Usability Evaluation of Slanted Computer Mice

Prevention of musculoskeletal disorders is supported by use of slanted rather than horizontal pointing devices, but user acceptance of the former may be compromised due to lower perceived ease of use. This study compares subjectively rated usability (N = 37) for three sizes of slanted computer mice and includes a horizontal small conventional device as a reference. For a random subset of the sample (n = 10), objective usability parameters were also elicited. Participants followed a standard protocol which is based on executing graphical pointing, steering, and dragging tasks generated by a purpose-built software. Subjective ratings were collected for each of the four pointing devices tested. The three slanted devices differed in size but were chosen because of an approximately similar slant angle (around 50–60 degrees relative to the horizontal plane). Additionally, effectiveness and efficiency were objectively calculated based on data recorded for the graphical tasks’ software for a random subset of the participants (n = 10). The results unveil small differences in preference in some of the subjective usability parameters across hand size groups. This notwithstanding, the objective efficiency results are aligned with the subjective results, indicating consistency with the hypothesis that smaller slanted devices relative to the user’s hand size are easier to use than larger ones. Mean values of weighted efficiency recorded in the study range from 68% to 75%, with differences across devices coherent with preference rank orders.

Screening of jute varieties against jute apion (Apion corchori Marshall) and its management using chemical and botanical pesticides

The experiment was conducted in the field laboratory of the Department of Entomology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh on the screening of resistant variety against jute apion, Apion corchori (Marshall) and its management by using some chemical and botanical pesticides during April to August 2014. Eleven jute varieties were selected to conduct varietal preference and tested against jute apion in field condition. Among the eleven varieties, O-9897 showed the higher leaf infestation than others showing statistically similar result with O-72 and O-795. Mean percent of leaf infestation was 55.64 in O-9897 while 28.07 in BJRI Deshi pat-5, 24.89 in CVL-1, 22.11 in BJRI Deshi pat-7, 29.64 in CC-45, 24.08 in BJRI Deshi pat-8, 27.99 in D-154, 51.42 in O-795, 26.37 in BJRI Deshi pat-6, 55.53 in O-72 and 39.45 in CVE-3. The lowest leaf infestation was found in BJRI Deshi pat-7 (22.11%) which was statistically similar to BJRI Deshi pat-8 (24.08%). The same trend of results was observed in case of the number of knot plant-1 and the highest knot was recorded in O-795 followed by O-72. Data revealed that the variety O-9897 was highly susceptible to jute apion followed by O-72 and O-795 whereas BJRI Deshi pat -7 had the resistant potentiality against jute apion followed by BJRI Deshi pat-8 and CVL-1. The overall preference rank of the varieties based on their resistance against jute apion was in the following order: BJRI Deshi pat-7>BJRI Deshi pat-8>CVL-1 > BJRI Deshi pat-6> D-154>BJRI Deshi pat-5> CC-45>CVE-3>O-795>O-72>O-9897. In the management study, two synthetic insecticides viz., Limper 10EC, Diginol 60EC and two botanicals viz., Neem oil and Mahogany oil were evaluated. Considering different parameters, comparatively less leaf infestation percent, number of hole leaf-1 and number of knot plant-1 was found with Diginol 60EC treated plot followed by Limper 10EC treated plot. The highest infestation was found in the control plot followed by Mahogany oil applied plot. The rank of the efficacy of the treatments was Diginol>Limper>Neem oil>Mahogany oil>control. It could be concluded that BJRI Deshi pat-7, BJRI Deshi pat-8 and CVL-1 was comparatively more resistant variety considering both leaf damage and number of knot plant-1 and local variety O-9897 followed by O-72 and O-795 was highly susceptible to Jute apion. This finding would be helpful to motivate the people to use botanical insecticides i.e., Neem oil for the management of jute apion in environmentally safe condition. J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(3): 274–280, 2019

Incorporating the Judicious Use of Safety Behavior Into Exposure-Based Treatments for Anxiety Disorders: A Study of Treatment Acceptability

This analog study investigated treatment acceptability and preference as a function of safety behavior use (judicious vs. discouraged) and treatment rationale (cognitive vs. extinction). Thirty-two clinically anxious participants and 437 undergraduate students provided ratings of acceptability and adherence, as well as preference ranks for four written vignettes describing a course of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for fear or anxiety. Treatment descriptions promoting judicious safety behavior use received significantly higher acceptability and adherence ratings compared to those discouraging its use. Descriptions that presented a cognitively based rationale, compared to an extinction-based rationale, were also rated as both significantly more acceptable and easier to adhere to. The highest preference rank was for treatment that included judicious safety behavior use, conveyed via a cognitive rationale. A similar pattern of results was observed in both participant groups. These findings suggest that the judicious incorporation of safety behavior into CBT has the potential to reduce treatment refusal and dropout. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for cognitive-behavioral and exposure-based treatments.

Motor Vehicle Improvement Preference Ranking

The central theme of this chapter is a preference ranking analysis of a group of motor vehicles based on their chemical emissions. Beyond the initial ranking of the motor vehicles, operationalised using the multi-criteria decision making technique PROMETHEE, further analysis is given on how the manufacturers of a motor vehicle could improve its preference rank position, based on reducing it current levels of chemical emissions. The rank improvement analysis, is defined a constrained optimisation problem, solved here using Trigonometric Differential Evolution. Further, an identification of a prescribed order to these chemical emissions reductions is then identified, offering practical findings to motor vehicle manufacturers when considering their position in a competitive market. The employment of Trigonometric Differential Evolution along with PROMETHEE in this chapter demonstrates a clear example of soft-computing in a practical problem.

The Role of Task and Context in Preference Measurement

The present studies show that preferences change systematically depending on the global context and the measurement task Subjects evaluated apartments described by monthly rent and distance to campus using two different tasks (choices and attractiveness ratings) in two different global contexts (one with a narrow range of rents and a wide range of distances, and the other with a wide range of rents and a narrow range of distances) With the task held constant, preference orders for the same pair of apartments reversed in the two different contexts Similarly, with the context held constant, preference orders for the same pair of apartments reversed in the two tasks Taken together, the effects are startling Out of 25 apartments common to all four conditions, the preference rank of the apartment that was most expensive and closest to campus ranged from the 28th percentile to the 80th percentile We argue that, in the present experiments, the global context influences the scale values (or the perceptions of the attributes), and the task influences the weights (or the psychological importance) of the attributes

Alternative Estimation Methods for Conjoint Analysis: A Monté Carlo Study

Conjoint analysis has been applied in a large number of commercial projects as well as in many noncommercial studies. Often MONANOVA, a nonmetric technique, is applied to a preference rank order obtained for a set of hypothetical objects. The authors report simulation results obtained for four alternative estimation procedures, ANOVA, LINMAP, LOGIT, and MONANOVA. The results suggest, within the limitations of the simulation study, that ANOVA may be the preferred procedure for compensatory models, whereas LINMAP is most likely to provide the best predictive validity for models with a dominant attribute.