Background: Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death and major tobacco related diseases like cancer costs India more than Rs.308.33 billion per year. Cigarette smoking increases the total peripheral blood leukocyte count but its effect on other haematological parameters is largely unexplored.

No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the rush of technological change will consolidate the worldwide reach of the internet with more capacity, specifically to control the physical world, including the machines, industrial facilities and frameworks that characterize cutting-edge technology. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 203 respondents predominantly from emerging economies, specifically India and SEA. Most of the participants are working professionals. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze data, as it is a popular statistical technique because of its ability to model selected independent variables and take into account all possible forms of measurement error to test an entire theory. Findings The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) platform comprises four fundamental capabilities: connectivity, big data, advanced analytics and application development. The IIOT has the potential to provide a high level of synergies between the 4 Ms of manufacturing, namely, man, machine, material and method. Research limitations/implications The collected data are predominately from India and SEA (close to 75 per cent), while contributions from other regions are comparatively less, so the findings cannot be generalized to the global context. Practical implications It is in the interest of service providers to collaborate and provide a universal solution to retain legacy systems to minimize the investment and reduce the security threat, which could boost IIOT adoption while ensuring that manufacturers are able to leverage this new technology efficiently. Originality/value The framework obtained has good quality of validity and reliability indicators. Thus, an alternative framework has been added to customer expectation which is currently a popular topic in the technological changes.

In an era of technology advancement when the entire world is talking about the "Internet of Things" whereby we are expected to have connectivity between anything and everything, Currency cannot be left behind. Paper currency is bound to be a thing of past, as virtual currencies will start taking over and Bitcoin is well poised to achieve this feat. Not only it will revolutionize the way payments are made, but also have potential to impact the future of world currencies like USD, which is already facing challenges from EURO or Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY). The rise of crypto-currencies will add a new dimension to this challenge for US Dollar (USD)The focus of this study is to understand multiple factors which are translating Bitcoin (BTC) that is gaining momentum in various fields of global finance and how disruptive it can be, including replacing main fiat currencies in the financial system impacting mainly USD. The key variables studied are Regulation or lack of it around Bitcoin, Bitcoin Technology, Bitcoin Economy and the usage of Bitcoin as a Currency. This research used the latest statistical tool ADANCO 1.1.1 by Henseler and Dijkstra (2015) to analyze the data collected by building a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The observations of this study will help understand the future of global finance from multiple standpoints, especially Regulation, Cryptocurrencies and the fiat currencies.

No abstract

No abstract

G lobally, there is increasing concern on the financial and societal burden of chronic pain and its current management strategies, necessitating a need for reframing or creating new theoretical frameworks for treatment. Historically, chronic pain was viewed as an isolated symptom caused by damage to the central and/or peripheral nervous system. However, the biopsychosocial model shifted the paradigm of pain management by addressing critical contextual factors to

No abstract