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This study presents a two-step numerical iteration method specifically designed to solve absolute value equations. The proposed method is valuable and efficient for solving absolute value equations. Several numerical examples were taken to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.

We present a two-step numerical iteration method for solving absolute value equations. Our two-step method consists of a predictor-corrector technique. The new method uses the generalized Newton method as the predictor step. The four-point open Newton-Cotes formula is considered the corrector step. The convergence of the proposed method is discussed in detail. This new method is highly effective for solving large systems due to its simplicity and effectiveness. We consider the beam equation, using the finite difference method to transform it into a system of absolute value equations, and then solve it using the proposed method.

The paper provides empirical insights into how to solve a system of absolute value equations.

This paper fulfills an identified need to study absolute value equations.

This study aims to investigate the growth of Indonesian Islamic banks and explores organisational growth determinants from different perspectives, namely, organisational climate, intellectual capital (IC) and organisational service orientation. The study also attempts to develop a model to measure the growth of Islamic banks and uncovers the root causes of the stagnancy in Indonesian Islamic banking.

The study used survey questionnaires distributed to Islamic bank managers, who were considered representative experts in the field of Islamic banking. The data collected were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 21.0), and two analyses were performed with different strategies to build the regression model, namely, multiple linear regression and automatic linear regression.

The study found that IC significantly affected Islamic banks’ growth in Indonesia; however, organisational climate and service orientation did not predict such growth. Concerning service orientation as a mediating model, climate or IC had no indirect effect on growth.

This study’s results contribute to fill the gap by analysing the growth of Islamic banks. Hence, the study results will be especially practical and helpful for Islamic bank managers and policymakers to help develop mechanisms for Islamic banks in Indonesia.

By combining the aspects of organisational climate, IC and service orientation from earlier studies and categorising them by organisational growth, together with a comprehensive literature review, the study proposes a model specific to Islamic banks. It also offers new insight and discussion for determining organisational growth in Indonesian Islamic banks.

This research is designed to explore the relationship between social media addiction, student engagement and student retention. Social media addiction is dealt with as an independent variable student engagement acts as a mediating variable and student retention as a dependent variable.

This is a cross-sectional and quantitative research. Primary data are collected from 600 respondents (university students) with the help of a structured questionnaire. Multistage sampling techniques, i.e. simple random sampling and judgment sampling, are used for the selection of respondents.

Results indicate that for direct relationships, social media addiction has a significant positive impact on student engagement and student retention, respectively, while student engagement is partially mediating the relationship between social media addiction with student retention.

In the future, these kinds of research may also be conducted on students of different universities in Pakistan, which are located in other cities of Pakistan besides Lahore. This research provides a practical framework for the higher authorities of the universities of Pakistan and explains how the use of media positively fosters the levels of student retention directly and indirectly through the path of student engagement. It is commonly believed that media addiction is bad but the result of this research indicates that anything is not dangerous but depends upon its use, media addiction itself is not bad but if someone uses this for a good purpose in limitation then it has better outcomes. The result indicates that the media addiction of students has a positive impact on student retention. This means that if someone uses media for a positive purpose then he/she will use it as a supporting tool for success. Longitudinal research on these variables will also help to check the status after a specific interval of time.

The current study will help the practitioners or policymakers (Managers) of higher education institutions by providing practical insights into the positive use of media by students for increasing their knowledge and grades. This research can also help practitioners or policymakers to focus their students on the positive use of social media for fostering the levels of student retention.

To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, no previous study has been done to incorporate social media addiction and student engagement in a single model in the Pakistani cultural context. Similarly, the relationship of variables social media addiction with student engagement is rarely checked empirically because the research of Wang et al. (2011) proposed that social media addiction has a relationship with student engagement so that is why this is the rationale of the research is to check this empirically. Moreover, this study is an initial effort to check the mediating effect of student engagement in the relationship between social media addiction and student retention. This research is also proposing the framework of social media addiction, student engagement and student retention based on the social exchange theory (SET).

The paper examines the role and significance of gastronomic manifestations in the context of destination branding, within the framework of image transfer mechanisms and the Associative Network Memory Model.

The research was conducted on a sample of 53 gastronomic events in the tourist destination of Vojvodina.

The results indicate that gastronomic manifestations image has a positive impact on the brand image and brand identity of the destination, as well as the destination's overall image. Furthermore, the study found that the food experience has a positive influence on the image of gastronomic events and the destination.

The study contributes to the advancement of research on tourist destination branding.

Proximity is a crucial factor influencing innovation collaboration and performance. Most existing studies have primarily focused on the organizational level and been static in nature. Therefore, a further study on how proximity affects innovation performance is needed. This paper aims to fill this gap by highlighting the organizational, cognitive and geographical proximity in China’s open regional innovation system.

This paper analyzes the data from 2010 to 2015 through path analysis.

The results reveal that geographical proximity has a direct positive effect on regional innovation performance in China’s regional innovation system. It also shows that organizational proximity exerts a negative impact on absorptive capacity, and through it adversely affects regional innovation performance. In contrast, cognitive proximity is found to have a positive effect on absorptive capacity, enhancing regional innovation performance.

Based on these findings, this paper contributes to a better understanding of the role of proximity in innovation collaboration and performance. By highlighting the importance of different proximity types, it provides insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to foster regional innovation.

This paper aims to examine the association between the dietary inflammatory index, the consumption of Enteral Nutrition Supplemented with probiotics with certain serum inflammation markers and gastrointestinal complications among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19.

This cross-sectional investigation involved 100 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to intensive care units in hospitals. These patients were administered two different types of Enteral Nutrition, so the dietary inflammatory index (DII), gastrointestinal complications and some serum inflammation markers have been compared between two groups.

The mean DII scores in all patients were significantly pro-inflammatory (probiotic formula 2.81 ± 0.01 vs usual formula group 2.93 ± 0.14 p = 0.19). The probiotic formula consumption had an inverse association with High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein concentration (coef = −3.19, 95% CI −1.25, −5.14 p = 0.001) and lead to a reduction of 2.14 mm/h in the serum level of Erythrocyte sedimentation rate compared to normal formula. The incidence of diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting in probiotic formula patients was respectively 94%, 14% and 86% less than in usual formula patients (p = 0.05).

In this cross-sectional study for the first time, the authors found that probiotic formula consumption was inversely associated with serum inflammation markers and gastrointestinal complications incidence. The high DII leads to more gastrointestinal complications incidence and inflammation markers. More studies are needed to prove this relationship.

To enhance the performance of hydrostatic bearings, graphene serves as a lubricant additive. Using the high thermal conductivity of graphene, the purpose of this study is to focus on the impact of graphene nano-lubricating oil hydrostatic bearing temperature rise at various speeds and eccentricities.

The thermal conductivity of graphene nano-lubricating oil was calculated by molecular dynamics method and based on the viscosity–temperature effect, the coupled heat transfer finite element model of hydrostatic bearing was established; temperature rise of pure lubricating oil and graphene nano-lubricating oil hydrostatic bearing were analysed at different speed and eccentricity based on computational fluid dynamics method.

With the increase of speed and eccentricity, the temperature rise of 0.2% graphene nano-lubricating oil bearings is lower than that of pure lubricating oil bearings; in addition with the increase of graphene mass fraction, the temperature rise of graphene nano-lubricating oil bearings is always higher than that of pure lubricating oil bearings, and the higher the speed, the more obvious the phenomenon.

The effects of graphene as a lubricant additive on the thermal conductivity of nano-lubricating oil and the variation of the temperature rise of graphene nano-lubricating oil bearings compared to pure lubricating oil bearings were analysed by combining micro and macro methods.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-12-2023-0388

This study aims to explore vocational teachers' perceptions regarding workplace learning that align with students' training models and collaborative teaching involving specialised professionals within the context of industry-university collaboration.

Using a qualitative approach, the study conducted nine semi-structured interviews from three subject areas to better understand how vocational teachers’ work-based learning enhances their pedagogical practice in guiding students’ professional training. Thematic analysis was adopted to identify patterns that emerged from concepts and theories related to coding categories.

The authors identified three key components: vocational teachers’ workplace learning in connection with students’ training models, collaborative teaching with specialised professionals and teachers’ regular interactions with enterprises. The findings demonstrate that vocational teachers’ engagement in workplace learning pertaining to specific subjects provides a valuable avenue for enhancing curriculum design with collaboration with industry experts. This is key for supporting vocational students’ transitions into the workplace and ensuring their knowledge and skills are tailored to the industry-standard practice.

The data are limited to the review of interviews from three vocational subject areas as the representative sector in the study. However, this research implies effective knowledge transfer between workplace settings and vocational institutions, and vocational teachers need to integrate work-based vocational knowledge and skills in a relevant and applicable way across diverse classroom settings.

Fostering collaborative partnerships with local industries and professionals can be a primary way to facilitate authentic learning experiences that are linked to a specific vocational field and bridge the gap between diverse classroom learning and real-world work scenarios.

This study combines contemporary workplace learning theories with the conceptual understanding of vocational teachers’ involvement with industry-specific practice. Connecting teachers’ knowledge to the industry extends the input and collaboration from professionals and field experts to the diverse vocational classrooms.

The study evaluates the influence of human capital efficiency (HCE) and market power on bank performance.

The study employs two measures of bank performance: profitability and stability. Unbalanced panel data of 35 banks operating in Kenya for 2005–2020 collected from published financial statements is utilized. The study employs the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method in the analysis and the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) for robustness check.

The study affirms an inverted U-shaped relationship between market power and bank performance. The effect of market power on bank profitability is enhanced when a bank has highly efficient human capital. Further, HCE significantly impacts bank stability for banks with low HCE. Interestingly, a further increase in HCE narrows the net interest margins for banks with high HCE, conferring welfare benefits to customers as interest rate spreads shrink.

This study provides important insights into the role of human capital in bank performance. First, banks ought to invest in promoting HCE through training and development. As regulators root for bank consolidation, attention to HCE is imperative for fostering profitability and stability.

The study fills an essential gap in the literature by evaluating the effect of firm-level market power on bank performance in an emerging market. We adopt a novel stochastic frontier estimator to generate the Lerner index. Further, this is the first study known to the authors to evaluate the effect of market power on bank performance in the context of human capital efficiency variations.

Today’s world is struggling with the hardship of climate change that has drastically disturbed human life, wildlife and the earth’s biological system. This study aims to show how implementing climate change mitigation strategies and environmental protection measures can ensure sustainable development through collaborative efforts between governmental authorities and the nation’s populace.

An extensive literature review of studies is conducted from across the world concentrating on holistic, sustainable development, enabling a showcase of various conferences, action plans initiated and resolutions passed. VOSviewer software is used to quantify the results of bibliometric analysis and cluster analysis. A total of 260 research studies released between 1993 and 2022 on the Scopus platform are quantified in terms of topmost publications, collaborations among authors, citations index and year-wise publication. The search string has keywords including “climate change,” “sustainable development” and “environment protection.”

The study results revealed a steep increase in research publications in the last three years, from 2017 to 2021, which serves as the basis of the emergence of high-impact articles. The most cited document in this context throws light on assessing vulnerability to climatic risk and building adaptive capacity. It also draws attention to voluntary carbon markets’ rationale while condemning emission trading systems for climate change due to structural flaws, negative consequences and questionable emission-cutting effectiveness. Low energy demand, zero energy buildings and shared socioeconomic pathways should be implemented as strategies for sustainable development.

This study provides a significant opportunity to construct a valuable addition to mitigate climate change. Also, it shows a positive and significant correlation between mitigation and adaptation policies by analyzing publication efforts worldwide considering local climate risks and national adaptation mandates.

The originality of this study lies in its comprehensive approach, combining literature review, bibliometric analysis and cluster analysis to provide insights into current research trends, challenges and potential strategies for addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development. The study’s emphasis on the correlation between mitigation and adaptation policies adds practical significance to its findings.