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The purpose of this paper is to propose a solution strategy for both accurate and efficient simulation of nonlinear magnetostatic problems in thin structures using higher order finite element methods. Special interest is put in the investigation of the step-lap joints of transformer cores, with a focus on the spatial resolution of the field quantities.

The usage of hierarchical finite elements of higher order makes it possible to adapt the local accuracy in different spatial directions in thin steel sheets. Due to explicit representation of gradients in the basis functions, a simple Schwarz-type block preconditioner with a conjugate gradient solver can efficiently solve the arising algebraic system. By adapting the block size automatically according to the aspect ratio, deterioration of convergence in case of thin elements can be prevented. The resulting Newton scheme is accelerated utilizing the hierarchical splitting in a two-level scheme, where an initial guess is computed on a coarse sub-space.

Compared to an isotropic choice of polynomial order for the basis functions, significant runtime and memory can be saved in the simulation of thin structures without losing accuracy. The iterative solution scheme proves to be robust with respect to the polynomial order, even for aspect ratios of 1:1000 and anisotropies in two directions. An additional saving in runtime and Newton iterations can be achieved by solving the nonlinear problem initially on the lowest order basis functions only and projecting the solution to the complete space as starting value, analogous to a full multigrid scheme.

Within the presented solution strategy, especially the anisotropic block preconditioner and the accelerated Newton scheme based on the two-level splitting constitute a novel contribution. They provide building blocks, which can be utilized for other types of magnetic field problems like transient nonlinear problems or hysteresis modeling as well.

The purpose of this paper is to present a homogenization approach to model mechanical structures with multiple scales and periodicity, as they occur, e.g. in power transformer windings, subjected to magnetic forces.

The idea is based on the framework of generalized finite element methods (GFEM), where the normal polynomial finite element basis functions are enriched by problem dependent basis functions, which are, in this case, the eigenmodes of a quasi‐periodic unit cell setup. These eigenmodes are used to enrich the standard polynomial basis functions of higher order on a coarse grid modeling the whole periodic structure.

It is shown that heterogeneous magnetomechanical structures can be homogenized with the developed method, as demonstrated by homogenization of a transformer coil setup.

An efficient homogenization procedure is proposed on the basis of the GFEM, which is extended using a special set of enrichment functions, i.e. the mechanic eigenmodes of a generalized eigenvalue problem.

This paper aims to explore the effect of storytelling in helping children read and comprehend English in primary schools.

The study includes 44 eight-year-old students, being divided into two equal groups. They are Catalan/Spanish native speakers, and their English level is pre-A1 (CEFR). The two groups studied the same topic with similar vocabulary and grammatical structures; however, only the experimental group learnt with storytelling. A pre-test, a post-test and exercises were implemented and analyzed by using the Mann–Whitney test, the Wilcoxon signed rank test and the general linear model to verify the effect of storytelling, the impact of time and the interaction between time and storytelling.

The findings show that storytelling helps children remember, understand and use the vocabulary of a certain topic and a specific grammatical structure, which are compatible with the vocabulary and the structure in a given story. It also supports students in forming the habit of using particular pairs of words correctly, such as “snake-hiss,” “zebra-bray.” Storytelling proved to be as effective as other teaching methods, such as games and exercises to make a contribution in helping students improve their reading-comprehending of separate sentences. However, time and continued language exposure played a pivotal role in students’ progress of decoding a gapped paragraph and filling in the gaps with appropriate words, no matter what teaching methods were used (storytelling or others).

The findings of the effect of storytelling on fostering students’ reading comprehension have implications for storytelling investigators in the field of teaching ESL. Investigators such as Wright (1995), Ellis and Brewster (1991, 2002, 2014), Cameron (2001), etc., strongly recommend the use of storytelling when teaching a foreign language. Then the findings of this paper contribute to confirm storytelling’s benefits in improving children’s reading abilities, especially in reading-comprehending separate sentences.

Regarding the practical implications of this case study, the findings of the role of storytelling and the role of time in improving students’ reading-comprehension have important implications for L2 English teachers, especially for the ones teaching English for young learners. Due to the fact that learners need time to become successful language users, who not only understand but also analyze and use language fluently without thinking much about the forms or the rules, teachers should not overanalyze language forms. Instead, they should provide learners with an inductive process of language exposure, including the use of storytelling. Storytelling provides young learners with language exposure and context-the natural environment to acquire language. Therefore, it can create a greater impact on learners for remembering vocabulary and understanding the meaning of a given text, as well as form some habits for foreign language learners, such as the use of some specific pairs of words, which has been shown in the findings of this project. This nurtures learner’s graduation to automaticity in using language and develops their reading-comprehension.

This paper is all originated from a study researching the effect of storytelling in helping students read and comprehend English by carrying out an experiment with two groups, namely, the control and the experimental in a semi private primary school in Tarragona, Spain. This study carries an important value, as it proves the effect of storytelling in improving students' ability of remembering vocabulary and understanding separate sentences, as well as points out the role of time in students' progress of mastering a foreign language.

This study aims to map the development of research on family business in tourism and hospitality and provides insights into the key contributors, key areas and current dynamics, and suggests future research directions in the field.

This study uses the Web of Science (WoS) database to identify the 124 articles published in the theme. The study uses bibliometric indicators such as the co-citation network, word co-occurrence network to analyze the publication and citation structure using Science of Science (Sci2), OpenRefine, and Gephi.

The top authors, top journals and major themes are recognized using bibliometric techniques. The study identifies six keyword clusters: entrepreneurship, innovation, and empirical collaborating with tourism, hospitality, and family business. The country-wise collaboration indicates the lack of research in the eastern hemisphere of the world. The co-authorship shows studies shared among individuals of a few organizations. The trends from bibliographic coupling depict the evolution of research.

The scope of data collection for the network analysis is limited to the WoS. Incorporating papers from other databases might provide different network structures and insights.

The study is the first of its kind in the theme of family businesses in tourism and hospitality and will contribute to the literature by identifying future research directions.

The aim of this paper is to verify whether, in the tourism sector, the “family business model” is an important development opportunity and, in particular, if it is an innovation driver for this industry development. In the literature, there is no conclusive evidence of this for the tourism sector. In this context, the authors investigate personal and family needs and preferences alongside the relationship between family business model, growth and profit maximization and the development of tourism businesses through innovation drivers.

To develop this topic, the authors conducted an extensive literature review considering the scientific papers published and contained mainly in database in the last 10 years (2010–2020) and focused the attention on the last five years. The authors ran content and structural analysis on the collected sources by main scientific databases (EBSCO, Scopus, Thomson Reuter, etc.). Based on a systematic literature review, the analysis was conducted using statistical criteria and bibliometric indicators. In detail, the authors used systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis and automatic text analysis (ATA) tools for identified lexicon analysis and strategic keywords and used statistical correlation to classify the different approaches in the literature and to outline the orientations of the various research groups.

From this analysis, the correlation between tourism, hospitality, entrepreneurship, life cycle and innovation dynamics was analysed. Important research gaps are identified, and future research priorities are suggested. Implications for both family business and tourism theory are discussed.

While the intersection between tourism management and family business model has been established in the literature, the number of related publications is still limited. Against this background, a literature review as a total analysis was an adequate and practicable research methodology. This paper proposes a comprehensive literature review and a reflection on the potential developments and applications for family business in the tourism sector. Authors also suggest several research directions that have not been adequately investigated yet. In particular, scholars do not seem to have caught all the implications of innovation adoption, especially for SMEs and family ownerships in tourism.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of environmental dynamism on different EO dimensions in family firms. The authors also examine the moderating role of national culture (uncertainty avoidance and in-group collectivism) and the level of family control and influence in fostering/hindering this relationship.

A survey was conducted among 1,143 family firms from twenty-eight countries. The authors developed and tested hypotheses through a fixed-effects regression analysis.

The findings suggest that environmental dynamism has a positive effect on all three EO dimensions. Analysis reveals a positive moderating role of family control and influence and negative moderating roles of in-group collectivism and uncertainty avoidance.

The findings imply that family firm managers should carefully interpret the influence of their national culture on family firm behavior. More specifically, family firms in dynamic environments should consider the importance of the national culture in which they are embedded. Those operating in high uncertainty avoidant and highly collectivist cultures should take proactive steps to cultivate a corporate entrepreneurial culture. On the other hand, the family should not undermine the effect of its control and influence. In dynamic environments, family control and influence may be a competitive advantage in reinforcing entrepreneurial orientation.

The study contributes to the literature on EO in family firms by expanding the previous research on the antecedents of EO and examining moderation effects of culture and family control and influence across a broad multi-country sample. In contrast with the common findings regarding the effect of family logic on EO, the study shows the strengthening role of family control and influence in the relationship between environmental dynamism and EO. The authors show that culture as an informal institution may also play a critical role in hindering/strengthening the relationship between environmental dynamism and EO.

The disparities of COVID-19 vaccination rates between the rural and urban areas have become apparent during this pandemic. There is a need to understand the root causes of vaccine hesitancy demonstrated by the rural population to increase coverage and to contain the disease spread throughout the United States. This study aimed to explore other factors influencing vaccine hesitancy among rural dwellers besides the geography-related barriers such as poor health care access and individuals having no or suboptimal insurance coverage.

By reviewing existing data and literature about vaccination, health literacy, and behaviors, and prevailing ideologies, we discuss the potential causes of vaccine hesitancy in rural areas that could create barriers for successful public health efforts related to vaccine coverage and provide suggestions to ameliorate the situation.

Geography-related barriers, health literacy, and preconceived notions are key determinants of adopting healthy behaviors and complying with public health authorities' recommendations among rural individuals during a public-health crisis. We argue that ideology, which is much deeper than preconception or misconception on vaccination, should be incorporated as a key factor to redefine the term “vulnerable populations” in public health research.

The limitation of our study is that we have not found an effective way to encourage the populations who hold conservative religious and political ideologies to join the efforts for public health. Even though geography-related barriers may strongly impact the rural dwellers in achieving optimal health, the various forms of ideologies they have toward certain health behaviors cannot be discounted to understand and address vaccine-related disparities in rural areas. There is a need to redefine the term “vulnerable population” particularly as it relates to rural areas in the United States. During large-scale public health disasters, scholars and public health authorities should consider the ideologies of individuals, in addition to other factors such as race/ethnicity, area of residence (rural vs. urban), and socioeconomic factors influencing the existing vulnerabilities and health disparities.