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The purpose of this paper is to present a two-dimensional (2D) model of the base force element method (BFEM) based on the complementary energy principle. The study proposes a model of the BFEM for arbitrary mesh problems.

The BFEM uses the base forces given by Gao (2003) as fundamental variables to describe the stress state of an elastic system. An explicit expression of element compliance matrix is derived using the concept of base forces. The detailed formulations of governing equations for the BFEM are given using the Lagrange multiplier method. The explicit displacement expression of nodes is given. To verify the 2D model, a program on the BFEM using MATLAB language is made and a number of examples on arbitrary polygonal meshes and aberrant meshes are provided to illustrate the BFEM.

A good agreement is obtained between the numerical and theoretical results. Based on the studies, it is found that the 2D formulation of BFEM with complementary energy principle provides reliable predictions for arbitrary mesh problems.

Due to the use of Lagrange multiplier method, there are more basic unknowns in the control equation. The proposed method will be improved in the future.

This paper presents a new idea and a new numerical method, and to explore new ways to solve the problem of arbitrary meshes.

The paper presents a 2D model of the BFEM using the complementary energy principle for arbitrary mesh problems.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive framework to identify and classify key medical tourism enablers (MTEs) and to study the direct and indirect effects of each enabler on the growth of medical tourism in India.

In this paper, an integrated approach using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and Fuzzy Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (FMICMAC) analysis has been developed to identify and classify the key MTEs, typically identified by a comprehensive review of literature and expert opinion. The key enablers are also modeled to find their role and mutual influence.

The key finding of this modeling helps to identify and classify the enablers which may be useful for medical tourism decision makers to employ this model for formulating strategies in order to overcome challenges and to become a preferred medical tourism destination. Integrated model reveals enablers such as medicine insurance coverage, international healthcare collaboration, and efficient information system as dependent enablers. No enabler is found to be autonomous enablers. The important enablers like healthcare infrastructure facilities and global competition are found as the linkage enablers. Research in medicine and pharmaceutical science, medical tourism market, transplantation law, top management commitment, national healthcare policy, competent medical and para-medical staffs are found as the independent enablers. Integrated model also establishes the direct and indirect relationship among various enablers.

The research provides an integrated model using ISM and FMICMAC to identify and classify various key enablers of medical tourism in India. In conventional cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification analysis, binary relationship of various enablers is considered. FMICMAC analysis helps to establish possibility of relationship among various enablers so that low-key hidden factors can be identified. The low-key hidden factors may initially exhibit marginal influence but they may show significant influence later on during analysis. The uncertainty and fuzziness of relationship among various enablers can be conveniently handled by FMICMAC and expert opinions can easily be captured. This research will help medical tourism decision makers to select right enablers for the growth of medical tourism in India.

The purpose of this study is to find out the factors that influence dental travelers’ revisit intention (RI) to Tijuana, Mexico.

Based on the push and pull model, five constructs were included: quality service, price, supporting services, cultural proximity and quality information. The information was obtained by applying an online survey to a sample of 384 dental tourists in Tijuana, Mexico, who were repeat patients of a dental clinic in Tijuana after the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploratory factor analysis, average variance explained and composite reliability were conducted to ensure the validity of each construct. Multiple regression analysis was done to identify predictors of travelers’ RI.

The results obtained show that cultural proximity, quality service, price and supporting services influenced the travelers’ revisit behavior after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge on travel behavior in dental tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, which has been scarcely studied. Also, RI was analyzed, focusing on repeated travelers to propose a model mainly for borders or frontiers where developed and developing countries co-exist and interact.

A finite element method is used to study the effect of flow past a circular cylinder with an integral wake splitter. A fractional step algorithm is employed to solve the Navier‐Stokes and Energy equations with a Galerkin weighted residual formulation. The vortex shedding process is simulated and the effect of splitter addition on the time period of shedding is studied at a Reynolds number of 200 and a blockage ratio of 0.25. The effect of splitter and the Strouhal number and heat transfer augmentation per unit pressure drop has been investigated.

The manufacturing sector has been observing various benefits by the implementation of lean manufacturing practices. However, the manufacturing sector has neglected the significance of health and safety management system implementation. The purpose of this research is to propose and validate an occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) framework based on critical success factors and their relationships in the lean manufacturing organizations.

A critical literature review was conducted to identify the success factors of OHSMS. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from process industries to consolidate the critical success factors. After consolidating the critical success factors, relationships among critical success factors were established with the help of interpretive structural modelling using a team of 12 experts from industry and academia. These established relationships helped in proposing the hierarchical implementation framework. Finally, the validation of the proposed implementation framework was carried out using structural equation modelling (SEM).

This study has identified nine broader critical success factors for implementation of OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations, especially the process industry. Subsequently, this study has proposed an OHSMS framework with nine broader critical success factors to implement in lean manufacturing organizations. Finally, the proposed framework has been validated using SEM with an appropriate sample size.

This study is helpful to the organizations to implement OHSMS without losing the essence of lean manufacturing strategy. This study has proposed a framework for implementation of OHSMS in the lean manufacturing organizations, especially process industry sector. This study also provided confidence to the organization through the validation of proposed framework in the process industry.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is first of its kind in this field of OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations, especially the process industry. This study has involved both academicians and industry experts to bring more robust outcomes. This study proposed a unique framework to implement OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations. This study has considered a comprehensive literature to develop a framework for OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations. An implementation framework was proposed by considering both the academicians’ and industry professionals’ opinions. The proposed framework was statistically validated. This will be helpful in effective implementation of OHSMS strategy in lean manufacturing organizations, especially process industry sector.

Success of software projects depends on identification of project risks and managing the risks in a proactive manner. Risk management requires thorough insights into interrelationship of various risk factors for proposing strategies to minimize failure rate. The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive structural model to interrelate important risk factors affecting the success of software projects.

Specifically, this study reveals how interpretive structural modelling helps the risk managers in identifying and understanding the interrelationship among various risk factors. A total of 23 risk factors (or risk sources) have been identified through an extensive literature review.

Necessary modelling information has been gathered from expert through a structured questionnaire survey. Matrice d’Impacts croises-multipication appliqué an classment analysis has been employed to classify the risk factors into four clusters such as autonomous, dependent, linkage and independent based on their driving and dependence power. Risk factors with strong dependence and weak driving power need urgent attention from managerial perspective.

The proposed model is useful for software managers/practitioners to address risk factors associated with complicated projects.

This study aims to investigate the difference in the pattern of influence of perceived service quality on insured and uninsured patients’ satisfaction levels.

This study follows a cross-sectional primary research design. A questionnaire survey method is implemented to collect primary data from 322 respondents who have received medical care during the past 1 year. A total of 168 respondents had a subscription to health insurance and 154 of them were without health insurance coverage. Data is analysed through factor analysis and multiple regression with SPSS-26.

This study identifies a critical difference in the pattern of influence of perceived service quality on patient satisfaction in the case of insured and uninsured patients. This difference is mainly related to the number of technical and functional service quality dimensions as significant predictors of insured and uninsured patients’ satisfaction.

The present study extends the existing body of knowledge related to perceived service quality and patient satisfaction with an interesting observation. Technical dimensions of perceived service quality act as equally important drivers of patient satisfaction in the case of both uninsured and insured patients. However, more number of functional service quality dimensions act as important drivers of patient satisfaction in the case of insured patients compared to uninsured patients. This serves as an important takeaway for health-care managers/administrators to identify areas of service quality need to be strengthened.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) model which highlights the relationships between the identified just-in-time (JIT) elements useful for the implementation of JIT in maintenance and understand mutual influences of these identified JIT elements on JIT implementation in maintenance. Further, this paper seeks to identify dependence power and driving power of identified JIT elements using an ISM and Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (MICMAC) analysis.

The methodology used in the paper is ISM with a view to evolving mutual relationships among JIT elements. The identified JIT elements have been further classified, based on their dependence power and driving power using MICMAC analysis.

This paper has developed the relationships among 16 identified JIT elements using the ISM methodology. Further, this paper analyses the driving power and dependence power of identified JIT elements with the help of MICMAC analysis. The incorporated approach is developed here, as the ISM provides only binary correlation among identified JIT elements. The MICMAC analysis is adopted here as it is useful in specific examination related to driving and the dependence power of identified JIT elements. The ISM developed model and MICMAC analysis finding are validated with the help of industrial experts.

The weightage and validation for the ISM and MICMAC analysis are obtained throughout the opinion of academics and industry experts. Further hypothesis may be conducted to examine the validity of the planned model, and structural model may also be validated statistically with the help of structural equation modeling.

The ISM model development and MICMAC analysis of identified JIT elements provide academics and maintenance managers a macro picture of the profits gained by the organizations by the implementation of JIT in maintenance of an organization.

The results will be useful for maintenance managers to understand the process of implementation of JIT in maintenance and to gain benefits after the implementation of JIT in maintenance of an organization.

Medical tourism encourages the traveling of patients, expert healthcare professionals and promotes cross-border trade in healthcare services. The Indian medical tourism sector is facing new challenges as well as certain ethical and legal issues because of continuous market changes and patient’s requirements while at the same time advancements in current health services have also been observed. It is therefore very important to understand and address the issues of the medical tourists. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the important factors which can make India an affordable medical tourism destination.

In this paper, the factors influencing Indian medical tourism sector have been explored by conducting literature review, they are ranked according to the results of a questionnaire-based survey and further analyzed by using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach. The mutual relationships between these factors were identified to develop an ISM model so as to find out the important factors which can make India an affordable place for medical tourism.

The results of the survey and the model show that cost of medical procedures, facilitation, and care, the infrastructure of Indian hospitals, clinical excellence and the competence of doctors and staff are the top level factors.

It is very important to address the concerns of the patients coming to a developing country like India for availing medical services. This research has evaluated the important factors which can make India an affordable medical tourism destination.

This research assesses the effects of globalization on delivery of healthcare services in India by conducting critical analysis of the medical tourism industry by collecting original data from the international patients coming to India for different types of medical procedures so that a comprehensive model can be prepared which will help the hospitals and policymakers to improve the processes related to medical tourism.

The main purpose of this paper is to outline the antecedents of patient satisfaction in the field of medical tourism (MT) applying extant literature and to develop a conceptual model based on the review.

This paper presents a thorough review of prior studies related to the antecedents of patient satisfaction in the MT sector. Moreover, it provides the theoretical base that helped the researcher to identify significant relationship between the patient satisfaction and its antecedents.

The researchers identified the prominent antecedents of patient satisfaction and present the potential interrelationships between different antecedents of patient satisfaction such as treatment quality, cost attractiveness, destination image and service quality with patient satisfaction based on the review.

The results have momentous practical implications as they will help researchers to better understand the antecedents of patient satisfaction and their potential inter linkages with patient satisfaction in MT sector. The conceptual model derived from the review may guide the actions of researchers as well as practitioners in the MT industry as a whole. The present study provides insights for further research in the MT sector and thereby helps to further enrich the existing theoretical base of the MT.

The study brings together the scattered knowledge from the broad and extensive range of medical or health tourism and cognate literature which indicate ideological differences among various aspects of MT as well as potential factors determining patient satisfaction in MT sector (antecedents of satisfaction). The newly developed model incorporates a new construct called “treatment quality” as different from “service quality,” which is a widely used construct to explain customer satisfaction. The antecedents of patient satisfaction and their inter-linkages with patient satisfaction provide a sound theoretical foundation for the future studies.