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Mathematics is not only a subject but it is also a language consisting of many different symbols and relations. Taught as a compulsory subject up the 10th class, students are then able to choose whether or not to study mathematics as a main subject. The present paper discusses mathematical modeling in mathematics education. The article provides models for high school, secondary, and higher mathematics education.

Background: The World Health Organization Astana Declaration of 2018 sees primary healthcare as key to universal health coverage and gives further support to the goal of building sustainable models of community palliative care. Yet evaluating the benefits of such models continues to pose methodological and conceptual challenges. Objective: To explore evaluation issues associated with a community-based palliative care approach in Kerala, India. Design: An illuminative case study using a rapid evaluation methodology. Methodology: Qualitative interviews, documentary analysis and observations of home care and community organising. Results: We appraise a community palliative care programme in Kerala, India, using three linked 'canvases' of enquiry: (1) 'complex' multi-factorial community-based interventions and implications for evaluation; (2) 'axiological' orientations that foreground values in any evaluation process and (3) the status of evaluative evidence in postcolonial contexts. Three values underpinning the care process were significant: heterogeneity, voice and decentralisation. We identify 'objects of interest' related to first-, second- and third-order outcomes: (1) individuals and organisations; (2) unintended targets outside the core domain and (3) indirect, distal effects within and outside the domain. Conclusion: We show how evaluation of palliative care in complex community circumstances can be successfully accomplished when attending to the significance of community care values. Plain language summary: Where are the values in evaluating palliative care? Learning from community-based palliative care provision The evaluation of any intervention or service will inevitably involve a series of decisions on what we measure, what criteria we use to judge whether the intervention has been successful (or not), what type of data we actually collect and what methods we use to do this. When evaluating a range of palliative care interventions, we suggest that these decisions have often been taken in a concealed way and tend to favour relatively narrow quantitative measures linked to end outcomes. Our paper reports on the evaluation of a community-based palliative care intervention on Kerala, India. In it, we suggest that such complex work requires a broader approach to evaluation that: makes the values being used to assess success explicit; draws on a range of data types; is interested in delivery processes; and places the voices of participants at the heart of the assessment. The paper concludes with some broader observations on how these principles might be applied more widely within palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to examine the relationship between competitivenessand environment-friendly behaviour of producers under an economic liberalisation regime. For that purpose, it employs a probit model and estimates the influence of the prime movers of industrial growth suchas technical change and economies of scale on environmental degradation. The empirical results of the study of pulp and paper industry, identified as one of the most polluting industries in India, indicate that these variables, as the key players of competitiveness improvement, have positive influence on environment-friendly behaviour. Such findings, therefore, fail to provide support to a view that articulates ruthless exploitation of the environment under economic liberalisation programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicriteria mathematical modeling is an analytical framework for formally describing real‐life problems involving multiple and conflicting objectives. In the past decade, multicriteria decision‐making techniques have been applied in almost every area of the decision‐making including energy‐economic planning and sustainable development. Various mathematical and analytical models have been presented for the sustainable development planning and their assessment. In this paper, we discuss an approach related to multicriteria decision‐making and apply it for the assessment of the sustainable development goals of India by the year 2030. In the INDC report submitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2015, http://www..unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/India/1/INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf), India has identified many goals related to the sustainable development like energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, GVA growth, and an increase in the employment by the year 2030. This paper overcomes the energy resource allocation problem in related literature due to the lack of sectorial data for the same year by calculating the estimates for each sector for the year 2030. We presented a multicriteria decision‐making model which allocates public labor force in the key economic sectors of India. The presented model is validated with the data of the key economic sectors and their contribution in the identified goals. The paper provides a decision support for the better management of future sustainable policies by assessing the efficiencies of the current policies toward future sustainable goals. We evaluated the identified goals using the multicriteria decision‐making approaches so that the strategic planning can be implemented by the policy makers and to present a quantitative justification of planning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we address the effects of two fiscal policy delays on the dynamical analysis of macroeconomics. First, a time gap between the accrual of taxes and their payment is considered. Second, the time spent between the purchasing decisions and the actual expenditure is also taken into consideration. Since both these delays are significant in controlling macroeconomic conditions, this paper incorporates aforementioned delays into the IS–LM model. At first, a mathematical model is developed using delayed differential equations. Then a unique steady state solution is obtained. Around the equilibrium point, linear stability analysis is done. Also, the occurance of Hopf bifurcation is observed when delay crosses a critical point and switches in stability are also detected. Properties of Hopf bifurcation using center manifold theorem are discussed. Lastly, numerical simulations are run to verify our analysis. In this work, we considered a case study to perform simulation wherein GDP of India for last ten years is recorded for estimating some parameters. In different investment scenarios, numerical simulations corroborate the analytical findings of the model. Furthermore, rigorous analysis shows that adding the right mix of delays can help in maintaining/ regaining the stability after periods of instability, or even gaining stability in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it is well known that vaccines against many infectious diseases confer positive economic externalities via indirect protection, analysts have typically ignored possible herd protection effects in policy analyses of vaccination programs. Despite a growing literature on the economic theory of vaccine externalities and several innovative mathematical modeling approaches, there have been almost no empirical applications. The first objective of the paper is to develop a transparent, accessible economic framework for assessing the private and social economic benefits of vaccination. We also describe how stated preference studies (for example, contingent valuation and choice modeling) can be useful sources of economic data for this analytic framework. We demonstrate socially optimal policies using a graphical approach, starting with a standard textbook depiction of Pigouvian subsidies applied to herd protection from vaccination programs. We also describe nonstandard depictions that highlight some counterintuitive implications of herd protection that we feel are not commonly understood in the applied policy literature. We illustrate the approach using economic and epidemiological data from two neighborhoods in Kolkata, India. We use recently published epidemiological data on the indirect effects of cholera vaccination in Matlab, Bangladesh (Ali et al., 2005) for fitting a simple mathematical model of how protection changes with vaccine coverage. We use new data on costs and private demand for cholera vaccines in Kolkata, India, and approximate the optimal Pigouvian subsidy. We find that if the optimal subsidy is unknown, selling vaccines at full marginal cost may, under some circumstances, be a preferable second-best option to providing them for free. (Contains 14 footnotes, 2 tables, and 8 figures.)

The current paper describes the shared ideas around feminism and social work profession. Based on the theoretical discourses, it attempts to contextualise the practice framework for feminist social work. It seeks to present few efficacious initiatives in the form of case studies from Indian grassroots and highlight various success stories based on social work practice from a feminist perspective. The central idea of the paper is to explore learning insights from the field based on successful practice based models and how these can be amalgamated to develop an indigenous framework for the practice of feminist social work in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: By analyzing COSMIC data, found more than 50% reduction in electron density during a solar eclipse at the F2-layer and above, with the peak of ∼70% at 370km. So great eclipse effect on topside ionosphere was very abnormal and much different from previous studies. However, by comparing the cosmic data with IRI results, we find that the abnormal reduction comes mainly from the significant local time variation at sunrise, not from the eclipse effect. Furthermore, we simulated the eclipse effect by using a theoretical model to confirm our analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Drawing on critical theoretical perspectives and ethnographic field research related to HIV/AIDS in northern India, this paper argues for a cultured-centered approach to stigma reduction interventions and communication practices that are based on an assessment of larger social and structural processes on the one hand and the lived experiences and narratives of people living with HIV (PLWH) on the other. This paper suggests that while the complex nature of stigma, particularly as it relates to HIV/AIDS, makes it difficult to understand and respond to, this problem is further exacerbated by a largely individual and behavior-centered research that still dominates the field of Health Communication. Such research sees human cognition as the main source of stigma and underplays issues of power, structure, domination, and control. More specifically, and with concrete examples from the everyday lived experiences of PLWH – such as their experiences within family and health-care settings, this paper demonstrates how power and structure deeply impact their lives and remain central to their experience of (and resistance to) stigma, thus opening up space for alternative theorizing and practices in Health Communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues surrounding migration are receiving unprecedented attention at the global, regional, as well as national levels. However, a review of the literature shows that there is more focus on international migration compared to internal migration. Further, there is more emphasis on issues related to the migration destination rather than those at the source of migration. Using the cultural preparation process model as a framework, this paper aims to understand the career and livelihood planning needs of those who are left behind. The left-behind families of pine resin tappers in the Changar region of the Indian Himalayas are presented as a case study to draw the attention of career guidance and counselling professionals to this unattended population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to Covid Pandemic, all are heading towards digitization of the process of manual work being conducted in organization. In this paper the current working of the student grading system is reviewed. The mechanical way to device the results is monitored and efforts required are assessed. In rural India, still at many colleges, the student's academic performance is assessed and derived on the basis of preparing results manually by the teachers which require large amount of time. There are certain limitationsobserved with current system. A Mathematical model based Framework is proposed for analysis of academic performance of the student, class and institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to develop a universal diffusion model of drying kinetics that can be applied to a variety of shrinkable products such as fruits and vegetables. The main objective is to examine the physical changes that occur during convective air‐drying process of Thompson seedless type cylindrical grapes. These include changes in the physical properties of the product, such as the moisture content, the temperature of the product, and the size of the product. The authors develop a two‐dimensional transient diffusion model and MATLAB that takes into account convection, radiation, and evaporation phenomena under a variety of operating conditions for simulating grape drying and shrinkage. The differential equations are solved for moisture transfer within a cylinder using the finite difference method. A lab‐scale experimental test setup has also been developed and tests are performed. The results obtained from the mathematical model are compared with experimental results and found to be in agreement with a maximum error of 14%. The model is also validated with the results reported in the literature. Meteorological data are used to determine the time‐dependent radiation flux density (I(t)) on a particular day. For each of the investigated conditions, the effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) is determined using Fick's diffusion equation. Volume reduction of a product due to drying process was assumed to be equivalent to moisture removal. A coefficient of effective diffusivity was calculated using drying data collected at constant cabin air temperatures between 50 and 70°C. The maximum radius and length of the grape were reduced by 40.33% and 42.40%, respectively, when the size of the grape was considered to be 6.5 mm radius and 25 mm length. The results of the present mathematical model may be useful for accurately predicting the temperature, moisture content, and size change of the product. Practical Application: Drying food to preserve it is an energy‐intensive process. Solar drying is one of the oldest methods used to preserve agricultural produce. Solar thermal energy has tremendous potential for commercial and industrial drying applications with air temperatures as high as 80°C. Solar drying is prevalent in India because farmers have easy access to solar drying systems. Through the installation of such a system, agricultural products can be dried in agricultural regions. This work provides farmers with added value for their particular products. Solar dryers system ensure significant fossil fuel energy savings. Solar dryers must meet rigorous requirements for dependability and continuous operation. This research contributes to the design, optimization, and control of food drying processes. For each drying time, the extent of moisture distribution, product temperature, and product size are determined. For dryers operating under a variety of operating conditions, this aids in system performance forecasting. In addition, the effect of interior cabin temperature variation is investigated, which aids in identifying drying characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than supply the demand for health care usually determines the design of public health services. This is more so when technological developments, including that of information and communication technologies, pierce through the process of utilization of any service by the public. Although prior research papers have focused on the factors that impact on the adoption of information technology, there are limited empirical research works that simultaneously capture technology factors (TAM, TAM2) and end-user development specifc factors (perceived technology usage and intention to recommend) helping healthcare professionals to adopt Health Management Information System (HMIS) software in the healthcare environment. To fill this gap, the present paper used the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the extended TAM model (TAM2) and identified the important determinants of user acceptance perceived risk and trust. This is specifcally undertaken in order to describe ESIChealthcare professionals behavioral intention to adopt HMIS software services. The study was conducted in the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) main hospital and dispensaries in the Tirunelveli sub-region. The required data were collected from 171 ESIC healthcare professionals in the Tirunelveli sub-region. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach was used. Convergence anddivergence with earlier findings were found, confrming that Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), social infuence, facilitating conditions and training hadsignificant infuence on the intention of healthcare professionals to adopt HMIS software. The study provideda basis for further refnement of technology adoption model. Improvingperceived usefulness factor (perceived long-term usefulness) may turn healthcare professionals towards adoption of HMIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus that shook the world population has restructured the world order. While the scientists are grappling hard to find a solution to the imminent problem at hand, the pandemic has thrown the human race into a perplexed stage questioning and mostly changing everything they believed in. The pandemic has replaced human beings as social animal to virtual being. The social distancing mandate required for the survival as propounded by WHO has forced individuals to keep the other humans at bay. The present paper is an attempt to look at the changes the world is facing with respect to the social, cultural, economic, and psychological aspects with a special focus on the internationally acclaimed Kerala model of survival. Kerala, a small state located within the southern peninsula of the country has played an important role in containing the spread of the virus despite its larger population density. The paper focuses on the innovative mechanics followed by the state to curtail the spreading. It also attempts to look at the changes that have been brought in the general human behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The rapid urbanization of Indian cities and the population surge in cities has steered a massive demand for energy, thereby increasing the carbon emissions in the environment. Information and technology advancements, aided by predictive tools, can optimize this energy demand and help reduce harmful carbon emissions. Out of the multiple factors governing the energy consumption and comfort of buildings, indoor room temperature is a critical one, as it envisages the need for regulating the temperature. This paper aims to propose a mathematical model for short-term forecasting of indoor room temperature in the Indian context to optimize energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions in the environment. Design/methodology/approach: A study is conducted to forecast the indoor room temperature of an Indian corporate building structure, based upon various external environmental factors: temperature and rainfall and internal factors like cooling control, occupancy behavior and building characteristics. Expert insight and principal component analysis are applied for appropriate variables selection. The machine learning approach using Box–Jenkins time series models is used for the forecasting of indoor room temperature. Findings: ARIMAX model, with lagged forecasted and explanatory variables, is found to be the best-fit model. A predictive short-term hourly temperature forecasting model is developed based upon ARIMAX model, which yields fairly accurate results for data set pertaining to the building conditions and climatic parameters in the Indian context. Results also investigate the relationships between the forecasted and individual explanatory variables, which are validated using theoretical proofs. Research limitations/implications: The models considered in this research are Box–Jenkins models, which are linear time series models. There are non-linear models, such as artificial neural network models and deep learning models, which can be a part of this study. The study of hybrid models including combined forecasting techniques comprising linear and non-linear methods is another important area for future scope of study. As this study is based on a single corporate entity, the models developed need to be tested further for robustness and reliability. Practical implications: Forecasting of indoor room temperature provides essential practical information about meeting the in-future energy demand, that is, how much energy resources would be needed to maintain the equilibrium between energy consumption and building comfort. In addition, this forecast provides information about the prospective peak usage of air-conditioning controls within the building indoor control management system through a feedback control loop. The resultant model developed can be adopted for smart buildings within Indian context. Social implications: This study has been conducted in India, which has seen a rapid surge in population growth and urbanization. Being a developing country, India needs to channelize its energy needs judiciously by minimizing the energy wastage and reducing carbon emissions. This study proposes certain pre-emptive measures that help in minimizing the consumption of available energy resources as well as reducing carbon emissions that have significant impact on the society and environment at large. Originality/value: A large number of factors affecting the indoor room temperature present a research challenge for model building. The paper statistically identifies the parameters influencing the indoor room temperature forecasting and their relationship with the forecasted model. Considering Indian climatic, geographical and building structure conditions, the paper presents a systematic mathematical model to forecast hourly indoor room temperature for next 120 h with fair degree of accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have proposed a stochastic Knapsack Problem (KP) based mathematical model for small-scale vegetable sellers in India and solved it by an advanced Genetic Algorithm. The knapsack problem considered here is a bounded one, where vegetables are the objects. In this model, we have assumed that different available vegetables (objects) have different weights (that are available), purchase costs, and profits. The maximum weight of vegetables that can be transported by a seller is limited by the carrying capacity of the vegetable carrier and the business capital of the seller is also limited. The aim of the proposed mathematical model is to maximize the total profit of the loaded/traded items, with a set of predefined constraints on the part of the vegetable seller or retailer. This problem has been solved in a Type-2 fuzzy environment and the Critical Value (CV) reduction method is utilized to defuzzify the objective value. We have projected an improved genetic algorithm based approach, where we have incorporated two features, namely refinement and immigration. We have initially considered benchmark instances and subsequently some redefined cases for experimentation. Moreover, we have solved some randomly generated proposed KP instances in Type-2 fuzzy environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain is an essential component associated with Surface subsidence. Predicting strain due to underground mining is one the difficult concept. In this paper, the subsidence over mechanized Longwall located in the south of India is predicted with the help of ANSYS software. The predictions from the numerical model are compared with field data and validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At this moment in time, an outbreak of COVID-19 is transmitting from human to human. Different parts have different quality of life (e.g., India compared to Russia), which implies the impact varies in each part of the world. Although clinical vaccines are available to cure, the question is how to minimize the spread without considering the vaccine. In this paper, via a mathematical model, the transmission dynamics of novel coronavirus with quarantine and isolation facilities have been proposed. The examination of the proposed model is set in motion with the boundedness and positivity of the solution, sole disease-free equilibrium, and local stability. Then, the condition for the existence of sole endemic equilibrium and its local stability has established. In addition, the global stability of the endemic equilibrium for a special case has been investigated. Further, it has shown that the system undergoes a transcritical bifurcation. A threshold analysis has also performed to examine the effect of quarantine on transmission dynamics. Lastly, numerical simulations are giving support to theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the pollution from the atmosphere or polluted cities like the capital city Delhi of India, use of artificial rain is a solution. In this paper, we have proposed and analyzed a nonlinear mathematical model to reduce the pollution level by rain making. In the proposed model five variables are considered, namely; (i) number density of water vapor, (ii) number density of cloud drops, (iii) number density of raindrops, (iv) cumulative concentration of aerosols, and (v) concentration of pollutant particles suspended in the region of consideration. The effect of environmental fluctuations has been studied with the help of Lyapunov functionals. The model is analyzed in the presence of white noise and proved that if rain persists, the pollutants can be totally washed out. It has been observed that the environmental disturbances are not much favorable in such experiments as the presence of environmental disturbance may destabilize the system. It is found that to remove pollutants completely, it is necessary to prevent the formation of pollutants. The simulation is performed to support the analytical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of the association and the possible existence of a shortrun and long-run relationship between the stock-market indices of South Africa, India and the USA. The idea behind this combination is to know how the stock markets of these three prominent countries are related to each other. The study employs monthly data from the stock indices, namely JALSH (South Africa), NIFTY (India) and NASDAQ (USA) composite from April 2004 to March 2014. After testing for the normality of the data distribution and the stationarity of the time series data, this paper discovered a strong correlation between the stock market indices of South Africa, India and the USA. The correlation among the stock markets is high, particularly between South Africa and India. In addition, the paper attempts to discover the presence of any predictive ability among these markets by applying the Granger causality test. The result indicates that the NASDAQ index has no predictive ability as far as the JALSH and NIFTY indices are concerned. However, the JALSH index has a predictive ability on the NIFTY index. After testing the Granger cause relationship, the existence of a long-run and short-run relationship is tested. The long-run relationships among the stock market indices are analysed, following the Johansen and Juselius multivariate cointegration approach. The result suggests the absence of a long-run relationship among the three stock market indices. Short-run relationship is investigated with the Vector Autoregression (VAR) model, and the outcome obtained shows that both the USA and the South African stock markets are predicted only by their own past lags. However, the Indian stock market is seen to be a function of its own past lags and the past lags of the South African stock index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Technical education plays an important role in the development of a country in this age of knowledge economy. Indian technical education system is facing many opportunities and challenges, one of which is how to assess the performance of technical institutions based on multiple criteria. The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate an application of a structured approach to determine relative efficiency and ranking of a set of private engineering colleges under multi-criteria environment. Design/methodology/approach – To cater to the increasing need of technical manpower, a very large number of private engineering colleges have been established in the state of West Bengal of eastern India within a very short period. Uniform and acceptable quality of the graduates from many of these private engineering colleges is a concern today and therefore the need for performance evaluation and ranking of these colleges is paramount. For the proposed framework a comparatively new multiple criteria decision-making tool, multiple objective optimization on the basis of simple ratio analysis (MOOSRA) is applied for performance evaluation of eight private engineering colleges taking into account some selected criteria. The subjective weights of the criteria are determined using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Findings – For the analysis, the required data have been provided by the management of the colleges for the academic year of 2011-2012. Based on request of the management identities of these institutes are not disclosed. The institutes are considered as anonymous institute and coded as A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, respectively. The result of the study reveals that E is the best and the ranking the authors get is in the order of E > F > A > H > D > C > G > B. The result shows that composite performance scores of institutions A, E and F are above the mean performance score value. Therefore these three institutions can be considered as the benchmark or peer group for the remaining five institutions which lie below the mean line of the performance score value. Originality/value – This paper provides a comprehensive yet detailed methodology for performance evaluation of academic institutions. The novelty in the approach is that fuzzy AHP and MOOSRA are being used as a benchmarking technique in a simple methodology which is generic in nature. It is one of the few studies that evaluate the performance of technical institutions in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term evolution of multi agent multi criteria decision making (MCDM) and to obtain sustainable decision a novel methodology is proposed based on evolutionary game theory. In this paper multi agent MCDM is represented as an evolutionary game and the evolutionary strategies are defined as sustainable decisions. Here we consider the problem of decision making in Indian Tea Industry. The agents in this game are essentially Indian Tea Estate owner and Indian Tea board. The replicator dynamics of the evolutionary game are studied to obtain evolutionary strategies which could be defined as sustainable strategies. The multi agent MCDM in Indian Tea Industry is considered under different socio-political and Corporate Social Responsibility scenario and groups of Indian Tea Industry. Again, the impacts of imprecision and market volatility on the outcome of some strategies (decisions) are studied. In this paper the imprecision on the impact of the strategies are modelled as fuzzy numbers whereas the market volatility is taken into account as white noise. Hence the MCDM problem for Indian Tea Industry is modelled as a hybrid evolutionary game. The probabilities of strategies are obtained by solving hybrid evolutionary game and could be represented as a Dempster-Shafer belief structure. The simulation results facilitate the Decision Makers to choose the strategies (decisions) under different type of uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine the linkages of employment, chronic disease prevalence and medical care of the older population in India. Design/methodology/approach -- This study used the India Human Development Survey data for the analysis. Bivariate, multinomial logit regression and multiple classification analysis are used as methods for the study Findings -- The findings suggest a bi-directional relationship between employment and chronic diseases: the older population who are engaged in regular paid work has lower likelihood to the risk of chronic diseases compared to those who are not working. Conversely, the older population with chronic diseases may be unable to work in regular paid jobs. The greater proportions of not-working older population with savings and retirement pensions are more likely to seek modern treatment for the chronic diseases. Overall, the results foster that employment determines and is determined by chronic disease prevalence among the older population in India. Originality/value -- This paper tor the first time presents evidence on the linkages of employment, chronic disease prevalence and medical care of the older population in India by using a unique and comprehensive data source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – A public health approach for promoting mental health has become a major health policy agenda of many governments. Despite this worldwide attention on research addressing population mental health and general wellbeing, very little is heard on positive mental health from the low-and middle-income countries. This paper aims to present an attempt to develop a model of positive mental health among young people. This could be used for integrating the concept of positive mental health (PMH) into public health interventions. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in the state of Kerala, India. The paper administered the “Achutha Menon Centre Positive Mental health Scale” to a sample of 453 (230 men and 223 women) in the age group 18-24, along with an interview schedule exploring the relationship of PMH with many explanatory variables such as sex, beliefs, religion, education, employment and social capital. The paper developed an input path model through a series of multiple regressions explaining the levels of PMH in the community, which was then tested statistically (using AMOS version 7.0). The input model was created by identifying the determinants and correlates of PMH based on their predictive power on the outcome variable, the PMH score. The input diagram was used to test the model fit of the data. Findings – The path model (Figure 1) clearly specified the determinants of PMH. Among them, the variables that have a direct determinant effect on PMH are: quality of home learning environment, employment status, education status, marital status, self-perception on possession of skills, happiness with life, membership in social organizations and socializing capability. Research limitations/implications – In this study, path model is used to confirm relationships among observed and latent variables. The path diagram assesses the comparative strength of the correlations between the variables and does not test the directionality. Or, the model itself cannot prove causation. Practical implications – Determinants of PMH those are amenable to interventions as well as those which help in recognizing characteristic groups for intervention could help to plan future intervention programs. Originality/value – Original paper based on primary data collected through a cross-sectional survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and tuning of controllers for the industrial process is an art, which plays a vital role in many of the process control industries. The industries such as sugar, chemical, paper and other process control-based industries hold the nature of non-linearity due to their uneven distribution of load influence with disturbances. This paper highlights the study and investigation of different controlling parameters associated with the sugar industry which is located in the southern region of Tamil Nadu, India. After the analysis of various processes, the impact of controlling strategy needs to be implemented in an advanced way to minimize the resource utilization with high productivity. The behaviour of various process parameters, such as flow, temperature, level, pressure, is studied and one of these has been discussed in detail along with the controller design. The controller, such as proportional, integral, derivative, has been modified with advanced control phenomena and applied to process model with the presence of delay time provides the excellent tracking of operating point to bring the stability of a certain process in a tremendous manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the performance of a PVT (photovoltaic thermal) air collector with V-groove absorber in the air channel is theoretically and experimentally examined under different climate conditions of Ghaziabad city, India, in summer, June 2019. A low power brushless DC fan is fixed at the input of the air-channel to ensure the circulation of air through the V-groove. The energy balance equation is developed with the matrix-inversion method to estimate the PV (photovoltaic) cell and air output temperatures. The theoretical results obtained using mathematical modeling has been compared with that of the real-time experimental results. The electrical, thermal, and overall efficiencies for the theoretical and experimental studies are found in the range of 10.39–10.26%, 41.78–41.57%, and 52.17–51.81%, respectively. It has been observed that the theoretical results are coherent with experimental results for the proposed model achieving an accuracy of 98.98%, 99.43%, and 99.31% for electrical, thermal, and overall efficiencies, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a holistic approach for measuring overall bank efficiency and its decomposition in intermediation and operating efficiencies.Design/methodology/approach Recently developed two-stage network data envelopment analysis model by Liang et al. (2008) has been used for obtaining intermediation and operational efficiencies along with overall bank efficiency. The bootstrapped truncated regression algorithm as proposed by Simar and Wilson (2007) has been employed to explore the influential determinants of intermediation and operating efficiencies.Findings The empirical results reveal that the operating inefficiency is the dominant source of overall bank inefficiency in Indian banking sector. Another interesting finding is that public sector banks are more efficient than private banks in the intermediation stage of production process, while private banks are more efficient in the operating stage of production process. Finally, the results of bootstrapped truncated regression show that variations in intermediation efficiency are explained by bank size, liquidity position, directed lending and intermediation cost, while inter-bank differences in operating efficiency are influenced by profitability and income diversification.Practical implications The most significant practical implication that has been derived from the research findings is that at the industry level, overall efficiency enhancement needs improvement both in terms of resource-utilization and income-generating abilities of the banks. However, the relatively easy way to achieve higher bank efficiency is to improve the efficiency of banks in generating incomes from interest and fee-based sources.Originality/value This paper is the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of performance of Indian banks by examining the efficiency of individual banks considering both the intermediation and operating approaches simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores assets for health and well-being for women in extremely poor rural areas in Ghana, Haiti, India, the Philippines, and Tanzania. Data were collected through individual interviews and focus group interviews with local women. The paper asks (i) which assets women draw on for well-being in resource-poor settings, and (ii) whether an assets approach, as understood in the Salutogenic Model, is appropriate and meaningful in the most deprived areas. Low levels of natural, material and infrastructural resources were reported by the respondents to cause stress, and assets of a human, social and cultural character were identified as being important in coping with this stress. By mobilizing the capacity and assets of people and places, local development initiatives will make sense logically (comprehensibility), they will be perceived to be practically realistic (manageability), and they will be motivating because they are meaningful, based on involvement in decision-making (meaningfulness). The assets focus must co-exist with initiatives to improve distributional justice. We conclude that an asset approach to well-being is not only appropriate, but also necessary, in even the poorest contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The author comments on an article about demographic characteristics and economic growth in China and India. It is argued that the model of the global economy disaggregating regional households by age and sex and integrating demographic behavior has failed to explain restrictions in private capital outflow in the two countries. The article, according to the author, also failed to explain the contribution of female labor to economic development and the labor market dynamics in India.

Low-temperature drying (withering) is the first stage in black tea processing. Determination of appropriate end moisture content of green tea leaf as well as temperature and relative humidity (RH) maintained during withering eventually aid the final quality of the processed tea. Therefore, the tea leaf withering (partial drying) properties were evaluated in an environmental chamber using mathematical models. The temperatures and RH considered were 25, 30, 35 °C and 80, 85, 90%, respectively. A total of nine combinations of temperature and RH were considered by keeping one parameter constant. The conditions were taken adhering to that of the climatic conditions of Assam, India. The withering data from experiments were fitted into five drying models using the curve fitting method. The Page model gave better predictions with an R² value of 0.9989 at 30 °C temperature and 90% RH. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the tea leaf samples were evaluated. The best results were 50.60 ± 0.02 mg GAE·g-1 (GAE - gallic acid equivalent) and 22.47 ± 0.01 mg QCE·g-1 (QCE - quercetin equivalent) at 30 °C withering temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we have provided a five-compartmental epidemic model in an interval environment to analyze the spread of COVID-19 infection in India. The proposed model divides the entire population of India into five classes. They are susceptible, exposed, asymptomatic, symptomatic, and recovered classes. Under some suppositions, the crisp model is constructed and converted to an imprecise model by the interval number. We introduced a parametric functional form of an interval number to study the imprecise epidemiological model. The main objective of this study is to develop an epidemiological model in an imprecise environment and to try to understand the dynamics of the epidemic model of COVID-19 infection spread in India. We also presented the COVID-19 model with two controls to effectively control COVID-19 disease in India. Finally, a numerical simulation is carried out considering that the model parameters are imprecise. The numerical results show that our proposed imprecise model is reliable from a practical point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition for the 2010 Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Operations Research Practice provided the five finalist papers featured in this special issue of Interfaces. The prestigious Wagner Prize emphasizes quality and originality of mathematical models along with clarity of written and oral exposition. Authors from IBM's Watson Research Center won the competition with their innovative, diverse suite of models to improve critical choices for managing skilled personnel, choices so important in service industries; their models have been implemented in the IBM Integrated Technology Services business. A finalist team from Georgia Tech joined with the US Centers for Disease Control to solve a physician's often challenging problem of creating the best new schedule for a person who misses one or more previously scheduled vaccinations; the team's optimization approach is implemented in software now freely available to American physicians, and in software with Canadian rules soon to be available to Canadian physicians. A team from Kimberly-Clark Latin America and Penn State University developed optimization models to improve production and inventory control; after overcoming slow solution speeds with heuristics that furnish good solutions in minutes, the models have so far been implemented in Kimberly-Clark plants in five countries. A finalist team from the University of Texas at Dallas worked with Blockbuster, Inc. to improve efficiency and speed in Blockbuster's central system to fill orders from the company's numerous retail stores; implementation of the resulting optimization models led to reduced costs and more balanced workloads in the Blockbuster order-fulfillment center where different processing departments compete for shared resources. Finally, an India-based team from GE Global Research developed models to improve the selection of customers who receive special product offers from a GE commercial bank in Europe; the team's diverse models are now helping the GE bank to improve its customer responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although India has made significant progress in institutional delivery after the implementation of the National Rural Health Mission under which the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a sub-programme which played a vital role in the increase of institutional delivery in public facilities. Therefore, this paper aims to provide an understanding of the JSY coverage at the district level in India. Further, it tries to carve out the factors responsible for the regional disparity of JSY coverage at district levels. Methods: The study used the National Family Health Survey data, which is a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2015–16, India. The sample size of this study was 148,145 women aged 15–49 years who gave last birth in the institution during 5 years preceding the survey. Bivariate and multivariate regression analysis was used to fulfill the study objectives. Additionally, Moran's I statistics and bivariate Local Indicator for Spatial Association (LISA) maps were used to understand spatial dependence and clustering of JSY coverage. Ordinary least square, spatial lag and spatial error models were used to examine the correlates of JSY utilization. Results: The value of spatial-autocorrelation for JSY was 0.71 which depicts the high dependence of the JSY coverage over districts of India. The overall coverage of JSY in India is 36.4% and it highly varied across different regions, districts, and even socioeconomic groups. The spatial error model depicts that if in a district the women with no schooling status increase by 10% then the benefits of JSY get increased by 2.3%. Similarly, if in a district the women from poor wealth quintile, it increases by 10% the benefits of JSY also increased by 4.6%. However, the coverage of JSY made greater imperative to understand it due to its clustering among districts of specific states only. Conclusion: It is well reflected in the EAGs states in terms of spatial-inequality in service coverage. There is a need to universalize the JSY programme at a very individual level. And, it is required to revisit the policy strategy and the implementation plans at regional or district levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of service climate (SC) in the link connecting human resource management practices (HRMP) to commitment to service quality (CSQ). Data were collected from 1236 hospital staff working in different private hospitals in India. The model linking HRMP to CSQ with the moderation of SC was tested using Hayes PROCESS. Results revealed that human resource management practices found to be influencing CSQ and with the interaction of SC the effect is further augmented. The interacting role service climate has been found to be significant at mean and high levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet technology has flourished in India keeping pace with other developing countries. In keeping pace with this advancement, the Internet of Things (IoT) technology is also spreading in India. Government of India (GOI) has realised IoT's business prospect and published draft policy on IoT in 2015. To achieve a better result, the prospective users are required to be kept aware regarding the prospect of IoT and for this, social media is expected to play a pivotal role. Social media can highlight advantages of IoT and in turn, these advantages would be made known to other potential users through Word of Month (WOM). This would bring in projection of a new business paradigm as contemplated by GOI. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting actual use of IoT by the potential users of India and to develop a conceptual model. The model has been verified through survey with inputs from 208 participants identified from three metropolitan cities of India. The responses have been quantified through 5-Point Likert scale. The result shows the implication that social media and WOM almost equally influence Indians to use IoT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the decentralization process in the state of Maharashtra. Among the states in India, Maharashtra's efforts at decentralization are regarded as a success story. Using cross-section data for 243 urban local governments, the paper examines the flypaper effect, that is, the expenditure stimulus of grants from the state government to the urban governments. The significance of spatial factors has been highlighted in the study. The models have been estimated using spatial econometric techniques. Most of the estimated models show the presence of the flypaper effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on irrigation schemes under rotational water supply in arid and semiarid regions. It presents a methodology for developing plans for optimum allocation of land area and water, considering performance measures such as productivity, equity and adequacy. These irrigation schemes are characterized by limited water supply and heterogeneity in soils, crops, climate and water distribution network, etc. The methodology proposed in this paper, therefore, uses a previously developed simulation–optimization model (Area and Water Allocation Model, AWAM) that considers the heterogeneity of the irrigation scheme in the allocation process, and modifies this to take account of equity and adequacy of supply to irrigated areas. The AWAM model has four phases to be executed separately for each set of irrigation interval over the irrigation season: 1. generation of irrigation strategies for each crop–soil–region combination (CSR unit), 2. preparation of irrigation programmes for each irrigation strategy, 3. selection of specified number of irrigation programmes for each CSR unit and 4. optimum allocation of land area and water to different parts of the irrigation scheme (allocation units) for maximizing productivity. In the modified AWAM model, the adequacy is included at Phase-2 (by including only the irrigation programmes for full irrigation of each CSR unit) and equity is included at Phase-4 (by including the constraints for equity). The paper briefly discusses the applicability of the modified AWAM model for a case study of Nazare medium irrigation scheme in Southern India. The results of the case study indicated that the performance measures of productivity, equity and adequacy conflict with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a structured model for evaluating vendor selection using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy AHP. The model is developed using evidence from an empirical study. The paper aims to demonstrate how the model can help in solving such decisions in practice. A usability evaluation of the AHP-based model with three vendors is discussed. It also examines the structure of the decision hierarchy, whether it can represent vendor selection decisions in reality and whether it covers all key factors affecting vendor selection choices. The effectiveness of the AHP model is illustrated using a company in the southern part of India and the results validated using fuzzy AHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Equity and justice in healthcare payment form an integral part of health policy and planning. In the majority of low and middle-income countries (LMICs), healthcare inequalities are further aggravated by Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE). This paper examines the pattern of health equity and regional disparities in healthcare spending among Indian states by applying Andersen's behavioural model of healthcare utilization. Methods: The present study uses data from the 66th quinquennial round of Consumer Expenditure Survey, of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), conducted in 2009-10 by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India (GoI). To measure equity and regional disparities in healthcare expenditure, states have been categorized under three heads on the basis of monthly OOPE i.e., Category A (OOPE > =INR 100); Category B (OOPE between INR 50 to 99) and Category C (OOPE < INR 50). Multiple Generalised Linear Regression Model (GLRM) has been employed to explore the effect of various socio-economic covariates on the level of OOPE. Results: The gap in the ratio of average healthcare spending between the poorest and richest households was maximum in Category A states Category B (richest/poorest = 14.60), followed by (richest/poorest 11.70) and Category C (richest/poorest 11.40). Results also indicate geographical concentration of lower level healthcare spending among Indian states (e.g., Odisha, Chhattisgarh and all the north-eastern states). Results from the multivariate analysis suggest that people residing in urban areas, having higher economic status, belonging to non-Muslim communities, non-Scheduled Tribes (STs), and non-poor households spend more on healthcare than their counterparts. Conclusions: In spite of various efforts by the government to reduce the burden of healthcare spending, widespread inequalities in healthcare expenditure are prevalent. Households with high healthcare needs (SCs/STs, and the poor) are in a more disadvantaged position in terms of spending on health care. It has also been observed that spending on healthcare was comparatively lower among backward or isolated states. No doubt, the overall social security measures should be enhanced, but at the same time, looking at the regional differences, more priority should be assigned to the disadvantaged states to reduce the burden of OOPE. It is proposed that there is need to increase government spending, especially for the disadvantaged states and population, to minimise the burden of OOPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing industries all around the world have embraced the philosophy of lean thinking. The realm of “lean” is no longer limited to shop floor; it has propagated to almost every aspect of business. Thus, lean thinking is now applicable to complete supply chain. This paper investigates the interrelationships between pillars and constructs of a proposed framework of lean supply chain management in Indian manufacturing sector. The results establish a mental model of framework of lean supply chain using interpretive structural modeling and path analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper responds to the recent advocacy of subjective wellbeing in policy evaluation with an investigation of food security in rural Chhattisgarh, India, in 2010-2013. Conceptually, it suggests the need to move beyond a primary focus on happiness to consider a broader-based investigation into people's subjective perceptions. In particular, it introduces a multi-domain model with some affinities to the capability approach, which asks what people think and feel themselves able to be and do. Methodologically, it suggests that the primary reliance on quantitative measures should be complemented by more qualitative approaches to give a more rounded appreciation of how people view their lives. Three approaches are presented: qualitative analysis of interview text; statistical analysis comparing a single measure of happiness with a broader, domain-based approach; and mixed qualitative and quantitative data generated from an individual case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare consumers may be behaving to some extent based on the nature of healthcare being a necessity or otherwise. The choice of either of public and private providers may depend upon factors like availability, accessibility, cost and quality. To some extent, this is revealed through their elasticities based on income, cost, quality and socio-economic factors. Objective of this paper is to explore the demand for healthcare services in India and estimate consumers' elasticities to these factors. Using logit results we find that an individual may choose his preference for private or public based on distance of facility from residence. It may also depend whether it is rural or urban area and whether the income levels of state are below or above all India average. Comparing our results for two all India surveys, it is observed that people's perception and thus preferences are mostly based on choices of nearby location, suitable timings, presence of medical personnel and less waiting time. The presence of insurance either by a national or state sponsored scheme seems to have changed the nature of healthcare demand in India from a stark necessity to a matter of better choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Nearly 200m people in the world experience considerable functioning difficulties. Also, more than three-fourth of the population aged 50 years and over is suffering from some kind of disability in India, China, Ghana, Russia, Mexico and South Africa. Despite the compelling nature of this issue, evidence on socioeconomic disparity in the occurrence of disability is lacking throughout the world and particularly in the aforementioned countries. The purpose of this paper is twofold – first, to examine the socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of disability in the selected countries; and second, to investigate the cross-country differentials in the prevalence of disability by socioeconomic characteristics.Design/methodology/approach The authors use data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) conducted in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa during 2007–2010. Disability scores have been constructed using Item Response Theory Partial Credit Model based on eight health and functioning domains. Bivariate analysis, concentration curves, concentration indices and multivariate regressions have been used in the analysis presented in this paper.Findings The authors find that the prevalence of disability varied considerably across sociodemographic groups. Moreover, this variation is not uniform across all countries. Also, age, Sex, work status, years of schooling and economic status emerged out as significant predictors of disability among the studied countries.Originality/value This is perhaps the first study which examines the socioeconomic inequality in disability conceptualized in a comprehensive manner among older adults spread across low to upper middle income countries. The alarming level of prevalence of disability among sociodemographic disadvantage groups calls for immediate attention in terms of detailed study of risk factors, effective policy and timely intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An early understanding of effective policy and transmission dynamics can help us prevent further outbreaks of the COVID-19. This article proposes a nonlinear adaptive control strategy based on effective policy to contain this epidemic. A mathematical model of nonlinear dynamics of the COVID-19 transmission in India is considered. The model also takes uncertainty into account. The control input calculated by the proposed controller prescribes the contact rate of the disease so that the number of infectious population converges to a desired zero value. The controller utilizes a Lyapunov theorem-based adaption law to be able to deal with modeling uncertainties, instability, and divergence. The controller performance on the nonlinear and uncertain model of the COVID-19 transmission has been investigated through a simulation study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common information model (CIM) in vogue represents transmission and distribution components, and market operations in the perspective of electrical system, as unified modeling language (UML) objects. UML is object centric. CIM can offer interoperability and facilitate model exchange for large systems and is being adopted by many utilities. However, dealing effectively with multiple business processes is the backbone of the restructured power systems. Since CIM lacks chronological process sense, this has to be superimposed on CIM models, which is not easy due to inherent limitations of UML. To overcome this, this paper proposes to utilize business process modeling notation (BPMN) standards as a kind of pre-processor. BPMN is used to represent process centric interoperability requirements as business objects. UML object representation in CIM model is derived subsequently from it. The proposal is illustrated with an application use case—deriving CIM model of day-ahead market (DAM) transaction of distribution company, from its business process representation. Semantic model of DAM transaction using CIM IEC 62325 (Markets) and extensions required are presented with a sample Indian system. DAM models in BPMN and CIM can be utilized to build an efficient software application. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper applies multi-criteria decision making algorithms to arrive at the financial health of commercial banks in India, both in the public sector and the private sector. The various performance parameters considered arise out of the Basel guidelines, and we feel that our study will facilitate the regulator in monitoring the performance of banks over time. We also investigate whether the stock market has taken cognizance of these regulatory variables and valued banks accordingly. Our results indicate that while relative performance of private sector banks has not undergone much change, some public sector banks have improved over time. The results also reveal that the stock market does not attach much importance to these regulatory variables in the valuation of banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]