Featured article: Extracting the knowledge entangled in the web: technologies, applications and developments

Extracting the knowledge entangled in the web: technologies, applications and developments
Jeffrey Hsu, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ, USA
International Journal of Innovation and Learning 4(6) 2007, 612 - 630

Web mining is an area that has garnered much attention in the past few years, with the ability to 'mine' new knowledge and information from the vast expanse of the World Wide Web. This paper starts with an introduction to web mining research and applications, and then focuses on the key new technologies and methods in the field. This is then followed by a discussion of the important applications in the field, including those in marketing, e-commerce, crime, and web communities. The benefits and future of web mining, together with important areas for research, conclude the paper.

Special issue: Technology innovation and knowledge management for high technology industry

International Journal of Technology Management 39(1/2) 2007 is a special issue: Technology innovation and knowledge management for high technology industry.

Article titles:
* Technology innovation and knowledge management in the high-tech industry
* The 'perfect technology syndrome': sources, consequences and solutions
* The changing autarky pharmaceutical R&D process: causes and consequences of growing R&D collaboration in Japanese firms
* The commercialisation environment of advanced materials ventures
* Real options for innovation management
* Examining governance-innovation relationship in the high-tech industries: monitoring, incentive and a fit with strategic posture
* Managing product and customer knowledge in innovative new product development
* Performance measurement systems for knowledge management in high technology industries: a balanced scorecard framework
* Maintenance of persistent creativity and innovation in university laboratories
* Application of the knowledge management in the knowledge-intensive service business: the case studies at ITIS and ITRI in Taiwan
* Transforming a semiconductor company into a learning organisation: a bottom-up approach of knowledge management implementation

Special issue: Virtual reality for product development

International Journal of Product Development 4(6) 2007 is a special issue: Virtual reality for product development, with papers from Virtual Concept 2005 held in Biarritz, France, 8-10 November 2005.

Article titles:
* Knowledge integration for annotating in virtual environments
* Animated cartography and reasoning to simulate car traffic
* Dynamical indexation of risk in a virtual work environment
* A method for interactively composing mechatronic prototypes in virtual environment
* Computer-aided apparel tailoring with virtual simulation
* Conceptual modelling of behaviour in a virtual environment
* Constraint-based virtual conceptual design

Special issue: Normalisation in decision-making methods

International Journal of Management and Decision Making 8(5/6) 2007 is a special issue: Normalisation in decision-making methods.

Article titles:
* What is meant by normalisation in decision making?
* Normalisation in multiobjective optimisation: a general overview
* Introducing reliability measures into multi-criteria decision-making
* Reliability measures in multicriteria decision making as applied to engineering projects
* The effectiveness of assessments in multiple criteria decisions
* Some problems of evaluating multicriteria decision methods
* Methods of determining objective, subjective and integrated weights of attributes
* Sensitivity analysis of a simple additive weight method
* Uncertainty phenomenon in property valuation
* Determining the level of agreement of expert estimates
* A hybrid normalised multi criteria decision making for the vendor selection in a supply chain model
* Normalisation in the selection of construction alternatives

Call for papers: Product lifecycle management

Call for papers: Product lifecycle management

A special issue of International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management

In keeping with the latest Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) approach, engineers are faced with the need to treat design as a holistic process where a large number of factors need to be considered over the life cycle of the product. Among the many things design engineers have to deal with are numerous uncertainties associated with product and process models, limited integration of various design tools, designing products that can be effectively manufactured and supported and limitations in data exchange across platforms, as well as ambiguities in product definition across disciplines and functional areas.

The goal of this special issue is to publish the current status and future directions of issues concerned with product lifecycle management. Selected papers will be published from the International Conference on Comprehensive Product Realization 2007 (ICCPR2007). The conference will provide the opportunity for scholars from all around the world to discuss their academic programmes, identify research opportunities, and initiate joint research programmes in the area of comprehensive product realization. Engineering design has evolved from an isolated semi-empirical activity to a highly interconnected, multidisciplinary product realization collaborative process. The guest editors will accept specially invited submissions to this special issue from authors who intend to participate in the conference.

The subject coverage of this special issue includes, but is not limited to, topics that address:

• Product and process modelling
• Product and process data management
• Product and process integration
• Knowledge representation and knowledge management
• Configuration management and change management
• Design for manufacturing, supply, service, and recycling
• Product lifecycle performance modelling, analysis and optimization
• Lifecycle cost and assessment models
• Design and engineering decision support
• Global teams and change management
• Application methodologies and solutions
• Industrial case studies
• PLM in education

Important Dates
Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 30 September 2007
Communication of peer reviews to authors: 31 October 2007
Deadline for revised manuscripts: 30 November 2007

Special issue: Advances in information engineering and enterprise architecture for industrial information management

International Journal of Technology Management 38(4) 2007 is a special issue: Advances in information engineering and enterprise architecture for industrial information management.

Article titles:

* Framework for e-mail records management in corporate environments
* The relationship between implementation variables and performance improvement of ERP systems
* A virtual enterprise based information system architecture for the tourism industry
* Formation of a generic technique for manufacturing systems monitoring
* A study on the development methodology of the business model in ubiquitous technology
* A reference model and integration framework for building enterprise computing platform

Featured article: A thermodynamic theory of economics

A thermodynamic theory of economics
John Bryant, VOCAT International Ltd, Harpenden, UK
International Journal of Exergy 4(3) 2007, 302 - 337

An analogy between thermodynamic and economic theories is developed further, following a previous paper published by the author in 1982. Economic equivalents are set out concerning the ideal gas equation, pressure, temperature, entropy, 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics and the Le Chatelier Principle. Links to utility, the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility and the Cobb Douglas function are developed. A trade cycle is constructed, based on the Joule Cycle, with equations for cycle efficiency, growth and entropy gain. A thermodynamic model of a money system is developed. Aspects concerning the measurement of economic value in thermodynamic terms are discussed.

First issue: International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications

The first issue of International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications has just been published.

The journal deals with new computing paradigms and corresponding applications to solve real-world problems. It will cover all aspects related to evolutionary computation, quantum-inspired computing, swarm-based computing, neuro-computing, DNA computing and fuzzy computing, as well as other new computing paradigms.

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

Special issue: ERP supply chains

International Journal of Integrated Supply Management 3(4) 2007 is a special issue: ERP supply chains.

Article titles:
* A critical evaluation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software sourcing and provision using theoretical constructs
* An exploration of a proposed balanced decision model for the selection of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems
* Integrating Enterprise Resource Planning vendor evaluation into a proposed ERP selection methodology
* A faster Enterprise Resources Planning implementation for Euro Coin Supply Chain within the SCOR model
* Enterprise Resource Planning implementation at Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: an initial study of the Greek market
* Management of Enterprise Information Systems: call for a new technology landscape framework

First issue: International Journal of Information Quality

The first issue of International Journal of Information Quality has just been published.

Organisations possess the technology to collect, store, and process vast volumes of data. Even so, they often find themselves stymied in their efforts to translate this data into meaningful information that can be used to improve business processes and decision making. The cliché of “drowning in data and starving of information" seems so true these days. The reasons for this are often related to issues which collectively form an emerging field referred to as information quality.
This journal provides an international outlet for the publication of high quality papers in the field of information quality. It aims to promote research on the theory, design, analysis, management and implementation of information quality systems in service industries, manufacturing industries, and government organisations. It also encourages research dealing with economic considerations of information quality as well as issues with societal and political priority such as information quality for healthcare systems and information quality in the “war on terror".

There is a free download of articles from this first issue.

Call for papers: Managing Supply Chain Risks in Disasters

Call for papers: Managing Supply Chain Risks in Disasters

A special issue of International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management

The application of risk management in a supply chain context has been gaining interest during the past few years. Originally, significant incidents such as September 11th, SARS and the Indian Ocean tsunami as well other man-made and natural disasters have triggered organisations to pay attention to supply chain risk management (SCRM). Regardless of the risks and problems that organisations and their supply chains face, customers expect no compromise to their product or service delivery.

When it comes to disasters, compromising deliveries is not an option, as the failure of humanitarian supply chains is measured in a loss of lives. However, risk management is not as well understood within supply chains as in individual organisations. Therefore this special issue focuses on assessing, measuring and managing supply chain risks in disasters.

Disasters are defined as disruptions that physically affect a system as a whole and threatens its priorities and goals. Disaster relief is a substantial global industry that is predicted to continue to expand, as it is forecast that over the next 50 years, both natural and man-made disasters will increase five-fold. The focus of the special issue is on managing supply chain risks in natural and man-made hazards and disasters, where a supply chain is understood to consist of a direct supply chain (a minimum of three independent actors).

All research which contributes to the understanding of supply chain risk management in natural disasters is welcome. Contributors are encouraged to submit original manuscripts that are conceptual, or empirically based, in particular using techniques such as scenario-building, simulation, modelling, and geographic information systems, focusing on the following or related areas:

• Supply chain management in disaster relief
• Strategic risk management in supply chains
• Assessing and managing supply chain vulnerability
• Measuring supply chain risk
• Supply chain risk mitigation and reduction
• Risk prioritisation in supply chains
• Measuring performance in humanitarian supply chains
• Decision-making in humanitarian supply chains
• Principles and theory of supply chain risk management

Important Dates
Closing date for submission of manuscripts: 15 Sepember 2007
Communication of initial decision on manuscripts: 15 December 2007
Submission of final manuscripts: 25 January 2008

Call for papers: Co-ordination of Service Providers in Humanitarian Aid

Call for papers: Co-ordination of Service Providers in Humanitarian Aid

A special issue of International Journal of Services Technology and Management

Delivering humanitarian aid involves many different actors, including beneficiaries, donors, aid agencies, NGOs, logistics service providers, governments as well as military forces. The coordination and design of structures, processes and services is particularly challenging due to the conditions in which humanitarian aid is delivered, which can be described as unpredictable, turbulent, and requiring flexibility.

The international humanitarian community has repeatedly called for an increase in the coordination in delivery of aid. Therefore, there is need for more knowledge concerning the coordination between actors, from an intra-organisational as well as from an inter-organisational perspective. This special issue focuses on the coordination of logistical, technological and financial services of different actors working in humanitarian aid.

All research, which contributes to the understanding of the coordination of services, and service providers in humanitarian aid, is welcome. Contributors are encouraged to submit original manuscripts that are conceptual, case studies, or empirically-based; and focus on the following or other areas related to humanitarian aid:

• Inter-organisational coordination
• Supply chain integration
• Logistics services and technologies
• Third and fourth party logistics
• Logistics knowledge management
• Financial flows and services
• Integrating financial and material flows
• Health care services

Important Dates
Closing date for submission of manuscripts: 31 October 2007
Communication of initial decision on manuscripts: 15 January 2008
Submission of final manuscripts: 29 February 2008

Solar Panel Payback Time

'When it comes to solar cells, there is good news and there is bad news. First the bad news. Installing photovoltaic solar panels on your roof will cost you more than you save on electricity bills before the panels have to be replaced. The good news is that you will reduce your carbon footprint and save energy.'
Introduction to an article at the Alpha Galileo research news site, based on

A Life Cycle Analysis of roof integrated photovoltaic systems
G. Bizzarri, G.L. Morini, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management 7(1/2) 2007, 134 - 146

Special issue: IT/IS based best practices to leverage performance of enterprises

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology 28(2/3) 2007 is a special issue: IT/IS based best practices to leverage performance of enterprises.

Article titles:
* Diagnosability study for quality improvement based on distributed sensing and information technology
* Towards formulating strategy and leveraging performance: a strategic information systems planning approach
* Innovation science: a primer
* User acceptance of information technologies for enterprise development
* Application of new Apriori algorithm MDNC to TFT-LCD array manufacturing yield improvement
* Utilising enterprise knowledge with knowledge-based engineering
* A generic framework to achieve complex data exchange in an industrial environment
* A flexible information management system for supporting manufacturing activities
* Design and implementation of an object-oriented information management system
* Benchmarking of optimisation techniques based on genetic algorithms, tabu search and simulated annealing
* Measuring the performance and evaluating the improvements of a fine paper supply chain

Get Inderscience News posts by email

A new feature on this blog means that now you can keep up with new posts by email as well as by RSS feed. Simply enter your email address in the box in the right hand column. You will receive an email containing one or more posts each time the blog is updated.

Featured article: The battle of batteries: a history of innovation in alternative energy cars

The battle of batteries: a history of innovation in alternative energy cars
Karl G. Hoyer, Oslo University College, Oslo, Norway
International Journal of Alternative Propulsion 1(4) 2007, 369 - 384
The paper gives a global view on the historical development of electrical cars. It is a history described in five major waves; the first one starting about 1835 and the last one ending about 2000. With two cases, important aspects of the two last waves are described in detail. The cases are the French VEL car and the Norwegian Think car. They have had their more specific setbacks. Problems in electrochemistry have caused important limitations, as they have through the whole history of electrical cars. This is the background for the paper title: The Battle of Batteries.

150 up!: Inderscience reaches 150 titles

The newly published titles featured in recent posts take the number of titles published by Inderscience to over 150 - 154 to be precise. Over 30 new titles were published in 2006 with a similar number expected in 2007. In all there are around 100 planned titles in various stages of development at present.
Details of all titles, including forthcoming ones, are on the Inderscience website.

Inderscience at UK Serials Group Conference

Last week Inderscience had a stand at the UK Serials Group (UKSG) annual conference and exhibition at the University of Warwick, attended by over 500 delegates. We had visitors from many UK and European university libraries together with those from national libraries and government libraries and talked to representatives of the European Parliament, the House of Commons Library and the Scottish Executive, for instance, and also the Danish National Library Authority and the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority. Delegates from further afield included those from the USA, Kenya, Malawi and Egypt. More than 100 delegates listened to our product review.

Presentations from the conference will be available at http://www.uksg.org/events/annualconference.

Anyone wishing to follow up on their visit to our stand is very welcome to contact info@inderscience.com.

Special issue: From technology transfer to knowledge transfer: can universities really contribute to regional and national economic growth?

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation 5(4) 2006 is a special issue: From technology transfer to knowledge transfer: can universities really contribute to regional and national economic growth?

Article titles:
* Models for university technology transfer operation: patent agency and 2g
* University incubators as agents for technology transfer and economic growth: case studies in USA, Ukraine and Finland
* The technology transfer of the Italian public research system: the case of the National Research Council of Italy
* Fostering knowledge and technology transfer through evaluation systems at a regional level
* Organisational culture differences and market orientation: an exploratory study of barriers to university–industry relationships
* Do university based biotechnology centres impact regional biotechnology related (commercial) employment?
* Public sector technology transfer through patents and licensing: the case of US agriculture
* The university as the engine of growth: an analysis of how universities can contribute to the economy

Special issue: Manufacturing under changing environment

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management 11(3/4) 2007 is a special issue: Manufacturing under changing environment.

Article titles:

* A visualised manufacturing information system for mass customisation
* A web-based product portfolio decision support system
* Using model engineering for the criticality analysis of reconfigurable manufacturing systems architectures
* The integration of manufacturing systems using visualised CAPP for agile manufacturing
* An integrated method for multiobjectives cell formation in cellular manufacturing systems
* Building an adaptive manufacturing enterprise for the Hong Kong watchmaking industry
* Manufacturing scheduling in decentralised holonic systems using artificial intelligence techniques
* Framework for the dynamic scheduling of complex job shops

Special issue: Indigenous business strategies

International Journal of Business Performance Management 9(3) 2007 is a special issue: Indigenous business strategies.

Article titles:
* Native American business strategy: a survey of northwest US firms
* A comparison of indigenous and non-indigenous enterprise in the Canadian sub-Arctic
* Business strategies of the eastern Sami in the Russian
* Changing business strategies of reindeer husbandry in Finland
* Business strategies for indigenous Australians: failure to thrive
* Mahinga kai
* Immigrant and indigenous enterprises: similarities and differences

First issue: International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship

The first issue of International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship has just been published.

Technoentrepreneurship is defined as the entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial activities of both existing and developing companies operating in technology-intensive environments. This journal proposes and fosters discussion on the development of issues concerning high tech entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.
The objective is to provide a platform of exchange for academics, researchers, managers and policy makers interested in the issues faced by entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in fast-pacing technology intensive activities. The international dimension is now compulsory in the growing global technological world from Silicon Valley to Bangalore, from Helsinki to China.

First issue: International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems

The first issue of International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems has just been published.

Intelligent information systems and intelligent database systems are a very dynamically developing field in computer sciences. This journal provides a medium for exchanging scientific research and technological achievements accomplished by the international community. It focuses on research in applications of advanced intelligent technologies for data storing and processing in a wide-ranging context.
The issues addressed by the journal involve solutions of real-life problems, in which it is necessary to apply intelligent technologies for achieving effective results. The emphasis of the reported work is on new and original research and technological developments rather than reports on the application of existing technology to different sets of data.
It is a double-blind refereed and authoritative reference dealing with working and potential intelligent database systems theories and applications as well as emerging issues of interest to professionals and academics.

First issue: International Journal of Information and Communication Technology

The first issue of International Journal of Information and Communication Technology has just been published.

It is a refereed journal in the field of information and communication technology (ICT), providing an international forum for professionals, engineers and researchers. It reports the new paradigms in this emerging field of technology and envisions the future developments in the frontier areas. The journal addresses issues for the vertical and horizontal applications in this area.

First issue : International Journal of High Performance Systems Architecture

The first issue of International Journal of High Performance Systems Architecture has just been published.

The journal proposes and fosters discussion on all aspects of the design and implementation of high-performance architectures, which are centred around the concept of parallel processing. It will cover all types of advanced architectures ranging from pipelined structures, array processors and multiprocessor systems. Dedicated high-performance architectures and systems, as well as hardware and software design methods and tools, will also fall within the scope of the journal.

First issue: International Journal of Automation and Control

The first issue of International Journal of Automation and Control has just been published.

It is a refereed journal providing an international forum to foster information exchange and discussion on the evolution and realisation of the theory, algorithms, techniques, schemes and tools for any kind of automation and control platforms including macro, micro and nano scale machineries and systems, with emphasis on implications that state-of-the-art technology choices have on both the feasibility and practicability of the intended applications. This perspective acknowledges the complexity of the automation, instrumentation and process control methods and delineates itself as an interface between the theory and practice existing in parallel over diverse spheres.

Objectives are to establish an effective channel of communication between developers, system integrator, technocrats, academic and research institutions and persons concerned with the complex role of automation and control architecture in the target systems. It also aims to promote and coordinate developments in this field. The international dimension is emphasised in order to overcome “developing" and “developed" barriers and to meet the needs of accelerating technological and innovative changes.

First issue: International Journal of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering

The first issue of International Journal of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering has just been published.

The objectives of the journal are to establish a communication vehicle for researchers and practitioners to promote, publicise and exchange ideas relating to the interface between research and commercial adoption of agent technology within the software development community. A further objective is to bring together the two relevant communities of agent technologists and (traditional) software engineers. Although software engineering necessarily encompasses research and application, an individual paper may address one or both of these aspects. If a proposal is purely theoretical, some application areas need to be indicated although empirical proof will not necessarily be required for publication in the journal

Call for papers: Working In The Automotive Industry

Call for papers: Working In The Automotive Industry

A special issue of International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management

The automotive sector is in a worldwide process of huge reorganisation at different levels, from single plants to multinational corporations as a whole, to face the globalisation challenge. The issues at stake in the public discussion have been mainly related to strategies, organisational schemes and technologies but there are dramatic processes of change also in the situation of people working in this sector. Therefore, it seem to be time to add new contributions to the public discussion on the topic of the working conditions and the different patterns of the social regulation of work. The goal is to cover different situations by countries and brands with the description and analysis of specific situation also in a comparative perspective.

Papers to be included in this special issue should be focused on, one or more of the following subjects (the list is indicative rather than exhaustive):

• Existing working conditions and current trends
• Working hours, shift regimes and current patterns of flexibility
• Existing work organisation and patterns of change
• The impact of managerial techniques like just in time, just in sequence, lean production, visual management, milk-run, kanban, SCM, 6 Sigma, etc., on both work organisation and working condition
• Assessment of national and international experiences in using teams and groups
• Competence building, flexibility and personnel turnover regimes: experiences and current trends
• Employment relations: permanent vs. temporary labour contracts and their side effects
• Careers and monetary as well as non monetary incentives: experiences and current trends
• Management of an international work force mobility: experiences and current trends
• Patterns of change in the social regulation of labour
• Health and safety: current situation, trends and comparative analysis.

All the topics refer to the situation of both, white and blue collar workers. The special issue welcomes both empirical and theoretical contributions related to the proposed topics. Case studies, surveys and papers based on empirical data are preferred; a rigorous research methodology is required, as well as a review of existing literature and adequate reference to bibliographical sources.

Important Dates

Deadline for (extended) abstract submission: 31 May 2007
Response by guest editor: 30 June 2007
Deadline for full paper submission: 31 October 2007

Call for papers: Smart Machining Systems

Call for papers: Smart Machining Systems

A special issue of International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems

Smart machining systems, SMS, are the next stage in the evolution of machining systems within the manufacturing enterprise. A smart machining system will enable the cost effective manufacture to specification, and on schedule, of the first and every part. Such systems will complement and enhance the effectiveness of machine operators, process planners, and design engineers in the manufacturing enterprise by sharing knowledge and information among these functions to optimise the design and manufacturing processes to their fullest. Smart machining systems are envisioned to have the following characteristics:

• self-recognition and communication of their capabilities to other parts of the manufacturing enterprise
• self-monitoring and optimising their operations
• self-assessing the quality of their own work
• self-learning and performance improvement over time
• enhancing human interaction.

This is an emerging and evolving field of research in industry and academia with continued strong impact on industry practice, and necessary metrology and standards.

This special issue invites the submission of high quality research articles related to smart machining systems, theory, modelling, simulation, analysis, experimentation, and implementation.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Smart machine tool components such as spindles, drive systems, controls
• Machine tool condition monitoring
• Machine tool performance characterisation and tracking
• Predictive tolerance analysis and control
• Process quality control and improvement
• Robust optimisation and other mathematical modelling tools for machining environments with high levels of uncertainty
• Process modelling: modelling of the tool-material/work-material interaction including finite element modelling (FEM), measurement of material properties at high strain rates, cutting modelling, thermal modelling at the tool-chip interface, etc
• Modelling of the machine tool system including high speed machining, simulation of machined surface, and machine tool dynamics
• Data standardisation and requirements for CNC
• Use of knowledge and information modelling for SMS (data representation, ontologies, XML, OWL, software application, study cases, etc)
• Concurrent engineering approaches for SMS integration into earlier stages of the product life cycle across a company as well as within an extended enterprise
• Virtual machining and its integration in the manufacturing enterprise

Important Dates
Submission: 31 December 2007
Decision: 01 March 2008
Revised manuscripts: 01 April 2008

Call for papers: One-Stop Government

Call for papers: One-Stop Government

A special issue of International Journal of Electronic Governance

In the context of public administration reforms that are taking place in many countries, the notion of one-stop government is becoming increasingly important. One-stop government suggests that citizens and businesses can access integrated public services that match their exact needs and circumstances with minimum interaction through their preferred channels. One-stop government also suggests that the customer is able to access atomic or integrated public services through a single point even if these services are actually provided by different departments or authorities. In practice however, this integration of public services faces a number of challenges, including political, legal, cultural, organisational, semantic and technical ones.

This special issue aims to focus on the wider interdisciplinary character of e-government and especially one-stop government and to report relevant research and experiences from operational case studies.

More specifically, original unpublished research articles and case studies are sought covering various disciplines pertinent to one-stop government and relevant cross-domain research. The focus of the special issue will be on research papers, case studies, experience reports and impact/efficiency assessments based on operational findings from one-stop government implementations with considerable impact and learning potential.

Contributions are sought on a set of themes that include, but are not exclusively limited to, the following topics:

• Cultural, social and political issues of one-stop government
• Organisational and legal issues of one-stop government
• Semantic and technical aspects of one-stop government
• Life-event and business episode modeling in one-stop government
• G2G one-stop government strategy and implementation
• Methodologies for one-stop government implementation
• Impact of one-stop government on efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency
• Reengineering government administration processes via one-stop government
• One-stop government in regional/local governments
• Knowledge management in the public sector for creating one-stop services
• Management of one-stop government implementations
• Adoption of the one-stop paradigm in e-democracy and e-participation implementations

Operational, one-stop government cases with considerable impact.
For each case, the following information should be provided:

• Description of case
• Problem addressed and solution achieved
• Policy context and strategy
• One-stop government aspects of the solution
• Evaluation of effectiveness and impact assessment
• Results and lessons learnt

Important Dates

Deadline for paper submission: 30 June 2007
Notification of acceptance/rejection: 10 September 2007
Final (camera-ready) papers submission: 20 October, 2007

Call for papers: Revenue Management in Practice: Competition through Electronic Commerce and Online Auctions

Call for papers: Revenue Management in Practice: Competition through Electronic Commerce and Online Auctions

A special issue of International Journal of Revenue Management

This special issue highlights the practice of revenue management in the environment of networking, competition, and online operations. The management of service operations is becoming increasingly important nowadays. For example, the revenue from the service sector of Shanghai, China, exceeded 60 percent in 2006. There are tremendous opportunities to explore applications of revenue management in services. A new trend in this area is the revenue management of network operations, an important research direction for scholars to pay attention to. Another trend is that revenue management problems in practice have to deal with revenue management problems in the face of competition. Moreover, the development of electronic commerce provides new opportunities for revenue management applications, such as combinations of revenue management with Internet services and online auctions.

This special issue is seeking to publish rigorous papers that help promote revenue management practice in the environment of networking, competition, and online operations. Papers that are the joint work of practitioners and academicians are particularly welcome.

Appropriate topics for this special issue include but are not limited to:

• Revenue management for network operations
• Revenue management for internet services
• Revenue management for online auctions
• Revenue management in the appearance of competition
• Revenue management practice
• Revenue management in supply chains
• Demand management and dynamic pricing
• Optimal control and capacity planning
• Decision support systems for revenue management
• Revenue management in logistics
• Performance evaluation of revenue management
• Stochastic dynamic programming modelling in revenue management

Important Dates
Full paper due: April 1, 2008
Notification of acceptance and review results: August 1, 2008
Final version of paper due: October 1, 2008

Call for papers: Telemedicine & E-Health

Call for papers: Telemedicine & E-Health

A special issue of International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology

Enabling medical practice through the application of telecommunication and information technologies to overcome geographical separation has been a long-sought vision, currently challenged by an abundance of incompatible technology, lack of performing service models, and dramatic disparities in the population access to healthcare. New trends like mobile patients, computer supported collaborative medical sessions, ambulatory monitoring with intelligent alarm processing, patient centered information systems, diagnosis expertise subcontracting across national borders, and knowledge extraction from large repositories of specialised patient records, among others, are irreversibly accentuating the gap between private and public medicine practices, leaving at the same time rural telemedicine behind its urban counterpart. Nevertheless, improvement of healthcare quality and delivery in such framework is envisioned beyond rapid retrieval and exchange of multimedia patient data, addressing issues that mainly concern end-user ergonomics, ubiquity, standardisation, detailed process workflow analysis, security, and medical practice support.

Original contributions on novel, robust, user and environment constraints aware, interoperable and effective solutions, to existing problems within the aforementioned context are invited. Authors are requested to submit manuscripts including, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Open source software-hardware applications
• Standardisation
• Mobile telemedicine
• Nomad multimedia patient records
• Personal health
• Smart homes
• Collaborative work
• Medical practice support for collaborative work
• Virtual and augmented reality for telemedicine and e-health
• Networked home monitoring and home care
• Remote therapy and rehabilitation
• Special needs, disability and distant healthcare
• Integration of telemedicine platforms with hospital information systems and PACS
• Wireless multimedia platforms
• Exploitation of broadband wireless quality of service
• Service models effectiveness assessment
• Privacy and security issues
• Emerging approaches

Important Dates

One page proposal deadline: May 28, 2007
Full paper submission deadline: June 30, 2007
Review results and notification: August 20, 2007
Submission of revised papers: September 28, 2007
Final acceptance of papers: October 31, 2007

Special issue: Internationalisation of SMEs in Europe

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 4(3) 2007 is a special issue: Internationalisation of SMEs in Europe.

Article titles:

* The internationalisation of research and development in Swiss and German Born Globals: survey and case study evidence
* Innovation and international involvement of Dutch SMEs
* Development, motives and employment effects of manufacturing offshoring of German SMEs
* Internet adoption by rapidly internationalising SMEs: a further challenge to staged e-adoption models
* Globalisation and regionalisation in the clothing industry: survival strategies for UK firms
* Entrepreneurial capabilities in MNEs subsidiaries: the case of the dialysis industry
* Explaining individual entrepreneurial orientation: conceptualisation of a cross-cultural research framework
* A new model for cluster dynamics: from strategic to regional networks – a study of the development of a French high-tech cluster
* Internationalisation of SMEs: European comparative studies

Special issue: Sustainable development: a joined goal of energy efficiency and environmental impact

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management 7(1/2) 2007 is a special issue: Sustainable development: a joined goal of energy efficiency and environmental impact.

Article titles:

* Urban wastewater reuse: a pilot plant experience
* Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) destruction in a plasma gasification reactor
* Permeable Adsorbing Barriers for groundwater remediation from hexavalent chrome pollution
* Green supply chain parameters for a Canadian petroleum refinery company
* Integrated approach to the assessment of waste management systems within the SEA framework
* A methodological proposal for the identification of energy-environmental performance indicators aimed at recovering the air quality
* World energy consumption and resources: an outlook for the rest of the century
* A numerical model of an Active Magnetic Regenerator for refrigeration at room temperature
* A Life Cycle Analysis of roof integrated photovoltaic systems
* Assessment of micro-cogeneration potential for domestic trigeneration
* Thermal design and emissions of duct-burners for combined-cycle and cogenerative plants
* Utility functions for the multi criteria assessment of energy conversion systems
* Shannon entropy for energy technologies ex-ante evaluation
* New routes for roads: using recycled greenhouse films to modify bitumens
* Grand Canonical Monte-Carlo simulations for VOCs adsorption in non-polar zeolites
* Global innovation vs. local regulation: introduction of automotive emission control in Sweden and Europe

Call for papers: Case studies on landfill diversion of household waste

Call for papers: Case studies on landfill diversion of household waste

A special issue of International Journal of Environment and Waste Management

Household waste (HW) is a specific component of municipal solid waste (MSW). It originates from normal daily activities in municipal residences. Generation rate and composition depend on geographical location as well as social stratification of communities. HW is a quite heterogeneous commodity that comprises biodegradable as well as inert material in various proportions and states of mixture.

In some regions of the World source separation is mandatory, but separation and collection procedures vary. In the recent past, landfills have been associated with the lack of municipal sustainability because they increase the ecological footprints of communities. Many types of diversion procedures of HW from landfills have been experimented with in all parts of the World, with variable degrees of success. These procedures include centralised and decentralised management models with or without the participation of private initiatives. Separation is the basic requirement for diversion, but it may occur at various stages of the reverse logistics chain, which in turn has diverse characteristics in different parts of the world.

The aim of this special issue is to bring together experiences reported from different geographical regions and local contexts in the effort to divert HW from landfills, with the respective results and prospects.

Original research papers or reviews are invited in the following and related areas:

• Environmental education and behaviour monitoring
• Source separation schemes
• Collection procedures, equipment and stake holders
• Final destinations other than landfill
• Reverse logistics
• Waste composition
• Centralised and decentralised management
• Community involvement
• Recycling philosophies
• Composting in its various forms
• Value monitoring in the reverse logistics chain
• Impacts on landfill size
• Private initiative contributions
• Municipal HW administration
• Economic vs. sustainability considerations
• Opportunity cost accounting for HW
• Best practice indications

Important Dates

Deadline for paper submission: 30 October 2007
First turn of papers review: 30 January 2008
Second turn of papers review: 30 March 2008
Final papers submission: 30 June 2008

Special issue: Exploring the dynamics of industrial logistics

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management 3(4) 2007 is a special issue: Exploring the dynamics of industrial logistics, with papers from the 7th International Conference on Industrial Logistics 2005 (ICIL '05), held in Montevideo, Uruguay, 14 -18 February 2005.

Article titles:

* Quantifying and modelling logistics at business and macro levels
* Technology mapping using patent literature for supply chain management
* Applications of multiagents in transport and logistics
* Industrial service design in the Asia-Pacific shipping industry: a strategic paradox?
* A flow control methodology for the rapid generation of vehicle traffic models
* Solving the vehicle routing problem with multiple trips by adaptive memory programming
* Order-picking methods: improving order-picking efficiency
* Inventory models in the mobile business environment

Special issue: Cryptography in networks

International Journal of Security and Networks 2()3/4) 2007 is a special issue: Cryptography in networks.

Article titles:

* Efficient multicast stream authentication for the fully adversarial network model
* Aggregate designated verifier signatures and application to secure routing
* LIP: a lightweight interlayer protocol for preventing packet injection attacks in mobile ad hoc network
* On the design of secure protocols for hierarchical sensor networks
* Server side hashing core exceeding 3 Gbps of throughput
* Preventing or utilising key escrow in identity-based schemes employed in mobile ad hoc networks
* On security proof of McCullagh–Barreto's key agreement protocol and its variants
* Cryptanalysis of an elliptic curve cryptosystem for wireless sensor networks
* Pseudonym-based cryptography for anonymous communications in mobile ad hoc networks
* Strong password-based authentication in TLS using the three-party group Diffie–Hellman protocol

Special issue: Theoretical and algorithmic aspects in sensor networks

International Journal of Sensor Networks 2(3/4) 2007 is a special issue: Theoretical and algorithmic aspects in sensor networks.

Article titles:

* On extracting consistent graphs in wireless sensor networks
* Fault tolerant topology control for one-to-all communications in symmetric wireless networks
* Optimal dynamic actuator location in distributed feedback control of a diffusion process
* Decentralised sensor network performance with correlated observations
* ART: an asymmetric and reliable transport mechanism for wireless sensor networks
* Decentralised topology control algorithms for connectivity of distributed wireless sensor networks
* Discrete stochastic approximation algorithms for design of optimal sensor fusion rules
* Sensor coverage in wireless ad hoc sensor networks
* QS-Sift: QoS and spatial correlation-based medium access control in wireless sensor networks
* Wireless sensor networks, an energy-aware and utility-based BDI agent approach
* Fault-tolerant and energy efficient cross-layer design for wireless sensor networks
* A framework for assessing residual energy in wireless sensor network
* Boundary coverage and coverage boundary problems in wireless sensor networks

Special issue: The future of technology in healthcare

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management 8(3/4) 2007 is a special issue: The future of technology in healthcare.

Article titles:

* Network technologies and messaging for the community-based care of the elderly
* Effect of communication and emotional types on team reciprocity in healthcare organisation
* Personal health record and healthcare systems
* Telemedicine: the next healthcare delivery medium: fad or future?
* The importance of giving an alternative: the case of fetal surgery
* RFID and health management: is it a good tool against system inefficiencies?
* A context-specific mediating schema approach for information exchange between heterogeneous hospital systems
* Potential of telemedicine: a preliminary evaluation through the innovation diffusion lens
* The role of institutional differences in biomedical innovation processes: a comparison of the * UK and US
* Optimising e-learning in healthcare for nurses
* Mobile health technology of the future: creation of an M-Health taxonomy based on proximity
* On cognitive reliability of hospital organisational environment and work performance
* The Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering: designing, implementing, and sustaining interdisciplinary solutions to transform healthcare delivery systems

Special issue: Modelling and optimisation of supplier-based manufacturing and management

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management 11(2) 2007 is a special issue: Modelling and optimisation of supplier-based manufacturing and management.

Article titles:

* Value chain modelling using system dynamics
* Software agents-enabled systems coalition for integrated manufacturing processes and supply chain management
* AIDEA: a methodology for supplier evaluation and selection in a supplier-based manufacturing environment
* Automatic setup planning: current state-of-the-art and future perspective
* Intelligent planning and control of manufacturing supply chains in virtual enterprises
* A novel function block based integration approach to process planning and scheduling with execution control
* Solving multi-objective cell design problem: an evolutionary genetic algorithm approach

Special issue: Will the HCCI concept be the key to future automotive engines?

International Journal of Vehicle Design 44(1/2) 2007 is a special issue: Will the HCCI concept be the key to future automotive engines?

Article titles:

* Homogeneous charge compression ignition: the future of IC engines?
* Homogeneous charge compression ignition as an alternative combustion mode for the future of internal combustion engines
* Axial fuel stratification of a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine
* Theoretical and experimental investigation on diesel HCCI combustion with external mixture formation
* Studying the chemistry of HCCI in rapid compression machines
* Modelling of the effect of fuel reforming and EGR on the acceptable operating range of an ethanol HCCI engine
* Kinetic modelling of a surrogate diesel fuel applied to 3D auto-ignition in HCCI engines
* Prediction of friction development during transient diesel engine operation using a detailed model
* Hydrodynamic model of valve train systems support
* Ground vehicle steering systems: modelling, control, and analysis of hydraulic, electric and steer-by-wire configurations

Special issue: Open source software in education

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning 17(1) 2007 is a special issue: Open source software in education.

Article titles:

* Innovation and strategic advantage: lessons from open source
* Edukalibre: a tool for collaborative creation of educational material
* Imagining and developing a system for reusable learning designs: lessons from LAMS
* Curriculum Central: a portal for the academic enterprise
* E-LANE: an e-learning initiative based on open source as a basis for sustainability
* The case for open source in information and network technology education: experiences from the EuropeAid @lis technology net project
* Towards an accessible learning management system

Call for papers: The Interface of Strategy, Innovation, and Growth – Organisational Behaviour in Technology-Oriented Ventures and SMEs

Call for papers: The Interface of Strategy, Innovation, and Growth – Organisational Behaviour in Technology-Oriented Ventures and SMEs.

A special issue of International Journal of Technology Management

Technology oriented ventures and successful small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are usually considered to be important actors in every economy worldwide. However, while the majority of research focusing on such ventures and SMEs aims at explaining the emergence of new organisations and the attainment of lasting competitive advantages in established SMEs, less attention has been paid to factors influencing the growth of such technology-oriented organisations in the long run. Continuous innovation and superior strategic position-ing most certainly play a major role to explain this phenomenon.

This special issue aims at providing a forum for the discussion of the above mentioned topics. We invite papers with different theoretical concepts and methods, in order to assemble a rich, vibrant and multi-faceted special issue, bringing together diverse perspectives. Theoretical contributions will be considered as well as empirical papers. We particularly welcome case research, theory-building qualitative research, and theory-testing quantitative research approaches.

Possible papers suitable for this special issue of IJTM address for instance (but are not limited to) the subsequent topics.

• Organisational behaviour of growing technology oriented ventures and SMEs
• The role of internal champions in technology oriented ventures and SMEs
• Methods of aligning exploitative and explorative tasks in growing technology oriented ventures and SMEs (ambidextrous management)
• The role of strategic alliances in explaining organisational growth in technology oriented ventures and SMEs
• The role of resource-based strategies and resource complementarity in explaining external organisational growth in technology oriented ventures and SMEs
• Strategy processes in technology oriented ventures

Important Dates

Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 1 November 2007
Notification of acceptance/rejection to authors: 1 January 2008
Submission of final manuscript: 1 March 2008

Call for papers: Groundwater and Surface Water Interactions

Call for papers: Groundwater and Surface Water Interactions

A special issue of International Journal of Water

Water is vital for all of us. We depend on its good quality - and quantity - for drinking, recreation, use in industry and growing crops. It also is vital to sustaining the natural systems on and under the earth's surface. Groundwater is a hidden resource. At one time, its purity and availability were taken for granted. Now contamination and availability are serious issues.

One of the most commonly used forms of groundwater comes from unconfined shallow water table aquifers. These aquifers are major sources of drinking and irrigation water. They also interact closely with streams, sometimes flowing (discharging) water into a stream or lake and sometimes receiving water from the stream or lake.

An unconfined aquifer that feeds streams is said to provide the stream's base flow. In fact, groundwater can be responsible for maintaining the hydrologic balance of surface streams, springs, lakes, wetlands and marshes. This is why successful watershed partnerships with a special interest in a particular stream, lake or other surface water body always have a special interest in the unconfined aquifer, adjacent to the water body.

The source of groundwater (recharge) is through precipitation or surface water that percolates downward. Approximately 5-50% (depending on climate, land use, soil type, geology and many other factors) of annual precipitation results in groundwater recharge. In some areas, streams literally recharge the aquifer through stream bed infiltration, called losing streams. Left untouched, groundwater naturally arrives at a balance, discharging and recharging depending on hydrologic conditions.

The aim of this special issue is to preserve, enhance, and restore water quality through a comprehensive understanding of the hydrologic cycle, with particular focus on collaborative engagement between surface water and groundwater researchers, facilitating an increased knowledge of surface water and groundwater interaction.

Papers are welcome on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Contaminated groundwater in tidally influenced areas
• Developing quality and quantity mathematical models
• Sewage and pollution issues
• Determining methods for bridging gaps at the ground and surface water interaction
• Creek restoration in areas of contaminated groundwater
• Comprehensive groundwater protection programmes
• Development of a long-term, integrated management approach
• Wetland restoration projects and groundwater development
• Quantifying impacts from groundwater pumping and surface water flows
• Sole source aquifer programme
• Tsunami impacts of shallow groundwater
• Source water protection programme
• Efficient groundwater pricing
• Wellhead protection programme
• Integrating special issues on groundwater
• Groundwater management
• Water spreading projects
• Artificial recharge case studies
• Groundwater rights
• Economical analysis of water use
• Model simulations for the interaction
• Recent applications of groundwater management modeling
• Assessing nonpoint source contaminated ground water discharge to surface water
• Pesticide, fertilizer and ground water strategy
• Pollutant reduction and pollution prevention
• Conjunctive use of ground and surface water
• Urban area development and groundwater
• Well construction/closure standards
• Ecological impacts in groundwater
• Methods controlling the degree of the interaction
• Isotope techniques in water resources development and management
• Benthic macro invertebrate responses
• Freshwater and saltwater interaction
• Controlling saltwater intrusion

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission: 30 October 2007
Reviewer Selection: 30 November 2007
Manuscript First Review: 30 December 2007
Author Notification of First Review: 30 January 2007
Paper Resubmission: 28 March 2008
Manuscript Second Review: 30 April 2008
Author Notification of Second Review: 30 May 2008
Paper Resubmission: 30 June 2008
Manuscript Third Review: 30 July 2008
Author Notification of Third Review: 30 August 2008
Acceptance or Rejection: 30 September 2008
Guest Editor Report: 30 October 2008

Special issue: Fatigue design: loads, stress state, technological factors

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 30(1/2/3) 2007 is a special issue: Fatigue design: loads, stress state, technological factors.

Article titles:
* A viewpoint on environmental contributions to fatigue crack growth
* Axial fatigue load effects on makeup of threaded connections
* A computational procedure for life assessment of UHP reciprocating seals with reference to fatigue and leakage
* Surface alteration induced by machining
* Residual stress analysis in cold-worked holes with interference bushing
* A theoretical model to study the stress state of non-homogeneous rotating disks
* 3D fatigue crack propagation analysis of a helicopter component
* Local strain energy approach applied to fatigue analysis of welded rectangular hollow section joints
* Dynamical overloading of lifting appliances submitted to vertical movements: use of one degree of freedom oscillating systems, equivalent to two degrees of freedom systems
* Fatigue damage assessment of a car body-in-white using a frequency-domain approach
* Design of a fatigue ski testing bench
* Experimental and numerical study of expandable threaded connections and proposal of a new design
* Dynamical overloading influence on duration of life evaluation of lifting appliances
* A theoretical model for general cross section wires stress state evaluation during non-linear bending

Special issue: Induction heating and hardening and welding

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 29(1/2/3/4) 2007 is a special issue: Induction heating and hardening and welding.

Article titles:
* Overview of residual stresses after induction surface hardening
* Subject-oriented assessment of numerical simulation techniques for induction heating applications
* Induction heating processes modelling: optimisation procedure and parallel computing
* Liquid metal induction heating modelling for cold crucible applications
* Numerical simulation of superficial induction hardening process
* Simulation of induction hardening of flat surfaces of moving massive elements
* Numerical simulation of regimes of induction heating and cooling in view of phase transformations and residual stresses for superficial high intensive hardening of details
* 'Transportation' problem of time-optimal heating
* Optimisation of electric field uniformity in microwave heating systems by means of multi-feeding and genetic algorithms
* Application of a coupled electromagnetic-thermal model for 2D analysis of thermal runawayP. * A new predictive neural architecture for modelling electric field patterns in microwave-heating processes
* Input and output control of steel intended for induction surface hardening
* Influence of induction surface heating and quenching on residual stress profiles, followed by grinding
* Fuzzy logic based quality monitoring in short-circuit gas metal arc welding
* Optimisation of welding parameters in pulsed MIG/MAG welding with width-controlled sine-wave current pulses. Part 1: Determination of a general synergic equation and a normalised parametric diagram with a defined parametric welding range
* Optimisation of welding parameters in pulsed MIG/MAG welding with width-controlled sine-wave current pulses. Part 2: Determination of an optimum material transfer through the arc and a control method
* Influence of the type of workpiece adjustment and energy input on the quality of a resistance projection weld
* The effect of small flaws on the fatigue strength of HAZ at the weld toe
* New findings in welding of structural steels
* Alloy fluxes for surfacing
* Machining parameters selection for varying surface in EDM

Special issue: Progress in powder materials and technologies

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology 28(3/4) 2007 is a special issue: Progress in powder materials and technologies.

Article titles:
* Metallic powders produced by the disintegrator technology
* Powder materials and technologies for solar cells
* Sinter hardening of low-alloy steels: influence of part geometry and physical properties of the material
* Powder metallurgy steels for highly loaded precision parts
* Assessment of cermets performance in erosive media
* Development of thermal spray powders for improved tribological and corrosive applications and cost-effective solutions
* Performance of carbide composites for cyclic loading applications
* Characterisation and modelling of erosion wear of powder composite materials and coatings
* Mechanical properties of individual phases, deformation and fracture in mechanically alloyed Al-Al4C3 composite
* Dry sliding wear of cermets
* Creep mechanism and microstructure evolution in silicon nitride ceramicsF. Lofaj

Special issue: Biomedicine, patents, and access

International Journal of Biotechnology 9(2) 2007 is a special issue: Biomedicine, patents, and access.

Article titles:
* Brinkmanship and compulsory licensing policy lessons from Brazil
* India's new patent regime: aiding 'access' or abetting 'genericide'?
* TRIPS compliance and public health: opportunities and obstacles for African countries
* Health related academic technology transfer: rethinking patenting and licensing practices
* Shaping scientific excellence in agricultural research
* Considerations for the design and operation of a membrane bioreactor
* Awareness of and attitudes towards biotechnology and GMOs in Southwest Nigeria: a survey of people with access to information

Call for papers: Robotics and Manufacturing Automation

Call for papers: Robotics and Manufacturing Automation

A special issue of International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems

The advances in low-cost robotic devices, sensor technology, computational methods and intelligent software algorithms and agents create ever-more effective solutions to automation problems in a variety of manufacturing industries. The trend in product miniaturisation poses specific problems for microparts assembly. The premise of automated manufacturing systems is that with the better utilisation of sensors, system models, control algorithms and computational methods offer substantial improvements to the production cost and operational quality.

This special issue invites the submission of high quality research articles related to robotics, mechatronics, and software-based intelligent approaches for automation of manufacturing, materials handling and distribution systems.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Advances in robotics and vision systems
• Vision based process monitoring and control
• Intelligent and robust control
• Advanced CNC algorithms and strategies
• Micro parts handling and microassembly
• Other related issues

Important Dates

Submission: 30 June 2008
Decision: 30 September 2008
Revised manuscripts: 31 December 2008

Special issue: Learning from failure

International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning 3(1) 2007 is a special issue: Learning from failure.

Article titles:
* Failing to disrupt: the case of the Network Computer
* Conjectures about future wants: some insights from evolutionary economics with reference to digital photography
* Learning the unlearnt lessons: the telecoms crash
* Intraorganisational power and the adoption of interorganisational IT innovations: the inside story of Covisint
* Learning from failure: a case study of adopting radio frequency identification technology in library services
* Development of dynamic flow line-monitoring technique to enhance system transparency

Special issue: Power electronics for distributed and co-generation

International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 5(2) 2007 is a special issue: Power electronics for distributed and co-generation.

Article titles:
* Power electronics for distributed and co-generation
* A new microturbine-based dispersed generation scheme
* Exploring the practical issues and use of modern power, control and sensing circuitries of a 6/4-pole switched reluctance motor drive
* Application of power electronics with the US DOE distributed generation programme
* Harmonic and interharmonic distortion analysis in the grid-connected wind electric generator
* Programmed PWM to improve power quality in systems with distributed generation units
* Characteristics of modern nonlinear loads and their influence on systems with distributed generation
* Hardware-in-the-Loop testing platform for distributed generation systems

Call for papers: Warehousing and Mining Complex Data: Applications to Biology, Medicine, Behaviour, Health and Environment

Call for papers: Warehousing and Mining Complex Data: Applications to Biology, Medicine, Behaviour, Health and Environment

A special issue of International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology

The intention of this special issue is to present a collection of manuscripts that discuss novel and innovative applications of decision-support technologies such as data warehousing and data mining in medicine and biology. In these disciplines, data are nowadays not only numerical or symbolic, but they may be termed complex. For instance, the development of electronic health records enables information-based medicine, which requires the analysis of various, heterogeneous data, such as patient records, medical images, biological analysis results, and so on. Moreover, these data are often represented in various formats (databases, texts, images, sounds, videos, etc.), are diversely structured (relational databases, XML documents repository, etc.), originate from several different sources (distributed databases, the Web, etc.), are described through several channels or points of view (radiographies and audio diagnosis of a physician, data expressed in different scales or languages, etc.), or change in terms of definition or value (temporal databases, periodical surveys, etc.). Managing complex data involves a lot of different issues regarding their structure, storage and analysis.

The emphasis of this special issue is on critical issues pertaining to managing, processing and analysing complex data for decision-support. Particular emphasis will be put on novel and unique applications in the fields of biology, medicine, behavior, health or environment.

Coverage includes but is not limited to the following topics (within the fields of biology, medicine, behaviour, health, environment, etc.):

• Complex data description languages and formats
• Complex data integration
• Complex data warehouse foundations, design and architectures XML data warehousing Complex data warehouse consistency and quality
• Multidimensional modeling of complex data OLAP on complex data
• Mining different data formats Combining mining results from different sources
• Mining data streams Combining OLAP and data mining for complex data analysis
• Human-machine interfaces for complex data mining
• Management of metadata and domain-related knowledge
• Interoperability and heterogeneity
• Exploiting metadata or domain-related knowledge in the analysis process

Important Dates

Abstract of no more than 3 pages due: 15 June, 2007
Preliminary acceptance/rejection notification: 15 July, 2007
Full paper due: 10 September, 2007
Final acceptance/rejection notification: 31 October, 2007
Camera-ready paper due: 30 November, 2007

Call for papers: Wind Modelling and Frequency Analysis

Call for papers: Wind Modelling and Frequency Analysis

A special issue of International Journal of Global Energy Issues

Wind modelling is one of the most exciting and challenging topics to have come along. It is not every day that one gets to be present at and participate in the birth of a technology that has the potential to make a major impact on the way we produce a commodity that is the essential lifeblood of our modern society.
Improved understanding of the propagation of large-scale solar wind disturbances is needed to support space weather research and forecasting. Essential to this effort are computational models capable of simulating the propagation, evolution, and interaction of transient disturbances on their way to Earth. Recent advances in numerical methods and parallel computer systems make it possible to tackle complicated, more realistic ambient and transient solar wind flows. Recent progress can be reviewed in this area, with special attention to 3-D dynamic phenomena and their possible appearance in in-situ and line-of-sight observations
The aim of the special issue is to provide a significant effort to bring current modelling ability "up to speed." Current long term modelling is grossly inaccurate and dramatically overstates integration costs for planning purposes. We now know enough based on world experience and preliminary results from improvements in operational modelling to “start over” with long term models.
The objectives include describing wind modelling capabilities and limitations of the various models and presenting possible improvements. Analysis of local and regional wind patterns using computer models is needed. This involves understanding the roles played by the ocean, and the coastal mountain ranges in generating observed winds.
In this special issue, presentation of a summary of recent approaches in solar wind modelling is desirable. The plasma parameters characterising the solar wind models could be compared to constraints inferred from in-situ and remote observations.
Discussions about the implications of the results obtained from this for future model studies and observations will then take place. Emphasis should be placed on high-speed solar wind streams originating from large coronal holes. An improved knowledge of the physical conditions in the low corona and solar wind can only be obtained through careful comparisons between theoretical descriptions of the solar wind expansion and plasma parameters derived from observations.

Papers are welcome on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• At site and regional wind frequency analysis and the pollutants' influence area
• Wind variability and predictability, estimating wind frequency for natural ventilation
• Advances in stochastic wind modelling for wind erosion estimation particularly for arid areas Modelling power quality/grid stability, wind speed and wind power density maps
• Wind modelling using computer software such as WindSim, WindPRO/WAsP for highly complex alpine sites
• Multiparticle statistical approach to the solar wind modelling, recent developments in solar wind modelling
• Sampling and characterisation of the turbulence vertical distribution, wind modelling and exhaust stack configuration
• Wind farm management, wind modelling and shield design in agriculture
• Modelling the kilowatt potentials that exist in the winds, cost/performance modelling of wind turbines
• Modelling for identifying locations that would be most appropriate for the sitting of wind energy generators
• Sensitivity of relevant time scales for wind modelling, mesoscale wind modelling
• Wind modelling in construction management, wind analysis for dam construction
• Sprinkler irrigation management in windy areas, wind modelling and plant water requirement Modelling regulation/spin requirements, unit dispatch/load following impacts, unit commitment/scheduling impacts, capacity value
• Choices in wind resource inputs for modelling, data estimation methods for wind modelling including wind resource data assumptions

Important Dates

Proposal submission: 15 June, 2007
Notification of acceptance: 15 July, 2007
Manuscript Submission: 30 September 2007
Reviewer Selection: 30 October 2007
Manuscript First review: 30 November 2007
Author Notification of First Review: 30 December 2007
Paper Resubmission: 28 February 2008
Manuscript Second Review: 30 March 2008
Author Notification of Second Review: 30 April 2008
Paper Resubmission: 30 May 2008
Manuscript Third Review: 30 June 2008
Author Notification of Third Review: 30 July 2008
Acceptance or Rejection: 30 August 2008
Guest Editor Report: 30 September 2008

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems

International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems - to begin publication in 2008 - aims to improve the state-of-the-art of worldwide research in the areas of communication networks and distributed systems by publishing high-quality articles in this area, and by exposing the readers to various methodologies, tools, techniques, algorithms, results, and types of articles.
It will not be limited to publishing networking issues occurring in the telecommunication domain. Good quality papers on network problems in other application domains such as biological networks, social networks, and chemical networks will also be considered. This feature of this journal will also help in promoting interdisciplinary research in these areas.

Special issue: CFD applications in metallurgical and process industries

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal 7(2/3/4) 2007 is a special issue: CFD applications in metallurgical and process industries, comprising revised and extended versions of 16 papers selected from 77 that were presented at the 4th International Conference on CFD in the Oil & Gas, Metallurgical and Process Industries (CFD2005), held in Trondheim, Norway, 6–8 June 2005.

Article titles:
* Smooth particle hydrodynamics: status and future potential
* Simulation of suspension of solids in a liquid in a mixing tank using SPH and comparison with physical modelling experiments
* Optimisation of ingot casting wheel design using SPH simulations
* Lattice Boltzmann modelling of refractory-slag interaction
* Pseudo-spectral solutions for fluid flow and heat transfer in electro-metallurgical applications
* DEM modelling of particulate flow in a screw feeder Model description
* Reactive gas solids flow in circulating fluidised beds
* Numerical simulation of dense gas-particle flows using the Euler–Lagrange approach
* Modelling and numerical simulation of 3D bubble flow by the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach
* Dilute gas-liquid flows with liquid films on walls
* Direct numerical simulation of dynamic three-fluid flow
* Fluid flow modelling in a 55% Al-Zn coating metal pot
* CFD-based process modelling of a rotary furnace for aluminium scrap melting
* CFD prediction for the performance of a heat treatment furnace
* Rheology and oxygen transfer in CFD models for wastewater
* Wall boundary conditions for rough walls

Special issue: Logistics systems strategy in global and electronic markets

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management 3(3) 2007 is a special issue: Logistics systems strategy in global and electronic markets, comprising a selection of papers, revised and edited for publication from the 3rd International Workshop on Supply Chain Management and Information Systems (SCMIS2005) focusing on Logistics Systems Strategy in Global and Electronic Markets held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in July 2005.

Article titles:
* VMI modelling in global and electronic markets
* A study of outsourcing relationship in strategic partnership for production in China
* Integrating supply chain operations in the internet era
* Smart freight to enhance control of supply chains
* An approach to initiating product design in mass customisation environments
* Decisive factors for the adoption of just-in-time in Greek SMEs: a probit model
* Analysing product complexity related to product variety in a manufacturing firm with a case study at an automobile assembly plant

Special issue: Innovative combustion technologies: modelling and experimentation

International Journal of Alternative Propulsion 1(2/3) 2007 is a special issue: Innovative combustion technologies: modelling and experimentation.

Article titles:
* Measurement of temperature gradients through local extinction using Raman scattering spectroscopy
* Combustion of advanced non-toxic hybrid propellants
* Instantaneous, two-dimensional, spontaneous Raman measurements of hydrogen number density in a laminar jet using an intra-cavity configuration
*Study of the performance and exhaust emissions of a spark-ignited engine operating on syngas fuel
* Understanding methane flame kinetics from reduced mechanisms
* Study of available exhaust gas heat recovery technologies for HD diesel engine applications
* A computational study of compressor surge during transient operation of turbocharged diesel engines
* Development and characterisation of small-scale rotary engines
* Intermediate Reynolds/Peclet number, flat plate boundary layer flows over catalytic surfaces for micro-combustion applications
* Study of the performance and emissions of a high-speed direct injection diesel engine operating on ethanol–diesel fuel blends
* Flame dynamics in sub-millimetre combustors

Spring issue of Highlights Newsletter just published

The Spring 2007 issue of Highlights, the quarterly newsletter from Inderscience Publishers, is now available.

Content:
2007 catalogue launched
Newly-published titles – tables of contents
Newly-announced titles
Short overview of... Services sciences
New nanoscience/technology society endorses Inderscience titles
Latest calls for papers
International conference sponsorship
Distinguished service award for Inderscience Editor, Prof Binshan Lin
Journal news
Librarians' corner: Inderscience at forthcoming conferences

To receive future newsletters by email, contact newsletter@inderscience.com

Call for papers: Commercialization of Micro and Nanotechnology Products

Call for papers: Commercialization of Micro and Nanotechnology Products

A special issue of International Journal of Nanomanufacturing

In the past ten years, significant advancements have been made in the development of new manufacturing processes and infrastructure dedicated to commercializing micro and nanotechnology-based products and systems for applications in almost every sector of industry. Both public and private investment levels remain high fuelled by optimistic market predictions. But to meet expectations companies have to be increasingly aware and concerned about manufacturing issues like integration, functionality, safety and reliability and costs. The potentially disruptive nature of the technology can distort markets and therefore its consequences must be considered in any commercialization strategy.
The goal of this special issue is to publish the current status and future directions of the nanotechnology in relation to its maturity in producing new products and systems taking into account the manufacturing issues referred to above. Selected papers will be published from the International Conference on Commercialization of Micro-Nanosystems (COMS2007). The editor will also accept submissions to this special issue from authors who do not intend to participate in the conference, particularly from companies who are intending to have new products on the market in the near future. Contributions from market specialists and VCs and public funding bodies are welcomed.
The subject coverage of this special issue includes, but is not limited to, topics that address:

• Fundamental commecialization
• Issues related specifically to nanotechnology-based products and systems
• Relationship between innovation, manufacturing processes and end product realisation
• Applications and market studies of nanotechnology-based products and systems Time-to-market issues
• Future market applications for nanoproducts

Important Dates

Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 30 September 2007
Communication of peer reviews to authors: 31 October 2007
Deadline for revised manuscripts: 30 November 2007

Special issue: Evaluation of technology, tools and techniques in SMEs and public sector organisations

International Journal of Electronic Business 5(2) 2007 is a special issue: Evaluation of technology, tools and techniques in SMEs and public sector organisations.

Article titles:
* Information technology evaluation practices in the SMEs: an empirical study in Andalucia
* Advance Manufacturing Technology implementation in SMEs: a framework of justification criteria
* E-government: a comparison of strategies in local authorities in the UK and Norway
* Factors mediating the routinisation of e-learning within a traditional university education environment
* Remote application services as means for aligning business and IT
* Adoption of ICT among small business: vision vs. reality
* Understanding one aspect of the knowledge leakage concept among SMEs: people
* A user study of online databases in graduate management education

Special issue: Wireless sensor networks

International Journal of Sensor Networks 2(1/2) 2007 is a special issue: Wireless sensor networks, comprising extended and revised papers from the 1st International Conference on Mobile Ad hoc and Sensor Networks (MSN05), December 2005, Wuhan, China.
Article titles:
* Dynamic priority scheduling-based MAC for wireless sensor networks
* Supporting mobile device communications in the presence of broadcast servers
* An efficient synchronisation protocol for wireless sensor network
* UDC: a self-adaptive uneven clustering protocol for dynamic sensor networks
* RECA: a ring-structured energy-efficient clustering architecture for robust communication in wireless sensor networks
* Some problems of directional sensor networks
* Data sampling control, compression and query in sensor networks
* A distributed energy efficient multicast routing algorithm for WANETs
* A distributed algorithm for constructing energy-balanced connected dominating set in wireless sensor networks
* Efficient and secure password authentication schemes for low-power devices
* Location verification using bidirectional one-way hash function in wireless sensor networks
* Topology control with Hexagonal Tessellation
* Efficient and robust query processing for mobile wireless sensor networks
* Establishing overlapped multihop clusters in wireless sensor networks
* Distributed Bayesian fault diagnosis of jump Markov systems in wireless sensor networks
* Efficient scheduling techniques for high data-rate wireless personal area networks
* A new approach to service discovery in wireless mobile ad hoc networks

Call for papers: Digital Matter and Intangible Cultural Heritage

Call for papers: Digital Matter and Intangible Cultural Heritage

A special issue of International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism

In recent years, partly through the development of the information society with its associated trends of globalisation, growing interconnectedness, and instant multi-modal communications that erode the boundaries of traditional societies, the concept of cultural heritage has evolved to encompass qualities that go beyond the original definitions pertaining the mere recording and preservation of cultural objects. Within the scope of UNESCO’s activities, for example, the agency now recognises cultural heritage as an irreplaceable source of knowledge with a significant role to play in the present as part of the goal towards a sustainable future.

From a knowledge management perspective, UNESCO’s work has also expanded to include the two major classes of tangible and intangible heritage. Whereas tangible heritage includes the multiple physical expressions created by diverse human cultures in the past, intangible heritage — also referred to as living heritage — is used to designate present "practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills, that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage."

The objective of this special issue will be to explore the notion of intangible heritage and its relationship with the digital media.

From the above perspective, we seek contributions related to the following topics:

• Definition, analysis and examples about the notion of intangible digital cultural heritage from the artistic, scientific, and economic perspectives
• Ecological and systemic approaches that make use of digital cultural heritage-and specifically intangible heritage-for economic revitalisation and development
• Design and implementation of digital applications for intangible heritage such as digital and multimedia archives dealing with oral traditions, narratives and myths from different regions throughout the planet
• Research into digital genres and how these might support and enable the transmission of diverse forms of intangible heritage as well as promote the creation of new ones
• The representation of space and cultural heritage through the use of digital media, including but not limited to the combined use of GIS and mobile devices
• Ontology design and implementation in digital cultural heritage applications from a cross-cultural and multiplatform application perspectives
• Explorations into the notion of heritage commodities and how these are being used, or can be used in the digital environment
• Application design, including but not limited to portals dealing with the commercial development of heritage commodities such as cuisine, knowledge, music, etc.
• The use of peer-to-peer networks in the creation of virtual cultural heritage communities
• New applications of digitally born cultural heritage objects in within tangible public exhibition spaces

Important Dates

Deadline for submitting abstracts: 31 August, 2007
All final papers are due: 28 September, 2007

Call for papers: EU-Latin America-Caribbean: European Management and Human Resources Systems Operating in the Latin American Context

Call for papers: EU-Latin America-Caribbean: European Management and Human Resources Systems Operating in the Latin American Context

A special issue of European Journal of International Management

The European Union (EU) is a key economic and political partner for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Over the last two decades, European businesses have invested heavily in LAC. However, we seem to know very little about the development and implementation of certain EU management and human resources systems in LAC. The European Commission claims that the presence of European businesses in LAC is a source of growth, transfer of know-how and employment provision that may help to reduce social inequalities. Thus, research is needed to examine the variety of contextual and situational variables that affect management and human resources systems in LAC.

For this Special Issue, two objectives of the EU’s programs stand out. The first aims to provide help to small and medium-sized companies that operate internationally, by encouraging European firms to invest in Latin American enterprises seeking such co-operation. The second focuses on the promotion of co-operation in higher education between the two regions. Surprisingly, management research on human resources management or leadership is hardly mentioned in these programs. We believe that at the operational level, management and human resources systems are fundamental if EU businesses are to succeed in LAC.

The recent Vienna 2006 Summit brought together an important business community with economic interests and important investments in LAC, pointing to the need to understand how fundamental EU values are practiced in EU businesses operating in LAC. By understanding this, we could help EU businesses to redefine their role in LAC by disseminating basic EU social values within organisations in LAC.

We are seeking to strengthen our knowledge on how European firms perform and manage in Latin America. To elaborate on the institutional factors and the background presented, academics and practitioners around the world are invited to contribute with their research and expertise by submitting conceptual and empirical (both quantitative and qualitative) papers which explore the themes presented above. The aim of this special issue is to achieve a better understanding of different European business practices and of how they are understood in Latin America.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

• How are these EU fundamental values enacted in EU business practices in LAC?
• What are the emerging management models developed by EU businesses operating in LAC? Are they based on EU fundamental values?
• What is the role of human resources systems in EU businesses operating in LAC?
• To what extent do Latin American management models resemble those of, for example, the Iberians?
• What is the role, and effects of, the Latin America institutional environment (including cultural, political and other factors) on EU business management practices in LAC?
• Are Latin American management education programmes teaching their students intercultural skills, and if so, how are they doing this, and do those skills equip them adequately to work in European firms operating in the region?

Authors of selected papers presented at the First European-Latin American-Caribbean International Management Conference October, 9-10, 2008 at EGADE-Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico, will be invited to submit their papers to a special issue on EU- Latin America-Caribbean: Management and Human Resources Systems Operating in the Latin American Context. Please note that all submissions will be considered for the special issues, even if you are unable to attend the conference.

Important Dates

Deadline for abstract submission: 1 March, 2008
Answer by the organising committee on acceptance or rejection of abstract by: 31 March, 2008
Deadline for full paper submission: 15 May, 2008
Double blind review of paper and feedback from review given to the author(s): 15 July, 2008
Deadline for final submission of corrected papers: 15 August, 2008
No Changes can be made to the papers after: 15 August, 2008
Conference in Monterrey, Mexico at ITESM-EGADE: 9-10 October, 2008