Method Of Paired Comparisons Research Articles

Copeland Modelini Kullanarak Tebriz'in Kırsal Alanlarının Gelişim Düzeyini Değerlendirme ve Sıralama ve Sonuçları Topsis, Vikor ve Electre Modelleriyle Karşılaştırma

Agricultural development is a major part of the rural development process, and it is impossible to imagine a developed world without agricultural development. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the level of agricultural development in Tabriz rural areas and to rank them in terms of agricultural development using Topsis, Vikor, Electre, and Copeland models. In this study, 8 agricultural criteria including level of Education, area of fields and orchards, mechanization level, livestock, fish farming, service-support and yield were used. The weight of the criteria was determined by paired comparison method and all the analysis steps were performed by Excel software and finally GIS software was used to produce the map. The results indicated that in the Topsis model, Lahijan was ranked first and Ajichai was the last, and in the Vikor model, Lahijan was ranked first and Maidanchai was the last. Thus to obtain consensus on the results of the models, Copeland method was used. Copeland's method is a Condorcet method in which the winner is determined by finding the candidate with the most pairwise victories. According to the Copeland model, Lahijan and Ajichai were ranked first and sixth, respectively. The status of all the considered rural areas was at "in developing" status. Coefficient of variation showed that fish farming criteria (CV=2.24) had the most distribution inequality among the villages and rice yield criteria (CV=0) had the most suitable distribution among the villages.

Investigating the Relationships between Basic Tastes Sensitivities, Fattiness Sensitivity, and Food Liking in 11-Year-Old Children.

This study investigates the relationships between basic tastes and fattiness sensitivity and food liking in 11-year-old children. The basic taste sensitivity of 106 children was measured using different methods, namely detection (DT) and recognition (RT) thresholds, and taste responsiveness. Caffeine and quinine (bitter), sucrose (sweet), citric acid (sour), sodium chloride (salty), and monosodium glutamate (umami) were investigated for DT and RT at five concentrations in water solutions. In addition, taste responsiveness and liking were collected for the high-intensity concentrations. PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil) responsiveness was tested on paper strips. Fattiness sensitivity was measured by a paired comparison method using milk samples with varying fat content. Liking for 30 food items was recorded using a food-list questionnaire. The test was completed in a gamified “taste detective” approach. The results show that DT correlates with RT for all tastes while responsiveness to PROP correlates with overall taste responsiveness. Caffeine and quinine differ in bitterness responsiveness and liking. Girls have significantly lower DTs than boys for bitterness and sweetness. Food liking is driven by taste and fattiness properties, while fatty food liking is significantly influenced by fattiness sensitivity. These results contribute to a better holistic understanding of taste and fattiness sensitivity in connection to food liking in preadolescents.

Objective sound quality evaluation for the vehicle interior noise based on responses of the basilar membrane in the human ear

The paper proposes a new method for objective sound quality evaluation for the vehicle interior noise based on the displacement of the basilar membrane in the human ear. The method was mainly carried out in four steps. Firstly, the noise samples in different seats of a car under different working conditions were collected through the vehicle interior noise test. Secondly, the subjective evaluation values (SEVs) of the noise samples were obtained by the adaptive grouped paired comparison method. In the third step, the statistical mean values of the basilar membrane displacement responses (SMVBMDR) were calculated in a lumped-parameter model of the human ear, and thereby a SMVBMDR-based feature matrix was established. Finally, taking the traditional psychoacoustic metrics and the extracted feature matrix as input, two BP neural network models for sound quality evaluation for the vehicle interior noise were established, respectively. To verify effectiveness of the new metric SMVBMDR, the correlations between this metric and the SEVs, as well as between the traditional psychoacoustic metrics and the SEVs were respectively analyzed. The results show that the SMVBDMDR has a higher correlation with the SEVs. Besides, the sound quality prediction of the model based on the SMVBMDR is more accurate than that of the model based on the traditional psychoacoustic metrics. The above results indicate that the new metric SMVBMDR can be used as an effective physiological acoustic metric for objective sound quality evaluation for the vehicle interior noise.

Evaluation of force-time curve analysis methods in the isometric mid-thigh pull test

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the manual and automatic analysis methods for force-time curve analysis of the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) test. The visual analysis, first derivative analysis and threshold analysis methods were used to analyse onset time and time-specific forces at 50 ms, 90 ms, 200 ms and 250 ms on the force-time curve. Ninety-three collegiate sports athletes’ trials were selected and analysed by each method. The visual analysis method was set as the reference method for paired comparisons with the first derivative analysis method and threshold analysis method. Onset time comparisons revealed that the first derivative analysis method was comparable with the visual analysis method with average difference at about 30 ms. Results from the weighted least products regression analysis and the Bland-Altman analysis showed that large fixed bias confounded by proportional bias existed in the threshold analysis method, and time-specific force variables obtained from the first derivative analysis method were closer to those from the visual analysis method when compared with the threshold analysis method. These findings suggest that the first derivative analysis method could be an effective tool for force-time curve analysis of the IMTP test.

Effect of high hydrostatic pressure in combination with low salt content for the improvement of texture and palatability of meat gels

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment of 200 MPa for 10 min at room temperature in combination with salt (sodium chloride) and phosphate (sodium pyrophosphate) addition on the microstructure and sensory characteristics of beef gels were investigated. Sensory evaluation was involving students and staff of the Niigata University, using Scheffe’s paired comparison method with grade. Gel microstructure was observed using scanning electron microscopy (JSM-6510LA, JEOL LTD., Japan). The free amino acid content of beef gels was analyzed by an amino acid analyzer (JLC-500/V, JEOL LTD., Japan). The results of sensory evaluation revealed that high pressure at 200 MPa improved the cohesiveness and springiness (elasticity) while significantly decreasing the softness in low salt and/or low phosphate beef gels (p < 0.05). Irrespective of the salt and/or phosphate content in the beef samples, panellists noted that the pressurized beef gels were firmer, more elastic, and more pleasant to bite. The scanning electron microscopy images revealed that high pressure treatment at 200 MPa produced a dense, homogeneous networked structure with small cavities for water retention in low salt beef gels. The total free amino acid content of low salt and/or low phosphate beef gels was increased by high pressure at 200 MPa (p < 0.05). The present study confirmed that high hydrostatic pressure at 200 MPa was effective in producing low salt and/or low phosphate beef gels while providing high quality textural and organoleptic properties.

Parametric effects by using the strip-pair comparison method around red CIE color center.

The strip comparison method, based on the serial exploration method described by Torgerson [Theory and Methods of Scaling; Wiley & Sons (1958); Chap. 7], for the development of near-threshold color difference models was presented and validated with theoretical data by the authors in a previous work. In this study, we investigate parametric effects derived from the use of the strip comparison method on chromaticity-discrimination ellipses around the red CIE color center. The results obtained led to the conclusion that the strip comparison method has little effect on the parameters of the chromaticity-discrimination ellipses determined by the pair comparison method when pairs of patches in the strips are separated by a black line 0.5 mm thick or are separated by 3 mm spacing on a white background and also correlates well with the parameters reported by other authors using the pair comparison method at the threshold.

Development of a dynamic quantitative risk assessment methodology using fuzzy DEMATEL-BN and leading indicators

In this study, barriers elements and initiating events of accidents and their risk influence factors were identified and classified according to a developed conceptual model, relationship between the risk influences factors were determined using a fuzzy DEMATEL model, the risk influence factors weight was determined using a fuzzy AHP model and conditional probability table of the risk influence factors was obtained using Røed method. The probability of the initiating events and the barrier elements failure was determined using fuzzy logic. The barrier elements and the initiating events were modeled by mapping bow-tie in Bayesian network. The Bayesian networks of risk influence factors were constructed by mapping the fuzzy DEMATEL outputs in the Bayesian network. Leading indicators were developed for the risk influence factors and their content validity, practicability and importance were assessed using the fuzzy logic and eliciting expert’s opinion using a paired comparison method. Finally, this paper employed atmospheric storage tanks as a case study for explanation and verification of the significant benefits of the methodology developed by this study.

Integrating fuzzy Kano model and fuzzy importance–performance analysis to analyse the attractive factors of new products

The sorting mechanism underlying the traditional evaluation grid method with attractive factors mainly represents the time or the paired comparison method. However, the current approach employed to identify abstract factors of attractiveness may not be comprehensive. The objective of this article is to propose a hybrid method with an integrated fuzzy Kano model and fuzzy importance–performance analysis to evaluate attractive factors. Fuzzy importance–performance analysis is a more accurate quantitative–qualitative method for two-dimensional analysis, and integrated fuzzy Kano model compensates for the low-resolution problem of the traditional Kano model. A combination of both models arrives at a more comprehensive and reliable evaluation grid method evaluation mechanism. The results indicate that the attractive factors sorted through integrated fuzzy Kano model–fuzzy importance–performance analysis have deconstructed abstract factors and feature factors of the customer service robot. Moreover, the key factors of the products sorted by through integrated fuzzy Kano model–fuzzy importance–performance analysis provide a better understanding of customer expectations associated with the products, which consequently enables developers and designers to accurately understand the design style and conceive new ideas.

Experimental and Research Verification of the Methodology of Forming the High School Students Artistic Taste for the Vocal Heritage (Late XIX-Early XX Century)

The article highlights the results of research and experimental work on verifying the methodology of forming the artistic taste of high school students in the vocal heritage of Ukrainian composers of the late XIX – early XX centuries. The study purpose was to evaluate the elaborated methodology for the formation of the artistic taste of high school students in the process of studying the vocal heritage of Ukrainian composers. The study was accomplished using the method of paired comparisons that resulted in the scale of the comparative assessments in the control and the experimental group of high school students during the extracurricular activities in Kyiv, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The effectiveness of the proposed method was supported by the results of the statistical purposes of processing the experimental data using the χ2-criterion formula. The criteria for monitoring the formation of the high school students’ artistic taste regarding the national heritage of the late XIX-early XX centuries were outlined; the three levels (high, medium, low) of high school students’ artistic taste formation were identified. The effectiveness of the applied methodology was evaluated by the series of tests comparing the results at the ascertaining and forming stages of the study. The authors argue that the data of the forming experiment showed significant positive changes in the levels of formation of high school students’ artistic taste according to all the determined criteria, which testifies to the effectiveness of the developed facilitation methodology. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.4.18

Cluster cooperation mechanisms evaluation for waste processing of the Forest Complex of Siberia

The study subject is the approaches development for assessing cooperation in a cluster. Study purpose: a selection of tools to assess the characteristics of cooperative ties in a cluster for processing waste from a forest complex in Yenisei Siberia. Methods: Case analysis, questionnaire, survey, expert assessment, and a method of pair comparisons. Results: The following results have been substantiated: The emerging cluster for waste processing from the Yenisei Siberian forest complex; the situational factors; industry specialization; the goals of creating a cluster, and the interests of participants. As the cluster evolves, the directions and cooperation level of cluster members are the subject to change. The obstacles ranking for cooperation in the cluster is carried out as well. An aggregated indicator of the intensity of cooperative ties, based on five criteria, is proposed, which makes it possible to evaluate both industrial and innovative cooperation. In addition, it is proposed to determine the weighting factors situationally, depending on the target orientation of the cluster. Summary: it is shown that the desired value of aggregated cooperation indicator should be formed in the coordinate system, i.e. “innovation – sustainability”. Evaluation and regulation of the indicator level can serve as a tool for making and implementing strategic decisions on cluster development priorities.

Investigating the tactile warmth of untreated and modified wood surfaces by measuring cold sensitivity in paired-comparison experiments

ABSTRACT The tactile warmth quality of various untreated and modified wood surfaces was compared at a room temperature of 22°C using the Thurstone’s psychophysical method of paired comparison. The test surfaces included 12 varieties of untreated and modified wooden surfaces. A total of 17 participants took part in the experiments, in which they compared 33 specimen pairs arising from various surface combinations. The results demonstrated the considerable differences in tactile warmth quality among wood surfaces. Surface coatings, such as oil and varnish, and thermal modification induced a change in the tactile warmth of wood. In pine and birch, a decrease in the tactile warmth of the surface was readily perceived after surface densification. The results provide some insights into how materials could be selected, based on their warmth quality, to improve the thermal comfort of living spaces and suggesting that this could be achieved by the extensive use of wood.

Rating algorithm development for assessing the effectiveness of the occupational health and safety management

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Purpose. The purpose of the article is development of a rating algorithm to assess the effectiveness of the occupational health and safety management system at electricity companies. The algorithm aims to determine the ranking scale of enterprises according to standardised safety indicators.&#x0D; Methodology. There is a certain level of uncertainty on the existing methods for providing and analysing statistical information on accidents, occupational hazards, occupational injuries and occupational diseases. Planning and management tasks are most often carried out when the necessary formal information is insufficient or uncertain. In addition to numerical statistics, information may include other, informal quantities that cannot be measured. Therefore, logical calculations with multivalued logic or ranking rules and investigate the invariance of selection rules for groups of transformations on a finite set of alternatives can be used to handle such knowledge. The formalisation of the ranking problem based on the Copeland method involves the construction of pairwise comparison tables for all formal safety indicators.Obtaining an assessment of the situation occurs with the use of a computer system and a decision support system, which increases the efficiency and accuracy of the assessment of the situation.&#x0D; Results. A formal apparatus for rating single-type enterprises to assess the effectiveness of the enterprise occupational health and safety management system in the have been developed using intelligent information technologies.&#x0D; Originality. Based on the Copeland method and the paired comparison method, a safety rating algorithm has been developed, the implementation of which makes it possible to assess the performance of the occupational safety and health system. The results have illustrated the competitive advantage of some enterprises over others and motivate management to take action to improve workplace safety.&#x0D; Practical value. Formalisation of information on hazardous and harmful occupational factors makes it possible to treat the subject area as a complex dynamic system, consisting of objects of a different nature, the totality of which determines the safety level. The developed rating method allows transferring the obtained results to decision-making support systems, illustrating competitive advantages of some enterprises over others, motivating management to take actions to improve occupational safety.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Disaster Information Media in ASEAN Countries: A Paired Comparison Method

The media, as a tool for creating awareness and educating the community, plays an important role in conveying information about natural disasters. Numerous types of information media can be used at present. However, the most widely used media type, the delivery stages and the role of media in disaster management remain under researched. This study performs a literature review of various information media for natural disasters used in ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries as a reference for creating disaster information media, which will be improved in future research. Information is obtained by reviewing 79 papers. Media information analysis is conducted using the paired comparison method. The components used for comparison cover media types, delivery phase and role in disaster management. Results show that the media used in ASEAN countries are similar: print media (e.g. brochures, posters, and newspapers), and electronic media (e.g. radio, television, Internet and modelling). Results of the analysis also indicate that the most commonly used disaster information media are electronic media, which deliver information during a disaster to convey information on events and losses incurred. Disaster simulation modelling, including evacuation routes and rescue efforts, is the information media that should be more widely used in the future. Information should be disseminated before a disaster occurs, very important apply situational crisis communication theory to institution of disaster management in making the right decisions, strategic, and useful. Thereby rendering it useful in reducing loss of life and damage to infrastructure caused by a disaster. Keywords: Disaster information media, types of media, stage of delivery, roles of media, ASEAN countries.

Evaluating the Graininess Attribute by Visual Scaling for Coatings with Special-Effect Pigments

In our society, objects’ visual appearance is an essential factor because it allows us to recognize and differentiate one object from another. In different industrial sectors like cosmetics, textiles and automotive, special-effect pigments are largely used to achieve attractive visual features. These pigments provide a color change with viewing and illumination direction, and visually provide texture. Depending on a finish’s properties, and also on the viewing and illumination conditions, coatings exhibit sparkle or a graininess-like texture. Currently, not many scientific works on the visual perception of these texture effects can be found in the literature. In addition, choice of experimental method can influence the measurement scale obtained from visual data. For this reason, the purpose of this work was to analyze graininess visual scaling constructed by two different psychophysical methods. The experimental design was based on the rank-order and paired-comparison methods. The data analysis was conducted by following the law of comparative judgments to obtain a visual scale of the graininess attribute to compare it to instrumental data. A good correlation appeared between both magnitudes with a correlation coefficient close to 0.9. Both methods provided useful results with a reasonable correspondence between them, which ensures that data can be considered reliable, while the visual obtained scale can act as a good graininess scale perceived by the human visual system.

Оценка дидактической сложности доказательства теорем школьного курса геометрии

In the study of geometry, the student’s assimilation of the reasonings carried out in the theorems proofs has great importance. The diffi culty of understanding reasonings depends on the number of logical links, terms diversity and semantic complexity of mathematical statements. The article proposes the method for determining the didactic complexity of the theorems proofs and the results of its application. The essence of the method consists in “measuring” the amount of semantic information in theorem formulation, picture, reasonings and multiplication of the received volume with the diversity indicator of the terms used. For this, the theorem statement, the picture and the actual proof should be presented in text form, and the resulting file should be analyzed using a special computer program which calculates the number of diff erent terms in this text, takes into account their complexity, and fi nds the diversity indicator. The expert estimates complexity of terms by counting the words included in its defi nition and by the method of paired comparisons. An assessment of 12 frequently used theorems was carried out; this allowed them to be ordered by complexity. For each theorem the proof volume, the total amount of semantic information in it, the terms diversity indicator, the logical reasoning number, the information folding coeffi cient and the didactic complexity were determined.

Quantitative Evaluation of Visual Aesthetics of Human-Machine Interaction Interface Layout.

The current research on human-machine interaction interface layout focused on ergonomic analysis, while the research on aesthetics and aesthetic degree calculation of interface layout was insufficient. In order to objectively evaluate the aesthetic degree of interface layout, this paper put forward an aesthetic degree evaluation method of interface design based on Kansei engineering. Firstly, the perceptual image structure of interface aesthetic degree was analyzed from the perspective of aesthetic cognition. Six aesthetic image factors affecting interface aesthetic degree, including proportion, conciseness, order, rhythm, density, and equilibrium, were extracted by factor analysis method, and the variance contribution rate of each factor was taken as the weight. Secondly, according to the six aesthetic degree indexes, the calculation system of interface aesthetic degree was constructed, and the aesthetic degree value of aesthetic image factor was calculated by the corresponding aesthetic degree evaluation mathematical formula. Then, Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method was used to analyze the order of aesthetic degree superiority of design schemes, and the comprehensive aesthetic degree evaluation was carried out. Finally, the aesthetic degree evaluation of human-machine interaction interface layout of the driller's console of an AC variable frequency drilling rig was taken as an example to verify that this method was helpful for designers to optimize the design scheme. The experimental results showed that the proposed method was feasible and effective compared with the method of paired comparison commonly used in psychophysics.

A multi-criteria decision-making approach for quantification of accessibility to market facilities in rural areas: an application in Bangladesh

The available approaches for measuring accessibility are rigid and complex in nature, and mostly impractical for decision-makers as they require a large number of data, logistics support, and technical knowledge. Therefore, this study seeks to propose a flexible and practical approach for quantifying and ranking the accessibility to market facilities in rural areas. A three-stage multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is proposed to fulfill the objective. The first stage involves the identification of factors that influence the accessibility to rural market facilities. The next stage involves the use of the Constant-Sum Paired-Comparison Method (CSPCM) to determine the priority of each identified factor. The third stage adopts the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to quantify and rank the accessibility to market facilities of rural areas. To illustrate a real-world application, accessibility to market facilities in ten sub-districts of Bangladesh have been quantified and ranked by using this proposed approach. Results of this application support the claim that MCDM approach is a practical, flexible, and reliable approach that would better assist the policy-makers to identify poor accessible rural areas.

Assessing the hierarchy of personal values among adolescents: A comparison of rating scale and paired comparison methods

IntroductionFor assessing personal values, the rating scale method may not adequately reflect the hierarchical structure of personal values and tends to be influenced by response style bias. The paired comparison method is considered a promising alternative approach, because it engages comparative judgment and may reduce response style biases. The present study aimed to compare these two methods for assessing the hierarchy of personal values among adolescents. MethodsA total of 191 community-dwelling adolescents aged 12–15 years old completed the rating scale and paired comparison version of the Brief Personalized Value Inventory. Descriptive statistics and latent class analyses were used to assess the difference between the rating scale and paired comparison methods. ResultsThe two methods yielded similar rankings and means for personal values. The number of subgroups identified by latent class analysis was higher in the paired comparison method than in the rating scale method (10-class vs. 5-class). In the results using the rating scale method, there was a subgroup with high scores on all personal values items. ConclusionsThe paired comparison method captured substantially more heterogeneity in the hierarchy of personal values among adolescents compared to the rating scale, which may be influenced by response style bias.

Complex index assessment of operator's reliability in the control room

AbstractOperator's reliability in control room (CR) is largely influenced by the design of CR elements (control desk, display panel), compliance between the operator and these elements and influence of work environment on operator's work. Therefore, the methodological approach described in this paper was based on multidisciplinary research of human factors (operator's information processing task, motoric and logical task, human error, monotony, overload, stress); workplace (adjustment of workplace to anthropometrical and physiological characteristics of the operator), and indoor environment factors (illumination, brightness, noise level, air temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity). By using results of this research, we determined the values and positions of indicators of operator's reliability in the CR for monitoring and control of soybean oil hexane extraction process in Bioprotein factory. These indicators are then ranked by importance using the paired comparison method. Finally, a complex index of operator's reliability was determined. The index represents the degree of operator's suitability for the performance of a specific task. This research determines quantitative parameters for evaluating the reliability of operator's activities in CR. Those parameters could be used to detect omissions in operator's activities influenced by inadequate ergonomic design of CR elements and negative impacts of a CR environment.

Sustainable supply chains in the Indian context: An integrative decision-making model

Sustainability is gaining importance in the Indian manufacturing industries, as there are increasing considerations from stakeholders for resource utilization and for reducing ecological impacts. Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) can resolve many environmental management problems along with the gain of several competitive advantages for future. We formulate in this research, an integrative decision-making model for SSCM in the Indian context, which considers several strategies, interfaces, and regulations for sustainability along with the attributes contributing to each. A network model is constructed from an initial flow model and the weightings for factors were calculated using the method of paired comparison by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Later, Analytic Network Process (ANP) has been employed for the comparison of alternative schemes for selection of a particular SSCM strategy into implementation. We assess two alternative schemes in practice for sustainability and from the results; we observe that Scheme 2 excels Scheme 1, considering sustainability capabilities. Also, from the factor weightings, we observe that standardization of nature-friendly (NF) technologies and green segment size emerges as important factors for the case supply chain. A comparison of the results from AHP and ANP is conducted with other popular multi-criteria decision-making techniques, TOPSIS and VIKOR and the results were analyzed. Also, we conduct sensitivity analysis of the results. The implications of the study are in a direction to aid the managerial decision-making process, through effectively comparing various schemes to implementation for their sustainability capabilities.