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Background: The current taxonomy of the African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is primarily based on pelage pattern and geographic distribution, and nine subspecies are currently recognized. Although genetic studies have been conducted, their resolution is low, mainly due to limited sampling. Detailed knowledge about the genetic variation and phylogeography of the South African giraffe (G. c. giraffa) and the Angolan giraffe (G. c. angolensis) is lacking. We investigate genetic variation among giraffe matrilines by increased sampling, with a focus on giraffe key areas in southern Africa.
Results: The 1,562 nucleotides long mitochondrial DNA dataset (cytochrome b and partial control region) comprises 138 parsimony informative sites among 161 giraffe individuals from eight populations. We additionally included two okapis as an outgroup. The analyses of the maternally inherited sequences reveal a deep divergence between northern and southern giraffe populations in Africa, and a general pattern of distinct matrilineal clades corresponding to their geographic distribution. Divergence time estimates among giraffe populations place the deepest splits at several hundred thousand years ago.
Conclusions: Our increased sampling in southern Africa suggests that the distribution ranges of the Angolan and South African giraffe need to be redefined. Knowledge about the phylogeography and genetic variation of these two maternal lineages is crucial for the development of appropriate management strategies.
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a disease which is associated with random and often unpredictable attacks of painful swelling typically affecting the extremities, bowel mucosa, genitals, face and upper airway. Attacks are associated with significant functional impairment, decreased Health Related Quality of Life, and mortality in the case of laryngeal attacks. Caring for patients with HAE can be challenging due to the complexity of this disease. The care of patients with HAE in Canada is neither optimal nor uniform across the country. It lags behind other countries where there are more organized models for HAE management, and where additional therapeutic options are licensed and available for use. The objective of this guideline is to provide graded recommendations for the management of patients in Canada with HAE. This includes the treatment of attacks, short-term prophylaxis, long-term prophylaxis, and recommendations for self-administration, individualized therapy, quality of life, and comprehensive care. It is anticipated that by providing this guideline to caregivers, policy makers, patients and their advocates, that there will be an improved understanding of the current recommendations regarding management of HAE and the factors that need to be considered when choosing therapies and treatment plans for individual patients. The primary target users of this guideline are healthcare providers who are managing patients with HAE. Other healthcare providers who may use this guideline are emergency physicians, gastroenterologists, dentists and otolaryngologists, who will encounter patients with HAE and need to be aware of this condition. Hospital administrators, insurers and policy makers may also find this guideline helpful.
Background: Malaria is still a priority public health problem of Nepal where about 84% of the population are at risk. The aim of this paper is to highlight the past and present malaria situation in this country and its challenges for long-term malaria elimination strategies.
Methods: Malariometric indicator data of Nepal recorded through routine surveillance of health facilities for the years between 1963 and 2012 were compiled. Trends and differences in malaria indicator data were analysed.
Results: The trend of confirmed malaria cases in Nepal between 1963 and 2012 shows fluctuation, with a peak in 1985 when the number exceeded 42,321, representing the highest malaria case-load ever recorded in Nepal. This was followed by a steep declining trend of malaria with some major outbreaks. Nepal has made significant progress in controlling malaria transmission over the past decade: total confirmed malaria cases declined by 84% (12,750 in 2002 vs 2,092 in 2012), and there was only one reported death in 2012. Based on the evaluation of the National Malaria Control Programme in 2010, Nepal recently adopted a long-term malaria elimination strategy for the years 2011–2026 with the ambitious vision of a malaria-free Nepal by 2026. However, there has been an increasing trend of Plasmodium falciparum and imported malaria proportions in the last decade. Furthermore, the analysis of malariometric indicators of 31 malaria-risk districts between 2004 and 2012 shows a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of confirmed malaria and of Plasmodium vivax, but not in the incidence of P. falciparum and clinically suspected malaria.
Conclusions: Based on the achievements the country has made over the last decade, Nepal is preparing to move towards malaria elimination by 2026. However, considerable challenges lie ahead. These include especially, the need to improve access to diagnostic facilities to confirm clinically suspected cases and their treatment, the development of resistance in parasites and vectors, climate change, and increasing numbers of imported cases from a porous border with India. Therefore, caution is needed before the country embarks towards malaria elimination.
Background: Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a significant unmet medical need. Despite advances with targeted therapies in a small subset of patients, fewer than 20% of patients survive for more than two years after diagnosis. Cancer vaccines are a promising therapeutic approach that offers the potential for durable responses through the engagement of the patient's own immune system. CV9202 is a self-adjuvanting mRNA vaccine that targets six antigens commonly expressed in NSCLC (NY ESO-1, MAGEC1, MAGEC2, 5 T4, survivin, and MUC1).
Methods/Design: The trial will assess the safety and tolerability of CV9202 vaccination combined with local radiation designed to enhance immune responses and will include patients with stage IV NSCLC and a response or stable disease after first-line chemotherapy or therapy with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Three histological and molecular subtypes of NSCLC will be investigated (squamous and non-squamous cell with/without EGFR mutations). All patients will receive two initial vaccinations with CV9202 prior to local radiotherapy (5 GY per day for four successive days) followed by further vaccinations until disease progression. The primary endpoint of the study is the number of patients experiencing Grade >3 treatment-related adverse events. Pharmacodynamic analyses include the assessment of immune responses to the antigens encoded by CV9202 and others not included in the panel (antigen spreading) and standard efficacy assessments.
Discussion: RNActive self-adjuvanted mRNA vaccines offer the potential for simultaneously inducing immune responses to a wide panel of antigens commonly expressed in tumors. This trial will assess the feasibility of this approach in combination with local radiotherapy in NSCLC patients.
Altered mucosal immune response after acute lung injury in a murine model of Ataxia Telangiectasia
(2014)
Background: Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare but devastating and progressive disorder characterized by cerebellar dysfunction, lymphoreticular malignancies and recurrent sinopulmonary infections. In A-T, disease of the respiratory system causes significant morbidity and is a frequent cause of death.
Methods: We used a self-limited murine model of hydrochloric acid-induced acute lung injury (ALI) to determine the inflammatory answer due to mucosal injury in Atm (A-T mutated)- deficient mice (Atm−/−).
Results: ATM deficiency increased peak lung inflammation as demonstrated by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) neutrophils and lymphocytes and increased levels of BALF pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-6, TNF). Furthermore, bronchial epithelial damage after ALI was increased in Atm−/− mice. ATM deficiency increased airway resistance and tissue compliance before ALI was performed.
Conclusions: Together, these findings indicate that ATM plays a key role in inflammatory response after airway mucosal injury.
Antigenic and 3D structural characterization of soluble X4 and hybrid X4-R5 HIV-1 Env trimers
(2014)
Background: HIV-1 is decorated with trimeric glycoprotein spikes that enable infection by engaging CD4 and a chemokine coreceptor, either CCR5 or CXCR4. The variable loop 3 (V3) of the HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) is the main determinant for coreceptor usage. The predominant CCR5 using (R5) HIV-1 Env has been intensively studied in function and structure, whereas the trimeric architecture of the less frequent, but more cytopathic CXCR4 using (X4) HIV-1 Env is largely unknown, as are the consequences of sequence changes in and near V3 on antigenicity and trimeric Env structure.
Results: Soluble trimeric gp140 Env constructs were used as immunogenic mimics of the native spikes to analyze their antigenic properties in the context of their overall 3D structure. We generated soluble, uncleaved, gp140 trimers from a prototypic T-cell line-adapted (TCLA) X4 HIV-1 strain (NL4-3) and a hybrid (NL4-3/ADA), in which the V3 spanning region was substituted with that from the primary R5 isolate ADA. Compared to an ADA (R5) gp140, the NL4-3 (X4) construct revealed an overall higher antibody accessibility, which was most pronounced for the CD4 binding site (CD4bs), but also observed for mAbs against CD4 induced (CD4i) epitopes and gp41 mAbs. V3 mAbs showed significant binding differences to the three constructs, which were refined by SPR analysis. Of interest, the NL4-3/ADA construct with the hybrid NL4-3/ADA CD4bs showed impaired CD4 and CD4bs mAb reactivity despite the presence of the essential elements of the CD4bs epitope. We obtained 3D reconstructions of the NL4-3 and the NL4-3/ADA gp140 trimers via electron microscopy and single particle analysis, which indicates that both constructs inherit a propeller-like architecture. The first 3D reconstruction of an Env construct from an X4 TCLA HIV-1 strain reveals an open conformation, in contrast to recently published more closed structures from R5 Env. Exchanging the X4 V3 spanning region for that of R5 ADA did not alter the open Env architecture as deduced from its very similar 3D reconstruction.
Conclusions: 3D EM analysis showed an apparent open trimer configuration of X4 NL4-3 gp140 that is not modified by exchanging the V3 spanning region for R5 ADA.
Tubulin-binding agents such as taxol, vincristine or vinblastine are well-established drugs in clinical treatment of metastatic cancer. However, because of their highly complex chemical structures, the synthesis and hence the supply issues are still quite challenging. Here we set on stage pretubulysin, a chemically accessible precursor of tubulysin that was identified as a potent microtubule-binding agent produced by myxobacteria. Although much simpler in chemical structure, pretubulysin abrogates proliferation and long-term survival as well as anchorage-independent growth, and also induces anoikis and apoptosis in invasive tumor cells equally potent to tubulysin. Moreover, pretubulysin posseses in vivo efficacy shown in a chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model with T24 bladder tumor cells, in a mouse xenograft model using MDA-MB-231 mammary cancer cells and finally in a model of lung metastasis induced by 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells. Pretubulysin induces cell death via the intrinsic apoptosis pathway by abrogating the expression of pivotal antiapoptotic proteins, namely Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL, and shows distinct chemosensitizing properties in combination with TRAIL in two- and three-dimensional cell culture models. Unraveling the underlying signaling pathways provides novel information: pretubulysin induces proteasomal degradation of Mcl-1 by activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (especially JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase)) and phosphorylation of Mcl-1, which is then targeted by the SCF(Fbw7) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex for ubiquitination and degradation. In sum, we designate the microtubule-destabilizing compound pretubulysin as a highly promising novel agent for mono treatment and combinatory treatment of invasive cancer.
DNA methylation reader MECP2 : cell type- and differentiation stage-specific protein distribution
(2014)
Background: Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) is a protein that specifically binds methylated DNA, thus regulating transcription and chromatin organization. Mutations in the gene have been identified as the principal cause of Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder. Although the role of MECP2 has been extensively studied in nervous tissues, still very little is known about its function and cell type specific distribution in other tissues.
Results: Using immunostaining on tissue cryosections, we characterized the distribution of MECP2 in 60 cell types of 16 mouse neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. We show that MECP2 is expressed at a very high level in all retinal neurons except rod photoreceptors. The onset of its expression during retina development coincides with massive synapse formation. In contrast to astroglia, retinal microglial cells lack MECP2, similar to microglia in the brain, cerebellum, and spinal cord. MECP2 is also present in almost all non-neural cell types, with the exception of intestinal epithelial cells, erythropoietic cells, and hair matrix keratinocytes. Our study demonstrates the role of MECP2 as a marker of the differentiated state in all studied cells other than oocytes and spermatogenic cells. MECP2-deficient male (Mecp2−/y) mice show no apparent defects in the morphology and development of the retina. The nuclear architecture of retinal neurons is also unaffected as the degree of chromocenter fusion and the distribution of major histone modifications do not differ between Mecp2−/y and Mecp2wt mice. Surprisingly, the absence of MECP2 is not compensated by other methyl-CpG binding proteins. On the contrary, their mRNA levels were downregulated in Mecp2−/y mice.
Conclusions: MECP2 is almost universally expressed in all studied cell types with few exceptions, including microglia. MECP2 deficiency does not change the nuclear architecture and epigenetic landscape of retinal cells despite the missing compensatory expression of other methyl-CpG binding proteins. Furthermore, retinal development and morphology are also preserved in Mecp2-null mice. Our study reveals the significance of MECP2 function in cell differentiation and sets the basis for future investigations in this direction.
Immunotherapy of cancer utilizes dendritic cells (DCs) for antigen presentation and the induction of tumor-specific immune responses. However, the therapeutic induction of anti-tumor immunity is limited by tumor escape mechanisms. In this study, immortalized dendritic D2SC/1 cells were transduced with a mutated version of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, p53M234I, or p53C132F/E168G, which are overexpressed in MethA fibrosarcoma tumor cells. In addition, D2SC/1 cells were fused with MethA tumor cells to generate a vaccine that potentially expresses a large repertoire of tumor-antigens. Cellular vaccines were transplanted onto Balb/c mice and MethA tumor growth and anti-tumor immune responses were examined in vaccinated animals. D2SC/1-p53M234I and D2SC/1-p53C132F/E168G cells induced strong therapeutic and protective MethA tumor immunity upon transplantation in Balb/c mice. However, in a fraction of immunized mice MethA tumor growth resumed after an extended latency period. Analysis of these tumors indicated loss of p53 expression. Mice, pre-treated with fusion hybrids generated from D2SC/1 and MethA tumor cells, suppressed MethA tumor growth and averted adaptive immune escape. Polyclonal B-cell responses directed against various MethA tumor proteins could be detected in the sera of D2SC/1-MethA inoculated mice. Athymic nude mice and Balb/c mice depleted of CD4(+) or CD8(+) T-cells were not protected against MethA tumor cell growth after immunization with D2SC/1-MethA hybrids. Our results highlight a potential drawback of cancer immunotherapy by demonstrating that the induction of a specific anti-tumor response favors the acquisition of tumor phenotypes promoting immune evasion. In contrast, the application of DC/tumor cell fusion hybrids prevents adaptive immune escape by a T-cell dependent mechanism and provides a simple strategy for personalized anti-cancer treatment without the need of selectively priming the host immune system.
FLRTs are broadly expressed proteins with the unique property of acting as homophilic cell adhesion molecules and as heterophilic repulsive ligands of Unc5/Netrin receptors. How these functions direct cell behavior and the molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unclear. Here we use X-ray crystallography to reveal the distinct structural bases for FLRT-mediated cell adhesion and repulsion in neurons. We apply this knowledge to elucidate FLRT functions during cortical development. We show that FLRTs regulate both the radial migration of pyramidal neurons, as well as their tangential spread. Mechanistically, radial migration is controlled by repulsive FLRT2-Unc5D interactions, while spatial organization in the tangential axis involves adhesive FLRT-FLRT interactions. Further, we show that the fundamental mechanisms of FLRT adhesion and repulsion are conserved between neurons and vascular endothelial cells. Our results reveal FLRTs as powerful guidance factors with structurally encoded repulsive and adhesive surfaces.
Cryo-electron tomography provides a snapshot of the cellular proteome. With template matching, the spatial positions of various macromolecular complexes within their native cellular context can be detected. However, the growing awareness of the reference bias introduced by the cross-correlation based approaches, and more importantly the lack of a reliable confidence measurement in the selection of these macromolecular complexes, has restricted the use of these applications. Here we propose a heuristic, in which the reference bias is measured in real space in an analogous way to the R-free value in X-ray crystallography. We measure the reference bias within the mask used to outline the area of the template, and do not modify the template itself. The heuristic works by splitting the mask into a working and a testing area in a volume ratio of 9:1. While the working area is used during the calculation of the cross-correlation function, the information from both areas is explored to calculate the M-free score. We show using artificial data, that the M-free score gives a reliable measure for the reference bias. The heuristic can be applied in template matching and in sub-tomogram averaging. We further test the applicability of the heuristic in tomograms of purified macromolecules, and tomograms of whole Mycoplasma cells.
Correlative microscopy incorporates the specificity of fluorescent protein labeling into high-resolution electron micrographs. Several approaches exist for correlative microscopy, most of which have used the green fluorescent protein (GFP) as the label for light microscopy. Here we use chemical tagging and synthetic fluorophores instead, in order to achieve protein-specific labeling, and to perform multicolor imaging. We show that synthetic fluorophores preserve their post-embedding fluorescence in the presence of uranyl acetate. Post-embedding fluorescence is of such quality that the specimen can be prepared with identical protocols for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM); this is particularly valuable when singular or otherwise difficult samples are examined. We show that synthetic fluorophores give bright, well-resolved signals in super-resolution light microscopy, enabling us to superimpose light microscopic images with a precision of up to 25 nm in the x-y plane on electron micrographs. To exemplify the preservation quality of our new method we visualize the molecular arrangement of cadherins in adherens junctions of mouse epithelial cells.
Bacteria have adapted their NhaA Na(+)/H(+) exchangers responsible for salt homeostasis to their different habitats. We present an electrophysiological and kinetic analysis of NhaA from Helicobacter pylori and compare it to the previously investigated exchangers from Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Properties of all three transporters are described by a simple model using a single binding site for H(+) and Na(+). We show that H.pylori NhaA only has a small acidic shift of its pH-dependent activity profile compared to the other transporters and discuss why a more drastic change in its pH activity profile is not physiologically required.
Survivin is a well-established target in experimental cancer therapy. The molecule is over-expressed in most human tumors, but hardly detectable in normal tissues. Multiple functions in different subcellular compartments have been assigned. It participates in the control of cell division, apoptosis, the cellular stress response, and also in the regulation of cell migration and metastasis. Survivin expression has been recognized as a biomarker: high expression indicates an unfavorable prognosis and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and radiation treatment. Survivin is an unconventional drug target and several indirect approaches have been exploited to affect its function and the phenotype of survivin-expressing cells. Interference with the expression of the survivin gene, the utilization of its messenger RNA, the intracellular localization, the interaction with binding partners, the stability of the survivin protein, and the induction of survivin-specific immune responses have been taken into consideration. A direct strategy to inhibit survivin has been based on the identification of a specifically interacting peptide. This peptide can recognize survivin intracellularly and cause the degradation of the ligand–survivin complex. Technology is being developed that might allow the derivation of small molecular-weight, drug-like compounds that are functionally equivalent to the peptide ligand.
Die Naturwissenschaften waren von den teilweise gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen der Studentenproteste Ende der 1960er Jahre nicht an erster Stelle betroffen. Insbesondere das Pharmaziestudium mit seinem zeitintensiven, streng geregelten und durch Laborpraktika dominierten Arbeitsalltag bot wenig Raum für politische Agitationen. Andererseits waren die Studierenden auch nicht mit den Herausforderungen einer sich entwickelnden Massenuniversität konfrontiert. Nichtsdestoweniger mussten sich auch die Hochschullehrer der naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät mit den zeitgenössischen Reformvorschlägen auseinandersetzen. Der pharmazeutische Chemiker Herbert Oelschläger, eine der prägenden Persönlichkeiten der Frankfurter Pharmazie, scheute diese Auseinandersetzungen nicht und wurde deshalb zu einer beliebten Zielscheibe des AStA.
Der "diskus" war in den 1970er Jahren mehr als eine Studentenzeitung. Die Blattmacher boten der linken Sponti-Szene in Frankfurt, aber auch Schriftstellern wie Erich Fried dort ein publizistisches Forum. Das Themenspektrum reichte von dem Häuserkampf im Westend bis zur Situation der linken Intellektuellen in der Bundesrepublik, nachdem sich das innenpolitische Klima infolge der RAF-Anschläge verschärft hatte.
War "68" nur der mythologische Name für Ereignisse und Entwicklungen, die schon viel früher begannen und sich deutlich länger hinzogen? Fühlte sich die immobil gewordene Gesellschaft in der Phase nach dem Wiederaufbau durch die Studentenrevolte von sich selbst befreit? Was hat die "Bewegungsgesellschaft" ab den 1970er Jahren mit "68" zu tun? Diesen Fragen geht der Soziologe Heinz Bude in seinem Essay nach.
Philologe im "Kriegseinsatz" : der Frankfurter Germanist Julius Petersen und der Erste Weltkrieg
(2014)
Vorlesungen für Studenten und Bildungsangebote für Bürger – wie lässt sich dieser Anspruch der jungen Stiftungsuniversität auch in Zeiten des Krieges realisieren, wenn Professoren wie Studenten ins Feld ziehen müssen? Das Beispiel des Germanisten Julius Petersen zeigt, welche Anstrengungen zwischen 1914 und 1918 unternommen wurden, um "Volksbildung" und "Vaterländischen Unterricht" zu ermöglichen. Dazu gehörten Vorträge an der Front ebenso wie Bürgervorlesungen in der Heimat.
Chronic ethanol abuse is known to increase susceptibility to infections after injury, in part, by modification of macrophage function. Several intracellular signalling mechanisms are involved in the initiation of inflammatory responses, including the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. In this study, we investigated the systemic and hepatic effect of chronic ethanol feeding on in vivo activation of NF-κB in NF-κB(EGFP) reporter gene mice. Specifically, the study focused on Kupffer cell proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α and activation of NF-κB after chronic ethanol feeding followed by in vitro stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that chronic ethanol upregulated NF-κB activation and increased hepatic and systemic proinflammatory cytokine levels. Similarly, LPS-stimulated IL-1 β release from whole blood was significantly enhanced in ethanol-fed mice. However, LPS significantly increased IL-6 and TNF-α levels. These results demonstrate that chronic ethanol feeding can improve the responsiveness of macrophage LPS-stimulated IL-6 and TNF-α production and indicate that this effect may result from ethanol-induced alterations in intracellular signalling through NF-κB. Furthermore, LPS and TNF-α stimulated the gene expression of different inflammatory mediators, in part, in a NF-κB-dependent manner.
Der folgende kleine Aufsatz lobt einen Wissenschaftler, der noch lebt: Prof. Dr. Heiko Braak. Und seine Frau, Prof. Dr. Eva Braak, die leider schon gestorben ist. Die beiden Braaks waren Hirnforscher an der Dr. Senckenbergischen Anatomie der Goethe-Universität. Da hat der Autor des Aufsatzes, Helmut Wicht, sie kennengelernt, als er selbst noch ein junger Anatom war. Und hat die Braaks, ihre Forschung, aber auch die ästhetische Attitüde, mit der vor allem Herr Braak die Sache anging, ebenso wie die Schönheit des Gehirns zu schätzen gelernt. Davon, von der Schönheit, handelt der Aufsatz.
Die Erkenntnis, dass das Gehirn Hormone produziert, gehört heute zum Allgemeingut des biomedizinischen Wissens. Ausgangspunkt der modernen Neuroendokrinologie ist das weit gespannte biologische Konzept der Neurosekretion, das Ernst und Berta Scharrer in den 1930er Jahren aus einer Reihe von fundamentalen Einzelentdeckungen entwickelten. Das Fundament dieses Konzeptes legte das Paar am Neurologischen Institut (Edinger Institut) in Frankfurt am Main.
Zu den exzellenten Frankfurter Neurowissenschaftlern des 20. Jahrhunderts zählt Kurt Goldstein. Er durchlief die harte Schule von Ludwig Edinger. Bekannt wurde er jedoch durch einen eigenständigen Ansatz, der mit dem Schlagwort ganzheitliche Neurologie charakterisiert werden kann. Er wandte sich gegen die Auffassung, »Funktionen« im Gehirn exakt lokalisieren zu können, ohne den lokalisatorischen Ansatz vollständig zu verwerfen. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit schenkte er den Kompensationsreaktionen des Gehirns und des »ganzen« Menschen. » […] he never forgot that he addressed an individual, not a brain«, brachte es sein Schüler Walther Riese auf den Punkt.
Unter den zahlreichen Traditionen, an die in Frankfurt am Main stolz erinnert wird, bleibt eine bislang eigentümlich unterbelichtet: die Geschichte der Hirnforschung. Gerald Kreft gibt einen Überblick über dieses faszinierende Kapitel der lokalen Wissenschaftsentwicklung und stellt zugleich das Museumsprojekt zur Geschichte der Hirnforschung in Frankfurt vor, das die Ludwig Edinger-Stiftung realisieren will. Hier wirkt jener Geist fort, der 1914 zur Eröffnung der Goethe-Universität führte. Der Hirnforscher Ludwig Edinger (1855-1918) war der einzige Wissenschaftler unter den elf Unterzeichnern des Stiftungsvertrags, der an der Universität forschte und lehrte.
Was für den Laien unscheinbar aussieht, kann für den Geologen ein wertvolles Fundstück sein. Um ihren Blick zu schulen, arbeiten Studierende nicht nur im Gelände, sondern auch mit den Objekten der geowissenschaftlichen Sammlungen. Für die Forschung sind die Fundstücke ein steinernes Gedächtnis der Erdgeschichte.
Das Sofa Arthur Schopenhauers, Millionen Jahre alte Fossilien, japanische Mangas, physikalische Geräte, illustrierte Inkunabeln, hauchdünne Hirnschnitte, Kopien afrikanischer Felsbilder, Herbarbelege von James Cook, Klavierrollen mit Einspielungen von Camille Saint Saens ... Was sich liest wie das schillernde Inventar eines Universalmuseums zur Erd- und Menschheitsgeschichte der vergangenen 4,6 Milliarden Jahre ist das dingliche Reservoir der historischen und aktuellen Forschung und Lehre an der Goethe-Universität. Eine Ausstellung im Museum Giersch zeigt anlässlich der 100-Jahr-Feier ausgewählte Schätze aus 40 Sammlungen für ein breites Publikum.
Neue Forschungsmethoden verändern oft auch die Bedeutung von Fachsammlungen. Häufig verläuft dieser Wandel zu einer Sammlung von nunmehr historischem Wert schleichend. Manchmal werden Sammlungen auch durch neue Fragestellungen für andere Fachwissenschaften unerwartet wertvoll. Gastautor Jochen Hennig, Sammlungsbeauftragter des Präsidiums der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, plädiert dafür, den Bedeutungswandel von Universitätssammlungen aktiv zu begleiten.
Wissenschaft findet nicht nur im Labor statt. Sie ist eingebettet in ein soziales und wirtschaftliches Gefüge. Dieses kommt besonders dann zum Ausdruck, wenn Kontroversen über die Interpretation von Experimenten entstehen. Ein Beispiel dafür ist Prof. Dr. Rolf Marschaleks Theorie zur Entstehung bestimmter Leukämien. Der Frankfurter Forscher hält die über viele Jahre als richtig akzeptierte Theorie seiner bekannten amerikanischen Kollegin Janet Rowley für zu eng gefasst – und macht sich damit in der Fachwelt jenseits des Atlantiks nicht nur Freunde.
Inter- und Transdisziplinarität sind ein Versuch, das Spezialwissen verschiedener Disziplinen miteinander zu verbinden, um die komplexen Fragestellungen unserer Zeit beantworten zu können. Beate Meichsner hat im Gespräch mit Wissenschaftlern unterschiedlichster Disziplinen Chancen und Grenzen, Möglichkeiten und Stolpersteine interdisziplinärer und transdisziplinärer Forschung eruiert.
Die Mathematik ist die einzige Wissenschaft, in der Wissen nicht veraltet. Das hängt damit zusammen, dass sie ein geistiges Konstrukt ist, das zuallererst im Kopf der Mathematiker entsteht. Zwar gibt es heute manche Teilgebiete wie die angewandte Mathematik, die praxisbezogene Probleme unter Aufwendung großer Rechnerleistungen lösen, doch Gebiete wie die reine Mathematik benötigen den PC nur zum Testen von Hypothesen. Dennoch hat sich die Arbeitsweise der Mathematiker in den letzten Jahrzehnten verändert.
Manche Wissenschaftler haben die Gabe, andere zu inspirieren. Sie ziehen talentierte junge Menschen an, sind gut vernetzt und bringen wiederum erfolgreiche Forscher hervor. Heike Jüngst spürt dem Erfolgsrezept der Begründer wissenschaftlicher Schulen an einem historischen und einem zeitgenössischen Beispiel nach.
Als Rainer Forst, Professor für politische Theorie und Philosophie an der Frankfurter Universität, 2012 den Leibniz-Preis erhielt, hieß es in der Laudatio, er führe die »philosophische Tradition der Frankfurter Schule mit Jürgen Habermas und Axel Honneth auf höchstem Niveau« fort. In diesem Jahr wird das Frankfurter Institut für Sozialforschung 90 Jahre alt, und die Anfänge der »Frankfurter Schule« liegen ungefähr 85 Jahre zurück – Anlässe genug, um zu fragen: Wie hat sich die »Frankfurter Schule« gewandelt?
Ein neophytisches Schaumkraut, das sich am Bodenseeufer massiv ausgebreitet hat und in jüngster Zeit vielfach auch in Belgien und den Niederlanden beobachtet wurde, konnte als Unkraut in einem Gartencenter, einem Baumarkt und auf drei Friedhöfen in Aachen nachgewiesen werden. Die Art wird als Japanisches Reisfeld-Schaumkraut, Cardamine flexuosa auct., Asian C. flexuosa, C. flexuosa subsp. debilis und aktuell als C. hamiltonii bezeichnet. Offenbar handelt es sich um Erstnachweise für Nordrhein-Westfalen.
Es ist 18:50 Uhr an einem Mittwochabend. Das PA-Gebäude auf dem Campus Westend ist hell erleuchtet. Während draußen die ersten Gäste stehen, ist im Innern ein junger Mann in Hemd und Sakko damit beschäftigt, einen roten Teppich von den letzten Flusen zu befreien. In wenigen Minuten werden die ersten Besucher der Ausstellung »36 Stifter für eine Idee« in den Saal treten, über den frisch gesaugten Teppich laufen und das Ergebnis von drei Jahren Arbeit begutachten.
Erinnerungsorte
(2014)
Immatrikulationsfeiern gehörten zum festen Ritual der universitären Kultur, bis in den 1960er Jahren bewusst mit dieser Tradition gebrochen wurde. Heute werden die Studierenden an der Goethe-Universität beim "unistart" begrüßt. Ist diese Veranstaltung ein Brückenschlag zwischen Gegenwart und alten Zeiten oder eher ein Spiegel des sich wandelnden universitären Selbstverständnisses?
Kollektives und kulturelles Erinnern : Erinnerungskulturen leben von der Dynamik der Gegenwart
(2014)
Keine Gemeinschaft kommt ohne kollektive Erinnerungen aus, dazu gehören Gedenkfeiern und Denkmäler ebenso wie Mythen und Rituale oder die Identifikation mit großen Ereignissen oder Persönlichkeiten. Erinnern ist nicht nur identitätsstiftend, es bedeutet auch, sich vergangene Erlebnisse zu vergegenwärtigen – oder wie Marcel Proust es ausdrückt: "Erst im Gedächtnis formt sich die Wirklichkeit." Wenn die Erinnerungskultur ihre Dynamik aus der Aktualität verliert, ist sie tot.
»Königliche Universität zu Frankfurt a. M.« – mit diesem Namen konnten sich auch die Frankfurter Stifter arrangieren, formalrechtlich hätte Wilhelm II. den Vortritt gehabt. Goethe, natürlich immer fester Bestandteil des philologischen
Bildungskanons, rückte der Universität verhalten näher: zunächst mit seinem Relief über dem historischen Haupteingang, bis es zu seinem 100. Todestag 1932 an der Zeit schien, die Universität nach dem Dichterfürsten zu benennen.
Das Verhältnis zwischen den Frankfurtern und ihrer Universität ist ein wechselvolles: gestiftet und großzügig unterstützt von Bürgern und Stadtpolitikern, gepflegt in den harten Jahren der Inflation, gleichgeschaltet und wissenschaftlich ausgehungert während des Nationalsozialismus, entfremdet und abgelehnt nach der Studentenrevolte in den 1960er und 1970er Jahren, wiederentdeckt ab den 1980er Jahren, geschätzt und gefördert seit der (Rück-)Verwandlung in eine Stiftungsuniversität (2008).
Wie nehmen Sie die Goethe-Universität heute in Zeiten des stärkeren nationalen und internationalen Wettbewerbs der Hochschulen wahr?
Was war rückblickend die wichtigste Veränderung, die Sie während Ihrer Amtszeit initiieren konnten?
Wenn Sie Ihre Zeit als Präsident noch einmal Revue passieren lassen, welche Episode lässt Sie heute noch schmunzeln?
Sie hätten die Chance, 2015 nochmal als Präsident anzutreten, welche Impulse würden Sie dann setzen wollen?
Was wünschen Sie der Goethe-Universität für die nächsten 50 Jahre?
Eine weltoffene, tolerante und liberale Intellektualität prägt die Frankfurter Universität – abgesehen von dem dunklen Kapitel während des Nationalsozialismus – seit ihrer Gründung 1914. Gegründet und gestiftet von wohlhabenden und engagierten Bürgern der Stadt, war sie von Beginn an etwas Besonderes in der deutschen Universitätslandschaft.
Examining event-related potential (ERP) correlates of decision bias in recognition memory judgments
(2014)
Memory judgments can be based on accurate memory information or on decision bias (the tendency to report that an event is part of episodic memory when one is in fact unsure). Event related potentials (ERP) correlates are important research tools for elucidating the dynamics underlying memory judgments but so far have been established only for investigations of accurate old/new discrimination. To identify the ERP correlates of bias, and observe how these interact with ERP correlates of memory, we conducted three experiments that manipulated decision bias within participants via instructions during recognition memory tests while their ERPs were recorded. In Experiment 1, the bias manipulation was performed between blocks of trials (automatized bias) and compared to trial-by-trial shifts of bias in accord with an external cue (flexibly controlled bias). In Experiment 2, the bias manipulation was performed at two different levels of accurate old/new discrimination as the memory strength of old (studied) items was varied. In Experiment 3, the bias manipulation was added to another, bottom-up driven manipulation of bias induced via familiarity. In the first two Experiments, and in the low familiarity condition of Experiment 3, we found evidence of an early frontocentral ERP component at 320 ms poststimulus (the FN320) that was sensitive to the manipulation of bias via instruction, with more negative amplitudes indexing more liberal bias. By contrast, later during the trial (500–700 ms poststimulus), bias effects interacted with old/new effects across all three experiments. Results suggest that the decision criterion is typically activated early during recognition memory trials, and is integrated with retrieved memory signals and task-specific processing demands later during the trial. More generally, the findings demonstrate how ERPs can help to specify the dynamics of recognition memory processes under top-down and bottom-up controlled retrieval conditions.