Friday, September 22, 2017

IIIS Seeks "Trandisciplinarity" and "Co-regulative Cybernetic Loops"

A paragraph "About Us" states that "Integration is a main purpose of the international Institute of Informatics and Systemics (IIIS) "• Integration among disciplines: Inter-Disciplinary Research, Education, and Communication. • Integration of Academic Activities: Research, Education, and Consulting/Real life Problem solving.• Integration among Academy, Industry, and Society." This means that "Consequently, IIIS organizes multidisciplinary conferences ... ." The "Current Main Purpose" is turgid:
A main purpose ... is to foster knowledge integration processes, interdisciplinary communication, and integration of academic Activities. Based on 1) the trandisciplinarity of the systemic approach along with its essential characteristic of emphasizing relationships and integrating processes, and 2) on the multidisciplinary support of informatics concepts, notions, theories, technologies, and tools, the IIIS has been organizing in its initial phase multidisciplinary conferences as a platform for fostering inter-disciplinary communication and knowledge integration processes. In many senses, Intra- and Inter-disciplinary Communications are polar opposites. They do not contradict, but complement, each other. Table 1 schematically contrasts characteristics of both kinds of academic communication. Up to the present, the IIIS has been using the format of conversational sessions to support interdisciplinary communications processes. Table 2 schematically contrasts characteristics of both kinds of academic communications. As a second phase, IIIS is starting a process of written interdisciplinary communication via special issues in its journals, short monographs, multiple author books, etc. Multi-disciplinary conferences are organized by the IIIS as support for both intra- and inter-disciplinary communication. Processes of intra-disciplinary communication are mainly achieved via traditional paper presentations in corresponding disciplines, while conversational sessions regarding trans- and interdisciplinary topics are means for inter-disciplinary communications. Intra- and inter-disciplinary communications might generate co-regulative cybernetic loops, via negative feedback, and synergic effects, via positive feedback loops, in which both kinds of communications could increase their respective effectiveness. Figure 1 shows at least two cybernetic loops ...
Loopy indeed.

The "institute" appears be located in Caracas. A web page gives a "postal address" of 13750 West Colonial Dr, Suite 350 - 408 Winter Garden, Florida 34787 U.S.A., but the domain iiis.org is registered to Int'l Inst. of Informatics & Systemics, Torre Prof. La California, Suite PH-4, Av. Fco. de Miranda, La California Norte, Caracas, Venezuela, +58.2129621325, IIIS-Adm@iiis.org. The spam includes another Caracas address.
Email
  • Date: 9/22/17, 2:22 am
    From: PISTA 2018 <cfp-summer@mail.iiisconf2018.org>
    Subject: 1st CFP - Politics and Informatics (July 8-11, 2018)
    Please consider contributing by submitting an article to the Special Track on Politics and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications: PISTA 2018 (http://www.2018iiisconf.org/pista), being organized in the context of the 12th International Multi-Conference on Society, Cybernetics, and Informatics (IMSCI 2018), to be held on July 8 - 11, 2018, in Orlando, Florida, USA, jointly with:
    • The Special Track on Social and Organizational Informatics and Cybernetics: SOIC 2018
    • The Special Track on Qualitative Research, Modeling, and Methodologies: QRMSE 2018
    • The Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship: SIE 2018
    • The 22nd World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics: WMSCI 2018
    The respective web sites of the above events and the others being jointly organized can be found at the general CFP posted at: http://www.2018iiisconf.org/cfp-summer2018.asp
    To submit your article, please click the "Authors" tab on the conference website. Submissions for face-to-face and virtual presentations are both accepted.
    The deadlines for this first CFP are the following: • October 10th, 2017: Article submissions • October 10th, 2017: Invited session proposals • November 23rd, 2017: Notifications of acceptance • December 14th, 2017: Uploading of camera-ready or final version
    IMSCI/PISTA and all its collocated events are being indexed by Elsevier's SCOPUS since 2005. The 2018 proceedings will also be sent to Elsevier's SCOPUS.
    Authors of early submissions to PISTA 2018 (or any of its collocated events) and, consequently, of early acceptances and registrations will be:
    a Considered in the selection of keynote speakers because this selection will need additional reviews.
    b. Invited for submitting a second paper on special topics; which, if accepted, will require no additional fee for its presentation. These topics, which will be selected by the Organizing Committee, are very important topics, but are not necessarily among the usual grants priorities. The IIIS will finance this kind of papers which are important for many authors but are not among the priorities of policy makers in organizations which might financially be supporting participations in conferences.
    Details about the following issues have also been included at the URLs given above:
    • Pre- and post-conference virtual sessions.
    • Virtual participation.
    • Two-tier reviewing combining double-blind and non-blind methods.
    • Access to reviewers’ comments and evaluation average.
    • Waiving the registration fee of effective invited session organizers.
    • Best papers awards.
    • Publication of best papers in the Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics (JSCI), which is indexed in EBSCO, Cabell, DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), and Google Scholar, and listed in Cabell Directory of Publishing Opportunities and in Ulrich’s Periodical Directory. (All papers to be presented at the conference will be included in the conference printed and electronic proceedings)
    Please consider forwarding to the appropriate groups who might be interested in submitting contribution to the above mentioned collocated events. New information and deadlines are posted on the conference and the IIIS web site (especially at the URL provided above).
    Best regards, PISTA 2018 Organizing Committee
    If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, you may unsubscribe here. If you have difficulty with the unsubscribe link, you may also send an e-mail to remove@mail.iiisconf2018.org with REMOVE MLCONFERENCES in the subject line.  Address: C.C. El Placer II, Suites 5 & 7, Caracas, Venezuela.
  • Date: 10/2/17
    From: IREPS/RC 2018 <cfp-spring@mail.iiisconfer2018.org>
    Re: CFP - Relating Academic Activities, Research and Consulting, or Research and Practice  - March 13-16, 2018
    Please consider to contribute by submitting an article for the special tracks(s):
    Integrating Academic Activities: Research, Education and Real Life Problem Solving: IREPS 2018
    Research and Consulting, Research via consulting and consulting via research: R&C 2018
    These special tracks are being organized in the context of the 9th International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics: IMCIC 2018, to be held on March 13 - 16, 2018, in Orlando, Florida, USA
    Your contribution might be on specific cases or general experience-based reflections on the importance of relating academic activities among themselves or with practice, consulting, industry or society at large (IREPS/RC 2018, http://www.2018iiisconf.org/cfp-iaa2018.asp).
    Submission deadline: October 20th, 2017. Other deadlines, as well as the URLs of the different events, are provided at the general CFP provided at the web page given above. To submit your article, please send an abstract (200-400 words) or an extended abstract (400-1000 words) attached to an email addressed to: ireps (at) iiis.org. This event will include at least one plenary keynote address, conversational session(s), presentation session(s) of the articles submitted and accepted as a consequence of this specific Call for Articles.
    Publications:
    1. All accepted and presented full papers (2000-5000 words) will be included in the IMCIC 2018 proceedings.
    2. A special issue of the Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics (JSCI) will be published on Integrating Academic Activities: Research, Education and Real Life Problem Solving and/or on Research and Consulting, if an adequate number of articles are submitted, accepted and, consequently, presented at the conference (an example can be found at http://www.2018iiisconf.org/JSCIPast.asp?Issue=ISS1607. Otherwise, best papers and papers accepted by the reviewers of the Journal will be published in JSCI's regular issues. JSCI is indexed by EBSCO, Cabell, DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals), Academic Journals Database, and Google Scholar and listed in Cabell Directory of Publishing Opportunities and in Ulrich’s Periodical Directory.
    Jorunal's [sic] reviewers will review the full paper published in the conference proceedings. More details regarding the journal's publication can be found at the CFP posted at the web page given above, at the beginning of this email.
    Best regards, IREPS/RC 2018 Organizing Committee
    If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, you may unsubscribe here. If you have difficulty with the unsubscribe link, you may also send an e-mail to remove@mail.iiisconfer2018.org with REMOVE MLCONFERENCES in the subject line.  Address: C.C. El Placer II, Suites 5 & 7, Caracas, Venezuela.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Forensics 2017

I was not sure what to make of the invitation to "to present your latest research work in the I – International Caparica Conference in Translational Forensics through a 15 minutes slots for advance researchers." The conference slogan looked familiar. It is the second sentence of the U.S. Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." To advance my happiness, it advised me that "As a welcome speaker," I would receive "a reduction of 45% in the conference fee, from 450€ to 250€ in early bird registration phase."

Likewise, the conference website (9/3/17) is not entirely reassuring.
  • It explains that "The I International Caparica Conference in Translational Forensics aims to connect in a transversal way all of us involved in Forensics with the objective of join together as many forensic disciplines as possible."
  • The topics the speakers promise to address are all over the board, from forensic ergonomics to hypothermia (along with a number of talks with titles to be "available soon").
Nevertheless, this wide-ranging conference seems to be an effort of assistant chemistry professors at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Expertise in forensic science might be an issue, but this conference does not seem run by a nefarious or scientifically unqualified group. As such, I would not dismiss it as a fake scientific conference.

UPDATE (18 Sept. 2019): Email from Associate Professor José Luis Capelo Martinez confirms that the annual conference is the work of enterprising academics.
Email
From: José Luis Capelo Martínez (jlcapelom.forensics2017@bioscopegroup.org)
Sent: 3/22/17
Subject: Professor Capelo (conference chair) NOVA University of Lisbon - Welcome as an Oral Speaker for Forensics 2017 Conference
On behalf of the scientific committee, I am glad to let you know that, due to your outstanding contributions to the field, you are welcome to present your latest research work in the I – International Caparica Conference in Translational Forensics through a 15 minutes slots for advance researchers. The I – International Caparica Conference in Translational Forensics is going to be held in Caparica, Lisbon (Portugal), this year 2017 during the month of November, days 20, 21, 22 and 23.
For further information, please visit: www.forensics2017.com
As a welcome speaker you have a reduction of 45% in the conference fee, from 450€ to 250€ in early bird registration phase.
The fee includes breakfast, lunch, dinner access to the conference venue´s indoor and outdoor pools, Gym and a SPA facility. In addition, there is a golf course that can be rented at a reduced fee. To have this entire package included in the conference fee you must book in the conference venue. Coffee breaks are included for all participants. See more at Hotel Aldeia dos Capuchos, Golf &amp; Spa. Room costs 80€/per person in double shared room or 100€ in a single room.
Indeed there are plenty of reasons to register in our conference:
- Present and share your ideas with your peers: Academic Researchers, Companies, Colleagues and Students initiating their professional careers, will be sharing their own works. Information on plenary lectures, keynote speakers and confirmed speakers can be consulted in the webpage.
- New networking opportunities: The FORENSICS 2017 aims to connect and start a dialogue between a large numbers of researchers in the different disciplines in forensic area. The idea is to share the new advances in forensic research technology and to brainstorm and report on their implementation at all levels. Furthermore, with the dynamic interaction expected during the talks, coffee breaks and plenary sessions, young researchers will have a unique opportunity to improve their knowledge and career opportunities.
- A friendly environment: The perfect place for the perfect event: Hotel Aldeia dos Capuchos, Golf &amp; Spa.
- Social Events: Welcome dinner, Visit to Lisbon and Gala dinner.
Please note that the complete scientific program is being continuously updated on the conference webpage. We hope to see you at this international conference and we look forward to hearing from you soon. If you need additional information do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you very much for your attention and best regards,
On behalf of the Scientific Committee, Carlos Lodeiro, PhD, MSc, FRSC, J. L. Capelo, PhD, MSc, FRSC, Conference Chairs
We look forward to meeting you in Portugal, November 2017

Friday, September 1, 2017

Drug Companies Getting Unfavorable Publicity for Participating in Questionable Conferences

A provocative and revealing article in Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg's BNA Expert Evidence Report is noted in the Flaky Academic Journals blog.