Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a versatile multivariate statistical technique, and applications have been increasing since its introduction in the 1980s. This paper provides a critical review ...of 84 articles involving the use of SEM to address construction related problems over the period 1998–2012 including, but not limited to, seven top construction research journals. After conducting a yearly publication trend analysis, it is found that SEM applications have been accelerating over time. However, there are inconsistencies in the various recorded applications and several recurring problems exist. The important issues that need to be considered are examined in research design, model development and model evaluation and are discussed in detail with reference to current applications. A particularly important issue concerns the construct validity. Relevant topics for efficient research design also include longitudinal or cross-sectional studies, mediation and moderation effects, sample size issues and software selection. A guideline framework is provided to help future researchers in construction SEM applications.
•The basic concepts of SEM and its applications in construction research are introduced.•Critical issues from research design to model evaluation are discussed.•SEM applications in the construction are analyzed quantitatively.•Guidelines are provided for handling SEM correctly.
Recently, model-predictive torque control (MPTC) has been introduced as a powerful control method for induction motor drives. However, the weighting factor for stator flux must be tuned carefully to ...obtain satisfactory performance at different operation points. Unfortunately, so far the tuning of weighting factor in MPTC is mostly based on an empirical procedure. This paper solves this problem by proposing a model-predictive flux control (MPFC), which uses the stator flux vector as the control variable and eliminates the complicated prediction of stator current at k + 2 instant. As a result, the weighting factor in conventional MPTC is eliminated, and the control complexity is significantly reduced. Both MPTC and MPFC are tested and compared in detail, including steady-state performance, dynamic response, and low-speed operation. The simulation and experimental results prove that the performance of conventional MPTC is dependent on the weighting factor, and the improper weighting factor would lead to significant performance deterioration. On the contrary, the proposed MPFC achieves similar or even better overall performance over a wide speed range with very low tuning work. Hence, it is concluded that the proposed MPFC is more practical than conventional MPTC.
Global climate change is one of the most significant environmental impacts at the moment. One central issue for the building and construction industry to address global climate change is the ...development of credible carbon labelling schemes for building materials. Various carbon labelling schemes have been developed for concrete due to its high contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, as most carbon labelling schemes adopt cradle-to-gate as system boundary, the credibility of the eco-label information may not be satisfactory because recent studies show that the use and end-of-life phases can have a significant impact on the life cycle GHG emissions of concrete in terms of carbonation, maintenance and rehabilitation, other indirect emissions, and recycling activities. A comprehensive review on the life cycle assessment of concrete is presented to holistically examine the importance of use and end-of-life phases to the life cycle GHG quantification of concrete. The recent published ISO 14067: Carbon footprint of products – requirements and guidelines for quantification and communication also mandates the use of cradle-to-grave to provide publicly available eco-label information when the use and end-of-life phases of concrete can be appropriately simulated. With the support of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other simulation technologies, the contribution of use and end-of-life phases to the life cycle GHG emissions of concrete should not be overlooked in future studies.
Diagnostic delay of tumor induced osteomalacia (TIO) is common in clinic practice. To investigate the diagnostic condition of TIO in China and raise clinicians’ awareness of TIO, we retrospectively ...analyzed clinical manifestations, biochemical features, and specially evaluated missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses among 144 TIO patients from Peking Union Medical College Hospital during December 1982 to December 2014. Clinical presentations of TIO mainly included bone pain, difficulty in walking, pathological fractures, muscle weakness, and height loss. TIO patients demonstrated hypophosphatemia (0.48±0.13 mmol/L), elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (277.9±152.6 U/L), reduced tubular maximum for phosphorus/glomerular filtration rate (0.39±0.14) and markedly elevated serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) (median level 302.9 pg/mL). The average time from onset to a correct diagnosis was 2.9±2.3 years while the mean duration from onset to tumor resection was 5.4±4.2 years. The initial misdiagnosis rate was 95.1% (137/144) and 240 case-times of misdiagnoses occurred among the 144 cases. The most frequent misdiagnoses were intervertebral disc herniation, spondyloarthritis (including ankylosing spondylitis) and osteoporosis. A total of 43.1% (62/144) cases with hypophosphatemia presented on their laboratory sheets were neglected and missed diagnosed. Our study showed that TIO was frequently misdiagnosed and missed diagnosed due to its rarity, insidious onset, nonspecific clinical manifestations and clinicians’ poor recognition. It is necessary to test serum phosphorus in patients with musculoskeletal symptoms and difficulty in walking. The measurement of serum FGF23 is rather valuable. Once hypophosphatemia is discovered, TIO should be suspected and it is highly recommended to search for tumors and perform curative surgery.
The supramolecular solvent (SUPRAS) has garnered significant attention as an innovative, efficient, and environmentally friendly solvent for the effective extraction and separation of bioactive ...compounds from natural resources. However, research on the use of a SUPRAS for the extraction of phenolic compounds from plants, which are highly valued in food products due to their exceptional antioxidant properties, remains scarce. The present study developed a green, ultra-sound-assisted SUPRAS method for the simultaneous determination of three phenolic acids in
using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The experimental parameters were meticulously optimized. The efficiency and antioxidant properties of the phenolic compounds obtained using different extraction methods were also compared. Under optimal conditions, the extraction efficiency of the SUPRAS, prepared with octanoic acid reverse micelles dispersed in ethanol-water, significantly exceeded that of conventional organic solvents. Moreover, the SUPRAS method demonstrated greater antioxidant capacity. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images revealed the spherical droplet structure of the SUPRAS, characterized by a well-defined circular fluorescence position, which coincided with the position of the phenolic acids. The phenolic acids were encapsulated within the SUPRAS droplets, indicating their efficient extraction capacity. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations combined with CLSM supported the proposed method's mechanism and theoretically demonstrated the superior extraction performance of the SUPRAS. In contrast to conventional methods, the higher extraction efficiency of the SUPRAS can be attributed to the larger solvent contact surface area, the formation of more types of hydrogen bonds between the extractants and the supramolecular solvents, and stronger, more stable interaction forces. The results of the theoretical studies corroborate the experimental outcomes.
Excess alcohol exposure leads to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Pueraria lobata (PUE) and Silybum marianum (SIL) are two well-known hepatoprotective herbal remedies with various activities. The ...possible effect of combination of PUE and SIL on ALD has not been elucidated yet.
We aimed to demonstrate that the combination of PUE and SIL prevents against alcoholic liver injury in mice using a model of chronic-plus-single-binge ethanol feeding.
Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8–10), namely the control group (CON), ethanol-induced liver injury group (ETH), 150 mg/kg PUE treated group (PUE), 60 mg/kg SIL treated group (SIL), 210 mg/kg PUE+SIL treatment group (PUE+SIL). Except control group, all animals were fed a modified Lieber-DeCarli ethanol liquid diet for 10 days. While, control group received Lieber-DeCarli control diet containing isocaloric maltose dextrin substituted for ethanol. On day 11, the mice orally received a single dose of 31.5% (v/v) ethanol (5 g/kg BW) or an isocaloric maltose solution.
Ethanol exposure caused liver injury, as demonstrated by remarkably increased plasma parameters, histopathological changes, the increased lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammation in liver. These alterations were ameliorated by the treatments of PUE, SIL and PUE+SIL. While, the PUE+SIL treatment showed the most effective protection, which was associated with reducing alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis via upregulating LKB1/AMPK/ACC signaling, and inhibiting hepatic inflammation via LPS-triggered TLR4-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway. Our results also indicated that the hepatoprotective effects of SIL+PUE might mainly attribute to the protection of SIL and PUE alone in alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis and hepatic inflammation, respectively.
These findings also suggest that the combination of PUE and SIL has a potential to be developed as a functional food for the management of ALD.
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Tumor‐induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome caused by mesenchymal tumors that secrete fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). Patients present with progressive bone pain, muscle ...weakness, and fragility fractures. TIO is characterized by hypophosphatemia, excess renal phosphate excretion, and low/inappropriately normal 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) levels. Rarity and enigmatic clinical presentation of TIO contribute to limited awareness among the medical community. Accordingly, appropriate diagnostic tests may not be requested, leading to delayed diagnosis and poorer patient outcomes. We have developed a global guidance document to improve the knowledge of TIO in the medical community, enabling the recognition of patients with TIO and appropriate referral. We provide recommendations aiding diagnosis, referral, and treatment, helping promote a global standard of patient management. We reviewed the literature and conducted a three‐round Delphi survey of TIO experts. Statements were drafted based on published evidence and expert opinions (≥70% consensus required for final recommendations). Serum phosphate should be measured in patients presenting with chronic muscle pain or weakness, fragility fractures, or bone pain. Physical examination should establish features of myopathy and identify masses that could be causative tumors. Priority laboratory evaluations should include urine/serum phosphate and creatinine to assess renal tubular reabsorption of phosphate and TmP/GFR, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, 1,25(OH)2D, and FGF23. Patients with the clinical/biochemical suspicion of TIO should be referred to a specialist for diagnosis confirmation, and functional imaging should be used to localize causative tumor(s). Recommended treatment is tumor resection or, with unresectable/unidentifiable tumors, phosphate salts plus active vitamin D, or burosumab.
Objective
To investigate the potential mechanism of the effect of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on prostate volume (PV) and the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)/lower urinary tract symptoms ...(LUTS) and the relationships of MetS and the major pathogenic factors of MetS with the clinical progression of BPH/LUTS in older Chinese men.
Subjects and Methods
We analyzed clinical data obtained from 506 ostensibly healthy men who underwent routine health check‐ups and recruited 415 subjects from a group of previously studied men after 4 years. We evaluated the associations of major pathological factors of MetS, including insulin resistance, subclinical inflammatory state, and sex hormone changes, with PV, the risk of BPH and the clinical progression of BPH/LUTS by using multiple linear regression and logistic regression.
Results
After adjustment for age, insulin, HOMA (homeostatic model assessment) index, leptin, resistin, adiponectin, C‐reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), sex hormone‐binding globulin, and testosterone levels were significantly associated with PV (all P < .05), and in the age‐adjusted logistic regression model, positive associations of resistin and TNF‐α with BPH/LUTS were found (OR, 1.662, P = .007 and OR, 1.044, P < .001, respectively). Predictors of BPH/LUTS clinical progression were significantly correlated with MetS and TNF‐α. The group with higher TNF‐α levels had a higher rate of newly diagnosed BPH (9.5% vs 19.1%, P = .006) and a greater increase in PV levels (0.61 ± 0.08 vs 1.09 ± 0.35 cm3, P <.001) after 4 years.
Conclusions
MetS and its pathological factors were associated with an increased PV and an increased risk of BPH/LUTS that is more prone to clinical progression. TNF‐α may serve as an early biological indicator to identify which patients with BPH/LUTS are at higher risk of unfavorable outcomes.
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