestingsadviezen. Verkenning bij het gewas consumptieaardappel.

In het Vierde Actieprogramma van de Nitraatrichtlijn wordt o.a. ingezet op innovaties om op melkveehouderij- en akker- en tuinbouwbedrijven de stikstofverliezen verder te verminderen. Eén van de opties is om stikstofbemestingsadviezen, daar waar mogelijk, te differentiëren naar groei- en bodemomstandigheden. In 2010 is een project gestart met als doel een verkenning van de mogelijkheden voor differentiatie van het stikstofbemestingsadvies op basis van opbrengstniveau en N-leverend vermogen van de bodem bij het gewas maïs. In 2011 is gekeken naar de mogelijkheden bij het gewas consumptieaardappel. Dit rapport doet hiervan verslag van de analyse bij consumptieaardappelen. In de studie is gebruik gemaakt van een dataset van 32 N-trappenproeven met consumptieaardappelen die in het verleden zijn uitgevoerd. Het betrof 18 en 14 proeven op respectievelijk zand- en lössgrond

Evidence for local dendritic cell activation in pulmonary sarcoidosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease characterized by a seemingly exaggerated immune response against a difficult to discern antigen. Dendritic cells (DCs) are pivotal antigen presenting cells thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis. Paradoxically, decreased DC immune reactivity was reported in blood samples from pulmonary sarcoidosis patients. However, functional data on lung DCs in sarcoidosis are lacking. We hypothesized that at the site of disease DCs are mature, immunocompetent and involved in granuloma formation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) and blood from newly diagnosed, untreated pulmonary sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls using 9-color flowcytometry. DCs, isolated from BAL using flowcytometric sorting (mDCs) or cultured from monocytes (mo-DCs), were functionally assessed in a mixed leukocyte reaction with naïve allogeneic CD4+ T cells. Using Immunohistochemistry, location and activation status of CD11c⁺DCs was assessed in mucosal airway biopsies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>mDCs in BAL, but not in blood, from sarcoidosis patients were increased in number when compared with mDCs from healthy controls. mDCs purified from BAL of sarcoidosis patients induced T cell proliferation and differentiation and did not show diminished immune reactivity. Mo-DCs from patients induced increased TNFα release in co-cultures with naïve allogeneic CD4⁺T cells. Finally, immunohistochemical analyses revealed increased numbers of mature CD86⁺DCs in granuloma-containing airway mucosal biopsies from sarcoidosis patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Taken together, these finding implicate increased local DC activation in granuloma formation or maintenance in pulmonary sarcoidosis.</p

Communion by extension : discrepancies between policy and practice

The growing practice of Communion by Extension was given formal authorisation by the Church of England General Synod in 2000 with the expectation that it would be used in particular circumstances, including explicitly the rural multi-church benefice. This paper reviews the historical origins of the practice of Communion by Extension and clarifies the intentions of the authorisation given in 2000. Then the intentions of the 2000 authorisation are compared and contrasted with current parochial practice within one English diocese. Considerable divergence is found. Five main themes are identified and discussed: the relationship between worship and mission; the pressures on clerical time; sacramental self-sufficiency; the value given to familiarity; and the choice between reservation and congregationalism

Assessment of conjunctival, episcleral and scleral thickness in healthy individuals using anterior segment optical coherence tomography

Purpose: To determine the thickness of the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera in healthy individuals using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).Methods: We prospectively included 107 healthy individuals of different age groups (18-39 years, 40-54 years, 55-69 years and &gt;= 70 years). For each eye, AS-OCT scans of four quadrants (temporal, nasal, superior and inferior) were acquired. The thickness of the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera was measured for each scan. In addition, the axial length of both eyes was measured, and general characteristics, including smoking, allergies and contact lens use, were collected.Results: The mean conjunctival thickness was significantly different between the nasal and superior quadrants (87 +/- 30 mu m vs. 77 +/- 16 mu m; p &lt; 0.001), as well as the superior and inferior quadrants (77 +/- 16 mu m vs. 86 +/- 19 mu m; p = 0.001). The mean episcleral thickness was larger in the superior (174 +/- 54 mu m) and inferior (141 +/- 43 mu m) quadrants, compared to the nasal (83 +/- 38 mu m) and temporal quadrants (90 +/- 44 mu m). The mean scleral thickness of the inferior quadrant was the largest (596 +/- 64 mu m), followed by the nasal (567 +/- 76 mu m), temporal (516 +/- 67 mu m) and superior (467 +/- 52 mu m) quadrants (all p &lt; 0.001). The averaged scleral thickness increased 0.96 mu m per age year (0.41-1.47 mu m, p &lt; 0.001).Conclusions: This study provides an assessment of the thickness of scleral and adjacent superficial layers in healthy individuals determined on AS-OCT, which could enable future research into the use of AS-OCT in diseases affecting the anterior eye wall

Assessment of conjunctival, episcleral and scleral thickness in healthy individuals using anterior segment optical coherence tomography

Purpose: To determine the thickness of the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera in healthy individuals using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).Methods: We prospectively included 107 healthy individuals of different age groups (18-39 years, 40-54 years, 55-69 years and &gt;= 70 years). For each eye, AS-OCT scans of four quadrants (temporal, nasal, superior and inferior) were acquired. The thickness of the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera was measured for each scan. In addition, the axial length of both eyes was measured, and general characteristics, including smoking, allergies and contact lens use, were collected.Results: The mean conjunctival thickness was significantly different between the nasal and superior quadrants (87 +/- 30 mu m vs. 77 +/- 16 mu m; p &lt; 0.001), as well as the superior and inferior quadrants (77 +/- 16 mu m vs. 86 +/- 19 mu m; p = 0.001). The mean episcleral thickness was larger in the superior (174 +/- 54 mu m) and inferior (141 +/- 43 mu m) quadrants, compared to the nasal (83 +/- 38 mu m) and temporal quadrants (90 +/- 44 mu m). The mean scleral thickness of the inferior quadrant was the largest (596 +/- 64 mu m), followed by the nasal (567 +/- 76 mu m), temporal (516 +/- 67 mu m) and superior (467 +/- 52 mu m) quadrants (all p &lt; 0.001). The averaged scleral thickness increased 0.96 mu m per age year (0.41-1.47 mu m, p &lt; 0.001).Conclusions: This study provides an assessment of the thickness of scleral and adjacent superficial layers in healthy individuals determined on AS-OCT, which could enable future research into the use of AS-OCT in diseases affecting the anterior eye wall

Nitrogen input on organic amendments alters the pattern of soil–microbe-plant co-dependence

The challenges of nitrogen (N) management in agricultural fields include minimizing N losses while maximizing profitability and soil health. Crop residues can alter N and carbon (C) cycle processes in the soil and modulate the responses of the subsequent crop and soil– microbe-plant interactions. Here, we aim to understand how organic amendments with low and high C/N ratio, combined or not with mineral N may change soil bacterial community and their activity in the soil. Organic amendments with different C/N ratios were combined or not with N fertilization as follows: i) unamended soil (control), ii) grass clover silage (GC; low C/N ratio), and iii) wheat straw (WS; high C/N ratio). The organic amendments modulated the bacterial community assemblage and increased microbial activity. WS amendment had the strongest effects on hot water extractable carbon, microbial biomass N and soil respiration, which were linked with changes in bacterial community composition compared with GC-amended and unamended soil. By contrast, N transformation processes in the soil were more pronounced in GC-amended and unamended soil than in WS-amended soil. These responses were stronger in the presence of mineral N input. WS amendment induced greater N immobilization in the soil, even with mineral N input, impairing crop development. Interestingly, N input in unamended soil altered the co-dependence between the soil and the bacterial community to favor a new co-dependence among the soil, plant and microbial activity. In GC-amended soil, N fertilization shifted the dependence of the crop plant from the bacterial community to soil characteristics. Finally, the combined N input with WS amendment (organic carbon input) placed microbial activity at the center of the interrelationships between the bacterial community, plant, and soil. This emphasizes the crucial importance of microorganisms in the functioning of agroecosystems. To achieve higher yields in crops managed with various organic amendments, it is essential to incorporate mineral N management practices. This becomes particularly crucial when the soil amendments have a high C/N ratio