Overview of research projects

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: 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

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

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

Project Details:
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Funding: Eastman Chemical Company, 43.714 EUR

Project Details:
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Funding: Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (MWK) Niedersachsen, 127.000 EUR

Project Details:
Basis_SOUVER@N supports the joint project SOUVER@N through accompanying measures. The project aims to strengthen the cooperation of experts and to identify the heterogeneous technical and organizational framework conditions of the universities participating in the SOUVER@N joint project and to promote their compatibility.

Results:

An der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule (TiHo) wurden im Rahmen des Verbundprojektes u.a. technische Voraussetzungen für die digitale Lehre erweitert sowie Dozierende beim digitalen Lehren und Studierende beim digitalen Lernen unterstützt. Anleitungen zur digitalen Lehre und zu digitalen Lerntechnologien wurden neu erstellt oder überarbeitet. Für Studierende wurde ein neues virtuelles Mikroskop für das Selbststudium geschaffen. Lehrveranstaltungsräume wurden mit Technik für die hybride Lehre bzw. für Vorlesungsaufzeichnungen ausgestattet, das Lernmanagementsystem Moodle, welches an der TiHo eingesetzt wird, wurde erweitert.

Cooperation Partners:

1) Universität Osnabrück

2) Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

3) Leuphana Universität Lüneburg

4) Technische Universität Clausthal

5) Stiftung Universität Hildesheim

6) Universität Vechta

7) Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

8) ELAN e.V.

Funding: COVID 19 Forschungsnetzwerk Niedersachsen COFONI, 48.638 EUR

Project Details:
Early detection of individuals with a SARS-CoV-2 infection remains the most important tool to interrupt the chain of infection. Several studies have already proven canines? extraordinary olfactory acuity to detect SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. However, with increasing knowledge about the virus, the variety and chronicity of the disease expression and an increase in the number of people that are vaccinated, some questions have not yet been answered. We will test a variety of hypotheses to further explore the use of detection dogs as a screening method for SARS-CoV-2-infections.

Results:

Dogs can distinguish SARS-CoV-2-infections from other viral infections. However, compared to earlier studies our scent dogs achieved lower diagnostic sensitivities. To deploy COVID-19 detection dogs as a reliable screening method it is therefore mandatory to include a variety of samples from different viral respiratory tract infections in dog training to ensure a successful discrimination process.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.749588

Cooperation Partners:

Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

Funding: Niedersächsische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, 1.225.000 EUR

Project Details:
Auf das Coronavirus trainierte Spürhunde werden in diesem Herbst bei mehreren Musikveranstaltungen eingesetzt und mit Antigen- und rtRT-PCR-Tests verglichen. Dies wird weitere Erkenntnisse darüber liefern, wie Corona-Spürhunde am besten bei der Detektion infizierten Menschen eingesetzt werden können.

Results:

www.backtoculture.de

Cooperation Partners:

Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover,

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf,

Hannover Concerts,

Proevent,

Awias Aviation Services