Costs of regulating ammonia emissions from livestock farms near Natura 2000 areas - analyses of case farms from Germany, Netherlands and Denmark.

Natura 2000 areas are designated according to the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives in order to protect particular habitats and species. A variety of these habitats and species are particularly sensitive to deposition of nitrogen caused by ammonia emissions. Livestock farming is the primary source of this pollution. The purpose of this paper is to compare the costs of reaching the ammonia emission targets for different livestock farms near Natura 2000 sites in the Netherlands, Germany (Schleswig-Holstein), and Denmark. These countries have some of the highest NH3 deposition rates in Europe, and Germany in particular will have to implement new measures to reach the NEC requirements for 2030. This will also benefit nature sites in Denmark as a large share of the ammonia emissions is dispersed over long distances. The general regulation includes implementation of BAT technologies and emission ceilings. The analysis looks at regulatory aspects, the emission requirements and the cost of implementing the technologies to reduce emissions further. The selected case farms are a finisher farm and a dairy farm, and the distance to a Natura 2000 site is 400 and 2000 m. In all three countries, relatively few livestock farms are situated near or inside Natura 2000 areas. The regulatory approach is very different in the three countries and key issues are: additional deposition from projects, neighbouring livestock farms (cumulation), the inclusion of background deposition and the use of the critical loads concept. The Dutch PAS system is interesting as projected reductions in emissions are distributed as additional "room for development" today. The costs for the case farm with finishers in Schleswig-Holstein are the highest as the Filter Decree requires the use of air scrubbers. The findings suggest that farms 400 m from a Natura 2000 site in the Netherlands face lower and less costly constraints than in the other countries, whereas the opposite is the case for farms 2000 m from Natura 2000 sites. The requirements near Natura 2000, where strict requirements apply, are so high that farms will expand at a different site instead.

Participation in breast cancer screening among women of Turkish origin in Germany - a register-based study.

BACKGROUND: Population-based breast cancer screening programs were implemented to reduce breast cancer mortality and to improve recovery chances. Breast cancer screening participation among migrant women differs from that of autochthonous populations in several European countries. Here we investigate for the first time participation among women of Turkish origin in Germany. METHODS: Data of five screening units covering 2010 and 2011 as well as associated population registries were analysed. Women of Turkish origin were identified using a name-based algorithm. Participation ratios among women of Turkish origin and odds ratios compared to women of non-Turkish origin were calculated. Analyses were stratified and adjusted for age-groups and screening unit. RESULTS: A total of 208,500 participants in the five breast screening units were included, out of 423,649 eligible women in the catchment areas (participation 49.2%). Women of Turkish origin have a slightly higher chance to participate in breast cancer screening than women without Turkish origin (OR 1.17; 95% CI: 1.14-1.21). Only women of Turkish origin aged 65-69 years have a lower chance to participate than women without Turkish origin (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.66-0.75). CONCLUSION: In spite of low participation in preventive measures among migrant populations, the overall breast cancer screening participation among women of Turkish origin in Germany seems to be higher compared to women of non-Turkish origin. Turkish women aged 65 years and above have a lower chance of participation than younger Turkish women. There is need for further research to study factors affecting participation in screening among migrant and non-migrant populations in Germany.

Effects of temperature and resource level on interspecific interactions in two species of Odonata larvae.

Identifying how temperature and food resources affect interactions between species is important for understanding how climate change will shape community structure in the future. Here, we tested how temperature and resource density affect survival and growth in the larval stage of two coexisting odonates: the damselfly Lestes sponsa and the dragonfly Sympetrum vulgatum. We performed a laboratory experiment at two temperatures (21 and 24°C) with two resource densities. We estimated the timing of egg hatching of individual egg clutches and thereafter the larval growth rate-, survival- and size-mediated priority effects under interspecific conditions. Eggs of both species hatched slightly faster at 24°C, and S. vulgatum eggs started hatching approximately 1 day earlier than L. sponsa eggs. However, this earlier hatching did not result in a size-mediated priority effect, that is, a higher predation on the later hatching L. sponsa. Nevertheless, L. sponsa larvae were significantly larger than S. vulgatum at hatching. Growth rate and survival were significantly higher: (1) at 24°C compared with 21°C, (2) at high compared with low-resource density and (3) in L. sponsa compared with S. vulgatum. Several significant interaction effects between resource density and temperature and between temperature and species were found. At high temperature, L. sponsa had a higher growth rate than S. vulgatum, but no difference in growth rate between species was found at low temperature. Additionally, a high-resource density resulted in a higher growth rate in both species, but only under high temperature. There was a negative relationship between growth rate and survival in both species, suggesting that the higher growth rate of larvae was to some degree driven by intraguild predation and/or cannibalism. Our results imply that resource levels interact with temperature to affect interactions between the species.

Association of dietary energy density in childhood with age and body fatness at the onset of the pubertal growth spurt.

The aim of the present study was to examine the association of pre-pubertal dietary energy density (ED) with both age and body fatness at the start of the pubertal growth spurt (age at take-off, ATO). Analyses included 219 DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study participants with sufficient height measurements to estimate ATO who provided 3 d weighed dietary records at baseline, i.e. 2 and 3 years before ATO (mean age 6·9 (SD 1·2) years). Mean energy intakes and amounts of foods/drinks consumed at baseline were derived from the records. ED (kJ/g) was calculated based on (1) all foods and drinks (ED_all), (2) foods and energy-containing drinks (ED_energy), (3) foods and milk as a drink, but no other beverages (ED_milk) and (4) foods only, solid or liquid (ED_food). Using multiple regression analyses, the association between the ED variables and ATO was investigated. Furthermore, Z-scores of BMI and fat mass index (FMI) at ATO were considered as outcomes to reflect body fatness at puberty onset. The results showed that ED at baseline was not associated with ATO, regardless of the ED method used. For example, mean ATO in the lowest v. highest tertile of ED_food was 9·3 (95 % CI 9·0, 9·5) v. 9·4 (95 % CI 9·1, 9·7) years, P(trend) = 0·8 (adjusted for sex, maternal age, birth weight, dietary protein, dietary fibre, baseline BMI Z-score). Similarly, ED was not independently associated with BMI or FMI Z-score at ATO (P(trend) = 0·3-0·9). In conclusion, dietary ED in childhood did not influence timing or body fatness at ATO in this cohort of healthy, free-living children.