Stoic Cognitive Theories and Contemporary Neuropsychological Treatments

During the Hellenistic period the value of philosophical systems was to be judged by a meta-philosophical criterion, i.e., by their ability to lead practitioners towards the pursuit of good or happiness, albeit treating pain and sorrow, since all human beings are supposed to be able to reach the state of happiness via their own efforts. By emphasizing the role of thoughts or judgments, Stoics placed cognition in the intermediate phase between an event and the reaction that somebody has due to the event, rendering it both the cause and the cure of emotional disorders. This viewpoint is also fundamental in modern cognitive psychotherapy, although the parallelism goes beyond theory to the practical character in both approaches. Rational and non-rational aspects of human psychology cannot be isolated from each other, allowing thus adults to actively engage in their moral development by altering their beliefs. In this frame, cognitive distancing, the practice of awareness, attention to the present moment, and the Socratic dialogue become valuable tools in structuring emotional self-regulation

Implications of Neuroplasticity to the Philosophical Debate of Free Will and Determinism

Neuroplasticity, the capacity of the brain to induce changes in response to environmental stimuli, entails a continuous rearrangement of the neural network through a complex interaction between genetics and environment. Within this process, the plastic brain uses its internal representations to predict future conditions and proactively proceed to actions. It can be said that plasticity demands a rethinking of the concept of determinism as the process of coming-to-be is directly related to modifications produced by experience. Pure determinism and complete randomness are the two ends of a spectrum of positions relevant to the debate of the existence of free will. However, none conceptually supports free decision-making. How brain activity and the conscious experience of volition are related to one another has been a matter of significant research, with a plethora of findings indicating that early brain signals precede the self-reported time of the decision to act. The meaning of these findings, however, has been debated at both a theoretical and empirical level and the controversy is still ongoing. Consciousness is intertwined with free will along the dimension of time as it would otherwise be purposeless, taking place right at the next moment. Electrical activity of the brain is a measure of neurophysiological function and contributes to the understanding of processes that underlie high-order cognitive functions. A multidisciplinary approach in the study of free will could be designed in a way that philosophical concepts are connected to neural correlates by psychologically functionalizing them in terms of cognitive abilities. Such abilities are at the margins of conscious and nonconscious sensory information and are closely linked to brain processes of executive functions like attentional control and working memory

Bacterial biofilm development during experimental degradation of <em>Melicertus kerathurus</em> exoskeleton in seawater

Chitinolytic bacteria are widespread in marine and terrestrial environment, and this is rather a reflection of their principle growth substrate’s ubiquity, chitin, in our planet. In this paper, we investigated the development of naturally occurring bacterial biofilms on the exoskeleton of the shrimp Melicertus kerathurus during its degradation in sea water. During a 12-day experiment with exoskeleton fragments in batch cultures containing only sea water as the growth medium at 18 °C in darkness, we analysed the formation and succession of biofilms by scanning electron microscopy and 16S rRNA gene diversity by next generation sequencing. Bacteria belonging to the γ- and α-Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes showed marked (less or more than 10%) changes in their relative abundance from the beginning of the experiment. These bacterial taxa related to known chitinolytic bacteria were the Pseudolateromonas porphyrae, Halomonas aquamarina, Reinekea aestuarii, Colwellia asteriadis and Vibrio crassostreae. These bacteria could be considered as appropriate candidates for the degradation of chitinous crustacean waste from the seafood industry as they dominated in the biofilms developed on the shrimp’s exoskeleton in natural sea water with no added substrates and the degradation of the shrimp exoskeleton was also evidenced

Personhood

The motives for bringing about the Hellenic-Serbian Dialogue Series originate from the sentiment that mutual relations between Greeks and Sebs far surpass the cultural exchange between Greece and Serbia. Knowing that cooperation does not simply fall into one’s lap, but must be initiated by human will and energy, a group of philosophers from Athens and Novi Sad, the proverbial “Athens of Serbia,” committed themselves to improving this state of affairs, at least within the confines of their area of expertise, philosophy. It is our firm intent to carry out the promise of the title of this series in the following years. Apart from mere cooperation between our two institutions, our aim is also to facilitate an international dialogue that would involve a wide range of thinkers, regardless of their place of employment. The topic of this second volume is personhood, which was spurred on by the need to investigate the condition of humanity in the twenty-first century. With this second volume of the Hellenic-Serbian Philosophical Dialogue Series we have done our best to produce a rich, multi-faceted, broadly scoped, and inspiring book; we wish it becomes for the reader the ideal vehicle for an intellectually stimulating journey.Publishe

Modernity and Contemporaneity

Modernity and Contemporaneity is the 3rd volume in the Hellenic-Serbian Philosophical Dialogue Series, a project that was initiated as an emphatic token of the will and commitment to establish permanent and fruitful collaboration between two strongly bonded Departments of Philosophy, this of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and that of the University of Novi Sad respectively. This collaboration was founded from the very beginning upon friendship, mutual respect and strong engagement, as well us upon our firm resolution to establish a solid continuity in the editing project. The publication of this volume allows us to entertain feelings of contentment and confidence that this objective of the project has been accomplished.Publishe

Stoic and epicurean philosophy: the beginnings of cognitive neuropsychology

The Hellenistic philosophical turn towards the human being and, concomitantly, the ethical or practical philosophy, placed at the centre of interest the psycho-mental processes, the examination of the emotional disorders and the search for means for arranging them. Stoic and Epicurean Ethics is not limited to identifying the principles governing the ethical choices but constitutes an existential path towards the transformation of personal identity. By their orientation to the practical life’s needs, they determined the cognitive principles, their construction and they defined their behaviours. Common between the Stoics and Epicureans is the belief that there exists a foundational unity between 'psyche' and body. The holistic perception of the human personality is understood as one psycho-physical and psycho-logical unit rather than a combination of psyche and body or mind and emotions, discrete and independent from each other. When comparing with modern cognitive therapy, significant parallelisms are identified which reflect the philosophical basis behind the therapeutic approaches. As in modern cognitive therapy, so in Stoicism and Epicureanism, the therapeutic access is made possible by means of reason. Epicurus’ epistles have practical value in order to get free from false beliefs. For the Stoics, passions are interconnected with beliefs and they encompass concepts due to a person’s interpretation of the impressions appearing through the senses. Therapy is a constant endeavour through the whole life aiming at the logical remodelling of cognitive and behavioural habits. The importance of studying the Hellenistic philosophy in the frame of modern cognitive sciences lies on the fact that, historically, it is the period when the concepts of consciousness and mindfulness, of introspection and of awareness of the functions of the self, commence. The seat of consciousness, which is the 'hegemonikon' for the Stoics and 'animus' for the Epicureans, captures the notion of the monistic self who actively engages as a whole in all experiences and attributes personalised mental representation to each object of experience giving the sense of privateness and internalisation. For the Epicureans, the criteria of truth are sense-perceptions, passions, preconceptions, and the ‘representational projections of thought’. For the Stoics, it is the 'kataleptic impression'. It is the sense-perception though from which the information from the outside world begins its path. The stoic 'phantasia', as a representational function, is the starting mechanism of cognitive functions. The development of reason commences with the preconceptions, which may be innate, i.e. reside in the human cognitive architecture, but they are raised naturally and they are not active before the impression of senses; they are natural logical constituents whose function is to interpret the input from the senses. The cognitive perspective of the Stoic and Epicurean philosophical stances substantiate neuroscience as the study of causal relationships between brain function and behaviour.Η στροφή της Ελληνιστικής φιλοσοφικής σκέψης προς τον άνθρωπο και, συνακόλουθα, την ηθική ή πρακτική φιλοσοφία έθεσε στο επίκεντρο τις ψυχονοητικές διεργασίες, την εξέταση των συναισθηματικών διαταραχών και την αναζήτηση τρόπων διευθέτησης αυτών. H Ηθική για τους Στωικούς και Επικούρειους φιλοσόφους δεν περιορίζεται στην αναγνώριση των αρχών που διέπουν τις ηθικές επιλογές, αλλά συνιστά ένα υπαρξιακό μονοπάτι με κατεύθυνση την μεταμόρφωση της ατομικής ταυτότητας. Με τον προσανατολισμό στην ανάγκη του πρακτικού βίου, προσδιόρισαν τις γνωσιακές αρχές, την παραγωγή τους και όρισαν τις συμπεριφορές τους. Ανάμεσα στους Στωικούς και τους Επικούρειους αναδεικνύεται η κοινή πεποίθηση σχετικά με τη θεμελιώδη ενότητα ψυχής και σώματος. Η ολιστική αντίληψη για την ανθρώπινη προσωπικότητα είναι κατανοητή ως μια ψυχοφυσική και ψυχολογική μονάδα, παρά ένα συνδυασμό ψυχής και σώματος ή νου και συναισθημάτων, διακριτών και ανεξάρτητων μεταξύ τους. Συγκρίνοντας με τη σύγχρονη γνωσιακή θεραπεία, εντοπίζονται σημαντικοί παραλληλισμοί που αποτυπώνουν τη φιλοσοφική βάση πίσω από τις θεραπευτικές προσεγγίσεις. Όπως και στη σύγχρονη γνωσιακή θεραπεία, έτσι και στον Στωικισμό και Επικουρισμό, η πρόσβαση γίνεται μόνο με έλλογα μέσα. Οι επιστολές του Επίκουρου έχουν καθημερινή αξία για την απαλλαγή από τις εσφαλμένες πεποιθήσεις. Για τους Στωικούς τα πάθη είναι αλληλένδετα με τις πεποιθήσεις και εμπεριέχουν εννοιακές κατασκευές από την ερμηνεία που κάνει ο άνθρωπος για τις εντυπώσεις που παρουσιάζονται μέσω των αισθήσεων. Η θεραπεία είναι μια προσπάθεια σε όλη της διάρκεια της ζωής του ανθρώπου με στόχο τη λογική αναδόμηση των γνωστικών και συμπεριφορικών συνηθειών. Η ξεχωριστή σημασία που έχει μελέτη της Ελληνιστικής φιλοσοφίας στο πλαίσιο της σύγχρονης γνωσιοεπιστήμης έγκειται στο ότι, ιστορικά, τότε ξεκινά η μελέτη των εννοιών της συνείδησης και ενσυνειδητότητας, της ενδοσκόπησης, της επίγνωσης των λειτουργιών του εαυτού. Η έδρα της συνείδησης, το ηγεμονικό για τους Στωικούς, η animus για τους Επικούρειους, δίνει την έννοια του μονιστικού εαυτού, που ενεργά δεσμεύεται ως σύνολο σε ολες τις εμπειρίες του ανθρώπου και αποδίδει εξατομικευμένη νοητική παράσταση σε κάθε αντικείμενο της εμπειρίας και δίνει την αίσθηση της ιδιωτικότητας ή της εσωτερίκευσης. Για τους Επικούρειους, κριτήρια αλήθειας είναι η αίσθηση, τα πάθη, οι προλήψεις και η φανταστική επιβολή της διανοίας, ενώ για τους Στωικούς είναι η καταληπτική φαντασία. Από την αίσθηση όμως, είναι που ξεκινά η διαδρομή της πληροφορίας από τον έξω κόσμο. H στωική φαντασία, ως παραστατική λειτουργία, είναι ο μηχανισμός έναρξης των γνωστικών λειτουργιών. Η ανάπτυξη της λογικής ξεκινάει με τις προλήψεις, που είναι μεν έμφυτες, ενυπάρχουν, δηλαδή, στην ανθρώπινη γνωσιακή αρχιτεκτονική, εγείρονται όμως, φυσικά από τον κόσμο, δεν είναι σε λειτουργία πριν την εντύπωση των αισθήσεων. Είναι φυσικά λογικά συστατικά, των οποίων η λειτουργία είναι να ερμηνεύουν αυτά που δέχονται οι αισθήσεις. Η γνωσιοεπιστημονική προοπτική των Στωικών και Επικούρειων φιλοσοφικών θέσεων θεμελιώνει και υποστασιοποιεί την νευροεπιστήμη ως μελέτη των αιτιωδών σχέσεων μεταξύ εγκεφαλικών λειτουργιών και συμπεριφοράς

Precise Monitoring of Lettuce Functional Responses to Minimal Nutrient Supplementation Identifies Aquaponic System’s Nutrient Limitations and Their Time-Course

In aquaponics, a closed-loop system which combines fish and crop production, essential nutrients for plant growth are often at sub-optimal concentrations. The aim of the present study was to identify system limitations and thoroughly examine the integrated response of its components to minimal external inputs, notably crop’s functional parameters, fish performance, and microorganism profile. Lettuce and red tilapia were co-cultivated under only Fe and Fe with K supplementation and their performance was evaluated against the control of no nutrient addition. Photosynthesis, the photosynthetic apparatus state, and efficiency, pigments, leaf elemental composition, and antioxidant activity of lettuce were monitored throughout the growth period, along with several parameters related to water quality, fish growth, plant productivity and bacterial community composition. Nutrient deficiency in control plants severely impacted gas exchange, PSII efficiency, and chlorophyll a content, from day 14 of the experiment, causing a significant increase in dissipation energy and signs of photoinhibition. Fe+K input resulted in 50% and two-fold increase in lettuce production compared with Fe and control groups respectively. Nutrient supplementation resulted in higher specific growth rate of tilapias, but did not affect root microbiota which was distinct from the water bacterial community. Collectively, the results emphasize the importance of monitoring crop’s functional responses for identifying the system’s limitations and designing effective nutrient management to sustain the reduced environmental footprint of aquaponics

Precise Monitoring of Lettuce Functional Responses to Minimal Nutrient Supplementation Identifies Aquaponic System&rsquo;s Nutrient Limitations and Their Time-Course

In aquaponics, a closed-loop system which combines fish and crop production, essential nutrients for plant growth are often at sub-optimal concentrations. The aim of the present study was to identify system limitations and thoroughly examine the integrated response of its components to minimal external inputs, notably crop&rsquo;s functional parameters, fish performance, and microorganism profile. Lettuce and red tilapia were co-cultivated under only Fe and Fe with K supplementation and their performance was evaluated against the control of no nutrient addition. Photosynthesis, the photosynthetic apparatus state, and efficiency, pigments, leaf elemental composition, and antioxidant activity of lettuce were monitored throughout the growth period, along with several parameters related to water quality, fish growth, plant productivity and bacterial community composition. Nutrient deficiency in control plants severely impacted gas exchange, PSII efficiency, and chlorophyll a content, from day 14 of the experiment, causing a significant increase in dissipation energy and signs of photoinhibition. Fe+K input resulted in 50% and two-fold increase in lettuce production compared with Fe and control groups respectively. Nutrient supplementation resulted in higher specific growth rate of tilapias, but did not affect root microbiota which was distinct from the water bacterial community. Collectively, the results emphasize the importance of monitoring crop&rsquo;s functional responses for identifying the system&rsquo;s limitations and designing effective nutrient management to sustain the reduced environmental footprint of aquaponics

Freshwater-adapted sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax feeding frequency impact in a lettuce Lactuca sativa aquaponics system

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of three daily fish feeding frequencies, two, four and eight times per day (FF2, FF4, and FF8, respectively) on growth performance of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)and lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa) reared in aquaponics. 171 juvenile sea bass with an average body weight of 6.80 ± 0.095 g were used, together with 24 lettuce plants with an average initial height of 11.78 ± 0.074 cm over a 45-day trial period. FF2 fish group showed a significantly lower final weight, weight gain and specific growth rate than the FF4 and FF8 groups. Voluntary feed intake was similar for all the three feeding frequencies treatmens (p > 0.05). No plant mortality was observed during the 45-day study period. All three aquaponic systems resulted in a similar leaf fresh weight and fresh and dry aerial biomass. The results of the present study showed that the FF4 or FF8 feeding frequency contributes to the more efficient utilization of nutrients for better growth of sea bass adapted to fresh water while successfully supporting plant growth to a marketable biomass