The following International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management article, "Hybrid resilience in conflict zones: lessons from Aqaba port", is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
A hybrid AI, artificial intelligence, system that models itself on grasshopper behaviour could be used to help with the allocation of medical resources, transport, and power during an urban emergency, according to research in the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management. Tests with the new hybrid model on historical emergency datasets show it to be highly effective
The team's LSTM-GOA system combines a long short-term memory neural network and the so-called grasshopper optimisation algorithm (GOA). LSTM is a machine-learning tool that can identify patterns in data as they change over time. GOA is an optimisation technique that searches for better solutions to complex problems based on how a swarm of grasshoppers forage and feed. In this hybrid approach, the GOA is used to tune the behaviour of the LSTM so that it makes better scheduling decisions in order to find the most appropriate solution.
The researchers compared the model with conventional rule-based approaches and other optimisation methods. The team was able to improve prediction accuracy for medical resource demand by almost 70 per cent. The system can respond to otherwise unpredictable spikes in demand following natural disasters, public health incidents, and major traffic accidents. Moreover, it can work with noisy or incomplete data sets.
The work points the way to the broad use of predictive AI in managing resources in an emergency. The team explains that city authorities could use historical data to anticipate pressures across several public services and adjust allocations accordingly. This would be more effective than relying on fixed rules or responding to changing demands after the fact.
Cai, X., Qiu, J., Cao, H., Wu, F. and Mei, X. (2026) ‘Intelligent decision system for urban emergency management based on combined deep learning and optimisation algorithm’, Int. J. Environmental Technology and Management, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp.59–85.
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The following International Journal of Services and Operations Management article, "Development of the lean and green balanced scorecard performance management system in electronic component industry", is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
A new diagnostic method could allow electricity substations to detect hidden insulation faults in relay-protection circuits earlier than conventional testing, according to research in the International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy.
The researchers have combined three measurements into a diagnostic model: zero-sequence current, an electrical signal indicating unintended current paths, waveform similarity, which compares measured current patterns with those expected under normal conditions, and third-harmonic content, a component of the electrical waveform that can reveal non-linear grounding faults.
In tests, they saw a 98.6 per cent detection rate for insulation faults and 94.3 per cent accuracy in locating multiple grounding points. Average diagnostic latency was less than 45 milliseconds, with a 1.5 per cent false-positive rate during normal operation. The team adds that the system can also detect insulation deterioration when resistance falls to between 50 and 100 kilohms. This offers an early warning sooner than conventional, offline methods, potentially allowing maintenance to be carried out before faults become critical.
A six-month pilot test at a 500-kilovolt substation in Nanjing with linked inspection robots demonstrated rapid communication between substation devices. Overall, the average fault-resolution time was reduced from more than four hours to just over one hour, and manual inspections were cut by 76 per cent.
Shi, H., You, H., Chen, X., Xu, S. and Chen, J. (2026) ‘Enabling holistic insulation monitoring in secondary AC protection circuits: a diagnostic algorithm’, Int. J. Energy Technology and Policy, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp.20–49.
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Research in the International Journal of Business Information Systems discusses a sector-specific framework to help telecommunications companies assess how effectively they use big data. It addresses limitations in existing models that are often designed for organisations across other industries. The research involved 50 experts from academia and industry and refined and tested a big data maturity model revealing how well an organisation can manage, analyse, and use data.
The framework has seven dimensions: data governance, market strategy, network performance, business development, customers, investments, and innovation. These are sub-divided and assessed through five maturity levels, allowing weighted scores to be obtained that show where an organisation is performing well and where its capabilities need to be improved.
The researchers argue that generic maturity models can overlook the particular demands of telecommunications. In this sector, data is vital to network management, predictive maintenance, traffic optimisation, fraud detection, and the analysis of customer behaviour. The sector also increasingly relies on real-time data, distributed infrastructure and automated decision-making, so any framework needs to be operational rather than purely conceptual.
The researchers say the new approach could also help in the development of sector-specific maturity models for other data-intensive industries.
Desku, F. and Besimi, A. (2026) ‘Developing and operationalising a sector-specific big data maturity model for the telecommunications industry’, Int. J. Business Information Systems, Vol. 52, No. 7, pp.1–27.
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The following International Journal of Global Warming article, "Topology-aware modelling of regional energy systems using hierarchical graph networks for carbon peaking analysis", is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
A review of research in the Interdisciplinary Environmental Review on single-use plastics argues that tackling the waste problem will require a shift from recycling alone to a broader circular economy approach, in which materials are kept in use through reuse, recovery, recycling, and redesign.
The researchers examined 336 research papers published over the decade 2015 to 2025. They then used bibliometric analysis, a kind of statistical pattern mapping, together with analysis of the content of studies, to follow the major themes in this area as well as the collaborations and research trends. They found that research into circular approaches to single-use plastics has grown rapidly since 2017. Recycling emerged as a dominant theme, while the literature also focused on plastic packaging, environmental impacts, and the effects of microplastics on human health.
The review identifies several factors that could determine whether circular systems will actually work in practice. These include public awareness and previous recycling behaviour, as well as policies such as green credit, which provides financial incentives for environmentally beneficial activity. There is an urgent need for effective reverse logistics to be put in place to allow used products and materials to be fed back into supply chains. There is also a need for better sorting, collection, and recovery of re-usable waste plastics.
Gupta, A., Kumar, D., Kaliyan, M. and Doreswamy (2026) ‘Waste to wealth for single-use plastics: a literature review and future research agenda’, Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.259–292.
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The following International Journal of Sustainable Development article, "World War II and its lasting legacy: an overview of socio-metabolic transition, environmental impacts and resource flows", is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
A study in the International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation suggests that farmers know how aflatoxin spreads but only poorly understand the health risks. Smallholder farmers often recognise the conditions that cause aflatoxin contamination in stored crops, the research explains, but they have much less understanding of the health problems it can cause. The work has considered in detail the relationship between farmer awareness, crop practices, and food security.
Aflatoxins are toxic substances produced naturally by certain fungi, particularly Aspergillus species. They can contaminate maize, groundnuts, oilseeds, spices, nuts and animal products. Prolonged exposure to aflatoxin can contribute to serious illness, including liver cancer.
In the study, the team used survey data and a statistical method known as structural equation modelling to examine the relationships between various factors. They found that farmers in Tanzania were most knowledgeable about contamination during storage and were aware that moisture, dirt, and poor air circulation were serious risks of Aspergillus mould formation and so contamination of the food with aflatoxin. Unfortunately, awareness was weaker during crop preparation, planting, and harvesting, where factors such as soil fertility can influence contamination.
The team adds that many farmers knew the economic consequences, including lower yields and prices, but did not realise that contaminated food could cause severe health problems. Some reported feeding contaminated crops to livestock or mixing them with uncontaminated food.
The researchers suggest that there is an urgent need for practical agricultural education alongside better testing.
Waryoba, F.D. (2026) ‘Aflatoxin awareness and food security among smallholder farmers in Tanzania’, Int. J. Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp.304–330.
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The following International Journal of Applied Pattern Recognition article, "High-precision recognition method for sparsely arranged financial tables", is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
The following International Journal of Business Innovation and Research article, "Likes and subscriptions: a discursive analysis of the path from entrepreneurial motivation to leadership", is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
Natural diamonds consistently command higher prices per carat than laboratory-grown, synthetic, diamonds, according to a large-scale analysis of online diamond sales in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing. This perhaps not-surprising finding does suggest that the two products should be treated as distinct market segments.
The researchers analysed almost 200,000 diamond listings collected from an online retailer. Just over three-quarters of the listings were for natural diamonds, and the remainder were synthetic. They found that carat weight, the diamond’s mass, with one carat equal to 0.2 grams, was the strongest influence on price for both categories. Colour and clarity, which describe a stone’s hue and the presence of internal or external imperfections, respectively, were secondary to mass.
However, when they compared prices across groups defined by carat range, colour and clarity, examining both round and intricately shaped stones, they found that bigger natural diamonds had a higher per-carat value in every subgroup of the round-diamond analysis, while the same broad difference was also found among intricately shaped stones.
The findings bolster the need to make this increasingly important distinction in the jewellery trade. Synethetic diamonds have exactly the same chemical composition and crystal structure as natural diamonds but are produced artificially, using high-pressure, high-temperature synthesis, and chemical vapour deposition. Whereas natural diamonds are mined from natural sources that are millions of years old.
The researchers argue that the observed price differences provide a basis for treating lab-grown diamonds as a separate market and for further research into pricing, investment diversification, and consumer valuation. The analysis also offers a framework for examining how attributes traditionally used to value mined diamonds operate in the growing lab-grown market.
The findings might invite a broader question: why do we attach such extraordinary economic and cultural importance to what are essentially chunks of carbon when much of their value is socially constructed around scarcity, provenance, and the subjective concepts of luxury?
Huang, C., Wang, H.Y. and Zhang, L. (2026) ‘Comparative analysis and price modelling of natural and lab-grown diamonds’, Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp.1–25.
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