Adolf Kratzer:1893 - 1983

Diese Biographie erinnert an einen Mann, auf den die Universität Münster stolz sein kann und dem sie zu großem Dank verpflichtet ist. Adolf Kratzer wurde 1922 aufgrund seiner herausragenden Forschungsergebnisse zur Quantentheorie auf das Ordinariat für theoretische Physik an der WWU Münster berufen. Gemeinsam mit dem Philosophen Heinrich Scholz widmete er sich ab 1930 wissenschaftstheoretischen Grundlagenfragen; die „Gruppe von Münster“ wurde zur Keimzelle der Mathematischen Logik in Deutschland. Obwohl er keiner NS-Organisation angehörte, wurde er von 1937 bis 1942 Fakultätsdekan und ab 1943 Prorektor der im Bombenhagel untergehenden Universität. Die britische Militärregierung bestätigte ihn unmittelbar als Prorektor; gemeinsam mit dem Rektor Georg Schreiber erreichte er, dass die Universität schon am 3. November 1945 wieder eröffnet wurde. Mehr als 30 Jahre lang widmete er sich intensiv der Studentenförderung; er war am Wiederaufbau des Studentenwerks maßgeblich beteiligt und einer der „Väter“ des Honnefer Modells. 1957 wurde daher das Aaseehaus in „Adolf-Kratzer-Haus“ umbenannt. Als er 1962 im Alter von 69 Jahren emeritiert wurde, brachten ihm die Studierenden den letzten derartigen Fackelzug dar; er wurde Ehrensenator der Universität und erhielt das Große Bundesverdienstkreuz

Trajectories of self-rated health in people with diabetes: Associations with functioning in a prospective community sample

© 2013 Schmitz et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is a single-item measure that is one of the most widely used measures of general health in population health research. Relatively little is known about changes and the trajectories of SRH in people with chronic medical conditions. The aims of the present study were to identify and describe longitudinal trajectories of self-rated health (SRH) status in people with diabetes. Methods: A prospective community study was carried out between 2008 and 2011. SRH was assessed at baseline and yearly at follow-ups (n=1288). Analysis was carried out through trajectory modeling. The trajectory groups were subsequently compared at 4 years follow-up with respect to functioning. Results: Four distinct trajectories of SRH were identified: 1) 72.2% of the participants were assigned to a persistently good SRH trajectory; 2) 10.1% were assigned to a persistently poor SRH trajectory; 3) mean SRH scores changed from good to poor for one group (7.3%); while 4) mean SRH scores changed from poor to medium/good for another group (10.4%). Those with a persistently poor perception of health status were at higher risk for poor functioning at 4 years follow-up than those whose SRH scores decreased from good to poor. Conclusions: SRH is an important predictor for poor functioning in diabetes, but the trajectory of SRH seems to be even more important. Health professionals should pay attention to not only SRH per se, but also changes in SRH over time.This work was supported by Operating Grant MOP-84574 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). GG was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the CIHR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene and short term behavioral response to methylphenidate in children with ADHD

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Animal models of ADHD suggest that the paradoxical calming effect of methylphenidate on motor activity could be mediated through its action on serotonin transmission. In this study, we have investigated the relationship between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (<it>SLC6A4</it>) and the response of ADHD relevant behaviors with methylphenidate treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients between ages 6-12 (n = 157) were assessed with regard to their behavioral response to methylphenidate (0.5 mg/kg/day) using a 2-week prospective within-subject, placebo-controlled (crossover) trial. The children were then genotyped with regard to the triallelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in the <it>SLC6A4 </it>gene. Main outcome measure: Conners' Global Index for parents (CGI-Parents) and teachers (CGI-Teachers) at baseline and at the end of each week of treatment with placebo and methylphenidate. For both outcome measurements, we used a mixed model analysis of variance to determine gene, treatment and gene × treatment interaction effects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mixed model analysis of variance revealed a gene × treatment interaction for CGI-Parents but not for CGI-Teachers. Children homozygous for the lower expressing alleles (<it>s+l_G= s'</it>) responded well to placebo and did not derive additional improvement with methylphenidate compared to children carrying a higher expressing allele (<it>l_A</it>). No genotype main effects on either CGI-Parents or CGI-teachers were observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A double blind placebo-controlled design was used to assess the behavioral effects of methylphenidate in relation to the triallelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the <it>SLC6A4 </it>gene in children with ADHD. This polymorphism appears to modulate the behavioral response to methylphenidate in children with ADHD as assessed in the home environment by parents. Further investigation is needed to assess the clinical implications of this finding.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00483106</p

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase&nbsp;1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation&nbsp;disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age&nbsp; 6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score&nbsp; 652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc&nbsp;= 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N&nbsp;= 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in&nbsp;Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in&nbsp;Asia&nbsp;and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

50 Jahre Institut für Mathematische Statistik der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster:1959 – 2009

1959 wurde Dietrich Morgenstern zum Professor an der WWU Münster ernannt; gleichzeitig erhielt er die Bestellung zum Direktor des neu gegründeten Instituts für Mathematische Statistik, des ersten angewandt-mathematischen Instituts der WWU. Aus Anlass des 50-jährigen Institutsbestehens wurden 2009 ein Festkolloquium veranstaltet und die vorliegende Institutschronik herausgegeben: Nach Anmerkungen zur Geschichte der Mathematischen Stochastik in Deutschland erfolgt die Beschreibung des Institutsaufbaus durch Dietrich Morgenstern. Wichtige Erfolge wurden in den „goldenen sechziger Jahren“ erzielt, als Hermann Witting von 1962 bis 1972 eine Arbeitsgruppe führte, aus der u.a. 14 spätere Professoren hervorgingen. Ab 1972 schufen Detlef Plachky und Norbert Schmitz ein produktives Institut, das zu den ausbildungsstärksten in Deutschland gehörte und an dem etliche spätere Professoren für Mathematische Stochastik wirkten. Matthias Löwe (ab 2003) und Nina Gantert(ab 2004) führten die erfolgreiche Arbeit fort. Die Chronik listet alle am Institut entstandenen Diplomarbeiten und Dissertationen auf

Geschichte der Mathematik an der Universität Münster:Teil I: 1773–1945

Die Verfasser stellen in diesem Buch die Geschichte des Fachs Mathematik an der Universität Münster von der Universitätsgründung bis zum Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts dar. Der vorliegende erste Teil behandelt den Zeitraum von 1773 bis 1945. Dabei streben die Verfasser an, die Entwicklung des Fachs Mathematik nach Möglichkeit einzubetten in den allgemeinen geschichtlichen Rah­men. Die Ausführungen über das Geschehen im Vorfeld der Universitätsgründung und die Entwicklung bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts tragen dabei zum Teil anekdotische Züge. Die Schilderung der Zeit von 1902 bis 1945 kann jedoch auch als Beitrag zu einem Rechenschaftsbericht der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Univer­sität über ihre Vergangenheit dienen. <br

Associations between Depressive Symptoms and Indices of Obesity in Adults with Prediabetes and Normal Blood Glucose Levels: Results From the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Study

Objectives: This study describes associations between depressive symptoms and indices of obesity in a community sample of adults with prediabetes. The strengths of these associations were compared to those observed in individuals with normal blood glucose levels. Methods: Cross-sectional data came from the baseline assessment of the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Study. Participants were classified as meeting the American Diabetes Association criteria for prediabetes (n=1,152) or normal blood glucose levels (n=1,567). Indices of obesity included body mass index, waist circumference and fat mass index. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic covariates, greater depressive symptoms were associated with greater body mass index, waist circumference and fat mass index. These associations were stronger in participants with prediabetes compared to participants with normal blood glucose levels. The pattern of results observed for body mass index and waist circumference held after controlling for self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity and sedentary time, but the strength of the interaction was attenuated for fat mass index. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms were more strongly associated with indices of obesity in people with prediabetes than in people with normal blood glucose levels. Depressive symptoms may be a barrier to weight management in people with prediabetes