Figures of Time in Evolution of Complex Systems

Owing to intensive development of the theory of self-organization of complex systems called also synergetics, profound changes in our notions of time occur. Whereas at the beginning of the 20th century, natural sciences, by picking up the general spirit of Einstein's theory of relativity, consider a geometrization as an ideal, i.e. try to represent time and force interactions through space and the changes of its properties, nowadays, at the beginning of the 21st century, time turns to be in the focus of attention. It turns to be possible to represent space through time, because synergetics shows that historical and evolutionary stages of development of a complex structure can be found now, in its present spatial configuration. A whole series of paradoxical notions, such as “the influence of the future upon the present”, a “possibility of touching of a rather remote future today”, “availability of the past and the future now, in praesenti”, “irreversibility and elements of reversibility in the course of evolutionary processes in time”, “discrete unites, quanta of time”, appear in synergetics.     

The reliability and predictive ability of the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) in a community-based study in Bhaktapur,Nepal

AimIn a Nepalese setting, to measure the reliability of the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) and its ability to predict development scores at 6 months.MethodsNepalese infants (n = 705) were assessed by the TIMP when they were 8–12 weeks old and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (Bayley-III) at 6 months. Inter-rater agreement was expressed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), the internal consistency by Cronbach’s alphas and Pearson correlation coefficients. Predictive ability was estimated in linear regression models.ResultsInter-rater agreement was excellent (ICCs > 0.93). Alphas for the TIMP total scores were 0.76 for infants born to term and 0.72 in those born preterm. Correlation coefficients between TIMP total and Bayley-III subscale-scores ranged from 0.05 to 0.28 for term infants and from 0.15 to 0.43 for preterm infants. Using American norms, 56.3 % had TIMP scores within average and 43.7 % below average range. Bayley-III subscale scores were lower in children with TIMP scores below the average range, with the strongest estimates for Gross motor and Socio-emotional development.InterpretationThe reliability of the TIMP was acceptable, and the TIMP could be a feasible tool to monitor infant motor development in low-resource settings. Properties of the TIMP differed according to gestational age.     

Rethinking Intrinsic Value

According to the dominant philosophical tradition, intrinsic value must depend solely upon intrinsic properties. By appealing to various examples, however, I argue that we should at least leave open the possibility that in some cases intrinsic value may be based in part on relational properties. Indeed, I argue that we should even be open to the possibility that an object's intrinsic value may sometimes depend (in part) on its instrumental value. If this is right, of course, then the traditional contrast between intrinsic value and instrumental value is mistaken.     

Stability of heartbeat interval distributions in chronic high altitude hypoxia

Recent studies of nonlinear dynamics of the long-term variability of heart rate have identified nontrivial long-range correlations and scale-invariant power-law characteristics (1/f noise) that were remarkably consistent between individuals and were unrelated to external or environmental stimuli (Meyer et al., 1998a). The present analysis of complex nonstationary heartbeat patterns is based on the sequential application of the wavelet transform for elimination of local polynomial nonstationary behavior and an analytic signal approach by use of the Hilbert transform (Cumulative Variation Amplitude Analysis). The effects of chronic high altitude hypoxia on the distributions and scaling functions of cardiac intervals over 24 hr epochs and 4 hr day/nighttime subepochs were determined from serial heartbeat interval time series of digitized 24 hr ambulatory ECGs recorded in 9 healthy subjects (mean age 34 yrs) at sea level and during a sojourn at high altitude (5,050 m) for 34 days (Ev-K2-CNR Pyramid Laboratory, Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal). The results suggest that there exists a hidden, potentially universal, common structure in the heterogeneous time series. A common scaling function with a stable Gamma distribution defines the probability density of the amplitudes of the fluctuations in the heartbeat interval time series of individual subjects. The appropriately rescaled distributions of normal subjects at sea level demonstrated stable Gamma scaling consistent with a single scaled plot (data collapse). Longitudinal assessment of the rescaled distributions of the 24 hr recordings of individual subjects showed that the stability of the distributions was unaffected by the subject’s exposure to a hypobaric (hypoxic) environment. The rescaled distributions of 4 hr subepochs showed similar scaling behavior with a stable Gamma distribution indicating that the common structure was unequivocally applicable to both day and night phases and, furthermore, did not undergo systematic changes in response to high altitude. In contrast, a single function stable over a wide range of time scales was not observed in patients with congestive heart failure or patients after cardiac transplantation. The functional form of the scaling in normal subjects would seem to be attributable to the underlying nonlinear dynamics of cardiac control. The results suggest that the observed Gamma scaling of the distributions in healthy subjects constitutes an intrinsic dynamical property of normal heart function that would not undergo early readjustment or late acclimatization to extrinsic environmental physiological stress, e.g., chronic hypoxia.     

Negative Existentials in Metaphysical Debate

There are statements of the form “There are no Fs” that we would like to count as true, yet it is hard to see how they could be true (at least, operating within the semantic framework of structured propositions). The relevant Fs are general terms that we take to be semantically fundamental or primitive, especially those native to metaphysical discourse. A case can be made the problem is no less difficult than the corresponding problem for singular terms.     

Phenomenal intentionality: reductionism vs. primitivism

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between phenomenal properties and intentional properties. In recent years a number of philosophers have argued that intentional properties are sometimes necessitated by phenomenal properties, but have not explained why or how. Exceptions can be found in the work of Katalin Farkas and Farid Masrour, who develop versions of reductionism regarding phenomenally-necessitated intentionality (or ‘phenomenal intentionality’). I raise two objections to reductive theories of the sort they develop. Then I propose a version of primitivism regarding phenomenal intentionality. I argue that primitivism avoids the pitfalls of reductionism while promising broad explanatory payoffs.     

Developing Intuitions about How Personal and Social Properties Are Linked to the Brain and the Body

This study investigated the development of intuitions about which properties are associated with the brain and which are associated with the body. A sample of 60 children aged 6, 8, and 10 years, as well a sample of 20 adults, were told about a brain transplant between two individuals and were asked about where certain properties resided after the transplant. Adults and older children construed the characteristics associated with fine-motor behaviour, culpability, social contract and best friendships as transferring with the brain. Characteristics associated with gross-motor behaviour, physical/biological properties, ownership and familial relationships were more likely to be seen as remaining with the body. Domain-based explanations for this pattern of results are discussed.     

Psychometric Properties of Various Scales Measuring Psychological Well-Being in a South African Context: The FORT 1 Project

The aim of this study was to do a first phase screening of psychometric properties of various scales measuring facets of psychological well-being so as to address further questions in the FORT 1 project (FORT 1 = Clarifying the nature of psychological strengths). All scales (except one) were developed in a Western context, and measure facets of cognitive, affective, conative, social, and spiritual psychological well-being. As it could not be assumed that scales are valid in South African contexts, a broad screening of their psychometric properties was necessary before specific questions could be adressed. A convenience sample (N=514) including white (n=384) and black (n=130) students and adults from the North West Province and Gauteng areas completed all questionnaires. Psychometric properties of scales varied from acceptable to unacceptable for use in a specific subgroup.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–8Al alloy fabricated by room-temperature multi-directional forging

As-extruded Mg–Al alloy was multi-directionally forged (MDFed) at room temperature to cumulative strain of ΣΔ??=?2.0 at maximum by employing a pass strain of Δ??=?0.1. The coarse initial grains were subdivided gradually to ultra-fine ones by mechanical twinning. The MDFed Mg alloy showed superior mechanical properties of 530?MPa yield and 650?MPa ultimate tensile strengths with ductility of 9%. The relatively large ductility was induced by grain orientation randomization due to multiple twinning and the small pass strains which suppressed the sharp basal-texture evolution.     

Highly fluorescent silver nanofluids with ferroelectric molecules

Highly fluorescent silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), soluble in a ferroelectric host of polymer molecules such as poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVF₂), have been created in the form of nanofluids. The content of Ag-NPs (flocculates) is varied in steps 0.1–0.2 wt% up to a value of 5.0 wt% in tailoring a broad green emission band over 520–620 nm out of a hybrid percolation Ag–PVF₂ composite. A maximum intensity arises in this band at as small a percolation threshold as ～0.1 wt% Ag-NPs. It contains three distinct bands of peak values 541, 565, and 582 nm in an Ag-NPs tunable response of the localized surface plasmons. The emission-dependent anti-Stokes excitation spectrum contains a similar group of three bands 348, 401, and 421 nm. For Ag-contents above 0.1 wt%, interdependent intensities in the emission and excitation bands drop rapidly by as much as five times, conferring a metal–polymer percolation network. The results open wide applications for biological labels and light emitters using such nanofluids.