Exploring the effect of stakeholder relationship quality on technological innovation in off-site construction: the mediating role of the knowledge sharing

Off-site construction (OSC) is generally propagated as a sustainable and green construction method in the global construction industry. Over the past few decades, OSC has become famous worldwide for its numerous benefits. Technological innovation can speed up the development of OSC and has attracted a lot of attention from stakeholders who are promoting technological innovation by seeking collaborations. OSC is different from traditional manufacturing, and little effort has been spent on how the stakeholder relationship quality affects technological innovation. This study therefore makes efforts to explore the mechanism of how stakeholder relationship quality influences the OSC technological innovation and to explain the stakeholder relationship quality in terms of communication, trust, and commitment. This paper constructs a multidimensional hypothesis model consisting of five concepts: communication, trust, commitment, knowledge sharing, and technological innovation. A valid sample of 125 was collected through a questionnaire survey in mainland China. The sample data were dealt with and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLSSEM) to validate the proposed hypothesis model. The results reveal that trust and knowledge sharing affect technological innovation directly. Communication and commitment are not identified to have statistically significant influences on technological innovation in OSC. Communication, trust, and commitment positively contribute to knowledge sharing. Last, knowledge sharing completely and partially mediates between relationship quality and technological innovation. This study explores the impact of stakeholder relationship quality on OSC technological innovation and verifies the mediating role of knowledge sharing. These findings provide valuable theoretical guidance for OSC technological innovation and practical insights for stakeholders to promote technological innovation by enhancing relationship quality and knowledge sharing. First published online 13 December 202

LncRNA HOTAIR Regulates CCND1 and CCND2 Expression by Sponging miR-206 in Ovarian Cancer

Background/Aims: The long noncoding RNA homeobox (HOX) transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) has been demonstrated to be a vital modulator in the proliferation and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells, but its potential molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. In the current study, we aimed to uncover the biological role of lncRNA HOTAIR and its underlying regulatory mechanism in the progression and metastasis of ovarian cancer. Methods: HOTAIR expression was detected by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and northern blotting. The SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line was chosen for the subsequent assays. In addition, the molecular mRNA and protein expression levels were examined by qRT-PCR and western blotting. The competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism was validated by bioinformatics analysis and a dual luciferase reporter gene assay. Results: HOTAIR expression was significantly higher in ovarian carcinoma tissues and cell lines than in the control counterparts. Both CCND1 and CCND2 were downstream targets of miR-206. The inhibition of HOTAIR elevated the expression of miR-206 and inhibited the expression of CCND1 and CCND2. Moreover, CCND1 and CCND2 were highly expressed in ovarian cancer tissues, and their expression was positively correlated with HOTAIR expression. Finally, the functional assays indicated that the anticancer effects of miR-206 could be rescued by the simultaneous overexpression of either CCND1 or CCND2 in ovarian cancer. Conclusion: HOTAIR enhanced CCND1 and CCND2 expression by negatively modulating miR-206 expression and stimulating the proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells

Interface Management Performance Assessment Framework for Sustainable Prefabricated Construction

Prefabricated construction (PC) has been regarded as a sustainable construction method for its inherent advantages such as energy savings, emissions reductions, and cleaner and safer working environments. However, PC development has been hindered by its inherent weaknesses of fragmentation and discontinuity. Effective interface management (IM) is regarded as integral to PC project success for its appropriate management of numerous interfaces with high complexity and uncertainty among the organization, information, and logistics. Although some researchers mentioned the effectiveness of IM for PC projects, systematic assessment methods for IM performance are missing. This study aims to systematically develop a framework to assess the IM performance of PC projects to address this gap. Through a comprehensive literature review, nineteen indicators of IM performance were identified and grouped into four categories. By combining the objective weighting method of an ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator with the set pair analysis (SPA) method of uncertainty assessment, a nineteen-indicator assessment model was developed. Finally, a case study was constructed using the proposed framework, and the feasibility and applicability of the OWA-SPA model were proved. The assessment results provided by the assessment model could guide project managers for better IM and serve as a valuable reference for researchers in the construction industry

Interface Management Performance Assessment Framework for Sustainable Prefabricated Construction

Prefabricated construction (PC) has been regarded as a sustainable construction method for its inherent advantages such as energy savings, emissions reductions, and cleaner and safer working environments. However, PC development has been hindered by its inherent weaknesses of fragmentation and discontinuity. Effective interface management (IM) is regarded as integral to PC project success for its appropriate management of numerous interfaces with high complexity and uncertainty among the organization, information, and logistics. Although some researchers mentioned the effectiveness of IM for PC projects, systematic assessment methods for IM performance are missing. This study aims to systematically develop a framework to assess the IM performance of PC projects to address this gap. Through a comprehensive literature review, nineteen indicators of IM performance were identified and grouped into four categories. By combining the objective weighting method of an ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator with the set pair analysis (SPA) method of uncertainty assessment, a nineteen-indicator assessment model was developed. Finally, a case study was constructed using the proposed framework, and the feasibility and applicability of the OWA-SPA model were proved. The assessment results provided by the assessment model could guide project managers for better IM and serve as a valuable reference for researchers in the construction industry

A holistic literature review of building information modeling for prefabricated construction

Building information modeling (BIM) and prefabricated construction (PC) are increasingly applied in the construction industry. Recent academic and industrial efforts indicated that the application of BIM and PC is a solution to reduce lifecycle costs, reduce waste, increase productivity and improve quality in construction. Although previous studies have advanced the integration of BIM and PC, extensive research scope and scattered research topics cannot form an overall picture of knowledge structure. Hence, this study aims to establish an up-to-date synthesis of the latest research on BIM for PC and identify the research gaps and future needs. First, a database with 103 journal articles on BIM for PC was established through data collection; second, a bibliometric analysis was applied to determine the top journals, articles and to map the latest mainstream research. Last, a qualitative analysis was used to determine the mainstream research areas and identify the research gaps and future needs. This study may contribute to enrich our body of knowledge on the use of the techniques in conjunction, help researchers and builders to understand the latest progress of BIM for PC research in timely fashion, and promote the integration of BIM with PC and other cutting-edge technologies moving forward

Synthesis of Si-Modified Pseudo-Boehmite@kaolin Composite and Its Application as a Novel Matrix Material for FCC Catalyst

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) has been the primary processing technology for heavy oil. Due to the inferior properties of heavy oil, an excellent performance is demanded of FCC catalysts. In this work, based on the acid extracting method, Si-modified pseudo-boehmite units (Si-PB) are constructed in situ and introduced into the structure of kaolin to synthesize a Si-PB@kaolin composite. The synthesized Si-PB@kaolin is further characterized and used as a matrix material for the FCC catalyst. The results indicate that, compared with a conventional kaolin matrix, a Si-PB@kaolin composite could significantly improve the heavy oil catalytic cracking performance of the prepared FCC catalyst because of its excellent properties, such as a larger surface area, a higher pore volume, and a good surface acidity. For the fresh FCC catalysts, compared with the FCC catalysts using conventional kaolin (Cat-1), the gasoline yield and total liquid yield of the catalyst containing Si-PB@kaolin (Cat-2) could obviously increase by 2.06% and 1.55%, respectively, with the bottom yield decreasing by 2.64%. After vanadium and nickel contamination, compared with Cat-1, the gasoline yield and total liquid yield of Cat-2 could increase by 1.97% and 1.24%, respectively, with the bottom yield decreasing by 1.80 percentage points

Critical Factors Influencing Interface Management of Prefabricated Building Projects: Evidence from China

Recently, interface management has been regarded as the key to the success of prefabricated building projects (PBPs) due to its capabilities to manage numerous interfaces caused by PBPs’ inherent geographical and organizational fragmentation. However, the factors influencing the interface management of PBPs are largely unknown and poorly studied. To compensate for this gap, this study aimed to investigate the critical factors influencing interface management in PBPs with quantitative and qualitative methods. Twenty-seven critical factors influencing the interface management of PBPs were identified through a literature review, questionnaire survey, and face-to-face interviews with professionals in the construction industry. A questionnaire survey was sent out to developers, designers, manufacturers, contractors, and consultants in China, and 66 completed questionnaires were received. Results showed the top five critical factors influencing the interface management of PBPs were (1) accuracy of design, (2) timeliness of information communication, (3) timeliness of component production and supply, (4) standardization of design, and (5) definition of work content and scope. The 27 influencing factors of PBPs were further categorized into seven groups via exploratory factor analysis, namely: (1) information communication, (2) trust and cooperation, (3) technical and management capability, (4) organizational integration, (5) standardization, (6) technical environment, and (7) contractual management. Improving these issues will contribute to the successful implementation of PBPs. Finally, combined with relevant literature and expert interviews, the impact of these seven clusters on the interface management of PBPs was discussed. The findings may contribute to deepening the understanding of interface management, reducing unnecessary conflicts and difficulties, and promoting the sustainable development of prefabricated building (PB)

Exploring the effect of stakeholder relationship quality on technological innovation in off-site construction: The mediating role of the knowledge sharing

Off-site construction (OSC) is generally propagated as a sustainable and green construction method in the global construction industry. Over the past few decades, OSC has become famous worldwide for its numerous benefits. Technological innovation can speed up the development of OSC and has attracted a lot of attention from stakeholders who are promoting technological innovation by seeking collaborations. OSC is different from traditional manufacturing, and little effort has been spent on how the stakeholder relationship quality affects technological innovation. This study therefore makes efforts to explore the mechanism of how stakeholder relationship quality influences the OSC technological innovation and to explain the stakeholder relationship quality in terms of communication, trust, and commitment. This paper constructs a multidimensional hypothesis model consisting of five concepts: communication, trust, commitment, knowledge sharing, and technological innovation. A valid sample of 125 was collected through a questionnaire survey in mainland China. The sample data were dealt with and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLSSEM) to validate the proposed hypothesis model. The results reveal that trust and knowledge sharing affect technological innovation directly. Communication and commitment are not identified to have statistically significant influences on technological innovation in OSC. Communication, trust, and commitment positively contribute to knowledge sharing. Last, knowledge sharing completely and partially mediates between relationship quality and technological innovation. This study explores the impact of stakeholder relationship quality on OSC technological innovation and verifies the mediating role of knowledge sharing. These findings provide valuable theoretical guidance for OSC technological innovation and practical insights for stakeholders to promote technological innovation by enhancing relationship quality and knowledge sharing

Proposing a multifaceted model for adopting prefabricated construction technology in the construction industry

Purpose: Although prefabricated construction (PC) technology has attracted considerable attention worldwide because of its significant role in the global fight against COVID-19, market-driven adoption is still limited. The mechanisms for PC technology adoption have yet to be defined, which inhibits its diffusion in the construction market. This study aims to reveal the intrinsic motivation and action mechanism for PC technology adoption. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), the study integrates characteristics from the diffusion of innovation theory to propose a multifaceted model for explaining practitioners’ PC technology adoption behavior from technology, organization and environment contexts. The proposed theoretical model was empirically examined via a survey of 234 professionals in mainland China using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling technique. Findings: The outcomes indicated that relative advantage, corporate social responsibility and market demand are significantly positively related to practitioners’ perceived usefulness from PC technology. Regulatory support and trading partner support have noticeable positive effects on practitioners’ perceived ease of use from PC technology. Perceived ease of use is found to positively influence perceived usefulness, and both of them have a positive influence on the attitude toward adopting PC technology. Attitude is further confirmed as an important predictor of adoption intention, which would lead to actual PC technology adoption behavior. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to explore industry perceptions toward PC technology adoption, providing valuable guidance for the effective diffusion of PC technology and laying a reliable foundation for research on other construction innovation adoption in post-COVID-19