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Comparison Method (comparison + method)
Selected AbstractsREPLICATED SIMILARITY TESTING USING PAIRED COMPARISON METHODJOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 2 2007JIAN BI ABSTRACT The present article discusses the replicated similarity testing using a paired comparison method. The "two one-sided tests" (TOST) combined with a beta-binomial model are proposed for this testing. Simulation studies provide evidence that the proposed testing is valid and reliable. [source] Designing sexual health services for young people: a methodology for capturing the user voiceHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 4 2009Sally Jerome MSc Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the suitability of the Thurstone paired comparison method for capturing the user voice, through a survey of young people's views on the most salient priorities for a sexual health service. A convenience sample of 161 12,24 year olds was used. A psychometrically robust questionnaire was developed from a review of the relevant literature and from the information provided by three focus groups. The data derived from both stages were distilled into seven themes, and adapted to a Thurstone paired comparison format, in which each theme was paired with every other theme, with an 8-point scale between each pairing (21 pairings in total). Respondents were required to indicate their preference for one theme over the other in each pairing. The questionnaire was completed by 161 young people between April and July 2007, and the results were analysed using the Kendall coefficient of concordance to establish the degree of within-group agreement. The results suggested that there was significant agreement as to the essential desirable features of a sexual health service, both within the whole sample as well as within sub-samples (i.e. gender, age group and previous sexual health service use). The priorities were privacy, and a dedicated service close to home, with a drop-in facility and male and female staff being next most important, and an informal service and young staff being lowest priorities. The feedback from the pilot study, the 40% return and absence of spoiled questionnaires together indicated that the respondents found the method acceptable, while the actual findings corroborated those from other studies. Taken together, these results suggest that the Thurstone method offers a quick and simple method of capturing the user voice, with the results having sufficient validity to inform the planning of a local sexual health service. [source] Paired comparisons for the evaluation of crispness of cereal flakes by untrained assessors: correlation with descriptive analysis and acoustic measurementsJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 3 2005Philippe Courcoux Abstract This study investigates the effectiveness of the paired comparison method in the evaluation of a complex sensory attribute by untrained assessors. The crispness perception of cereal flakes by a panel of 100 consumers is measured using a complete block design, and the fitting of the Bradley,Terry,Luce model leads to a ranking of the samples on a crispness intensity scale. A log,linear formulation of the Bradley model provides insight into goodness-of-fit tests and allows the effects of covariates to be incorporated in the prediction of the sensory scores. Results show a high correlation between crispness assessment by consumers and rating of texture attributes by trained assessors. Acoustic emission is shown to have a significant effect on crispness perception, and the power spectra of signals recorded during compression provide a prediction of the crispness of cereal flakes. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effect of Water Hardness on the Taste of Alkaline Electrolyzed WaterJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 4 2005Masamichi Koseki ABSTRACT: The effect of water hardness on the taste of alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) was examined by sensory evaluation. Sensory test 1 of commercial bottled mineral water to which calcium and/or magnesium salts had been added was performed by panelists who evaluated the effect of hardness on the taste of water using a scoring method (hedonic scaling test) and a 1-pair comparison method. The water, in which the calcium concentration and the magnesium concentration was 20 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively, was found to taste better than any water containing other concentrations of calcium and magnesium. Sensory test 2 of bottled mineral waters having hardnesses of 30 mg/L to 290 mg/L, of activated carbon filtration water having a hardness of 50 mg/L, and of AEWs was performed by panelists using a scoring method (hedonic scaling test) and a pair test, and their preferences for the taste of AEWs was surveyed. The taste of AEW made by electrolyzing activated carbon filtration water did not differ from that of the water before it was electrolyzed. The same was true of AEW made by electrolyzing bottled mineral water having a hardness of 80 mg/L. However, 3 kinds of AEWs made by electrolyzing bottled mineral waters having hardnesses of 30 mg/L, 170 mg/L, and 290 mg/L were found to taste less pleasant than each bottled mineral water before being electrolyzed. The results of sensory tests 1 and 2 show that good-tasting AEW could be produced by an alkaline water electrolyzed from most tap water of Japan because its hardness varies from approximately 50 mg/L to 80 mg/L. [source] Human Rights Barriers for Displaced Persons in Southern SudanJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 3 2009Carol Pavlish PhD Abstract Purpose: This community-based research explores community perspectives on human rights barriers that women encounter in a postconflict setting of southern Sudan. Methods: An ethnographic design was used to guide data collection in five focus groups with community members and during in-depth interviews with nine key informants. A constant comparison method of data analysis was used. Atlas.ti data management software facilitated the inductive coding and sorting of data. Findings: Participants identified three formal and one set of informal community structures for human rights. Human rights barriers included shifting legal frameworks, doubt about human rights, weak government infrastructure, and poverty. Conclusions: The evolving government infrastructure cannot currently provide adequate human rights protection, especially for women. The nature of living in poverty without development opportunities includes human rights abuses. Good governance, protection, and human development opportunities were emphasized as priority human rights concerns. Human rights framework could serve as a powerful integrator of health and development work with community-based organizations. Clinical Relevance: Results help nurses understand the intersection between health and human rights as well as approaches to advancing rights in a culturally attuned manner. [source] The Legacy of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Family AdversityJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 4 2008Donna S. Martsolf Purpose: To describe the process by which childhood adversity influences the life course of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Design: A community-based, qualitative, grounded-theory design. Methods: In this grounded theory study, data were drawn from open-ended interviews conducted as part of a larger study of women's and men's responses to sexual violence. The current study indicates the experiences of 48 female and 40 male survivors of childhood sexual abuse and family adversity. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Findings: Participants described a sense of inheriting a life of abuse and adversity. The process by which childhood adversity influences the life course of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse is labeled Living the Family Legacy. The theory representing the process of Living the Family Legacy includes three major life patterns: (a) being stuck in the family legacy, (b) being plagued by the family legacy, and (c) rejecting the family legacy/creating a new one. Associated with these life patterns are three processes by which participants passed on a legacy to others, often their children: (a) passing on the family legacy, (b) taking a stab at passing on a new legacy, and (c) passing on a new legacy. Conclusions: The legacy of abuse and adversity has a profound effect on the lives of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. There are several trajectories by which the influence of childhood adversity unfolds in the lives of adult survivors and by which the legacy is passed on to others. Clinical Relevance: The model representing the theoretical process of Living the Family Legacy can be used by clinicians who work with survivors of childhood sexual abuse and childhood adversity, especially those who have parenting concerns. [source] REPLICATED SIMILARITY TESTING USING PAIRED COMPARISON METHODJOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 2 2007JIAN BI ABSTRACT The present article discusses the replicated similarity testing using a paired comparison method. The "two one-sided tests" (TOST) combined with a beta-binomial model are proposed for this testing. Simulation studies provide evidence that the proposed testing is valid and reliable. [source] Evaluation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-COA-reductase, cholesterol-7, -hydroxylase and acyl-COA:cholesterol acyltransferase activities: alternative chromatographic methods to separate metabolitesBIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 9 2004Alain Montoudis Abstract Alternative HPLC and solid-phase extraction column methods were developed to separate metabolites of enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism in rabbit liver microsomes: hydroxyl-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, cholesterol-7, -hydroxylase and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase. A comparison method of thin-layer chromatography and solid-phase extraction column were assayed to separate substrate and metabolite of hydroxy-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, whereas for cholesterol-7, -hydroxylase and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase, this comparison was done between thin layer chromatography and HPLC. The results obtained by the new analytical chromatographic methods are not signi,cantly different than those observed in literature. Moreover a larger percentage recovery was obtained for analysed metabolites. Our results demonstrate the reliability of these alternative chromatographic techniques and showed that they are valuable tools to precisely and rapidly measure the activity of those enzymes. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||