Absolute Evaluation Research Articles

Irrational choices in hummingbird foraging behaviour

It is conventionally assumed that, when animals evaluate alternative options, the value assigned to an option is absolute and independent of the other options available. It follows that animal choices should exhibit the rational property of regularity whereby the proportion of choices for an option cannot be increased by the addition of further options to the choice set. However, violations of regularity occur in human decision making, suggesting that humans may use comparative evaluation mechanisms whereby the value of an option is computed relative to the other options available. For example, in the asymmetrically dominated decoy effect the preference for a target option over a competitor is altered by the addition of a decoy option that is inferior to the target and competitor on one attribute, but lies between them on a second. We tested whether foraging wild rufous hummingbirds, Selasphorus rufus, would demonstrate violations of regularity in response to an asymmetrically dominated decoy. Sixteen birds chose between three artificial flower types (Target: 15μl, 40% sucrose; Competitor: 45μl, 30%; Decoy: 10μl, 35%) in Binary (Target versus Competitor) and Trinary (Target versus Competitor versus Decoy) treatments. We predicted higher preference for the Target in the Trinary treatment. The birds ranked the three options in the same order in the Binary and Trinary treatments (Competitor>Target>Decoy). Seven birds showed violations of regularity, six increasing their absolute preference for the Competitor in the Trinary treatment. Overall, relative preference for the Competitor over the Target was higher in the Trinary than in the Binary treatment. These changes in preference are incompatible with an absolute evaluation mechanism.

感性を反映できるフォント自動作成システム

In this paper, we propose a system that automatically creates fonts which reflect a user's kansei and outputs them by inputting some impression words about fonts. The proposed system consists of two major parts, creating fonts part and evaluating fonts part, and it operates based on genetic algorithm (GA). In the evaluating fonts part, the system calculates the fitness value of the font created in the creating fonts part. In the creating fonts part, some font parameters are added to the basic data of characters such as control points. These font parameters are expressed as a gene and it is possible to create various fonts by means of GA operations. The evaluating fonts part estimates the impression of the created font using fuzzy rules. And the system calculates Euclidean distance between the user's inputs and the values that the system infers as the fitness value. By repeating these processes, the system creates the font which the user desires. In addition, the system can adjust to the user's kansei by introducing the learning based on his/her absolute evaluation. The validity of the proposed system is confirmed by experiments in respect of the following points: Euclidean distance between the user's evaluation and the estimation of the system, the adaptability of the system to individual kansei and the variety of fonts that the system creates.

Collective Dipole Bremsstrahlung in Fusion Reactions

We estimate the dipole radiation emitted in fusion processes. We show that a classical bremsstrahlung approach can account for both the preequilibrium and the thermal photon emission. We give an absolute evaluation of the preequilibrium component due to the charge asymmetry in the entrance channel, and we study the energy and mass dependence in order to optimize the observation. This dynamical dipole radiation could be a relevant cooling mechanism in the fusion path. We stress the interest in experiments with the new available radioactive beams.

Subjective evaluation of speech transmission quality in rooms with sentence materials

The situation is often encountered that the score of syllable, word or sentence intelligibility test or measured indexes of speech intelligibility (i.e., STI, RASTI) is different from the listeners impression. This is caused by the difference between subjective impression and speech information recognition. Four kinds of listening tests were performed to obtain a subjective evaluation for speech transmission in auditoria; (a) easiness of speech perception by paired comparison method, (b) easiness of speech perception by rating scale method, (c) acceptability of speech perception by yes–no-form method, (d) difficulty of sentence listening. The results from method (a) treated as a standard data because of its accuracy. The results demonstrate that (1) easiness of speech perception presented only relative value, (2) acceptability is not suitable for rating the speech transmission quality of sound fields because of the difficulty of judgment, (3) difficulty is easy to understand from its meanings and gives absolute evaluation.

Comparison of analysis methods for performance of cavity‐backed slot antennas using the FDTD technique

AbstractBy applying the FDTD method to the evaluation of the characteristics of a cavity‐backed slot antenna, a design considering the feed structure is possible. In this paper, a feed model suitable for the design and analysis of a cavity‐backed slot antenna is presented. As feed models, a gap voltage model and a coaxial model are used and results of their analysis are compared. From the analysis of the input characteristics, it is revealed that characteristic evaluation is possible in the coaxial model with fewer time steps than the gap voltage model. In the evaluation of the radiation characteristics, the absolute gain evaluation method is presented with a sinusoidal excitation. From the results of analysis of the absolute gain, the results converge within about 15 periods in the case of the coaxial model. The obtained radiation characteristics agree with the experimental results. In the gap voltage model, undulations of the absolute gain values are observed. From a comparison of these characteristic evaluations, the coaxial model is found to be suitable for FDTD analysis of a cavity‐backed slot antenna. © 2001 Scripta Technica, ElectronComm Jpn Pt 1, 84(8): 70–77, 2001

FRACTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MICROCAPSULE SUSPENSION FOR HEMOLYSIS EVALUATION USING ROTATIONAL SHEAR STRESSER

PURPOSE It is important to evaluate hemolytic properties in the development of circulatory artificial organs. Though animal blood have been used as relative hemolysis evaluation, the results highly depend on individuality. We are developing microcapsule suspension, which is expected to be used for absolute hemolysis evaluation instead of animal blood. In this report, we describe fractural characteristics of microcapsule suspension under fluid dynamical shear stress, which is generated by rotational shear stresser developed in our laboratory. METHODS We tested two types of microcapsule suspension, MS-100 (100micrometer diameter and polyurethane membrane) and MS-10 (10micrometer diameter and melamine membrane) under the shearing velocity of 0-15,000s-1 for 15min. These fractural characteristics were compared with the results by bovine blood RESULTS Fractural properties of MS-100 was similar to that of bovine blood, whereas MS-10 showed different result. This tendency depends on the flow condition in the shear stresser. After clarifying the effect of the flow condition, we expect that fractural characteristics under fluid dynamical shear stress can be simulated utilizing microcapsule suspension. This new method leads to absolute hemolytic evaluation.

1229 回転型剪断負荷装置による赤血球の力学特性を模擬したマイクロカプセルの破壊特性

We are developing microcapsule suspension, which is expected to be used for absolute hemolysis evaluation instead of animal blood. In this report, we describe fractural characteristics of microcapsule suspension under fluid dynamical shear stress, which is generated by rotational shear stressor developed in our laboratory. We tested two types of microcapsule suspension. One has 100 micrometer diameter and polyurethane membrane, and the other has 10 micrometer diameter and melamine membrane. Fractural property of the former suspension was similar to that of bovine blood, whereas the later suspenstion showed different result. This tendency seems to be caused by the laminar/turbulent combined flow condition in the shear stressor.

Application of fuzzy theory to value engineering

Recently considerations regarding Target Costing and Cost Management have been focussed on Value Engineering (VE). In the stage of the Function Evaluation, one of the most significant stages of the VE job plan, either the absolute evaluation by amount of money or the relative evaluation by rating is employed, to evaluate the function of items and to determine the priority of improvement in the value. Although fuzziness is a constituent of both methods, there are no techniques in VE to address such fuzziness. The author proposes therefore, to introduce the Fuzzy Theory into the evaluation in order to address such fuzziness practically and systematically. Furthermore, in order to demonstrate how the proposed method works, practical examples of the evaluation of function are provided for which the priority of improvement has been successfully identified.

Development of noninvasive measurement of peripheral circulation and its medical application

Surveys were carried out on tissue blood flow measurement based on the thermal diffusion method and on the assessment of peripheral circulatory function using photosensors.Regarding the thermal diffusion method, first noninvasive measurement using a Peltier stack was carried out. Then, measurements using a thermal clearance curve at various temperatures were performed.For noninvasive measurement of the mechanical properties of peripheral arteries using photosensors, the author determined the vascular volume ratio and/or the relative vascular volume.For clinical application in field studies, it is necessary to develop an apparatus with which absolute evaluation of the intravascular volume can be carried out using the blood volume around the unit volume as an indicator. Therefore, an apparatus that removes a signal constituent from tissue other than the blood using two-wavelength photosensors is required.If a noninvasive method to accurately measure the intravascular volume is established, changes in the mechanical properties of the peripheral arteries that correspond to functional and organic changes in the normal response can be observed more directly. Moreover, quantitative assessment of peripheral circulatory function will become possible, and diagnosis of the severity of peripheral circulatory disorders will be facilitated.

On an absolute evaluation method of the quality of television sequences

This paper describes the reliability of scores obtained in subjective evaluation tests of picture quality using the double-stimulus continuous quality-scale method (the DSCQS method) and the single-stimulus five-grade quality scale method (the SSQS method). First, it is shown that the mean scores with the absolute scale of the DSCQS method do not extend to a higher grade, unlike those with the SSQS method, and that the capability of assessors to recognize small quality differences in the absolute scale of the DSCQS method is inferior to that in the SSQS method. Next, the reason why the results obtained using two methods are different even with the same five-grade quality scale is investigated. It is found that the scale divisions on the vertical line described in the score sheet of the DSCQS method can affect significantly the distribution of scores and also the capability of assessors to recognize small quality differences. Finally, it is concluded that it is better to replace the graph scale with the continuous five-grade category scale to improve the reliability of the DSCQS method.

Land surface temperature estimation based on NOAA-AVHRR data during the HAPEX-Sahel experiment

Accurate estimation of land surface temperature can be regarded as an important prerequisite of the global or regional monitoring of water, energy, and radiation budgets. An accurate estimation of land surface temperature involves correction for both the atmospheric and the surface emissivity effect. Combined ground truth, radiosonde and remote sensing data from the HAPEX-Sahel experiment have been used to evaluate three existing AVHRR-based split-window models designed for land surface temperature estimation and an algorithm for emissivity difference estimation. Local or regional model coefficients have been determined on the basis of simulated AVHRR measurements. The applied model for the emissivity difference determination turned out to be very sensitive under situations with medium to high water vapour content. It was found that results from the three models compared well except at large view angles. In semi-arid regions with high atmospheric water vapour content the atmospheric effect accounts for almost 90% of the correction whereas the emissivity effect typically accounts for 10%. An absolute evaluation was not performed, but comparison with ground truth data showed that the model-predicted temperatures were well within the expected range.

The uncontrollable placebo effect

To analyse the role of the control group in the methodology of clinical placebo effect evaluating trials. Department of Medical Philosophy and Clinical Theory, University of Copenhagen. A theoretical methodological analysis. At least with present trial designs, it is impossible, with certainty, to exclude a potential placebo effect from the so-called control group. The placebo effect, in other words, is uncontrollable. I suggest that the notions of control group and placebo treatment group are replaced by the notions of "placebo effect maximising group" and "placebo effect minimising group", thus stressing the fact that what such trials measure is a relative effect, and an underestimation of the absolute placebo effect. The illusion of absolute placebo effect evaluation must be acknowledged when articles referring to empirical trials on the placebo effect are interpreted.

Les problématiques de l'aide à la décision : vers l'enrichissement de la trilogie choix-tri-rangement

In this article we establish a classification and we discuss the different problematiques that may be in question in a certain stage of a decision-aid study. We enlarge the trilogy choice, sorting and ranking, introduced by Bernard Roy, reinforcing the importance of this subject in the methodological context of decision-aid. First, we distinguish decisional problematique from technical or decision-aiding problematique. Afterwards, we reflect on three questions: Do we want a relative comparison or an absolute evaluation of the actions?, to make a choice or to rank the actions?, to accept or to reject actions?

Experimental and Analytical Studies of Failure Modes in Iosipescu Specimens under Biaxial Loadings

This study is concerned with an extension of the traditional Iosipescu shear test to in-plane biaxial stress applications. A Biaxial Stress Test Fixture, which is based upon the original Iosipescu shear test and the Arcan in-plane stress method, is used to characterize mixed-mode failure phenomena in both isotropic (PMMA) and orthotropic (teak) Iosipescu specimens under externally applied biaxial loads. The fixture is used for generating failure data for a wide range of biaxial (dominated by shear) loading conditions. Finite element methods are used to evaluate the stress state at the notch tips (as a function of the notch-tip radius) of biaxially loaded Iosipescu specimens. In addition, a simplistic analytical approach has been applied to estimate the notch-tip stresses at the onset of failure. A high quality failure envelope has been generated for teak under a combination of shear and transverse tensile loading conditions. Results from the finite element analysis show that an absolute numerical evaluation of the stress distribution at the notch tips can be misleading if a linear-elastic material behavior is assumed. However, the analytical approach, which assumes a uniform stress state along the notch-root axis, is found to more accurately represent the notch-tip stresses. Preliminary results strongly indicate the potential of the Biaxial Iosipescu method as a reliable test procedure for biaxial stress applications.

教師による個人内評価と自己評価が生徒の内発的動機づけに及ぼす効果

The purpose of this research was to consider the effectiveness of intra-individual evaluation (teacher's evaluation) on students' intrinsic motivation, and to compare the relative effectiveness of intra-individual evaluation, absolute evaluation, relative evaluation, and non-evaluation and to reconfirm the effect of the intra-individual evaluation and self-evaluation on intrinsic motivation. Two experiments were conducted in first grade classes of a junior high school. Experiment I demonstrated the effectiveness of the intra-individual evaluation on students' intrinsic motivation when compared with absolute evaluation, relative evaluation, and non-evaluation. Experiment II examined the effect of teacher evaluation, and student self-evaluation on intrinsic motivation. The results yielded significant main effects of teacher evaluation and student self-evaluation on students' intrinsic motivation. The results suggested that it was important to consider both teacher evaluation (intra-individual evaluation) and self-evaluation to enhance students' intrinsic motivation

Simulation of Transgranular/Intergranular Crack Propagation Process in 2-Dimensional Polycrystals.

Crack propagation behavior in 2-dimensional polycrystals is simulated by varying the ratio of fracture toughness between grain and grain boundary. Crack path is determined by the competition between intergranular and transgranular fracture at the tip. Regular hexagonal grains are used to construct the microstructure of ideal polycrystals, while the real microstructure is obtained from the thermally etched surface of alumina. The apparent fracture toughness at each step of crack propagation is calculated from the fracture toughness of the path plane and the stress intensity factors at the deflected crack tip obtained by the body force method. The apparent fracture toughness of the polycrystal is directly proportional to the grain boundary toughness, and is independent of the length of crack extension. For the alumina polycrystal, the simulated crack path shows good agreement with the real path when the fracture toughness of the grain boundary is 0.5∼0.6 times that of the grain. Although the absolute evaluation of fracture toughness by the simulation is not available for actual polycrystals, the phenomenological crack propagation behavior can be simulated, and its results show good agreement with the analytical results.

Visual deprivation and distance estimation in the praying mantis larva

Abstract. Young larvae of the praying mantis, Tenodera sinensis Saussure, were placed on an off‐centre island surrounded by a round arena with six black bars painted on a white inner wall. In this situation, it was shown that the horizontal peering movements of the head often seen in mantids are in fact used to measure distances; motion parallax may be involved in this process. Aimed jumps that followed peering were taken to be the distinct result of an absolute distance measurement. Specific visual deprivation such as painting over of certain parts of the eye with opaque black varnish or degeneration of the fovea with sulforhodamine showed that: absolute evaluation of distance is only possible with two fully intact eyes; the peering mechanism is under visual control; and visual experience has a long‐term effect on distance measurement involving peering movements.

Evaluation Method for Alternative Layout Plans Using the Property of MDS.

Each proximity between activities is evaluated for use as input information in layout planning. This paper focuses on the ability to convert the strength of the evaluated proximity values to the appropriate physical distance between each sample activity. Use of multidimensional scaling (MDS), in which activities and proximity values are treated as mass points and this proximity evaluation yields a target plot plan that minimizes Kruskal stress. In this paper, a method of preparing a layout plan based on this plot plan and an absolute evaluation method for each layout plan based on the each Euclidean distance between activities in the plot plan are also proposed. Unlike conventional evaluation methods that can only yield a relative evaluation of alternative layout plans, the proposed method enables the preparation of a layout plan that directly reflects the input information and offers a means of absolute evaluation.

Influence of Sample Rotation on the Shape of the Free Induction Decay

Sample rotation is commonly used in NMR as one of the methods which improve the effective homogeneity of magnetic fields. The magic angle spinning (MAS), the double rotation (DOR) and the dynamic angle spinning (DAS) can remove line broadening of an NMR spectrum in solids [1, 2]. It is generally assumed that the NMR spectrum of a rotating sample (in the case of isotropic liquids) is simply the orientationally averaged spectum [3]. Our calculations, which are presented below, show that the sample rotation can change the shape of free induction decay (FID) (and consequently NMR line). We discuss this fact because, as we shall show later, it can disturb the absolute evaluation of the measured relaxation time. The shape of the FID can be calculated from the well-known Bloch equation for the transverse component of the magnetization M (without diffusion) under following assumptions [4]:

Understanding and predicting rare earth and actinide correlated electron magnetism

Magnetism in partially delocalized f electron cerium and light actinide materials exhibits extraordinarily large anisotropy, unusual magnetic structures and excitations, and giant magneto-optic effects. These can all be understood on the basis of correlated electron orbitally driven magnetic ordering. By including the band-f Coulomb exchange and the band-f hybridization on an equal ab initio footing, we obtain absolute evaluation of parameters in a model hamiltonian giving the correct absolute scale of energy for magnetic ordering. This means we can correctly predict the decrease in T N (or T c) and ordered moment on approaching heavy fermion behavior in an isostructural system, where we have developed a technique to do this both for weakly delocalized cerium systems and for more strongly delocalized uranium systems.