Inderscience is media partner for Converged IT Summit 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for Converged IT Summit (24-26 October 2016, San Diego, USA).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Bioinformatics Research and Applications
• Int. J. of Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
• Int. J. of Computing Science and Mathematics
• Int. J. of Data Science

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials are now available here for free:

• Electrochemical machining of 20MnCr5 alloy steel with ferric nitrate mixed aqueous NaCl electrolyte
• Investigation of EDC parameters using W and Cu powder metallurgical compact electrodes
• Numerical interpolators to maintain discretisation step under constant minimum chord error for spiral-type surfaces
• The effect of different slurries on material removal of sapphire surface in fixed-abrasive lapping
• Surface roughness analysis of hardened steel using TiN coated ceramic inserts
• Parametric optimisation of Nd:YAG laser micro-drilling of alumina using NSGA II

Inderscience is media partner for UK Shale Gas Summit 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for UK Shale Gas Summit (11-12 October 2016, Manchester, UK).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Energy Technology and Policy
• Int. J. of Global Energy Issues
• Int. J. of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology
• Int. J. of Petroleum Engineering

More information about this event is available here.

Call for papers: "Green Mobile Computing for Energy-Efficient Next-Generation Wireless Communication"

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

Mobile computing is a key enabling technology for large scale distributed applications, such as smart phone, mobile internet, mobile game and mobile multimedia, mobile Internet of Things (IoTs), mobile sensor cloud, and mobile machine to machine communications. However, mobile computing is a very large energy consumer. Green mobile computing, with the aim of reducing energy costs and CO2 emissions, as well as protecting the environment, is becoming a potential research focus for many next-generation communications’ and networks’ designers. In spite of the increasing demand for all kinds of mobile computing services, there is still a lack of a clear understanding of analytical and power-efficient mobile computing and techniques, as well as best practices, to design energy-efficient, utility, pervasive, scalable, autonomy-oriented mobile computing and applications.

The objective of this special issue is to bring together state-of-the-art research contributions that address these key aspects of green mobile computing and applications.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

• Energy-efficient mobile network architecture design
• Energy-efficient protocol design
• Energy-efficient handover in heterogeneous networks
• Power-efficient mobile terminal equipment
• Optimisation for green wireless networking
• Power-efficient RFID, sensor communications
• Energy-efficient mobile applications
• Measurement, metrics, and profiling of energy consumption in mobile computing
• Platforms, tools, and design methods
• Green IoTs
• Green cloud computing

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 30 November, 2016

Notification to authors: 30 December, 2016

Final versions due: 30 January, 2017

Notification of final review results: 15 February, 2017

Inderscience is media partner for Gas to Liquids 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for Gas to Liquids (10-11 October 2016, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Critical Infrastructures
• Int. J. of Environmental Technology and Management
• Int. J. of Energy Technology and Policy
• Int. J. of Global Energy Issues
• Int. J. of Global Environmental Issues
• Int. J. of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology

Special issue published: "Benchmarking for the Delivery of Water and Sanitation Services to the Urban Poor"

International Journal of Water 10(2/3) 2016

• Introduction and reflection on benchmarking for the delivery of water and sanitation services to the urban poor
• Organisational performance measurement models, also for poverty alleviation
• Voluntary water utility benchmarking for collective learning: lessons from Europe
• Benchmarking for the provision of water supply and sanitation services to the urban poor: an assessment framework
• Benchmarking sanitation for the poor has to take the real sanitary problems in the slums of Kampala as the point of departure
• Assessment of tools in use by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation to improve water and sanitation services to the slums of Kampala, Uganda
• Reaching the poor in Mashhad City: from subsidising water to providing cash transfers in Iran
• A stepwise approach to achieve sustainable services to low income areas, the experience of a private operator
• Mapping pro-poor water supply services: what are the technical and institutional options for the utility and private provision in Accra?
• Incentives for water supply to the urban poor and the role of the regulator in Ghana
• Does the Zambian water sector regulation have pro-poor tools and outcomes?

Inderscience is media partner for UAV Technology Eastern Europe 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for UAV Technology Eastern Europe (21-22 September 2016, Prague, Czech Republic).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation
• Int. J. of Intelligent Defence Support Systems
• Int. J. of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications
• Int. J. of Modelling, Identification and Control
• Int. J. of Systems, Control and Communications
• Int. J. of Vehicle Autonomous Systems

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications are now available here for free:

• Quantum-inspired cultural bacterial foraging algorithm for direction finding of impulse noise
• Evolutionary analysis of important public health event-based multi-agent simulation model
• High-gain wide-band dual-circular-polarised antenna design using dynamic constrained multi-objective evolutionary algorithm
• A self-adaptive differential evolutionary algorithm based on population reduction with minimum distance
• A closer look into sequential clustering algorithms and associated post-processing refinement strategies

Inderscience is media partner for Future Armoured Vehicles Eastern Europe 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for Future Armoured Vehicles Eastern Europe (17-18 May 2016, Prague, Czech Republic).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Vehicle Autonomous Systems
• Int. J. of Vehicle Performance
• Int. J. of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing

Special issue published: "Advances in the Machining of Aerospace Materials"

International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials 18(1/2) 2016

• Machinability of carbon/epoxy composites by electrical discharge machining
• Study the effect of black layer on electrode wear ratio in powder mixed electric discharge machining of titanium alloys
• Influence of process parameters on material removal rate and surface roughness in WED-machining of Ti50Ni40Cu10 shape memory alloy 
• Effects of electrode configuration on MRR and EWR during electric discharge machining of Al/10wt%SiCp-MMC
• Prediction of critical thrust force for exit-ply delamination during drilling composite laminates: thermo-mechanical analysis
• Experimental investigation on electrical discharge machining of RENE80 nickel super alloy 
• Experimental investigation on part quality and metallic particle emission when milling 6061-T6 aluminium alloy
• Morphological investigation of Ti-6Al-4V chips produced by conventional turning

Additional papers

• Chip formation characteristics in the machining of titanium alloys: a review
• Experimental investigation of effect of roller burnishing process parameters on surface roughness and surface hardness of C40E steel

Inderscience is media partner for Offshore Patrol Vessels Technology 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for Offshore Patrol Vessels Technology (8-9 June 2016, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Migration and Border Studies
• Int. J. of Multimedia Intelligence and Security
• Int. J. of Ocean Systems Management
• Int. J. of Security and Networks

Synthesizing an acoustic tweetscape

 Scientists in Brazil are using a genetic algorithm to create a realistic soundscape of birdsong that can be triggered by updates from the micro-blogging service, Twitter, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Details of the computer model which mimics the behavior of a bird’s songbox, its “syrinx” to create realistic sounds are published this month in the International Journal of Arts and Technology.

José Fornari of the Interdisciplinary Nucleus for Sound Communication (NICS), at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), in São Paulo, explains how birdsong is an integral part of many landscapes, in the urban environment and countryside. He has developed an evolutionary, or genetic, algorithm that synthesizes authentic sounding birdsong in the computer. The system could be used to manipulate the acoustic space of a shopping mall to create a realistic soundscape fed by actual twitter updates so would not have the looped repetitiveness of a recording of actual birdsong that would be played interminably on a loop. “This evolutionary algorithm creates an artificial soundscape (of birdsongs) that is always acoustically original, Fornari says. He adds that the birdsong is like an individual in a population that will never be repeated again.

Such soundscapes, of course, might also be said to represent a unique, crowd-generated audio-artwork. Given the nature of Twitter activity, which inevitably follows the highs and lows of daily life and the trends of news and popular culture, the soundscapes generated might offer a fascinating acoustic reflection of our world and at times a chaotic cacophony. One could also imagine linking the system to a single user’s account and giving them a personal experience in birdsong of the tweets from their friends and contacts.


Fornari, J. (2016) ‘An evolutionary algorithm to create artificial soundscapes of birdsongs’, Int. J. Arts and Technology, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp.39–58.

Original article: Synthesizing an acoustic tweetscape.
via Inderscience – Science Spot http://ift.tt/1WTRC0U

Special issue published: "Evolutionary Art and Music"

International Journal of Arts and Technology 9(1) 2016

Extended versions of papers presented at the Conference on Evolutionary and Biologically Inspired Music, Sound, Art and Design’ (evoMUSART).

• Fitness in evolutionary art and music: a taxonomy and future prospects
• Evolving textures from high level descriptions
• An evolutionary algorithm to create artificial soundscapes of birdsongs 
• Using scalable vector graphics to evolve art

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Applied Management Science

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

• Managing plant turnaround maintenance in Malaysian process-based industries: a study on centralisation, formalisation and plant technology
• Production planning forecasting method selection in a supply chain: a case study
• Effect of preventive maintenance on supply chains with one producer and multiple newsvendors
• Multi-generational innovation diffusion modelling: a two dimensional approach

New Editor for Int. J. Management Concepts and Philosophy and Int. J. Knowledge Management in Tourism and Hospitality

Prof. Angappa Gunasekaran from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in the United States has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy and International Journal of Knowledge Management in Tourism and Hospitality.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Arts and Technology

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

• Media mediocracy: live archiving as an intervention in preserving cultural heritage
• Autonomous emergent painting triggered by music and motions
• Domain-specific knowledge as playful interaction: the case of Prime Slaughter
• Finger musical gesture recognition in 3D space without any tangible instrument for performing arts
• What makes a Pollock Pollock: a machine vision approach

Special issue published: "Embedded and Ubiquitous Computing"

International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems 9(1/2) 2016

• Multicast tree construction: a nodes' relative leaving probability algorithm based on NICE in ALM
• Heterogeneous educational resource recommender system based on user preferences 
• Hierarchical routing algorithm for ad hoc networks using mobile VMN
• ROI extraction based on visual salience and visual evaluation
• CH-CSMA-CA: a MAC protocol for asynchronous channel hopping rendezvous in 802.11 DCF-based cognitive radio networks
• Wake-up radio implementation for internet of things
• Performance analysis of a hierarchical switched network architecture
• Towards connectivity-aware deployment and adjustment for roadside units
• A hash-based algorithm for measuring cardinality distribution in network traffic
• A TCP-friendly AQM algorithm to mitigate low-rate DDoS attacks
• Formal framework for defining trust in multi-organisation environment

New editor's picks of free sample articles available from International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems are now available here for free:

• Stochastic tool wear assessment in milling difficult to machine alloys
• Control method of tool axis vector based on kinematics characteristics for five-axis NC machining
• Modelling and vibration analysis of machine tool spindle system with bearing defects
• Procedure for geometrical errors identification in machine tool
• Multi-scale directed surface topography machined by electro discharge machining in combination with plasma electrolytic conversion for improved osseointegration
• Genetic algorithms with variable search space function for fine gain tuning of model-based robotic servo controller
• Preliminary results on Ti incremental sheet forming (ISF) of biomedical devices: biocompatibility, surface finishing and treatment
• Design of an active control of vibration in a centreless grinding machine: theoretical study and experimental implementation
• Feed drive modelling for the simulation of tool path tracking in multi-axis high speed machining

Call for papers: "Corporate Crisis, Turnaround and Innovation"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management.

Firms in a crisis are struggling for survival and need to implement appropriate turnaround activities for a successful recovery from distress. Potential measures for this could be a managerial restructuring (Sudarsanam and Lai, 2001), an increase in efficiency and productivity (Dawley et al. 2003; Chenchehene and Mensah, 2014), a reduction of costs (Hambrick and Schecter, 1983; Whitaker, 1999) or a restructuring of assets (Sudarsanam and Lai, 2001). However, the contribution of innovation for prevention of corporate crises respectively as a potential factor for turnaround success was not extensively analysed in prior research. Its relevance seems to be a given, because innovation is a necessary characteristic of companies to be healthy and to maintain competitive advantage (Delbecq and Mills, 1985, p. 24). Innovation is the core driver for growth, performance and valuation (Barsh et al., 2008, p. 37). The ability to innovate is of central importance for long-term success of an organization (Metz et al., 2007, p. 19).

Pushed by global competition and short-term performance pressures, particularly in a crisis situation, managers often give in to personnel reductions or relocation to lower-cost regions. In that, they sacrifice true innovation, strong organic growth and clear competitive advantage (Porter and Kramer, 2011, p. 66). On the other hand, managers start to realize that social problems not only constrain their operations, but they also provide rich possibilities for growth or turnaround. When a company’s mission includes the aspect to create shared value for itself and society, it channels resources to the enhancement of innovations that contribute to the solution of social problems (Pfitzer et al., 2013, pp. 101–102). In general, successful companies want to innovate in terms of building a more sustainable business model for the company (Paine, 2014, pp. 92–94). In that, (business model) innovation seems to be an indicator for sustainable company growth and an automatic prevention from drifting into strategic crisis.

Thus, despite the knowledge about the importance of innovation for business success, there is relatively less known about its relevance for corporate turnaround and recovery. Madrid-Guijarro et al. (2011) found that product, process and managerial innovation of financially distressed firms were more strongly pronounced for healthy firms, but this difference was statistically not significant. The same authors published another study in 2013, were they concluded that innovation is positively associated with the performance of the firm. The endeavours for innovation decrease with the increase in distress (Madrid-Guijarro et al., 2013). Ernst (2010) argued that investments in R&D expenses usually are cut in a crisis situation. He showed how the increase in R&D expenses during a crisis situation can help to ensure future growth and long-term success. The negative relation between innovation efforts and degree of corporate health may be attributable to a lack of funds (Murro, 2013).

The link between innovation and the probability of default (PD) was analysed by Pederzoli et al. (2013). They concluded that the PD decreased by the value of a patent portfolio held by a company, but only then, when an appropriate portion of equity is available. Fatazzini and Figini (2009) introduced the variables “industrial rights ratio”, which indicates the degree of innovation in relation to the size of the firm. Its ability for the prediction of credit risk was tested within their study. The variable was a statistically significant predictor, but of lower importance in explanation of credit risk compared to other variables derived from financial statement analysis. It was found that the PD increases if the degree of innovation is increased relative to the size of the firm, which is a similar finding to the result of Schmitt and Raisch (2013, p. 1231). In the study of Murro (2013, p. 320) besides the size, other factors like international presence, the level of efficiency or the level of technology of the industry were named to be drivers for innovation. Innovation in a corporate crisis could be a potential measure for turnaround and recovery, but there are certain pre-conditions which have to be fulfilled for this.

What is also confirmed by the paper of McKinley et al. (2014) is that these short reflections emphasize the lack in research. They conclude that the conditions of innovation and its potential effect on a successful or unsuccessful turnaround are neither described nor understood. The introduction of innovation as a restructuring tool can also be seen as risky under their view, because the final outcome of innovation is sometimes not predictable and it depends on the type of innovation, whether it can contribute positively or negatively to turnaround success. Even if innovation could be seen as a relevant factor to accelerate the turnaround process, the speed is no guarantee for the success of the induced measures (Gupta, 2006, p 58). It will also depend whether innovation is used in context of retrenchment or recovery, when turnaround activities are started. Retrenchment is applied to increase.

Based on the preliminary findings it seems that certain types of innovation are rather helpful for retrenchment, whereas other types of innovation are more closely related to recovery. For example, process innovation is a relevant factor for retrenchment, because activities in this field are supporting the improval of operational efficiency (Robbins and Pearce, 1992). If it is true that a successful turnaround can be associated with effective retrenchment (Lohrke et al. 2012; Pearce and Robbins, 2008), then despite the inherent risk, innovation should be an important driver for this success.

To sum up, looking into the literature about the connection between crisis and innovation, a lot of questions are left open in the guest editors’ point of view. Although intuitively the link seems very logical, the topic is rarely touched so far and particularly empirical research is very scarce. The two research streams go into very different directions, but in fact pursue a common goal: the long-lasting, sustainable, competitive advantage and survival of business organizations. Therefore, it is surprising that until now, we cannot answer how innovation can be used to create successful turnaround situations – in fact, we just do not know how to integrate the topic into turnaround management, what type and level of innovation to work on in such a peculiar situation and how to enhance it in a rather unfavourable setting where sometimes liquidity pressures seem to determine all decisions. Due to the actual lack of knowledge about the contribution of innovation for turnaround success, retrenchment and recovery, the aim of this special issue is to analyse the inherent capabilities of innovation for resolution of corporate crises, to provide a contribution for the existing research gap and to develop practical implications for turnaround managers and how they could apply innovation within a turnaround process. Moreover, this could even open up a new field of specialisation for innovation managers, which might lead into a new discipline of management and education.

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

• The contribution of innovation for corporate turnaround success
• The relevance of innovation to prevent corporate crises
• The distinction between types of innovation for short- and long-term success of corporate turnaround
• The relation between innovation and funding sources in financial distress
• The association of different types of innovation to retrenchment and recovery
• The relation between degree of innovation and the probability of firm default
• The search for explanatory variables and factors supporting the positive effects of innovation on turnaround success
• The application of different types of innovation as toolkit for turnaround managers
• The different types and levels of innovation appropriate for different levels of corporate crisis
• The barriers to innovation in turnaround situations
• The aspects of business model innovations as determinant for turnaround success

Important Dates

Paper proposal submission (by email) deadline: 30 September, 2016
Notification of proposal acceptance: 31 December, 2016
Full papers submission (online) deadline: 15 March, 2017

References: 

Barsh, J., Capozzi, M. M. and Davidson, J. (2008) 'Leadership and innovation', The McKinsey Quarterly, No. 1, pp. 37 – 47.

Chenchehene, J. and Mensah, K. (2014) 'Corporate survival: Analysis of financial distress and corporate turnaround of the UK retail industry', International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science, Vol. 2, No. 9, pp. pp. 18 – 34.

Dawley, D. D. , Hoffman, J. J. and Brockman, E. N. (2003) 'Do size and diversification type matter? An examination of post-bankruptcy outcomes', Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 413 – 439.

Delbecq, A. L. and Mills, P. K. (1985) 'Managerial practices that enhance innovation', Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 24 – 34.

Ernst, H. (2010) 'Management von Innovationen in der Krise', Controlling & Management Review, Vol. 1, pp. 22 – 23.

Fantazzini, D. and Figini, S. (2009) 'Random survival forests model for SME credit risk measurement', Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 29 – 45.

Gupta, P. (2006) 'Institutionalizing innovation for growth and profitability', Journal of Private Equity, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 57 – 62.

Hambrick, D. C. and Schecter, S. M. (1983) 'Turnaround strategies for mature industrial-product business units', Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 231 - 248.

Lohrke, F., Ahlstrom, D. and Bruton, G. (2012) 'Extending turnaround process research: Important lessons for the US civil war', Journal of Management Inquiry, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 217 – 234.

Madrid-Guijarro, A., Garcia-Perez-de-Lema, D. and Van Auken, H. (2013) 'An investigation of Spanish SME innovation during different economic conditions', Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 578 – 601.

Madrid-Guijarro, A., Garcia-Pèrez-de-Lema, D. and Van Auken, H. (2011) 'An analysis of non-financial factors associated with financial distress', Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Vol. 23, No. 3 – 4, pp. 159 – 186.

McKinley, W., Latham, S. and Braun, M. (2014) 'Organizational decline and innovation: Tunarounds and downward spirals', Academy of Management Review, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 88 – 110.

Metz , I. , Terziovksi, M. and Samson, D. (2007) 'Development of an integrated innovation capability model', in Terziovski, M. (Eds.), Building innovation capability in organizations: An international cross-case perspective, Imperial College Press, London , pp.19–50.

Murro, P. (2013) 'The determinants of innovation: What is the role of risk? ', The Manchester School , Vol. 81, No. 3, pp. 293 – 323.

Paine, L. S. (2014) 'Sustainability in the Boardroom', Harvard Business Review, July - August, pp. 86–94.

Pearce, J. and Robbins, K. (2008) 'Strategic transformation as the essential last step in the process of business turnaround', Business Horizons, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 121 – 130. Pederzoli, C. Thoma, G. and Torricelli, C. (2013) 'Modelling credit risk for innovative SMEs: The role of innovation measures', Journal of Financial Services Research, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 111 – 129.

Pfitzer, M., Bockstette, V., and Stamp, M. (2013) 'Innovating for Shared Value', Harvard Business Review, September, pp. 101–107.

Porter, M. E., and Kramer, M. R. (2011) 'Creating shared value', Harvard Business Review, January - February, pp. 62–77.

Robbins, K. and Pearce, J. (1992) 'Turnaround: Retrenchment and recovery', Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 287 – 309.

Schmitt, A. and Raisch. S. (2013) 'Corporate turnaround: The duality of retrenchment and recovery', Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 50, No. 7, pp. 1216 – 1244.

Sudarsanam, S. and Lai, J. (2001) 'Corporate financial distress and turnaround strategies: An empirical analysis', British Journal of Management, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 183 – 199.

Whitaker, R. B. (1999) 'The early stages of financial distress', Journal of Economics and Finance, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 123 – 133.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications are now available here for free:

• Two scenarios for overcoming drug resistance by co-targeting
• TDAC: co-expressed gene pattern finding using attribute clustering
• Identifying protein complexes based on the integration of PPI network and gene expression data
• RadixHap: a radix tree-based heuristic for solving the single individual haplotyping problem
• To study percentage distribution of target genes encoding proteins of different classes in Helicobacter pylori strain J99 and identification of potential therapeutic targets to reduce its proliferation

New Editor for the Botulinum Journal

Prof. Andy Pickett of Toxin Science Limited in the UK has been appointed to take over editorship of the Botulinum Journal.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems are now available here for free:

• Formal concept analysis and concept lattice: perspectives and challenges
• Task allocation in organic computing systems: networks with reconfigurable helper units
• Achievable performance gain of IEEE 802.11 multi-rate link adaptation algorithm with cross-layer design
• TSK type self-organising online fuzzy equalisation to mitigate nonlinear power amplifier distortions in OFDM systems
• Self-adaptive communication for collaborative mobile entities in ERCMS

Special issue published: "Intelligent Product Design, Process Modelling and Optimisation"

International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems 9(1) 2016

Extended versions of papers presented at the 5th International and 26th All India Manufacturing Technology, Design and Research (AIMTDR).

• Micro manipulation by a compliant piezoelectric micro gripper towards robotic micro assembly
• Design and analysis of a single-flexure parallelogram mechanism-based X-Y nanopositioning stage
• Computer-aided system for multi-cavity die-casting die-design
• Support vector machine-based unified learning system for prediction of multiple responses in AWJM of borosilicate glass and SEM study
• Development of an adaptive control system to reduce components dimensional variations in milling

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management

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

• Determinants of the implementation of HRIS applications in business organisations in Jordan
• The relationship between trust, learning capability, affective organisational commitment and turnover intentions
• The influence of dysfunctional cognitions on job-related experiences and behaviour - a cognitive-behavioural perspective
• The psychological role of human resources management for upholding learning in a team
• Next-generation human resource management: a system for measuring and visualising professional competencies

International Journal of Business and Globalisation to publish expanded papers from ISCLO 2016

Extended versions of papers presented at the 4th International Seminar & Conference on Learning Organization (26 October 2016, Telkom University, Indonesia) will be published by the International Journal of Business and Globalisation.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing are now available here for free:

• The quality of websites and their impact on economic performance: the case of nurseries and gardening companies in the Italian 'Mezzogiorno' regions
• Impact of store image on store loyalty and purchase intention: does it vary across gender?
• Examining online channel selection behaviour among social media shoppers: a PLS analysis
• The latent potential of virtual communities as brand missionaries: implications from US and Korean bloggers

Call for papers: "Logistics and Maritime Studies on One Belt One Road"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics.

The blueprint of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative is to connect the vibrant East Asian economic circle and the developed European economic circle and encompass all of the countries that have significant potential for economic development. One of the key objectives of the OBOR initiative is to increase connectivity and economic development along both the land-based and oceangoing routes through the movement of goods, services, information, and people.

This special issue will provide a forum to address the various issues associated with the OBOR initiative from the perspective of logistics and maritime studies. It will also serve as a platform to facilitate international research and industrial collaboration to examine the multifaceted issues related to the OBOR.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the One Call One Road (OBOR2016) , but we also strongly encourage authors unable to participate in the conference to submit articles for this call.

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

• Maritime economics and business
• Air transport
• Transport strategy
• Safety and security
• Infrastructure supply
• Supply chain management
• Operations management
• Transport modes
• International trade
• Shipping finance

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 31 August 2016
Notification to authors: 30 November 2016

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Electronic Business

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

• An extension of UTAUT model for Palestine e-commerce
• An exploratory study into the determinants of adoption of mobile TV services: an integrated value perspective
• A consumption theory and task-fitness perspective of wireless internet adoption for mobile commerce
• The impact of new media on bank processes: a Delphi study

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering

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

• Rapid evaluation of temperature distribution of coatings during atmospheric plasma sprayed process
• Characterisation and wear performance of plasma sprayed borosilicate glass micro-sphere coatings on metallic substrates
• Synthesis and tribological properties of TiC micro and nanoparticles
• A study on slurry erosion and corrosion behaviour of HVOF sprayed titania coatings C.S. 
• Characterisation of Ni-Ti intermetallic coatings formed on Cp titanium by diffusion treatment
• Prediction of tribological performance of electrochemical honed bevel gears teeth profile
• Feasibility study of formation of surface layer containing tungsten carbide on low carbon steel by TIG surface melting of pre placed layers of ferrotungsten and graphite powders
• Characterisation of friction behaviour of flake, spheroidal, and compacted vermicular graphite cast irons

Special issue published: "What Happens After ISO 55000? Asset Management Standardisation and Maturity, Challenges for the Future"

International Journal of Strategic Engineering Asset Management 2(4) 2015

• Asset management - quo vadis (where are you going)?
• A comparative study on asset management capability maturity models
• When asset management and organisations meet: accounting for employee experiences
• Towards a line-of-sight, implementation of performance measurement by road agencies: a European and Western Australian perspective
• Innovative contracting and the need for dynamic adaptive standards in the asset management of transportation infrastructures

International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing to publish expanded papers from 2016 International Conference on Intelligent and Interactive Systems and Applications

Extended versions of papers presented at the 2016 International Conference on Intelligent and Interactive Systems and Applications (25-26 June 2016, Shanghai, China) will be published by the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing.

Free sample articles newly available from the International Journal of Information and Computer Security

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Information and Computer Security are now available here for free:

• Implementing generic security requirements in e-voting using modified stegano-cryptographic approach
• Performance analysis of buffered crossbar switch scheduling algorithms
• Advanced security analysis of a signature scheme with message recovery
• Complementary witness soundness for witness indistinguishable proof system and CCA2 public-key encryption schemes
• Mobile device security

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management

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

• Gaining insight into innovation culture within the context of R&D centres in Turkey
• A game theory perspective of asymmetric alliances for new product development
• Collaborative competitors in a fast-changing technology environment: open innovation in environmental technology development in the oil and gas industry
• Linking business model and open innovation - success and failure of collaborations
• A new model of knowledge and innovative capability development for small born-global bio-tech firms: evidence from the East Midlands, UK
• What makes patent pools successful? An analysis of optical disc and mobile phone industries

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Earthquake and Impact Engineering

Earthquake and impact engineering are essential disciplines affecting the lives and properties of citizens in many parts of the world. They aim to understand the impact of seismic loading on buildings and other structures and infrastructures, avoiding future disasters. The International Journal of Earthquake and Impact Engineering is a peer-reviewed research journal offering an international forum fostering discussion on all aspects of the topic. It highlights the areas of earthquake hazard mitigation, preparedness and recovery germane to practicing engineers and reflecting state-of-the-art research.

Special issue published: "Lean, Cellular Manufacturing and Seru Production"

Asian Journal of Management Science and Applications 2(2) 2015

Extended versions of papers presented at the Asian Conference of Management Science and Applications (ACMSA2013).

• Cellular design-based optimisation for manufacturing scheduling and transportation mode decisions
• Shortening line length in a mixed-model assembly line by installing a single pull-off table
• Comparison of two typical scheduling rules of line-seru conversion problem

Additional papers

• Applying fuzzy Delphi and fuzzy AHP in selecting potential NPD projects for commercialisation in a research institute
• Employee voice behaviour in organisations: evidence from Pakistan

Inderscience is media partner for Gas Storage and Transmissions 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for Gas Storage and Transmissions (15-16 June 2016, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Critical Infrastructures
• Int. J. of Environmental Technology and Management
• Int. J. of Energy Technology and Policy
• Int. J. of Global Energy Issues
• Int. J. of Global Environmental Issues
• Int. J. of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing are now available here for free:

• Neuron adaptive control of induction motor drive system
• Infrared face recognition based on LBP co-occurrence matrix and partial least squares
• Secure routing in MANETs: a bio-inspired approach with honey bees
• Hybrid particle swarm algorithm for minimum exposure path problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor network
• Miniaturised broadband branch line coupler for WiMAX and LTE applications
• A novel approach for data stream clustering using artificial bee colony algorithm
• An investigation into performance of MIMO wireless communication system under semi-blind channel estimation
• A new WiFi microstrip antenna designed by differential evolution
• Quality of consumer experience data mining for mobile multimedia communication networks: learning from measurements campaign
• A comprehensive survey of false data injection in smart grid
• Machine-to-machine communications energy efficiencies: the implications of different M2M communications specifications
• A survey of SCADA test bed
• Reduced-complexity mobile velocity estimation in correlated MIMO channels

Call for papers: "Recent Advances in Communication and Networking"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems.

Emerging network and communication technologies have changed the way in which these are being integrated into social, industrial, and business frameworks. This has made it evident that there are a number of related technical and socioeconomic areas that need further investigation. Recently, a number of emerging technologies such as cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoTs), smart grid computing, green computing, and fog computing etc. have been proposed in communication and networking. The research on emerging communication and networking technologies is thus considered to be a global research challenge.

This special issue focuses on advanced topics in communications and networking. The main aim of this special issue is to cover both the theory of communication and network technologies and their applications in several diversified fields. It aims to provide an intellectual forum for researchers in academia, engineers and practitioners from a wide range of application areas to enable them to present their latest research findings in the areas of communication, networking and other related areas and to identify future challenges in these areas.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the International Conference on Advanced Computing and Intelligent Engineering (ICACIE-2016), but we also strongly encourage authors unable to participate in the conference to submit articles for this call.

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

• Wireless communication
• Smart grid communication
• Optical communication
• Satellite communication
• Wireless sensor networks
• Social networks
• Software defined networks
• Mobile ad-hoc networks
• Vehicular ad-hoc networks
• Cognitive radio networks
• Opportunistic networks
• Body area networks
• Delay tolerant networks
• Virtual private networks
• Intelligent networking
• Multimedia networking
• Network performance analysis
• Parallel and distributed networks
• High performance networks and protocols
• Advanced network protocol design
• Future Internet and next-generation networking
• Internet of things and cyber physical systems

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 1 March, 2017
Notification to authors: 15 May, 2017
Revisions to be submitted by authors: 15 June, 2017
Final notification: 30 June, 2017

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Digital Signals and Smart Systems

The International Journal of Digital Signals and Smart Systems provides a unifying framework for a wide range of engineering disciplines and industrial applications, highlighting experimental applications and industrial studies. It encompasses practical aspects of the theory and methods of electrical engineering, and the synergetic integration of systems engineering with electronic, intelligent computer control and signal analysis in the design and manufacture of industrial products and processes. It thus brings together several specialities and research areas to realise significant industrial applications.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing are now available here for free:

• Using finite element modelling and simulations to test MotoGP race bikes 
• Modelling, feasibility and performance analyses of a 3-DOF parallel mechanism employed in a rear vehicle suspension 
• Automotive winter testing with path-following steering robot 
• A multibody dynamics model to assess the impact of road unevenness on the efficiency of a semitrailer truck

Call for papers: "Risks to Critical Infrastructure from Climate Change"

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

Critical infrastructure is a relatively new term used to characterise installations and organisations of high importance to the political and socio-economic status of modern societies. Unfortunate events of the last two decades, including the increase of fundamentalism, have led to the adoption of policies at national (Homeland Security) and European levels (Directive 2008/114/EC on the identification and designation of European critical infrastructures).

This special issue aims to examine the impact climate change has had and will have on these infrastructures. We welcome high-quality submissions focusing on new risk assessments, theoretical and applied models, risk management strategies and communication of risks at local, national and international levels.

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

• Extreme dryness and forest fire effects on electricity and transport networks
• Storms and sea
• Coastal flooding (surface water, highway, sewer and watercourse flooding)
• Rapid winter flooding (melting ice, narrow mountain streams, flooding)
• Emerging risks (radicalisation, CBRNE, cyber)
• Risks in transportation critical infrastructure

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 1 September, 2016

Special issue published: "Sustainable Innovation in Services and Manufacturing Industries"

International Journal of Strategic Change Management 6(2) 2015

• Open innovation: how intangibles matter
• Knowledge management and health applications: medical evidence of transmission
• Accumulation knowledge about disruptions in central node of the network: models of strengthening the resilience of a network supply chain
• Management settings enabling value creation: the case study of a social enterprise

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Public Policy

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

• The impact of mediating factors on youth social capital and substance use
• Public-private partnerships in Southeastern Europe
• The policy challenge of the global brain drain: addressing the dilemmas of contributing push-pull factors
• Convergence analysis on ten sub-indexes of economic freedom
• A cost-benefit analysis of the individual mandate in the health coverage system of the USA
• Emissions trading as an instrument of EU climate policy: a critical analysis of control processes in sociological perspective
• The break-up: policy network structure and the politics of financial services

New Editor for International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation

Prof. Leo Dana from Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier Business School in France has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development are now available here for free:

• Credits trading mechanism for corporate social responsibility: an empirically grounded framework 
• Offshore outsourcing and innovation capabilities in the supply base: evidence from software firms in Bangalore 
• Will Huawei surpass ZTE? Analysis of patent data

Call for papers: "Observer-based Fuzzy, Neural and Adaptive Control: Advances and Applications"

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

In practice, the implementation of control input is usually faced with the problem of nonlinearity in control input due to non-ideal characteristics of actuators used in physical implementations. Adaptive control theory for nonlinear systems has attracted much attention during the past two decades. Recently, adaptive control based on universal approximations such as fuzzy logic systems, RBF neural networks or fuzzy-neural networks have been considered extensively in the control problems of complex and ill-defined nonlinear systems in the presence of incomplete knowledge of the plant. Observer-based robust adaptive universal approximation control schemes are very useful for tackling the problem of robust stability and the tracking control for a class of uncertain nonlinear SISO systems and MIMO systems with or without time delays. Also, adaptive universal approximation control schemes have impact for a class of nonlinear systems with dead-zone and multiple time-delays based on dynamic surface control technique.

The overall aim of this special issue is to compile the latest research and developments and up-to-date issues and challenges in the field of observer-based universal approximation adaptive control schemes. Proposed submissions should be original and should present novel in-depth fundamental research contributions either from a methodological perspective or from an application point of view.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on Automation, Control Engineering and Computer Science (ACECS-2016), but we are also inviting other experts to submit articles for this call.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

• Adaptive control
• Robust control
• Output-feedback control
• Fuzzy control
• Fuzzy observer
• Neural-fuzzy control
• Fuzzy-neural control
• Hybrid control systems
• Chaos control and synchronisation
• System identification
• Nonlinear control systems
• Iterative learning control
• Time delayed uncertainty

Important Dates
Submission deadline: 31 July, 2016

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Powertrains

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

• Optimal control of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in frequency regulation service
• Design of an energy management scheme for a series-hybrid powertrain in heavy-duty vehicle applications
• Simulating the influence of injection timing, premixed ratio, and inlet temperature on natural gas/diesel dual-fuel HCCI combustion in a diesel engine 
• Structural analysis of control design objectives for vehicular propulsion systems
• An analytical model to predict nitric oxide concentration in a diesel engine for potential use as feedback for model-based engine control

Inderscience is media partner for Responsible Business Summit Asia 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for Responsible Business Summit Asia 2016 (17-18 May 2016, Singapore).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Corporate Strategy and Social Responsibility
• Int. J. of Environmental Policy and Decision Making
• Int. J. of Environment and Sustainable Development
• Int. J. of Renewable Energy Technology
• Int. J. of Sustainable Development

Call for papers: "Advances in Cyber Security, Analytics and Human Factors in IT"

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

Today we are becoming more and more dependent on information technology and services as they pervade every aspect of our lives. However, cyber security, analytics and human factors in information technology play an important role in the development of superlative organisations where new technologies and applications are put into practice to strengthen everyday business processes. A reliable information technology system requires a solid security framework that ensures confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity of the organisation’s critical assets.

This special issue will focus on state-of-the-art research paradigms and recent advances in cyber security, analytics and human factors in IT and related areas. The issue is open to high-quality research contributions from a wide range of professionals including scholars, researchers, academicians and industry. Original research papers and state-of-the-art reviews are welcome. We anticipate that the special issue will open new avenues for further research and technology improvements in this important area.

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

• Security and privacy in social networks and applications
• Security and privacy in smartphone devices
• Security and privacy in mobile cloud computing
• Security of mobile commerce and mobile internet of things
• Security of 3G/4G systems, Wi-MAX, ad-hoc, petrinets
• Web service security
• Web analytics
• Digital analytics
• Role of R in data analysis
• Information trust
• Information retrieval
• Semantic web
• IT security, ethical and societal challenges
• Security and privacy in cloud computing
• Security of mobile, peer-to-peer and pervasive services in clouds

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 31 May, 2016

Special issue published: "Cost and Technology Challenges for Higher Education in an Increasingly Globalised World"

International Journal of Economics and Business Research 11(2) 2016

• Banking efficiency in Egypt: an application of data envelopment
• Transnational education in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: the challenges of internationalisation and quality in higher education
• Data freshness evaluation in data integration systems
• Principal-principal internal governance mechanisms and the firms' performance: evidence from an emerging market
• Self-monitoring of workplace from the administration and the Islamic religion perspectives (comparative study)

Inderscience is media partner for European Pre-filled Syringes Summit 2016

Inderscience is a media partner for European Pre-filled Syringes Summit 2016 (7-8 September 2016, London, UK).

The journals involved are:

• Int. J. of Biomedical Engineering and Technology
• Int. J. of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
• Int. J. of Biotechnology
• Int. J. of Healthcare Technology and Management
• Int. J. of Medical Engineering and Informatics
• Int. J. of Nano and Biomaterials

More information on this event is available here.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Enterprise Network Management

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

• Study on imperative factors of continuous improvement tool - total productive lean manufacturing for improvement of organisational culture towards world class performance
• Active queue management based congestion control protocol for wireless networks
• Emotional labour models: differing perspectives
• Leadership, commitment, culture and employee turnover - a deeper examination

Call for papers: "Advances in Web Search and Analytic Approaches for Big Data"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Web Based Communities.

The aim of the web analytic approach is to extract knowledge from large amounts of web data, including web documents, hyperlinks between documents, usage logs of websites, etc. Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of web data for purposes of understanding and optimising web usage.

The main focus of this special issues will be on recent trends and applications of search engines and the development of analytic methodologies (machine learning/data mining) for large amounts of web documents. Moreover, web-based methodologies are required to manage the large amounts of information available in websites based on big data approaches and technology.

The purpose of this special issue is to address the current state of art in web-based environmental data processing tools in the big data er, along with technological advancements and standards that are relevant technologies for web-based environmental modelling of web-based communities.

Web analytic and web intelligence techniques are very much required to exploit data arising from social media and web logs. Traditional search engines have been limited in handling or processing large amounts of data. These issues and challenges have been addressed with the help of big data technologies for web-based communities. In addition, high-performance analytics depend on web-based methodologies and good web user interfaces to co-invent the future of big data analytics delivered as a service. Consequently, offering a next-generation big data portal with state-of-the-art efficiency and scalability is the prime objective of web search engines.

The data accumulated in the web is very extensive. Most of the data is in the form of text and its unstructured data. In this situation, big data technologies are very useful for handling large amounts of web data. Furthermore, No-SQL databases are one of the big data technologies that support the handling of unstructured data.

The attention paid to web-based methodologies related to research, software industry and web-centric organisations has led to the accumulation of significant knowledge. In this special issue we expect researchers to identify directions for future research in web search analysing big web data.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

• Scalable and effiecient architectures for big data search
• Search and mining of varieties of data
• Visualisation tools for web big data
• Web programming models for big data
• Web content/structure/usage models
• Cloud and grid computing to support big data
• Analysis of web unstructured/semi-structured data
• Scalability of web mining algorithms
• Web services for big data portals
• Standard architecture/frameworks for web analytics
• NoSql for web logs
• Web privacy methodologies for big data
• Web user interfaces and solutions for web big data
• Web-based mobile technologies and applications for big data
• Web-based tools for big data analytics
• Distributed and peer-to-peer search
• Computational modelling and data integration
• Graph mining, semantic-based data mining for web analytics

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 1 October, 2016
Review notifications: 15 December, 2016
Submission of revised papers: 1 February, 2017
Notification of final review results: 1 April, 2017

Special issue published: "Optimisation and Decision-Making: Models and Applications"

International Journal of Operational Research 25(4) 2016

Extended versions of papers presented at the 40th Anniversary Workshop of the Finnish Operational Research Society (FORS40).

• Multiobjective optimisation in papermaking applications
• Optimising TransMilenio BRT system operation: a mathematical model
• Histogram ranking with generalised similarity-based TOPSIS applied to patent ranking
• Mathematical programming models for home healthcare service optimisation
• Global optimisation of a portfolio adjustment problem under credibility measures
• A practical analytical model for valuing early stage investments using real options
• Simulation methods in real option valuation
• Modelling cutting instability in rough turning 34CrNiMo6 steel

Is radiation really so bad?

Researchers in Europe have reviewed cancer rates among people in parts of the world where natural background radiation is higher than average and found that incidence is not as high as one might guess. The findings, published in the International Journal of Low Radiation suggests that science ought to take a second look at studies that correlate low levels of radiation exposure with detrimental health effects.

Ludwik Dobrzyński of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Otwock-Świerk, Poland and colleagues in Poland and Germany, explain that natural background ionizing radiation is ubiquitous. We are all constantly exposed to radioactivity literally from the rocks beneath our feet, the air we breathe and the cosmic rays that have many different sources in space and bathe our planet. Moreover, life on earth evolved in this background radiation and has many mechanisms to repair the damage caused by exposure and protect us from its otherwise harmful effects.

While exposure to high levels of radiation is well documented as causing health problems from lethal radiation sickness to cancer, the low levels of background radiation to which we are constantly exposed have never been shown unequivocally to cause any illness, cancer other otherwise, despite tabloid scaremongering. Indeed, there are numerous studies from around the world that suggest that background radiation has to some degree a protective effect against the other causes of cancer. The team’s review of these and other studies in contrast to the received wisdom suggests that cancer rates are commonly lower in regions where exposure to slightly higher doses of background radiation than to those areas with average low dose natural exposure.

“The level of natural background radiation on Earth varies considerably by even two orders of magnitude from place to place with the world average annual effective dose being about 2.5 milliSieverts,” the team explains. In Ramsar, Iran, it is several hundred milliSieverts per year. The team’s review of the available research using Bayesian statistics to analyze the data suggests that, “Risks of cancer mortality from low-doses and low dose-rates, appear not to exist or to be much lower than the effects normally assumed, when assessed alone by epidemiological methods.”


Dobrzyński, L., Fornalski, K.W. and Feinendegen, L.E. (2015) ‘The human cancer in high natural background radiation areas’, Int. J. Low Radiation, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp.143–154.

Original article: Is radiation really so bad?.
via Inderscience – Science Spot http://ift.tt/1LpYF0o

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Tourism Policy

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

• Legitimising transboundary conservation-development initiatives: a discourse analysis of policy-decision making and its implications for rural community participation
• Tourism and the challenge of Arctic governance
• The politicisation and contradictions of neo-liberal tourism
• The relationship between corporate and regional reputation management and purchasing behaviour: an application on tourists in Ankara region
• The influence of motivations on the image of non-hotel tourist accommodation offering
• The role of demographics and travel motivation in travellers' use of the internet before, during, and after a trip
• Perceived risk, satisfaction and future behaviour of windsurfers: a segmentation perspective
• A critical assessment of the role of fashion in influencing the travel decision and destination choice

Call for papers: "Dynamics of and on Networks"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics.
Networks research is still highly topical. Contemporary studies in economics, sociology and management science have enhanced our understanding of the antecedents and consequences of network embeddedness, actors’ strategic positioning and pattern formation processes at higher aggregation levels.

The strong interest in networks is easily explained: nearly all kind of socio-economic systems can be represented adequately by a well-defined set of nodes and ties among these nodes. The broad spectrum of network types ranges from inter-bank networks, corporate ownership networks and supply chains to friendship networks and advice networks and to inter-personal inventor networks and inter-organisational innovation networks. The developments in network research have been fueled by the recognition of complex systems as a subject of scientific inquiry, rapid progress in theory building and methodological advances in areas such as quantitative network analysis, networks, games, agent-based modelling and econometrics.

However, when it comes to an in-depth understanding of how and why networks evolve over time and how these "dynamics of networks" affect the actors involved, we still face more questions than answers. For instance, we know little about how micro-level events among cooperating actors affect the emergence of typical real-world patterns at higher aggregation levels like, for instance, small-world structures, scaling properties and core-periphery patterns. Both theoretical models and the typically applied methodological instruments are still unable to explain the phenomenon comprehensively.

The same holds true when it comes to "dynamics on networks". The spread of information and the transfer of knowledge among network actors are highly important, particularly in the context of inventor and innovation networks. The identification of shortest paths and the analysis of diffusion problems is anything but new. Mathematicians and game theorists have addressed these issues. However, games on networks are by orders of magnitude more complex than simple integrated two-player games. This is why numerical and stochastic simulation techniques became the methodological instruments of choice.

Many papers in IJCEE and other publications have laid important groundwork for an in-depth understanding of networks, not only in theoretical and methodological terms but also by providing a rich set of empirical results. Now the time has come to discuss new findings on the dynamic nature of networks in economics and dedicate a special issue of IJCEE to the topic: "dynamics of and on networks".

For this special issue we welcome theoretical and empirical contributions addressing questions such as: How do innovation networks form and evolve? Which mechanisms are responsible for their characteristics? How do inter-firm networks affect the stability of economic systems? What are the consequences of cascading failures for the structural stability of the system? Which processes can be used to model these dynamics? How do networks shape technological and economic dynamics? Or, perhaps more importantly, how do technological and economic dynamics shape the networks? How can we model and analyse network diffusion processes? How do knowledge transfer and diffusion processes affect the performance of the actors involved?

While the focus on “dynamics of and on networks” constitutes the core of this issue, related theoretical contributions as well as econometric, explorative and experimental analyses complementing the theme are welcome. Priority will be given to papers applying an interdisciplinary theoretical perspective and/or a novel methodological approach.

The issue will carry revised and substantially extended versions of selected papers presented at the 27th Annual EAEPE Conference and 1st EAEPE RA[X] Workshop on “New Frontiers and Methodological Advances in Cooperation and Network Research”, 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:

• Applications of network theory to economics, including theoretical and exploratory studies of their role in economic systems
• Network formation, structural change and dynamic networks
• Structural stability of networks and other complex systems
• Dynamic processes on networks (e.g. diffusion and knowledge transfer)
• Structuration processes in social and economic systems
• Theoretical, econometric, explorative, game theoretical, experimental analyses as well as agent-based models and numerical or stochastic simulation approaches

Important Dates
Manuscript submission deadline: 30 September, 2016

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations are now available here for free:

• Find relationship among applications 
• A contemporary team process management model to enhance multicultural and multidisciplinary virtual team performance
• Design and implementation of performance monitor and evaluation middleware in virtual clouds 
• Virtual resource provision based on elastic reservation in cloud computing 
• Supply chain strategies in the boatbuilding industry - different ways to cope with change

New Editor for International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence

Prof. Angappa Gunasekaran from the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth in the United States has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence.

Inderscience Research Picks Extra – March 2016

Playing serious games as you get older
Research published in the International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations suggests that there are many opportunities for designers of console, or video, games to harness the healthcare of older people and improve wellbeing and keep minds active through old age. The team tested current games, particularly those that involve physical activity and interaction with the console through hand controllers, motion detectors and cameras, and found many to be rather lacking for this demographic. As such, they have highlighted particular issues and new design considerations that might be useful in the next generation of serious games for older players.
Pyae, A., Raitoharju, R., Luimula, M., Pitkäkangas, P. and Smed, J. (2016) ‘Serious games and active healthy ageing: a pilot usability testing of existing games’, Int. J. Networking and Virtual Organisations, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.103–120.

Hotel horror
Research from the USA into global terrorist activity reveals the cyclical nature of attacks on non-military and non-governmental targets, namely hotels and tourist destinations. Sofia Dermisi of the College of Built Environments, at the University of Washington, in Seattle, has investigated the patterns to reveal that there may be an eight-year attack cycle on hotels and a three-year cycle on casualties over many years. Her data are based on the period 1996-2014 during which there were 73 terrorist attacks on hotels causing more than 1000 fatalities and more than 3000 injuries. Specifically, attack frequency on such targets has increased by 75% since September 11, 2001 and many new “hot spots” have emerged recently. The impact of terrorist attacks on hotels has led to a decline in the hospitality trade in some regions, with a decline luxury revenues of 7% worldwide, although the decline is only 1.7% in the USA following an attack.
Dermisi, S. (2015) ‘Hotel terrorist attacks and their worldwide/USA performance implications’, Int. J. Built Environment and Asset Management, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp.307–328.

Sticks and stones
Those in the “helping” professions must consider the terminology and language they use carefully when mental health is in discussion to avoid stigmatizing those patients with particular problems. “The use of language in rephrasing and reframing clinical observations of complex experiences can be understood within the framework of complexity theory,” explains Christopher Peyton Miller of the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The research suggests that more successful outcomes emerge through deliberation rather than a monolithic response. Miller adds that a measure approached can “create the atmosphere for the beginnings of a discussion about how we use language to describe the changes and adaptations possible in mental health and its leadership, in the face of complex situations.”
Miller, C.P. (2016) ‘Mental health leadership and complexity’, Int. J. Complexity in Leadership and Management, Vol. 3, Nos. 1/2, pp.154–161.

Twitter might do more harm than good for diabetes
New research from Finland suggests that the popular microblogging platform, Twitter, provides useful community and information for people with diabetes. The researchers analyzed almost 10000 twitter updates, colloquially known as tweets, that contained the words “diabetes” and “diet” and demonstrated that they could fruitfully map public opinion and concerns surrounding this health condition. The research also showed that much of the information is being disseminated by concerned or interested lay people and that healthcare workers should be aware of this as a potential problem for their patients. They add that more research is now needed to trawl the twitterhood to see what kinds of problematic information and websites are being shared.
Eriksson-Backa, K., Holmberg, K. and Ek, S. (2016) ‘Communicating diabetes and diets on Twitter – a semantic content analysis’, Int. J. Networking and Virtual Organisations, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.8–24.


Original article: Inderscience Research Picks Extra – March 2016.
via Inderscience – Science Spot http://ift.tt/1UcuZ9Q

Special issue published: "Safe and Secure Cities"

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations 16(1) 2016

Extended versions of papers presented at the 2014 Well-being in the Information Society Conference.

• Communicating diabetes and diets on Twitter - a semantic content analysis
• The influence process of electronic word-of-mouth on traveller's visit intention: a conceptual framework
• The creation of inter-organisational IT governance for social welfare and healthcare IT - lessons from a case study
• Information flow and situational awareness in emergency medical dispatch 
• FirstAED emergency dispatch, global positioning of community first responders with distinct roles - a solution to reduce the response times and ensuring an AED to early defibrillation in the rural area Langeland
• Serious games and active healthy ageing: a pilot usability testing of existing games

Call for papers: "Advanced Intelligence Paradigms in Machine Vision, Image Processing and Pattern Analysis"

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

Many advances have been made recently in the field of image processing and pattern analysis. Scientists, researchers, engineers and medical professionals wanting to mitigate the differences between technology and clinical disciplines in the multidisciplinary areas of machine vision, image processing and pattern analysis are invited to submit research articles in this special issue. The scope of the issue will cover recent trends in amalgamating computational intelligence in the domain of computer vision, image processing and pattern analysis.

The objective of this special issue is to focus upon the latest advances in theory, methodologies and applications in the highly interdisciplinary research and development area of machine vision, image processing, image and pattern analysis and related domains. The theme will address mathematical, physical, architectural and computational aspects of machine vision, analysis, matching and recognition along with the utilisation of advanced intelligence paradigms.

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

• Computer vision
• Pattern recognition and analysis
• 3D and surface reconstruction
• Shape and texture analysis
• Image/video coding and compression
• Image analysis and understanding (enhancement, edge detection and segmentation)
• Image filtering, denoising and restoration
• Morphology and fractals
• Image fusion and visualisation
• Graph theory in medical image processing
• Optimisation models in image processing
• Medical and diagnostic image processing
• Multidimensional signal processing
• Image and video mining
• Image and video quality assessment
• Motion estimation and tracking
• Image/video annotation, search and retrieval
• Radar and sonar imaging
• Robotic vision systems
• Spectral imaging and reconstruction
• Super-resolution imaging
• Volumetric and tensor imaging
• Biometrics, security and forensic applications
• Pattern classification
• Image clustering

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 15 July, 2016

From a tiny spark, a flame

Fires caused by lightning strikes on hydrocarbon storage plants are a century-old, yet to be addressed, problem, according to research published in the International Journal of Forensic Engineering. In the era of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, this is becoming an even more poignant issue for the fossil fuel industry.

Sterling Rooke of X8 Inc in Crofton, Maryland, and Miroslaw Skibniewski of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at the University of Maryland, USA, explain that uncontrolled fires and explosions at storage facilities can cost US $10 million per incidence. Moreover, given that some facilities are in areas of high-frequency lightning storms, the threat is significant. They point out that a third of all modern hydrocarbon tank accidents are associated with lightning. Ironically, the burning of fossil fuels that has led to anthropogenic climate change during this last century, might also increase the frequency of lightning storms.

Fracking, the team says, has revolutionized oil and gas production in the USA but the industry is a controversial one. The idea of uncertainty surrounding the safety of the chemicals used, potential contamination of drinking water supplies and the environment and the risk of triggering seismic activity through fracking are issues that remain high on the agenda. However, direct strike lightning accidents could be a critical factor in fracking safety in the long term.

The team has now overlaid the current US National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) risk map and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shale play map and found that the lightning threat will only increase with the migration of future shale activities. “Lightning is an increasing threat to a critical component of the world’s energy security,” the team suggests. They add that planning may change, but shale deposits and regional lightning threats do not change geographically. “This research quantifies the threat and outlines clear lightning mitigation strategies,” they explain.


Rooke, S.S. and Skibniewski, M.J. (2015) ‘Sensors for lightning mitigation at hydraulic fracturing storage facilities’, Int. J. Forensic Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp.293–311.

Original article: From a tiny spark, a flame.
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Crowd review

The internet has given almost everyone a very public voice and a chance to offer their opinion on almost every subject in a way that was not possible before. Research published in the International Journal of Knowledge and Web Intelligence demonstrates how consumer product reviews published on the internet could be analyzed through data mining techniques and allow designers to find ways to improve a given product or even add features that had not occurred to the manufacturer.

Ismail Art Yagci and Sanchoy Das of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, at New Jersey Institute of Technology, in Newark, USA, explain how web reviews are a readily available source of product intelligence and suggest that such reviews might contain significant pointers regarding the pros and cons of a design or features that are redundant, unwanted or missing. In light of this, the team introduces a design-feature-opinion-cause relationship (DFOC) method that can extract design intelligence from unstructured web reviews.

Product development managers are constantly challenged to learn about the consumer’s experience with their product and to uncover the specifics of how well or how badly a product is performing in the hands of those consumers. Conventional market research, which might involve prototype testing, field tests and independent assessment are costly, time consuming and limited in the amount of data they can return. The advent of the internet and in particular the idea of interactive web 2.0 sites, online social media and networking and a boom in our all-round need to share our opinions has opened up an entirely new approach to such testing based around what one might called “crowd review”.

The researchers explain how their DFOC method first builds a sentence-based web review database and then mines that database to identify design features that are of interest to both designers and users. Next it extracts and estimates the significance and polarity of customer opinion and identifies the underlying factors that may have given rise to a particular opinion. The DFOC system used an association rule-based opinion mining procedure for capturing and extracting noun-adjective and noun-verb relationships.

Opinion mining is not entirely new, but the team has demonstrated a strong proof of principle with their DFOC method on car design on characteristics such as engine power, fuel economy, safety, comfort, exhaust, sound system, interior design etc. The DFOC approach identified 42 features of interest many of which are not commonly specified in car design and yet are of interest or concern to drivers. “This implies that a DFOC type analysis expands the design feature analysis set, and hence makes the intelligence is even more valuable,” the team says. They have also demonstrated how it can overcome several of the problems inherent to earlier techniques.

They point out that their DFOC method could enhance creative efficiency by identifying negative opinions in the early stages of the design process, and so help channel effort to areas where designers can have the greatest impact on consumer opinion of future products. The approach could also improve competitiveness by shortening the lead-time for the introduction of new products or services, lowering design costs, and improving quality and reliability of products and services.


Yagci, I.A. and Das, S. (2015) ‘Design feature opinion cause analysis: a method for extracting design intelligence from web reviews’, Int. J. Knowledge and Web Intelligence, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp.127–145.

Original article: Crowd review.
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