31 October 2010

Call for papers: New Results of Using Ubiquitous Technologies in Design, Research and Social Contexts

A special issue of International Journal of Intelligent Engineering Informatics

This special issue focuses on the development and application of advanced and emerging technologies, methods, and tools of ubiquitous computing in social context. Ubiquitous computing is considered to be the third wave of computer technology and applications and at the same time a dawning era of computing in which individuals are surrounded by and benefit from multiple networked, spontaneously cooperating non-conventional computers equipped with knowledge, smart agents, and semantic interoperability. Some of these devices are worn or carried, some of them encountered on the move, and many of them serving dedicated processes as part of physical objects, or manifest in products supporting interaction in an intuitive and creative way.

Ubiquitous computing scatters computing capacity across the environment, and takes out the oblique PC human-machine interface. In order to present a personal and context-dependent interaction, entity identification, content adaptation and context awareness are key factors. Ubiquitous technologies, such as sensor clouds, nano-to-macro transmitters, network facilitators, sensation converters and information miners, also offer themselves to the development of novel design and research support means.

Although the notion and concept of ubiquitous computing has become fairly well-conceived, an huge number of technological and non-technological problems are yet to be overcome. To this end, we are soliciting original manuscripts that highlight recent advancement and define major research challenges of ubiquitous computing in design, research and social contexts.

Topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Support of creativity, complexity management and innovation
  • Multi-sensorial input, visualization and emergent virtual prototyping
  • Technologies and methods for virtual engineering
  • Sensor technologies and sensor networks applications
  • Transmission and communication technologies in action
  • Next generation Internet and ad hoc networking
  • Interaction with ubiquitous/pervasive products
  • Perceptive/cognitive aspects of ubiquitous computing in ambient environments
  • Designing and validating smart and intelligent products
  • Emerging issues of ubiquitous design and engineering in education
  • New processes for embedded systems and application
  • Computer support of strategic and incremental innovations in social context
  • Knowledge and information as basis for product innovation
  • Approaches for virtual and physical unerring system validation
  • Advances in integrated global and BoP product development
  • Human aspects of omnipresent product innovation
  • Industrial application case studies and critical state of the art studies
Important Dates
Submission deadline: 15 January, 2011
First decision notification: 15 March, 2011
Submission of revised papers: 1 May, 2011
Final decision notification: 30 June, 2011

Special issue: Marine renewable energy – Part 1

International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology 1(4) 2010
  • Supporting wave and tidal energy in the UK – an analysis of UK Policy 2000-2009
  • Key issues of tidal energy and factors affecting it globally with civil structures
  • A novel particle swarm optimisation self-regulating stand-alone wave energy conversion scheme
  • Simulation-based evaluation of tidal current power output characteristics
  • A novel FACTS dynamic stabilisation scheme for stand-alone tidal energy conversion systems

Special issue: Trends in personalised e-health

International Journal of Electronic Healthcare 5(4) 2010
  • Information and communication technologies for better patient self-management and self-efficacy
  • e-Herophilus: 24-hour personalised telecardiology services
  • Personalised physical exercise regime for chronic patients through a wearable ICT platform
  • Retrieval and management of medical information from heterogeneous sources, for its integration in a medical record visualisation tool
  • Mobile phone technologies and advanced data analysis towards the enhancement of diabetes self-management
  • Social utility of personalised e-health services: the study of home-based healthcare
  • Consumer health informatics and interactive visual learning tools for health
  • E-commerce application study and complementary services in the sector of laboratory diagnostics based on consumers' opinion

Special issue: Modelling and simulation in manufacturing and service industry supply chain

International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling 2(3/4) 2010
  • Modelling, analysis and optimisation of supply chains by using Petri net models: the state-of-the-art
  • Mathematical model for multi-echelon, multi-product, single time-period closed loop supply chain
  • Interpretive structural modelling for selection of best supply chain practices
  • Checking the feasibility of a vehicle route in integrated supply chain transportation model
  • A broad-spectrum orientation of supply chain network integration challenges: an empirical investigation using PLS path modelling
  • Supply chain performance management: lean and green paradigms

28 October 2010

Call for papers: Advanced Energy Processing and Control for Electric Vehicles

A special issue of International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems

Electric vehicles, including pure electric vehicles (PEV or EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and fuel cell vehicles(FCV), have attracted worldwide attention increasingly from governments, industry, and the public as global environmental and energy issues grow in concern.

Although electric vehicles have shown advantages over internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of environmental friendliness and energy efficiency, many technical challenges remain unsolved, impeding the market share growth. The main feature of electric vehicles is the advanced and complex powertrain system, which brings the technical challenges of the energy storage system and driving motor system, as well as the vehicle management system.

The primary objective of this special issue is to promote the research and development of energy processing and control technologies which are significantly important to the development of electric vehicles in terms of low cost, high efficiency, low emission and customer satisfaction in economy and safety. The main focuses will be on energy management and power control, as well as vehicle dynamics control technology, including intelligent methods and their applications.

Topics include but are not limited to the following areas:

Advanced management technology for energy storage system
  • Battery management systems, SOC estimation of Li-ion batteries
  • Battery package cooling systems, active thermal management
  • Intelligent power source and telematics technology associated with smart grid
Advanced motor driving and control technology
  • High performance and intelligent control for driving motors
  • Sensorless control technology for driving motors
Regenerative braking technology
  • High efficiency regenerative braking control for driving motors
  • Vehicle regenerative braking strategy and intelligent algorithms
  • Vehicle energy management technology
  • Energy management and optimization for EV/HEV
  • Real-time optimal control under non-stationary driving cycle for EV/HEV
Dynamics control technology for EVs
  • Dynamics parameter identification technology
  • Longitudinal dynamics control
  • Lateral dynamics control especially for in-wheel motor driven EV
Important Dates
Submission of full paper before: 30 April, 2011
Completion of first review: 31 July, 2011
Submission of revised paper: 31 August, 2011
Completion of final review: 30 September, 2011
Final paper due: 31 October, 2011

Special issue:Sensor Networks (SN 2009)

International Journal of Sensor Networks 8(3/4) 2010

Papers from the 2nd International Workshop on Sensor Networks (SN) held in conjunction with the 2009 International Conference on Computer Communications and Networks (ICCCN 2009), on 6 August 2009, in San Francisco, USA.
  • Implementation of Pastry-based P2P system to share sensor data
  • Practical issues in the development of a minimalistic power management solution for WSNs
  • Relay node placement with energy and buffer constraints in wireless sensor networks using mobile data collector
  • Efficient geographic routeless routing protocols with enhanced location update mechanism
  • Design of a flexible and robust gateway to collect sensor data in intermittent power environments
  • Securing wireless sensor networks: an identity-based cryptography approach
  • Improved PSOR algorithm for minimum power multicast tree problem in wireless ad hoc networks
  • A spectral clustering approach to validating sensors via their peers in distributed sensor networks
Additional Papers
  • IKNOS: inference and knowledge in networks of sensors
  • Diffusion-based approach to deploying wireless sensor networks
  • Collaborative multi-sensor tracking in mobile wireless sensor networks

Special issue: Application of multivariate techniques in decision-making models for customer service

International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management 4(4) 2010
  • Dynamic routing of customers with QoS rank among heterogeneous servers
  • Dynamic analysis of a global supply chain using system dynamics approach
  • Internal service branding: exploring the perception 'gap' in India's banking sector
  • A hierarchical regression analysis to understand the antecedents of entrepreneurial success
  • The traditional industry sector in the changing business environment – a case study of the Finnish steel product industry
  • Application of Toyota production system for cycle time reduction of Eaton line: a case study

26 October 2010

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics

Beginning publication in 2011 International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics will be concerned with the design, planning, development and management of technical and social systems for work or leisure, including equipment, products and the organization of work. It will include theoretical advances, applications, case studies, new methodologies and procedures, and empirical studies.

Special issue: Operations research applications in engineering management (ICOREM)

International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling 2(2) 2010

The International Conference on Operations Research Applications in Engineering Management (ICOREM), took place at the the Anna University of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, India during 27–29 May 2009.
  • Constructive heuristics to the multi-period fixed charge transportation problem
  • Cost optimisation of supply chain networks using particle swarm optimisation
  • Extracting users pattern from web log data using decision tree and association rule
  • Do futures and options trading increase spot market volatility in India? The case of S&P CNX Nifty
  • A survey of literature on selection of third party logistics service provider
  • Single vendor and multiple buyers integrated inventory system when demand is quadratic

24 October 2010

Call for papers: Empirical, Experimental, Exploratory and Analytical Research for the Smarter Supply Chain – Service and Manufacturing Industry

A special issue of International Journal of Value Chain Management

The best word to describe today’s global marketplace is volatile. Expectations, innovations, creativity, collaboration and partnering demand more from the supply chain. Supply chains have grown more global and interconnected and at the same time exposure to shocks and disruptions are also incremental. Even minor missteps and miscalculations can have major consequences as their impacts spread like viruses throughout complex supply chain networks. The key areas to focus in the current volatile supply chain are:
  • Globalization and localization – contrary to initial rationale, globalization has proven to be more about revenue growth than cost savings.
  • Transparency and visibility – flooded with more info rmation than ever, it is an ever greater struggle to visualize and act on the right info rmation.
  • Collaboration and risks on the technology, demand and supply front demand more attention
  • Customer closeness – despite demand-driven mantras, companies are better connected to their suppliers than their customers.
  • Cost control and service improvement – rapid and constant change is rocking this traditional area of strength and expect to adapt for growth
As compliance mandates, suppliers and info rmation flows multiply, supply chains are becoming more complex, costly and vulnerable. And executives are finding it increasingly difficult to respond to these challenges, especially with conventional supply chain strategies and designs. This is not to say companies have ignored these issues. But it is no longer enough to build supply chains that are efficient, demand-driven or even transparent. Supply chain of the future should be envisioned with technology driven, communication driven and intelligent driven.

Building this kind of supply chain is a strategic undertaking; it implies a different roles and set of responsibilities for supply chain executives. The supply chain executives must become strategic thinkers, collaborators and orchestrators who optimize complex networks of global capabilities. In their increasingly significant positions, it is mandate to create a smarter supply chain.

Smarter supply chains call for research in various fronts. In order to understand the process and people alignment in the organization and to drive the globalization and localization effects, empirical research is essential. Experimental research is required to revitalize the requirements in the technology of machine and materials front and to bring the transparency and visibility in the supply chain. Exploratory research is critical to understand the collaboration, risks and partnering needs for resilient supply chain to elevate the customer closeness. Ana lytical research is pertinent with the aim of cost reduction and service improvement in the supply chain.

This special issue aims to publish articles from researchers and practitioners active in this area. High quality contributions are welcomed from academicians, researchers, practitioners and professionals. Particular interest should be paid to significant success in the use of the most effective technology and supply chain best practices in industries to yield substantial value to the business.

Other streams of interest will be practical applications in the form of quantitative and qualitative case studies based on the special issue topics. Papers must also have real value relevance and be primarily focused on real time implementation. The target audiences are researchers, managers, practitioners and consultants.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to
  • Globalization and localization in supply chains
  • Supply chain visibility and transparency
  • Collaboration and partnering
  • Risk assessment and management
  • Customer closeness/intimacy in supply chains
  • Cost reduction in supply chains
  • Service improvement in supply chains
  • Empirical research in supply chains
  • Experimental research in supply chains
  • Exploratory research in supply chains
  • Ana lytical and combinatorial research in supply chains
  • Materials and machine developments in supply chains
  • Supply chain network design
  • Supply chain network optimization
  • Procurement and spend planning
  • Demand planning and forecasting
  • Production planning and scheduling in supply chains
  • Supply network planning
  • Distribution and transportation planning
  • Data mining in supply chains
  • Performance measurements/balanced scorecard
  • Value proposition for customer in supply chains
  • Knowledge management
  • Technological intervention in supply chains
  • Change management in supply chains
  • Lean, agile and six sigma in supply chains
  • Reverse supply chains
  • Closed loop supply chains
Important Dates
Submission of full paper: 30 June 2011
Feedback from referees: 30 July 2011
Submission due date of revised paper: 20 August 2011
Notification of acceptance: 30 September 2011
Submission of final revised paper: 30 October 2011

Special issue: Sculptured and complex surfaces machining

International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials 8(3/4) 2010
  • High-speed milling of dusting materials
  • Optimisation of spiral tool path for five-axis milling of freeform surface blade
  • Application of GA to observe the optimal effect of the radial rake angle for minimising surface roughness in end milling
  • Machining of dies to reduce the press-die deformation
  • Simulation of the behaviour of CNC machine-tools in three-axis milling of sculptured surfaces
  • Influence of cutting parameters on cycle time, surface roughness, dimensional error and cutting forces in milling operations on aluminium 6082 sculptured surface geometry
  • Offline adaptive control
  • Tool path generation for five-axis sculptured surface machining with a toroidal cutter
  • Study of polynomial path parameterisation for side milling of sculptured surfaces
  • 3D distribution of envelope trace heights related to ground surface smoothness in CNC grinding of free-form surface
  • Laser polishing parameter optimisation on selective laser sintered parts

21 October 2010

Call for papers: The Supply Chain to Support Integrated Product Development

A special issue of International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling

Global competitiveness, in a general way, has been stimulating industry to create and to develop integrated products in a competitive cost and in the least possible time. To achieve these aims, it is necessary to have experience and knowledge in different areas of engineering which can be obtained through the integration of competences related to the product engineering, manufacturing engineering, suppliers and consumers, among others.

In this context, the supply chain plays an important part in the product conception and development process as it allows the manufacturing organization to operate in an integrated manner. This special issue aims to develop discussion about the different ways in which the supply chain can support the development of integrated products. The issue will accept theoretical works that are based on practical experience, analysis of case studies or experimental results.

The themes related to this discussion include but are not limited to:
  • Supply chain optimization
  • Risk supply chain in product development
  • Performance metrics
  • Artificial intelligence in SCM
  • Information sharing in product development and SCM
  • Decision support systems for SCM
  • Global and flexible SCM
  • Knowledge based supply chains
  • Systems approach to SCM
  • IT-enabled SCM
  • Supply chain network management
  • Supply chain information measurement
  • Data mining for e-business/SCM.
  • Product quality based on SCM
  • Oriented design (DFM, DFA, DFX)
  • Methods for failure analysis of products
  • Cost analysis in product development
  • Project management used in product development
  • Organizational design
  • Concurrent engineering
  • Vendor/supplier selection
  • Supplier development
  • Green and sustainable chain management
  • Reverse logistics
Important Dates
Manuscript submission: 15 January 2011
Notification of initial decision: 30 March 2011
Submission of revised manuscript: 1 May 2011
Notification of final acceptance: 1 June 2011

20 October 2010

Call for papers: Bioremediation of Toxic Elements in Water, Soil and Sludges

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Engineering

The industrial approach implemented for removal of toxic elements in water, soils and sludges, in spite of its importance in a global society that is increasingly aware of the sensitivity of the environment, is a very costly enterprise. Bioremediation, in which plants and other living organisms capable of tolerating, transforming, and bio-accumulating toxic species are used for the same purpose, is becoming an attractive alternative due to their reduced complexity and lower costs. The development of bioremediation procedures involves:

i) the study of the living individuals (plants, bacteria, nematodes, etc.) under conditions of toxic contaminant chemical species;

ii) the effect of the genetic manipulation for the enhancement of the process efficiency;

iii) the immobilization of the contaminants and/or the reuse of the remediation byproducts, as could be the bio-mining among others.

The study of the bioremediation methods demands the development of analytical procedures for the determination of the toxic species in the different phases: environmental monitoring, control of the process and final byproducts. It is the aim of this issue to cover all of the mentioned aspects of the bioremediation process of toxic species, such as organic and inorganic arsenicals, mercury compounds, as well lead, tallium, cadmium, chromium, rare earths, uranium and other elements and their species.

Original research paper or reviews are invited in the following and related areas:
  • Bioremediation of toxic elements in waste water using plants, bacteria and other living organism
  • Bioremediation of soils and sludges
  • In-field applications of bioremediation
  • Development of analytical methodologies related to bioremediation studies
  • Bioremediation and chemical speciation and fractioning
  • Genetic and the enhancement of the bioremediation efficiency
  • Fate of bioremediation byproducts
  • Bio-mining
  • Toxicological studies of the elements and effects on the living individuals used for bioremediation
Important Dates
Deadline for paper submission: 31 December 2010
First turn of papers review: 28 February 2011
Second turn of papers review: 30 April 2011
Final papers submission: 31 May 2011

Call for papers: Innovation Capabilities – What Are They?

A special issue of International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies

Capability-based theories have recently received increased attention within the area of innovation management as a way of understanding how organizations change and develop. In general terms, organizational capabilities signify what an organization is (or is not) able to do. Innovation capabilities or the organizational capability to innovate is of huge interest among practitioners that need to handle an increasing need for innovation in most fields - however they find it difficult to work with in practical settings.

In this special issue we therefore call for contributions on how innovation capabilities can be conceptualized and understood, but also addressed and developed in practical settings.

From an academic perspective, the notion of innovation capabilities has been addressed, but often in quite general terms and seldom based on empirical studies. We therefore especially welcome empirical papers, i.e., papers addressing insights from case research, which can contribute to forwarding our knowledge in this important area.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Studies that investigate the very nature of organizational capabilities - what are they? How can they be coded and categorized?
  • Studies that focus on how capabilities for innovation can be built and re-built.
  • Contributions that investigate enablers and inhibitors for the development of capabilities.
Important Dates
Deadline for submission of full papers: 1 March, 2011
Notification of initial decision: 1 June, 2011
Submission of revised manuscript: 1 July, 2011
Notification of final acceptance: 15 August, 2011

Banking Technology Summit Egypt March 2011

Inderscience is a media partner for the Banking Technology Summit Egypt to be held in Cairo, 6-9 March 2011.

Special issue: Decision support systems for unmanned vehicles

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences 3(3) 2010
  • Global vs. local decision support for multiple independent UAV schedule management
  • Robust team decision-making under uncertainty
  • Design of genetic algorithms for topology control of unmanned vehicles
  • A simulation model for the analysis of end-to-end support of unmanned aerial vehicles
  • A study of compliance with international auditing standards by auditors in Bahrain
  • Bidding decision in multi-attribute reverse auction

Special issue: Management and delivery of acrylic-based materials for use in hard tissue replacement

International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials 3(1) 2010
  • Bone cement: an overview
  • Investigations on drop penetration and wetting characteristics of powder-liquid systems in relation to the mixing of acrylic bone cement
  • The effect of mixing technique on fatigue of bone cement when stress concentrations are present
  • Effect of vacuum mixing and manual pressurisation on residual strains in polymethyl methacrylate bone cement mantles
  • Effects of intermittent overloads on fatigue of PMMA bone cement
  • Influence of a novel radiopacifier (nano-sized strontia particles) on in vitro properties of a PMMA bone cement for use in total joint replacements
  • Part 1: In-vitro release of gentamicinpalmitate coating in uncemented titanium implants
  • Part 2: Effectiveness of a novel gentamicinpalmitate coating on biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis

Special issue: Manufacturing processes and systems

International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems 3(5/6) 2010
  • Tool life and cutting forces on semi-finish milling of titanium alloy
  • Electrodischarge dressing (EDD) applied to contour grinding
  • Online diagnosis and monitoring of roundness defects in CNC machining processes
  • A study on equal channel angular drawing (ECAD) of AA-1370 processed by route B
  • Surface finish based analysis of turned titanium alloys workpieces
  • Neural network modelling of process parameters influence on tool wear for ball-nose end mills
  • Modelling manufacturing processes: a comparison between multiple regression analysis and the neural networks approach
  • Optimising the milling of titanium aluminide alloys
  • Experimental investigation of dry turning of UNS A97050-T7 aluminium alloy bars based on surface roughness
  • Conceptual principles and ontology for a KBE implementation in inspection planning
  • Benefits of using real-time pulse discriminating system in micro-EDM monitoring and control system

Special issue: Academic knowledge and industrial development: international experiences and implications for the health industry (Part II)

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management 11(5) 2010

(Part 1 is in International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management 11(4) 2010)
  • Transferring university knowledge to develop new technologies: the model of the ''OncoRay – Joint Center for Radiation Research in Oncology''
  • Technology entrepreneurship in a research university: transforming innovations into products at Tel Aviv University
  • University-industry knowledge interaction: case studies from Finland and China
  • Development of the biopharmaceutical industry dominated by government: a case study from 'Pharmacy Valley' of China
  • Internationalisation of universities: the case of Spain
  • Academic knowledge transfer to industry. Italy: spin-off practices and policies

14 October 2010

Call for papers: Recent Advances in Wireless Sensor Networks: Trust, Reputation, Security and Privacy

A special issue of International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems

Recent advances in electronics and wireless communication technologies have enabled the extensive deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). These networks have applications in many important areas, such as military, healthcare, environment monitoring, and manufacturing. Security and privacy are critical issues to many sensor network applications including military target tracking and healthcare monitoring. To provide security and privacy to these networks is challenging, due to the open nature of wireless communication and the limited capabilities of sensor nodes in terms of processing power, storage, bandwidth, and energy. Additionally, widespread and unrestricted deployment of WSNs makes them exposed to a number of security vulnerabilities. Moreover, a number of trust and reputation issues arise in WSNs since trust is a fundamental consideration for operation and stability of WSNs. An example is that a trust management frame in WSNs can be utilized to prevent nodes from performing malicious or selfish behaviour.

This special issue aims to foster the latest development in the design, implementation, and evaluation in the fields of trust, reputation, security and privacy of WSNs. Original and research articles are solicited including new mechanisms, theoretical studies, practical applications, and experimental prototypes.

Topics to be covered in this special issue include but are not limited to:
  • Trust, anonymity, reputation and privacy models for WSNs
  • Cross-layer design for security
  • Formal methods for WSN security
  • Security, privacy and cryptographic algorithms in WSNs
  • Security and privacy in body sensor networks
  • Software security for sensor network nodes
  • Security and privacy in medical sensor networks
  • Trust based protocols and computational model for WSNs
  • Novel perspectives on trust, security and privacy for WSNs
  • Economics of WSN security
  • Unattended sensor network security
  • Key management in WSNs
  • Secure routing and localization protocols for WSNs
  • Intrusion detection and prevention in WSNs
  • Wireless passive sensor network security
Important Dates
Manuscript submission deadline: 1 March, 2011
First review completed: 1 May, 2011
Revised manuscript due: 1 June, 2011
Notification of acceptance: 1 July, 2011
Final manuscript due: 10 July, 2011

Call for papers: Transmigration, Emotions and Labour

A special issue of International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion

This special issue invites you to examine the contemporary issue of migration, emotions and labour. Transmigration challenges us to rethink the ‘emotional order’ of societies and of work and organisations. There is a need to examine how local/national and workplace emotional regimes and codes either are overturned, altered or resist and remain stagnant in the face of the social change that migration between countries brings with it. There are also emerging issues around emotional aspects of migrant identity and, in particular, group membership and belonging. We encourage, therefore, the submission of empirical and theoretical papers that examine the host of themes that arise out of this area.

Suitable contributions include but are not limited to:
  • Migration and domestic work
  • Migration, family, friendship and emotions
  • Migrant emotion, public work places and organisations
  • Wellbeing and forced aspects of migration
  • Issues around emotions and the management of transmigration
  • General issues pertaining to emotions and transmigration
We would encourage works that explicate these kinds of issues with a core focus upon difference (for instance, in relation to gender, age, form of migrant status, ethnicity, faith - or lack of it - and disability).

Important Dates
Deadline for submission: 11 December 2010

Call for papers: Public Affairs Research: A Global Perspective

A special issue of International Journal of Public Policy

The objective of this special issue is to assemble research and scholarly works that contribute to the theoretical and empirical knowledge base for identifying policy and informatics programs that will improve the performance of service organisations and enhance the well-being of communities. The specific aims of this issue are to:
  • Explicate an interdisciplinary focus in public affairs informatics and performance improvement research
  • Establish a close collaboration and partnership with the public service sector that will enhance the development of innovative research
  • Transfer knowledge developed from interdisciplinary research, pertaining to public affairs informatics and performance improvement, to evidence-based public service management and practice
Since the turn of the 21st century, the global political arena has faced various challenges from terrorist insurgents that prevent nation-building to the debate on global warming. Social science theorizes that these events depress economic growth and global development. As world events become ever more unpredictable and harmful to world peace, the need for strong leadership continues to take high importance. World leadership faces unparalleled challenges in the fight for effective global development. Public health issues such as HIV/AIDS and the Asian Bird Flu continue to occupy concerns of medical and government professionals worldwide. As strategies are developed to prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases and viruses, leaders must understand how to adapt, communicate and protect their respective populace. Not only do publicly-elected officials and academicians need to understand challenges that impact global development, but businesses need to understand how public health challenges impact local economics. Furthermore, it is imperative to identify mechanisms to foster the development of social capital and transformation in a turbulent world.

The integration of the principles and methodological approaches of diverse disciplines in conducting scientific studies may lead to the creation of evidence-based knowledge for improving public services and to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of service organisations.

This special issue will bring together leading practitioners and scholars in global development to share their scholarship and strategic agenda for resolving the most urgent public policy issues of our time. The call for papers invites scholars and researchers to address best-practice solutions for perfecting global development and cultural change, with an emphasis on the use of information technology.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • The development of theoretically informed and empirically validated models to improve performance of public service problems
  • Informatics research and its application to the investigation of determinants and consequences of public services
  • The interdisciplinary collaboration contributing to the theoretical and knowledge base for improving the performance of service organisations
  • Evidence-based management and practice in public affairs
  • Scientific knowledge on how to enhance equity, efficiency, quality, and effectiveness of public service organisations, using evidence-based approaches and information technology applications
  • The development and use of decision support systems in public affairs
Important Dates
Submission Deadline: 1 February, 2011
Notification of Acceptance of Manuscripts: 31 March, 2011
Last Date for Submission of Final/Camera Ready Paper: 30 August, 2011

Call for papers: The Application of Taguchi Methods in Advanced Manufacturing Processes and Management

A special issue of International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management

Liberal economic policy has thrown down a challenge - to produce world class quality products at globally competitive prices. Taguchi methods have become increasing popular for developing engineered products. They promise, and deliver, an ability to increase the quality of an engineered product via simple changes in the method by which engineers perform their usual design tasks. Industry desperately requires product design to optimise the thousands of existing products and processes. Industry could significantly benefit by focusing on improving the quality of its products and simultaneously reduce their costs drastically through product (process) design optimisation. Taguchi methods form a new engineering design optimisation methodology that improves the quality of existing products and processes and simultaneously reduces their costs very rapidly, with minimum engineering resources and development man-hours.

This special issue aims to provide academia and practitioners with a collection of innovative research and most recent developments in the handling of multi-response problems by Taguchi methods for product and process performance improvement. Contributors are encouraged to submit original manuscripts that are conceptual and/or case studies.

Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the application of Taguchi methods to the following:
  • Non-traditional machining systems
  • Modelling, simulation and optimization of manufacturing systems
  • Information technology in manufacturing
  • Intelligent manufacturing systems
  • Agile marketing
  • Foundry applications
  • Manufacturing processes
  • Process parameter optimization
  • Multi-response problems
  • Product design
  • Composite materials
  • Simulation analysis
  • Supply chain management
  • Robust design method
  • Tolerance specification
  • Welding
  • Application of metaheuristics
  • Mathematical programming
  • Case studies
This special issue is intended for revised and substantially-extended versions of selected papers presented at ICAIEA 2010 (International Conference on Advances in Industrial Engineering Applications) held from January 6-8, 2010 in Anna University Chennai (India), but we explicitly encourage other researchers to submit their papers to this Special Issue as well.

Important Dates
Submission deadline: 30 November 2010
Initial Review Notification: 30 December 2010
Final papers due: 01 February 2011

13 October 2010

Special issue: Academic knowledge and industrial development: international experiences and implications for the health industry (Part I)

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management 11(4) 2010
  • Production and transfer of academic knowledge: policy targets and implications for the health industry
  • The California technology economy: surfing the waves
  • The evaluation of policies for knowledge transfer: some emerging issues
  • Knowledge transfer between universities, hospitals and industry: a case study of the traditional Chinese medicine industry
  • Formation of an entrepreneurial eco-system: the interaction of a research university and its city
  • Transfer of knowledge in science-based research networks: a case study on human health genetics in Italy

12 October 2010

Special Issue: Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Symposium (BIOT-2009)

International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications 6(4) 2010

BIOT-2009, the 6th Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Symposium, was held in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, 9-10 October 2009.
  • Bagged gene shaving for the robust clustering of high-throughput data
  • Application of committee kNN classifiers for gene expression profile classification
  • Differential expression analysis of Digital Gene Expression data: RNA-tag filtering, comparison of t-type tests and their genome-wide co-expression based adjustments
  • Multiple genome alignment based on longest path in directed acyclic graphs
  • Scaling alignment of large ontologies
Additional papers
  • Discovery of gene network variability across samples representing multiple classes
  • Identification of tiny and large calcification in breast: a study on mammographic image analysis

Special issue: Hazardous materials transportation: safety dynamics and risk analyses

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems 17(3/4) 2010
  • Behaviour of rear underrun protection system on car-to-tank vehicle impact used for fuel transportation
  • HazMat transportation by heavy vehicles and road tunnels: a simplified modelling procedure to risk assessment and mitigation applied to an Italian case study
  • Response analyses of a two-phase cryogenic tank to longitudinal and lateral accelerations
  • Road tankers axles load share design
  • Rollover stability of tank trucks, test and calculation requirements based on ECE 111 regulation
  • Experimental study on sloshing and non-sloshing road cargoes dynamics
  • Dynamic analysis of a partially filled tanker train travelling on a curved track
  • Analysis of transient fluid slosh in partly-filled tanks with and without baffles: Part 1 – model validation
  • Analysis of transient fluid slosh in partly-filled tanks with and without baffles: Part 2 – role of baffles
  • Road tanker-bus rear impact collision with four fatalities investigation report

Special issue: Broadening the scope of open innovation

International Journal of Technology Management 52(3/4) 2010
  • Broadening the scope of open innovation: past research, current state and future directions
  • The effects of open innovation activity on performance of SMEs: the case of Korea
  • Open innovation proclivity, entrepreneurial orientation, and perceived firm performance
  • Open innovation and systems integration: how and why firms know more than they make
  • Open innovation and patterns of R&D competition
  • Open and closed innovation – different innovation cultures for different strategies
  • Attributes required for profiting from open innovation in networks
  • Intellectual property and open innovation: an empirical analysis
  • The impact of continuous and discontinuous alliance strategies on startup innovation performance
  • Enabling knowledge creation through outsiders: towards a push model of open innovation
  • Open for business: emerging business models in open source software
  • 'Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia' as a role model? Lessons for open innovation from an exploratory examination of the supposedly democratic-anarchic nature of Wikipedia
  • Large-scale open innovation: open source vs. patent pools

Special issue: Hospitality management

International Journal of Revenue Management 4(3/4) 2010
  • Wine packaging: marketing towards consumer lifestyle to build brand equity and increase revenue
  • Locally produced food in restaurants: Are the customers willing to pay a premium and why?
  • Incorporating lessons learned into tourism industry strategic planning for disaster management
  • Developing the dimensions of activities important to successful revenue management performance: an application of the lodging industry
  • Member segmentation of vacation travel club: price sensitivity and member status
  • Can we see the intangibles? Valuation of intangible assets for publicly traded hotel firms in the USA
  • Total factor productivity efficiency changes in a Malaysian hotel chain
  • What do buyers really want when shopping for travel online? The relationship between travel product attributes and online buyer behaviour
  • Hotel company mergers from 2004 to 2007: abnormal stock return and volume activity surrounding the merger announcement date

First issue: International Journal of Multimedia Intelligence and Security

Integrating the disciplines of intelligent computing, information security, biometrics, multimedia processing and communication International Journal of Multimedia Intelligence and Security deals with text, image, video, audio, graphics, animation, etc.
There is a free download of the papers from this first issue.

11 October 2010

Call for papers: Performance and Robustness of Complex Structural Systems

A special issue of International Journal of Lifecycle Performance Engineering

Modern structural design in civil engineering has to cope with the challenging superstructures and large infrastructures which are now of interest to society. Invariably, society asks for more demanding safety and performance levels, while ever-increasing interest is focused on durability of constructions (life cycle) and accident-resistant capacity, widening both the time horizon and the event possibility.

Specifically, absence of catastrophic consequences and fault tolerance are guaranteed by the structural robustness. This is the capacity of the construction to undergo only limited reductions in its performance level in the event of departures from the original design configuration as a result of
  • local damage due to accidental loads
  • secondary structural elements failures
  • being out of service for maintenance purpose
  • degradation of their mechanical properties
This special issue will collect papers related to the definition of complexity in structural engineering, the performance-based design framework and the concept of structural robustness.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • Performance based design
  • Risk and structural complexity
  • Structural robustness
  • Fire structural safety
  • Robustness in fire scenarios
  • Performance based wind engineering
Important Dates
Proposition deadline (title, authors. 5-line description): 30 October 2010
Full manuscript submission: 31 December 2010
End of reviewing process: 31 March 2011
End of author corrections: 30 June 2011

Special issue: Laser materials processing

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties 5(2/3) 2010
  • Laser melt injection of ceramic particles in metals: processing, microstructure and properties
  • Laser:powder:substrate interactions in laser cladding and casting
  • Tools with laser particle injected surfaces for high strength steel and aluminium processing
  • Numerical and experimental analysis of rapidly solidified laser remelted Al 5wt pct Ni surfaces
  • The influence of different He-Ar ratios on high power CO2 laser welding process and weld formation
  • Investigations on the effects of process parameters for Nd:YAG pulsed laser welding of 630 and 321 stainless steels
  • Applications and case studies of laser hybrid welding in the automotive industry
  • Suitability of high alloyed wire electrodes for the positional laser-GMA-hybrid welding
  • Laser welding of low friction nanostructured sintered composites: technical and environmental aspects
  • On the microstructure of a thin wall formed under thermal and stress fields induced in laser solid freeform fabrication process

10 October 2010

Special issue: Managing the risks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy: a Canadian perspective – Part 3

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 14(5) 2010

[For earlier parts see
International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 14(1/2) 2010
International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 14(3/4) 2010]
  • Lessons learned from bovine spongiform encephalopathy for the future management of the Canadian cattle industry
  • Impacts of beef producer compensation programmes to remediate negative economic outcomes of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Canada
  • The World Organisation for Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties) recommendations for bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk management and its use by member countries
  • Comparative country case study analysis using relative time anchors to determine policy drivers for bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk management
  • Managing the risks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy: a Canadian perspective

Special issue: Bioremediation of waste materials

International Journal of Environment and Pollution 43(1-3) 2010
  • Role of final cover soil in regulating volatile organic compounds: emissions from solid waste disposal sites in developing countries
  • Performance study for anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste in a single phase reactor
  • Removal of arsenite from water by soil biotechnology
  • Study on the kinetics of NH3 removal from air by Nitrosomonas europaea
  • Ultrasonic irradiation of activated industrial sludge
  • Performance of membrane bioreactor to different hydraulic shock loadings
  • Bioremediation of copper mine waste: a case study from Mosaboni copper mines, Eastern India
  • Biotreatment of waste gas containing pyridine in a novel rotating rope biofilter
  • Removal of hexavalent chromium using coffee husk
  • Phytoremediation technology for wastewater treatment: high rate transpiration system
  • A chemo-biological treatment of scrubbing water from power plants with recovery of value-added products
  • Biomethanation of solid wastes: analysis of case studies
  • Optimisation of process variables for microbial degradation of phenol by binary mixed culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens using response surface methodology
  • Kinetics of batch microbial degradation of phenols by indigenous binary mixed culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens
  • Energetic analysis of Pseudomonas fluorescens growth in aerobic chemostat culture
  • Solid-state fermentation for production of gibberellic acid using agricultural residues
  • Sono-biodegradation: a promising alternative to existing bioremediation methodologies
  • Anaerobic hybrid reactor: a promising technology for treatment of distillery spent wash
  • Microbe-assisted phytoremediation approach for ecological restoration of zinc mine spoil dump
  • Biotechnological approach for ecosystem restoration of mine spoil dump in India
  • Transformation of azo dyes during moist heat sterilisation: a potential source of error in microbial decolourisation
  • Biokinetics of Thiobacillus thiooxidans for manganese bioleaching

9 October 2010

Special issue: Computational intelligence and applications

International Journal of Knowledge Engineering and Soft Data Paradigms 2(3) 2010

Papers from the Fourth International Workshop on Computational Intelligence and Applications (IWCIA2008), held in Hiroshima, Japan, 10 - 11 December 2008.
  • Portfolio selection problems with normal mixture distributions including fuzziness
  • Rule acquisition for cognitive agents by using estimation of distribution algorithms
  • Constitution of Ms.PacMan player with critical-situation learning mechanism
  • Non-linear integer programming based on particle swarm optimisation combining diversification and intensification
  • An approximate solution method based on tabu search for k-minimum spanning tree problems

8 October 2010

Special issue: Nanotechnology and advanced materials

International Journal of Nanoparticles 3(3) 2010

Papers from the International Conference in Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (ICNAM 2009) held in Bahrain, 4–7 May 2009.
  • Substrate nanomodification based on heating and near field properties of gold nanoparticles
  • Synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties of iron oxides nanoparticles for biomedical applications
  • Hybridisation of chlorophenoxyherbicides with layered double hydroxide for the formation of layered organic-inorganic encapsulated agrochemical nanocomposites
  • Structural study of the mechanically alloyed Fe-P
  • Structural characterisation of the mechanically alloyed Fe57Co21Nb7B15 powders
  • Effect of post-annealing temperature on structural and optical properties of nano-ZnO synthesised from ZnO2 by laser ablation method
  • Microstructural properties of Fe-doped ZnO thin films and first-principals calculations
  • Physico-chemical evaluation of gymnemic acids nanocrystals
  • Experimental study on electrostatic atomisation of liquids and electrospraying

Special issue: Mobile systems, e-commerce and agent technology Part II

International Journal of Wireless and Mobile Computing 4(4) 2010
  • An agent-based architecture for dynamic service provisioning in 3G mobile communication networks
  • A gradual solution to detect selfish nodes in mobile ad hoc networks
  • A novel handoff algorithm for hierarchical multimedia wireless networks
  • Advanced tools for resolving complex issues in networking
  • Integrating the Havana agent platform into the existing web infrastructure
  • Games for non-repudiation protocol correctness

Special issue: Learning changes: timeless challenges in education

International Journal of Learning and Change 5(3) 2010

Papers from TL2009, the IASK (International Association for Scientific Knowledge) Teaching and Learning Conference, held in Porto, Portugal, 7-9 December 2009.
See also
International Journal of Information and Operations Management Education 3(3) 2010
International Journal of Information and Operations Management Education 3(4) 2010
International Journal of Intercultural Information Management 2(2) 2010
  • Teachers as theorists
  • Talking to learn and learning to talk: teacher and learner talk in the secondary foreign languages classroom
  • Questioning profiles in secondary science classrooms
  • Creating the conditions for educational change: learning styles and gender
  • Adult education, narratives and cultural values
  • New technologies and learning environments: a perspective from formal and non-formal education in Baja California, Mexico

7 October 2010

Call for papers: Impact of the Development of the Knowledge Economy (or Knowledge Economies) in the North on Economies in the South

A special issue of International Journal of Public Policy

The knowledge economy may be viewed as an entity or group of entities whose aim and purpose is to generate and manage the creation of knowledge; in extremity, this process may be seen to develop in perpetuity and as an end in itself. However, a knowledge economy may also be viewed as an entity whose aim is to contribute to knowledge creation with quite specific economic and/or social outcomes. Seen in this way, the development of the knowledge economy is likely to result in clear and unambiguous benefits to those who participate with it.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to encourage research on the impact of the development of the knowledge economy (viewed as the second approach described above) within the relatively more prosperous northern economies on those within the relatively less prosperous south.

The contributors of this Special Issue are likely to be drawn from wide interest areas and include both academics and practitioners. For example, academic economists could address matters such as the role of knowledge as an engine for economic growth within a north-south context. The contribution made by universities and research institutions would be a case in point here.

Academics and/or practitioners from other areas within the social sciences, such as those with a sociological frame, could discuss the dispersion of knowledge, and the varying impact of this dispersion, on different groups. How does the dispersion occur, can we influence its pace and intensity, etc?

Political scientists have an opportunity to discuss, amongst other issues, the relationship between power and knowledge creation and its utilisation. Those involved with educational research have an opportunity to address, amongst other issues, changes to the patterns seen in the rates of return to education in a national or north-south context.

Engineers, computer scientists and other similarly technologically-based contributions could come in the form of discussions of how physical or network or other structures assist with knowledge dissemination issues and with what likely impact.

The readership for the Special Issue will include those drawn from the above inter-disciplinary mix of interests.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:
  • The link between knowledge creation and the achievement of economic growth in a national and international context, but particularly in a North-South context.
  • How does the dispersion of knowledge with different groups affect their economic and other kinds of livelihoods?
  • What is the social and economic relationship between power and knowledge?
  • Do power and knowledge re-enforce each other? And if so, how?
  • Is the nature of any relationship between power and knowledge more skewed when viewed in a north-south context?
  • The link between knowledge creation and knowledge management and the economic and/or social benefits that flow from this. How is this to be measured?
  • The impact of developments in physical infrastructure (including healthcare systems, transport systems, computer networks, etc) on the distribution of knowledge and the impact on economic activity of that distribution.
Important Dates
Expressions of interest in contributing by: 31 January, 2011
(Please email expressions of interest to Professor Dabir-Alai, dabirp@richmond.ac.uk, p.dabiralai@yahoo.com)
Deadline for first draft: 31 May, 2011
Deadline for final draft: 30 September, 2011

Call for papers: Basic and Applied Healthcare Research for Science and Management

A special issue of International Journal of Logistics Economics and Globalisation

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). However defined, this term has many dimensions, including economic, technological, political, social, scientific and cultural aspects. As borders disappear, people and goods are increasingly free to move, creating new challenges to global health. The WHO has estimated that by the year 2020, non-communicable diseases, such as cancers, diabetes, obesity etc., will cause about two-thirds of the global disease burden, up from 40% at present. Quality of life and well being therefore are important concepts in the field of international development, since it allows development to be analyzed on a measure broader than standard of living.

Understanding quality of life is increasingly important in healthcare, where the relationship between cost and value raises complex problems. For instance, health providers must make economic decisions about access to expensive drugs that may prolong life by a few months and weigh these against alternative uses such as preventative medicine. There is a growing field of research concerned with developing, evaluating and improving the quality of life, well being measures etc., within health related research. The role of research is vital, as it contributes to the development of appropriate treatments as well as measures to prevent the diseases. One may therefore say that healthcare research is an eclectic "field", not only a discipline or a specialty.

For centuries, scholars and scientists have questioned the benefits of medical interventions. Contemporary versions of these questions continue to emphasize the need to equate value received with money spent. Answers to those questions require measures of outcomes, risks, access, appropriateness, costs and collective responses to public perceptions, expectations, needs etc. through healthcare management and research.

Clinical epidemiology, technology assessment, critical appraisal, cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses, clinical decision analysis, operations research, health systems research and health services research can all be accommodated under the rubric of healthcare research. Epidemiological, qualitative and statistical methods can be clubbed together with population-based sciences such as economics, demography, as well as behavioural sciences such as medical anthropology and sociology, and clinical psychology.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to
  • Stress management
  • Occupational health
  • Clinical/ health psychology
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Ergonomics
  • Applied ergonomics
  • Biotechnology
  • Pharmacology
  • Community medicine
  • Preventive medicine
  • Organizational behavior in healthcare
  • Best practices in healthcare
  • Alternative medicine for science and management
  • Nutrition and dietetics
  • Health economics
  • Health administration
  • Management information systems in healthcare
  • Operations management in healthcare services
  • Finance and economics in healthcare services
  • Management applications in healthcare research
  • Workforce management in healthcare research
  • Business transformation in healthcare services
  • Strategy in healthcare services
  • Decision making in healthcare research
Important Dates
Manuscript submission : 27 February 2011
Notification of initial decision : 30 March 2011
Submission of revised manuscript : 30 Aril 2011
Notification of final acceptance : 30 May 2011
Submission of final manuscript : 30 June 2011

Call for papers: Modelling and Simulation of Discrete Systems in Business, Engineering and Economics

A special issue of International Journal of Business and Systems Research

Modelling and simulation of discrete systems is a multidisciplinary research area actively developed by researchers of applied mathematics and statistics, computer science, industrial engineering, management science, and operations research. Furthermore, it is a research area consisting of various hybrid approaches by those disciplines as researchers and practitioners alike actively seek newer and better methods for their modelling and simulation needs for most efficient solution of problems in engineering, business, management, and economics.

Discrete event systems modelling and simulation is indeed a broad area covering both theoretical and practical aspects, including theory and formal models (e.g. Petri nets, Markov processes, queuing theory, etc.), performance analysis, optimization, and hybrid approaches (discrete-continuous systems, AI based techniques, etc.), application of modern tools, algorithms, technologies, and techniques.

For the special issue, we are seeking high quality papers on modelling and simulation of discrete event systems presenting general theories, methodologies, solutions or presenting specific problems with solutions. Papers ranging from micro systems to large scalable systems are of interest, as are papers discussing practical problems and ad hoc methodologies and solutions. Recent topics like Web-based simulation and distributed simulations are also welcome. Preference will be given to high quality papers that have a firm grounding in scientific and mathematical methods, instead of primarily application-based papers. Because a substantial gap continues to exist between theory and practice, theoretical papers that also include a real-world applications are very much appreciated.

We encourage submission of high-quality papers that take a systems approach to modelling and simulation of discrete event systems. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Petri Nets, Automata, and queuing theory for discrete event modelling and simulation
  • Stochastic processes and Markov processes
  • Software tools and technologies for discrete event modelling and simulation
  • Use of high level programming languages like Python, Java and .NET
  • Applied statistical methods for discrete modelling and simulation
  • Modular approaches for large scale models
  • Modelling, simulation and analysis of business processes and systems
  • Business systems dynamics; system dynamics in enterprise modelling
  • Value chain modelling, analysis, simulation and management
  • Performance evaluation and performance measurement of discrete event systems
  • Web based simulations, internet modelling, semantic web and ontologies
  • Simulation using distributed systems and networks
  • Optimization of discrete event systems
  • Agent based simulation behaviour, emotion and conflict/rebellion modelling
  • Energy, power generation, control and distribution simulation
  • Manufacturing and logistics: planning, control, robotics, measurement, monitoring
  • Development and application of new methods and techniques (e.g. fuzzy modelling, knowledge and data mining, neural networks and evolutionary computation, GIS-based modelling)
  • Case studies in business, health care, and economics
  • Case studies in flexible manufacturing systems, production and industrial engineering
  • Any other interdisciplinary research relevant to discrete event modelling and simulation
Important Dates
Full paper deadline: 1 March, 2011
Notification of acceptance and review results: 1 May, 2011
Revised submission deadline: 1 June, 2011
Notification of acceptance: 15 July, 2011
Camera-ready version deadline: 15 August, 2011

Call for papers: Smart Media Technology

A special issue of International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems

Today, with rapid developments in electronics industry and the amazing growth of potential customers, media are increasingly ubiquitous: an increasing number of people live in a world of Internet pop-ups and streaming television, mobile phone texting and video clips, MP3 players and pod-casting. These ubiquitous media creates our consumer and brand environment and have been contributing extensively to our life experience, especially applications in mobile and other embedded devices. Therefore, the media, embedded and especially their emergence technologies, have become state-of-the-art research topics and are expected to play important roles of human life in the future.

The objective of the Special Issue is to bring together state-of-art research contributions, tutorials, and position papers that address the broad challenges of integrating ubiquitous media technologies into everyday objects, devices and activities with ubiquitous computing and embedded systems. Original papers describing completed and unpublished work not currently under review by any other journal/magazine/conference/special issue are solicited.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following scope:
  • Media modelling, simulation and design
  • Video and audio signal processing, communication, services and applications
  • Network architecture, protocols and management for smart media
  • QoS, performance measurement and evaluation
  • Ubiquitous media security: authentication, privacy, trust, and encryption
  • Multimedia standards and specifications
  • Media development, fusion and application in 3G, sensor networks, IOT (Internet of Things), etc
  • Media computing and technologies in embedded systems
  • New features, technologies and current challenges in smart media
  • Embedded systems: architecture, protocol, applications and specifications
  • Multi-core, multi-threading, and virtualization design methods for embedded system
  • System-on-chip and network-on-chip design and implementation for mobile systems
  • Performance, power, reliability analysis methods for embedded systems
  • Embedded hardware/software support and co-design
  • Hardware/software debugging technologies and tools
  • Embedded systems design for mobile multimedia services: location based services, tracking etc.
  • Emerging new trends for embedded systems and design for ubiquitous multimedia
  • Novel circuits and architectures for embedded multimedia architectures
Important Dates
Manuscript submission deadline: 1 April, 2011
Notification of acceptance: 1 July, 2011
Submission of final revised paper: 1 September, 2011

Special issue: The interface of strategy, innovation and growth

International Journal of Technology Management 52(1/2) 2010
  • Cognitive misfit and firm growth in technology-oriented SMEs
  • Learning capabilities and the growth of technology-based new ventures
  • Technology-oriented new ventures and entry timing
  • Antecedents of technology ventures' growth: comparing investor experience and effort
  • The influence of size, age and growth on innovation management in small firms
  • Acquisitions as a means of innovation sourcing by incumbents and growth of technology-oriented ventures
  • Antecedents of innovation and growth: analysing the impact of entrepreneurial orientation and goal-oriented management
  • Antecedents of strategic ambidexterity: effects of entrepreneurial orientation on exploratory and exploitative innovations in adolescent organisations
  • The fast eat the slow – the impact of strategy and innovation timing on the success of technology-oriented ventures
  • The influences of critical incidents and lifecycle dynamics on innovation implementation constructs in SMEs: a longitudinal study

Special issue: Advanced theory and technologies for design, manufacturing and materials

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 39(3/4) 2010
  • Transient phenomena during engagement phase of a clutch
  • Tool life and performance comparison of coated tools in metal cutting
  • A new approach to solving coupled task sets based on resource balance strategy in product development
  • Optimisation of brake friction material on tribological characteristics and cost using constrained mixture design method
  • Prediction of springback in V-bending and design of dies using finite element simulation
  • Design of Experiment and statistical analysis of bond strength test of bi-layer concrete
  • A new approach to the kinematical analysis of universal joints
  • Enhancement of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in surfactant/ceriurm(III)-titanium dioxide/float pearls aqueous dispersions
  • Numerical calculation of the outer thickness of double-solid rotor asynchronous permanent magnetic coupling by finite element method
  • An adaptive neural networks model for isomorphism discernment of large-scale kinematic structure
Additional papers
  • Effect of EDM process parameters on surface quality of Al 6063 SiCp metal matrix composite
  • Large-scale and morphology-controlled synthesis of nano-sized molybdenum disulphide particles by different sulphur sources
  • Identification of rheological models and boundary conditions in metal forming

Special issue: Physical movements and playful interaction

International Journal of Arts and Technology 3(4) 2010

Papers from the 3rd International Conference on Intelligent Technologies for Interactive Entertainment (INTETAIN 09) held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 22-24 June 2009.
  • Creating opportunities for play: the influence of multimodal feedback on open-ended play
  • Experiencing affective interactive art
  • Fun and efficiency of the Wii balance interface
  • Considerations for the design of networked exertion interactions
Additional Papers
  • The aesthetics of inevitable failure: process and contingency in the presentation of electronic media art
  • Evaluating user experience of cross-platform web services with a heuristic evaluation method

Special issue: Computer support for integrated design and manufacture engineering

International Journal of Manufacturing Research 5(4) 2010
  • System architecture for mobile Knowledge Management within product life-cycle design
  • PLM-based approach for Assembly Process Engineering
  • A novel approach to fixture design based on locating correctness
  • Developing modular product family using GeMoCURE within an SME
  • Framework and key technologies of ASP-based Collaborative Networked Manufacturing Service Platform for SMEs
  • Knowledge management system enabling collaboration in industry cluster

First issue: International Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management

Covering a broad understanding of the subject, International Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management explores how concepts such as chaos, complex adaptive dynamics, collective intelligence, connectivity, autopoiesis, self-organisation, emergence, uncertainty, edge of chaos and potential dissipation may help to generate new and effective leadership and management theories, strategies and practices.

There is free download of the papers from this first issue.

6 October 2010

Special issue: Family firms: financing, corporate governance and succession issues

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 11(3) 2010

Part 1: Succession Issues
  • Success with succession: an empirical study of small Swedish family firms
  • Family business succession and the impact of CEO experience on the growth of small family firms
  • Exploring family business succession in an integrative familiness transmission of capital model: a South African study
Part 2: Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Corporate social responsibility of large family-owned companies in Germany
  • Sustainable management in long-lived family businesses – a resource-based analysis of Northern German builder's providers
  • Social capital and next-generation succession in the family firm
Part 3: Finance and Miscellaneous
  • Finance in family firms: generation does matter
  • The debt agency costs of family ownership in small and micro firms
  • Participation in business associations and performance among family firms

Special issue: Web-based communities and healthcare

International Journal of Web Based Communities 6(4) 2010
  • How do young people use disclosure in real-time and non-real-time online groups?
  • The role of an online peer-to-peer health community in addressing psychosocial concerns and social support in polycystic ovary syndrome
  • Health-related internet support groups and dental anxiety: the fearful patient's online journey
  • Seeking out very like-minded others: exploring trust and advice issues in an online health support group
  • Patients' sociability and usability experience in online health communities: impact on attitudes towards the healthcare organisation and its services
  • Creativity in web-based communities

Special issue: Autonomous and semi-autonomous control for safe driving of ground vehicles

International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems 8(2-4) 2010
  • Adaptive integrated vehicle control using active front steering and rear torque vectoring
  • Brake control using a prediction method to reduce rollover risk
  • A methodology for the design of robust rollover prevention controllers for automotive vehicles using differential braking
  • Optimal vehicle stability controller based on Nash strategy for differential LQ games
  • An optimal-control-based framework for trajectory planning, threat assessment, and semi-autonomous control of passenger vehicles in hazard avoidance scenarios
  • Steady-state cornering equilibria and stabilisation for a vehicle during extreme operating conditions
  • Vehicle stabilisation in response to exogenous impulsive disturbances to the vehicle body
  • An expert fuzzy strategy for vehicle lateral control under urban environments

Special issue: Intellectual capital management for service productivity iImprovement

International Journal of Services Technology and Management 14(4) 2010
  • Service performance improvement by using RFID-enabled goods traceability data: a case study
  • Productivity impacts of mobile office service
  • An evaluation methodology for the tangible and intangible assets of city-regions: the 6K1C framework
  • Identifying factors affecting public service productivity
  • Understanding value created by KIBS: a business customer perspective
  • White-collar worker productivity: challenges in Finland

Special issue: Applied financial economics

International Journal of Financial Markets and Derivatives 1(4) 2010

Papers from the 6th International Conference on Applied Financial Economics (AFE), held in Samos Island, Greece, 2–4 July 2009.
  • Optimal portfolio allocation strategies with dynamic factor models
  • Linkages in global financial market during financial crises: a comparison of the periods 1995-2000 and 2007-2009
  • Fractal properties of some European electricity markets
  • Testing the shape of EMU term structure of interest rates
  • Valuation of volatility sensitive interest rate derivatives in an emerging market
  • Risk and regulatory reforms in the securities industry: a need for a paradigm shift?

Special issue: Strategic management and business model design in electronic, mobile and connected government

Electronic Government, an International Journal 7(4) 2010
  • The need for strategic management and business model design in government and public administration
  • A decision support model to facilitate new strategies and business models for appointing counsel in courts
  • Realising collaborative government-to-business business models: the case of the authorised economic operator
  • Reengineering the licensing process for businesses involving multiple government agencies in Singapore
  • Deploying centres of excellence in government agencies
  • Business models for eGovernment services

Special issue: Financial services industry: emerging challenges and prospects

International Journal of Financial Services Management 4(4) 2010
  • Challenges in maintaining the regulatory capital requirements
  • Bank regulation: a controlled incentive for earnings management
  • Banking system development, small businesses and minority lending in Nigeria
  • Efficiency of Indian banks during 1999–2008: a stochastic frontier approach
  • Efficiency, scale economies and valuation effects: evidence from bank mergers in India
  • Assessing the effects of the Asian financial crisis on banking performance in Southeast Asia

5 October 2010

Special issue: Systems and actors in design

Journal of Design Research 8(4) 2010
  • Using a systems perspective to design a problem solving process
  • Complexity in multi-actor system research: towards a meta-analysis of recent studies
  • Systems and actors: the transport system
  • Dealing with technology and actor views in designing ICT service systems
Submitted Paper
  • Real projects versus instructed protocols: a compromised profile for proposing architectural design teaching projects

Special issue: Technology valuation, technology transfer and virtual governance

International Journal of Technology Marketing 5(2) 2010
  • Virtual technology marketing and governance problems: how can firms benefit from dynamic boundaries?
  • Marketing of technological knowledge: an empirical analysis of licensing activities of university TLOs in Japan
  • Some professional issues on the valuation of technology
  • Investigation of a new prediction model for technology demand
  • New product development and commercialisation at SK Chemical
  • The development of cluster tool controllers (CTC) for semiconductor manufacturing: the case of KAIST and Jusung Engineering, Co.

Special issue: East vs. West: competition or cooperation

International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets 2(4) 2010

Papers from a research conference organised by the MacEwan School of Business at Grant MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, May 2009.
  • The globalisation of China's financial capital: How China's growing financial clout is affecting the global political economy
  • Chinese outward direct investment: a study on macroeconomic determinants
  • International entrepreneurship and knowledge acquisition in Chinese international firms
  • Comparison of PRC and Vietnam's responses to the elimination of US textile and apparel quotas: economic and cultural perspectives
  • The function of social networks in expatriate effectiveness
  • Foreign Direct Investment and spillover effect: a local firm perspective

Special issue: Middle East capital markets and investment issues

International Journal of Monetary Economics and Finance 3(4) 2010
  • Bank supervision and bank profitability: the case of MENA countries
  • GCC stock markets: How risky are they?
  • How markets react to earnings announcements in the absence of analysts and institutions: evidence from the Saudi market
  • Does the entry of foreign investors influence the volatility of Doha Securities Market?
  • The indexing paradox: be thankful for irrational analysts

Special issue: Managing electronic healthcare systems

International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management 6(4) 2010
  • Information security and privacy in healthcare: current state of research
  • eConsent: provenance, use and future role
  • E-Health readiness framework from Electronic Health Records perspective
  • Patient's medication information and its special characteristics: a case study of a Finnish primary care organisation
Additional paper
  • Performance assessment of service operati

Special issue: Supply chain operations during the worldwide economic crisis

International Journal of Integrated Supply Management 5(4) 2010
  • Global suppliers' selection in foreign-aid funded procurement using the quality function deployment matrix
  • Insights of apparel supply chain operations: a case study
  • Integration of procurement and production scheduling in flexible flow-line assembly
  • A loss function based decision support model for 3PL selection by 4PLs
  • Enhancing manufacturing excellence through integrated manufacturing programme

4 October 2010

Special issue: Catalysing sustainability: the role of higher education

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development 9(4) 2010

Papers from a seminar series funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council ( ESRC).
  • Sustainability as competitive advantage in higher education in the UK
  • What does a sustainability manager do? Sustainable development at the University of Leeds
  • Sustainable procurement: human rights and greenhouse gas emissions
  • Ecoversity: the potential for sustainable development to reshape university culture and action
  • The green campus is also a virtual one
  • Universities as sustainable communities: a prospectus for people and places

Special issue: Technology management in the automotive sector: an international review

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management 10(4) 2010

Papers from PICMET (Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology) technology management conferences.
  • Improving automobile technical personnel's goal commitment: investigation of managerial actions based on individual potentials
  • Application of modularity in world automotive industries: a literature analysis
  • An analysis of transferring value-added activities within the context of modular design
  • The implementation of TQM in the component supply chain in the South African motor industry
  • Measurement of R&D capabilities in Chinese self-brand automotive firms
  • Technological innovation of automotive part makers in China

Special issue: Simulation and optimisation and their applications to logistical systems

European Journal of Industrial Engineering 4(4) 2010

Papers from the 7th International Conference on Modelling and Simulation (MOSIM’08) held in Paris, France, 31 March to 2 April 2008.
  • Engineering change order processing in ERP systems: an integrated reactive model
  • Scheduling hybrid flow shop problem with non-fixed availability constraints
  • Solution of multidimensional knapsack problems via cooperation of dynamic programming and branch and bound
  • Multi-agent modelling for replenishment policies simulation in supply chains
  • Two-stage flexible supply contract with payback and information update
  • A win-win collaboration approach for a two-echelon supply chain: a case study in the pulp and paper industry

Special issue: AIT-driven manufacturing and management

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management 21(3/4) 2010
  • Linear barcodes, direct part marking and RFID for material handling applications
  • Potentials and limitations of RFID applications in packaging industry: a case study
  • Business case scenarios for the impact of RFID on the end-to-end supply chain
  • RFID public logistics information sharing and exchanging solution
  • RFID enabled fully automated warehouse management: adding the business context
  • Critical management issues for implementing RFID in supply chain management
  • RFID-empowered monitoring and controlling for advanced manufacturing
  • RFID: a brief overview
  • The strategic consortia movement in standardisation

Special issue: Globalisation and technology transfer in the aerospace industry

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation 9(4) 2010
  • Does geographical proximity enhance knowledge exchange? The case of the aerospace industrial cluster of Centre Italy
  • China's aircraft industry: collaboration and technology transfer – the case of Airbus
  • The determinants of technology transfer through networks: an empirical study on the aerospace industry
  • New entrants and overcapacity: lessons from regional aircraft manufacturing

Special issue: Speech as a human biometric: I know who you are from your voice!

International Journal of Biometrics 2(4) 2010
  • The effect of correlation on strength of evidence estimates in Forensic Voice Comparison: uni- and multivariate Likelihood Ratio-based discrimination with Australian English vowel acoustics
  • Voice biometric feature using Gammatone filterbank and ICA
  • Using MMSE to improve session variability estimation
  • On the use of perceptual Line Spectral pairs Frequencies and higher-order residual moments for Speaker Identification
  • Text-Independent speaker identification in phoneme-independent subspace using PCA transformation
  • Neuro-fuzzy-based biometric system using speech features

Special issue: EUROSIS: simulation in practice

International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology 2(4) 2010
  • A design approach for asset supply logistics
  • Continuous approximation of PEPA models and Petri nets
  • A deterministic annealing algorithm for the pre- and end-haulage of intermodal container terminals
  • Simulation, a support for sustainable logistical decision-making in complex supply chains
  • A conceptual model for SMEs mechatronics supply chain
  • Project plan formalisation and modelling via timed coloured Petri nets
  • Finite element modelling of underground water flow in low permeability lands
  • Activity- and actor-oriented simulation approach for the management of development projects
  • Quality of service in healthcare units

Special issue: Grid and cloud computing

International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing 6(4) 2010
  • Virtual Data System on distributed virtual machines in computational grids
  • A novel parallel algorithm for frequent pattern mining with privacy preserved in cloud computing environments
  • Predicting vertebrate promoters using heterogeneous clusters
  • DockFlow: Achieving interoperability of protein docking tools across heterogeneous Grid middleware
  • CloudEdge: a content delivery system for storage service in cloud environment
  • A Two-Level Scheduling Strategy for optimising communications of data parallel programs in clusters

Special issue: Analysis and control of time-delay and wireless network systems

International Journal of Systems, Control and Communications 2(4) 2010

Papers from the 5th International Symposium on Neural Networks (ISNN2008) held in Beijing, China, 24-28 September 2008.
  • Novel robust stability criteria for interval Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with time-varying delays
  • Equalisation of a wireless ATM channel using a pruned recurrent neural network
  • Stability analysis of generalised Neural Networks with mixed time-varying delays
  • Robust stability analysis for uncertain stochastic neural networks with mixed time-varying delays
  • Passivity analysis of neural networks with discrete and distributed delays
  • Exponential stability of delayed Cellular Neural Networks with large impulses
  • An analysis of global exponential stability of neural networks with reaction-diffusion terms and distributed delays
  • Online Controller Area Network message scheduling: analysis, implementation and applications
  • Dynamic behaviour study of Delayed Discrete Hopfield Neural Networks
  • Neuro-PID controller design for Networked Control Systems with non-linearity and random delays using Fisher information

Special issue: Knowledge and learning networks in organisations

European Journal of International Management 4(6) 2010
  • Dynamic information retrieval and allocation flows in project teams with discontinuous membership
  • Understanding the structures, antecedents and outcomes of organisational learning and knowledge transfer: a multi-theoretical and multilevel network analysis
  • Inter-organisational collective learning: the case of biotechnology in France
  • The elephant in the room: the applicability of axiomatic approaches to network learning and organisational knowledge
Additional Paper
  • The efficiency of entrepreneurship policy support for the internationalisation of SMEs: the case of Slovenia