30 April 2014

Call for papers: "Water and Wastewater Environmental Issues: Past and Present"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Global Environmental Issues.

This special issue aims to bring together a wide body of knowledge on water, wastewater and stormwater management technologies and to present contemporary management systems in which decentralised, cost-effective and environment-friendly methodologies are included.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Image enhancement
  • Traditional technologies for water and wastewater management
  • Evolution of urban water, wastewater and storm water management
  • Water and climatic changes and/or variability
  • Cultural and socio-economic issues of water, wastewater and sanitation
  • Irrigation and environment
  • Other environmental issues
Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 31 August, 2014

28 April 2014

Special issue published: "Future Trends in Security Issues in Internet and Web Applications"

International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering 9(4) 2014
  • A formal framework to support dynamic authorisation in collaborative environments 
  • DDoS protection as a service: hiding behind the giants 
  • Independent verification of proxy multi-signature scheme 
  • Hybrid certificate closure-chain discovery public key system 
  • A taxonomy-based model of security and privacy in online social networks 
  • A lightweight possession proof scheme for outsourced files in mobile cloud computing based on chameleon hash function 
  • Modelling the relationship between trust and privacy in network environments 
  • Secure mobile payment framework based on UICC with formal verification 
  • Robust multichannel colour image watermarking using lifting wavelet transform with singular value decomposition 
  • Lethality of SQL injection against current and future internet technologies

Int. J. of Computer Vision and Robotics to publish expanded papers from ICCVR 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Computer Vision and Robotic (9-10 August, 2014, Bhubaneswar, India) will be published by the International Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics.

Special issue published: "Social Networks and Interdisciplinary Approaches"

International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering 9(3) 2014
  • The best learning order inference based on blue-red trees of rule-space model for social network
  • Privacy preserving social networking 
  • Topic ontology-based efficient tag recommendation approach for blogs
  • Exploring graph-based global similarity estimates for quality recommendations
  • An efficient flooding algorithm for improving network performance in optical WDM networks
  • An extending description logic for action formalism in event ontology
  • Annotation-based document classification using shuffled frog leaping algorithm
Additional papers include:
  • Software porting support with component-based and language neutral source code analysis
  • A progressive approach for cross-browser web data generation
  • Numerical modelling of non-isothermal flow of fibre suspensions: prediction of fibre orientation in three-dimensional cavities
  • An automatic mesh adaptation algorithm and its performance for simulation of flow over a circular cylinder at Re = 1.4 × 105

Green clouds on the IT horizon

Small businesses could save up to 62% of energy costs by switching to a cloud computing system for their invoicing, according to research published in the International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management. The approach of integrating cloud computing and a more environmentally-aware approach to information technology also cuts carbon emissions, the team reports, and could work with many other services.

Cloud computing has become a commonly accepted outsourcing business model in the last few years. It displaces computing, data processing and storage to remote computer systems rather than a business relying on its own on-site servers and systems. As such, the business can use standard personal computers and tablets to access its data over the internet and so avoid many of the overheads seen with the dedicated, often bespoke, on-site hardware and software. However, there have been concerns that cloud computing does not reduce energy demands and emissions, but simply displaces them. Moreover, there is the possibility that the increased internet traffic required would have a net effect of increasing energy use and pollution.

Now, Dietmar Nedbal and Mark Stieninger of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, in Steyr, Austria, have assessed the potential synergistic effects of green IT and cloud computing. They have found that both overall costs and carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by more than half by exploiting an integrated cloud computing solution while retaining the benefits of integrated business processes and services at the cross-organisational level that would normally be available only to a company with its own hardware and software in place.

The team demonstrated proof of principle with an electronic invoicing system for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based on the cloud service model “software as a service” (SaaS). Businesses that adopt electronic invoicing in such an environment will benefit, the team reports. Moreover, the use of SaaS cloud computing in this context could act as a gateway to handling electronic documents in general, and to related “smart” technologies.

Nedbal, D. and Stieninger, M. (2014) ‘Exploring the economic value of a cloud computing solution and its contribution to green IT‘, Int. J. Business Process Integration and Management, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp.62-72

Green clouds on the IT horizon is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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Spotting aggressive stars of CCTV

A computer program can analyze CCTV images and spot aggressive human behaviour nine times out of ten, according to research published in the International Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics. The research is an important step forward in intelligent security systems that could raise an alarm without requiring constant human vigilance.

Image-processing experts Abdelhak Ouanane and Amina Serir of the Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene in Algiers, Algeria, used a geometrical analysis of images to create a silhouette of a person on the screen. The system then maps the movements of the person’s limbs, the team then correlates those movements with aggressive and passive behaviour so that the algorithm learns what particular changes in geometry are associated with aggression. The program can automatically distinguish between hand clapping, waving and a punch being thrown, for instance. The system can also discern whether a person is walking, jogging or running. The resulting algorithm has 90 percent accuracy, compared with other systems the best of which is around 80 percent accurate. On a standard data set the accuracy is as high as 98 percent whereas the best alternative is 95 percent.

The team points out that the algorithm is robust and not susceptible to changes in lighting conditions and noise in the images. This allows it to work well in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings, street, airport, sports stadium etc. Moreover, the simplification of the images to human silhouettes reduces the computational overhead significantly and allows the analysis to be carried out quickly without the need for a high-performance computer.

With increasing numbers of CCTV cameras monitoring people in city centres as part of crime-reduction efforts, technology that can automate the process of spotting aggressive behaviour without increasing numbers of people to monitor the video streams is becoming more and more important.

Ouanane, A. and Serir, A. (2014) ‘An improved geometric descriptor associated with wavelet transform for aggressive human behaviour recognition’, Int. J. Computational Vision and Robotics, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp.171–194

Spotting aggressive stars of CCTV is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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Marketing to mums on the net

Mums on the net should be the focus of those carrying out market research as it turns out that the old word-of-mouth benefits to sales are stronger than ever now that the school gathering places, shops and mother and child groups have been augmented by online social networks aimed at mothers. That’s the conclusion of a research paper to be published in the International Journal of Web Based Communities.

Marketing expert Raechel Johns of the University of Canberra and educationalist Rebecca English of Queensland University of Technology Kelvin Grove, Australia, explain how mothers represent a large segment of marketing dollars. They point out that there is limited research so far aimed at understanding the evolution of the family, mothers’ groups and the advent of online meeting places for those with children and money to spend. Their survey of mothers and quantitative analysis of the available online data suggest that mothers discuss products a lot. Moreover, they found that, “trust between mothers is generally high and mothers tend to trust the opinions of other mothers when they recommend a product.”

In some cases, the team found, mothers were passively absorbing information, but more often than not they were proactive in seeking opinions about particular products. Fundamentally, the maternal consumers were willing to buy products that offer their family a clear benefit but were dissatisfied when the purchase turned out to be useless or of low-quality, the active seeking of word-of-mouth opinions would thus point to a desire to avoid this situation. “It is not surprising that social media makes a contribution toward the buying behavior of its users,” the team says. However, in online mothers groups and communities this is stronger than ever, the team found. Repeated interactions within the community and the accumulation of trust make the effect stronger still as the community matures. The effect is strongest among mothers with the same number of children and offspring of similar ages.

In terms of the implications for advertiser and marketers hoping to increase sales of their “useful” products, fostering word of mouth is essential, the team says. “Recommendations from other mothers are more powerful than any structured promotion and mothers are utilizing social media to establish and strengthen relationships,” they add. Such organic promotion might arise by offering free product trials to the most well connected or influential mothers in a given online community.

There are questions yet to be answered, which will likely be addressed in subsequent research by this team and others. For instance, is the effect of having children of the same age to do with the mothers identifying with each other or having the same frame of reference, why are more experienced mothers of older children not sought out more keenly for advice? Disposable income and parenting style presumably influence purchase too as might the desires of the children themselves. These issues will be investigated too. Other issues of growing importance such as working outside the home while raising children, working at home and homeschooling might also be considered in future work.

Johns, R. and English, R. (2014) ‘Mothers influencing mothers: the use of virtual discussion boards and their influence on consumption’, Int. J. Web Based Communities, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp.319-338

Marketing to mums on the net is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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25 April 2014

Special issue published: "Advances in Sport Tourism Marketing and Management "

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing 14 (1/2/3/4) 2013
  • Efficacy of sporting event ads with textese (SMS-type copy)
  • Globalising sport management curriculum: an analysis of benefits of a short-term study abroad programme
  • Exploring perceptions for Cyprus as a sustainable golf destination: motivational and attitudinal orientations of golf tourists
  • "Tell me who's your host and I'll tell you who you are": Olympic Games image before and after the 2008 and 2010 Olympic Games
Regular Papers:
  • 'Ultimate' sponsorship: fan identity, brand congruence, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship 
  • Perceptions of highly identified fans regarding rival teams in US intercollegiate football and men's basketball
  • There's no place like home: home court advantage in North American sports leagues
  • Identifying the influences on sport spectator recycling behaviours using the theory of planned behaviour
  • Team USA and the 2010 FIFA World Cup: an examination of TV fans viewing intention
  • The impact of scandal on sport consumption: a conceptual framework for future research 

Calls for papers: "Hybrid Soft Computing Approaches for Image Processing: the “X” Dimension"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Advanced Intelligence Paradigms

Image processing has occupied a significant position in most of its practical applications. The range of applications varies from simple household applications to complex medical applications. However, the computing process of image analysis is still under the microscope due to the complexity associated with automated systems.

Soft computing approaches are widely used for image processing applications, but there are significant areas which still need to be explored by researchers. This special issue will focus on the hybrid aspects of image processing and soft computing to provide better solutions for existing problems. It will also serve as a platform to provide a link between computing approaches and image processing applications.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • A dynamic P300-based BCI speller using a language model
  • Strengthening the security of cognitive packet networks
  • Modelling and analysis of gene regulatory networks based on the G-network
  • M/M/1 retrial queue with working vacations and negative customer arrivals
  • Multiobjective learning in the random neural network

Important Dates
Submission deadline: 1 September, 2014
First review notification: 1 November, 2014
Revised manuscript submission: 1 December, 2014
Acceptance/rejection notification: 31 January, 2015

Special issue published: "New Developments in Online Political Participation"

International Journal of Electronic Governance 6(4) 2013
  • Online participation: from 'invited' to 'invented' spaces
  • Joining the online video conversation? Discourse and practices of European political institutions and politicians on YouTube
  • Political carnivalism and an emerging public space: examination of a new participatory culture on Twitter
  • The #OCCUPY network on Twitter and the challenges to social movements theory and research
  • National and state-level politics on social media: Twitter, Australian political discussions, and the online commentariat
  • The cultural meanings of Israeli Tokbek (talk-back online commenting) and their relevance to the online democratic public sphere
  • News and Briefs

Special issue published: "Spacecraft Formation Flying – Part III"

International Journal of Space Science and Engineering 2(2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Spacecraft Formation Flying Missions and Technologies (SFFMT).
  • Advantages of small satellite carrier concepts for LEO/GEO inspection and debris removal missions
  • Relative mission analysis for PROBA-3: safe orbits and CAM
  • In-flight performance validation of the TanDEM-X autonomous formation flying system
  • Pose estimation of an uncooperative spacecraft from actual space imagery
  • Real-time terminal guidance for autonomous spacecraft capture of free floating objects using model predictive control
  • Distributed asynchronous planning and task allocation algorithm for autonomous cluster flight of fractionated spacecraft

24 April 2014

Int. J. of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology to publish expanded papers from TAEECE2015

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Third International Conference on Technological Advances in Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering (29 April - 1 May 2015, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon) will be published by the International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology.

Special issue published: "Metrology, Inspection and Quality Engineering"

International Journal of Precision Technology 4(1/2) 2014

Includes expanded versions of papers presented at the 4th International and 25th All India Manufacturing Technology Design and Research (AIMTDR) conference.
  • Adaptive sampling strategies for measurement of freeform surfaces using coordinate measuring machines in continuous scanning mode
  • Structure function-based fractal characterisation of cylinder bore surfaces using stylus profile data
  • Simultaneous position and angular error measurement of precision positioning stages using miniature interferometer with step-size variation
  • Identification of wear in gear teeth by reverse engineering approach
  • Risk and hazard analysis of machines through reliability-based condition monitoring
  • Computer-aided measurement system analysis of attribute data: a case of liner manufacturing
  • A study on quality of weld in flux cored arc welding process
Regular papers
  • Experimental investigation on the influence of oil mist parameters on minimum quantity lubricated grinding of Inconel 751
  • Effect of SiC addition on mechanical and wear characteristics of WC-32(W-Ti)C-6Co cemented carbides
  • Challenges in high accuracy surface replication for micro optics and micro fluidics manufacture

Call for papers: "Efficient and Secure Algorithms for Ubiquitous Computing"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing.

Today’s networks are going through a rapid evolution. Different kinds of networks with different characteristics are emerging and are integrating in heterogeneous networks. For these reasons, there are many interconnection problems which may occur at different levels in the hardware and software design of communicating entities and communication networks. These kinds of networks need to manage increasing usage demand, provide support for a significant number of services, guarantee their QoS and optimise the utilisation of network resources. Therefore, architectures and algorithms in these networks have become very complex and it seems imperative to focus on new models and methods as well as mechanisms which can enable the networks to perform adaptive behaviours.

The research area of mobile computing has become more important following the recent growth of mobile ad-hoc networks, wireless sensor networks, wireless mesh networks, cellular networks and vehicular networks and their applications. The availability of high bandwidth 3G and 4G infrastructures and the pervasive deployment of low-cost WiFi infrastructures and WiMAX to create hotspots around the world serve to accelerate the development of mobile computing toward ubiquitous computing. Efficiency and security in these networks are considered very important and pose challenging problems.

For this special issue, we would like to invite contributions from academia and industry which show the latest research results in the field of efficient and secure algorithms, architectures, schemes and mechanisms in ubiquitous computing.

The issue will focus on the research challenges and issues in efficient algorithms and security in ubiquitous computing. Manuscripts regarding novel algorithms, architectures, implementations and experiences are welcome.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Efficient and secure algorithms
  • Complex and intelligent algorithms
  • Meta-heuristic approaches and methods
  • Optimisation algorithms
  • Multi-hop authentication and authorisation
  • Context-aware security models
  • Security for ubiquitous multimedia communication
  • Secure user interactions and ubiquitous services
  • Efficient and secure location-based services
  • Trust management in ubiquitous services
  • Trusted cloud computing
  • Secure group communication/multicast
  • Secure machine-to-machine communication
  • Security in portable devices and wearable computers
  • Security in distributed data mining
  • Energy-efficient intrusion detection schemes in mobile computing

Important Dates
Manuscript due: 31 January, 2015
First round notification: 30 April, 2015
First revision due: 31 July, 2015
Acceptance notification: 30 October, 2015
Final manuscript due: 31 January, 2016

Special issue published: "Services Computing"

International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management 7(1) 2014
  • Deriving configurable fragments for process design
  • Estimating and applying service request effort data in application management services
  • Zeus: a distributed triple store for proactive SPARQL queries
  • Analytics-as-a-service framework for terms association mining in unstructured data
  • Exploring the economic value of a cloud computing solution and its contribution to green IT
  • Efficient filtering processes for machine-to-machine data based on automation modules and data-agnostic algorithms

23 April 2014

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An Int. J. to publish expanded papers from ISMNT 2015

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Symposium on Micro and Nano Technology (18-20 May 2015, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada) will be published by Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal.

Special issue published: "Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology"

International Journal of Nanotechnology 11(5/6/7/8) 2014

Extended versions of papers presented at the Sixth International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (AMN-6).
  • Effect of a separate heater structure for crystallisation to enable multilevel storage phase-change memory
  • Synthesis of biphasic calcium phosphate powders by a simple hydrolysis process
  • Magneto-resistance study of AFe2As2 (A = Sr, Ba) iron-based compounds
  • Variable-range hopping transport: crossovers from temperature dependence to electric field dependence in disordered carbon materials
  • Thermoluminescence studies of nanoparticle and bulk NaMgF3:Mn
  • Attempts to form the 10-nm-order pitch of self-assembled nanodots using PS-PDMS block copolymer
  • Longitudinally unzipped carbon nanotubes for supercapacitors
  • From nanoscience to nanotechnology: what can and what cannot be manufactured
  • Designing PEDOT-based sensors for antioxidant analysis
  • Electrochemically synthesised polyaniline on marine grade aluminium
  • Redox properties of nanostructured aniline oxidation products formed under different pH conditions
  • Structural and chemical changes during the growth of Fe nanoparticles in SiO2 under low energy ion implantation
  • PEDOT-PSS/MWCNT coatings on PET for conducting polymer actuators
  • NEXAFS study of electron beam irradiated PET
  • Hydrothermal rutile to anatase reverse phase transformation
  • Fluorescence imaging of nanobiomaterials: Thioflavin T in electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) fibres
  • Superplastic deformation of solid wood by slipping cells at sub-micrometer intercellular layers
  • Development of a low cost roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography system for patterning 8-inch wide flexible substrates
  • Characterisation of potassium bromide loaded with dysprosium fluoride nanocrystals for neutron detection
  • On the nanoscaled defects of 3C-SiC
  • Characterisation of embedded nano-precipitates by X-ray diffraction imaging and small-angle X-ray scattering
  • Epoxy/zinc oxide + cerium oxide nanocomposites: effect of UV-exposure on the mechanical properties and appearance
  • Solvothermal synthesis of nano-CeO2 and degradation of dye in indoor lighting
  • Rotating angled plate diffusing wave spectroscopy
  • Application of nanocrystalline metal oxide gas sensors for air quality monitoring
  • Metallic surface doping of SiOx nanowires
  • PyTrA: ultra-fast transient absorption data analysis software
  • Super-resolution optical imaging of binary colloidal assemblies
  • Growth of nano-wrinkles on photoresist-derived carbon microelectrode array
  • Electrospun substituted polyphenylene vinylene nanofibres
  • Polymer brushes for improvement of dry adhesion in biomimetic dry adhesives
  • Studies towards a switch-off optical DNA sensor based on poly(p-phenylenevinylene) grafted magnetic beads
  • New applications of beam-plasma systems for the materials production
  • Self-organisation of regular dusty structures in plasma trap
  • Non-covalent surface integration: optimising a novel technique for preparing targeted polymeric nanoparticles for cancer therapeutics
  • Photocatalytic H2 production from ethanol over Au/TiO2 and Ag/TiO2
  • Performance evaluation of Pd/TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts for hydrogen production from ethanol-water mixtures
  • Integrated flexible parylene-based inductor with magnetic core for wireless power transmission system
  • Spectroscopic analysis of boron porphyrin complexes

April Research Picks

A nice cuppa for antibiotics


The presence of pharmaceuticals and drug metabolites in waste water is of growing concern. Now, researchers in India hope a homegrown solution could solve the problem. Sunil Bajpai of the Government Model Science College and Arti Jain of the Shri Ram Institute of Science and Technology in Jabalpur have demonstrated how used tea leaves can absorb the widely used human and veterinary antibiotic norfloxacin from water. This compound cannot be removed by conventional water treatment and so its presence in drinking water may produce adverse effects. The team has tested the process and optimized the process conditions by adjusting temperature to 27 Celsius and acidity of the solution (using sorbate) between pH 6.5 and 7.3 at which point 74 milligrams of the antibiotic can be extracted from water by one gram of tea leaves.


Bajpai, S.K. and Jain, A. (2014) ‘Dynamic uptake of drug Norfloxacin from aqueous solution using spent tea leaves as a sorbent’, Int. J. Environment and Waste Management, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp.376–395.


Google oil


Predicting the price of oil is an important economic process affecting international markets, trade and industry. Now, Dean Fantazzini of the Moscow School of Economics and Nikita Fomichev of the Higher School of Economics, in Moscow, have turned to Google Search to data-mine macroeconomic data and to build an accurate model that can forecast the change in price. They have tested their approach on historical pricing and demonstrated that their approach works better than standard economic models in the short term. Moreover, when they use a statistical, multivariate, analysis on the Google search data only they can out-perform medium- and long-term forecasts up to two years ahead.


Fantazzini, D. and Fomichev, N. (2014) ‘Forecasting the real price of oil using online search data’, Int. J. Computational Economics and Econometrics, Vol. 4, Nos. 1/2, pp.4–31.


Catching a phisher


Phishing is a form of online fraud in which a user is duped into revealing private information to a third party that is then exploited in the extraction of funds from the person’s bank account, identity theft or the installation of malware on their computer. Now Brad Wardman of ecommerce company PayPal based in San Jose, California, together with Jason Britt and Gary Warner of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, are developing new tackle to thwart phishing attacks. Their approach involved the analysis of almost 50000 phishing web sites that might scam visitors and extracting a syntactical fingerprint from those sites that could then be used to identify new sites with similar malicious characteristics. Moreover, their analysis points the way to identifying not only the sites themselves but the people behind clusters of such websites.


Wardman, B., Britt, J. and Warner, G. (2014) ‘New tackle to catch a phisher’, Int. J. Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp.62–80.


Advertising philosophy


Tibor Machan of Chapman University in Silverado, California, is a Hungarian-American philosopher he has turned his attention to the concept of advertising in order to define exactly what it is so that it might be evaluated as an activity. He points out that in order to judge any activity or institution we must have a clear view of its nature or purpose. After all, the same philosophy applies when judging people as parents, teachers, when judging a travel company, healthcare system, university. In essence the concept of advertising boils down to the idea of positively promoting a product or service that people or organizations themselves may wish to obtain or use. However, advertising is a much deeper concept in that it acts as its own economy wherein other products – free magazines and internet sites – that are not themselves being advertised but carry advertising for other products and services can be might be procured for no cost because of the advertisements.


Machan, T. (2014) ‘Advertising defended’, Int. J. Economics and Business Research, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp.376–382.


April Research Picks is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot


via Science Spot http://ift.tt/1hozAgw

Call for papers: "Energy Hedging and Risk Management"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Services and Standards.

In today’s volatile energy market environment where various types of risk exist, it is imperative that producers as well as refiners become more involved in actively managing risks. This special issue aims to publish research papers concerned with the price modelling and risk management of energy companies and industries worldwide. The issue solicits theory-based as well as empirical papers that demonstrate the importance and impact of risk management and enterprise value.
 
Risk management has become an important component of energy companies’ operation to mitigate the exposure to volatile energy prices. Appropriately constructed and implemented energy risk management policy and programmes can protect companies from volatile energy prices and create incremental enterprise value. The challenge today is to produce energy safely, consume energy efficiently, and service energy with standards. The intent of this call is to disseminate research in energy risk management that is relevant to both theory and practice.
 
Papers based on empirical studies, case analysis, modelling, simulation, etc. from multiple disciplines that promote the best practices, services and standards are encouraged.
 
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Energy price models
  • Energy derivatives price hedging
  • Dynamic hedging strategies and value in energy sector
  • Comparison of energy risk management and impact across countries
  • Successes and lessons from risk management programmes
  • Modelling and analysis of energy markets
  • Development, implementation and optimisation of dynamic hedging strategies
  • Renewable energy pricing and risks
  • Quality, efficiency and standards of energy services

Important Dates
Deadline for submission: 1 June, 2014
Notification to authors: 1 July, 2014
Final versions due: 1 August, 2014

Special issue published: "Machining of Advanced Materials"

International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials 15(3/4) 2014

Includes expanded versions of papers presented at the 2nd International Conference on Advanced Manufacturing and Automation (INCAMA 2013).
  • A study to minimise delamination value during drilling chopped strand mat GFRP material
  • Investigation on cutting temperature and cutting force in turning AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel using AlTiCrN coated carbide insert
  • Nanosecond pulsed laser processing circuits on the copper clad polyimide
  • Investigation on the machining studies of AA6351-SiC-B4C hybrid metal matrix composites
  • Investigation of the machinability characteristics of GFRP/vinyl ester composite using design of experiments
  • FEM-based vibration control in end milling using fixture layout
  • Performance analysis of electrical discharge machining parameters on RENE 80 nickel super alloy using statistical tools
  • Optimisation of EDM process parameters using grey-Taguchi technique
Additional papers
  • Simulation-based adaptative toolpath generation in milling processes
  • Chip morphology and surface roughness in high-speed milling of nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718
  • Multi-response optimisation of hard milling process parameters based on integrated Box-Behnken design with desirability function approach

22 April 2014

Special issue published: "Advanced Surface Engineering in Manufacturing Processes"

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering 8(2/3) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 15th International Conference on Advances in Materials and Processing Technologies (AMPT2012).
  • The mechanical behaviour of TiN and multi-layered coating of TiN/Ti on Ti6Al4V substrate during nano-indentation
  • Friction and anti-wear property of aqueous tri-block copolymer solutions in metal forming
  • Parametric study of surface melting in zinc-aluminium coated steels
  • A review of surface modification of a novel low modulus β-type titanium alloy for biomedical applications
  • The effectiveness of palm oil methyl ester as lubricant additive in milling and four-ball tests
  • Effects of oxide scale on hot rolling of an austenitic stainless steel
  • Tungstate ion-assisted hydrothermal conversion of magnesium hydroxide coatings on AZ31 magnesium alloy
  • Molecular dynamics simulation of confined n-alkanes: ordered structure and crystalline bridges
  • Tool wear effect on micro end milling of biocompatible metals
  • Study on micro-surface texture and tribology characters of ground surface in point grinding process
  • Mechanical and tribological characteristics of sintered Fe-Ni-Cr alloy subjected to high-frequency ultrasonic peening
  • Investigation of bacterial attachment on hydroxyapatite-coated titanium and tantalum
  • Microstructure, bioactivity and wear resistance of sintered composite Co-Cr-Mo/Bioglass® for medical implant applications
  • Assisted nitriding of Inconel alloy: microstructural analysis

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from INTECH 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Innovative Computing Technology (13-15 August 2014, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK) will be published by the following journals:

Special issue published: "Advances in Multimedia, Computer Graphics and Broadcasting"

International Journal of Advanced Media and Communication 5(2/3) 2014
  • Efficient implementation of Sobel edge detection algorithm on CPU, GPU and FPGA
  • Virtual reality contents based on X3D and HTML5 Canvas
  • Enhancing emotion using an emotion model
  • Increasing learning effect by tag cloud interface with annotation similarity
  • Temporal pattern recognition based interactive video-on-demand streaming technique
  • Development of smart user interface platform of industrial equipment using Shader effects and filters
  • A review on variability mechanisms for product lines
  • Semantic indexing of multimedia content using textual and visual information
  • Video transcoding technique using tree-based multi-level block partitioning in OFDM network
  • A novel technique for JPEG image steganography and its performance evaluation
  • Secure data management scheme in the cloud data center
  • Robust background modelling using region-based codebooks

Free Spring Highlights Newsletter

The latest edition of our free quarterly newsletter, Highlights, is now available. In it you can
  • read a free short article on social media for learning
  • browse our latest calls for papers
  • note our latest journal news, including newly announced and launched titles
  • find a summary of our latest published research which has recently featured in the media.
You can subscribe to free email versions of Highlights to keep up to date with our newest journals, calls for papers and articles in the media, and for free overviews of topics provided by our editors.

17 April 2014

Call for papers: "Dynamic Balancing of Mechanisms and Parallel Robots"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Mechanisms and Robotic Systems.

Dynamic balancing of mechanisms and parallel robots has been investigated for several decades, but due to its complexity, not many researchers are focusing on this field.

This special issue aims to bring all researchers together to present the recent and latest advances and technologies in the field of dynamic balancing of mechanisms and parallel robots in order to further summarise and improve the methodologies on dynamic balancing of parallel mechanisms.

This call invites both theoretical and empirical studies on this topic.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Dynamic balancing of mechanisms
  • Dynamic balancing of parallel robots
  • Synthesising of reactionless parallel mechanisms
  • Reactionless mechanisms design methods
  • Reactionless experiment design and study
  • Any topics related to the dynamic balancing of mechanisms

Important Dates
Deadline for submission: 10 May, 2015

Special issue published: "Engineering Systems Perspectives on Asset Management"

International Journal of Strategic Engineering Asset Management 1(4) 2013

Extended versions of papers presented at the Council of Engineering Systems Universities Conference 2012 (CESUN2012).
  • Model-based risk-oriented robust systems design with object-process methodology
  • A bottom-up approach for energy systems - a case study on energy and service efficiency explored by human activity system modelling
  • Exploring expert confidence in cost estimates for nuclear power engineering, procurement and construction projects - a survey of nuclear industry experts
  • Methods for value assessment of water and sewer pipelines
  • Matching of resources and the design of organisations for project management
  • Relevant asset health information for executives
  • Asset management maturity in public infrastructure: the case of Rijkswaterstaat

Newlyweds, be careful what you wish for

A statistical analysis of the gift “fulfillments” at several hundred online wedding gift registries suggests that wedding guests are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to buying an appropriate gift for the happy couple. The details reported in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing suggest that most people hope to garner social benefits of buying an expensive gift that somehow enhances their relationship with the newlyweds while at the same time they wish to limit monetary cost and save money.


Yun Kyung Oh of the Department of Business Administration, at Dongduk Women’s University, in Seoul, Korea, working with Ye Hu of the University of Houston, Texas, Xin Wang of Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, and William Robinson of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, USA, explain how their Bayesian statistical analysis reveals a bimodal distribution of gift fulfillment that shows this push and pull across more than 500 wedding registries. The center of the distribution pivots on the average price available to the giver of the gifts requested by bride and groom. The higher than average-priced gifts are the target of those seeking greatest social benefit and the lower priced gifts by those hoping to save money. Very few people buy gifts of average price as these do not appeal in either regard, the team found. However, gifts of extremely high or very low price often remain unfulfilled too for similar reasons.


“Across vastly different social settings, gift giving is often an act of symbolism, large and small, of love, respect, and sometimes war. The economic importance of gift giving cannot be overestimated,” the team says, “think Trojan Horse and The Statue of Liberty for disparate examples.” However, nowhere is the politics of gift-giving more sensitive than in the creation of a wedding registry by bride and groom and its fulfillment by their family, friends and other well-wishers. Gift giving is a multibillion dollar industry.


The team’s study perhaps reinforces what one might suspect of wedding gift buyers that a gift giver seeking a social benefit will largely ignore the price, provided the gift does not exceed their budget whereas the gift giver looking to save money will buy something that is not expensive. The statistical analysis made possible by the real data from online wedding registries corroborates this notion. The team asserts that online gift giving presents a unique and significant marketing opportunity. Indeed, they conclude that, “A better understanding of this area offers practical recommendations to marketing practitioners to serve consumers better and to increase retailer profits.”


Of course, in some cultural wedding gifts are purely monetary and there is no gift to buy, but presumably the same dichotomy exists for the giver with deep pockets in that situation too who hopes to enhance their relationship with the newlyweds at minimal cost.


How do external reference prices influence online gift giving?” in Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, vol 5, 359-371


Newlyweds, be careful what you wish for is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot


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16 April 2014

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from IT4OD 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Information Technology for Organization Development (19-20 October 2014, University of Tebessa, Algeria) will be published by the following journals:

Special issue published: "Integrating Multi-Criteria Decision Aid and Artificial Intelligence Techniques"

International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making 4(2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 75th meeting of the European Working Group on Multiple Criteria Decision Aid.
  • Consultant selection for quality management using VIKOR method under fuzzy environment
  • Evaluating the impact of nutrient abatement measures on the ecological status of coastal waters: a Bayesian network for decision analysis
  • Understanding and profiling user requirements to support the conceptual design in the aeronautical sector
  • Automatic generation of classes-interpretation as a bridge between clustering and decision-making
  • A personalised semantic and spatial information retrieval system based on user's modelling and accessibility measure

Net neutrality on balance

There is a war raging online between those who wish to modulate, control and throttle the flow of information, usually the internet service providers (ISPs) and content creators and consumers who seek neutrality. Net neutrality is the principle on which open democracy and social benefits of the communication age can best be played out, the latter two parties argue. Governments and regulatory authorities must guarantee net neutrality in other words. In contrast, the ISPs suggest that their being blocked from modulating the use of bandwidth cuts into their profits and will ultimately stymie technological development and the broadband upgrades to the services they provide, whether that is data, voice, video.


Researchers in Italy, writing in the International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management point out that net neutrality involves equity in electronic communication whereby data and information carried by an operator is treated uniformly regardless of the actual content, the application or service provided or the identity of the sender and end user. Francesca Di Pillo of the Università degli Studi di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’ and colleagues have now analysed the pros and cons of sticking to net neutrality or pandering to the ISPs demands. Their results – based on a game theory model – suggest that even in a world of universal net neutrality the scope for large profits and reinvestment is steady and would provide the ISPs with sufficient freedom to keep their shareholders happy and at the same time upgrade the telecommunications technology as necessary regardless.


Consumers and content providers always see greater benefits in the net neutrality environment, the team demonstrated. Given that the European Union currently operates under a competitive scenario, regulators must take into consideration the user experience and any potential loss of benefit to them if ISPs are allowed to move from net neutrality to discriminatory regimes. Moreover, their game theory analysis shows that contrary to ISP “opinion”, they show that the conditions for network innovation can in fact also be guaranteed under net neutrality.


“Net neutrality versus discrimination in internet access: winners, losers and investment incentives” in Int. J. Technology, Policy and Management, 2014, 14, 232-249


Net neutrality on balance is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot


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Ant colonies help evacuees in disaster zones

An escape route mapping system based on the behavior of ant colonies could give evacuees a better chance of reaching safe harbor after a natural disaster or terrorist attack by building a map of showing the shortest routes to shelters and providing regular updates of current situations such as fires, blocked roads or other damage via the smart phones of emergency workers and those caught up in the disaster.


Koichi Asakura of Daido University in Nagoya and Toyohide Watanabe of the Nagoya Industrial Science Research Institute in Japan have carried out successful simulations of the construction of navigational maps using this approach and report details in the International Journal of Knowledge and Web Intelligence. Following a major earthquake, tsunami, typhoon or other disaster it is crucial for those affected, including emergency workers, to obtain and share accurate and timely information about the situation as it unfolds. Lives can only be saved if evacuation to safe areas and shelters is not stymied by blocked roads, fires and other problems.


The team’s new system has two key features: First it utilizes the smart phones that are now ubiquitous across cities as networked, mobile sensors that can feed information back to emergency centres. The second feature exploits our understanding of the behavior of an ant colony. This provides a way to determine whether or not particular problems are recent or not, just as individual ants use pheromone trails, and the concentration changes in those pheromones to assess how recently a colony member left a particular signal and so find the optimal routes to and from the nest via food supplies. By using this approach to analyse the data from myriad smart phones as evacuees head for shelter, it is possible to build an active navigational map using the phones’ GPS and other tools.


The system circumvents the problem that would be almost inevitable during a disaster that closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras would be unreliable whereas sufficient numbers of wireless communication devices might remain active for sufficient time given a large enough number of service providers and communication towers spread widely across the disaster area. The next step will be to develop an ad hoc mobile networking system so that evacuees can themselves access these active maps rather than the present system that provides advice to emergency services for guiding evacuees. Such a network might also circumvent the problem of service provider outages by allowing individual smart phones to create a local network.


Construction of navigational maps for evacuees in disaster areas based on ant colony systems” in Int. J. Knowledge and Web Intelligence, 2014, 4, 300-313


Ant colonies help evacuees in disaster zones is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot


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15 April 2014

Call for papers: "Management and Engineering: Matching Human and Technological Needs"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management.

Traditionally understood as two different scientific areas, management and engineering are, more than ever, deeply interrelated. Indeed, more than ever we can see managers working and defining strategies in the technological, industrial and production arena, as well as engineers developing activities related to organisational management. In both of them the human being and technologies are in common. How to deal with both is really a challenge to both managers and engineers.

Today, in order to obtain the necessary flexibility to respond to the high levels of competition that they are facing, organisations are becoming more technologically sophisticated. Drawing on the latest developments, research and best practice, it is important to examine and better understand the technological implications of the latest changes that are taking place and how they affect the management and motivation of the human resources belonging to these organisations. Matching human and technological needs is the challenge that modern management and engineering are facing, to which interdisciplinary perspectives, to further our knowledge and understanding, are needed.

Looking to contribute to a better merging and interrelationship between organisations, management, engineering, technology and working and employee needs, in order to increase the efficiency and profitability, of modern and competitive organisations, this special issue of invites the submission of high quality research articles related with these issues with a special emphasis in management/human resource management and production / manufacture engineering.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following aspects:
  • The impact of production/manufacturing technology on organisational structures
  • Work changes
  • Matching human and technological needs
  • Human resource management
  • Healthy and safety in a technological environment
  • Work and technological changes
  • Workforce behaviour and technologies
  • Technological and organisational innovation
  • Work flexibility and technological changes
  • Learning skills and styles in technology innovation
  • Training effectiveness
  • Culture and organisational behaviour
  • Communication, participation and involvement
  • Production engineering/management
  • Financial engineering/management
  • Strategic management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Interdisciplinary management
  • Sustainable management
  • Operations strategy and planning

Important Dates
Deadline for submission: 31 January, 2015

Special issue published: "Statistical Monitoring and Detection"

International Journal of Quality Engineering and Technology 4(2) 2014
  • Phase II monitoring of linear profiles using a P-value approach
  • An economic alternative to the c chart
  • Monitoring variability of multivariate processes
  • A P-value approach for Phase II monitoring of multivariate profiles
  • Estimating performance degradation using intervals between upcrossings of a threshold
  • Design and application of multivariate CUSUM for quality monitoring of ready mixed concrete

Call for papers: "Micro and Macro Implications of Self-Employment as a Work Alternative"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Economics and Business Research.

Self-employment is viewed as a rudimentary form of entrepreneurship (Blanchflower and Oswald, 1998). While entrepreneurship as a whole is primarily focused on the acquisition and expansion of capital (Kao, 1993; Carland, Carland, and Hoy, 2002), self-employment is many times seen as an alternative work arrangement from being an employee of an organisation (Prottas and Thompson, 2006).
 
Despite the fact that self-employment is also the predominant form of entrepreneurship (Blanchflower, 2000), little research exists on self-employment. The purpose of this special issue is to critically explore both the micro level and macro level implications of self-employment as relates to both individuals and society as a whole.
 
References:
Blanchflower, D. G. (2000). Self-Employment in OECD Countries. Labour Economics, 7, 471-505.
Blanchflower, D. G, and Oswald, A. (1998). What Makes an Entrepreneur?. Journal of Labor Economics, 16(1), 26-60.
Carland, H., Carland, J. W., and Hoy, F. (2002). Who is an entrepreneur? Is a question worth asking. Entrepreneurship: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management, 2, 178.
Kao, R. W. Y. (1993). Defining Entrepreneurship: Past, Present and ?. Creativity and Innovation Management, 2(1,), 69–70.
Prottas, D. J., and Thompson, C. A. (2006). Stress, satisfaction, and the work-family interface: A comparison of self-employed business owners, independents, and organizational employees. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11(4), 366.
 
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Impact on wealth creation and wealth distribution
  • Economic conditions of self-employed workers
  • Job and life satisfaction of self-employed workers
  • Entry into self-employment
  • Career stages of self-employed workers
  • Cultural impact on self-employment
  • Misconceptions of self-employment

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 31 December, 2014
Notification to authors: 31 March, 2015
Final versions due: 30 June, 2015

Special issue published: "Economic and Financial Processes in Emerging Asia"

International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking 4(2) 2014
  • The process of income inequality development from foreign direct investment in developing countries: a system dynamics approach
  • Interaction among foreign direct investment, economic growth and foreign trade: evidence from India and China
  • Improving the process of financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs in Indonesia
  • Determining the factors which affect the stock investment decisions of potential female investors in Indonesia
  • Detection of manipulation of inter-bank overnight rate using Euclidean-based time series cluster analysis
  • Lowering the interest burden for microfinance

14 April 2014

Call for papers: "Big Data Analytics and Business Innovation"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management.

Many organisations are working with unmanageably large data sets, or big data, and the importance of using analytics that can cope with this scale of information is considerable. Organisations’ ability to identify patterns and to gain analytical results to achieve competitive advantages creates great opportunities for business innovation.

Organisations are capable of harvesting relevant data and using it to make the best decisions to achieve innovations. In light of this, this special issue will focus on presenting innovative, high-quality research results in technical, social, and policy aspects of big data analytics and its impact on business innovation.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Big data analytics tools, trends and best practices
  • Big data analytics in e-government and policy
  • Big data analytics and business performance
  • Management strategy of big data
  • DSS/intelligent systems
  • Data management
  • E-business/m-business
  • Cloud computing
  • Models and frameworks for big data
  • Business model
  • Social network services
  • Emerging architectural frameworks for big data
  • Security and privacy
  • Web search and information mining
  • Cloud-based infrastructures (storage and computing resources)
  • IT innovations
  • Applications in business, education, healthcare, security, bioinformatics, law, transportation, and so on
  • Management of technological innovation/development
  • Critical technologies and policy analysis
  • Evaluation of technology/systems
  • Socio-economic consequences of new technologies
  • Technology-based economic growth and government policy
  • Entrepreneurship, innovation and regional development
  • Policy decision-making and stakeholder involvement
  • Information and decision technology

Important Dates
Deadline for manuscript submission: 1 November, 2014

Special issue published: "Web Based Communities and Social Interaction: Retrospect and Future"

International Journal of Web Based Communities 10(2) 2014
  • Giving online support: individual and social processes in a domestic violence forum
  • Reconfiguring space: the collective autonomy of digital technology
  • Exploring the antecedents of trust from the perspectives of uncertainty and media richness in virtual community
  • Revising TAM for hedonic location-based social networks: the influence of TAM, perceived enjoyment, innovativeness and extraversion
  • Emergent dialogue as a prerequisite of learning and innovation in professional virtual communities
  • Communication, communities and shaping the future of education as online discussion board moderators

Call for papers: "Video-supported Online Virtual Classrooms"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments.

Online learning can be as good as or even better than face-to-face learning in terms of learning outcomes. However, the absence of personal contact in an online learning environment creates a number of challenges, such as the lack of classroom climate, insufficient visual cues, loneliness, and difficulties in observing students’ participation and engagement.
 
The use of two-way live video conferencing together with text chat can create an interactive virtual classroom where students and the teacher can see each other; students can conveniently ask questions without interrupting the teacher’s presentation; and the teacher feels more comfortable when he/she talks to the live students rather than to the screen. However, there might be additional challenges in an online virtual classroom. For instance, organising and facilitating group activities and monitoring students’ engagement when the class size is big become difficult.
 
This issue aims to provide an avenue for researchers to share their design strategies of using technology - in particular video conferencing - to create an online virtual classroom and the experiences and challenges they met in the implementation process.
 
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Two-way live video conferencing for teaching and learning
  • Online virtual classrooms
  • Online virtual classroom design and implementation
  • Social presence in an online learning environment
  • Classroom climate in an online learning environment
  • Transactional distance in an online learning environment
  • Web conferencing for learning
  • Computer-mediated distance learning
  • Synchronous virtual classrooms
  • Distance interactive classroom conferencing
  • Interactive distance online course design
  • Live teacher-supported distance learning
  • Live video streaming environment
  • Online distance learning with live video
  • Distance learning with live video streaming
  • Video-supported online learning environment
  • Live and interactive online learning environment
  • Real-time teaching and learning
  • Synchronous online learning environments
  • Technological self-efficacy in online learning environments

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 31 July, 2014
Notification to authors: 15 September, 2014
Final versions due: 31 October, 2014

Special issue published: "The Unbound Influence of National Cultures"

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development 10(2/3) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Annual Conference of the Euromed Academy held in Switzerland in September 2012.
  • The cosmopolitan generation and their motivation: a guide for manager to keep motivation
  • Does cultural competence affect the success of international strategies? A case study analysis
  • Perceptions of entrepreneurial personality traits: evidence from Greece
  • Social, cultural and environmental impacts of tourism in Cyprus: the need for sustainable development
  • Multicultural large construction projects: the key role of trust
  • Ethical concerns in cosmetics retailing: a comparative study of consumer attitudes towards cosmetics purchase between Europe and Asia with particular reference to Bangladesh and the UK
  • Intentions towards the sustainability of young adults: a cross-cultural comparison
  • Entrepreneurial species: influences of business and social contexts on indigenous and non-indigenous types
  • MTDP needs assessment in Libya: a case of international and joint venture organisation
  • Agro business in a changing competitive environment - Campania firms' strategic, marketing and financial choices
  • The contagious effects of the economic crisis regarding wood and furniture sectors in Greece and Cyprus
  • Strategic reflexivity in the hotel industry - a value-based analysis
  • The value of the 'triple pole' approach in bargaining for vertical cooperative advertising and the research challenges for the evolution of this topic in the cooperative advertising literature

11 April 2014

Special issue published: "Ontology Engineering and Web Semantics"

International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies 9(2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Web and Information Technologies (ICWIT’2012).
  • Lightweight domain ontology learning from texts: graph theory-based approach using Wikipedia
  • Towards a representation for multi-viewpoints ontology alignments
  • Facilitating the specification of WSMO ontology using model-driven development
  • Ontology and protocol secure for SCADA
  • An adaptive product configurator based on slow intelligence approach
  • Coping with interoperability and sustainability in cultural heritage aggregative data infrastructures
  • Metadata-enhanced exploration of digital cultural collections

Special issue published: "Wind Turbine Blade Technologies – Materials and Mechanics"

International Journal of Materials Engineering Innovation 5(2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Wind Energy: Materials, Engineering and Policies (WEMEP-2012).
  • A critical review of future materials for wind turbine blades
  • Natural composites: cellulose fibres and the related performance of composites
  • Simulation of crack paths at three-dimensional corners of laminated structures
  • Plasma treatment of carbon fibres and glass-fibre-reinforced polyesters at atmospheric pressure for adhesion improvement
  • Nanoindentation of bleached and refined pulp fibres
  • Effects of sintering on microstructure and hardness of powder injection moulded aluminium composites
  • Humidity sensor-based ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposite synthesised by sol-gel immersion method

Special issue published: "Multi-Criteria Decision Making and Goal Programming in Operations Management"

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences 7(2) 2014
  • From mono-criterion to multi-criteria decision aid: a necessary but unfinished evolution in operational research
  • Small and medium enterprises project finance: identifying optimum settings of controllable factor
  • Multi-criteria logistics distribution network design for mass customisation
  • Possibilistic programming model for fuzzy multi-objective periodic review inventory in two-stage supply chain
  • Job satisfaction measurement: the multi-criteria satisfaction analysis
  • A fuzzy goal programming approach for solving stochastic portfolio selection problem in a group decision-making context

10 April 2014

Inderscience jourmals to publish expanded papers from ICEB 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Fourteenth International Conference on Electronic Business (5-9 December 2014, The Imperial Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan) will be published by the following journals:

Special issue published: "Contextualised IT Solutions in Engineering Optimisation"

International Journal of Information Technology and Management 13(2/3) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 9th International Symposium on Tools and Methods of Competitive Engineering (TMCE).
  • Ontology-grounded validation methodology for innovative automobile development projects
  • An integrated approach and IT platform to optimise electric motor engineering and design
  • Integrating virtual and physical testing to accelerate the engineering product development process
  • Knowledge extraction to automate CFD analysis in abdominal aneurysm diagnosis and treatment
  • Microstructure simulation in isothermal chemical vapour infiltration of SiC composites
  • Mechanism synthesis: a comparison of adaptive and traditional approaches

9 April 2014

Progress in Industrial Ecology, An Int. J. to publish expanded papers from ICALS 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on Applied Life Sciences (18-20 September 2014, Bangi, Malaysia) will be published by Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal.

Special issue published: "Computational Methods for Russian Economic and Financial Modelling"

International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics 4(1/2) 2014
  • Forecasting the real price of oil using online search data
  • Modelling financial returns and portfolio construction for the Russian stock market
  • What drives the Russian stock market: world market and political shocks
  • Time aspects of a fund manager appraisal
  • An empirical analysis of growth and consolidation in banking: a Markovian approach for the case of Russia
  • Statistical analysis and econometric modelling of the creditworthiness of non-financial companies
  • Are commodity price shocks important? A Bayesian estimation of a DSGE model for Russia
  • How Russian and Ukrainian citizens perceive the role of immigrants in their country: a comparison with European residents
  • The intertemporal general equilibrium model of the economy with the product, money and stock markets
  • Technology of development and implementation of realistic (country-specific) models of intertemporal equilibrium
  • Are inflation expectations in Russia forward-looking?

8 April 2014

Call for papers: "Family Business"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business.

Family firms are the backbone and engine of most economies. Their role in economy is crucial - not least in innovation and job creation. In family business systems, business, family and ownership are interrelated. Changes in one sub-system typically have an impact on the other sub-system(s). A big majority of all family firms are small or medium-sized businesses, and a big majority of small and medium-sized firms are family firms. Therefore, there is a large intersection between entrepreneurship, small business and family business studies.

This special issue will focus on family business from entrepreneurship and/or small business perspective. Both micro and macro level studies are invited. Also both quantitative and qualitative approaches are welcome. We also encourage writers to come forward with emerging and frame-breaking topics to diversify and widen family business research.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Entrepreneurial start-ups of family firms
  • Innovation and growth in family enterprises
  • Performance of family firms
  • Ownership and governance
  • Resources of family firms
  • Family and business and ownership and the dynamic relation between those
  • Succession and inter-generational challenges
  • Longevity vs. "child mortality" of family enterprises
  • Emerging and frame-breaking themes in and for family business research

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 31 July, 2014
Notification to authors: 30 September, 2014
Final versions due: 30 November, 2014

Int. J. of Embedded Systems to publish expanded papers from IEEE IS3C2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Symposium on Computer, Consumer and Control (10-12 June 2014, Taichung City, Taiwan) will be published by the International Journal of Embedded Systems.

Call for papers: "Advanced Topics of RF/Analogue Embedded System Techniques"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Embedded Systems.

For this special issue, we seek high-quality research contributions in all aspects of RF/analogue embedded circuit design, with a special emphasis on emerging technologies and applications, new architectures and systems, ranging from design methods and circuit topologies for analogue, RF signal, to verification and optimisation of transceivers and multimedia processors of embedded circuits and systems.

The issue will include substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the 2014 IEEE International Symposium on Computer, Consumer and Control (IS3C 2014), but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the conference to submit articles for this call.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • RF/analogue embedded circuit design, with a special emphasis on emerging technologies and applications
  • New architectures and systems, ranging from design methods and circuit topologies for analogue, RF signal, to verification and optimisation of transceivers and multimedia processors of embedded circuits and systems

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 15 July, 2014
Notification to authors: 15 August, 2014
Final versions due: 1 September, 2014

Call for papers: "Compliance in Brazil"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Auditing Technology.

The aim of this special issue is to acquaint our readers with compliance issues from the standpoint of practitioners and academia.
 
In the Brazilian organisational context, there are lots of biting issues hitting the capital market with impact on compliance which academia needs to address. Thus the need to publish this special issue to gather thoughts that explain the current scenario.
 
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Ontology of compliance
  • Compliance and national laws
  • Securities and exchange commission compliance
  • SOX compliance for Brazilian companies
  • Information systems and compliance
  • Technology management and compliance
  • Regulatory bodies and compliance
  • Money laundering compliance rules
  • InfoSec compliance (ISO 27001 ISO/IEC 17799)
  • PCI compliance
  • COBIT compliance
  • Corporate governance and compliance

Important Dates
Submission of manuscript: 25 May, 2014
Notification to authors: 30 June, 2014
Revision submission: 30 July, 2014
Final version: 25 August, 2014

7 April 2014

Making a mess of dog walking

There are 8 million dogs in the UK, which adds up to a lot of daily walks and potential for a lot of dog faeces to be left behind. Most dog walkers are happy and even proud to bag and bin their dog’s waste, some might leave waste if they are off the beaten track or in more rural locations, while a small proportion of dog walkers are totally disengaged from the idea that picking up their dog waste is the “right thing to do”. A new study in the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, discusses the environmental, health and safety issues.

Christopher Lowe of the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and colleagues hoped to determine what factors influence dog walker behaviour and how those who do not do the right thing might be persuaded to take charge of their dog mess. Moreover, persuading those who do bag the waste to put it in a suitable bin either on the street or at home is also important as there is some evidence that bagged dog waste left in the environment might be a longer term problem especially if that becomes a norm among dog walkers; it is certainly unpleasant to see, either way.

Dog faeces are not only as unpleasant as any animal waste, they can also carry parasitic diseases that have health impacts on people and animals that come into contact with them. For instance, they might transmit toxocariasis, via the larvae (immature worms) of the dog roundworm (Toxocara canis), which can cause blindness, asthma and neurological problems in those affected. Dog faeces from animals that eat raw meat and bones are also suspected of causing neosporosis in cattle. The researchers also point out that the presence of dog faeces in country parks, walks and other recreational areas can deter visitors and so have a local economic impact in those areas.

Dog waste signs, bins and their collection are a significant cost to local authorities amounting to more than £22 million per year across England and Wales. “Dog waste is also an emotive subject and complaints made by the public to local authorities are often dominated by dog waste issues,”. There are, the researchers report, several hundred thousand public complaints each year, which also adds costs to local authorities.

“It is becoming socially unacceptable for dog owners in the UK not to clean up after their dogs,” the team says. “This behavioural change may also be partly associated with the construction of ‘the responsible dog owner’ that has developed in the context of increased media exposure of dog attacks.”

The researchers carried out a path audit in popular dog walking areas of Lancashire, UK, to determine the influence of path morphology, location and management (related to dog waste) on the frequency and location of bagged and non-bagged dog waste. They also conducted an online, nationwide survey of dog walkers to determine attitudes and behaviour regarding dog waste.

The team suggests that there are five types of dog walker from the most to the least socially and environmentally responsible:
  • Proud to pick up – happy to be seen carrying dog waste, will pick up in all locations and take it home if no bins are available
  • It is the right thing to do – will pick up in public places but will seek to dispose of the waste as soon as it is practical; often embarrassed to be seen carrying bagged waste
  • I have done my job – if there is no bin available will leave the bagged waste to be dealt with by others
  • Only if I have to – will only pick up in the presence of other people – likely to discard when no one is looking
  • Disengaged – will not pick up in any situation even if they are aware of the environmental consequences of their actions

The study highlights the complexities of the issue, the team says, and in particular the importance of interactions between situational, social and individual motivational factors in influencing behaviour. “It is suggested that significantly more research is required to assist in addressing this emotive yet complex problem,” they conclude.

“Environmental and social impacts of domestic dog waste in the UK: investigating barriers to behavioural change in dog walkers” in Int. J. Environment and Waste Management, 2014, 13, 331-347

This entry was posted on April 3, 2014, 4:14 pm and is filed under Environment, Inderscience. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 April 2014

Call for papers: "Drivers for Progress in the Global Society"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets.

Economic competitiveness in the long run depends on a variety of development facets, ranging from economic to social and even physical drivers of growth. Governments are struggling with high unemployment, low productivity and budget constraints, and at the same time aspire to shift towards competitiveness based on knowledge and innovations. The public sector is required to build new capacity, while businesses are encouraged to establish stronger partnership ties with various stakeholders. These issues concern countries all around the world, and many challenges need to be met at both local and global level.
 
The European Union has set five ambitious objectives - in employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy - to be reached by 2020. Hence, the main purpose of this special issue is to encourage researchers and practitioners discuss their findings and insights concerning drivers for progress in the global society.
 
The array of research questions aims to focus on how telecommunications, advanced information technologies and the changing face of media may affect the future of industries and the public sector, and how can they can assist in improving quality of life and creating wellbeing and prosperity.
 
Empirical and conceptual papers devoted to a wide range of issues affecting countries and companies – especially SME competitiveness, creativity and innovations, energy security and environment protection – are sought. This special issue, we believe, will add new scientific insights to current knowledge; will help to develop new suggestions for policy makers concerned with employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy issues; and will provide suggestions for managers concerned about capability building and new management practices.
 
Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Emerging challenges of big data
  • Energy security and economic competitiveness
  • Creative industries and regional development
  • Economic growth and sustainable development
  • Societal impact of social, organisational and technological innovations
  • Business and management success factors in business and the public sector
  • Research and development in the digital age
  • Social cohesion and social innovations
 
Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 15 July, 2014
Comments to authors: 31 August, 2014
Revised papers received: 30 October, 2014
Final paper decision: 31 December, 2014

Special issue published: "Extending the Internet of Things to the Web of Things"

International Journal of Web and Grid Services 10(2/3) 2014
  • IoT4S: a new architecture to exploit sensing capabilities in smart cities
  • Design principles for utility-driven services and cloud-based computing modelling for the Internet of Things
  • Resolving coordination challenges in distributed mobile service executions
  • Energy-aware architecture for information search in the semantic web of things
  • Enabling the web of things: facilitating deployment, discovery and resource access to IoT objects using embedded web services
  • Semantic Web of Things: an analysis of the application semantics for the IoT moving towards the IoT convergence
  • Merging sub-ontologies

Call for papers: "Southern Africa and its Emergence within the Global Economy"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy.

The analysis of development economics is a well-established area of research and provides a valuable prism through which to analyse the historical and contemporary opportunities and challenges faced by the global business community. Historically, Southern Africa has enabled us to learn much about under-development. It will play an increasingly central role in helping us comprehend contemporary developments in the globalised world economy.
 
In the past decade, several of the fastest growing countries in the world were Southern African and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that growth south of the Sahara is expected to rise to 6.1 % in 2014, above the global average of 4%. As Southern African economies move from low to medium and even high income economies, previous economic and social patterns of development and business organisation are also undergoing significant change.
 
This rapid growth and investment has fuelled expectations of continued rises in GDP and per capita levels of income and has resulted in the new narrative of “Africa Rising”. Nineteenth century colonialism gave way to majority rule and a period of internal adjustment, all of which left their imprint on development. As twenty-first century globalisation continues apace and the economies of Southern Africa undergo rapid economic and social change, Southern Africa will become a fundamental area for future economic development. Whether viewed from the perspective of labour force, urbanisation or business organisation, Southern Africa will play an increasingly important role in African development.
 
This special issue offers the prospect of allowing researchers to explore aspects of the modern and recent global economy through a focus on Southern African economies and industries. Articles are invited on any business-related themes and can explore the opportunities and challenges from the perspective of producers, workers, employers, social development, etc.
 
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Race and production relations
  • Labour management
  • Technology transfers
  • Marketing
  • Long term development issues
  • State intervention
  • Foreign direct investment
  • Issues relating to relations in the Southern African economies
 
Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 1 September, 2014
Notification to authors: 1 November, 2014
Final versions due: 1 December, 2014

2 April 2014

Inderscience online collection reaches 60,000

The total number of articles on the Inderscience Online Journal Collection has now passed the 60,000 mark. Purchase of the entire Collection, a pre-selected subject collection or a customised collection can provide extensive discounts on the title list price, depending on the number of titles chosen. To request a quotation, to set up a free institutional online trial or for further information about our licensing options, please email subs@inderscience.com.

1 April 2014

Int. J. of Project Organisation and Management to publish expanded papers from "Delivering Social Good" Conference

Expanded versions of papers presented at the "Delivering Social Good" Conference (20-21 October 2014, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland) will be published by the International Journal of Project Organisation and Management.

Special issue published: "Spacecraft Formation Flying – Part II"

International Journal of Space Science and Engineering 2(1) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Spacecraft Formation Flying Missions and Technologies (SFFMT).
  • Formation flying for very high precision astrometry: NEAT and micro-NEAT mission concepts
  • Design and prototyping of PROBA-3 formation flying system
  • Two years of TanDEM-X baseline determination 
  • Autonomous vision-based detection of non-stellar objects flying in formation with camera point of view
  • Ionospheric delays compensation for on-the-fly integer ambiguity resolution in long baseline LEO formations
  • Relative navigation to non-cooperative targets in LEO: achievable accuracy from radar tracking measurements
  • Terrestrial testbed for remote Coulomb spacecraft rotation control

Call for papers: "Future Internet: Services and Data Management"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Space-Based and Situated Computing.

This special issue will focus on the efforts and directions being proposed for the future internet, including the services that are envisaged and the techniques for management, analysis and visualisation of big data. For instance, cloud computing services have the ability to provide the resources –computation, storage and networking in a secure manner – to support big data management and processing. It aims at disseminating research contributions detailing and promoting advances in the emerging technical, architectural, operational and deployment aspects of infrastructure, services and tools for the future internet and big data.

The issue is aimed at academics and practitioners in the emerging services associated with the future internet and the growing body of professionals, both in industry and academia, working with techniques associated with big data in a wide range of applications and domains.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the International TeNAS13 (https://sites.google.com/site/tenasorg/tenas2013) and TeNAS14 (https://sites.google.com/site/tenasorg/) workshops, but we also strongly encourage researchers unable to participate in the conference to submit articles for this call.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Smart spaces
  • Content-aware and information-centric networks
  • Middleware and architectures
  • Intelligent transport systems (ITS) and application design
  • Digital home networking and applications
  • Next generation networks, fixed-mobile convergence
  • Network planning, operation and management
  • Emerging technological developments in data communication
  • Internet security
  • Future network management trends, applications and network automation
  • Big data and applications
  • Sensing, data acquisition and querying
  • Service, process and information models
  • Advances in performance measurement and management of the future internet
  • Virtualisation of resources and services
  • Management of cloud computing infrastructures
  • Efficient management of IaaS, PaaS, SaaS offerings

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 15 September, 2014
Notification to authors of first round review: 31st October, 2014
Submission of revised manuscripts: 30th November, 2014
Notification to authors of final decision: 5th January, 2015
Final versions due: 30 January, 2015