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Robotic dining delight unravelling the key factors driving customer satisfaction in service robot restaurants using PLS-SEM and ML
In the past few years there has been a remarkable surge in demand for robot service restaurants. However, as both the technology and the concept of such restaurants are relatively new, there is a limited understanding of how consumers would react to this new change in the service industry. This study focuses on the key factors influencing customer satisfaction and their intention to repeat the experience by using two staged hybrid PLS-SEM and Machine Learning approaches. The finding confirms that perceived enjoyment, speed, and novelty influence customer satisfaction, whereas perceived usefulness has no influence. Additionally, the study uncovers that customer satisfaction and trust positively mediate the relationship and establish the link with repeat experience. The machine learning models (Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Machines, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbors, Elastic Net) predict the intention to repeat the experience of the service robot with an overall model fit of around 57%. We also discussed several new and useful theoretical and practical implications for enhancing the customer experience during the visit to the restaurants. 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. -
Women Entrepreneurs: A Study of Psychological Well-being and Empowerment in Indian Social Context
Entrepreneurship is differentiated by decision-making ability, competition, economic gains, autonomy, and socioeconomic settings that provide a foundation for an individual to strive and run a venture in a highly competitive environment. In the present context, this study examines the relationship between empowerment and the psychological well-being of women entrepreneurs. This study attempted to analyze the various aspects of psychological well-being responsible for women's entrepreneurship. Exploratory design and regression analysis were used for the study. The study found that only purpose in life, personal growth and positive societal relations are significant psychological factors that influence women empowerment amongst women entrepreneurs in India. The results confirm a significant relationship between empowerment and the psychological well-being of women entrepreneurs in India. This research is apt in the present time as entrepreneurial ventures are considered to be the most critical factors that would help both urban and rural populations through the creation of jobs, rescue them from unemployment and poverty, and thereby have an impact on the development of skills, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency of women. 2023, Institute of Economic Sciences. All rights reserved. -
Photocatalytic and antioxidant potential of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized using Artemisia stelleriana leaf extracts
The antioxidant and photocatalytic activity of Artemisia stelleriana-based silver nanoparticles (AS-AgNPs) was investigated in this study. Microscopic, X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic studies were used to characterize the synthesized AS-AgNPs. UVvisible spectrophotometric examination revealed a peak at 425 nm. The phytocompounds involved in the transformation of silver ions into AS-AgNPs were confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. The crystalline nature of the AS-AgNPs was verified using the X-ray powder diffraction technique. Spherical-shaped AS-AgNPs with a size of 22.7 nm were proved using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The AS-AgNPs were top-notch photocatalysts for the degradation of Reactive Blue-222A (RB-222A) and Reactive Blue-220 (RB-220) dyes. After 80 min of UV light exposure, AS-AgNPs degraded RB-222A and RB-220 dyes by 94.6 and 90.8%, respectively. The phytotoxicity investigation in Vigna radiata and Arte-mia salina indicated that the hazardous dye can be degraded into innocuous chemicals by AS-AgNPs. The results suggest that AS-AgNPs are an excellent antioxidant and photocatalyst for the degradation of synthetic dyes. 2023 The Authors. -
Optimal Allocation of Renewable Sources with Battery and Capacitors in Radial Feeders for Reliable Power Supply Using Pathfinder Algorithm
Allocating renewable energy systems (RESs) in an electrical distribution system (EDS) is crucial to achieving various objectives. However, their intermittency presents several challenges. In this connection, an efficient meta-heuristic pathfinder algorithm (PFA) is employed to determine the optimal location and size of photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine (WT) systems, along with energy storage systems (ESS) and capacitor banks (CB) for both grid and islanding modes of operations. An objective function was formulated for loss reduction, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and voltage profile improvement. The simulation results for the IEEE 33-bus EDS system are shown for two cases: grid-connected and islanding. The computational effectiveness of the PFA was compared with that reported in the literature. The PFA results showed an outstanding ability to resolve difficult optimisation problems. In addition, the optimal size of the RES when the network operates in the grid-connected mode can significantly improve the performance. The real power losses and GHG emissions were reduced by 48.49 % and 67.75% with PV systems and the other, respectively, whereas WT systems they are reduced to 69.68 % and 67.85 %, respectively. However, a combination of ESS, CB, and PV/WT can render the EDN sustainable for the islanding mode of operations. The Author(s). -
Student Perceptions and Experiences in Mathematics Classrooms: A Thematic Analysis
Classroom experiences contribute to learners' perceptions and interest in a particular subject. The present study aims to understand students' perception of mathematics learning by exploring their classroom experiences. The study sample consisted of 17 eighth-grade students in English-speaking urban schools in South India. The data was collected through a semi-structured interview schedule. The thematic analysis presents five themes student personal factors, teacher-related, content-related, classroom environment and utility value. Teachers characteristics and mathematics content were the essential factors contributing to students' perceptions and experiences. The study highlights the utility value of the content to help students see the application of the subject in real-world situations. Understanding students' perception of mathematics learning would help to choose appropriate content and teaching methods in the curriculum. The study highlights the need for educational and psychological interventions, focusing on student-teacher engagement and curriculum development to enhance mathematics learning. (2023). All Rights Reserved. -
CONFIDENTIAL TRAINING AND INFERENCE USING SECURE MULTI-PARTY COMPUTATION ON VERTICALLY PARTITIONED DATASET
Digitalization across all spheres of life has given rise to issues like data ownership and privacy. Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning (PPML), an active area of research, aims to preserve privacy for machine learning (ML) stakeholders like data owners, ML model owners, and inference users. The Paper, CoTraIn-VPD, proposes private ML inference and training of models for vertically partitioned datasets with Secure Multi-Party Computation (SPMC) and Differential Privacy (DP) techniques. The proposed approach addresses complications linked with the privacy of various ML stakeholders dealing with vertically portioned datasets. This technique is implemented in Python using open-source libraries such as SyMPC (SMPC functions), PyDP (DP aggregations), and CrypTen (secure and private training). The paper uses information privacy measures, including mutual information and KL-Divergence, across different privacy budgets to empirically demonstrate privacy preservation with high ML accuracy and minimal performance cost. 2023 SCPE. -
Value Ingredients Private Limited: engaging farmers for achieving triple bottom line
Learning outcomes: After completion of this case study, students will be able to apply the triple bottom line concept to a spice manufacturing and export company (RBT 3); to examine the options before Value Ingredients Private Limited (VIPL), namely, to cultivate spices in the traditional way versus adopting integrated pest management (IPM) to cater to international markets (RBT 4); to analyse the returns for an IPM farmer vis-vis a conventional farmer, and to compare the returns therein (RBT 4); and to evaluate the ways and means of engaging farmers to change their way of cultivation (RBT 5) Case overview/synopsis: The COVID-19 pandemic heightened awareness about the benefits of spices and buoyed its demand worldwide, which presented an opportunity to VIPL, a spice manufacturing company based in Chennai, to expand its business. However, the export markets demanded residue-free spices grown with little or no use of pesticides. Traditional farmers supplying spices to VIPL were accustomed to spraying pesticides whenever there was a pest attack. This case study discussed the options that the protagonist Mr Sijil Karim, managing director and CEO of VIPL, had, who wanted to onboard farmers for pesticide-free cultivation. The options before him were either to continue traditional farming or adopt IPM. This case study discussed the merits, demerits and challenges of each of these options. The triple bottom line concept discussed three Ps people, planet and prosperity for this case as follows: The farmers and the consumers constituted the people in the spice supply chain. The farmers supplying organic, export-worthy spices under the guidance of VIPL gained 30% more than regular spice farmers, which were accrued through cost savings and better prices. The consumers benefitted from the pesticide-free, organic spices through accrued health gains. The manufacture of organic, pesticide-free spices helped the planet, as the process did not release hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere. VIPL manufactured pesticide-free spice with a focus on prosperity. Complexity academic level: The case study can be introduced in a course on sustainability while discussing the triple bottom line concept. This case study showed how a for-profit company grew without losing sight of the planet or its focus on people. This case is best suited for students who have preliminary knowledge of supply chain management, operations and sustainability. Therefore, it is suited for sophomore-year students of MBA. Supplementary materials: Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code: CSS 11: Strategy. 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
Effectiveness of internet-delivered dialectical behavior therapy skills training on executive functions among college students with borderline personality traits: a non-randomized controlled trial
Given the enormous influence of emotions on cognitive processes, individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suffer from marked deficits in higher-order thinking abilities. Considering the prevalence of BPD among college students, this study aimed to investigate the changes in perceived executive functioning among college students with traits/presence of BPD undergoing internet-delivered dialectical behavior therapy skills training (DBT-ST) that included the mindfulness and emotion regulation modules. An internet-delivered version of DBT-ST was opted for, as technological advancements in the present era promote the use of online platforms for psychotherapy. This non-randomized controlled trial consisted of 36 college students with traits/presence of BPD. The intervention group attended 13 sessions of DBT-ST, and the control group attended 13 sessions of behavioral activation. Perceived executive functioning was assessed using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions for Adults. A 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate the treatment impact on the outcome variable. Results showed that the DBT-ST group had larger improvements in their abilities to initiate, plan, and organize current and future-oriented task demands and to organize their everyday environment, compared to the control group. Both, the DBT-ST group and the control group demonstrated improvements in emotional control, working memory, and their abilities to shift and task monitor. Findings suggest that the internet-delivered version of DBT-ST, consisting of the mindfulness and emotion regulation modules, can foster notable improvements in executive functions among college students with traits/presence of BPD. Improved executive functioning is one of the several multifaceted outcomes of dialectical behavior therapy. Copyright: the Author(s), 2023. -
Stand-Up: The Comic Public Sphere in India
Comic performances might take a subversive form, especially in an autocratic regime where used as an instrument of expression by the oppressed, the silenced, the unseen, and the unheard, thereby offering a political critique of the state, economy, and systemic failures. This article discusses the ability of contemporary Indian stand-up comic performances to undermine hegemony. The article begins with a theoretical evaluation of the comic in the public sphere, moves to a brief survey of South Asian forms of comic performances, and links these concerns to performances by two contemporary comedy collectives, Aisi Taisi Democracy (ATD) and East India Comedy (EIC). The article then concludes with the possible complications of ATD and EICs contribution to a robust public sphere. Copyright 2023 (Rashi Bhargava and Samarth Singhal). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd). Available at http://ijoc.org. -
Evaluation of Social Media Marketing Literature in the Tourism Industry Using PRISMA
Social media is an effective communication and information-sharing tool for tourism enterprises and organisations. Tourism marketing shall tap the growing popularity of social media and internet users, embracing a technological shift by optimising the potential of social media. This research study evaluates the academic journal articles related to social media in the tourism industry published on EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar academic databases from 2005 to 2022. The article adopts a content analysis approach to review the articles and to evaluate the present state of knowledge of social media marketing in academic literature. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) is used for reporting and screening the review papers. The articles were coded and categorised under six major themes: Marketing, Destination experience/image, Tourism recovery, Smart tourism, Communication and Promotion. The research analysis has identified two major areas: (a) Travellers/tourists Perspective which has a focus on their behavioural attitude and (b) Tourism Agencies Perspective which has a functional approach. Based on the review of the literature to give direction for further research, an improvised version of the definition for the term social media with the inclusion of more specific terms in it has been proposed with theoretical and practical implications. 2023 MICA-The School of Ideas. -
K? to K? X-ray intensity ratio and KL vacancy transfer probability of Mn following electron capture decay
K? and K? X-rays of Mn following electron capture (EC) decay of55 Fe were detected using Amptek XR-100 T-CdTe X-ray detector spectrometer. Measured K? and K? X-ray intensities of Mn were used to determine the K? to K? intensity ratio and total KL total vacancy transfer probability. These values were compared with the theoretical, semiempirical, and others experimental values obtained via EC decay as well as photoionization. The X-ray intensity ratio of Mn was found to be higher by 1.5% from the relativistic Hartree-Slater theoretical value. This deviation may be attributed to the exchange interactions occurring between the 3p and 3d shell electrons as well as the recoil effect of the nucleus due to neutrino emission. 2023 The Author(s). -
Maximised bioethanol extraction from bamboo biomass through alkali pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification by application of ANN-NSGA-II-based optimisation method
The demand for alternative fuels is growing due to the depletion of fossil fuel resources. Non-edible resources are explored as alternatives, and a bamboo is an up-and-coming option for producing ethanol. The extraction process for bioethanol from bamboo involves alkali pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and ethanol production. The bamboo biomass is treated with alkali at high temperatures and pressure. This treatment helps break the lignin bonds that hinder the reaction between cellulose and enzymes. As a result, the pretreated biomass contains 40% less lignin than its raw form. Next, the air-dried pretreated biomass undergoes saccharification using Supercut Acid Cellulose. The saccharification process is optimised to achieve the shortest possible time, determined through prediction models based on artificial neural networks and optimisation techniques like Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II. The optimised process involves specific biomass and enzyme loading, producing reducing sugars estimated using the DNS method. Following enzymatic Saccharification, the hydrolysate is fermented using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a type of yeast. This fermentation process yields ethanol with a 1614.26mg/kg concentration. 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. -
Financial Distress and Value Premium using Altman Revised Z-score Model
In the stock market, investors and value managers desire to be safe. Estimating equity returns and evaluating potential financial distress risk are essential for investment and trading decisions. The link between distress risk and stock return is controversial, and current literature yields contradicting results. A variety of models may be used to evaluate distress risk-return trade-offs. This paper employs a revised Altman Z-score to examine financial distress and value premiums. Using univariate and multivariate techniques, we examine firm- and industry-level portfolio returns, encompassing all Indian companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Results confirm the existence of the distress factor effect found in industry and firm-level portfolios. It shows that the distress risk factor significantly determines stock returns as an independent systematic risk factor. This result is consistently found in most industries. The study demonstrates the existence of a value premium in both distressed and safe zones. The study also used a multivariate GRS test and the Fama-Macbeth procedure to validate the reliability of the distress factor and pricing models. Results confirm that Altman model-based distress factor augmented models improve the performance of existing pricing models with higher reliability and accuracy. 2023 MDI. -
Valorization of bovine tannery fleshing waste as a fish meal replacer: a conceivable green approach
The study intended to utilize bovine tannery fleshing (BTF) a significant contributor of solid wastes in leather industries, in its unhydrolyzed form (raw fleshing flour [RFF]) as well as in fermented form (fermented fleshing flour [FFF]) as fish meal (FM) replacer in formulated aqua feeds. In line with this, experimental diets were formulated, characterized, and evaluated for their virtue. Improvement in the physical quality of diets was achieved with FFF incorporation, enabling better pelletability, palatability, and feed texture. As the formulated diets were of sinking type, feeding trials on column as well as bottom feeders were concertedly attempted, as a value-added application of proteinaceous feed ingredient (BTF) in aquaculture sector. FFF inclusion diets proved superior to RFF inclusion diets. Maximum protein and lipid retentions of 89% and 92% were evidenced. Fish feeding experiments disclosed the productive impact of substituting FM with FFF by 50 and 75% on the performance (fish growth) of Cirrhinus mrigala (19.03 cm final length, 112.89 g Kg-1 final body weight, and 99% survival rate) and Labeo rohita (22.19 cm final length, 214.99 g Kg-1 final body weight, and 97% survival rate) respectively, with enhanced muscle biochemical compositions. FFF inclusion diets best suited column feeders than bottom feeders, with acceptable feed conversion ratio (< 2) and about 65% and 69% of protein in Rohu and Mrigal, respectively after 90 days of feeding. Absence of feed related mortality and multimycotoxins in FFF inclusion diets authenticated its invulnerable nature, signifying the need of bacterial fermentation processes to pull out the maximum worth of the solid waste. Thus, bovine tannery fleshing (BTF) would probably be used as a relatively inexpensive, effectual, safe, and an absolute source of protein for marine animals, reinforcing aquaculture business to strengthen up its profitability and eventually; this is an assuring conscientious solid waste management strategy that could be scaled-up to develop high-quality aquaculture feeds. 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. -
Machining Characteristics Evaluation of Al7075TiB2 In Situ Composite Using Abrasive Water Jet Machining with Varied Test Parameters
The study delves into the abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting of an Al7075TiB2 metal matrix composite that was synthesized in situ. The primary goal is to investigate how variations in three key process parameters, namely, stand-off distance (SOD) ranging from 0.5 to 2.5mm, abrasive flow rate (100 to 300gmin), and traverse speed (100 to 500mmmin), affect three critical performance metrics: volumetric material removal rate (VMRR), dimensional accuracy, and surface roughness (SR). The study's findings were represented graphically, highlighting the relationships between these responses and the aforementioned process parameters. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also used to examine the machined surfaces. It was discovered that increasing traverse speed resulted in significant increases in surface roughness, VMRR, and dimensional errors. An increase in the SOD, on the other hand, resulted in an increase in surface roughness, VMRR, and a decrease in dimensional accuracy. Furthermore, increasing the abrasive flow rate resulted in lower surface roughness and dimensional accuracy while achieving a higher VMRR. 2023, The Institution of Engineers (India). -
On ?(k)-coloring of graph products
An edge which is incident on two vertices that are assigned the same color is called a bad edge. A near proper coloring is a coloring that minimises the number of bad edges in a graph G, by permitting few color classes to have adjacency between the elements in it. A near proper coloring, that uses k colors where 1 ? k ? ?(G) ? 1, which allows at most one color class to be a non independent set to minimise the number of bad edges resulting from the same is called a ?(k)-coloring. In this paper, we determine the minimum number of bad edges, bk(G), resulting from a ?(k)- coloring of some graph products viz. direct product of two graphs G H and corona product of two graphs G?H, for all different possible values of k by investigating an optimal ?(k)-coloring that results in minimum number of bad edges. (2023), (Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications). All Rights Reserved. -
Four Alternative Scenarios of Commons in Space: Prospects and Challenges
The rapid expansion of human activities in outer space is likely to bring new economic, social, and political dilemmas in the next 50 to 100 years. Future governance will have to increasingly juggle earth-space social justice, resource trade-offs, and environmental sustainability issues. This poses new challenges to the governance of global commons, i.e. whether existing studies are fit to address commons in a global context and whether the governance of outer space commons (dis)integrates with Earth-bound sustainability governance. To explore these questions, this study uses scenario-building techniques to generate alternative future scenarios via a workshop conducted during the 2022 Commons in Space conference. We derived four future scenarios based on two major contextual conditions: (i) the degree of equity in resource distribution in space, and (ii) the degree of integration with Earth-bound sustainability, more specifically Earth system governance. The four alternative scenarios are (i) Space Cartel in which the use of space resources becomes dominated by the rich and powerful; (ii) Earth-centric Gold Rush in which the current business as usual continues; (iii) Open Space (also Space Utopia) in which open access of space resources leads to thriving developments in space at the expense of sustainability on Earth; and finally, (iv) Earth-Space Sustainability in which challenges on Earth and in space are addressed through an integrative governance model. Based on the challenges identified from these scenarios, we discuss specific as well as cross-cutting implications for policy and governance to better address commons in space in the future. 2023 The Author(s). -
Diabetes mellitus prediction using machine learning within the scope of a generic framework
Artificial intelligence (AI) based automated disease prediction has recently taken a significant place in the field of health informatics. However, due to unavailability of real time large scale medical data, the dynamic learning of prediction models remains principally subsided. This paper, therefore proposes a dynamic predictive modelling framework for chronic diseases prediction in real-time. The framework premise suggests creation of a centralized patient-indexed medical database to dynamically train machine learning (ML) models and predict risk levels of chronic diseases in real time. In this study, comprehensive empirical evaluations to train seven state-of-the-art ML models for diabetes risk prediction are performed in context of phase 2 of the suggested framework. The selected optimal model can then be dynamically applied to predict diabetes in phase 3 of the framework. Various metrics such as accuracy, precision, Recall, F1-score and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve are employed for evaluating performances of the trained models. Parameter tunings using different type of kernels, different number of neighbors and estimators are rigorously performed in order to create a suggestive literature for healthcare prediction ecosystem. Comparative analysis indicates high prediction accuracies on diabetes test data records for neural network and support vector machine (SVM) models as compared to other applied models. 2023 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved. -
Heat transfer optimisation through viscous ternary nanofluid flow over a stretching/shrinking thin needle
The current investigation interprets the flow and the thermal characteristics of the ternary nanofluid composed of MoS 2, ZnO, and SiO 2 spherical nanoparticles and water. The resulting nanofluid is (Formula presented.) where (Formula presented.) act as the base fluid which help in the flow and the nanoparticles contribute to enhancing the heat conductivity. The flow is assumed to occur across a thin needle whose surface is maintained at a higher temperature than the surroundings. The mathematical model is framed by incorporating radiation introduced by Rosseland in terms of partial differential equations (PDE). This system of equations governs the flow and thermal properties of fluid which are converted to a system of ordinary differential equations (ODE). The major outcomes of the study indicated that the increase in the amount of molybdenum disulfide enhanced the heat conducted by the nanofluid whereas it reduced the flow speed. The positive values of the heat source/sink parameter caused the heat conduction of the nanofluid to go high. 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. -
MHD nanofluid flow through Darcy medium with thermal radiation and heat source
In this analysis, we have considered heat transmission in two-dimensional steady laminar nanouid ow past a wedge. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), Brownian motion, viscous dissipation and thermophoresis eects are considered over the porous surface. Similarity transformations have been used to change the governing partial dierential equations (PDEs) into nonlinear higher-order ordinary dierential equations (ODEs). Governing ODEs with boundary conditions are then converted to the system of first-order initial value problem. After that the modeled system is solved numerically by RK4 technique. Impact of the magnetic number, Eckert number, Prandtl number, Lewis number, Brownian motion, thermophoresis and permeability parameters on the ow domain is analyzed graphically as well as in tabular form. It is noted that magnitude of Nusselt number for the ow regime increases with the increase of nondimensional parameter Pr; Nb; Nt while opposite behavior is observed in case of R. World Scientific Publishing Company.