Evaluation and Prognostics of the Higher Education Based on Neural Network and AHP-PLS Structural Equations

As a subsystem of society,higher education is an inevitable choice to meet the political and economic development of a country.Research of the higher education evaluation system is of great significance to the development of society.In this paper,a backpropagation(BP)neural network model is established to predict the future development scale of higher education.The analytic hierarchy process(AHP)method and partial least squares regression(PLS)structural equations were used to verify the scientificity and feasibility of the model.BP neural network has strong nonlinear mapping capabilities,and it is capable of the prognostics.It performed well on issues with more complicated internal mechanisms.Through experimental simulations,it is found that the BP neural network model has a good fit when making predictions and the relative error is less than 3%,which shows that the prediction results obtained with this model have high reliability.

Structural Equation and Mei Conserved Quantity of Mei Symmetry for Appell Equations in Holonomic Systems with Unilateral Constraints

Structural equation and Mei conserved quantity of Mei symmetry for Appell equations in holonomic systems with unilateral constraints are investigated. Appell equations and differential equations of motion for holonomie mechanic systems with unilateral constraints axe established. The definition and the criterion of Mei symmetry for Appell equations in holonomic systems with unilateral constraints under the infinitesimal transformations of groups axe also given. The expressions of the structural equation and Mei conserved quantity of Mei symmetry for Appell equations in holonomic systems with unilateral constraints expressed by Appell functions are obtained. An example is given to illustrate the application of the results.

A practical guideline for univariate meta-analytic structural equation modelling

Background:Meta-analysis is a quantitative approach that systematically integrates results from previous research to draw conclusions.Structural equation modelling is a statistical method that integrates factor analysis and path analysis.Meta-analytic structural equation modeling(MASEM)combines meta-analysis and structural equation modeling.It allows researchers to explain relationships among a group of variables across multiple studies.Methods:We used a simulated dataset to conduct a univariate MASEM analysis,using Comprehensive Meta Analysis 3.3,Analysis of Moment Structures 24.0 software.Results:Despite the lack of concise literature on the methodology,our study provided a practical step-by-step guide on univariate MASEM.Conclusion:Researchers can employ MASEM analysis in applicable fields based on the description,principles,and practices expressed in this study and our previous publications mentioned in this study.

Measurement Research Based on Bayesian Structural Equation Cognitive Model

The Bayesian structural equation model integrates the principles of Bayesian statistics, providing a more flexible and comprehensive modeling framework. In exploring complex relationships between variables, handling uncertainty, and dealing with missing data, the Bayesian structural equation model demonstrates unique advantages. Therefore, Bayesian methods are used in this paper to establish a structural equation model of innovative talent cognition, with the measurement of college students’ cognition of innovative talent being studied. An in-depth analysis is conducted on the effects of innovative self-efficacy, social resources, innovative personality traits, and school education, aiming to explore the factors influencing college students’ innovative talent. The results indicate that innovative self-efficacy plays a key role in perception, social resources are significantly positively correlated with the perception of innovative talents, innovative personality tendencies and school education are positively correlated with the perception of innovative talents, but the impact is not significant.

A Survey Study on TPACK Framework for Normal Students of English Major in Ethnic Colleges and Universities:Empirical Analysis Based on Structural Equation Modeling

With the continuous advancement of education informatization,Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge(TPACK),as a new theoretical framework,provides a novel method for measuring teachers’informatization teaching ability.This study takes normal students of English majors from three ethnic universities as the research object,collects relevant data through questionnaires,and uses structural equation modeling to conduct data analysis and empirical research to investigate the differences in the TPACK levels of these students at different grades and the structural relationships among the elements in the TPACK structure.The technological pedagogical knowledge element of the TPACK structure was not obtained by exploratory factors analysis but through path analysis and structural equation modeling,the results show that the one-dimensional core knowledge of technological knowledge(TK),content knowledge(CK),and pedagogical knowledge(PK)have a positive effect on the two-dimensional interaction knowledge of technological content knowledge(TCK)and pedagogical content knowledge(PCK);furthermore,TCK and PCK have a positive effect on TPACK;and TK,CK,and PK indirectly affect TPACK through TCK and PCK.On this basis,suggestions are provided to ethnic colleges and universities to develop the TPACK knowledge competence of normal students of English majors.

Coupling Relationship Analysis on Households′ Production Behaviors and Their Influencing Factors in Nature Reserves:A Structural Equation Model

A households′production behavior directly influences the quality of the environment and determines the successful development of nature reserves.Meanwhile,the households′production behaviors are complicated by interrelated factors,such as protection attitudes,resource endowment,and family wealth.This research evaluated households near the Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province,acquiring data from 436 households around Yang County and Ningshan County in the south slope of Qinling Mountains,China.Based on the collected data,we developed a structural equation model to evaluate the coupling relationships among households′ protection attitudes,production behaviors,resource endowment,and family wealth.The results showed that:1) households with great resource endowment had more negative attitudes,probably due to their greater protection costs;2) the households with higher education levels had worse protection attitudes;3) the households with more family wealth were likely to use fewer fertilizers,pesticides,and firewood;4) the households with more resource endowment showed less production and management behaviors;5) the enhancement of households' attitudes improved production behaviors to protection the environment,but the effects were not statistically significant.Our results provide a basis for the government's protection policy making,exploring the effective management measures that are beneficial for both nature reserve management and community development.

Investigation of the role of personal factors on work injury in underground mines using structural equation modeling

Work injuries in mines are complex and generally characterized by several factors starting from personal to technical and technical to social characteristics.In this paper,investigation was made through the application of structural equation modeling to study the nature of relationships between the influencing/associating personal factors and work injury and their sequential relationships leading towards work injury occurrences in underground coal mines.Six variables namely,rebelliousness,negative affectivity,job boredom,job dissatisfaction and work injury were considered in this study.Instruments were developed to quantify them through a questionnaire survey.Underground mine workers were randomly selected for the survey.Responses from 300 participants were used for the analysis.The structural model of LISREL was used to estimate the interrelationships amongst the variables.The case study results show that negative affectivity and job boredom induce more job dissatisfaction to the workers whereas risk taking attitude of the individual is positively influenced by job dissatisfaction as well as by rebelliousness characteristics of the individual.Finally,risk taking and job dissatisfaction are having positive significant direct relationship with work injury.The findings of this study clearly reveal that rebelliousness,negative affectivity and job boredom are the three key personal factors influencing work related injuries in mines that need to be addressed properly through effective safety programs.

Research on the Structural Rigidity Characteristics of a Reconfigurable TBM Thrust Mechanism

To improve the adaptability of TBMs in diverse geological environments,this paper proposes a reconfigurable Type-V thrust mechanism(V-TM)with rearrangeable working states,in which structural stiffness can be automatically altered during operation.Therefore,millions of configurations can be obtained,and thousands of instances of working status per configuration can be set respectively.Nonetheless,the complexity of configurations and diversity of working states contributes to further complications for the structural stiffness algorithm.This results in challenges such as difficulty calculating the payload compliance index and the environment adaptability index.To solve this problem,we use the configuration matrix to describe the relationship between propelling jacks under reconfiguration and adopt pattern vectors to describe the working state of each hydraulic cylinder.Then,both the dynamic compatible equation between propeller forces of the hydraulic cylinders and driving forces,and the kinematic harmonizing equation between the hydraulic cylinder displacements and their deformations are established.Next,we derive the stiffness analytical equation using Hooke’s law and the Jacobian Matrix.The proposed approach provides an effective algorithm to support structural rigidity analysis,and lays a solid theoretical foundation for calculating the performance indexes of the V-TM.We then analyze the rigidity characteristics of typical configurations under different working states,and obtain the main factors affecting structural stiffness of the V-TM.The results show the deviation degree of structural parameters in hydraulic cylinders within the same group,and the working status of propelling jacks.Finally,our constructive conclusions contribute valuable information for matching and optimization by drawing on the factors that affect the structural rigidity of the V-TM.

A type of conserved quantity of Mei symmetry of Nielsen equations for a holonomic system

A type of structural equation and conserved quantity which are directly induced by Mei symmetry of Nielsen equations for a holonomic system are studied. Under the infinitesimal transformation of the groups, from the definition and the criterion of Mei symmetry, a type of structural equation and conserved quantity for the system by proposition 2 are obtained, and the inferences in two special cases are given. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the application of the results.

A type of new conserved quantity deduced from Mei symmetry for Nielsen equations in a holonomic system with unilateral constraints

A type of new conserved quantity deduced from Mei symmetry for Nielsen equations in a holonomic system with unilateral constraints is investigated. Nielsen equations and differential equations of motion for the holonomic mechanical system with unilateral constraints are established. The definition and the criterion of Mei symmetry for Nielsen equations in the holonomic systems with unilateral constraints under the infinitesimal transformations of Lie group are also given. The expressions of the structural equation and a type of new conserved quantity of Mei symmetry for Nielsen equations in the holonomic system with unilateral constraints are obtained. An example is given to illustrate the application of the results.

Factors influencing the internet banking adoption decision in North Cyprus: an evidence from the partial least square approach of the structural equation modeling

Purpose:This paper aims to examine how the adoption decision of the internet banking in North Cyprus would be affected based on the following dimensions;the technology features,the personal characteristics,the social environment and the expected risk.Design/methodology/approach:A self-administered survey was conducted with 291 participants responded to it.The partial least square approach of the structural equation modeling(PLS-SEM)is employed to investigate the direct effects of the proposed factors on the adoption decision.Additionally,the mediation test is used to examine indirect effects.Findings:Results showed that even though the participants appreciated the benefits of the online banking as the perceived usefulness factor exerts the greatest direct effect,they would rather use clear and easy-to-use websites,adding to that their assessments of the usefulness of these services are significantly influenced by the surrounding people’s views and prior experience.This is demonstrated by the total effects of the perceived ease of use and the subjective norm factors,which are greater than the direct effect of the perceived usefulness factor since both of these factors have significant direct and indirect effects mediated by the perceived usefulness factor.The negative impact of the perceived risk factor is weak compared to the previous factors.While the personal innovativeness factor showed the weakest effect among the proposed factors.

Quality Management Model for Phase I Clinical Drug Trials:A Structural Equation Model

This study aimed to construct a quality management model for phase I clinical drug trials.A cross-sectional survey was conducted and data were collected from 604 respondents at 69 institutions in China engaged in phase I clinical drug trials.Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop the survey tool.Structural equation modeling was used to construct a quality management model for phase I clinical drug trials.The results showed that the final survey tool had good reliability and validity(Cronbach’sα=0.938,root mean square error of approximation=0.074,comparative fit index=0.962,and Tucker—Lewis index=0.955).The model included five dimensions:government regulation,industry management,medical institution management,research team management,and contract research organization(CRO)management.In total,22 measurement items were obtained.The structural equation model indicated government regulation,industry management,medical institution management,and CRO management significantly affected the quality of phase I clinical drug trials(β=0.195,β=0.331,β=0.279,andβ=−0.267,respectively;P<0.05).Research team management had no effect on the quality of trials(β=0.041,P=0.610).In conclusion,the model is valuable for identifying factors influencing phase I clinical drug trials and guiding quality management practices.

A structural relationship between place attachment and intention to conserve landscapes–a case study of Harz National Park in Germany

Place attachment is an important motivation for people to spend more time outdoors and to protect landscapes.This study explores visitors' intention to conserve natural landscapes based on the relationship with their place attachment to National Park landscape. Structural equation modelling(SEM) was used to determine the relationship between landscape conservation and place attachment. A survey with a structured questionnaire was administered to visitors to the seven designated hiking courses of Harz National Park in Germany. The path coefficient of 0.77 revealed that place dependence positively and significantly affected place attachment, whereas place identity did not. Place attachment had a significant effect on both affective appraisals and visiting satisfaction. Higher place attachment led to higher emotional reaction to landscapes on site and higher satisfaction of visiting the park. Among the variables, visiting satisfaction, but not affective appraisals, played a statistically significant mediating role between place attachment and conservation intention. With a path coefficient of 0.86, conservation intention was highly affected by visiting satisfaction. These results suggest that the managers of National Parks should focus on increasing visiting satisfaction based on how visitors are emotionally bonded with their visiting places, in order to enhance the intentions to conserve the landscape of the visitors to National Parks.

Structural equation modeling analysis of factors influencing architects' trust in project design teams

This paper describes a structural equation modeling （SEM） analysis of factors influencing architects＇ trust in project design teams. We undertook a survey of architects, during which we distributed 193 questionnaires in 29 A-level architectural design institutes selected radomly from the altogether 59 ones in Shenzhen, P. R. China, and received 130 valid questionnaires. We used Amos 6.0 for SEM to identify significant personal construct based factors affecting interpersonal trust. The results show that only social interaction between architects significantly affects their interpersonal trust. The explained variance of trus~ is not very high in the model. Therefore, future research should add more factors into the current model. The practical implication is that team managers should promote the social interactions between team members such that the interpersonal trust level between team members can be improved.

Application of Structural Equation Modeling to Evaluate Service Quality of Sportswear Retailing

Structural Equation Modeling （SEM） used widely in sociology, economics and psychology is adopted. Based on data obtained from marketing research, and using statistical analysis software SPSSll. 0 and LISRELS. 7, Theory of Five Dimensions of service quality is proved to be suitable in sportswear retailing in China. It analyzes the relationship among five dimensions and puts them in order of importance as to service quality in sportswear retailing. Advices are given for sportswear retail companies to improve their .Service quality and enhance customer loyalty.

Linking Structural Equation Modeling with Bayesian Network and Its Application to Coastal Phytoplankton Dynamics in the Bohai Bay

Bayesian networks （BN） have many advantages over other methods in ecological modeling, and have become an increasingly popular modeling tool. However, BN are flawed in regard to building models based on inadequate existing knowledge. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new method that links BN with structural equation modeling （SEM）. In this method, SEM is used to improve the model structure for BN. This method was used to simulate coastal phytoplankton dynamics in the Bohai Bay. We demonstrate that this hybrid approach minimizes the need for expert elicitation, generates more reasonable structures for BN models, and increases the BN model＇s accuracy and reliability. These results suggest that the inclusion of SEM for testing and verifying the theoretical structure during the initial construction stage improves the effectiveness of BN models, especially for complex eco-environment systems. The results also demonstrate that in the Bohai Bay, while phytoplankton biomass has the greatest influence on phytoplankton dynamics, the impact of nutrients on phytoplankton dynamics is larger than the influence of the physical environment in summer. Furthermore, although the Redfield ratio indicates that phosphorus should be the primary nutrient limiting factor, our results show that silicate plays the most important role in regulating phytoplankton dynamics in the Bohai Bay.

Calculation of the structural properties of a strange quark star in the presence of a strong magnetic field using a density dependent bag constant

We have calculated the structural properties of a strange quark star with a static model in the presence of a strong magnetic field. To this end, we use the MIT bag model with a density dependent bag constant. To parameterize the density dependence of the bag constant, we have used our results for the lowest order constrained variational calculation of the asymmetric nuclear matter. By calculating the equation of state of strange quark matter, we have shown that the pressure of this system increases by increasing both density and magnetic field. Finally, we have investigated the effect of density dependence of the bag constant on the structural properties of a strange quark star.

A Structural Equation Model of Residents' Support for Mega Event

The aim of this article is to develop a structural equation model to assess key factors of residents' support for hosting mega event based on previous literature.The model consisted of five latent constructs and eight path hypotheses.A survey was conducted in Shanghai before 2010 World Expo.It was found that the support for mega events is affected directly and/or indirectly by four determinants factors:perceived benefits,perceived costs,personal benefits and community attachment,and support relies heavily on perceived benefits rather than costs.This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in an attempt to understand local residents' support for a mega event in different economic and cultural settings.

A Re-Parametrization-Based Bayesian Differential Analysis Algorithm for Gene Regulatory Networks Modeled with Structural Equation Models

Under different conditions,gene regulatory networks(GRNs)of the same gene set could be similar but different.The differential analysis of GRNs under different conditions is important for understanding condition-specific gene regulatory relationships.In a naive approach,existing GRN inference algorithms can be used to separately estimate two GRNs under different conditions and identify the differences between them.However,in this way,the similarities between the pairwise GRNs are not taken into account.Several joint differential analysis algorithms have been proposed recently,which were proved to outperform the naive approach apparently.In this paper,we model the GRNs under different conditions with structural equation models(SEMs)to integrate gene expression data and genetic perturbations,and re-parameterize the pairwise SEMs to form an integrated model that incorporates the differential structure.Then,a Bayesian inference method is used to make joint differential analysis by solving the integrated model.We evaluated the performance of the proposed re-parametrization-based Bayesian differential analysis(ReBDA)algorithm by running simulations on synthetic data with different settings.The performance of the ReBDA algorithm was demonstrated better than another state-of-the-art joint differential analysis algorithm for SEMs ReDNet obviously.In the end,the ReBDA algorithm was applied to make differential analysis on a real human lung gene data set to illustrate its applicability and practicability.

Structural Dimensions Analysis of Service Employees' Innovation Behavior Based on Structural Equation Model

In order to know about the essence of service employees' innovation behavior, the service employees' innovation behavior scale based on their unique characteristics is designed. Data were collected from high-star hospitalities. Through the issuance and the collection of questionnaires, the scale is verified to have good reliability and validity by SPSS software analysis. Meanwhile,the structural equation model( SEM) is suited for testing structural dimensions of service employees' innovation behavior. The results showed that service employees' innovation behavior could be decomposed into a four-dimensional structure,namely innovation orientation, ideas generation, innovation implementation and innovation practice. In addition,there are significant differences in service employees' innovation behavior about subjects' gender,position,education background and years of working.