University of Konstanz
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Latent profiles of effort roles and their impact on task experience and behavior
No full textThe experience of effort is a decisive factor for engagement and behavior. However, exerting effort can yield vastly diverse experiences. We posit that these differences are due to distinct configurations of different roles of effort for self-regulation (instrument, reward, adding value to an outcome), and are influenced by task context (entertaining/learning). Furthermore, we investigate how these profiles of effort roles affect the decision to exert further effort. In our online study, 471 participants (51% female, 48% male, Mage = 41.1 ± 11.9) were given an instructional framing (entertainment/learning game) and reported their anticipated strength of effort roles regarding the upcoming task. Participants then had the opportunity to play Tetris. Given that successfully playing Tetris requires constant attention and a certain amount of exertion, and it can be easily framed as either an entertainment or learning game, it serves as an appealing effort task for this study. Subsequently, participants indicated their task experience and their willingness to engage in further gameplay. A latent profile analysis identified four configurations of effort roles. These effort profiles significantly differed in the experience of positive and negative affect, boredom, perceived exertion in gaming, and willingness to engage in further gameplay. The impact of task framing was limited to negative affect and RPE. Our findings underscore the critical role of effort’s roles in task experience and behavioral decisions.publishe
Lrrn-mediated retinal ganglion cell targeting drives visual circuit assembly for brightness and contrast detection
No full textBrightness and contrast are fundamental features of vision, crucial for object detection, environmental navigation, and feeding. Here, we identify a brightness- and contrast-processing circuit in the zebrafish visual system and uncover the role of leucine-rich repeat neuronal (Lrrn) cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) in regulating its assembly. We show that deep-projecting retinal ganglion cells serve as the first synaptic relay to the brain, requiring Lrrn2 and Lrrn3a for precise axonal targeting within the optic tectum. Using a new reporter line, we achieved high-resolution mapping of this previously undercharacterized vertebrate visual circuit. Genetic disruption of Lrrn CAMs leads to disorganization of the circuit and impairments in brightness and contrast sensitivity, resulting in deficits in visually guided behavior. Additionally, ultrastructural circuit reconstruction and functional imaging analysis identified both its synaptic partners and revealed its critical role in luminance processing. These studies define a core visual processing pathway and establish Lrrn CAMs as essential molecular drivers of its assembly.publishe
On the impact of lateral inhomogeneity on photoconductance decay lifetime measurements
No full textThe photoconductance decay technique is commonly used to measure the injection-dependent effective lifetime of excess charge carriers in crystalline silicon allowing for an in-depth analysis of excess charge carrier recombination. Its working principle relies on eddy currents induced by a coil within a certain sensitivity region in which the sample properties, in particular the excess charge carrier lifetime, should be homogeneous as the technique only yields a laterally integrated result. Within this paper it is discussed in theory, simulation and experiment how lateral inhomogeneity of excess charge carrier lifetime impacts the result of the lifetime measurement. It is shown that extended regions of strongly different bulk lifetime result in abnormal injection-dependent lifetime curves whose shape depends on the applied measurement and analysis conditions. Experimental results hereby validate the presented theoretical approach. It is furthermore discussed, how continuous distributions of lifetime, like a lateral gradient in lifetime, may conceal to some degree the abnormal shape and may lead to erroneous analysis results. Finally it is demonstrated that lateral inhomogeneous surface passivation results in distorted lifetime curves as well.publishe
Operational sex ratio bias due to sex‐specific cohort splitting in response to predation
No full textThe operational sex ratio (OSR), that is, the local ratio of fertilizable females to sexually active males at any given time, is of key importance for the strength of sexual selection and the reproduction of populations. We hypothesize that sex-specific cohort splitting, that is, when one sex mostly metamorphoses while the other mostly enters diapause, may lead to OSR bias in nature. The OSR of an aquatic moth, Acentria ephemerella, has been shown to be strongly male-biased in situ. Here, we use a mesocosm experiment in which we determine the sexes of active, diapausing, and metamorphosing larvae to test whether the male bias in Acentria is due to sex-specific mortality or sex-specific cohort splitting. Fish predation did not result in a strong male bias of the whole population but increased male bias in pupae and female bias in diapausing larvae. The opposite effect of fish on pupal versus diapausing larval sex ratios suggests that fish-induced sex-specific cohort splitting, rather than sex-specific mortality, caused the OSR bias of Acentria observed in situ. Future research needs to study whether the OSR bias is an adaptive response to the presumably higher fish predation pressure on females or a maladaptive byproduct of sex-specific activity and growth responses to fish presence. Overall, shifts in OSR due to sex-specific cohort splitting could be a more common component of arthropod life histories than previously thought.publishe
WildDrone : autonomous drone technology for monitoring wildlife populations
No full textThe rapid loss of biodiversity worldwide is unprecedented, with more species facing extinction now than at any other time in human history. Key factors contributing to this decline include habitat destruction, overexploitation, and climate change. There is an urgent need for innovative and effective conservation practices that leverage advanced technologies, such as autonomous drones, to monitor wildlife, manage human-wildlife conflicts, and protect endangered species. While drones have shown promise in conservation efforts, significant technological challenges remain, particularly in developing reliable, cost-effective solutions capable of operating in remote, unstructured, and open-ended environments. This paper explores the technological advancements necessary for deploying autonomous drones in nature conservation and presents the interdisciplinary scientific methodology of the WildDrone doctoral network as a basis for integrating research in drones, computer vision, and machine learning for ecological monitoring. We report preliminary results demonstrating the potential of these technologies to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts. Based on our preliminary findings, we expect that drones and computer vision will develop to further automate time consuming observational tasks in nature conservation, thus allowing human workers to ground conservation actions on evidence based on large and frequent data.publishe
Towards Phosphorescence : Dye-Modified (NCN) Pincer Bismuth Complexes and their Emissive Properties
No full textpublishe
Therapy-facilitated integration responsibility : qualitative interviews with refugee psychotherapy clients in Germany
No full textBackground: Many refugees experience substantial pre-, peri- and post-migration stress resulting in high prevalence rates of mental disorders. Additionally, refugees face significant challenges integrating into their host society. Even though access to psychotherapy for refugees might impact the integration process beneficially, research on refugees’ perspectives on psychotherapy, integration and the interaction with emotional distress is limited. This study explores refugees’ perspectives on how psychotherapy may influence their integration process and enhance their psychological well-being.
Method: Six in-depth, problem-centered interviews were conducted with refugees after they had completed psychotherapy in Germany one to two years earlier. The male interviewees, aged between 23 and 44 years, were from Afghanistan (n = 1), Gambia (n = 3), Senegal (n = 1) and Turkey (n = 1). The interviews were conducted in English or German and lasted between 35 and 90 min. The data was analyzed with Constructivist Grounded Theory.
Results: The qualitative analysis led to the development of the framework Therapy-Facilitated Integration Responsibility. This framework identified therapy experiences, especially the Therapeutic Relationship, Opening Up and Being Guided, as crucial for taking on integration measures such as language acquisition, employment, and combating loneliness, ultimately fostering well-being in the host country. Therapy helped the interviewees to overcome a Burdened Integration Responsibility, which was strongly influenced by Stressors Before Arrival, Post-Migration Stressors and Everyday Loneliness.
Conclusion: This study gives insight into the interplay of refugees’ emotional distress and integration. It underlines the need to promptly address refugees’ emotional distress and loneliness to support them tackling integration measures soon after their entry into the host country.
Clinical trial number: Not applicable.publishe
Ultrastructural Analysis of Johnston's Organ and Brain Organization in Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae)
No full textInsects rely on a variety of sensory cues for orientation, with antennae playing a central role in receiving and transmitting information about the environment. Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae), a spittlebug and vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, has a reduced number of antennal sensilla, yet demonstrates effective multimodal communication through olfactory and vibrational signals. This study aimed to investigate how the simplified sensory system of P. spumarius relates to the primary neuropils of the brain. We examined the ultrastructural organization of Johnston’s organ using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, complemented by previous data on antennal sensilla. Brain organization was investigated by Micro-CT and confocal laser scanning microscopy, which enabled us to identify the primary neuropiles. In addition, we conducted antennal and single sensillum backfills to trace sensory neurons to the brain. Our findings provide insight into the adaptation of a simplified sensory system for effective communication and orientation in P. spumarius.publishe
Towards a minimum reporting standard to promote animal welfare and data quality in biologging research
No full textOver the last six decades, the biologging research community has reduced instrument effects on study animals by miniaturizing devices, employing sophisticated release mechanisms, and developing other novel technological advancements. However, biologging devices can still impact animal physiology, behavior, and demography—the very biological metrics the instruments are meant to measure. Recent meta-analyses have emphasized the subjectivity of field-wide "rules of thumb"such as the 3% rule, but opportunities to quantify effects more objectively can be expensive or impossible to implement when instrumenting new species. There is therefore a time-sensitive need for systematic reporting of biologging instrument characteristics based on known effects to animal welfare and data quality. We used 202 biologging impact studies from the last thirty years to draw broad, multispecies connections between instrument characteristics and animal physiology, behavior, and/or demography. We build on impact studies that focus on a single species, instrument type, or attachment method to offer solutions applicable across those taxa, technologies, and methodologies. From the literature, we distilled eight best practices for biologging researchers with a particular focus on minimum reporting standards as a low-cost, high-impact way to promote animal welfare and data quality. We propose a preliminary minimum reporting standard, informed by the literature and presented as a machine-readable checklist, that biologging researchers can include with their manuscripts or data submissions to provide data for future meta-analyses. We also present an example of a completed checklist to demonstrate the feasibility of such a standard and a plan for community input and adoption via the International Bio-Logging Society. Robust biologging infrastructure, beginning with a minimum reporting standard informed by the literature on instrument impacts, will facilitate the expansion of biologging across the globe and across disciplines while ensuring animal welfare and improving data quality. As biologging instruments become less expensive and more accessible, researchers, journals, and funders are better positioned than ever to broaden and implement these standards.publishe
Impact of LeTID in Industrial P- and Sb-Doped n-Type Cz-Si With Melt Recharging
No full textIn this study the impact of treatments under illumination at elevated temperatures on the long-term stability of excess carrier lifetime in state-of-the-art melt recharging Czochralski-grown silicon with n-type dopants is investigated. For samples that are treated at elevated temperatures and illumination only, it is found that bulk regeneration dominates until surface related degradation becomes limiting. If an additional light-soaking treatment at room temperature is previously applied, both bulk degradation and regeneration can be observed for P- and Sb-doped Cz-Si. An increase in degradation extent is observed for subsequently pulled ingots which is very similar for both dopant species. It is therefore assumed that the accumulation of impurities in n-type Cz-Si may be involved in an increase of defects that form during treatment at elevated temperatures and illumination. Furthermore, it is shown for Sb-doped material that the applied high temperature processing steps do not have an impact on degradation extent or kinetics.publishe