31 May 2022

Research pick: Detecting the cyberbullies - "Cyberbullying detection: an ensemble learning approach"

The problem of bullying has always been a social problem. Until the modern age, it tended to be a face-to-face issue that people faced, but in the age of always-on communications devices, cyber-bullying has emerged as a serious matter that must be addressed. New research in the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering, looks at an ensemble approach to detecting incidences of cyber-bullying.

Pradeep Kumar Roy if the Indian Institute of Information Technology in Surat, Gujarat, Ashish Singh of the KIIT Deemed to be University in Bhubaneswar, and Asis Kumar Tripathy and Tapan Kumar Das if Vellore Institute of Technology in Vellore, India, point out that modern communications technology has so many advantages for society but as with all inventions comes with a flipside. The negative aspects of the many tools with use in our digital lives include crime, spam, and cyberbullying.

Given that more than half the world’s population is now active on the internet in some form via computers and mobile devices and a huge proportion of those use the many disparate social media sites as well as more conventional tools, such as email and the web, there is plenty of scope for the cyberbully to attack.

The team’s ensemble machine learning model examines online Twitter posts and uses a two-stage process to analyse content. The first step involves applying k-nearest neighbour, logistic regression and, decision tree classifiers. This is the underlying classification as to whether a post is bullying or not. But, the second stage involves precluding false positives and false negatives by applying a voting-based ensemble learning model to the classification. The team’s experiments with known data confirmed that the ensemble model can detect bullying posts with a good degree of accuracy, around 94 per cent.

Such a level of accuracy is sufficiently high that those who have oversight of accounts on various systems might be able to focus an examination of activity from a purported cyberbully so that follow-up decisions might be made in terms of limiting their accounts to preclude further bullying. Future work will involve extending the tools to other social media platforms. The potential for linking together data from more than one such system might allow even greater accuracy to be achieved so that cyberbullies operating across platforms might be identified.

Roy, P.K., Singh, A., Tripathy, A.K. and Das, T.K. (2022) ‘Cyberbullying detection: an ensemble learning approach’, Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.315–324.

30 May 2022

Research pick: Lightning prediction - "Experimental design in complex model formulation for lightning prediction"

They say lightning never strikes twice, but that is a spot of deceived wisdom. Indeed, many buildings, trees, and people have been struck multiple times. There are some 3 million lightning flashes around the world every single day. Predicting atmospheric electric activity is important for a number of reasons. Research published in the International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation looks at lightning prediction that could be vital for space launch operations at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Jared Nystrom, Raymond R. Hill, Andrew Geyer, and Joseph J. Pignatiello Jr. of the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, USA, explain that near real-time prediction of lightning is critical to operations at these sites where the risk to life can be very high and delays and damage very costly. Current approaches to lightning prediction are inefficient, the team writes, as well as coming with large uncertainties in the predictions offered. A new model developed by the team uses the wavelet decomposition of chaotic weather sensor time series and semiparametric single-index models to mitigate the chaotic signal and any possible distributional misspecification.

The new approach benefits from the development of inexpensive sensors that can be deployed widely at a site and can be scalable. Such sensors produce noisy, high volume, and high-frequency time series, with which conventional processing often struggles. Specifically, assumptions made in the modeling process may not be valid and any smoothing of the data may overcompensate for the noise meaning the actual signal can be lost.

The team’s new approach offers a significant improvement over a persistence model, the team says, and can give positive identification of whether a given sight is likely to be struck by lightning within the next hour from the point at which the data is assimilated. Moreover, the system can predict the triggering events that might lead to an actual lightning strike. The team adds that the approach might also be adapted to other types of site with a lower density of sensors than a space centre and so allow remote lightning prediction.

Nystrom, J., Hill, R.R., Geyer, A., Pignatiello Jr., J.J. and Chicken, E. (2021) ‘Experimental design in complex model formulation for lightning prediction’, Int. J. Experimental Design and Process Optimisation, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp.304–332.

27 May 2022

Free sample articles newly available from World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research

The following sample articles from the World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research are now available here for free:
  • Combining on-foot porters with vans for last-mile parcel deliveries: results of a study in central London
  • E-grocery of tomorrow: home delivery of food between profitability, customer acceptance and ecological footprint
  • Freight villages and urban goods distribution: perspectives of freight transport operators, experts, and policymakers from multi-criteria decision analysis
  • Where to open maritime containers?: A decision model at the interface of maritime and urban logistics

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation are now available here for free:
  • Envisioning a mutually inclusive growth story: a case study of Microsign Products
  • Mobile shopping adoption by Indian consumers: an examination of extended technology acceptance model
  • Interaction between brand trust and customer brand engagement as a determinant of brand equity
  • Mega projects effect on destination Ethiopia: using destination image dimensions as a mediator
  • Effects of extrinsic cues on customer attitude and satisfaction towards private labels
  • Modelling the effects of sustainability marketing on consumers' buying intentions: an application of SEM
  • Determinants of foreign institutional investments in India (2000-2017): a panel data approach
  • Work stress and work life balance: a study of working professionals of the IT sector

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Instrumentation Technology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Instrumentation Technology are now available here for free:
  • Enhanced Howland-based constant current source for soil ECa measurement
  • A novel method for mitigation of false echo in radar-based positioning system in high scattering zone application areas
  • Determining statistical parameters of ADC using probability-based histogram method with noise as stimuli
  • Detection of NQR signals using wavelet transform and adaptive filters
  • Programmable FPGA-based 32-channel transmitter for high frame rate ultrasound channel excitation applications
  • An intuitive approach to innovate a low cost Braille embosser

Research pick: A hard rain’s a-gonna fall - "Smart rain water harvesting techniques"

As the pressures of climate change begin to bite particularly hard in the developing world and in regions on the margins of extreme environments, water security is becoming increasingly difficult for many people. A review of rainwater harvesting technologies, some of which date back centuries is reported in the International Journal of Water. The review offers a range of solutions to the problem of safely harvesting rainwater for domestic and agricultural irrigation, for grey-water applications such as laundry, and even for obtaining and treating water to bolster the drinking water supply.

Raseswari Pradhan of the Department of Electrical Engineering at VSSUT Burla and Jaya Prakash Sahoo of Central University both in Odisha, India, recognise that there is a vast array of solutions to harvesting and storing water that might incorporated into a city-based strategy for water supply in the modern smart city. Even though many of the approaches are superficially simple, they have been tried and tested over many years. Of course, any approach undertaken will require that the ethos of rainwater harvesting be adopted widely and wholeheartedly. Any approach taken does not preclude mismanagement and nor does it ensure that it will rain.

The team’s survey of the various different approaches offers a roadmap for architects and planners in arid regions of the world who can ensure the maximum benefit is gained when the rain does fall.

Pradhan, R. and Sahoo, J.P. (2021) ‘Smart rain water harvesting techniques‘, Int. J. Water, Vol. 14, Nos. 2/3, pp.141-166.

26 May 2022

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development is now an open access-only journal

We are pleased to announce that the World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development is now an Open Access-only journal. All accepted articles submitted from 1 June 2022 onwards will be Open Access, and will require an article processing charge of US $1500.

Research pick: Early prediction of diabetes - "Early prediction of diabetes mellitus using various artificial intelligence techniques: a technological review"

Artificial intelligence can be used to predict the onset of diabetes mellitus given sufficient patient information according to work published in the International Journal of Business Intelligence and Systems Engineering.

Shahid Mohammad Ganie, Majid Bashir Malik, and Tasleem Arif of the BGSB University in Rajouri, India, point out that there are millions of people around the world with the complex metabolic condition diabetes mellitus. Many people who have not yet been diagnosed with the condition may well have health issues of which they are unaware that have set them on a course to developing this serious and potentially life-changing health problem.

Fundamentally, diabetes is associated with high blood sugar concentration over a prolonged period of time. Almost one in ten of us has some form of diabetes. Left untreated it can cause organ damage and even death. There are three forms of diabetes mellitus. Type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes, is an autoimmune dysfunction where the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin to control blood sugar. It usually develops in childhood or adolescence. Type 2, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, begins with insulin resistance and often proceeds to insufficient insulin. It can affect almost anyone at almost any age. It is most often associated with obesity. Type 3, gestational diabetes, affects women during pregnancy, causing hyperglycemia.

A fourth condition is also noted, pre-diabetes, where genetics, hormonal dysfunction, or exposure to certain exogenous chemicals or other factors ultimately lead to an increase in insulin production.

Type 1 diabetes is treated with controlled injections of insulin. Type 2 can be managed by weight loss, improved diet and exercise, and the avoidance of tobacco products. Type 3 usually resolves after childbirth but for some mothers, having this condition is a risk factor for her or even her child later developing Type 2 diabetes.

The team has trained various algorithms with relevant data associated with diabetes risk and demonstrated that one of them, the gradient boosting classifier, outperformed all others and offered a prediction accuracy of more than 92 percent when tested against known cases.

Ganie, S.M., Malik, M.B. and Arif, T. (2021) ‘Early prediction of diabetes mellitus using various artificial intelligence techniques: a technological review’, Int. J. Business Intelligence and Systems Engineering, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp.325–346.

25 May 2022

International Journal of Management Practice to invite expanded papers from RMIT FinTech-Blockchain Conference (RFBC 2022) for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the RMIT FinTech-Blockchain Conference (RFBC 2022) (8-9 December 2022, RMIT University, Vietnam) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Management Practice.

Research pick: The cost of clouds - "Two-stage pricing strategy for personal cloud storage: free trial and the cloud security risk"

There are millions of people around the world who now use remote computer systems to store and even process their files. There are many providers offering cloud services in a highly competitive market. In order to differentiate the companies have to offer something innovative or unique to putative customers. One such strategy is to have a two-stage pricing offer. However, this might come at a cost to the company and other users in terms of reduced security and privacy breaches where malicious third parties can create free, unvalidated accounts and use those to exploit loopholes in the system, such as faults and bugs. The issues are discussed in detail in the International Journal of Sensor Networks.

Mengdi Yao of Wuhan University of Science and Technology and Donglin Chen of Wuhan University of Technology, both in Wuhan, China, explain that a two-stage approach to pricing can entice new customers but comes with the aforementioned risk. They have now devised a two-stage pricing approach that greatly reduces the risk from malicious third parties to other users during the free trial phase. The work addresses both risk-neutral and risk-averse users to devise two approaches within the strategy.

Fundamentally, the team has shown five characteristics of the two-stage pricing strategy. The first, is that for a fixed-term free trial, the cloud security risk coefficient is low. Secondly, if the free trial period is flexible, then cloud security risk is low and subsequent profit increases at first but then decreases with longer free periods. Thirdly, as the security coefficient rises, so the free trial period can be shortened. Fourthly, if the security risk is low, then improvements in quality will boost profits. Finally, for risk-averse users, a shorter free period and better-perceived value will ultimately lead to greater profits.

The team points out that planning and marketing at cloud storage companies must consider the above, especially in the face of competitors who may not offer two-stage pricing at all.

Yao, M. and Chen, D. (2022) ‘Two-stage pricing strategy for personal cloud storage: free trial and the cloud security risk’, Int. J. Sensor Networks, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp.56–66.

24 May 2022

Special issue published: "New Insights on Information and Communication Technologies in Agriculture, Food and Environment"

International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics 8(1) 2022

  • Commodification vs. patrimonialisation? A community capitals framework for assessing digital technologies. The case of Southern Rural Manitoba, Canada
  • The concept for an integrated IoT-based traceability platform
  • Evaluation of a satellite drought indicator approach and its potential for agricultural drought prediction and crop loss assessment. The case of BEACON project
  • The new Italian web database to support irrigation investment policies: DANIA
  • Application of an integrated methodology for spatial classification of the environmental flow in the Bulgarian-Greek Rhodope Mountain Range
  • Cultural heritage protection against floods using the business object relation modelling

International Journal of Information and Communication Technology is now an open access-only journal

We are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology is now an Open Access-only journal. All accepted articles submitted from 24 May 2022 onwards will be Open Access, and will require an article processing charge of US $1500.

Research pick: Detecting drug-drug interactions - "Extraction of drug-drug interaction information using a deep neural network"

Research into neural networks could lead to a way to identify unexpected and potentially hazardous interactions between different medications being taken at the same time. Details are provided in the International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics.

When a patient is taking several medications simultaneously, there is always the risk that any one of those drugs might interact with another and either inhibit or enhance its activity beyond that which is required for the prescribed benefits. Similarly, one drug may interfere with the normal processing in the body, and specifically, the liver of another drug being taken at the same time, leading to a drug circulating in the bloodstream for longer. Either way, drug-drug interactions can cause side effects that are not seen when any of the given drugs is taken individually.

Serena Rajakumar, G. Kavitha, and I. Sathik Ali of the Department of Information Technology, at the B.S.A. Crescent Institute of Science & Technology in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, point out that there is a vast literature on drug-drug-interactions but extracting the requisite information from countless disparate sources is an almost impossible task, especially under the daily time pressures in a healthcare setting. There are some databases that include drug-drug interactions for many common pharmaceuticals that are easier to search, but these are themselves compiled manually and do not offer a complete picture of all possible interactions and effects.

Healthcare practitioners prescribing multiple drugs for complex conditions in their patients do not necessarily have time to plough through databases. A deep learning algorithm based on a trained neural network could be used to quickly and precisely reveal potentially risky drug-drug interactions without the need for a manual search. The team has demonstrated how their system can automatically extract information from the biomedical literature discussing drug behaviour and then compile a new growing database of potentially troublesome interactions.

The team adds that the current approach does not yet reveal whether any given drug-drug interaction is antagonistic or synergistic, that step will be taken in a future iteration of the algorithm. For the time being, that distinction will need to be considered by the healthcare professional alerted to any interaction by the present system.

Rajakumar, S., Kavitha, G. and Ali, I.S. (2021) ‘Extraction of drug-drug interaction information using a deep neural network’, Int. J. Data Mining and Bioinformatics, Vol. 25, Nos. 3/4, pp.181–200.

23 May 2022

International Journal of Powertrains to invite expanded papers from 4th IEEE International Conference on Electrical Sciences and Technologies in Maghreb for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the 4th IEEE International Conference on Electrical Sciences and Technologies in Maghreb (26-28 October 2022, Tunis, Tunisa) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Powertrains.

Research pick: Musical algorithm classifies classics - "An efficient deep neural network model for music classification"

An efficient neural network can now take a series of music files as input and define them quickly by genre and style, thanks to work published in the International Journal of Web Services. Such a system could be a boon to music streaming services that hope to offer their users an effective recommendation system to allow them to access novel music they may enjoy as much as their old favourites.

Many millions of people listen to music through online streaming or download services on their computers, smart devices and mobile phones rather than selecting a plastic disc from a collection to be played on a dedicated machine. As such, there are many aspects of the enjoyment and recommendation of new music that can utilise the vast repositories of information found online as well as the connectivity of online communities. However, for a system to be able to automate recommendations to users, there is an inherent need for each piece of music to be appropriately tagged with respect to genre, style, tempo, and other such characteristics.

Jagendra Singh of the School of Computer Science Engineering and Technology at Bennett University in Greater Noida, India, has tested the system against six types of music, including jazz, hip-hop, electronic, rock, classical, and folk and found it to be effective. The algorithm performs even better when the spectrographic frequency of the sounds and the time sequence pattern are incorporated as variables into their hybrid recommendation system.

While it is inevitable that word-of-mouth recommendations among music fans will persist, the diversity and density of music now available to so many people online means that music can reach new audiences, more quickly. Moreover, the desires of music fans keen to seek out novelty quickly without waiting for a friend or contact to discover the next greatest hit for them could be served well by algorithmic recommendation systems.

Singh, J. (2022) ‘An efficient deep neural network model for music classification’, Int. J. Web Science, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp.236–248.

20 May 2022

Free sample articles newly available from Interdisciplinary Environmental Review

The following sample articles from the Interdisciplinary Environmental Review are now available here for free:
  • Do weather events affect income inequality in Africa?
  • Awareness of oil pollution: dominant news frames used in reporting the menace among selected newspapers in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria
  • Identify and ranking green manufacturing barriers by using MCDM methods
  • Assessment of various physico-chemical water quality parameters: a case study on Bhairab River, Bangladesh

Free open access article available: "Transmission optimisation technology based on edge-network"

The following paper, "Transmission optimisation technology based on edge-network" (International Journal of Web Science 3(3) 2022), 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 Blockchains and Cryptocurrencies

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Blockchains and Cryptocurrencies are now available here for free:
  • Trends in building fungible blockchains for data and value exchange
  • Decentralised application for crowdfunding using blockchain technology
  • Blockchain in accounting: challenges and future prospects
  • Network hype and asset pricing of cryptocurrencies: evidence based on a Google-attention approach
  • ChainElastic: a cloud computing resource elasticity model for IoT-based blockchain applications

Research pick: Investor personalities via Twitter - "A study of the tweets of successful investors in order to identify their personality"

An analysis of the micro-blogging updates from investors posted on the social media site Twitter, offers an insight into the personality traits that are most closely linked to investment success. The research, published in the journal Global Business and Economics Review, suggests that successful investors predominantly exhibit two personality traits: emotional stability and openness. An additional finding is that all investors, successful or otherwise, have low agreeableness and do not exhibit extraversion.

Agreeableness and extraversion are two of the so-called Big Five personality traits. Added to those we have openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. They are a common archetype system for exploring personality. Individuals can have any combination of those five traits, each being positioned on a spectrum from a complete absence of said trait to predominance of that trait. So, a person might be an agreeable person who is mildly neurotic, strongly conscientious, extroverted, and a great deal of openness. Some traits are likely to be found to be strongly present with others.

R. Ramprakash and C. Joe Arun of the Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) in Chennai, India, selected a group of successful investors active on Twitter and performed an analysis of their tweets using linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC) software. They hoped to reveal from their tweets common personality traits among successful investors. The work might provide clues to the inner workings of a world that always seems to be governed by whim and vagueries and does not succumb easily to analyses that might open up ways in which to predict how investments might rise and fall in a given time period. Opportunity and risk seem to be unknowable quantities, but insights into the personality of investors might add useful knowledge.

The researchers explain that while most research has focused on measuring the investment performance of individual investors and comparing that with their personality traits, the present study provides an interesting insight into the existing literature by identifying successful investors and observing their dominant personality trait, which, in turn, lead to specific behaviour.

Ramprakash, R. and Arun, C.J. (2022) ‘A study of the tweets of successful investors in order to identify their personality’, Global Business and Economics Review.

19 May 2022

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies are now available here for free:
  • The art of learning the Greek language by adult refugees and immigrants
  • Educational challenges in Jordan and Oman
  • Findings from 20 years of business plan competitions in North-Bavaria
  • Incorporating the academic performance of undergraduate students into the teaching material of an operations management course
  • The reasons behind Zara's success: evaluating the value chain

Special issue published: "Advanced Technologies and Applications for Future Wireless and Mobile Communication Systems"

International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems 15(1) 2022

  • Research on the wake-up method for active sleeping node in wireless sensor networks
  • Resource monitoring method of the expandable cloud platform based on micro-service architecture
  • The intrusion data mining method for distributed network based on fuzzy kernel clustering algorithm
  • Research on digital forensics method of 5G communication system in the future based on direct intermediate frequency sampling
  • The automatic positioning method for defect data of 5G mobile communication based on cloud computing
  • Capacity detection of massive MIMO channel in 5G environment based on symmetric correlation matrix

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Multiscale Mechanics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Multiscale Mechanics are now available here for free:
  • Temperature and strain rate sensitivity of shocked aluminium: multiscale dislocation dynamics simulations
  • Multiscale analysis in solids with unseparated scales: fine-scale recovery, error estimation, and coarse-scale adaptivity
  • Understanding the low cycle fatigue of additive manufactured Inconel 718: a crystal plasticity modelling approach
  • The treatment of singularities associated with a dislocation segment with applications
  • Numerical study of elastic-plastic behaviour of pore-containing materials: effects of pore arrangement

Research pick: Closer to the entrepreneurial heart - "At the heart of things: the impact of life-partners on entrepreneurs’ psychological capital"

The out-moded aphorism – “Behind every great man is a good woman” – might be brought clumsily up-to-date by writing instead that “Alongside every great person is a great partner”. Indeed, writing in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, researchers from Israel have investigated the impact of a life partner on the social capital of entrepreneurs.

Ben Bulmash of the Faculty of Technology Management at the Holon Institute of Technology in Holon, suggests that psychological capital is a concept of growing importance in the world of entrepreneurial business. In this world challenges and uncertainties are ever-present and perhaps increasingly so in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, climate change, and war-mongering. There are three psychological components to psychological capita, which might be thought of as a state of mind rather than a character trait: optimism, pessimism, and self-esteem. How, asks Bulmash, are these three traits affected by the presence, support or otherwise of a life partner?

In studying entrepreneurial activities and the world of business, the focus is often on product design, marketing strategy, financial planning, and technological aspects of the business. The right blend can lead to success. That said, previous studies have shown that positive psychological capital can lead to business longevity and success. A focus on the entrepreneur’s life may, however, be just as important a factor. Bulmash now has found, as one might expect to some degree, that low levels of support from an entrepreneur’s life partner lead to what might be referred to as the least favourable mental states.

“Difficult and unsupportive relationships are detrimental to business success, possibly more so in the early stages of a business, when uncertainty is high and results not immediate,” Bulmash writes. It is important when trying to understand entrepreneurial activity to understand that the entrepreneur’s life and life partner can play a significant role in predicting the trajectory of their business.

Bulmash, B. (2022) ‘At the heart of things: the impact of life-partners on entrepreneurs’ psychological capital’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp.476–488.

18 May 2022

Special issue published: "COVID-19 and its Impact on the Economies of the Developing World"

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues 21(1) 2022

  • Indian agriculture sector: impacts from COVID-19
  • The impact of COVID-19 on small and micro-enterprises in South Africa
  • Searching for a new global development trajectory after COVID-19
  • Stock markets' responses to COVID-19 in developing countries: evidence from the SAARC region
  • Evaluation of transmission effects of the COVID-19 shock on major Asian stock markets

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems

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

  • Tool and process development for chambering bores with non-circular contour in highly stressed workpieces
  • Multistage tool path strategy to produce hemispherical shape using single point incremental forming process
  • Physics-based simulation models for digital twin development in laser powder bed fusion
  • Relevance of single channel signals for two-colour pyrometer process monitoring of laser powder bed fusion
  • Micro-WEDM of Ni55.8Ti shape memory superalloy: experimental investigation and optimisation
  • Virtual reality training platform for a computer numerically controlled grinding machine tool
  • Review on electro-hydrostatic actuator: system configurations, design methods and control technologies Bo Li; Yongteng Liu; Cao Tan; Qijing Qin; Yingtao Lu
  • Intelligent data-driven monitoring of high dimensional multistage manufacturing processes
  • A framework for differentiation in composed digital-physical products
  • Evaluation on advantages of low frequency assisted drilling (LFAD) aluminium alloy Al7075
  • Planning and control frameworks of the future
  • An industrial case study on discrete event modelling of value stream mapping for Industry 4.0
  • Robot-assisted painting system for bolt-nut pairs

Free open access article available: "Institutional and emergent improvisation in response to disasters in Slovenia"

The following paper, "Institutional and emergent improvisation in response to disasters in Slovenia" (International Journal of Emergency Management 17(2) 2021), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Research pick: Smart assisted living for older adults - "Towards enhancing the health standards of elderly: role of ambient sensors and user perspective"

Older adults with or without health problems could continue to live independent lives as far as is practical with the use of smart technologies, such as wearable sensors, and internet-connected monitoring systems that can alert remote carers to acute problems, such as a sudden downturn in health metrics, a fall, or other issues, as soon as they arise.

Writing in the International Journal of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation, a team from India provides a user perspective on such ambient assisted living systems. Ashish Patel and Jigarkumar Shah of Pandit Deendayal Energy University in Gandhinagar, India, explain that AAL systems must offer carers timely and detailed information when the older adult’s environment or personal conditions change from their normal to a new normal that represents a risky situation has arisen or their health has suddenly declined. There are numerous wearable and situational monitoring devices that can report room and body temperature, air quality, whether a person is mobile, seated, or has fallen, and other such variables.

The team has surveyed AAL system users to get an insider perspective on how well these systems might work. An effective AAL system must offer continuous monitoring but also security and privacy to allow vulnerable or older adults to live independently in their preferred home. It does not offer a complete approach to care, of course, but augments the caring environment for that adult offered by relatives, friends, and professionals, depending on the person’s needs and choices.

The researchers present a framework and a practical approach to a hybrid AAL system that brings together personal monitoring devices and environmental monitoring devices with a view to improving the health standards of an older person living alone. The framework takes into account the person’s needs and desires rather than simply defining the requisite technological setup. The team points out that in order to incorporate the person’s emotional state in such a hybrid system, there must be a certain level of compromise when it comes to their privacy, as the monitoring software and thence the carers who are there to respond to alerts from the system will have some insight into the person’s inner life in order that an appropriate response can be made in a timely manner.

Patel, A. and Shah J. (2022) ‘Towards enhancing the health standards of elderly: role of ambient sensors and user perspective’, Int. J. Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.96–110.

17 May 2022

Special issue published: "Advances in Innovative Engineering Materials and Processes"

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 64(3/4) 2022

  • Filling method of thin shell 3D printing material based on implicit surface
  • Analysis of rheological characteristics of cement mortar based on microstructure
  • Response surface method for optimisation of SLA processing parameters
  • Numerical simulation of material wear of an automotive brake device based on finite element simulation
  • Simulation study on compressive strength and elastic modulus of concrete under multiaxial stress
  • Effect of annealing process on microstructure and mechanical property of medium-manganese TRIP steel
  • The performance of self-compacting recycled concrete short column of steel tube for construction
  • Damage and crack detection of self-compacting concrete based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process
  • Study of modified joint configuration in friction stir welding of dissimilar Al-Mg plates
  • The investigation of coated layers on the surface of ferritic stainless steel by using atmospheric plasma spray method
  • Degradation of swollen NR/EPDM filled with graphene nanoplatelets in different types of service oils for engine mounting

Research pick: Analysing big data - "The impact of big data in predictive analytics towards technological development in cloud computing"

We live in the information age, you might say. More than 2.5 quintillion bytes* of data are generated around the globe every day. Managing that data is impossible and yet we make use of huge chunks of it in many disparate and sometimes unimaginable ways. Extracting knowledge from repositories and databases, the big data, can lead to a better understanding of natural and non-natural phenomena in climate change, economics, medicine, and beyond.

Predictive analysis is key to making intelligent decisions based on such big data, according to researchers writing in the International Journal of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation. However, there are problems that must be addressed especially when such big data exists in the cloud.

Krishna Kumar Mohbey and Sunil Kumar of the Central University of Rajasthan in Ajmer, India, consider the impact of big data in this context. They point out that one of the biggest issues facing those who would work with big data is that while some of it may well be structured, much of it is only semi-structured, and vast amounts are entirely unstructured.

The storage, management, and analysis of all of this data is one of the greatest challenges facing computing today. While cloud computing provides many of the tools needed in a distributed way and to some extent has revolutionized information and communications technology (ICT), there remains a long road ahead before we can truly cope with big data fully.

However, distributed storage and massive parallel processing of big data in the cloud could provide the foundations on which the future of big data and predictive analysis might be built. The team reviews many of the current approaches that use historical data and machine learning to build predictions about the outcomes of future scenarios based on contemporary big data sources. The team points to where research might take us next in the realm of big data and warns of the possible dead-ends.

“The key aim is to transform the cloud into a scalable data analytics tool, rather than just a data storage and technology platform,” the team writes. They add that now is the time to develop appropriate standards and application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable users to easily migrate between solutions and so take advantage of the elasticity of cloud infrastructure.

Mohbey, K.K. and Kumar, S. (2022) ‘The impact of big data in predictive analytics towards technological development in cloud computing’, Int. J. Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.61–75.

*2.5 quintillion bytes is about 1 million terabytes. A general household computer might have a 1 terabyte hard drive these days, so that’s data maxing out the storage capacity of about 2,500,000 computers every day.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Earthquake and Impact Engineering

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Earthquake and Impact Engineering are now available here for free:
  • Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of district headquarters of Kashmir Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, India
  • Prediction accuracy of underground blast variables: decision tree and artificial neural network
  • The response of tall buildings to far-field earthquakes and the case of a 49-storey steel building
  • A new approach in simulation of soil-structure interaction problems including damper effects

16 May 2022

Research pick: Predicting population - "Application of machine learning algorithms for population forecasting"

Machine learning algorithms can be used to make accurate forecasts about changes in population, according to research published in the International Journal of Data Science. The work demonstrates that the best of the available algorithms trained on historical data works better than conventional demographic modeling based on periodic census data.

Fatih Veli Şahinarslan, Ahmet Tezcan Tekin, and Ferhan Çebi of the Department of Management Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, in Istanbul, Turkey, have compared the predictive power of various algorithms – extreme gradient boosting, CatBoost, linear regression, ridge regression, Holt-Winters, exponential, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and prophet prediction model. They trained the algorithms using 1595 different demographic indicators from 262 countries recorded between 1960 and 2017. Indicators include age and gender distribution, labour force, education, birthplace, birth and death rates, and migration statistics.

Their demonstration to predict the population of Turkey for the year 2017 proved the value of the algorithmic approach over traditional modeling. Understanding population dynamics and forecasting how a population might change in years to come is a critical part of policymaking and planning for healthcare, education, housing, transport, and infrastructure. Ten-year census cycles are useful, but they do not give a fine-grained account of a changing population, especially in the light of changes in life expectancy, migration, war, political upheaval, and pandemics, where the character of a population might change radically on a much shorter timescale.

The researchers suggest that machine learning algorithms, ensemble regression models in particular, can offer a “better estimate” of the future population of a country. They are able to do so because they can reduce the number of factors that otherwise make it difficult to make an estimate and also through analysis of any uncertainties in the demographic data.

“Machine learning algorithms on population estimation will make an essential contribution to…the planning of national needs and pave the way for more consistent social, economic, and environmental decisions,” the team concludes.

Şahinarslan, F.V., Tekin, A.T. and Çebi, F. (2021) ‘Application of machine learning algorithms for population forecasting’, Int. J. Data Science, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp.257–270.

13 May 2022

Research pick: Resurrecting restaurants after the pandemic - "Food and beverage industry in a pandemic context"

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on millions of people as well as the businesses on which many of us depend. A new study in the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management, looks at the impact lockdowns and other measures have had on the food and drinks industry, showing how many businesses in this sector have summarily failed because of the emergence of this lethal virus and its effects on society.

Leandro Pereira, Margarida Couto, Renato Lopes da Costa, Álvaro Dias, Rui Vinhas da Silva of the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE) in Lisbon, and Rui Gonçalves of PIAGET Almada, in Almada, Portugal, have found that as the pandemic progressed, even as lockdown restrictions were lifted, customer fears and discomfort kept many people away from restaurants compounding the detrimental impact of the lockdown periods on the industry.

As one might have expected, early in the pandemic, restaurant trade halved, but many places shut down all but essential services in many parts of the world in an effort to halt the spread of the disease and reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths. At the time of writing this Research Pick, the World Health Organisation has alluded to the total number of “excess” deaths associated with COVID-19 as being around 15 million worldwide. It seems inescapable that people would be fearful of such a disease.

The team has found that in the wake of this, the biggest factors associated with fear and deterring individuals from using restaurants once more are that person’s highest level of education, their age, the exaggerated proximity of employees observed in such establishments, a lack of obvious cleaning processes, and the inability to observe the establishment’s kitchen and food preparation. Some of these factors such as their putative customers age and education cannot, of course, be altered by restaurant management, but other factors such improving hygiene procedures and making them visible, improving social distancing between employees and clientele within practical limits, and making food preparation visible could be addressed.

It remains to be seen whether people will start eating out as often as they did before the pandemic. If the industry changes in a way to encourage them to do so, then that might be the case. It could be that the new-normal means fewer people going to restaurants regardless. Life is all about change a new disruption might nudge us in a different direction. The industry can do nothing but be proactive in trying to encourage customers and respond in a timely way to new challenges that arise.

Pereira, L., Couto, M., da Costa, R.L., Dias, Á., Gonçalves, R. and da Silva, R.V. (2022) ‘Food and beverage industry in a pandemic context’, Int. J. Services, Economics and Management, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.152–181.

12 May 2022

Research pick: Sweet lime oils defeat pests - "Eco-friendly extraction of Mosambi (Citrus limetta) essential oil from waste fruit peels and its potential use as a larvicidal, insecticidal and antimicrobial agent"

Citrus peel and pulp is a growing waste problem in the food industry and in the home. However, there is potential to extract something useful from it. Work in the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management describes a simple steam distillation method that uses a domestic pressure cooker to extract useful essential oils from the peel of sweet lime (mosambi, Citrus limetta).

Waste mosambi peel can be obtained in huge quantities from the many fruit juice shops around the state of Delhi and elsewhere and where people make juice in their homes. The research shows how these extracted essential oils have antifungal, larvicidal, insecticidal and antimicrobial activity and so could represent a useful source of inexpensive products for crop protection, domestic pest control and cleaning, and more.

Using waste streams from the food industry as a source of raw materials for other industries is on the rise. To be truly beneficial in terms of the environment, however, the extraction of useful materials from such waste has to approach carbon neutrality and be largely non-polluting itself. Chemists Tripti Kumari and Nandana Pal Chowdhury of the University of Delhi and Ritika Chauhan of Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering in New Delhi, India, have used a relatively environment-friendly steam distillation followed by solvent extraction with hexane to access the essential oils from mosambi peel. “The reported method of extraction produces zero waste, is energy efficient and gives a good yield,” the team writes.

The team demonstrated antibacterial activity of the extracted essential oils against bacteria including Bacillus subtilis and Rhodococcus equi. The same oils also showed activity against strains of fungi, such as Aspergillus flavus and Alternaria carthami. The extracts also show lethal activity against mosquito and cockroach larvae. The researchers suggest that appropriately adapted to preclude the need for the organic solvent step, it might be possible to develop a domestic approach to making such essential oil products from citrus peel in the home. This would, they suggest, bring science home and provide an effective alternative to costly manufactured sprays and products.

Kumari, T., Chowdhury, N.P., Chauhan, R. and Tiwary, N.K. (2022) ‘Eco-friendly extraction of Mosambi (Citrus limetta) essential oil from waste fruit peels and its potential use as a larvicidal, insecticidal and antimicrobial agent’, Int. J. Environment and Waste Management, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp.360–375.

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

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials are now available here for free:
  • Study on characteristics of AlTiN and TiCN coating layers deposited on carbide cutting tools in hard turning of steel: experimental, simulation and optimisation
  • Machinability studies on Al7075-based hybrid composites reinforced with SiC, graphene and CNT
  • The problem of determining the ploughing forces
  • An application of fuzzy logic with grey relational technique in grinding process using nano Al2O3 grinding wheel on Ti-6Al-4V alloy
  • Optimal cutting state predictions in internal turning operation with nano-SiC/GFRE composite layered boring tools

Free open access article available: "Desperately seeking industrial digital strategy: a dynamic capability approach"

The following paper, "Desperately seeking industrial digital strategy: a dynamic capability approach" (International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management 12(4) 2021), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences are now available here for free:
  • SWARA approach for ranking of agricultural supply chain risks of Odisha in India
  • The application of strategic alignment in a fuzzy environment: a case study in banking
  • Unorganised entrepreneurship and employment generation in India
  • Performance evaluation in a two-stage network-DEA with intermediate products
  • Comparative study of MCDM methods under different levels of uncertainty
  • Integrating statistical correlation with discrete multi-criteria decision-making

11 May 2022

Free open access article available: "Study on university research performance based on systems theory: systematic literature review"

The following paper, "Study on university research performance based on systems theory: systematic literature review" (International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management 35(4) 2022), 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 Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation are now available here for free:
  • Test and research on mechanical characteristics of geotechnical filling engineering based on inclined soft ground
  • Influence of Navier-slip conditions on natural convection flow through an inclined channel with inclined magnetic field, Soret and Hall current effects
  • Study on material structure evolution of steam turbine rotor under thermal cycling fatigue load
  • Design and implementation of DVR as fault current limiter in DFIG during grid faults
  • Extended geographic information monitoring of urban ecotone based on cell transmission model
  • Research on mathematical model of characteristic curve of surface perception by PVDF array based on Ferguson function
  • Fast and accurate dynamic synchrophasor estimator for protection applications

Free open access article available: "Smart services' quality scale"

The following paper, "Smart services' quality scale" (International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management 35(4) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Research pick: Tackling workplace bullying - "Understanding workplace bullying: a conceptual review"

Workplace bullying has always been a problem but recognition of this problem and how we must stand up to it and try to eradicate it from the workplace culture has only come to the fore in recent years. A conceptual review in the International Journal of Management Practice looks at the issues, the terminology, and the definitions with the aim of helping researchers fill the many gaps in the literature in a consistent manner.

Rajnish Kumar Misra and Divya Sharma of the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology in Noida, India, explain that there is a need to differentiate between bullying and other forms of negative behaviour in the workplace, such as so-called “desk rage”. However, they also hope to identify the antecedents to workplace bullying and look in-depth at its consequences on companies and their staff. Fundamentally, the team’s review alludes to a need for research and discussion to be all-encompassing and to recognise the boundaries of the definitions that emerge from the review.

Harassment and incivility are deep-rooted in many areas of human activity. Bullying can take a physical form or play a psychological role, or it can be a combination of both. Either way, it can have detrimental and long-lasting effects on anyone who is a victim. In the workplace, as with many other realms, this can have serious and life-changing consequences for victims, as morale is compromised, job dissatisfaction arises, performance and commitment become less important to the employee, burnout and employee turnover increase. All to the detriment of the victims of the bullying but also to the employer.

The research literature that has been focused on the issue of workplace bullying is inconsistent and contradictory. This new analysis could provide future research with a consistent framework with which to work to ensure that those problems are clarified and the gaps in the research filled so that the problem of bullying can be understood better and guidance emerge for managers and company owners that allows them to implement new policies to address the problem more effectively.

Misra, R.K. and Sharma, D. (2022) ‘Understanding workplace bullying: a conceptual review’, Int. J. Management Practice, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.346–363.

10 May 2022

Special issue published: "Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Computing System Development – Part 3"

International Journal of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation 13(1) 2022

  • A review on smart city - IoT and deep learning algorithms, challenges
  • Fixed frequency control with modified PSO-PIλDμ controller for power factor correction and fast regulation
  • Sensor based vehicle detection and classification - a systematic review
  • The impact of big data in predictive analytics towards technological development in cloud computing
  • Machine learning in SDN networks for secure industrial cyber physical systems: a case of detecting link flooding attack
  • Real-time voltage security assessment using adaptive fuzzified decision tree algorithm
  • Towards enhancing the health standards of elderly: role of ambient sensors and user perspective

Free open access article available: "Entrepreneurship bridging ethnic divides"

The following paper, "Entrepreneurship bridging ethnic divides" (International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 45(4) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

International Journal of Economics and Business Research is now an open access-only journal

We are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Economics and Business Research is now an Open Access-only journal. All accepted articles submitted from 10 August 2022 onwards will be Open Access, and will require an article processing charge of US $1500.

Research pick: Entrepreneurship eases ethnic equation - "Entrepreneurship bridging ethnic divides"

Entrepreneurship in post-conflict regions can bridge ethnic divides. That is the primary conclusion of new research published in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business.

Ana Kopren of the University of Graz in Austria and Hans Westlund of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, Sweden, have looked at how business activity has improved relationships in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia where conflict and division between ethnic groups have been serious issues for many years. It was, of course, 18th Century philosopher Immanuel Kant who perhaps first suggested that economic exchange and trade between countries is a significant contributor to peace between the nations. The team adds that business networks that connect different ethnic groups are very much a positive way forward and preclude to some degree a way of life that implies coexistence by means of segregation.

The team has surveyed some 130 entrepreneurs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia and found that, perhaps as one might expect, the driving force for those business people working with diverse ethnic networks is fundamentally to increase company profits. The side effect of this drive, however, is the strengthening of bonds between the various ethnic groups within those business networks.

The team writes that their research points to the idea that economic ties can facilitate cooperative patterns and rebuild the broken bonds and divisions between ethnic groups living in the same regions. “Entrepreneurs alleviate ethnic cleavages and improve relations between ethnic groups,” the researchers suggest. In parallel, the researchers add that an influx of refugees from war-torn areas has created new challenges that demand new ways in which to integrate those people into European society for mutual benefit.

“Social values originating from business relationships may be a foundation for reconciliation and collective action,” the team adds. “Repeated business interaction instigates an advantageous social outcome that breaks down prejudices and increases cooperative achievement,” they suggest.

Kopren, A. and Westlund, H. (2022) ‘Entrepreneurship bridging ethnic divides’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp.423–449.

9 May 2022

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:
  • Operability and maintainability obstacles: an exploratory factor analysis approach
  • An integrated grey-based multi-criteria optimisation approach for sustainable supplier selection and procurement-distribution planning
  • How management remains expanding its theoretical roots to evolve serenely
  • Digital collaboration within the supply chain: unlocking the hidden lean potential

Special issue published: "Revisiting Vehicle Dynamics and Control for Electrified and Autonomous Vehicles"

International Journal of Vehicle Design 87(1/2/3/4) 2021

  • Optimised robust path following control of autonomous vehicle with pole constraints
  • Four wheel independent steering system control of distributed electric vehicle based on heterogeneous multi-agent
  • Robust lateral and longitudinal stability control for delta three-wheeled vehicles with suspension system
  • Vehicle sideslip angle estimation: fusion of vehicle kinematics and dynamics
  • Cooperative collision warning system design at intersections based on trajectory prediction and conflict risk evaluation
  • A priori map-based automated valet parking with accurate adjustment ability for automatic charging
  • An adaptive second-order sliding mode for IWM electric vehicle lateral stability control based on super twist sliding mode observer
  • Trajectory planning, dynamics modelling and trajectory tracking method for off-road autonomous vehicles considering the road topography information
  • Automotive G vector control for comfort improvement and experimental verification
  • Rollover detection and prevention of a heavy-duty vehicle on banked and graded uneven road

Research pick: The gig inequality - "Heterogeneity in the US gig economy with a focus on gender"

The gig economy encompasses a wide range of paid tasks. It exists in the digital realm and in many offline activities. The common ground lies in the nature of the link between “employer” and contractor. Usually, gig workers are independent contractors carrying out a wide variety of mostly ad hoc or short-term jobs.

A new investigation into the nature of the gig economy in the USA shows that while entry into this kind of work is equitable between men and women in terms of motivation. Both men and women hoped to earn extra income and have the freedom to choose where they work. Commonly, however, women’s expectations for the actual level of remuneration was lower than that expected by men. This was borne out in reality, the research shows, where the rates for an equivalent job are indeed lower for women.

Robert A. Peterson of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas, explains that the gig economy is a heterogeneous collection of firms and individuals engaged in a wide variety of jobs. In the USA, it represents a $1.4 trillion industry and almost 57 million workers, 40 percent of the US workforce, were involved in the gig economy in 2021. The pre-pandemic rate of growth was three times faster than the growth seen in conventional employer-employee workforces, he adds.

“The present study is perhaps the most broad-based investigation of gig workers to date,” writes Peterson, “regardless of whether they obtain or execute their gigs through an online platform or website, work only for a particular company, or engage in only a specific gig.”

Fundamentally, the notion of a gig economy is entirely familiar to a previous generation who would recognise it as nothing more sophisticated than the conventional signing of contractors to do requisite tasks within a firm without them being on the employee payroll. However, the various digital platforms – including Uber, Airbnb, Amazon Mechanical Turk, Upwork, DoorDash, and TaskRabbit – that have emerged in recent years have made access to contracting work much more readily available to a wider range of people. Other, traditionally non-digital, companies have also adopted digital platforms to recruit on-demand workers to carry out ad hoc tasks for them.

The relationship between gender and occupation and gender and remuneration has been researched and discussed widely across many disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, business, engineering, medicine, and even the physical sciences, adds Peterson. However, the vast majority of this research has focused on conventional employment and has not yet considered the gig economy and the existence of a putative gender gap that mirrors what has been seen repeatedly in the traditional workplace.

Peterson hopes to correct this and has undertaken a nationwide survey of more than 1000 gig workers who had taken on “gigs” in the previous year. They were contracted in the digital realm and in the offline world and those surveyed were not limited to conventional industry boundaries nor companies involved.

“Hopefully, the present research will provide insights and an initial foundation for, and stimulate, future research that seeks a theoretical understanding of a phenomenon that has major economic as well as social implications,” Peterson concludes.

Peterson, R.A. (2022) ‘Heterogeneity in the US gig economy with a focus on gender’, Int. J. Applied Decision Sciences, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.365–384.

New Editor for International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing

Prof. Sheng-feng Qin from Northumbria University in the UK has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing.

6 May 2022

Special issue published: "Advances and Applications of Sliding Mode Control in Engineering"

International Journal of Automation and Control 16(3/4) 2022

  • Fuzzy adaptive finite-time sliding mode controller for trajectory tracking of ship course systems with mismatched uncertainties
  • Non-singular terminal sliding mode control for a class of second-order systems with mismatched uncertainty
  • Adaptive sliding mode controller design for the bipartite consensus tracking of multi-agent systems with actuator faults and disturbances
  • A relative analysis of sliding mode control with reaching law for the vector control of a three-phase induction machine
  • Modified sliding mode control for a universal active filter-based solar microgrid system
  • A new form of a class of MIMO linear systems for a non-singular terminal sliding mode control
  • Fixed-time sliding mode flight control with model-based switching functions of quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles
  • Power control of a stand-alone electric generation hybrid system using integral sliding mode controller
  • Residual-based fault detection isolation and recovery of a greenhouse
  • A multi-objective criterion and stability analysis for neural adaptive control of nonlinear MIMO systems: an experimental validation
  • Design and optimisation of a fuzzy-PI controlled modified inverter-based PMSM drive employed in a light weight electric vehicle
  • Load following approach for a VVER nuclear power plant using generic model control
  • Swarm activity-based dynamic PSO for distribution decision

Special issue published: "Green Operational Development Policy on Enterprises"

International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management 22(1/2) 2022

  • Using the system dynamics model on sustainable safety development of civil aviation
  • Spatial coordination perspective of regional sustainable development: control of spatial difference in Guangdong-Guangxi Economic Zone
  • Research on paths to emerging markets through business model innovation: the case of Taiwan-funded enterprises entering China mainland market
  • Artificial intelligence technology in modern logistics system
  • Enterprise green management on the optimisation of financial management system
  • How does green operational policy impact on corporate social responsibility and enterprise image? Evidence from South Korean construction enterprises
  • Research on model mechanism of B2B transaction based on delivery means of blockchain
  • Big data mechanism of railway tunnel base void and degradation damage based on discrete element method

Free open access article available: "Culture's consequences for purchasing: comparing purchasing job ad requirements from different European countries with cultural models"

The following paper, "Culture's consequences for purchasing: comparing purchasing job ad requirements from different European countries with cultural models" (International Journal of Procurement Management 15(3) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Research pick: Dairy waste to fight cancer - "Development of bacteriocins from dairy wastes"

Scientists are investigating the potential of microbial chemical weapons for use in various industries, such as horticulture, the food industry, veterinary medicine, and even in cancer treatment. A new promising source for extracting such chemicals from dairy waste is reported in the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management.

Microbes make their own chemical weapons to kill or harm species that might attack them. Microbial fungi for instance make the antibacterial compounds we know as antibiotics. Non-pathogenic bacteria themselves also make such weapons to preclude the growth of other bacterial species around them. One group of such chemical weapons are known as bacteriocins. These compounds can short-chain peptides or even fully-folded proteins. They have a wide range of biological activity.

Harikrishnan Hariharan of Saintgits College of Engineering, Kottukulam Hills, Kottayam District and V.B. Jyothy and Steffy P. Vinson of the MET’s School of Engineering in Thrissur District in Kerala State, India, have investigated sludge from the dairy industry and various other sources, including soil and industrial wastewater. The dairy waste showed great potential as a source of bacteriocins, the team reports.

The team writes that bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria (found in dairy waste) could be used to make food preservatives, therapeutics for veterinary or medical use, and as phytosanitary for protection of plants. Other experiments with bacteriocins have shown some of them to selectively and actively penetrate human cancer cells causing the cells to die. The fact that they are produced by bacteria that do not cause human or animal disease, steps over one of the various hurdles that might initially be barriers to the commercial development of such products.

The team’s experiments focused on fluorescent pseudomonads from samples obtained from the dairy industry. The team saw activity with extracts of these against the pathogenic microbe Salmonella typhi. The present study offers a novel source for bacteriocins that could be generated in bulk for a wide range of applications.

Hariharan, H., Jyothy, V.B. and Vinson, S.P. (2022) ‘Development of bacteriocins from dairy wastes’, Int. J. Environmental Technology and Management, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.210–217.

5 May 2022

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

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management are now available here for free:
  • A group decision-making model for important power user risks based on cloud model and set pair analysis: a case study in China
  • New business models with Industrie 4.0 in the German Mittelstand
  • Revisiting the theoretical evolution of Industry 4.0: a thematic analysis of research focus
  • A study on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention

Special issue published: "Socio-Economic and Technological Approaches Towards Environmental Management"

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management 25(3) 2022

  • Identification of earthworm for sustainable agriculture - a review
  • Liver cancer detection based on various sustainable segmentation techniques for CT images
  • An in-silico approach for the identification of potential anticancer phytochemicals from Simarouba glauca against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein
  • Investigation on elevation of sloshing liquid in the square tank under excitation using CFD and RSM
  • Development of bacteriocins from dairy wastes
  • Optical design of integrated line and point focus solar collector for process heat generation
  • Peptides: antimicrobial properties and applications

Free open access article available: "Purchasing and supply management skills and personality traits across roles: a job advertisements perspective"

The following paper, "Purchasing and supply management skills and personality traits across roles: a job advertisements perspective" (International Journal of Procurement Management 15(3) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Research pick: The eyes have it - "A novel JAYA algorithm for optic disc localisation in eye fundus images"

A regular eye examination is a solid part of maintaining eye health allowing problems to be identified sooner rather than later. Part of such an examination will commonly involve checking the lens of the eye as well as the interior of the eye. Recording a digital image of the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye is frequently used by ophthalmologists, optometrist and others to detect vascular disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy, evidence of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and optic neuritis.

One of the issues with using computers to analyse a retinal image is to ensure the precise localisation of the optic disc within the retinal image in the computer so that features can be compared more accurately and problems be detectable by software with fewer false positives or false negatives for pathologies and other concerns. A new Open Access paper, published in the International Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics, describes a JAYA algorithm that performs with 99 per cent accuracy in localising the optic disc within the retinal image It uses a novel fitness function to do so. This new system performs better than other methods previously reported in the scientific literature based on tests with a publicly available database of retinal images.

Around 150 million people are afflicted with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Both conditions can lead to compromised sight and ultimately blindness. Unfortunately, there are no obvious external symptoms of the creeping pathology of either condition. Regular detailed examination of the eye is therefore essential, especially of those people in at-risk groups, to detect the earliest signs of the conditions as soon as possible so that treatment can be started to retard the problem.

Visual examination of retinal images is time-consuming for optometrists and takes a great deal of skill and patience. As with many other kinds of medical examination, there is always room for error or the need for the proverbial second opinion. As such, a computerised algorithmic approach could be a useful tool for optometrists to quickly highlight problems with their patients’ eyes without the labour-intensive screening. Once the computer has highlighted a problem the optometrist can then carry out further visual examination of their own to ascertain the seriousness of any condition that is flagged and then prescribe the requisite course of action for their patient.

Kumar, B.V., Zhang, S., Wu, T., Prakash, J., Zhou, L. and Li, K. (2022) ‘A novel JAYA algorithm for optic disc localisation in eye fundus images‘, Int. J. Computational Vision and Robotics, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.324-342.

4 May 2022

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Security and Networks

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Security and Networks are now available here for free:
  • A survey on access control in IoT: models, architectures and research opportunities
  • Adaptive histogram fusion-based colour restoration and enhancement for underwater images
  • An efficient range-free multi-hop localisation algorithm for irregular wireless sensor networks
  • An effective congestion control scheme based on early offload for space delay/disruption tolerant network
  • A model-based approach for multi-level privacy policies derivation for cloud services
  • Verification-based data integrity mechanism in smart grid network

Free open access article available: "A novel JAYA algorithm for optic disc localisation in eye fundus images"

The following paper, "A novel JAYA algorithm for optic disc localisation in eye fundus images" (International Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics 12(3) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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


Research pick: Antiviral ventilation - "Modelling of aerosol trajectories in a mechanically-ventilated study room using computational fluid dynamics in light of the COVID-19 pandemic"

We have known for a longtime now that the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2 is a mostly airborne disease. Ventilation of indoor spaces is therefore one of the most useful ways in which we can keep people safe. Research in the International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, has investigated the fluid dynamics of how mechanical ventilation affects the trajectories of aerosols that might be carrying viral particles from infected people.

R.M.P.S. Bandara and W.C.D.K. Fernando of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Ratmalana, and R.A. Attalage of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology in Malabe, Sri Lanka, point out that the COVID-19 is known to spread more readily indoors than in the open air. Measures such as face coverings and improved ventilation have been useful in attempting to reduce the rates of infection. However, we have much to learn about how different types of ventilation might affect the movement of virus-laden aerosols indoors. As such, the team has modelled the trajectories of simulated aerosols in cavity flow, displacement flow and two cases of mixing flow ventilation.

The models show that mixing-flow ventilation is the most effective form of ventilation for reducing the risk of the virus spreading between people sharing an indoor space. This form of ventilation finds the aerosol particles pulled along by the ventilation airstream and expelled to the outside through the system’s ducting with much less chance of them being inhaled by another person in the room. This is not the case with the other types of ventilation where the air is essentially recirculated within the indoor space to large degree and so virus-laden aerosols might be inhaled by other people.

The team suggests that their models should be used to define optimal mechanical ventilation for different indoor settings and occupancy to minimise the risk of airborne virus being spread from those infected with the virus to others in the room. They point out that the placement of air diffusers and air flow rates, the position of people in the room, whether they are seated, standing, or moving around, as well the geometry of the room, windows and doors, and heating systems are all variables that must be considered to find the best mitigation based on ventilation for any given building. The risk of spread of the virus in a given space must also be weighed against the overall comfort and wellbeing of the occupants of the building.

Bandara, R.M.P.S., Fernando, W.C.D.K. and Attalage, R.A. (2021) ‘Modelling of aerosol trajectories in a mechanically-ventilated study room using computational fluid dynamics in light of the COVID-19 pandemic’, Int. J. Simulation and Process Modelling, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp.250–262.

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Dynamical Systems and Differential Equations

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Dynamical Systems and Differential Equations are now available here for free:
  • Numerical approach for solving nonlinear stochastic Itô-Volterra integral equations using shifted Legendre polynomials
  • Single controller for synchronisation of coupled neural networks with distributed time-varying delays
  • A discrete viral infection model with both modes of transmission and distributed delays
  • Solving nonlinear Fredholm integral equations with PQWs in complex plane
  • Numerical solution of time-delay systems by Hermite wavelet

3 May 2022

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

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing are now available here for free:
  • Image tracking and matching algorithm of semi-dense optical flow method
  • Adaptive genetic algorithm for scheduling problem in flexible workshop with low carbon constraints
  • Rating of catering enterprises based on fuzzy hierarchy and k-means clustering
  • 3D object detection based on synthetic RGB image
  • Research on point cloud generation algorithm of virtual depth camera
  • Experimental and numerical study for dynamic characteristics of truck fuel tank based on fluid-structure interaction
  • Finite impulse response low-pass digital filter based on particle swarm optimisation for image denoising
  • Multi-model fusion framework based on multi-input cross-language emotional speech recognition
  • Analysis of influence factors on employment and entrepreneurship of ex-college soldiers
  • Mobile lung cancer early warning based on Windows Azure cloud computing
  • Torque calculation model and structural optimisation of axial magnetic drive mechanism

Special issue published: "Computational Methods for Material Mechanics and Advanced Materials"

International Journal of Hydromechatronics 5(1) 2022

  • Explicit implementation of the non-local operator method: a non-local dynamic formulation for elasticity solid
  • Solution of structural mechanic's problems by machine learning
  • Stability analysis of elastic steel beam-column under high temperature
  • Analysis and optimisation of impact wear of diesel engine needle valve assembly
  • Sensitivity indices of a reinforced concrete beam exposed to explosions

Research pick: Breaking the bottlenecks for Indian start-ups - "Technology startup ecosystem in India"

Technology start-ups have been the mainstay of emerging industries for many years, particularly since the time of the so-called dot.com era during which many of the devices and systems we still use today were first pushed by the start-ups of the 1990s. According to researchers writing in the International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, e-commerce, healthcare, financial technologies, education, travel, artificial intelligence, and customer services sectors, remain the predominant sectors that continue to spawn innovative start-ups.

Nityesh Bhatt and Punit Saurabh of the Nirma University in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and Ritesh Kumar Verma of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India, have reviewed the state of the art in the rapidly developing nation of India. They have taken a holistic approach to examine the eco-system surrounding Indian start-ups but also consider the different components of the ecosystem, including the policy framework, the educational environment, financial support from domestic and international funds, and support organisations such as incubators and accelerators.

Indian tech start-ups have been nudged onwards and upwards by demographic, psychographic, and geographic factors while positive macro and micro environmental forces have resulted in a strengthening of the Indian tech ecosystem making it one of the top three countries in the world in this realm. The researchers point out that there has been substantial and beneficial growth in seed funding driven by the growth of incubators, accelerators, angel networks, and venture capitalists in India. They also describe the mergers and acquisitions scene in India as being positive.

Nevertheless, there are still issues to be overcome. The review has allowed the team to identify bottlenecks in the processes that take place within the start-up ecosystem. This in turn has allowed them to make policy suggestions that might widen those bottlenecks and allow a greater flow of information and innovation and so boost the start-ups within the ecosystem to allow them to serve their putative customers and clients more effectively and sooner, rather than later. Policy changes that recognise the nature of the digital age must be made so that archaic laws are not stymieing advancement. Simultaneously, stakeholders must also be vigilant and play their role in sustaining hard-fought momentum. “Change in the societal mindset for start-ups will be a great catalyst,” the team concludes.

Bhatt, N., Saurabh, P. and Verma, R.K. (2022) ‘Technology startup ecosystem in India’, Int. J. Business Innovation and Research, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp.413–430.

Free open access article available: "Time series forecasting of domestic shipping market: comparison of SARIMAX, ANN-based models and SARIMAX-ANN hybrid model"

The following paper, "Time series forecasting of domestic shipping market: comparison of SARIMAX, ANN-based models and SARIMAX-ANN hybrid model" (International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics 14(3) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

2 May 2022

Special issue published: "Intelligent and Advanced Control Methods in Robotic Applications"

International Journal of Intelligent Engineering Informatics 9(6) 2021

  • Adaptive iterative learning-based gait tracking control for paediatric exoskeleton during passive-assist rehabilitation
  • Gait stabilisation of an underactuated bipedal walker on steep slopes
  • Path planning strategy for unmanned aerial vehicles based on a grey wolf optimiser
  • Modelling, control and robustness analysis of a 2-DoF exoskeleton-upper limb system
  • Improved filter design in internal model control: application to hybrid feed drive mechatronic system

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Hydromechatronics

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Hydromechatronics are now available here for free:
  • Self-supervised learning for tool wear monitoring with a disentangled-variational-autoencoder
  • The buckling beam as actuator element for on-off hydraulic micro valves
  • Discussion on effect of laser parameters and trajectory in combined pulse laser drilling
  • Spectral kurtosis based on evolutionary digital filter in the application of rolling element bearing fault diagnosis
  • OpenFOAM computation of interacting wind turbine flows and control (I): free rotating case

International Journal of Adaptive and Innovative Systems to invite expanded papers from International Conference on Advances in Communication Technology and Computer Engineering (ICACTCE’22) for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Advances in Communication Technology and Computer Engineering (ICACTCE’22) (24-25 June 2022, Meknes, Morocco) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Adaptive and Innovative Systems.

Research pick: Improving virtual shopping - "Online shopping during the Covid-19 crisis: the impact of anthropomorphic virtual agents on consumers’ psychological states"

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to do more activities online than they had in the past, including shopping. However, there are concerns that e-commerce does not match the experience of browsing and shopping in the real world. Research in the International Journal of Technology Marketing has looked at the psychological response of consumers to the increasingly anthropomorphic virtual agents often used on e-commerce sites in an effort to replicate the in-store shopping experience and engagement. Indeed, anthropomorphic virtual agents already exist that can help inform consumers about new products, assist them in making their decisions as to what to buy, and answer questions about a product in which they are interested.

Sihem Ben Saad of the University of Tunis Carthage and Fatma Choura of the University of Tunis El Manar in Tunisia, explain that artificial intelligence has helped many e-commerce sites develop their offering to online customers. However, the experience does not yet match that of customers in “bricks-and-mortar” stores in terms of responsiveness and warmth. The team has surveyed some 660 internet users to examine the nature of their experiences with e-commerce virtual agents and what effects these interactions have on their psychological state when shopping online.

The team explains that the best anthropomorphic virtual agent “is adaptable and can be configured to meet the specific needs of the user. It can even adjust its behaviour according to the situation and to the user’s expectations.” Moreover, these agents can make more advanced decisions based on customer choices as well as negotiate the closing transaction. Fundamentally, the team found that by endowing a virtual agent with a voice, human gestures and conversational skills, companies could maximise the perceived humanisation of the interface and so positively affect their customers’ intentions in ways that static non-interactive e-commerce might not be able to match.

The team adds that such virtual assistants so improve the user experience for many people, that they are then more inclined to spread the word about a successful transaction with friends and relatives and so potentially open up the market to those people through word-of-mouth too.

Ben Saad, S. and Choura, F. (2022) ‘Online shopping during the Covid-19 crisis: the impact of anthropomorphic virtual agents on consumers’ psychological states’, Int. J. Technology Marketing, Vol. 16, Nos. 1/2, pp.27–49.