Lack Of Constancy Research Articles

The experience of using psychosemantic technique “color-associative experiment” in psychological counseling of students

This article presents a qualitative and quantitative study of personality based on psychosemantic technique “color-associative experiment”. The subject of this research is the theoretical framework, procedure for psychosemantic technique “color-associative experiment”, and the possibilities of its application in psychological counseling of students. For quality data processing and interpretation, the author employs the techniques of free and axial coding (the categories correspond to the axes: conditions, phenomenon, its characteristics, strategy of interaction with the phenomenon, and outcome), which allow the psychologist to acquire a holistic representation on the current state of the respondent. The article provides the materials of empirical study, which involved 15 people; describes the results diagnostics of the bachelor's degree students conducted in terms of distance learning at the Academy for the Humanities and Pedagogy  (branch) of the Crimean Federal University in Yalta (April 2020). The obtained results indicate that the verbal space and perceptive-semantic space are not identical, but mutually complementary, forming a holistic picture of the individual semantic space of personality. On the example of implementation of “color-associative experiment” technique, the respondent (bachelor's degree graduate) is characterized by a neurotic structure of personality. The intrapersonal conflict and resulting emotional tension are accompanied by the pursuit of orderliness and freedom (the verbal component of semantic space), but also indicate the prevalence of variability and lack of constancy in the perceptive semantic space of personality. For comparing the results of perceptive and verbal semantic space, the author offers the schematic image of the coordinate system formed by these two axes and saturated with individual meanings of the respondent. Thus, in the dialogue with the respondent, the psychologist forms a map of the individual semantic space of the latter. The application of the method of “color-associative experiment” indicated the instance of the development of reflection among students.

Assessing noninferiority: Evaluating efficacy of a new treatment without complete data.

The FDA released the final guidance on noninferiority trials in November 2016. In noninferiority trials, validity of the assessment of the efficacy of the test treatment depends on the control treatment's efficacy. Therefore, it is critically important that there be a reliable estimate of the control treatment effect-which is generally obtained from historical trials, and often assumed to hold in the current setting (the assay constancy assumption). Validating the constancy assumption requires clinical data, which are typically lacking. The guidance acknowledges that "lack of constancy can occur for many reasons." We clarify the objectives of noninferiority trials. We conclude that correction for bias, rather than assay constancy, is critical to conducting valid noninferiority trials. We propose that assay constancy not be assumed and discounting or thresholds be used to address concern about loss of historical efficacy. Examples are provided for illustration.

Complete heart block due to diphtheritic myocarditis

Spatio-temporal variations in the technetium-99 content of Fucus serratus samples from the French coast of the English Channel were studied between 1982 and 1984 using various sampling strategies. The lack of constancy in measurements from within the seaweed zone of the same station is revealed by a variation of 18% in the mean contents of samples collected from different sampling levels, a variation which reaches 41% if the extreme values of all results are taken into account. Regional variations over the Channel as a whole show an asymmetric diminution of the 99Tc content of the seaweed on the two sides of the liquid effluent discharge outlet from the reprocessing plant at La Hague and this confirms a predominant drift of Channel waters towards the North Sea. Variations with time at three stations during 1983 and 1984 have revealed that there is a time-lag between fluctuations observed in the discharges and those in F. serratus. In addition, a periodic component observed at the Roscoff and Wimereux stations, where the 99Tc content of the seaweed varies by a factor of 2–3 between winter and summer periods, could be correlated with seasonal changes both in the metabolic state of F. serratus and in the currents to the south-west of Cap de La Hague. 99Tc, which here has no radiological impact on man, would thus appear to be a radioactive label for sea waters and one which is particularly sensitive to variations in environmental conditions.

Is there any long-term memory effect in the tropical cyclones?

The investigation of the intrinsic properties of the annual tropical cyclone count over Atlantic, during 1870–2006, is herewith attempted. The motivation behind this exploration is to contribute to the current understanding about the dynamics of these disastrous events, as tropical cyclones create destructive impacts for people living around tropical areas. The analytical tool used is the detrended fluctuation analysis, and the exponent obtained reveals that the time series of the annual tropical cyclone count over Atlantic obeys the classical random walk (white noise). In other words, the number of tropical cyclones seems to exhibit neither persistent nor antipersistent behavior. The reliability of the lack of scaling dependence in the time series of the annual tropical cyclone count is confirmed, by applying error bounds statistics and studying the decay of the autocorrelation function (i.e., not rejected exponential decay) and the variability of local slopes (i.e., lack of constancy in a sufficient range). In addition, the fact that the series used is fractional Gaussian noise depicts that the results obtained are reliable, despite the fact that the available data set is still limited. The indication of a nearly white noise signal in the tropical cyclone count fluctuations does not suggest that the climate change phenomenon does not exist.

P4-S4.04 Temporal dynamics of vaginal bacterial communities

BackgroundDysbiosis of vaginal bacterial communities have been associated with increased risk for sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis. This is the first observational study to model temporal dynamics of vaginal microbiota using frequently collected samples, behavioural data and culture-independent methods.MethodsThirty-three asymptomatic, reproductive-age women self-collected mid-vaginal swabs every 3rd day for 16 weeks (998 samples). Participants reported behaviours and menstrual data on daily diaries. Bacterial communities were determined by pyrosequencing of barcoded 16S rRNA genes (V1–V2 region). Participants were clustered into five community classes based on temporal patterns of vaginal bacterial community composition using transition probabilities. A linear mixed effect model for the log of Jensen-Shannon rate of community change was utilised. The model accounted for correlations between samples from the same participant and was adjusted for time-varying confounders and normalised menstrual cycle time.ResultsThree of the community classes were most often dominated byLactobacillus iners,L crispatus, orL gasseri, respectively, while two lacked significant numbers ofLactobacillusspp. The latter classes were split into subtype A typified by Corynebacterium, Anaerococcus, Peptinophilus, Prevotella, and Finegoldia, while those of subtype B showed a higher abundance of the genus Atopobium. The rank abundance and species composition of bacterial communities in some women changed markedly over short periods of time while others were relatively stable. Classes dominated byL crispatusandL gasseriexperienced the fewest fluctuations in community composition, and communities that lacked significant number ofLactobacillus spp. also demonstrated some stability. Vaginal communities dominated byL inersdemonstrated either a lack of constancy or notable stability. The menstrual cycle was associated with temporal dynamics, but these effects were influenced by bacterial community class. Sexual activity the day prior to sampling was of borderline statistical significance (p=0.065) and is a variable of interest in supplementary modelling.ConclusionsVaginal microbiota can fluctuate rapidly. Future studies should investigate the role of temporal changes in vaginal microbiota on sexually transmitted infection risk. Longitudinal studies of the vaginal microbiome may allow for the future development of targeted individualised therapeutic approaches.

Delta Scuti stars: Observational aspects

Inhalt (u.a.): M. BREGER: Delta Scuti stars: Observational aspects; M.S. Cunha: Theory of rapidly oscillating Ap stars; M. SACHKOV et al.: Vertical structure of pulsations in roAp stars; G. HOUDEK: Theoretical asteroseismology of solar-like oscillations; B.L. POPIELSKI: Core modes as a seismic probe of mixing beyond the convective core; M. GODART: Temperature gradients in the core overshooting region; W.A. DZIEMBOWSKI – J. DASZYŃSKA-DASZKIEWICZ – A.A. PAMYATNYKH: Interpretation of the Be star HD 163868 oscillation spectrum based on the MOST observations; D. KILKENNY: Pulsating Hot Subdwarfs – An Observational Review; M.H. MONTGOMERY: Mapping Convection using Pulsating White Dwarf Stars; M. ROTH: The Network Activities in HELAS; I. KUDZEJ et al.: A New Slovak Observatory 500 km from Vienna; W.W. WEISS: Microsatellites; G. KOPACKI – S. FRANDSEN: RR Lyrae stars in M4

Mesosomes and scientific methodology.

In his recent article, Nicolas Rasmussen (2001) is harshly critical of what he terms 'empirical philosophy of science', a philosophy that takes seriously the history of science in advancing philosophical pronouncements about science. He motivates his criticism by reflecting on recent history in microbiology involving the 'discovery' of a new bacterial organelle, the mesosome, during the 1950's and 1960's, and the subsequent retraction of this discovery by experimental microbiologists during the late 1970's and early 1980's. In particular, he argues that there was a lack of constancy in the methods microbiologists used in approaching the issue of the existence of mesosomes, and that in fact a similar sort of 'methodological flux' pervades all experimental work. My goal here is to refute Rasmussen's doctrine of flux, and in turn to re-establish order in our understanding of the methods and strategies of experimenters. My strategy in achieving this goal is to re-visit the same crucial research articles in the history of the mesosome episode that Rasmussen (2001) visits; and what I find upon returning to this literature is not flux, as Rasmussen seems to find, but a constancy of method in experimental reasoning, a constancy codified by what I call 'reliable process reasoning'.

Identification of vowel speech sounds by skilled and less skilled readers and the relation with vowel spelling

Reading and spelling errors of vowels are reported in many studies (Bryson and Werker 1989; Fowler, Liberman, and Shankweiler 1977; Fowler, Shankweiler, and Liberman 1979; Goswami 1993; Landerl, Wimmer, and Frith 1997; Shankweiler and Liberman 1972). The present study tested the hypothesis that spelling errors involving vowels are linked to difficulties in vowel perception. Second to fourth graders (total n=155) were divided into five groups according to reading skill and were tested on a variety of measures involving vowel identification, vowel discrimination, and vowel spelling. Despite little difficulty on the vowel discrimination tasks, participants made many errors on the vowel identification measures. Vowel identification errors were linearly associated with reading skill with least skilled readers having significantly more difficulty with stressed “short” vowels as in dip than with stressed “long” vowels as in deep, presented in identical contexts. Vowel identification errors were also associated with vowel spelling errors. It is hypothesized that errors in vowel spelling may relate to weak access to the phoneme at the oral language level and may indicate a lack of constancy in the representation of vowels by less skilled readers. Weaknesses in vowel perception can be detected with a simple vowel identification test in which phonological similarity of test items is used as linguistic manipulation, and where phonemes must be identified based on presentation of a single test item in a forced choice format.

Some reasons for the origin of instability in thermal and thermo-mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile fibres

-- Industrial polyacrylonitrile fibres which have been prepared by the thiocyanate method are characterized by considerable instability in thermal and thermo-mechanical properties. -- Lack of constancy in such technological parameters as itaconic acid content of the polymer, temperature and concentration of the precipitation bath, and stretch ratio exert a considerable effect on the stability of thermal and thermo-mechanical properties. -- Stabilization of these investigated parameters will obviously make it possible to significantly reduce instability and mechanical properties of carbon fibres.

Spatiotemporal Variation in Insect Mutualists of a Neotropical Herb

We observed striking spatiotemporal variation in the antguard and pollinator mutualist assemblages of a neotropical herb. Fifteen different ant taxa (in five subfamalies) and five pollinator taxa (four euglossine bees and one anthrophorid bee) were associated with the plants during censuses at four sites. Ants and pollinators were censused for 4 and 3 yr, respectively. The mean number of taxa per site per year was 6.8 for ants and 3.6 for pollinators. The ant assemblage varied more than the pollinator assemblage, paticularly spatially. The ant assemblage varied more through space than through time (means of the proportional similarities for pairwise comparisons of assemblages were 0.37 and 0.51, respectively), while the pollinator assemblage varied equally through space and time (means of the proportional similarities were 0.53 and 0.50, respectively). For individual taxa of both assemblages, the coefficient of variation in relative abundance was large (>75%) for the majority of spatial and temporal comparisons. In each assemblage there was a single taxon (in the antguard, a rare taxon, but in the pollinators, an abundant taxon) that was the least variable, surprisingly in both time and space, in its relative abundance. These results, coupled with our previous findings of significant variation among mutualist taxa in the magnitude of their beneficial effects, indicate that plants may be subject to highly variable selection by their mutualist assemblages. The most beneficial antguard was consistently rare; the most beneficial pollinator was abundant in one site—year but rare or absent in most site—years. The taxon that was consistently abundant was not an efficient pollinator. Evolutionary specialization of plants on particular animals may be constrained by lack of constancy in the relative abundance of animals and the opportunity for specialization may differ greatly between interactions (e.g., antguards and pollinators) due to divergent patterns of constancy, rarity, and quality.

Intraspecific Variation in the Amino Acid Content of Floral Nectar

AbstractIn order to evaluate the constancy of amino acid composition and concentration, several randomly collected samples of genuine floral nectar from different flowers of several plant species were analysed. Although there seems to exist a rough pattern of species‐specific nectar amino acid composition, amino acid concentration varied strongly from sample to sample. Apart from the lack of constancy in concentration of floral amino acids, our samples do not show amino acid concentration values as assigned typical for the pertinent pollination mode by other workers.

Considerations for using the solvent selectivity triangle approach for stationary phase characterization

The use of solvent selectivity parameters ( X e, X n, X d) for stationary phase characterization is compromised by a failure to allow for interfacial adsorption of test solutes and n-alkane retention index markers in the recommended calculation method and by inadequate retention of the test solutes ethanol, nitromethane, and dioxane on phases of low polarity. There is also a lack of constancy in the relative position of phases in the selectivity triangle as the identity of the test solutes is changed. The low partitioning of n-alkanes on polar phases such as DEGS, OV-275, TCEP, EAN and PAN precludes calculation of solvent selectivity parameters using retention index differences. The partial molar Gibbs free energy of solution for the test solutes derived from the gas—liquid partition coefficients corrected for interfacial adsorption allows the universal calculation of solvent selectivity parameters for all phases. The position of individual phases in selectivity groups is similar for selectivity parameters calculated using either corrected retention indices or Gibbs free energy differences except that all phases are displaced to the right in the triangle constructed using free energy differences resulting from weak interactions for the tested phases with the proton acceptor probe dioxane. There is good agreement between the solvent strength calculated from the energy differences, the partial molar Gibbs free energy of solution for a methylene group, and Snyder's P′ values for non-polar and moderately polar phases. Polar phases show anomalous behaviour on the different scales. Recommendations for further improvements in the solvent selectivity parameter approach to stationary phase characterization are made.

Localization of tactile stimuli and body parts in space: two dissociated perceptual experiences revealed by a lack of constancy in the presence of position sense and motor activity.

Two motor acts were analyzed at the level of tongue and fingers. These motor acts generated illusions. When subjects voluntarily rotated the tongue by 90 degrees, the perceived orientation of a tactile stimulus applied to the tongue did not covary with the perceived orientation of the tongue itself. Analogously, when subjects voluntarily crossed two adjacent fingers, the perceived position of two tactile stimuli applied to the fingers did not covary with the perceived position of the fingers themselves. Although tongue and fingers were positioned accurately in space, a lack of perceptual constancy occurred for tactile stimuli applied to these body parts. Therefore, whereas position sense was preserved, correct localization of objects was lost. The occurrence of this perceptual dissociation suggests that spatial localization of tactile stimuli may be independent both of knowledge of body part location and motor activity.

Localization of tactile stimuli and body parts in space: Two dissociated perceptual experiences revealed by a lack of constancy in the presence of position sense and motor activity.

Localization of tactile stimuli and body parts in space: Two dissociated perceptual experiences revealed by a lack of constancy in the presence of position sense and motor activity.

Spatio-temporal variations in the technetium-99 content of fucus serratus in the english channel during 1982–1984

Spatio-temporal variations in the technetium-99 content of Fucus serratus samples from the French coast of the English Channel were studied between 1982 and 1984 using various sampling strategies. The lack of constancy in measurements from within the seaweed zone of the same station is revealed by a variation of 18% in the mean contents of samples collected from different sampling levels, a variation which reaches 41% if the extreme values of all results are taken into account. Regional variations over the Channel as a whole show an asymmetric diminution of the 99Tc content of the seaweed on the two sides of the liquid effluent discharge outlet from the reprocessing plant at La Hague and this confirms a predominant drift of Channel waters towards the North Sea. Variations with time at three stations during 1983 and 1984 have revealed that there is a time-lag between fluctuations observed in the discharges and those in F. serratus. In addition, a periodic component observed at the Roscoff and Wimereux stations, where the 99Tc content of the seaweed varies by a factor of 2–3 between winter and summer periods, could be correlated with seasonal changes both in the metabolic state of F. serratus and in the currents to the south-west of Cap de La Hague. 99Tc, which here has no radiological impact on man, would thus appear to be a radioactive label for sea waters and one which is particularly sensitive to variations in environmental conditions.

Breath-to-breath variations in rate and depth of ventilation in sleeping infants.

Ventilatory measurements were made noninvasively over 2- to 3-h periods during sleep in each of nine normal infants at 1 mo of age. To assess the changes that occur in ventilation on a breath-to-breath basis, we 1) examined the variations of each of tidal volume (VT), respiratory cycle time (Ttot), expiratory time (TE), and inspiratory time (TI) and 2) studied their interrelationships. We found that the variations of VT, Ttot, and TE but not of TI were significantly greater in rapid-eye-movement (REM) than in quiet sleep. In addition, on a breath-to-breath basis, VT had a positive linear relationship and strong correlation with TI; however, the correlation between VT and TE was weak in both sleep states. VT/Ttot was found to be moderately and negatively correlated with Ttot in both REM and quiet sleep. VT was weakly correlated with Ttot in REM sleep and was, on the average, more correlated with Ttot in quiet sleep. We suggest that in infants 1) on a breath-to-breath basis, VT/Ttot is likely to drop if respiratory frequency is decreased and 2) VT is nonlinearly related to Ttot during sleep; this lack of linearity depends on the lack of constancy of VT/Ttot, which is in turn closely related to the variability of the "on-switching" of inspiratory activity.

Conformations of proline.

The present study concerns the energies of the conformations of proline. We present results of an improved molecular mechanics calculation for ring conformations of Ac-Pro-OCH/sub 3/ and for the s-cis and s-trans conformations. Internal coordinates including all torsions have been calculated from crystal coordinates for more than 40 x-ray determinations to give a consistent set of data which define proline ring geometries. Results from the present work and from the many previous studies on proline derivatives by other workers permit the following definitive statements: (1) Although four parameters are theoretically necessary to define the conformational state of a five-membered ring having fixed bond lengths, in practice two parameters ordinarily suffice for the proline ring. (2) There are two broad energy minima with a barrier high enough to rule out pseudorotation, but affording such flexibility of structure as to preclude the meaningful designation as envelope and chair or exo and endo. The most common conformational state approximates a range of C/super ..beta../ - C/sup ..gamma../ half chairs. (3) There is as yet no really good method to get experimental measures of the conformational state of the proline ring in solution, although useful limits can often be established by treating NMR couplingmore » constants by the Karplus relationships. (4) /sup 13/CNMR is especially useful for studying s-cis-s-trans equilibria of N-acylproline derivatives. Ratios range from about 15 to 40 percent s-cis for open chain derivatives. (5) The difference of the torsions chi/sub 5/ - phi is not a constant but ranges from 54 to 80/sup 0/. This lack of constancy must be taken into account if proper conclusions are to be drawn from energy maps of proline-containing peptides.« less

Compartmentation of Free Valine and Its Relation to Protein Turnover in Perfused Rat Liver

Abstract Livers from nonfasted rats were perfused in situ with concentrations of valine (plus [1-14C]valine) in the medium ranging from 0.3 to 15 mm. The relationship of total free intracellular valine (y) to external valine (x) was of the form y = a + bx, where the slope was about 1.0 and the intercept nearly 0.4 mm. At low valine concentrations the ratio of intracellular to extracellular valine, after isotopic equilibrium was attained, was less than 0.5; as external valine was increased, the ratio increased and approached unity. These findings suggested that the intracellular valine pool comprised two components, one which readily equilibrated with extracellular valine and another which was independent of external valine. Rates of valine incorporation into liver protein, calculated from the average specific activity of total intracellular valine, were not constant over the concentration range of external valine, as expected, but were 2- to 3-fold greater at the lowest concentrations than at the highest levels. This lack of constancy was explained by assuming that the two valine components represented two separate pools and that precursor sites of protein synthesis were in continuity with the expandable or equilibrating pool. Thus if label transported inward from the medium were restricted to the expandable pool, its specific activity and that of precursor amino acids would be higher than the determined specific activity of total intracellular valine. Recalculation of valine incorporation, based on the presumed specific activity of the expandable pool, gave uniform rates at all external valine concentrations. The second or nonexpandable pool, which apparently failed to equilibrate with label in the medium, was thought to arise from intracellular proteolysis since total intracellular and extracellular specific activities were the same when the only source of free label was the breakdown of protein in perfused livers that had been previously labeled with [1-14C]valine in vivo.

Effect of Leaf Aging on Water Deficit—Water Potential Relationships of Dogwood Leaves Growing in Two Environments

AbstractWater deficit‐water potential relationships were determined at approximately monthly intervals from May to August on leaves collected from dogwood trees growing in two environments. The relationships were not the same for leaves of different ages or for leaves of the same age, but growing in the different environments. With aging of the leaves, the relationships shifted to progressively lower water potentials for a given water deficit. Increased leaf dry weight, decreased cell wall elasticity, and decreased osmotic potentials accompanied leaf aging. These changes and the shifts in the relationships were greatest for leaves growing under high light intensity and dry environmental conditions. The lack of constancy in the relationships reduces the usefulness of water deficit or relative turgidity as an estimator of water potential. For the purposes of some workers, however, the relationships may be sufficiently constant for mature leaves of a given species growing in a relatively constant environment.

Techniques for the Evaluation of Musical Status

IN 1930 THE COLLEGE of Music of Cincinnati embarked upon a program of testing, largely for purposes of prognosis. In supplement to an intelligence test, tests of personality traits, and standardized batteries of music talent tests, it was felt desirable to devise an experimental battery covering certain phases of musical ability not measured by the standardized tests, and involving an approach differing from the conventional one. This battery the writer was asked to construct, and the present report is an account of its evolution. The series embraced three divisions which were intended to tap tonal, rhythmic, and emotional functions respectively, plus a fourth purporting to measure acquaintance with musical literature. In the first division the testee was required to identify the mode (major or minor) of melodies, both accompanied and unaccompanied, and of chords. In the second division he was asked to tell the number of beats in a measure in certain musical selections. In the third he was told to choose, from descriptions offered, the one best fitting the mood of certain selections. In the fourth he was required to identify, by title and composer, a variety of musical selections. This first version of the test was played on the piano. Subsequently (1939), the battery was revised, enlarged, recorded, and standardized. Still later (1950) a short form was devised for use in teacher selection. Intended in its first form for college freshmen entering the music field, the 1939 revision was expanded into two forms, the first (Form A) for use in the tenth grade and above, the second (Form B) for use in the fourth through the ninth grades. In Form A there was added to the original test measuring rhythmic discrimination a second section in which the testee was asked to determine the presence or lack of constancy in the tempo of certain selections.