Research pick: An easier life for the giant squid - "Thermodynamic assessment of information transmission in squid’s giant axon may explain why squid populations thrive with global warming"

A cold-blood marine animal, such as the giant squid, Architeuthis, might be one of the few beneficiaries of global warming. Given that its axonic activity is limited by the environmental temperature at which it finds itself, even small increases can lead to a reduction in entropy making living fundamentally easier for the squid, according to research published in the International Journal of Global Warming.

Bahar Hazal Yalçınkaya of the Department of Genetics and Bioengineering at Yeditepe University, in Istanbul, Turkey, Mustafa Özilgen of the Department of Food Engineering there, and Bayram Yılmaz of the Department of Physiology at Yeditepe University Hospital, also in Istanbul, point out that there are several types of creature that have been shown to thrive in the face of global warming. For instance, there is evidence that many pest species, weeds, and parasites fare better in the face of climate change. And, in the marine environment, it seems so do squid.

The team has looked at why this might be the case for the latter. Their thermodynamic analysis of information transmission in the squid giant axon, or nerve cell, shows a definitely lower increase in entropy when the environmental temperature rose. The team suggests this is reflected in an easier life for the squid at a higher temperature, offering an explanation as to why they might thrive under global warming conditions.

Yalçınkaya, B.H., Yılmaz, B. and Özilgen, M. (2019) ‘Thermodynamic assessment of information transmission in squid’s giant axon may explain why squid populations thrive with global warming’, Int. J. Global Warming, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp.233–250.

New Editor for International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

Prof. Yu Xiong from Northumbria University in the UK has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management.

Research pick: Self-optimising communication - "Design of an autonomic communication system"

A statistical approach could be used to allow a communication system to carry out self-optimisation, according to research published in the International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems.

Jose Aguilar, Kristell Aguilar, and José Torres of the Universidad de Los Andes, in Mérida, Venezuela, have proposed an autonomic communication system based on a Bayesian network and an ontology, which allows the system itself to make reconfiguration decisions. The ontology provides the necessary knowledge about performance factors and the relationships within the network. The statistical system then adjusts factors within the system to optimise performance based on that knowledge, acting as a stochastic reasoning mechanism.

The team has demonstrated in simulations how their approach improves performance significantly particularly for scenarios where there are high reconfiguration requirements. The adaptive self-optimising approach improves flow rate, reduces loss rate, and minimises delay within the system.

Aguilar, J., Aguilar, K. and Torres, J. (2019) ‘Design of an autonomic communication system’, Int. J. Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp.299–330.

Special issue published: "Intelligent Computing and Sustainable Systems"

International Journal of Computational Complexity and Intelligent Algorithms 1(2) 2019

• Scheming a new algorithm for dynamic price prediction of vegetable commodities using statistical price prediction technique
• Algorithm design, software simulation and mathematical modelling of subthreshold leakage current in CMOS circuits
• Improved low power implicit pulse triggered flip-flop with reduced power dissipation
• Big data analytics framework to analyse student's performance
• Layout detection using computer vision

Additional papers

• Complexity verification through design and analysis of computer experiments
• GIS-based design and analysis of preventive health management system for vehicles using ANFIS

International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications to invite expanded papers from 1st International Applied Bioinformatics Conference for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the 1st International Applied Bioinformatics Conference (1-3 October 2020, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications.

Research pick: Improving eHealth from Australia to Germany - "Success factors for national eHealth strategies: a comparative analysis of the Australian and German eHealth system"

Researchers from Australia and Germany have compared the national eHealth strategies in their respective countries and the compared and contrasted findings are combined in their report in the International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations.

Isabella Eigner, Andreas Hamper, and Freimut Bodendorf of FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, and Nilmini Wickramasinghe of Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, explain how the healthcare systems of the two countries share many traits in insurance and management and how both nations have initiated strategies to utilise information and communications technology (ICT) in healthcare, so-called eHealth. The aim being to improve healthcare by using digital services and raising service efficiency, reducing costs, and most importantly improving and patient outcomes as a result.

The team points out that while Australia has focused on a platform-based approach, which was originally known as the “personally controlled electronic health record”, Germany has introduced a mandatory “electronic health card” for people with public health insurance. Their comparison of the effects of such steps in each country reveals the pros and cons of each approach in the context of two different nations, which might be used to improve the implementation of eHealth strategies elsewhere or offer the necessary detail to allow those already in place in Australia, Germany, and other countries to be improved.

Eigner, I., Hamper, A., Wickramasinghe, N. and Bodendorf, F. (2019) ‘Success factors for national eHealth strategies: a comparative analysis of the Australian and German eHealth system’, Int. J. Networking and Virtual Organisations, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp.399–424.

Special issue published: "Privacy-Preserving, Secure, Intelligent E-Government Services"

International Journal of Electronic Governance 11(3/4) 2019

• The Interslavic language as a tool for supporting e-democracy in Central and Eastern Europe
• Big data in political communication: implications for group privacy
• Transparency-enabling information systems: trust relations and privacy concerns in open governance
• Enhancing university students' privacy literacy through an educational intervention: a Greek case-study
• Anonymity in social networks: the case of anonymous social media
• Authenticated academic services through eIDAS
• Redefining freedom of speech in the digital environment from an EU law perspective

Special issue published: "Innovative Techniques in Bridge Condition Assessment and Identification Subjected to Moving Loads"

International Journal of Lifecycle Performance Engineering 3(3/4) 2019

• Uncertainty analysis of the subway vehicle-track coupling system with fuzzy variables
• Two-step method for bridge modal mass identification using synchronously measured bridge and vehicle dynamic responses
• Research on moving load identification based on measured acceleration and strain signals
• Estimation of bridge surface profile from moving vehicle accelerations by means of moving force identification - an experimental field study
• The application of drive-by bridge damage detection based on continuous SSMA to the field experimental data
• Safety evaluation method of composite girder cable-stayed bridge based on structural health monitoring system
• Significance of structural vibrations on the flow rates and pressures inside a silo during discharge

Research pick: Reviewing a sustainable global future - "Urban planning and sustainable cities"

A review of the state-of-the-art in urban planning for sustainable cities has been undertaken by Rosario Adapon Turvey of Lakehead Universit in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Details are reported in the International Journal of the Sustainable Society and suggest that challenges and current perspectives discerned from the research literature might point the way towards a sustainable future based on a thorough understanding of the trends and developments taking place around the world.

“Recent intellectual inquiry has centred on the conceptualisation and knowledge production in creating sustainable cities,” Turvey explains, while pointing out that although the current review may not be exhaustive it does reveal the current progress. The ultimate goal, she writes, is to provide local authorities, practitioners and/or city governments with some perspective and guidance in working towards urban sustainability in the future.

Research into sustainability has grown considerably in the last few decades. Indeed, great rigour has emerged since the 1980s and the discipline is maturing quickly. “Sustainability has been taken as a planning concept that had its beginnings in ecological thinking and economics and now widely applied to studies in urban development,” she adds. Of course, by turns, it has been considered an oxymoron, overworked jargon, and hyperbole. Nevertheless, there is a pressing need to focus on sustainability if we are to surmount many of the problems of fuel and water supply, food security, and to address the problems we face as climate change becomes an increasingly pressing reality.

“As environmental concerns become part of development discourses, there is a need for optimism in the eventual refinement of the process to create ‘sustainable cities’ in the future,” Turvey concludes.

Turvey, R.A. (2019) ‘Urban planning and sustainable cities’, Int. J. Sustainable Society, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp.139–161.

New Editor for International Journal of Electronic Healthcare

Associate Prof. James Ma from the University of Colorado in the USA has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

Research pick: Ant-based troll detection - "Detection of threatening user accounts on Twitter social media database"

Uncovering trolls and malicious or spammy accounts on social media is increasingly difficult as the miscreants find more and more ways to camouflage themselves as seemingly legitimate. Writing in the International Journal of Intelligent Engineering Informatics, researchers in India have developed an algorithm based on ant-colony optimisation that can effectively detect accounts that represent a threat to normal users.

Asha Kumari and Balkishan Department of Computer Science and Applications at Maharshi Dayanand University, in Rohtak, India, explain that the connections between twitter users are analogous to the pheromone chemical communication between ants and this can be modeled in an algorithm based on how ant colonies behave to reveal the strongest connections in the twitter network and so uncover the accounts that one might deem as threatening to legitimate users.

The team’s tests on their system were successful in terms of precision, recall, f-measure, true-positive rate, and false-positive rate based on 26 features examined by the system played against almost 41500 user accounts attracted to honeypots. Moreover, they report that the approach is superior to existing techniques. The team adds that they hope to be able to improve the system still further by adding so-called machine learning into the algorithm so that it can be trained to better identify threatening accounts based on data from known threats and legitimate accounts.

Kumari, A. and Balkishan (2019) ‘Detection of threatening user accounts on Twitter social media database’, Int. J. Intelligent Engineering Informatics, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp.457–489.

Research pick: Mass customisation - "Willingness to pay and wait for mass customised products"

Are customers willing to pay more for mass customised products? That is the question a research team in Australia hoped to answer in the latest issue of the International Journal of Mass Customisation

Hassan Kalantari of the Department of Science, Engineering and Technology and Lester Johnson of the Department of Management and Marketing at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Victoria worked together on the conundrum. The team carried out a conjoint analysis, a market research technique, to see whether there is a trade-off between price, delivery waiting time , type of customisation in the niche market of walking stick sales in Australia. The market may well be niche, but it is large, and moreover, the team suggests that their approach could easily be used to study other mass markets that offer customization of products.

The work hinges on the gradual change that manufacturers have seen in many areas of sales where customers are no longer happy to accept the off-the-shelf products being offered but hope to have bespoke products tailored to their exacting requirements. It is inevitable that without the economies of scale that mass production provides, companies will be forced to charge more for their products, but will customers be willing to pay more?

The team found that customers are indeed willing to pay more for a customised product but are often also willing to wait longer for delivery provided they receive a discount on the price.

Kalantari, H.D. and Johnson, L.W. (2019) ‘Willingness to pay and wait for mass customised products’, Int. J. Mass Customisation, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp.111–129.

Special issue published: "Advances and Challenges of Soft Computing in Data Mining"

International Journal of Computational Systems Engineering 5(5/6) 2019

• A framework for ensemble classification and sensitivity analysis in privacy preserving data mining
• Feed forwarded CT image registration for tumour and cyst detection using rigid transformation with HSV colour segmentation
• A novel relaying approach of combined discrete wavelet transform and artificial neural network-based relaying scheme in a unified power flow controller integrated wind fed transmission line
• Empirical validation of object-oriented metrics on cross-projects with different severity levels
• Inverse kinematic solution of 6-DOF industrial robot using nero-fuzzy technology
• A phase entropy based novel machine learning structure conditioned for classifying ictal and non-ictal signal aimed at proper clinical diagnosis

International Journal of Business Competition and Growth to invite expanded papers from International Conference on Industry 4.0 for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Industry 4.0: Impact of Technology on Business Environment (6 January 2020, Delhi Institute of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, India) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Business Competition and Growth.

Special issue published: "Health as the Determining Factor to Sustainable Mobility"

International Journal of Sustainable Society 11(2) 2019

• How to improve the interaction between cyclists and truck drivers
• Associations between perceptions of road safety and active travel for school children and their parents - a health needs assessment
• Improving walkability in Catalonia through a participatory and empowerment model
• Visual perception of speed in drivers with ADHD

Research pick: Water watchdog - "Watch dog system for water management"

Using the Internet of Things for water security – A cluster of internet-enabled devices, including a water-flow sensor, pH sensor, ultrasonic sensor and “PIC” microcontroller, can be used together as a watchdog system for water quality, thanks to work by a team in India who describe details of the system in International Journal of Environment and Waste Management.

R. Jothikumar of Shadan College of Engineering and Technology, in Hyderabad, G. SivaShanmugam of VIT in Tamil Nadu, and S. Susi Department of Shadan Women’s College of Engineering and Technology, also in Hyderabad, explain the growing pressures on water with rising global population, climate change, and increasing pollution. They point out that an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to water quality control could be the answer to many of the problems we face concerning drinking-water supply and ensuring people have security of this vital resource.

The simple and low-cost system being developed by the team makes water quality assessment and water security widely available without the need for sophisticated technical knowledge. It can facilitate planned water management as well as allowing sources to be assigned to particular outlets depending on demand without compromising the quality of supply for any users. The team also points out that implemented across the globe such an approach would allow monitoring of ponds, lakes, and rivers, as well as water utility facilities and so, might allow us to manage waterways and water sources better for wildlife and ecosystems.

Jothikumar, R., SivaShanmugam, G. and Susi, S. (2019) ‘Watch dog system for water management’, Int. J. Environment and Waste Management, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp.396–404.

Special issue published: "Data-Driven Modelling and Intelligent Computation"

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control 32(3/4) 2019

• Parameter estimation algorithm for d-step time delay systems
• Sensor fault signal reconstruction based on sliding mode observer for flight control systems
• The gradient and the Newton iterative modelling methods for an operational amplifier circuit
• Steady flight of miniature fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle flocking by using biological algorithm
• Modelling arterial blood pressure waveforms for extreme bradycardia and tachycardia by curve fitting with Gaussian functions
• Research on reconfigurable control for a hovering PVTOL aircraft
• Intelligent detection method for tapping omitting of internal thread based on computer vision
• Online soft sensing method based on improved weighted Gaussian model
• Recursive least squares algorithm and stochastic gradient algorithm for feedback nonlinear equation-error systems
• A modified model decomposition identification for bilinear-in-parameter systems
• Multi-mode process monitoring based on multi-block information extraction PCA method with local neighbourhood standardisation
• Multi-innovation parameter and state estimation for multivariable state space systems
• The investigation of an improved ultrasonic tomography reconstruction method for bubble particle identification
• Research on passivity-based control strategy of three-phase current source inverter based on interconnection and damping assignment
• Human behaviour recognition algorithm based on improved DMM and Fisher coding

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Decision Support Systems

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

• Service quality assessment in retail industry: some evidence from supermarkets in Greece
• A tradeoff analysis between socio-economic efficiency and environmental performance of irrigated agriculture
• An intelligent decision support system for managing natural and man-made disasters
• A multi-criteria-based ranking of Greek construction companies listed in Athens Stock Exchange using investment ratios
• Decision support systems and strategic planning: information technology and SMEs' performance
• Development of a decision support tool for analysing the avian conservation measures in semi-arid region
• An agent-based model to explore urban policies, pedestrian behaviour and walkability

Special issue published: "Applications of Hybrid Bio Inspired Algorithms"

International Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies 8(4) 2019

• Fuzzy knowledge-based fractional order PID control implementation with nature inspired algorithms
• Stock price trend prediction with long short-term memory neural networks
• Prediction of air pollution using LSTM-based recurrent neural networks
• Human activity recognition from histogram of spatiotemporal depth features

Research pick: The shadowy world of information technology - "The growing impact of Shadow IT on higher education"

Educational institutions such as universities have for years battled against the rise of “Shadow” Information Technology, software and hardware that their users, whether student or educator, might bring to the establishment and us in conjunction with or instead of on-site equipment controlled by the IT department at the institution.

This shadowy world is a double-edged sword for the institution. On one hand, it means that staff and students can use the equipment and software with which they are familiar to fulfill their respective roles, but on the other, the institution’s IT department has no control on such hardware and software which might represent a security and/or safety risk to other users and the services the IT department provides.

Owen Hall of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, USA, writing in the International Journal of Information Systems and Management, explains the quandary facing educational establishments and offers a hybrid view that allows user and establishment to utilize Shadow IT, such as personal laptops, tablets, and smartphones and associated software and applications without compromising safety and security. Indeed, such an ameliorating approach might ultimately benefit the institution by reducing the overall burden on IT resources provided the risks are acknowledged and taken into consideration in allowing users to work in the shadows, as it were.

He concludes that constant vigilance and awareness are key to success with such a hybrid approach to IT use but conversely represent the greatest challenge. Moreover, it is critical to educate end-users to the putative problems of their using shadow IT and to demonstrate how resources provided by the university information systems organization might be just as useful to them in their endeavours within the academic world.

Hall Jr., O.P. (2019) ‘The growing impact of Shadow IT on higher education’, Int. J. Information Systems and Management, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp.1–16.

Special issue published: "Innovations in Manufacturing for the Engineering of Modern Materials"

International Journal of Materials Engineering Innovation 10(4) 2019

• Optimisation of drilling parameters for minimum circularity error in FRP composite
• A comprehensive modelling, analysis and optimisation of adhesive bonded single lap glass fibre reinforced composite joints
• Morphological evaluation of ultra low-density poly (methyl methacrylate) microcellular plastic developed through cyclic foaming technique
• Mechanical and wear characterisation of modern hybrid composite material
• Artificial neural network modelling and analysis of carbon nanopowder mixed micro wire electro discharge machining of gold coated doped silicon

Research pick: Optimising the pharmaceutical industry - "Performance optimisation of a pharmaceutical production line by integrated simulation and data envelopment analysis"

Research published in the International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling shows how integrated simulations can be used to optimize a pharmaceutical production line in a way that conventional mathematical modeling cannot.

Ahmad Taher Azar of Prince Sultan University, in Riyadh, KSA, and colleagues built their simulation using data and information from a working production line and then utilized the simulation to generate putative inputs and outputs for a range of production scenarios to show how they might be optimized for different resources and products. “This is the first study in which an integrated simulation DEA is used for the performance optimisation of a pharmaceutical unit,” the team writes.

The simulations showed six bottlenecks that reduce efficiency and slow production. These were brought into the simulated, verified and validated simulations so that they might be expunged from particular production scenarios. The simulations could then be combined in such a way to generate the optimal setup for any of more than 40 scenarios that the engineering team on a production line might face. Critically, any one of the many factors can affect overall efficiency and so a holistic approach has to be taken to reduce overheads and ensure the most efficient and effective approach.

Habibifar, N., Hamid, M., Bastan, M. and Azar, A.T. (2019) ‘Performance optimisation of a pharmaceutical production line by integrated simulation and data envelopment analysis’, Int. J. Simulation and Process Modelling, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp.360–376.

Special issue published: "Recent Advances in Sensing Technology, Vehicle Control Systems and Tyre Design Considerations for Electric and Autonomous Vehicles"

International Journal of Vehicle Design 79(4) 2019

• Vehicle longitudinal force estimation using adaptive neural network nonlinear observer
• Integrated control of AFS and DYC for in-wheel-motor electric vehicles based on operation region division
• Pressure controlling of integrated electro-hydraulic braking system with considering driver brake behaviour
• Active steering control system for an independent wheel drive electric vehicle
• A data-based lane departure warning algorithm using hidden Markov model

Inderscience journals to invite expanded papers from 1st Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Applications (GCAIA 2020) for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the 1st Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Applications (GCAIA 2020) (8-10 September 2020, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India) will be invited for review and potential publication by the following journals:

• Int. J. of Hybrid Intelligence
Int. J. of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing
• Int. J. of Internet of Things and Cyber-Assurance

Special issue on: "Hybrid Computational Intelligence in Big Data Analytics and Cloud Computing"

International Journal of Hybrid Intelligence 1(2/3) 2019

• Smart healthcare model with fog-cloud network architecture
• Improved real coded genetic algorithm-based short-term hydrothermal generation planning
• A survey on big data: an emerging imparity and revolution in digital world
• A comparative study of text mining in big data analytics using deep learning and other machine learning algorithms
• Cloud database failure prediction using multi agent system
• IoT-based algorithms for distributed location detection for flights
• Combined economic emission and load dispatch using hybrid metaheuristics

Additional paper

• Intentional and unintentional misbehaving node detection and prevention in mobile ad hoc network

Research pick: La Dolce Vita Australiano - "Creating a little bit of La Dolce Vita’. Explaining resilience and transformation in the Hunter Valley wine region, NSW, Australia"

As tastes and trade change, so the proactive marketing department must reinvent its brands and what they might refer to as their “offering”. Writing in the International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, a research team from Australia discusses how the once entirely desirable wines of the Hunter Valley region have now become part of a bigger gastronomic landscape to keep pace with trends and continue to sell their wines and other produce.

Sidsel Grimstad and Jennifer Waterhouse of the University of Newcastle, New South Wales and John Burgess of RMIT University in Melbourne, Victoria explain how resilience and transformation have been applied to create “a little bit of La Dolce Vita” in the region.

Hunter Valley is a small national producer but is, the researchers suggest, a strong custodian of the region’s wine identity. “The importance of having regional identity ‘custodians’ such as the old wine families that ensure that the landscape maintains the rural aesthetic, creates embedded institutions that benefit both old and new entrants,” the team writes. They add that “new entrants may be considered a risk, they also provide a continuous stream of creative solutions and investments, leading to continuous improvement of quality and luxury provision of wine and gastronomy sensory experiences.”

The team’s case study shows that wine-tourism in the Hunter Valley region is strong and more resilient because it has regenerated itself into a gastronomic landscape where lifestyle, food, wine, and tourism complement each other, the team says. “Through this, the Hunter Valley manages to maintain its lead among the top Australian destinations for both national and international wine and food tourists,” they conclude.

Grimstad, S., Waterhouse, J. and Burgess, J. (2019) ‘‘Creating a little bit of La Dolce Vita’. Explaining resilience and transformation in the Hunter Valley wine region, NSW, Australia’, Int. J. Globalisation and Small Business, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp.359–380.

Special issue published: "Networks in Changing Business Ecosystems"

International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business 10(4) 2019

• Influence of mentors on networking behaviour of small business owners: a conceptual framework
• The role of internal resources in the competitive positioning of Sicilian wine cooperatives
• Regional strategic networks in southern Brazil
• 'Creating a little bit of La Dolce Vita'. Explaining resilience and transformation in the Hunter Valley wine region, NSW, Australia

Editor in Chief of International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making becomes Honorary Doctor for University of Western Macedonia

Prof. Constantin Zopounidis, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making, has recently been appointed as Honorary Doctor at the University of Western Macedonia's School of Economics. Further details are available here.

Special issue published: "Internet of Things Security"

International Journal of Information Privacy, Security and Integrity 4(1) 2019

• Survey: secure opportunistic routing protocols in wireless networks
• Security analysis for intelligent urban freight transport
• Connected car and CO2 emission overview: solutions, challenges and opportunities

Additional paper

• Differential cryptanalysis on DES cryptosystem up to eight rounds

Research pick: Nordic walking by electronic word-of-mouth - "Positive and negative emotional spirals in e-WOM of new recreational sports: a case study on Nordic walking"

Ulla Hakala and Birgitta of the Sandberg Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, Finland, and Marta Zurawik of Wigan, UK, have investigated electronic word-of-mouth, so-called e-WOM in the context of a relatively new recreational sport, Nordic walking. They hoped to reveal how positive and negative emotions affect e-WOM. Their hypothesis underpinning the study suggests that there is limited knowledge of emotional sharing concerning novel recreational activities.

At the moment, the team explains, there is limited knowledge on emotional sharing concerning novel recreational activities, ones that some – whether participant or observer – might perceive as embarrassing in some way. They have analysed the online discussion surrounding Nordic walking in different countries and found that there are positive and negative views about the activity as one might expect.

“Our understanding of the contagion of emotions in social encounters is limited and the effect of discrete emotions on changes in physical activity behaviour remains largely unexplored,” the team writes. Their work sets out to explore the emotional response to novel recreational activities and to set a context for the study of eWOM with respect to such activities. They suggest that their work is “the beginning of a journey to explore the social sharing of emotions and the role of social media in sharing opinions and experiences on engagement in novel physical activities.”

Zurawik, M., Hakala, U. and Sandberg, B. (2019) ‘Positive and negative emotional spirals in e-WOM of new recreational sports: a case study on Nordic walking’, Int. J. Leisure and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 6, Nos. 3/4, pp.254–278.

International Journal of Hybrid Intelligence to invite expanded papers from 1st Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Applications (GCAIA 2020) for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the 1st Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Applications (GCAIA 2020) (8-10 September 2020, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Hybrid Intelligence.

Free open access article available: "An integrated risk assessment and management framework for carbon capture and storage: a Canadian perspective"

The following paper, "An integrated risk assessment and management framework for carbon capture and storage: a Canadian perspective" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Information Privacy, Security and Integrity

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

• An experiment of hit-and-run wireless attacks
• Secure and privacy-oriented obfuscation scheme for smart metering in smart grid via dynamic aggregation and lightweight perturbation
• Isolating malicious content scripts of browser extensions
• Automatic detection of DDoS attacks to notification services

Free open access article available: "Uncertainty in risk issues for carbon capture and geological storage: findings from a structured expert elicitation"

The following paper, "Uncertainty in risk issues for carbon capture and geological storage: findings from a structured expert elicitation" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Clustering peers to boost P2P networks - "A file sharing system in peer-to-peer network by a nearness-sensible method"

The concept of peer-to-peer (P2P) networking came to the fore as part of the movement that led to the freeing up of digital information although it gained considerable notoriety when it was hijacked for the purposes of illicit and illegal file sharing. However, it remains an important concept in distributing upload and download bandwidth among users with large files to distribute and P2p networking is used by many different tools with perfectly legitimate applications.

Writing in the International Journal of Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems, a team from India points out that for efficient use of a P2P network it is best if users that are a short hop from each other in terms of internet connectivity are clustered together. This can reduce the total burden on system resources and bandwidth by precluding the sending of packets of data across non-optimal transfer distances. The team of S. Vimal at the Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, in Chennai, and S.K. Srivatsa of MIT at Anna University also in Chennai, India, have shown how a clustered P2P network that utilizes a file-replication algorithm can boost efficiency still further.

The team describes their approach as a “nearness and interested cluster (NIC) super peer network. The interests and categorized “sub-interests” of peers are used to cluster them according to the most likely of digital commodities that they might be anticipated to share.

Vimal, S. and Srivatsa, S.K. (2019) ‘A file sharing system in peer-to-peer network by a nearness-sensible method’, Int. J. Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp.293–299.

Inderscience journals to invite expanded papers from 12th International Exergy, Energy and Environment Symposium for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the 12th International Exergy, Energy and Environment Symposium (IEEES-12) (22-26 March 2020, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Doha, Qatar) will be invited for review and potential publication by the following journals:

• Int. J. of Exergy
• Int. J. of Global Warming

Free open access article available: "Risk management in carbon capture and geological storage: insights from a structured expert elicitation"

The following paper, "Risk management in carbon capture and geological storage: insights from a structured expert elicitation" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Special issue published: "People, Planet and Development: Bridging the Gaps in Emerging Economies"

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development 18(4) 2019

• Climate change adaptation: a corrective policy framework in the Malaysian agricultural sector
• The environmental resource management paradox in an impoverished urban population: a case study from Malaysia
• Global population stabilisation policy and declining work-age population: a threat to global economic sustainability
• Sustainability practices framework of the palm oil milling sub-sector: a literature survey
• Sustainability of Malaysian oil palm: a critical review

Free open access article available: "Risk communication and public engagement in CCS projects: the foundations of public acceptability"

The following paper, "Risk communication and public engagement in CCS projects: the foundations of public acceptability" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
 22(3/4) 20XX), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Free sample articles newly available from Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development

The following sample articles from the Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development are now available here for free:

• Sustainable development and green tourism: new practices for excellence in the digital era
• Exploring entrepreneurship, innovation and tourism development from a sustainable perspective: evidence from Greece
• Strategic development and business process automation networks in Greek tele-companies
• The role of environmental responsibility in tourism
• E-commerce and e-customer satisfaction during the economic crisis
• Exploring educational needs of young farmers in precision agriculture in Serres, Greece, and the perspective of innovative agricultural educational programs

Free open access article available: "Potential technical hazards associated with four North American carbon capture and sequestration projects"

The following paper, "Potential technical hazards associated with four North American carbon capture and sequestration projects" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Special Issue published: From the Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems

International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems 12(3/4) 2019

• Comparison of model free control strategies for chatter suppression by an inertial actuator
• Micro textured cutting tool effects on cutting forces, volumetric wear and adhesion in dry turning of titanium alloy
• Cutting force investigation in face milling of additively fabricated nickel alloy 625 via powder bed fusion
• Development of a portable stereolithography device for computer numerical control machining centres
• Ultrasonic-assisted machining processes: a review
• Data-driven productivity improvement in machinery supply chains
• Meshless single grain cutting simulations on the GPU
• Robust trajectory control of an unmanned aerial vehicle using acceleration feedback
• Development and application of an automated impulse hammer for improved analysis of five-axis CNC machine dynamics and enhanced stability chart prediction
• Smart factory equipment integration through standardised OPC UA communication with companion specifications and equipment specific information models

Free open access article available: "Improving decision making for carbon management initiatives"

The following paper, "Improving decision making for carbon management initiatives" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Smooth and stable electric vehicle charging - "Home energy management based on plug-in electric vehicle power control in a residential smart grid"

Siwar Khemakhem, Mouna Rekik, and Lotfi Krichen of the Control and Energy Management Laboratory at the National Engineering School of Sfax, in Tunisia, are investigating the potential of home energy management based on plug-in electric vehicle power control in a residential smart grid.
Writing in the International Journal of Digital Signals and Smart Systems, the team explains how the advent of electric vehicles has shifted the pressure to some extent from power supply based filling a tank with a liquid or gas fuel at a station to generally charging one’s vehicle from home. As more and more drivers switch to electric vehicles there is a need to make the supply of power smarter. The team has now proposed an optimal charge/discharge power management algorithm that can be used in residential areas and takes into account smart grid technology.

“The purpose of this control strategy is to ensure the energy flow exchanging between plugin electric vehicles and smart home to improve the energy efficiency and to achieve a flattened power load curve,” the team writes. Their algorithm finds the optimal approach to charging for off-peak and home-to-vehicle power supply. It also looks at how to cope when charging is needed during peak electricity demand periods. Simulation of the algorithm shows that it is capable of smoothing the power load curve and making the smart grid stable and secure by switching between four operating modes where discharging electricity from the vehicle’s batteries occurs when demand is high but charging is boosted during off-peak times.

Khemakhem, S., Rekik, M. and Krichen, L. (2019) ‘Home energy management based on plug-in electric vehicle power control in a residential smart grid’, Int. J. Digital Signals and Smart Systems, Vol. 3, Nos. 1/2/3, pp.173–186.

Research pick: Modelling Klee - "Modelling and generating abstract images of Paul Klee style"

Bauhaus artist, Paul Klee (1879-1940) had a unique abstract style nodding, by turns to Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism. Now, computer scientists from China and the USA are working together to create an algorithm that can mimic the style of the Swiss-born artist. Their research adds to the oeuvre that is known as generative art.

Writing in the International Journal of Arts and Technology, Hanqing Zhao of Tianjin University, and Kang Zhang of The University of Texas at Dallas discuss how they have used their personal assessment and computer analysis to study Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook created in his later years. Having analysed the colour and composition of Klee’s paintings, the team has used a computer to generate with randomly adjusted parameters of compositions and palette, two generative artworks in the style of Klee.

The team explains that the scalable framework they have developed offers a novel paradigm for the generation of abstract images. The team suggests that generative art of this type can have its place as an art form in its own right. Moreover, by providing a non-invasive way to analyse and then describe original artistic works it might be a useful tool for those studying traditional, albeit modern or abstract, paintings.

“Other researchers could extend this framework on other abstract paintings’ styles,” the team writes. “We hope that our work inspires both artists and computer scientists for further research on new media art and design.”


Pictured above are captures of the originals of Glass Façade and New Harmony with generative forms created by the authors on the right.

Zhao, H. and Zhang, K. (2019) ‘Modelling and generating abstract images of Paul Klee style’, Int. J. Arts and Technology, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp.380–392.

Special issue published: "Recent Advances in Electrical Systems"

International Journal of Digital Signals and Smart Systems 3(1/2/3) 2019

• Intelligent SVM technique of a multi-level inverter for a DFIG-based wind turbine system
• Effects of temperature on the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness under a plane wave excitation
• PID controller compared with dynamic matrix control applied on disturbed complex system
• Novel voltage-based PV MPPT controller
• Direct torque control of induction machine drive based on sliding mode controller and a stator resistance compensator with a new hybrid observer
• Diagnosis inverter-fed induction motor fault at low load conditions by using demodulation Teager-Kaiser energy operator based on stator current
• Pattern recognition-based fault detection of a PM synchronous motor under stator winding short circuit faults
• Regrouping of acoustics microwaves in piezoelectric material (ZnO) by SVM classifier
• MRAS speed observer for sensorless adaptive intelligent backstepping controller of induction machines
• Optimal digital PID controller design for regulating blood glucose level of type-I diabetic patients
• Delay dependent stability analysis of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy time-delays system

Additional paper

• Home energy management based on plug-in electric vehicle power control in a residential smart grid

Free open access article available: "The economic evaluation of the benefits and costs of carbon capture and storage"

The following paper, "The economic evaluation of the benefits and costs of carbon capture and storage" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Special issue published: "Recent Advances in Bio-Inspired Computing Paradigms for Security and Privacy of Innovative Computing"

International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications 10(3/4) 2019

• An out-of-band mobile authenticating mechanism for controlling access to data outsourced in the mobile cloud environment
• Parkinson's diagnosis using ant-lion optimisation algorithm
• An improved chaotic-based African buffalo optimisation algorithm
• Image integrity verification via reversible predictive hiding and elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman
• Bio-inspired algorithms for diagnosis of breast cancer
• A robust approach to detect video-based attacks to enhance security
• Increased PSNR with improved DWT digital watermarking technique
• Secure provenance-based communication using visual encryption

Additional paper

• A survey on partitional clustering using single-objective metaheuristic approach

Free open access article available: "Alberta's approach to the transfer of liability for carbon capture and storage projects"

The following paper, "Alberta's approach to the transfer of liability for carbon capture and storage projects" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Free open access article available: "The evolution of regulatory practice for CCS projects in Canada"

The following paper, "The evolution of regulatory practice for CCS projects in Canada" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Digital Signals and Smart Systems

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Digital Signals and Smart Systems are now available here for free:

• Massively parallel hybrid algorithm on embedded graphics processing unit for unmanned aerial vehicle path planning
• Control design and sensors fault tolerant for vehicle dynamics (a selected paper from SSD'17)
• Iris recognition: using a statistical model of shape and spatial relation for effective segmentation
• Fast detection control for fault-tolerant converter back-to-back with redundancy leg supplying an induction motor drives
• Controlling schemes in digital load side transmission system for intelligent lighting

Free open access article available: "Risk assessment and management frameworks for carbon capture and geological storage: a global perspective"

The following paper, "Risk assessment and management frameworks for carbon capture and geological storage: a global perspective" (International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Special issue published: "New Paradigms in International Business"

Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development 12(1) 2019

• Greenfield investment vs. merger and acquisition as an entry strategy in Mexico - the case of Austrian companies
• A study on financial constraints of capital structure theories and dividend policy: evidence from Indian capital market
• The role of video marketing in the modern business environment: a view of top management of SMEs
• International franchising in the fashion industry from the franchisor perspective
• Factors affecting the performance of women entrepreneurs in SMEs: a case study of Punjab, Pakistan

Free open access article available: "Environmental scan and issue awareness: risk management challenges for CCS"

The following paper, "Environmental scan and issue awareness: risk management challenges for CCS" (International Journal of International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 22(3/4) 2019), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Unlocking happiness - "Finding the skeleton key to happiness: evaluating model invariance of subjective well-being in a comparison of large urban centres worldwide"

What is the key to happiness? More to the point, is there a universal skeleton key that city dwellers could use to unlock happiness? Writing in the aptly named International Journal of Happiness and Development, a Canadian team finds the answers.

When it comes to happiness, it is difficult to predict what might make a person feel that way, regardless of the received wisdom with regards to wealth, health, and other factors. Indeed, Kenneth Cramer of the Department of Psychology at the University of Windsor in Windsor Ontario and Rebecca Pschibul of Western University in London, Ontario, Canada, suggest that higher creativity, optimism, longevity, and lower hostility and self-centredness, are good markers of happiness. But, they wonder whether such factors are universal. As such, they have carried out a study of several large urban centres around the world to find out.

The team looked at various elements of city life including economics, culture and education, income, safety, living conditions, city administration, health, city pride, and the self-reported level of happiness. It seemed that each urban centre had a different overall makeup in terms of these antecedents to happiness. Apparently, there is no universal key. In general, health was the greatest common predictor of happiness (especially among men) with pride in one’s city second on the list, and, perhaps surprisingly, household income.

Ultimately, the team did not find a skeleton key to unlock happiness, there is, they explain “little support for the invariance (generalisability) hypothesis”. They point out that rather than attempting to find a one size fits all solution across the globe, much within reach is a greater understanding of the relevant elements that could be used to promote greater quality of urban life in specific regions.

Cramer, K.M. and Pschibul, R. (2019) ‘Finding the skeleton key to happiness: evaluating model invariance of subjective well-being in a comparison of large urban centres worldwide’, Int. J. Happiness and Development, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp.257–278

Special issue published: "Contemporary Supply Chain Challenges Security Quality Sustainability"

International Journal of Learning and Change 11(3) 2019

• Ensuring ecology of cargo transportation by road transport
• Adoption of voluntary environmental tools in Slovak Republic - focused on ISO 14001 and EMAS
• Consumer dissatisfaction structure - e-logistic perspective: Lithuania case
• Challenges for automatic identification systems in the supply chain
• Managing firm's logistics and knowledge: the value concept
• Risks of illegal migration and associated damage to transport companies. The case of the corridor France-UK

International Journal of Banking, Accounting and Finance increases issues

The International Journal of Banking, Accounting and Finance has announced that it will be increasing issues from two to four from 2020 onwards.

Free open access special issue published: "Risk Assessment and Management of Carbon Capture and Storage: A Canadian Perspective"

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 22(3/4) 2019

The following open access articles are all available for free.

• Environmental scan and issue awareness: risk management challenges for CCS
• Risk assessment and management frameworks for carbon capture and geological storage: a global perspective
• The evolution of regulatory practice for CCS projects in Canada
• Alberta's approach to the transfer of liability for carbon capture and storage projects
• The economic evaluation of the benefits and costs of carbon capture and storage
• Improving decision making for carbon management initiatives
• Potential technical hazards associated with four North American carbon capture and sequestration projects
• Risk communication and public engagement in CCS projects: the foundations of public acceptability
• Risk management in carbon capture and geological storage: insights from a structured expert elicitation
• Uncertainty in risk issues for carbon capture and geological storage: findings from a structured expert elicitation
• An integrated risk assessment and management framework for carbon capture and storage: a Canadian perspective

Research pick: Unauthorised logistics - "Risks of illegal migration and associated damage to transport companies. The case of the corridor France – UK"

Writing in the International Journal of Learning and Change, researchers explain how more than a million unauthorised immigrants and refugees entered Europe in 2015. Unfortunately, there are many delays facing those with a legitimate claim to seeking asylum. Many people are also rejected for a wide variety of reasons and various factors have encouraged many migrants to bypass the legal routes. They enter Europe and travel through it illicitly in land vehicles being smuggled across borders and into and through their chosen European country often without being noticed. This often ends tragically for many of those seeking a new life in another country as we have seen very recently in the news.

Aidas Vasilis Vasiliauskas and Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene of the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Virgilija Vasiliene-Vasiliauskiene and Margarita Marija Lietuvnike of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University have looked at the economic costs of illegal immigration on European road freight transport companies operating in the corridor between France and the United Kingdom.

“Taking into consideration that road freight transport is the main mode of transport ensuring the functioning of logistics system in Europe, the consequences may surely be serious: disruption in the processes of supply, production and distribution, cargo delays or failures to arrive, interrupted factory operations, losing cooperation with clients,” the team writes. There is an ever-pressing need for the private and public sectors to work together to find a way to address the problem of illegal migrants. Solutions could save lives as well as reduce the detrimental effects on companies and their employees involved in freight between France and the UK.

Vasiliauskas, A.V., Vasiliene-Vasiliauskiene, V., Lietuvnike, M.M. and Meidute-Kavaliauskiene, I. ‘Risks of illegal migration and associated damage to transport companies. The case of the corridor France – UK’, Int. J. Learning and Change

Research pick: Healthy activities in the smart home - "A new approach for the recognition of human activities"

Evaluating a patient’s ability to perform daily activities is critical to successful nursing and healthcare, particularly in the elderly. Such an assessment is a powerful predictor of so-called morbidity, or how much the patient is affected detrimentally by their symptoms. New research in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing is looking to develop a machine learning approach that can address the task of recognising a patient’s different activities in a smart home.

Salima Sabri and Abdelouhab Aloui of the Université de Bejaia in Algeria have evaluated their approach by comparing it to a Markov statistical approach and using several performance measures over three datasets. “We show how our model achieves significantly better recognition performance on certain data sets and with different representations and discretisation methods with an accuracy measurement that exceeds 92% and accuracy of 68%,” they report.

The team explains how context-aware systems are coming to the fore in healthcare research for monitoring the negative symptoms of an aging population without the need for undue invasiveness on the part of healthcare workers. Classification based on well-known and well-established indicators might now be incorporated into an automated system to show how well a patient can care for themselves or whether intervention is needed to assist them in coping with their symptoms.

Sabri, S. and Aloui, A. (2019) ‘A new approach for the recognition of human activities’, Int. J. Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp.211–223.