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Fulltext Hedonic and Utilitarian Performances as Determinants of Mental Health and Pro-Social Behaviors among Volunteer Tourists

Han H, Meng B, Chua BL, Ryu HB

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 09 10;17(18).
PMID: 32927834 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186594

International volunteer tourism is an emerging and sustainable trend of the global tourism industry. In this study, we attempted to provide a clear comprehension of volunteer tourists' mental health increase and pro-social intention formation. A survey method and quantitative approach were used. Our result from the structural analysis showed that hedonic and utilitarian performances, mental health, and volunteer tourism engagement had significant associations and that these relationships contributed to improving pro-social intention. In addition, results from the metric invariance assessment revealed that the volunteer tourism engagement and pro-social intention relation was under the significant influence of problem awareness and ascribed responsibility. Mental health and engagement acted as significant mediators. The comparative importance of volunteer tourism engagement was uncovered. Overall, our results provided a sufficient understanding of volunteer tourists' pro-social decision-making process and behaviors.
Fulltext Customer Restaurant Choice: An Empirical Analysis of Restaurant Types and Eating-out Occasions

Chua BL, Karim S, Lee S, Han H

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 08 28;17(17).
PMID: 32872267 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176276

This study investigated restaurant customers' perceived importance of key factors in accordance with dining occasions and restaurant segments. Our investigation into restaurant selection and situational factors present two types of empirical evidence regarding customers' choice of restaurant. First, menu price was customers' top priority in restaurant selections for full-service, quick-casual, and quick-service restaurants. Second, restaurant customers rated the importance level of restaurant selection criteria differently according to eating-out occasions. The importance of menu price was greatest for both quick meal/convenience and social occasion, brand reputation was the most important factor for business necessity, and word-of-mouth recommendation was greatest for celebration.
Fulltext Numerical Investigation of Deposition Characteristics of PLA on an ABS Plate Using a Material Extrusion Process

Chua BL, Baek SH, Park K, Ahn DG

Materials (Basel), 2021 Jun 19;14(12).
PMID: 34205426 DOI: 10.3390/ma14123404

Three-dimensional prototypes and final products are commonly fabricated using the material extrusion (ME) process in additive manufacturing applications. However, these prototypes and products are limited to a single material using the ME process due to technical challenges. Deposition of plastic on another dissimilar plastic substrate requires proper control of printing temperature during an ME process due to differences in melting temperatures of dissimilar plastics. In this paper, deposition of PLA filament on an ABS substrate during an ME process is investigated using finite element analysis. A heat transfer finite element (FE) model for the extrusion process is proposed to estimate the parameters of the ME machine for the formulation of a heat flux model. The effects of printing temperature and the stand-off distance on temperature distributions are investigated using the proposed FE model for the extrusion process. The heat flux model is implemented in a proposed heat transfer FE model of single bead deposition of PLA on an ABS plate. From this FE model of deposition, temperature histories during the ME deposition process are estimated. The results of temperature histories are compared with experiments. Using the calibrated FE model, a proper heating temperature of ABS for deposition of PLA is evaluated.
Fulltext Antioxidant Activity, and Volatile and Phytosterol Contents of Strobilanthes crispus Dehydrated Using Conventional and Vacuum Microwave Drying Methods

Chua LYW, Chua BL, Figiel A, Chong CH, Wojdyło A, Szumny A, et al.

Molecules, 2019 04 09;24(7).
PMID: 30970652 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24071397

The preservation of active constituents in fresh herbs is affected by drying methods. An effective drying method for Strobilanthes crispus which is increasingly marketed as an important herbal tea remains to be reported. This study evaluated the effects of conventional and new drying technologies, namely vacuum microwave drying methods, on the antioxidant activity and yield of essential oil volatiles and phytosterols. These drying methods included convective drying (CD) at 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C; vacuum microwave drying (VMD) at 6, 9, and 12 W/g; convective pre-drying and vacuum microwave finish drying (CPD-VMFD) at 50 °C and 9 W/g; and freeze-drying (FD). GC–MS revealed 33 volatiles, and 2-hexen-1-ol, 2-hexenal, 1-octen-3-ol, linalool, and benzaldehyde were major constituents. The compounds β-sitosterol and α-linolenic acid were the most abundant phytosterol and fatty acid, respectively, in fresh S. crispus. The highest phenolic content was achieved with CD at 60 °C. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained with CD at 40 °C and VMD at 9 W/g. On the contrary, the highest total volatiles and phytosterols were detected with CD at 50 °C and VMD at 9 W/g, respectively. This study showed that CD and VMD were effective in producing highly bioactive S. crispus. A suitable drying parameter level, irrespective of the drying method used, was an important influencing factor.
Fulltext Characterisation of the Convective Hot-Air Drying and Vacuum Microwave Drying of Cassia alata: Antioxidant Activity, Essential Oil Volatile Composition and Quality Studies

Chua LYW, Chua BL, Figiel A, Chong CH, Wojdyło A, Szumny A, et al.

Molecules, 2019 Apr 24;24(8).
PMID: 31022967 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24081625

The preservation of active constituents in Cassia alata through the removal of moisture is crucial in producing a final product with high antioxidant activity. This study aims to determine the influences of various drying methods and drying conditions on the antioxidant activity, volatiles and phytosterols content of C. alata. The drying methods used were convective drying (CD) at 40 °C, 50 °C and 60 °C; freeze drying; vacuum microwave drying (VMD) at 6, 9 and 12 W/g; and two-stage convective pre-drying followed by vacuum microwave finish drying (CPD-VMFD) at 50 °C and 9 W/g. The drying kinetics of C. alata are best described by the thin-layer model (modified Page model). The highest antioxidant activity, TPC and volatile concentration were achieved with CD at 40 °C. GC-MS analysis identified the presence of 51 volatiles, which were mostly present in all samples but with quantitative variation. The dominant volatiles in fresh C. alata are 2-hexenal (60.28 mg 100 g-1 db), 1-hexanol (18.70 mg 100 g-1 db) and salicylic acid (15.05 mg 100 g-1 db). The concentration of phytosterols in fresh sample was 3647.48 mg 100 g-1 db, and the major phytosterols present in fresh and dried samples were β-sitosterol (1162.24 mg 100 g-1 db). CPD-VMFD was effective in ensuring the preservation of higher phytosterol content in comparison with CD at 50 °C. The final recommendation of a suitable drying method to dehydrate C. alata leaves is CD at 40 °C.
Fulltext Influence of Thai Street Food Quality, Price, and Involvement on Traveler Behavioral Intention: Exploring Cultural Difference (Eastern versus Western)

Jeaheng Y, Al-Ansi A, Chua BL, Ngah AH, Ryu HB, Ariza-Montes A, et al.

Psychol Res Behav Manag, 2023;16:223-240.
PMID: 36726699 DOI: 10.2147/PRBM.S371806

INTRODUCTION: Gastronomy tourism has become a phenomenal trend of the global tourism industry in the 21st century. As the tourism industry and its related foodservice businesses flourish, street food has received increasing popularity with its combination of local delights and the cultural value of the destination. This study examined the psychology of street food consumption and assessed the effect of street food quality that is represented by the cultural experience, health and safety of the food, food sensory appeal, staff service, physical environment, the meal menus with perceived reasonable prices, involvement in Thai street food, and repurchase intention from an international tourist perspective.
METHODS: A survey method along with a quantitative structural analysis was used.
RESULTS: The findings revealed that Thai street food quality positively and significantly predicted the international tourists' perceived reasonable prices, involvement, and repurchase decisions. Perceived reasonable prices and involvement were found to be important mediators between Thai street food quality and repurchase intentions. Moreover, this research identified the significant moderating role of Eastern and Western cultures.
Fulltext Cruise ship dining experiencescape: The perspective of female cruise travelers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

Radic A, Lück M, Al-Ansi A, Chua BL, Seeler S, Han H

Int J Hosp Manag, 2021 May;95:102923.
PMID: 36540687 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102923

The cruise dining experience is one of the core elements of the overall cruise travel experience as guests fulfill their cognitive and affective needs in this pleasant environment. Nonetheless, the cruise dining experience has been sparsely researched. There is also no holistic model conceptualizing the cruise ship dining experiencescape. This study explores how under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, cruise ship dining environment stimuli dimensions are evaluated by female cruise travelers. Female travelers are the major spenders and travel decision-makers. They are also the dominant customer group in the cruise sector. Their perception of cruise ship dining environment is leading to their positive emotional responses and approach behavior. More precisely, this study demonstrates the potency of the moderating role of a perceived health risk from COVID-19, which strengthens female travelers' perceptions of the dining atmosphere and interaction with other guests by evoking positive emotions and influencing their approach behavior.
Fulltext Impact of Storage Conditions on the Stability of Predominant Phenolic Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Dried Piper betle Extracts

Ali A, Chong CH, Mah SH, Abdullah LC, Choong TSY, Chua BL

Molecules, 2018 Feb 23;23(2).
PMID: 29473847 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23020484

The phenolic constituents in Piper betle are well known for their antioxidant potential; however, current literature has very little information on their stability under the influence of storage factors. Present study evaluated the stability of total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity together with individual phenolic constituents (hydroxychavicol, eugenol, isoeugenol and allylpyrocatechol 3,4-diacetate) present in dried Piper betle's extract under different storage temperature of 5 and 25 °C with and without light for a period of six months. Both light and temperature significantly influenced TPC and its corresponding antioxidant activity over time. More than 95% TPC and antioxidant activity was retained at 5 °C in dark condition after 180 days of storage. Hydroxychavicol demonstrated the best stability with no degradation while eugenol and isoeugenol displayed moderate stability in low temperature (5 °C) and dark conditions. 4-allyl-1,2-diacetoxybenzene was the only compound that underwent complete degradation. A new compound, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, was detected after five weeks of storage only in the extracts exposed to light. Both zero-order and first-order kinetic models were adopted to describe the degradation kinetics of the extract's antioxidant activity. Zero-order displayed better fit with higher correlation coefficients (R² = 0.9046) and the half-life was determined as 62 days for the optimised storage conditions (5 °C in dark conditions).
Fulltext The Post-Coronavirus World in the International Tourism Industry: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Safer Destination Choices in the Case of US Outbound Tourism

Han H, Al-Ansi A, Chua BL, Tariq B, Radic A, Park SH

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 Sep 06;17(18).
PMID: 32899942 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186485

The tourism industry has been seriously suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis ever since its outbreak. Given this pandemic situation, the major aim of this study is to develop a conceptual framework that clearly explains the US international tourists' post-pandemic travel behaviors by expanding the theory of planned behavior (TPB). By utilizing a quantitative process, the TPB was successfully broadened by incorporating the travelers' perceived knowledge of COVID-19, and it has been deepened by integrating the psychological risk. Our theoretical framework sufficiently accounted for the US tourists' post-pandemic travel intentions for safer international destinations. In addition, the perceived knowledge of COVID-19 contributed to boosting the prediction power for the intentions. The associations among the subjective norm, the attitude, and the intentions are under the significant influence of the tourists' psychological risks regarding international traveling. The comparative criticality of the subjective norm is found. Overall, the findings of this study considerably enhanced our understanding of US overseas tourists' post-pandemic travel decision-making processes and behaviors.