Legehennen in einem mobilen Stallsystem - Auslaufnutzung und Flächenzustand -

The use of the free-range area by laying hens housed in a mobile system and the resulting condition of the range were investigated. The free-range was used very intensively. On an average of nine complete observation days 35 % of the birds (23 – 44 % means per day) were outside the house. The maximum of animals in the free range was 77 %. 75 % (60 – 95 %) of the hens outside the house stayed in an area of 20 m around the house. This led to deteriorated conditions of the range in these areas. By moving the mobile house regularly (after 2 weeks in summer and 6 weeks in winter) a destruction of the vegetation could be avoided, while after not moving the house for three months in winter a complementary seeding became necessary. We conclude that the use of mobile systems for poultry in conjunction with a regular change of position and sufficient area per animal can avoid destruction of the vegetation despite an intensive use of the free-range all year round

Legehennen in einem mobilen Stallsystem - Flächenmanagement und resultierende Stickstoffgehalte im Auslauf -

In the last years free range poultry was often criticised for its negative impacts on environment. As the animals do not use the run equally, a big part of the excreted nutrients are accumulated in the area close to the poultry house. This can lead to an increased rate of nutrient loss especially nitrogen by leaching. Within this study the use of a mobile housing system for 1.000 layers on an organic farm in North Hessia with a mean of 700 mm precipitation per year and an average of 8,9°C (soil texture: loam in the first, silt loam in the second year) was observed for two years. A documentation and optimization of the management and regular investigations into the contents of mineral nitrogen in all parts of the outdoor run were carried out. The aim of the study was to survey, if a well-balanced distribution of nutrients can be reached by moving the house within the free-range and which management is necessary for that. The results showed a better distribution of mineral nitrogen in the second year, when the house was moved in winter time every six weeks, while the contents were slightly less well-balanced, when it stayed at one position for three months in the first winter . In both years the highest amounts of mineral nitrogen in any part of the hen run with 37 and 24 mg / kg DM were much lower than the contents of up to 160 mg / kg DM close to stationary houses examined in other studies. The results of this study show that a well-balanced distribution of nutrients in free-ranges for poultry can be reached by using mobile housing systems combined with the right management

Wie viel Arbeit macht die Aufzucht von Ökologischen Junghennen? Arbeitwirtschaftlicher Vergleich der konventionellen und ökologischen Aufzucht von Legehennen

Organic pullets are reared with daylight and are not beak-trimmed. Therefore, certain provisions are needed in order to prevent feather-pecking and cannibalism. Respec-tive guidelines are set by the German Organic Associations. It was the goal of this study to investigate whether the higher rearing standards are associated with an increased labour demand compared to conventional rearing systems. Using a ques-tionnaire, data from 32 hen-houses (10 conventional and 6 organic barn systems, 10 conventional and 6 organic aviary systems) about duration and number of working procedures were collected and exemplary models calculated. Total labour demand was between 2.36 and 7.37 worker`s hours/100 pullets. It did not differ between or-ganic and conventional rearing when comparing similar flock sizes, but were partly differently allocated to the different working procedures. On average, organic farms had smaller flocks, and there was a large influence of flock size on labour demand with small houses requiring most labour per hen. Also aviaries were more labour demanding than barn systems, but were usually associated with higher flock sizes. Our results indicate that improved pullet rearing that allows the birds to perform their natural behaviour more completely, does not necessarily cause higher labour re-quirements

Verhaltensprobleme in alternativen Legehennenhaltungen

In alternativen Haltungssystemen für Legehennen stellen Federpicken und Kannibalismus große Probleme dar. Aus der Literatur und Praxis besteht der Hinweis, dass ungünstige Aufzuchtbedingungen Hauptrisikofaktoren für das Auftreten dieser Verhaltensstörungen während der Legeperiode darstellen könnten. Hypothesenkataloge mit möglichen Risikofaktoren für Federpicken und Kannibalismus wurden erstellt und durch Berater und Wissenschaftler bewertet

Junghennen - Arbeitszeitvergleich praxisüblicher Haltungsverfahren

Dieses KTBL-Heft informiert über den Arbeitszeitbedarf in der Junghennenhaltung. In Abhängigkeit vom Haltungssverfahren, der Bestandgröße und der Vermarktungsform für konventionell und ökologisch wirtschaftenden Betriebe wurden Arbeitszeitwerte in der Praxis erfasst und daraus auf der Basis von Modellrechnungen Arbeitszeitbedarfswerte abgeleitet. Die ermittelten Arbeitszeitbedarfswerte liefern Junghennenhaltern für Neu- und Umbaumaßnahmen Vergleichswerte und ermöglichen ihnen eine fundierte PLanung ihrer Arbeitskapazitäten

Phase III randomised trial comparing paclitaxel/carboplatin with paclitaxel/cisplatin in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a cooperative multinational trial

Background: The combination of paclitaxel with cisplatin or carboplatin has significant activity in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This phase III study of chemotherapy-naïve advanced NSCLC patients was designed to assess whether response rate in patients receiving a paclitaxel/carboplatin combination was similar to that in patients receiving a paclitaxel/cisplatin combination. Paclitaxel was given at a dose of 200 mg/m2 (3-h intravenous infusion) followed by either carboplatin at an AUC of 6 or cisplatin at a dose of 80 mg/m2, all repeated every 3 weeks. Survival, toxicity and quality of life were also compared. Patients and methods: Patients were randomised to receive one of the two combinations, stratified according to centre, performance status, disease stage and histology. The primary analyses of response rate and survival were carried out on response-evaluable patients. Survival was also analysed for all randomised patients. Toxicity analyses were carried out on all treated patients. Results: A total of 618 patients were randomised. The two treatment arms were well balanced with regard to gender (83% male), age (median 58 years), performance status (83% ECOG 0-1), stage (68% IV, 32% IIIB) and histology (38% squamous cell carcinoma). In the paclitaxel/carboplatin arm, 306 patients received a total of 1311 courses (median four courses, range 1-10 courses) while in the paclitaxel/cisplatin arm, 302 patients received a total of 1321 courses (median four courses, range 1-10 courses). In only 76% of courses, carboplatin was administered as planned at an AUC of 6, while in 96% of courses, cisplatin was given at the planned dose of 80 mg/m2. The response rate was 25% (70 of 279) in the paclitaxel/carboplatin arm and 28% (80 of 284) in the paclitaxel/cisplatin arm (P = 0.45). Responses were reviewed by an independent radiological committee. For all randomised patients, median survival was 8.5 months in the paclitaxel/carboplatin arm and 9.8 months in the paclitaxel/cisplatin arm [hazard ratio 1.20, 90% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.40]; the 1-year survival rates were 33% and 38%, respectively. On the same dataset, a survival update after 22 months of additional follow-up yielded a median survival of 8.2 months in the paclitaxel/carboplatin arm and 9.8 months in the paclitaxel/cisplatin arm (hazard ratio 1.22, 90% CI 1.06-1.40; P = 0.019); the 2-year survival rates were 9% and 15%, respectively. Excluding neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, which were more frequent in the paclitaxel/carboplatin arm, and nausea/vomiting and nephrotoxicity, which were more frequent in the paclitaxel/cisplatin arm, the rate of severe toxicities was generally low and comparable between the two arms. Overall quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30 and LC-13) was also similar between the two arms. Conclusions: This is the first trial comparing carboplatin and cisplatin in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Although paclitaxel/carboplatin yielded a similar response rate, the significantly longer median survival obtained with paclitaxel/cisplatin indicates that cisplatin-based chemotherapy should be the first treatment optio

Secondary zoonotic dog-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 suggested by timeline but refuted by viral genome sequencing

Purpose: The risk of secondary zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from pet animals remains unclear. Here, we report on a 44 year old Caucasian male presenting to our clinic with COVID-19 pneumonia, who reported that his dog displayed respiratory signs shortly prior to his infection. The dog tested real-time-PCR (RT-PCR) positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the timeline of events suggested a transmission from the dog to the patient. Methods: RT-PCR and serological assays were used to confirm SARS-CoV-2 infection in the nasopharyngeal tract in the dog and the patient. We performed SARS-CoV-2-targeted amplicon-based next generation sequencing of respiratory samples from the dog and patient for sequence comparisons. Results: SARS-CoV-2 infection of the dog was confirmed by three independent PCR-positive pharyngeal swabs and subsequent seroconversion. Sequence analysis identified two separate SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the canine and the patient’s respiratory samples. The timeline strongly suggested dog-to-human transmission, yet due to the genetic distance of the canine and the patient’s samples paired-transmission was highly unlikely. Conclusion: The results of this case support current knowledge about the low risk of secondary zoonotic dog-to-human transmissions of SARS-CoV-2 and emphasizes the strength of genomic sequencing in deciphering viral transmission chains

Controlled assembly of SNAP-PNA-fluorophore systems on DNA templates to produce fluorescence resonance energy transfer

The SNAP protein is a widely used self-labeling tag that can be used for tracking protein localization and trafficking in living systems. A model system providing controlled alignment of SNAP-tag units can provide a new way to study clustering of fusion proteins. In this work, fluorescent SNAP-PNA conjugates were controllably assembled on DNA frameworks forming dimers, trimers, and tetramers. Modification of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) with the O6-benzyl guanine (BG) group allowed the generation of site-selective covalent links between PNA and the SNAP protein. The modified BG-PNAs were labeled with fluorescent Atto dyes and subsequently chemo-selectively conjugated to SNAP protein. Efficient assembly into dimer and oligomer forms was verified via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and fluorescence spectroscopy. DNA directed assembly of homo- and hetero-dimers of SNAP-PNA constructs induced homo- and hetero-FRET, respectively. Longer DNA scaffolds controllably aligned similar fluorescent SNAP-PNA constructs into higher oligomers exhibiting homo-FRET. The combined SEC and homo-FRET studies indicated the 1:1 and saturated assemblies of SNAP-PNA-fluorophore:DNA formed preferentially in this system. This suggested a kinetic/stoichiometric model of assembly rather than binomially distributed products. These BG-PNA-fluorophore building blocks allow facile introduction of fluorophores and/or assembly directing moieties onto any protein containing SNAP. Template directed assembly of PNA modified SNAP proteins may be used to investigate clustering behavior both with and without fluorescent labels which may find use in the study of assembly processes in cells

First observation of the deflection of a 33 TeV Pb ion beam in a bent silicon crystal

For the first time, the deflection of an ultra-relativistic, fully stripped Pb82+ ion beam in a bent silicon crystal has been observed. The ions were provided by the CERN-SPS in the H4 beam at a momentum of 400 GeV/c per unit of charge. A 60 mm long silicon crystal, bent over 50 mm to give a 4 mrad deflection angle, was used in this experiment. The measured Pb ion deflection efficiency is comparable to the one obtained with protons at an equivalent ratio of momentum per charge, and is found to be about 15\% for a beam with a divergence of 35 microradians (FWHM). The interaction rate observed in a background counter is found to drop when the crystal is well aligned with the beam. This corroborates further the channeling model, which predicts that channeled ions are steered away from regions of high electron densities as well as the nuclei in the crystal

Deflection and extraction of Pb ions up to 33 TeV/c by a bent silicon crystal

The first results from an experiment to deflect a beam of fully stripped, ulta-relativistic Pb ions of 400 GeV/c per unit of charge, equivalent to 33 TeV/c, by means of a bent crystal are reported. Deflection efficiencies are as high as 14%, in agreement with theoretical predictions. In a second experiment a bent crsytal was used to extract 270 GeV/c per charge Pb82+ (22 TeV/c) ions from a coasting beam in the CERN-SPS, and a high extraction efficiency of up to 10% was found. These represent the first measurements to demonstrate applications of bent crystals in high energy heavy ion beams