scholarly journals Indirect drivers of plant diversity-productivity relationship in semiarid sandy grasslands

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1277-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. A. Zuo ◽  
J. M. H. Knops ◽  
X. Y. Zhao ◽  
H. L. Zhao ◽  
T. H. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Wet Meadow ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Sandy Grasslands

Abstract. Although patterns between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity have been much studied, a consistent relationship has not yet emerged. Differing patterns between plant diversity and productivity have been observed in response to spatial variability of environmental factors and vegetation composition. In this study, we measured vegetation cover, plant diversity, productivity, soil properties and site characteristics along an environmental gradient (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, fixed dune, dry meadow, wet meadow and flood plain grasslands) of natural sandy grasslands in semiarid areas of northern China. We used multivariate analysis to examine the relationships between environmental factors, vegetation composition, plant diversity and productivity. We found a positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity. Vegetation composition aggregated by the ordination technique of non-metric multidimensional scaling had also a significantly positive correlation with plant diversity and productivity. Environmental gradients in relation to soil and topography affected the distribution patterns of vegetation composition, species diversity and productivity. However, environmental gradients were a better determinant of vegetation composition and productivity than of plant diversity. Structural equation modeling suggested that environmental factors determine vegetation composition, which in turn independently drives both plant diversity and productivity. Thus, the positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is indirectly driven by vegetation composition, which is determined by environmental gradients in soil and topography.

scholarly journals A positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is indirectly caused by environmental factors driving spatial pattern of vegetation composition in semiarid sandy grassland

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 11795-11825
Author(s):  
X. A. Zuo ◽  
J. M. H. Knops ◽  
X. Y. Zhao ◽  
H. L. Zhao ◽  
Y. Q. Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Wet Meadow ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Environment Gradients

Abstract. Although patterns between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity have been much studied, a consistent relationship has not yet emerged. Several different patterns have been observed both naturally and experimentally, likely caused by spatial variability of environmental factors and vegetation composition. In this study, we measured the vegetation cover, plant diversity, productivity, soil properties and site characteristics along an environment gradient of natural sandy grasslands (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, fixed dune, dry meadow, wet meadow and flood plain grassland) in a semiarid area of Northern China. We used multivariate analysis to examine the relationships between environment factors, vegetation composition, plant diversity and productivity. We found a positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity. Vegetation composition had also a significantly positive correlation with plant diversity and productivity. Environment gradients in relation to soil properties and topography features affected the distribution patterns of species diversity, vegetation composition and productivity. However, environment gradients are a better determiner for vegetation composition and productivity than for species diversity. The analysis from optimization model of structural equation suggests that environmental factors determine vegetation composition, which in turn drives independently both plant diversity and productivity. Thus the positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is not direct, but indirectly driven by the spatial pattern of vegetation composition determined by environment gradients in soil and topography.

Effect of Environmental Factors on Knowledge Sharing in Construction Organization

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katun M. Idris ◽  
Kherun N. Ali ◽  
Godwin U. Aliagha ◽  
Ali Keyvanfar
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Managerial Leadership ◽  
Leadership Strategy ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
Strategy Planning ◽  
Construction Organization

The processes of environmental factors are milieu-focus, which  can influence the knowledge sharing in construction organization. This study examines the possible effect of environmental factors in respect to managerial leadership, strategy/planning and culture on the relationship to the knowledge sharing.  The study was carried out on project managers in construction organizations in Nigeria using a stratified random sample of 323 of  different designations. A hypothesized model of knowledge sharing, and environmental factors was tested using structural equation modeling approach, and a proposed model was therefore developed. All the factor loadings were significant, leading to a prudent model achievement. The study serves as a guide to the construction managers for sharing knowledge in the construction organization. The finding indicated that environmental factors demonstrated significant influence on knowledge sharing. 

scholarly journals Structural equation modeling of PAHs in ambient air, dust fall, soil, and cabbage in vegetable bases of Northern China

2018 ◽  
Vol 239 ◽  
pp. 13-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
YunHui Zhang ◽  
DeYi Hou ◽  
GuanNan Xiong ◽  
YongHong Duan ◽  
ChuanYang Cai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Dust Fall

Investigating the adoption of social media in the construction industry: empirical evidence from project teams in China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guofeng Ma ◽  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Jianyao Jia
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Content Type

PurposeA lack of reliable and effective communication tools poses major barriers impeding the performance of construction projects consisting of diverse participants. Although some construction project teams (CPTs) begin to apply social media (SM) as an available approach for project management the entire mechanism of SM adoption in this specific context remains understudied. Therefore, this study aims to adopt a CPT's lens to investigate the critical antecedents and associated effects underlying SM adoption in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) theory, a conceptual model was proposed and tested by empirical data collected from 159 CPTs in China. Structural equation modeling technique was employed for data analysis.FindingsThe results demonstrate that all the five extracted TOE-based antecedents including two technological factors (i.e. compatibility and expected cost), one organizational factor (i.e. top management support) and two environmental factors (i.e. project partner collaboration and project fit) are crucial to the adoption of SM in CPTs. Besides, SM acceptance is found to mediate the relationships between organizational and environmental factors and SM use. Moreover, SM use significantly predicts the communication effectiveness of CPTs.Research limitations/implicationsA questionnaire study based on cross-sectional data from China may only unveil the logic of SM adoption in the context of Chinese construction industry within a shorter time interval. It is recommended that future research could develop longitudinal studies among various construction practitioners in different countries to further specify and generalize the current findings.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comprehensive understanding of SM adoption in the construction industry by exploring the preadoption antecedents and postadoption effects from the perspective of project teams. The empirical findings advance the current web-based project management literature and afford new insights for construction practitioners into better managing SM application to reap its full capabilities in projects.

scholarly journals Environmental Consciousness and Green Customer Behavior: The Moderating Roles of Incentive Mechanisms

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Te Ting ◽  
Chi-Ming Hsieh ◽  
Hsiao-Ping Chang ◽  
Han-Shen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Behavioral Control ◽  
Environmental Attitude ◽  
Incentive Mechanisms ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Green Hotel ◽  
The Relationship

Consumer awareness of environmental protection and energy conservation concepts has prompted businesses in the hotel industry to adopt green operations. Most studies of the hotel industry have discussed the behavioral intentions (BIs) of consumers based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), but they have not considered emotional and motivational factors. The present study incorporated two incentive mechanisms and the anticipated positive and negative emotions of consumers into the TPB to explore the relationship between BIs and green hotel development. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the research hypotheses. The results indicate that (1) a positive correlation exists between environmental attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), positive anticipated emotion, and desire intention (DI), and a negative correlation exists between negative anticipated emotions and DI; (2) a positive correlation exists between PBC, DI, and BI; and (3) an incentive mechanism has a moderating effect on the relationship between DI and BI.

scholarly journals Environmental variation mediates the prevalence and co-occurrence of parasites in the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara

BMC Ecology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Wu ◽  
Murielle Richard ◽  
Alexis Rutschmann ◽  
Donald B. Miles ◽  
Jean Clobert
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common

Abstract Background Hosts and their parasites are under reciprocal selection, leading to coevolution. However, parasites depend not only on a host, but also on the host’s environment. In addition, a single host species is rarely infested by a single species of parasite and often supports multiple species (i.e., multi-infestation). Although the arms race between a parasite and its host has been well studied, few data are available on how environmental conditions may influence the process leading to multiple infestations. In this study, we examine whether: (1) environmental factors including altitude, temperature, vegetation cover, human disturbance, and grazing by livestock affect the prevalence of two types of ectoparasites, mites and ticks, on their host (the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara) and (2) competition is evident between mites and ticks. Results We found the probability of mite infestation increased with altitude and vegetation cover, but decreased with human disturbance and presence of livestock. In contrast, the probability of tick infestation was inversely associated with the same factors. Individuals with low body condition and males had higher mite loads. However, this pattern was not evident for tick loads. The results from a structural equation model revealed that mites and ticks indirectly and negatively affected each other’s infestation probability through an interaction involving the environmental context. We detected a direct negative association between mites and ticks only when considering estimates of parasite load. This suggests that both mites and ticks could attach to the same host, but once they start to accumulate, only one of them takes advantage. Conclusion The environment of hosts has a strong effect on infestation probabilities and parasite loads of mites and ticks. Autecological differences between mites and ticks, as indicated by their opposing patterns along environmental gradients, may explain the pattern of weak contemporary interspecific competition. Our findings emphasize the importance of including environmental factors and the natural history of each parasite species in studies of host–parasite coevolution.

Child and Family Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Responses Following a Traumatic Medical Event: The Role of Medical Team Support

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1063-1073
Author(s):  
Yaara Sadeh ◽  
Rachel Dekel ◽  
Amichai Brezner ◽  
Jana Landa ◽  
Tamar Silberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Medical Team ◽  
Pediatric Injury

Abstract Objectives This study examined the contribution of pretrauma psychosocial factors (child emotional functioning, family resources, family functioning, and social support) and environmental factors (mother’s posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTSSs], medical team support [MTS]) to PTSSs of injured or seriously ill children within a pediatric rehabilitation setting. It was hypothesized that psychosocial variables would be strongly associated with child’s PTSS; that mother’s PTSS and MTS would mediate the association between psychosocial factors and child’s PTSS; that mother’s report on child’s PTSS would mediate the association between mother’s PTSS and child’s PTSS. Methods Participants were 196 children hospitalized following an injury/illness and assessed M = 47.7 days postevent. Children completed measures of PTSS, mothers completed measures of their own PTSS, child’s PTSS, and pretrauma psychosocial factors. Family’s therapist completed a MTS measure. Structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the study hypotheses. Results Pretrauma family structure and resources were associated with child’s self-reported PTSS; each pretrauma variable and mother’s report of child’s PTSS was significantly associated. Although mother’s PTSS was not directly associated with child’s PTSS, this relationship was mediated by mother’s report of child’s PTSS. MTS mediated the relationship between pretrauma social support and mother’s PTSS. Conclusion This study further explicates the utility of a biopsychosocial framework in predicting childhood PTSS. Findings confirm the role of pretrauma factors and environmental factors at the peritrauma period in the development of PTSS following a pediatric injury/illness. Mother’s PTSS and MTS may be appropriate targets for prevention and early intervention.

scholarly journals How Does Low Socioeconomic Status Increase Blood Lead Levelsin KoreanChildren?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunjung Kim ◽  
Ho-jang Kwon ◽  
Mina Ha ◽  
Ji-Ae Lim ◽  
Myung Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Blood Lead ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Korean Children ◽  
Low Socioeconomic

Although studies have shown that a low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with high blood lead levels (BLLs) in children, the mechanism underlying this observation is not well known. To determine how SES influences BLLs via environmental factors in Korean children, we conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of 4744 children aged 5–13 years. Questionnaires on sociodemographic information, environmental factors, and food consumption were administered to the children’s parents. BLLs in the study subjects were measured.The complete set of hypothesized associations was assessed using regression analysis and structural equation modeling. SES was associated with high BLLs. The total effects of nutritional factors, lead in the air and total length of nearby roads, and agriculture on BLLs were −0.062 (p < 0.001), 0.068 (p = 0.005), and 0.038 (p = 0.035), respectively. The direct effects of playing outdoors and SES on BLLs were 0.113 (p < 0.001) and −0.111 (p < 0.001), respectively. Although playing outdoors had a greater direct effect on BLLs than did SES, the total effect of SES (standardized β = −0.132, p < 0.001) was greater than that of other sources owing to indirect effects (β = −0.020, p = 0.004). A low SES was a major risk factor for elevated BLLs via environmental factors.

Mobile Customer Satisfaction Research Based on Structural Equation Model - Sampling of Student from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications

2013 ◽  
Vol 850-851 ◽  
pp. 990-993
Author(s):  
Jiao Zi Pang ◽  
Ye Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Sales Promotions ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Satisfaction Index ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
The Impact

This article studies the practical significance of Chinese Mobile operators improve customer satisfaction, conducts researches based on students of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, identifies the impact of mobile customer satisfaction index and uses structural equation modeling to identify the key dimensions that have impact on improving satisfaction. The results show that sales promotions, such as freebies, coupons and raffle have a positive correlation with mobile customer satisfaction, and customers prefer freebies among all kinds of sales promotions. This study also finds that customers personal values are positively correlated to sales promotions; however, there is no significant positive correlation between customers personal value and mobile customer satisfaction.

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