31 August 2022

Research pick: Journalists trusting websites - "Website user experience model: testing on journalists"

Journalists tend to be a cynical bunch, it comes with the job – ever questioning. As such, they are rather demanding of their sources and the trustworthiness of websites and brands. Research from Indonesia in the International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology describes a model of website user experience that has now been tested on journalists.

Journalists, of course, need to make judgements as to the trustworthiness of a website, especially when seeking information and sources during an investigation. However, they are not the only user group for whom “brand” trust is important, the same applies to people from all walks of life, whether shopping online, studying, making political choices, seeking out entertainment, or other activities.

Purwadi Purwadi of the Research Center for Society and Culture at the National Research and Innovation Agency and Irwansyah Irwansyah of the Faculty of Social Science and Political Science at the Universitas Indonesia, explain how they used partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) for data processing techniques and hypothesis testing on a survey of 300 journalists.

The team found that there was a significant correlation between the user experience, measured by six components and trust in the brand associated with the website. Those six components are site access speed, culture, design, hedonic, public value, usability, user value, and user emotions. Their second model showed that access speed, user value, and user emotion also correlated with brand trust. Of course, perceived trustworthiness based on such variables as page load speed and access times on a website are not necessarily a true reflection of whether or not the given site is trustworthy. A slow site may simply have technical issues that have not been overcome rather than that technical deficit reflecting poor content. That said, a site that does not look after its technical side, as well as its content, may well be a less worthy resource as such a lack of attention to detail in the technical area may reflect a similar lack of attention to content. The team recommends the use of the first model with its greater number of variables for future studies of the website user experience.

Purwadi, P. and Irwansyah, I. (2022) ‘Website user experience model: testing on journalists’, Int. J. Web Engineering and Technology, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp.63–87.

30 August 2022

New Editors for International Journal of Information and Operations Management Education

Dr. Luna Leoni from the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" in Italy has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Information and Operations Management Education. She will be joined by Dr. Matteo Cristofaro, who will take on the role of Executive Editor.

Research pick: Recruiting Nigerian Facebook users - "Association rule mining for job seekers’ profiles based on personality traits and Facebook usage"

Might an analyse of social media use and connections help employers find the right employee? New work in the International Journal of Business Information Systems, has used association rule mining to analyse job seekers’ profiles and activity on Facebook to determine personality traits that might be matched to a given job by a putative employer.

An international team of researchers from Finland, Ghana, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Sweden, and the USA explains how personality traits play a significant part in the suitability of an employee for a particular role. They suggest how Facebook use might be analysed to help match unemployed users of the social networking site with an appropriate job. The team looked at data from 3000 unemployed Facebook users in Nigeria. Association rule mining allowed them to extract useful information and identify interesting characteristics and traits that might otherwise remain hidden or not be discernible from a job seeker’s application form or resume. The team focused on a particular sector, that which employs public relations officers (PROs), marketers, and advertisers.

The team discusses earlier work from Italy that used an alternative approach to profiling unemployed Facebook users there. They now write that “Much research has been done in the area of Web usage clustering, with the issues involved in data mining for extraction of web navigation patterns, ordering relationships, prediction of web surfing behaviour, and clustering of web user sessions based on weblogs.” Nigeria is one of the biggest users of Facebook in Africa, however, and so should provide useful information above and beyond what might be gleaned from web use.

The team demonstrated that sentences and phrases used on the social networking site can reveal correlations with particular personality traits such as conscientiousness and agreeability. Given that employers commonly look to social media as a pre-selection tool before calling prospective job candidates to interview, the development of an analytical approach that might improve and validate this screening approach could be very welcome among human resource managers and recruiters. Moreover, there has been a degree of stagnation in the rising employment rates in many developing nations, such as Nigeria, new tools to help remedy this, COVID-19 impact notwithstanding, are urgently needed

Olaleye, S.A., Ukpabi, D.C., Olawumi, O., Atsa’am, D.D., Agjei, R.O., Oyelere, S.S., Sanusi, I.T., Agbo, F.J., Balogun, O.S., Gbadegeshin, S.A., Adegbite, A. and Kolog, E.A. (2022) ‘Association rule mining for job seekers’ profiles based on personality traits and Facebook usage’, Int. J. Business Information Systems, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp.299–326.

29 August 2022

Research pick: A flock of seagulls improves edge computing - "Using seagull optimisation algorithm to select mobile service in cloud and edge computing environment"

A new algorithmic approach based on the behaviour of gulls that could improve edge computing is discussed in the International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology.

While the enthusiasm for cloud computing has not blown over, there adjuncts to the services it provides that have already come over the horizon to bring certain aspects of “cloud” closer to the user – so-called edge computing. By bringing certain resources closer to the user’s own computer, edge computing can improve performance and reduce lag, or latency, between user command and system response. However, increasing demands on edge services mean that their great promise might not be fulfilled in an increasingly connected and mobile world.

Feilong Yu, Jing Li, Ming Zhu, and Xiukun Yan of the College of Computer Science and Technology at Shandong University of Technology in Zibo, China, have proposed a service-selection model the cloud and edge-computing environments. “The proposed model combines the seagull optimisation algorithm and the simulated annealing algorithm,” the team explains. The seagull algorithm encodes the migratory and attack behaviour of gulls in such a way that it can be used to solve problems such as the assigning and routing of computational resources. The use of the simulated annealing algorithm in conjunction with the seagull algorithm will help the system avoid the local maximum and premature convergence problems, which are often the bane of other approaches to similar problems.

The team has carried out comparative experiments on simulated datasets with referencing to some other service selection models and have demonstrated that the proposed selection model improves QoS (Quality of Service) and requires fewer iterations. Such a boost to edge computing will improve the performance of software and applications that utilise natural-language processing, facial recognition, and video processing all of which are what the team describes as “delay-sensitive and demand-intensive”.

The next step is to demonstrate proof of principle with a real-world setup and then to optimise the approach in terms of minimising energy consumption to address the issues of processing energy requirements, idle power, and leakage of power.

Yu, F., Li, J., Zhu, M. and Yan, X. (2022) ‘Using seagull optimisation algorithm to select mobile service in cloud and edge computing environment’, Int. J. Web Engineering and Technology, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp.88–114.

26 August 2022

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

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology are now available here for free:
  • Toward a better understanding of intentionality in service engineering: a systematic review
  • A fusion of aspect and contextual information for rating prediction in recommender system using a latent factor model
  • Zero-shot image classification based on factor space

Special issue published: "Intelligent Control for Future and Complex Systems"

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control 40(3) 2022

  • Robust hybrid controller for quadrotor UAV under disturbances
  • Black widow optimisation-based controller design for Riverol-Pilipovik water treatment system
  • Digital implementation of model predictive control of an inverter for electric vehicles applications
  • Experimental and numerical study of the influence of FFF process parameters on the flexural A study on photovoltaic charging strategy of electric vehicles with multi-objective constraints
  • Research on the emerging mechanism of complex networks community dividing based on cellular automata
  • Investigation and realisation of PID and LQR control methods in Parrot Mambo minidrone
  • Hybrid fuzzy level set approach for multiple sclerosis lesions assessment in magnetic resonance brain images
  • An optimal control problem associated with Lorentz group SO(3; 1)

Research pick: Can academics ever truly retire? - "Intentions towards work post-retirement: a mediator-moderator analysis through job satisfaction and age"

It seems like an oxymoron – working in retirement. And, yet there will be many people who are either forced into working because of finances after they reach statutory retirement age or choose to carry on working, perhaps in an entirely different area to their career. One particular group of people who often choose to continue working into retirement are those in academia. They may feel that do not want to succumb to an arbitrary endpoint to their career and provided a role is still there for them, they will remain active in academia.

Preeti Tarkar and Somesh Dhamija of the Institute of Business Management at GLA University in Mathura, India, have looked at job satisfaction and age and how these moderate work, post-retirement among academics. They published details in the International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management.

The team’s survey of retired academics points to a need to understand the intentions of experienced academics and to allow find ways to allow those that wish to work after notional retirement to do so. This is especially pertinent in India, Tarkar and Dhamija suggest that given an aging population and a likely fall in the number of young people over the next ten years. It is likely that there will be a shortfall of qualified academics.

However given the changes that have occurred in academia in recent years, wherein teaching and research are often given less prominence for senior academics who must also subsume managerial and administrative duties, it will be interesting to see how the situation pans out. After all, are “retired” academics who enjoyed teaching and/or research likely to be satisfied with a role that focuses on management and administration. Of course, it might be that those not at retirement age take on more of those duties leaving the older academics free to fulfill non-administrative roles. Job satisfaction will be a critical component of persuading the retired to continue in work to plug the putative workforce gaps.

Tarkar, P. and Dhamija, S. (2022) ‘Intentions towards work post-retirement: a mediator-moderator analysis through job satisfaction and age’, Int. J. Human Resources Development and Management, Vol. 22, Nos. 3/4, pp.180–196.

New Editor for International Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies

Prof. Paolo Crippa from the Università Politecnica delle Marche in Italy has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies.

25 August 2022

Special issue published: "Harnessing the Power of Contemporary Global Business Research on the Global Stage"

Journal for Global Business Advancement 14(6) 2021

  • Japanese multinational corporations and corporate tax change
  • Building marketing intelligence capability with the internet of things for competitiveness: empirical evidence of selected retail companies in Oman
  • Relevance of DOI and TOE for assessing FinTech adoption by banks: comparative analysis between Egypt and Bahrain
  • Examining perceptions of American and Omani university students towards ethical behaviour of entrepreneurs and business managers
  • Stigmatised minorities: an explorative study into the challenges of Muslim women entrepreneurs
  • The mediation role of brand trust and satisfaction between brand image and loyalty

24 August 2022

Research pick: Australian international education - "A critical review of Australia’s China-dominant education supply chain"

In 2019, international education in Australia generated more than 40 billion Australian dollars. Just under a third of that came from students from China. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Australia close its doors to international visitors essentially halted that revenue stream for the country. Although there is a notion that we are nearing a post-pandemic world, ongoing geopolitical tensions between Australia and China may well somewhat thwart efforts at recovery in the international education sector.

Writing in the International Journal of Agile Systems and Management, Mamta B. Chowdhury of the School of Business (Economics, Finance and Property) at Western Sydney University in Penrith, New South Wales has examined just how much dependency there has been on student visitors from China and how those geopolitical tensions and the effects of the pandemic might affect the future. She makes policy recommendations that emphasise greater diversification of the education sector and improvements in its supply chain management.

Chowdhury points out that since increasing globalization in the middle of the 1980s, there has been increasing attention in research to international education as international student numbers rose. The quality of education and opportunities that developed nations can offer students from developing nations have brought many millions of students to those countries. While in education, they, of course, boost the host nation’s economy, and on returning to their home country, their new skills and experience help bolster growth and development there. It is, in the modern vernacular, a win-win situation. Australia has been at the forefront of attracting international students and has benefited significantly from that increased diversity in higher education as well as reaping the financial rewards.

Indeed, there had been double-digit growth in international student numbers in Australia since around 2014. International education was Australia’s third biggest “export” after iron ore and coal, in 2018. In December 2019, just as the novel coronavirus, later known as SARS-CoV-2 and the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were almost a million international students enrolled to study in Australia. The numbers fell significantly with the pandemic so that in 2020, there were almost 10 per cent fewer students than in December 2019. 28% of those students originated from China, India (17%), Nepal (8%), Vietnam (4%), and Brazil (3%) across all educational disciplines.

The shocks of a pandemic or geopolitical tensions should serve as a warning, however, to the Australian system that reliance on a particular market within the sector could stifle growth. There is a need for greater diversity and for policymakers to manage the supply chain to help increase growth.

“Designing and implementing forward-looking approaches in diversifying the market in a timely fashion and appropriate intertwined education, employment and immigration policies might facilitate the transfer of valuable foreign exchange earnings into the education sector,” writes Chowdhury. Ultimately, this will in turn improve trade and alliances, as well as strategic and diplomatic relationships between Australia and those countries that enjoy the benefits of its education system.

Chowdhury, M.B. (2022) ‘A critical review of Australia’s China-dominant education supply chain’, Int. J. Agile Systems and Management, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp.147–166.

23 August 2022

Free sample articles newly available from African Journal of Economic and Sustainable Development

The following sample articles from the African Journal of Economic and Sustainable Development are now available here for free:
  • Child's well-being and parents' employment status in Nigeria
  • Chinese businesses and transnational knowledge transfer under constrained environment: results from the field in Ghana
  • Testing the environmental Kuznets curve in selected West African countries: empirical evidence estimation
  • Manufacturing in Africa: an example from Zambia
  • The effect of household income on child welfare clinic attendance in Ghana

Special issue published: "Technology Advances in Internet of Things Learning and Teaching"

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning 32(4) 2022

  • Research on modelling and analysis of factors influencing students' classroom communication ability based on support vector machine
  • An interactive practice platform of English mobile teaching in colleges and universities based on open API
  • The advantage resources mining of practical English with internet of things technology
  • A new hybrid teaching platform for college English based on IoT
  • Information exchange platform for digital art teaching in colleges and universities based on internet of things technology
  • Research on the reform of English teaching mode and analysis of teaching efficiency based on QFD theory model
  • Multi-interaction English teaching platform based on internet of things
Additional paper
  • Students as researchers: towards redefining undergraduate projects

22 August 2022

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Agile Systems and Management

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Agile Systems and Management are now available here for free:
  • Hospital 4.0 roadmap: an agile implementation guideline for hospital manager
  • A structured approach to large and medium scale business change: a resource orchestration perspective
  • Performance metrics in scrum software engineering companies
  • Agile information technology service management with DevOps: an incident management case study
  • A framework to promote social sustainability in industry 4.0
  • Critical factors in information technology capability for enhancing firm's environmental performance: case of Indonesian ICT sector
  • Multidisciplinary design automation – a conceptual framework for working with product model extensions
  • Knowledge management support in the engineering change process in small and medium-sized companies
  • A systemic approach to applying asset orchestration theory
  • A human factors assessment model for sustainable manufacturing

Special issue published: "Computer Applications in Technology and its Role in Education with an Economic Impact"

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology 68(3) 2022

  • Efficient residential load forecasting using deep learning approach
  • Fake profile recognition using big data analytics in social media platforms
  • Comparative study of satellite multispectral image data processing with MapReduce and classification algorithm
  • Improving software performance by automatic test cases through genetic algorithm
  • Towards an enhanced user experience with critical system interfaces in middle-eastern countries: a case study of usability evaluation of Saudi Arabia's weather interface system (Arsad)
  • Management techniques and methods of total quality management implementation in management institutions of Odisha
  • Application of hazard identification and risk assessment for reducing the occupational accidents in firework industries - specific reference to Sivakasi
  • Flight web searches analytics through big data
  • The electrical circuit of a new seven-dimensional system with 21 boundaries and the phenomenon of complete synchronisation
  • An expert system-based IoT system for minimisation of air pollution in developing countries
  • An empirical study for customer relationship management in banking sector using machine learning techniques
  • Data visualisation using augmented reality for education system
  • Design of QoS on data collection in wireless sensor network for automation process
  • Application of information technology to e-commerce

Research pick: Securing a demographic in a pandemic - "COVID-19-induced financial anxiety and state of the subjective wellbeing among the Bangladeshi middle class: the effects of demographic conditions"

Very few people have been completely unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the developing world, where a burgeoning middle-class was hauling itself out of the poverty trap of its ancestors, we might expect the detrimental effects of the pandemic to have been felt more harshly than for the well-off in the developed world.

Writing in the International Journal of Happiness and Development, A.F.M. Jalal Ahamed of the School of Business at the University of Skövde in Sweden has considered the financial anxieties and subjective well-being of the middle-class of Bangladesh. In this part of the world, as with many developing areas, the middle class commonly falls out of focus during times of crisis.

Ahamed has turned his focus on this demographic and found a worrying state of affairs that should help policymakers in the future ensure that those in this group who are actually on lower incomes are not abandoned. If they are, then there is the risk that such educated workers and consumers will accumulate problems, mental health issues, relationship troubles and potentially fall into the poverty trap that cumulative issues can bring in the developing and developed world, but that are starker in the former.

The research suggests that as well as helping those in the lower classes during a crisis, there is also a need to help those who might be perceived as well off, who suffer too and to put in place universal job security insurance and financial counselling for employees in the post-pandemic world. It was obvious that during the height of the pandemic, lockdowns, firm closures, reduced consumption, limited social interactions, disrupted supply chains, and insufficient medical support would all contribute to a heightened sense of anxiety for everyone.

The aspirational demographic might face its own risks, perhaps hidden from view, while policymakers attempt to assist those in severe poverty. Without a thriving middle-class, however, Ahamed suggests, the notion of “developing” might be stalled or even come to a halt. It should be pointed out that in this country, an income of just over US$700 and up to about $7000 per annum is considered middle-class, $2 to $20 dollars a day. However, Ahamed’s study also considered education and culture as criteria for defining the middle-class demographic rather than simply income.

COVID-19 is not the first pandemic, nor will it be the last. Its impact will be felt for many years to come and will inevitably overlap with the next major, international crisis. Ahamed suggests that the developing world needs to be prepared if it is to fulfill its aspirations and that will likely involve securing its middle class.

Jalal Ahamed, A.F.M. (2022) ‘COVID-19-induced financial anxiety and state of the subjective wellbeing among the Bangladeshi middle class: the effects of demographic conditions’, Int. J. Happiness and Development, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.142–158.

Free open access article available: "Process concatenation to reduce thermal changes in machine tools"

The following paper, "Process concatenation to reduce thermal changes in machine tools" (International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems 15(2/3) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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


19 August 2022

Special issue published: "Artificial Intelligence in Advanced Manufacturing" (includes Open Access article)

International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems 15(2/3) 2022

  • Performance improvement techniques for neural networks in tool condition monitoring
  • Machine learning approaches towards digital twin development for machining systems
  • Hybrid finite elements method-artificial neural network approach for hardness prediction of AA6082 friction stir welded joints
  • Process concatenation to reduce thermal changes in machine tools [OPEN ACCESS]
  • Preliminary study for the development of an autonomous system for emulating mandibular bone drilling
  • Structured light-based dynamic 3D measurement system for cold-formed steel hollow sections

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Vehicle Design

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Vehicle Design are now available here for free:
  • Design and fatigue analysis of an aluminium alloy aerodynamic wheel
  • Implementation of design for six sigma methodology on the car bumper production process
  • Robust model referenced control for vehicle rollover prevention with time-varying speed
  • Quantifying parameters of the seat-occupant interface during simulated low speed rear-impact collisions
  • Morphing applications in automobiles: a review

Special issue published: "Managing International Political Risk: Arising Challenges for Multinationals in the Post COVID-19 World"

European Journal of International Management 18(2/3) 2022

  • A configurational approach to explain non-market strategies in emerging economies
  • The effects of home country political risk and uncertainty on the financial performance of firms
  • So, what comes next? Company's uncertainty on regulatory void over Brexit: the case of Polish companies
  • The response of EU trade dependent firms to the globalisation backlash
  • Regulatory uncertainty and foreign subsidiary strategic proactiveness: an institutional approach
  • A tale of two international strategies: how telecom operators of the European Union and the USA dealt with the political-institutional environment after the global financial crisis
  • Project finance and recourse loans: determining debt choices in political, economic and financial risk positions under global perspective
Additional papers
  • The reliability of information systems in organisation as a source of competitive advantage
  • Educational credentials and career success of CEOs of Latin American firms
  • Psychic distance, marketing strategy adaptation and export performance: the role of international experience
  • An analysis of the socioeconomic characteristics determining religious choice

Research pick: Streaming to the cinema show - "Analysis of the factors that determine cinema attendance"

Technology has brought the cinema to our homes. Huge screens, powerful sound systems, projectors, streaming services, and even active seating and other novelties, have all conspired to keep many cinemagoers away from the traditional venues for watching movies. This coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic that had many of us confined to our homes for the sake of personal and public health also reduced cinema attendance significantly and whether numbers are rising again in the purported post-pandemic era remains to be seen.

Research in the International Journal of Entertainment Technology and Management has looked closely at what factors determine whether or not people become active cinemagoers. Marta Batlle-Beltrán and Manuel Mateo of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, suggest that those who run cinemas must offer much greater added value than ever before at a reasonable price in order to entice people back to the traditional Saturday night at the movies.

Of course, there remain many good reasons why people will still pay to go to the movies – the scale of the screen and the big sound, the social side, the peripheral activities such as drinking and dining before, after, and during the cinema show, an escape from domesticity, and the anticipation of novelty and difference.

The team found through a comprehensive survey that factors such as comfort, service, and facilities were strong influencers of whether or not they would choose to watch a movie at the cinema, especially given that generally, the same movies may well be available via streaming services, if not immediately, then within a few months of theatrical release. They also found that older people were generally more inclined to go to the cinema and with the right enticements might become loyal regulars.

Batlle-Beltrán, M. and Mateo, M. (2022) ‘Analysis of the factors that determine cinema attendance’, Int. J. Entertainment Technology and Management, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp.201–221.

Free open access article available: "Harnessing collective wisdom at a fraction of the time using Structured Dialogic Design Process in a virtual communication context"

The following paper, "Harnessing collective wisdom at a fraction of the time using Structured Dialogic Design Process in a virtual communication context" (International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies 1(2) 2007), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

18 August 2022

Inderscience journals to invite expanded papers from 4th Nordic International Business, Export Marketing, Int. Entrepreneurship & Tourism Conference 2022 for potential publication

Extended versions of papers presented at the
4th Nordic International Business, Export Marketing, Int. Entrepreneurship & Tourism Conference 2022 (NIB-EM, IE&T Conference 2022) (5-6 November 2022, via ZOOM) will be invited for review and potential publication by the following journals:

Special issue published: "Machine Learning Algorithms for Biometrics"

International Journal of Biometrics 14(3/4) 2022

  • The model of fast face recognition against age interference in deep learning
  • Arm movement recognition of badminton players in the third hit based on visual search
  • Multi pose facial expression recognition based on convolutional neural network
  • Facial feature localisation and subtle expression recognition based on deep convolution neural network
  • Research on adaptive conversion of AI language based on rough set
  • Face feature tracking algorithm for long-distance runners based on multi-region fusion
  • Research on automatic recognition method of basketball shooting action based on background subtraction method
  • Dynamic facial expression recognition of sprinters based on multi-scale detail enhancement
  • Multi-information fingerprint identification method based on interactive genetic algorithm
  • Research on leg posture recognition of sprinters based on SVM classifier
  • Recognition method of unspecified face expressions based on machine learning
  • Face feature tracking algorithm of aerobics athletes based on Kalman filter and mean shift
  • Automatic recognition of javelin athletes' throwing angle based on recognisable statistical characteristics
Additional papers
  • Leveraging bio-maximum inverse rank method for iris and palm recognition
  • Local double directional stride maximum patterns for facial expression retrieval
  • DeepVeil: deep learning for identification of face, gender, expression recognition under veiled conditions
  • Recognition of depression patients with electroencephalogram

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making are now available here for free:
  • Participatory multi-criteria decision analysis for sustainable energy planning
  • MAOAM: multiple-aspect outstandingness appraisement methodology
  • Multiplicative aggregation in managerial multi-attribute decision making
  • Strengthening preference ranking organisation method for enrichment evaluation with features of paraconsistent Pavelka style fuzzy logic

17 August 2022

Special issue published: "Power Electronics for Vehicle/Powertrain Electrification and Hybridisation"

International Journal of Powertrains 11(2/3) 2022

  • Review of the CM noise mitigation methods for the single-phase power factor correction converter
  • A low-frequency fluctuation suppressing method for a seven-level hybrid T-type nested neutral point clamped converter
  • A hierarchical cascaded multilevel converter with continuous uniform SOC management for battery storage systems
  • The suitability of 72V PMBLDC motor for light motor electric vehicles instead of 48V motor
  • Influence of plateau and frigid environmental conditions on the performance of the centrifugal compressor based on model modification
  • Investigation of the sensitivity of operating temperature for water distribution of fuel cell stack based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
  • Review of power electronics converters and associated components/systems at cryogenic temperatures
Additional paper
  • E-mobility: impacts and analysis of future transportation electrification market in economic, renewable energy and infrastructure perspective

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Corporate Governance

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Corporate Governance are now available here for free:
  • The relationship between the socio-emotional wealth dimensions and earnings management by thresholds: evidence from French family companies
  • India-specific corporate social responsibility-consumer perception scale
  • Corporate governance mechanisms and R&D intensity in OECD countries
  • Executive compensation structure and earnings management: evidence from Australian listed firms in the period of governance reform

Research pick: Platforming startups - "The perfect match! Open innovation platforms – assets for collaborative start-ups"

Startups face a major challenge in trying to home in on open innovation partners. Research in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, looks at the various ways in which startups search for such partners, the platforms they use to find connections, and the advantages and limitations of those platforms.

Izabella Bereczki and Johann Füller of the University of Innsbruck in Austria, and Oana Stănculescu of the Transylvanian Furniture Cluster in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, point out that previous studies have tended to focus on corporate entities and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), startups have not been the subject of research in this context to any significant degree so far. Indeed, previous researchers have highlighted the fact that there is a need to remedy this situation.

Startups it can be said are often highly innovative. Indeed, the very nature of such companies is usually underpinned by an entirely novel idea aimed at fulfilling an unrequited need. However, they, by definition might lack experience and certainly rarely have substantial resources at their disposal. Generally, the researchers say, firms can innovate with customers, suppliers, universities, research institutions or even competitors in order to foster innovation. Seeking out these partners is time-consuming and can be costly. Manual approaches are not always effective nor efficient and so many startups might turn to digital platforms that facilitate networking between those who have and those who have not, as it were.

“We believe open innovation is fundamental to innovation effectiveness because it promotes innovation and a cooperation culture,” the team writes. “Open business models can be used by start-ups to create and capture value through systematic collaboration with external partners.” The team points out that the platforms at present focus on corporations who want to search for partners. The converse search is not catered for so well and is therefore an opportunity in the making for the platforms that could ultimately be beneficial to all parties including startups, which are currently missing out.

Bereczki, I., Füller, J. and Stanculescu, O. (2022) ‘The perfect match! Open innovation platforms – assets for collaborative start-ups’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Vol. 26, Nos. 3/4, pp.133–160.

Free open access article available: "A multicriteria decision support approach for evaluating highly complex adaptive reuse plans"

The following paper, "A multicriteria decision support approach for evaluating highly complex adaptive reuse plans" (International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making 9(1) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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


16 August 2022

Special issue published: "Advances in Sustainable Mobility and Automotive Industry in South America"

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management 22(3) 2022

  • Institutional framework and the advance of electromobility: the case of South America
  • End-of-life electric vehicles batteries in Brazil: modelling ways after the first use
  • Artificial intelligence as a determinant for reshaping the automotive industry and urban mobility services
  • Industrial public policies and open innovation in Brazil: proposal of a performance measurement system at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
  • The transition to electric mobility: opportunities for the automotive value chain in Argentina

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design are now available here for free:
  • A GPU based virtual screening tool using SOM
  • Molecular docking, ADME and toxicity study of some chemical and natural plant based drugs against COVID-19 main protease
  • Pharmacokinetic and molecular docking studies of natural plant compounds of Hibiscus sabdariffa to design antihypertensive compounds targeting AT2R Bhanu Sharma
  • Ultrasonic-assisted rapid extraction of Cassia sieberiana D.C.: a Box-Behnken design process optimisation
  • Molecular docking studies of Staphylococcal clumping factor A inhibitors from Elettaria cardamomum and Acacia nilotica

Special issue published: "Machine Learning for Energy Efficient Embedded and Computing Systems"

International Journal of Embedded Systems 15(3) 2022

  • Computer embedded automatic test system based on VxWorks
  • Virtual sports rehabilitation and monitoring system for the elderly based on intelligent interaction and embedded system
  • Digital medical instrument based on embedded computer system
  • Embedded system for mobile interconnection control system of sports training cyclists
  • National cybersecurity: assessment, risks and trends
  • Development of methods formalisation subject technology design of multimedia edition
  • Physical fitness evaluation system for athlete selection based on big data technology
  • Beidou GPS SINS satellite positioning system based on embedded operating system
  • A simple measurement matrix for compressed sensing of synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging
  • Data mining in college student education management information system

Research pick: Machine learning for pharma - "Machine learning methods for predicting the biological activities of molecules in high diverse databases"

There are literally millions of known chemical compounds. Huge numbers of these substances are used in industry, in agriculture, in the home, as medicines, and in countless other applications. Finding novel compounds with specific properties, such as a new pharmaceutical with fewer side effects than the old one, is a major focus of many research teams around the world. Often, software is used to scan databases of known chemicals but can also be used to predict the properties of previously unknown substances that might be synthesised in a laboratory should those properties fit the brief.

Now, writing in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology, Faisal Saeed of the College of Computer Science and Engineering at Taibah University in Medina, Saudi Arabia, explains that predicting the characteristics of a new molecular structure in silico, in the computer, in other words, still presents many major challenges to drug discovery teams. In his paper, Saeed, suggests that machine learning might open wide the bottleneck by finding new ways to identify novel substances with particular physiological properties that might make them useful as new pharmaceuticals for a wide range of diseases and conditions.

Saeed has demonstrated that a combined effort might work well. He has tested different machine learning methods on diverse molecular datasets, including naïve Bayes, sequential minimal optimisation, Bayesian network, decision tree, support vector machine, K-nearest neighbours, random tree, and reduced error pruning, REPTree. The tests used different combinations of base classifiers to assess how well they would work against different types of dataset.

The K-nearest neighbour (KNN) approach, Saeed found, works far better than any other approach. Moreover, the ensemble learning method Adaboost (KNN) was the most effective of the KNN approaches. The downside is that this type of base classifier approach requires a lot of computer power to process a diverse dataset and to predict the biological activity of the molecules in that dataset. It might be possible in the next step to improve efficiency and reduce computing costs by adding a pre-processing step before the intensive analysis of the dataset is carried out.

Saeed, F. (2022) ‘Machine learning methods for predicting the biological activities of molecules in high diverse databases’, Int. J. Information and Communication Technology, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp.170–180.

15 August 2022

Research pick: Managing the climate disaster - "Examining the transition of natural disaster management for climate change"

Researchers in South Korea discuss how we must adapt our approaches to disaster management to help us cope with the potentially devastating effects of climate change. Writing in the International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management, the team uses qualitative content analysis to describe and analyse the three levels of natural disaster management. These three levels – international, national, and local – are considered in the context of three proposed stages of climate change – before climate change, the first half, and the second half.

Kyong-Jin Park of Daegu Haany University in Gyeongsan City, Bong-Woo Lee of Seoul Digital University in Seoul, and Kyoo-Man Ha of Inje University in Gimhae City explain that all “stakeholders” the world over need to address international cooperation, sustainability, education, and training for survival. Their work suggests a history and a chronology where management from 1951 to 1990 was provincial, the period 1991 to 2040 will be seen as patriotic, but the period 2041 to 2100 will be the period of survival-oriented management.

The team alludes to the fact that while there may be denialism and ignorance about climate change, the truth is out there. Moreover, given that we are all culpable, we must all now play our role in the disaster management that is needed if we are to mitigate the impact of climate change on our lives, the lives of future generations, and indeed the future of life on earth. There is an ethical obligation on all of us and on all governments.

As they say, there is no Planet B, we have to work to protect and fix this one before it is too late. Lifestyle changes must take place from the local up to the national and then international level. Climate change is not a natural disaster but it will be disastrous for nature and ourselves unless we have the collective will to address the problems and manage them.

Park, K-J., Lee, B-W. and Ha, K-M. (2022) ‘Examining the transition of natural disaster management for climate change’, Int. J. Business Continuity and Risk Management, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp.116–130.

12 August 2022

Research pick: "Privacy preserving data mining – past and present"

A survey of privacy-preserving data-mining techniques published in the International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining assesses the pros and cons of each approach and offers guidance to potential users.

G. Sathish Kumar of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology in Coimbatore and K. Premalatha of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology in Erode, both in Tamil Nadu, India explain how data mining has come to the fore as a powerful way to find patterns and correlations in big data.

However, as with any useful tool it can be mishandled or abused. In the case of big data, there are risks associated with breaches of private and personal information. This is particularly important given that data mining is so widely used with disparate data sets including criminal records, consumer shopping habits, bank transactions, medical information, and much more. Third parties might gain access to the identity of individuals represented in a database and so see associated information regarding that kind of personal and private data. A total breach would represent the worst-case scenario where all information and all individuals in a database is revealed to that third party.

There is therefore a pressing need to have full control of the data being mined so that third parties, malicious or otherwise, cannot compromise that data. The team has reviewed the various approaches and describes the benefits and disadvantages of each, including randomisation, anonymisation, condensation, cryptographic, fuzzy, and statistical methods of privacy preservation in data mining.

It is inevitable that there is always compromise in any approach. Indeed, the team has found that no technique outperforms all the others in all measures. Some work better than others in a given situation but there are trade-offs with each, the team writes. As such, there is still a need, despite recent advances in this area, to develop a system that can solidly preserve privacy while allowing data mining to be carried out.

Kumar, G.S. and Premalatha, K. (2022) ‘Privacy preserving data mining – past and present’, Int. J. Business Intelligence and Data Mining, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp.149–170.

11 August 2022

Research pick: Algorithmic pest control - "Rapid detection and identification of major vegetable pests based on machine learning"

Machine learning has now been used to identify important pests that can ravage vegetable crops, according to work published in the International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing.

Changzhen Zhang of Kaili University in Guizhou, Yaowen Ye, Deqin Xiao, Long Qi, and Jianjun Yin of the South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou, China point out that effective pest control requires knowledge of the species affecting the plants and the level of infestation. The team has used a so-called “bag-of-features” model to develop an automatic pest monitoring system has been. They explain that their approach combines remote information processing technology and machine vision technology.

The proposed system can be implemented in a vegetable crop field to monitor four major pests: Phyllotreta striolata (the Striped Flea Beetle, a pest of brassicas), Frankliniella occidentalis (the invasive Western Flower Thrips, feeds on some 500 or more different species of vegetable, fruit, and flower), Bemisia tabaci (the Tobacco White Fly, which affects tomato and other related plants), and Plutella xylostella (the diamond-back moth, a pest of cruciform crops).

The team demonstrated an error rate of less than 10 percent when compared with detection and counting by people trained to spot the pests. Given that B. tabaci can reduce tomato crop yields by 60 percent so the detection of such species is critical to efficient and effective farming. The other species mentioned can all affect a wide variety of crops with devastating consequences when infestation is allowed to run rampant.

The team has demonstrated success in a controlled environment. The next step will be to test the system and improve its abilities in a more complex and realistic vegetable-growing environment.

Zhang, C., Ye, Y., Xiao, D., Qi, L. and Yin, J. (2022) ‘Rapid detection and identification of major vegetable pests based on machine learning’, Int. J. Wireless and Mobile Computing, Vol. 22, Nos. 3/4, pp.223–235.

10 August 2022

Research pick: The daily grind of the rumour mill - "Machine learning classifiers with pre-processing techniques for rumour detection on social media: an empirical study"

Research published in the International Journal of Cloud Computing looks at how machine learning might allow us to analyse the nature and characteristics of social media updates and detect which of those updates are adding grist to the rumour mill rather than being factual.

Fake news has been with us ever since the first gossip passed on a rumour back in the day. But, with the advent of social media, it is now so much easier to spread fake news, disinformation, and propaganda to a vast global audience with little constraint. A rumour can make or break a reputation. These days, that might happen the world over through the amplifying echo chamber of social media.

Mohammed Al-Sarem, Muna Al-Harby, Faisal Saeed, and Essa Abdullah Hezzam of Taibah University in Medina, Saudi Arabia have surveyed the different text pre-processing approaches for approaching the vast quantities of data that pour from social media on a daily basis. How well these approaches work in the subsequent rumour detection analysis is critical to how well fake news can be spotted and stopped. The team has tested various approaches on a dataset of political news-related tweets from Saudi Arabia.

Pre-processing can look at the three most relevant characteristics of an update before the text analysis is carried out and silo the different updates accordingly: First, it can look at the use of question marks and exclamation marks and the word count. Secondly, it can look at whether an account is verified or has properties more often associated with a fake or bot account, such as tweet count, replies, retweets, etc. Thirdly, it can look at user-based features, such as the user name and the user’s logo or profile picture.

The researchers found that pre-processing can improve analysis significantly when the output is fed to any of support vector machine (SVM), multinomial naïve Bayes (MNB), and K-nearest neighbour (KNN) classifiers. However, those classifiers do react differently depending on what combination of pre-processing techniques is used. For instance, removing stop words, and cleaning out coding tags, such as HTML, stemming, and tokenization.

Al-Sarem, M., Al-Harby, M., Saeed, F. and Hezzam, E.A. (2022) ‘Machine learning classifiers with pre-processing techniques for rumour detection on social media: an empirical study’, Int. J. Cloud Computing, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp.330–344.

9 August 2022

Research pick: Finding at-risk students - "Detecting students at risk using machine learning: applications to business education"

Traditionally, attendance and exam results have been the main way in which educators can show whether or not a student is struggling with the course. This is done retrospectively. With the advent of cloud-based learning technology and online courses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, these metrics are not necessarily the best way to catch at-risk students so that they can be helped.

The converse of that is that this technology can be used to provide and analyse useful data about the students, which can itself highlight those that might be struggling more quickly than can conventional assessment. Moreover, it can do this in a much more timely manner than a retrospective look at attendance and infrequent exam results.

Owen P. Hall Jr. of the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, USA, describes a machine-learning approach to detecting at-risk students in the International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments. “At-risk” is a three-pronged definition alluding to whether a student is considering leaving a course, whether the institution is planning to end the student’s place on the course, or whether they are in a probationary period because of problems they have faced or concerns their teachers have about their course work, attendance, and results.

Machine learning has been used to predict examination grades and even attendance in some educational settings for many years. It is also commonly used to group students for study classes and other activities. It has even been used to detect cheating and plagiarism. It is perhaps therefore not such a great leap to picture the use of machine learning in helping students in another way.

Hall suggests that the machine-learning approach can analyse all the data associated with a student, almost continuously, and determine early on whether a student is at-risk or on the verge of being in that position. At this point, teachers and tutors might intervene to help without delay. The lack of delay to the assistance they give will tend to lead to a better outcome for such students.

“Engaging faculty, educational researchers, and administration in the risk mitigation paradigm is essential for ensuring student success,” writes Hall. Machine learning offers a novel tool to help with this process, improve student outcomes, and reduce dropout rates in an increasingly pressured educational system.

Hall Jr., O.P. (2022) ‘Detecting students at risk using machine learning: applications to business education’, Int. J. Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp.267–289.

8 August 2022

Research pick: An algorithm that lifts the veil - "DeepVeil: deep learning for identification of face, gender, expression recognition under veiled conditions"

Face-recognition technology is advancing apace and has applications in security and biometrics, marketing, education, criminal investigation, and many other areas, it can now not only recognise the person but can ascertain the expression on their face. Research in the International Journal of Biometrics tackles the limitations of face recognition software when the person’s face is partly obscured, by a veil or protective face mask, for instance.

The researchers, based in Hungary, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the USA report a facial recognition accuracy with their deep-learning approach that is 99.95% accurate for facial recognition even for a person wearing a niqab, which most of the face except the eyes. 99.9% accurate for gender recognition, and determination of age. It can recognise that a veiled person or person wearing a covid mask is or is not smiling, through analysis of the eyes, with 80.9% accuracy. Tests were carried out on an image database of 150 people, 41 male and 109 female subjects aged from 8 to 78 years old.

Ahmad B.A. Hassanat of Mutah University in Karak and Abeer Ahmad Albustanji of the Ministry of Environment in Amman, Jordan, Ahmad S. Tarawneh of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, Malek Alrashidi, Mansoor Alghamdi, and Ibrahim S. Alkhazi of the University of Tabuk, Hani Alharbi of the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Alanazi of Cranfield University, UK, and V.B. Surya Prasath of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, used a deep convolutional neural network to develop their recognition system. The neural network has 4096 features in each layer of the recognition process.

The team points out that their proof of principle – known as DeepVeil – involved the use of an in-house image database, with face-on images of veiled persons taken at close range. The next step will be to work with a more diverse set of images recorded in a range of settings and the photos taken from different angles. That said, in the early days of conventional facial recognition systems, a clear face-on image was needed to verify a person’s identity and that is no longer the case as the algorithms and software have evolved. So, the same will, with the right approach and further development, likely become true for DeepVeil

Hassanat, A.B.A., Albustanji, A.A., Tarawneh, A.S., Alrashidi, M., Alharbi, H., Alanazi, M., Alghamdi, M., Alkhazi, I.S. and Prasath, V.B.S. (2022) ‘DeepVeil: deep learning for identification of face, gender, expression recognition under veiled conditions’, Int. J. Biometrics, Vol. 14, Nos. 3/4, pp.453–480.

5 August 2022

Research pick: Digital fraud in the pandemic world - "Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the digital transformation and digital frauds in the US economy"

Writing in the International Journal of Intellectual Property Management, a digital technology leader at telecommunications conglomerate Verizon discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on digital transformation and digital fraud in the US economy.

Shashidhar Hiremath reiterates just how much of an impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the US economy, broadly speaking. Of course, a similar picture is seen across the globe. Tourism, air travel, the housing market, information technology, hospitality, and food industries have perhaps been detrimentally affected the most. However, there have also been some upturns in the fortunes of those companies facilitating working and learning from home and people sharing activities remotely.

An unwanted area of growth during the pandemic was, of course, cybercrime, says Hiremath. The incidence of internet theft, phishing scams, and financial fraud all increased during the pandemic. This was presumably partly due to it being a time when many people were at their most vulnerable and susceptible. Moreover, infrastructure and IT support that would provide checks and assurances were not necessarily in place in the home, or remote-working, environment for countless computer users in the workforce.

Criminals will always find a way to exploit vulnerabilities and even create new ones. The nature of social change that was wrought by the emergence of a lethal coronavirus at the end of 2019 has given us what is euphemistically known as the “new normal”. Unfortunately, the new normal has given criminals new opportunities. It is time for a detailed study of how the world has changed in this realm, suggests Hiremath. In the new normal, we may well need new laws and policies to help protect people from the ever-changing landscape of cybercrime and digital fraud, internet theft, and more.

Shashidhar (2022) ‘Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the digital transformation and digital frauds in the US economy’, Int. J. Intellectual Property Management, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.429–448.

4 August 2022

Special issue published: "Converging Practices in Business Innovation"

International Journal of Management Practice 15(4) 2022

  • Hindrances related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in the tourism sector in India
  • Learning-based inventory model for deteriorating imperfect quality items under inflation
  • Dependence and contagion between Vietnamese and major East Asian stock markets
  • Hybrid approach for deception tracing in smart cities using LR and n-fold intelligent machine learning techniques
  • Perception of customers splurging the prospects of bancassurance: evidence from Indian banking firms
Additional papers
  • Investigating the mediating influence of internal motivation on family-supportive benefits, work-life balance, and job embeddedness: a study in the Indian IT/ITES sector
  • The effect of message design on banner ads involvement and effectiveness: a study on the Indian tourism industry

Research pick: Digital wallets on the move - "Adoption of mobile wallet services: an empirical analysis"

The number of people using mobile wallets, financial management software, apps, on their smart phone that allow them to make payments, is increasing. Work in the International Journal of Intellectual Property Management looks at the adoption of mobile wallets across India. Uptake there and in other developing nations is significant but there are many challenges that face putative users and those offering the services that are not so apparent in the developed world.

Ravi Kumar Gupta of the Department of Humanities and Management Science at the Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has collected data from 500 respondents in the Gorakhpur District of Uttar Pradesh to learn more about user and potential user perception of mobile wallets. He used regression, factor analysis and structural equation modelling to process the data.

There are an estimated 500 million smart phone users in India and that number is rising every day. A fraction of those are using a mobile wallet, but that fraction will likely only increase over time. The growth of the middle-income demographic across India is the underlying driver for this increase in technology adoption.

Gupta points out that while people of all ages are using smart phones, much of the growth in mobile wallet use among the younger demographic. That said, he has found from the survey of 500 people that risks associated with security and privacy are serious concerns that dissuade some people from using a mobile wallet. Conversely, ease of use and social influence both correlate positively with adoption of this technology.

Gupta, R.K. (2022) ‘Adoption of mobile wallet services: an empirical analysis’, Int. J. Intellectual Property Management, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.341–353.

3 August 2022

Special issue published: "Research Advancements Towards Sustainable Rural Areas"

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology 18(1/2) 2022

  • Micrometeorology of the agricultural terraces and stone walls and impacts on biodiversity in the Mediterranean landscape of Greece
  • The effect of seawater physical parameters in bivalve farming: could systematic monitoring and early warning prevent negative impacts? A review focused on Vistonikos Gulf, North Aegean Sea
  • Greece on a sustainable future: reviewing constraints and practices regarding forest and water resources management, flora and fauna biodiversity
  • The effects of adopting sustainable farming practices on smallholders
  • A comprehensive conceptualisation framework for assessing metropolitan peri-urban agriculture
  • Indicators for sustainable tourism management: a case study using AHP and Delphi to evaluate mountainous areas in Greece
  • Enhancing wine tourism experience through developing wine tourist typology and providing complementary activities
  • A niche strategy for geographical indication products, by valorising local resources: the Greek cheese Ladotyri Mytilinis
  • Perceptions of environmental benefits from sustainable food consumption patterns: evidence from the Generations Z and Y cohort
  • Understanding consumer patterns on meat and dairy products derived from animals fed with locally produced feed

Free open access article available: "Changes of assessment in remote learning: educators' perceptions and findings"

The following paper, "Changes of assessment in remote learning: educators' perceptions and findings" (International Journal of Learning and Change 14(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: The Mediterranean landscape - "Micrometeorology of the agricultural terraces and stone walls and impacts on biodiversity in the Mediterranean landscape of Greece"

Anyone familiar with the landscape of the Mediterranean coast would recognise the terraces and stone walls that are an inherent part of farming there and help people intercalate crops between the garigues. The terraces and stone walls are themselves vital to the conservation of biodiversity in these landscapes as well as in farming, cultural heritage and tourism, and have been a key part of the landscape, particularly of the area for centuries if not millennia.

A new study aimed at improving our understanding of the microclimates, the micrometeorology created by this kind of landscape is discussed in the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology.

Alexandra Solomou, Nikolaos Proutsos, George Karetsos, Konstantinia Tsagari, and Nikolaos Chatzipavlis of the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems part of the Hellenic Agricultural Organisation ‘Demeter’ (ELGO DIMITRA) in Athens, Greece, have reviewed the research literature on this aspect of the Greek countryside in detail and conclude that it is critical that these micro-landscapes be preserved.

The team points out that Greece is a world biodiversity “hotspot”, and its abundance of fauna and flora and the high number of diverse species of fungi as well as its disparate ecosystems and landscapes make it rightly so. It also harbours many species endemic to the region and found nowhere else on the planet. The researchers also explain that the country has a complex terrain, ranging from sea level to quite high mountainous altitudes. It has many islands and a long coastline relative to the total area of the mainland. It thus has a variety of microclimates, which have sustained the rich biodiversity reported for the region. Of course, during recent decades Greece has become more arid as farming practices, water, use, and climate change have their impact.

Based on their review, the team lists the most important benefits of terraces and stone walls as follows:

First, they are an important defence against soil erosion caused by wind and rain and offer protection from extreme events, such as floods and freak winds. Secondly, they provide green infrastructure for island ecosystems, which could help those islands and their inhabitants adapt better to the effects of climate change. Indeed, the microhabitats wrought by this type of traditional manipulation of the landscape will support conservation and protection and even enhance biodiversity.

From the economic perspective, terraces and stone walls can help in the generation of high-value and high-quality agricultural products and other materials of use to industry. Finally, they offer an aesthetic enhancement to the landscape with great cultural value that is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

Solomou, A., Proutsos, N., Karetsos, G., Tsagari, K. and Chatzipavlis, N. (2022) ‘Micrometeorology of the agricultural terraces and stone walls and impacts on biodiversity in the Mediterranean landscape of Greece’, Int. J. Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, Vol. 18, Nos. 1/2, pp.3–21.

Special issue published: "Implementation of European Legal Standards into the Legislation of Ukraine"

International Journal of Public Law and Policy 8(3/4) 2022

  • Protection of property and non-property rights of internet users
  • Procedural aspects of estoppel application in civil relations
  • Protection of honour and dignity: theoretical and practical issues
  • Judicial application of constitutional provisions as directly applicable in the continental legal system countries
  • Mediation as an alternative form of protection of shareholders' rights in property relations
  • Improvement of the legislative framework for the sustainable development of the state
  • On the legal nature of gamete donation
  • Recognition of factual circumstances by the parties to a case as a basis for exemption from their proof in civil proceedings of Ukraine
  • Challenges and opportunities of business contracts in legislation of Ukraine during pandemic
  • Comparative analysis of Ukrainian and Estonian law in the context of adaptation to EU legal standards
  • Judicial determination of an effective and legitimate remedy for private rights and interests
  • Legal regulations of digital economy during pandemic

2 August 2022

Special issue published: "Doing Pluralist Economics"

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education 13(1) 2022

  • A narrative approach to happiness measures: the complementary knowledge of fiction and film
  • Critical realism, feminisms, and degrowth: a plea for metatheory-informed pluralism in feminist ecological economics
  • Pluralism is not 'anything goes' - grounding pluralism in economics in diverse economies by rehabilitating Paul Feyerabend
  • Optimal policy modelling? An argumentation theory approach to making sense of economic modelling
  • On the reciprocal potential of cultural anthropology and economics: the example of economised cultural work
  • Combination matters: why corporate bonds and shadow banking can threaten financial stability - a Minskyian perspective

New Editor for International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology

Prof. Yaodong Gu from Ningbo University in China has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology.

Research pick: Social media paranoia - "A deep learning approach for detecting the behaviour of people having personality disorders towards COVID-19 from Twitter"

Artificial intelligence and text mining techniques can be used to detect paranoia among social media users. Specifically, work published in the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering, has examined the behaviour of Twitter users in their updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in order to detect personality disorders associated with paranoia.

Mourad Ellouze, Seifeddine Mechti, Moez Krichen, and Lamia Hadrich Belguith of the University of Sfax in Tunisia and Vinayakumar Ravi of the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, suggest that the behaviour of people towards the pandemic driven by mistrust of authority and fuelled by disinformation has somewhat hindered the way in which we have dealt with this global crisis.

The team suggests that in parallel with this general behaviour among some people there is a more worrying reaction among those with serious mental health problems associated with paranoia. Such conditions, when faced with the existential angst presented by a lethal pandemic, can lead to serious anxiety, grief, and suicidal thoughts.

Ultimately, the team’s analysis of Twitter users discussing COVID-19 could allow them to find people who may be suffering unduly and may be entering a personal crisis. In other words, the tools they discuss could be used as a proxy diagnostic that could allow qualified professionals to offer an appropriate intervention for patients with paranoia. Perhaps it might also be used to guide decisions made by Twitter itself and its algorithms that lower risk for its vulnerable users.

Ellouze, M., Mechti, S., Krichen, M., Ravi, V. and Belguith, L.H. (2022) ‘A deep learning approach for detecting the behaviour of people having personality disorders towards COVID-19 from Twitter’, Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp.353–366.

Special issue published: "Advanced and Sustainable Solutions in Communications, Networking, Computing and Engineering Systems"

International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology 17(1) 2022

  • Design intelligent solar cell tester system based on microcontroller with handling robot
  • Delta robot joints control-based linear MPC controller
  • Analytical and theoretical study of vibration-based damage detection technique in a composite structure
  • Cost-benefit analysis of suggested Ramadi Barrage hydroelectric plant on the Euphrates River
  • Load deflection behaviour and properties of sustainable lightweight aggregate concrete slabs
  • Numerical analysis of lubricant viscosity variations on operating condition of helical gear system
  • Numerical analysis of reinforced concrete columns strengthened by steel tubes under sustained and short-term loadings
  • Effect of high temperature on bond strength of concrete reinforced with 180° hooked bars
  • Novel method for strengthening insufficient steel reinforcement splice using CFRP sheets
  • Finite element modelling of high-strength fibre reinforced concrete columns under eccentric loading
  • Effect of vehicle's acceleration and heading on reliability of VANET routing protocol

1 August 2022

Special issue published: "Intelligent Recognition Techniques and Applications"

International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering 25(4) 2022

  • A deep learning approach for detecting the behaviour of people having personality disorders towards COVID-19 from Twitter
  • A content-based image retrieval scheme with object detection and quantised colour histogram
  • Prediction of heart disease using hybrid optimisation techniques in data clustering
  • Offline Arabic handwritten character recognition: from conventional machine learning system to deep learning approaches
  • Understanding the nonlinear dynamics of seizure and sleep EEG patterns generated using hierarchical chaotic neuronal network
  • Analysis of the dynamics of the olfactory evoked EEG responses generated by the brain and e-nose under natural and synthetic odorant stimulations
  • Coordinated control of PI type PSS and MISO PI type SSSC-based damping controller design using improved grasshopper optimisation algorithm
Additional papers
  • A Bayesian network correlation-based classifier chain algorithm for multilabel learning
  • A hybrid of local and global atmospheric scattering model for depth prediction via cross Bayesian model
  • Research on online emotion of COVID-19 based on text sentiment analysis

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology are now available here for free:
  • Factors affecting farmer participation and willingness to pay for farmland conservation and protection programs in Burkina Faso
  • Analysis of environmental changes resulting from the intensification of poultry production systems by rural families in Algeria
  • Analysing and measuring the economic effects of zero-tillage technology: the case of the rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo-Gangetic Plains
  • Is traditional rice reviving? An exploratory study in Kerala, India
  • Implications of international cooperation on environmental protection: the case of agricultural sector of Mexico

Special issue published: "Edge Computing Based Formal Modelling, Verification and Testing"

International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing 13(2/3) 2022

  • Big data acquisition of parallel battery back state and energy management system using edge computing
  • The use of interactive data visualisation technology in cultural digital heritage display using edge computing
  • Application of intelligent grammar error correction system following deep learning algorithm in English teaching
  • Goal recognition method using intelligent analysis of basketball images under 6G Internet of Things technology
  • The use of path planning algorithm using edge computing technology in college football training
  • Application of crack detection algorithm using convolutional neural network in concrete pavement construction
  • The use of optimised SVM method in human abnormal behaviour detection
  • Exploring the role of edge computing on the legal effect of secure collaborative download protocol
  • Construction and implementation of music recommendation model utilising deep learning artificial neural network and mobile edge computing
  • Application of artificial intelligence in 6G internet of things communication in interactive installation art
  • Design of intelligent classroom teaching scheme using artificial intelligence
  • Application of edge computing to the design and planning of urban sculpture space
  • The application of BIM technology in variation control of construction material of expressway asphalt pavement under machine vision
  • Internet of things and its applications to marathon events: from the prospect of sport tourism and urban development
  • Human resource analysis and management using mobile edge computing
  • Data acquisition and management of wind farm using edge computing
  • Assessing information security performance of enterprise internal financial sharing in cloud computing environment using analytic hierarchy process
  • Optimising enterprise financial sharing process using cloud computing and big data approaches
  • Tourism scene monitoring using mobile edge computing and business driven action learning
Additional papers
  • Maximising the availability of an internet of medical things system using surrogate models and nature-inspired approaches
  • Rotating machinery fault diagnosis using a quadratic neural unit

Research pick: Online finances in a pandemic - "COVID-19 crisis – an opportunity for mainstreaming digital financial transactions"

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought tragedy, social and economic decline. However, humanity is finding ways to adapt to the so-called “new normal” in terms of healthcare, society, business, and finance. Writing in the International Journal of Electronic Finance, a team from India discusses how the pressure to move various aspects of our lives into the online world because of the pandemic has led to the mainstreaming of online financial transactions to an unprecedented degree.

Kamakhya Narain Singh of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs within the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in the Indian government in Haryana and Shruti Malik of the Department of Management Studies at the JCBOSE University of Science and Technology also in Haryana, point out the obvious efficiency and efficacy of online financial transactions when compared to cash transactions. The team has looked at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the various restrictions and lockdowns that were put in place in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease, particularly on financial transactions. They have also considered how financial literacy affected the adoption of online finances, especially among low-income groups.

The team used a logistic regression model to analyse 2019 data from the National Centre for Financial Education 2019 survey of around 36600 households in the low-income bracket. Low income is defined as below 50000 Indian Rupees (just over US$600) annually for a given household.

The fundamental result from the analysis was that financial literacy was instrumental in the adoption of online banking by those in this group. Thus improved education and guidance in this area could improve the outlook for those people who might benefit from online finances in ways that were previously not possible. The researchers suggest that policymakers should look to improve financial literacy. They add that there needs to be better investor protection and a system for addressing customer complaints. They even have the radical idea of there being incentives put in place to encourage financial literacy among low-income households, a financial reward given at random on a regular basis to a household that uses online financial services.

The ultimate aim would be to nudge people in such a way that online financial services become the norm rather than cash transactions, such a nudge would improve processes in the financial sector but also protect people in a future crisis when we come to rely on the online world for the next new normal.

Singh, K.N. and Malik, S. (2022) ‘COVID-19 crisis – an opportunity for mainstreaming digital financial transactions’, Int. J. Electronic Finance, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp.269–290.