- Technological learning in inter-firm collaborations: a review and research agenda
- How much of Raymond Vernon's product cycle thesis is still relevant today: evidence from the integrated circuits industry
- Export competitiveness and industrial development: a study of an apparel value chain in a small island developing state
- Are African micro- and small enterprises misunderstood? Unpacking the relationship between work organisation, capability development and innovation
23 July 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development are now available here for free:
Research pick: Testing times - "Automatic generation of questions from DBpedia"
Writing quiz-type tests in education can be time-consuming and given the nature of education and home learning during the current coronavirus pandemic, teachers and carers alike need more efficient and straightforward ways to produce quizzes to evaluate learning in their student charges.
New work published in the International Journal of Control Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning suggests that quiz questions could be generated automatically from DBpedia. DBpedia is a project that extracts structured content from Wikipedia and makes it available on the World Wide Web. Users can semantically query relationships and properties of Wikipedia resources, including links to other related datasets.
Oscar Rodríguez Rocha, Catherine Faron Zucker, Alain Giboin, and Aurelie Lagarrigue of the Universite Cote d’Azur, in France, explain that test questions must be generated in compliance with the knowledge and skills necessary to master a specific subject and be appropriate for the school year being tested and in accord with official educational standards. They have now demonstrated how pertinent information can be pulled from a structured database that fits these criteria. Question-generating methods can then be applied automatically to the knowledge scraped in this way to produce the questions and answers for a school quiz.
The educator can curate the information and questions manually to ensure they are wholly appropriate to the students. The automated part of the system can reduce the educator burden considerably freeing up time for less mundane work with the students while at the same time providing an invaluable and validated assessment tool.
Rodríguez Rocha, O., Zucker, C.F., Giboin, A. and Lagarrigue, A. (2020) ‘Automatic generation of questions from DBpedia’, Int. J. Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp.276–294.
22 July 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Higher Education and Sustainability
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Higher Education and Sustainability are now available here for free:
- University access and 'comparative disadvantage' in Nigeria: a reflection on the criticality of equity for sustainable development
- A tracer study on employability of business and economics graduates at Bahir Dar University
- A know your student analysis: a case study on the students of a higher education institute in India
- Role of the success of cloud computing in MOOC in online education environment
- Prior knowledge and academic performance in first year accounting course
Special issue published: "The Unplanned Side Effects in Web-Based Communities"
- Characterising social structural and linguistic behaviours of subgroup interactions: a case of online health communities for postpartum depression on Facebook
- Structural equation modelling for influencing virtual community networks
- Digital games get viral on social media: a social network analysis of Pokémon Go on Twitter
- Influencing the influencers: the case of retailers' social shopping platforms
- Youth internet consumption in Ecuador: indicators of the national digital generation
Research pick: Having a laugh - "Laughter signature: a novel biometric trait for person identification"
The popular view of biometric security often invokes fingerprint readers, iris or retinal scans, and voice-activated systems. However, any unique human characteristic whether the shape of one’s ears, the whole face, the pattern of blood vessels in the back of the hand, walking pattern, heart rhythm or even how one types at a keyboard, might be used to provide a secure signature of login. Some traits are easier to analyse than others and some, such as fingerprints, can be spoofed.
Research published in the International Journal of Biometrics has taken an amusing trait to demonstrate how the way a person laughs might be used in biometrics.
Comfort Oluwaseyi Folorunso, Olumuyiwa Sunday Asaolu, and Oluwatoyin Popoola of the Systems Engineering Department at the University of Lagos in Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria, points out that people can recognise other people by the unique nature of their laughter, perhaps in an even more obvious way than their voice. Moreover, while many people are adept at impersonating the voices of other people, mimicking someone’s laugh is far more difficult. The team has now used statistical analyses of the various audible frequencies present in a person’s laugh to create a digital signature for each unique laugh.
Tests on the approach show their prototype recognition algorithm to be 90 percent accurate, which compares very favourably with the 65% accuracy of a conventional Gaussian model. However, combining their algorithm with the Gaussian approach can boost accuracy overall by more than 5 percent.
“Laughter has thus been shown to be a viable biometric feature for person identification which can be embedded into artificial intelligence systems in diverse applications,” the team concludes.
Folorunso, C.O., Asaolu, O.S. and Popoola, O.P. (2020) ‘Laughter signature: a novel biometric trait for person identification’, Int. J. Biometrics, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.283–300.
21 July 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Electronic Healthcare
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare are now available here for free:
- Connecting digital pharma and e-healthcare value networks through product-service design: a conceptual model
- The moderating effect of information technology on the relationship between self-efficacy and self-management for patients with type (2) diabetes in Jordan
- Impact of perceived HIS users' performance on job satisfaction: moderating effect of perceived HIS quality
- Understanding EHRs continuance intention to use from the perspectives of UTAUT: practice environment moderating effect and top management support as predictor variables
- eHealth in India: a model for healthcare accessibility at the 'bottom of the pyramid'
Research pick: Detecting lung cancer sooner rather than later - "An exhaustive study on the lung cancer risk models"
A review of forty research papers that discuss lung cancer detection technologies highlights the gaps in the various approaches to the diagnosis of this potentially lethal disease and reveals how research might be targeted to improve detection and thus prognosis. Writing in the International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications, Malayil Shanid and A. Anitha of the Information & Communication Engineering department at Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India explain the context of their review and its implications.
Lung cancer is one of the biggest killers of the modern age. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and is responsible for an estimated 10 million or so deaths annually, which amounts to 1 in 6 deaths. Of that approximately 10 million cancer deaths, about 1 in 5 is due to lung cancer. As with most cancers, early detection can greatly improve the prognosis of the disease, assuming appropriate treatment is available and undertaken. It also allows less invasive treatments to be employed, particularly reducing the level of surgery required, for instance.
Image processing coupled with machine learning has led to many improvements in the identification of malignant tissue in scan images for a wide range of diseases including lung cancer. The various techniques commonly look to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions seen in the scan. Computerised tomography is the tool of choice for detecting pulmonary nodules that might sit in either camp. A benign nodule can be treated relatively easily in contrast to a malignant one, which may develop rapidly and metastasize if not treated quickly.
Shanid, M. and Anitha, A. (2020) ‘An exhaustive study on the lung cancer risk models’, Int. J. Bioinformatics Research and Applications, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.151–172.
Special issue published: "Paradigm Shift? The Automotive Industry in Transition to Electric Vehicles"
- Strategic flexibility in shifting to electrification: a real options reasoning perspective on Toyota and Nissan
- Who will control the electric vehicle market?
- The deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles in Japan: revolution or transition?
- Between closure and Industry 4.0: strategies of Japanese automotive manufacturers in Central and Eastern Europe in reaction to labour market changes
- Robot adoption and FDI driven transformation in the automotive industry
20 July 2020
Special issue published: "Knowledge Management Technologies in Education"
- Satisfaction ranking of employers towards graduates from higher education institutions: an application of hybrid multiple criteria decision-making approach
- An exploratory study of discrimination toward contract and private faculty teaching in engineering colleges of the border area of Gurdaspur, India
- Multi-agent approach for collaborative authoring and indexing of pedagogical materials
- Automatic generation of questions from DBpedia
- Conceptual clustering of university graduate students' trajectories using formal concept analysis: a case study in Lebanon
- Study on interactive teaching laboratory based on virtual reality
- Modelling of factors of e-learning: an ISM approach
- A comparative study based on OBE for different batches of MCA students
17 July 2020
Special issue published: "Knowledge Management Technologies in Education"
- Satisfaction ranking of employers towards graduates from higher education institutions: an application of hybrid multiple criteria decision-making approach
- An exploratory study of discrimination toward contract and private faculty teaching in engineering colleges of the border area of Gurdaspur, India
- Multi-agent approach for collaborative authoring and indexing of pedagogical materials
- Automatic generation of questions from DBpedia
- Conceptual clustering of university graduate students' trajectories using formal concept analysis: a case study in Lebanon
- Study on interactive teaching laboratory based on virtual reality
- A comparative study based on OBE for different batches of MCA students
Research pick: How do you solve a problem like Pereira? - "Pereira problem solving"
How do you solve problems in the face of adversity? The question is perhaps oxymoronic or tautological given that a problem equates to adversity. So, we might as well ask how do you solve problems?
Leandro Ferreira Pereira of the Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL) at ISCTE and José Pedro Santos of Winning Scientific Management in Portugal, explain that one of the current challenges in organisations relates strongly to decision-making in adverse, uncertain, and complex environments. There are many formal approaches to problem solving that managers might use: the fishbone diagram, root cause analysis and five whys, for instance.
Pereira and Santos point out that most of them have significant limitations in how they assess a problem and its causes. As such the team has developed and tested “Pereira problem solving” and compared it with ad hoc approaches used in various organizations. The Pereira approach has a more mathematical stance in problem solving. The team explains that the study was preliminary in nature and utilized convenient samples to test the model. Future work will be broader and compare different business sectors, including energy, telecommunications, banking, and retail.
Pereira, L.F. and Santos, J.P. (2020) ‘Pereira problem solving’, Int. J. Learning and Change, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.274–283.
16 July 2020
Special issue published: "Risk Mitigation and Management Strategies of Multinational Enterprises"
- Sourcing arrangement of internal audit services: does it matter to the external auditors?
- Assessment of market competition and financial stability of Takaful market in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia
- Limitation factors of whistleblowing practices among public sector internal auditors in Malaysia: in-depth interview study
- Risk management practices of transportation companies: practitioners' perspective
- Interpersonal trust, opportunism and business performance: an empirical evidence of gem dealers in Sri Lanka
- Attitude of construction workers toward labour safety
- Agroforestry as a model of sustainable land use of small-scale private forest: a case study in Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia
- Consumer adoption of mobile payments: a distinctive analysis between China and Malaysia
- Why medical tourists must go to Malaysia!
- Preventing major accidents - changing business as usual
- How would business school students respond if they suspect the boss at work of white-collar crime?
Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development to invite expanded papers from International Conference on Digitalisation as Vehicle for Innovation, Organizational Growth and Effectiveness (ICOBMIT-2020) for potential publication
Extended versions of papers presented at the International Conference on Digitalisation as Vehicle for Innovation, Organizational Growth and Effectiveness (ICOBMIT-2020) (19-20 December 2020, Prestige Institute of Management, Gwalior, (M.P), India) will be invited for review and potential publication by the Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development.
Special issue published: "Strengthening Vocational Education Systems for the Disruptive Innovation Era"
- Relevance of student productive skills competencies based on construction services needs
- Education indicator evaluation of UI Green Metric of campus sustainability of Faculty of Engineering Universitas Negeri Semarang
- Character learning model in hotel practice learning based on Minahasa local wisdom for students of Tourism Department
- Standard competency gaps of vocational teachers
- Implementation of welat inovasi (innovated welat) (Latino): as an entrepreneurial readiness for Beauty Education Study Program students
- Determinants of students' entrepreneurial intention - a comparative study in Poland and Hong Kong
- Determinants of university research and development outcomes - a study from faculty's perspectives
- Influencing innovativeness of enterprises by selected HRM practices
- Online newspapers in teaching reading in the English classroom at high school
Research pick: What’s that smell? - "A review on the use of air dispersion models for odour assessment"
Unpleasant odours are…well…unpleasant. Sometimes we have to endure the stench but legislation is beginning to recognise that people have a right to not be exposed when they are avoidable. This might apply in the context of the environment local to an industrial plant, water and sewage treatment works, refuse sites and other areas, including the workplace, shopping centres, and places of entertainment.
Maurizio Onofrio, Roberta Spataro, and Serena Botta of the Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI) at the Politecnico di Torino in Turin, Italy, have looked at the impact of odour in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution. The team points out that the type of odourant, human perception and sensitivity, as well as air dispersal, all affect how the issue of unpleasant odours might be addressed.
The team has specifically examined air dispersion models applied to odour impact assessment. They analysed 69 case studies published over the last decade or so and applied Gaussian modelling to examine and validate the experimental data. Their results show that the models are reliable but can be affected by critical issues, such as particular climate conditions, duration of averaging times and position of important receptors. However, if these factors are known and correctly managed, the models can be extremely useful.
Onofrio, M., Spataro, R. and Botta, S. (2020) ‘A review on the use of air dispersion models for odour assessment’, Int. J. Environment and Pollution, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp.1–21.
15 July 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Materials and Product Technology
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Materials and Product Technology are now available here for free:
- Influence of powder particles shape and size on the sintered austenitic stainless steel
- A continuous straightening formulation based on minimum curvature variation
- Experimental evaluation of magnetic abrasive finishing process with diamond abrasive
- Deformation and fracture characteristics of complex Al-Si alloy during high speed forging under different processing conditions
- Optimisation of friction stir processing parameters to fabricate AA6063/SiC surface composites using Taguchi technique
- A predictive modelling of nanocomposite coating microhardness based on extremely randomised trees
Special issue published: "Sustainable Development and International Business"
- Enshrined education rights: a three state comparison
- The career women of Kabul and their struggle for an empowered identity
- Sustainable development: perspectives from Canadian jurisprudence on First Nations' Aboriginal rights and title
- Community development model for poverty eradication of indigenous people in Malaysia
- Stakeholders' role in delivering sustainable supply chains in the construction sector
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Powertrains
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Powertrains are now available here for free:
- Improving strength for automotive plastic gears through directional fibre reinforcement
- Computerised symbolic planetary transmission modelling for automotive design
- Effect of tooth profile modification on the durability of planetary hub gears
- Lubricated loaded tooth contact analysis for spur gear pair
- Vibration response from the planetary gear with flexible ring gear
Research pick: Workers engage with the Internet of Things - "Study of enhancing employee engagement at workplace by adopting internet of things"
The concept of an Internet of Things, connected devices, sensors, controllers, and other equipment is rapidly evolving. It has certainly moved on apace since the early whimsical hyperbole surrounding an internet-connected coffee machine or the smart refrigerator. Indeed, the IoT is now pervading almost every business sector. Work published in the International Journal of Business and Systems Research has looked at how employees might become more engaged in IoT technology in the workplace.
Sumi Jha of the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), in Mumbai and Preeti Khanna of the School of Business Management at SVKM’s NMIMS, also in Mumbai, India, write that “Employee engagement is pivotal to successful commercial and business performance, where engaged employees are the ‘backbone of good working environments where people are industrious, ethical and accountable’.”
The team has carried out an analysis of human resource management practices and IoT interventions in the context of employee engagement. They also show that in practice, organisations need to continuously realign work practices with IoT to improve employee engagement to the benefit of the various so-called stakeholders associated with that workplace and the business. However, the team’s research also suggests that improving IoT engagement and human resource practices may not be sufficient. “The current model indicates the entire roadmap needs to be redesigned to deal with perceptions from the management as well as the user’s perspective,” the team writes. The point out that the misuse of IoT in the workplace is an important issue that must be addressed.
“It is important to train employees in effective utilisation of IoT and reduce the need for constant monitoring,” the team concludes, “This will enhance employees’ faith in the system and so improve engagement further.”
Jha, S. and Khanna, P. (2020) ‘Study of enhancing employee engagement at workplace by adopting internet of things’, Int. J. Business and Systems Research, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp.341–361.
14 July 2020
Special issue published: "Parallel Computing Methodologies for E-Medicine"
- Intelligent model for diabetic retinopathy diagnosis: a hybridised approach
- An exhaustive study on the lung cancer risk models
- Diagnosis of abdominal mass in ultrasound images using linear collaborative discriminant regression classification
- An empirical study of the big data classification methodologies
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business Competition and Growth
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business Competition and Growth are now available here for free:
- Non-performing assets and profitability of Indian banks: an econometric study
- Epistemological perspectives in business research: an analytical review
- Towards improving the planning and scheduling of construction projects in the UAE: a review of the human factor
- Development of implementation strategies for offsite construction techniques in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Value maximisation strategies for high-tech firms: managing growth across borders
Special issue published: "Advanced Powertrain Technologies for New Energy Vehicles: Modelling, Control and Optimisation"
- Flash boiling hollow-cone fuel spray from a piezoelectric fuel injector under low ambient pressure
- A comparative study of integral order and fractional order models for estimating state-of-charge of lithium-ion battery
- Model-based electric traction drive resolver fault diagnosis for electrified vehicles
- Optimal design of discrete-time fractional-order PID controller for idle speed control of an IC engine
- Modelling and estimation of combustion variability for fast light-off of diesel aftertreatment
- Life cycle assessment study for different options of sustainable mobility, including vehicle conversion
- ANFIS-based hysteresis comparators with intelligent dual observer and speed controller of a direct torque control
Research pick: Simplifying smart security - "Home security alarm system for middle-aged people living alone"
Home security for people who have reached middle age and older is an important concern in China, according to the authors of new research published in the International Journal of Embedded Systems.
Guangyi Ma, Hui Xu, Xijie Zhou, and Wei Sun of the School of Automation at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology explain how current systems are difficult to setup, costly, have high power consumption, and components that wear out rapidly. They have now designed an alternative that has low power dissipation, convenient operation, and high stability.
The team’s smart security device has standard master controllers to command a camera module, GSM/GPRS module, smoke sensors, flame sensors, and infrared sensors. They explain that the camera module captures live images of monitored areas, which can be transmitted to the user via the GSM module. ZigBee wireless technology is used instead of conventional Wi-Fi to keep power consumption down and reduce the risk of a security breach by a malicious third party.
“Compared with other security systems, the proposed program optimises the interface to make interaction operation easier for middle-aged and older users,” the team writes. Given that the population is “ageing”, there is an increased urgency for such systems that are easy to use and offer the requisite security for older people. This, the team suggests, is especially poignant for the younger generation who are the adult offspring of one-child families.
Ma, G., Xu, H, Zhou, X. and Sun, W. (2020) ‘Home security alarm system for middle-aged people living alone’, Int. J. Embedded Systems, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.65–73.
International Journal of Green Economics to invite expanded papers from 15th Annual Green Economics Institute's Green Economics Conference for potential publication
Extended versions of papers presented at the 15th Annual Green Economics Institute's Green Economics Conference "Survival Solutions for the Crises: Climate, Economy and Biodiversity Loss" (24-26 July 2020, online on zoom platform) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Green Economics.
13 July 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Environment and Pollution
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Environment and Pollution are now available here for free:
- Advanced algorithms for studying the impact of climate changes on ozone levels in the atmosphere
- Assessment of fluoride hazard in groundwater of Palghat District, Kerala: a GIS approach
- Applying WRF-CMAQ models for assessment of sulphur and nitrogen deposition in Bulgaria for the years 2016 and 2017
- Global climate driven effects on urban air pollution simulations using very high spatial resolution
- An approach for selection of solid waste disposal sites by rapid impact assessment matrix and environmental performance index analysis
- The method of general heat treatment of waste water from metal manufacture based on photocatalysis
- Analysis of regional climate model simulations for Central Europe as a potential tool to assess weather-related air quality conditions
- Identification of dust transport patterns and sources by using MODIS: a technique developed to discriminate dust and clouds
- On convergence of difference schemes for Dirichlet IBVP for two-dimensional quasilinear parabolic equations
- Assaying SARIMA and generalised regularised regression for particulate matter PM10 modelling and forecasting
- Current trends in nanotechnology for bioremediation
- Urban areas parameterisation for CFD simulation and cities air quality analysis
10 July 2020
Free open access article available: "Platform-based sustainable business models: reducing food waste in food services"
The following paper, "Platform-based sustainable business models: reducing food waste in food services" (International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management
24(4/5) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
24(4/5) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
Free open access article available: "Individual investors' satisfaction and loyalty in online securities trading using the technology acceptance model"
The following paper, "Individual investors' satisfaction and loyalty in online securities trading using the technology acceptance model" (International Journal of Management and Decision Making
19(2) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
19(2) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
Research pick: Reducing food waste - "Platform-based sustainable business models: reducing food waste in food services"
Might a platform-based business model be used in the food industry to reduce waste and improve sustainability? That’s the question a research team from Finland sets out to answer in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management.
Globally, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, amounting to about 1.3 billion tonnes per year. Given that food waste also equates to wasted water, lost energy, and needless carbon emissions, and pollution. Indeed, the carbon footprint of food waste is about 4.4 million tones of carbon dioxide equivalent each year, which is almost as much as road transport emissions. We must find ways to drastically reduce this figure. Seemingly, it is consumers that contribute to the larger proportion of wasted food rather than it occurring on the side of production, transport, and retail. However, little information is available about food waste from restaurants, cafés, and canteens, and the catering and accommodation services, this alone could also be generating millions of tonnes of food waste.
Malla Mattila, Nina Mesiranta, and Anna Heikkinen of the Faculty of Management and Business at Tampere University explain how food waste is a growing challenge for companies in the food services sector hoping to improve their sustainability credentials. They have examined the research literature in the realm of business sustainability in the developed world and looked at sustainable business models and digital platforms, that might provide guidance for such companies. They specifically scrutinize two real-life business cases that provide digital services and show how they help food service companies to reduce their food waste. The benefits of sustainable business models are wrought in their scalability and attractiveness the team points out.
While the consumer side seems to be the bigger problem, supermarkets and other outlets generate vast tonnages of waste as products pass their “sell-by” dates. As such, there is a wide open niche for mobile device applications that connect consumers to products that are about to expire in a more effective way so that such stock might be purchased rather than it going to waste. However, applications at every step from farm and factory to retail to outlet or home could reduce waste, the research suggests.
Mattila, M., Mesiranta, N. and Heikkinen, A. (2020) ‘Platform-based sustainable business models: reducing food waste in food services’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Vol. 24, Nos. 4/5, pp.249–265.
9 July 2020
Special issue published: "Advancements in Mechatronics and Manufacturing Propelling Industry 4.0"
- Interoperability of the future factory: an overview of concepts and research challenges
- Robot-assisted painting system for bolt-nut pairs
- An investigation of acceptance and e-readiness for the application of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies to maintenance training in the manufacturing industry
- Preparing for Industry 4.0: digital business model innovation in the food and beverage industry
- An industrial case study on discrete event modelling of value stream mapping for Industry 4.0
Special issue published: "Towards an Enriched, Linked, Open and Filtered Metadata Model"
- The future of interlinked, interoperable and scalable metadata
- Intermediary XML schemas: constraint, templating and interoperability in complex environments
- Unique challenges facing Linked Data implementation for National Educational Television
- Exploring the utility of metadata record graphs and network analysis for metadata quality evaluation and augmentation
- From the web of bibliographic data to the web of bibliographic meaning: structuring, interlinking and validating ontologies on the semantic web
- CMDIfication process for textbook resources
- Citation content/context data as a source for research cooperation analysis
- Extending the GLOBDEF framework with support for semantic enhancement of various data formats
- Service traceability in SOA-based software systems: a traceability network add-in for BPAOntoSOA framework
Special issue published: "Biomedicine in Industry and Society"
- Investigation of problems faced during capturing of gait signals
- Improving the classifier accuracy with an integrated approach using medical data – a study
- Wavelet packet transform-based medical image multiple watermarking with independent component analysis extraction
- Novel feature extraction of EEG signal for accurate event detection
- An amalgamated prediction model for breast cancer detection using fuzzy features
- Optimised feature selection and entropy-based graph classification of gene expression data
- EEG signal analysis and classification on P300 speller-based BCI performance in ALS patients
- Novel multiphase contouring and force calculation algorithm for ROI detection and calculation of energy value in multiple scale and orientation for early detection of stages of breast cancer
Research pick: Avoiding malware on the move - "Android application security: detecting Android malware and evaluating anti-malware software"
Mobile devices are a fairly ubiquitous feature of our lives. Some would say that their huge and yet compact computing power has made life easier for millions of people by providing information, entertainment, and services at a tap or a swipe. Of course, every technology has its abusers and our always-connected smartphones, tablets, and laptops are no different.
Writing in the International Journal of Internet Technology and Secured Transactions, researchers from India discuss the security measures available for mobile devices that utilize Google’s Android operating system. They suggest that the more open nature of Android and its applications ecosystem can in some sense make it more vulnerable to malware than the rather more closed and cloistered operating system used by devices manufactured by Apple. Indeed, evidence suggests that 97 percent of malware targets Android rather than any other operating system on mobile devices.
The team has analysed hundreds of Android apps from the official store and unofficial download repositories. They used applied permission-based and behavioural footprinting methods to detect malware. Shockingly, they demonstrated that almost 13 percent of the apps on the official Play store had some kind of malware. This figure was more than double at 28 percent for third-party stores.
Much malware discussed in the context of conventional desktop computing is associated with criminal activity such as harvesting bank details and logins, duplicating and spreading the malware further afield, and creating zombie computers. Zombie PCs not only propagate the malware further but they are recruited into a bot-net and provide the controllers with the computing power to manipulate large numbers of PCs for carrying out denial of service attacks on large corporate or governmental networks with malicious or hacktivist intent.
The team found that almost all of the malware in Android apps was created to steal personal information from the infected device and send it to a remote server. Given that even legitimate applications do this endlessly, it is difficult to see where the line is being drawn. Nobody wants their personal and private information stolen whether by a small third-party app or a major corporate organization such as a search engine or social media company.
As such, the team has also assessed a number of the most prominent apps aimed at precluding infection with mobile viruses and malware. Unfortunately, even the best antimalware apps tested could detect a mere seven of twelve different classes of malware found on Android systems. The underlying reason is that new, zero-day malware, is emerging all the time.
“There remains a need for efficient anti-malware software that accurately detects and avoids malware families,” the team writes.
Rani, S. and Dhindsa, K.S. (2020) ‘Android application security: detecting Android malware and evaluating anti-malware software’, Int. J. Internet Technology and Secured Transactions, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp.491–506.
Footnote
It is worth noting that one of the biggest manufacturers of Android phones, Samsung, recommends that its users do not install third-party antimalware apps. They point out that apps on the Play store are screened before being allowed through and that the screening technology is improving all the time. –dB/
8 July 2020
Special issue published: "Innovative Digital Business Models as Levers of Organisational Sustainability" (includes open access article)
- Applying the circular economy to a business model: an illustrative case study of a pioneering energy company
- Platform-based sustainable business models: reducing food waste in food services [Open Access article]
- Show it with feeling: performed emotions in critical sensemaking
- Dare to defy the challenges of online business
- University spin-off managers and the 'ideal' funding process
- Delighted niche driven entrepreneurial odyssey: a case study of Maharaja Masala Udyog
- Network characteristics and the adoption of organisational innovation in the food sector
- Examining conditions for successful entrepreneurship in China's firms
- Comparison of online customer ratings between the eco-labelled and non-eco-labelled hotels of Oslo
- Practices for building innovation capabilities of local employees at German manufacturing subsidiaries in China
- The influence of innovation stimulus, facilitating factors and support mechanisms on innovation performance in Brazilian small textile firms
Special issue published: "Business and Social Issues in Mobile Environment"
- Effect of information quality and system quality in information system success model as an antecedent of mobile learning in education institutions: case study in Jordan
- Consumer perception towards corporate social responsibility practices: a study of the Malaysian banking sector
- Mobile advergame: analysis of flow, attitudes and competitor trait as the moderating variable
- The inclination to public disclosure of financial forecasts by companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in times of mobile life
- The impact of telework on creativity of professional employees in Sri Lanka: componential and social cognitive theoretical views
- A comprehensive framework for designing and evaluating vocabulary learning apps from multiple perspectives
- Implementation of flipped classroom with personalised ubiquitous learning support system to promote the university student performance of information literacy
Research pick: Pull up to the bumper - "Wooing the consumer in a six-second commercial! Measuring the efficacy of bumper advertisements on YouTube"
Is six-seconds long enough for an advertisement to woo a potential customer? The corporate executives who place short, “bumper ads” on the video-based social media service, Youtube, think so. Now, research published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, shows what kind of content in bumper ads is most engaging for Youtube users. Ultimately, the insights could help guide advertisers hoping to improve brand awareness and consumer attitude towards a product, and ultimately increase sales.
Youtube introduced this ad format in 2016. Bumper ads are there to boost an advertiser’s reach and allow them to deliver a short, but hopefully memorable message to their potential customers. Critically, although bumper ads are of an incredibly limited duration set by Youtube, they are also unskippable, so viewers hoping to watch user-generated content on the site are commonly forced to wait until the bumper ad runs before they can do so. Whether they choose to stare at the screen and absorb the ad is a moot point. Most users are unlikely to turn away knowing that an ad is going to be so short and will thus be exposed to the message within, as is the intention of the advertiser.
Jay P. Trivedi, Siddharth Deshmukh, and Amit Kishore of MICA in Gujarat, India, based their findings on data collected from almost 300 Youtube users analysed in detail with various statistical techniques.
“Video advertising is seeing an upswing in ad spends, and advertisers need to understand the strengths and limitations of each video ad format. This work is arguably the first academic research done to understand the type of content which can work for bumper ads,” the team writes. They suggest that it is particularly pertinent to Generation-Y consumers in the emerging market of India. Gen-Y is usually defined as the “millennial generation”, people who were born between the early 1980s and early2000s.
Fundamentally, the team found that bumper ads do not lead directly to sales, but if they are able to convey the core message and involve the consumer, then they may drive sales later. “Advertisers can draw from [our results] and plan to convey the message by increased frequency of bumper ads or by placing them across multiple video genres to involve viewers more.”
Trivedi, J.P., Deshmukh, S. and Kishore, A. (2020) ‘Wooing the consumer in a six-second commercial! Measuring the efficacy of bumper advertisements on YouTube’, Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp.307–322.
Special issue published: "Computer-Aided Intelligent Systems"
- Optimised RBIDS: detection and avoidance of black hole attack through NTN communication in mobile ad hoc networks
- A new parallel DSP hardware compatible algorithm for noise reduction and contrast enhancement in video sequence using Zynq-7020
- HDFS-based parallel and scalable pattern mining using clouds for incremental data
- Double-pulse stand-off explosive vapour detection system for flexible perilous materials
- An efficient packet image transmission based on texture content for border side security using sensor networks
- Hybrid data model of PACE and quadruple: an efficient data model for cloud computing
- Enhancing performance of WSN by utilising secure QoS-based explicit routing
- A semi-automated system for smart harvesting of tea leaves
- Hybrid wind-solar system – an optimised approach for efficient power generation
- PV control systems using iterated local search MPPT with an improved switched capacitor DC-DC converter
- Artificial intelligent technology for safe driver assistance system
- Proposed variants of charged system search algorithm for location area optimisation in mobile wireless communication networks
- Hidden object detection for classification of threat
- Deep learning-based techniques to enhance the precision of phrase-based statistical machine translation system for Indian languages
- PID controller tuning using hybrid optimisation technique based on Box's evolutionary optimisation and teacher-learner-based-optimisation
7 July 2020
Special issue published: "Advanced Security Mechanisms for Future Internet"
- A novel GAAC optimisation algorithm for multimodal fusion score decision making in secured biometric systems
- Study of LDPC decoders with quadratic residue sequence for communication system
- Static analysis method for detecting cross site scripting vulnerabilities
- An energy efficient authentication scheme based on hierarchical IBDS and EIBDS in grid-based wireless sensor networks
- Developing malevolent node-based protection system against jamming attack in agent assisted CRN
- An efficient interior and exterior boundary detection-based two level iris segmentation
- An improved co-designed AES-ECC cryptosystem for secure data transmission
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems are now available here for free:
- Study on the optimisation ability of natural selection mechanism
- A novel particle swarms with mixed cooperative co-evolution for large scale global optimisation
- A new quantum evolutionary algorithm using dynamic rotation angle catastrophe for knapsack problem
- Outlier detection based on cluster outlier factor and mutual density
- Applying distance sorting selection in differential evolution
- Ant colony optimisation with local search for the bandwidth minimisation problem on graphs
- Hybrid fireworks algorithm with differential evolution operator
- Inventory routing optimisation using differential evolution with feasibility checking and local search
- Solve the IRP problem with an improved discrete differential evolution algorithm
- Object tracking using the particle filter optimised by the improved artificial fish swarm algorithm
Research pick: Securing the smart home - "SmartGuard: an IoT-based intrusion detection system for smart homes"
So…you’ve built your smart home, it’s got smart heating and lighting, all the latest smart communications and entertainment systems, and of course, smart power generation to make it smart and green. But, how do you keep it secure and stop forced digital or physical entry? Well, you need smart security too, of course.
Writing in the International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems, a team from India discusses how the sensor-enabled internet of things (IoT) has improved many aspects of daily life and how the same tools and devices might be used to make us safer and more secure too.
Nishtha Kesswani of the Department of Computer Science at the Central University of Rajasthan, in BandarSindri, Ajmer and Basant Agarwal of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, at the Indian Institute of Information Technology Kota (IIIT Kota), MNIT Campus, in Jaipur, describe their approach to digital security for the smart home.
“We present an intrusion detection system, SmartGuard that can be deployed in the smart home,” they write. “The system would be able to detect malicious behaviour within the [home] network as well as any malicious communications from outside.” Obviously, a hacker who can break into a smart home’s network would easily be able to override security features, such as lights and electronic locking systems.
“In order to reduce the overhead on the energy-constrained IoT devices, a cluster-based approach has been used,” the team explains. “The proposed approach will be a smart choice in today’s smart homes full of vulnerabilities,” the team concludes.
Kesswani, N. and Agarwal, B. (2020) ‘SmartGuard: an IoT-based intrusion detection system for smart homes’, Int. J. Intelligent Information and Database Systems, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.61–71.
Special issue published: "Recent Developments in Environmental Sustainability"
- Population ageing and energy consumption for sustainable development
- Staircase evacuation for public multi-storey housing in Malaysia
- Are environmentally responsible behaviours shaped by environmental facilitating conditions and antecedent of attitudes? The case of Perak in Malaysia
- Applying low carbon landscapes at the Premier Polytechnic of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Shah Alam, Malaysia
- A comparative requirement of space design: green and open space analysis
- Factors influencing the adoption of sustainability into university facilities management practices: a case study of universities in South Australia
- Occupants' satisfaction towards interior design quality at inpatient units of public hospitals in Malaysia: a sustainable development framework
New Editor for International Journal of Reliability and Safety
Prof. Om Prakash Yadav from North Dakota University in the USA has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Reliability and Safety. The journal's founding editor, Prof. Zissimos Mourelatos of Oakland University, USA, will remain on the board as Executive Editor.
6 July 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Mechatronics and Automation
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Mechatronics and Automation are now available here for free:
- Methodology for manipulation of Karnaugh maps designing for pneumatic sequential logic circuits
- Dynamic gait planning for walking assistance
- Adaptive controllers for a piezoelectric actuator without and with discontinuity
- A projection-based making-human-feel-safe human-robot cooperation system
- Radiation effect on the performance of robot manipulator
- Real-time path planning algorithm for autonomous vehicles in unknown environments
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:
- Addicted to quality - an application of strategic organisational instrument to win the Transformation Event Award
- Valuation perspectives of family-owned real-estate companies in Saudi Arabia
- Leadership skills, styles, characteristics and behaviours of Mohammed Lalle
- Evaluating the efficiency of two programming environments in shaping novices' attitudes, perceptions, beliefs and knowledge in programming: a comparison between Scratch and App Inventor
- Economic growth and reduced carbon emissions: the impact of carbon pricing policies
- How to develop cognitive skills through playing in pre-school contexts
3 July 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship are now available here for free:
- Strategic use of corporate and scientific boards in the internationalisation of biotech firms
- Technology entrepreneurship model development for teachers
- Technological learning and innovation systems in developing countries: the example of Dubai
- Knowledge integration within innovation process: a technopreneurial perspective
- Challenges of consumer-based innovations and start-ups in ICT business
Special issue published: "Theory and Applications of Correspondence Analysis and Classification"
- Comparison of hierarchical clustering methods for binary data from molecular markers
- Assessment of the awareness of Cypriot accounting firms level concerning cyber risk: an exploratory analysis
- Sequential dimension reduction and clustering of mixed-type data
- A comparative evaluation of dissimilarity-based and model-based clustering in science education research: the case of children's mental models of the Earth
- Implementation of an efficient FPGA architecture for capsule endoscopy processor core using hyper analytic wavelet-based image compression technique
Research pick: Freedom versus terrorism - "The urgency of media coverage arrangements regarding terrorism"
We all know terrorism when we see it or so we would hope, although it take many disparate forms. One aspect of the response is the media coverage of such happenings. Writing in the International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, a team from Indonesia discusses the urgency of media coverage of terrorism.
Wenly Lolong and Adensi Timomor of the Department of Law at the Universitas Negeri Manado, suggest that the very nature of terrorism feeds on media coverage. However, while people have a right to be informed of what is happening locally and on a global scale, the team suggests that in Indonesia there is a need for regulation to avoid promoting the terrorist cause through discussion in the media.
The researchers suggest that media coverage perpetuates terrorism by providing a platform for the perpetrators to share their tragic world view through violence. The greater the media coverage, the more likely a new recruit to the cause might be found whether they act as a so-called “lone wolf” or become part of a large terrorist “organization”. Either way, new criminality is generated by the activity of the mass media, the team suggests.
In their research, they explore the reasons that the media covers terrorist activity in the first place and how this coverage might be regulated without impeding the public’s guarantee of the right to information and press freedom.
“The right of information must not be above the right to live safely and peacefully in the country,” the team concludes.
Lolong, W.R.J. and Timomor, A. (2020) ‘The urgency of media coverage arrangements regarding terrorism’, Int. J. Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.138–148.
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Sustainable Aviation
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Sustainable Aviation are now available here for free:
- The role of integration in achieving sustainable benefits from airline alliances
- Cultural and political attitudes towards paying to support airport sustainability projects
- Effect of different weightage of Enova® IC3100 silica aerogel on aluminium alloy composites in ISO2685 aviation standard fire-test
- A simplistic flight model for exergy embodiment of composite materials towards nearly-zero exergy aviation
- Robust planning the landing process of unmanned aerial vehicles
Research pick: Voting by blockchain – a stronger link - "Advocating for a blockchain voting system in the USA"
The term “blockchain” is familiar to anyone who has delved into so-called cryptocurrency. It represents an incorruptible digital ledger of transactions associated with a given digital coin in this technology. However, the notion of such a ledger might be useful in a whole range of human affairs, such as electoral and other voting systems. Work published in the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, suggests that a blockchain might be viable in the US voting system.
Khaled Zayed and Rebekah Placide of the International School of Management in Paris, France, explain that blockchain technology could be used to build “a secure, efficient, and smart voting system”. Used in conjunction with biometric technology, such a system would be far less open to abuse or electoral fraud of any kind. The US has four voting methods commonly used at the moment: optical scan paper ballot systems, direct recording electronic systems, ballot marking systems, and punch-card ballot. Each of those voting methods has its own pros and cons and is open to significant abuse as has been seen in at least one recent election. In essence, the team writes, “The current US voting system is antiquated and in desperate need of a technological and legal overhaul.”
In addition, the current voting machines are in a state of crisis. “They run the risk of malfunctioning, lost votes, shutdowns, and incorrect tallies,” the team adds. “The inability to maintain and purchase parts for these aging machines is of an even greater burden for election administrators in many jurisdictions.”
The team further explains how blockchain technology could fix the voting system in a single step, eradicating many of the problems associated with archaic systems and bringing to bear the benefits of the digital realm on an ancient system.
“Blockchain technology was developed to create security, trust, transparency, and efficiency in communications and business transactions,” the team says. “Blockchain allows a recording and transfer of data that can be audited and transmitted safely and more importantly it is resistant to outages. A list of records called blocks linked together using cryptography for secure communication. With blockchain technology, digital information can be distributed but not copied over.”
Such positive characteristics, when applied to a voting system, could be used for voter registration, identity verification, and electronic vote counting. This would ensure that only legitimate votes are counted and the creation of such a ledger of public votes would represent a step towards a fairer, entirely transparent, and fundamentally more democratic election system.
Zayed, K. and Placide, R. (2020) ‘Advocating for a blockchain voting system in the USA’, Int. J. Technology Enhanced Learning, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.306–315.
2 July 2020
Free open access article available: "Ambidexterity in the supply chain: studying the apparel industry"
The following paper, "Ambidexterity in the supply chain: studying the apparel industry" (International Journal of Agile Systems and Management 13(2) 2020), is freely available for download as an open access article.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.
1 July 2020
Special issue published: "Computational Approaches in Biology and Medicine"
- Comparative in-silico parmacokinetics and molecular docking study on gedunin isolated from Azadirachta indica, its modified derivatives and selected antifolate drugs as potential dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum
- Exploring the antineoplastic effect of phytochemicals from Ipomea sepiaria against matrix metallopeptidases: a pharmacoinformatics approach
- Inter k-shell connectivity: a novel computational approach to identify drug targets
- In-silico analysis of peptidoglycan hydrolases from Serratia marcescens and other Serratia species
- PPI network analysis of diabetic retinopathy genes
- A review on iris recognition system for person identification
- In silico approach for the prediction of functional nsSNPs in WIF1 gene of WNT pathway
Special issue published: "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Issues, Trends and Challenges"
- Linking sustainable development to startup ecosystem in India - a conceptual framework
- Impact of digitisation on entrepreneurial ecosystems: an Indian perspective
- Awareness, entrepreneurial event theory and theory of planned behaviour as antecedents of student entrepreneurial intentions: an Indian perspective
- Psychological empowerment and entrepreneurship: insights from Indian corporate
- A conceptual framework for entrepreneurial orientation: is philanthropy missing in family business?
- Celebrity entrepreneurship and advertising effectiveness: an empirical test
- Identification of factors for the success of the Sri Lankan independent inventors
Special issue published: "Theoretical Advances and Applications of Computational Intelligence"
- Intelligent system for feature selection based on rough set and chaotic binary grey wolf optimisation
- Time-sensitive clustering evolving textual data streams
- An efficient binary whale optimisation algorithm with optimum path forest for feature selection
- An implementation method for Arabic keyword tendency using decision tree
- A multi-functional BCI system for exigency assistance and environment control based on ML and IoT
- Arabian horse identification based on whale optimised multi-class support vector machine
- Intelligent approach for large-scale data mining
- Multi-dimensional data visualisation method based on convex-corrected Radviz
- Smart grid resources allocation using smart genetic heuristic
- A hybrid collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm for requirements elicitation
- A new four-dimensional two-scroll hyperchaos dynamical system with no rest point, bifurcation analysis, multi-stability, circuit simulation and FPGA design
- Inland river image dehazing algorithm based on water surface depth prior
Research pick: Phytochemicals to fight cancer - "Exploring the antineoplastic effect of phytochemicals from Ipomea sepiaria against matrix metallopeptidases: a pharmacoinformatics approach"
Phytochemicals from the plant Ipomea sepiaria may be useful in the fight against cancer according to a pharmacoinformatics study published in the International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design. The research undertook “in silico”, computer-based, studies of the various chemicals found in this species against a range of enzymes known as metallopeptidases. Inhibiting the activity of these enzymes found in cancer cells could impede the replication of those cancer cells and potentially halt tumour growth in its tracks.
Thousands of plants contain natural products, chemicals that have physiological activity. Indeed, around 40 percent of modern pharmaceuticals had their roots in botanical natural products. The convolvulus plant species, I. sepiaria, is well known as a component of Ayurvedic medicine in the form of Lakshmana used as a laxative. It is purported to act as an antidote to arsenic poisoning and also be an aphrodisiac, although solid randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials are not yet forthcoming for many of the claims around this plant’s medicinal properties.
S.S. Ariya and Baby Joseph of the Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, in Chennai, India, and Jemmy Christy of the Sathyabama Institute of Technology and Science, also in Chennai, point out that cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. As such, the development of anticancer and antineoplastic drugs is high on the pharmaceutical industry’s agenda. The team has now screened 247 phytochemicals identified in I. sepiaria against their enzyme computer model.
The screen showed that eight chemicals, tetradecanoic acid, nerolidol, ipomeanine, dibutyl phthalate, cis-caffeic acid, caffeic acid, moupinamide, and N-cis-feruloyltyramine were active against the target enzymes and so might be further explored as potential anticancer drugs. Moreover, these compounds performed better in the tests than four different drugs currently available in the cancer therapy arsenal. Of course, the next step is to take the “in silico” results to the laboratory testing, in vitro, stage and then to animal testing and finally human trials. The compounds are promising, but as ever with drug development, the path from discovery to market is long and tortuous.
It should be noted that while there may be physiological activity in the folklore remedy of Lakshmana, its use is no substitute for a medical consultation with an oncologist when cancer arises and the adherence to proven therapies for the best prognosis for the patient.
Ariya, S.S., Joseph, B. and Christy, J. (2020) ‘Exploring the antineoplastic effect of phytochemicals from Ipomea sepiaria against matrix metallopeptidases: a pharmacoinformatics approach’, Int. J. Computational Biology and Drug Design, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp.255–271.
30 June 2020
Research pick: Whales identify Arabian horses - "Arabian horse identification based on whale optimised multi-class support vector machine"
A computer program, an optimisation algorithm, that mimics in software the social interactions of the humpback whale has been used by researchers in Egypt to build a system for the identification of Arabian horses.
Identification of Arabian racehorses is critical to owner provenance, vaccination handling, disease control, animal traceability, food management, and animal safety. Traditionally, the horses are hot or freeze branded. Today, the branding might be by electronic tag or implant, or even biometric. Classical approaches are invasive and vulnerable to fraud.
Writing in the International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, Ayat Taha and Ahmed ElKholy of Al-Azhar University in Cairo and colleagues Ashraf Darwish of Helwan University, and Aboul Ella Hassanien Cairo University, explain how the whale optimization algorithm helps avoid fraud. The WOA is inspired by the hunting behaviour of humpback whales. These marine mammals use a special strategy for hunting fish called bubble-net hunting. The whales produce bubbles in a spiral or a ring around a target school of fish and then swim to shrink this ephemeral boundary, pushing the fish into a smaller volume of water. They then pinpoint fish to capture within this boundary, which not only confuses the fish and confines them but gives the whales an almost fixed area to focus on. The WOA mathematically models this in two phases: creating a bubble boundary and then allowing “prey” features to be identified.
The team has now built their algorithm on an optimised Multi-Class Support Vector Machine. The system analyses muzzle imprints from the horses, it having been trained on known horses. It is possible to identify a horse quickly using this system to an accuracy of more than 97%, which surpasses previous machine learning systems that do not rely on biomimetic models such as the whale optimization algorithm.
Taha, A., Darwish, A., Hassanien, A.E. and ElKholy, A. (2020) ‘Arabian horse identification based on whale optimised multi-class support vector machine’, Int. J. Computer Applications in Technology, Vol. 63, Nos. 1/2, pp.83–92.
27 June 2020
Research pick: Supercritical answer to waste oil - "Measurement and modelling of the solubility of dodecylcyclohexane in supercritical carbon dioxide"
Lubricating oils deteriorate and oxidize with use as well as accumulating particles from the engines and other machinery in which they are used. Ultimately, their effectiveness worsens and they begin to damage the components they were designed to protect they have to be replaced. Disposing of waste engine oil thus becomes a significant environmental concern. Waste lubricant cannot be simply disposed of as it is highly toxic to ecosystems and harmful to the environment and human health.
Writing in the International Journal of Global Warming, a team from China has turned to a nineteenth century discovery – supercritical fluids – to help them clean up waste oil and remove contaminants efficiently and effectively.
Supercritical fluids are essentially substances held at a temperature above their boiling point but under sufficiently high pressure that they do not enter the gas phase. Under these conditions water, carbon dioxide, and other substances are in a hybrid state between liquid and gas and have many properties that are very different from the substance in its commonly observed state at ambient temperature and pressure.
For instance, supercritical fluids (SCFs) can dissolve many diverse substances that are not normally considered soluble in the “normal” gas or liquid. They also have the advantage of very rapidly reverting to their normal state once the pressure and temperature are reduced. This phenomenon allows a substance such as supercritical carbon dioxide to be used to dissolve a range of compounds so that a dissolved compound might then be separated from a complex mixture. Once the pressure is released the carbon dioxide boils off leaving behind the separated substance.
Xin Yang, Shuo Xiang, Peng Su, Yan He, and Ping Liu of the Department of Oil, at the Army Logistics University of PLA and Ligong Chen of the Engineering Research Centre for Waste Oil Recovery Technology and Equipment, at Chongqing Technology and Business University, both in Chongqing, China, have now modeled the behaviour of dodecylcyclohexane in supercritical carbon dioxide. This compound is one of the major components of lubricating oils. It is soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide at a specific temperature and pressure.
The team found the optimal temperature and pressure to be 313.2 Kelvin and 14.68 Megapascals, respectively. None of the contaminants of degraded components have as high a solubility under these conditions and so the technology might then be used to separate the dodecylcyclohexane from the waste materials, the team suggests.
Yang, X., Xiang, S., Su, P., He, Y., Liu, P. and Chen, L. (2020) ‘Measurement and modelling of the solubility of dodecylcyclohexane in supercritical carbon dioxide’, Int. J. Global Warming, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp.35–49.
26 June 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Sustainable Economy
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Sustainable Economy are now available here for free:
- Estimating the optimal size of secondary healthcare providers in Slovenia
- Determinants of export competitiveness of fresh fruits in India
- Cross-border pollution in an asymmetric trade competition
- Do financial stability and institutional quality have impact on financial inclusion in developing economies? A new evidence from Nigeria
- How important is fiscal stimulus for economic growth? Empirical evidence from G7 countries
Special issue published: "Sustainable Supply Chains and Circular Economy"
- The impact of Industry 4.0 on sustainability and the circular economy reporting requirements
- Impacts of Industry 4.0 in sustainable food manufacturing and supply chain
- Circular economy business model design
- Drivers and barriers of consumer purchase intention of remanufactured mobile phones: a study on Indonesian consumers
- Consumers' perceptions of circular economy in the hotel industry: evidence from Portugal
- Sustainability as a driver of operational excellence - the relevance of variability in process operations
- Effect of corporate sustainable development on green purchasing: insights from ISO 14001 certified manufacturing companies in Malaysia
- Factors influencing information and communication technology diffusion in Nigeria's transport logistics industry: an exploratory study
- Assessing significant factors for sustainable cold chain performance in Sri Lankan context
- Supply network configuration archetypes for the circular exploitation of solid waste
25 June 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Business and Globalisation
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Business and Globalisation are now available here for free:
- Fostering indigenous entrepreneurship amongst San people: an exploratory case of Tsumkwe
- Business internet use in small, family owned and managed hotels in Scotland
- Entrepreneurial motivation: the impact of cultural capital on the 'who' is motivated
- Exporting identity: Italians in London during the long 19th century
- Social bonds: migration and comparative analysis of remitting behaviour between Pakistani and Indian diaspora
- TQM techniques as an innovative approach in sport organisations management: toward a conceptual framework
- The impact of age and reading on the desire for training of managers in entrepreneurial ventures
- How do self-employed Sami people perceive the impact of the EU and globalisation?
Research pick: Plaintext ciphertext - "Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited"
Writing in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, Yu-Chi Chen of the Department Computer Science and Engineering, at Yuan Ze University, in Tauyuan, Taiwan , has revisited the concept of plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation that could be utilized in the context of security and privacy in the realm of big data and cloud computing.
Achieving a specific computing over ciphertext, plaintext checkable encryption (PCE) is a relatively new concept explains Chen. It supports the specific functionality between ciphertext and plaintext. “Given a target plaintext, a ciphertext and a public key, anyone can perform a check algorithm (called Check) to test whether the ciphertext encrypts the target plaintext with the public key,” he explains.
It allows the user to send search instructions to a database, for instance, that are encrypted so that a third party, such as the service provider themselves, cannot see the search terms, but the server has to know that the search is encrypted in a valid way so that it can send back encrypted results; this is where the check function plays its role.
The new work builds on these concepts and offers a new way to approach them with secure public keys and generic constructions.
Chen, Y-C. (2020) ‘Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited’, Int. J. Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp.102–110.
24 June 2020
Special issue published: "Financial Development and Business Innovation in Emerging Markets"
- Shariah rural bank in empowering the small and micro enterprises: strategies and differentiations
- Modelling the competitiveness of regional bank: empirical evidence from Sumatera, Indonesia
- Related party transactions on tunnelling and propping perspective
- Reputation of external directors, auditors and earnings management
- The perspective of Indonesian students abroad, professionals, and Indonesian government of international mobility of Indonesians
- Comparative analysis of mergers and acquisitions in Indian and international pharmaceutical industry with unique case-lets
Special issue published: "Architectures, Algorithms, Securities and Programming for Big Data Processing and Deep Learning"
- Maintaining data integrity in cloud systems through version management
- An optimal scheduling algorithm for DASH video streaming over variable bit rate networks
- Personalised gesture recognition based on tri-axis accelerometer using Gabor filters
- Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited
- Predicting the price movement from candlestick charts: a CNN-based approach
- Health-Ledger model development based on IoT and blockchain
Research pick: Malaysian mobile markets - "The forefront of mobile shopping: an emerging economy’s perspective"
Writing in the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management, a team from Malaysia provides details of the main factors affecting mobile shopping there. The researchers, Chi-Yang Hng and Pik-Yin Foo of Jalan Universiti in Perak, and Ai-Fen Lim and Radha Krishnan Nair of the UCSI University Kuala Lumpur Campus, Malaysia, analysed 300 questionnaires offered to people in shopping malls in the city of Ipoh. Fundamentally, ease of use and mobile-friendliness, rather than “playfulness” of the mobile shopping experience are what might drive shoppers to use these services.
Around the world, the advent of the internet, the emergence of the world wide web, and the opening up of the digital realm to commercial applications operators continues to see more and more people spend more and more of their time online. The shopping experience, regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic in which we are in the midst at the time of writing of this Inderscience Research Pick, has increasingly moved from commerce to e-commerce. Indeed, smartphones are an essential item for those in the developed and developing world today rather than a luxury. Mobile shopping has become reliable and secure.
The team concedes that this preliminary research has limitations in that those surveyed were generally in the younger age group, adults under 30, and mostly Chinese. Nevertheless, if the results might apply to other demographic groups, which may well be demonstrated in follow-up work, it is likely the most mobile shoppers would prefer uncomplicated applications through which to do their online browsing and shopping. There is also a need to ensure that users are kept informed of transactions and account updates and such like.
Hng, C-Y., Foo, P-Y., Lim, A-F. and Nair, R.K. (2020) ‘The forefront of mobile shopping: an emerging economy’s perspective’, Int. J. Services, Economics and Management, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp.21–47.
23 June 2020
Research pick: Painting a picture of Van Gogh as entrepreneur - "Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), innovator and entrepreneur: an experiential report of Van Gogh guides in Nuenen"
We think of Vincent van Gogh as an artist, famed for his starry nights, his floral tributes, and his raffia-work seating. But, he was also an innovator and an entrepreneur, suggests a paper published in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business and modern business people might learn a thing or two from his style.
Jos Pieterse of Fontys University of Applied Sciences, in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and colleagues have analysed letters from the 19th century and expert observations of Van Gogh’s activities and work experts as well as guides to the Vincentre Van Gogh museum. They also asked 25 students specialising in innovation and entrepreneurship to give their opinions of Van Gogh’s entrepreneurial skills.
We know that Van Gogh was a hard worker based on his prodigious artistic output. The new findings show the innovative and entrepreneurial potential of Van Gogh to reflect his imagination, creativity, and analytical skills. However, based on his apparent lack of financial acumen we can say only with hindsight that he was artistically far ahead but not recognized by his audience.
“The whole field of artistic innovation and entrepreneurship deserves to be better researched for a mutual learning effect for organisational science to learn from this field and vice versa,” the team writes. “The work of Vincent van Gogh both in his drawings, paintings and letters are just one [tragic] example.”
Ulijn, J., Veldhoen, A., Bekkers-Vermeulen, J., Hendrikse, S., Pieterse, J. and Saych, N. (2020) ‘Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), innovator and entrepreneur: an experiential report of Van Gogh guides in Nuenen’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp.337–372.
Special issue published: "Architectures, Algorithms, Securities and Programming for Big Data Processing and Deep Learning"
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing are now available here for free:
- Maintaining data integrity in cloud systems through version management
- An optimal scheduling algorithm for DASH video streaming over variable bit rate networks
- Personalised gesture recognition based on tri-axis accelerometer using Gabor filters
- Plaintext checkable encryption with check delegation revisited
- Predicting the price movement from candlestick charts: a CNN-based approach
- Health-Ledger model development based on IoT and blockchain
22 June 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Services, Economics and Management
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management are now available here for free:
- Green innovation under uncertainty - a dynamic perspective
- Social loafing with group development
- Understanding the antecedents of service decisions: an integration of service promiscuity and customer citizenship behaviour
- Service quality gap - a tale of two companies
- Bill prioritisation and bill payment orientation in the developing country context
International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling to invite expanded papers from Second International Symposium on Simulation and Process Modelling (ISSPM 2020) for potential publication
Extended versions of papers presented at the Second International Symposium on Simulation and Process Modelling (ISSPM 2020) (29-30 August 2020, Shenyang, China) will be invited for review and potential publication by the International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling.
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies are now available here for free:
- Using type and temporal semantic enrichment to boost content discoverability and multilingualism in the Greek cultural aggregator SearchCulture.gr
- A semantic web enabled host intrusion detection system
- Ontology of folktales in the Greater Mekong Subregion
- The properties of property alignment on the semantic web
- A supervised aspect level sentiment model to predict overall sentiment on tweeter documents
- A combined path index for efficient processing of XML queries
- Data provenance in multi-agent systems: relevance, benefits and research opportunities
- A method for examining metadata quality in open research datasets using the OAI-PMH and SQL queries: the case of the Dublin Core 'Subject' element and suggestions for user-centred metadata annotation design
19 June 2020
Research pick: Plastic membrane to treat age-related macular degeneration - "Modelling and simulation analysis of porous polymeric scaffold for the replacement of Bruch’s membrane as a therapy for age-related macular degeneration"
A porous polymeric scaffold might be the answer to a sight problem that afflicts millions of older people every year, age-related macular degeneration. Researchers writing in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, discuss in detail their modelling and simulation analysis of these materials, which might be used as a prosthetic for the eye’s Bruch’s membrane.
Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition that occurs when the macula of the retina is damaged through oxidative processes usually associated with age but also in tobacco smokers. The macula is an oval-shaped, pigmented area at the centre of the retina so deterioration of this region leads to blurred or no vision in the centre of the visual field. Initially, there are no symptoms but vision in the afflicted person will suffer and loss of central vision occurs making it hard to recognize faces, drive, read, or perform other activities of daily life. At present, there is no treatment for macular degeneration and while not smoking is a good preventative measure, avoidance of the other main risk factors – ageing and genetics – cannot be avoided.
Bruch’s membrane is the innermost layer of the choroid, the layer between the retina and the outer layer of the eye, the sclera. It is sometimes referred to as the vitreous lamina because it is a glass-like layer, some two to four micrometres thick. Changes in this membrane are often the underlying cause of the blindness seen in AMD as errant blood vessel growth occurs in this membrane in the condition. More specifically, AMD is characterized by extracellular deposits that accumulate between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the inner collagenous layer of Bruch’s membrane, causing the death of RPE cells and subsequent loss of photoreceptor cells.
As such, materials to engineer the structure of the membrane and preclude abnormal blood vessel growth might offer a way to slow or even halt progression of the disease once diagnosed.
Susan Immanuel, Aswin Bob Ignatius, and Alagappan Muthuppalaniappan of the PSG College of Technology, in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India, have designed a prosthetic Bruch’s membrane, which is based on porous polycaprolactone (PCL). The artificial membrane was designed using the COMSOL Multiphysics tool. Its properties, including structural integrity and fluid flow, were analysed using Brinkman’s equation.
“The results show that the scaffold with higher porosity has a lower pressure gradient which is necessary for retinal pigment epithelial adherence and is mechanically stable,” the team writes. “This proves that a PCL scaffold with higher porosity is a potential replacement for Bruch’s membrane.”
Immanuel, S., Ignatius, A.B. and Muthuppalaniappan, A. (2020) ‘Modelling and simulation analysis of porous polymeric scaffold for the replacement of Bruch’s membrane as a therapy for age-related macular degeneration’, Int. J. Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp.290–304.
18 June 2020
Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Integrated Supply Management
The following sample articles from the International Journal of Integrated Supply Management are now available here for free:
- Incentive for information sharing through revenue-sharing contracts in a logistics service provider and customer relationship
- Transformational leadership and environmental commitment in supply chain relationships: the mediating effect of perceived fairness
- The impact of procurement on supplier satisfaction: service, communication, and speed
- Impact of market orientation, learning orientation, and supply chain integration on product innovation
- Recent approaches to supplier selection: a review of literature within 2006-2016
- Business service supply and collaboration: the impact of purchasing integration
Research pick: Commerce in a time of Covid - "Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) and supply chain resilience: a research note"
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic caused by the recently emerged virus SARS-CoV-2 is affecting everyone’s lives in many significant and disparate ways. New research published in the International Journal of Integrated Supply Management has looked at how companies are attempting to sustain their supply chains in the face of this disease.
Dmitry Ivanov of the Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany and Ajay Das of CUNY-Baruch, New York, USA, point out how the impact of the pandemic is unlike any prior natural disaster. They explain that low-frequency-high-impact events can pose a considerable risk to supply chains and the normal functioning of society. The effects of such events ripple through economies and society. The team has now modelled this ripple effect on global supply chains in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fundamentally, epidemics and pandemics are a special instance of low-frequency-high-impact events, the team suggests. After all, they add, in contrast to geographically centred, singular occurrence – such as a natural or industrial disaster – a pandemic is not limited to a particular region nor confined to a particular time period.
In their analysis, they consider the velocity with which the pandemic propagated, the duration of production, distribution, and market disruption, and the decline in consumer demand. They have also analysed how risk to supply chains might be mitigated in the face of this pandemic and have mapped out potential recovery paths. The creation of flexible and dynamic virtual local supply and demand structures are perhaps key to resilience. However, the team also points out that they believe this is not the end of global supply chains.
“Every crisis ends, and once the situation normalises, global supply chains would continue to offer a degree of efficiency and effectiveness that cannot be matched by domestic or regionally limited supply chains,” they write.
Ivanov, D. and Das, A. (2020) ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2) and supply chain resilience: a research note’, Int. J. Integrated Supply Management, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.90-102.
17 June 2020
Special issue published: "Anatomy of Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship: Past, Present and Future"
- Artpreneurs' lessons to traditional business
- Cultural and creative entrepreneurship: towards a paradigmatic proposal?
- Mapping and thematic analysis of cultural entrepreneurship research
- Balancing the creative business model
- Leveraging historical shifts in the world economy: systems of patronage and supportive ecosystems for creative and cultural enterprise
- The role of education in the entrepreneurial ecosystem: the case of 'Made in Italy Tuscany Academy' in the Florence fashion city
Research pick: The ABC of art and business - "Artpreneurs’ lessons to traditional business"
A new paradigm in business and entrepreneurial activity is emerging according to a new study. The new paradigm within cultural entrepreneurship differs considerably from the accepted model showing that there is an increased appreciation of “the arts” in business and commerce. The emergence of the so-called “artpreneur” could provide conventional business ventures with new insights.
Marilena Vecco of the Department of Accounting, Finance and Law in the Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France, provides details of the work in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Vecco hopes to answer the question as to whether we can talk about cross-fertilisation between art and entrepreneurship.
Historically, one might say that the business world has perceived artists as merely “dreamers”, only “useful” and “productive” when generating profitable artistic and aesthetic output. However, the work of painters, musicians, and many others, indeed all artists, has much greater currency in the business world and business education, especially given the advent of the digital era. There is also an increasing recognition among the educated that to recognise one’s own artistic and creative spirit as well as those characteristics in others is increasingly important in terms of a rounded, well-balanced, and diverse approach to business, society, culture, and life in general.
The current paper identifies several lessons focusing on the process, skills and behaviour of artpreneurs that might be adopted by traditional entrepreneurs with a particular emphasis on sustainability. It is obvious from this work that the aesthetic dimension represents a competitive advantage for the artpreneur over the conventional business-trained entrepreneur.
Vecco, M. (2020) ‘Artpreneurs’ lessons to traditional business‘, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp.154-170.
16 June 2020
Research pick: Understanding water-repellent enzymes - "Correlation among hydrophobic aromatic and aliphatic residues in the six enzyme classes"
The ability of some molecules, such as fatty or oily molecules, to repel water is known as hydrophobicity. The opposite, water attracting, is hydrophilicity. The hydrophobic force that keeps water molecules at bay is one of the most fundamental of chemical interactions, but it is not only about why oil and water do not mix, it lies at the heart of how the proteins, the molecular machinery of our cells fold into their active form and indeed how they work to keep us and every other living thing alive.
Research published in the International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design, has investigated the properties of two types of hydrophobic groups in six specific kinds of proteins, the biological catalysts known as enzymes. Anindita Roy Chowdhury (Chakravarty) of the GD Goenka University, in Haryana and her colleagues H.G. Nagendra of the Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, in Bengaluru, and Alpana Seal of the University of Kalyani, in West Bengal, India, explain how the hydrophobic properties of aliphatic and aromatic groups on the amino acids that build up a protein chain then allow the chain to twist and turn and fold in on itself to form its active structure. Aliphatic groups, or residues, are essentially chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms while aromatic groups are commonly rings of carbon and hydrogen atoms joined to the amino acid structure.
The researchers had previously identified those aromatic and aliphatic residues that contribute the most and the least to hydrophobic character in six enzyme classes. In the current work, they have examined the relative contributions towards hydrophobicity of the different hydrophobic amino acids in both aromatic and aliphatic categories.
They have found that there is an inverse relationship between residues of similar hydrophobic strength both in aromatic and aliphatic categories. So, for instance, the presence of an amino acid such as tryptophan which contains an aromatic group has the inverse effect to one like phenylalanine . A similar relationship is found in pairs of amino acids with aliphatic side chains, such as isoleucine and leucine. Leucine, isoleucine, and phenylalanine are essential for creating a hydrophobic, non-polar, environment at the core of an enzyme that has to bind non-polar molecules.
“This analysis is likely to provide insight for finer analysis of the enzyme molecule,” the team writes.
Roy Chowdhury, A., Nagendra, H.G. and Seal, A. (2020) ‘Correlation among hydrophobic aromatic and aliphatic residues in the six enzyme classes’, Int. J. Computational Biology and Drug Design, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.209–223.
15 June 2020
Special issue published: "21st Century Manufacturing"
- Mass production strategy for additive manufacturing by stacking the product at design phase
- Teaching leadership in additive manufacturing: doing the right thing, before doing it right
- Phantom holes: optimised internal structural design for use with additive manufacturing, typical fused filament fabrication systems
- A smart decision making tool for cleaning process planning in remanufacturing
- A comparison framework to support the selection of the best additive manufacturing process for specific aerospace applications
- Experimental and numerical investigation on the effect of layer thickness during laser powder-bed fusion of stainless steel 17-4PH
- A statistical approach for process optimisation of digital light processing 3D printing process
- Investigation of the tensile properties in fibre-reinforced additive manufacturing and fused filament fabrication
- Power consumption investigation for fused filament fabricated specimen
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