Acceptance and Motivational Impact of the Organic Certification System

In recent years the institutional framework of the organic certification system has step by step become a more formal and state run system. Our research shows that al-though the majority of the farmers accept the system, they are not convinced of its cost-benefit relationship. Farmers prefer a more association- and advice-oriented control of the organic certification process

Institutional Change and Acceptance of Quality Assurance: The Case of Organic Farming in Germany

The institutional framework of the certification scheme is a crucial factor for the future success of the organic market. Increasing complexity and a few scandals indicate that the current control structures might be insufficient. A better understanding of farmers’ attitudes is necessary to increase acceptance and to guarantee the longer-term success of the organic certification system. Against this background we designed a theoretical framework based on a cognitive perspective. The empirical basis of the study was a survey conducted with organic farmers in Germany. Results highlight that the majority of the farmers accept the present organic certification system, but are not convinced of its cost-benefit relationship.organic certification system, food quality, institutional change, guidelines and control, Farm Management, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing,

Audit risk factors in certification: How can risk-oriented audits improve the quality of certification standards?

Over the past few years, certification standards have become increasingly relevant for the agribusiness sector. Substantial parts of the value chain are already certified by standards such as QS, IFS or EurepGap. It is not known, however, whether these approaches can actually ensure a high quality control. This article is based on the analysis of the data base of the QSsystem with more than 72,000 companies involved. It tries to deduce some first empirically rich hypotheses about the connection between auditing quality and the institutional framing of the certification.certification, quality assurance, risk oriented auditing approach, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

2. Dresdner Bildungsbericht 2014

Der vorliegende 2. Dresdner Bildungsbericht beschreibt anhand von genauen und zuverlässigen Daten die Entwicklung der Dresdner Bildungslandschaft in den unterschiedlichen Stadtteilen und Bevölkerungsgruppen. Durch den Vergleich zum 1. Bildungsbericht von 2012 wird er zu einem wichtigen Instrument der Weiterentwicklung einzelner Sozialraume und die Grundlage für gezielte politische Steuerung.(DIPF/Orig.

1. Dresdner Bildungsbericht 2012

Der 1. Dresdner Bildungsbericht vermittelt einen grundlegenden Überblick über die kommunale Bildungslandschaft. Er stellt (1) die verschiedenen Bildungsbereiche auf einer neutralen, datenbasierten Grundlage (Fakten) dar und zeigt (2) die übergreifend wahrgenommenen Stärken sowie die bestehenden Herausforderungen auf. Auf dieser Grundlage werden anschließend (3) zukünftige Handlungsfelder beschrieben. (DIPF/Orig.

Acute complexin knockout abates spontaneous and evoked transmitter release

SNARE-mediated synaptic vesicle (SV) fusion is controlled by multiple regulatory proteins that determine neurotransmitter release efficiency. Complexins are essential SNARE regulators whose mode of action is unclear, as available evidence indicates positive SV fusion facilitation and negative 'fusion clamp'-like activities, with the latter occurring only in certain contexts. Because these contradictory findings likely originate in part from different experimental perturbation strategies, we attempted to resolve them by examining a conditional complexin-knockout mouse line as the most stringent genetic perturbation model available. We found that acute complexin loss after synaptogenesis in autaptic and mass-cultured hippocampal neurons reduces SV fusion probability and thus abates the rates of spontaneous, synchronous, asynchronous, and delayed transmitter release but does not affect SV priming or cause 'unclamping' of spontaneous SV fusion. Thus, complexins act as facilitators of SV fusion but are dispensable for 'fusion clamping' in mammalian forebrain neurons

Nährstoffdynamik auf Niedermoorstandorten im Naturschutzgebiet Ohre-Drömling unter dem Aspekt differenzierter extensiver Bewirtschaftungsvarianten

Im Naturpark Drömling ergeben sich aus dem Verschlechterungsverbot des FFH- Lebensraumtyps LRT 6510 „Magere Flachlandmähwiesen“ und der Wiedervernässung Zielkonflikte zum Erhalt des für ein Niedermoor typischen Torfkörpers. Es sollen Strategien zur optimalen Bewirtschaftung dieses Standorttyps entwickelt werden. Dabei ist zu gewährleisten, dass der Hauptvorfluter Ohre (ein Nebenfluss der Elbe) nicht zusätzlich mit Nährstoffen belastet wird, da er für die Trinkwasserversorgung des Großraumes Magdeburg genutzt wird. Es wurden auf zwei Standorten differenzierte Dünge- und Bewirtschaftungsstufen eingerichtet. Boden, Bodenwasser und pflanzliche Biomasse wurden auf Makronährstoffe untersucht