Special issue published: "The Sustainable Utilisation of Energy Resources in China"

International Journal of Global Energy Issues 36(2/3/4) 2013

Includes expanded versions of papers presented at the 2012 6+2 Forum on Economics and Management of Energy Resources (6+2 FEMER).

• Influence factors of effects of Chinese coal mine safety regulations in different stages
• The impact of potential climate policy on the coal bed methane investment in China - a real option-based study
• Employment impacts of petroleum industry in China: an input-output analysis
• Study on influencing factors of carbon emissions from energy consumption of Shandong Province of China from 1995 to 2009
• Rapid industrialisation and energy efficiency in China: 1995-2010
• The energy efficiency DEA method in value of economic continuity
• Carbon footprint of the households' consumption in China
• Prediction of demand trends of coking coal in China based on grey linear regression composition model

Additional papers

• Regional differences and convergence of resources carrying capacity: a comparison of nine provinces and municipalities in China
• Energy consumption and financial development in Sub-Saharan Africa: a panel econometric analysis
• A CGE assessment of the Australian carbon tax policy
• China's regional energy efficiency: results based on three-stage DEA model

Special issue published: "Computational Methods for Omics Data"

International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design 7(2/3) 2014

Includes expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Intelligent Biology and Medicine 2013 (ICIBM 2013).

• A comparison of microRNA sequencing reproducibility and noise reduction using mirVana and TRIzol isolation methods
• Classification of T cell movement tracks allows for prediction of cell function
• BOTUX: Bayesian-like operational taxonomic unit examiner
• The centrality of cancer proteins in human protein-protein interaction network: a revisit
• Localisation of Drosophila embryos using active contours in channel spaces
• Aeromonas phages encode tRNAs for their overused codons
• Differential Shannon entropy and differential coefficient of variation: alternatives and augmentations to differential expression in the search for disease-related genes
• Correcting imbalanced reads coverage in bacterial transcriptome sequencing with extreme deep coverage
• Supervised method for periodontitis phenotypes prediction based on microbial composition using 16S rRNA sequences
• Generic strategies for chemical space exploration

Additional papers

• Automatic cell segmentation in strongly agglomerated cell networks for different cell types
• P56lck kinase inhibitor studies: a 3D QSAR approach towards designing new drugs from flavonoid derivatives

Call for papers: "Bayesian Statistics in Psychometrics"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Quantitative Research in Education.

Psychometric theories provide a framework to evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument, such as item characteristics, test development, test-score equating, and differential function analysis. These theories rely on formulating a statistical model to specify the relationship among latent and observed variables while making certain assumptions about them.

 

The last two decades have seen an explosion in the popularity and use of Bayesian methods with psychometric models, largely as a result of the advances in sampling-based approaches to inference and the availability of enhanced computational technologies. Bayesian statistics, while using the prior belief to help derive the posterior distribution, offers an alternative perspective to probability and inference. It is well suited to address the increasingly complex phenomena and problems in educational and psychological measurement in that it can effectively tackle more complex and realistic models and problems, specifically as richer sources of data continue to be available. In this sense, the traditional frequentist methods are challenged.

 

In the last decade, much research has been conducted to employ Bayesian methods in developing and estimating modern psychometric models, such as factor analysis, structural equation modelling, item response theory, and latent class analysis. These studies demonstrated the advantages that Bayesian methods offer in psychometric modeling and call for continued efforts to develop new estimation approaches using Bayesian statistics while improving existing ones, and to carefully implement them in empirical problems that illustrate their practical appeal.

 

This special issue focuses on highlighting the application of Bayesian methods to empirical problems in educational and psychological measurement. Researchers are especially welcome to submit articles that address empirical research that (1) describes Bayesian estimation and inference with a psychometric model, or (2) features the advantage of Bayesian methods over the frequentist approach.

 

Suitable topics include the following:

• Estimation techniques and simulation, computation
• Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation techniques
• Parallel computing
• Development of new psychometric models
• Item response theory
• Structural equation modeling
• Generalisability theory
• Multilevel models
• Missing data analysis
• Nonparametric and semiparametric models
• Applications of Bayesian modelling in psychometrics
• Model comparison and model evaluation 

The above list is not exclusive; other contributions on relevant topics will also be considered. This project aims at developing a comprehensive understanding of the topic through case studies on good or bad practices.

 

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 October, 2014

Notification to authors: 30 December, 2014

Final versions due: 28 February, 2015

Special issue published: "The Future of Modelling and Simulation: Applications in Industrial Plants, Processes and Services"

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling 9(1/2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Multidisciplinary Modelling and Simulation 
Multiconference 2012 (I3M 2012).

• Analysis of the operations of an intermodal barge terminal
• Analysis and optimisation of inventory management policies for perishable food products: a simulation study
• A parameterised model of multimodal freight transportation for maritime services optimisation
• Layout and process optimisation: using computer-aided design (CAD) and simulation through an integrated systems design tool
• CFD modelling of thermal distribution in industrial server centres for configuration optimisation and energy efficiency
• Integrated planning and scheduling built on cluster analysis and simulation optimisation
• Situation awareness in critical infrastructures
• Hybrid approach for container terminals performances evaluation and analysis
• Simulation as enabling technologies for agile thinking: training and education aids for decision makers

Inderscience is media partner for The Trading Show Chicago 2014

Inderscience is a media partner for The Trading Show Chicago 2014 (4-5 June 2014, Chicago, USA).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance
• International Journal of Financial Engineering and Risk Management
• International Journal of Financial Markets and Derivatives
• International Journal of Financial Services Management
• International Journal of High Performance Computing and Networking
• International Journal of Portfolio Analysis and Management

Special issue published: "New Challenges on Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering"

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties 9(1) 2014

Includes expanded versions of papers presented at the 2nd Mediterranean Conference on Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering.

• Structure and properties of HVOF-sprayed and PTA-welded cermet hard phase reinforced Fe-matrix-based coatings
• The comparison of antiwear and fatigue properties in higher temperature for PN+CrN and PN+AlCrTiN layer composites
• Oxi-nitriding of alloyed steels with forming of nano-scaled oxide film
• Research of boride layers growth kinetics on C15 carbon steel
• Application of active powders at fluidised bed heat treatment technologies
• The mathematical modelling of 21NiCrMo2 low alloy steel carburising in less common carburising media
• Understanding of polymer quenchant (polyalkylene glycol) characteristic during quenching process of tool steels
• Electronic band structure of indium-based transparent and conductive multicomponent oxide
• The effect of Si morphology on the microstructure and wear property of ZA48 alloy

Call for papers: "Information Technology Service Enhancements through the Cloud"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Procurement Management.

A generation ago computers were first introduced into businesses and organisations to automate clerical functions and routine transactions. Today, information technology (IT) is an integral part of any manager’s daily life and forms the backbone for every managerial function of the modern organisation. Whether it be integrating ERP systems for operational control, improving customer relationship management using data mining, launching a comprehensive web-based human resource management system, or executing financial transaction in electronic markets, modern information systems (IS) are the life blood of the organisation – linking all the different functions together in an integrated way and getting information to decision makers at the right time and in the right format. Indeed, nearly half of all new capital investment in businesses used to be for information technology and systems.

 

However, there is a sea change in the manner of investment of firms: instead of investing in capital assets they are now investing in services, which makes the investments minimal and returns quick. Cloud computing is a paradigm in the world of service provisioning which is instrumental in making the concept possible.

 

In the past, the IS department was responsible for the planning, development, deployment and management of information systems. Today, as managers and organisations have become more dependent on modern systems, which are spread out on the cloud both operationally and strategically, many of these responsibilities have been decentralised to line managers or general managers who are generally unprepared to adequately deal with such responsibility.

 

This special issue offers an open platform for researchers and practitioners to discuss the shift of IT services from acquiring physical assets to only using appropriate services made possible through cloud computing solutions.

 

Also, the issue invites discussions around the functional domains and business opportunities generated by service provisioning through the cloud and global approval bodies vis-à-vis standards of the same.

 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Information technology service management
• Information technology service standards
• Green computing - cloud computing
• Outsourcing structures, models and relationships
• Pricing models for cloud based services
• Software development life cycle models for cloud computing
• Businesses and or functions on cloud
• Social media as a service impacting the economies
• Cyber security issues on cloud
• Mobile solutions on cloud
• Innovations in IT services
• Case studies of functions, business mergers and acquisitions on the cloud

  

Important Dates

Manuscript submission: 31 October, 2014

Reviewer reports: 15 March, 2015

Revised paper submission: 15 May, 2015

Final paper submission: 15 July, 2015

Special issue published: "The Role of Quality in Services and Standards"

International Journal of Services and Standards 9(1) 2014

• Role of service characteristics in determining the degree of customer involvement: a typology
• Effects of perceived privacy protection: does reading privacy notices matter?
• The impact of banking sector reform in developing economies on banking transactions security and quality: the case of Jordan
• Evaluating healthcare process improvement for patient callbacks
• Pervasiveness of SERVQUAL and its potential for the standards for functional quality of service

Call for papers: "Sustainable Supply Chain Network Design"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Automation and Logistics.

Due to rapid changes in climate and increased awareness among customers, along with institutional pressures such as coercive pressure, peer pressure or mimetic pressure, many firms have now embraced sustainability as one of their goals. The benefits of a sustainability programme revolve around innovation, collaboration and transparency. However, the objective is not only to improve environmental performance. Carter and Rogers (2008), in one of their seminal papers, extended the “green supply chain management” concept to “sustainable supply chain management (SSCM)”. Sustainability can only be achieved by optimising between three objectives: “profit, planet and people”.

Sustainable supply chain network design has attracted a lot of attention from academia and practitioners due to supply chain risk resulting from market volatility and natural disasters. Corominas (2013), argued in one article that supply chain or SCM needs to be replaced with a more comprehensive term, “supply chain network” or “supply chain network management”.

Melnyk et al., 2009 and Melnyk et al., 2013, argued that there is lack of method or tools to design sustainable supply chain networks. Hence, there is lack of consistencies among approaches adopted by researchers in past to design supply chain networks. Furthermore, the most important issue which makes supply chain network design a difficult puzzle which most of the time remains unresolved is “uncertainty”. Hence, through this special issue, we would like to invite original contributions on SSCND. Researchers can submit recent research manuscripts that contribute to theory and practice.

References:

Carter, C. R., & Rogers, D. S. (2008). A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving toward new theory. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics management, 38(5), 360-387.

Melnyk, S. A., Lummus, R. R., Vokurka, R. J., Burns, L. J., & Sandor, J. (2009). Mapping the future of supply chain management: a Delphi study. International Journal of Production Research, 47(16), 4629-4653.

Melnyk, S. A., Narasimhan, R., & DeCampos, H. A. (2013). Supply chain design: issues, challenges, frameworks and solutions. International Journal of Production Research, 52(7), 1887-1896.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Robust optimisation (RO)
• Standard optimisation (SO)
• Analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
• Genetic algorithm applied to mixed integer linear programming(MILP)
• Use of graph theory and matrix approach (GTMA)
• Developing model using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and fuzzy MICMAC.
• Total interpretive structural equation modeling
• SAP-LAP
• Structural equation modelling
• Reliability modelling

Important Dates

Manuscript submission: 30 August, 2014

Reviewer reports: 16 November, 2014

Revised paper submission: 16 December, 2014

Final paper submission: 23 December, 2014

Special issue published: "Innovation and Entrepreneurship in China"

International Journal of Technology Management 65(1/2/3/4) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Forum on Innovation Oriented Economics (IFION’12).

• New trends in Chinese innovation policies since 2009 - a system framework of policy analysis
• Assessing government-supported technology-based business incubators: evidence from China
• Success factors for upgrading and innovation in the electronics industry: an analysis of private small and medium-sized enterprises in the Pearl River Delta
• Factors influencing technological entrepreneurship in Chinese firms: evidence from Guangdong
• Multinational R&D in China: differentiation and integration of global R&D networks
• Contextual factors and their effects on future entrepreneurs in China: a comparative study of entrepreneurial intentions
• Returnee CEO and innovation in Chinese high-tech SMEs
• The impact of financial constraints on firm R&D investments: empirical evidence from China
• Can venture capital trigger innovation? New evidence from China
• Innovation generation and appropriation: the dual roles of political ties in Chinese firms' new product development
• External dynamic capabilities, reconfiguration of cooperation mechanism and new product development: contingent effect of technological resource base
• Evolution of collaborative innovation network in China's wind turbine manufacturing industry
• New trends in innovation strategy at Chinese universities in Hong Kong and Shenzhen

Special issue published: "Emerging Trends in Complex, Intelligent, and Software Intensive Systems"

International Journal of Adaptive and Innovative Systems 2(1) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Complex, Intelligent, and Software Intensive Systems (CISIS-2013).

• An enhanced spray and wait DTN routing protocol based on node mobility and maximum number of replications
• Waiting probability analysis for opportunistic spectrum access
• Resilient network with cognitive wireless network based on DTN for disaster information system in rural areas
• A hybrid method for user location anonymisation based on road mobility model
• A hybrid clock group communication protocol

Regular Paper

• Synthesis of kth order fault-tolerant kinematically redundant manipulator designs using relative kinematic isotropy

Special issue published: "Global Warming Solutions by Recycling and Reuse"

International Journal of Global Warming 6(2/3) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Recycling and Reuse 2012.

• Use of asphalt plant residue in hot mix asphalt
• Characterisation of waste fluorescent lamps to investigate their potential recovery in Turkey
• Thermal treatment of fleshing residue for producing syngas
• Monitoring and examination of adaptation period of microorganisms in membrane-bioreactor system treating fruit juice industry wastewaters
• Time series analysis for the sulphur dioxide and particulate matter concentrations in the Aegean Region of Turkey
• Effect of ferric chloride coagulation, lime precipitation, electrocoagulation and the Fenton's reagent on the particle size distribution of olive mill wastewater
• Microwave and microwave-alkali effect on barley straw for total sugar yield
• Change of surface and structure properties of cation exchange membrane in a microbial fuel cell
• Sewage sludge minimisation by means of wet oxidation: process performance and economic sustainability
• Boron removal from waste water originating in the open pit mines of Bigadiç Boron Work by means of reverse osmosis
• Removal performance of lignin compound from simulated pulping wastewater using emulsion liquid membrane process
• Water depth effects on initial dilution of horizontally discharged cold water from an elevated outfall
• Oily wastewater treatment using membrane bioreactor
• Evaluation of chitosan flakes as adsorbent for palladium and platinum recovery from binary dilute solutions
• Basic principles of CO2 emission calculations at airports: a case study from Turkey
• Application of nanofiltration for reuse of wastewater 
• Experimental investigation into performance characteristics of reversed flow cyclone separators
• Biological hydrogen production: effects of inoculation and production media

Special issue published: "Applied Mathematics"

International Journal of Applied Nonlinear Science 1(2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Third New York Conference on Applied Mathematics (NYCAM).

• A remark on the multi-domain hybrid method for calculating the power-law decay of the gravitational radiation waveforms with analytic radiation boundary conditions
• An inverse problem for the nonlinear Gao beam
• Convergence analysis of a heuristic collective sphere packing algorithm
• Approximation of nonlinear stochastic partial differential equations by a kernel-based collocation method

Additional Paper

• A product design methodology and a global optimisation model for QFD planning process

Call for papers: "Sustainable Road Transportation in Latin America"

For a special issue of the Latin American Journal of Management for Sustainable Development.

Transport has an important impact on people everyday life but it also impacts the environment. How people and goods are moving depends on the management of transport systems in cities and road systems. The modes of transport used in large cities are responsible for more than 25% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. In order to change this situation, governments worldwide are investing in research and development towards more sustainable transportation systems. Sustainability in transports means to fulfill the needs of mobility, both urban and global, without jeopardising future generations, regarding natural resources and pollution levels.

Today all major cities are facing serious traffic problems such as congestion, road safety problems, and rising carbon dioxide emissions. Also, several cities worldwide struggle against the car dependency phenomenon by trying to build walking - and cycling - friendly cities. This fight depends on several fronts: improving public transport, improvement of pedestrian circuits, creating exclusive routes for cyclists, the availability of bicycles and clean vehicles for hire, expensive costs of parking meters for those who bring their cars to the city, car sharing and carpooling. But these encompass the management and construction of a new type of transportation infrastructure in order to promote safe mobility. Without planning for vulnerable road users and raising road safety as a priority, any policy for promoting sustainable transport will fail.

In other words, the mobility pattern focus on individual motorised transport proves unsustainable, both in terms of the environment and the mobility of people and goods. The traditional answer to the problems of congestion (i.e. increasing road capacity) encourages car use and generates more bottle necks, feeding a vicious cycle responsible for the degradation of air quality, global warming, and impaired quality of life in cities (significant increase of noise levels, loss of time, deterioration of public space, accidents and stress).

Aligned with this growing interest in sustainable development and sustainable transport, this special issue – although it is focused on case studies of Latin America cities and transportation companies - intends to explore as many different dimensions of the issue as possible (for instance, best practices and research in this issue worldwide) which can benefit Latin America.

Suitable topics include the following:

• Safe mobility
• Which environmental impacts does safe mobility policy have for vulnerable road users?
• How do risk factors change the way people choose their mode of transportation and impact the management of the transportation system?
• Motorcycle as an unsustainable transportation mode
• Factors that contributes to unsafe behaviour and leads to a unsustainable urban transport
• Public transportation policies
• Sustainable management of public transportation system
• How does the planning and management of public transportation system impact the use of energy, emissions and other resources?
• Sustainable transport
• Variables that must be taken into account in the preparation of urban mobility policies that include sustainable cargo logistics
• Sustainability and business management in transportation companies
• Users, needs and behaviour
• What would the conditions necessary for transportation/sustainability coexistence be?
• What is users’ behaviours like?
• What is the consequence of infrastructure design for change in behaviour towards more sustainable transportation modes?
• New innovative technologies in transportation
• The role of IVT (in vehicle technologies) systems
• The role of ITS (intelligent transportation systems)

The above list is not exclusive; other contributions on relevant topics will also be considered. This project aims at developing a comprehensive understanding of the topic through case studies on good or bad practices.

Important Dates

Abstract submission (email): 2 August, 2014

Full paper submission (online): 15 December, 2014
Revised paper submission: 15 February, 2015
Final paper acceptance: 16 April, 2015

Int. J. of Materials and Product Technology to publish expanded papers from Modern Technologies in Industrial Engineering Conference 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Technologies in Industrial Engineering Conference (13 - 16 July 2014, Gliwice, Poland) will be published by the International Journal of Materials and Product Technology.

Call for papers: "Energy Prices and the Financial Markets"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Financial Markets and Derivatives.

Over the last few years, events such as conflicts in the Middle East, the nuclear disaster in Japan and the increased financialisation of energy derivatives markets, have resulted in high uncertainty and speculation in energy prices and the financial markets.

We invite authors to submit high-quality research papers on all aspects of energy prices modelling and their links with the financial markets.

The focus of this special issue is on empirical research; however, theoretical papers will also be considered.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Portfolio construction
• Energy price shocks and stock markets
• Energy pricing models
• Speculation in energy prices
• Energy derivatives
• Forecasting energy markets

Important Dates
Full paper submission: 30 August, 2015

Social marketing at the movies

Word-of-mouth marketing is recognized as a powerful route from long-tail sales to blockbuster, whether one is talking about the latest fishy ice cream flavor or a Hollywood romantic comedy. In the age of social media and online networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, the potential for spreading the word could mean the difference between consumers seeing a product as the best thing since sliced bread or the most rotten of tomatoes.

Chong Oh, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems at Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA, has analyzed social media measures from the well-known microblogging Twitter and movie box-office data from “boxofficemojo.com”. He found that not only does activity on Twitter, which is a surrogate for, or the online equivalent of actual word-of-mouth chatter, has a direct positive effect on how many people go to see a particular movie. Not surprising given its quarter of a billion global users. Moreover, he also demonstrated on the basis of this analysis that studio-generated content and online engagement with the putative audience has an indirect effect.

Fundamentally, Oh’s research shows that: “The more a movie studio is willing to engage with its followers via social media the more likely it is to have a higher WOM volume. This subsequently increases the likelihood of having a higher opening-weekend box office performance.”

Oh cites two very different outcomes with respect to two well-known movies. The first, John Carter, is a science fiction thriller released in 2012, that lost the studio $200 million and led to the resignation of its president. By contrast, Paranormal Activity, a low-budget movie from 2009 shot in a week on a $15,000 budget grossed $107 million at the box office. These, of course, are stark outliers, there are many more, and most movies lie somewhere between these two extremes. For the marketing department ensuring that their next movie is a Paranormal rather than a Carter is partly, according to Oh, now down to online word-of-mouth.

Simply having a presence (or profile) on social media is not sufficient. “The key activity of sending outgoing tweets in the seven days leading up to the release weekend was a good indicator that correlated to word-of-mouth volume buzz about the movie,” Oh reports. He has some advice for movie marketers based on the findings from this research. “Social media represent an opportunity to reach an audience and establish relationships at a personal level that traditional advertising is not capable of achieving,” he explains. “Incentives to encourage more interactions such as competition or tweets from the movie’s cast members should go hand-in-hand with other advertisements to pump up word-of-mouth. He also suggests the same approach to social marketing might have a similar impact in other areas, such as music sales.

Oh, C. (2013) ‘Customer engagement, word-of-mouth and box office: the case of movie tweets’, Int. J. Information Systems and Change Management, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp.338–352.

Social marketing at the movies is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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Risk is much more than a game

Wildfires and flooding affect many more people in the USA than earthquakes and landslide and yet the dread, the perceived risk, of the latter two is much greater than for those hazards that are more frequent and cause greater loss of life. Research published in the International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, suggests that a new paradigm for risk assessment is needed so that mitigation plans in the face of natural disasters can be framed appropriately by policy makers and those in the emergency services.

Maura Knutson (nee Hurley) and Ross Corotis of the University of Colorado, Boulder, explain that earlier efforts for incorporating a sociological perspective and human risk perception into hazard-mitigation plans, commonly used equivalent dollar losses from natural hazard events as the statistic by which to make decisions. Unfortunately, this fails to take into consideration how people view natural hazards, the team reports. Moreover, this can lead to a lack of public support and compliance with emergency plans when disaster strikes and lead to worse outcomes in all senses.

The researchers have therefore developed a framework that combines the usual factors for risk assessment, injuries, deaths and economic and collateral loss with the human perception of the risks associated with natural disasters. The framework includes risk perception by graphing natural hazards against “dread” and “familiarity”. These two variables are well known to social psychologists as explaining the greatest variability in an individual’s perception of risk, whether considering earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, avalanche, even volcanic activity. “Understanding how the public perceives the risk for various natural hazards can assist decision makers in developing and communicating policy decisions,” the team says.

The higher the perceived risk of a natural disaster, the more people want to see that risk reduced and that means seeing their tax dollars spent on mitigation and preparation. For example, far more money is spent on reducing earthquake risk than on reducing the risk from wildfires, perhaps because the perceived risk is much greater, even though both will cause significant losses of life and property. The team’s new framework for risk assessment will act as an aid in decision making for these types of situations as well as perhaps even offering a way to give members of the public a clearer understanding of actual risk rather than perceived risk.

Hurley, M.A. and Corotis, R.B. (2014) ‘Perception of risk of natural hazards: a hazard mitigation plan framework’, Int. J. Risk Assessment and Management, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp.188–211.

Risk is much more than a game is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Financial Innovation in Banking

The International Journal of Financial Innovation in Banking provides a scientific publication outlet for the topic of financial innovation in the economics of banking. It focuses on financial innovation in terms of bank products and services, and bank production processes and organisational forms. This perspective acknowledges the complexity and importance of innovation in the financial intermediation industry. IJFIB aims to foster discussion and research on this fast-growing topic.

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Image Mining

The International Journal of Image Mining emphasises the extent to which image processing technology and data mining can help specialists in understanding and analysing complex images. Image mining aims at advancing traditional data mining from unstructured data to structured data. IJIM focuses on methodologies for extracting useful knowledge from images, and on the progress of diverse disciplines such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, medical imaging, and other related topics.

Watcher from the skies

The use of so-called drones – unmanned aircraft – for domestic security purposes, surveillance of citizens and putative criminals and organizations raises many legal and ethical concerns particularly with regard to the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, Council of Europe instruments, and the EU Data Protection Framework, according to a research paper published in the International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry.

Gregory Voss of the Toulouse Business School (TBS), at Toulouse University, in France, suggests that the rise of drones for surveillance and other applications highlights particular challenges to civil liberties and tensions between these and national security and justice concerns.

The dictionary defines a “drone” as: “an unmanned aircraft or ship guided by remote control”. Drones may use global positioning system (GPS) satellite technology, advanced , high-resolution camera technology and embedded computer systems and so have many advantages over all previously existing surveillance methods. “The fact that they may be operated without personnel onboard allows them to be used when conventional aerial surveillance is too costly, or for long periods of time where personnel fatigue is an issue,” explains Voss. These unmanned flying machines can also be much smaller than conventional aircraft and so less expensive and less obtrusive. Voss points out that the drones currently deployed in active military zones may soon need to be put to new use on their return to the USA and elsewhere once active military service is complete. He also adds that the domestic use of drones is very likely to be spurred on by industry.

“The use of images and other data from drones for security purposes has not yet been the subject of specific legal provisions. However, existing legal principles must be complied with in order to allow this use,” says Voss. European Union law has provision only for the data once it has been obtained not regarding how it is obtained. US law focuses on government intrusion but there are also constitutional guarantees regarding how data is obtained, leaving this up to member state law, and whether it is admissible as evidence in a criminal court. However, in the aftermath of the National Security Agency (NSA) “PRISM” revelations and subsequent scandal, the emergence of drones and their privacy implications may give new impetus to the adoption of privacy legislation at the Federal level in the USA.

Voss, W.G. (2013) ‘Privacy law implications of the use of drones for security and justice purposes’, Int. J. Liability and Scientific Enquiry, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp.171–192.

Watcher from the skies is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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Reading privacy policy lowers trust

Website privacy policies are almost obligatory for many online services, but for anyone who reads these often unwieldy documents, trust in the provider is more commonly reduced than gained, according to US researchers writing in the International Journal of Services and Standards.

Almost every commercial website, social network, search engine and banking site has a privacy policy. Indeed, these and countless other sites that scrape personal information via forms, logins and tracking cookies are obliged by law in some parts of the world to post a document online giving details of how they protect any personal data you give the site and to what use it might be put.

Of course, the existence of a privacy document does not ensure that users read and understand the policy. Indeed, the long-winded and opaque policies provided by many well-known web sites not only deter casual users from reading them but seem to be prepared in such a way as to obfuscate the very policies they aim to describe. One might suggest that such obfuscation is there to deliberately confuse naïve users and to allow the companies running such websites to harvest personal and private information and to do with it what they will without any recourse to the morality of such actions.

Now, Xiaojing Sheng and Penny Simpson of the College of Business Administration, at The University of Texas-Pan American, in Edinburg, Texas, USA, have investigated why users are often not inclined to read online privacy policies. They have demonstrated that for many users hoping to access a given online service reading the operator’s detailed privacy policy commonly leads them to be less trusting and to perceive the operator as less trustworthy in general.

The team’s survey of internet users revealed that almost one third of those who read the privacy policy on the sites they use are concerned that their private information might be shared or sold. Conversely, more than a quarter of respondents reported that they do not read privacy policies because of the documentation’s overt complexity, length, and small print. Almost 13% of respondents did not read the documents because they trusted the site implicitly.

Sheng, X. and Simpson, P.M. (2014) ‘Effects of perceived privacy protection: does reading privacy notices matter?’ Int. J. Services and Standards, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp.19–36.

Reading privacy policy lowers trust is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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

Int. J. of Pluralism and Economics Education to publish expanded papers from Rethinking Economics Conference 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Rethinking Economics Conference (28 - 29 June 2014, London, UK) will be published by the International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education.

Brain scanning the evidence

If conventional lie detector machines, polygraphs, have been endlessly debunked and shown not to provide admissible nor even valid evidence, then the 21st Century tool of choice for reading the minds of witnesses and putative criminals may well be the brain scanner. More specifically, the kind of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a little “f for functional” attached that can seemingly probe our inner selves and reveal the flow of blood in the different regions of the brain that light up when we lie.

Writing in the International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry this month, Edward Johnston and Daniel Jasinski of the University of the West of England -UWE, in Bristol, UK, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such neuroscientific evidence from fMRI that may or may not provide a valid deposition in a criminal case of the future. In their exploratory research paper they point out that such neuroscientific evidence is not yet admissible in a court in England or Wales. It has not even been used in pre-trial evidence gathering. However, fMRI evidence is finding utility in international courtrooms in the USA, most notably.

In England and Wales, there have been legal experiments undertaken at the pre-charge stage using both conventional polygraphs with suspected criminals of low risk who have volunteered to be assessed using these technologies. The benefits for the police being that they might accelerate the charging process or more quickly dismiss a suspect for which evidence is scant and the questioning during an fMRI brain scan does not point to guilt. Research suggests that fMRI is 99 percent accurate in identifying when a person is lying in responding to questions.

Johnston and Jaskinski point out that the use of fMRI in a legal context “is potentially groundbreaking”, they note that it might be possible for witness testimony to be validated by fMRI. It could even be used to detect juror bias in a trial.

“The assistance to the defence that could be provided by neuroscientific evidence could further balance the equality of arms in an adversarial justice system,” the team suggests. “There [now] needs to be consideration of how the results of neuroscientific analysis will be presented to the jury. Science is moving at a great speed and these techniques are likely to become more refined and advanced in the future. As such, due regard must be paid to both the due process rights of defendants and the impact of this evidence on the adversarial notion of our criminal justice system. “Indeed, for the sake of our adversarial criminal justice system, it is important for the law to keep up,” the team concludes.

Johnston, E. and Jasinski, D. (2013) ‘Neuroscientific evidence: a criminal justice dream, or an adversarial nightmare?‘, Int. J. Liability and Scientific Enquiry, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp.193-205.

Brain scanning the evidence is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

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

Call for papers:"Issues and Development of Network Security Algorithms"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics.

The amount of sensitive data being transmitted over open environments is growing at an unprecedented pace. Information security is given more importance in data storage and transmission. Due to the privacy issues involved in data and fund transfers, security is a widespread and growing concern that covers all areas of society: business, domestic, financial, government and so on. Besides algorithm reliability, the speed, performance and implementation flexibility are also considered as major factors for improvement in implementing a network security algorithm.

This special issue aims to serve as a forum in which to unite academics, researchers, practitioners and students in the field of network security. We welcome submissions presenting technical, experimental, methodological and/or applicative contributions, addressing the topics below.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Security architectures
• Security and privacy methods and models (requirements, analysis, design, testing)
• Security in software development (agile, architecture, design, deployment, aspect-oriented, model-driven, threat-driven)
• Component-based, aspect-oriented, agent-based, pattern-based information system security methods
• Security engineering for specific information systems (e-services, databases, mobile, internet, social networks)
• Security management and assessment
• Security in cloud computing
• Security in databases and data warehouses
• Security for mobile computing, multimedia systems
• Security ontology/taxonomy design
• Semantic web technologies applied to security
• Security in software product lines
• Distributed and network security
• Security and trust models

Important Dates
Full paper submission: 12 September, 2014
Notification to authors: 5 November, 2014
Final version submission: 12 December, 2014

Int. J. of Precision Technology to publish expanded papers from IC IMPACT 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineering: Advancements and Current Trends (27-29 November 2014, Bhopal, India) will be published by the International Journal of Precision Technology.

Special issue published: "Research Approaches to Enhancement of Product Development and Engineering Processes"

Journal of Design Research 12(1/2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Ninth International Symposium on Tools and Methods of
Competitive Engineering (TMCE 2012).

Research papers

• Analysing the shift of product management strategies concerning ETO products
• Rule-based modelling of dependencies among activities in collaborative partnership
• Case study analysis and genetic algorithm adaptation for job process planning and scheduling in batch production
• Research and confirmation of an anti-counterfeiting approach for product authentication based on documentation enhancement
• Bulk simulation of physics and interaction aspects of products: formal underpinnings and proof-of-concept implementation

Extended technical note

• Multidisciplinary modelling and simulation for mechatronic design

Int. J. of Metaheuristics to publish expanded papers from IEEE CloudNet'14

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 2014 3rd IEEE International Conference on Cloud Networking (8-10 October 2014, Luxembourg) will be published by the International Journal of Metaheuristics.

Special issue published: "Advanced Developments in Tyre Modelling, Analysis and Dynamics"

International Journal of Vehicle Design 65(2/3) 2014

• An intelligent tyre based adaptive vehicle stability controller
• Development of rational tyre models for vehicle dynamics control design and combined vehicle state/parameter estimation
• Development and validation of a FE model of a mining vehicle tyre
• Tyre/road interaction model for the prediction of road texture influence on rolling resistance
• A ride comfort tyre model for off-highway vehicles
• A new empirical 'exponential' tyre model
• Effects of pavement texture on pavement friction: a review
• Cyclic strain rate in tyres as power source to augment automobile autonomy

Inderscience is media partner for the 3rd B.S.Lab. International Symposium

Inderscience is a media partner for Business Systems Laboratory 3rd Symposium "Advances in Business Management. Towards Systemic Approach" (21-23 January 2015, Perugia, Italy).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies
• International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism
• International Journal of Electronic Business
• International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing
• International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies
• International Journal of Sustainable Development
• International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship

Int. J. of Metaheuristics to publish expanded papers from SCCG-2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 3rd International Workshop on Soft Computing Techniques in Cluster, Grid and Cloud Computing Systems (8-10 November 2014, Guangzhou, China) will be published by the International Journal of Metaheuristics.

Call for papers: "Assistive Technology and Impacts on Innovation"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Transitions and Innovation Systems.

This special issue will focus on the impacts of assistive technology on innovation systems for improved function and access of individuals with disabilities and/or mobility impairments. We would like to emphasise technologies that assist in overcoming attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder the full and effective access, participation, inclusion and achievement of persons with disabilities.

Assistive technology plays a key role in organisation ecosystems in terms of transition and innovation challenges and impacts. Communities of experts in this ecosystem (e.g. occupational therapists, physical therapists, educators, engineers, assistive technology professionals, independent living specialists and others) have an important role in this spiral of innovation.

Technologies may include aids for daily living, augmentative/alternative communication, aids for computer access, environment control units, architectural elements, mobility aids, vehicle adaptations, orthotics and prosthetics, seating and positioning, recreation and leisure, sports, aids for blind people or people with low vision, and aids for people with hearing deficit or deafness.

In this context, particular topics will be very significant in the future:

• The integration of theoretical models and techniques of assistive technology in contexts of dynamics of smart environments
• The integration into models of emerging societal concerns related to assistive technology and smart working environments
• Evaluation of assistive technology and societal problems
• The adaptation of standards to assistive technology

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Accessible toys, play and playgrounds
• Assistive technology in rehabilitation
• Community access technologies
• Computer access technologies
• Education access
• Employment access
• Environment access
• Functional seating and positioning
• Home access technologies
• Independent living
• Recreation, leisure and sports

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 14 October, 2014 (extended)
Feedback to authors: 14 November, 2014
Submission for the second review: 30 December, 2014
Notification of final acceptance: 15 January, 2015
Final submission: 20 January, 2015

Special issue published: "Structuring and Restructuring the Automotive Industries"

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management 14(2) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Sixth International Programme of Gerpisa.

• Geographical distribution of product development capabilities in the automobile industry: towards a hierarchical division of labour in Mercosur
• Local and global influences on the social responsibility performance of multinational corporations in the Brazilian automotive industry
• New initiatives, trends and dilemmas for the Brazilian automotive industry: the case of Inovar Auto and its impacts on electromobility in Brazil
• A socio-technical perspective on the electrification of the automobile: niche and regime interaction
• BMW and Mercedes-Benz first international plant location decision: the site selection and negotiation process in the USA

Int. J. of Process Systems Engineering to publish expanded papers from SEGE'14

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Smart Energy Grid Engineering (11-13 August, 2014, UOIT, Oshawa, Canada) will be published by the International Journal of Process Systems Engineering.

Call for papers: "Enlightenment and Empowerment"

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

The concept of Management of allSelves’ Enlightenment and Empowerment (MOSEE) refers to the enlightenment and empowerment of human spirits or consciousness. It transforms people, who are the major entities of corporation management, to have the built-in freedom, and thus inspires human relationships in joyful ways with family members, other people, jobs, money and capitalism systems, among others. So when MOSEE transforms individuals through enlightenment and empowerment, they transform organisations and communities such as families, corporations, societies, countries, and ultimately the universe.

In fact, MOSEE is a consolidated and integrated concept of Korean traditional philosophies and oriental enlightenment that utilise Western management science methodologies. The main premise of MOSEE is that it utilizes the human spirit as a management resource and thus it should be harnessed as such, whereas the modern management ignores this aspect of resource.

The purpose of this special issue is to examine the impact of MOSEE on business performance through human transformation through the concept of MOSEE. We believe that MOSEE can overcome some of the limitations of modern knowledge-based management theories and practices such as ignoring humanity in modern society, life values and environment destruction. We argue that MOSEE can help develop an organisational culture where business, technology and prosperity will be in equilibrium, leading to a superior performance in business and personal life.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Research issues in emerging markets
• International business and local government policies
• Business production and market orientation of local firms
• Outsourcing from emerging markets
• Marketing effectiveness and marketing culture
• Local culture, consumer behavior and advertisement
• Transforming local brands into global brands
• Small and medium enterprises and family business
• Local multinational firms and their managements
• Foreign investment, risks and returns
• Corporate culture, strategy and ethics
• Organisation behavior, human resources, training and development

Important Dates

Full paper submission: 31 May, 2016
Notification to authors: 30 September, 2016
Final submission: 31 December, 2016

Inderscience is media partner for Asia Off-Highway Vehicle Summit 2014

Inderscience is a media partner for the 2nd Asia Off-Highway Vehicle Summit 2014 (22-23 May 2014, Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Vehicle Design
• International Journal of Vehicle Noise and Vibration
• International Journal of Vehicle Performance
• International Journal of Vehicle Safety

Special issue published "Creative Industries: Art Information, Communication, and Technology"

International Journal of Arts and Technology 7(2/3) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Second International ICST Conference on Arts and Technology (ArtIT 2011).

• Hybrid filter blending to maintain facial expressions in rendered human portraits
• Creating coherent animations from video
• Experiences with voice to design ceramics
• Advancements in violin-related human-computer interaction
• How still is still? Exploring human standstill for artistic applications
• Genius Loci: digital heritage augmentation for immersive performance
• Aesthetics and quality of numbers using the primety measure
• Perspectives on gesture from music informatics, performance and aesthetics
• ICT in the arts: creative industries impact and contribution

Special issue published: "Interface Between Marketing and Operation Management"

International Journal of Management and Decision Making 13(2) 2014

• Decisions of retail channel choices for the traditional retailer competing with a pure play online retailer
• A dynamic pricing model with goodwill influenced by price-quality effect
• Effect of new inflation-brought competitive purchasing and leasing demand functions on revenue of a joint inventory-pricing decision making model
• To overstate or not: how to describe new products online for e-tailers considering full return policy
• A DEA-based measurement of effectiveness of provincial image advertisement for local tourism destination: evidence from China
• Data mining the adoption intention of e-procurement system for Chinese companies

Call for papers: "Optimisation and Soft Computing"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Optimisation.

Optimisation is an important branch of applied mathematics. Many real life problems arising from different fields such as operations research, management science, computer science, engineering design, financial engineering, economics and biological science can be modelled as optimisation problems. On the other hand, soft computing is a term within computer science which is characterised by the use of inexact solutions to computationally hard tasks, for which there is no known algorithm. Soft computing is tolerant of imprecision, uncertainty, partial truth, and approximation.

 

In effect, the role model for soft computing is the human mind, being highly multidisciplinary in nature. This special issue will cover the latest developments in the role of modelling in optimisation and soft computing techniques and its application in various domains.

 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Theory and algorithm of optimisation
• Portfolio optimisation
• Fuzzy optimisation
• Multi-objective programming
• Optimisation in VLSI design
• Reliability optimisation
• Curve fitting
• Fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic; rough sets
• Synthesis of antennal array
• Chemical equilibrium
• Protein folding
• Wireless network systems
• Nuclear magnetic resonance experimental design
• Other areas of application

Important Dates

Full paper submission: 31 January, 2015

Notification to authors: 31 March, 2015

Final version submission: 31 May, 2015

Int. J. of Bonds and Derivatives to publish expanded papers from International Finance Conference 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Finance Conference 2014 "Financial Markets and Corporate Finance: Beyond the Crisis" (13-14 November 2014, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico) will be published by the International Journal of Bonds and Derivatives.

Call for papers: "Sustainability in the Agriculture Sector in Europe"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology.

The special issue is meant to disseminate the results of research, studies and projects combining the discussion on the evolution and governance of agricultural resources, with agriculture research and sustainable development.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Agricultural resources {new viewpoints or approaches}
• Agrarian policy and law
• Trends and new technologies, farming systems
• Transition processes in Eastern Europe
• Ecosystem services in agriculture
• Biodiversity and nature conservation in agricultural landscape
• Agro-bioenergy
• Agricultural "waste" management

Important Dates

Full paper submission: 15 July, 2014

Notification to authors: 30 August, 2014

Final version submission: 15 October, 2014

Int. J. of Information and Communication Technology to publish expanded papers from ITCC-2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Information Technology, Communication and Convergence (25-26 October 2014, Bhubaneswar, India) will be published by the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology.

Special issue published: "Economy, Diplomacy and Human Rights: New Threats or Opportunities"

International Journal of Diplomacy and Economy 2(1/2) 2014

• Economic diplomacy and security: linkages, trends and changes
• China's approach to economic diplomacy and human rights
• Joaquim Ramos Silva; Maria Sousa Galito
• Anti-corruption versus political security: reflection on the Vietnamese context
• Negative effects of the WTO - the case of automotive industry in Russia
• Disinflation and economic integration in emerging European economies
• Impact of institutional investors on financial market stability: lessons from financial crisis
• EU in the struggle for global governance: geopolitical ethics

Additional paper

• Foreign investment and economic growth interactions in Eurasia: 1960 to 2011

Int. J. of Surface Science and Engineering to publish expanded papers from MITC2015

Expanded versions of papers presented at the Malaysian International Tribology Conference 2015 (16-17 November 2015, Penang, Malaysia) will be published by the International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering.

Call for papers: "Strategies for Innovation in Emerging Market Economies: Evidence from Some Countries in Asia"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development.

The technological and social changes that have been taking place in society and the global economy – much of them being influenced by the information and communication technologies (ICTs) – have impacts on firms’ and non-firms’ innovation and competitive strategy, behaviour of consumers and citizens and social and work relations. This affirmation is based on the principle that strategies for innovation have the potential to make possible the development of better living standards, work, entertainment, energy production systems and transport environments.

 

Therefore, firms, industries and governments will have an even greater reliance on innovation to deliver their outcomes to meet their expectations of consumers and citizens. Strategies of innovation will involve interaction between several dimensions such as organisations, technologies, human resources, environmental issues and financial issues. Emerging economies, due to their growing role in the global economy and their inherent challenges, will be required to undertake even more creative innovation strategies.

 

Authors are invited to submit original papers on the research and practice of creating and implementing strategies for innovation in emerging economies.

 

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Techno-entrepreneurship and innovative activities
• Innovation in financial and banking industries
• Cross-cultural issues in innovation
• Intellectual property
• Intellectual capital, innovation and economic growth
• Corporate governance and innovation
• Strategic alliances and innovation
• Management of the innovation process
• Production capability and innovation
• Social networks

 

Important Dates

Submission of revised and upgraded full paper: 10 July, 2014

Review process notification: 15 August, 2014

Final paper submission: 1 September, 2014

Special issue published: "Multiplicity, Modelling, Optimisation and Innovative Applications of Renewable Energy Sources"

International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology 5(2) 2014

• Growth mechanism and optical properties of zinc oxide thin film
• A modern MPPT control algorithm based on α-MPP pass-through detection and β-acceleration mechanism
• Advances in efficiency optimisation control of electrical servo drive
• Modelling of unsteady cavitating flow

Additional papers

• Multiple floating porous absorbers type solar still: annual performance evaluation
• Design and operating parameter analysis to improve the performance of solar desiccant wheel using a mathematical model: part-II

Inderscience is media partner for Port Finance International Istanbul 2014

Inderscience is a media partner for Port Finance International Istanbul 2014 (20-21 May 2014, Istanbul, Turkey).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Ocean Systems Management
• International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics

Special issue: "Model-Based Control in Automotive Powertrains – Part II"

International Journal of Powertrains 3(2) 2014

• Non-linear observer of laminar flame speed for multi-fuel adaptive spark-ignition engines
• Braking torque control for parallel hybrid electric truck
• Model-based control of automotive step-ratio transmissions

Additional papers

• Power management of a hybrid electric powertrain system - design, power flow control, and optimisation targets
• Ethanol diesel dual fuel clean combustion with FPGA enabled control

Special issue published: "Intelligent Technologies for Future Information Network Systems"

International Journal of Embedded Systems 6(1) 2014

• Identity authentication by entanglement swapping in controlled quantum teleportation
• Social-based routing algorithm for energy preservation in mobile opportunistic networks 
• Protection profile for the smartphone operating system
• A new construction of identity-based group signature
• A new certificate-based digital signature scheme in bilinear group
• A time-considered multicast routing scheme based on social differences in delay-tolerant networks

Additional papers

• Utilisation bounds of P-FRP tasks 
• Scheduling imprecise task graphs for real-time applications
• An embedded system for evoked biopotential acquisition and processing

Special issue published: "Innovative Networks and Entrepreneurship"

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 21(3) 2014

Expanded versions of papers presented at the 15th Uddevalla Symposium.

• Observing entrepreneurs in networks: reflecting on the relationship between the researcher and the participants
• Policy entrepreneurs in networks: implementation of two Swedish municipal contact centres from an actor perspective
• Network analysis and business networks
• Regional, national and international networks: the suitability of different competitive strategies for different geographic profiles
• Developing self-facilitating learning networks for entrepreneurs: a guide to action
• Immigrant entrepreneurship: the role of relationship marketing in learning networks
• Building innovation networks in science-based young firms: the selection of knowledge sources
• 'Östgöta Textile' an innovative network in a triple helix logic - towards peer incubating
• Public policies supporting local networks for entrepreneurship and innovation: effectiveness and added value analysis of LEADER program in the Alentejo region of Portugal

Call for papers: "Managing Risk in the Globalisation Era: Micro and Macro Evidence"

For a special edition of the International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics

The objective of this issue is to explore and bring together applied contributions in the field of risk analysis in the light of economic and financial globalisation. Preference will be given to papers on international finance, risk management and risk insurance at a micro level, as well as to papers in the field of econometrics of risk. All methodological frameworks are welcomed (frequentist, Bayesian, behavioural), but the papers should have dominant empirical content.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• International risk sharing
• International portfolio allocation
• Portfolio optimisation
• Applied micro and macro economics and econometrics of risk
• Credit risk, market risk and operational risk management
• Insurance models
• Formal and informal channels of consumption insurance

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 1 July, 2014

Underpinning safety after a landslide

A simple model that can quickly determine which masonry buildings are most at risk of collapse following a serious landslide has been developed by researchers in Italy. They publish details in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Structural Engineering.

Fabrizio Palmisano of Politecnico Bari, and Angelo Elia of PPV Consulting, also in Bari, Italy, explain how landslides can represent a significant risk to human life in many parts of the world. Landslides are common in the southern Apennines of Italy causing frequent damage to buildings and infrastructure. There are, the team points out, many ways to assess structural damage and the risk of further damage or collapse in the aftermath of a serious landslide. However, these approaches are often longwinded and require a large amount of active data input from the affected sites as well as sophisticated engineering modeling tools to interpret the data.

The researchers hoped to provide a much simpler model that could give rescue workers and structural engineers a first approximation to the most seriously affected buildings. The problems facing those buildings might then be prioritized for more sophisticated modeling to determine what needs to be done to save the building or to make the decision to demolish it completely for the sake of safety. The researchers have turned to the load path method (LPM) that gives them a rapid quantitative assessment of a damaged masonry building without losing sight of the obvious visual clues offered to structural engineers monitoring the building. The LPM can be used to quickly reveal problems with a building’s foundations compromised by the landslide as well as looking at the integrity of stonework and the mortar that holds bricks together.

A theoretical comparison with actual case studies in which more sophisticated models were used, such as the finite element method (FEM), is now revealing how effective the LPM can be in assessing structural integrity, or lack thereof, following a landslide.

“Behaviour of masonry buildings subjected to landslide-induced settlements” in Int. J. Structural Engineering, 2014, 5, 93-114

Underpinning safety after a landslide is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot

via Science Spot http://ift.tt/1mCDd78

Call for papers: "Big Data Management and Business Strategy"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing.

Big data is a buzzword in today's world, used to describe the exponential growth and availability of data, both structured and unstructured. In this decade, big data will be as important to business and society as the Internet was in the last decade, because of the simple reason that more data may lead to more accurate analyses.

The real issue is not only to acquire large amounts of data but for the vision of the organisations to harness relevant data and analyse it to develop the business strategy.

This special issue is dedicated to big data management and development of business strategy. In other words, it is to use big data to find answers to the problems of 1) cost reductions, 2) time reductions, 3) new product development and optimised offerings, and 4) smarter business decision making.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Big data computing: technology and application challenges
• Big data management software
• Big data mining
• Big data visual analytics
• Big data archive
• Big data and social network
• Internet of things
• Big data value chain
• Best practices for big data management
• Big data infrastructure and platforms

Important Dates
Full paper submission: 31 December, 2014
Notification to authors: 28 February, 2015
Final version submission: 1 May, 2015

Call for papers: "Innovative Design Method for Smart Concurrent Systems"

For a special issue of the International Journal of High Performance Systems Architecture.

With the rise of new smart embedded systems and internet of things (IoT), there is a need to carry information by more than two value (binary) to accelerate and satisfy the new programming paradigm. Thus it is urgent to have new hardware architecture that can support cyber-physical systems, mobile and wireless networks and related real-time systems.

This special issue specifically seeks novel, non-traditional implementation innovative architectural aspects and novel techniques for development of related theory, algorithm and case studies arising in the area of next generation smart embedded systems.

The issue will include substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the International Conference on Electronics and Communication Systems 2015, 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:

• Multiple-valued decision diagrams
• Innovative architectures and emerging technologies in smart systems
• Quantum computing/reversible computing
• Concurrent issues in ad-hoc, mobile and wireless networking, wireless sensor networks and communication protocol.
• Graph transformations as an elementary model of systems of systems (eg. cyber-physical systems, ambient systems)
• Computational/robust design and modelling of post quantum primitives
• Simulation based validation for heterogeneous smart systems

Important Dates

Deadline for submission: 10 June, 2015
Notification to authors: 15 November, 2015
Final versions due: 15 December, 2015

Calls for papers: "Recent Advances in Inverse Problems: Theory, Computational Methods and Application to Science, Engineering & Social Sciences"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Computing Science and Mathematics.

This special issue aims to highlight recent research, development, and applications of inverse problems (IPs) in science, engineering, and social sciences. IPs arise naturally in many branches of science and engineering where the values of some model parameters must be obtained from the observed data.

In recent years, theory and applications of inverse problems have undergone a tremendous growth. They can be formulated in many mathematical areas and analysed by different theoretical and computational techniques.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Regularisation techniques
• Inverse problems for differential and integral equations
• Fractal-based methods in inverse problems
• Statistical inverse problems
• Numerical algorithms for inverse problems
• Inverse problems and homogenisation techniques
• Applications to science and engineering (acoustics, aerodynamics, electromagnets, hydrological engineering, image analysis, shape design, structural dynamic modification and reconstruction, tomography, etc.)

Important Dates
Deadline for submission: 31 December, 2014
Notification to authors: 28 February, 2015
Final versions due: 30 May, 2015

Special issue published: "Security of Transport and Intermodal Supply Chains"

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics 6(3) 2014 

• Supply chain crime - taxonomy development and empirical validation
• Increasing security and efficiency in supply chains: a five-step approach
• Supply chain visibility and security - the SMART-CM project solution
• The vulnerability of transport logistics to extreme weather events
• Using portfolio optimisation to calculate the efficient relationship between maritime port security residual risk and security investment
• An initial exploration of port capacity bottlenecks in the USA port system and the implications on resilience
• Dealing with supply chain security - case of Poland in a global perspective

Call for papers: "Challenges and Solutions in Wireless Network Security"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Information and Computer Security.

In recent years, the amount of sensitive data being transmitted over open environments is growing at an unprecedented pace and hence wireless networks have become one of the most powerful technologies today. However due to rapid development and applications, security in wireless networks involves different challenges. Currently there is a huge amount of research into wide spread wireless services and preserving trust and security.

The main objective of this special issue is to provide an ideal international communication medium for the research community and to facilitate the enhancement of the rapidly developing field of trust, security and privacy for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Selected, enhanced papers from the 2nd International Conference on Electronics and Communication Systems (ICECS 2015) will be included but papers are welcome from other researchers as well.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Trust, security and privacy models for WSNs
• Cross-layer design for security
• Formal methods for WSN security
• Security, privacy and cryptographic algorithms in WSNs
• Trust, security and privacy of mesh networks
• Security and privacy in body sensor networks
• Software security for sensor network nodes
• Security and privacy in medical sensor networks
• Trust-based protocols and computational model for WSNs
• Key security management in WSNs
• Secure routing and localisation protocols for WSNs
• Intrusion detection and prevention in WSNs

Important Dates
Full paper submission: 10 June, 2015
Notification to authors: 15 November, 2015
Final version submission: 15 December, 2015

May Research Picks

Clouds and things

Researchers in Greece and Ireland are helping to define the principles of the Internet of Things as it might exist in a cloud-computing environment. The IoT refers to sensors, actuators, smart devices such as networked industrial or domestic equipment and much more. There has been a general trend to finding ways to connect such devices usefully making them remotely accessible and controllable. However, the IoT had not yet been considered in the paradigm of cloud computing in which processing and storage of data from such devices might be carried out on remote servers rather than the user’s computer. The team thus describes a framework for on-demand establishment of IoT services based on the automated formulation of societies of internet-connected objects. They then validate the approach and demonstrate proof of principle with a smart campus scenario.

Soldatos, J., Kefalakis, N., Serrano, M. and Hauswirth, M. (2014) Design principles for utility-driven services and cloud-based computing modelling for the Internet of Things, Int. J. Web and Grid Services, Vol. 10, Nos. 2/3, pp.139–167

Better photos with particle swarms

A computer algorithm for improving the quality and vividness of photographs where lighting was not perfect has been developed by researchers in India. Their particle swarm optimization technique, a multiscale retinex-based (MSR) color image enhancement algorithm, is more efficient and produces clearer processed digital images than the equivalent algorithm used by NASA. The technology could eventually have applications in improving scientific and medical images where detail can be enhanced without compromising the integrity of the data encapsulated in the image. The team is also now working on tuning the algorithm to work with human faces, a notoriously difficult area of pixel processing in digital photography.

Hanumantharaju, M.C., Ravishankar, M., Rameshbabu, D.R. and Aradhya, V.N.M. (2014) A new framework for retinex-based color image enhancement using particle swarm optimization, Int. J. Swarm Intelligence, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp.133–155

Microbial metal extraction

According to a team based in Argentina, the freshwater, microbial alga Asterococcus superbus can absorb readily absorb toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead and zinc from water. The team points out that cultivation beds of the algae might thus be used to help remove these environmental pollutants from waste water contaminated with industrial effluent or to clean up natural waterways and reservoirs. The team has used various physical chemistry models to elaborate the process of extraction and suggest that the alga has several advantages over other methods of bioremediation developed elsewhere including low cost and selective absorption of these metals over non-toxic metal ions that might be present in water.

Areco, M.M., Rodríguez, M.C. and dos Santos Afonso, M. (2014) Asterococcus superbus as a biosorbent of copper, zinc, cadmium and lead: adsorption isotherm and kinetic modeling, Int. J. Environment and Health, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp.83–99

Lethal SQL injection

In the wake of yet another security problem associated with encryption, passwords and internet logins, research from a team in Malaysia highlights the lethality of a so-called SQL injection in which malicious code is pushed into a computer system using Structured Query Language. Many hack attacks on popular and well known online services and websites have exploited security flaws in SQL systems. Such an attack can lead to system shut down, exploitation of resources for fraudulent purposes or the public display of public and private user data. The team reports that finding and fixing loopholes, which includes the recently revealed “HeartBleed” bug ought to be priority for computer experts. Moreover, constant monitoring and constant learning about new threats and insecurities in this widely used system is essential.

Pathan, A-S.K. and Kindy, D.A. (2014) Lethality of SQL injection against current and future internet technologies, Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp.386–394

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

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