Over the past years,there has been an expanding intrigued in building refurbishment projects because of the alter in financial conditions and the accentuation on sustainable development.Increasing demand for building ...Over the past years,there has been an expanding intrigued in building refurbishment projects because of the alter in financial conditions and the accentuation on sustainable development.Increasing demand for building refurbishment projects will lead to an increase in organizational interactions in the construction works as building refurbishment works involve interactions among many different organizations and it can cause Inter-Organizational conflict(IOC)among organizations involved in projects.This paper adopted an Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)approach to analyses IOC in building refurbishment projects.For this study,a fivepoint Likert Scale was adopted to ensure the instruments of the study are reliable.The researcher ultimately sent questionnaires as a web-link and email invitation to 1050 construction firms and 733 architectural firms.The questionnaire sent to managers and professionals from construction and architectural firms in Malaysia.Finally,one-hundred-seventy-nine(179)refurbishment projects formed a database for this paper.The finding of this paper shows the IOC factors that contribute to the improve the performance of building refurbishment project can be conflict during the construction stage,conflict between the client and the consultant,task expectations,basic responsibilities,final duration,project’s goals,conflict between the client and the contractor,final cost,final quality,standards of behaviors,conflict between the contractor and the consultant,interference and conflict during the design stage.展开更多
The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the autism spectrum rating scale（ASRS）. We recruited 1,625community-based children and 211 autism spectrum disorder（ASD...The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the autism spectrum rating scale（ASRS）. We recruited 1,625community-based children and 211 autism spectrum disorder（ASD） cases from 4 sites, and the parents of all participants completed the Chinese version of the ASRS. A robust weighted least squares means and variance adjusted estimator was used for exploratory factor analysis. The3-factor structure included 59 items suitable for the current sample. The item reliability for the modi？ed Chinese version of the ASRS（MC-ASRS） was excellent. Moreover,with 60 as the cut-off point, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the MC-ASRS had excellent discriminate validity, comparable to that of the unmodi？ed Chinese version（UC-ASRS）, with area under the curve values of 0.952（95% CI： 0.936–0.967） and 0.948（95% CI：0.930–0.965）, respectively. Meanwhile, the con？rm factor analysis revealed that MC-ASRS had a better construct validity than UC-ASRS based on the above factor solution in another children sample. In conclusion, the MC-ASRS shows better ef？cacy in epidemiological screening for ASD in Chinese children.展开更多
This study examines the construct validity and reliability of the Malay language questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis (QUID) in women. Study Design: Random sampling design was used in this cross-sectional ...This study examines the construct validity and reliability of the Malay language questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis (QUID) in women. Study Design: Random sampling design was used in this cross-sectional survey. Materials and Methods: The Americanized English language questionnaire was translated to the Malay language and distributed to community-dwelling Malaysian women living in various locations in Selangor. The construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability was determined using Cronbach’s α. Results: A total of 111 women completed the Malay language QUID in this pilot study. The Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy of 0.675 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ2 = 284.633, df = 15, p = 0.001) indicated that the EFA was possible. The total variance and the scree plot identified two factors above the initial eigenvalue of 1 while a third factor was just below it (0.758). The CFA output showed a recursive model with the solution being not admissible because two unobserved and exogenous variables had negative variance estimates. The following values of absolute fit indices showed an acceptable level of fit: 1) Chi-square test with χ2 = 4.997, df = 5, p = 0.416, indicated a smaller difference between the expected and observed covariance matrices;2) GFI = 0.986, AGFI = 0.939, RMR = 0.021 and CMIN/DF = 1.0 indicated acceptable level of fit;3) The baseline comparison values of NFI = 0.983 and CFI = 1.0 also indicated a good fit to the data;4) RMSEA = 0.000 was considered a perfect fit indicating that the hypothesized model was a good fit to the observed data. Under the hypothesis of “close fit”, the probability of getting a sample RMSEA as large as 0.000 was 0.567. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.823 indicated good reliability. Conclusion: The Malay language QUID is a valid and reliable instrument for diagnosing female urinary incontinence in the Malaysian population.展开更多
A factor analysis was applied to soil geochemical data to define anomalies related to buried Pb-Zn mineralization.A favorable main factor with a strong association of the elements Zn,Cu and Pb,related to mineralizatio...A factor analysis was applied to soil geochemical data to define anomalies related to buried Pb-Zn mineralization.A favorable main factor with a strong association of the elements Zn,Cu and Pb,related to mineralization,was selected for interpretation.The median+2 MAD(median absolute deviation)method of exploratory data analysis(EDA)and C-A(concentration-area)fractal modeling were then applied to the Mahalanobis distance,as defined by Zn,Cu and Pb from the factor analysis to set the thresholds for defining multi-element anomalies.As a result,the median+2 MAD method more successfully identified the Pb-Zn mineralization than the C-A fractal model.The soil anomaly identified by the median+2 MAD method on the Mahalanobis distances defined by three principal elements(Zn,Cu and Pb)rather than thirteen elements(Co,Zn,Cu,V,Mo,Ni,Cr,Mn,Pb,Ba,Sr,Zr and Ti)was the more favorable reflection of the ore body.The identified soil geochemical anomalies were compared with the in situ economic Pb-Zn ore bodies for validation.The results showed that the median+2 MAD approach is capable of mapping both strong and weak geochemical anomalies related to buried Pb-Zn mineralization,which is therefore useful at the reconnaissance drilling stage.展开更多
Factor analysis (FA) is a time-honored multivariate analysis procedure for exploring the factors underlying observed variables. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for the generalized least squares (GLS) estimat...Factor analysis (FA) is a time-honored multivariate analysis procedure for exploring the factors underlying observed variables. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for the generalized least squares (GLS) estimation in FA. In the algorithm, a majorization step and diagonal steps are alternately iterated until convergence is reached, where Kiers and ten Berge’s (1992) majorization technique is used for the former step, and the latter ones are formulated as minimizing simple quadratic functions of diagonal matrices. This procedure is named a majorizing-diagonal (MD) algorithm. In contrast to the existing gradient approaches, differential calculus is not used and only elmentary matrix computations are required in the MD algorithm. A simuation study shows that the proposed MD algorithm recovers parameters better than the existing algorithms.展开更多
Self-regulated learning （SRL） is one of the precious ways in teachers＇ professional development, and its operation level includes different factors. With studies abroad and our preliminary investigation as base, th...Self-regulated learning （SRL） is one of the precious ways in teachers＇ professional development, and its operation level includes different factors. With studies abroad and our preliminary investigation as base, this study developed a scale to test the factors SRL includes. According to the result of 905 teachers working in elementary school by exploratory factor analysis, the SRL for elementary teachers is consisted of its sociality （it included selecting leads and seeking for instructing）, its motivation（it included self-improvement and self-excelling）, its methods（it included strategy use and habitual behavior）, and its outcomes（it included extensive reading and teachers＇ professional development）. All the result indicated Teachers＇ SRL Scale had clear factor structure, good reliability and validity. It can be used to test the current operating situation of SRL for teachers working in elementary school.展开更多
Being the major players in promoting innovation,enterprises are therefore central to innovation–based development.Establishing how vibrant they are in terms of innovation has become a heavily debated issue in both ac...Being the major players in promoting innovation,enterprises are therefore central to innovation–based development.Establishing how vibrant they are in terms of innovation has become a heavily debated issue in both academic and industry circles.Through a sample involving Chinese listed companies in advanced material manufacturing,this study utilizes exploratory factor analysis to develop an evaluation system of enterprises’innovation vitality on the basis of three dimensions:innovation persistence,volatility,and growth.The study establishes deeper interaction between innovation vitality and two major indicators-persistence and volatility formats input and cooperation,while also promoting the growth of innovative input and output.This study adds insights related to the objective assessment of enterprises’innovation vitality and the promotion of subsequent innovation efforts.展开更多
This paper discusses the utilization of latent variable modeling related to occupational health and safety in the mining industry.Latent variable modeling,which is a statistical model that relates observable and laten...This paper discusses the utilization of latent variable modeling related to occupational health and safety in the mining industry.Latent variable modeling,which is a statistical model that relates observable and latent variables,could be used to facilitate researchers’understandings of the underlying constructs or hypothetical factors and their magnitude of effect that constitute a complex system.This enhanced understanding,in turn,can help emphasize the important factors to improve mine safety.The most commonly used techniques include the exploratory factor analysis(EFA),the confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)and the structural equation model with latent variables(SEM).A critical comparison of the three techniques regarding mine safety is provided.Possible applications of latent variable modeling in mining engineering are explored.In this scope,relevant research papers were reviewed.They suggest that the application of such methods could prove useful in mine accident and safety research.Application of latent variables analysis in cognitive work analysis was proposed to improve the understanding of human-work relationships in mining operations.展开更多
Vietnam has become a major market for construction enterprises from East Asian countries, especially from China, to participate in international project contracting, but serious schedule delays have important adverse ...Vietnam has become a major market for construction enterprises from East Asian countries, especially from China, to participate in international project contracting, but serious schedule delays have important adverse effects on local government and foreign investment companies. Based on international engineering contracting mode of Vietnam highway BOT construction projects, we discussed the drive financial factors of schedule delays, using the methods of exploratory factor analysis and questionnaire survey, and evaluated the effects of various factors which are through regression analysis. The empirical results show that the five categories of financial factors, including the policy change, slow payment, financial mismanagement, financial market changes and lack of fiscal, have significant effects on schedule delay. Furtherly, we suggested that strengthening policy research and improving financial management ability should be used to reduce the influence of relevant financial factors on schedule delay, to improve the profitability of international businesses and the motivation of foreign enterprises to participate in Vietnam highway project.展开更多
Affected by the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike and the downward pressure on the domestic economy,the phenomenon of default is still prominent.The credit risk of the listed companies has become a growing conc...Affected by the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike and the downward pressure on the domestic economy,the phenomenon of default is still prominent.The credit risk of the listed companies has become a growing concern of the community.In this paper we present a novel credit risk measurement method based on a dimensional reduation technique.The method first extracts the risk measure indexes from the basal financial data via dimensional reduation by using deep belief network(DBN),exploratory factor analysis(EFA)and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)in turn.And then the credit risk is measured by a systemic structural equation model(SEM)and logistic distribution.To validate the proposed method,we employ the financial data of the listed companies from Q12019 to Q22022.The empirical results show its effectiveness on statistical evaluation,assessment on testing samples and credit risk forecasting.展开更多
基金the Exploratory Research Grant Scheme(ERGS)of Universiti Teknologi MARA(UiTM)Malaysia(No.ERGS/1/2013/SSl11/UITM/01/01)High-Level Talents Introduction Funding of Haixi Research Institute,the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.19Q3671boa).
文摘Over the past years,there has been an expanding intrigued in building refurbishment projects because of the alter in financial conditions and the accentuation on sustainable development.Increasing demand for building refurbishment projects will lead to an increase in organizational interactions in the construction works as building refurbishment works involve interactions among many different organizations and it can cause Inter-Organizational conflict(IOC)among organizations involved in projects.This paper adopted an Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)approach to analyses IOC in building refurbishment projects.For this study,a fivepoint Likert Scale was adopted to ensure the instruments of the study are reliable.The researcher ultimately sent questionnaires as a web-link and email invitation to 1050 construction firms and 733 architectural firms.The questionnaire sent to managers and professionals from construction and architectural firms in Malaysia.Finally,one-hundred-seventy-nine(179)refurbishment projects formed a database for this paper.The finding of this paper shows the IOC factors that contribute to the improve the performance of building refurbishment project can be conflict during the construction stage,conflict between the client and the consultant,task expectations,basic responsibilities,final duration,project’s goals,conflict between the client and the contractor,final cost,final quality,standards of behaviors,conflict between the contractor and the consultant,interference and conflict during the design stage.
基金supported by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China(201302002Clinical Trials.gov number NCT 02200679)+1 种基金the Shanghai International Cooperation Ministry of Science Projects(14430712200)the Development Project of Shanghai Peak Discipline-Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine
文摘The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the autism spectrum rating scale（ASRS）. We recruited 1,625community-based children and 211 autism spectrum disorder（ASD） cases from 4 sites, and the parents of all participants completed the Chinese version of the ASRS. A robust weighted least squares means and variance adjusted estimator was used for exploratory factor analysis. The3-factor structure included 59 items suitable for the current sample. The item reliability for the modi？ed Chinese version of the ASRS（MC-ASRS） was excellent. Moreover,with 60 as the cut-off point, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the MC-ASRS had excellent discriminate validity, comparable to that of the unmodi？ed Chinese version（UC-ASRS）, with area under the curve values of 0.952（95% CI： 0.936–0.967） and 0.948（95% CI：0.930–0.965）, respectively. Meanwhile, the con？rm factor analysis revealed that MC-ASRS had a better construct validity than UC-ASRS based on the above factor solution in another children sample. In conclusion, the MC-ASRS shows better ef？cacy in epidemiological screening for ASD in Chinese children.
文摘This study examines the construct validity and reliability of the Malay language questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis (QUID) in women. Study Design: Random sampling design was used in this cross-sectional survey. Materials and Methods: The Americanized English language questionnaire was translated to the Malay language and distributed to community-dwelling Malaysian women living in various locations in Selangor. The construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability was determined using Cronbach’s α. Results: A total of 111 women completed the Malay language QUID in this pilot study. The Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy of 0.675 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ2 = 284.633, df = 15, p = 0.001) indicated that the EFA was possible. The total variance and the scree plot identified two factors above the initial eigenvalue of 1 while a third factor was just below it (0.758). The CFA output showed a recursive model with the solution being not admissible because two unobserved and exogenous variables had negative variance estimates. The following values of absolute fit indices showed an acceptable level of fit: 1) Chi-square test with χ2 = 4.997, df = 5, p = 0.416, indicated a smaller difference between the expected and observed covariance matrices;2) GFI = 0.986, AGFI = 0.939, RMR = 0.021 and CMIN/DF = 1.0 indicated acceptable level of fit;3) The baseline comparison values of NFI = 0.983 and CFI = 1.0 also indicated a good fit to the data;4) RMSEA = 0.000 was considered a perfect fit indicating that the hypothesized model was a good fit to the observed data. Under the hypothesis of “close fit”, the probability of getting a sample RMSEA as large as 0.000 was 0.567. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.823 indicated good reliability. Conclusion: The Malay language QUID is a valid and reliable instrument for diagnosing female urinary incontinence in the Malaysian population.
文摘A factor analysis was applied to soil geochemical data to define anomalies related to buried Pb-Zn mineralization.A favorable main factor with a strong association of the elements Zn,Cu and Pb,related to mineralization,was selected for interpretation.The median+2 MAD(median absolute deviation)method of exploratory data analysis(EDA)and C-A(concentration-area)fractal modeling were then applied to the Mahalanobis distance,as defined by Zn,Cu and Pb from the factor analysis to set the thresholds for defining multi-element anomalies.As a result,the median+2 MAD method more successfully identified the Pb-Zn mineralization than the C-A fractal model.The soil anomaly identified by the median+2 MAD method on the Mahalanobis distances defined by three principal elements(Zn,Cu and Pb)rather than thirteen elements(Co,Zn,Cu,V,Mo,Ni,Cr,Mn,Pb,Ba,Sr,Zr and Ti)was the more favorable reflection of the ore body.The identified soil geochemical anomalies were compared with the in situ economic Pb-Zn ore bodies for validation.The results showed that the median+2 MAD approach is capable of mapping both strong and weak geochemical anomalies related to buried Pb-Zn mineralization,which is therefore useful at the reconnaissance drilling stage.
文摘Factor analysis (FA) is a time-honored multivariate analysis procedure for exploring the factors underlying observed variables. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for the generalized least squares (GLS) estimation in FA. In the algorithm, a majorization step and diagonal steps are alternately iterated until convergence is reached, where Kiers and ten Berge’s (1992) majorization technique is used for the former step, and the latter ones are formulated as minimizing simple quadratic functions of diagonal matrices. This procedure is named a majorizing-diagonal (MD) algorithm. In contrast to the existing gradient approaches, differential calculus is not used and only elmentary matrix computations are required in the MD algorithm. A simuation study shows that the proposed MD algorithm recovers parameters better than the existing algorithms.
文摘Self-regulated learning （SRL） is one of the precious ways in teachers＇ professional development, and its operation level includes different factors. With studies abroad and our preliminary investigation as base, this study developed a scale to test the factors SRL includes. According to the result of 905 teachers working in elementary school by exploratory factor analysis, the SRL for elementary teachers is consisted of its sociality （it included selecting leads and seeking for instructing）, its motivation（it included self-improvement and self-excelling）, its methods（it included strategy use and habitual behavior）, and its outcomes（it included extensive reading and teachers＇ professional development）. All the result indicated Teachers＇ SRL Scale had clear factor structure, good reliability and validity. It can be used to test the current operating situation of SRL for teachers working in elementary school.
基金supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China(Grant No.20&ZD074)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.72204037)+2 种基金Dalian High-Level Talent Innovation Program(Youth Science and Technology Star)(Project No.2022RQ055)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2024M750330)Humanities and Social Science Fundation of Ministry of Eduction,China(Project No.22YJC870009).
文摘Being the major players in promoting innovation,enterprises are therefore central to innovation–based development.Establishing how vibrant they are in terms of innovation has become a heavily debated issue in both academic and industry circles.Through a sample involving Chinese listed companies in advanced material manufacturing,this study utilizes exploratory factor analysis to develop an evaluation system of enterprises’innovation vitality on the basis of three dimensions:innovation persistence,volatility,and growth.The study establishes deeper interaction between innovation vitality and two major indicators-persistence and volatility formats input and cooperation,while also promoting the growth of innovative input and output.This study adds insights related to the objective assessment of enterprises’innovation vitality and the promotion of subsequent innovation efforts.
基金Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(NSERC)(ID:236482)for supporting this research
文摘This paper discusses the utilization of latent variable modeling related to occupational health and safety in the mining industry.Latent variable modeling,which is a statistical model that relates observable and latent variables,could be used to facilitate researchers’understandings of the underlying constructs or hypothetical factors and their magnitude of effect that constitute a complex system.This enhanced understanding,in turn,can help emphasize the important factors to improve mine safety.The most commonly used techniques include the exploratory factor analysis(EFA),the confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)and the structural equation model with latent variables(SEM).A critical comparison of the three techniques regarding mine safety is provided.Possible applications of latent variable modeling in mining engineering are explored.In this scope,relevant research papers were reviewed.They suggest that the application of such methods could prove useful in mine accident and safety research.Application of latent variables analysis in cognitive work analysis was proposed to improve the understanding of human-work relationships in mining operations.
文摘Vietnam has become a major market for construction enterprises from East Asian countries, especially from China, to participate in international project contracting, but serious schedule delays have important adverse effects on local government and foreign investment companies. Based on international engineering contracting mode of Vietnam highway BOT construction projects, we discussed the drive financial factors of schedule delays, using the methods of exploratory factor analysis and questionnaire survey, and evaluated the effects of various factors which are through regression analysis. The empirical results show that the five categories of financial factors, including the policy change, slow payment, financial mismanagement, financial market changes and lack of fiscal, have significant effects on schedule delay. Furtherly, we suggested that strengthening policy research and improving financial management ability should be used to reduce the influence of relevant financial factors on schedule delay, to improve the profitability of international businesses and the motivation of foreign enterprises to participate in Vietnam highway project.
基金Supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China(21CTJ005)the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation(KJ2017A105)。
文摘Affected by the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike and the downward pressure on the domestic economy,the phenomenon of default is still prominent.The credit risk of the listed companies has become a growing concern of the community.In this paper we present a novel credit risk measurement method based on a dimensional reduation technique.The method first extracts the risk measure indexes from the basal financial data via dimensional reduation by using deep belief network(DBN),exploratory factor analysis(EFA)and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)in turn.And then the credit risk is measured by a systemic structural equation model(SEM)and logistic distribution.To validate the proposed method,we employ the financial data of the listed companies from Q12019 to Q22022.The empirical results show its effectiveness on statistical evaluation,assessment on testing samples and credit risk forecasting.
