Research

Funding: Fresco Dog Foods GmbH, 39.599 EUR

Project Details:
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Funding: "Niedersächsische Landesbehörde für Straßenbau und Verkehr""", 11.766 EUR

Project Details:
The project involves researching the legal basis, site inspection(s) with NLSTBV and stakeholders. Furthermore, determination and evaluation of the planning basis, inventory determination and evaluation as well as their cartographic processing.

Results:

Verfassen des Berichtes inkl. Bewertung, Empfehlungen, Konfliktanalysen

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (MWK), 119.992 EUR

Project Details:
The proposed future discourse is intended to address the transformation of the energy supply in Germany and Europe and the associated conflicts in nature and species conservation. At the same time, knowledge about the problem should be communicated and suitable communication channels for the conflict should be found. In order to reduce CO2 emissions and delay the climate crisis, the expansion of offshore wind energy is being driven forward as part of the energy transition. Not only Germany, but also Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and Sweden, among others, have far-reaching expansion plans for the offshore wind industry in the North Sea. These plans could turn this area into a large industrial park. However, the marine ecosystems are already being affected: The construction of offshore wind power plants is not the first or only human intervention. In fact, the North Sea has been polluted for several decades by inputs from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, eutrophication, fishing, shipping, munitions waste, invasive species and much more. At the same time, it is also the habitat of harbor porpoises, which are the only native cetacean species in German waters. According to the latest European population surveys, the population of these animals is increasingly shifting to the southern North Sea(www.tiho-hannover.de/SCANS). In order to protect the harbor porpoise population that uses the German Bight, we would already need more protection and less pressure on the animals.
On the other hand, we have obligations towards the preservation of biodiversity, nature conservation and species protection (EU Biodiversity Strategy) and therefore, for example, towards the harbor porpoise. Far less is known about the harbor porpoise than about polar bears. The state of the harbor porpoise population in the North Sea is not good, and its habitat is being subjected to further pressures with the construction of offshore wind farms in Germany, but also in the other countries bordering the North Sea. We therefore need to discuss how we can achieve the energy transition and at the same time improve the living conditions of harbor porpoises and other marine life in order to protect them.
The following current social issues should be included in the proposed discourse:

1. transformation: The energy transition is bringing a fundamental change for our society with sudden changes in technological, economic and political developments that have an impact on every single person. This transformation is unavoidable due to the climate crisis, but must of course also be supported by society.
2. communication of knowledge/digitization: The transfer and communication of knowledge about the climate crisis/energy transition and biodiversity/species and nature conservation must be ensured for all social milieus. This is often more effective with digitalized strategies, as this allows more diverse target groups from different geographical locations to participate in discussions and conversations. Knowledge content, questions and discussion impulses should therefore be disseminated and discussed primarily via social networks.
3. strengthening democratic debate and the democratic community: As the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity affect the well-being of all people, this discourse is a great opportunity to involve many people and groups in a democratic debate. It gives them the opportunity to get involved in an issue that directly affects them and to express their thoughts, concerns and ideas.
4. issues of European identity: The challenges in the area of climate crisis/energy transition and biodiversity/species and nature conservation can only be successfully advanced with a cross-border, European identity and coordination. It is therefore very important to include the plans of other European countries in the discussions and to discuss them with other European citizens (in digital form with the help of translations). This should also be organized for the younger generations in particular. Because, like the porpoise in the North Sea, we are pursuing the same goal: a healthy environment worth living in.

Structured debates involving scientific findings and national and international expertise will shed light on the topic of the climate crisis/energy transition and biodiversity/species and nature conservation from different perspectives.

Funding: Rentenbank, 30.000 EUR

Project Details:
The core question of the project is how and for what reasons the chances of success for sustainably effective advice on animal protection and/or animal welfare on farms with livestock farming can be increased or, conversely, why such advice sometimes fails. Using preliminary studies (project "Agri-cultural advisors as key players for animal welfare and animal protection""), the project aims to iden-tify obstacles in the process and help eliminate them. To this end, explicit advisory situations will be presented together with advisors and advisors in collaboration with specific interested parties and the advisory material from various providers will be examined for its prospects of success."

Results:

dvice is effective if it is not only technically sound, but also methodically adapted to the respective conditions on the farm. Among other things, it is important that it remains communicative and takes into account the structural conditions under which the farmer can accept and implement advice. Voluntary participation is a key prerequisite for effective advice, as it is directly linked to the farm manager's inner motivation to accept new ideas and integrate recommendations into everyday farm life in the long term. At the same time, voluntary participation remains a critical point in practice. Feedback from the advisory practice shows that farms with a particularly high need for advice often make less use of advice. This is an important point that needs to be researched and worked on in the future. It also shows that the selection of advisory staff plays a decisive role: Communication skills, methodological flexibility and a willingness to reflect are just as relevant as professional expertise. In this project, it was not only possible to work out relevant content-related findings, but also to incorporate these into the existing training and further training materials for advisors in a targeted manner in order to improve their quality. Both methodological and content-related foundations were created on which to build. Just like its clients, the farmers, the advisory service must constantly adapt to new, changing circumstances and overcome challenges. For example, through the qualitative further development of advisory processes, in the training of advisors or in what is probably the most complex task, the targeted approach to farms that were previously difficult to reach.

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 15.000 EUR

Project Details:
The precise investigation of the muscle-to-meat transition after the slaughter of farm animals is important, because it (could) lead to a better understanding of the processes during these post-mortem changes. This allows the definition and analysis of influencing factors that may have a positive or negative effect on the meat quality. However, since an in vivo analysis of meat formation is difficult to standardize, in vitro models have been developed that are easier to standardize with regard to metabolites/ compositions (e.g. certain organelles such as mitochondria). Since the models have so far been scientifically investigated in pigs and chickens, the study will first establish an already published in-vitro model with pig muscles and then transfer it to bovine and possibly turkey muscles. These models will then be used to analyze the physiological muscle-to-meat transition after slaughter in more detail, also taking into account certain exogenous and endogenous factors, especially the mitochondria. The influence of mitochondria will be examined in more detail, as they have an (important) influence on meat formation. In addition, the models will be used to analyze (pathological) problems in meat formation (e.g. PSE, DFD).

Funding: Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst, 44.500 EUR

Project Details:
Epilepsies are frequent neurological diseases in humans and dogs, characterized by recurrent, spontaneous seizures. About one third of human and two thirds of canine epilepsy patients do not become seizure free with the currently available antiseizure medications and are considered as pharmacoresistant. In addition, all antiseizure drugs cause adverse effects. Non-pharmacological treatment strategies are therefore urgently needed, and include therapeutic exercise training as adjunctive therapy.
So far, the effects of moderate exercise training on epileptic seizure thresholds are not sufficiently investigated, although several studies suggest that its positive effects might be therapeutically useful. Our pre-clinical studies focus on the effects of moderate exercise training on epileptic seizure thresholds and behavior.

Cooperation Partners:

Gerald Schneider (Klinik für Rehabilitations- und Sportmedizin, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover)

Funding: MWK, 540.878 EUR

Project Details:
Comprehensive characterization of the hormone profiles of the HPG axis in male and female Long COVID patients, hormone panels, hormone measurements and statistical evaluations.
Creation of expression profiles of sex hormones and
sex hormone receptors in the plasma, lungs, reproductive organs and brains of male and female hamsters.

Results:

https://www.umg.eu/forschung/corona/cofoni/

Project Details:
The aim of this study is the validation of the automated analysis of cell count in bovine synovia using the ADVIA 2120i. Corresponding reference ranges for clinically normal joint aspirates should be developed to differentiate these from pathological samples. In addition, further examinations such as the determination of protein content and a microbiological examination of the samples are carried to analyse whether particular parameters can provide information on clinical appearance, diagnostics or therapy. Both macroscopically abnormal and normal joint aspirates are used for examination.

Project Details:
The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of four distict cytokines, which are important in early bovine pregnancy, on the gene expression in cultured primary bovine hepatocytes. PCR is used to detect how the hepatocellular IGFBP-expression changes when the cells are stimulated with different cytokines in different concentrations. This demonstrates the connection between immunological and endocrine changes in early pregnant cows. We particularly focus on IFNτ, the embryonic pregnancy recognition signal of ruminants.

Funding: BioConsult GmbH & Co.KG, Bremen, 51.150 EUR

Project Details:
In order to be able to accompany the evaluation process of the spatial development plan (ROP) from the perspective of marine nature conservation, a nature conservation-based, ecosystem-based planning contribution is to be developed as part of the project, which can be integrated into the marine spatial development plan (MSP) update process in a targeted manner.
In order to enable a synthesis of the information relevant for the planning contribution, the current state of knowledge from completed and ongoing research projects will be researched. Together with additional sensitivity analyses, content for the integration of ecosystem-relevant aspects into the planning contribution will be developed. In addition, various scenarios for the expansion of offshore wind power will be developed and evaluated in order to establish the necessary conditions for an environmentally compatible expansion of renewable energies in the North and Baltic Seas. The project is thus intended to provide an overall spatial planning concept for marine protection that can be incorporated by the BfN into the process of evaluating and updating the MSP.
BioConsult GmbH & Co KG is carrying out the BfN research project as contractor.
The following work on marine mammals is being carried out as a contribution by the TiHo:
- Compilation and preparation of the available distribution data in the form of maps, diagrams and tables with textual explanations
- Identification and presentation of important habitats for indicator species (e.g. harbor porpoise, harbor seal, grey seal)
- Effects of three scenarios of OWP expansion