Der implizite Bewußtseinsinhalt in der Phänomenologie und der analytischen Philosophie

Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde durch die Erkenntnis motiviert, daß die Theorie der Intentionalität ohne eine Theorie der impliziten Intentionalität unvollständig ist. Die Anlage einer solchen Theorie gründet in der Annahme, daß die impliziten (" ergänzenden oder "mit-bewußten") Erfahrungsinhalte Inhalte intentional wirksam sind: daß sie zur "Konstitution" der intentionalen Objekte – im Sinne vom Husserl und Gurwitsch – beitragen. Die Bedingungen und Umstände dieser Wirksamkeit herauszuarbeiten, ist das Hauptziel der vorliegenden Untersuchungen. Dazu wurde (1) eine phänomenologische Theorie des impliziten Inhalts kritisch expliziert, und (2) diese anhand einiger aktueller Ansätze der analytischen Philosophie auf die Probe gestellt. Im phänomenologischen Teil der Arbeit wurden zuerst die methodologischen Voraussetzungen von Gurwitschs gestalttheoretischer Neuformulierung des Husserlschen Projekts unter Berücksichtigung der sogenannten Konstanzannahme kritisch untersucht. Weiterhin wurden Husserls Noema-Konzeption und seine Horizontlehre aus der Perspektive von Gurwitschs Feldtheorie des Bewußtseins expliziert, und in der Folge Gurwitschs dreifache Gliederung des Bewußtseinsfeldes – das Kopräsenz-Kohärenz-Relevanz-Schema – um die phänomenologischen Begriffe "Potentialität", "Typik" und "Motivation" erweitert. Die Beziehungen, die diesen Begriffen zugrunde liegen, erwiesen sich als "mehr denn bloß kontigent, aber als weniger denn logisch oder notwendig" (Mulligan). An Beispielen aus der analytischen Philosphie der Wahrnehmung (Dretske, Peacocke, Dennett, Kelly) und der Sprache (Sperber, Wilson, Searle) wurde das phänomenologische Konzept des impliziten Inhalts kritisch beurteilt und weiterentwickelt. Hierbei wurde(n) unter anderem (1) der Zusammenhang zwischen dem phänomenologischen Begriff "vorprädikativer Inhalt" und dem analytischen Begriff "nichtkonzeptueller Inhalt" aufgezeigt und (2) Kriterien für die Zuschreibung impliziter Überzeugungen in den typischen Fällen der prädikativen Intentionalität zusammengetragen und systematisiert.The present research is motivated by the conviction that a theory of intentionality is incomplete without a theory of implicit intentionality. In the foundations of such a theory lies the assumption about intentional efficacy of implicit ("supplementary" or "co-conscious") mental contents – the assumption that these contents contribute to the "constitution" (in the sense of Husserl and Gurwitsch) of intentional objects. The principal goal of the dissertation is to examine the modalities and conditions of this efficacy. To this purpose, a phenomenological theory of implicit contents is (1) critically explicated, and (2) contrasted with particular conceptions in contemporary analytic philosophy. In the phenomenological part of the investigation, the methodological presuppositions of Gurwitsch's gestalt- theoretical re-formulation of the Husserlian project are revealed and critically assessed, with special regard to the so-called "constancy principle". Husserl's doctrines of the noematic sense and of intentional horizons are analyzed from the perspective of Gurwitsch's field theory of consciousness. In addition, Gurwitsch's three-fold division of the conscious field – the co-presence-coherence-relevance-schema – is elucidated by use of phenomenological notions 'potentiality', 'typicality', and 'motivation'. The relations underlying these notions turn out to be "more than merely contingent, but less than narrowly logical or necessary" (Mulligan). In the comparative part of the investigation, examples from the analytic philosophy of perception (Dretske, Peacocke, Dennett, Kelly) and language (Sperber, Wilson, Searle) are scrutinized. The purpose of these examples is a comparative examination of the phenomenological concept of implicit content. Among a host of potentially interesting topics two are given special attention: (1) the similarities between the phenomenological notion 'pre-predicative' content and the analytical notion 'non-conceptual content', and (2) the criteria for ascription of implicit beliefs in typical cases of predicative intentionality

Testing the Participation Constraint in the Executive Labour Market

This paper tests the participation constraint by examining the workings of the executive labour market in a panel of UK listed companies over a period of 14 years. Directors are found to move jobs regularly – both within companies and between companies. Consistent with agency theory, directors who are underpaid relative to their comparable peers are particularly likely to leave for higher paying jobs in other companies. Those who move between companies secure more favourable terms than those who move within their firm – even when the move does not involve promotion, calling into question the managerial power perspective of this area of employment

Educational methodologies for the development of scientific competences

El presente estudio se enfocó en el análisis y la descripción de las “Metodologías Educativas para el desarrollo de competencias científicas”. Ante la demanda de fomentar nuevas competencias en los educandos producto de la globalización, los avances tecnológicos y la producción de conocimiento, surge la necesidad de transformar los sistemas educativos y los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, con el uso de metodologías innovadoras que propicien la implantación de capacidades en la resolución de problemas, la formación del pensamiento crítico, el aprende a aprender, la colaboración, la comunicación y el trabajo en equipo. El estudio está abordado desde una estructura de investigación analítica documental y bibliográfica descriptiva. Esta metodología permitió la búsqueda de información científica rigurosa en la construcción del marco teórico y el uso de sitios de publicación científica de alto prestigio. Tras el análisis y la descripción de los referentes teóricos se encontró que el desarrollo de competencias es esencial para la producción de conocimiento, la generación de productos y la resolución de problemas. Por otro lado, las metodologías propician aprendizajes interactivos y fortalecen la enseñanza y el perfeccionamiento de capacidades. Se concluye tras el análisis documental que existe una fuerte relación entre las metodologías y el desarrollo de competencias.The present study focused on the analysis and description of the "Educational Methodologies for the development of scientific competences". Given the demand to promote new skills in students as a result of globalization, technological advances and knowledge production, there is an urgent need to transform educational systems and teaching-learning processes, with the use of innovative methodologies that promote implantation of capacities for problem solving, the formation of critical thinking, learning to learn, collaboration, communication and teamwork, essential for sustainable development. The study is approached from a descriptive documentary and bibliographic analytical research structure. This methodology allowed the search for rigorous scientific information in the construction of the theoretical framework and the use of highly prestigious scientific publication sites. After the analysis and description of the theoretical referents, it was found that the development of competences is essential for the production of knowledge, the generation of products and the resolution of problems. On the other hand, the methodologies promote interactive learning and strengthen teaching and the improvement of capacities. It is concluded after the documentary analysis that there is a strong relationship between the methodologies and the development of competences

THE PRESENCE OF MINOR PHYSICAL ANOMALIES OF A HAND IN PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS

Introduction: Minor physical anomalies (MPA) are subtle morphological deviations with little to none clinical significance that are developed prenatally and therefore could be an indicator of structural changes in the brain developing at the same time. Aim of this study was to determine whether the MPA of the hand can distinguish psychotic patients from patients with non-psychotic diagnoses as well as from the healthy individuals. Subjects and methods: 100 consecutive patients from the University Hospital Center Zagreb, Department of psychiatry, were included in this case-control study along with 100 healthy control subjects. Investigators examined the dorsal and palmar side of the hand and were blind to the patient’s diagnoses previous to the examination. Examined MPA included thenar crease, proximal transverse crease, proximal interphalangeal joint, eponychium of the middle digit, fingernail size and digital flexibility. Results: Results showed significant differences in the quantity of MPA between the patients and the control group, as well as differences between patients with psychosis and the healthy subjects. Conclusions: Despite the fact that previous studies demonstrated characteristic distribution of specific MPA in schizophrenia, this study did not prove such results. Moreover, this study showed that all the MPA are equally common in both schizophrenia and other psychoses

Bradykinesia in dystonic hand tremor: kinematic analysis and clinical rating

IntroductionBradykinesia is an essential diagnostic criterion for Parkinson’s disease (PD) but is frequently observed in many non-parkinsonian movement disorders, complicating differential diagnosis, particularly in disorders featuring tremors. The presence of bradykinetic features in the subset of dystonic tremors (DT), either “pure” dystonic tremors or tremors associated with dystonia, remains currently unexplored. The aim of the current study was to evaluate upper limb bradykinesia in DT patients, comparing them with healthy controls (HC) and patients with PD by observing repetitive finger tapping (FT).MethodsThe protocol consisted of two main parts. Initially, the kinematic recording of repetitive FT was performed using optical hand tracking system (Leap Motion Controller). The values of amplitude, amplitude decrement, frequency, frequency decrement, speed, acceleration and number of halts of FT were calculated. Subsequently, three independent movement disorder specialists from different movement disorders centres, blinded to the diagnosis, rated the presence of FT bradykinesia based on video recordings.ResultsThirty-six subjects participated in the study (12 DT, 12 HC and 12 early-stage PD). Kinematic analysis revealed no significant difference in the selected parameters of FT bradykinesia between DT patients and HC. In comparisons between DT and PD patients, PD patients exhibited bigger amplitude decrement and slower FT performance. In the blinded clinical assessment, bradykinesia was rated, on average, as being present in 41.6% of DT patients, 27.7% of HC, and 91.7% of PD patients. While overall inter-rater agreement was moderate, weak agreement was noted within the DT group.DiscussionClinical ratings indicated signs of bradykinesia in almost half of DT patients. The objective kinematic analysis confirmed comparable parameters between DT and HC individuals, with more pronounced abnormalities in PD across various kinematic parameters. Interpretation of bradykinesia signs in tremor patients with DT should be approached cautiously and objective motion analysis might complement the diagnostic process and serve as a decision support system in the choice of clinical entities

Industrially-relevant polymerization-induced self-assembly formulations in non-polar solvents: RAFT dispersion polymerization of benzyl methacrylate

Industrially-sourced mineral oil and a poly(α-olefin) are used as solvents for the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of benzyl methacrylate (BzMA) using a poly(lauryl methacrylate) macromolecular chain transfer agent (PLMA macro-CTA) at 90 °C. The insolubility of the growing PBzMA chains under such conditions leads to polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA), whereby poly(lauryl methacrylate)-poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PLMA-PBzMA) diblock copolymer spheres, worms or vesicles are produced directly as concentrated dispersions. The particular diblock copolymer composition required to access each individual morphology depends on the nature of the oil. Moreover, the solvent type also affects important properties of the physical free-standing gels that are formed by the PLMA-PBzMA worm dispersions, including the storage modulus (G′), critical gelation temperature (CGT) and critical gelation concentration (CGC). Spherical PLMA-PBzMA diblock copolymer nanoparticles can be prepared at up to 50% w/w solids and an efficient ‘one-pot’ protocol involving solution polymerization of LMA followed immediately by dispersion polymerization of BzMA has been developed. The latter formulation enables high BzMA conversions to be achieved, with spherical nanoparticles being produced at 30% w/w solids

Is Computed Tomography Imaging of Deviated Nasal Septum Justified for Obstruction Confirmation?

Third-party payers request objective confirmation of the nasal septum deviation (NSD) severity by computed tomography (CT) before authorizing financial support for septoplasty. Previous studies have provided contradictory results related to the link between obstruction severity and CT-measured angle of the NSD. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the diverse CT morphology of NSDs (including previously neglected types and shapes) could predict obstruction severity. The study included 225 patients with NSD. The CT morphology of the septum was analyzed using 5 different classifications of NSD that are commonly used in the clinical practice and research. The angle of NSD was also measured. Nasal obstruction was assessed by the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire. A relationship between CT morphology and the angle of the NSD and NOSE scores was analyzed using appropriate regression models. Patients with NSDs located in the anterior part of the septum always have some degree of nasal obstruction, while those with posterior NSDs did not necessarily report obstruction symptoms no matter how complicated NSD they have. Regression analysis did not reveal any causal relationship between NOSE scores and CT morphology and the angle of NSD. The presence of spurs and whether they divide nasal passages have no statistically significant predictive effect on the obstruction severity. The CT morphology and the angle of the NSD could not predict severity of the nasal obstruction. Requesting CT examination just to objectively confirm nasal obstruction is not justified. </jats:p