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The purpose of this paper is to assess the health status and risky behaviours of inmates in Nepal.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jhumka Regional Prison, the largest male prison in eastern Nepal from September 2014 to August 2015. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews from 434 randomly selected incarcerated participants using semi-structured questionnaires.

The mean age of 434 participants was 35.7 years (SD 13.3). The majority (84 per cent) had at least one current health problem, of which the commonest were respiratory (50 per cent), skin (38 per cent) and digestive (26 per cent). Alcohol (73 per cent) and cigarettes (71 per cent) were the most commonly used substances prior to imprisonment. Approximately, 27 and 11 per cent reported illicit drug use and injectable drug use prior to incarceration, respectively. A total of 204 inmates reported having intercourse with sex workers. Of these, 49 per cent did not use a condom in their last intercourse with a sex worker.

This paper illustrates that a wide range of physical and mental health problems exist among incarcerated people in Nepal. The study may lack generalisability, however, as it was conducted in a single male prison.

The paper suggests a need for medical, psychiatric and substance abuse care in correctional settings to improve the health status of the prison population. It is also important to develop screening policies for blood-borne viral and other infectious diseases in the prison.

This is the first study of its kind drawn from prisons in Nepal.

This study aims to examine the altering paradigms for two specific characteristics of the international diamond industry: community-based business model and competitive advantage and their impact and interaction effect.

This study uses global value chain (GVC) analysis to understand the industry characteristics, social impacts and disruption in the international diamond industry. Further, normalized revealed comparative advantage is used to measure the competitiveness of different countries over time. Finally, stochastic frontier analysis is used to test the impact of the community-based business model and competitiveness on exports and estimate the technical efficiency.

The international diamond industry is witnessing changes in the business model, competitiveness, processes, policies and consumer behavior. While competitive advantage and community have a positive impact on exports, the relationship between competitive advantage and exports gets negatively moderated by the community. Further, insights from the GVC analysis indicate that though the industry is facing several disruptions and challenges, it has shown the unique quality of community reconfiguration and relocation.

This paper provides insights into the diamond industry facing multiple disruptions at various stages of GVC and contributes to the literature on international trade, community-based business models and GVC.

This study aims to document the participation of intra-household decision-making activities by older adults in India.

This study has used a nationally representative sample of 21,662 older adults (aged 60 and above) from the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India data of 2017–2018. Intra-household decision-making participation is measured based on decision-making activities that includes marriage of daughter/son, buying and selling of property, giving a gift to the family, education of family member and arrangement of social/religious events. This paper used bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression model to examine the factors associated with the participation of older adults in the intra-household decision-making activities.

The result has shown that older persons’ participation declined with increased age. This study has also found a difference in the participation of intra-households decision-making activities between male and female, rural and urban older adults, poor and rich older adults. Older adults with good health status who maintain social engagement and a good lifestyle are more likely to participate in the household’s decision-making activities.

Older adults with better economic and social status are more likely to participate in intra-household decision-making activities that make their life happier than the counterpart. Therefore, emphasis should be given to those vulnerable older adults who do not have any social and economic security in the society.

There are limited studies available on intra-household decision-making participation by older adults. This paper documents the intra-household decision-making participation by older adults in India with a nationally representative large sample.

The purpose of this research is to establish a conceptual model to understand the impact of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) on the transition of a Circular Economy (CE). Also, the paper explores the combined impact of TPM, I4.0 and CE on the sustainability performance (SP) of manufacturing firms.

The conceptual model is proposed using the dynamic capability view (DCV) and empirically validated by partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using 304 responses from Indian manufacturing firms.

The results suggest that I4.0 positively impacts TPM, CE and SP, also showing TPM's positive impact on CE and SP. In addition, CE has a positive influence on the SP of manufacturing firms. Furthermore, CE partially mediates the relationship between I4.0 and SP with TPM and SP. The study also identifies TPM, I4.0 and CE as a new bundle of dynamic capabilities to deliver SP in manufacturing firms.

The present research adds to the knowledge and literature on DCV by identifying the importance of CE in the settings of I4.0 and TPM, especially in the context of sustainability. Also, the current study offers a new set of dynamic capabilities and provides some significant future recommendations for researchers and practitioners.

Currency usage either in the physical or electronic marketplace through chip-based or magnetic strip-based plastic card becoming the vulnerable point for the handlers. Proper education and awareness can only thrive when concrete fraud detection techniques are being suggested together with potential mitigation possibilities. The purpose of this research study is tendering in the same direction with a suitable plan of action in developing the authentication strength metric to give weightage marks for authentication techniques.

In this research study, a qualitative in-depth exploration approach is being adapted for a better description, interpretation, conceptualization for attaining exhaustive insights into specific notions. A concrete method of observation is being adopted to study various time boxed reports on plastic card fraud and its possible impacts. Content and narrative analysis are being followed to interpret more qualitative and less quantitative story about existing fraud detection techniques. Moreover, an authentication strength metric is being developed on the basis of time, cost and human interactions.

The archived data narrated in various published research articles represent the local and global environment and the need for plastic card money. It gives the breathing sense and capabilities in the marketplace. The authentication strength metric gives a supporting hand for more solidification of the authentication technique with respect to the time, cost and human ease.

The research study is well controlled and sufficient interpretive. The empirical representation of authentication technique and fraud detection technique identification and suggestive mitigation gives this research study an implication view for the imbibing research youths. An application and metric based pathway of this research study provides a smoother way to tackle futuristic issues and challenges.

This research study represents comprehensive knowledge about the causes of the notion of plastic card fraud. The authentication strength metric represents the novelty of a research study which produced on the basis of rigorous documentary and classified research analysis. The creativity of the research study is rendering the profound and thoughtful reflection of the novel dimension in the same domain.

As physical evidence, servicescapes play a crucial role in tangibilizing service value. Since value creation and consumption are inseparable in many services, servicescapes also contribute significantly to consumer experiences. By reviewing the role of design factors on the physical and psychological safety of customers, particularly in different service contexts based on social factors, this paper aims to provide insights into how servicescape frameworks may be re-examined from a safety perspective.

Based on a critical review of studies in multidisciplinary domains, including environmental psychology, community medicine, architecture and engineering, this paper proposes a conceptual model anchored in stimulus–organization–response (S-O-R) theory and presents related propositions for safer servicescape designs.

The study reveals the need for re-evaluating current servicescape design frameworks by incorporating the concept of servicescape safety, discusses the significance of various interior factors and presents the moderating effects of social factors and service types on perceived safety.

With no robust models currently available to evaluate the impact of servicescape designs on users' physical and psychological safety, this paper provides guidelines based on a multidisciplinary review of studies. A healthy and safe servicescape requires interdisciplinary investigations, the results of which will reshape future design approaches.

This paper aims to introduce the concept of biomorphism (i.e. indirect experience of nature) in servicescape designs and validates its impact on consumer responses. Using the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, this study explores the relationship between biomorphic servicescape designs and the servicescape preference. Further, it explains how biomorphic designs can help users to get better connected with the servicescapes by introducing the mediating role of attention restoration and place identity (emotional and cognitive), as explained by attention restoration theory.

Two empirical studies were carried out to test the hypothesised relationships: an exploratory pre-experimental design with one-shot treatment using 200 images as stimuli and 3,680 responses; and a 3 × 2 factorial design with three-dimensional images with about 654 responses for three service contexts chosen a priori: fashion retail, restaurant and hospital lobby.

This study conceptualises the role of biomorphism – elements that mimic natural forms – in servicescape designs and establishes that, akin to natural elements, the indirect experience of nature in servicescapes also has a positive influence on attention restoration, perceived place identity and servicescape preference of the consumers. This implies that the effects similar to that of a biophilic servicescape can be achieved through servicescape elements that mimic natural forms.

Extending the idea of biophilia, this research adopts the concept of biomorphism from architecture and environmental psychology domains and introduces biomorphic servicescape designs, which could be more practical at times compared to biophilic servicescapes. It establishes the influences of biomorphic servicescape designs on consumer preferences. Grounded in the S-O-R model, it further explains this relationship through mediating effects of attention restoration and place identity. Being new to marketing and management domains, this research may trigger a series of research studies on biomorphic service environment designs, with desirable implications for services marketing and services operations functions.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of magnetorheological (MR) fluids, having high on-state shear stress/viscosity, low off-state shear stress/viscosity, good redispersibility and stable suspension of carbonyl iron particles, using tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TAH) and oleic acid.

MR fluids for use in brakes are synthesized using different weight percentages of silicone oil, TAH, oleic acid and iron particles. The effects of TAH and oleic acid are studied. Shear stress is measured as a function of magnetic field on a magneto-rheometer. The images of MR particles settling with time are presented. The test set-up used to evaluate the performance of the MR fluids synthesized for brake application is detailed. Finally, a significant improvement in the MR performance of brakes is reported.

The MR fluid having 0.25 Wt.% oleic acid showed low off-state viscosity/shear stress and high on-state viscosity/shear stress. A higher weight percentage of TAH in the MR fluid further reduced the low off-shear stress and increased the high on-state shear stress with better stability.

Improvement of MR brake performance by adding surfactants like TAH and oleic acid has been the subject matter of several studies in the past, but these studies used a fixed percentage of surfactants in MR fluids. In the present work, the optimum percentage of TAH and oleic acid for an improved braking performance is determined by varying their content in the MR fluid, which has not been reported in any other work thus far.

Technological development has not only helped in effective integration of renewable sources but also made it possible for consumers to participate in system operation. Different market players are coming up in the electricity market, microgrid being one of them. Thus, this paper aims to investigate consumers’ role in the dispatch of a microgrid system that has a hybrid market structure under varied system conditions.

The mathematical model developed has been solved by the CONOPT solver in the GAMS optimization tool. GAMS-MATLAB interfacing is done to obtain solutions.

The problem formulated shows the effect of consumers in dispatch and overall operational cost. Consumers’ participation has been proposed through a quadratic cost function. The system operation under pool and bilateral contracts has been investigated. It shows that proper incentives to the consumers can help in reduction and effective management of the demand, carbon emission and overall system operational cost.

This paper considers the hybrid market structure to find the load dispatch in a microgrid system. The participation of consumers in the microgrid system has been implemented considering variations in wind power, solar power and load. The power exchange between the grid and microgrid system has been modeled showing the contribution of the consumers in system operation.

Prior research in tourism and hospitality domain calls for closer attention to model specification when using partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), including the choice of software and algorithm for PLS model estimation. This paper aims to illustrate the significance of choosing appropriate algorithms for testing the nature of relationships by comparing findings using two different PLS-SEM software packages.

Using a field experiment, relationships between visual servicescape aesthetics and affective responses are conceptualized based on literature in environmental psychology and marketing domains. With photographic surrogates as stimuli in two different hospitality service contexts – spa and upscale restaurant – data are collected from 350 respondents.

By comparing results of SmartPLS 3.2 and WarpPLS 5.0 software and theoretical understanding from environmental psychology literature, it is illustrated that the results and their interpretations may not be in line with theory if model specifications are not correctly implemented and are not addressed through usage of software with a relevant algorithm to test them.

The study highlights the implications for model specification issues such as type of variables and nature of relationships that tourism and hospitality researchers often face and also how use of appropriate algorithms can overcome limitations of model testing for complex models and provide empirical rigor to support theory.

本论文使用两种不同的PLS-SEM处理软件来测试理论模型。通过解析模型设定参数问题, 特别是通过结构关系本性分析, 本论文指出选择合适的软件测试模型在酒店旅游领域的PLS研究中是非常关键的。

本论文借助图像拍摄手段采用实验的采样方式, 在两个不同的酒店服务场所—按摩和高档餐厅—搜集350份数据。本论文采用Smart PLS 3.2 和Warp PLS 5.0 软件来测试PLS-SEM。 这两款软件支持线性和非线性理论关系的比较。

通过Smart PLS 3.2 和Warp PLS 5.0 软件得出的报告结果分析, 不同软件处理PLS得出的结果可能有偏差, 而且会不符合理论设定。如果模型设定参数不正确, 通过使用合适的PLS-SEM软件和相关的数据分析加以辅助, 可能会解决参数不正确的问题。

本论文的比较分析结果可能会帮助到酒店和旅游领域的研究者们, 在做对有关PLS-SEM软件选择的时候, 哪些软件可以更加合适的测试模型有着参考意义。

本论文重点指出了模型设定参数的相关问题, 比如旅游酒店领域常见的变量种类和关系属性等。本论文还研究了如何选择合适的数据分析方法来克服测试复杂模型时的限制, 并且提供实践结果来支撑理论。