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The decline of insect abundance and richness has been documented for decades and has received increased attention in recent years. In 2017, a study by Hallmann and colleagues on insect biomasses in German nature protected areas received a great deal of attention and provided the impetus for the creation of the project Diversity of Insects in Nature protected Areas (DINA). The aim of DINA was to investigate possible causes for the decline of insects in nature protected areas throughout Germany and to develop strategies for managing the problem. A major issue for the protection of insects is the lack of insect-specific regulations for nature protected areas and the lack of a risk assessment and verification of the measures applied. Most nature protected areas border on or enclose agricultural land and are structured in a mosaic, resulting in an abundance of small and narrow areas. This leads to fragmentation or even loss of endangered habitats and thus threaten biodiversity. In addition, the impact of agricultural practices, especially pesticides and fertilisers, leads to the degradation of biodiversity at the boundaries of nature protected areas, reducing their effective size. All affected stakeholders need to be involved in solving these threats by working on joint solutions. Furthermore, agriculture in and around nature protected areas must act to promote biodiversity and utilise and develop methods that reverse the current trend. This also requires subsidies from the state to ensure economic sustainability and promote biodiversity-promoting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the decline of insect biodiversity and the imminent loss of provided ecosystem functions and services has received public attention and raised the demand for political action. The complex, multi-causal contributors to insect decline require a broad interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach that addresses ecological and social aspects to find sustainable solutions. The project Diversity of Insects in Nature protected Areas (DINA) assesses insect communities in 21 nature reserves in Germany, and considers interactions with plant diversity, pesticide exposure, spatial and climatic factors. The nature reserves border on agricultural land, to investigate impacts on insect diversity. Part of the project is to obtain scientific data from Malaise traps and their surroundings, while another part involves relevant stakeholders to identify opportunities and obstacles to insect diversity conservation. Our results indicate a positive association between insect richness and biomass. Insect richness was negatively related to the number of stationary pesticides (soil and vegetation), pesticides measured in ethanol, the amount of area in agricultural production, and precipitation. Our qualitative survey along with stakeholder interviews show that there is general support for insect conservation, while at the same time the stakeholders expressed the need for more information and data on insect biodiversity, as well as flexible policy options. We conclude that conservation management for insects in protected areas should consider a wider landscape. Local targets of conservation management will have to integrate different stakeholder perspectives. Scientifically informed stakeholder dialogues can mediate conflicts of interests, knowledge, and values to develop mutual conservation scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect declines and biodiversity loss have attracted much attention in recent years, but lack of comprehensive data, conflicting interests among stakeholders and insufficient policy guidance hinder progress in preserving biodiversity. The project DINA (Diversity of Insects in Nature protected Areas) investigates insect communities in 21 nature reserves in Germany. All selected conservation sites border arable land, with agricultural practices assumed to influence insect populations. We taught citizen scientists how to manage Malaise traps for insect collection, and subsequently used a DNA metabarcoding approach for species identification. Vegetation surveys, plant metabarcoding as well as geospatial and ecotoxicological analyses will help to unravel contributing factors for the deterioration of insect communities. As a pioneering research project in this field, DINA includes a transdisciplinary dialogue involving relevant stakeholders such as local authorities, policymakers, and farmers, which aims at a shared understanding of conservation goals and action pathways. Stakeholder engagement combined with scientific results will support the development of sound policy recommendations to improve legal frameworks, landscape planning, land use, and conservation strategies. With this transdisciplinary approach, we aim to provide the background knowledge to implement policy strategies that will halt further decline of insects in German protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article looks into the impact, specific forms and perspectives of Open Access in the humanities. It focuses on different varieties of secondary and primary Open Access publishing, i.e. granting free access after the initial publication in a traditional format vs. a genuine Open Access model. Specific examples will illustrate different variations and put them into the larger framework of electronic publishing in the humanities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the creation of a checklist on eBook standards developed by the Working Group on eBooks, composed of various professionals from Bavaria, Germany, with the list accessible at http://ebookstandards.ub.uni-muenchen.de. Particularly addressed are licensing issues and selection criteria for electronic textbooks and scientific monographs.

Outlines the ways in which the Bavarian State Library (BSB) in Germany is linked with regional and national programs for long-term preservation of electronic publications. Description of the tried and proven practice of archiving the library's own digitizations; Pilot project for long-term preservation to extend previous experience in this area to the wide-range spectrum of digital holdings; BSB's efforts and potential future steps toward preserving data-storage media.

Objective: Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and leads to significant morbidity and financial burden. Consequently, countries such as France and Germany are formulating strategies to combat endometriosis. In this study, we propose the implementation of our three‐dimensional model (3D‐E) to raise awareness about endometriosis and enhance timely diagnosis, treatment, and long‐term care for affected patients. Methods: Based on the adapted Six Sigma Principle and the modified recommendation of Sales et al. for implementing evidence‐based findings into a clinical routine, we first conducted a comprehensive investigation to identify risk factors leading to diagnostic delay of endometriosis. After identifying improvable factors, the applicable options were selected due to defined criteria such as integrability in the clinical routine, cost‐effectiveness, and evidence‐based‐principle. Finally, solutions feasible for health care providers were integrated and the 3D‐E model was established. Results: Some of the main risk factors contributing to diagnostic delays are symptoms acceptance and misinterpreted symptoms, especially if presenting to nongynecologists in cases of extragenital endometriosis with atypical presentation. Therefore, we tried to sensitize colleagues (first dimension) with a review paper in Germany's largest medical journal and started an elective for medical students (second dimension) at our university. In order to involve additional health care professionals in endometriosis care (third dimension), we are preparing the concept of the EndoNurse. Conclusion: The 3D‐E model is a relatively low‐cost, comprehensive, and worldwide adaptable approach for facilitating knowledge transfer, sensitizing health care providers, and improving endometriosis diagnostics and therapy for patients with endometriosis who are in the center of the model. Synopsis: The 3D‐E model could have the potential to be a first step to improve endometriosis awareness and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information about a typical work day in the life of Hildegard Schäffler, a serials and e-resources librarian for the Bavarian State Library in Munich, Germany. The librarian describes how she observes the reading preferences of her fellow subway commuters each morning as she rides to work. She notes that her job is to be responsible for the local serials and licensed electronic resources collections and consortia negotiation and management at the regional level. A description of a typical day includes analyzing offers from publishers and meetings with colleagues to discuss ongoing projects.

Context: Data on the presence/quantification of the neurotrophic adipokines retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4), clusterin, and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are scarce and migration of these adipokines across of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is uncertain., Objective: This work aimed to quantify RBP4, PEDF, and clusterin in paired serum and CSF samples of patients undergoing neurological evaluation., Methods: A total of 268 patients (109 male, 159 female) were included. Adipokine serum and CSF concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in duplicate., Results: RBP4 was abundant in serum (mean, 31.9 ± 24.2 μg/mL). The serum concentrations were approximately 145 times higher than in CSF (CSF to serum RBP4 ratio, 8.2 ± 4.3 × 10-3). PEDF was detectable in serum (mean, 30.2 ± 11.7 μg/mL) and concentrations were approximately 25 times higher than in CSF (CSF to serum PEDF ratio, 42.3 ± 15.6 × 10-3). Clusterin serum concentrations were abundant with mean levels of 346.0 ± 114.6 μg/mL, which were approximately 40 times higher than CSF levels (CSF to serum clusterin ratio, 29.6 ± 23.4 × 10-3). RBP4 and PEDF serum levels correlated positively with CSF levels, which were increased in overweight/obese patients and in type 2 diabetic patients. The CSF concentrations of all 3 adipokines increased with BBB dysfunction. RBP4 in CSF correlated positively with inflammatory parameters. In detail, only RBP4 showed the kinetics and associations that are mandatory for a putative mediator of the fat-brain axis., Conclusion: RBP4, PEDF, and clusterin are permeable to the BBB and increase with the measure of BBB dysfunction. RBP4 represents an inflammatory neurotrophic adipokine and is a promising mediator of the fat-brain axis., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Environmental factors are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as the incidence of both Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) increased with improved living standards in Europe after World War II. On the basis of earlier reports suggesting that hygienic standards may also play a role in the pathogenesis of IBD, we investigated the influence of hepatitis A seroprevalence as an indicator for poorer hygienic conditions and worm infestations in IBD., Methods: Hepatitis A seroprevalence was examined in patients with UC and CD. Patients with minor endocrinological disorders served as controls. All patients were questioned about immunizations, parasitic infections (worms), contact with animals, living on a farm, and ever traveling abroad. Patients were excluded for active hepatitis A immunization or recent passive immunization. Results are presented as Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios with 95% confidence interval, adjusted for age group., Results: The sample included 307 patients (73 CD, 48 UC, and 186 controls). Hepatitis A seroprevalence was strongly associated with age older than 50 years. Age adjusted Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios were 0.25 (0.09-0.71) for UC and 0.75 (0.38-1.46) for CD versus controls. For parasitic infections, the odds ratios were 1.15 (0.52-2.53) for UC and 0.34 (0.13-0.89) for CD., Conclusion: We were able to demonstrate a negative association of hepatitis A infection with UC only. In contrast, a novel finding was a strong protective effect of worm infestations for the occurrence of CD, but not UC.

Background: The recently described A-->G (-3826) point mutation within the distal region of the UCP-1 promoter is possibly involved in the development of obesity, diabetes and related metabolic disorders. It was the aim of this study to examine the allelic frequency and the prevalence of the three UCP-1 genotypes in a broad caucasian cohort and to investigate the significance of this polymorphism for obesity and diabetes., Methods: 1020 subjects were randomly chosen from 6450 participants in the Diabetomobile Study. The UCP-1 genotype was determined by genomic PCR and Bcl-I-RFLP analysis in 1020 subjects and tested for association with a variety of metabolic parameters. In addition, the influence of this mutation on adipocyte nuclear factor binding was investigated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA)., Results: The genotype frequencies in 1020 subjects were: AA genotype, 57.0%; AG genotype, 35.4%; GG genotype, 7.6%; with allelic frequencies of 0.75 for allele A and 0.25 for allele G. No significant differences between the genotypes and age, gender, BMI, leptin, glucose, fasting insulin, C-peptide, HbA1c, diabetes manifestation, total cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol were found. Analysis of the Trp64Arg polymorphism of the beta3-adrenergic receptor in a subgroup of 343 subjects revealed no additive effect to the UCP-1 polymorphism. An yet unknown adipocyte-specific factor of nuclear extracts from 3T3-L1 adipocytes during differentiation is able to bind specifically to the distal UCP-1 promoter region and this binding ability can not be abolished by the mutation., Conclusions: We determined the genotype and allelic frequency of the UCP-1 promoter polymorphism in the largest known population-based study. The results from genotyping demonstrate clearly that this polymorphism does not play a major role in the pathogenesis obesity and diabetes. A yet unknown adipocyte derived and differentiation-dependent regulated transcription factor is able to bind to the distal UCP-1 promoter surrounding -3826 bp. This binding is not affected by presence of the mutation.