30 June 2020

Research pick: Whales identify Arabian horses - "Arabian horse identification based on whale optimised multi-class support vector machine"

A computer program, an optimisation algorithm, that mimics in software the social interactions of the humpback whale has been used by researchers in Egypt to build a system for the identification of Arabian horses.

Identification of Arabian racehorses is critical to owner provenance, vaccination handling, disease control, animal traceability, food management, and animal safety. Traditionally, the horses are hot or freeze branded. Today, the branding might be by electronic tag or implant, or even biometric. Classical approaches are invasive and vulnerable to fraud.

Writing in the International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, Ayat Taha and Ahmed ElKholy of Al-Azhar University in Cairo and colleagues Ashraf Darwish of Helwan University, and Aboul Ella Hassanien Cairo University, explain how the whale optimization algorithm helps avoid fraud. The WOA is inspired by the hunting behaviour of humpback whales. These marine mammals use a special strategy for hunting fish called bubble-net hunting. The whales produce bubbles in a spiral or a ring around a target school of fish and then swim to shrink this ephemeral boundary, pushing the fish into a smaller volume of water. They then pinpoint fish to capture within this boundary, which not only confuses the fish and confines them but gives the whales an almost fixed area to focus on. The WOA mathematically models this in two phases: creating a bubble boundary and then allowing “prey” features to be identified.

The team has now built their algorithm on an optimised Multi-Class Support Vector Machine. The system analyses muzzle imprints from the horses, it having been trained on known horses. It is possible to identify a horse quickly using this system to an accuracy of more than 97%, which surpasses previous machine learning systems that do not rely on biomimetic models such as the whale optimization algorithm.

Taha, A., Darwish, A., Hassanien, A.E. and ElKholy, A. (2020) ‘Arabian horse identification based on whale optimised multi-class support vector machine’, Int. J. Computer Applications in Technology, Vol. 63, Nos. 1/2, pp.83–92.

27 June 2020

Research pick: Supercritical answer to waste oil - "Measurement and modelling of the solubility of dodecylcyclohexane in supercritical carbon dioxide"

Lubricating oils deteriorate and oxidize with use as well as accumulating particles from the engines and other machinery in which they are used. Ultimately, their effectiveness worsens and they begin to damage the components they were designed to protect they have to be replaced. Disposing of waste engine oil thus becomes a significant environmental concern. Waste lubricant cannot be simply disposed of as it is highly toxic to ecosystems and harmful to the environment and human health.

Writing in the International Journal of Global Warming, a team from China has turned to a nineteenth century discovery – supercritical fluids – to help them clean up waste oil and remove contaminants efficiently and effectively.

Supercritical fluids are essentially substances held at a temperature above their boiling point but under sufficiently high pressure that they do not enter the gas phase. Under these conditions water, carbon dioxide, and other substances are in a hybrid state between liquid and gas and have many properties that are very different from the substance in its commonly observed state at ambient temperature and pressure.

For instance, supercritical fluids (SCFs) can dissolve many diverse substances that are not normally considered soluble in the “normal” gas or liquid. They also have the advantage of very rapidly reverting to their normal state once the pressure and temperature are reduced. This phenomenon allows a substance such as supercritical carbon dioxide to be used to dissolve a range of compounds so that a dissolved compound might then be separated from a complex mixture. Once the pressure is released the carbon dioxide boils off leaving behind the separated substance.

Xin Yang, Shuo Xiang, Peng Su, Yan He, and Ping Liu of the Department of Oil, at the Army Logistics University of PLA and Ligong Chen of the Engineering Research Centre for Waste Oil Recovery Technology and Equipment, at Chongqing Technology and Business University, both in Chongqing, China, have now modeled the behaviour of dodecylcyclohexane in supercritical carbon dioxide. This compound is one of the major components of lubricating oils. It is soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide at a specific temperature and pressure.

The team found the optimal temperature and pressure to be 313.2 Kelvin and 14.68 Megapascals, respectively. None of the contaminants of degraded components have as high a solubility under these conditions and so the technology might then be used to separate the dodecylcyclohexane from the waste materials, the team suggests.

Yang, X., Xiang, S., Su, P., He, Y., Liu, P. and Chen, L. (2020) ‘Measurement and modelling of the solubility of dodecylcyclohexane in supercritical carbon dioxide’, Int. J. Global Warming, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp.35–49.

26 June 2020

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Sustainable Economy

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Sustainable Economy are now available here for free:
  • Estimating the optimal size of secondary healthcare providers in Slovenia
  • Determinants of export competitiveness of fresh fruits in India
  • Cross-border pollution in an asymmetric trade competition
  • Do financial stability and institutional quality have impact on financial inclusion in developing economies? A new evidence from Nigeria
  • How important is fiscal stimulus for economic growth? Empirical evidence from G7 countries

Special issue published: "Sustainable Supply Chains and Circular Economy"

  • The impact of Industry 4.0 on sustainability and the circular economy reporting requirements
  • Impacts of Industry 4.0 in sustainable food manufacturing and supply chain
  • Circular economy business model design
  • Drivers and barriers of consumer purchase intention of remanufactured mobile phones: a study on Indonesian consumers
  • Consumers' perceptions of circular economy in the hotel industry: evidence from Portugal
  • Sustainability as a driver of operational excellence - the relevance of variability in process operations
  • Effect of corporate sustainable development on green purchasing: insights from ISO 14001 certified manufacturing companies in Malaysia
  • Factors influencing information and communication technology diffusion in Nigeria's transport logistics industry: an exploratory study
  • Assessing significant factors for sustainable cold chain performance in Sri Lankan context
  • Supply network configuration archetypes for the circular exploitation of solid waste

25 June 2020

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business and Globalisation

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business and Globalisation are now available here for free:
  • Fostering indigenous entrepreneurship amongst San people: an exploratory case of Tsumkwe
  • Business internet use in small, family owned and managed hotels in Scotland
  • Entrepreneurial motivation: the impact of cultural capital on the 'who' is motivated
  • Exporting identity: Italians in London during the long 19th century
  • Social bonds: migration and comparative analysis of remitting behaviour between Pakistani and Indian diaspora
  • TQM techniques as an innovative approach in sport organisations management: toward a conceptual framework
  • The impact of age and reading on the desire for training of managers in entrepreneurial ventures
  • How do self-employed Sami people perceive the impact of the EU and globalisation?

Research pick: Plaintext ciphertext - "Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited"

Writing in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, Yu-Chi Chen of the Department Computer Science and Engineering, at Yuan Ze University, in Tauyuan, Taiwan , has revisited the concept of plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation that could be utilized in the context of security and privacy in the realm of big data and cloud computing.

Achieving a specific computing over ciphertext, plaintext checkable encryption (PCE) is a relatively new concept explains Chen. It supports the specific functionality between ciphertext and plaintext. “Given a target plaintext, a ciphertext and a public key, anyone can perform a check algorithm (called Check) to test whether the ciphertext encrypts the target plaintext with the public key,” he explains.

It allows the user to send search instructions to a database, for instance, that are encrypted so that a third party, such as the service provider themselves, cannot see the search terms, but the server has to know that the search is encrypted in a valid way so that it can send back encrypted results; this is where the check function plays its role.

The new work builds on these concepts and offers a new way to approach them with secure public keys and generic constructions.

Chen, Y-C. (2020) ‘Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited’, Int. J. Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp.102–110.

24 June 2020

Special issue published: "Financial Development and Business Innovation in Emerging Markets"

  • Shariah rural bank in empowering the small and micro enterprises: strategies and differentiations
  • Modelling the competitiveness of regional bank: empirical evidence from Sumatera, Indonesia
  • Related party transactions on tunnelling and propping perspective
  • Reputation of external directors, auditors and earnings management
  • The perspective of Indonesian students abroad, professionals, and Indonesian government of international mobility of Indonesians
  • Comparative analysis of mergers and acquisitions in Indian and international pharmaceutical industry with unique case-lets

Special issue published: "Architectures, Algorithms, Securities and Programming for Big Data Processing and Deep Learning"

  • Maintaining data integrity in cloud systems through version management
  • An optimal scheduling algorithm for DASH video streaming over variable bit rate networks
  • Personalised gesture recognition based on tri-axis accelerometer using Gabor filters
  • Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited
  • Predicting the price movement from candlestick charts: a CNN-based approach
  • Health-Ledger model development based on IoT and blockchain

Research pick: Malaysian mobile markets - "The forefront of mobile shopping: an emerging economy’s perspective"

Writing in the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management, a team from Malaysia provides details of the main factors affecting mobile shopping there. The researchers, Chi-Yang Hng and Pik-Yin Foo of Jalan Universiti in Perak, and Ai-Fen Lim and Radha Krishnan Nair of the UCSI University Kuala Lumpur Campus, Malaysia, analysed 300 questionnaires offered to people in shopping malls in the city of Ipoh. Fundamentally, ease of use and mobile-friendliness, rather than “playfulness” of the mobile shopping experience are what might drive shoppers to use these services.

Around the world, the advent of the internet, the emergence of the world wide web, and the opening up of the digital realm to commercial applications operators continues to see more and more people spend more and more of their time online. The shopping experience, regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic in which we are in the midst at the time of writing of this Inderscience Research Pick, has increasingly moved from commerce to e-commerce. Indeed, smartphones are an essential item for those in the developed and developing world today rather than a luxury. Mobile shopping has become reliable and secure.

The team concedes that this preliminary research has limitations in that those surveyed were generally in the younger age group, adults under 30, and mostly Chinese. Nevertheless, if the results might apply to other demographic groups, which may well be demonstrated in follow-up work, it is likely the most mobile shoppers would prefer uncomplicated applications through which to do their online browsing and shopping. There is also a need to ensure that users are kept informed of transactions and account updates and such like.

Hng, C-Y., Foo, P-Y., Lim, A-F. and Nair, R.K. (2020) ‘The forefront of mobile shopping: an emerging economy’s perspective’, Int. J. Services, Economics and Management, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp.21–47.

23 June 2020

Research pick: Painting a picture of Van Gogh as entrepreneur - "Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), innovator and entrepreneur: an experiential report of Van Gogh guides in Nuenen"

We think of Vincent van Gogh as an artist, famed for his starry nights, his floral tributes, and his raffia-work seating. But, he was also an innovator and an entrepreneur, suggests a paper published in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business and modern business people might learn a thing or two from his style.

Jos Pieterse of Fontys University of Applied Sciences, in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and colleagues have analysed letters from the 19th century and expert observations of Van Gogh’s activities and work experts as well as guides to the Vincentre Van Gogh museum. They also asked 25 students specialising in innovation and entrepreneurship to give their opinions of Van Gogh’s entrepreneurial skills.

We know that Van Gogh was a hard worker based on his prodigious artistic output. The new findings show the innovative and entrepreneurial potential of Van Gogh to reflect his imagination, creativity, and analytical skills. However, based on his apparent lack of financial acumen we can say only with hindsight that he was artistically far ahead but not recognized by his audience.

“The whole field of artistic innovation and entrepreneurship deserves to be better researched for a mutual learning effect for organisational science to learn from this field and vice versa,” the team writes. “The work of Vincent van Gogh both in his drawings, paintings and letters are just one [tragic] example.”

Ulijn, J., Veldhoen, A., Bekkers-Vermeulen, J., Hendrikse, S., Pieterse, J. and Saych, N. (2020) ‘Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), innovator and entrepreneur: an experiential report of Van Gogh guides in Nuenen’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp.337–372.

Special issue published: "Architectures, Algorithms, Securities and Programming for Big Data Processing and Deep Learning"

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing are now available here for free:
  • Maintaining data integrity in cloud systems through version management
  • An optimal scheduling algorithm for DASH video streaming over variable bit rate networks
  • Personalised gesture recognition based on tri-axis accelerometer using Gabor filters
  • Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited
  • Predicting the price movement from candlestick charts: a CNN-based approach
  • Health-Ledger model development based on IoT and blockchain

22 June 2020

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Services, Economics and Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management are now available here for free:
  • Green innovation under uncertainty - a dynamic perspective
  • Social loafing with group development
  • Understanding the antecedents of service decisions: an integration of service promiscuity and customer citizenship behaviour
  • Service quality gap - a tale of two companies
  • Bill prioritisation and bill payment orientation in the developing country context

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling to invite expanded papers from Second International Symposium on Simulation and Process Modelling (ISSPM 2020) for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the Second International Symposium on Simulation and Process Modelling (ISSPM 2020) (29-30 August 2020, Shenyang, China) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies are now available here for free:
  • Using type and temporal semantic enrichment to boost content discoverability and multilingualism in the Greek cultural aggregator SearchCulture.gr
  • A semantic web enabled host intrusion detection system
  • Ontology of folktales in the Greater Mekong Subregion
  • The properties of property alignment on the semantic web
  • A supervised aspect level sentiment model to predict overall sentiment on tweeter documents
  • A combined path index for efficient processing of XML queries
  • Data provenance in multi-agent systems: relevance, benefits and research opportunities
  • A method for examining metadata quality in open research datasets using the OAI-PMH and SQL queries: the case of the Dublin Core 'Subject' element and suggestions for user-centred metadata annotation design

19 June 2020

Research pick: Plastic membrane to treat age-related macular degeneration - "Modelling and simulation analysis of porous polymeric scaffold for the replacement of Bruch’s membrane as a therapy for age-related macular degeneration"

A porous polymeric scaffold might be the answer to a sight problem that afflicts millions of older people every year, age-related macular degeneration. Researchers writing in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, discuss in detail their modelling and simulation analysis of these materials, which might be used as a prosthetic for the eye’s Bruch’s membrane.

Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition that occurs when the macula of the retina is damaged through oxidative processes usually associated with age but also in tobacco smokers. The macula is an oval-shaped, pigmented area at the centre of the retina so deterioration of this region leads to blurred or no vision in the centre of the visual field. Initially, there are no symptoms but vision in the afflicted person will suffer and loss of central vision occurs making it hard to recognize faces, drive, read, or perform other activities of daily life. At present, there is no treatment for macular degeneration and while not smoking is a good preventative measure, avoidance of the other main risk factors – ageing and genetics – cannot be avoided.

Bruch’s membrane is the innermost layer of the choroid, the layer between the retina and the outer layer of the eye, the sclera. It is sometimes referred to as the vitreous lamina because it is a glass-like layer, some two to four micrometres thick. Changes in this membrane are often the underlying cause of the blindness seen in AMD as errant blood vessel growth occurs in this membrane in the condition. More specifically, AMD is characterized by extracellular deposits that accumulate between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the inner collagenous layer of Bruch’s membrane, causing the death of RPE cells and subsequent loss of photoreceptor cells.

As such, materials to engineer the structure of the membrane and preclude abnormal blood vessel growth might offer a way to slow or even halt progression of the disease once diagnosed.

Susan Immanuel, Aswin Bob Ignatius, and Alagappan Muthuppalaniappan of the PSG College of Technology, in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India, have designed a prosthetic Bruch’s membrane, which is based on porous polycaprolactone (PCL). The artificial membrane was designed using the COMSOL Multiphysics tool. Its properties, including structural integrity and fluid flow, were analysed using Brinkman’s equation.

“The results show that the scaffold with higher porosity has a lower pressure gradient which is necessary for retinal pigment epithelial adherence and is mechanically stable,” the team writes. “This proves that a PCL scaffold with higher porosity is a potential replacement for Bruch’s membrane.”

Immanuel, S., Ignatius, A.B. and Muthuppalaniappan, A. (2020) ‘Modelling and simulation analysis of porous polymeric scaffold for the replacement of Bruch’s membrane as a therapy for age-related macular degeneration’, Int. J. Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp.290–304.

18 June 2020

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Integrated Supply Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Integrated Supply Management are now available here for free:
  • Incentive for information sharing through revenue-sharing contracts in a logistics service provider and customer relationship
  • Transformational leadership and environmental commitment in supply chain relationships: the mediating effect of perceived fairness
  • The impact of procurement on supplier satisfaction: service, communication, and speed
  • Impact of market orientation, learning orientation, and supply chain integration on product innovation
  • Recent approaches to supplier selection: a review of literature within 2006-2016
  • Business service supply and collaboration: the impact of purchasing integration

Research pick: Commerce in a time of Covid - "Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) and supply chain resilience: a research note"

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic caused by the recently emerged virus SARS-CoV-2 is affecting everyone’s lives in many significant and disparate ways. New research published in the International Journal of Integrated Supply Management has looked at how companies are attempting to sustain their supply chains in the face of this disease.

Dmitry Ivanov of the Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany and Ajay Das of CUNY-Baruch, New York, USA, point out how the impact of the pandemic is unlike any prior natural disaster. They explain that low-frequency-high-impact events can pose a considerable risk to supply chains and the normal functioning of society. The effects of such events ripple through economies and society. The team has now modelled this ripple effect on global supply chains in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fundamentally, epidemics and pandemics are a special instance of low-frequency-high-impact events, the team suggests. After all, they add, in contrast to geographically centred, singular occurrence – such as a natural or industrial disaster – a pandemic is not limited to a particular region nor confined to a particular time period.

In their analysis, they consider the velocity with which the pandemic propagated, the duration of production, distribution, and market disruption, and the decline in consumer demand. They have also analysed how risk to supply chains might be mitigated in the face of this pandemic and have mapped out potential recovery paths. The creation of flexible and dynamic virtual local supply and demand structures are perhaps key to resilience. However, the team also points out that they believe this is not the end of global supply chains.

“Every crisis ends, and once the situation normalises, global supply chains would continue to offer a degree of efficiency and effectiveness that cannot be matched by domestic or regionally limited supply chains,” they write.

Ivanov, D. and Das, A. (2020) ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) and supply chain resilience: a research note’, Int. J. Integrated Supply Management, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.90-102.

17 June 2020

Special issue published: "Anatomy of Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship: Past, Present and Future"

  • Artpreneurs' lessons to traditional business
  • Cultural and creative entrepreneurship: towards a paradigmatic proposal?
  • Mapping and thematic analysis of cultural entrepreneurship research
  • Balancing the creative business model
  • Leveraging historical shifts in the world economy: systems of patronage and supportive ecosystems for creative and cultural enterprise
  • The role of education in the entrepreneurial ecosystem: the case of 'Made in Italy Tuscany Academy' in the Florence fashion city

Research pick: The ABC of art and business - "Artpreneurs’ lessons to traditional business"

A new paradigm in business and entrepreneurial activity is emerging according to a new study. The new paradigm within cultural entrepreneurship differs considerably from the accepted model showing that there is an increased appreciation of “the arts” in business and commerce. The emergence of the so-called “artpreneur” could provide conventional business ventures with new insights.

Marilena Vecco of the Department of Accounting, Finance and Law in the Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France, provides details of the work in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Vecco hopes to answer the question as to whether we can talk about cross-fertilisation between art and entrepreneurship.

Historically, one might say that the business world has perceived artists as merely “dreamers”, only “useful” and “productive” when generating profitable artistic and aesthetic output. However, the work of painters, musicians, and many others, indeed all artists, has much greater currency in the business world and business education, especially given the advent of the digital era. There is also an increasing recognition among the educated that to recognise one’s own artistic and creative spirit as well as those characteristics in others is increasingly important in terms of a rounded, well-balanced, and diverse approach to business, society, culture, and life in general.

The current paper identifies several lessons focusing on the process, skills and behaviour of artpreneurs that might be adopted by traditional entrepreneurs with a particular emphasis on sustainability. It is obvious from this work that the aesthetic dimension represents a competitive advantage for the artpreneur over the conventional business-trained entrepreneur.

Vecco, M. (2020) ‘Artpreneurs’ lessons to traditional business‘, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp.154-170.

16 June 2020

Research pick: Understanding water-repellent enzymes - "Correlation among hydrophobic aromatic and aliphatic residues in the six enzyme classes"

The ability of some molecules, such as fatty or oily molecules, to repel water is known as hydrophobicity. The opposite, water attracting, is hydrophilicity. The hydrophobic force that keeps water molecules at bay is one of the most fundamental of chemical interactions, but it is not only about why oil and water do not mix, it lies at the heart of how the proteins, the molecular machinery of our cells fold into their active form and indeed how they work to keep us and every other living thing alive.

Research published in the International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design, has investigated the properties of two types of hydrophobic groups in six specific kinds of proteins, the biological catalysts known as enzymes. Anindita Roy Chowdhury (Chakravarty) of the GD Goenka University, in Haryana and her colleagues H.G. Nagendra of the Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, in Bengaluru, and Alpana Seal of the University of Kalyani, in West Bengal, India, explain how the hydrophobic properties of aliphatic and aromatic groups on the amino acids that build up a protein chain then allow the chain to twist and turn and fold in on itself to form its active structure. Aliphatic groups, or residues, are essentially chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms while aromatic groups are commonly rings of carbon and hydrogen atoms joined to the amino acid structure.

The researchers had previously identified those aromatic and aliphatic residues that contribute the most and the least to hydrophobic character in six enzyme classes. In the current work, they have examined the relative contributions towards hydrophobicity of the different hydrophobic amino acids in both aromatic and aliphatic categories.

They have found that there is an inverse relationship between residues of similar hydrophobic strength both in aromatic and aliphatic categories. So, for instance, the presence of an amino acid such as tryptophan which contains an aromatic group has the inverse effect to one like phenylalanine . A similar relationship is found in pairs of amino acids with aliphatic side chains, such as isoleucine and leucine. Leucine, isoleucine, and phenylalanine are essential for creating a hydrophobic, non-polar, environment at the core of an enzyme that has to bind non-polar molecules.

“This analysis is likely to provide insight for finer analysis of the enzyme molecule,” the team writes.

Roy Chowdhury, A., Nagendra, H.G. and Seal, A. (2020) ‘Correlation among hydrophobic aromatic and aliphatic residues in the six enzyme classes’, Int. J. Computational Biology and Drug Design, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.209–223.

15 June 2020

Special issue published: "21st Century Manufacturing"

  • Mass production strategy for additive manufacturing by stacking the product at design phase
  • Teaching leadership in additive manufacturing: doing the right thing, before doing it right
  • Phantom holes: optimised internal structural design for use with additive manufacturing, typical fused filament fabrication systems
  • A smart decision making tool for cleaning process planning in remanufacturing
  • A comparison framework to support the selection of the best additive manufacturing process for specific aerospace applications
  • Experimental and numerical investigation on the effect of layer thickness during laser powder-bed fusion of stainless steel 17-4PH
  • A statistical approach for process optimisation of digital light processing 3D printing process
  • Investigation of the tensile properties in fibre-reinforced additive manufacturing and fused filament fabrication
  • Power consumption investigation for fused filament fabricated specimen

12 June 2020

Research pick: The push and pull of R&D - "The two faces of R&D investments: push and pull factors"

For many companies, their long-term success depends on research and development (R&D) as it plays a crucial role in contributing to a firm’s ability to innovate and fight obsolescence. Moreover, companies in emerging countries are investing heavily in R&D in the hope that their investment will help them reach the level of their competitors in the “West”. A 2016 report from a major accountancy firm revealed that Chinese firms had the most significant R&D expenditure, with some 130 Chinese companies listed in the report having invested a total of $48.6 billion in 2016.

Now, research published in the International Journal of Technology Management looks at the push and pull of investment in R&D to see which predominates. Xin Pan of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, in Chengdu working with Xuanjin Chen and Xibao Li of Tsinghua University, in Beijing, China, suggests that there are factors that pull on R&D reducing investment and factors that push, increase costs. They conclude that push effect causes almost 9 out of every ten companies in China to overinvest in R&D and leads to an average overinvestment of 41.33% above the optimal level.

“This R&D investment inefficiency is heterogeneous in terms of state ownership structures,” the team reports. “A higher percentage of state-owned firms suffer from severe overinvestment,” they add. The team offers managers and corporate policymakers advice and guidance on how they might ultimately reduce R&D investment inefficiency.

Pan, X., Chen, X. and Li, X. (2020) ‘The two faces of R&D investments: push and pull factors’, Int. J. Technology Management, Vol. 82, No. 1, pp.26–46.

10 June 2020

International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering to invite expanded papers from Sixth International Symposium on Signal Processing and Intelligent Recognition Systems (SIRS'20) for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the Sixth International Symposium on Signal Processing and Intelligent Recognition Systems (SIRS'20) (14-17 October 2020, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, India) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology are now available here for free:
  • Finding and validating medical information shared on Twitter: experiences using a crowdsourcing approach
  • A simple decision-making approach for information technology solution selection
  • Holistic evaluation of knowledge management practices in large Indian software organisations
  • Creating entrepreneurial education programs and ecosystems in universities

International Journal of Embedded Systems to invite expanded papers from Symposium on Machine Learning and Metaheuristics Algorithms, and Applications (SoMMA'20) for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the Symposium on Machine Learning and Metaheuristics Algorithms, and Applications (SoMMA'20) (14-17 October 2020, Chennai, India) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Embedded Systems.

Research pick: Advertising sensitive products - "Internet advertising of offensive products: the effects of cartoons on adult consumer attitudes"

Internet advertising is big business. Indeed, there are several world-famous brands that have billions of users that have a simple function, such as web search or social networking on which multi-billion dollar advertising revenues hinge. Now, there are legitimate and worthy products that some people might consider “offensive” or to perhaps be more precise associated with a sensitive or taboo subject in some way, such as personal hygiene and health products. So, how do corporate marketing departments advertise such products without upsetting the wider community?

Writing in the InternationalJournal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, a team from Thailand and the USA has considered this issue. Pakakorn Rakrachakarn and Thittapong Daengrasmisopon of the Stamford International University, Bangkok, and George Moschis of Georgia State University and Mahidol University, Bangkok, discuss the level of negative response to advertising of such products.

The team has tested a standard, 4 × 4 factorial design online advertisement to see how internet users respond. The advertisements came in two forms – ones that used a conventional photographic form and the other that used a drawing, cartoon, instead.

“The findings indicate that for the main effects of online banner advertising designs, cartoon advertisements (drawings) have a less favourable effect on attitude toward the brand when it is non-cartoon (photographs), regardless of product type (offensive or non-offensive),” the team reports. They add that there is no interaction effect between advertisement design and product types on consumer response, even though cartoon advertisements used in sensitive product advertising gave a less favourable attitude toward the product than non-cartoon advertisements.

The main conclusion seems to be that these kinds of products can generate negative responses when compared with more everyday products, that much is perhaps obvious. However, the use of cartoons instead of photographs in advertising controversial and sensitive products has an even more detrimental effect on perception. Marketing executives should, the team suggests, take their findings into account in designing future campaigns for putatively taboo products.

Rakrachakarn, P., Moschis, G.P. and Daengrasmisopon, T. (2020) ‘Internet advertising of offensive products: the effects of cartoons on adult consumer attitudes’, Int. J. Internet Marketing and Advertising, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.152–167.

9 June 2020

Free open access article available: "Factors affecting SMEs' strategic decisions to approach international markets"

The following paper, "Factors affecting SMEs' strategic decisions to approach international markets"(European Journal of International Management 14(4) 2020), 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 Multinational Corporation Strategy

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Multinational Corporation Strategy are now available here for free:
  • Is China a single united market for foreign investors? - Federalism, Chinese style and inward FDI in China
  • Danish multinational corporations in China: an evolutionary approach to internationalisation
  • Internationalisation and firm performance of emerging market firms: exploring the moderating effects of differential knowledge-based resources
  • The changing geography and organisation of multinational agribusiness

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

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Arts and Technology are now available here for free:
  • The themes of metalworking in the Saljuqid period vis-à-vis Khorasan and Mosul schools
  • Framework for ranking the cloud service providers of federated cloud architecture using probability ranking methodology
  • Design of intensive self-suction multi-purpose household ironing table: based on kansei engineering
  • Dictionary learning-based classification of ink strokes in Vincent van Gogh's drawings
  • Developing new robust motion templates of martial art techniques using R-GDL approach: a case study of SSCM
  • Hindi word correction using micro-parsing
  • How to see art through the eyes of an avatar: Cao Fei's progression to online immersion

Research pick: Senior ICT - "Older adults as the internet users: age and gender approach"

Information and telecommunications technology (ICT) has an important role to play in sustaining the quality of life of an aging population. A study published in the International Journal of Innovation and Learning has investigated the impact of ICT, from both the software and hardware perspective, on older people in the Czech Republic. The findings suggest that older men and women use the internet equally and that gender is not a determining factor in whether they do or not.

Ivana Simonova of the University of Jan Evangelista Purkyne in Usti nad Labem and colleagues Petra Poulova, Pavel Prazak, and Blanka Klimova of the University of Hradec Kralove found that older generally use the tools available to them for socialising (communication and sharing images), gaining information (web search and news) and electronic services (banking and shopping). This perhaps reflects the fact that older people are generally no different from younger people who use ICT for the same reasons, perhaps with the addition of employment applications.

The team also found that some older people lack the requisite ICT skills for achieving their goals efficiently. There is also an issue of confidence and training would help them overcome any social or psychological barriers that may well exist. There is also a need to teach older users how to protect themselves from criminals and other online fraudsters, phishers, and scammers. As such, there is a need for training in the use of ICT for older people as well as in teaching them what personal or private information might be collected “legitimately” by the applications and devices they use or harvested illicitly by criminals.

The team concludes that understanding older ICT user behaviour and developing appropriate training should look at seniors as a group but divide them their special and health needs, cognitive function, and previous experience.

Simonova, I., Poulova, P., Prazak, P. and Klimova, B. (2020) ‘Older adults as the internet users: age and gender approach’, Int. J. Innovation and Learning, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp.467–482.

8 June 2020

Free open access article available: "Evaluating the effects of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge on international air travel: demand analysis of the air-bridge-air path"

The following paper, "Evaluating the effects of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge on international air travel: demand analysis of the air-bridge-air path" (European Journal of International Management
 14(4) 2020), 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 Learning Technology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Learning Technology are now available here for free:
  • Perceptions of the 'flipped classroom': a case study from a developing country 
  • Impact of tablet PCs on learning outcomes in a classroom environment 
  • "Digital tools will never take the place of a good teacher": understanding teachers' resistance to using technology through Glasser's Choice Theory 
  • How compulsive social media use influences college students' performance: a structural equation analysis with gender comparison 
  • Self-efficacy and self-esteem in online learning environments of adult learners

Special issue published: "Lightweight Solutions for Cyberspace Security: Research Advances and Challenges"

  • Design of an outdoor position certification authority
  • Decentralised control-based interaction framework for secure data transmission in internet of automated vehicles
  • An experimental estimate of the impact produced on PNU by new generation video codecs
  • Lightweight and efficient approach for multi-secret steganography
  • A survey on screenlogger attacks as well as countermeasures
  • Secure RGB image steganography based on modified LSB substitution
  • Modelling performances of an autonomic router running under attack
Additional papers
  • Research on intelligent obstacle avoidance control method for mobile robot in multi-barrier environment
  • Heuristic approach to minimise the energy consumption of sensors in cloud environment for wireless body area network applications
  • Mass internet of things data security exchange model under heterogeneous environment
  • Tracking algorithm of weak disturbance signal under multi-device interference in internet of things
  • A channel matching scheme for cross-chain
  • A novel algorithm for TOP-K optimal path on complex multiple attribute graph
  • A novel Monte Carlo-based neural network model for electricity load forecasting
  • A novel localised network coding-based overhearing strategy
  • An algorithm for determining data forwarding strategy based on recommended trust value in MANET
  • Hierarchical bucket tree: an efficient account structure for blockchain-based system

5 June 2020

Research pick: "Synthetic signatures and automatic autographs"

One’s signature, or autograph if one is famous, is a unique identifier for many people. It is used to sign documents from business contracts, cheques, a marriage license and everything in between. However, for those whose native “pen”, as opposed to tongue, is not based in an alphabet that can be written cursively, wherein letters are joined or ligatured in freehand, a signature is often off the cards for them.

Autographic for the people

Researchers from Korea and Japan have now developed a computer application that can generate a unique cursive signature for users whose written words is not based on an alphabet and who may not know how best to utilise such alphabets in the written word. Writing in the International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, Jungpil Shin, Md Abdur Rahim, and Md Rashedul Islam of the The University of Aizu, in Fukushima, Japan, and Keun Soo Yun of Ulsan College, in South Korea, have used a cubic Bezier curve for the cursive connections between letters, the ligatures, and an affine transformation to modify the input characters to make them appear as if they have been written by a native-writer of the English alphabet. The system allows for modifications in the slant, scale, space between the characters, and line emphasis, so that a unique signature might be generated.

Automatic for the pencil

Once the synthetic signature has been generated, the software generates an animated tutorial video to show the putative user of that signature how to create it with pen on paper so that they might use it in the real-world to sign documents.

Of course, the generation of a unique signature using this technology might have wider application online for any user regardless of their written language. The security associated with the parameters used to generate each signature would need to be guaranteed so that it could not be reproduced by a third party but hashing the data string to encrypt it and preclude its duplication without the legitimate user’s password would be possible. It might even be that digital signatures of this sort might exploit the blockchain technology usually associated with digital currencies.

Shin, J., Rahim, M.A., Islam, M.R. and Yun, K.S. (2020) ‘A novel approach of cursive signature generation for personal identity’, Int. J. Computer Applications in Technology, Vol. 62, No. 4, pp.384–394.

4 June 2020

Special issue published: "Lightweight Solutions for Cyberspace Security: Research Advances and Challenges"

  • Design of an outdoor position certification authority
  • Decentralised control-based interaction framework for secure data transmission in internet of automated vehicles
  • An experimental estimate of the impact produced on PNU by new generation video codecs
  • Lightweight and efficient approach for multi-secret steganography
  • A survey on screenlogger attacks as well as countermeasures
  • Secure RGB image steganography based on modified LSB substitution
  • Modelling performances of an autonomic router running under attack
  • Research on intelligent obstacle avoidance control method for mobile robot in multi-barrier environment
  • Heuristic approach to minimise the energy consumption of sensors in cloud environment for wireless body area network applications
  • Mass internet of things data security exchange model under heterogeneous environment
  • Tracking algorithm of weak disturbance signal under multi-device interference in internet of things
  • A channel matching scheme for cross-chain
  • A novel algorithm for TOP-K optimal path on complex multiple attribute graph
  • A novel Monte Carlo-based neural network model for electricity load forecasting
  • A novel localised network coding-based overhearing strategy
  • An algorithm for determining data forwarding strategy based on recommended trust value in MANET
  • Hierarchical bucket tree: an efficient account structure for blockchain-based system

New Editor for International Journal of Governance and Financial Intermediation

Prof. M. Ángeles López-Cabarcos from Santiago de Compostela University in Spain has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Governance and Financial Intermediation.

Research pick: Encrypting images with chaos - "New chaotic cryptosystem for the image encryption"

Research published in the International Journal of Information and Computer Security details a way to encode an image using a chaotic cryptosystem that makes it harder for someone to illicitly break the encryption by boosting the size of the key space to 180 bits. The system, its authors write, is both robust and highly efficient based on their key space, statistical, and sensitivity analyses.

Assia Merzoug of the Laboratory of Coding and Security of Information at the University Batna and Adda Ali-Pacha and Naima Hadj-Said of the Laboratory of Coding and Security of Information at the University of Oran of Sciences and Technology in Algeria, explain how information security is primarily based on calculation algorithms. The level of security depends on the number of binary digits, bits, used by the system to define the cryptographic key that is employed by legitimate users to unlock the encryption. Too few bits in the key make it easier for a third party to crack the code. Conversely, if the key is too complex, i.e. a very high number of bits then it will require a lot of computer power from legitimate users on both sides to encrypt and decrypt the information.

One way around this need for inordinate computer resources for simple encryption might involve exploiting chaos theory, so that a complex key coding the information with an adequate number of bits might be generated that is difficult to crack. The team has brought together the Hénon attractor and a logistics map from chaos theory to construction their cryptosystem.

Standard “Lenna” test image and how a chaotically encrypted version looks

The chaotic data can be spliced into a normal image file to produce an encrypted image that will be very difficult to crack. Indeed, the test image once encrypted looks like simple noise to the casual observed with a flat histogram of pixel values. The whole process uses a very low level of computing resources but nevertheless produces an encrypted image this is very difficult to crack with a bruteforce attack.

Merzoug, A., Ali-Pacha, A. and Hadj-Said, N. (2020) ‘New chaotic cryptosystem for the image encryption’, Int. J. Information and Computer Security, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp.450–463.

3 June 2020

Special issue published: "Enhancing Learning Effectiveness with Multifaceted Learning"

International Journal of Innovation and Learning 27(4) 2020

  • Teaching and learning with video modelling: production with limited budget and influence of familiar faces on learning effectiveness
  • The use of 360-degree videos to facilitate pre-learning and reflection on learning experiences
  • Motivating students' learning in science and technology by using robots
  • Design and evaluation on interface for screen operation for supporting practical training using ICT in elementary and secondary education
  • Understanding K-12 students' information literacy in informal learning environments: a literature review
  • Peer assessment of peer assessment plan: a deep learning approach of teacher assessment literacy
  • Older adults as the internet users: age and gender approach

Research pick: Teamwork at the global level - "Tactics of handling interpersonal conflict through emotional intelligence"

A team leader’s emotional intelligence can make all the difference when it comes to conflict resolution. Writing in the International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management, a team from China and Pakistan discuss case studies of five conflict-handling styles in handling interpersonal conflicts. They undertook a statistical analysis of 213 questionnaires completed by 213 of 300 team leaders surveyed. The focus of the work being in what the researchers refer to as a non-western context adds useful insight to the literature in this area.

Many organisations operate on a global scale and within those organisations, employees are considered an asset with team players especially valued. Of course, with team players, one usually needs team leaders to allow working groups to function most effectively, although there are example of non-heirarchical working groups. One of the benefits of team working is that each player brings different working styles and skills to the team and offers alternative perspectives to those that might arise from a top-down approach to working.

Unfortunately, that also brings with it an increased opportunity for interpersonal conflict where one team member’s creative perspective does not coincide with the approach of another player in terms of their own attitudes and methods. This can be a positive characteristic of the team, allowing debate to flourish and the optimal solution to a problem to perhaps emerge in the end. However, unchecked conflict might escalate naturally and lead to complex problems that might never be resolved without leadership intervention.

The team’s findings can help guide managers and team leaders in handling interpersonal conflict and particularly conflicts that arise as team members from across the globe are relocated to centres, often in different countries where the organisation is based.

Tanveer, Y., Tariq, A., Akram, U. and Bilal, M. (2019) ‘Tactics of handling interpersonal conflict through emotional intelligence’, Int. J. Information Systems and Change Management, Vol. 11, Nos. 3/4, pp.211–227.

2 June 2020

Special issue published: "Intelligent Computation Systems – Part I"

International Journal of Advanced Intelligence Paradigms 16(3/4) 2020

  • Automated transformation of NL to OCL constraints via SBVR
  • Study of skin flow motion pattern using photoplethysmogram
  • Incorporating security in opportunistic routing and traffic management in opportunistic sensor network
  • Improving reliability in MAS by rule-based logic and cryptographic techniques
  • THD minimisation using genetic algorithm on the nine-level multilevel inverters
  • Simulink implementation of RLS algorithm for resilient artefacts removal in ECG signal
  • Semantic linkage of source content dynamically with virtual documents using Wikipedia in Hadoop
  • A novel system for early detection of breast cancer using area and entropy features of malignant tumour
  • Threshold algorithm for the cell formation problem
  • Support vector machine-based proactive fault-tolerant scheduling for grid computing environment
  • Automatic classification for preventing duplication of online multimedia data in secure cloud infrastructure
  • Breast cancer diagnosis using a Minkowski distance method based on mutual information and genetic algorithm

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Environment

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Environment are now available here for free:
  • Cluster policy resilience: new challenges for a mature policy
  • Restructuring for service business development: insights from a machine tool manufacturer
  • Revisiting product and process innovations
  • Productisation as the reverse side of the servitisation strategy
  • Organisational ambidexterity and industrial clockspeed theories in understanding dynamic managerial capabilities: a multiple case study
  • Product-service innovation and performance: unveiling the complexities
  • Antecedents and consequences of servitisation in the office printing industry
  • Does business model experimentation in dynamic contexts enhance value capture?

Special issue on: "Sustainable Networking, Cloud and Wireless Systems"

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations 22(4) 2020

  • An effective performance of dynamic and ad-hoc on-demand routing protocols for mobile ad-hoc networks under NS environment
  • Using MLPA for smart mushroom farm monitoring system based on IoT
  • SCM: secured communication model for urban VANET applications
  • A multi-objective EBCO-TS algorithm for efficient task scheduling in mobile cloud computing
  • Virtual resource auction based on Bayesian incentive strategy in large-scale clouds
  • An efficient cache management algorithm for streaming workloads
  • Energy efficient dynamic clustering routing protocol in underwater wireless sensor networks
  • Light weight security scheme in wireless body area sensor network using logistic chaotic scheme
  • A novel evolutionary algorithm (MFO) with rate monotonic scheduling for load balancing in LTE advanced networks
  • Petri net model for resource scheduling with auto scaling in elastic cloud

Research pick: Device to device power saving - "Refining channel and power allocation for green device-to-device communications"

When devices communicate they are usually configured to save power by first choosing an appropriate channel, connecting to each other, and then carrying out power control according to the quality of service (QoS) requirements of each device. However, after they have connected the power requirements of each device have usually dropped or at the very least change and so they are essentially not optimised for efficiency. Research published in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing shows how channel and power reallocations can be performed over several iterations until transmission power drops below a threshold to reduce overall power consumption.

Chih-Shun Hsu of the Department of Information Management at Shih Hsin University, in Taipei, Taiwan, discusses the trade-off among transmission power, throughput, and computation costs based on extensive simulations. He suggests that his simulation results justify the energy efficiency of the proposed refining schemes. The scheme may well allow 5G systems to run more effectively as part of the infrastructure of the 5G network will be to utilise unlicensed bandwidth between devices rather than carrying all packets of information as would be normal across the licensed cellular network.

Three power refining protocols are proposed in the paper: refining scheme with power control (RPC), the refining scheme with channel reallocation (RCR), and the refining scheme hybrid channel reallocation and power control (RCRPC). “All the three refining schemes can greatly reduce the total transmission power and enhance the transmission power efficiency of the scheme with no refining phase,” Hsu explains. He adds that of the three refining schemes, the RPC scheme can achieve the highest total throughput with the lowest computation time, the RCR scheme can achieve the lowest total transmission power with the highest computation time, and the RCRPC scheme can achieve a balanced result such that the total throughput of the RCRPC scheme is slightly lower than that of the RPC scheme and the total transmission power is slightly higher than that of the RCR scheme.”

Hsu, C-S. (2020) ‘Refining channel and power allocation for green device-to-device communications’, Int. J. Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp.11–24.

1 June 2020

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Advanced Operations Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Advanced Operations Management are now available here for free:
  • Which practices are lean, agile and resilient? Literature review and practitioners' perspective
  • The effect of IT integration on improving agility, integration and performance of supply chain
  • Improvement of steel melting operations at a Caribbean company: a lean manufacturing approach
  • Trade-off among lean, agile, resilient and green paradigms: an empirical study on pharmaceutical industry in Jordan using a TOPSIS-entropy method
  • Green optimisation for LRP problem using a genetic algorithm and a dynamic island model
  • Exploring ecosystem network analysis to balance resilience and performance in sustainable supply chain design
  • Enhancing stock efficiency and environmental sustainability goals in direct distribution logistic networks

Special issue published: "Business Challenges and Opportunities, Management, Leadership and Innovations: Insights from Emerging Markets"

Journal for Global Business Advancement 12(5) 2019

  • Determinants of successful public organisational outcomes: a case of a Vietnamese local government
  • A review of the relationship between leadership style and innovation: insights and directions for future research
  • Customer-based cold chain equity: the application of customer-based brand equity on the food cold chain
  • A survey of investors' share evaluation methods in Nigeria
  • Determinants of organisational customers' perceived value and repurchase intention: an empirical study of B2B general insurance across Vietnam
  • Partner trust as an evaluative parameter for international joint ventures in Indian setting: insights from meta-analysis

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage are now available here for free:
  • Analysis of lean practices in manufacturing industries: an ISM approach
  • A review of specification limits and control limits from the perspective of Six Sigma quality processes
  • Identification of components and parameters contributing to noise in transmission through the use of Shainin techniques
  • Implementation of Lean Six Sigma framework in a large scale industry: a case study
  • Applying Lean Six Sigma methods to improve infectious waste management in hospitals