University of Konstanz
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China Research, Politics and Expertise in Germany : Some Reflections on a Tension-Fraught Field
No full textChina research has always been characterized by a pronounced dependency on politics, significantly shaping its institutional structures, thematic orientations, and methodological approaches. Using the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949 as a case study, this research note systematically explores four central dimensions: the evolution of China research from philological origins toward interdisciplinary, politically engaged scholarship; macro-political contexts shaping research opportunities and agendas; scholars’ strategies for balancing collaboration and integrity vis-à-vis the People’s Republic of China; and the evolving advisory role of China researchers within German policy-making. By historicizing these complex interactions and critically reflecting upon current ethical debates, the analysis highlights the urgent need for clearer ethical standards and methodological transparency amid escalating geopolitical tensions and authoritarian challenges, thus preserving rigorous and independent scholarship as indispensable for informed policy-making and credible public discourse.publishe
Working with ideas : Collective bricolage, political tests and the emergence of policy paradigms
No full textLiteratures on institutional, ideational and policy change have made great strides in dynamically conceptualizing agency within structure. What continues to be insufficiently understood, however, is how actors actually work with ideas, that is, how broad policy ideas become concrete and implementable. One concept that has gained some traction in understanding actors' application of ideas is bricolage, understood as the stabilization or changing of institutions through a creative recombination of existing ideational and institutional resources. We theorize bricolage as a process of working with ideas by testing their cognitive, normative and strategic capacity. In contrast to much of the existing literature, we theorize this ideational policy entrepreneurship as collective agency. This gives greater analytical weight to how different bricoleurs work together—simultaneously and across time—to develop the ideas that come to shape policy. The empirical relevance of the theoretical argument is corroborated with an analysis of the work of bricoleurs in the paradigm shift of German pension policy.publishe
Statistik über die Studierenden der Universität Konstanz. Studienjahr 2024, 1. Studienabschnitt (Wintersemester)
No full textDie Studierendenstatistik enthält die wichtigsten quantitativen Angaben über die im Wintersemester 2024, eingeschriebenen Studierenden der Universität Konstanz (Neu- und Erstimmatrikulierte, Rückmelder, Beurlaubte, ausländische Studierende). Sie gibt die Verteilung der Studierenden auf die Studienabschlüsse, die Fachbereiche und Sektionen sowie auf die Hochschulregion Konstanz wieder und zeichnet für einzelne dieser Kategorien auch die Entwicklung über die Jahre hinweg nach. Darüber hinaus enthält sie detaillierte, nach Fachsemester und Abschlusszielen aufgegliederte Angaben über die Studierendenzahlen in den Studienfächern der Universität.publishe
On the rate of convergence of Yosida approximation for the nonlocal Cahn–Hilliard equation
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Inherent differential microbial assemblages and functions associated with corals exhibiting different thermal phenotypes
No full textCertain coral individuals exhibit enhanced resistance to thermal bleaching, yet the specific microbial assemblages and their roles in these phenotypes remain unclear. We compared the microbial communities of thermal bleaching–resistant (TBR) and thermal bleaching–sensitive (TBS) corals using metabarcoding and metagenomics. Our multidomain approach revealed stable distinct microbial compositions between thermal phenotypes. Notably, TBR corals were inherently enriched with microbial eukaryotes, particularly Symbiodiniaceae, linked to photosynthesis, and the biosynthesis of antibiotic and antitumor compounds and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor proteins, crucial for cell wall regulation and metabolite exchange. In contrast, TBS corals were dominated by bacterial metabolic genes related to nitrogen, amino acid, and lipid metabolism. The inherent microbiome differences between TBR and TBS corals, already observed before thermal stress, point to distinct holobiont phenotypes associated to thermal bleaching resistance, offering insights into mechanisms underlying coral response to climate-induced stress.publishe
Microscopic mechanism of displacive excitation of coherent phonons in a bulk Rashba semiconductor
No full textChanging the macroscopic properties of quantum materials by optically activating collective lattice excitations has recently become a major trend in solid state physics. One of the most commonly employed light-matter interaction routes is the displacive mechanism. However, the fundamental contribution to this process remains elusive, as the effects of free-carrier density modification and raised effective electronic temperature have not been disentangled yet. Here we use time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy to address this issue in the Rashba semiconductor BiTeI. Exploring the conventional regime of electronic interband transitions for different excitation wavelengths as well as the barely accessed regime of electronic intraband transitions, we answer this question regarding the displacive mechanism: the lattice modes are predominantly driven by the rise of the effective electronic temperature. In the intraband regime, which allows an increase of the effective carrier temperature while leaving the carrier density unaffected, the phonon coherence time does not display significant fluence-dependent variations. Our results thus reveal a pathway to displacive excitation of coherent phonons, free from additional scattering and dissipation mechanisms typically associated with an increase of the free-carrier density.publishe
Digital communication and tie formation amongst freshmen students during and after the pandemic
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A long‐term study on food choices and nutritional goals of a leaf‐eating primate
No full textEfficient foraging plays a critical role in fitness, yet food choices and underlying nutritional goals vary among animals. To understand those choices and therefore the importance of different food resources, many studies estimate food preferences by applying electivity indices that account for resource availabilities. However, the general applicability of electivity indices in biologically relevant foraging scenarios is unclear. Our major aims were to find effective methods to estimate animals' food choices and to investigate long‐term food choices and underlying nutritional goals of the red colobus monkey ( Piliocolobus tephrosceles ) in Kibale National Park, Uganda, an endangered folivore. We used simulations of different foraging conditions to evaluate the applicability of electivity indices in biologically relevant scenarios to help interpret our results. Then, we used long‐term data collected between 2006 and 2016 on the feeding behavior and ecology of red colobus to determine the consumption frequencies of different foods and their food preferences. Based on these results and nutritional concentrations of young leaves of frequently consumed tree species, we investigated the importance of the protein‐to‐fiber ratio in their diet. Our simulations highlight limitations of electivity indices in biologically relevant foraging scenarios. Further, red colobus clearly chose young leaves over other plant parts, and, considering species and plant part, red colobus fed on many different items, but few dominated their diet. The availability and spatial distribution varied across the most consumed foods, but red colobus preferences remained mostly stable over time. Protein‐to‐fiber ratio had no association with preference but with consumption frequencies of different young leaves. The limitations of electivity indices in different foraging conditions underline the importance of comparing food preferences with consumption frequencies to assess the importance of different food resources. Our results provide a robust understanding of the food choices and nutritional goals of a leaf‐eating animal that can ultimately be used for implementing more effective conservation measures by directing habitat protection or restoration efforts toward these resources.publishe
The Role of "Social" in the TSST : Social support and Social Motives partly Moderate Psychobiological Stress Responses in Addition to Biological Sex
No full textPrior research has highlighted sex differences in psychobiological stress responses during the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). This study expands on these findings by exploring how social motives (affiliation and power motives) and social support, as direct predictors and in interaction with biological sex, influence stress responses and reproductive hormones. A sample of 204 participants (108 women, 96 men) underwent the TSST, with social support being manipulated. The biological and psychological responses followed patterns previously documented in the literature. Linear mixed-effect models indicated that biological sex moderated the trajectories of RMSSD, testosterone, progesterone, and well-being across the TSST phases. Additionally, cortisol responses were more pronounced in men, particularly those with strong power motives. Participants receiving social support exhibited lower estradiol levels during the TSST recovery phase compared to the control group. These findings suggest that the impacts of social stress are shaped by complex interactions between biological and social factors, which could be considered in tailored stress interventions.publishe