Special issue published: "Functional Nitrides and Oxides: Growth, Properties and Applications"

International Journal of Nanotechnology 19(2/3/4/5) 2022

• ZnO nanostructures assisted growth using different NH4F concentrations for photovoltaic applications
• Analysis on the performance of normalised gain difference power allocation for MIMO-NOMA-based VLC
• Chromaticity study of La2O3-PVA nanofibres prepared by electrospinning process for UV light down conversion for white light emitting diode
• Study of glaring effect from light emitting diodes via lens approach
• Characteristics of titanium dioxide nanotubes annealed under various conditions and quenched using liquid nitrogen
• Investigation on facile synthesis of YAG:Ce nanoceramic powder prepared by microwave solution combustion and its application in white light emission
• X-ray diffraction analysis of gallium oxide thin films synthesised by a simple and cost-effective method
• Characteristics of TiO2-Cu thin films deposited using electrospray technique
• Effect of post-sputter oxidation temperature on the cerium thin films grown by DC sputtering method
• Effects of post-deposition annealing in oxygen ambient of RF magnetron sputtered Ga2O3 thin film
• Encapsulation of Ag nanoparticle-carbon composite and enhancement of visible light ZnO nanorods photodiode
• Synthesis of zinc oxide nanotwins using electrochemical deposition technique at different current densities
• A comparison study of ZnO, InZnO, GaZnO and InGaZnO physical properties and optical bandgap
• Growth, characterisation and thermal stability of AlN/Ti/AlN/SiO2 multilayer selective solar absorber coating for high temperature applications
• Photoelectrochemical activity of magnetron sputtered ZnO thin films: role of thermal annealing
• Nanostructured zinc oxide growth on nickel and palladium seed layer using laser-assisted chemical bath deposition
• Inhomogeneity of InGaN/GaN MQWs in InGaN based blue LED by atom probe tomography and secondary ion mass spectrometry
• Influence of etching time on the porous p-type gallium nitride using alternating current photo-assisted electrochemical etching technique
• Effects of post-annealing on GaN thin films growth using RF magnetron sputtering
• Effect of nucleation time on GaN layer grown on different shapes of patterned sapphire substrate
• Effects of different growth temperatures towards indium incorporation in InGaN quantum well heterostructure
• Influence of growth temperature of p-GaN layer on the characteristics of InGaN/GaN blue light emitting diodes
• Influence of potassium hydroxide molarity and etching time on etching of Al-rich aluminium gallium nitride layer
• Effects of annealing conditions on sol-gel dip coated β-Ga2O3 thin films
• Effects of dry oxidation treatments on the characteristics of gallium oxide thin films prepared using sol-gel spin coating method
• Influence of gas flow rate on the thermal performance of AlNB alloy as a solid thermal interface material for thermal management applications (heat spreading)
• Impedance spectroscopy analysis of Al/100-plane AlN/p-Si MIS prepared by HiPIMS method for tailoring dielectric properties
• High-sensitivity room temperature p-doped and undoped GaN thin film resistive gas sensor

Special issue published: "Advances in Environmental Engineering"

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management 25(4) 2022

• Prediction method of pollutant release rate of building materials based on characteristic constraints
• Total indoor environmental pollutant control of intelligent building based on dynamic CGE
• Evaluation method of solid construction waste recycling capacity based on AHP-fuzzy algorithm
• Rapid decomposition of organic pollutants in chemical nanocomposites
• Air harmful gas concentration monitoring method based on particle filter algorithm
• An ecological environmental carrying capacity estimation of tourist attractions based on structural equation
• Analysis on the coupling degree of water source ecological environment based on 3S technology
• Modelling of the impact of land planning and development on regional ecological environment

Special issue published: "The Transformations of the Global Automotive Industry: Digitalisation, Ecological Transition and the Impact Of The COVID-19 Crisis" (includes Open Access article)

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management 22(2) 2022

• Agents and artefacts in the emerging electric vehicle space
• Specialised vertical integration: the value-chain strategy of EV lithium-ion battery firms in China
• The transformation of the Slovak and Czech automotive industries: stakeholders' perspectives and barriers towards an ecological mobility industry
• Changes in productivity and labour relations: artificial intelligence in the automotive sector in Portugal [OPEN ACCESS]
• Towards Factory 4.0? Convergence and divergence of lean models in Italian automotive plants

Research pick: Donation dilemma - "On the legal nature of gamete donation"

When it comes to the donation of sperm or egg, gamete donation, there is an inherent ethical conflict – the right to privacy of the donor and the child’s right to know their biological parent. Hanna Krushelnytska of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv discusses the legal nature of gamete donation in the International Journal of Public Law and Policy.

Technology and medicine have brought us to a point in human history unlike any other, where we can carry out biological processes in vitro that once could only be done in vivo. As such, there are now many people in the world who were born through an unconventional meeting of sperm and egg. Technically, we might talk of “assisted reproduction” or “artificial reproduction”, but there is, of course, nothing artificial about the person’s humanity. The law, however, is often slow to keep up with technological advances and the moral dilemmas they often bring with them.

Krushelnytska has looked at legislation around the world surrounding donor anonymity and the rights of the children born through assisted reproduction. The conflicts are essentially enshrined in different laws wherein they are regarded as medical laws in some contexts but also commercial law where the legislation encompasses the transactions and payments that might be made. Of course, the laws are asymmetrical when considering sperm and egg and how those are obtained and used.

There is an urgent need for tangled legal structures to be unknotted and the rights of donors and children to be clarified. How this might be done successfully given the inherent conflicting status of the various parties remains to be seen.

Krushelnytska, H. (2022) ‘On the legal nature of gamete donation’, Int. J. Public Law and Policy, Vol. 8, Nos. 3/4, pp.256–270.

Free open access article available: "Noble isotopic gas fractionation characteristics of China's first batch commercial shale wells in the early production stage"

The following paper, "Noble isotopic gas fractionation characteristics of China's first batch commercial shale wells in the early production stage" (International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology 30(4) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Special issue published: "Contemporary Marketing Practices for Business Sustainability"

International Journal of Economics and Business Research 24(1/2) 2022

• Youth underemployment in the Turkish labour market
• High-frequency stock market connectedness in G-7: evidence from time-frequency domains
• Trend and impact analysis of master's theses and doctoral dissertations completed in Turkey on the topic of 'leadership'
• Tripartite relationship of ethical behaviour, job involvement, and job performance and its relevance in the IT sector in India
• Modelling drivers of millennials' green consumption behaviour: an interpretive structural modelling approach
• Investigation of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for the MINT countries: the ecological footprint approach
• Gender of top manager and firm innovation performance
• Exploring the relation between micro-lending and economic growth - evidence from Indian macro environment
• An analysis of employee happiness, engagement and organisational commitment in the banking sector of India
• Measuring shared mobility feasibility through shared mobility readiness and hesitation indices
• A critical study of entrepreneurship and philanthropic activities of diaspora in India

Additional papers

• The effects of capital raising on corporate social responsibility of chaebol firms
• Efficiency of public sector banks in achieving the goal of PMJDY and PMMY
• Identifying the factors affecting firm performance and growth: the case of Italian publicly listed companies
• Entrepreneurship and digital markets
• Integrated index of competitiveness as a basis for analysis of management systems for sustainable development of the territory

Research pick: Home work - "COVID-19 work from home stressors and the degree of its impact: employers and employees actions"

Working from home became, if not obligatory, then certainly de facto for many employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this stage in the pandemic as the new normal becomes entrenched the advantages of working from home have been recognised by employee and employer alike and for many the pandemic practice has become de rigueur.

Researchers from Oman writing in the International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation have looked at the stresses and strains that the practice of homeworking has put on employees and the people they live with. Anna C. Bocar of the Faculty of Business Management Studies at Gulf College in Maabelah, Muscat and Shad Ahmad Khan and Ferdinand J. Epoc of the College of Business at the University of Buraimi in Al Buraimi found that fundamentally issues arise because the home does not necessarily have the infrastructure or facilities for many types of job.

Jobs that were pushed out of the workplace and into domesticity by social distancing, lockdown, and isolation rules meant employees had to find ways to carry on their normal work in the domestic setting in a way that many had not done before and also to accommodate family life. Employees in all kinds of sector – legal, financial, media, any where communication and work could be digitalised were affected.

The team found that it is the employee’s personal perspective that mattered the most in terms of the stresses and strains they faced during enforced working from home. Moreover, only when employees begin to take action themselves to remove the stressors that their employers recognise the problems and take action themselves, the employers are not proactive in helping their employees, in other words. The research points to how things must change if employees are to carry on working from home and for those who return to the workplace how things must change before the next major crisis.

Bocar, A.C., Khan, S.A. and Epoc, F.J. (2022) ‘COVID-19 work from home stressors and the degree of its impact: employers and employees actions’, Int. J. Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp.270–291.

Free open access article available: "Toward a sustainable social healthcare enterprise development model"

The following paper, "Toward a sustainable social healthcare enterprise development model" (International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management 36(1) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Fuzzy Computation and Modelling

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Fuzzy Computation and Modelling are now available here for free:

• New similarity measures for Pythagorean fuzzy sets with applications
• A new approach to find optimal solution of fuzzy assignment problem using penalty method for hendecagonal fuzzy number
• Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy PID controllers: mathematical models and stability analysis with multiple fuzzy sets
• Prediction of flood hazard map based on hybrid fuzzy geographic information system and its application for Ayamama watershed
• Development of fuzzy-based autoregressive integrated moving average exogenous input model for filtration process

Free open access article available: "Changes in productivity and labour relations: artificial intelligence in the automotive sector in Portugal"

The following paper, "Changes in productivity and labour relations: artificial intelligence in the automotive sector in Portugal" (International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management 22(2) 2022), is freely available for download as an open access article.

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

Special issue published: "Smart Service Technology for Industrial Applications"

International Journal of Internet Manufacturing and Services 8(3) 2022

• A local failure identification technology of Industrial 4.0 server based on spark big data processing
• A stable data transmission method of industrial internet of things communication based on bat algorithm
• Research on communication information hiding method of industrial internet of things based on deep fusion
• Joint scheduling control of workflow in information communication network based on hybrid modelling
• Digital information storage method of power grid enterprises based on random forest
• Cloud service workflow scheduling algorithm based on priority rules
• Material scheduling method of automated industrial production line based on FL-net network
• A low-carbon distribution route selection of supply chain logistics based on internet of things
• A rapid detection method of drug quality based on RFID technology

Research pick: Digital twins down on the farm - "Agricultural digital twins"

Researchers in China discuss the concept of “digital twins” as might be used to improve efficiency and yields, cut costs, and improve safety in agriculture. Details are published in the International Journal of Adaptive and Innovative Systems.

A “digital twin” is commonly thought of as being a dynamic, computerized representation of a physical or object or system that models that object or process in real-time. It can be manipulated to see how “virtual” changes made to the object or system might affect their real-world counterparts. The original concept of this kind of simulation emerged from work on “information mirroring models” at the University of Michigan by Michael Grieves, although the term “digital twin” was first used by the US Air Force Laboratory in 2009 and then by NASA in its efforts to model the behaviour and response of its spacecraft. Of course, as with many advanced systems and simulations there is no single definition.

Researchers at the China University of Petroleum (East China) in Qingdao and Qingdao University point out that digital twins have been used in a variety of contexts and suggest that the time is ripe for digital twins to be used in agriculture. The team explains that digital twins can act as “a bridge between the physical world and the digital world”. As such, they need to be built on various underlying technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality but might also incorporate aspects of model-based systems engineering and digital threading. There is, of course, the scope for artificial intelligence and machine learning to play a role. The internet of things is the foundation on which a digital twin is constructed acting to connect the real world to the virtual.

Digital twins have been used in manufacturing, in city planning, and even on the battlefield. Given that agriculture in many parts of the world is based on often centuries-old approaches, the digital twin concept is set to revolutionise farming life. It will allow simulations of agricultural activities to be carried out as well as assist with remote monitoring, control, and coordination of those activities on the farm.

Zhao, Y., Jiang, Z., Qiao, L., Guo, J., Pang, S. and Lv, Z. (2022) ‘Agricultural digital twins’, Int. J. Adaptive and Innovative Systems, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp.144–156.

Special issue published: "Excellence In Business: An Emerging Markets Perspective"

Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development 14(1) 2022

• An empirical evaluation of entrepreneurial orientation in the context of innovation in new ventures
• Analysis of strategic motives for formation of alliances using total interpretive structural modelling
• Artificial intelligence and hospitality industry: systematic review using TCCM and bibliometric analysis
• Multilevel analysis of factors influencing innovation through m-TISM approach
• Leveraging technological factors and strategic alliances to achieve sustainable development goals
• Critical factors for knowledge management implementation: a TISM validation

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Data Science

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

• Managing employee turnover: machine learning to the rescue
• Hybrid approach for content-based image retrieval
• Proficient approaches for scalability and security in IoT through edge/fog/cloud computing: a survey
• A novel security scheme using deep learning based low overhead localised flooding algorithm for wireless sensor networks
• Dynamic sorting and average skyline method for query processing in spatial-temporal data

Special issue published: "Exoskeletons – Human-Centred Modelling, Simulation and Implementation"

International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation 7(3/4) 2022

• Towards standard test artefacts for synchronous tracking of human-exoskeleton knee kinematics
• A comparison of different methods for modelling the physical human-exoskeleton interface
• DHM supported assessment of the effects of using an exoskeleton during work
• Auditory movement feedforward for a lower-limb exoskeleton device (AIDER) to increase transparency
• Study on multivariate analysis of anthropometric measures for upper body exoskeletons using archetypal analysis
• Biomechanical investigation of a passive upper-extremity exoskeleton for manual material handling - a computational parameter study and modelling approach

Additional papers

• Design and development of a game-engine-based simulator specialised on ships evacuation
• Estimation of body surface area coverage by garment items: different approaches using mesh base modelling

Research pick: Processing social media with fuzzy logic - "Applying fuzzy logic for multicriteria performance analysis of social media networking"

Fuzzy logic processing has been used to carry out an analysis of performance in social media networking. Details can be found in the International Journal of Fuzzy Computation and Modelling.

Ridhima Mehta of the School of Computer and Systems Sciences at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India, explains how fuzzy logic, with its roots in 1960s computer science, can be used to help us solve a very modern problem: handling the huge streams of data from social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and finding ways to analyse and interpret connectivity and sentiment in those streams.

Social media has become almost ubiquitous in many parts of the world, hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people rely on it for entertainment, news, business, communication with friends, family, and colleagues, and more. The huge quantities of information shuttled around the various networks is almost impossible to process given how disparate messages and updates, content, and context can be. Fuzzy logic, an extension of the far more conventional Boolean logic, offers a tool to process datasets in a more useful manner than attempting to analyse word-by-word or sentence-by-sentence.

The team demonstrated proof of principle with a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) fuzzy inference system. The inputs, Mehta explains, are processed based on the concepts and operations associated with the fuzzy set theory coupled with the stored knowledge in the form of a rule base. Outputs are based on these inputs. Error rates were at least 90 percent improved on existing methods, Mehta found.

Mehta explains that the proposed fuzzy-based design can be integrated with other multiple-objective optimisation techniques such as genetic algorithms, Markov decision process, particle swarm optimisation to obtain several optimal social networking performance objectives.

Mehta, R. (2022) ‘Applying fuzzy logic for multicriteria performance analysis of social media networking’, Int. J. Fuzzy Computation and Modelling, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp.51–72.

Special issue published: "Decision Analytics for Improvements in Operational Systems"

International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage 14(1) 2022

• Analysis of barriers in implementation of blockchain technology in Indian industries
• Multi-objective optimisation and analysis of fused deposition modelling parameters: best infill patterns
• Contemplation of food industry attributes confronted in smooth adoption of Lean Six Sigma practices
• Implementation of Lean Six Sigma in industrial manufacturing applications: a case study
• Structural modelling and ranking the warehouse activities in a pharmaceutical supply chain system
• Analysis of performance evaluation and issues of last mile delivery by AHP technique
• Understanding LSS 4.0 through golden circle model and reviewing its scope in Indian textile industry
• Barrier analysis for channel synchronisation and implementation of omni channel supply chain strategy meeting customer preferences
• Estimation of best possible solutions for environmental trade-offs in cold supply chain using BWM based ELECTRE-I approach

Special issue published: "Intelligent Security Using Blockchain for Internet of Things"

International Journal of Electronic Business 17(3) 2022

• Security framework for IoT and deep belief network-based healthcare system using blockchain technology
• RPL enhancement with mobility-aware two-stage objective function for improving network lifetime in IoT
• A Markov decision process-based secure consensus framework for leveraging blockchain technology in IoT applications
• Blockchain-based consensus algorithm for solving security issues in distributed internet of things
• Modified handshake protocol-based secure authentication using blockchain technology in WLAN

Special issue published: "Advanced Smart Materials"

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 65(1) 2022

• Research on numerical simulation of wear temperature field of vehicle brake disc based on SIFI feature
• Fatigue crack detection of heavy duty railway track based on decision fusion analysis
• The mechanical properties and microstructure of 1,000 MPa grade Cu-Ni TRIP steel at different bainitic isothermal temperatures
• Detection method of interface defects of titanium nitride thin film coating materials based on image processing
• Experimental study on impact compression performance of expressway concrete
• A comparative study on the photodegradation efficiency of TiO2-CS hybrid beads under wet and dry conditions
• The effect of MnO2 concentration on the formation of MnO2/ZnO thin films with bifunctional thermal insulation and photocatalytic self-cleaning performance

Research pick: Will we ever smash the glass ceiling? - "The glass ceiling phenomenon in the US and EU labour market: a comparative study"

The “glass ceiling” is a metaphor for the barriers facing women and various minorities in the workplace when they strive for promotion or other improvements in their career. Research published in the International Journal of Services and Operations Management, compares the phenomenon in the European Union and the USA.

Saška Gavrilovska and Balasundram Maniam of the Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, USA, have found that the glass ceiling has been raised somewhat in recent times with many women and members of minority groups achieving higher mid-level positions at many companies and institutions. However, the barrier is still very much in evidence in terms of limited opportunities to break through the glass ceiling to top-level management positions. The team suggests that personality differences, discrimination, and the challenges of motherhood and childcare often reinforce the glass ceiling.

Earlier work and common experience suggest that there remain significant inequities between men and women and between majority and minority groups. Pay and grade disparities remain strong. To reduce workplace discrimination and promote gender and equality in general, there is a need for improved rights and policies, which should be adopted by companies and enacted in law. The EU and USA do have in place policies to improve rights, but there are many gaps, oversights, and loopholes that mean the glass ceiling, while slightly higher than in the past, remains a major barrier for women and minority groups.

Gavrilovska, S. and Maniam, B. (2022) ‘The glass ceiling phenomenon in the US and EU labour market: a comparative study’, Int. J. Services and Operations Management, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp.422–438.