Zur Erkenntnis des eigenen Tuns und ihrer erkenntnistheoretischen Bedeutung

Im Mainstream traditioneller Erkenntnistheorien der Neuzeit kommt das erkennende Subjekt tendenziell nur über seine epistemischen Tätigkeiten in den Blick. Diese Abstraktion wird der erkenntnistheoretischen Aufgabe, das Erkennen zu erkennen, nicht gerecht. Erfordert wäre eine Erkenntnistheorie, die auch die nicht-epistemischen Tätigkeiten des Subjekts als integrale Komponente jeder Erkenntnisrelation begreift.Within the mainstream of traditional theories of cognition in modern philosophy, the cognizing subject tends to be regarded only in the light of its epistemic activities. This abstraction doesn’t do justice to the cognition-theoretical task of cognizing cognition. There is need for a theory of cognition that understands the non-epistemic activities of the subject as an integral component of every cognitional relation

The moderating role of stigma in the relationship between depression and resilience: results of a cross-sectional study in university students

Background/objective: Depression is a growing concern in university students and resilience has shown to play a protective role. The impact of stigma is still under-explored, with reference to its moderating role between depression and resilience. The present study investigate such a relationship among Italian university students. Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied in a simple of 1,912 students to examine the interrelationships between depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), resilience (Nicholson McBride Resilience questionnaire), and stigma (Stigma-9). Correlation, predictor, and moderation analyses were applied in RStudio. Results: A negative correlation was found between depressive symptoms and resilience (r = −0.455, p < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between depressive symptoms and stigma (r = 0.207, p < 0.001). Lower levels of resilience and higher levels of stigma were significant predictors of depressive symptoms [F(df, n) = 190.8(3, 1884), p < 0.001, R2 = 0.236]. The moderation analysis showed a weakening of resilience protective effect against depression as stigma levels increase [F(df,n) = 186.7(3,1908), p < 0.001, R2 = 0.226]. Conclusion: Stigma influences the relationship between depression and resilience. Anti-stigma interventions and programs empowering resilience, should be implemented in university settings to protect students from depression

Jumps and Pirouettes - a Dance of Disks and Planets

Protoplanetare Scheiben sind die Geburtsstätte von Planeten. Bevor diese Gasscheiben von der Strahlung ihres Zentralsterns zerstreut werden, interagieren sie mit den Planeten, die aus ihnen entstehen. Diese Interaktion führt zu einer Veränderung der Planetenorbits, und falls die Planetenmassen hoch genug sind, führt sie zu einer Formung der Scheibe selbst. Eine Untergruppe der protoplanetaren Scheiben sind die Übergangsscheiben, welche in Beobachtungen im Zentrum ein Loch aufweisen und gleichzeitig Massenakkretion auf den Zentralstern erlauben. Während die Übergangsscheiben mit kleinen Löchern und geringen Akkretionsraten bereits durch Photoevaporation erklärt werden können, bleibt die Herkunft von denjenigen mit großen Löchern bis zu einigen zehn astronomischen Einheiten und hohen Akkretionsraten unklar. In dieser Doktorarbeit erkläre ich anhand von zweidimensionalen Strömungsdynamiksimulationen, wie ein nach außen migrierendes Planetenpaar die Übergangsscheiben mit großen Löchern und hohen Akkretionsraten erklären kann. Außerdem beschreibe ich ein neu entdecktes Phänomen im Bereich der PlanetScheiben Wechselwirkung. In dem Prozess, den ich Migrationssprung nenne, migriert ein Planetenpaar in Resonanz nach außen, wodurch die Exzentrizitäten der Planeten erhöht werden und ein Wirbel in der äußeren Scheibe entsteht. Durch die Interaktion mit dem Wirbel beginnt der äußere Planet eine Phase von beschleunigter, nach außen gerichteter Migration, während welcher er mehrere zehn astronomische Einheiten in nur wenigen Tausend Jahren zurücklegen kann, bevor er wieder rasch in die ursprüngliche Konfiguration mit dem inneren Planeten zurückkehrt. Inspiriert durch die prominente Rolle des Wirbels in den Migrationssprüngen untersuchte ich die Eigenschaften von großen Wirbeln, die von Planeten erzeugt werden, und deren Abhängigkeit von der thermischen Relaxationszeit und der Viskosität der Scheibe. Zur Detektion und Analyse von Wirbeln in Simulationsdaten entwickelte ich ein neues Vorgehen basierend auf Bilderkennungsalgorithmen. Die Wirbel leben am längsten in Scheiben mit geringer Viskosität und kurzer thermischer Relaxationszeit und leben am kürzesten in Scheiben mit einer thermischen Relaxationszeit, die mit der Umlaufperiode des Planeten vergleichbar ist.Protoplanetary disks are the birthplace of planets. Before these gaseous disks are dispersed by the radiation from their host star they interact with the planets that form out of them. This interaction causes the planets to change their orbits and the disk to be sculpted by the planets if these are sufficiently massive. Transition disks constitute a subset of the protoplanetary disks that feature an inner hole while mass accretion onto the star is ongoing. While transition disks with small inner holes and low accretion rates have already been explained by photoevaporation, the origin of transition disks with large inner holes up to tens of astronomical units wide and high mass accretion rates remains unclear. In this thesis, I explain, using two-dimensional fluid dynamics simulations, how an outward migrating pair of planets can reproduce the characteristics of transition disks with large holes and high accretion rates. In addition, I describe a newly-found phenomenon in the realm of planet–disk interaction. During the process which I call a migration jump, a pair of giant planets resonantly migrates outward which excites the eccentricity of the planets and creates a vortex in the outer disk. Through interaction with the vortex, the outer planet enters an accelerated phase of outward migration allowing it to cover tens of astronomical units in only a few thousand years, before it quickly migrates back into the initial configuration with the inner planet. Sparked by the prominence of the vortex in the migration jump, I studied the properties of planet-induced large-scale vortices in protoplanetary disks and their dependence on the thermal relaxation timescale and the level of viscosity of the disk. For the detection and analysis of vortices in simulation data, I developed a novel detection pipeline based on computer vision algorithms. The vortices tend to live longest in disks with low viscosity and short thermal relaxation timescale and live shortest in disks with thermal relaxation timescales comparable to the orbital period

Migration jumps of planets in transition disks

Transition disks form a special class of protoplanetary disks that are characterized by a deficiency of disk material close to the star. In a subgroup, inner holes in these disks can stretch out to a few tens of au while there is still mass accretion onto the central star observed. We analyse the proposition that this type of wide transition disks is generated by the interaction of the disk with a system of embedded planets. We performed 2D hydrodynamics simulations of a flat disk using either a locally isothermal equation of state or considering also radiative effects. Two 3 to 9 Jupiter mass planets were embedded in the disk and their dynamical evolution due to disk-planet interaction was followed for over 100 000 years. The simulations account for mass accretion onto the star and planets. We included models with parameters geared to the system PDS 70. To assess the observability of features in our models we performed synthetic ALMA observations. For systems with a more massive inner planet there are phases where both planets migrate outward engaged in a 2:1 mean motion resonance via the Masset-Snellgrove mechanism. In sufficiently massive disks the formation of a vortex in the outer disk can trigger rapid outward migration of the outer planet where its distance increases by tens of au within a few thousand years. Later, the outer planet migrates back inwards settling again into resonance with the inner planet. We call this emerging composite phenomenon a 'migration jump'. Outward migration and the migration jumps are accompanied by a high mass accretion rate onto the star. The synthetic images reveal numerous substructures depending on the type of dynamical behaviour. Our results suggest that the outward migration of two embedded planets is a prime candidate for the explanation of the observed high stellar mass accretion rate in wide transition disks.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Habitat light sets the boundaries for the rapid evolution of cichlid fish vision, while sexual selection can tune it within those limits

Cichlid fishes’ famous diversity in body coloration is accompanied by a highly diverse and complex visual system. Although cichlids possess an unusually high number of seven cone opsin genes, they express only a subset of these during their ontogeny, accounting for their astonishing interspecific variation in visual sensitivities. Much of this diversity is thought to have been shaped by natural selection as cichlids inhabit a variety of habitats with distinct light environments. Also, sexual selection might have contributed to the observed visual diversity, and sexual dimorphism in coloration potentially co‐evolved with sexual dimorphism in opsin expression. We investigated sex‐specific opsin expression of several cichlids from Africa and the Neotropics and collected and integrated datasets on sex‐specific body coloration, species‐specific visual sensitivities, lens transmission and habitat light properties for some of them. We comparatively analyzed this wide range of molecular and ecological data, illustrating how integrative approaches can address specific questions on the factors and mechanisms driving diversification, and the evolution of cichlid vision in particular. We found that both sexes expressed opsins at the same levels ‐ even in sexually dimorphic cichlid species – which argues against coevolution of sexual dichromatism and differences in sex‐specific visual sensitivity. Rather, a combination of environmental light properties and body coloration shaped the diversity in spectral sensitivities among cichlids. We conclude that although cichlids are particularly colorful and diverse and often sexually dimorphic, it would appear that natural rather than sexual selection is a more powerful force driving visual diversity in this hyper‐diverse lineage

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health-Related Concerns, Quality of Lifeand Psychological Adjustment in Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease

Background: The risk for a severe disease course in case of infection with SARS-CoV-2 in young adults with congenital heart disease is largely unknown, potentially leading to uncertainty and anxiety among affected patients. This study aims to investigate health-related concerns, health-related quality of life and psychological adjustment in patients with congenital heart disease compared to healthy peers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: One-hundred patients with congenital heart disease and 50 controls (M = 29.7, SD = 3.8 years) were recruited. They completed an online survey including the assessment of health-related concerns regarding COVID-19, the 12-item Short Form Health Survey and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Results: Patients considered COVID-19 to be a more serious issue (Generalized odds ratio [GenOR] = 1.67, p = 0.04), were more concerned about becoming infected (GenOR = 2.93, p < 0.001) and expressed more fear about leaving their homes (GenOR = 1.81, p = 0.004) while general anxiety symptoms were not different between groups (p = 0.23). Patients relied more on family and friends for support (30% vs. 2% in controls, p < 0.001) and reported better compliance with protective measures (p = 0.03). Mental health-related quality of life and psychological adjustment were not different between groups (p = 0.17 and p = 0.68, respectively). Physical health-related quality of life was lower in patients compared to controls (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Young adults with congenital heart disease in Switzerland are more concerned about their health during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to healthy peers. These concerns, however, do not translate into generally impaired mental wellbeing. The impact of the easing of lockdown measures on long-term anxiety levels and quality of life requires further stud

Asymmetry in genitalia is in sync with lateralized mating behavior but not with the lateralization of other behaviors

Asymmetries in bilateral organisms attract a lot of curiosity given that they are conspicuous departures from the norm. They allow the investigation of the integration at different levels of biological organization. Here we study whether and how behavioral and asymmetrical anatomical traits co-evolved and work together. We ask if asymmetry is determined locally for each trait or at a whole individual level in a species bearing conspicuous asymmetrical genitalia. Asymmetric genitalia evolved in many species; however, in most cases the direction of asymmetry is fixed. Therefore, it has been rarely determined if there is an association between the direction of asymmetry in genitalia and other traits. In onesided livebearer fish of the genus Jenynsia (Cyprinodontiformes, Anablepidae), the anal fin of males is modified into a gonopodium, an intromittent organ that serves to inseminate females. The gonopodium shows a conspicuous asymmetry, with its tip bending either to the left or the right. By surveying 13 natural populations of Jenynsia lineata, we found that both genital morphs are equally common in wild populations. In a series of experiments in a laboratory population, we discovered asymmetry and lateralization for multiple other traits; yet, the degree of integration varied highly among them. Lateralization in exploratory behavior in response to different stimuli was not associated with genital morphology. Interestingly, the direction of genital asymmetry was positively correlated with sidedness of mating preference and the number of neuromasts in the lateral line. This suggests integration of functionally linked asymmetric traits; however, there is no evidence that asymmetry is determined at the whole individual level in our study species.Fil: Torres Dowdall, Julián Roberto. Universität Konstanz; AlemaniaFil: Rometsch, Sina J.. Universität Konstanz; AlemaniaFil: Aguilera, Gaston. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Vertebrados. Sección Ictiología; ArgentinaFil: Goyenola, Guillermo. Universidad de la Republica. Centro Universitario Regional del Este.; UruguayFil: Meyer, Axel. Universität Konstanz; Alemani