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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 22 February 2024

Carmen Jane Vallis, Huyen Thi Nguyen and Adrian Norman

Educational design patterns offer practical strategies that can be shared and adapted to address problems in teaching and learning. This article explores how educational design…

Abstract

Purpose

Educational design patterns offer practical strategies that can be shared and adapted to address problems in teaching and learning. This article explores how educational design patterns for connected learning at scale at an Australian university may be adapted to a Vietnamese higher education context.

Design/methodology/approach

12 educational design patterns that address the challenges of active learning and large teaching team management are discussed. The authors then critically reflect on their cross-cultural adaptation for the higher education context, from an Australian to a Vietnamese university.

Findings

Transitioning from passive to active learning strategies and effectively leading large teaching teams present similar challenges across our contexts. Educational design patterns, when dynamically adapted, may assist educators to teach skills that are critical for work and the future. Higher education institutions globally could enhance their practices by incorporating international best practice approaches to educational design.

Practical implications

The Connected Learning at Scale (CLaS) educational design patterns explored in this article offer solution-oriented strategies that promote a more active learning experience. This paper identifies adaptations for educators, especially those in Vietnamese higher education that respect traditional structures, cultural nuances and resource limitations in implementation.

Originality/value

Whilst educational design patterns are well-researched in the Western contexts, few studies analyse design patterns in an Asian, and in particular the Vietnamese context. More research is needed in the cross-cultural adaptation of educational design patterns that joins practice and theory.

Details

Journal of Work-Applied Management, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2205-2062

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 January 2024

Shirin Hassanizadeh, Zahra Darabi, Maryam Khosravi, Masoud Mirzaei and Mahdieh Hosseinzadeh

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, the role of dietary patterns as a potential risk factor for COVID-19 has not been well…

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, the role of dietary patterns as a potential risk factor for COVID-19 has not been well established, especially in studies with large samples. Therefore, this study aims to identify and evaluate the association between major dietary patterns and COVID-19 among adults from Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

In this cross-sectional study, the authors included 9,189 participants aged 20–70 who participated in the Yazd Health Study (YaHS) and Taghzieh Mardom-e-Yazd study (TAMIZ). They used factor analysis to extract dietary patterns based on a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Then, they assessed the relationship between these dietary patterns and the odds of COVID-19.

Findings

This study identified two major dietary patterns: “high protein and high fiber” and “transitional”. Participants in the highest tertile of the “high protein and high fiber” dietary pattern, which included vegetables, fruits, dairy and various kinds of meats such as red meat, fish and poultry, had a lower odds of COVID-19 compared with those in the lowest tertile. However, the “transitional” dietary pattern did not affect the risk of COVID-19.

Originality/value

In conclusion, a “high protein, high fiber” diet may lower the odds of COVID-19. This study suggests that dietary patterns may influence the severity and spread of future similar pandemics.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 54 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 August 2024

Sławomir Szrama

This study aims to present the concept of aircraft turbofan engine health status prediction with artificial neural network (ANN) pattern recognition but augmented with automated…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to present the concept of aircraft turbofan engine health status prediction with artificial neural network (ANN) pattern recognition but augmented with automated features engineering (AFE).

Design/methodology/approach

The main concept of engine health status prediction was based on three case studies and a validation process. The first two were performed on the engine health status parameters, namely, performance margin and specific fuel consumption margin. The third one was generated and created for the engine performance and safety data, specifically created for the final test. The final validation of the neural network pattern recognition was the validation of the proposed neural network architecture in comparison to the machine learning classification algorithms. All studies were conducted for ANN, which was a two-layer feedforward network architecture with pattern recognition. All case studies and tests were performed for both simple pattern recognition network and network augmented with automated feature engineering (AFE).

Findings

The greatest achievement of this elaboration is the presentation of how on the basis of the real-life engine operational data, the entire process of engine status prediction might be conducted with the application of the neural network pattern recognition process augmented with AFE.

Practical implications

This research could be implemented into the engine maintenance strategy and planning. Engine health status prediction based on ANN augmented with AFE is an extremely strong tool in aircraft accident and incident prevention.

Originality/value

Although turbofan engine health status prediction with ANN is not a novel approach, what is absolutely worth emphasizing is the fact that contrary to other publications this research was based on genuine, real engine performance operational data as well as AFE methodology, which makes the entire research very reliable. This is also the reason the prediction results reflect the effect of the real engine wear and deterioration process.

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2024

Mahsa Mohajeri and Baharak Aghapoor

Research indicated that dietary antioxidants could improve immune system performance. This study aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 symptoms, total antioxidant…

Abstract

Purpose

Research indicated that dietary antioxidants could improve immune system performance. This study aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 symptoms, total antioxidant capacity and serum inflammatory markers, with dietary antioxidants intake among angina patients.

Design/methodology/approach

A food frequency questionnaire was used in a cross-sectional study among 135 angina patients with COVID-19, to assess dietary antioxidants consumption. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 1ß, malondialdehyde, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and total antioxidant capacity were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods.

Findings

Among study angina patients, 76.67% followed unhealthy food patterns and 23.33% followed anti-inflammatory dietary patterns before hospitalization. The angina patients with anti-inflammatory food pattern had less fever (p = 0.021), cough (p = 0.018), dyspnea (p = 0.024), diarrhea (p = 0.014) and pneumonia severity index (p = 0.014) compared to patients with unhealthy food pattern. The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 1ß, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and malondialdehyde, had a significantly negative association with dietary antioxidants intake (p < 0.05).

Originality/value

There are significant association between antioxidant intake with serum inflammation markers in COVID-19 patients. There is a need for more clinical trial studies for approval of these results.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 54 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 July 2024

Paolo Landoni and Daniel Trabucchi

This study investigates the sustainability models of non-profit and hybrid organizations, which aim to balance economic, social and environmental objectives. The research…

363

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the sustainability models of non-profit and hybrid organizations, which aim to balance economic, social and environmental objectives. The research introduces the Sustainability Model Canvas to analyze these organizations and identify common patterns, unique characteristics and managerial insights to balance the triple bottom line.

Design/methodology/approach

The research utilizes the Sustainability Model Canvas to examine the sustainability models of 200 non-profit and hybrid organizations. Data were collected from secondary sources, including articles, reports and websites. The analysis was conducted using the activity system theoretical framework, which helped to identify design elements and themes within the business models of the studied organizations.

Findings

The study reveals four primary sustainability model patterns: donated income, earned income, public income and auto-generated income. An additional mixed approach pattern is identified, combining elements from the four primary patterns. The research highlights the parallels between these sustainability models and multi-sided platform business models, offering managerial suggestions for leveraging these patterns to achieve sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on secondary data, which may limit the depth of insights compared to primary data collection. At the same time, the chance to consider hybrid organization through multi-sided platform lenses provides relevant contributions to both the literature streams.

Practical implications

The identified sustainability model patterns and managerial suggestions can serve as blueprints for non-profit and hybrid organizations aiming to design or innovate their sustainability models. The Sustainability Model Canvas offers a practical tool for organizations to visualize and balance their triple bottom line objectives.

Social implications

The research underscores the importance of integrating social and environmental considerations into business models, promoting a holistic approach to sustainability that can lead to broader social and environmental benefits.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the business model literature by extending the focus beyond traditional profit-oriented organizations to include non-profit and hybrid organizations. The introduction of the Sustainability Model Canvas provides a new tool for designing and analyzing sustainability-oriented business models. The study also suggests considering sustainability models as multi-sided platforms, offering new insights for both academic and practical applications.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 27 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 May 2024

Nabila As’ad, Lia Patrício, Kaisa Koskela-Huotari and Bo Edvardsson

The service environment is becoming increasingly turbulent, leading to calls for a systemic understanding of it as a set of dynamic service ecosystems. This paper advances this…

1241

Abstract

Purpose

The service environment is becoming increasingly turbulent, leading to calls for a systemic understanding of it as a set of dynamic service ecosystems. This paper advances this understanding by developing a typology of service ecosystem dynamics that explains the varying interplay between change and stability within the service environment through distinct behavioral patterns exhibited by service ecosystems over time.

Design/methodology/approach

This study builds upon a systematic literature review of service ecosystems literature and uses system dynamics as a method theory to abductively analyze extant literature and develop a typology of service ecosystem dynamics.

Findings

The paper identifies three types of service ecosystem dynamics—behavioral patterns of service ecosystems—and explains how they unfold through self-adjustment processes and changes within different systemic leverage points. The typology of service ecosystem dynamics consists of (1) reproduction (i.e. stable behavioral pattern), (2) reconfiguration (i.e. unstable behavioral pattern) and (3) transition (i.e. disrupting, shifting behavioral pattern).

Practical implications

The typology enables practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of their service environment by discerning the behavioral patterns exhibited by the constituent service ecosystems. This, in turn, supports them in devising more effective strategies for navigating through it.

Originality/value

The paper provides a precise definition of service ecosystem dynamics and shows how the identified three types of dynamics can be used as a lens to empirically examine change and stability in the service environment. It also offers a set of research directions for tackling service research challenges.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 35 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 September 2024

Trong Nghia-Nguyen, Le Thanh Cuong, Samir Khatir, Le Minh Hoang, Salisa Chaiyaput and Magd Abdel Wahab

Concrete gravity dams are important structures for flood control and hydraulic power generation, but they can be vulnerable to seismic activity due to ground movements that…

Abstract

Purpose

Concrete gravity dams are important structures for flood control and hydraulic power generation, but they can be vulnerable to seismic activity due to ground movements that trigger crack propagation.

Design/methodology/approach

To better understand the factors that affect the stability of concrete gravity dams against concrete fracture during earthquakes, a concrete plastic damage model has been utilized with two new expressions to simulate compressive and tensile damage variables.

Findings

The findings showed that the crack patterns were strongly influenced by the concrete’s strength. The simulation results led to the proposal of appropriate concrete properties aimed at minimizing damage. These findings, together with the proposed model, offer significant insights that can enhance the safety and stability of concrete gravity dam structures.

Originality/value

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of concrete behavior under varying grades and introduces simple and robust expressions for evaluating concrete parameters in plastic damage models. The versatility of these expressions enables accurate simulation of stress-strain curves for different grades, resulting in excellent agreement between model results and experimental findings. The simulation of the Koyna Dam case study demonstrates a similarity in crack patterns with previous simulations and field observations.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 May 2024

Givemore Muchenje, Marko Seppänen and Hongxiu Li

The study explores the extent to which business analytics can address business problems using the task-technology fit theory.

Abstract

Purpose

The study explores the extent to which business analytics can address business problems using the task-technology fit theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative research approach of pattern matching was adopted for data analysis and 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Four propositions derived from the literature on task-technology fit are compared to emerging core themes from the empirical data.

Findings

The study establishes the relationships between various forms of fit, arguing that the iterative application of business analytics improves problem understanding and solutions, and contends that both under-fit and over-fit can be acceptable due to the increasing costs of achieving ideal fit and potential unaffected outcomes, respectively. The study demonstrates that managers should appreciate that there may be a distinction between those who create business analytics solutions and those who apply business analytics solutions to solve problems.

Originality/value

Extant studies on business analytics have not focused on how the match between business analytics and tasks affects the level to which problems can be addressed that determines business value. This study enriches the literature on business analytics by linking business analytics and business value through problem resolution demonstrated by task-technology fit. To the authors’ knowledge, this study might be the first to apply pattern matching to study the fit between technology and tasks.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 34 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2024

Darren A. Bryant, Chun Sing Maxwell Ho, Jiafang Lu and Yiu Lun Leo Wong

This study addresses a gap in the knowledge on how longitudinal engagement in a school improvement initiative influences change in middle leaders’ (MLs') interactions and assesses…

Abstract

Purpose

This study addresses a gap in the knowledge on how longitudinal engagement in a school improvement initiative influences change in middle leaders’ (MLs') interactions and assesses how school–university partnerships around school improvement can support teachers with formal leadership roles (i.e. MLs’) leadership development.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a two-year longitudinal research design, university staff facilitated middle leadership training in a school-defined improvement initiative on lesson study. Results from a pre-test followed by two post-tests administered at one-year intervals were collected on social networks. Analyses examined changes in indegree and brokerage patterns among groupings of senior leaders (SL), subject leaders, cross-school specialists and teachers.

Findings

Accounting for staffing changes, 27 of 67 staff members participated in each survey, yielding 1,623 distinct ties connecting school members. Over the first year, advice-seeking increased by 225%. SLs’ initial propensity to consult peers shifted towards MLs and teachers. Subject leaders advising other leaders and teachers increased tenfold. Teachers’ peer-to-peer consultation increased by 2,000%. Specialists with school-wide responsibilities became the dominant group for advising other leaders, such as SLs and subject leaders. These shifts were sustained over the second year.

Originality/value

The study demonstrates that engagement in the school–university partnership support and the corresponding structural changes stimulated robust cross-school dialogue among teachers and various leaders. Brokerage patterns indicated an enhanced role for MLs in driving the school-defined improvement initiative which corresponded to university-designed development activities.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 August 2024

Alexandra Waluszewski, Alessandro Cinti and Andrea Perna

Limiting the use of antibiotics in food animals is a cornerstone of contemporary EU policy. Despite that marketing of antibiotics for growth promotion and nutrition has been…

Abstract

Purpose

Limiting the use of antibiotics in food animals is a cornerstone of contemporary EU policy. Despite that marketing of antibiotics for growth promotion and nutrition has been banned since 2006, the use is still high and varied. This paper aims to investigate the forces behind the different usage patterns in Italy, with one of the EU’s most extensive use of antibiotics in animals, versus Sweden, with the union’s most restricted use, including how these usage patterns are related to EU and national policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The industrial network approach/the 4R resources interaction model is adopted to investigate the major forces behind the different antibiotic usage patterns. Furthermore, the study relies on the notion of three main characteristics related to the use of a resource activated in several user settings (Håkansson and Waluszewski, 2008, pp. 20–22). The paper investigates the Swedish and the Italian using settings, with a minimised, respectively, extensive usage of antibiotics. The study is exploratory in nature and based on qualitative data collected through a combination of primary and secondary sources.

Findings

The paper underlines the importance of integrating forces for policy to succeed in attempts to reduce the use of a particular resource. It reveals that Sweden’s radically reduced use was based on great awareness, close interactions between animal-based food producers and policy – and that integrating forces were supported by an era of state-protected food production, with promising ability to distribute the cost of change. The Italian characteristics hindering the integration of forces mounting for reduced use were restricted awareness, top-down business and policy interactions – and a great awareness about the difficulties of distributing the cost of change.

Originality/value

The study deals with the analysis of forces affecting the different usage of antibiotics within two EU settings. The investigation, based on the industrial network approach’s notion of connectivity of economic resources, that is, of exchange having a content and substance beyond discrete transactions, reveals how indirect related contextual forces, neglected by policy, have an important influence on the ability to achieve change, in this case of antibiotics usage patterns.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 39 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

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