Factorial Model Research Articles

The customer perception of project value scale: development and validation

PurposeDespite the significant interest from researchers and practitioners, the literature on project value measurement from the perspective of the customer is non-existent. This study aims to address this gap by developing and validating a scale to measure project value through a customer lens called the customer perception of project value scale.Design/methodology/approachA list of items was initially generated based on 762 sample responses through a systematic review of the literature and with the participation of specialists. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses and structural equation modelling were used to develop and validate the scale.FindingsThe authors formulated a four-dimension scale. The dimensions used to measure the second-order construct are customer centrality, process, delivery and cost-benefit. This was validated using a nomological structure.Research limitations/implicationsThe non-consensual nature of what is value in projects restricts the results of this study to the context of a specific group of stakeholders only, that is, the consumers of the projects. The authors also see limitations in the absence of competing scales, which do not allow the comparison of the instrument with alternative measures.Practical implicationsThis study allows project managers and other professionals to measure a project’s perceived value from the customer’s point of view and manage the improvement of this perception.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to propose a scale to measure project value, which advances the literature on project management and value and contributes to academic knowledge and practice by measuring project value from the customer standpoint.

A Smart Socket for Real-Time Nonintrusive Load Monitoring

In the field of Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM), scientists across various institutions have published extensive research on both the hardware and the load disaggregation algorithm. However, there are few publicly available hardware design schemes for real-time load disaggregation. This increases the barrier to entry into the field. In this paper, a novel smart socket for load disaggregation by using a set of easily accessible sensors is presented, aiming to enable more researchers to actively participate in NILM quickly. In addition, we combine a time-efficient automatic state detection algorithm and a factorial hidden Markov model (ASD-FHMM) to achieve the goal of real-time load disaggregation. The proposed method also alleviates the problem of requiring extra information that broadly exists in the traditional Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based load disaggregation algorithms. Experiments on a public dataset as well as a dataset collected from our laboratory are conducted, and the results confirm the efficiency and effectiveness and of the proposed smart socket.

A Study on Egg Production and Quality According to the Age of Four Italian Chicken Dual-Purpose Purebred Hens Reared Outdoors.

The month of hatching and the rearing management, especially temperature and photoperiod, are important factors for pullets and hens reared outdoors. The yield performance and egg quality of dual-purpose chicken breeds from the Veneto region (Italy), Pepoi (PP), Ermellinata di Rovigo (ER), Robusta Maculata (RM) and Robusta Lionata (RL), with different adult body weights (ABW, kg, PP = 1.3; ER = 2.3, RM and RL = 3.1), were studied, using a factorial model (4 × 2), considering breed and age (26-33 weeks, first age, summer-autumn, under decreasing natural photoperiod-on average, 12L:12D, and 42-53 weeks, second age, winter, under implemented photoperiod-14L:10D) as the main effects and interaction. The chicks hatched in spring, and they started laying at the end of summer/beginning of autumn. Significant (p < 0.05) results were shown for many traits. ER showed higher hen-day egg production than that of PP, and RM and RL were the lowest; ER, RM and RL showed medium-size eggs and PP showed small-size eggs. RM produced the most spherical eggs and ER the most ovoid, and they showed the highest and the lowest eggshell thickness, respectively. RM showed the highest yolk to albumen ratio, and RL showed the lowest. The age increased the laying rate and the egg weight in all the groups. At 26-33 weeks, ER and PP showed higher hen-day egg production (on average 24%) than RM and RL (on average, less than 10%). The onset of laying (at least 10% laying rate) was shown, at different ages, according to the % ABW the breeds had reached: PP was the first, followed by ER, then RM, and RL was the last. At 42-53 weeks, the hen-day egg production ranged, on average, from 38 to 52%, according to the breeds; orthogonal contrasts on two-weekly data showed, at first age, increasing linear (ER) and quadratic (other groups) trends, and at second age, positive linear (ER, RM) and cubic (PP, RL) trends. Age (32 vs. 53 weeks) affected almost all the eggshell traits in PP and ER, whereas in RL, and especially RM, fewer traits changed. The age increased the yolk to albumen ratio (unchanged in PP). These results may be useful for the effective management of local purebred chickens, with the purpose to ensure the wellbeing of the hens and for supplying eggs of different quality throughout the year.

Differences in the Factor Structure of the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) among Clinical vs. Non-Clinical Adolescent Israeli Females.

In recent years, the diagnostic definitions of eating disorders (EDs) have undergone dramatic changes. The Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), which is considered an accepted instrument for community ED studies, has shown in its factorial structure to be inconsistent in different cultures and populations. The aim of the present study was to compare the factor structure of the EAT-26 among clinical and non-clinical populations. The clinical group included 207 female adolescents who were hospitalized with an ED (mean age 16.1). The non-clinical group included 155 female adolescents (mean age 16.1). Both groups completed the EAT-26. A series of factorial invariance models was conducted on the EAT-26. The results indicate that significant differences were found between the two groups regarding the original EAT-26 dimensions: dieting, bulimia and food preoccupation, and oral control. Additionally, the factorial structure of the EAT-26 was found to be significantly different in both groups compared to the original version. In the clinical group, the factorial structure of the EAT-26 consisted of four factors, whereas in the non-clinical sample, five factors were identified. Additionally, a 19-item version of the EAT-26 was found to be considerably more stable and well suited to capture ED symptoms in both groups, and a cutoff point of 22 (not 20) better differentiated clinical samples from non-clinical samples. The proposed shortening of the EAT from 40 to 26 and now to 19 items should be examined in future studies. That said, the shortened scale seems more suited for use among both clinical and non-clinical populations. These results reflect changes that have taken place in ED psychopathology over recent decades.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Skin Cancer Index into Brazilian Portuguese for patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer

PurposeThis study aimed to translate the Skin Cancer Index (SCI) into Portuguese, adapt it for Brazilian culture, and clinically validate it.MethodsA five-stage cross-cultural adaptation model was followed, with subsequent clinical validation. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using the content validity index (CVI). The hypothesis of the non-inferiority of the CVI at 80% probability level was evaluated using an exact binomial test. We used Spearman’s rank-order and Pearson’s product–moment correlation analysis, internal consistency using McDonald’s ω and Cronbach’s α metric, and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis. The factorial model was validated using the chi-squared test, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), comparative fit index (CFI), and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR).ResultsThe first stage yielded two independent translations. After synthesis, back-translation, and review, the prefinal version was tested on 40 patients. Inter-rater agreement indices on content validity were significantly higher than 80% (p < 0.05). The SCI remained stable, and the Spearman’s rank-order (rs), Pearson product–moment (r), and intraclass correlation coefficients were > 0.9, indicating excellent reliability. The reliability of McDonald’s ω was considered ideal (> 0.8) in all subdimensions and scale. Cronbach’s α was considered ideal in the “Emotional” and “Social” subdimensions and scale. Construct validity was observed in all subdimensions and scale through the criteria (χ2) p value > 0.05, RMSEA < 0.08, CFI ≥ 0.9, and SRMR ≤ 0.08.ConclusionThe cross-cultural adaptation of the SCI to Portuguese for Brazilian culture showed content validity and reliability, contributing to quality of life assessment in patients with NMSC.

The Psychometric Properties of the Psychological Work Immersion Scale: An ESEM vs ICM-CFA Approach

This study investigates the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Psychological Work Immersion Scale (PWIS) scale within global organisational contexts. Data were gathered from 19134 working adults in the US, the UK, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. To determine the best-fitting factorial model, a series of traditional ICM-CFA and less restrictive ESEM models were estimated and systematically compared. The results showed that a bifactor ESEM model, with one general factor of overall psychological work immersion and nine specific factors (strategic connection, manager credibility, appreciative feedback, enabling environment, team relations, strength use, employee voice, recognition and rewards, personal development) fitted the data best, was reliable and showed strong measurement invariance across genders and levels of education. The results show that psychological work immersion is a multidimensional construct that is both a function of yet separate from a dynamic interaction between the nine performance-enhancing conditions or enablers. Therefore, The PWIS can be used to measure psychological work immersion validly and reliably and could be used to make meaningful latent mean comparisons between genders and different levels of education.

Youth screening depression: Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a representative sample of adolescents

BackgroundDepression symptoms and mood disorders constitute one of the major public health challenges among youths. Thus, early prevention and intervention for depression should be a priority. The main goal of the present study was to validate the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores in a school-based sample of non-clinical adolescents. MethodStratified random sampling was conducted. Participants were 2235 students (M = 14.49, SD =1.76, range= 12–18 years), 52.9 % were female, from 34 secondary schools in Spain. Several previously validated self-reported questionnaires of mental health and psychopathology were administrated. ResultsThe unidimensional factorial model of the PHQ-9 items showed adequate goodness of fit indices. Strong measurement invariance across gender was found. Omega for the PHQ-9 total score was 0.87. The PHQ-9 total score was positively associated with anxiety symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems, and negatively associated with prosocial behavior and quality of life. ConclusionsThe PHQ-9 is a brief, easy, and reliable tool for assessing self-reported depressive symptoms in both clinical and school settings. PHQ-9 may be used as a screening tool for universal early detection and monitorization of depression symptoms during adolescence.

Evidence for environment hypothesis: Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the composite scale of morningness across Bangladesh and Spain

ABSTRACT Morningness-eveningness reflects individual differences in circadian functioning and is related to health and well-being. Cross-cultural comparison could facilitate understanding of the environmental factors affecting morningness-eveningness, which requires establishing cross-cultural validity of the relevant assessment tools. In this study, we applied the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) to Bangladeshi (n = 1015; 37.9% women) and Spanish (n = 1054; 73.2% women) university students (aged 18–27 years) to evaluate alternative factorial models of the CSM and to test its measurement invariance across cultures. Moreover, this study tested environment hypothesis, suggesting that higher average temperatures and lower latitudes would be related to greater morningness. From nine competing factorial models, a bifactor model with two specific factors (morning preference and morning affect) showed the best fit for both cultures. The two-factor bifactor model had full metric invariance with partial scalar and strict invariance across cultures. The Bangladesh–Spain comparison of the CSM scores revealed higher morningness in Bangladeshi students which supports the environment hypothesis. Overall, this research confirms that morningness-eveningness construct is perceived and interpreted similarly by the Bangladeshi and Spanish students. Importantly, this study highlights the effects of environmental factors including latitude and temperature on morningness-eveningness, and thus facilitates further cross-cultural morningness-eveningness research.

Improvement of Environmental Uniformity in a Seedling Plant Factory with Porous Panels Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

A seedling plant factory requires precise environmental control to ensure uniform growth within a limited cultivation period. A porous panel exhaust system was installed to maintain a stable and uniform internal environment. To provide optimal temperature, humidity, and airflow, it is necessary to interpret the internal aerodynamics. However, field monitoring has limitations in analyzing the invisible flow patterns. To overcome this limitation, CFD simulations can be utilized to understand internal environmental conditions and uniformity. The objective of this paper is to develop and validate a CFD model of a seedling plant factory with a porous panel for improving the uniformity of the internal environment. Multiple data loggers were evenly installed at various locations inside the seedling plant factory, and 24 h field monitoring was conducted. The average temperature and humidity during the 16 h light period and 8 h dark period were maintained within 1% of the set values, while the regional temperature deviation had an average of 1.65 °C and a maximum of 2.63 °C. The regional humidity deviation had an average of 14.1% and a maximum of 23.8%. The CFD model was designed to analyze the internal environmental uniformity after validation by comparing it with the field monitoring data. The Realizable k-ε turbulence model, which exhibited an error of 4.0% in comparison with the field data, was selected through a validation test among four different turbulence models with the same configuration of the seedling plant factory. The CFD simulation results were interpreted quantitatively and qualitatively, focusing on the airflow, temperature, and humidity distributions caused by the air conditioner and humidifier. Variations in the average temperature of up to 0.5 degrees and velocity differences of 0.28 m/s were observed depending on the location of the cultivation shelves. The locations and causes of stagnant regions resulting from the airflow patterns were identified through the simulations.

Can the teaching factory model improve the entrepreneurial intentions of vocational high school students?

&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;Entrepreneurial intentions play an essential role in creating new entrepreneurs. There are many methods of teaching entrepreneurship that aim to form entrepreneurial intentions, and one of them is considered suitable to be applied in vocational high schools, namely factory teaching. This study examined the effect of the teaching factory on entrepreneurial intentions through the theory of planned behavior dimension. There were 280 vocational high school students participated in the study. Data was collected via online questionnaires and analyzed with Amos software using the structural equation modeling method. The teaching factory has been shown to influence students’ entrepreneurial intentions both directly and indirectly via mediators of attitudes toward behavior and perceived behavioral control. This study also provided important implications for vocational practitioners to develop a teaching factory learning model as a school business unit based on the needs of the world of work. Good management of the teaching factory is expected to prepare prospective new entrepreneurs from vocational school graduates.&lt;/span&gt;

Design of an improved intelligent optimization logistics path planning model for the background of the new industrial era

ABSTRACT In the context of the new industrial era, intelligent manufacturing, intelligent factories, and intelligent logistics have become hot topics during the industrial revolution. In order to meet the flexibility, flexibility, and efficiency of factory logistics in the era of Industry 4.0, and improve the punctuality of logistics distribution, a factory logistics path planning model is designed based on grid environment and Ant colony optimization algorithms. The algorithm optimizes and improves the search ability and adaptability of Ant colony optimization algorithms. The test results show that the Pheromone volatile number is 0.3, which is a moderate value. When the importance of Pheromone is 3 and the heuristic factor is 6, the average optimal cost and the average number of iterations are the minimum. As the variable increases, both evaluation indicators show a trend of decreasing first and then increasing. The improvement of the initial Pheromone can speed up the Rate of convergence of the algorithm, while the quality of the planned path results is better than that of the traditional planned path, and the shortest path length is reduced from 26.46 to 24.38. The path smoothed by B-spline curve is smooth and continuous. The algorithm proposed by the research institute converges quickly, with the shortest path value being 59.43, and the maximum reduction in path length reaching 18.44%. The optimized path length converges quickly after fluctuations, and the algorithm has strong adaptability to the environment. This model can achieve accurate logistics path planning, provide competitive solutions for the implementation of intelligent logistics in factories, and promote the 4.0 factory to build a truly intelligent factory.

Immobilization of Lead by Phosphated Biochar Produced from Fish Farming Sludge and Sewage Sludge in a Contaminated Urban Soil

An evaluation was conducted on the application of phosphate biochar produced from Sewage Sludge (SS) of a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for lead immobilization in contaminated soils of the Human Settlement (HS) Virgin of Guadalupe, in the district of Mi Peru. Biochar was generated by a slow pyrolysis process at 500°C. The biochar was dosed at 10% biochar/soil on lead-contaminated soil, and the factors studied were the type of biochar and time of application. A complete factorial design was performed, and the data were processed using Design Expert v11 software. The results showed that the maximum lead immobilization was 50.83% for BSS for 20 days at a dose of 10% biochar/soil. According to the factorial model, an R² of 0.85, an adjusted R² of 0.83, an F-value of 79.64, and p-values lower than 0.05 (95%) were obtained, indicating that the factor (F2) of application time is significant for the treatment. It was concluded that both types of sludge have the potential for lead immobilization in contaminated soil, and the application time is significant for lead immobilization.

Implementation of BMC-based teaching and learning factory model in increasing student competencies in leather creative skills concentration and imitation in vocational school

Learning in vocational education must be carried out with collaboration between educators, vocational schools, curriculum alignment, and learning in factories as miniature industries stakeholders to achieve assessment in the form of real assessment so that the achievement of learning objectives follows the needs of students and the world of work. Assessment in the form of assessment must be measured in real terms, with religious, character, moral, and cultural education values and work competencies following community expectations. The objectives to be achieved through this research are to produce a learning program that can improve student competence in Vocational High School (VHS), including identifying the current condition of learning implementation, obtaining learning planning findings, obtaining learning implementation findings, obtaining findings regarding the assessment of learning outcomes, identifying supporting and inhibiting factors, knowing students' perceptions of the implementation of the BMC-based teaching and learning factory model in improving student competence in the concentration of leather and imitation craft design and production expertise in VHS. With the implementation of a learning system using a block system as a teaching and learning factory, the implementation of learning must stimulate students to be more active in improving social skills, emotional skills, spiritual skills, scientific skills, mental skills, kinesthetic skills, as well as entrepreneurial skills, work ethics and safety, and work safety and the environment, which in turn can improve the competence and entrepreneurial character of students, following the vision and mission of the education unit.

Machinability study of silicon carbide and cenosphere reinforced Al7075 composite using three different tool materials

AbstractThis research conducted a machinability study on Al7075 composite reinforced with nano‐sized (100 nm) silicon carbide and cenosphere (industrial waste) particulates with 1.8 % weight. These composites were fabricated utilizing an ultrasonically assisted stir‐casting setup and scanning electron microscope investigation was conducted to evaluate the dispersion properties of the reinforcement in the matrix phase. During the study, the effect of variation of feed rate, cutting speed and depth of cut on cutting forces and tool tip temperature has been studied. A total of 253 experiments were conducted using three different tool inserts polycrystalline diamond, cermet, and coated carbide under dry cutting conditions. Among the two components of the cutting force, it was noted that the primary cutting force was the largest. A full factorial response surface regression model has been developed and it is found that the regression model can predict cutting force and temperature with fair accuracy.

Optimisation of Polyphenols Extraction from Wild Bilberry Leaves-Antimicrobial Properties and Stability Studies.

Polyphenolic extracts from natural sources have received great interest due to their beneficial properties for human health. A method to reduce their variability is to use the design of experiments which allows a limited number of experiments to be performed while exploring the experimental space. Firstly, a 23-full factorial model was used to investigate the polyphenols extraction from wild bilberry leaves. Spectrophotometric data (the content of polyphenols, flavonoids, chlorophyll and radical scavenger activity) and extraction yield were used as responses, and six statistical models were determined depending on the two numerical factors (temperature and alcohol % of ethanol-water mixture) being significant (p < 0.05) in all cases. Numerical optimisation performed by Design Expert 13 software correlates well with the chemical profile determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and the amount of the polyphenol. Afterwards, under the optimised conditions, an extract was prepared in three extraction steps for which composition, chemical stability and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. The antimicrobial potential of the extract was compared with that of the standard compounds (rutin and chlorogenic acid), and the results supported a synergistic effect of the extract components.

Mediating Factorial Model of Corporate Image in the Face of COVID-19

Mediating Factorial Model of Corporate Image in the Face of COVID-19

Optimization of Energy Consumption Prediction Model of Food Factory based on LSTM for Application to FEMS

Optimization of Energy Consumption Prediction Model of Food Factory based on LSTM for Application to FEMS

Understanding variation in prospective poor decoders: A person-centred approach from kindergarten to Grade 2.

In the present study, we aimed to clarify variation in prospective poor decoders by studying the development of their word decoding skills during the first 1½ years of formal reading education and their unique pre-reading profiles before the onset of formal reading education. Using structural equation modelling and a factorial mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA), we found autoregression and growth in the word decoding efficiency of prospective poor decoders (n = 90) and matched prospective adequate decoders (n = 90) in first and second grade. However, the gap between the two groups widened over time. Next, we zoomed in on the group of poor decoders by retrospectively studying their individual variation regarding cognitive and linguistic pre-reading skills. Using latent profile analysis, we found three distinct pre-reading profiles: (1) Poor PA, Letter Knowledge, RAN, and Verbal STM; (2) Poor PA and Letter Knowledge; and (3) Poor RAN. Together, these findings suggest that reading difficulties emerge at the intersection of multiple risk factors which can be detected in kindergarten, and that these reading problems persist throughout early reading education.

Exploratory Factorial Model of Corporate Governance around Vocational Training

Exploratory Factorial Model of Corporate Governance around Vocational Training

Centralized Regime Gaining Information Capacity: Can China Approach Innovation Frontiers?

ABSTRACT Why does the Chinese government have unsatisfactory policy performance in frontier innovation compared to its extraordinary achievements in the world factory model? Since the perspective of political system cannot provide an effective explanation, this article looks at this phenomenon from the viewpoint of information capacity. This article argues, the Chinese state has insufficient information capacity to promote frontier innovation—it has not developed an effective system to seize enough information through industrial practice to forge policies for frontier innovation. With the market-oriented reforms, the Chinese government has abandoned a top-down administrative coordinative system to organize science and technology (S&T) activities, and employed more market-oriented innovation policies. This article quantitatively assesses three main types of innovation policies, showing that the Chinese government has not achieved its expected goals of promoting frontier innovation. Interviews and long-term observations prove that the Chinese government lacks professional and penetrating capacities to seize and interpret information through industrial practice, and to effectively formulate and implement innovation policies—especially those aiming at frontier technologies with more complex information. This article sheds light on the relationship between the state and the market in the new era and state capacity building for technology and industrial policies.