Research

Funding: Deutscher Akadademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD-PROCOPE), 9.108 EUR

Project Details:
Nonverbal vocal communication in humans contains information about the emotional state of the sender which can be used by the receiver. Comparing the acoustic structure and the context of production of these vocalizations across mammalian species revealed cross-taxa similarities suggesting a pre-human origin in encoding emotional information acoustically (e.g., Davila Ross et al., 2009, Newman, 1985, Zimmermann et al., 2013). In contrast to human laughter and cries, our knowledge on other nonverbal sounds such as the Sigh is limited. Therefore, the current study investigated whether vocalizations comparable to the human sigh can be found in nonhuman mammals and whether these vocalizations can be related to emotional states of the sender as well as to the quality of social interaction.
In the order Perissodactyla, horses and rhinoceros are known to produce noisy vocalizations at a high call rate (e.g. Policht et al., 2008, Yeon et al., 2011). The Snort is one of this noisy vocalizations, characterized as an explosive more or less pulsed breathing sound produced by nostril vibrations while expulsing the air. The function of this call type is not yet clear. First, it was proposed that this call type might have a hygienic function rather than a communicative function (e.g., Yeon et al., 2011, Linn et al., 2018). Second, it was proposed that the Snort might be an indicator of positive emotions or at least a relaxed state in horses. In the rhinoceros infant Snorts occurred also during affiliative interactions supporting to function as an indicator of the positive emotional state (Linn et al., 2018). This suggests that either the Snort has a communicative function to signal socially acceptance to group members or express an internal relaxed state of the sender which might affect group members via an emotional contagion mechanism.
To clarify the function of Snorts and to investigate to which extent there are cross-taxa similarities at least in the order Perissodactyla, we aim to compare Snort production between horses and rhinoceros.

Cooperation Partners:

Idu Azogu-Sepe, Serengeti Park Hodenhagen

Prof. Alban Lemasson, Rennes 1 University, France

Prof. Martine Hausberger, Rennes 1 University, France

Dr. Mathilde Stomp, Rennes 1 University, France

Planét Sauvage, Frankreich

Funding: Pharmaceutical sector, 230.000 EUR

Project Details:
therapy development for neurodegenerative diseases

Funding: QOL Med LLC, Vero Beach, Florida, USA; Unrestricted Research Grant, 230.000 EUR

Project Details:
Growing evidence supports a strong link between rare functionally deleterious SI variations (typical of CSID) to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).In a recent study we could show that variants coding for the SI gene with defective or reduced enzymatic activity predispose to IBS and suggested that this may help the identification of individuals at risk, and contribute to personalising treatment options in a subset of patients (Henström et al., Gut. 2018 Feb;67(2):263-270. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-312456. Epub 2016 Nov 21.). One variant, the Phe15Val variant is associated with a substantial decrease in the overall enzymatic digestive capacity of SI. Moreover, an association with increased risk of IBS was found for 4 rare loss-of-function variants typically found in (homozygous) CSID patients, as carriers (heterozygous).
Recent studies (Garcia-Etxebarria et al., Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Feb 2. pii: S1542-3565(18)30118-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2018.01.047 [Epub ahead of print]) have identified a number of variants in the SI gene that could be associated with IBS.
In this project we will examine the enzymatic function and protein trafficking of the variants, P348L, V371M, Q801X, Y975H, V1667L, in COS-1 cells and then as heterozygotes in intestinal Caco-2 cells.

Results:

https://gut.bmj.com/content/71/6/1237;https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508521031772?via%3Dihub;https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443922000011?via%3Dihub

Project Details:
Knowledge of various material parameters is an important prerequisite for performing computer simulations. In the case of the simulation of electrical processes in animals, the electrical conductivity of the animal tissues concerned must be known. The experimental determination of the electrical conductivity of various animal tissues is the subject of this research project.

Results:

https://elib.tiho-hannover.de/receive/tiho_mods_00003346

Funding: GKF, Tübitak; FAZIT Stiftung, 100.000 EUR

Project Details:
Die Bedeutung von Th 17 Zellen wurde bei Steril-eitriger Meningitis-Arteritis untersucht. Derzeit wird diese Zellpopulation bei Hunden mit Epilepsie und Bandscheibenvorfällen evaluiert.

Funding: VIPER

Project Details:
Die In-situ-Hybridisierung stellt eine wichtige Methode dar, um die Entdeckung neuartiger Viren mit histologischen Veränderungen im Gewebe zu korrelieren. Da verschiedene Protokolle der In-situ-Hybridisierung existieren, ist es wichtig zu untersuchen, ob diese Protokolle in Ihrer Spezifität und Sensitivität, möglicherweise Virus- und/ oder Gewebe-abhängig variieren, um auch gegebenenfalls eine sehr geringe Menge viraler Nukleinsäuren detektieren zu können.
Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studien sollen verschiedene Erkrankungen, insbesondere des zentralen Nervensystems, die mit einer nicht-eitrigen Entzündung einhergehen, mittels Next Generation Sequencing und im Kontext mit in-situ-Hybridisierung bezüglich einer möglichen Virusätiologie, auch unter Einbeziehung von doppelschichtig RNA spezifischen Sonden entsprechend abgeklärt werden.

Funding: Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, ländliche Räume, Europa und Verbraucherschutz (MLLEV), 42.507 EUR

Project Details:
Title: Scientific investigation of seals released in accordance with animal welfare regulations, especially with regard to infectious diseases & zoonotic potentials as well as the scientific training of personnel of the stranding network for the North and Baltic Seas of Schleswig-Holstein
The harbor seal is the most common marine mammal species in Schleswig-Holstein and causes the most call-outs for seal hunters. In the last three decades, seal populations have experienced several major epizootics, but have subsequently grown in size again. In recent years, however, it has been observed that this growth has stagnated and younger seals in particular are disappearing from the populations.
Seals can be carriers of infectious agents such as the Phocine distemper virus, influenza viruses, brucella and erysipelas, some of which can have fatal consequences for the individual animal or the population. These infectious agents are often zoonotic in nature and can promote secondary infections with other pathogens such as Bordetella bronchiseptica or toxoplasmosis.
In addition to comprehensive pathological examinations of the seals, microbiological, virological and parasitological examinations will also be carried out in this project.
Particular attention will be paid to the young animals in order to check whether there may be health related reasons for their decline. For this purpose, a representative number of all seals handed in by seal hunters from the North and Baltic Seas will be selected and subjected to complete post-mortems and further examinations.
The scientific findings will be directly incorporated into the work of the seal hunters, who will receive regular training in the detection of diseases and the handling of marine mammals. Hygiene measures and documentation materials will be developed and reviewed, and accident prevention training will be provided. To this end, a scientific exchange with the seal hunters will take place throughout the entire research project period.

Funding: Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon GmbH, Geesthacht, 16.660 EUR

Project Details:
The Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, ITAW, will support Hereon in this project as a subcontractor in the execution of the following tasks with expert services on the impacts of large offshore wind farms on the overall ecological-economic context in the North and Baltic Seas.
-Overview of the obligations arising from the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the status of the indicators.
-Large-scale shifts in marine mammal abundance as a result of avoidance responses to the presence of large-scale OWPs.
-Possible population effects for various marine mammals in the North Sea and Baltic Sea due to habitat loss and health risks from large-scale OWPs in Germany and neighboring countries.
-Effects of underwater noise on marine mammals from blasting, OWP construction and shipping.
-Increased human impact on marine mammals in OWP-free areas due to the accumulation of anthropogenic activities that cannot take place in OWP areas (e.g. fishing, shipping, sand and gravel extraction).
Identification of future research needs, in particular:
-Quantification of possible effects on the occurrence of various marine mammals in the OWP area (density effects).
-Effects of blasting, pile driving and construction and supply vessels on marine mammals.
-Research into possible effects and effect-reducing potentials of larger wind turbines and other wind turbine and OWP designs on marine mammals.

Cooperation Partners:

Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon GmbH, Geesthacht

Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten, Münster

Thünen-Institut für Seefischerei, Bremerhaven

Funding: TIB, 5.427 EUR

Project Details:
In relation to the human-induced biodiversity crisis, we are organizing a semester-long elective module in the Bachelor's degree program in Biology on insect diversity in the city with data collection in the urban environment of the students.
Online educational resources (OERs) are created for this module as a guide for both students and lecturers and published on twillo (https://www.twillo.de/oer/web/). The collected data will be published on an online platform (www.colkat.de) and published in an entomological journal.

Results:

https://www.twillo.de/edu-sharing/components/render/199cd171-3733-4e44-9569-46bf7a3f07e6

Funding: Cusanus-Werk, 15.950 EUR

Project Details:
Etwa 30% aller Epilepsie-Patienten gelten als pharmakoresistent, d.h. sie zeigen Anfälle trotz optimal eingesetzter Anfallssuppressiva (Antiepileptika). Klinisch angewendete Alternativen zur systemischen Pharmakotherapie sind limitiert, z.B. die chirurgische Fokusresektion durch multifokale Epilepsien oder durch eine unklare Fokuslage. Die Entwicklung alternativer Behandlungsstrategien wie der intrazerebralen Pharmakotherapie mit einer zielgerichteten Modulation fokusferner Schlüsselregionen des epileptischen Netzwerks stellt daher eine bedeutsame Herausforderung in der Epilepsietherapie dar. Unter Umgehung der Blut-Hirn-Schranke können dabei lokal im Gehirn höhere Wirkstoffkonzentrationen erreicht werden und dabei systemische Nebenwirkungen minimiert werden. Ziel des Projekts ist die Weiterentwicklung der intrazerebralen Mikroinfusion rational ausgewählter Wirkstoffe mit unterschiedlichem Wirkmechanismus zur zielgerichteten Behandlung pharmakoresistenter Epilepsien. In dieser präklinischen Studie wird das für den Hund eingesetzte Anfallssuppressivum Imepitoin intrasubthalamisch infundiert und die Effekte auf Anfallsschwellen unf Verhalten untersucht.

Results:

Publication in prep.