A step towards improving online music education by developing an AI tool that can recognise musical notation is described in the International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing. The work of Ting Zhang of the Academy of Arts at Shangluo University, Shaanxi, China, addresses a longstanding problem in digital music instruction, where the ability to recognise and interpret musical notation often falls short due to platform limitations. The research shows how image processing and machine learning can help online learners, allowing them to gain a richer, more accurate grasp of musical concepts.

Zhang has developed the Pulse-Coupled Neural Network (PCNN), an artificial neural network inspired by the workings of biological neurons, which "fire" in response to certain stimuli. Traditionally, online music education has relied on simplified digital representations of musical notation, leaving students without crucial guidance when attempting to understand the intricacies of symbols and musical structures.

The PCNN model focuses on improving the digital segmentation of musical symbols within an image of a musical score, for instance. By incorporating oblique spectral correction in the system, Zhang is able to break down the image into segments for precise differentiation between symbols. This allows even distorted representations of the music score to be analysed accurately, taking into account tilted symbols or misalignments.

The use of an optimized Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for the image-recognition tasks makes the system efficient and accurate, giving it an up to 97 percent success rate.

For students, the enhanced notation recognition system could give them feedback in real-time even when no tutor is available for discussion. This system emulates face-to-face instruction, where instant feedback is usually available. The researchers saw notable improvements in student understanding of pitch and rhythm and in their grasping foundational music theory concepts.

Zhang, T. (2024) 'Application of integrated image processing technology based on PCNN in online music symbol recognition training', Int. J. Wireless and Mobile Computing, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp.369–380.
DOI: 10.1504/IJWMC.2024.142069

The population grows daily and with it the number of tourists heading for popular spots, attractions and cities. Research in the International Journal of Security and Networks has considered one aspect of the safety of large crowds, the sheer number of people that might be present in a given location. Qinqin Dong of Xinyang University, China, points out that the biggest challenge in managing dense groups of people in real-time is determining how many people are present in a crowd.

Dong has turned to artificial intelligence to develop a new took that can track and trace the movements of people in a crowd with unprecedented accuracy. The new system, SMACSTR (Scene Monitoring Algorithm based on Crowd Scene Type Recognition), could allow us to improve safety in bustling urban spaces and popular destinations.

The behaviour of a crowd is largely unpredictable unless barriers and other measures are in place to guide their movements. At popular tourist spots, there can be many hundreds or even thousands of people moving in unexpected surges that can represent a risk to safety. Overcrowding leads to bottlenecks and if an emergency arises, hazardous crowd movements that need to be addressed and controlled quickly to avoid injury and death.

Dong's SMACSTR system can carry out crowd scene recognition, to interpret images of crowds and their behaviour. The system focuses on both static and dynamic features within the crowd and allows its operators to spot risky behaviour as it arises and so be able to implement a timely and effective response.

The static component of the system, the static density field, reveals crowd positioning and numbers, while the dynamic, the motion feature maps, indicate how the crowd is behaving. It can distinguish between calm and peaceful movements of individuals in the crowd or the emergence of erratic or panicked behaviour. By combining both characteristics of the crowd, the system can assess risks more effectively in real-time in a way that conventional systems, such as human monitoring of CCTV feeds, might not.

Dong, Q. (2024) 'Safety monitoring system for tourist scenic spots based on crowd scene type recognition', Int. J. Security and Networks, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp.128–137.
DOI: 10.1504/IJSN.2024.141780

A study in the International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics suggests that minimalism is perhaps the only viable, sustainable path forward to address the problem of environmental damage due to ever-increasing consumption. Global consumption is thought to account for almost two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions. Our seemingly endless buying and discarding of material goods at a rapid pace has also become an important factor in environmental degradation.

Varghese Joy and Vijay Kumar Jain of DIT University Dehradun in India, have explored minimalism, a lifestyle shift that emphasizes reduced consumption and purposeful living, as a promising antidote to modern consumer excess.

In the 1970s, the voluntary simplicity movement began in the USA. This advocated for a less material-focused life, but today that kind of minimalism has taken on added urgency. Rather than a lifestyle trend, minimalism could have policy implications and reshape how we think about happiness and well-being and to weave that into mental clarity, purposeful experiences, and environmental responsibility. The team suggests that such a shift in attitude away from endless consumerism could reduce our environmental footprint, as well as moving society towards a less materialistic future.

The team has looked at what they call, enablers, factors that drive people towards a minimalist approach to life. They used interpretive structural modelling to analyse these enablers. At the top of the list were personal attitude, cautious shopping habits, self-sufficiency, and the strategic elimination of clutter. Each of these enablers could have a role in helping people adopt minimalism.

Personal attitude reflects a mindset that eschews the cultural push and pull of materialism. It is an attitude that values experiences over possessions, prioritises environmental responsibility, and allows us to appreciate the non-material side of life. In adopting this positive personal attitude towards minimalism, we might take on conscious consumption where we buy only what we need and not everything we want.

The next enabler is self-sufficiency. This encourages us to focus on using what we already have, maximizing our skills and resources before buying more of anything. This attitude shuns our dependency on novelty and so reduces demand on production, which in turn lessens waste and resource depletion.

Clutter elimination is third on the list and involves removing non-essential items from one's living space to create a calmer, more organized environment, which might then boost mental clarity and reduce stress.

While minimalism seems to offer many personal benefits, such as a less stressful existence, better mental health, and greater fulfilment. The true potential could be on a global scale.

Joy, V. and Jain, V.K. (2024) 'Quest for less! Living with minimalism for building a better sustainable world – a qualitative study exploring millennials perspective', Int. J. Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp.405–428.
DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2024.141846

Remote working and working from home have changed the daily routine for many people around the world allowing them to balance work and life in ways that were simply not possible with the conventional commuter-bracketed 9-to-5. However, a study in the International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management reveals that there is a growing problem, a habit among home-based workers known as "cyberslacking" where they use their normal paid working hours to carry out personal internet activities. Whether doom-scrolling through social media or messaging with family and friends, cyberslacking has, the study suggests, become a common distraction from their work for many home-workers.

It could be that the rush to create a better work-life balance is actually now tipping the scales in a direction detrimental to the employers that rely on their workers to be diligent and fulfil their obligations in a timely, effective, and efficient manners.

The focus of the work by Natasha Tageja and Vijit Chaturvedi of Amity University Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Deepika Mishra and Namita Rajput of the University of Delhi, India, is on the idea that stress, rather than procrastination tendencies or simple laziness, is fuelling this trend. The team used structural equation modelling to analyse surveys from 272 employees across three private information technology companies to see what patterns there might be linking job stress and cyberslacking. Cyberslacking, the team suggests, offers a quick mental escape for the digital nomad or the homeworker, a few stolen moments to distract briefly from the pressures of a demanding job. They suggest that strong ethical values built into the workplace are needed to reverse this trend.

As companies adjust to the new normal of flexible working arrangements, it is time to recognise the implications of job stress on employees and employers alike. For sectors such as information technology, education, and finance, where stress is almost part of the job description, there is an urgent need to address this hidden loss in productivity, especially as it erodes both team performance and organizational goals.

Tageja, N., Mishra, D., Chaturvedi, V. and Rajput, N. (2024) 'What is behind cyberslacking? Investigating the effects of job stress and ethical climate at workplace', Int. J. Public Sector Performance Management, Vol. 14, Nos. 3/4, pp.530–544.
DOI: 10.1504/IJPSPM.2024.142351

A study in the International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics has looked at the largely ignored potential for shipping companies to boost their recruitment appeal through social media. Social media has transformed many industries, such as show business, fashion, and tourism, largely by transforming brand visibility.

In some sectors, such as maritime, it has been less used. Equally, many companies around the world have used LinkedIn and Instagram to attract talent and to grow their corporate image, but the shipping industry has remained cautious. This, the paper suggests, may have left it at a distinct disadvantage in terms of competing for talent new recruits perhaps more readily enticed by job offers in other sectors.

Taha Talip Türkistanlı of Mersin University and Coşkan Sevgili of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Türkiye, surveyed 578 maritime students and analysed the social media activity of 27 shipping companies. The data showed that the maritime sector has a significant opportunity to relaunch its digital presence.

The team found that while larger companies with big fleets had a little more engagement on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn, the overall activity level of the industry was surprisingly low. Shipping companies have not yet sailed into the high seas of social media and as such are perhaps stuck in the doldrums. This lack of engagement with the various platforms means they are almost invisible to the younger demographic that has embraced the digital age.

However, the research also revealed a mismatch between where students look for engaging content and where shipping companies tend to focus their efforts. While Facebook and LinkedIn are the mainstays of the maritime industry, the students surveyed reported a preference for more visually-orientated platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. These are not only visual but offer story-driven formats that seem well-suited to engaging new recruits.

The social media gap suggests that maritime companies might change course and so target younger audiences more effectively. This is especially true as so many prospective recruits use social media not only for job information but to gauge the values and culture of potential employers before applying for jobs.

Türkistanlı, T.T. and Sevgili, C. (2024) 'Social media presence and organisational attractiveness of ship owner and management companies', Int. J. Shipping and Transport Logistics, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp.124–148.
DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2024.142362

The automotive industry is changing as it charges up electric vehicles. In Southeast Asia, the leading vehicle-producing regions, Thailand and Indonesia, are embracing this gear shift and developing new strategies to maintain and even improve their position in the road to electrification.

Writing in the International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, Martin Schröder of Ritsumeikan University in Osaka, Japan, discusses this transition from the fossil-fuel powered internal combustion engine to the electric motor and how it is changing not only the automotive industry radically, but the value chains that exist around it. Moreover, ironically enough, it is sparking new industrial dynamics, with new opportunities and challenges. How, these strategies move forward will redefine the competitive edge of this region.

Until recently, vehicle manufacture has had global spread. Where developing nations could change lanes and become major players in the market and even find themselves in pole position, as may well be the case with Thailand and Indonesia, among the wider producers of the region. Indeed, they had already geared up to commodified production processes that allow for standardized manufacturing methods. Now, the boom in electric vehicle production is disrupting the landscape because it requires different technologies that were not previously part of automotive manufacture, such as lithium-ion batteries.

The work points out that Thailand is perhaps taking a more conservative approach based on its existing strengths and working with vehicle manufacturers elsewhere. However, pressure from Chinese manufacturers is forcing it to rethink its conservative approach. In contrast, Indonesia has taken a less conventional route. It has built on its abundant nickel reserves, a critical material in battery production, to underpin its electric vehicle industry. Indonesia has this managed to establish itself as a key supplier for Southeast Asia.

The contrasting approaches of Thailand and Indonesia show how industrial policies can either reinforce or redefine a country's position in the global automotive landscape. The research could thus help policymakers elsewhere understand how to drive forward their manufacturing sectors in this area and participate in the global electric vehicle market.

Schröder, M. (2024) 'Towards a new division of labour in Southeast Asia: Indonesian and Thai Industrial policy and the electric vehicle value chain in ASEAN', Int. J. Automotive Technology and Management, Vol. 24, No. 5, pp.73–99.
DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2024.142126

Research in the International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development has looked at how mindfulness can play a role in keeping volunteers engaged and less likely to leave their roles in non-profit organisations. The research looks at the notion of job embeddedness and uncovers several ways in which mindfulness helps strengthen the connection between individuals and their voluntary work. The findings could help these organisations and perhaps commercial concerns develop better strategies to reduce staff turnover.

Luc Phan Tan of Thu Dau Mot University, Binh Duong and Lan Pham Xuan of the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, explain that mindfulness is a mental practice that involves one paying close attention to the present moment and the present activity. It involves avoiding distracting thoughts about the past or the future or other activities while involved in the given activity. They add that there are three aspects to job embeddedness: fit, which refers to how well an individual's skills and values match their role; links, which means the social connections they form at work; and sacrifice, which represents what they might lose if the person were to leave their position.

The team found that mindfulness positively influences all three dimensions of job embeddedness. However, it was only the surveyed volunteers' sense of "fit" that was associated with their intention to leave.

It is obvious, but worth noting, that volunteers are not bound by the financial incentives that employees have. Their commitment to a role has to derive from a sense of personal fulfilment, altruism, and purpose. As such, volunteers are often less tightly bound to their role than a company employee might be. For non-profits that obviously depend heavily on volunteer labour, this freedom can lead to high turnover rates. The concept of mindfulness might help volunteers and an organisation foster a greater sense of connection that might reduce turnover if successful in its goals. While the study focuses on volunteer workers, it could be applicable to paid employees in any sector that suffers from high staff turnover.

Tan, L.P. and Xuan, L.P. (2024) 'Impact of mindfulness on intention to leave among volunteers of non-profit organisations through job embeddedness', Int. J. Management and Enterprise Development, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp.289–306.
DOI: 10.1504/IJMED.2024.142300

Textile patterns are woven into the fabric of many parts of manufacturing, from clothes and soft furnishings to the interiors of luxury cars and public transport vehicles and beyond. A new approach to classification of these patterns based on artificial intelligence is discussed in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology. ZhaoJue Dai of Wenzhou Polytechnic in Wenzhou, China, has developed an advanced method to automate textile pattern classification, which can cope with the incredible diversity of fabric designs.

Textile classification has traditionally been done by eye. But, in an era of information overload where there are myriad fabric designs entering the marketplace every day and patterns have become increasingly sophisticated as design, production technology, and dyes advance, classification needs more than an expert eye. Dai explains that computer vision, a branch of artificial intelligence that enables machines to see and interpret visual information, could solve the problem of textile overload.

Dai has now used convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to bring the process of textile classification into the digital age. She uses two techniques: mixture enhancement and attribute clustering within the analysis. Mixture enhancement can combine several textile images to create "enriched" digital swatches that can be used to train the CNN. This essentially teaches the computer to recognize novel patterns, improving its ability to handle the sheer diversity of textile designs in the real world. Attribute clustering then organizes the patterns by grouping together shared features. When presented with samples, the algorithm then has the ability to spot the nuances in a textile and classify it accordingly.

To fine-tune the process, Dai used entropy discretization. This technique converts continuous data into chunks that can be handled by the computer more efficiently as it compares different textiles. The system thus achieves a classification accuracy of well over 90 percent. This is better than previous textile classification models, which often unravel when presented with highly detailed or ornate designs.

Dai, ZJ. (2024) 'Textile pattern style classification based on popular mixture enhancement and attribute clustering', Int. J. Information and Communication Technology, Vol. 25, No. 8, pp.49–63.
DOI: 10.1504/IJICT.2024.142294

Technology increasingly relies on facial recognition, whether to unlock one's smartphone or to monitor public spaces. However, faces move, cameras rarely face catch use perfectly face on. People tilt their heads, glance sideways, or are caught in the periphery of a busy scene. This issue thus remains a challenge for facial recognition systems that tend to need our full attention, as it were.

Research in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology discusses a new approach developed by a team in China – the Guided Deformable Attention (GDA) network. Bin Deng and Guanghui Dengof Hunan University of Technology in Zhuzhou, Hunan, China, say this approach steps up to address the problem of rotated faces. The system could improve security systems as well as have applications in gaming and the entertainment industry in general.

Standard facial recognition systems use convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to detect features such as our eyes and nose based on their expected position in a straightforward, front-facing portrait. They are quite rigid in how they work and require fixed kernels to detect those features and confirm an identity based on the precise positions, size, and shape in the acquired image of the person's face. The CNNs have been improved in recent years by allowing deformable convolutions, but this still does not work well in complicated real-world environments such as crowds or other busy scenes.

The new GDA network approach could solve the problem by introducing a guiding mechanism that helps the system remain focused on the face itself, regardless of orientation or background noise. The key innovation here is the system's ability to maintain its focus on the essential structure of a face even when there are distractions in the scene. The system, the researchers explain, knows what a face looks like and can remain locked on it. This is not dissimilar to the ability of many modern digital cameras to track a moving object, such as an animal, and to focus lock on to the animal's eye for the best photograph.

The GDA first identifies the location of the face within an image using an affine matrix, a mathematical method that allows the system to rotate or scale the image to get a better understanding of where the face might be. The second step is to refine this detection process using those deformable convolutions. It does this in such a way as to remain locked on the face and not turns its digital attention to competing objects or noise in the acquired image.

Thus, in security surveillance, where faces in a crowd rarely present themselves in perfect profile, the system can home in on a chosen face, and accurately detect that face in the crowd for subsequent identification. The approach is not limited to security and law enforcement. It could be used in virtual reality and augmented reality, where users' faces are often seen from different angles yet accurate face detection is important to creating an immersive, real-time experience for the user.

Deng, B. and Deng, G. (2024) 'Rotation-invariant face detection with guided deformable attention', Int. J. Information and Communication Technology, Vol. 25, No. 8, pp.32–48.
DOI: 10.1504/IJICT.2024.142299

In an era where realism is expectated in animated films, motion capture technology (MCT) has emerged as the secret weapon of modern animation studios. Thanks to its ability to capture and replicate real-life movements, the technology has transformed the creative process, allowing digital characters to leap, stroll, and even blink with a degree of nuance that was not possible in animation just a few years ago.

Once upon a time, animators had to painstakingly create frames by hand to create the illusion of movement. Computers reduced the workload but the subtlety of human movement and facial expression was often lost and an animated character would never look quite as authentic as an actor. Motion capture opened up a more direct route to visual realism and allowed the creatives to tell their stories more evocatively than ever before. Today, digital artists can access libraries of real-world movements and expressions that can be incorporated into their work.

The impact of this technology can be seen in landmark films such as Avatar and The Lord of the Rings, where MCT breathed life into digital creatures and characters, making their movements appear real and adding emotional authenticity to the characters. Indeed, the technology's ability to replicate dynamic body language and facial expressions with precision allows animations to mimic the subtleties of behaviour, whether that's a playful wink from the heroine or the flick of a unicorn's tail.

All that said, the application of motion capture is no longer the reserve of the movie industry. Writing in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology, Zhuqing Liu of the Jin Zhong Vocational and Technical College in Shanxi, China, explains how this technology is now spilling into the virtual and augmented reality environments. Here it is leading to new approaches in creating immersive and interactive experiences.

Liu explains that motion capture systems are not perfect and still have challenges such as limb and hand detection for the most intricate movements crucial to truly life-like animation. Better sensors and higher-resolution cameras are allowing the initial motion capture to be done more accurately. The ongoing refinement of software, meanwhile, is heading inevitably into the area of advanced algorithms and machine learning which can analyse those captured movements and allow them to be replicated in an animation with intricate and realistic detail.

The technology has obvious applications in film and television, but also in video games, and even medical simulations as well as in research looking at how our bodies move in real life.

Liu, Z. (2024) 'Optimisation of digital media technology for film and television animation post-production considering motion capture technology', Int. J. Information and Communication Technology, Vol. 25, No. 8, pp.1–13.
DOI: 10.1504/IJICT.2024.142297