Humanity is creating huge amounts of data every day, billions of emails and social media updates, new websites, documents, images, and scientific and commercial big data amounting to petabytes of storage needs and beyond. It is well recognised that nucleic acids, the RNA and DNA that encode the proteins needed to build living things are seemingly quite efficient in storing information and so taking inspiration from this realm, a team from India writes in the International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials how extended nucleic acid memory (NAM) might be the future of data storage technology.
By comparison, a computer hard disk has an information storage capacity of 10 to the 13 bits of data per cubic centimetre, that’s about 1.25 terabytes. NAM has the potential to store a million times that amount in the same volume, 1,250,000 terabytes, or 1250 petabytes, 1.25 exabytes. If we consider the information contained in the “big four” of the internet – Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook – that is the sum of all the data they have storable in a single cubic centimetre of NAM.
Saptarshi Biswas of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, at the Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology, in Kolkata, India, and colleagues Subhrapratim Nath, Jamuna Kanta Sing, and Subir Kumar Sarkar of Jadavpur University have now developed a new encoding approach allowing them to talk of extended NAM. Their method efficiently maps binary data on to a hybrid system of standard as well as using non-standard genetic nucleotides (in addition to the familiar G, A, T, and C (guanosine, adenosine, thymine, and cytosine, of DNA) to achieve a higher data capacity. The natural pairing up of the GATC bases in DNA is what gives us the double-helix and allows information to be encoded for the production of proteins whether in a fungus, a bacterium, a rose, or a human being.
The team has added two new non-standard nucleotides, to give them additional pairings Ds-Px (thienylimidazopyridine and a nitropropynylpyrrole) and Im-Na (an imidazopyrimidine and a naphthyridine). These are very stable units to complement the pairings of A-T and C-G in a natural nucleic acid. They are also highly selective in such a molecule, specifically DNA. This could potentially take the hypothetical storage capacity of that single cubic centimetre of NAM to several times the 1.25 exabyte value mentioned above. Indeed, the team writes that extended RAM would have a capacity of more than 630 exabytes per gram of DNA, which assuming DNA has a density of 1.7 grams per cubic centimetre is more more than 370 exabytes per cubic centimetre of extended NAM. that’s almost 300 times the total information held by the big four of the internet today.
Biswas, S., Nath, S., Sing, J.K. and Sarkar, S.K. (2020) ‘Extended nucleic acid memory as the future of data storage technology’, Int. J. Nano and Biomaterials, Vol. 9, Nos. 1/2, pp.2–17.
29 May 2020
28 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials are now available here for free:
- Theoretical study of anisotropic tunnelling conductance in iron-based orbitally ordered superconductors
- Development of self-assembled polygalacturonic acid-peptide composites and their interactions with mesenchymal stem cells for potential applications in tendon tissue engineering
- The theoretical study of the correlation between band filling and Coulomb interaction in the charge gap of graphene-on-substrate in paramagnetic limit
- The tight-binding model study of the role of electron occupancy on the ferromagnetic gap in graphene-on-substrate
- Microscopic study of the role of second nearest neighbour spin density wave coupling and electron hopping on superconducting gap
- Theoretical study of anisotropy in orbital and antiferromagnetic spin orderings in CMR manganites
- The study of thermal properties of f-electron systems in the ferromagnetic state
- Synthesis of high surface area boehmite and alumina by using walnut shell as template
Special issue published: "Impact of Nanotechnology on Devices for Integrated Circuits"
International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials 9(1/2) 2020
- Extended nucleic acid memory as the future of data storage technology
- Role of stress/strain mapping and random dopant fluctuation in advanced CMOS process technology nodes
- Strain engineering in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for performance enhancement
- Controlled hardware architecture for fractal image compression
- All optical four bit two's complement generator and single bit comparator using reflective semiconductor optical amplifier
- Polysaccharide capped antibacterial silver nanoparticles synthesis using green chemistry
- Investigation on microstructures and phases of Fe-Ga alloy films deposited by magnetron sputtering
Research pick: The true cost of R&D - "How companies respond to growing research costs: cost control or value creation?"
An analysis of case studies of research and development intensive companies published in the International Journal of Technology Management reveals that companies do not necessarily perceive R&D as a cost, per se. The international team reports and assesses the different strategies companies can employ to respond to growing research costs. Because on the bottom line, R&D is a cost.
Their work shows that companies do see the expense of R&D as a secondary factor. “The main drivers of research investments are based on the expected value of innovations, risk and strategic competence development, and anticipating uncertainty concerning the kind of research that might be needed in the future,” the team writes.
Karl-Heinz Leitner of the Center for Innovation Systems and Policy, at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, in Vienna and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Applied Business Studies at the University of Graz, also in Austria, and colleagues in Italy, The Netherlands, and the USA, emphasise that while there is a large body of research literature on studying the different strategies that might be used to exploit R&D investments, researchers actually know little about the relative importance of controlling costs. Their analysis of case studies of European and US firms that are R&D intensive reveals much about how R&D costs are perceived.
They found that “value creation” is the predominant emphasis of R&D managers and cost does not appear to be a key factor in directing and managing R&D nor in their response to growing R&D costs. However, there is no binary decision to be made between cost control and value creation. They conclude that it is important for R&D managers to develop dynamic capabilities and business models that can adjust the company’s R&D agenda to the changing technological, market and regulatory environment.
Leitner, K-H., Poti, B.M., Wintjes, R.J.M. and Youtie, J. (2020) ‘How companies respond to growing research costs: cost control or value creation?’, Int. J. Technology Management, Vol. 82, No. 1, pp.1–25.
Their work shows that companies do see the expense of R&D as a secondary factor. “The main drivers of research investments are based on the expected value of innovations, risk and strategic competence development, and anticipating uncertainty concerning the kind of research that might be needed in the future,” the team writes.
Karl-Heinz Leitner of the Center for Innovation Systems and Policy, at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, in Vienna and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Applied Business Studies at the University of Graz, also in Austria, and colleagues in Italy, The Netherlands, and the USA, emphasise that while there is a large body of research literature on studying the different strategies that might be used to exploit R&D investments, researchers actually know little about the relative importance of controlling costs. Their analysis of case studies of European and US firms that are R&D intensive reveals much about how R&D costs are perceived.
They found that “value creation” is the predominant emphasis of R&D managers and cost does not appear to be a key factor in directing and managing R&D nor in their response to growing R&D costs. However, there is no binary decision to be made between cost control and value creation. They conclude that it is important for R&D managers to develop dynamic capabilities and business models that can adjust the company’s R&D agenda to the changing technological, market and regulatory environment.
Leitner, K-H., Poti, B.M., Wintjes, R.J.M. and Youtie, J. (2020) ‘How companies respond to growing research costs: cost control or value creation?’, Int. J. Technology Management, Vol. 82, No. 1, pp.1–25.
27 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Technology Management
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technology Management are now available here for free:
- Corporate returns to subsidised R&D projects: direct grants vs. tax credit financing
- Investigating technological strategy and relevance of knowledge domains in R&D collaborations
- Citation impact of public and private funding on nanotechnology-related publications
- Are innovation resources and capabilities enough to make businesses sustainable? An empirical study of leading sustainable innovative firms
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Computational Materials Science and Surface Engineering
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Computational Materials Science and Surface Engineering are now available here for free:
- Mathematical model and optimisation for tensile strength of human hair reinforced polyester composites
- Comparative study on effects of slurry erosive parameters on plasma sprayed flyash-Al2O3 and flyash-SiC composite coatings on Al6061 alloy
- Effect of Ni content and brazing temperature on the self-joining of ZrB2-SiC
- The simulation for ultrasonic testing based on frequency-phase coded excitation
- Numerical analysis of stress-induced and concentration-dependent carbon diffusion in low-temperature surface carburisation of 316L stainless steel
- Deformation control study on H-beam welded by a finite element model
- Latest developments in virtual casting of lightweight metals
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Corporate Governance
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Corporate Governance are now available here for free:
- The nexus between effective corporate monitoring and CEO compensation
- Does corporate governance influence the working capital management of firms: evidence from India
- Corporate governance in India - battle of stakes
- Disclosures of unethical practices: framework for the promotion of whistle-blowing in Nigeria's corporate governance
Research pick: Tightening up facial biometrics - "Face spoof detection using feature map superposition and CNN"
Facial biometrics for security applications is an important modern technology. Unfortunately, there is the possibility of “spoofing” a person’s face to the sensor or detection system through the use of a photograph or even video presented to the security system. A team from China has now developed a counter-measure that could preclude face spoofing and make such biometric security systems far less prone to abuse. The team reports details in the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering.
Fei Gu, Zhihua Xia, Jianwei Fei, Chengsheng Yuan, and Qiang Zhang of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, explain how anti-spoofing technology usually looks to illumination differences, colour differences, or textures differences to spot issues with the presented face to determine whether or not the face is a photo or video rather than a live human in front of the security camera. However, even these approaches are vulnerable.
In order to make a stronger anti-spoofing system, the team has proposed a method based on various feature maps and convolution neural networks for photo and video replay attacks. They explain that facial contour and specularly reflected features are taken into account when verifying a face so that depth and width can be determined, aspects of a living face that are not present in a photograph. Their proof of principle shows remarkable performance against multiple datasets and shows that the method can defend not only photo attack, but also video replay attack with a very low error rate.
Gu, F., Xia, Z., Fei, J., Yuan, C. and Zhang, Q. (2020) ‘Face spoof detection using feature map superposition and CNN’, Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 22, Nos. 2/3, pp.355–363.
Fei Gu, Zhihua Xia, Jianwei Fei, Chengsheng Yuan, and Qiang Zhang of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, explain how anti-spoofing technology usually looks to illumination differences, colour differences, or textures differences to spot issues with the presented face to determine whether or not the face is a photo or video rather than a live human in front of the security camera. However, even these approaches are vulnerable.
In order to make a stronger anti-spoofing system, the team has proposed a method based on various feature maps and convolution neural networks for photo and video replay attacks. They explain that facial contour and specularly reflected features are taken into account when verifying a face so that depth and width can be determined, aspects of a living face that are not present in a photograph. Their proof of principle shows remarkable performance against multiple datasets and shows that the method can defend not only photo attack, but also video replay attack with a very low error rate.
Gu, F., Xia, Z., Fei, J., Yuan, C. and Zhang, Q. (2020) ‘Face spoof detection using feature map superposition and CNN’, Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 22, Nos. 2/3, pp.355–363.
26 May 2020
Research pick: Negapedia - "To beat or not to beat: uncovering the world social battles with Wikipedia"
The rules surrounding information have changed with the ongoing development of the digital world. Information has become accessible to almost everyone around the world, any time of the day or night, at the touch of a mobile phone screen or the click of a mouse.
Writing in the International Journal of Big Data Intelligence, a team from Italy, reiterates this point and points out that at this stage in the evolution of those rules there are now a handful of central hubs providing almost all of the information that the vast majority of the population accesses: the major search engines, such as Google and Baidu, the big social media networks, Facebook and Twitters, and a few other repositories, such as Wikipedia and their more local equivalents in Russia, China, and other parts of the world that have certain barriers to globalization.
Massimo Marchior and Enrico Bonetti Vieno of the University of Padua, explain how a system like Wikipedia has many pros but also various cons. It has been enormously successful as a dynamic, online alternative to conventional encyclopedia. However, the distributed nature of its content, sources, and editors, also gives rise to some problems. Fundamentally, the team writes “everybody can contribute and so also manipulate information in a way that is practically invisible to the general public.”
They describe the “Negapedia” system, which is an online public service that offers a more complete picture of the underlying layers of Wikipedia. It involves big data analysis and the need to overcome information overload, but it also offers novel insights into the important issue of Wikipedia categorisation, analysing the problem of presenting general users with easy and meaningful category information. Negapedia can, the team reports, reveal the social turbulence that underlies much of the content and the editorial battles that take place, particularly surrounding controversial subjects, such as politics, religion, conspiracy theories, and activism and advocacy.
An additional point of interest that emerges from this study is the connection between controversial information and the level of interest in that subject matter. “We found out that there is in fact correlation between topics of high interest to users and conflict, thus showing that controversy seems to be tightly linked with popularity.” They add that perhaps one aspects drives the other. “To some extent, controversy (negativity) can be seen as a natural phenomenon arising from people interest,” they add.
Marchiori, M. and Vieno, E.B. (2020) ‘To beat or not to beat: uncovering the world social battles with Wikipedia’, Int. J. Big Data Intelligence, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.110–125.
Writing in the International Journal of Big Data Intelligence, a team from Italy, reiterates this point and points out that at this stage in the evolution of those rules there are now a handful of central hubs providing almost all of the information that the vast majority of the population accesses: the major search engines, such as Google and Baidu, the big social media networks, Facebook and Twitters, and a few other repositories, such as Wikipedia and their more local equivalents in Russia, China, and other parts of the world that have certain barriers to globalization.
Massimo Marchior and Enrico Bonetti Vieno of the University of Padua, explain how a system like Wikipedia has many pros but also various cons. It has been enormously successful as a dynamic, online alternative to conventional encyclopedia. However, the distributed nature of its content, sources, and editors, also gives rise to some problems. Fundamentally, the team writes “everybody can contribute and so also manipulate information in a way that is practically invisible to the general public.”
They describe the “Negapedia” system, which is an online public service that offers a more complete picture of the underlying layers of Wikipedia. It involves big data analysis and the need to overcome information overload, but it also offers novel insights into the important issue of Wikipedia categorisation, analysing the problem of presenting general users with easy and meaningful category information. Negapedia can, the team reports, reveal the social turbulence that underlies much of the content and the editorial battles that take place, particularly surrounding controversial subjects, such as politics, religion, conspiracy theories, and activism and advocacy.
An additional point of interest that emerges from this study is the connection between controversial information and the level of interest in that subject matter. “We found out that there is in fact correlation between topics of high interest to users and conflict, thus showing that controversy seems to be tightly linked with popularity.” They add that perhaps one aspects drives the other. “To some extent, controversy (negativity) can be seen as a natural phenomenon arising from people interest,” they add.
Marchiori, M. and Vieno, E.B. (2020) ‘To beat or not to beat: uncovering the world social battles with Wikipedia’, Int. J. Big Data Intelligence, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.110–125.
22 May 2020
Research pick: Cockle shells picked to treat dog cancer - "Targeted delivery of doxorubicin-loaded cockle shell-derived CaCO3 aragonite nanoparticles on dogs with solid tumours"
The calcium mineral from which many shellfish, such as cockles, make their shells can be used to form nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can then be “loaded” with small drug molecules, such as anticancer drugs.
Writing in the International Journal of Nanotechnology a team from Malaysia and Nigeria explains how nanoparticles made from the cockleshell material calcium carbonate aragonite can be used to carry the anticancer drug doxorubicin. These drug-loaded nanoparticles have been used to successfully treat dogs with solid tumours.
Treating solid tumours is problematic in cancer therapy because the malignant mass is often inaccessible to conventional anticancer drugs. High doses are needed to attack the tumour, but this comes at a price in terms of side-effects, such as damage to the heart with doxorubicin, for instance. Finding ways to target the tumour with the drug more directly would mean a lower dose could be used and still have the same effect but without the cardiotoxicity.
Cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate has been shown to have potential as a drug-delivery agent by using it to fabricate nanoparticles to carry the drug. The present team has now carried out a prospective single centre, non-blind open clinical trial of repeated doses of the nanocomposite on dogs with solid tumours in their bones over the course of fifteen weeks.
The team reports no major adverse effects and success was seen in treating bone cancer in the dogs with great improvement in the quality of life of the animals.
Danmaigoro, A., Selvarajah, G.T., Mohd Noor, M.H., Mahmud, R., Ahmed, H., Abubakar, M.Z. ‘Targeted delivery of doxorubicin-loaded cockle shell-derived CaCO3 aragonite nanoparticles on dogs with solid tumours’, Int.J.Nanotechnol., Vol 16, Nos. 11/12, pp. 730-749.
Writing in the International Journal of Nanotechnology a team from Malaysia and Nigeria explains how nanoparticles made from the cockleshell material calcium carbonate aragonite can be used to carry the anticancer drug doxorubicin. These drug-loaded nanoparticles have been used to successfully treat dogs with solid tumours.
Treating solid tumours is problematic in cancer therapy because the malignant mass is often inaccessible to conventional anticancer drugs. High doses are needed to attack the tumour, but this comes at a price in terms of side-effects, such as damage to the heart with doxorubicin, for instance. Finding ways to target the tumour with the drug more directly would mean a lower dose could be used and still have the same effect but without the cardiotoxicity.
Cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate has been shown to have potential as a drug-delivery agent by using it to fabricate nanoparticles to carry the drug. The present team has now carried out a prospective single centre, non-blind open clinical trial of repeated doses of the nanocomposite on dogs with solid tumours in their bones over the course of fifteen weeks.
The team reports no major adverse effects and success was seen in treating bone cancer in the dogs with great improvement in the quality of life of the animals.
Danmaigoro, A., Selvarajah, G.T., Mohd Noor, M.H., Mahmud, R., Ahmed, H., Abubakar, M.Z. ‘Targeted delivery of doxorubicin-loaded cockle shell-derived CaCO3 aragonite nanoparticles on dogs with solid tumours’, Int.J.Nanotechnol., Vol 16, Nos. 11/12, pp. 730-749.
21 May 2020
Special issue published: "2nd International Symposium on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (i-SAMN) 2018"
International Journal of Nanotechnology 16(11/12) 2019
- Stability enhancement of MWCNT/water nanofluids using PVA surfactant
- Mesoporous carbon film via spin coating soft templating method for supercapacitor electrode
- Effect of firing temperature on surface morphology of nanosized ferrite-based thick film with linseed oil as organic vehicle
- Utilisation of superheated steam in oil palm biomass pretreatment process for reduced chemical use and enhanced cellulose nanofibre production
- Effect of initial concentration of chitosan on the particle size of chitosan nanoparticle
- Gas sensing applications of multilayer graphene grown on Co-Ni/Al2O3 substrate by chemical vapour deposition
- Effect of sintering temperature and piezoelectric coefficient (d33) enhancement on rice husk silica ceramics with BaTiO3 addition
- Cure characteristics, mechanical properties and back face signature of ballistic rubber trauma pack
- Targeted delivery of doxorubicin-loaded cockle shell-derived CaCO3 aragonite nanoparticles on dogs with solid tumours
New Editor for International Journal of International Journal of Organisational Design and Engineering
Prof. Ali Sher from Yorkville University in Canada has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of International Journal of Organisational Design and Engineering.
International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management to publish special issue with Sustaining Tomorrow 2020/2021
International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management will publish a special issue on "Mitigating Climate Change". The special issue will be based on a selection of expanded papers presented at the combined event for the Sustaining Tomorrow 2020 Symposium and Industry Summit (which was sadly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and Mitigating Climate Change 2021 Symposium and Industry Summit, which is still set to go ahead at the University of Windsor, Canada, on 24-25 June, 2021.
Research pick: Is honey as sweet by another name? - "Will direct comparative advertising works for a leading brand? A study of the honey market"
Can direct advertising work for leading brands in an emerging market such as India. The question is answered with respect to the marketing of honey in the International Journal of Comparative Management.
R.K. Srivastava of the University of Mumbai and his team have measured the impact of direct comparative advertisements in eastern culture for honey, a low-involvement product (compared to something like a readymeal). The study used the Elaboration Likelihood Model to explain why Patanjali brand honey has been so much more successful than others and how religious belief and gender affect buying behaviour.
The paper explains that when a product or a brand is contrasted with another brand in an advertisement to show the other brand to be inferior, this is commonly referred to as comparative advertising. Of course, the advertisers tread a thin line between promoting their product as superior and defaming the rival manufacturers. Nevertheless, comparative advertising in the US has been shown to be more effective than standard advertisements in generating attention, message processing, brand awareness, favourable sponsor brand attitudes, and purchase intentions.
Of course, it is important for companies to know whether that relative success might apply in other markets, where gender, religion, class, and other factors may still play a potent role in nudging consumers to a particular brand and not another. Fundamentally, if comparative advertising is shown to be effective, then it might open market inroads for challenger brands in a marketplace essentially monopolised by the bigger players.
Having demonstrated that gender and religion can affect perception of honey brands, the team hopes to now extend their study to other demographic factors such as income, ethnicity, education, occupation, body weight, health condition, and habits and to other commodities.
Srivastava, R.K. (2020) ‘Will direct comparative advertising works for a leading brand? A study of the honey market’, Int. J. Comparative Management, Vol. 3, Nos. 1/2, pp.125–141.
R.K. Srivastava of the University of Mumbai and his team have measured the impact of direct comparative advertisements in eastern culture for honey, a low-involvement product (compared to something like a readymeal). The study used the Elaboration Likelihood Model to explain why Patanjali brand honey has been so much more successful than others and how religious belief and gender affect buying behaviour.
The paper explains that when a product or a brand is contrasted with another brand in an advertisement to show the other brand to be inferior, this is commonly referred to as comparative advertising. Of course, the advertisers tread a thin line between promoting their product as superior and defaming the rival manufacturers. Nevertheless, comparative advertising in the US has been shown to be more effective than standard advertisements in generating attention, message processing, brand awareness, favourable sponsor brand attitudes, and purchase intentions.
Of course, it is important for companies to know whether that relative success might apply in other markets, where gender, religion, class, and other factors may still play a potent role in nudging consumers to a particular brand and not another. Fundamentally, if comparative advertising is shown to be effective, then it might open market inroads for challenger brands in a marketplace essentially monopolised by the bigger players.
Having demonstrated that gender and religion can affect perception of honey brands, the team hopes to now extend their study to other demographic factors such as income, ethnicity, education, occupation, body weight, health condition, and habits and to other commodities.
Srivastava, R.K. (2020) ‘Will direct comparative advertising works for a leading brand? A study of the honey market’, Int. J. Comparative Management, Vol. 3, Nos. 1/2, pp.125–141.
20 May 2020
Special issue published: "Modelling, Simulation and Optimisation of Manufacturing and Production Processes"
International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling 15(3) 2020
- Modelling and implementation of an intelligent stowage simulator for container ships
- An optimised steelmaking-continuous casting scheduling simulation system with unity 3D
- Bus manufacturing workshop scheduling method with routing buffer
- Test and effect analysis of hydraulic automatic pressure regulating water injection device in Shengli Oilfield
- A study of flexible flow shop scheduling problem with variable processing times based on improved bat algorithm
- Parameter co-evolution mechanism of particle swarm optimisation algorithm
- Simulations of COVID-19 spread by spatial agent-based model and ordinary differential equations
- Bed management considering bed-blocking and elective patient admissions using simulation optimisation
- Using traffic simulation to quantify performance improvement due to vehicular traffic reduction at a university campus
International Journal of Global Energy Issues to publish special issue with Sustaining Tomorrow 2020
International Journal of Global Energy Issues will publish a special issue on "Sustaining Tomorrow Globally". The special issue will be based on a selection of expanded papers that were to be presented at the Sustaining Tomorrow 2020 Symposium and Industry Summit. (The event was sadly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The cancelled conference will be combined with the Mitigating Climate Change 2021 Symposium and Industry Summit, which is still set to go ahead at the University of Windsor, Canada, on 24-25 June, 2021.
Research pick: Gender in the boardroom - "The shape of female board representation"
Christina Öberg of the School of Business at Örebro University in Sweden has investigated the “shape” of female representation in the corporate boardroom. Her findings suggest that representation may not be the issue per se when it comes to gender equality at the highest level in management but rather how well “nested” female board members are and the perception of their roles and rank on the board and the effect of being on more than one board and how those connections are interlocked.
Writing in the International Journal of Comparative Management, Öberg has found that the power of women on boards varies with various different factors. Among those are the existence of few or many interlocks on the board, the number of representations held by the female board member, the fragmented or large network that the female board member is part of, and whether the network consists of direct or indirect links.
Öberg points out that the gender diversity debate has led to a new focus on the question of female board representation. In some countries, this focus has led to welcome legislation. The important point is that for too long representation on corporate boards has not reflected society’s gender composition nor looked to equality. This new work contributes to research on gender diversity by introducing relative power as an important concept related to interlocks on the board and to the shape of interlock networks. There are implications for ensuring that boards represent gender diversity and have equality and also for how directors might benefit from this and be guided by such research in the appointment of board members.
Öberg, C. (2020) ‘The shape of female board representation’, Int. J. Comparative Management, Vol. 3, Nos. 1/2, pp.53–72.
Writing in the International Journal of Comparative Management, Öberg has found that the power of women on boards varies with various different factors. Among those are the existence of few or many interlocks on the board, the number of representations held by the female board member, the fragmented or large network that the female board member is part of, and whether the network consists of direct or indirect links.
Öberg points out that the gender diversity debate has led to a new focus on the question of female board representation. In some countries, this focus has led to welcome legislation. The important point is that for too long representation on corporate boards has not reflected society’s gender composition nor looked to equality. This new work contributes to research on gender diversity by introducing relative power as an important concept related to interlocks on the board and to the shape of interlock networks. There are implications for ensuring that boards represent gender diversity and have equality and also for how directors might benefit from this and be guided by such research in the appointment of board members.
Öberg, C. (2020) ‘The shape of female board representation’, Int. J. Comparative Management, Vol. 3, Nos. 1/2, pp.53–72.
19 May 2020
Research pick: Modelling the spread of COVID-19 - "Simulations of COVID-19 spread by spatial agent-based model and ordinary differential equations"
New research suggests that a different approach to modelling the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, could be beneficial for developing new strategies for coping with the ongoing global pandemic. Details are reported in the International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling.
Shan Bai of the Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT) in Germany has evaluated how well two approaches to epidemiological modelling – a system of first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and spatial agent-based model (ABM) – work in the face of different interventions. She explains that specific intervention strategies are introduced and the effectiveness of the strategies can be assessed by comparing the results of the models with or without these strategies.
It is now relatively well-known that a proportion of people carrying the virus might have mild symptoms or be apparently asymptomatic but nevertheless shed viral particles in their bodily fluids, specifically saliva and mucus from the respiratory tract. These particles may enter the respiratory tract of other people through various physical mechanisms, such as exposure to a sneeze or cough from the infected party, simply being in close proximity and breathing the same air or touching surfaces that on which infectious droplets have landed followed by transfer from hand to face and thus the eyes, nose or mouth.
The joint mantras of stay socially distanced from other people, do not touch your face, and wash your hands thoroughly and frequently remain good advice in the face of this health crisis. Moreover, given the nature of Bai’s analysis of the situation, she says that “It is thus very important to assess the potential for sustained transmission, taking such infected people into account, in order to thoroughly understand the transmission dynamics of the infection and evaluate the effectiveness of control measures.” This is where solid epidemiological modelling comes into play especially as new knowledge about this emergent virus and the complex disease it causes is obtained.
The spatial ABM integrates several new features to the epidemic models compared to the ODEs-based model, Bai adds. “The implementation of spatial ABM brings novel features to the epidemics modelling: new states being easily incorporated; the parameter illustrating the moving willingness of people; and sub-models for hospital beds to reflect demands of medical resources,” Bai adds. The results suggest that the flexible nature of ABM make it a useful addition to the toolset of epidemic simulation models.
Bai, S. (2020) ‘Simulations of COVID-19 spread by spatial agent-based model and ordinary differential equations’, Int. J. Simulation and Process Modelling, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.268–277.
Shan Bai of the Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT) in Germany has evaluated how well two approaches to epidemiological modelling – a system of first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and spatial agent-based model (ABM) – work in the face of different interventions. She explains that specific intervention strategies are introduced and the effectiveness of the strategies can be assessed by comparing the results of the models with or without these strategies.
It is now relatively well-known that a proportion of people carrying the virus might have mild symptoms or be apparently asymptomatic but nevertheless shed viral particles in their bodily fluids, specifically saliva and mucus from the respiratory tract. These particles may enter the respiratory tract of other people through various physical mechanisms, such as exposure to a sneeze or cough from the infected party, simply being in close proximity and breathing the same air or touching surfaces that on which infectious droplets have landed followed by transfer from hand to face and thus the eyes, nose or mouth.
The joint mantras of stay socially distanced from other people, do not touch your face, and wash your hands thoroughly and frequently remain good advice in the face of this health crisis. Moreover, given the nature of Bai’s analysis of the situation, she says that “It is thus very important to assess the potential for sustained transmission, taking such infected people into account, in order to thoroughly understand the transmission dynamics of the infection and evaluate the effectiveness of control measures.” This is where solid epidemiological modelling comes into play especially as new knowledge about this emergent virus and the complex disease it causes is obtained.
The spatial ABM integrates several new features to the epidemic models compared to the ODEs-based model, Bai adds. “The implementation of spatial ABM brings novel features to the epidemics modelling: new states being easily incorporated; the parameter illustrating the moving willingness of people; and sub-models for hospital beds to reflect demands of medical resources,” Bai adds. The results suggest that the flexible nature of ABM make it a useful addition to the toolset of epidemic simulation models.
Bai, S. (2020) ‘Simulations of COVID-19 spread by spatial agent-based model and ordinary differential equations’, Int. J. Simulation and Process Modelling, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.268–277.
15 May 2020
Research pick: Optimising emergency routes - "Deep characteristics analysis on travel time of emergency traffic"
Research published in the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering, investigates how optimal routes might be calculated for emergency vehicles responding to a shout.
Jiao Yao, Yaxuan Dai,and Yiling Ni of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Jin Wang Changsha University of Science and Technology, both in China, and Jing Zhao of Delft University of Technology, in The Netherlands, look at this issue of queing traffic and how it impedes the movement of emergency vehicles.
The team lists the various types of vehicle they are considering: ambulances, natural disaster rescue vehicles, fire trucks, police vehicles, engineering rescue vehicles, municipal repair vehicles, traffic accident vehicle rescue equipment, evacuation vehicles, and emergency rescue vehicles. They point out that drivers of these vehicles cannot judge the optimal route in real-time as a situation develops and normal and additional traffic moves around the road systems they are attempting to circumnavigate.
The team has simulated three major situations that might unfold in an emergency situation and used a computer to devise a way to work out the more optimal routes that would allow the emergency vehicles to reach the scene quicker. In one situation, their approach gives a time saving of 22.2% but in another they can actually half the time in transit. They ultimately come to the conclusion the traffic lights used only in emergencies are essential to allow vehicles to breach the queues safely and reach the emergency in a timely manner.
Yao, J., Dai, Y., Ni, Y., Wang, J. and Zhao, J. (2020) ‘Deep characteristics analysis on travel time of emergency traffic’, Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp.162–169.
Jiao Yao, Yaxuan Dai,and Yiling Ni of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Jin Wang Changsha University of Science and Technology, both in China, and Jing Zhao of Delft University of Technology, in The Netherlands, look at this issue of queing traffic and how it impedes the movement of emergency vehicles.
The team lists the various types of vehicle they are considering: ambulances, natural disaster rescue vehicles, fire trucks, police vehicles, engineering rescue vehicles, municipal repair vehicles, traffic accident vehicle rescue equipment, evacuation vehicles, and emergency rescue vehicles. They point out that drivers of these vehicles cannot judge the optimal route in real-time as a situation develops and normal and additional traffic moves around the road systems they are attempting to circumnavigate.
The team has simulated three major situations that might unfold in an emergency situation and used a computer to devise a way to work out the more optimal routes that would allow the emergency vehicles to reach the scene quicker. In one situation, their approach gives a time saving of 22.2% but in another they can actually half the time in transit. They ultimately come to the conclusion the traffic lights used only in emergencies are essential to allow vehicles to breach the queues safely and reach the emergency in a timely manner.
Yao, J., Dai, Y., Ni, Y., Wang, J. and Zhao, J. (2020) ‘Deep characteristics analysis on travel time of emergency traffic’, Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp.162–169.
14 May 2020
International Journal of Embedded Systems to invite expanded papers from XI Argentine Congress of Embedded Systems (CASE 2020) for potential publication
Extended versions of papers presented at the XI Argentine Congress of Embedded Systems (CASE 2020) (24-26 August 2020) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Embedded Systems.
Research pick: Making a wonder material more wonderful - "Recent advances in chemical functionalisation of graphene and sensing applications"
Graphene is a form of the chemical element carbon. Well-known forms of carbon include the world’s hardest material, diamond, and the soft black material known as the “lead” in a pencil, which is graphite. Graphite can be visualized as layers of carbon atoms stacked together in sheets with each sheet resembling a hexagonally woven chicken wire fence or a very thin honeycomb. Graphene is to all intents and purposes a single sheet from one of those stacks. It is thus one of the thinnest materials known, an atomic monolayer of carbon atoms.
It has become the focus of much research in recent years with its potential to weave the fabric of a future of molecular electronics devices because of its unique chemical, optical, and electronic properties.
Now, writing in the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, a team from Malaysia reports on advances in how graphene sheets might be modified for different applications by attaching different chemical groups to the sheets. Geoffrey Ijeomah and Fahmi Samsuri of the Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Felix Obite of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Mohamad Adzhar Md Zawawi of the Universiti Sains Malaysia, discuss the chemical functionalization of graphene with a view to its development as sensor materials for environmental monitoring, biomedical research, and medical diagnostics as well as in other areas.
An important conclusion from their review is that among the fundamental synthetic methods for the fabrication of graphene, such as chemical vapour deposition, mechanical exfoliation, reduction of graphite oxide, thermal deposition, and unzipping carbon nanotubes are sensitive to the exact conditions used and that affects the reproducibility when functional, chemical groups, are attached to the graphene layers.
“An improved understanding of the workings of graphene at the molecular level will ultimately advance graphene surface engineering and its applications in sensor development and technology,” the team concludes.
Ijeomah, G., Samsuri, F., Obite, F. and Zawawi, M.A.M. (2020) ‘Recent advances in chemical functionalisation of graphene and sensing applications’, Int. J. Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Vol. 4, Nos. 1/2, pp.1–48.
It has become the focus of much research in recent years with its potential to weave the fabric of a future of molecular electronics devices because of its unique chemical, optical, and electronic properties.
Now, writing in the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, a team from Malaysia reports on advances in how graphene sheets might be modified for different applications by attaching different chemical groups to the sheets. Geoffrey Ijeomah and Fahmi Samsuri of the Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Felix Obite of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Mohamad Adzhar Md Zawawi of the Universiti Sains Malaysia, discuss the chemical functionalization of graphene with a view to its development as sensor materials for environmental monitoring, biomedical research, and medical diagnostics as well as in other areas.
An important conclusion from their review is that among the fundamental synthetic methods for the fabrication of graphene, such as chemical vapour deposition, mechanical exfoliation, reduction of graphite oxide, thermal deposition, and unzipping carbon nanotubes are sensitive to the exact conditions used and that affects the reproducibility when functional, chemical groups, are attached to the graphene layers.
“An improved understanding of the workings of graphene at the molecular level will ultimately advance graphene surface engineering and its applications in sensor development and technology,” the team concludes.
Ijeomah, G., Samsuri, F., Obite, F. and Zawawi, M.A.M. (2020) ‘Recent advances in chemical functionalisation of graphene and sensing applications’, Int. J. Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Vol. 4, Nos. 1/2, pp.1–48.
13 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Materials and Structural Integrity
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Materials and Structural Integrity are now available here for free:
- Experimental characterisation of leak through elastomer-metal interface
- Effect of soot on tribological properties of steel and ceramic contacts
- Cyclic electromechanical response of poly(vinylidene fluoride)
- Crystal plasticity-based creep model for solution-strengthened nickel-based alloys
- Numerical investigation of crack growth in AISI type 316LN stainless steel weld joint using GTN damage model
- Mixed mode stress intensity factors of slanted edge cracked plate with hole subjected to various in-plane loadings using XFEM
- Effect of obliquity on ballistic impact response of plain-woven fabric
- Filler shape and volume fraction effect on dynamic compression behaviour of glass filler reinforced epoxy composites
- A new 3D finite element for the finite deformation of nearly incompressible hyperelastic solids
- Wavelet-based finite element simulation of guided waves containing harmonics
- Comparative study of algorithms to handle geometric and material nonlinearities
- Higher order Hermite enriched contact finite elements for adhesive contact problems
- Nonlinear analysis of FGM plates using generalised higher order shear deformation theory
Free open access article available: "Integral approach to assessing the criticality of railway infrastructure elements"
The following paper, "Integral approach to assessing the criticality of railway infrastructure elements" (International Journal of International Journal of Critical Infrastructures 16(2) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Markets and Business Systems
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Markets and Business Systems are now available here for free:
- Understanding the effects of exchange rates on the cost of living for expatriates and ordinary residents in Singapore and Hong Kong
- A study of store and retail attributes influencing the young Indian consumer buying decision
- From a traditional steel producer towards an industrial product-service systems provider in the German offshore wind market - a system-oriented practical case study
- Recognition of football players' contracts by means of the active market
Research pick: Age recognition - "Local and global features fusion to estimate expression invariant human age"
People can usually make a good guess at a person’s age by looking at their face and assessing the smoothness or otherwise of their skin, the general condition of the skin, jowls, and other features. Face recognition software, on the other hand, can recognise a face with varying degrees of success based on the training data used by estimating age has not yet become a trivial computational matter. Part of the problem is that faces change from moment to moment as we show our emotions through laughter, frowns, sadness, disgust, and other facial expressions.
Now, a team from India, writing in the International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, describes a new approach to age estimation that fuses local and global features in an image of a person’s face to look through the facial expression to estimate a person’s age.
Subhash Chand Agrawal, Anand Singh Jalal, and Rajesh Kumar Tripathi of the GLA University, Mathura, explain how they use the Viola-Jones algorithm to pick out a face from any given photograph. It then partitions the face into 16 by 16 non-overlapping blocks and applies a grey-level co-occurrence matrix to these blocks. This then allows the system to calculate four facial parts – eyes, forehead, left and right cheek – from the facial image. The algorithm then examines the detail in these blocks according to region examined and compares it with similar blocks from a training set of faces where the age of the person in the photograph was already known.
“Our experimental results show that fusion of local and global features performs better than existing approaches,” the team writes. Their tests were able to estimate a person’s age in a photo to within a mean absolute error of 6.31 years for a neutral expression and at similar values for angry. For happy, sad, disgusted, and surprised the errors were slightly higher although generally better than the state-of-the-art algorithms against which they tested their approach.
Aside from refining the system, they will also next attempt to apply it to photographs with complicated backgrounds and to faces of different ethnicities.
Agrawal, S.C., Jalal, A.S. and Tripathi, R.K. (2020) ‘Local and global features fusion to estimate expression invariant human age’, Int. J. Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp.155–171.
Now, a team from India, writing in the International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, describes a new approach to age estimation that fuses local and global features in an image of a person’s face to look through the facial expression to estimate a person’s age.
Subhash Chand Agrawal, Anand Singh Jalal, and Rajesh Kumar Tripathi of the GLA University, Mathura, explain how they use the Viola-Jones algorithm to pick out a face from any given photograph. It then partitions the face into 16 by 16 non-overlapping blocks and applies a grey-level co-occurrence matrix to these blocks. This then allows the system to calculate four facial parts – eyes, forehead, left and right cheek – from the facial image. The algorithm then examines the detail in these blocks according to region examined and compares it with similar blocks from a training set of faces where the age of the person in the photograph was already known.
“Our experimental results show that fusion of local and global features performs better than existing approaches,” the team writes. Their tests were able to estimate a person’s age in a photo to within a mean absolute error of 6.31 years for a neutral expression and at similar values for angry. For happy, sad, disgusted, and surprised the errors were slightly higher although generally better than the state-of-the-art algorithms against which they tested their approach.
Aside from refining the system, they will also next attempt to apply it to photographs with complicated backgrounds and to faces of different ethnicities.
Agrawal, S.C., Jalal, A.S. and Tripathi, R.K. (2020) ‘Local and global features fusion to estimate expression invariant human age’, Int. J. Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp.155–171.
12 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Vehicle Information and Communication Systems
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Vehicle Information and Communication Systems are now available here for free:
- Implementation of MAC protocol with enhanced security features in VANET
- Performance analysis of clustering for message classification and congestion control in DSRC/WAVE-based vehicular ad-hoc networks
- Probabilistic bundle relaying scheme in a multi-copy vehicular delay tolerant network
- A study of geographical routing protocols in vehicular delay tolerant networks
- Prediction-based next-hop forwarding strategy in vehicular ad-hoc networks
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:
- Regional tourism in Inter-Governmental Authority on Development: a comparative policy and institutional best practice approach
- Comparing the effects of service quality and value-for-money on customer satisfaction, airline image and behavioural intention between full-service and low-cost airlines: evidence from Indonesia
- Antecedents of domestic tourists' behavioural intentions in visiting water parks: evidence from Iran
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology are now available here for free:
- Biosynthesis of monodispersed silver nanoparticles and their activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Nanoparticle toxicity by the gastrointestinal route: evidence and knowledge gaps
- Protein expression profiles of intestinal epithelial co-cultures: effect of functionalised carbon nanotube exposure
- Nickel contamination on MWCNT is related to particle bioactivity but not toxicity in the THP-1 transformed macrophage model
- Aggregation behaviour of carbon nanotubes in aqueous and physiological media and its influence on toxicity
- Engineered nanomaterial interactions with bilayer lipid membranes: screening platforms to assess nanoparticle toxicity
- Preparation of water soluble carbon nanotubes and assessment of their biological activity in embryonic zebrafish
- Using zebrafish to study the biological impact of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles
- Predictive toxicological paradigm and high throughput approach for toxicity screening of engineered nanomaterials
Research pick: Cooking Raspberry Pi for the smart home - "Home automation system using Raspberry Pi Zero W"
Researchers in India describe the potential of the low-cost Raspberry Pi computer to be used as a control system for home automation using the so-called Internet of Things. They outline details in the International Journal of Advanced Intelligence Paradigms.
Vikash Yadav of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the ABES Engineering College, in Ghaziabad, Deepak Kumar Mishra, Prathmesh Singh, and Priytosh Kumar Tripathi of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, at the GL Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, in Greater Noida, demonstrate specifically how a Raspberry Pi Zero W can be used to connect net-enabled domestic appliances and other smart electronic devices in the home or even the workplace so that they can be monitored and controlled from a location anywhere in the world with internet access.
Home automation systems seek to improve our quality of life and remove the need for human intervention in many menial everyday tasks. Sensors, actuators, controllers, and devices exist that one might refer to as “smart” or “internet-enabled”, these are commonly referred to as the Internet of Things, the IoT, and an inexpensive and versatile computer also connected to the internet can be used to monitor and control them all, acting as a connection point within the home for the user to access from outside. The team’s approach, they report, offers a reliable, scalable and highly cost-efficient way to enable home automation. Moreover, the same approach might be used to automate equipment, heating, lighting and other systems in the home and in the workplace.
Yadav, V., Mishra, D.K., Singh, P. and Tripathi, P.K. (2020) ‘Home automation system using Raspberry Pi Zero W’, Int. J. Advanced Intelligence Paradigms, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.216–226.
Vikash Yadav of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the ABES Engineering College, in Ghaziabad, Deepak Kumar Mishra, Prathmesh Singh, and Priytosh Kumar Tripathi of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, at the GL Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, in Greater Noida, demonstrate specifically how a Raspberry Pi Zero W can be used to connect net-enabled domestic appliances and other smart electronic devices in the home or even the workplace so that they can be monitored and controlled from a location anywhere in the world with internet access.
Home automation systems seek to improve our quality of life and remove the need for human intervention in many menial everyday tasks. Sensors, actuators, controllers, and devices exist that one might refer to as “smart” or “internet-enabled”, these are commonly referred to as the Internet of Things, the IoT, and an inexpensive and versatile computer also connected to the internet can be used to monitor and control them all, acting as a connection point within the home for the user to access from outside. The team’s approach, they report, offers a reliable, scalable and highly cost-efficient way to enable home automation. Moreover, the same approach might be used to automate equipment, heating, lighting and other systems in the home and in the workplace.
Yadav, V., Mishra, D.K., Singh, P. and Tripathi, P.K. (2020) ‘Home automation system using Raspberry Pi Zero W’, Int. J. Advanced Intelligence Paradigms, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.216–226.
11 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of High Performance Systems Architecture
The following sample articles from the International Journal of High Performance Systems Architecture are now available here for free:
- Type-2 fuzzy logic-based multi-threaded time sequence analysis
- Evaluation of dispersed effect based on social force-based vehicle model and emotional infection model: a data simulation approach
- Weighting schemes based on EM algorithm for LDA
- Research and analysis of video image target tracking algorithm based on significance
- Dynamic Bayesian network threat assessment for warship formation: a data analysis method
- Functional encryption with efficient verifiable outsourced decryption for secure data access control in social network
- Resource scheduling optimisation algorithm for containerised microservice architecture in cloud computing
- Big data analytics in the context of internet of things and the emergence of real-time systems: a systematic literature review
- Extending the common information model for smart grids operational computations based on bus-branch models
- Research on data mining technology for the connotation and measurement of uncertainty for reassembly dimensions
- Analysis of physico-chemical variables and their influence on water quality of the Bogota River using data mining
Special issue published: "Big Data Innovation for Sustainable Vanet Management"
International Journal of Vehicle Information and Communication Systems 5(1) 2020
- QoS-based routing for free space optical mobile ad hoc networks
- Reconfigurable hardware architecture of public key crypto processor for VANET and wireless sensor nodes
- Queue size estimation of nodes in a heterogeneous ocean network with multiple priority traffic
- Enhanced cluster-based stable path for load balancing and reducing overhead using artificial bee colony in MANETs
- DESR: Differential evolutionary secure routing protocol for mobile ad-hoc networks
- A stable link connectivity-based data communication through neighbour node using traffic-less path in MANET
- A conceptual framework and architecture for m-governance
- Prediction and avoidance of real-time traffic congestion system for Indian metropolitan cities
- Assessing the performance of different TCP congestion mechanisms in underwater wireless sensor networks
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Aerodynamics
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Aerodynamics are now available here for free:
- Hydraulic analogy and visualisation of two-dimensional compressible fluid flows: part 2: water table experiments
- Hydraulic analogy and visualisation of two-dimensional compressible fluid flows: part 1: theoretical aspects
- An experimental investigation towards calibration of a shock tube and stagnation heat flux determination
- A computational study of vortex shedding from a NACA-0012 airfoil at high angles of attack
8 May 2020
Research pick: "Unlearning: a systematic literature review"
An international team from Bahrain, Estonia, Germany, and Hungary has looked at the notion of unlearning in the face of new paradigms, understanding and knowledge.
Information and communication technology (ICT) has changed the way we work and in the current crises of climate change, pollution, and emergent disease is more important than ever. Workers, students, and the populus in general must learn new skills and develop new capacity to utilise the ICT of the day as it evolves rapidly. Critically, this is where forgetting the old ways, or unlearning redundant and obsolete knowledge and skills becomes important so that the culture of old technology is not conflated and confused with the new.
Susanne Durst of the Department of Business Administration in the School of Business and Governance at Tallinn University of Technology, in Estonia, Ilka of the Heinze School of Management and Organizational Science at Kaposvár University, in Hungary, Thomas Henschel of the Business School at the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, Germany, and Nishad Nawaz of the College of Business Administration at Kingdom University in Bahrain discuss the concepts and provide a literature review of unlearning in the International Journal of Business and Globalisation.
“Unlearning of old knowledge, practices, and routines may be key to success. It is argued that an unwillingness or inability to unlearn old knowledge can hamper creativity and innovation in organisations when employees are unwilling to view new knowledge that they do not possess or control as useful or applicable,” the team writes.
Their review reveals gaps in the business knowledge of unlearning. When looking both at the individual as well as organisational levels, there is a clear call for the application of more sophisticated research methods to allow for triangulation, they report. The research findings are practical for entrepreneurs and managers but also highlight where more research might be done to create a more coherent literature in this area and provide guidance for those entrepeneurs and managers, as well as others.
Durst, S., Heinze, I., Henschel, T. and Nawaz, N. (2020) ‘Unlearning: a systematic literature review’, Int. J. Business and Globalisation, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp.472–495.
Information and communication technology (ICT) has changed the way we work and in the current crises of climate change, pollution, and emergent disease is more important than ever. Workers, students, and the populus in general must learn new skills and develop new capacity to utilise the ICT of the day as it evolves rapidly. Critically, this is where forgetting the old ways, or unlearning redundant and obsolete knowledge and skills becomes important so that the culture of old technology is not conflated and confused with the new.
Susanne Durst of the Department of Business Administration in the School of Business and Governance at Tallinn University of Technology, in Estonia, Ilka of the Heinze School of Management and Organizational Science at Kaposvár University, in Hungary, Thomas Henschel of the Business School at the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, Germany, and Nishad Nawaz of the College of Business Administration at Kingdom University in Bahrain discuss the concepts and provide a literature review of unlearning in the International Journal of Business and Globalisation.
“Unlearning of old knowledge, practices, and routines may be key to success. It is argued that an unwillingness or inability to unlearn old knowledge can hamper creativity and innovation in organisations when employees are unwilling to view new knowledge that they do not possess or control as useful or applicable,” the team writes.
Their review reveals gaps in the business knowledge of unlearning. When looking both at the individual as well as organisational levels, there is a clear call for the application of more sophisticated research methods to allow for triangulation, they report. The research findings are practical for entrepreneurs and managers but also highlight where more research might be done to create a more coherent literature in this area and provide guidance for those entrepeneurs and managers, as well as others.
Durst, S., Heinze, I., Henschel, T. and Nawaz, N. (2020) ‘Unlearning: a systematic literature review’, Int. J. Business and Globalisation, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp.472–495.
7 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Applied Cryptography
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Applied Cryptography are now available here for free:
- On the security of the Winternitz one-time signature scheme
- Practical hybrid (hierarchical) identity-based encryption schemes based on the decisional bilinear Diffie-Hellman assumption
- Secure computation of functionalities based on Hamming distance and its application to computing document similarity
- Parallelisable variants of Camellia and SMS4 block cipher: p-Camellia and p-SMS4
Research pick: For Peat’s sake - "Characterisation of humic acids in fen peat"
Low wetlands known as fens, store huge amounts of organic matter, usually in the form of peat, which is old, decomposed vegetable matter. Drained, agricultural fenland is thus of great importance in terms of growing crops and also fens in general from the perspective of the organic carbon biogeochemical cycle. Work published in the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology has looked at the chemical characterization of the vast range of humic acids present in fenland peat.
Janis Krumins, Maris Klavins, and Raimonds Krukovskis of the Department of the Environmental Science in the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of Latvia, in Riga, Latvia, explain how humic acids form the major part of fen peat organic matter. “They are also the most refractory and recalcitrant natural substances to degradation,” the team writes, “and thus they contain essential information regarding mire and peat development over large periods of time as well as the organic carbon biogeochemical cycle.”
The team has compared the properties of humic acids isolated from different fen peats of varied botanical compositions and origins. They hope to understand better the humification process that leads to the formation of peat. “The formation of humic acids of varied origins shows similarities; however, at the same time, differences can be found in the further development of humic acids, depending on the environment in which they are present,” the team reports.
At a time, when the importance of fenland and peat conservation are high on the environmental agenda, the work could guide the use of this invaluable resource in a less potentially malignant way. “Fen peat is a potential source for humic acid extraction on an industrial scale; however, geological settings and peat botanical composition of a potential excavation site must be evaluated in high detail in future studies,” the team writes. The better a picture we have of the chemical composition of peat, the easier it will be to utilize this limited resource more wisely.
Krumins, J., Klavins, M. and Krukovskis, R. (2020) ‘Characterisation of humic acids in fen peat‘, Int. J. Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.74-89.
Janis Krumins, Maris Klavins, and Raimonds Krukovskis of the Department of the Environmental Science in the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of Latvia, in Riga, Latvia, explain how humic acids form the major part of fen peat organic matter. “They are also the most refractory and recalcitrant natural substances to degradation,” the team writes, “and thus they contain essential information regarding mire and peat development over large periods of time as well as the organic carbon biogeochemical cycle.”
The team has compared the properties of humic acids isolated from different fen peats of varied botanical compositions and origins. They hope to understand better the humification process that leads to the formation of peat. “The formation of humic acids of varied origins shows similarities; however, at the same time, differences can be found in the further development of humic acids, depending on the environment in which they are present,” the team reports.
At a time, when the importance of fenland and peat conservation are high on the environmental agenda, the work could guide the use of this invaluable resource in a less potentially malignant way. “Fen peat is a potential source for humic acid extraction on an industrial scale; however, geological settings and peat botanical composition of a potential excavation site must be evaluated in high detail in future studies,” the team writes. The better a picture we have of the chemical composition of peat, the easier it will be to utilize this limited resource more wisely.
Krumins, J., Klavins, M. and Krukovskis, R. (2020) ‘Characterisation of humic acids in fen peat‘, Int. J. Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.74-89.
6 May 2020
Research pick: Acclimatising in a new country? There’s an app for that - "Use of social networking applications by immigrant children, adolescents, and young adults to maintain contact with those who remained in the country of origin: usage characteristics and habits"
Social networking applications have taken their place in almost all parts of our lives. Writing in the International Journal of Mobile Communications, researchers reveal how immigrant children, adolescents, and young adults are using these apps, which include WhatsApp and Facebook, to maintain contact with the family and friends they have left behind in relocating to a new country.
Gila Cohen Zilka of Bar-Ilan University, in Ramat Gan, Israel, has looked specifically at how youngsters are using these apps to help them acclimatize in Israel as their new home. The research surveyed 551 participants of whom 110 were also interviewed directly. Interviewees shared both positive and negative feelings and experiences.
Fundamentally, writes Cohen Zilka, “participants feel that communication alleviates the sense of longing, enables intimate discourse, sentiment sharing, release of anger, and relief of frustration.” She points out that the use of web applications encourages significant interaction with those who remained in the country of origin, but conversely, to a certain extent, causes social isolation in the new country.
The study found that many young immigrants to Israel did not feel as if they had been uprooted from one country and placed rootless in a new land, but rather that they still had roots in the country of origin and were already putting down new roots in their new home. “The use of internet applications for communication made them happy and gave them a sense of relief in the process of acclimatisation in the new country,” the team reports.
Zilka, G.C. (2020) ‘Use of social networking applications by immigrant children, adolescents, and young adults to maintain contact with those who remained in the country of origin: usage characteristics and habits’, Int. J. Mobile Communications, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp.257–272.
Gila Cohen Zilka of Bar-Ilan University, in Ramat Gan, Israel, has looked specifically at how youngsters are using these apps to help them acclimatize in Israel as their new home. The research surveyed 551 participants of whom 110 were also interviewed directly. Interviewees shared both positive and negative feelings and experiences.
Fundamentally, writes Cohen Zilka, “participants feel that communication alleviates the sense of longing, enables intimate discourse, sentiment sharing, release of anger, and relief of frustration.” She points out that the use of web applications encourages significant interaction with those who remained in the country of origin, but conversely, to a certain extent, causes social isolation in the new country.
The study found that many young immigrants to Israel did not feel as if they had been uprooted from one country and placed rootless in a new land, but rather that they still had roots in the country of origin and were already putting down new roots in their new home. “The use of internet applications for communication made them happy and gave them a sense of relief in the process of acclimatisation in the new country,” the team reports.
Zilka, G.C. (2020) ‘Use of social networking applications by immigrant children, adolescents, and young adults to maintain contact with those who remained in the country of origin: usage characteristics and habits’, Int. J. Mobile Communications, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp.257–272.
5 May 2020
Special issue published: "Cognitive Computing for Emerging Internet of Things"
International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications 11(2/3) 2020
- HOG features and connected region analysis-based workpiece object detection algorithm
- Energy-saving algorithm for data centre network based on genetic algorithm
- Damage prevention analysis of heavy-duty gear body based on finite element neural network
- On-demand distance vector refinement-based car networking stable routing
- Cognitive and artificial intelligence system for logistics industry
- Study on oceanic big data clustering based on incremental K-means algorithm
- A fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model for smart city application
- Multi-feature fusion energy-saving routing in internet of things based on hybrid ant colony algorithm
- Quantitative structure-activity analysis of predicted drug targets based on Adaboost-SVM
- Dynamic node adaptive incremental interaction optimisation in micro-blogging community
- MeTis meshing-based Bayes 3D ship model geometry reconstruction
- Markov model-based low delay data aggregation tree algorithm
- SLFNs interpolation fingerprint particle filter-based shared bicycle tracking algorithm
- A chameleon hash authentication tree optimisation audit for data storage security in cloud calculation
- Optimisation of CoMP-based cellular network design and its radio network parameters for next generation HetNet using Taguchi's method
- Implementation of fuzzy logic controller-based quadratic buck converter for LED lamp driver applications
Free open access article available: "Sustainable engineering master module – insights from three cohorts of European engineering team"
The following paper, "Sustainable engineering master module – insights from three cohorts of European engineering team" (International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing
4(2/3/4) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
4(2/3/4) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
Special issue published: "Sustainable Manufacturing for Global Circular Economy" (includes free Open Access paper)
International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing 4(2/3/4) 2020
- Multi-criteria decision-making for the life cycle of sustainable high pressure die casting products
- Design of disassembly-to-order system for reused components and recycled materials using linear physical programming
- Decentralised identification of used exchange parts with a mobile application
- Quantitative risk modelling for evaluating sustainable product designs
- A fracture mechanics approach to enhance product and process sustainability in diamond wire sawing of silicon wafers for solar cells through improved wire design
- Comparison of abrasive water jet technologies in terms of performance and kerf geometry accuracy for cutting ceramics
- Characterising the sustainability performance of cyclic manufacturing processes: a hybrid manufacturing case
- Investigating the microstructure and morphology of chips in dry, flood coolant and MQL machining of Ti-6Al-4V alloy
- Constant surface roughness over tool-lifetime due to online process monitoring and cutting parameter adaption in turning of gear steel
- Guidelines to compare additive and subtractive manufacturing approaches under the energy demand perspective
- Minimising carbon emissions and machining costs with improved human health in sustainable machining of austenitic stainless steel through multi-objective optimisation
- Modelling, simulation and optimisation of the comminution and flotation circuits of platinum for sustainable mineral processing
- Evolution of supply chain management: a sustainability focused review
- Demand-oriented barriers and potentials for remanufacturing in Vietnam
- Increasing the sustainability of composite manufacturing processes by using algorithm-based optimisation and evaluation for process chain design
- Methodology for manufacturing sustainability evaluation of human-robot collaborations
- Environmental and social sustainability of the tea industry in the wake of global market challenges: a case study in Sri Lanka
- Augmented learning for industrial education
- Sustainable engineering master module – insights from three cohorts of European engineering team
Special issue published: "Safety and Lifestyle in Web-Based Communities"
International Journal of Web Based Communities 16(2) 2020
- International Efforts for Children Online Safety: A Survey
- The examination of self-service replenishing solutions' potential
- An empirical model of mobile shopping attitudes and intentions in an emerging market
- Analysis of the use of Twitter as a tool for the management and communication of the CSR of leading European firms
- Research on mining key nodes of complex web-based communities based on mining algorithm
- Data analysis algorithms for mining online communities from microblogs
Research pick: Reducing the net risk to children - "International efforts for children online safety: a survey"
Keeping children safe online should be a major priority of internet providers, content creators, and the authorities. Writing in the International Journal of Web Based Communities, a team from India has surveyed international efforts.
To overcome online risks, we need to understand the characteristics of the online ecosystem and to learn how to cope once risks are faced. The online ecosystem involves different stakeholders such as service providers, the physical network, online users being connected, social media sites and tools and technology, the team reports. “Elimination of online risks is difficult,” they have found, “but the intensity of risks can be reduced.”
Dittin Andrews of the Center for Development of Advanced Computing, in Electronics City, Bangalore, worked with Sreejith Alathur and Naganna Chetty of the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, in Surathkal, Mangalore, on the survey.
With an increase in the availability of rich content over the internet, information and communication technology (ICT) has brought many benefits to users of all ages around the world,” the team writes. ICT is transforming societies and economies. It has also attracted children to its benefits, with many regularly accessing social networking sites, playing video games, and sharing videos, for instance. With any positive benefit, there is always a negative, however, and access to the boundless resources of the online world brings with it risks to vulnerable young people. This might be through exposure to inappropriate materials, exploitation through malware or social engineering, cyber-bullying, and even the risk of physical and mental harm when the online world spills into their offline lives.
“International bodies are providing assistance to children online with different tools, technologies, regulations, legal protections, safety resources, education, training, guidance, safety measures, crime reporting system, and child-friendly search engines,” the team writes. However, much remains to be done to address the countless risks to which children are exposed online.
Andrews, D., Alathur, S. and Chetty, N. (2020) ‘International efforts for children online safety: a survey’, Int. J. Web Based Communities, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.123–133.
To overcome online risks, we need to understand the characteristics of the online ecosystem and to learn how to cope once risks are faced. The online ecosystem involves different stakeholders such as service providers, the physical network, online users being connected, social media sites and tools and technology, the team reports. “Elimination of online risks is difficult,” they have found, “but the intensity of risks can be reduced.”
Dittin Andrews of the Center for Development of Advanced Computing, in Electronics City, Bangalore, worked with Sreejith Alathur and Naganna Chetty of the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, in Surathkal, Mangalore, on the survey.
With an increase in the availability of rich content over the internet, information and communication technology (ICT) has brought many benefits to users of all ages around the world,” the team writes. ICT is transforming societies and economies. It has also attracted children to its benefits, with many regularly accessing social networking sites, playing video games, and sharing videos, for instance. With any positive benefit, there is always a negative, however, and access to the boundless resources of the online world brings with it risks to vulnerable young people. This might be through exposure to inappropriate materials, exploitation through malware or social engineering, cyber-bullying, and even the risk of physical and mental harm when the online world spills into their offline lives.
“International bodies are providing assistance to children online with different tools, technologies, regulations, legal protections, safety resources, education, training, guidance, safety measures, crime reporting system, and child-friendly search engines,” the team writes. However, much remains to be done to address the countless risks to which children are exposed online.
Andrews, D., Alathur, S. and Chetty, N. (2020) ‘International efforts for children online safety: a survey’, Int. J. Web Based Communities, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.123–133.
4 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology are now available here for free:
- Effects of slaughter house wastes on soil properties and cocoyam corm yield in Abakaliki, Nigeria
- Performance measurement system for the cold fish supply chain: the case of National Fish Logistics System in Indonesia
- Motivations for sustaining urban farming participation
- Assessment of ammonium hydroxide effect on Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826): acute toxicity and avoidance tests
- Food security performance assessment of the US states: a DEA-based Malmquist productivity index approach
New Editor for International Journal of Management Development
Associate Prof. Fabio Cassia from the University of Verona in Italy has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Management Development. He will be joined by its new Executive Editor, Assistant Prof. Francesca Magno of the Università degli Studi di Bergamo.
1 May 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Managerial and Financial Accounting
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Managerial and Financial Accounting are now available here for free:
- The association between accounting disclosures and stock market price: an empirical study on Jordanian commercial banks
- Auditor's knowledge and firms' investment decisions in MENA countries: evidence from Tunisian context
- Changes in liquidity associated with removal of companies from the FTSE 100 index
- An empirical investigation of determinants of firm dividend payouts in Egypt: an agency perspective
- Nonlinear relationship between institutional investors' ownership and capital structure: evidence from Iranian firms
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Electronic Governance
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Electronic Governance are now available here for free:
- Integrating offline and online participation tools for engaging citizens in public space management: application in the peripheral town of Karditsa-Greece
- Innovation, technologies, participation: new paradigms towards a 2.0 citizenship
- Experiencing the soundscape with mobile mixing tools and participatory methods
- Citizen informatics: integrating urban data and design for future stakeholders
- Social innovation, games and urban planning: an analysis of current approaches
Newly announced journal: International Journal of Student Project Reporting
The International Journal of Student Project Reporting is the first journal dedicated to publishing peer-reviewed reports on the research and design process, validation and implementation of student-conducted projects in the fields of computing science, engineering, architecture and related areas. The journal also publishes short communications, letters to the Editor and reviews of textbooks in the same areas.
Research pick: Parental alcohol impact on children - "Parental alcohol use and children’s mental health: the case of Turkey"
A paper published in the International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research looks at the link between parental alcohol consumption and the mental wellbeing of children in the household. Nazli Ezgi Sidal and Tekin Kose of the Department of Economics, at TED University, in Ankara, Turkey, have taken their home country as a case study on this issue. They use data from the Turkey Health Survey of 2016, which is conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute.
In their analysis, the team looked for correlations between mental deficiency, learning disability, attention deficit, late talking, and behavioural issues in children within a household where the parents consume alcohol. They found that there is a negative association with the children’s mental wellbeing status and alcohol consumption. Additionally, the self-assessed health status of mothers was positively correlated with children’s mental health. The greater the alcohol use in mothers, the more likely were offspring to have problems.
It is well-known that parental behaviour can have a significant impact on children’s life outcomes such as health status and educational performance. That said, many other factors are involved. Smoking and alcohol use, for example, can have an impact on the parents’ health as well as direct and indirect effects on offspring.
“Policymakers should consider giving priorities in enhancing life and health conditions of parents in Turkey to improve life outcomes of children,” the team suggests. They add that “Improvements in health literacy of parents and specifically health statuses of mothers may significantly contribute children’s life outcomes.”
Sidal, N.E. and Kose, T. (2019) ‘Parental alcohol use and children’s mental health: the case of Turkey’, Int. J. Behavioural and Healthcare Research, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp.65–76.
In their analysis, the team looked for correlations between mental deficiency, learning disability, attention deficit, late talking, and behavioural issues in children within a household where the parents consume alcohol. They found that there is a negative association with the children’s mental wellbeing status and alcohol consumption. Additionally, the self-assessed health status of mothers was positively correlated with children’s mental health. The greater the alcohol use in mothers, the more likely were offspring to have problems.
It is well-known that parental behaviour can have a significant impact on children’s life outcomes such as health status and educational performance. That said, many other factors are involved. Smoking and alcohol use, for example, can have an impact on the parents’ health as well as direct and indirect effects on offspring.
“Policymakers should consider giving priorities in enhancing life and health conditions of parents in Turkey to improve life outcomes of children,” the team suggests. They add that “Improvements in health literacy of parents and specifically health statuses of mothers may significantly contribute children’s life outcomes.”
Sidal, N.E. and Kose, T. (2019) ‘Parental alcohol use and children’s mental health: the case of Turkey’, Int. J. Behavioural and Healthcare Research, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp.65–76.
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