How to know review time of Elsevier journal

As a researcher, it is very difficult to wait for your research paper to publish when you have completed all your work. Therefore, Elsevier provides few metrics for their journals so that researcher can plan accordingly.

 

Those who are willing to submit their papers in Elsevier journals can find the average review time through the matrix shown at each journal homepage.

One of the section, Journal Insights, gives three links, out of which, the speed shows the review time a journal takes during the review. Although it is an average review time, it helps us to further decides the journals.

Eg. https://www.journals.elsevier.com/future-generation-computer-systems

Courtesy: Mr. Keyur Parmar

Originally posted on 12/01/2015 at https://brijeshbmehta.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/elsevier-journal-review-time/

Is plastic bag ban for the environment or new way of earning for mega stores? - part 2

In continuation of my previous article titled, "Is plastic bag ban for the environment or new way of earning for mega stores?" which was a discussion about the loot going on in mall in the name of saving environment. I was delighted to see paper bags or cotton bags were given to the customers who doesn't bring their own bags for shopping at malls in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Big Bazaar cotton bag

Reliance Trends Paper Bag

Above images shows that Rajasthan is really thinking about saving the environment by using paper or cotton bags instead of polythin bags. Even I discuss with some of my friends from other states about this issue and they also mentioned that their respective states are also following same practice.

Therefore, My question is for shopping malls in Gujarat that when are they start such practice. I know our Gujarati people may argue that it will ultimately increase the cost of bags and customer only has to suffer but I also analyze that they are charging 2 Rupees for the bag shown in picture 1 and 5 Rupees for the bag shown in picture 2 which is lesser than the polythin bag we buy nowadays. My humble request to all the malls in Gujarat to stop cheating customer by selling same polythin bag in the name of environment and start thinking in a real way to save environment.

Self-appraisal: a nice story

I posted this story few years back on my alternate blog and still it is very much applicable to many of us working at different places. We have to work in the way the boy work in the story.

Just read it..

It's awesome attitude

A Little boy went to a telephone booth which was at the cash counter of a store and dialled a number. The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation;

Boy: “Madam, can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?”

Woman: (at the other end of the phone line) “I already have someone to cut my lawn.”

Boy: “Madam, I will cut your lawn for half the price than the person who cuts your lawn now.”

Woman: “I’m very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting the lawn.”

Boy: (with more perseverance) “Madam, I’ll even sweep the floor and the stairs of your house for free.”

Woman: “No, thank you.”

With a smile on his face, the little boy put the receiver down. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.

Store-owner: “Son, I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job.”

Boy: “No thanks.”

Store-owner: “But you were really pleading for one.”

Boy: “No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!”

This is called "Self-Appraisal”

Give your best and the world comes to you!!!

Originally posted on 12/01/2015 at https://brijeshbmehta.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/self-appraisal-a-nice-story/

Ubuntu: A very nice story...!

An Anthropologist proposed one game to the kids of African tribal children.

He placed a basket of fruits near a tree.

And made them stand 100 meters away.

And announced that whoever reaches first would get all the fruits in the basket.

When he said ready steady go...

Do you know what these small children did?

They all caught each other's hands and ran towards the tree together, divided the fruits among them and ate the fruits and enjoyed it.

When the Anthropologist asked them why you did so?

They said 'Ubuntu'

Which meant: 'How can one be happy when all the others are sad?'

Ubuntu in their language means: 'I am because we are!'

Let's all of us always carry this attitude within us and spread happiness, wherever we go...!

Courtesy: Rajul Shah

Originally posted on 07/01/2015 at https://brijeshbmehta.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/ubuntu-a-very-nice-story/

Fish story

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish but the water close to Japan has not held much fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.

The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish was not fresh.

To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.

However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish and they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin.

After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis!

But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan.

How did they manage...?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh!

Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull....?

Basically, in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active.

If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized. Don’t create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills, and abilities to make a difference. Put a shark in your tank this year and see how far you can really.

Happy New Year

Courtesy: Abhilash Nair

Originally posted on 06/01/2015 at https://brijeshbmehta.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/fish-story/

Privacy in Big Mobile Data

When I was preparing my seminar report, I found one very interesting article about privacy and security issues written by Lee Garber. He has mentioned in the article that, Bit Defender, a Romanian security vendor, has found many Android applications, which can access and even send information like, users’ location, contact lists with phone numbers and email addresses, as well as photos without their consent. They also analyzed 836,021 Android applications on Google’s Play Store and found that about 33% of them could reveal location-related data. About 5% located and opened photos on users’ phones, and approximately 3% reveal their email data.

This is really a very serious issue. In the era of mobile and big data, it is very difficult to preserve a privacy. It feels like, mobile is more of a spying device than a communication one. Over-collection of data is one of the biggest problems with smartphone apps. nowadays, there are apps for almost everything starting from social networking to banking but do we actually need all those apps? I also found in some paper that, "brightest flashlight" app collects location information of the user which actually doesn't require to illuminate the light! This is only one example there are many apps which are collecting more of our personal data than they actually need.

What we can do to preserve our privacy?

I suggest, to install only those apps which you really need more often. e.g. if you are not a regular buyer of Flipkart why to download its app? you may access its website from your mobile browser too. Isn't it?

In any case, you find that some app is helpful to you. check its consent page, which data is going to be accessed by that app? if you find it legitimate then only install it.

Your mobile phone might have a lot of personal data which you don't want to share with anyone. Therefore, please avoid installing any app without reading its consent page thoroughly. Because some apps may create a back door and steal your data and be consuming memory and processing power of mobile too. This may lead to a huge loss financially, socially, and sometimes physically.

Please be aware of privacy and beware of fraudulent apps.

Hope you find this article interesting.

 Originally posted on 23/11/2014 at https://brijeshbmehta.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/privacy-in-big-mobile-data/

Google Opinion Rewards: A rewarding app from Google

While surfing Google Play Store, I came across this amazingly rewarding App from Google; Google Opinion Rewards. It asks you to fill some short surveys or sometimes reviews about different places. It won't take much of your time and you will definitely be rewarded with some Google Play Credit, which you can use to buy some paid Apps from Google Play Store. The more questions you answer the more credit you earns.

Here is the screen shot of what I earned in last 15 days from this App.

I don't know any trick to earn more credit but what I analyze in this short duration is that It is using our location information to provide relevant surveys. Therefore, I advise you to keep GPS on in your mobile. The person who travels more may receive more opinion polls. However, from the review of App I found that people who are giving genuine answers to the survey questions are getting more surveys. I also advise you to not take the survey questions lightly because answer of your current question may affect the future questions and surveys. Therefore, take your time to fill the survey and enjoy earning free Google Play Credits.