Case Study Research Articles

Density as an indicator of sustainable urban development: insights from Helsinki?

ABSTRACT Densification has become a dominant strategy for sustainable urban development in recent decades, viewed as a main antidote to urban sprawl and essential for achieving a range of urban qualities from economic to ecological. Despite its prominence as an indicator and driver of sustainable development, measuring density in a meaningful way poses significant challenges. Arbitrary metrics often overlook the complexity of density and its associations, leading to potential unintended outcomes in density-driven planning. Using the Helsinki region as a case study, this article demonstrates the sensitivity of density measurements to minor changes in reference areas and calculation units, highlighting how different types of density can loosely relate to each other. Our findings underscore the importance of precise methodological choices in avoiding misguided planning decisions and policy advice that could compromise sustainability goals, revealing the complex dynamics of infill and edge growth often obscured in regional density measures.

Energy consumption forecasting: a case study on Bhashan Char island in Bangladesh

Energy consumption forecasting: a case study on Bhashan Char island in Bangladesh

Effectiveness of physiotherapy rehabilitation approaches for Parkinson's disease: A Durrës case study.

The article's significance lies in the substantial rise in the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD), necessitating the exploration of various approaches to rehabilitation and medical treatment. The purpose of the article is to detect the direct effect of physiotherapy for patients with PD and to identify how it helps in slowing down cardio-pulmonary failure, improving the posture, balance, bradykinesia and tremor. The research utilised clinical data from 407 PD patients aged 30-100 years at the Central Polyclinic of Durrës, spanning 2011-2022, and included a systematic literature review and statistical analysis comparing physiotherapy outcomes with European Union standards. The research demonstrates the efficiency of physiotherapy in the short and long term in the treatment of PD for patients and medical personnel. All information can be used to increase the functional abilities of patients and minimise complications after physiotherapy and to estimate the effectiveness of different exercises in delaying PD. Older adults, particularly those aged 71-80, are most affected by PD, with males more likely to be diagnosed. Physiotherapy rehabilitation improves motor symptoms, posture, and balance in 30-80-year-olds, but its effectiveness declines with age. Advanced rehabilitation methods in Italy lead to better outcomes, suggesting the potential for improvement in Durres disease. The study emphasises the need for improved rehabilitation strategies for older patients by recommending tailored programs, advanced methods, standardisation, training, and long-term monitoring. Further research should concentrate on the long-term sustainability of physiotherapy benefits, the development of targeted interventions for older patients, and the integration of innovative therapeutic approaches.

Sharing the Care: One Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation’s Approach to Out-of-Home Care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

ABSTRACT This article critically examines safety and innovation in out-of-home care, with a particular focus on addressing the entrenched overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the child welfare system. Grounded in the practical insights of safe house workers and managers, the purpose of this article is to share an innovative practice case study—the Tangentyere Safe House in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. As a case study within an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation, Tangentyere Safe House emerges as a site for understanding the confluence of cultural safety, familial connections, and strategies to mitigate overrepresentation. Key themes explored include promoting cultural safety and supporting connections with the family of origin. Through a methodological lens that privileges practice-based knowledge, this article captured the on-the-ground experiences of those actively engaged in child safety. The findings underscore the innovative practices employed by Tangentyere Safe House in navigating out-of-home care within an Indigenous context to argue for a holistic and culturally informed approach to child protection interventions, drawing attention to the practical strategies employed by safe house workers. The article showcases the central role of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations in providing care alongside families in out-of-home care. IMPLICATIONS The innovative approach of the Tangentyere Safe House highlights the importance and unique role of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations in out-of-home care. The role of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations should be formally recognised in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle hierarchy. Frontline safe house workers’ knowledge and expertise regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care can inform all stakeholder involvement including police interventions.

Data-Driven Analytics on Traffic Volume Calibration and Estimation for Town-Maintained Highways: A Case Study from Connecticut

Data-Driven Analytics on Traffic Volume Calibration and Estimation for Town-Maintained Highways: A Case Study from Connecticut

Female Collegiate Soccer Player With Atypical Healing Following ACL Reconstruction: A Level 3 Case Study

Female Collegiate Soccer Player With Atypical Healing Following ACL Reconstruction: A Level 3 Case Study

Offshore Market Design in Integrated Energy systems: A Case Study on the North Sea Region towards 2050

Offshore Market Design in Integrated Energy systems: A Case Study on the North Sea Region towards 2050

Urban functional area building carbon emission reduction driven by three-dimensional compact urban forms’ optimization

Previous optimization approaches with regard to the overall urban form can no longer meet the demand for accurately implementing building energy consumption carbon emission reduction at small spatial scales. This study constructed building energy consumption-oriented urban functional area division method using points of point-of-interest (POI), three-dimensional building and roadway data with urban functional areas as units. The method linked POI to buildings, using building volume as an auxiliary parameter to determine the functional attributes of blocks while taking into account the building operational energy consumption. The residential functional areas, commercial functional areas and industrial functional areas, which account for more than 90% of the total building operation energy consumption and the top three in terms of share, are selected as the analysis objects. Geographic detector was applied to analyze the mechanism of carbon metabolism in the compact spatial patterns of these three functional areas. The case study in Xiamen, China reveals that (1) Three-dimensional building compactness is an important factor influencing building energy consumption(normalized difference vegetation index q-value is 0.227); (2) the difference in energy consumption between different compactness classes in residential and commercial functional areas is significant, while not in industrial functional areas; (3) according to the three-dimensional building compactness optimization path of this study, the building operation energy consumption in central Xiamen City could be optimized to reduce by 7% in 2015. Based on the self-created building energy consumption-oriented functional area division method, it is concluded at the functional areas scale that different types of urban functional zones have different optimization methods for three-dimensional building compactness. Such optimization can save construction resources and achieve double carbon more effectively.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Internship Programs in Aligning Education with Industry during Covid-19: A Case Study

This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of internship programs in aligning education with industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research focuses on the internship outcomes of College of Communication and Media Sciences (CCMS) students in various UAE organizations. This study employs Kirkpatrick's framework and analyzes 64 student reports over ten weeks to understand the strengths and areas of improvement in aligning academic instruction with real-world applications. The research focuses on the "reaction" and "learning" constructs in the alignment of theoretical teachings with practical experiences based on Kirkpatrick’s framework. The study revealed that internships offer students a chance to gain practical experience in their field of study, and the CCMS internship program helps students gain professional skills that are difficult to teach in a classroom context. The findings of this study could help academic policymakers understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of different learning areas and refine and enhance internship offerings. The study underscores the significance of assessing the practical application of university education in the workplace and the benefits of internship experiences as a mandatory component of CCMS specialization academic programmes. The research demonstrates that the internship program provides students with hands-on experience in the media and communication sectors, enabling them to interact directly with industry professionals. Additionally, this study highlights the common challenges faced by internship students, including communication with supervisors, workload management, handling tasks beyond their current skill set, navigating limited workplace resources, adjusting to unfamiliar work environments, and refining time management skills.

The Tiny Habits that Strengthen Organizational Relationships

This article discusses how seemingly small, everyday social habits and interactions can significantly impact workplace relationships and organizational effectiveness. It explores research on relationship-building behaviors like making eye contact, smiling, saying thank you, asking questions, providing feedback, listening without judgment, self-disclosure, and celebrating wins together. The article argues that while larger cultural factors are important, minor modifications to interpersonal manners, such as consciously engaging in these positive social behaviors, can quietly foster resilient bonds between colleagues. Case studies from various industries are presented to illustrate how strategically cultivated habits delivering appreciation, empathy and care into daily exchanges strengthen collaborative relationships. The article concludes that true organizational transformation starts from nurturing connections through mindfully modified social exchanges, as these small gestures collectively create the type of supportive work environment where people feel valued and initiatives can succeed.

A Gamified Learning Environment (Moodle) to Enhance English Language Learning at University Level

This paper explores the use of gamification in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) within Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). The aim is to investigate the effects of a gamified learning environment, specifically Moodle, on psychobehavioural factors and English learning achievement, and to discuss the affordances of gamification based on empirical findings, contributed both by the present study and previous research. For this purpose, a case study was conducted at the University of Andorra, where a treatment group completed a gamified English course on Moodle, and a control group did the same tasks without gamification. A mixed methodology was used to measure both affective and cognitive variables as well as students’ perceptions on their gamified learning experience. The results show that the treatment group outperformed the control group in Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and in Academic Motivation (AM). As for the effects on speaking fluency, they are inconclusive, which is consistent with previous literature. Consequently, the authors advocate for further research to explore the effects of gamification on actual learning in different learning disciplines, beyond students’ mere perceptions.

A knowledge graph-enabled multi-domain mapping approach supporting product rapid design: A case study of new energy vehicles

In the context of mass personalization, the dynamic and erratic nature of customer requirements (CRs) is increasingly pronounced. Amidst intensifying market competition, enterprises are compelled to swiftly adjust their products to satisfy the ever-changing CRs. However, the complicated design processes often result in prolonged product update and iteration cycles. Thus, it is urgent for enterprises to promote product rapid design, in which, it is essential to map CRs to functional requirements (FRs), then to design parameters (DPs). Traditional mapping methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, struggle to keep pace with the ever-changing CRs. Moreover, enhancing the efficiency of design knowledge management and reuse is imperative for achieving product rapid design. Considering the strengths of knowledge graphs (KGs) in knowledge management and mining, we establish a multi-domain product design KG (MPDKG) including a CR domain, a FR domain, and a DP domain, and facilitate the mapping process by constructing mapping relations between domains. Firstly, CR entities in the CR domain are extracted through a triple-task cascaded CRs identification model from online reviews and complaints. Secondly, FR entities are identified from product functional lists and instructions, and the Sentence-Bert model is employed to establish the mapping relations between CR entities and FR entities. Subsequently, a corpus comprising product design knowledge is constructed and a cross-domain joint entity relation extraction model is developed to extract DP entities and construct their mapping relations with FR entities. Lastly, the multi-domain mapping of BYD Qin is implemented as a case study to elucidate the practical utility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Unlocking optimal performance and flow level control of three-phase separator based on reinforcement learning: A case study in Basra refinery

This research explores the application of a new reinforcement learning (RL-based) controller for a three-phase separator connected to a gas turbine. The control of flow levels within the separator directly impacts fluid flow turbulence, especially when the equipment is linked to waste heat gas from the turbine to improve gas quality. The study introduces the novel RL-based controller and validates its effectiveness in real-world conditions using three-phase separators in Basra, Iraq, and through a review of relevant literature. The controller can adapt to inlet conditions such as pressure, temperature, mass flow rate, and incoming heat from the gas turbine. Waste heat recovery from the gas can enhance gas purity but also increase turbulence in water and oil. Maintaining a calm flow while ensuring high-speed flow over the baffle in the middle of the separator is crucial for optimal performance. The study considers two geometrical configurations of the vessel for redesigning the separator at the Basra refinery. The controller was implemented using the groovyBC utility within the OpenFOAM software. This model was then utilized to simulate real-world scenarios at the Basra refinery, displaying faster convergence, more rapid response, and more accurate tracking of the target fluid level. This study marks the initial effort to apply the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) controller in computational fluid dynamic (CFD) work. The findings demonstrated a significant enhancement in separation efficiency by more than 36%, as well as smoother streamlines through the control and maintenance of pressure and velocity over the baffle.

Rapid Prototyping as a Low-Cost Push Factor to Promote the Adoption of IoT Technology in the Healthcare: A Case Study

Rapid Prototyping as a Low-Cost Push Factor to Promote the Adoption of IoT Technology in the Healthcare: A Case Study

Physiological And Biomechanical Responses To Endurance Training With An Active Covid-19 Infection: A Case Study

Physiological And Biomechanical Responses To Endurance Training With An Active Covid-19 Infection: A Case Study

Enhancing practical skills of TVET students using mathematics as a tool: A case study in some selected TVET schools in Kwahu

Ghana, a developing nation, is no exception to the growing global popularity of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) education. However, the idea of making TVET more applicable and work-oriented in Ghana has only been briefly considered. This investigation examines how mathematics is used as a tool to enhance the practical skills of TVET students. 316 respondents, consisting of 234 males and 82 females, were chosen as the target group by a straightforward random selection procedure. Using the purposive sampling technique, second-year students from three TVET institutions in Kwahu were chosen as the target respondents. For the purpose of investigation, an exploratory survey approach was utilized. Typically, questionnaires were administered to a sample of students at a specific period in order to record their attitudes, beliefs, actions, perceptions, or qualities for descriptive analysis. The data-collection techniques employed in this study, which concentrated on aspects including TVET students’ attitudes toward mathematics (ATTI), TVET students’ interest in mathematics, and TVET students’ practical skills, were modified from those used in earlier studies conducted by other researchers. The acquired data was examined making use of Amos version 23’s structural equation modeling software. The study’s findings showed that TVET students’ attitudes about mathematics significantly influenced their interest in the subject. The outcomes also revealed that ATTI had a positive effect and were statistically significant for their practical skills.

Distributed battery energy storage systems for deferring distribution network reinforcements under sustained load growth scenarios

Energy storage systems can be leveraged in electricity distribution network planning as mitigation alternatives to traditional grid reinforcements if they are strategically installed and operated to reduce congestion and voltage limit violations. This paper examines the technical and economic viability of distributed battery energy storage systems owned by the system operator as an alternative to distribution network reinforcements. The case study analyzes the installation of battery energy storage systems in a real 500-bus Spanish medium voltage grid under sustained load growth scenarios. The results show that, in general, dedicated battery energy storage systems are only a cost-efficient alternative in distribution system planning under very specific conditions, such as when low load growth rates are expected. Nevertheless, they are only required for peak shaving a few days per year. For the analyzed case study, the recoverable portion of their total cost through deferral of distribution system upgrades is higher than the fraction of cycles required for peak shaving under all sustained load growth scenarios. Therefore, it is also explored if mobile battery energy storage systems, capital grants, and revenue stacking can enable battery energy storage systems to become an efficient distribution system planning alternative.

Agencification in the EU Energy Sector: A Case Study on Delegation and Margin of Discretion in EU Electricity Market Rule-making

The number and role of agencies in the EU has grown significantly, a process often referred to in the EU legal scholarship as agencification. The trend has intensified since the Lisbon Treaty, which codified agencies as part of the EU’s institutional machinery. A new type of independent EU agency, endowed with considerable powers, has emerged, especially in the energy sector. This article focuses on the agencification phenomenon in the EU energy sector and, more specifically, the delegation of power and the use of institutional margins of discretion in that context. While agencies have a margin of discretion within which they can make decisions that have general application, this discretion should be limited to scientific and technical questions; questions of a political nature should fall outside that margin. From a practical point of view, the challenge is that the divide between what is technical or scientific and what is political is not always clear. The article argues that the delegated rule-making by Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulator (ACER) in the EU energy sector stretches the boundaries of the Meroni doctrine by subsuming questions that are not solely technical in nature but may involve political discretion as well.

An Empirical Correlation Between Work Stress and Occupational Performance Among Medical Practitioners: A Case Study

The modern age of professional competition and the post-COVID-19 situation led to the birth of stressful life. The lifestyle of medical practitioners becomes hectic and disturbing, affecting not only their profession but also their personal lives. This study identifies the factors like Role Overload & Responsibility (ROR), Lifestyle Variations (LV), Family Disruptions (FD), and Stringent Working Conditions (SWC) affecting the occupational performance of doctors. This was exploratory research that identified and validated antecedent work stress factors for the occupational performance of medical professionals in the national capital region. The factors were measured through a self-adapted questionnaire based on the five-point Likert scale. The validation of the factors was verified through the hypothesized model by using structural equation modeling (SEM) on their occupational performance. The study identifies that ROR and SWC affect the National Capital Region (NCR) medical practitioners' occupational performance. Moreover, this study has specific implications for medical professionals and provides the theoretical and practical basis for health issues during the job that severely impacts the employees' personal and professional lives. This study decodes the work stress buster factors that manipulated the effective occupational performance of the employees.

An integrated framework for eye tracking-assisted task capability recognition of air traffic controllers with machine learning

To effectively address the continuously increasing demands of air transport, air traffic management (ATM) systems are evolving towards a human-artificial intelligence (AI) hybrid automation paradigm. In this paradigm, air traffic controllers (ATCOs) play a crucial role in ensuring safe and efficient operations. Recognizing ATCOs’ task capability is essential for evaluating performance, optimizing task assignments, and personalizing training strategies. Physiological signals, such as eye movements, offer objective insights into human behavior and cognitive processes, making them valuable for identifying the task capability of ATCOs. In this study, an integrated framework leveraging machine learning is proposed to achieve this goal. First, a Transformer-attentional long short-term memory (LSTM) network is developed to analyze eye movement patterns, capturing both global and long-term dependencies for precise skill level detection. Next, manual parameters are extracted from the raw eye tracking data and the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanation) method is utilized to determine the importance of these parameters, aiding in the selection of relevant performance metrics. Furthermore, a radar chart is implemented to intuitively visualize and compare performance metrics across different skill levels based on the selected parameters. A case study and extensive experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. This research advances task capability recognition for ATCOs in a human-in-the-loop scenario, with a focus on expertise level detection, parameter importance identification, and performance metric comparison.