On Axiomatization of Inconsistency Indicators for Pairwise Comparisons

We examine the notion of inconsistency in pairwise comparisons and propose an axiomatization which is independent of any method of approximation or the inconsistency indicator definition (e.g., Analytic Hierarchy Process, AHP). It has been proven that the eigenvalue-based inconsistency (proposed as a part of AHP) is incorrect.Comment: Enhanced text, with 21 pages and 3 figures, proves that arbitrarily inaccurate pairwise matrices are considered acceptable by theories with a inconsistency based on the principal eigenvalue (e.g., AHP). CPC (corner pairwise comparisons) matrix is the crucial part of this study as it invalidates any eigenvalue-based inconsistency. All comments are highly appreciate

Biodiesel from microalgae : the use of multi-criteria decision analysis for strain selection

Microalgae strain selection is a vital step in the production of biodiesel from microalgae. In this study, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodologies are adopted to resolve this problem. The aim of this study is to identify the best microalgae strain for viable biodiesel production. The microalgae strains considered here are Heynigia sp., Scenedesmus sp., Niracticinium sp., Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella sorokiniana and Auxenochlorella protothecoides. The five MCDA methods used to evaluate different strains of microalgae are Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Weighted Sum Method (WSM), Weighted Product Method (WPM), Discrete Compromise Programming (DCP) and Technique for the Order of Preference to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Pairwise comparison matrices are used to determine the weights of the evaluation criteria and it is observed that the most important evaluation criteria are lipid content and growth rate. From the results, Scenedesmus sp. is selected as the best microalgae strain among the six alternatives due to its high lipid content and relatively fast growth rate. The AHP is the most comprehensive of the five MCDA methods because it considers the importance of each criterion and inconsistencies in the rankings are verified. The implementation of the MCDA methods and the results from this study provide an idea of how MCDA can be applied in microalgae strain selection

Grammatical taboos. An investigation on the impact of prescription in acceptability judgement experiments

Vogel R. Grammatical taboos. An investigation on the impact of prescription in acceptability judgement experiments. Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft. 2019;38(1):37-79.This explorative study focuses on _grammatical taboos_ in German, morphosyntactic constructions which are subject to stigmatisation, as they regularly occur in standard languages. They are subjected to systematic experimental testing in a questionnaire study with gradient rating scales on two salient and two non-salient grammatical taboo phenomena of German. The study is divided into three subexperiments with different judgement types, an aesthetic judgement, a norm-oriented judgement and the sort of possibility judgement that comes closest to linguists’ understanding of grammar. Included in the investigated material are also examples of ordinary gradient grammaticality: unmarked, marked and ungrammatical sentences. The empirical characteristics of grammatical taboos are compared to those ordinary cases with the finding that they are rated at the level of markedness, but differ from ordinary markedness in that they produce a different pattern of between-subject variance. In addition, we find that grammatical taboos have a particular disadvantage under the aesthetic judgement type. The paper also introduces the concept of _empirical grammaticality_ as a necessary theoretical cornerstone for empirical linguistics. Methodically, the study applies a mix of parametric and non-parametric methods of statistical analysis

Implicit self-comparisons against others could bias quality of life assessments

Objectives: To explore how patient-reported health related quality of life (HRQL) and global health status are affected by use of differing personal reference frames. We hypothesised that implicit comparisons against self at an earlier time, against healthy peers or against ill patients would greatly affect patients’ response values. Study design and setting: Patients in a randomised trial for treatment of Paget’s disease completed annual HRQL questionnaires. Supplementary questions were appended, asking the patients whether they were aware of having made implicit comparisons. Results: The majority of patients reported considering themselves a year ago (31% at baseline), themselves before becoming ill (23%) or other healthy people (24%), with similar proportions during follow up. Mean HRQL scores varied substantially according to the declared frame of reference, with differences as big as 19% of the scale score, or a standardised mean effect size of 0.74 standard deviations. Conclusion: Reported reference frames were associated with effects of similar magnitude to the differences in HRQL that are regarded as clinically important. This may be of particular concern in trials that andomise patients to management in different settings, such as treatment at home / in hospital, or surgery / chemotherapy, and might bias or obscure HRQL differences

Engagement Effects of Player Rating System-Based Matchmaking for Level Ordering in Human Computation Games

Human computation games lack established ways of balancing the difficulty of tasks or levels served to players, potentially contributing to their low engagement rates. Traditional player rating systems have been suggested as a potential solution: using them to rate both players and tasks could estimate player skill and task difficulty and fuel player-task matchmaking. However, neither the effect of difficulty balancing on engagement in human computation games nor the use of player rating systems for this purpose has been empirically tested. We therefore examined the engagement effects of using the Glicko-2 player rating system to order tasks in the human computation game Paradox. An online experiment (n=294) found that both matchmaking-based and pure difficulty-based ordering of tasks led to significantly more attempted and completed levels than random ordering. Additionally, both matchmaking and random ordering led to significantly more di cult tasks being completed than pure difficulty-based ordering. We conclude that poor balancing contributes to poor engagement in human computation games, and that player rating system-based difficulty rating may be a viable and efficient way of improving both

Attentional focus, dispositional reinvestment, and skilled motor performance under pressure

Copyright @ 2006 Human KineticsAttentional processes governing skilled motor behavior were examined in two studies. In Experiment 1, field hockey players performed a dribbling task under single-task, dual-task, and skill-focused conditions under both low and high pressure situations. In Experiment 2, skilled soccer players performed a dribbling task under single-task, skill-focused, and process-goal conditions, again under low and high pressure situations. Results replicated recent findings regarding the detrimental effect of skill-focused attention and the facilitative effect of dual-task conditions on skilled performance. In addition, focusing on movement related process goals was found to adversely affect performance. Support for the predictive validity of the Reinvestment Scale was also found, with high reinvesters displaying greater susceptibility to skill failure under pressure. Results were consistent with explicit monitoring theories of choking and are further discussed in light of the conceptual distinction between explicit monitoring and reinvestment of conscious control