Subject attribute performance

Once general subjective characteristics important for the healthcare personnel handwash product have been determined, it is necessary to actually perform preference testing [5]. The goal is to engineer a product that healthcare personnel prefer over the competition. This is done by enrolling a number of healthcare personnel as panelists to provide subjective evaluation of several configurations of test product and possibly even those of competitors. Other important considerations regarding personal subjective attributes have been provided in the preoperative preparation section. 

Although experimental studies under sewer conditions are subject to high variability, it can be concluded that the removal of the components shown in Table 5.1 is mainly attributed to the activity of the heterotrophic biomass. Theoretical considerations and a number of studies like the one performed by Almeida (1999) clearly demonstrate that the heterotrophic biomass is central for understanding aerobic transformations. Studies by Stoyer (1970), Stoyer and Scherfig (1972), Koch and Zandi (1973), Pomeroy and Parkhurst (1973) and Green et al. (1985) have also focused on removal of organic matter in sewers, primarily in terms of BOD and COD. 

Rather than assess all attributes for each prototype, a subset of properties was selected for use as a screening process. Protocols for screening tests that are broadly equivalent to those implemented by the Unilever product scientists during the development of Dove have appeared in the patent literature, and we note these references in Table 9.3-1. The tests were relatively easy to perform, and served to rapidly eliminate unsuitable compositions. Only if a prototype passed all screening tests would it be subject to the remaining property assessments, listed in Table 9.3-2. 

Thus prototype evaluation was performed using a variety of standardized tests, including various objective and subjective measures. Many of these laboratory tests were already being used to assess attributes of other products, either as quality control tests for ordinary soap bars or else in the development of detergent-based household products like laundry detergents or hard-surface cleansers. 

Additional evidence to support this claim comes from the fact that there was a significant correlation between subjects performance on the ToM tasks and their scores on an attributional scale questionaire. This showed that individuals who tended to make more errors on the ToM tasks were also more likely to misattribute the blame for any unfortunate events that befell them, being prone to blaming others rather than themselves or unavoidable environmental events. 

In one study,human subjects were tested in a controlled-environ-ment chamber with a high (summer) temperature and with ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide as pollutants. Performance on a divided-attention task given at the end of the exposure period and the subjects heartrate variability (a potential psychophysiologic measure of attention) were evaluated. The subjects displayed a significant decrement in peripheral attention associated with increased ambient temperature. Effects attributable to pollutant gases were variable. 

Holland et al. studied 14 subjects under conditions of short-term exposures to irradiated automobile exhaust. The environmental conditions simulated the moderate smog episodes in the Los Angeles air basin. Oxidant concentrations were reported as 0.22 0.27 ppm (on the basis of the alkaline potassum iodide method). No significant changes attributed to exposure were found in reaction time, vital capacity, work performance, or oxygen consumption. 

In our initial studies ( ), we examined several series of cured resins using ortho and meta isomers of phenylene diamine. p-Phenylenediamlne weis not considered for stu< due to its known ceurclnog lc nature. As shown in Table I, o-phenylenediamine (OPD) used edone was found to impart inferior properties to the crosslinked epoxy resin. We subject the poor performance of OPD is attributable to intramolecular hydrogai bonding, as shown below ... 

Texture has a number of component attributes, and some of them can be assessed by mechanical means. The texture or firmness of cooked potatoes is evaluated by subjecting each sample to a compression test using a universal testing machine equipped with a load cell. Cooked potato cylinders are compressed in a single-cycle compression-decompression test. Uniaxial compression is measured with an Instron machine with a lOON load cell. Measurements are performed on hot potato cylinders (depth 12 mm, height 10 mm) from 15 potatoes immediately after cooking, at a deformation rate of 20 mm/min. Stress and strain at fracture are calculated by the Instron series IX version 7.40 software and means of 15 repetitions are calculated. 

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