Squaring the circle: From latent variables to theory-based measurement

Psychometrics builds on the fundamental premise that psychological attributes are unobservable and need to be inferred from observable behavior. Consequently, psychometric procedures consist primarily in applying latent variable modeling, which statistically relates latent variables to manifest variables. However, latent variable modeling falls short of providing a theoretically sound definition of psychological attributes. Whereas in a pragmatic interpretation of latent variable modeling latent variables cannot represent psychological attributes at all, a realist interpretation of latent variable modeling implies that latent variables are empty placeholders for unknown attributes. The authors argue that psychological attributes can only be identified if they are defined within the context of substantive formal theory. Building on the structuralist view of scientific theories, they show that any successful application of such a theory necessarily produces specific values for the theoretical terms that are defined within the theory. Therefore, substantive formal theory is both necessary and sufficient for psychological measurement

The formal foundation of an evolutionary theory of reinforcement

Reinforcement learning is often described by analogy to natural selection. However, there is no coherent theory relating reinforcement learning to evolution within a single formal model of selection. This paper provides the formal foundation of such a unified theory. The model is based on the most general description of natural selection as given by the Price equation. We extend the Price equation to cover reinforcement learning as the result of a behavioral selection process within individuals and relate it to the principle of natural selection via the concept of statistical fitness predictors by means of a multilevel model of behavioral selection. The main result is the covariance-based law of effect, which describes reinforcement learning on a molar level by means of the covariance between behavioral allocation and a statistical fitness predictor. We further demonstrate how this abstract principle can be applied to derive theoretical explanations of various empirical findings, like conditioned reinforcement, blocking, matching and response deprivation. Our model is the first to apply the abstract principle of selection to derive a unified description of reinforcement learning and natural selection within a single model. It provides a general analytical tool for behavioral psychology in a similar way that the theory of natural selection does for evolutionary biology. We thus lay the formal foundation of a general theory of reinforcement as the result of behavioral selection on multiple levels

Meaningful measurement requires substantive formal theory

In this article, we take the opportunity to elaborate on some aspects of our article “Squaring the Circle: From Latent Variables to Theory-Based Measurement” (Borgstede & Eggert, 2023) that gave rise to the concerns uttered by Hasselman (2023) and Slaney (2023), and to clarify why we think that theory-based measurement is indeed necessary and sufficient for the establishment of meaningful psychological measurement procedures. Moreover, we will illustrate how theory-based measurement might be accomplished in psychology by means of an example from behavioral selection theory

The general treatment of non-symmetric, non-balanced star circuits: On the geometrization of problems in electrical metrology

In the present note we provide the general solution of a question concerning non-symmetric AC star circuits that came up in a practical application: Given a non-symmetric AC star circuit, we need the quantities of the line voltages. For technical reasons these quantities cannot be measured directly but the phase-to-phase voltages can be. In this text we present a way to compute the needed quantities from the measured ones. We translate this problem in electrical metrology to a geometric one and present in detail a general solution that is well adapted to the practical problem. Furthermore, we solve the generalization of the problem that discusses the non-symmetric, non-balanced star circuit. In addition, we give some further remarks on the mathematical side of the initial problem

Clarifying the concept of validity: From measurement to everyday language

Test validity is widely understood as the degree to which a test measures what it should measure (cf. Cattell, 1946). We argue that this conceptualization does not refer to a psychometric problem but to the correspondence between scientific language and everyday language. Following Steven’s (1946), test results give an operational definition of attributes, qualifying any test as valid by definition. Following the representational theory of measurement (Krantz, Luce, Suppes & Tversky, 1971), an attribute is defined by an empirical relational structure and a corresponding measurement model. Since measurement depends on the specified empirical structure, if a test measures anything, it must be valid. However, the question of validity can be asked in a meaningful way, if one interprets test results in the context of everyday language. We conclude that validity can be understood as the degree to which the variable measured by a test corresponds to concepts of everyday language

The general non-symmetric, unbalanced star circuit

We provide the general solution of problems concerning AC star circuits by turning them into geometric problems. We show that one problem is strongly related to the Fermat-point of a triangle. We present a solution that is well adapted to the practical application the problem is based on. Furthermore, we solve a generalization of the geometric situation and discuss the relation to non-symmetric, unbalanced AC star circuits

Aggregation Level and Prediction of Fishing Vessel Behavior and Productivity

Fishing overcapacity has lead to unsustainable harvesting and rent dissipation in global fisheries. Only government intervention of some kind can lead to a reduction in capacity. If efficiency is the primary objective for the regulator, then the least efficient vessels should be decommissioned. Here we analyze the Swedish fishery using a panel of individual fishing trip observations. Trip data provide some additional information compared to annual vessel data that could be exploited at both aggregation levels. The effect of data aggregation choice on estimated vessel behavior and productivity is examined. Productivity estimates are utilized in a Probit model of exit from the fishery. We also estimate returns to diversification and obtain some interesting results on the tradeoff between trip length and number of trips.Keywords: Theoretical and Empirical Bio-Economic Modelling, productivity, fishing vessels, exit, Fisheries Economics, AggregationKeywords: Theoretical and Empirical Bio-Economic Modelling, productivity, fishing vessels, exit, Fisheries Economics, Aggregatio

Persistent effectivity of gas plasma-treated, long time-stored liquid on epithelial cell adhesion capacity and membrane morphology

Research in plasma medicine includes a major interest in understanding gas plasma-cell interactions. The immediate application of gas plasma in vitro inhibits cell attachment, vitality and cell-cell contacts via the liquid. Interestingly, in our novel experiments described here we found that the liquid-mediated plasma effect is long-lasting after storage up to seven days; i. e. the liquid preserves the characteristics once induced by the argon plasma. Therefore, the complete Dulbecco's Modified Eagle cell culture medium was argon plasma-treated (atmospheric pressure, kINPen09) for 60 s, stored for several days (1, 4 and 7 d) at 37°C and added to a confluent mouse hepatocyte epithelial cell (mHepR1) monolayer. Impaired tight junction architecture as well as shortened microvilli on the cell membrane could be observed, which was accompanied by the loss of cell adhesion capacity. Online-monitoring of vital cells revealed a reduced cell respiration. Our first timedependent analysis of plasma-treated medium revealed that temperature, hydrogen peroxide production, pH and oxygen content can be excluded as initiators of cell physiological and morphological changes. The here observed persisting biological effects in plasma-treated liquids could open new medical applications in dentistry and orthopaedics

A novel rodent papillomavirus isolated from anogenital lesions in its natural host

AbstractIn the present work we describe both the prevalence and the histopathologic features of a novel papillomavirus (referred as McPV2) that naturally infects the rodent Mastomys coucha. Viral DNA could be isolated not only from anogenital wart-like lesions but also from healthy tissues (e.g. liver, kidney, spleen and intestine) without apparent signs of infection. Our finding of a second papillomavirus infecting M. coucha, phylogenetically very distant from the previously known MnPV, reinforces the growing view of warm-blooded vertebrates as being hosts for a number of different papilloma virus types that are not necessarily closely related. The histological descriptions of McPV2-associated anogenital lesions provided here, together with earlier knowledge on MnPV-associated skin carcinogenesis, define M. coucha as an excellent system where the link between infection towards malignancy can be studied in molecular, histochemical and immunological terms in immunocompetent animals. The availability of such an in vivo model also offers the unique opportunity to address defined questions about prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against different papillomavirus infections in their natural host. To date, McPV2 is the first rodent papillomavirus found in anogenital lesions

Cutaneous HPV23 E6 Prevents p53 Phosphorylation through Interaction with HIPK2

Ultraviolet irradiation (UV) is the major risk factor for the development of skin cancer. Moreover, increasing evidence suggests cutaneotropic human papillomaviruses (HPV) from the beta genus to play a causal role as a co-factor in the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) operates as a potential suppressor in skin tumorigenesis and is stabilized by UV-damage. HIPK2 is an important regulator of apoptosis, which forms a complex with the tumor suppressor p53, mediating p53 phosphorylation at Ser 46 and thus promoting pro-apoptotic gene expression. In our study, we demonstrate that cutaneous HPV23 E6 protein directly targets HIPK2 function. Accordingly, HPV23 E6 interacts with HIPK2 both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, upon massive UVB-damage HPV23 E6 co-localizes with endogenous HIPK2 at nuclear bodies. Functionally, we demonstrate that HPV23 E6 inhibits HIPK2-mediated p53 Ser 46 phosphorylation through enforcing dissociation of the HIPK2/p53 complex. In addition, HPV23 E6 co-accumulates with endogenous HIPK2 upon UV damage suggesting a mechanism by which HPV23 E6 keeps HIPK2 in check after UV damage. Thus, cutaneous HPV23 E6 prevents HIPK2-mediated p53 Ser 46 phosphorylation, which may favour survival of UV-damaged keratinocytes and skin carcinogenesis by apoptosis evasion