Choosing ‘buy none’ in food choice analysis: the role of utility balance

Stated choice analysis is now a widely used and accepted methodology for exploring food choice. In stated choice experiments respondents are asked to make a choice between two or more alternatives, one of which typically takes the form of a ‘buy none’ option. It is widely recognised that respondents often perceive this option differently from the other alternatives and various reasons for this have been offered. Nevertheless, the role that utility balance among the experimentally designed options plays on the propensity of respondent’s choosing ‘buy none’ has largely been overlooked. Using a non-linear representation of utility we show that the ‘buy none’ choices are sensitive to utility balance. We further show how accommodating this provides an additional insight into choice behaviour and has a bearing on welfare calculationsdiscrete choice experiments, utility balance, status-quo bias, food choice, Consumer/Household Economics,

Online vs. face-to-face discussions in a web-based research methods course for postgraduate nursing students : A quasi-experimental study

Background: Web-based technologies are increasingly being used to create modes of online learning for nurses but their effect has not been assessed in nurse education. Objectives: Assess whether participation in face-to-face discussion seminars or online asynchronous discussion groups had different effects on educational attainment in a webbased course. Design: Non-randomised or quasi-experimental design with two groups – students choosing to have face-to-face discussion seminars and students choosing to have online discussions. Setting: The Core Methods module of a postgraduate research methods course. Participants: All 114 students participating in the first 2 years during which the course teaching material was delivered online. Outcome: Assignment mark for Core Methods course module. Methods: Background details of the students, their choices of modules and assignment marks were collected as part of the routine course administration. Students’ online activities were identified using the student tracking facility within WebCT. Regression models were fitted to explore the association between available explanatory variables and assignment mark. Results: Students choosing online discussions had a higher Core Methods assignment mark (mean 60.8/100) than students choosing face-to-face discussions (54.4); the difference was statistically significant (t = 3.13, df = 102, p = 0.002), although this ignores confounding variables. Among online discussion students, assignment mark was significantly correlated with the numbers of discussion messages read (Kendall’s taub = 0.22, p = 0.050) and posted (Kendall’s taub = 0.27, p = 0.017); among face-to-face discussion students, it was significantly associated with the number of non-discussion hits in WebCT (Kendall’s taub = 0.19, p = 0.036). In regression analysis, choice of discussion method, whether an MPhil/PhD student, number of non-discussion hits in WebCT, number of online discussion messages read and number posted were associated with assignment mark at the 5% level of significance when taken singly; in combination, only whether an MPhil/PhD student (p = 0.024) and number of non-discussion hits (p = 0.045) retained significance. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a research methods course can be delivered to postgraduate healthcare students at least as successfully by an entirely online method in which students participate in online discussion as by a blended method in which students accessing web-based teaching material attend face-to-face seminar discussions. Increased online activity was associated with higher assignment marks. The study highlights new opportunities for educational research that arise from the use of virtual learning environments that routinely record the activities of learners and tutors

The Digital Revolution in Qualitative Research: Working with Digital Audio Data Through Atlas.Ti

Modern versions of Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) are enabling the analysis of audio sound files instead of relying solely on text-based analysis. Along with other developments in computer technologies such as the proliferation of digital recording devices and the potential for using streamed media in online academic publication, this innovation is increasing the possibilities of systematically using media-rich, naturalistic data in place of transcribed 'de-naturalised' forms. This paper reports on a project assessing online learning materials that used Atlas.ti software to analyse sound files, and it describes the problems faced in gathering, analysing and using this data for report writing. It concludes that there are still serious barriers to the full and effective integration of audio data into qualitative research: the absence of 'industry standard' recording technology, the underdevelopment of audio interfaces in Atlas.ti (as a key CAQDAS package), and the conventional approach to data use in many online publication formats all place serious restrictions on the integrated use of this data. Nonetheless, it is argued here that there are clear benefits in pushing for resolutions to these problems as the use of this naturalistic data through digital formats may help qualitative researchers to overcome some long-standing methodological issues: in particular, the ability to overcome the reliance on data transcription rather than 'natural' data, and the possibility of implementing research reports that facilitate a more transparent use of 'reusable' data, are both real possibilities when using these digital technologies, which could substantially change the shape of qualitative research practice.CAQDAS, Recording Technology, Online Publication

Science requirements for a global change technology architecture trade study

Science requirements for a global change technology initiative (GCTI) Architecture Trade Study were established by reviewing and synthesizing results from recent studies. A scientific rationale was adopted and used to identify a comprehensive set of measureables and their priorities. Spatial and temporal requirements for a number of measurement parameters were evaluated based on results from several working group studies. Science requirements were defined using these study results in conjunction with the guidelines for investigating global changes over a time scale of decades to centuries. Requirements are given separately for global studies and regional process studies. For global studies, temporal requirements are for sampling every 1 to 12 hours for atmospheric and radiation parameters and 1 day or more for most earth surface measurements. Therefore, the atmospheric measureables provide the most critical drivers for temporal sampling. Spatial sampling requirements vary from 1 km for land and ocean surface characteristics to 50 km for some atmospheric parameters. Thus, the land and ocean surface parameters have the more significant spatial variations and provide the most challenging spatial sampling requirements

Choosing 'buy none' in food choice analysis: the role of utility balance

Stated choice analysis is now a widely used and accepted methodology for exploring food choice. In stated choice experiments respondents are asked to make a choice between two or more alternatives, one of which typically takes the form of a 'buy none' option. It is widely recognised that respondents often perceive this option differently from the other alternatives and various reasons for this have been offered. Nevertheless, the role that utility balance among the experimentally designed options plays on the propensity of respondent's choosing 'buy none' has largely been overlooked. Using a non-linear representation of utility we show that the 'buy none' choices are sensitive to utility balance. We further show how accommodating this provides an additional insight into choice behaviour and has a bearing on welfare calculations

Visual Special Effects in Instructional Video Programs and Their Impact on Adult Learning: A Review of the Literature

Television is a pervasive part of nearly every American\u27s life

The effect of beam curvature on bending properties of sandwich structures

Sandwich composites are well known for many years and its place among the construction materials have they deserved mainly due to very good mechanical properties related to their weight. These materials have been a subject for many researches, but very few of them were focused on the behavior of curved constructions in bend with respect to their specific shape (curvature). With increasing number of new materials and resulting possible material combinations, it is necessary to characterize performance of new prepared structures and also evaluate the effect of a shape on the behavior of sandwich constructions with regard to their material composition. Presented paper deals with an investigation of flat and curved beams of sandwich structures, which correspond by their material composition to those, used in transport industry. Specifically, the influence of curvature size on a change of bending properties of structures with specific material composition compared to flat constructions is evaluated. This influence is also investigated in terms of specimen clamping and type of bending test. Obtained results showed that properties of sandwich structures are dependent not only on size of curvature, bud also on core thickness. Moreover, these results can help designers, constructers or technologists with design, dimensioning or production of these materials for specific applications. © 2016. Published by Manufacturing Technology

The Effects of Breastfeeding on Childhood BMI: A Propensity Score Matching Approach

Background Many studies have found a statistical association between breastfeeding and childhood adiposity. This paper investigates whether breastfeeding has an effect on subsequent childhood body mass index (BMI) using propensity scores to account for confounding. Methods We use data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative UK cohort survey, which contains detailed information on infant feeding and childhood BMI. Propensity score matching is used to investigate the mean BMI in children breastfed exclusively and partially for different durations of time. Results We find statistically significant influences of breastfeeding on childhood BMI, particularly in older children, when breastfeeding is prolonged and exclusive. At 7 years, children who were exclusively breastfed for 16 weeks had a BMI 0.28 kg/m 2 (95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.49) lower than those who were never breastfed, a 2% reduction from the mean BMI of 16.6 kg/m 2 . Conclusions For this young cohort, even small effects of breastfeeding on BMI could be important. In order to reduce BMI, breastfeeding should be encouraged as part of wider lifestyle intervention. This evidence could help to inform public health bodies when creating public health guidelines and recommendations