Die Hochwasserkatastrophen im Sommer 2002

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Was wissen wir über Neutronensterne?

There are 10^9±0.5 neutron stars in the Galaxy. They are born in supernova explosions. Isolated neutron stars are observed as (radio-)pulsars, in some cases also as γ-ray pulsars and as IR-, optical and X-ray pulsars. Binary neutron stars, when accreting mass from their companion, become flickering, periodic and/or bursting X-ray sources, and probably also γ-ray bursters. They may all derive from binary star systems. The masses of population-I-neutron stars are compatible with (1.4 ±0.2)M _⊙; their surface magnetic fields fall almost exclusively within 10^12.2 and 10^13.2 Gauss (at birth). The radii of population-II-neutron stars are (10 _-3 ⁺⁶ )km. Even in exotic sources like SS 433 and Cyg X-1, the compact core may well be a neutron star.     

A 1 and 6 month follow-up of prenatal diagnosis patients who lost pregnancies

This paper reports results of an exploratory study of prenatal diagnosis patients who experienced voluntary terminations of pregnancy following the detection of an abnormality or spontaneous miscarriages. The 121 participants were part of the national collaborative Chorionic Villus Sampling and Amniocentesis Study. They completed semi-structured telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires at 1 month and 6 months after the pregnancy losses. Scores on the Profile of Mood States showed that mood levels improved significantly over time. However, there were some declines in loss-related support from partners and others. The persisting distress and difficulties of a minority highlight the variability in women's responses to pregnancy losses. Women who lost pregnancies later in gestation, showed the greatest mood disturbances at initial assessments, used professional mental health assistance after the loss, or reported less satisfactory loss-related support from significant others showed the greatest levels of mood disturbance at the six-month assessment. Follow-up contacts with patients who lose pregnancies should be used to inform women about the variation in possible grief reactions, to assess the extent of support the women are receiving from their partners and significant others, and to provide additional follow-up or referral of those experiencing the greatest distress.