Inderscience journals to invite expanded papers from 2nd Nordic International Business, Export Marketing and Tourism Conference 2020 for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the 2nd Nordic International Business, Export Marketing and Tourism Conference 2020 (7-8 November 2020, online event (via Zoom)) will be invited for review and potential publication by the following journals:

• International Journal of Export Marketing
• Nordic Journal of Tourism

Special issue published: "Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology"

International Journal of Nanotechnology 17(2/3/4/5/6) 2020

• Advanced nursing recovery therapy in the field of nanotechnology based on tetracycline hydrochloride type drugs
• Study on the safety of efficacy analysis of common personal care products based on nanotechnology innovation
• Research on healthcare and external medicine based on nano biochip technology
• Treatment and research of skin healthcare based on nanosilver ion material technology
• Study on tumour health examination nursing screening based on nanometre probe technology
• Preparation of chitin carbon nanotubes composites and their study on cellular nerve signal transmission and nerve regeneration
• Molecular mechanics of skeletal muscle biomechanics and its application in human lower limb active rehabilitation
• Application of SERS active substrate prepared by nanotechnology in ophthalmic care
• The effect of nanoligament combined with sports rehabilitation training on the treatment of patients with ligament injury
• Nanominerals and their environmental effects
• Discovery of nanoscale dissolution structure of monoclinic pyrite in jadeite quartzite from mesoscopic perspective
• Effect of nano-ligament combined with sports rehabilitation training on the treatment effect of ligament injury patients
• Graphene-based nanomaterials combined with early exercise rehabilitation training in the treatment of patients with infectious bone defects
• Preparation of optically functional nanofibres and their optical properties under electrospinning technology
• Preparation of nanofibre material based on electrospinning technology and its application in rehabilitation of lower limb joint motion
• Application research of nanovideo creation technology in modern art
• Application of nanopigment watercolour fine art in painting
• Application of environmentally friendly nanomaterials based on nitrogen oxide catalytic purification of automobile exhaust
• Study on the application of nanotube combined exercise rehabilitation therapy in the treatment of knee arthritis patients
• Effect of nanoligament combined with sports rehabilitation training on the treatment of patients with ligament injury
• Damage analysis of nano-flexible solid wood composite environmental protection floor on basketball players during training
• Application and biosafety of nano-copper in sports engineering
• Application of Bi2Te3 nanomaterial-modified fabric sensors in dance training
• Application of nanomagnetic bead-based DEHP detection and Doppler ultrasound in diagnosis of prenatal foetal malformations

Special issue published: "Innovation and Sustainability to Compete in the International Arena. What are the Key Success Drivers in the Wine Industry?" [includes free Open Access article]

International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business 11(4) 2020

• The process of succession and its impact on sustainability: an empirical study within family wineries in Cyprus
• Economic sustainability of quality wine districts in the South of Italy. The case of Vulture
• Digital marketing strategies in the Italian wine sector
• The impact of foreign capital on profitability: the case of Portuguese manufacturing SMEs

New Editor for International Journal of Built Environment and Asset Management

Dr. Jian Sun from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Built Environment and Asset Management.

Research pick: Sustaining the bright sparks - "Keeping the spark alive: preventing burnout at work while increasing work engagement"

Ambitious, talented, and diligent employees can suffer from burnout in any workplace. Their enthusiasm and energy can wane. Keeping the spark alive is, to a degree, the job of management hoping to retain such workers, ensure good mental health among their staff, and avoid the kind of problems that can ultimately lead to failure within or even across an organisation.

Organisations rely on the enthusiasm and engagement of their workforce for success. This puts a lot of pressure on leaders to retain talented employees and to develop this talent in new ways to encourage them to achieve the organisation’s business growth objectives. Unfortunately, recent research suggests that the spark has died a little in many organisation as employees feel increasingly burned out and disengaged from their work. This is nowhere truer than in the healthcare industry.

Writing in the International Journal of Management Practice, a team from Turkey discusses how this spark might be sustained through improved employee engagement with their work. Uğur Yozgat of Nisantasi University in İstanbul, Turkey and colleague Elif Bilginoğlu, discuss how potent leadership within an organization can light the spark in workers. The researchers also point out that the same sparking leaders can be there to help employee burnout and improve staff retention.

The team sees several practical implications of their research. Fundamentally, they say, it is the sparking leaders within an organization who must generate the energy and ignite the enthusiasm in their subordinates and so boost engagement, reduce burnout, bolster organizational morale for the mutual benefit of employees and employer.

Bilginoğlu, E. and Yozgat, U. (2020) ‘Keeping the spark alive: preventing burnout at work while increasing work engagement’, Int. J. Management Practice, Vol. 13, No. 6, pp.698–712.

International Journal of Financial Innovation in Banking to invite expanded papers from International Conference "New Challenges in the Banking System: the Role of Distributed Ledger Technology" for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference "New Challenges in the Banking System: the Role of Distributed Ledger Technology" (16-18 December 2020, International Virtual Conference organised by The Sapienza University of Rome) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Financial Innovation in Banking.

Special issue published: "Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology"

International Journal of Nanotechnology 17(2/3/4/5/6) 2020

• Advanced nursing recovery therapy in the field of nanotechnology based on tetracycline hydrochloride type drugs
• Study on the safety of efficacy analysis of common personal care products based on nanotechnology innovation
• Research on healthcare and external medicine based on nano biochip technology
• Treatment and research of skin healthcare based on nanosilver ion material technology
• Study on tumour health examination nursing screening based on nanometre probe technology
• Preparation of chitin carbon nanotubes composites and their study on cellular nerve signal transmission and nerve regeneration
• Molecular mechanics of skeletal muscle biomechanics and its application in human lower limb active rehabilitation
• Application of SERS active substrate prepared by nanotechnology in ophthalmic care
• The effect of nanoligament combined with sports rehabilitation training on the treatment of patients with ligament injury
• Nanominerals and their environmental effects
• Discovery of nanoscale dissolution structure of monoclinic pyrite in jadeite quartzite from mesoscopic perspective
• Effect of nano-ligament combined with sports rehabilitation training on the treatment effect of ligament injury patients
• Graphene-based nanomaterials combined with early exercise rehabilitation training in the treatment of patients with infectious bone defects
• Preparation of optically functional nanofibres and their optical properties under electrospinning technology
• Application research of nanovideo creation technology in modern art
• Application of nanopigment watercolour fine art in painting
• Application of environmentally friendly nanomaterials based on nitrogen oxide catalytic purification of automobile exhaust
• Study on the application of nanotube combined exercise rehabilitation therapy in the treatment of knee arthritis patients
• Effect of nanoligament combined with sports rehabilitation training on the treatment of patients with ligament injury
• Damage analysis of nano-flexible solid wood composite environmental protection floor on basketball players during training
• Application and biosafety of nano-copper in sports engineering
• Application of Bi2Te3 nanomaterial-modified fabric sensors in dance training
• Application of nanomagnetic bead-based DEHP detection and Doppler ultrasound in diagnosis of prenatal foetal malformations

Research pick: Monitoring waterlogging - "Urban waterlogging monitoring and early warning based on video images"

Video monitoring of the degree to which roads in the urban environment become waterlogged during periods of enduring, heavy rain, could be used as an early warning for imminent flooding, according to new research published in the International Journal of Embedded Systems.

Fengchang Xue, Juan Tian, and Xiaoyi of the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology and Yan Yan of the Meteorological Bureau of Liangyuan District in Shangqiu, China, explain that flood disasters cannot be predicted in a timely manner simply using conventional remote sensing imagery. They suggest that real-time monitoring of predictive markers such as the degree to which the land in a given urban environment is becoming waterlogged would allow a more sophisticated approach to flood prediction to be taken.

The team has employed an image difference operation and support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to help them develop a continuous monitoring and early warning system for flooding. This could be used to save lives in the face of a significant flood as well as helping reduce damage to buildings and other infrastructure. The team adds that most towns and cities already have video surveillance for crime prevention in place at street corners and on roads. The video feed from these systems of closed-circuit television (CCTV) could be adapted readily for monitoring of waterlogging.

Xue, F., Tian, J., Song, X. and Yan, Y. (2020) ‘Urban waterlogging monitoring and early warning based on video images’, Int. J. Embedded Systems, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp.380–386.

Special issue published: "Mobile Networks and Information Systems Security"

International Journal of Internet Technology and Secured Transactions 10(6) 2020

• Assessing node mobility impact on routing performances in MANETs
• A scatter search algorithm to configure service function chaining
• Enhancing multipath routing using an efficient multicriteria sorting technique
• Towards an agent-based framework for urban traffic congestion management

Additional papers

• Efficient and secured information transfer for congestion avoidance and collision detection in vehicular ad hoc networks (V2V) methodology
• New hybrid framework to detect phishing web pages, based on rules and variant selection of features
• Parallel visible light communication system using video camera and LED for communicating and indoor positioning

Special issue published: "Knowledge Sharing to Ensure Sustainable and Competitive Business Models in the Agri-Food Industry"

Journal for Global Business Advancement 13(2) 2020

• Communities of practice and value co-creation: the motivational engagement system of the Italian consortia
• Investigating the role of community of practice for sharing knowledge in agriculture sector
• The relationship between strategic orientation, the degree of innovation and the financial efficiency in the food industry
• The practices of small and medium-sized agricultural businesses affecting sustainability and food security
• The dynamics of Italian competitive positioning in the Mediterranean Bluefin tuna industry
• Market structure and supply chain strategies in the global agricultural commodity industry: a comparison between EU and USA

Research pick: Finding phish faster - "New hybrid framework to detect phishing web pages, based on rules and variant selection of features"

A new approach to detecting malicious websites, known as phishing sites, is revealed in the International Journal of Internet Technology and Secured Transactions.

Phishing sites can steal personal information such as logins and bank details, breach your privacy, and even enlist your computer and other internet devices into networks of computers to perpetuate themselves or other malware. Links to phishing sites and pages are often embedded in emails and other communications and disguised as legitimate messages from a trusted source, such as one’s bank, utility provider, shop, or other business or organization. They are often very well disguised and even experienced users are occasionally hooked and suckered into clicking such links. Other phishing attacks might exploit hacked websites, banner ads, and even a user misspelling a legitimate website address.

Now, Youness Mourtaji and Mohammed Bouhorma of The University of Abdelmalek Essaadi, in Tangier, Morocco, and Daniyal Alghazzawi of the King Abdulaziz University, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have adopted a hybrid framework that allows them to detect a phishing site or page. A positive detection would then be used to block the link before the user is duped into following the link in their application and their data and connection being compromised.

The team’s tests and comparisons with other approaches show over 99 percent accuracy with the hybrid approach that utilizes both a static and a dynamic detection process. This compares to just over 80 percent accuracy with the static or dynamic processes running alone. The process is a lot faster than at least two well-known antivirus packages that have built-in phishing protection.

Mourtaji, Y., Bouhorma, M. and Alghazzawi, D. (2020) ‘New hybrid framework to detect phishing web pages, based on rules and variant selection of features’, Int. J. Internet Technology and Secured Transactions, Vol. 10, No. 6, pp.740–757.

Special issue published: "Sustainability Practices Among SMEs in Emerging Economies"

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development 16(5) 2020

• Towards a sustainable agenda: enhancing green entrepreneurship image among manufacturing SMEs
• Internal stakeholders' perspective on lean energy and environmental sustainability: the case of Notre Dame University - Louaize
• Does going green really pay off? A sustainability performance view
• The role of CSR oriented organisational culture in eco-innovation practices
• Examining the push factors for adoption of automation in a Malaysian manufacturing SME

Special issue published: "Managing Financial and Investment Opportunities in Emerging Markets"

Afro-Asian Journal of Finance and Accounting 10(4) 2020

• The effect of audit committee characteristics on earnings management: the case of Indonesia
• Relationship between debt maturity and IPO: the case of Indonesian firms
• Investigation on leveraging effect of women directors on board to R&D investment and firms' financial performance in the context of developing countries: evidence from Indonesia
• Should Indonesia adopt a basket currency regime?

Additional papers

• Macroprudential policy and financing behaviour in emerging markets: bank-level evidence from Indonesian dual banking
• Day of the week effect anomaly in Dhaka Stock Exchange post crisis period: evidence from Bangladesh capital market
• Analysing the stability of bankruptcy prediction models
• The effect of dividend payouts on future earnings
• Operating performance and earnings management in Egypt

Special issue published: "Sustainable Computing and Wireless Networks"

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations 23(4) 2020

• Improving the dissemination of messages in MANETs through an optimal carrier
• Robust intrusion detection system based on fuzzy C means clustering scheme implemented in IoT-based wireless sensor networks
• Design and investigations of novel compact RSS antenna for ultra-wide band applications
• An improved vertical handoff decision based on the modular neural network with fuzzy logic for wireless heterogeneous network
• A novel adaptive fuzzy-based sliding mode control for channel state estimation in cognitive radio for reduction of interference
• Non-orthogonal filter bank multi carrier systems with higher overlap factor filters for 5G communications and beyond
• Filter-based optimal transmission path scheduling in MIMO LTE and LTE-A networks

Research pick: Science key to economic resilience after Covid - "Investing in innovative and productive capabilities for resilient economies in a post-COVID-19 world"

The global economic situation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic is becoming one of the deepest social crises the world has ever experienced. In the International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, researchers discuss how technology and innovation might be used to make the society and the economy resilient to the trauma.

Fernando Santiago of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria, and colleagues suggest that the lessons of history must be learned and now is the time to advocate coordination, cooperation, and investment in science, technology, productive and innovative capabilities. These are all the essential strategic ingredients for facing the problem and building resilience, they suggest. This is especially the case for developing nations, the team adds. Comprehensive and coordinated policies are critical to our response in those countries as with the wider world.

The team writes that “The COVID-19 pandemic is punishing countries that have failed to invest adequately in healthcare systems, particularly issues related to governance, infrastructure, human resources and research.” They add that “As economies begin to reopen, governments should ensure that recovery plans focus more on vital public health structures and how these are supported. This means coming up with innovative solutions and redesigning global supply chains to improve their resilience and transform health challenges into longer-term industrial development opportunities, particularly in developing countries.”

At the time of writing, the pandemic is still very much with us and while the need to “reopen” economies is an increasingly pressing issue there remains the threat of a lethal, uncontrolled virus continuing to wreak havoc on lives and healthcare systems. Of course, science and innovation will underpin the very medical response we need to make directly to the virus if we are to overcome it and reopen beyond a new-normal.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and its rippling socio-economic effects have also accentuated the need for actively revitalising the role of industrial development and productive and innovative capability development,” the team writes. Innovation and development exist as a symbiotic relationship we would do well to remember that as we work our way through the pandemic.

Santiago, F., De Fuentes, C., Peerally, J.A. and Larsen, J. (2020) ‘Investing in innovative and productive capabilities for resilient economies in a post-COVID-19 world’, Int. J. Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp.153–167.

Research pick: Sensing carbon monoxide - "MoO3:In2O3 binary oxide thin films as CO gas sensor"

Carbon monoxide is an insidiously toxic gas. It can pervade an enclosed space and causes drowsiness and at sufficiently high concentration is lethal to anyone breathing it. As such, there is a need for efficient and fast-reacting carbon monoxide sensor devices in a variety of industrial, commercial, and domestic settings. Devices are available but a new approach is discussed in the International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties that utilises the chemistry of a twin film of molybdenum(VI) oxide and indium(III) oxide layers.

Physicists Nimba Kothawade and Arun Patil of the Arts, Science and Commerce College, and Vikas Deshmane of the SICES Degree College in Maharashtra, India, prepared thin films of MoO₃-In₂O₃ using the spray pyrolysis technique on a glass substrate at 400 degrees Celsius. They characterised their film using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

Once confident of their materials, the team then tested the electrical properties of their various formulations. They found that the resistivity of the films increased with MoO₃ as the dopant in In₂O₃. They found a maximum resistivity of 1.75 × 104 Ωm for 0.3N (MoO₃) and 0.1N (In₂O₃) binary oxide films.

They then tested the dual films gas-sensing characteristics against five different target gases. The film composition ratio 0.3N:0.1N films had 70.50% sensitivity to 300 parts per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide gas at 150 degrees Celsius with high selectivity. The response time, the team reports was 15 seconds and recovery time was just 25 seconds.

Kothawade, N.B., Deshmane, V.V. and Patil, A.V. (2020) ‘MoO₃:In₂O₃ binary oxide thin films as CO gas sensor’, Int. J. Microstructure and Materials Properties, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.229–241.

Research pick: "Does going green really pay off? A sustainability performance view"

Does going green pay off? Research published in the World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development hopes to answer that question from a sustainability performance perspective.

Environmental concerns are changing not only the natural landscape but the economic world too. There is a need to understand how so-called stakeholders can influence and affect the commercial and business world in efforts to address environmental concerns including climate change and fossil fuels, plastic and other pollution, as well as food and water security, and resilience to natural disasters. Moreover, the push to “green” the commercial world is driven by marketing as with anything commercial.

Husna Ara, Jasmine Ai Leen Yeap, and Siti Hasnah Hassan of the Universiti Sains Malaysia, in Pinang, explain that worldwide organisations have begun to embrace the concept of sustainability and moved towards environmental strategies to this end. The team’s review found that investing in green marketing does not have an immediate positive impact on commercial success despite the growing awareness among consumers of a multitude of environmental concerns. However, it feeds a company’s sustainability agenda and they suggest that by improving environmental and social performance economic benefits will be gleaned while concomitantly helping to address many of the issues we face globally.

Ara, H., Yeap, J.A.L. and Hassan, S.H. (2020) ‘Does going green really pay off? A sustainability performance view’, World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 16, No. 5, pp.519–537

Research pick: The language of health and wealth - "The role of English language proficiency on immigrants’ health and economic integration in the USA"

What impact does a person’s proficiency in English as a second language have on their health and economic integration when they settle in the USA? That’s the sensitive issue addressed in new research published in the International Journal of Economics and Business Research.

Ibrahim Niankara of the College of Business at Al Ain University in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has used the statistical technique of Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation to analyse annual earnings and medical care spending for a representative sample of data on immigrant families from the US National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS). There is, the research suggests, a negative correlation, as one might expect. Among immigrants, increased English language proficiency improves earnings propensity and reduces medical care spending.

Niankara points out that according to the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration, the number of refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people across various regions of the world has increased dramatically in recent years. Numbers are in the hundreds of millions and rising with each passing year. He suggests that “policies aimed at raising immigrants’ families English language proficiency in the USA would not only contribute to their effective socio-economic integration but also strengthen the US workforce and economy in the long run.”

Niankara, I. (2020) ‘The role of English language proficiency on immigrants’ health and economic integration in the USA‘, Int. J. Economics and Business Research, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp.255-287.

Research pick: You can tell me by the way I walk - "A comparison of foot kinematics between pregnant and non-pregnant women using the Oxford foot model during walking"

The walking style, or gait, of women in the third trimester of pregnancy changes significantly from that seen in the earlier steps of the pregnancy and is markedly different from that observed in women who are not pregnant. The adaptations are assumed to be in response to the changing weight, posture and balance of the women at that stage. Understanding the changes could be used to help design footwear or physiotherapy to reduce pain caused by the attendant joint redistribution.

Research published in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology discusses the study of gait in pregnancy and offers insights into the problems that arise and how they might best be avoided.

Yang Song, Minjun Liang, and Wenlan Lian of the Human Movement Research Center in the Faculty of Sports Science at Ningbo University in Zhejiang, China, examined the walking gait of pregnant and non-pregnant women using foot kinematics and the Oxford foot model. Three-dimensional motion of the forefoot, hindfoot and tibia during walking were recorded using a Vicon motion analysis system and two force platforms were used to record the ground reaction force.

Pregnant women “demonstrated greater plantar flexion and internal rotation of hindfoot and internal tibial rotation during initial contact, greater forefoot eversion and hindfoot external rotation during push off,” the team writes. “Moreover, pregnant women showed greater external tibial rotation than non-pregnant women during toe off and the centre of pressure trajectory moved to the second to third metatarsal at this stage.”

Such detailed findings might help guide physiotherapy if the changes are causing pain or perhaps guide the design of specific footwear or supportive equipment in extreme cases to ameliorate pain and discomfort and reduce the risk of injury or persistent damage to joints.

Song, Y., Liang, M. and Lian, W. (2020) ‘A comparison of foot kinematics between pregnant and non-pregnant women using the Oxford foot model during walking’, Int. J. Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp.20–30.

Inderscience journals to invite expanded papers from Academy for Global Business Advancement's 17th World Congress for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the Academy for Global Business Advancement's 17th World Congress (2-4 August 2021, Istanbul Gelisim University, Avcılar, Istanbul, Turkey) will be invited for review and potential publication by the following journals:

• Journal for Global Business Advancement
• Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development

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

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

• Uncertainties estimation in identification of digital planar surface parameters using a 3D laser sensor
• Parameter optimisations for gold electroplating of gold jewellery
• Hotelling's T2 control chart with adaptive sampling interval and variable dimensional
• Statistical analysis of the researches carried out on Lean and Six Sigma applications in healthcare industry

New Editor for International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering

Prof. S.J. Jung from the University of Idaho in the USA has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering.

Research pick: The lockdown learning curve - "Quality insight: exponential decay of quality learning curves during COVID-19 lockdown"

How rapidly does a learning curve decline during a period of prolonged interruption? That’s the question asked by US researchers in the International Journal of Quality Engineering and Technology. Adedeji Badiru of the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio, USA, has specifically looked at how the “lockdown” response to the global Covid-19 pandemic has affected business, industry, academia, and government.

There is perhaps insufficient “live data” to draw solid conclusions. Badiru has nevertheless found that workers, as a result of being barred from practising their normal functions and learning on the job, have experienced a decline in performance. The restrictive nature of lockdown implemented to reduce the spread of the virus has led to performance degradation.

He has postulated an analytical framework that researchers can use as new data emerges to allow empirical modelling of the adverse impacts of the lockdown on learning curves. The inherent concern with such adversity in the face of the global pandemic is that a decline in learning can translate to a decline in quality of work and quality of products. He suggests retrospective research might now follow in the wake of his IJQET column.

Badiru, A. (2020) ‘Quality insight: exponential decay of quality learning curves during COVID-19 lockdown’, Int. J. Quality Engineering and Technology, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp.106–117.

Research pick: Improving European smart cities - "Smart city in Europe: comparative analysis between Italy and Germany development"

The rush to urbanisation is inevitably characterised by more and more city dwellers. As population densities increase old infrastructure becomes less effective, less efficient. Air and water quality are compromised, public waste management is over-burdened, and the cities become decreasingly dependent on non-renewable energies and unsustainable systems. There is little time, capacity or resources available to ensure the growth takes into account environmental factors and addresses the issue of quality of life for those city dwellers.

The notion of a smart city might sound quite futuristic but there is an urgency now to face the problems of urbanisation with smart tools and systems rather than clinging to archaic ways. Smart cities could ultimately help us reduce road traffic congestion through improved public transport systems while the digitalisation of many public services would improve management of resources and waste in ways that have not been possible before.

Research published in the International Journal of Environmental Policy and Decision Making has assessed the state-of-art definitions of the so-called smart city and offers a critical reflection of this paradigm for urban growth. Gabriella Arcese and colleagues at the Università degli Studi Niccolò Cusano in Rome, Italy, have analysed smart city best practices in pioneering cities in Italy (Bologna, Florence, Milan) and Germany (Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Leipzig) that have core dimensions of technology, community, and policy.

The team has identified the advances various smart city efforts have made as well as their shortcomings so far.

“Sustainable and safe neighbourhoods, building safety, co-working, waste management; health and welfare, through the optimisation of processes and business intelligence, e-care, e-health; education and technical education, through the development of smart city projects should be included in the development model,” they suggest.

Arcese, G., Schabel, L., Elmo, G.C. and Risso, M. (2019) ‘Smart city in Europe: comparative analysis between Italy and Germany development’, Int. J. Environmental Policy and Decision Making, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp.330–359.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Electronic Finance

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

• Cash-less policy and economic growth: evidence from Nigeria
• Leveraging artificial neural networks for hedging foreign investments in emerging markets: a large-scale empirical study
• Examining consumer adoption and perception of Mobile Money in Ghana
• Online banking in an emerging market: evidence from Saudi Arabia

Special issue published: "Service Science Meets Artificial Intelligence and Big Data" (includes free Open Access article)

International Journal of Internet Manufacturing and Services 7(4) 2020

• A case study of MapReduce-based expressway traffic data analysis and service system
• A multidimensional service template for data analysis in highway domain
• Research on symbiosis state between manufacturing and producer services industry
• State prediction and servitisation of manufacturing processing equipment resources in smart cloud manufacturing
• A CNN-based temperature prediction approach for grain storage
• An approach to discovering event correlations among edge sensor services
• Fog-cloud task scheduling of energy consumption optimisation with deadline consideration
• A topic-enhanced recurrent autoencoder model for sentiment analysis of short texts
• The development of knowledge-shelf to enable an effective set-based concurrent engineering application [OPEN ACCESS]

Free open access article available: "The development of knowledge-shelf to enable an effective set-based concurrent engineering application"

The following paper, "The development of knowledge-shelf to enable an effective set-based concurrent engineering application" (International Journal of Internet Manufacturing and Services 7(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 High Performance Computing and Networking

The following sample articles from the International Journal of High Performance Computing and Networking are now available here for free:

• Load-balanced overlay recovery scheme with delay minimisation
• Creating a portable, high-level graph analytics paradigm for compute and data-intensive applications
• Using the loop chain abstraction to schedule across loops in existing code
• Developments in memory management in OpenMP
• Performance evaluation of OpenMP's target construct on GPUs - exploring compiler optimisations
• Efficient implementation of OpenACC cache directive on NVIDIA GPUs
• PACC: a directive-based programming framework for out-of-core stencil computation on accelerators
• Acceleration of unstructured implicit low-order finite-element earthquake simulation using OpenACC on Pascal GPUs

Special issue published: "Green Technologies for Production"

International Journal of Product Development 24(2/3) 2020

• Optimisation model construction of enterprise's green production and energy saving based on internet technology
• Distribution and transportation control of high-speed and flexible packing production line for medical kit based on green technology
• Scheduling method of green flexible production line for enterprise products based on task priority
• Multi-objective scheduling model of green production based on genetic algorithm under agricultural supply side structure
• The control method of green production efficiency based on multi-layer and complex network under the background of export trade transformation
• Green production cycle mining of mass production based on random forest algorithm
• Product's green production method based on environmental management and ecological perspective of enterprise
• Green production benefit evaluation model of trade products based on principal component analysis

Additional paper

• An empirical analysis of the impact of AMT and e-commerce on innovation and performance in Spanish firms

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Decision Sciences, Risk and Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Decision Sciences, Risk and Management are now available here for free:

• Risk dimensions of a vertical Chinese expansion in the Greek tourism sector: the Chinese side
• Comparative analysis of the contemporary public sector quality determinants in relation to the satisfaction level of the Greek judicial officials and citizens in civil, criminal and administrative courts
• Coaching: a plus (+) to managerial skills
• Motivation and job satisfaction: the case of call centres in Greece
• Greek public airports' efficiency assessment using DEA-modelling. Factors influencing efficiency and economic recession environment (2009-2014) implications
• The role of China in the global shipping industry, with emphasis on the dry bulk market
• Strategic management in times of crisis: the case of marble enterprises in the prefecture of Drama, Greece

Research pick: What do you want from your smart watch? - "A survey of what customers want in smartwatch brand applications"

New research published in the International Journal of Mobile Communications has surveyed customers regarding their use of branded apps on their smartwatches. The analysis of the survey results reveals the external factors that influence the intention to use and tracks the relationship between factors using a technology acceptance model.

Meuel Jeong, Kyeongjin Park, and Kyungdoh Kim of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea, also analysed to survey data to reveal what kinds of smartwatch brand apps users would use and found music, weather information, basic telephone function, social networking, navigation, basic text messaging, productivity, and health were most commonly used. Apps for reading e-books, playing games, associated with sports, entertainment, QR code/barcode recognition, finance, photography, and video were not so popular on smartwatches.

Such insights feed into how brands can best engage with putative customers knowing that they favour certain types of apps on their smartwatches and not others.

They suggest that companies hoping to engage customers through brand apps need to ensure that the app is as easy to use as possible and offering low complexity and no financial risk. They point out that there is a market for those kinds of apps already being used but suggests that certain other kinds of apps that are perhaps more suited to smartphones and tablets not be pursued as avenues for marketing and increasing brand awareness on smartwatches, such as QR code/barcode recognition apps, financial apps and photo and video apps.

Jeong, M., Park, K. and Kim, K. (2020) ‘A survey of what customers want in smartwatch brand applications’, Int. J. Mobile Communications, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp.540–558.

Special issue published: "Green Progression in Smart Cities and Intelligent Buildings"

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling 15(4) 2020

• Energy management of microgrid based on day-ahead and short-term optimisation
• A novel method for calculating the light energy distribution in building space
• Fault diagnosis and location method for electrical power supply and distribution of buildings
• Arancino.ccTM: an open hardware platform for urban regeneration
• Blockchain for smart city - public service integration by strategic alliance
• Deep activity recognition in smart buildings with commercial Wi-Fi devices
• Analysis of vehicle lane-changing behaviour at signalised intersection
• Occupant counting modelling for intelligent buildings based on data from multiple WiFi sniffers

Special issue published: "Auditing"

International Journal of Economics and Accounting 9(4) 2020

• Audit professional scepticism and the classics: does pyrrhonism serve the practitioner?
• Fraud prevention and detection in a blockchain technology environment: challenges posed to forensic accountants
• A structured approach to the governance of ethics using the five lines of assurance model
• Challenges and lessons from conducting audit research using social media
• Key audit matters and their implications for the audit environment

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management

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

• Wind-assist marine demonstration for ferries: prospects for saving diesel fuel with wind power
• Removal of Cr(VI) and Cu(II) from wastewater by an Argopecten irradians shell powder adsorbent
• Modelling and simulation of batch adsorption of malachite green using groundnut shell waste-based activated carbon
• Sustainable development of bio-diesel production for cleaner environment
• Correlations between on-site screening methods and laboratory analyses of oil-contaminated fuelling station sites

Special issue published: "Mindfulness Towards Sustainability"

International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management 6(5) 2020

• Role of 4c's of marketing mix in building trust to achieve brand loyalty in case of fastener's industry: a PLS-SEM approach
• Preferences of Indian consumers towards attributes of online shopping websites: a conjoint analysis
• Customer perception towards Patanjali megastore and Kirana store - a comparative study
• Testing of weak market efficiency in Indian Stock Exchange employing variance ratio test
• An empirical study on influence of e-CRM towards customer loyalty in banking sector
• Exploring E - CRM in Indian banking sector
• Exploring the training methods for effective employee's performance in IT organisations in India: a SEM approach
• A study on quality of work life, motivation and employee engagement among nurses in private hospitals of Indore
• Strategic mismatch: a case of developing country India
• Bhartiya model of financial literacy as a key to sustainable development
• Exploring the effect of perceived risk on adoption of mobile banking in India
• Board composition and board size impact on financial performance of the company
• Examining role of trust in shaping online shopping attitude among women: an empirical assessment
• Reliability through mindfulness in Indian aircraft maintenance organisations: a proposed framework

New Editor for International Journal of Migration and Border Studies

Associate Prof. Sasha Baglay from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Canada has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Migration and Border Studies.

Research pick: Lessons from the Thai cave rescue - "Search and rescue mission teaming lessons from the 13 trapped inside a Thai cave"

Twelve boys and their expedition leader were trapped deep inside the “Tham Luang Nang Non” cave in Chiang Rai, Thailand on a birthday celebration trip that went terribly wrong. Ultimately, they were all rescued, but the rescue took two weeks.

Writing in the International Journal of Emergency Management, researchers discuss the lessons that have been learned from this rescue operation. Pichaphob Panphae of the Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, in Chiang Mai, Thailand and Ravee Phoewhawm working at Chongqing Technology and Business University in China have examined the details of the daily events that ended with a successful rescue and their interpretation may well guide future rescues in similar circumstances.

Their main conclusion is that success may well have hinged on coordination among the teams involved in the rescue. Without coordination there may well have been a tragic outcome.

The team details the lessons in terms of the benefits of rescue teams being creative, innovating to face challenges, dealing with constraints, reducing timewasting, managing accidents and mistakes, and coping with deaths should they occur. Importantly, the wellbeing of rescuers must be taken into consideration at such stressful and often desperate times.

Panphae, P. and Phoewhawm, R. (2020) ‘Search and rescue mission teaming lessons from the 13 trapped inside a Thai cave’, Int. J. Emergency Management, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.78–110.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Emergency Management

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

• How risk assessments by emergency management organisations fall prey to narrow framing
• Information seeking and evacuation decision making in hypothetical hurricane events in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas
• Lessons on environmental health and disaster preparedness, response and recovery from the severe Kelantan flooding in 2014
• Harnessing the power of metaphor: uncovering a hidden language of interoperability within the natural speech of emergency managers

Research pick: Data mining windpower - "Analysis of data mining method for short-term wind measurement of wind farm based on multi-technology fusion"

Boris Johnson infamously once wrote that wind power can barely “pull the skin off a rice pudding”. At the time of writing, he perspective has changed, and speaking as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom he is suggesting that every home might be powered by wind turbines by the year 2030. There remains much work to be done to make such visions, which are widespread among other leaders looking for renewable, sustainable, and zero-carbon energy sources in the face of climate change and uncertain fossil fuel security in coming years.

Writing in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology, Jianfeng Che, Bo Wang, and Shitao Chen of the China Electric Power Research Institute in Beijing and Guangzhou Maxkwh Information Technology Co., Ltd. in China, point out flaws in the data handling and modelling of wind power that must be addressed to allow the technology to mature more effectively. They explain that data noise and poor fitting between wind measurement values and real values are hampering the modelling process for wind power development.

As such, the researchers are now proposing an approach to data mining of short-term wind measurements through wind farms based on multi-technology fusion. Their approach can identify and correct for anomalous data points. “The short-term wind data are de-noised by wavelet decomposition and normalised,” the team explains. The whole process is more effective and faster than other procedures, they suggest.

Che, J., Wang, B. and Chen, S. (2020) ‘Analysis of data mining method for short-term wind measurement of wind farm based on multi-technology fusion’, Int. J. Information and Communication Technology, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp.211–225.

Special issue published: "Advanced Materials in Electrical and Mechanical Applications"

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 60(2/3/4) 2020

• Adhesion method of advanced composite structures for mechanical design and optimisation
• An abrasion damage evaluation method of metal mechanical material for automotive chassis based on wavelet transform
• Similar material development of seafloor polymetallic sulphide
• Deformation control method for inorganic biological coating materials under tensile loading
• Research on design and pressure-retaining performance of the pressure-retaining sampler for full-ocean-depth sediment
• MOGA optimisation of wear performance of stir cast AA7050/B4C-T6 ex-situ metal matrix composite
• Effect of graphene-based nano-electronic film on the insulation performance of thermal barrier coatings
• Analysis of hardware implementations of deblocking filter for video codecs
• An experimental investigation on the influence of rotational speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded dissimilar Al-Cu joints
• Improving shape accuracy of aluminium alloy surface part in electromagnetically-assisted stamping

Research pick: Tightening water security through rainwater harvesting - "Rainwater harvesting in urban areas of developed countries. The state of the art (1980–2017)"

Water security is likely to be one of the most critical challenges facing humanity in the coming years. As such rainwater harvesting where it is possible is one possible solution in some contexts. Research published in the International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology, has reviewed the state of the art for rainwater harvesting in urban areas of developed nations as the technology has changed and evolved from 1980 onwards.

Alvaro-Francisco Morote of the University of Valencia, María Hernández of the University of Alicante, both in Spain, and Saeid Eslamian of Isfahan University of Technology, in Isfahan, Iran, explain that rainwater is paradoxically seen as a risk factor rather than a valuable resource in many developed places. A change in paradigm might involve ‘integrated water resources management’ and ‘demand management’ approaches and as such could ultimately address the problem of water security even in such places.

There is growing recognition, that rainwater harvesting could help in terms of water security but could also be useful in reducing the problems of flooding and polluted water problems if the management and technology are put in place in a timely manner. The team reiterates predictions from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that points to areas such as the countries of The Mediterranean where future climate change scenarios, forecast increasing periods of drought interspersed with intense and concentrated rainfall.

Rainwater harvesting can have a doubled-edged benefit in taking pressure of a scarce resource and at the same time putatively handling the problem of flooding at its source in many parts of the region.

Morote, A-F., Hernández, M. and Eslamian, S. (2020) ‘Rainwater harvesting in urban areas of developed countries. The state of the art (1980–2017)’, Int. J. Hydrology Science and Technology, Vol. 10, No. 5, pp.448–470.

Special issue published: "Swarm Intelligence-Based Optimisation and Scheduling in Networked Systems"

International Journal of Automation and Control 14(5/6) 2020

• Multi-objective flexible flow shop batch scheduling problem with renewable energy
• Hybrid fruit fly optimisation algorithm for field service scheduling problem
• A comparative study on evolutionary algorithms for the agent routing problem in multi-point dynamic task
• MR brain image segmentation using elite kinetic-molecular theory optimisation algorithm
• A hierarchical parallel evolutionary algorithm of distributed and multi-threaded two-level structure for multi-satellite task planning
• A comparative evaluation of PID-based optimisation controller algorithms for DC motor
• Swarm intelligence-based optimisation algorithms: an overview and future research issues
• Design and analysis of novel Chebyshev neural adaptive backstepping controller for boost converter fed PMDC motor
• Performance optimisation of discrete time linear active disturbance rejection control approach

Research pick: Integrated hydrogen storage for fuel cell cars - "Hydrogen storage system integrated with fuel cell"

There is a drive to displace fossil fuels in power generation and transport with sustainable alternatives. One approach that has been discussed over the last few decades is a future zero-carbon, hydrogen economy wherein hydrogen is generated from renewables and used to feed fuel cells in cars. Fuel cells are essentially electrical batteries that can be fed chemical energy continuously to generate electricity. Unfortunately, hydrogen gas is a hazardous substance and so safe storage in a fuel tank in such a vehicle has been a roadblock to advances in this area.

Now, Saumen Dutta and Sri Harshith Dosapati of Vellore Institute of Technology at VIT University, in Tamil Nadu, India, have discussed how hydrogen storage might be integrated into the vehicular fuel cell itself. Writing in “Progress in Industrial Ecology – An International Journal”, the team explains how switching to renewable is now of paramount importance given carbon emissions and their impact on climate as well as the likelihood that fossil fuel sources will become increasingly scarce or inaccessible for geological and political reasons.

The team’s work focuses on carbon nanotubes as a storage option for hydrogen as opposed to simply pressuring the gas which comes with the risk of explosion. Carbon nanotubes would provide a vast surface area within a small volume on to which hydrogen molecules would be adsorbed into a much more stable form than pressurized gas. They write that they have achieved uptake at a level of just over 1.14 weight percent at 50 megapascals of pressure at the relatively mild temperature of 283 Kelvin, nominally about 10 degrees above room temperature. The team used germanium-doped carbon nanotubes to achieve this.

They then coupled this storage system to a fuel cell and could demonstrate a constant flow rate of hydrogen into the fuel cell. The cell could consume this chemical energy source and steadily develop more than 10 kilowatts of power.

In a working vehicle, the team explains that lightweight composite materials could be used to contain the doped carbon nanotube powder and to ensure the pressure is maintained to facilitate storage. Some of the power generated would be required to maintain the contents of the integrated fuel tank at the requisite storage temperature of 283 Kelvin. Obviously, in hotter climates this would require a far smaller proportion of the fuel cell output than would be needed when driving in the cold. Optimisation of the synthetic and fabrication procedures for such a storage method would bring it closer to economic viability.

Dutta, S. and Dosapati, S.H. (2020) ‘Hydrogen storage system integrated with fuel cell’, Progress in Industrial Ecology – An International Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.140–161.

Special issue published: "Managing Hospitality and Tourism Organisations: Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise"

International Journal of Management Practice 13(5) 2020

• Ethical leadership and service innovative behaviour of hotel employees: the role of organisational identification and proactive personality
• Do the managers of boutique hotels value their tangible and intangible attributes in the same way as their guests?
• Kaizen (continuous improvement) and systems thinking: exploring how kaizen facilitators operationalise values and assumptions
• Alternative use of farmlands as tourism and leisure resources: diversification, innovations and competitiveness
• Determinants of organisational context in management consulting
• Exploration of the organic food-related consumer behaviour in emerging and developed economies: the case of India and the US

Special issue published: "Recent Advancements in Autonomous Devices for Real-World Applications"

International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications 19(4) 2020

• Improving network lifetime and speed for 6LoWPAN networks using machine learning
• Smart airport management and flight service delay prediction using linear regression technique
• Design of BTI sensor-based improved SRAM for mobile computing applications
• Implementation and evaluation of a trust model with data integrity-based scheduling in cloud
• Hybrid genetic algorithm in partial transmit sequence to improve OFDM
• Adaptive beam forming of MIMO system using optimal steering vector with hybrid bacterial foraging optimisation algorithm for channel selection
• Multiple data cost-based stereo matching method to generate dense disparity maps from images under radiometric variations
• Neural network decoder for (7, 4) hamming code

Research pick: Logistics logic to reducing hotel food waste - "'Can food waste be reduced?’ An investigation into food waste management in hospitality industry"

Food waste is a growing problem for humanity. Vast tonnages of fresh food is lost because it never reaches the consumers for myriad reasons and similarly food that reaches individual consumers and food outlets is often not eaten before it perishes and must be disposed of.

Researchers from India and Qatar have looked at this problem in work published in the International Journal of Hospitality and Event Management. Their perspective is that of finding solutions to the problem for hotels by looking at food transportation infrastructure and by considering food portioning while serving the food to their customers. It is estimated that half of all solid food waste is generated by the hotel industry. They have worked with 210 members of management staff from 21 five-star hotels in their study.

“The results have indicated that logistical issues in the hotel industry play a very important role in the food wastage management,” the team writes, “This finding is in alignment with earlier research.” Hotels must adopt “Just-in-Time” principles in their logistics management to reduce food waste but also ensuring that sufficient food is available when it is needed to fulfils customer demands. The team adds that an additional benefit of improved and more efficient logistics management is that it can maintain a forward and reverse flow of information to the benefit of the hotels themselves and their suppliers. All of this will require the education of managers in the concepts of logistics and improved community awareness as well as finding ways to change attitudes towards food waste.

Nair, G.K., Choudhary, N. and Prasad, S. (2019) "'Can food waste be reduced?' An investigation into food waste management in hospitality industry", Int. J. Hospitality and Event Management, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp.135–154.

New Editor for International Journal of Nuclear Knowledge Management

Dr. John W. Roberts from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Nuclear Knowledge Management.

Research pick: Rebooting the United Nations to avoid cyberwarfare - "Information and communication technology and cyber conflict: rethinking the role of the United Nations in world peace"

Information and communications technology (ICT) has always had a role in warfare by the broadest definition, from the rolled up scroll warning of advancing troops from the north, to the microdot-bearing carrier pigeon heading south, from the enigmatic encryption machines of World War to the technology of mutually assured destruction of the Cold War.

Of course, in the digital age of smartphones and tablet computers, the internet of things and remote sensors, ICT has an even sharper role to play. The concept of cyberwarfare has emerged into a reality that might see a so-called rogue state disabling critical infrastructure of a nation with which it sees conflict or indeed another nation exploiting the likes of social media to randomise the roll of the political device either in their favour or to nudge voters towards an unanticipated outcome in elections and referenda.

Segun Joshua, Faith Osasumwen Olanrewaju, Lady Adaina Ajayi, and Sunday Idowu of the Covenant University in Ota, Nigeria, writing in the International Journal of Electronic Governance, suggest that the global peace-promoting organisation that is the United Nations might struggle to cope with this new emerging dimension of warfare – cyberwar. They have examined ICT and the UN’s peace-keeping role and how the workings of the organisation perhaps require a rethink in order to maintain world peace.

Fundamentally, the study has found that the UN’s approach to cyberwarfare has so far been akin to its approach to conventional threats and this is a serious limitation. “The study finds that even though the UN has been applying the laws of armed conflict and some suggested norms to address the possible danger of cyber conflict, they seem not to be sufficient which can hamper state relations and threaten the fragile stability of the international system,” the team writes.

Cyberwarfare can escalate to the level of full-blown armed conflict and have far-reaching effects on societies around the world. A reboot of the UN this context must be placed high on the agenda to find ways to guard against that kind of conflict before it is too late. There will be a need to establish new rules that fill the gaps in international law holistically rather than being simple stopgaps. Nations must then be bound by these new laws so that warfare and cyberwarfare remain equally off-limits to ensure world peace.

Joshua, S., Olanrewaju, F.O., Ajayi, L.A. and Idowu, S. (2020) ‘Information and communication technology and cyber conflict: rethinking the role of the United Nations in world peace’, Int. J. Electronic Governance, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.290–306.