New Editor for the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning

Dr. Daphne Halkias from the International School of Management Paris has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning.

Special issue published: "Selected Topics in Computer Science and Technology"

International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems 8(2/3) 2015

• Game-theoretic resource allocation and decoding order control in OFDMA based multihop networks
• A formal aspect-oriented method to model and analyse secure service composition
• A kind of slope stability evaluation model based on SVM-DS method
• Multi-source intrinsic colourisation
• On distributed polarising relay transmission system with successive interference cancelation decoding in frequency selective fading channels
• An objective assessment method for image defogging effects
• An efficient clustering ensemble selection algorithm
• Selective partial recovery optimisation strategy for SSL connection migration
• An environment-aware routing protocol for underwater wireless sensor networks
• An outlier mining algorithm based on approximate outlier factor
• Orthogonal matching pursuit-based incremental locally linear embedding algorithm
• KFTrust: P2P trust model based on evaluation rank using Kalman filter
• FLIP: enforcing IP mobility to the cellular network edge
• Medical image fusion using optimal feature selection methods based on second generation contourlet transform
• A layer-based algorithm for the construction of connected dominating set in WSNs

Aftershock assessment

Earthquakes kill, but their aftershocks can cause the rapid collapse of buildings left standing in the aftermath of the initial quake. Research published in the International Journal of Reliability and Safety offers a new approach to predicting which buildings might be most susceptible to potentially devastating collapse due to the ground-shaking aftershock tremors.

Negar Nazari and John W. van de Lindt of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and Yue Li of Michigan Technological University, in Houghton, USA, point out that it is relatively obvious that buildings that survive a main shock will be at varying degrees of risk of collapse as aftershocks travel through the earthquake zone. Aftershocks are usually several orders of magnitude less intense than the primary earthquake, but can nevertheless have high ground motion intensity, last longer and occur at different vibration frequencies. In addition, changes in the structure of a building and its foundations, whether crippling or not, mean that the different energy content of the ground acceleration can during an aftershock further complicates any analysis. This adds up to a very difficult risk assessment for surviving buildings.

In order to compute the risk of collapse, the probability, for building damaged by a main shock, the team has introduced a logical method based on two key earthquake variables: magnitude and site-to-source distance. They have carried out tests using different site-to-source distances with an incremental dynamic analysis based on simulated ground motions caused by the main shock and aftershocks and applied this to a computer modeled, two-storey, timber-frame building in a hypothetical town in California relatively close to a geological fault line, as a proof of principle. Full-scale structural data was available from an actual building.

The team found that collapse probability increased if there were a sequence of aftershocks following a main shock just 10 kilometers distant from the building. Stronger aftershocks mean greater risk that correlates with the actual magnitude of the shock. As one might also expect if the site-to-source distance is greater, risk is lower. Overall, however, the analysis allows the team to quantify this risk based on the two variables, distance and aftershock magnitude.


Nazari, N., van de Lindt, J.W. and Li, Y. (2014) ‘Effect of aftershock intensity on seismic collapse fragilities’, Int. J. Reliability and Safety, Vol. 8, Nos. 2/3/4, pp.174–195.

Aftershock assessment is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot
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Int. Journal of Arts and Technology publishes special section on "Evolutionary Arts"

International Journal of Arts and Technology 8(2) 2015 includes a special section on "Evolutionary Arts", which comprises the following articles:

• Evolving self portraits with Mandelbrot math
• Pherographs and other hidden landscapes
• Evolving assemblages

Special issue published: "Bio-Inspired Algorithms for Decision Support in Industrial Engineering Systems: Perspectives and New Advances from Spain"

International Journal of Bio-Inspired Computation 7(3) 2015

• Real-time water demand forecasting system through an agent-based architecture
• Application of particle swarm optimisation with backward calculation to solve a fuzzy multi-objective supply chain master planning model
• Easing knowledge management in the power sector by means of a neuro-genetic system
• A viral system to optimise the daily drayage problem

Additional papers

• Quantum inspired cuckoo search algorithm for graph colouring problem
• Short-term hydro-thermal scheduling using CMA-ES with directed target to best perturbation scheme

Int. J. of Diplomacy and Economy to publish expanded papers from ERPBSS 2015

Extended versions of papers presented at the Third International Conference on Emerging Research Paradigms in Business and Social Sciences (24-26 November 2015, Dubai, United Arab Emirates) will be published by the International Journal of Diplomacy and Economy.

Special issue published: "Advances in Applied System Engineering"

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering 20(2) 2015

• Enhancement of the overall equipment effectiveness measure: a contribution for handling uncertainty in shop floor optimisation and production planning
• Meta-analysis of the TQM impact on business performance amongst regions and countries 
• The multi-objective optimisation design for a light guide rod
• Flood disaster water treatment solution from existing and common ideas with two versions of MSWT-01

Regular papers

• Application of ant colony algorithm in the simulation-based approach to improve airport surface operations
• Configuration selection of reconfigurable manufacturing system based on performance
• Selecting the best operational strategy for job shop system: an ANP approach

Sharing your R&D on the internet

How much research and development information do Fortune Global 500 companies give away on their websites? That was the question a team from the University of Tunisia hoped to answer in assessing the openness of the commercial R&D world.

Writing in the International Journal of Information Technology and Management, Boutheina Ben Ghnaya explains that 145 corporate websites across 20 countries were analysed and 11 variables -company internal and external factors – tested to reveal any patterns in information sharing. The researchers found that a company’s degree of internationality, the industry type, the company size and how intense are their R&D efforts are the main factors that explain the differences in R&D disclosure on the internet.

Corporations invest hundreds of billions of dollars globally in R&D efforts hoping to create new and improved products that will give them market share and a healthy bottom line for their investors and shareholders. The literature is replete with studies and investigations of R&D funding, performance and valuation, fundamentally because R&D success directly affects company profits. Critically, the disclosure of R&D information can help inform investor decisions and companies take great care in their financial statements with what they reveal in public regarding their efforts and the success and failures they have.

Financial statements, however, are not generally the best outlet for a summary of R&D in a company and do not necessarily reflect the true nature or performance. Ben Ghnaya alludes to the notion that a more transparent approach to R&D disclosure would benefit investors and companies alike by reducing unwarranted risks and costs. And yet, the form of R&D disclosure on the internet is rather disparate between companies and is still very limited in its extent, with a few exceptions. “Our findings suggest that the full potential of the internet as a communication medium is not yet realised,” says Ben Ghnaya.

Nevertheless, it seems that R&D disclosure is greatest among companies with the widest spread of foreign sales and the largest corporations. However, there is no apparent association between disclosure and number of foreign subsidiaries. Additionally, listing on multiple stock markets does not affect the degree of disclosure, the team found, nor does actual profitability.


Ghnaya, B.B. (2015) ‘Research and development disclosure information on internet by multinational corporations’, Int. J. Information Technology and Management, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp.274–304.

Sharing your R&D on the internet is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot
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Call for papers: "Governance of Inter-Firm Networks in the Automotive Industry: The Static-Dynamic Efficiency Paradox"

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

Past decades have witnessed the struggle of the automotive industry with ever more structural complexity challenges due to the vertical systemic disintegration of production across geographically dispersed locations/networks (Jullian and Pardi, 2013). It is evident that industrial reorganisation has been driven by irreversible technological changes underlying economic transformation. Evolution of global economy under rapid technological advances has required structural adjustments at all levels of socio-economic systems. The old economic institutions of industrialised societies have failed in adjusting their strategies and structures to the changing market dynamics of the emerging knowledge society. On the one hand, traditional hierarchical structure provides weak incentives to create new knowledge depending on the limitations of information flow and processing between an organisation and its environment. On the other hand, market-based interactions without control over intellectual products lead to the dissemination of technical information among industrial partners and hence produce knowledge transaction costs under opportunism risk (Lin, 2009; Gurcaylilar-Yenidogan, 2014). This situation shows that neither price nor authority provides a relatively efficient mechanism to deal with knowledge-based assets as modern economies are becoming increasingly knowledge intensive. Consequently, technology-enhanced collaborative learning supported by growing consumer preferences for product variety has accelerated the spread of a new paradigm for industrial organisations widely embedded in common sense of flexible production networks in higher value-added activities. In other words, traditional forms of inter-organisational relationship based on arm’s length contracts have begun to evolve into new governance structures such as inter-firm partnering and networking (Dilk et al., 2008; Müller, 2009).

The new formation refers to the shift towards more integrated and interdependent economic activities throughout global value chains. This paradigm triggers a transformation of inter-organisational governance modes (Helper, 1991) characterised by the “exit” strategy, which is based on mutual distrust, limited information exchange and short-term commitments associated with an explicit written agreement, to inter-organisational relationships characterised by the “voice” strategy of inter-firm cooperation as a response to market failure by establishing a close and deeply committed relationship with the network partners. Apart from the static efficiency of the value chain activities, inter-firm cooperation is needed for advancing innovation-based competitiveness resulting in dynamic efficiency (Dolan and Lindsay, 1988; Kasper and Streit, 1998). Consistent with the dynamics of competition and survival, co-development of competencies between network partners allows for continuous technological improvement in achieving product and process innovations (Joshi and Stump, 1999; Wang and Wei, 2007).

For example, the value of an OEM is augmented by component suppliers’ specific investments in complementary assets that increase the partner’s capacity for developing differentiated products. Accordingly, automotive manufacturers are reducing their supply base and assigning more design and innovation functions to them (Dunning, 1998; Koufteros et al., 2007). Despite the use of more market-like coordinating mechanisms through contracts and sector-based standards (i.e. QS and VDA series for automotive industry) for managing inter-organisational relationships in automotive networks, allocation of authority over knowledge-based assets for operations in design, logistic and quality links remains problematic because the interest of the network parties may not always align with the achievement of cooperative behaviour (Jensen and Meckling, 1992). Codifying and transferring component suppliers’ strategic knowledge (i.e. design and process FMEA, production and cost details) facilitates coordination of interdependent tasks in a way that negatively impacts knowledge creation and emergence of innovations requiring suppliers’ investments in firm-specific assets.

Consequently, according to the proactive adaptation approach to the external changes through the development of firm-specific assets, the fundamental transaction cost (TC) problem for hybrid or network forms (Williamson, 1985) is how to coordinate interdependent tasks under high-powered incentives without losing the advantages of decentralised decision making (Gurcaylilar-Yenidogan and Windsperger, 2013, 2015). Whereas there is a tradeoff between control and adaptation issues of hybrid governance forms from the TC-perspective, in Powell’s view (1990) networks are distinctive forms of coordinating economic activity that relieve the tension between incentive misalignment and maladaptation through social mechanisms (i.e. relational norms and trust) that foster collective action.

Papers to be included in this special issue should focus on one or more of the topics mentioned below with a special emphasis on inter-firm networks in the automotive industry. We invite authors to submit high quality manuscripts as both empirical and theoretical contributions which will be considered for publication in this special issue. Papers based on empirical data with a strong theoretical background are preferred.

References:

Dilk, C., Gleich, R., Wald, A. and Motwani, J. (2008) 'Innovation networks in the automotive industry: an empirical study in Germany', International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 317-330.

Dolan, E.G. and Lindsey, D.E. (1988) Economics, The Dryden Press, Chicago.

Dunning, J.H. (1998) 'Reappraising the eclectic paradigm in an age of alliance capitalism', In The Changing Boundaries of the Firm: Explaining Evolving Inter-firm Relations (pp. 29-59), Eds. M.G. Colombo, Routledge, London.

Gurcaylilar-Yenidogan, T. and Windsperger, J. (2015) 'Complementarity between formal and relational governance mechanisms in inter-organizational networks: combining resource-based and relational governance perspectives', In Interfirm Networks (pp. 229-248), Eds. J. Windsperger, G. Cliquet, T. Ehrmann and G. Hendrikse, Springer International Publishing.

Gurcaylilar-Yenidogan, T. (2014) 'A multidimensional typology of automaker-supplier relationships: the knowledge sharing dilemma', International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 1-24.

Gurcaylilar-Yenidogan, T. and Windsperger, J. (2013) 'Centralization of decision making authority in inter-organizational networks: evidence from the Austrian automotive industry', Journal of Global Strategic Management, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 184-194.

Helper, S. (1991) 'How much has really changed between US automakers and their suppliers?' Sloan Management Review Summer, Vol. 324, pp.15-28.

Jensen, M.C. and Meckling, W.H. (1992) 'Specific and general knowledge and organizational structure', In Contract Economics (pp. 251-274), Eds. L. Werin and H. Wijkander, Blackwell, Oxford.

Joshi, A.W. and Stump, R.L. (1999). 'The contingent effect of specific asset investments on joint action in manufacturer-supplier relationships: an empirical test of the moderating role of reciprocal asset investments, uncertainty, and trust', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp.291-305.

Kasper, W. and Streit, M.E. (1998) Institutional Economics: Social Order and Public Policy, Edward Elgar, Northampton, MA.

Koufteros, X.A., Cheng, T.C.E. and Lai, K.H. (2007) 'Black-box and gray-box supplier integration in product development: antecedents, consequences and the moderating role of firm size', Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 25, pp. 847-870.

Jullian, B. and Pardi, T. (2013) 'Structuring new automotive industries, restructuring old automotive industries and the new geopolitics of the global automotive sector', International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 96-113.

Lin, L.H. (2009) 'The impact of integration strategy on organisational innovation and growth in the global automotive industry', International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 54-68.

Müller, H.E. (2009) 'Supplier integration: an international comparison of supplier and automaker experiences', International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 18-39.

Powell, W.W. (1990) 'Neither market, nor hierarchy: network forms of organization', Research in Organizational Behaviour, Vol. 12, pp. 295-336.

Wang, E.T.G. and Wei, H.L. (2007) 'Interorganizational governance value creation: coordinating for information visibility and flexibility in supply chains', Decision Sciences, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 647-674.

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

• Coordinating interdependent tasks: the control-adaptation paradox
• Examining the relationship between transactional and relational mechanisms
• Governance of innovations (product, process and business model innovation)
• Organisational ambidexterity and inter-firm networks
• Strategic knowledge management
• Allocation of decision-making authority
• Managing global value chains
• Ownership and control in inter-firm networks
• Re-examining the traditional approach to operational efficiency and performance: Resources, capabilities, transaction costs and rents
• Completeness and complexity of contracts in inter-firm networks
• Combining different theoretical perspectives to explain inter-firm networks

Important Dates

Deadline for full paper submission online: 30 June, 2016

New Editor for the International Journal of Computational Systems Engineering

Prof. Valentina E. Balas from the Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad in Romania has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Computational Systems Engineering.

Special issue published: "Applications of AHP and ANP in Businesses in Emerging Markets"

Journal for Global Business Advancement 8(2) 2015

• AHP as an effective consensus-based selection tool: a case of personnel selection for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia
• Group fuzzy ANP procedure development for leanness assessment in auto part manufacturing companies
• Development of a two-stage advanced manufacturing technology option selection model to use in Turkish manufacturing companies
• The selection of optimum maintenance strategy based on ANP integrated with GRA-TOPSIS
• Competitive advantage between global production and environmental impacts: strategy for emerging business firms
• Multi-criteria assessment to automate water treatment plants using the analytical hierarchy process

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Strategic Change Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Strategic Change Management are now available here for free:

• Cross-culture management: an examination on task, relationship and work overload stress orientations of Japanese and Vietnamese
• Public services in Chinese regions: a case of cultural provision
• Cross-culture management: an examination on task, relationship and work overload stress orientations of Dutch and Japanese working adults
• Guanxi: the evolutionary process of management in China
• Innovation paths: how the intra-firm evolution of technological innovations affects innovation search and innovation impact

Call for papers: "Social Media Support for Intelligent Services and Interaction"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Knowledge and Web Intelligence.

This special issue will focus on social media and related research areas for the intelligent support of human activities. Our current environment provides various kinds of social networking systems, and it has become clear that their roles and effects are too complex and diverse in terms of information sharing, knowledge exchange, virtual communication/discussion and so on for effective evaluation.

Social media including social communication systems and environments are not only dependent on a particular network between specific participants, but are also often more widely available. All activities may be mutually interactive either directly or indirectly through the World Wide Web. Social media plays important roles in promoting our communication effectively, and is a typical communication method which has replaced many traditional social information transfer functions.

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

• Foundation of social media mechanisms
• Interoperability of social media
• Knowledge management under social media
• New frameworks in social media
• New applications as social media
• Web infrastructures for social media
• Analysis and evaluation in social media
• Social media services
• Human interaction through social media
• Data/text mining from social media

Important Dates

Submission of papers: 16 October, 2015
Notification of acceptance: 18 December, 2015
Submission of revised papers: 15 January, 2016

New Editor for the International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry

Dr. Nazreen Shaik-Peremanov from the University of South Africa has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry.

Special issue published: "Robust Engineering Solutions With Environmental Loading"

International Journal of Reliability and Safety 8(2/3/4) 2014

• Bayesian inverse analysis for geotechnical site characterisation using cone penetration test
• Assessing random field models in finite element analysis: a case study
• A comparative evaluation of two statistical analysis methods for damage detection using fibre optic sensor data
• Multi-stage mixed system optimal redundancy allocation problem via random-fuzzy credibility measure
• Effect of aftershock intensity on seismic collapse fragilities

Regularly submitted papers

• Variational inference of cluster-weighted models for local and global sensitivity analysis
• Multivariate probabilistic modelling for seepage risk assessment in tunnel segments
• An optimal repair approach for large-scale systems using queuing theory
• Quality assessment of models with an application to cyclic creep prediction of concrete
• Financial view and profitability evaluation on multi-state weighted k-out-of-n:F system reliability
• A new reliability analysis method for horizontal machining centre based on proportion intensity model and nonlinear mixed-effects model

Int. J. of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage to publish expanded papers from SDHE2015

Extended versions of papers presented at the 1st Forum on Sustainable Development in Higher Education (21 July 2015, Sha Tin, Hong Kong SAR) will be published by the International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage.

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Emergency Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Emergency Management are now available here for free:

• Katrina revisited: recovery strategies - redevelopment vs. relocation
• Integral transport scheduling in emergency relief based on an immune evolutionary algorithm
• Disaster assistance: determinants of countries around the world contributing towards disaster donations
• From common operating picture to situational awareness
• An overview of the use of satellite navigation for disaster management and emergency response

Special issue published: "Towards Trust Persistent Identifier Infrastructures"

International Journal of Knowledge and Learning 9(4) 2014

• A modular infrastructure for the management of authenticity and persistent identifiers in long-term digital preservation repositories
• Revision of the URN standards
• ODIN: the ORCID and DataCite interoperability network
• ISNI: consolidating identities, connecting nodes
• NBN:IT The Italian trusted persistent identifier infrastructure

New Editor for the International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning

Associate Prof. Nazrul Islam from the University of Abertay in the UK has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning. The previous Editor in Chief, Dr. Eckhard Lichtenthaler, will remain with the journal in the position of Associate Editor.

Special issue published: "Emerging Technologies for Ubiquitous Communications, Computing and Applications in Ad-Hoc Networks"

International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing 19(1/2) 2015

• Towards optimising routing overhead in wireless multi-hop networks
• A transmission protocol based on network coding in many-to-one delay tolerant networks
• A robust and reliable routing based on multi-hop information in industrial wireless sensor networks
• The correlation study for parameters in four tuples
• Gateway pheromone-based adaptive internet access scheme for mobile ad hoc networks
• Construction and analysis of a green clustered architecture for RNG-based wireless ad hoc networks
• Erasure coding-based message forwarding to multiple destinations in intermittently connected networks
• Ego-centric social network routing in MANET
• Using a hybrid algorithm and active RFID to construct a seamless infant rooming-in tracking mechanism

Additional paper

• Integrating DSRC and dead-reckoning for cooperative vehicle positioning under GNSS-challenged vehicular environments

Call for papers: "Big Data Visualisation and Analytics"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Big Data Intelligence.

This special issue aims to provide an international platform for experts from both academia and industry to present their latest research findings, ideas, developments and applications in big data visualisation and analytics.

The big data phenomenon has emerged as a result of vast amounts of data that are becoming available across a wide range of application domains across science, business and government. Research on big data visualisation and analytics will be necessary for serving scientists, engineers, educators, citizens and decision makers who have unprecedented amounts and types of data available to them.

We invite the submission of papers describing innovative research on all aspects of big data visualization and analytics.

In addition to regular submissions, this special issue will also include extended versions of selected papers from the Big Data Visualization and Analytics special track at the International Symposium on Visual Computing (ISVC’15).

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

• Big data visualisation
• Large data set processing for visual computing
• Visual big data analytics
• Scientific and information visualisation
• Image processing and computer vision
• High-resolution displays and virtual environments
• Big data analytics in energy systems/smart grids, cyber-physical systems, mobile networks, internet of things, transportation systems, sensor networks, etc.
• Big data stream modelling and analytics
• Big data and cloud computing, large-scale stream processing on the cloud
• Autonomous, online and incremental learning for big data
• High-dimensional data, feature selection, feature transformation for big data
• Scalable algorithms, kernel methods and statistical learning theory for big data

Important Dates
Full paper submission due: 30 January, 2016

Detecting and blocking leaky Android apps

Nine times out of ten, that Android app is connecting to multiple internet destinations without your knowledge, more than half of them require access to the sensitive, personal information on your mobile device in order to function and more than one in five data “packets” these apps send contains some of that sensitive information. That’s the conclusion of Japanese researchers writing this month in the International Journal of Space-Based and Situated Computing.

Hiroki Kuzuno and Satoshi Tonami of Intelligent Systems Laboratory, SECOM Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, analyzed the traffic and permissions of 1,188 free Android applications that use various advertising or in-app purchase models for their monetization. They demonstrated that 93% of those applications might compromise user privacy or security in various ways. As such, the team has now devised a clustering algorithm that can analyze the internet destinations to which such apps connect and a signature-generation system that could be used to quickly alert users to a leak of personal data from their device. Such a system would once again empower the end user to take control of their mobile device and help eradicate such behavior from the Android app ecosystem.

Smart phones are almost ubiquitous and vast numbers use the Android operating system developed by Google. There are more than 1 million applications, “apps” available to users of such devices that depending on the type of app can directly access the personal information, such as location tracking data, the address book, unique device identifier (UDID) and other data. The Android system can decouple device features such as network access, the built-in cameras, and sensitive data in order to maintain security. However, many applications request permission on installation to access such features and many users check the boxes that allow such access without recognizing how this might compromise their privacy and security.

On the whole, the information to which apps have access is most commonly used for targeting the user with advertising, but might also represent the aggregation of personal data on remote servers that might be compromised by a third party. Either way, if users were fully aware of the problems that might occur with their mobile devices leaking data in this way, they might be more wary of installing many of the apps available, even those offered by apparently legitimate and well known online companies and services.

The team tested their leaked data detection system on the 1,188 apps in their collection and used it to analyze 107,859 data packets, of which 23,309 were identified as containing sensitive information. The system proved to be 97% accurate with just 3% false positives. Of course, once developed into an end-user product, the system itself could be added to a smart phone as an app.


Kuzuno, H. and Tonami, S. (2015) ‘Detection of sensitive information leakage in Android applications using signature generation’, Int. J. Space-Based and Situated Computing, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp.53–62.
Detecting and blocking leaky Android apps is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot
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Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Biometrics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Biometrics are now available here for free:

• Biometric verification of a subject with eye movements, with special reference to temporal variability in saccades between a subject's measurements
• A Persian writer identification method using swarm-based feature selection approach
• Dynamic facial expression analysis based on extended spatio-temporal histogram of oriented gradients
• A new cow identification system based on iris analysis and recognition
• Random subspace support vector machine ensemble for reliable face recognition

The flight of the Oryx

Qatar’s capital city, Doha, is set to emerge as a major knowledge hub, with its educated, high-tech workforce and its international connectivity. However, the lack of a cohesive plan for development and the mobility of that workforce in and out of Qatar could stymie its success on the global stage.

The rulers of the Arab state of Qatar have shaped their capital city, Doha, into one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and also, through economic diversification and other measures, establishing it as a significant hub city in the global knowledge economy. Research published in the International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development suggests that the ascendency of Doha, the notion of the Oryx taking off, is emerging because of the relational economic geography and the physical urban development in the city.

Sven Conventz of TU Munich and colleagues there and at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany and the University of Strathclyde, UK, explain how the Oryx antelope, logo of Qatar Airways, provides a neat metaphor for the rise of Doha in the Gulf region. Whereas Dubai and Abu Dhabi have become rather famous in the global theatre, Qatar’s capital attracted little international attention until recently despite rapid urban. Its fossil fuels, progressive governance – since 1995 – and its advantageous geopolitical location could change that to Doha’s and Qatar’s benefit.

The team has investigated the notion of “when the Oryx takes off” and found that knowledge intensive Qatari firms in the Gulf region play an important role. However, the airline connectivity between Qatar, Europe and South-East Asia is equally important. Conversely, there is, they report, a distinct lack of urban amenities for knowledge workers and if this problem is not addressed, the Oryx may never fly as high as the state’s rulers hope.

“Today knowledge is considered a key driver for innovation, economic growth and spatial development,” the team asserts. However, we still lack a fully accepted definition of what the knowledge economy exactly is. Nevertheless, it certainly encompasses advanced producer services (APSs), high-tech industries and knowledge-creating institutions, such as universities and research establishments. “Large-scale public investments initiated by Qatar’s rulers have shaped contemporary Doha into one of the fastest growing cities in the world and a serious contender as an emerging regional hub city,” the team says. This is happening despite the lack of a cohesive development vision or plan, their findings suggest, and the ever-changing composition of Qatar’s society might ultimately ground the Oryx unless there is long-term commitment from the highly educated workforce to stay and to develop a functioning, self-contained service economy.


Conventz, S., Thierstein, A., Wiedmann, F. and Salama, A.M. (2015) ‘When the Oryx takes off: Doha a new rising knowledge hub in the gulf region?’, Int. J. Knowledge-Based Development, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp.65–82.

The flight of the Oryx is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot
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Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Global Energy Issues

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Global Energy Issues are now available here for free:

• Comparing policy, regulations and institutions for geological disposal of radioactive waste and carbon dioxide
• Public perception of ultimate disposal facilities for radioactive waste and carbon dioxide: results from a cross-national comparison
• Comparison of cost estimates of final disposal facilities for carbon dioxide and high-level radioactive waste
• Comparison of monitoring programmes of ultimate disposal facilities for radioactive waste and carbon dioxide
• Safety/risk assessment methodologies of deep geological facilities: results from a cross-national comparison
• Comparative assessment of ultimate disposal facilities for carbon dioxide and radioactive waste: overview and synthesis

Int. J. of Business Governance and Ethics to publish expanded papers from GCBSS 2015

Extended versions of papers presented at the Global Conference on Business and Social Science (17-18 September 2015, Bali, Indonesia) will be published by the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics.

Learning about massive open online courses

Over the past five years, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become an important component of modern education disrupting many conventions and opening up a wide range of new approaches and possibilities. Now, writing in the International Journal of Learning Technology, computer scientists from the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, explain how expectations are high for what MOOCs can achieve in terms of opening access, widening participation and cost saving. They have studied the scientific literature surrounding MOOCs and find that there is little evidence of support and that currently MOOCs do not live up to those expectations.

Jane Sinclair, Russell Boyatt, Claire Rocks and Mike Joy point out that MOOCs are very much in evidence in educational institutions, in the media and in the blogosphere. They offer the prospect of education beyond the confines of individual universities and organisations, allowing (often) free participation to large numbers of learners from any geographical location and without the need to satisfy formal entry requirements. Indeed, there are available hundreds, if not thousands, of MOOCs across almost every area of study with some enrolling tens of thousands of students, an entirely implausible idea for a conventional course. Moreover, MOOCs are gaining traction rapidly.

However, the team’s analysis of the research literature concerning MOOCs despite the current high profile of this form of education and the way in which many institutions are rushing to provide them as a teaching option, suggests that little evidence exists to indicate the efficacy of these courses in achieving desired objectives and learning goals. “This movement has happened largely without the benefit of any real analysis and understanding which might be provided by evaluation of the courses themselves,” the team says.

They add that there has not been adequate consideration of the underlying factors one might expect to be at the forefront of course development such as pedagogy and catering for diversity. Worryingly, the team found that, “Some institutions and staff do not appear to know why they are engaged in MOOC activity apart from a fear of being left behind or that they have been told to do it.” They add that economics and staffing are also problems: “Frequently, learners comment about the need for support, and staff note the large amount of time and effort required to provide even the current levels on offer,” they say. “There seems to be a discrepancy between this and the expressions of hope that MOOCs can meet the need for mass education and solve cost problems at the same time.” The authors conclude that, “Further research is needed to develop pedagogies appropriate to MOOCs and to determine the best framework for their deployment.”


Sinclair, J., Boyatt, R., Rocks, C. and Joy, M. (2015) ‘Massive open online courses: a review of usage and evaluation’, Int. J. Learning Technology, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp.71–93.

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Call for papers: "Blended Learning"

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

Blended learning (or hybrid or mixed learning) has replaced a portion (e.g. 30%-70%) of traditional classroom teaching with online learning. Being a combination of online learning and face-to-face teaching, blended learning not only solves the problem of time and space, but also has greater potential for engaging students and improving their learning outcomes.

 

Blended learning is becoming a norm in higher education. However, simply blending online learning with classroom teaching does not automatically produce better learning results. Deliberate instructional design as well as implementation is crucial.

 

This special issue aims to collect and publish research papers based on empirical studies and conceptual papers for guiding effective design and implementation of blended learning.

 

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

• Theoretical frameworks or models for blended learning
• Strategies for blending online learning with face-to-face learning
• Patterns, advantages and limitations of blended learning
• Design for blended learning
• Designing blended learning environments for (adult) learners
• Designing blended learning environments for basic or tertiary education
• Cases studies and examples of blended learning
• Blended learning communities for teachers' professional development
• Design of blended courses
• Experiences of and lessons learned from implementing blended learning
• Meta-analysis of blended learning
• Design and development of interactive online learning environments for blended learning
• Social media for online and/or blended learning

 

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 31 August, 2015

Notification to authors: 15 October, 2015

Final versions due: 15 November, 2015

Inderscience is media partner for 4th Biotechnology World Congress

Inderscience is a media partner for the 4th Biotechnology World Congress (15-18 February 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications
• International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design
• International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health
• International Journal of Immunological Studies

Keep your gerberas blooming with urea and acid

If you want your cut gerberas to last longer in the vase, you could try a flower food made from acids and urea. That’s the conclusion of research published in the International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation.

Gerbera jamesonii also known as the Transvaal daisy or African daisy, is a species native to South Africa and one of the most important commercially grown flower crops. Its large, vividly and varied blooms make it an attractive species for floral displays and a favorite in many households. Unfortunately, as with all cut flowers, “vase life” is limited to just a few days if the blooms are simply dunked in a water-filled vessel.

Now, Maryam Jamshidi and Ebrahim Hadavi of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, at Islamic Azad University Karaj, and Roohangiz Naderi of the University of Tehran, Iran, have tested various treatments to see if they can extend the vase-life of cut gerbera blooms. Their tests with various combinations of salicyclic acid (the active derivative of the painkiller drug aspirin), malic acid (which causes the tart taste of many ripened fruits) and urea (the main nitrogen-containing chemical in mammalian urine), have shown that they can extend bloom time in the vase for gerberas from about a week to more than two weeks compared with untreated flowers.

The combination of salicylic acid, malic acid and urea, prevents contamination of the submerged stems with bacteria that would otherwise quickly kill the blooms. However, salicylic acid can also help sustain enzyme activity in the stems, specifically peroxidase enzyme activity. Likewise, the malic acid. The presence of urea acts as a source of nitrogen that can be absorbed by the stems and act as a sustaining nutrient. These compounds are all readily available to the industry and could be provided as a packaged formulation to be added to vase water to keep one’s gerbera flying.


Jamshidi, M., Hadavi, E. and Naderi, R. (2014) ‘Combination of salicylic acid, malic acid and urea enhances the vase life of cut gerbera flowers on par with selected treatments’, Int. J. Postharvest Technology and Innovation, Vol. 4, Nos. 2/3/4, pp.235–250.

Keep your gerberas blooming with urea and acid is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot
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Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Learning Technology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Learning Technology are now available here for free:

• Diagnosing knowledge using learning activity traces generated by various problem-solving modalities
• Users' preference for and perception of animated pedagogical agents
• E-learning and educational data mining in cloud computing: an overview
• Designing interaction in digital tabletop games to support collaborative learning in children

Special issue published: "Crude Oil Prices: an International Perspective (Part 1)"

International Journal of Global Energy Issues 38(1/2/3) 2015

• Volatility analysis and forecasting models of crude oil prices: a review
• A support vector machine-based ensemble prediction for crude oil price with VECM and STEPMRS
• Mean spillover effect between crude oil and gasoline markets: an empirical result
• The impact of international oil prices on petroleum industry concentration in China: an analysis based on convergence and cointegration
• Research on changes of international big oil companies' R&D input: the impacts of international oil prices
• Multifractal spectrum analysis of Brent crude oil futures prices volatility in intercontinental exchange
• The bubble process of international crude oil futures prices: empirical evidence from the STAR model
• A VAR-SVM model for crude oil price forecasting
• Empirical study on energy prices volatility of China during 1980-2010

Additional paper

• Long-term expansion planning for the Syrian electric system using the optimisation model WASP-IV

First issue: International Journal of Telemedicine and Clinical Practices (free sample issue available)

Telemedicine is essential to maintain supply in healthcare at qualitatively-acceptable levels. The field is growing rapidly and future application of ICT in healthcare will yield expected benefits if, and only if, the ICT infrastructure is fully implemented and healthcare professionals are aware of developments and trained to use technology-based healthcare services. The International Journal of Telemedicine and Clinical Practices publishes research in telemedicine, which is crucial for the development of applications in healthcare. This new technology entails improvement in early diagnosis, testing, patient monitoring, disease prevention and reduction of patient discomfort.

There is a free download of the papers from this first issue.

Horizontal genes in E coli

Escherichia coli O104 is an emergent disease-causing bacterium various strains of which are becoming increasingly well known and troublesome. The pathogen causes bloody diarrhea as well as and potentially fatal kidney damage, hemolytic uremic syndrome. Infection is usually through inadvertent ingestion of contaminated and incompletely cooked food or other materials, such as animals feces.

Escherichia coli is a so-called gram negative bacterium, commonly found in the intestine of humans and other mammals. Entero-hemorrhagic strains including O157, O26, O103 and O111 and specifically the sub-strain O157:H7 is an important cause of food borne illness in North America, the UK and Japan.

One particular strain, highlighted by Indian researchers in the International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications, O104:H4, causes serious complications and has developed significant multiple-drug resistance to antibiotics. Moreover, it has acquired genes through horizontal transfer from other strains that make it even more virulent than others.

The team from Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, working with colleagues at Genotypic Technology Pvt Ltd in Karnataka, have used the tools of computational molecular biology to identify 38 such horizontal gene transfer elements, prophage elements. These elements the team explains are genetic weapons that protect the bacteria from antibiotics and have been acquired from viruses, known as bacteriophages, that usually infect bacteria.

More than a quarter of the genome of this strain of E coli comprises prophage elements, the team explains. These elements are also involved in the production of lethal compounds such as Shiga toxin, which give rise to many of the symptoms of infection. As such, they might represent new diagnostic markers or even targets for the development of novel antibiotics that circumvent the protective measures acquired by the bacteria.


Kesavan, B., Srividhya, K.V., Krishnaswamy, S., Raja, M., Vidya, N. and Krishna Mohan, A.V.S.K. (2015) ‘Understanding the virulence of the entero-aggregative E. coli O104:H4’, Int. J. Bioinformatics Research and Applications, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp.187–199.

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Inderscience is media partner for International Conference on Drug Discovery and Therapy

Inderscience is a media partner for the 7th International Conference on Drug Discovery and Therapy (15-18 February 2016, Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design.

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Multiscale Mechanics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Multiscale Mechanics are now available here for free:

• Fracture energy of nano- and micro-silica particle-filled epoxy composites
• Thermal stress analysis of thin films in the context of generalised thermoelasticity
• Atomistic studies of nanohardness size effects
• Effects of surface electrostatic force on piezoelectric fracture
• Synchrotron X-Ray diffraction analysis of cyclic deformation behaviour of thin gold films
• Control of transient thermal stress in a piezo-composite disk
• Probing mesoscopic lattice misorientation by strain gradient crystal plasticity modelling and micro-beam Laue diffraction experiments
• The Buckingham Catastrophe in multiscale modelling of fracture

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Knowledge-Based Development

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development are now available here for free:

• Assessing and developing organisational renewal capability in the public sector
• The sharing and transfer of context specific knowledge in a product support environment
• The impact of structural capital on product innovation performance: an empirical analysis
• The meaning of social capital in the event of organisational failure: insights into a medium-sized company
• Application of organisational homeostasis as an emerging paradigm for knowledge management
• Organisational and staff development: a virtuous cycle in the knowledge-based economy
• Knowledge valley theory

Call for papers: "Multi-Domain/Discipline CAE Applications in Vehicle Engineering"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Vehicle Performance.

With the advent of computer power and software development, today’s CAE simulation is not constrained by any single physical discipline or domain. The finite element method (FEM), computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multibody dynamics (MBD) can be involved in a single simulation to evaluate vehicle system performance. Furthermore, control logic and one-dimensional simulation techniques can be added to the aforementioned simulation disciplines to enhance simulation capabilities so that they represent a more realistic physical world.

This special issue will address recent advances in simulation technologies at scales ranging from theoretical development to real-world CAE applications and future development of multi-discipline interaction CAE tools for vehicle engineering applications.

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

• Fluid and structure coupling simulation and method development
• Thermal and structural coupling simulation and method development
• Electromagnetic, fluid and structural coupling simulation and method development
• 1-D and 3-D multi-domain coupling simulation and method development
• 1-D and 3-D multi-discipline coupling simulation and method development
• Implicit and explicit coupling simulation and method development

Important Dates
Submission deadline: 28 February, 2016

Call for papers: "Novel Architectures and Approaches for Resolving Service Discovery, Communication and Integration Issues in the Internet of Things"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Internet Protocol Technology.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a model of computing that deals with the usage of standard communication protocols to connect heterogeneous things in the world. Moreover, it enables devices of different functionality, technology and application to identify and effectively communicate with each other to achieve a goal. IoT expands the current internet with the objectives of connecting smart objects, detecting real time changes in the surrounding environment and taking appropriate actions.

Consequently, the technological evolution of IoT-related devices and communication protocols has a significant impact in the modern business world. Furthermore, the emergence of new sets of devices into the industry results in the generation of new types of data and imposes a strong need for gaining efficiency, harnessing intelligence from a wide range of equipment and increasing customer satisfaction. Also, IoT applications are gaining substantial influence in addressing the socio-economical and business needs of the environment.

The aim of this special issue is primarily to bring together the contributions of IoT researchers and disseminate the issues and proposed solutions in improving the communication, control and cost challenges that have a profound impact in business; resolving heterogeneity isses; addressing security threats; and formulating methods for service/device discovery.

The challenging issues in IoT span the disciplines of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, data analysis and management, intelligence, radio access networks, telecommunication and cloud computing. To address these challenges we need novel analytical tools, processes and methods with appropriate fundamental mathematical connotations to shed light on the performance limits of IoT systems and to lead to the design, implementation development and optimisation of evolving IoT technologies.

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

• Protocols and mechanisms for IoT/M2M (machine-machine) communication
• IoT interoperability
• Big data and IoT
• Architectures for building IoT networks
• Service-oriented architectures and IoT
• IoT management and business
• IoT software as a service (SaaS)/platform as a service (PaaS)
• Adaptable architectures for IoT systems
• Middleware for IoT
• Service/resource discovery
• Software-defined networking and IoT
• Safety, security and privacy in IoT/M2M
• Context awareness, reasoning and extraction
• Programming models for IoT
• Energy-efficient algorithms and approaches for large-scale IoT
• Quality of service (QoS) in IoT
• New applications and technologies for IoT

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 1 February, 2016
Review notification: 15 March, 2016
Submission of revised papers: 1 April, 2016
Notification of final review results: 1 May, 2016

Free sample articles newly available from Interdisciplinary Environmental Review

The following sample articles from the Interdisciplinary Environmental Review are now available here for free:

• Economic analysis of alternative pollution abatement policies: the case of Buriganga River, Bangladesh
• Socio-environmental responses to solid waste management in urban areas: the case of Atonsu suburban in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana
• Role of road side plantation in mitigating vehicular emission: a case study of district Swat, Pakistan
• Industrial pollution scenario due to discharge of waste water effluents along Dombivali Industrial Belt of Mumbai, India - a physico-chemical study
• An effective feature selection approach using hybrid particle swarm optimisation with spectral projected gradient algorithm for an up-flow anaerobic filter

Call for papers: "International Advertising and Branding"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Export Marketing.

Uncertainty and risk in foreign markets create the need for top management to look for new ways of achieving competitive advantage, i.e. through international advertising and branding.

This special issue aims to investigate this area. It welcomes all type of studies – quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods as well as meta-analysis/critical review papers, empirical studies and case studies.

Those interested in submitting papers to the issue are encouraged to participate and present their papers or paper plans at the 13th Vaasa IB conference, where there will be a special session around the topic area. However, authors unable to participate in the conference are encouraged to submit their papers.

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

• International advertising and branding
• Critical literature reviews on branding
• Analysis of the use of cultural values in international advertising
• Applications of Hofstede, Schwartz and/or GLOBE frameworks in international advertising, and social media in international marketing

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 31 December, 2015

May Research Picks Extra

Mobile balance

New technology, such as smart phones and tablet computers are making it increasingly difficult for workers to disconnect from their jobs. As such, US researchers have concluded that information and communication technology (ICT) while an enabler and facilitator of so much in our work and personal lives is creating blurred lines between the two and disrupting the notion of a work-life balance. The team has shown that workers do indeed benefit from using their mobile devices in the workplace and productivity rises. But, when that use extends into the personal domain, as it frequently does, employer expectations, flexibility of work structure, and work-life balance are all altered. This can lead to conflicting demands from work and personal life.

Brown, W.S. and Palvia, P. (2015) ‘Are mobile devices threatening your work-life balance?’, Int. J. Mobile Communications, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp.317–338.

Educating nurses, at a stroke

Researchers in Austria have developed a continuous learning system for nurses involved in the treatment and care of stroke patients. The system allows nurses to keep abreast of the growing body of knowledge emerging from ongoing research into this debilitating condition as well as helping them to relate the theory with their day-to-day nursing practice. Initial trials with working nurses demonstrated efficacy in terms of improved knowledge among the nurses tested as well as user acceptance and satisfaction with the system. The team is now investigating how the necessary information technology might be integrated into an active emergency ward without interfering with standard nursing practices.

Fessl, A., Bratic, M. and Pammer, V. (2014) ‘Continuous learning with a quiz for stroke nurses’, Int. J. Technology Enhanced Learning, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp.265–275.

Moving pictures

A new technique that allows scratches to be removed from digitized versions of old and damaged film movies has been developed by researchers in China. Their approach finds the start and end of scratches and measures them using a mathematical formula known as a Sobel operator or filter that can find edges in digital images. Once detected, the team’s algorithm then replaces the pixels that made up the line with near neighbors within each frame to replace the missing data and make the finished movie seem scratch free. Initial tests prove efficacy with straight, vertical scratch lines, the next step will be to develop the algorithm to detect and repair scratches at other angles and ultimately more complicated scratches.

Huang, L-J., Liu, Q-H., Tang, J. and Li, P. (2015) ‘Scratch line detection and restoration based on Sobel operator’, Int. J. Grid and Utility Computing, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp.67–73.

Social disaster

Online social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, have become useful resources for millions of people, especially in the face of natural disasters, where the dissemination of timely information becomes a matter of life and death. However, the many proprietary systems with their own management agendas are largely distinct entities. Now, Australian researchers describe “Riskr”, a web 2.0 platform for user collaboration in times of disaster that is fed by messages from the various well-known and popular social networking platforms. The team’s tests show how the combination of online services and interoperability between disaster portals and social networks can improve disaster management. For instance, the system allowed almost three-quarters of users to estimate the precise location of a disaster, such as a fire, in simulations.

Farber, J., Myers, T., Trevathan, J., Atkinson, I. and Andersen, T. (2015) ‘Riskr: a web 2.0 platform to monitor and share disaster information’, Int. J. Grid and Utility Computing, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp.98–112.


May Research Picks Extra is a post from: David Bradley's Science Spot
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Inderscience is media partner for International Conference on Integrated Design and Production

Inderscience is a media partner for the International Conference on Integrated Design and Production (2-4 December 2015, Tangier, Morocco).

The journal involved is the International Journal of Remanufacturing.

Special issue published: "Advances in Computer Graphics and Imaging"

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology 51(1) 2015

• Using unsupervised neural network approach to improve classification of satellite images
• Designing of lampshade with 3D CG application and manufacturing of designed shape in graphic science education
• Research on PSO algorithms for the rectangular packing problem
• An automated algorithm for lesion identification in dynamic contrast enhanced MRI
• Contourlet transform with modified particle swarm optimisation for despeckling and feature enhancement of SAR images
• Geometry processing in developing a software tool for NC wire EDM
• An online noise reduction method for sequential data based on Bernstein-Bezier curve formulation
• Cloud removal using efficient cloud detection and removal algorithm for high-resolution satellite imagery
• Research on driving system modelling and power matching for large wheel-type transporter used in iron and steel mills
• An alternative conics drawing algorithm on a hexagonal grid using method of deviation
• Development of cooperative education and basic engineering education: aided by 3D CAD and 3D RP modelling

European J. of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management to publish expanded papers from Cross-Cultural Business Conference

Extended versions of papers presented at the Cross-Cultural Business Conference 2015 (21-22 May 2015, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria) will be published by the European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management.

Call for papers: "International Marketing Management Strategies of Firms"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Export Marketing.

Rapidly changing environments and technologies, unlimited access to information and global competition are sources of new challenges for international firms operating in different markets. There is therefore a need to look at firms of any size, their internationalisation pathways and their international marketing strategies.

This special issue aims to investigate the different strategies that are usually implemented by exporters, particularly SMEs. It welcomes all type of studies – quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods as well as meta-analysis/critical review papers, empirical studies and case studies.

Those interested in submitting papers to the issue are encouraged to participate and present their papers or paper plans at the 13th Vaasa IB conference, where there will be a special session around the topic area. However, authors unable to participate in the conference are encouraged to submit their papers.

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

• Internationalisation pathways, e.g. born globals, network approach, the eclectic paradigm, transaction cost approach
• International marketing strategies, e.g. standardisation vs. adaptation, market selection strategy, overseas distributor relations
• International marketing management strategies of SMEs

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 31 October, 2015
Notification to authors: 31 December, 2015
Final versions due: 31 January, 2016

Inderscience is media partner for 2nd Annual MilSatCom Latin America

Inderscience is a media partner for the 2nd Annual MilSatCom Latin America (22-23 September 2015, Maceio, Brazil).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Intelligent Defence Support Systems
• International Journal of Mobile Communications
• International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications
• International Journal of Satellite Communications Policy and Management
• International Journal of Space Science and Engineering

Further information is available here.

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Strategic Business Alliances

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Strategic Business Alliances are now available here for free:

• Cultural distance and the performance of international joint ventures: a critical assessment of model specifications and variable measurement
• Asymmetric motives in Indian bilateral cross-border joint ventures with G7 nations: impact of relative partner characteristics and initial conditions
• Bridging disciplines in alliances and networks: in search for solutions for the managerial relevance gap
• The role of partnering factors in international learning alliance success
• Team coordination in strategic alliances: identifying conditions that reduce team willingness to cooperate

Call for papers: "Recent Trends in Security of Information and Communication Technology"

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

Information and communication technology (ICT) has totally transformed daily life because of the valuable innovations in the field. This special issue will focus on the main and recent security trends in protecting information and communication technologies, such those pertaining to information security, privacy and security technologies in ad hoc networks, etc.

 

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

• Information security
• Privacy protection
• Privacy risk management models
• Trusted computing
• Ad hoc network security
• Trust management
• Sensor network security
• Cryptographic approaches
• Wireless network security
• Mobile network security
• Home network security
• Cloud security
• Security in e-commerce
• Web security
• Security architecture
• Security protocols
• Security implementation
• Security and privacy for smart devices
• Physical tracking security and privacy
• Security analysis
• Security measurement studies
• Security in distributed systems
• Secure applications
• Software security
• Database security and privacy

 

Important Dates

Manuscript submission: 1 July, 2015

First round of reviews: 1 October, 2015

Acceptance notification: 1 December, 2015

Special issue published: "Variational Inequality and Complementarity Problems: Applications to Economic and Financial Models"

International Journal of Knowledge Engineering and Soft Data Paradigms 4(4) 2014

• Optimisation of network resources with zonal auctions
• Convergence of a Newton-like algorithm solving the nonlinear complementarity problem
• Standardised tests: uncertainty analysis clarifies the controversy
• Dynamic fuzzy logic leads to more adequate 'and' and 'or' operations
• Indicators of stock market information and analytical provision of the economic security traders
• A fuzzy functional network for nonlinear regression problems
• ANN and case-based reasoning methods for English to Arabic machine translation

Inderscience is media partner for 18th Annual Conference on Gas to Liquids

Inderscience is a media partner for the 18th Annual Conference on Gas to Liquids (12-13 October 2015, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

• International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy
• International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology
• International Journal of Petroleum Engineering

More information is available here.

Call for papers: "Recent Advancements in Vehicle Thermal Performance Management"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Vehicle Performance.

Recent regulatory requirements for continuous improvements on fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions worldwide have generated unprecedented drive for a total vehicle approach to minimise the fuel consumption incurred by each major system within a vehicle.

With the significant benefits of engine downsizing on fuel consumption and emissions, the adaptation of turbo-charged engines is becoming increasingly popular for the purpose of maintaining superior engine performance. In the meantime, smaller engines often run hotter than engines with larger displacement. The continuous pressure to reduce vehicle aerodynamic drag also generates competing demands for engine cooling systems under various vehicle speeds.

Consequently, thermal management systems need to be refined and optimised in order to provide optimum fuel economy while ensuring all heat-sensitive components are within the temperature limits for products durability and reliability. Computational methods and virtual prototyping have been proven to provide important directions during the early design cycle, and have become critical tools for mitigating product development risks under the pressure to reduce time to market.

This special issue will feature new applications and advances in the fields of thermal systems optimisation of automobile components with evolutionary approaches. It will bring together research scientists and design engineers from across the globe to explore current challenges regarding on-demand thermal systems design, multi-objective optimisation algorithms, multi-fidelity simulation processes, model-based system engineering and identification of potential enablers related to simulation-driven design.

The issue will provide a platform intended to foster emerging technologies regarding recent progress of advanced thermal management systems design and optimisation related to the vehicle development processes.

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

• Advanced and intelligent engine cooling systems and component designs
• Innovative concepts and designs for engine exhaust heat recovery systems
• Onboard thermal energy storage and energy reuse strategies
• High-fidelity CFD simulation of underhood and underbody thermal management systems
• Multi-objective optimisation algorithms and model-based system engineering for integrated thermal management
• Sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification of thermal systems simulation

Important Dates

Submissions deadline: 31 March, 2016

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Management and Enterprise Development

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development are now available here for free:

• Exploring the antecedents and outcomes of feedback-seeking behaviour
• A 7-step framework for gauging strategic assets through a flexible format. An industrial case study application
• From knowledge activities to knowledge scenarios: cases in five Irish software SMEs
• Should small exporting technology enterprises use niche, strategic alliances, or both?
• Forecasting bankruptcy risk of international commercial road transport companies

Special issue published: "Entrepreneurial Challenges in the 21st Century: Current Research and Future Avenues"

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 25(2) 2015

Extended versions of papers presented at the Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research (IECER) 2013.

• Limited in-house resources and the use of official foreign trade promotion by small businesses
• Do R&D and licensing strategies influence start-ups' growth?
• Exploring the link between technical and management innovation: the moderating effects of firm size and type of innovation
• Sources of entrepreneurial value creation: a business model approach
• Non-cognitive skills, occupational choices, and entrepreneurship: an empirical analysis of entrepreneurs' career choices
• Measuring corporate entrepreneurship culture

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology are now available here for free:

• Using wetland plants in nutrient removal from municipal wastewater
• Analytical solution for the flow velocity and water surface angle in drainage and sewer networks: case of pipes arranged in series
• Comparison of water supply dams' spillway performance in Malaysia
• Analysis of water level changes in Lake Urmia based on data characteristics and non-parametric test
• Integrating synthetic flood data for selection of regional frequency distribution

Call for papers: "Recent Advancements in Road Profile Modelling, Identification and Applications"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Vehicle Performance.

Road profile is the cross-sectional shape of a road surface traversing the surrounding road corridor. It has been shown to have significant effects on various vehicle and driver conditions including ride, handling, fatigue and even energy efficiency, and as a result has become a variable of interest in the design and control of numerous vehicle parts.

Numerous measurement and analysing techniques are available, mainly based on the assumption that the longitudinal profile of elevations may be considered to be a realisation of certain stochastic functions, and that from their characteristics the indicators of unevenness and further relations (safety factor, friction, etc.) may be deduced. Simpler models assume homogeneous features of the unevenness along a given track, and more significant actions follow from marked local obstacles appearing randomly, which therefore are more convenient for real-time applications (e.g. active suspension) that require rapid response. Providing an accurate representation of such information on road profile or its effective portrayal suggests many improvements for a diverse range of vehicle systems from components to controller design.

This special issue will feature novel methods and advances in the study of modelling and identification of road profile with evolutionary approaches in an extended range of applications including vehicle dynamics, controls and active safety, new sensory system designs, and simulation tools mainly for tyre-road interaction. It aims to brings together scientists, engineers and experts worldwide to explore current issues regarding road profiling, estimation, sensory systems, their implementation in vehicle design, etc.

This issue will provide a platform intended to foster emerging ideas regarding the development of advanced estimation algorithms and novel measurement techniques for road profile and their applications in subjects related to vehicle controls, design and performance.

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

• Road profiling: measurement methods and design applications
• Profile identification, characterisation and sensitivity analysis
• Profile uncertainty: effects on durability schedule at proving grounds
• Novel sensory systems for onboard applications
• Effect on tyre-road interaction: simulation tools for rapid prototyping
• Applications in suspension design and actuation
• Applications in control algorithms: from active safety to autonomous driving
• Road description affecting closed-loop driver-vehicle system dynamic simulation

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2016

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Environmental Engineering

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Environmental Engineering are now available here for free:

• Effect of ozone on secondary effluent treatment for reuse in agriculture
• Utilisation of pulverised coal fly-ash as filler and rice straw as fibrous raw material for manufacturing of special grade paper
• Development of a microfuel processor: oxidative steam reforming of ethanol and water-gas shift reaction on noble metal catalysts in a microreactor
• Resistance to heavy metals and bioaccumulation of lead and zinc by Chryseobacterium solincola strain 1YB-R12T isolated from soil
• Biodegradation of fenpropathrin by a novel Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain PSB07-8
• Heavy metal uptake, its effects on plant biochemistry of wetland (constructed) macrophytes and potential application of the used biomass
• Application of dried anaerobic digested sewage sludge as phenol biosorbent
• Effect of moving sand as a ballast contaminant on rail corrugation: field experience
• Water quality characteristics of different industrial wastewater by Delphi water quality index method

Call for papers: "Security and Dependability of Networks and the Internet"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Internet Protocol Technology.

Currently, the usage of network and internet services is common and still growing day by day, but at the same time is raising various security issues. Networks are under security attacks of various kinds. Extensive attacks can cause a heavy loss in a few seconds. Therefore, securing networks is imperative. Researchers, analysts, designers and developers are taking considerable interest in different aspects of network and internet security. Advanced security methods and intrusion detection techniques can play a significant role in detecting and preventing security attacks. Reliable security solutions that rely on both in-depth cryptography and secure engineering such as data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, non-repudiation and access control services are required.

In short, providing security in computer communications, networks and the internet is one of the major challenges of the current age. This special issue intends to present state-of-the-art research in the area of security for networks and the internet. It will focus on advances in cryptography, security engineering and its application issues for network and internet environments. It will also serve as a useful reference for cryptography, security and their applications and will inform readers of the most important state-of-the-art technologies in security and dependability of networks.

In this context, this special issue aims to publish high-quality, original, unpublished research papers covering all aspects related to security and privacy of networks and the internet.

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

• Access and usage control
• Application security
• Authentication and audits
• Biometric security
• Cloud security
• Cryptographic protocols
• Cyber-physical systems security
• Data security and privacy
• Digital forensics
• Digital rights management
• Distributed systems security
• Formal models in security
• Identity management
• Intrusion detection and prevention
• Intrusion tolerance and recovery
• Key management
• Language-based security
• Malware analysis and mitigation
• Network security
• Operating systems security
• Privacy and anonymity
• Secure data streams
• Security and usability
• Security testing
• Sensor and ad hoc network security
• Smartphone security
• Software security
• Usable security
• Vulnerability detection and mitigation
• Web security

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 8 December, 2015

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from Business & Economic Society International July 2016 Conference

Extended versions of papers presented at the Business & Economic Society International July 2016 Conference (6-9 July 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia) will be published by the following journals:

• Global Business and Economics Review
• International Journal of Economics and Business Research
• International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research
• Interdisciplinary Environmental Review

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Quality Engineering and Technology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Quality Engineering and Technology are now available here for free:

• Optimal schemes of standard range chart for auto-correlated observations
• A process capability index for mixed binary-normal quality characteristics
• A novel approach for process planning performance improvement
• Impact of poor quality cost in automobile industry
• Assessment of supplier quality cost in automobile industry

Call for papers: "Challenges to Cybersecurity in the 21st Century"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management.

The use of the internet as a tool of international commerce is expanding at a very rapid rate. Countries that are years behind in technology have been catapulted into the 21st century by virtue of easy access to the internet and social media. There is therefore a need for specialists in the area of cybersecurity to develop the resources necessary for monitoring, designing and containing the explosion in the threat of cyberterrorism.

Recent events in Ukraine, Nigeria, the Middle East (Yemen) and South Sudan point to the need for technology to confront the global spread of terrorism. Nations are increasingly developing the capability of surveillance of other countries; countervailing strategies therefore need to be developed to handle the inordinate growth in the incidence of cyberterrorism worldwide.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

• Management of information security
• Principles of information security management
• Planning for information security implementation
• Contingency planning for information security
• Information security policy
• Organising security in large and medium-sized organisations
• Organisational security and information technology
• Accounting and finance through information technology
• Implementation of security education, training and awareness programmes
• Risk management and risk assessment in the digital age
• Establishment of security clearances in the 21st century
• Protective mechanisms for cybersecurity
• Information systems and intrusion detection systems
• Information security and personnel
• Law and ethics in information security
• Organisational liability and information security
• Information security and project management
• Ethics and education in information security

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 31 August, 2015
Notification to authors: 1 September, 2015
Final version due: 1 December, 2015

Free sample articles newly available from Int. Journal of Modelling in Operations Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Modelling in Operations Management are now available here for free:

• Regression modelling of knowledge management success: a new dimension in Malaysian SMEs
• Investigating the impact of perfect order fulfilment on quality level and SCM performance
• Modelling the social implications of flexible manufacturing system through ISM: a case of India
• Linking a tridimensional linkage of TQM, SCM and organisational performance: a proposed conceptual framework
• Multi-objective optimisation of automated guided dispatching and vehicle routing system
• Soft TQM practices, customer orientation and business performance: a proposed structural model
• Modelling the mediating moderating effects of ethical leadership on the relationship between moral competence and moral cognition

Inderscience journals to publish expanded papers from International Conference on Cloud Computing and Big Data

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Cloud Computing and Big Data (4-6 November 2015, Taipei, Taiwan) will be published by the following journals:

• International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering
• International Journal of Embedded Systems
• International Journal of High Performance Computing and Networking