Erfolgreiche Bewältigung kognitiver Herausforderungen und ihre Konsequenzen auf ethologische und physiologische Parameter bei Schweinen (Sus scrofa domestika)

Moderne Intensivhaltungssysteme haben eine steigende Tendenz für Tiere mit technischen Ausstattungen, interagieren zu müssen. Hieraus ergeben sich kognitive Herausforderungen, die erfolgreich bewältigt werden müssen. Sie bieten das Potenzial, erfolgreiche Stressbewältigung als Ressource für positive Gefühle zu nutzen, um verbesserte psychische und physische Befindlichkeiten bei Tieren auszulösen, die Grundlage für Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden sind. Mit diesem Ziel wurde ein computergesteuertes Fütterungssystem entwickelt, bei dem Schweine individuell über ein komplexes akustisches und operantes Konditionierungsparadigma belohnt wurden. Untersucht wurden die Auswirkungen auf ethologische und physiologische Parameter.Modern intensive husbandry systems have an increasing tendency for animals to interact with technical equipment. The cognitive challenges resulting out of this must be mastered successfully. They offer the potential of successful coping as a resource for positive feelings to be of use to release improved psychic and physical conditions in animals, which are a basis for health and well-being. In order to achieve this goal a computer-controlled feeding system was developed where individual pigs out of group were food-rewarded by a complex acoustic and operant conditioning paradigm. The effects were examined for ethological and physiological parameters

On the situation of the Citrus Longhorned Beetle, Anoplophora chinensis, in the EU and the eradication strategies laid down in the Commission Decision 2008/840/EC with special focus on the monitoring

Für den Quarantäneschadorganismus Citrus-Bockkäfer (Anoplophora chinensis, Forster) sind in der EU seit dem Jahr 2008 Notmaßnahmen zur Bekämpfung in Kraft, die in der Kommissionsentscheidung 2008/840/EG niedergelegt sind. Ein wesentliches Element ist dabei die jähr­liche Erhebung zu einem möglichen Auftreten in den Mitgliedstaaten der EU. Aktuell existiert lediglich in Italien ein etablierter Freilandbefall, nachdem kleinere Aus­brüche in Frankreich und den Niederlanden ausgerottet werden konnten. Der Beitrag gibt eine Übersicht über die Auftretens- und Nachweissituation von A. chinensis in der EU sowie zu den Erhebungsergebnissen seit dem Jahr 2008.    The quarantine organism Citrus Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis, Forster) is regulated in the Commission Decision 2008/840/EC since 2008. An essential element of the Decision is a monitoring concerning the possible occurrence which has to be carried out yearly in the EU-member states. Currently there is only one confirmed established outbreak which is located in Italy. Small outbreaks in France and in The Netherlands have been eradicated. The paper gives an overview on the occurrence and findings of A. chinensis in the EU as well as on the results of the monitoring carried out since 2008.   &nbsp

Schüler:innenfragen als Reflexionsstelle für fachliches Lernen im Sachunterricht?

Reflexion gilt in sachunterrichtsdidaktischen Kontexten als eine Kernkompetenz fachlichen Lernens (GDSU 2013). Dabei kann die Schüler:innenfrage im Sinne Deweys (1910 & 2018) als Umschlagstelle im Denkprozess und Reflexionsstelle fachlichen Lernens verstanden werden. Das Potenzial der Reflexion in der Fragenbearbeitung wird im Beitrag anhand einer Beobachtungsprotokollsequenz exemplarisch analysiert, die im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts FriSa (Fragen im inklusionsorientierten Sachunterricht) entstanden ist. Hierzu werden aus bestehenden Kriterienkatalogen abgeleitete Indikatoren hinzugezogen, die auf Reflexivität in der Fragenbearbeitung hinweisen. (DIPF/Orig.

Euphresco – the phytosanitary research network

Euphresco wurde als phytosanitäres ERA-Net von Forschungsmanagern in dem im 6. Forschungsrahmenprogramm der Europäischen Kommission initiierten ERA-Net-Schema gegründet. Seit 2014 funktioniert Euphresco als selbständiges Netzwerk ohne Förderung durch die Europäische Kommission mit derzeit 70 Partnern aus 50 Staaten. Die hauptsächliche Aufgabe von Euphresco ist die Initiierung transnationaler Forschungsprojekte zu phytosanitären Problemstellungen.Euphresco was established as a phytosanitary ERA-Net during the ERA-Net Scheme that was implemented during the 6. Research Framework Programme of the Euro­pean Commission. Since 2014, Euphresco runs as a self-sustainable network without funding through the European Commission with currently 70 partners from 50 states. Main task of Euphresco is the initiation of transnational projects on phytosanitary problems

Logical network of genotoxic stress-induced NF-κB signal transduction predicts putative target structures for therapeutic intervention strategies

Genotoxic stress is induced by a broad range of DNA-damaging agents and could lead to a variety of human diseases including cancer. DNA damage is also therapeutically induced for cancer treatment with the aim to eliminate tumor cells. However, the effectiveness of radio- and chemotherapy is strongly hampered by tumor cell resistance. A major reason for radio- and chemotherapeutic resistances is the simultaneous activation of cell survival pathways resulting in the activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). Here, we present a Boolean network model of the NF-κB signal transduction induced by genotoxic stress in epithelial cells. For the representation and analysis of the model, we used the formalism of logical interaction hypergraphs. Model reconstruction was based on a careful meta-analysis of published data. By calculating minimal intervention sets, we identified p53-induced protein with a death domain (PIDD), receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1), and protein inhibitor of activated STAT y (PIASy) as putative therapeutic targets to abrogate NF-κB activation resulting in apoptosis. Targeting these structures therapeutically may potentiate the effectiveness of radio-and chemotherapy. Thus, the presented model allows a better understanding of the signal transduction in tumor cells and provides candidates as new therapeutic target structures

Production of influenza virus-like particles by insect cells and removal of baculovirus from virus-like particles and other extracellular vesicles

Enveloped virus-like particles (eVLPs) are a complementary strategy for the manufacturing of vaccines against enveloped viruses. The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) in insect cells is an attractive and widely used platform for the expression of eVLPs. Inherent to this system is the co-expression of baculoviruses and other extracellular vesicles, which we could nicely demonstrate by high resolution electron microscopy on one of our expression supernatants (Figure 1). Such heterogenous sample mixtures pose a major bottleneck for effective downstream processing of insect cell-expressed enveloped virus-like particles. eVLPs, baculoviruses and extracellular vesicles are similar in size and share a lot of common surface properties which make chromatographic separation difficult. In addition, immune responses against baculoviruses have been reported in humans, therefore efficient removal is mandatory. Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the full abstract

The Consistency of Crossmodal Synchrony Perception across the Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Senses

Machulla T-K, Di Luca M, Ernst MO. The Consistency of Crossmodal Synchrony Perception across the Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Senses. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 2016;42(7):1026-1038

Non-communicating syringomyelia: a feature of spinal cord involvement in multiple sclerosis

In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) non-communicating syringomyelia (NCS) has been described as an incidental finding in case studies and small case series. NCS in MS patients commonly leads to uncertainty particularly as the clinical picture of NCS is variable and surgical therapy may be considered. Up to date little is known about the prevalence and clinical importance of NCS in MS. We report the imaging and clinical characteristics of NCS formations in nine MS patients from a 1 year follow-up study in a representative group of 202 MS (4.5%) patients. Brain and spinal cord MRI was performed as part of a genetic study. NCS did commonly extend the central canal and the cord was slightly distended at the level of the syrinx. The cord and syrinx showed no tendency to change in size or shape over 1 year. Despite thorough search into the clinical history and current clinical status no definite but only minimal indications of symptoms potentially related to the NCS were found. We confirm that NCS may occur in MS patients with spinal cord pathology. It can be a subtle finding without clinical correlates. Syrinx formations are more likely to be a consequence of MS cord pathology than a coincidental findin

Einmal begeistert, immer begeistert? Eine Experience-Sampling-Studie zur wahrgenommenen Unterrichtsqualität und Motivation von Schülerinnen und Schülern im Kunstunterricht

Zahlreiche Studien in der quantitativ-empirischen Unterrichtsforschung folgen zwar theoretisch der Angebots-Nutzungskonzeption unterrichtlicher Wirkungen, basieren jedoch auf retrospektiv erhobenen Unterrichtswahrnehmungen oder Beobachtungsdaten und können daher wenig Aussagen über das subjektive Erleben von Lernenden während des Unterrichts machen. Befunde zur intraindividuellen Varianz von wahrgenommener Unterrichtsqualität und Motivation im Unterricht sowie zu intraindividuellen Zusammenhängen würden helfen, unterrichtliche Wirkungen unter Angebots-Nutzungsperspektive noch besser zu verstehen. Dieses Desiderat aufgreifend wurden in vorliegender Studie Lernende mittels Experience-Sampling Methode zu mehreren Zeitpunkten im Verlauf zweier Doppelstunden Kunstunterricht zu ihrer Unterrichtsqualitätswahrnehmung und Motivation befragt. Darüber hinaus wurde die Erfüllung der Bedürfnisse nach Kompetenz und Autonomie als Indikatoren für die individuelle Nutzung des Angebots als potenzielle Mediatorvariablen erfragt. Auf Basis einer Stichprobe von 222 Lernenden aus 9 Klassen der 9. Jahrgangsstufe des Gymnasiums und der Integrierten Gesamtschule zeigten sich folgende Ergebnisse: 1) Der größte Teil der Varianz in den Einschätzungen aller Konstrukte der Lernenden lag zwischen den Zeitpunkten, gefolgt von der Varianz zwischen den Personen; zwischen den Klassen variierten die Einschätzungen kaum. 2) Es konnten charakteristische Verlaufsformen einiger erhobener Einschätzungen über die beiden Doppelstunden ermittelt werden. 3) Vor allem auf intraindividueller Ebene wurden neben direkten Effekten der Unterrichtswahrnehmungen auf die selbstbestimmte Motivation auch indirekte über die wahrgenommene Autonomieunterstützung sichtbar. Die Ergebnisse helfen zu verstehen, wie wahrgenommene Unterrichtsqualität, individuelle Nutzung (Erfüllung des Bedürfnisses nach Autonomie) und selbstbestimmte Motivation im Unterrichtsverlauf zusammenspielen und es wird diskutiert, welche weiterführenden Studien folgen sollten. (DIPF/Orig.)Numerous studies in quantitative-empirical classroom research theoretically follow the supply-use conception of instructional effects, but they are based on retrospectively assessed classroom perceptions or observational data and can therefore make few statements about the subjective experience of learners during instruction. Findings on intraindividual variances of classroom perceptions and motivation as well as on intraindividual relationships would help to better understand instructional effects from a supply-use perspective. In the present study, teaching perceptions and motivation were surveyed at several points in time in the course of two double lessons of art instruction using the experience-sampling method. Additionally, satisfaction of the needs for competence and autonomy were assessed as indicators for the individual use of the supplied instruction and potential mediator variable. Based on a sample of 222 learners from 9 classes of the 9th grade of the \u27Gymnasium\u27 and the \u27Integrierte Gesamtschule\u27, the following results emerged: 1) Most of the variance in the learners\u27 estimations was found between time points (within-level), followed by the variance between individuals (between-level); between classes, the assessments hardly varied (class level). 2) Characteristic courses of some elicited constructs across the two double lessons could be identified. 3) Particularly at the intraindividual level, indirect effects via perceived autonomy support became apparent in addition to direct effects of instructional perceptions on self-determined motivation. The results help to understand how perceptions of instructional quality, satisfaction of the need for autonomy (as indicator for the individual use of the supplied instruction) and self-determined motivation look like in the course of a double lesson and it is discussed which further studies should follow. (DIPF/Orig.

First insights into structure-function relationships of alkylglycerol monooxygenase

Alkylglycerol monooxygenase is a tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent enzyme that cleaves the O-alkyl-bond of alkylglycerols. It is an exceptionally unstable, hydrophobic membrane protein which has never been purified in active form. Recently, we were able to identify the sequence of alkylglycerol monooxygenase. TMEM195, the gene coding for alkylglycerol monooxygenase, belongs to the fatty acid hydroxylases, a family of integral membrane enzymes which have an 8-histidine motif crucial for catalysis. Mutation of each of these residues resulted in a complete loss of activity. We now extended the mutational analysis to another 25 residues and identified three further residues conserved throughout all members of the fatty acid hydroxylases which are essential for alkylglycerol monooxygenase activity. Furthermore, mutation of a specific glutamate resulted in an 18-fold decreased affinity of the protein to tetrahydrobiopterin, strongly indicating a potential important role in cofactor interaction. A glutamate residue in a comparable amino acid surrounding had already been shown to be responsible for tetrahydrobiopterin binding in the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Ab initio modelling of the enzyme yielded a structural model for the central part of alkylglycerol monooxygenase where all essential residues identified by mutational analysis are in close spatial vicinity, thereby defining the potential catalytic site of this enzym