Research

Funding: MWK über UMG Göttingen, 44.446 EUR

Project Details:
SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Type 2) is the causative agent of COVID-19. The course of the COVID-19 pandemic so far has emphatically shown that a coordinated bundling of interdisciplinary and complementary expertise is necessary in order to decode the diverse aspects of the biology, pathology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and to use the knowledge gained clinically for the treatment of patients as well as for modeling the course of infection in the population. In order to be able to provide and implement such a holistic approach, the federal state of Lower Saxony offers ideal conditions with its internationally renowned science locations. We are therefore applying for financial support for collaborative research to set up a COVID-19 research network in the state of Lower Saxony (COFONI).

Funding: Nationalparverwaltung "Nieders. Wattenmeer"" Wilhelmshaven", 39.080 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is a survey of the local grey seal population in the entire Lower Saxony and Hamburg Wadden Sea during the birthing season (November-December) and at the time of the fur change (March-April).
On five trilaterally coordinated dates (three during the birthing season; two during the fur-change period), airborne surveys will be conducted with a single-engine aircraft. During the aerial surveys of the tidal flats, a high-resolution SLR camera will be used to photograph the haul-outs. In order to determine the number of young born as well as the total population, the photos taken are subsequently analyzed on the computer.

Results:

Schop J., Abel C., Brasseur S., Galatius A., Jeß A., Meise K., Meyer J., van Neer A., Stejskal O., Siebert U., Teilmann J., Thøstesen C. B. (2022) Grey Seal Numbers in the Wadden Sea and on Helgoland in 2021-2022. Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

https://www.waddensea-worldheritage.org/resources/2021-2022-grey-seal-report

Funding: Projektförderung aus dem Europäischen Landwirtschaftsfonds für die Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums (ANBest-ELER 2021, Europäischen Innovationspartnerschaft "Produktivität und Nachhaltigkeit in der Landwirtschaft"" (EIP Agri)", 89.794 EUR

Project Details:
Suboptimal availability and quality of drinking water as well as a lack of hygiene in water pipes on pig farms can cause animal welfare and health problems. Insufficient water intake due to technical deficiencies, low palatability due to e.g. biofilm formation in the pipes or a restrictive water supply represent a massive stressor for animals and can lead to health impairments that promote other diseases (e.g. ear and tail injuries, diarrhea).
In this project, a new drinking water pipe cleaning concept for piglet rearing farms will be established and tested for practical use in two rearing barns. The system, developed in a collaborative project and tested under laboratory conditions, will be used to clean water pipes contaminated with plaque, to destroy Salmonella reservoirs in the pipes, and to reduce endotoxin contamination. It is exspected, that ear and tail lesions will be reduced after cleaning the drinking water pipes in case that they are related to endotoxins. After technical, chemical and microbiological analyses, as well as examinations of the piglets, the drinking water pipe cleaning is carried out on the farms. A newly developed mobile flushing device and a new substance containing tartaric acid and catalytic additives are used. The substance is highly effective against biofilms and also destroys the genetic material of pathogens. The effects of this cleaning concept will be measured and evaluated on two farms in three baches respectively.

Cooperation Partners:

Landwirtschaftliche Betriebe

Aumann Hygienetechnik

ConVet GmbH&Co. KG

Project Details:
Frequencies of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates resistant against various antimicrobial substances will be compared in the years 2006-2021. Frequencies of coinfecting agents will be determined.

Results:

doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.802570

Funding: EU, 8.320 EUR

Project Details:
The overall aim of the HELCOM BLUES project is to support regional capacity, coordination and cooperation with regards to developing effective measures to secure good status of the marine environment. This includes provisioning, and making available, necessary knowledge to advance the development and implementation of joint measures addressing common pressures, as well as to provide concrete support to the decision-making process within the Baltic Sea region.
The task carried out by TiHo focuses on highly mobile and under-reported groups (here: cetaceans), and considers several aspects identified in recent HELCOM review processes to be knowledge/assessment gaps and aspects of high regional priority. The harbour porpoise can be categorised as both a highly mobile and an under-reported species in the Baltic Sea region. At present, there are no functional regional HELCOM indicator(s) to assess status for abundance or distribution, which are two of the primary Marine Strategy Framework Directive criteria under MSFD D1. This clear gap was identified as a high priority for the HELCOM region. This task will provide support for the HELCOM indicator team and focus on improving methods and operational assessments of harbour porpoise abundance by HOLAS III, and on harmonising methods of assessment with other EU regions (i.e. OSPAR and HELCOM). The main aspects addressed by TiHo are:
1) Establishment of a harmonised approach to indicator development for harbour porpoises between HELCOM and OSPAR (of particular relevance to shared marine areas);
2) Assessing trend in abundance for assessment of the Belt Sea population;

Results:

final report of the EU project "HELCOM BLUES"""

https://blues.helcom.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/HELCOM-BLUES_Activity_2.4-Harbour-porpoise-Main-report.pdf

Cooperation Partners:

Project coordinator

Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), Finland

Partners

Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Germany

University of Hamburg, Germany

Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Finland

Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Finland

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua), Sweden

Stockholm University (SU), Sweden

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Sweden

Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM), Sweden

Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia

University of Tartu (UT), Estonia

Center for Environmental Policy (AAPC), Lithuania

Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Latvia

Funding: Herbonis Animal Health GmbH Rheinstrasse 30 4302 Augst BL, Schweiz, 4.300 EUR

Project Details:
Solanum glaucophyllum (waxy nightshade) is one of the few plants that naturally produces 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol glycosides (1,25(OH)2D3-gly). In the literature it is mentioned that the glycosides are cleaved before absorption and thus only the aglycone is absorbed. However, no data are known so far that confirm this assumption analytically. In a multi-stage approach, this question is to be clarified in vitro. To do this, a number of preliminary tests must first be carried out, including one focusing on possible cell toxicity. Since the cell toxicity of 1,25(OH)2D3-gly can only be extrapolated from the data for synthetic 1,25(OH)2D3 to a limited extent, this experiment serves to determine the maximum possible dose.

Cooperation Partners:

Herbonis Animal Health GmbH

Rheinstrasse 30

4302 Augst BL, Schweiz

Funding: Industry (Veterinary pharmaceuticals/Vaccines), 141.855 EUR

Project Details:
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Funding: ALZCHEM, 39.065 EUR

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Funding: K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH, 13.808 EUR

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Funding: Eastman Chemical Company, 43.714 EUR

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