Production of genetically-modified mice is strongly dependent on environmental conditions. Mice are commonly housed at 22°C, which is significantly lower than their thermoneutral zone. But, when given a choice, mice often seem to prefer higher ambient temperatures. In the current study we investigated the effect of higher ambient temperature on the production of transgenic mice, with emphasis on embryo and sperm yield and quality. Mice (C57BL/6JOlaHsd) were housed under four different ambient temperatures (22, 25, 28 and 30°C). Female mice were superovulated, and mated with males. As indicators for reproductive fitness, the success of the mating was observed, including embryo yield and quality, as well as sperm count, motility and progressivity. Female mice were found to produce high amounts of high quality embryos from 22 to 28°C. Sperm count dropped continuously from 22 to 30°C, but sperm motility and progressivity remained high from 22 to 28°C. We conclude that mice can be housed at significantly higher temperatures than is commonly recommended without compromising embryo production and quality, or sperm quality. These results could lead to fundamental changes in how mouse facilities are built and operated – especially in warmer climates whereby energy consumption and therefore costs could be significantly reduced.

No description available.

面對未來全球人口成長、可耕地減少等現象，生物技術在農業上的應用日益增加。其中，基因改造技術等基因層次相關的平臺應用技術更是提升農作物價值的關鍵—透過跨物種功能應用，大幅提升育種效率。自1996年基改作物商業化種植開始至今，美國都是全球最大種植國家，也是基改作物研發先驅國家。生技農業政策以及和基因改造作物有關法規之制訂使基改作物在美國蓬勃發展，尤其是專利保護對於種子產業之影響尤為深遠。專利權所提供的完善保護使大量資本進入種子產業，投入資源將農業生物技術應用於種子培育上，此舉也促成Monsanto等跨國農業生技公司之興起，主導全球基因改造作物之市場。 Monsanto將研發重心放在基改種子之研發，其在生技種子相關營業比重遠高於同業，同時，其投入特殊性狀之基改種子研發之回收遠高於其他公司之相同營業項目之投資報酬率。Monsanto積極藉由併購取得基因、基因轉殖技術以及種子種源。掌握關鍵基因、基因轉殖技術以及大量且優良種源使含有Monsanto轉殖基因作物在市場上佔有極大的比例。在美國，超過一半以上之主要作物種植面積為基因改造作物，尤其是基因改造大豆，佔大豆總種植面積之比例高達94%。市面上絕大多數基改大豆係Monsanto的抗嘉磷塞（RounupReady，RR1Y）基改大豆種子。藉由智慧財產保護策略，Monsanto並進一步限制RR1Y及其他基改作物之使用方式。 惟RR1Y專利將在2014年到期，農民可在2014年時留種種植基改大豆種子而不用每年購買種子，或購買學名（generic）抗嘉磷塞轉基因大豆種子。在美國所種植之大豆約有四成會外銷，而外銷國家基改作物規範法規是出口與否之關鍵。若未取得歐盟、中國等主要外銷國家基改作物主管機關之批准，呈交包括基因之轉殖植物對環境衝擊之風險評估、包含該基因之轉殖植物所製成食品之安全性評估等基改作物資訊，則抗嘉磷塞基因大豆無法進入該國糧食市場。然而，在目前美國農業生技基改作物相關規範下，學名基改種子廠必須在專利種子專利到期後，才能進行實驗及田間試驗，呈交相關資料以符合基改作物主管機關之要求。透過建立學名基改作物快速獲得核准查驗登記之程序，允許學名廠依賴專利基改作物原廠之實驗及田間試驗資料以建立其學名基改作物之安全性與性狀表現有效性，同時，允許學名基改作物在原基改作物開發廠專利期滿前即可開始進行試驗，可以使學名抗嘉磷塞大豆種子以及其他學名基改種子能在原專利基改作物種子專利到期後順利進入市場，促使基改作物種子價格競爭，並對於專利基改作物研發公司進行適度之補償，以促進產業發展。 / The development of new technologies in plant breeding has led to improvements in the efficiency scientists produce improved plant varieties. Genetic modification is among the developments that support plant breeding. The introduction of genetically modified crops has revolutionized the agriculture industry. With patent protection available on GM traits, varieties and other aspects of seed production, private R&D investments in the seed industry have increased tremendously. Monsanto has been the leading company in investing agricultural biotechnology and has obtained a dominant position in the GM traits found in soybeans, cotton, corn and other commercialized crops. Currently, over 90 percent of soybeans planted in the United States were herbicide-resistant, with Monsanto’s Roundup Ready being the dominant soybeans planted. In 2014, however, the agriculture industry will be facing the expiration of a patent for Roundup Ready soybeans. Despiate the fact that the patent expiration date is approaching, the agricultural biotech industry has no guideline in place to tell its players exactly how to transition seamlessly from patent monopolies to generic competition. The transition problem is espectially significant for soybeans exported to oversea markets as more than 40 percent of the soybeans grown in the U.S. are exported. In order for those soybeans to be accepted in the grain channel, regulatory approvals are required in countries that import soybeans. Obtaining data, which includes scitific data on the trait being developed, for regulatory approvals can take years to complete. If a generic trait is to reach market immediately after the original trait go off patent, the data generation process should begin before patent expiration. A Hatch-Waxman type patent infringement defense for activities necessary to obtain regulatory approvals for biotech traits can ensure that seed companies have sufficient time to obtain registrations for a generic Roundup Ready trait or other generic traits. Current legislation should be modified to adequately oversee the transition to the generic use of genetically modified crops and, in the mean time, ensure the availability of generic modified crops.

Die Dissertationsschrift setzt sich mit der Karriere der Materialität in der Lyrik der Moderne auseinander. Im Übergang zur Moderne bildet die Lyrik Konzeptionen aus, die den Lyrikbegriff des 19. Jahrhunderts überwinden, indem sie materielle Eigenschaften von Literatur in die Produktion lyrischer Werke einbeziehen und im ästhetischen Erleben des Gedichts wirksam werden lassen. Die Untersuchung erforscht in ihrem Fortgang die produktive Wirksamkeit materieller Substrate der Lyrik in ihren technischen und poetologischen Ausprägungen. Im Zuge dessen werden Möglichkeitsbedingungen für die Rezeption lyrischer Werke herausgestellt, die durch einen veränderten Mediengebrauch entstehen. Dabei wird aufgezeigt, dass der Umgang mit den Substraten der Lyrik einer historischen Genese unterliegt, die zumindest in den bisher von der literaturwissenschaftlichen Forschung herausgestellten Gesichtspunkten zum Themenkomplex kaum beachtet wurde, die jedoch zu einem dezidierten Verständnis moderner Lyrik führt. In einer durch die Fragestellung gesteuerten Auswahl sind Gegenstände der Untersuchung sowohl Gedichte als auch Essays und Manifeste. / The dissertation is about the career of materiality in poems of the early modern period. In the shift from the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, lyricism develops conceptions comprising the material qualities of literature into the production of lyric works and make them operant in the aesthetical experience of poems. In this project I do research on the productive efficacy of material substrates of poems and describe them in their technical and poetical characteristics. In the course of this the basic preconditions for the reception of lyrical works as they effect from the changed use of media are elucidated. Based on this I assume, that the use of the substrates of lyrical production is subject to a historical genesis, that was neglected by studies in literature until now, although it would help to develop a deicide understanding of lyrical works of the modern period. Due to a problem based selection of texts the subjects of the research are poems as well as essays and manifestos.

Ziel dieser Untersuchung ist es, feuilletonistische Entwürfe von „Amerika“ in der Zeit von 1918 bis 1938 zu analysieren. Der Amerika-Diskurs in der deutschen Presse diente mir dabei als Folie für eine weitere Untersuchung im Kontext der Ersten Tschechoslowakischen Republik. Der Hauptbeitrag der vorliegenden Arbeit liegt daher in einer gänzlich neuen Perspektive auf die Perzeption der USA sowie im Vergleich dieser tschechoslowakischen Sicht mit der deutschen. In den 1920er- und 1930er-Jahren vermochte insbesondere das Feuilleton als modernes urbanes Genre die aktuellen zeitgenössischen Diskurse einerseits aufzunehmen, andererseits mitzugestalten. Deshalb diente es mir als Quelle. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Modernisierung als komplexes Phänomen untersucht, das alle Bereiche des Alltags erfasste. Anhand ausgewählter Themenbereiche – Amerika, Stadt, Frau – wurde herausgearbeitet, wie sich die Zeitgenossen mit diesem Prozess auseinandersetzten. Da die Modernisierung mit Amerikanisierung gleichgesetzt wurde, ist der so genannte Amerikanisierungsdiskurs zentraler Bestandteil der Untersuchung. Amerika diente sowohl in der Weimarer Republik wie in der ČSR als Projektionsfläche für Wunschvorstellungen sowie für Probleme im Umgang mit der Modernisierung. Das Zentrum der Moderne war der urbane Raum. Daher konzentriert sich meine Arbeit auf die Großstädte Berlin und Prag. Als deren Bezugsgröße diente New York. Analysiert wurden die Selbst- und im Falle Berlins auch die Fremddarstellungen der Metropolen im Hinblick auf ihre voranschreitende Urbanisierung. Der gesellschaftliche Wandel manifestierte sich in den 1920er-Jahren am deutlichsten an der gesellschaftlichen Aufwertung der Frau; sie profitierte am meisten vom Prozess der Modernisierung. Die Weiblichkeitskonstruktionen widerspiegeln daher wichtige Aspekte der Auseinandersetzung mit der Modernisierung / Amerikanisierung. / The goal of this research is the analysis of perceptions about the American model of modernity in the period between 1918 and 1938. The debate about America in Germany serves as the template for its examination in the context of the first Czechoslovak Republic, which will present an entirely new perspective. The main contribution of this thesis is the removal of the one-sided approach to German perceptions of America by means of comparison and perspective from Czechoslovakia. In the ‘20s and ‘30s played in particular the feuilleton a crucial role in creating popular perceptions of society. As a modern urban genre it enabled both the depiction and the formation of contemporary discourse. The subject of this thesis is a study of modernization, a complex phenomenon that has touched upon all aspects of everyday life. The analysis of selected topics – the USA, the city, and the woman – shows how people responded to this process. Due to the fact that modernization became equated with Americanization, a discourse about the latter is central to this analysis. Both in the German Weimar Republic as well as in Czechoslovakia America was used as a backdrop for projecting; both the visions and challenges that occurred while dealing with modernization. The center of modernism was the urban environment. This fact has led the focus of this examination to the cities of Prague and Berlin, with the reference point for both being New York. This thesis analyzes the way these cities presented themselves from the point of view of urbanization – in the case of Berlin it also includes perception of the city by outsiders. In the ‘20s social change was predominantly manifest in the empowerment of women and it was also women who profited most from modernization of the social sphere. The evolution of the notion of femininity is thus reflected in important aspects of this confrontation with modernization / Americanization.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Corticosteroid medication is the most effective currently available treatment. Complications of corticosteroid therapy are dose-dependent, however, the clinical efficacy of varying doses of inhaled corticosteroids has been studied with mixed results. A randomized, double-blind, parallel group study was used to evaluate the inhaled corticosteroid dose-response relationship for clinical endpoints and in vitro parameters of underlying airway inflammation and remodelling. The mannitol provocation test with Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) was used to derive potential dose-differentiating endpoints. In vitro inflammatory markers were measured in alveolar macrophages from bronchoalveolar lavage. Basement membrane thickness was measured from bronchial biopsies. Eleven nonasthmatic subjects were enrolled for comparison. This thesis addresses the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference in clinical and biological effects between low dose (200mcg/day, n=11) and high dose (1000mcg/day, n=11) treatment (for 6-7 weeks) with inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP) for a range of clinical outcomes and in vitro markers of airway inflammation and remodelling. Significant changes after FP included increased FEV1, reduced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) (by FOT and FEV1), exhaled nitric oxide and Juniper symptom score. In addition, significant reductions occurred in expression of GM-CSF, TNF-alpha and IL-1ra in macrophages. A lower baseline FOT-derived respiratory system conductance was predictive of a greater degree of improvement in symptoms. No statistically significant differences in the changes after treatment between low and high dose FP were found in spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide, symptom scores, AHR, alveolar macrophage cytokine levels (GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, IL-1ra, IL-10) and basement membrane thickness, although there were trends towards greater improvements in many of the parameters after high dose FP. Basement membrane thickness appeared to be reduced by high dose FP, although this reduction was not statistically significant. There was a weak, but statistically significant, negative correlation between basement membrane thickness and FOT-derived conductance (r2=0.135, p=0.042). With the recognition of the limitations in the interpretation of these data, the results suggest that, in previously steroid naïve mild to moderate asthmatics, there may be only minimal benefit derived from an additional 800µg/day of inhaled fluticasone above the low dose of 200µg/day.

In early 2003, a persistent drought threatened about 15 million people in the Southern African region (SADC) with starvation as farmers in this region were not able to produce enough food. A similar threat was experienced in the United States of America (USA). The Americans responded by introducing GM technology, which thankfully stabilised corn production and food security. It was against this backdrop that the South African government legalised and supported GM technology in the farming industry. However, the technology became a contentious issue amongst scholars, politicians and policy makers as well as farmers. Therefore, this study analysed the perceptions of small-scale and large-scale farmers, located in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa, on the adoption of GM technology. This qualitative study, using a case study design, collected primary data from thirty (30) farmers: fifteen (15) small-scale and fifteen (15) large-scale farmers. The findings revealed complex factors influencing farmers’ adoption decisions and that Adopter perception (AP) and Consumer perception (CP) play a key role in their adoption of GM technology. These commercially and profit-driven farmers avoid using GM technology because public opinion and the markets weigh heavily against it. It was concluded that the farmers regarded GM technology as just one of many agricultural technologies and not as an exception. It was also considered unaffordable and detrimental to the environment, the economy and their livelihoods.The study recommends that the government should fully investigate public perceptions with regard to the adoption of any new agricultural innovation prior to making policy decisions. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Thema dieser Dissertation ist die Frage, wie sich Licht und Sehen im Zuge der Elektrifizierung veränderten, und zwar aus Sicht literarischer Erzähltexte, die zwischen 1900 und 1933 publiziert wurden. Ausgangslage der Untersuchung ist erstens die These, dass durch den Einsatz des elektrischen Lichts eine Reihe neuer Wahrnehmungsdispositive entstanden, wo trotz der Lichtstärke elektrischer Leuchtmittel zwielichtige Licht- und prekäre Sichtverhältnisse herrschten. An drei besonders markanten Zwielichtszenarien der ästhetisch-technischen Moderne – Großstadt, Kino und Schützengraben – werden anhand einer breiten Quellenbasis aus Literatur, Technik, Wissenschaft, Philosophie und Ästhetik aufgezeigt, wie die Ausdifferenzierung der lichttechnischen Infrastruktur neue Blickregime und ästhetische Weltanschauungen produzierte, die ihrerseits veränderte Techniken des Sehens evozierten. Eine weitere zentrale These lautet, dass sich angesichts der prekären Licht- und Sichtverhältnisse auch die kulturelle Semantik des Lichts veränderte: die Art und Weise, wie Licht, und damit ebenso die Vorstellungen von Wahrnehmung, Wahrheit und Wirklichkeit, vor- und dargestellt wurden. Die neuen Lichtphänomene erforderten neben aisthetischen (die sinnliche Wahrnehmung betreffende) Anpassungsleistungen auch ästhetische Bewältigungsstrategien: neue Darstellungsweisen und symbolisch-metaphorische Zuschreibungen, die das zeitgenössische Wissen über Licht und Sehen gehörig in Bewegung brachte. Es entstanden virulente neue Korrelationen ‚moderner Wahrnehmung‘ zwischen technisch erzeugtem Zwielicht, epistemischer Irritation und narrativ erzeugter Visualität. Ich hoffe, mit meiner Arbeit neue Perspektiven auf die nach wie vor relevante Frage ‚moderner Wahrnehmung‘ zu werfen, die sich seit der ‚elektrischen Moderne‘ sukzessive als immer ausgeklügelteres Zusammenspiel von (Licht-)technik, aisthesis und Ästhetik neuformiert. / This dissertation focuses on how light(ing) and seeing/ perception changed in the course of electrification, from the perspective of German literature, published between 1900 and 1933. My first claim is, that the use of electric light created a series of new perceptual dispositifs, where dubious light and precarious visual conditions prevailed despite the luminous intensity of electric lighting. Three particularly striking twilight scenarios, that play a significant role in technology and aesthetics in the early 20th century, – namely the City, the Cinema, and the Trenches of WWI – are gripping settings to demonstrate, how disruptive lighting infrastructure produced new scopic regimes and innovative aesthetic perspectives (Weltanschauungen) that changed the techniques of visual perception. Drawing from a broad base of sources from literature, technology, science, philosophy, and aesthetics, I argue that the disruptive lighting technologies did not only change light phenomena, visual conditions and perception, but also transformed the cultural semantics of light substantially. Closely tied to concepts of truth, perception and reality, the rhetoric of light and lighting are dense metaphors and symbols, deeply interconnected with the history of knowledge. The new light phenomena required aisthetic (sensory perception-related) adaptations, as well as aesthetic coping strategies, like new modes of representation and symbolic-metaphorical attributions that troubled contemporary knowledge about light and visuality. My research zooms in on the visual dispositifs of ‘electric modernity’ and thus on the new correlations between technically generated twilight, epistemic irritation, and narrative visuality. By analysing the interplay of lighting and visual technology, aisthesis, and literary aesthetics in early 20th century, I hope to shed new light on the intriguing question of ‘modern perception’ that remains relevant from the beginning of the electric age until now.

Frauen*studium, Wirtschaftskrise, die Welt der Angestellten, der Topos der „Neuen Frau“ Weimars: Das sind einige der Themen von Victoria Wolffs ersten beiden Romanen – „Mädchen wohin?“ (1932) und „Eine Frau hat Mut“ (1933). „Gast in der Heimat“ (1935) und „Die Welt ist blau“ (1933) reagieren dann auf das Erstarken des Faschismus' und die Errichtung des NS-Regimes: „Gast in der Heimat“ schildert diese Zeit aus dem Blickwinkel einer deutsch-jüdischen Familie aus dem gehobenen Bürgertum, der Roman „Die Welt ist blau“ formuliert als Reaktion auf den moralischen Sinkflug in Deutschland auf einer seiner Ebenen Gegenentwürfe zum faschistischen Frauen*- und Gesellschaftsideal. Ich möchte danach fragen, welche Interpretationen, Gedanken, Positionen die Texte bei ihrem Blick auf die damalige Gegenwart formulieren – und mit welchen literarischen Mitteln sie das jeweils tun. / Studying women*, economic crisis, the world of employees, the topos of Weimar's „New Woman“: These are some of the themes of Victoria Wolff's first two novels – „Mädchen wohin?” („Girl, Where are You Heading to?“) (1932) and „Eine Frau hat Mut” („A Woman Of Courage“) (1933). „Gast in der Heimat” („A Guest in the Homeland“) (1935) and „Die Welt ist blau” („The World is Blue”) (1933) respond to the rise of fascism, as well as the establishment of the Nazi regime: „Gast in der Heimat” („A Guest in the Homeland“) describes this time from the perspective of a German-Jewish family from the upper middle class, while the novel „Die Welt ist blau” („The World is Blue”) formulates, on one of its levels, alternative drafts to the fascist ideal of women* and society as a replica to the moral decline in germany. I would like to ask the following questions: What interpretations, thoughts and positions do the novels formulate in their view of the present? And what literary means do they use to do it in each case?

A fundamental change in societal values and economic structures is required to address increasing pressures on ecosystems and natural resources. Transition research has developed in the last decades to analyze the co-dynamics of technological, institutional, social and economic elements in the provision of key functions such as energy, water and food supply. This doctoral dissertation provides conceptual and methodological contributions to the pro-active governance of sustainability transitions. Three research gaps are identified that are addressed in this dissertation. First, a comprehensive conceptualization of learning in sustainability transitions is currently missing that comprises learning at multiple societal levels (ranging from individuals to policy-actors). Learning concepts are often not explicitly discussed in transition research even though learning is considered as fundamental for innovation processes, niche formation and development as well as breakthrough and diffusion of innovations. Second, methods for the analysis and design of transition governance processes are lacking that specify case-specific intervention points and roles of actors in the implementation of innovations. Third, participatory modeling approaches are only applied to a limited extent in transition research despite a high potential for supporting communication and learning. The conceptualization of multi-level learning developed in this doctoral research conceptualizes learning at different societal levels as specific learning contexts ranging from individual and group contexts to organizational and policy contexts. The conceptual framework further differentiates between learning processes, intensity, objects, outcomes, subjects and factors, allowing for a more detailed analysis of learning within and across learning contexts. Thus, learning contexts can be linked by processes that involve actors from different learning contexts (e.g., community groups and policy-makers), as well as exchanges of physical aspects, institutions and knowledge (in the form of ‘learning factors’). This research has also provided a classification of model uses in transition research that supports a purposeful discussion of the opportunities of modeling and promising future research directions. The methodology developed in this doctoral research aims at the analysis and design of transition governance processes by specifying the various opportunities to contribute to sustainability transitions through purposeful action at different societal levels, as well as related roles of stakeholders in implementing such processes of change. The methodology combines different streams of previous research: 1) a participatory modeling approach to identify problem perceptions, case-specific sustainability innovations as well as related implementation barriers, drivers and responsibilities; 2) a systematic review to identify supportive and impeding learning factors from the general literature that can complement case-specific factors; and 3) a method for the analysis and design of case-specific transition governance processes. Three case studies in Canada (topic: sustainable food systems), Cyprus (water-energy-food nexus) and Germany (sustainable heating supply) have been selected to test and iteratively develop the methodology described above. The results for each case study reveal that there are learning objects (i.e., learning requirements) in all learning contexts, which underscores the importance of multi-level learning in sustainability transitions, ranging from the individual to the group, organizational and policy levels. Actors have various opportunities to actively facilitate societal transformations towards sustainable development either directly through actions at their particular societal levels (i.e., context-internal learning) or indirectly through actions that influence learning at other societal levels. In fact, most of the learning factors require cooperation across learning contexts during the implementation process. The comparing of learning factors across case studies underline the importance of several factor categories, such as ‘physical a ‘disturbance or crisis’, ‘information and knowledge’. Of the 206 factors identified by stakeholders, 40 factors are case-specific and not contained in the general, review-based factor list. This underscores the value of participatory research, as general, top-down analyses might have overlooked these case-specific factors. The methodology presented in this dissertation allows for the identification and analysis of case-specific intervention points for sustainability transitions at multiple societal levels. The methodology furthermore permits the analysis of interplay between individual, group, organizational and policy actions, which is a first step towards their coordination. The focus on sustainability innovations links the broad topic of sustainability transitions to a set of opportunities for practical interventions and overcoming their implementation barriers. The methodology presented allows for the analysis and design of these interlinkages between learning contexts. While the methodology cannot provide any ‘silver bullets’ for inducing sustainability transitions, it is flexible enough to identify an appropriate abstraction level for analyzing and designing transition governance processes. The methodology developed in this doctoral research also provides several contributions for the development of participatory modeling methods in transition research. Thus, the participatory method supports an integrated analysis of barriers and drivers of sustainability innovations, and allows application in practice and education. The concepts and methods developed in this research project allow for reflection on transition governance processes from a systemic viewpoint. Experiences in the case studies underline the applicability of the concepts and methods developed for the analysis of case-specific transition governance processes. Despite substantial differences in the geographic location, culture and topics addressed, all case studies include promising sustainability innovations and the engagement of multiple actors in their implementation. The diversity and multitude of initiatives in the case study regions provides an optimistic outlook on future opportunities for large-scale sustainability transitions.