Newly announced journal: International Journal of Sustainable Society

The impacts of society touch everyone's life. These impacts may be considerable, even critical. Societal problems, especially those which remain unchecked and unmanaged, can weaken, threaten, or even eventually destroy, our society. Production produces pollution; medication generates side-effects; pesticide causes poisoning; innovation can lead to unemployment…
International Journal of Sustainable Society - to begin publication in 2008 - deals not only with the question of whether modern society should be sustainable, but also the ways in which this could and should come about. It bases its vision on eight "balances" between:

• economic development and environmental protection
• real aggregate demand and aggregate supply
• human beings and nature
• consumption and preservation
• material and spiritual pleasures
• civil liberty and self-restraint
• hedonism and practicality (or frugality)
• science and society

The journal aims to provide a professional forum for formulating, discussing and disseminating these solutions, which relate to the design, development, deployment, management, measurement, and adjustment of these social networks. They should form a common ground on which a sustainable society can be built, shared and supported by professionals from different disciplines. The universal goal of achieving peace, prosperity, and harmony in our society should go beyond disciplines, and ultimately be coordinated across different nationalities, cultures, races, and religions, and be sustainable.

Call for papers: Management and Delivery of Acrylic and Ceramic-based Materials for Use in Hard Tissue Replacement

Call for papers: Management and Delivery of Acrylic and Ceramic-based Materials for Use in Hard Tissue Replacement

A special issue of International Journal of Nano and Biomaterials

There is considerable interest in the use of nanotechnology to improve the application of acrylic and ceramic-based systems for hard tissue replacement. Prosthetic replacement of lost hard tissue must be able to withstand significant mechanical loads, bacterial biofilm formation, whilst remaining biocompatible and non-toxic.

In order to meet these demands, there is an urgent requirement to be able to control and maximise the different properties of acrylic and ceramics biomaterials for hard tissue replacement, with specific emphasis on the nanoscale properties that can be exploited to induce targeted physical, mechanical and biological responses, thereby offering significant improvements in the related clinical outcomes.

This special issue of IJNBM is dedicated to the publication of papers that reflect the current state-of-the-art of acrylic and ceramic-based systems for hard tissue replacement. As such, it provides an important opportunity for promoting the development of next generation of materials, surgical approaches, medical devices and implants

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

• Fundamental research in nanotechnology applied to acrylic and ceramic based materials
• Papers on appropriate nanomaterials synthesis
• Applied research and developments for the provision of relevant surgical approaches and techniques
• Papers on applications of fundamental and applied research in appropriate industrial applications
• Papers on the emerging technologies or innovations in appropriate materials nanomanufacturing and nanofabrication
• Nanotechnologies for orthopaedic and hard tissue replacement surgical procedures

Interdisciplinary research that spans several fields is particularly welcome.

Important Dates
Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 30 April 2008
Communication of peer reviews to authors: 31 July 2008
Deadline for revised manuscripts: 31 August 2008

Call for papers: eParticipation Challenges and Opportunities

Call for papers: eParticipation Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of International Journal of Electronic Business

Governments seek to encourage participation in order to improve the efficiency, acceptance, and legitimacy of political processes. Citizens, non-governmental organisations, businesses, lobbyists, and pressure groups demand participation in order to further their own interests, either within the established political system or outside it through activism and civil disobedience. Participation contributes to deliberation, opinion forming, agenda setting, political decision making, and feedback mechanisms (where these can be thought of as stages of a policy-making cycle). Participation is therefore an important component of all democratic systems, and in some democratic forms (such as direct democracy) it is the central component. Governments and the public sector are making increasing use of information and communication technologies, to foment participatory activities.

eParticipation, therefore, involves the extension and transformation of participation in societal democratic and consultative processes that are mediated by information and communication technologies. It synergistically enhances democratic and the formal political processes through the use of new digital technologies by facilitating, changing, and improving patterns of democratic deliberation and decision-making. This special issue is devoted to further our understanding of the emerging research area of eParticipation.

Papers that address theory and practice of all aspects of eParticipation are invited. Case studies and empirical research are welcome. Contributions will be evaluated on their originality, clarity and relevance. Submissions from all interdisciplinary areas and from people with practical experience in industry or government are encouraged.

The topics include but are not limited to eParticipation research challenges in the following and related areas:

Theoretical accounts of the relationship between technology and participation
- Effect(s) of virtual communities or virtual cities on participation
- Evaluating the effect of ICTs on political participation
- Technologically mediated development of democracy forms
- The role of political parties in online participation and campaigning
- Grassroots campaigning and activism

Governmental and societal challenges
- Prioritizing eParticipation over managerial eGovernment projects
- Extending participation in non-democratic or lesser developed countries
- The extent of citizen involvement in voting and other participatory activities
- The digital divide (improving access and avoiding elite control and inequality)

Socio-technical design of technologies and the participation and governance structures they are embedded in.
- Technology design (e.g. discussion systems)
- Design and management of eParticipation activities (e.g. online debating, eVoting)
- The design of on-line governance, participation in rule-making, transparency
- Computer visualization techniques that facilitate consultation and decision making
- Achieving security and trust (especially in eVoting)

Evaluating eParticipation genres
- Evaluating eParticipation: technologies and activities

Important Dates
Full Paper Submission: 15 February, 2008
Authors Informed of Review Results: 15 May, 2008
Final Paper Submission: 15 June, 2008

Call for papers: International Intellectual Property Law and the Creative Industries

Call for papers: International Intellectual Property Law and the Creative Industries

A special issue of International Journal of Intellectual Property Management

This special issue will address topics related to the complex and contentious interface between the international intellectual property law and creative industries and aims at broadening the debate on the global dimensions and challenges of the privatisation of public goods, incentives to innovation in industry, and access to knowledge and commons. A primary desirable approach is centered in the critical review of current IP policies and economics relating to creative industries from the perspective of the traditional pillars of the international intellectual property regime shaped by the Berne and Paris Conventions, as well as the enforcement of developmental-related WTO/TRIPS provisions and current trends on the "regionalisation" and "nationalisation" of intellectual property rights protection.

Several factors may be identified in the context of intellectual property and creative industries, varying in approach and magnitude. The emergence of new technologies and advent of internet had substantially changed the ways ‘creative products and services’ are distributed in global markets. Many developing countries are still struggling with WTO/TRIPS standards of intellectual property protection in order to change their domestic practices and institutions and explore all the flexibilities provided by the Agreement. In all those aspects, the exhaustion and consequent obsolescence of certain proprietary models lead to a debate concerning the urgent adjustment of international norms. This seems to point out some specificities of creative industries’ management, since this area has become undisputedly a growing part of the global economy.

One of the main objectives of this special issue is to provide a forum for discussion and presentation of overall issues on intellectual property and creative industries, revisiting traditional institutions and recommending some policy guidelines for helping to resolve some of the contentious issues.

For the successful completion of this issue, we seek critical and policy-oriented contributions from legal, economic and societal perspectives, which address the interface between the international intellectual property legal regime and creative industries’ development. Related issues, such as innovation law, privatisation of common goods and access to knowledge, may also be taken into consideration. Papers may adopt distinct methodologies (e.g. survey of cases, theoretical/doctrinal, empirical or descriptive) and they will be subject to a peer review.

Suggested topics covered by this special issue include, but not limited to, the following:

• Conceptual delimitation of creative industries, interface with intellectual property; international IP sources; comparative legal analysis
• Creativity standards and IP protection - access requirements for protection and creative industries
• Economics of creative industries and intellectual property law
• Creative potential of developing countries, economic aspects of creative activities, trends on the access to 'creative goods'; benefit sharing in creative industries
• Transnational code of principles of technology sharing, open source and interface with creative industries (legal or entrepreneurial aspects)
• Expansion of public domain; competition standards alternatives in the field of creative industries Cross-subsidies and R&D in creative industries; business models and new technologies
• Relation between media and creative industries; effects of copyright protection and expanded protection through bilateral and free trade agreements
• Differences between cultural industries and creative industries - their contours and common fields, such as dissemination of arts (museums and libraries), cultural tourism and heritage, sports and outdoor activities; societal dimensions of cultural industries and non-appropriation of cultural goods by creative industries;
• Survey issues and evidence of the relation between IP protection, incentives or non-incentives and creative industries
• New media and the creative industries; effects of IP protection and competition law
• Key questions related to the balance of interests of rights holders and the public; limitation of time and scope of protection of IP rights and incentives to the dissemination of knowledge and creativity
• Costs of expanding IP protection in developing countries in those cases related to creative industries (e.g. music and arts industries as platforms of diversification of domestic markets, access to global markets, flow of 'creative goods' in international trade, strengthening of cultural solidarity etc)
• Effectiveness of intellectual property protection in indigenous creativity in developing countries (survey issues; appropriation of cultural goods and traditional knowledge within creative industries)

In all those topics, authors should have in mind the several dimensions and approaches related to IP policies and practices at domestic and international level. How are intellectual property rights changing the notions of time and space in cultural diversity and multiculturalism? How are they appropriating cultural goods and insulating them in fields of exclusivity in the so called ‘creative industries’? How are pros and cons of intellectual property protection in the field of creative industries, particularly in respect of copyright and new media?

Important Date
Deadline for submission of first draft of the paper: 28 February, 2008

Call for papers: The Methodologies and Applications of Modelling, Identification, and Computing in Medical Imaging

Call for papers: The Methodologies and Applications of Modelling, Identification, and Computing in Medical Imaging

A special issue of International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control

Modern medical imaging relies on extensive modelling methodologies to develop novel technologies, improve modality accuracy and explore versatile applications. This special issue will focus on the methodology development, implementation, and applications of modelling, identification, and computing in medical imaging such as MRI, X-ray CT, PET, and ultrasound, etc. The peer-reviewed scientific reports in this collection will cover a variety of cross-disciplinary topics ranging from image processing and analysis to animal models of human pathologies relevant to biomedical imaging research.

Special attention will be given to a number of relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Simulation tools and modelling
• Image reconstructions
• Image quality improvement
• Computational efficiency improvement
• Partial volume identification and correction
• Model-based analysis
• Image description
• Processing of dynamic data
• 3D/4D imaging
• Image registration
• Image segmentation
• Noise identification and filtering
• Computer aid diagnosis (CAD)
• Clinical applications of imaging
• Development and/or optimisation of animal models of human pathologies for biomedical imaging research

Important Date
The deadline for submission is: 31 July 2008

Call for papers: Near Dry - Minimum Quantity of Lubricant (MQL) Machining

Call for papers: Near Dry - Minimum Quantity of Lubricant (MQL) Machining

A special issue of International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials

The basic functions of a metal working (cutting) fluid (hereafter MWF) or simply the coolant are to provide cooling and lubrication and thus reducing the severity of the contact processes at the cutting tool–chip and cutting tool–workpiece interfaces. It is expected that MWF should also provide secondary service actions such as, for example, washing of the machined part or chip transportations as in deep-hole drilling where MWF transports the chip over significant distances. However, the cost of using MWFs is increasing as the number and the extensiveness of environmental protection laws and regulations increase. Although recent changes in MWF formulations have resulted in safer products, it is important to realise that MWFs may cause a variety of health problems. Ecological and health aspects of metalworking fluids' manufacture, use and disposal become very important due to new stricter legislation, notably in Europe.

At present, many efforts are being undertaken to develop advanced machining processes using less or no MWFs. High-pressure through-tool MWF supply, near dry machining (MQL) and dry machining have become popular avenues for reducing and/or eliminating the problems and cost associated with the MWF management. It has become apparent that, to make these technologies reliable, environmentally friendly and cost efficient, the whole picture has to be considered. Their success can be achieved if all components of machining or manufacturing system are suitable for these technologies.

This special issue invites the submission of high quality research papers related to various aspects of high-pressure through tool MWF supply, near dry machining (MQL) and dry machining.

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

• Physical and tribological processes in near dry machining (MQL) and dry machining at the tool-chip and tool-workpiece interfaces: modelling, experimental studies and optimization.
• Design of the special cutting tools and apparatuses (nozzles, atomizers, holders, control and pre-setting units).
• Advanced concepts and methods, for example the "oil on water droplet", referred as OoW NDM, and advanced minimum quantity cooling lubrication NDM, referred as AMQCL.
• Advanced MWFs including bio-based, biodegradable, nanofluids etc.
• Implementation issues near dry machining (MQL) and dry machining in manufacturing cells and CNC machines.
• Ecological and health impacts.

Important Dates
Deadline for Submission: 31 December, 2008
Decision: 20 February, 2009
Revised manuscripts: 31 March, 2009

Call for papers: Data Parallelism and Stream-based Processing for Internet-based Manufacturing

Call for papers: Data Parallelism and Stream-based Processing for Internet-based Manufacturing

A special issue of International Journal of Internet Manufacturing and Services

Commodity grade platforms such as graphics process units (GPUs), CPU cell processors, and GPU/CPU clusters have enabled high performance computing for ever wider range of applications. Techniques are emerging in the field – such as GPGPU and high-level programmability - to make the newly found computing capacity accessible to many daily engineering and manufacturing operations, especially when data parallelism and stream-based processing are viable.

Mathematical operations such as linear algebra, differential equations and data queries can now be performed on the aforementioned platforms with up to 10x performance gain and some are even approaching the “real-time” threshold, which physically based simulation, signal and imaging processing, visualisation, and geometric computing are relying on.

This special issue attempts to encourage and report efforts in harnessing this new computing power for Internet-based manufacturing. We are inviting people from both academia and industry to submit papers on their recent research experience and solutions to be applied to Internet/Web based manufacturing and service problems.

Topics of the special issue include, but are not limited to:

• Flexible stream processor infrastructure and computing models
• High performance computing and mathematical methods for parallel data processing for Internet manufacturing, services and knowledge management
• Product design and geometric computing
• Data mining for Web-based product life-cycle engineering and data
• Remote online production planning, work flow modeling, scheduling, monitoring and control
• Neural networks and other AI techniques implementation on stream-based processors
• Physical-based simulation and analysis
• Visualisation and real-time information tracking on networks
• Networked virtual reality technology and applications

Important Dates
Submission Deadline: 30 January, 2008
Notification of the Initial Decision: 29 February, 2008
Notification of Acceptance: 2 May, 2008

Call for papers: New Trends on Particle Swarm Optimisation

Call for papers: New Trends on Particle Swarm Optimisation

A special issue of International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control

Particle swarm optimisation (PSO) is a new swarm intelligent modelling algorithm proposed by J.Kennedy and R.C.Eberhart since 1995. It simulates animal collective behaviours such as bird flocking and fish schooling. Due to its simple concepts, fast convergent speed, and easy implementation, PSO has been widely applied in many research areas and real-world engineering fields, such as task assignment and scheduling, reactive power and voltage control etc.

The objective of this special issue is to bring researchers from academia and industry together to report and review the latest progresses in this field, and to explore future directions.

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

• Theoretical advances in particle swarm optimisation methodology
• Particle swarm optimisation for complex constrained optimization problems
• Particle swarm optimisation for multi-objective optimisation problems
• Particle swarm optimisation for dynamic environment optimisation
• Hybrid methods combined with other optimisation techniques
• Learning and search strategies in particle swarm optimisation
• Applications of particle swarm optimisation, such as bioinformatics and cheminformatics, computational biology, etc.
• Future direction on particle swarm optimisation

Important Date
Deadline for submission: 1 September, 2008

Call for papers: Island Brands and Island Branding

Call for papers: Island Brands and Island Branding

A special issue of International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business

Islands, and small islands in particular, are amongst the most heavily themed objects in the context of tourism marketing. Island economies also have serious logistic and scale difficulties in producing manufactures that are export competitive. The notion of developing island-specific brands that piggy back freely on the island allure is therefore one that allows small island entrepreneurs to develop viable export-oriented (including tourist targeted) products. Commodities like Jamaica rum, naturally fragrant soap from Fiji, or decorative glass from Malta, thus develop into niche products that survive by maintaining high quality while avoiding high price sensitivity and elasticity. Viable manufacturing, contrary to its development in the context of industrialisation, can emerge in small island economies as a response to service sector activity.

In this special issue, authors are invited to share their thinking, basing their contributions on empirical data - especially single, comparative or multiple case study methodologies; evidence of best practice; or else adopting a more conceptual or theoretical approach.

Themes of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

• The limits of island branding. Can the island allure be diluted or overdone?
• How do small island entrepreneurs capitalize on islandness?
• How does being on an island - on the periphery, far from the metropole - facilitate or hinder entrepreneurship and small business development?
• What is the role of the diaspora - the population of islanders living away from their island - in promoting island entrepreneurship, small business, and product development with a view to tapping export markets?
• Small island societies are tightly-knit, intensely networked, and very close to their politicians. How does this socio-political context affect island entrepreneurship, small business, and product development?
• How does one develop an island brand that is supportive of business initiatives?
• Any other subject related to island branding, island brands, and their inter-relationship

Important Date
Deadline for submission of papers: 31 March 2008

Call for papers: Gaining from Partnership: Transfer Technology - Issues and Challenges in Transitional Economies

Call for papers: Gaining from Partnership: Transfer Technology - Issues and Challenges in Transitional Economies

A special issue of International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation

Technology transfer is not about selling some hardware to a client who is then left with the task of using it as he/she deems fit. Technology transfer is the imparting of knowledge, skills and methodologies involved in the whole production cycle. Technology transfer is a system that encompasses the social and economic fabric of a country. Where technology has been effectively transferred, there should be a visible change - from the person to the production system as well as compatibility with the needs, in the institutional framework, skills, training, financial capacity, promotion, and active support of endogenous capacity and appreciation of the natural environment of the recipient country. Obviously, there are problems that act as barriers to appropriate technology transfer such as local capacity as well as the multinationals whose financial powers have in many cases weakened the strengths of governments. But a much bigger problem in effective and appropriate technology transfer is focused on the priorities of the donor or purveyor.

There is a strong need for linkages to be developed and maintained between industry and research organisations. This requires the effective identification and specification of research needs, and knowledge of relevant research that is being conducted. For this to happen, industry needs to be involved at an early stage of research, so as to be able to participate even in the research definition stage. At the same time, public sector research organisations need to be prepared to support industry in the commercialisation process. Efforts to erase preconceptions that build barriers to successful technology transfer should also be taken. By creating partnerships among industry, government agencies and academia, the Triple Helix model, by promoting transfer technology, contributes to economic development on local, regional, and national levels. The introduction of a technology into a transition country is understood by some developed countries as having achieved the objective of technology transfer.

The goal of this special issue is to explore the importance and current use of transfer technology in transition countries. Although submitted manuscripts may focus on theory development, empirical testing, or case analysis, they should further understanding of why and how transfer technology could and do influence economic development in theory and practice. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Overview of technology transfer legislation
• Technology transfer related organisations
• Technology paradigm in transition countries
• Technology transfer and institutional development
• Role of MNCs for transition countries
• Approaches in the diffusion of knowledge or technology
• Importance of technology networks
• Important implications for Western-CEE partners in TT
• Technology acquisition and knowledge exploitation
• Technology strategy in SMEs
• Benefits and risks of technology transfer
• Technological management and role of multiculturalism
• Forms of intellectual property
• Overview of patents and copyright
• Trademarks and trade secrets
• Owning and protecting intellectual property
• Knowledge sourcing by foreign multinational
• Models of TT mechanisms
• Government funded programmes
• Grants and cooperative agreements

Important Date
eadline: 1 May 2008

Call for papers: Role of Entrepreneurship and Technology Business Incubation for Sustainable Growth of SMEs in ... Developing Countries

Call for papers: Role of Entrepreneurship and Technology Business Incubation for Sustainable Growth of SMEs in Changing Economic Scenarios in Developing Countries

A special issue of International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets

Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have emerged as the most dynamic and vibrant sector and proved to be the backbone of a national economy, particularly in developing countries. Although the globalisation and the changing economic environment have posed certain challenges to the development of SMEs, they have provided opportunities for SMEs as well. For example, the challenges came in the form of increased competition, shorter life cycle of products and technology, reduced protection due to lower tariffs, and market determined rate of interest, whereas the opportunities were presented in the form of access to better technology, availability of a variety of raw materials and components, impetus to quality and efficiency, and opportunities to restructure and diversify. To face these challenges and to seize these opportunities, today’s entrepreneurs are forced to develop innovative products, efficient production techniques and effective technology management for sustainability of their units. Indeed, the entrepreneurial innovative approach is expected to contribute to sustainable growth of SMEs, and to economic development.

True, entrepreneurship is the essence of economic development, but it cannot exist without technological innovation. Science Parks, Innovation Centres and Technology Business Incubators are similar initiatives in creating an environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. These initiatives foster interactions between academia and industry for sharing ideas and experiences and for developing new technology in order to transfer it to the end-users through SMEs. Merely creating such facilities, planning programmes and delivering training is not sufficient; equally important is the vision and strategy that educate entrepreneurs and empower them for change. Clearly, there is a need for faculty and educators to generate entrepreneurs for the twenty-first century that are agile and professional.

Given the role of academia in developing entrepreneurship for sustainable development of SMEs, the aim of this special issue is to provide a common platform to researchers, scholars and practitioners to address issues relating to the subjects mentioned in the next section. Manuscripts based on entrepreneurial and innovation orientations are particularly suitable for this issue, so are the comparative studies conducted in developing countries.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

• Entrepreneurship education and its role in regional development
• Role of academic society in hi-tech business development
• Role of SMEs in developing countries
• Role of entrepreneurship and SMEs in innovation
• Research methodology and theory relating to development of SMEs

Important Dates
Submission of manuscripts: 30 June, 2008
Decision on the manuscripts: 15 September, 2008
Submission of the revised manuscripts: 30 October, 2008
Final decision on the manuscripts: 30 December, 2008

Call for papers: Delivering Electronic Government

Call for papers: Delivering Electronic Government

A special issue of International Journal of Electronic Governance

E-government is enabling governments to service and facilitate the citizen in ways that one could not have imagined in the past. It is also helping to usher in a process of reform in the working of local and central governments, so that governments are more aligned to the aspirations of citizens and also those of government staff. The scope of applying e-government is really vast and the future holds abundant promise. The extent to which the promise of e-government is realised depends on the efficacy of e-government delivery.

However, delivering e-government remains a challenging task. Problems in delivering e-government services are mostly organisational and political rather than technical. Therefore, if e-government initiatives are to prove successful, then the challenges involved in dealing with the mindset, culture and politics of public organisations cannot be ignored.

The focus of this special issue is the effective delivery of e-government and its impact. Authors are therefore requested to contribute research articles and success stories of e-government across the globe, which will enable exchange as well as advancement of research and practice in the area. Specifically, original unpublished research papers, case studies and experience reports are sought; these should cover the various sub-disciplines pertinent to the delivery of e-government at local and central government level.

1. Delivering e-government

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 delivering e-government
• Organisational and legal issues of delivering e-government
• Technical aspects of delivering e-government
• Methodologies for delivering e-government
• Government process re-engineering
• Outsourcing in government
• Public-Private-People Partnership
• Government service delivery in rural areas

2. Delivering e-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
• Delivering e-government methodology
• Evaluation of effectiveness and impact assessment
• Results and lessons learned

Important Dates
Deadline for paper submission: 31 December, 2007
Notification of acceptance/rejection: 31 January, 2008
Final (camera-ready) papers submission: 28 February, 2008

Call for papers: Performance and the City

Call for papers: Performance and the City

A special issue of International Journal of Arts and Technology

This special issue seeks long- and short-form submissions exploring historical and contemporary relationships between live performance and the city, especially those prompted or mediated by technological development.

"[W]ith the first great expansion of civilization: instead of an explosion of power, there was an implosion. The city was the container that brought about this implosion, and through its very form held together the new forces, intensified their internal reactions, and raised the whole level of achievement… [T]he city exhibited an ambivalent character it has never wholly lost: it combined the maximum amount of protection with the greatest incentives to aggression: it offered the widest possible freedom and diversity, yet imposed a drastic system of compulsion and regimentation…" (L. Mumford, 1961)

"What I call 'guerrilla theater' for instance, can respond immediately. Some people call it living theater, some people call it newspaper theater. Whatever it is, street theater, it can respond immediately to both events and the changing pattern of events. It responds to the dynamics of any situation... [T]heater, because of its nature, both text, images, multimedia effects, has a wider base of communication with an audience." (W. Soyinka, 1998)

Technology drives (and can reveal) the rhythms of our cities. It modulates information flow, mediates our rituals and is in the midst of some of our most essential invitations to be together: urban public space and live performance. Performance has been vitalized by technology at times and rightly shunned it at others. It is employed to reinforce and defy dominant local powers. More often than not, it mixes these "opposites”, as in the sanctioned transgressions of street carnivals or uses of technology so expensive they require patronage even for works challenging accepted concepts of innovation and progress.

From artists, technologists, historians and planners, cultural geographers, and those of liminal spaces in-between, IJART seeks original writings that probe how two significant crystallizations of human life, performance and the city, interact despite, through, and with technology. Submissions can explore a particular group of artistic works, technologies, urban places, or time periods as they relate to these themes. They could also provide a broader analysis weaving together multiple threads of urban history, science and technology, or cultural theory. Each submission should be written in a way that is accessible to the multidisciplinary audience of the journal.

Important Dates
Abstract (optional): 3 December, 2007
Paper submission: 21 January, 2008
Acceptance notification: 10 March, 2008
Camera ready papers due: 21 April, 2008

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Society Systems Science

Society faces many significant challenges nowadays: pollution, poverty, pain, terrorism, crime, greenhouse effect, war, disease, starvation, road accidents, inflation/deflation, unemployment, pornography, great suffering, ignorance, pesticide poisoning, and falsehood, to just name a few. It could be argued that scientists have spent too much time on many not-so-urgent issues and put too little effort into these challenges at the present time. Some researchers have veered from the mainstream of our society.

International Journal of Society Systems Science - to begin publication in 2008 - will eliminate the barriers between

• social and natural sciences
• theory and applications
• hard decision models and soft ones
• different disciplines in the business world
• government and industry
• the ivory tower and real society

It will call for attention to the interdisciplinary principles, architectures, techniques, methodologies, models, as well as the appropriate strategies, that can solve the various society-related dilemmas.

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Functional Informatics and Personalised Medicine

Functional informatics and personalised medicine are interactive disciplines that hold great promise for the advancement of cutting-edge research and development in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. Research and advances in these two areas influence board ranges of medical and engineering fields. International Journal of Functional Informatics and Personalised Medicine - to begin publication in 2008 - will provide a common platform for the cross-fertilisation of ideas, and aims to help shape scientific knowledge and medical achievements by bridging these two very important and complementary disciplines into an interactive and attractive forum.

The journal will publish broad-spectrum of original research papers that foster the applications of medical science, computer science, engineering sciences, environmental science, food science, applied mathematics and statistics.

Inderscience journals are co-sponsors of the 2008 National Emergency Management Summit

The International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management and International Journal of Emergency Management are among the co-sponsors of the Second National Emergency Management Summit, the leading forum on medical preparedness and response to disasters, epidemics and terrorism. The Summit is to be held in Washington, DC on 3-5 February 2008.

Special issue: Control and protection of distribution systems with distributed generators

International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 5(5) 2007 is a special issue: Control and protection of distribution systems with distributed generators.

Article titles:
* Control and protection of distribution systems with distributed generators
* The impact of the protection scheme of converter-connected distributed generation on power system transient stability
* Spline function-based adaptive overcurrent grading for multifeed distribution systems
* Controlling the power balance in an 'empty network'
* Power conditioning of an uncontrolled micro-hydroturbine-driven induction generator for distributed generation using a battery energy storage system
* Grid interconnection of microturbine-based distributed generation system
* Wind energy and system security – the grid connection moratorium in Ireland

Special issue: Supply chain learning and change

International Journal of Learning and Change 2(2) 2007 is a special issue: Supply chain learning and change.

Article titles:
* Learning to integrate: supply chains reconceptualised
* Benchmarking operations to promote learning: an internal supply chain perspective
* Visualisation for system learning in supply chains
* An innovative Supply Chain Management programme structure: broadening the SCM skill set

Special issue: Third Australian Conferences on Information Security Management; Computer, Network and Information Forensics

International Journal of Information and Computer Security 1(4) 2007 is a special issue with papers from the 3rd Australian Information Security Management and the 3rd Australian Computer, Network and Information Forensics Conferences held at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, 29–30 September 2005.

Article titles:
* An information-centric and proactive approach to Information Security teaching
* E-business security benchmarking: a model and framework
* Radio Frequency Identification: a review of low cost tag security proposals
* Smart Cards for mobile devices
* Medical data security: Are you informed or afraid?
* Honeypot technologies and their applicability as a strategic internal countermeasure
* Document access control in organisational workflows
* A conceptual framework for curbing the epidemic of information malice: e-hygiene model with a human-factor approach

Special issue: Middleware for web services

International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management 2(3) 2007 is a special issue: Middleware for web services, with papers from the 2005 Middleware for Web Services workshop (MWS, 2005) held on 19 September 2005 at the EDOC 2005 conference in Enschede, The Netherlands.

Article titles:
* Improving the quality of business and quality of experience in web services through prioritising and scheduling
* An evaluation of the performance of web services using table-driven XML
* Policy-driven middleware for adaptive web services composition
* Rule-based business collaboration development and management
* An application of augmented MDA for the extended healthcare enterprise
* A secure service-based collaborative workflow system

Special issue: Networks of SMEs and globalisation

International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business 2(2) 2007 is a special issue: Networks of SMEs and globalisation.

Article titles:
* Internationalisation strategies for SMEs for enhancing the typical supply system in the age of globalisation: the Vietri Ceramics network
* The creation of Regional Innovation Systems in emerging countries: the case of Dubai
* Global reorganisation in a high-technology industry: the aircraft industry
* Exporting entrepreneurs: do they activate their social network in different ways than domestic entrepreneurs?
* The value of human capital for the networks of born globals
* Explaining subsidiaries' knowledge-diffusion behaviours within MNEs

Special issue: Tribology of metal cutting

International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials 2(3/4) 2007 is a special issue: Tribology of metal cutting.

Article titles:
* Editorial: tribology at the forefront of study and research on metal cutting
* Tool wear mechanisms in machining
* Ductile fracture mechanics and chip separation in cutting
* Recent advances in plasticity applications in metal machining: slip-line models for machining with rounded cutting edge restricted contact grooved tools
* Development of a friction model for the tool-chip-workpiece interfaces during dry machining of AISI4142 steel with TiN coated carbide cutting tools
* Machining residual stresses and part distortions
* Influence of tool sharpness on the thermal and mechanical phenomena generated during machining operations
* Wear of mixed alumina ceramic tools in high speed facing of Inconel 718
* Numerical modelling of meso-scale finish machining with finite edge radius tools
* Effect of emulsifier content on microbial contamination of cutting fluids

Call for papers: Product Service Solutions in Life Cycle Activities

Call for papers: Product Service Solutions in Life Cycle Activities

A special issue of International Journal of Internet Manufacturing and Services

Currently the business mode of manufacturing enterprises is undergoing great changes, aimed at winning greatly increased benefits and realizing new product value enhancements. In this situation, selling efficient working capabilities through intangible services attached to products, as opposed to merely selling tangible products, is becoming a new trend.

In order to enable the above business mode, we not only need to construct a kind of new product service system and design the corresponding service network so as to maintain the efficient working capabilities, but also to consider the service accessibility of products through modularisation, embedded systems, environmental consideration, etc., in design stage. In addition, applying the service-oriented manufacturing philosophy under JIT, zero inventory is another way to cut down the cost of tangible products. It is obvious that service activities cover the whole product life-cycle, so it is important to attain a broad understanding of the way in which service-orientation affects product, manufacturing and customer use. Within the viewpoint of theory and methodologies, there is a dependency on a combination of manufacturing/design science with service science.

On the basis of these considerations of a service-oreinted development, this special issue will focus on reporting current research progresses and industrial case studies related to product service solution in the whole product life-cycle activities. We hope this issue will be a platform for world-wide researchers from both academic and industrial fields to exchange useful ideas. In addition, we also hope it will be an excellent attachment for the coming workshop on “Product Service Solutions in Life-cycle Activities” to be held in Xi’an on 15th-16th March, 2008 under the support of Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

The topics of potential contributions may include, but not limited to:

• Frameworks, models and methodologies for product service systems
• Frameworks, models and methodologies for service-oriented manufacturing
• Frameworks, models and methodologies for customer-oriented service systems
• Design for easy service, including design for embedded systems, design for environment, design for modularization, design for maintenance, etc
• Organisational modes for product service systems
• Service design
• Product life-cycle data modelling and management
• Transitional strategies and experiences from product to product service system
• Outsourcing of manufacturing via services
• Performance analysis for service networks
• Product service workflow management
• Online dynamic product manual integrated with service computing
• Remote product monitoring and fault diagnosis
• E-maintenance
• IP sensor networks for products
• Measurement of product value enhancements through services
• Planning and scheduling for product service flow
• Interface design for collaboration in service activities
• Environmental issue in PSS
• Recycling in PSS
• Industrial case studies

Important Dates
Full Paper submissions due: 15 January, 2008
Notification of acceptance: 15 March, 2008

Special issue: Authoring of adaptive and adaptable hypermedia

International Journal of Learning Technology 3(3) 2007 is a special issue: Authoring of adaptive and adaptable hypermedia.

Article titles:
* Quality of Experience-LAOS: create once, use many, use anywhere
* Authoring adaptive educational hypermedia on the semantic desktop
* Authoring game-based adaptive units of learning with IMS Learning Design and
* Adaptive educational hypermedia interoperability and content creation with a web service-based architecture
* Specification, authoring and prototyping of personalised workplace learning solutions
* Adaptive hypermedia in secondary schools: from the teacher to the student
* Specifying documents in an adaptive hypermedia generation environment: an authoring tool prototype

Special issue: IS/IT Issues in the Asia Pacific

International Journal of Electronic Business 5(5) 2007 is a special issue: IS/IT Issues in the Asia Pacific.

Article titles:
* The mobile business value chain in China: a case study
* The effects of Information and Communication Technology on Customer Relationship Management and customer lock-in
* Traders beware: an examination of the distribution of eBay sellers' online reputation
* National culture and its effects on knowledge communication in online virtual communities
* Development of the mobile communications service market: Korean experience
* A case study on a project failure in a Chinese private trading company from a technological frame perspective

Special issue : International Nuclear Atlantic Conference (INAC 2005)

International Journal of Low Radiation 4(2) 2007 is a special issue with papers from the International Nuclear Atlantic Conference (INAC 2005) held in Santos, Brazil, from 28 August to 2 September, 2005.

Article titles:
* Calibration and characterisation of extremity dosimeters
* Development and production of holders for extremity detectors
* The exposure buildup factor formulation in a slab and rectangle geometry by the LTSN method
* Study of the use of thermoluminescent materials in mixed fields
* The development of an anthropomorphic and anthropometric thorax female phantom for experimental radiodosimentry
* An update of the probabilistic safety assessment of the Radiation Monitor Calibration Laboratory of a Brazilian nuclear power station
* Effects of gamma irradiation on PMMA/polyaniline nanofibre composites
* Genotoxic evaluation of [DOTA, Tyr³]octreotate labelled with 131I and 177Lu in human peripheral lymphocytes in vitro by micronucleus assay

Special issue: China’s Technology Catching-Up

International Journal of Technology and Globalisation 3(4) 2007 is a special issue: China’s Technology Catching-Up.

Article titles:
* Technology strategies of innovative Chinese domestic companies
* Overcoming 'latecomer disadvantages' in small and medium-sized firms: evidence from China
* China and technology transfer: the 'Boomerang Effect' as a strategic tool
* From path-following to path-creating, some paradigm shifts in China's catching-up
* Industrial standard based competition and Chinese firm strategic choices
* Beyond the 'Global Factory' model: innovative capabilities for upgrading China's IT industry

Call for papers: Behavioural Finance

Call for papers: Behavioural Finance

A special issue of International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance

Behavioural finance studies how psychological factors influence decision making in financial markets. This includes the study of how information processing by investors may be influenced by psychological factors, such as memory bias, overconfidence or conservatism. It encompasses framing, mental accounting and the house-money effect as explanations of investor decisions, and considers market and modelling factors that can limit arbitrage.

The special issue welcomes theoretical or empirical studies that adopt a behavioural approach to explaining financial market activity including, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Asset pricing
• Risk management
• Portfolio management and asset allocation
• Market microstructure
• Market integration
• Market volatility, bubbles and crashes
• Information processing by investors
• Investor decision-making
• Limits to arbitrage

Important Date
Deadline for submission: 15 June, 2008

Call for papers: Agricultural Metadata and Semantics

Call for papers: Agricultural Metadata and Semantics

A special issue of International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies

A common vision that may serve as an enabler for sustainable development, environmental preservation and fighting hunger in the world is the involvement, collaboration and coordination of activities dealing with the production, organisation and exchange of agricultural knowledge. Numerous technical and subject experts are working on related topics, tackling with issues such as classifications and taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, thesauri, authority files, glossaries, metadata specifications and their application profiles, as well as ontology-driven applications.

In this direction, initiatives such as the Agricultural Information Management Standards (AIMS) and the Agricultural Ontology Service (AOS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have been launched to involve as wide a sector of the agricultural community as possible. Their scope includes information providers, research institutes, academic institutions, educational/extension institutions, as well as the private sector. Important results have been produced as an outcome of this collaborative effort, and are already put in practice around the world.

In this context, the general aim of this special issue is to assess the current status and technologies, as well as to outline the major challenges and future perspectives, related to agricultural knowledge production, organisation, and exchange from a Semantic Web perspective. It aims to provide an overview of the state of the art in this field, by including a wide range of interdisciplinary contributions. Overall, it aims to outline the rich potential of the agricultural knowledge domain as an application field for advanced metadata- and semantic-driven systems and services.

Topics for the special issue include, but are not limited to:

• Agricultural information standards and specifications
• Agricultural metadata schemas and application profiles
• Multilingual agricultural vocabularies, taxonomies, glossaries and thesauri
• Metadata generation, harvesting, exchange in agricultural information systems
• Agricultural knowledge acquisition, elicitation and extraction
• Infrastructures, systems and services for agricultural knowledge organisation
• Repositories and archives for agricultural knowledge
• Agricultural ontology approaches, models, theories, and languages
• Agricultural ontology development, integration, lifecycle, and evaluation
• Management of large ontology-driven agricultural data and knowledge bases
• Applications in domains such as education & training, commerce, public administration

Important Dates
Potential contributors are strongly encouraged to submit an extended abstract for feedback as to the suitability of proposed papers by: February 1st, 2008
Notification of appropriateness: 1 March, 2008
Manuscript submission: 1 June, 2008
Notification of acceptance/rejection: 1 August, 2008
Final manuscript due: 1 October, 2008

Call for papers: Global Entrepreneurship

Call for papers: Global Entrepreneurship

A special issue of International Journal of Business and Globalisation

"Global entrepreneurship" has emerged as the business buzzword of the 1990s and has captured the attention of practitioners and academicians in the world's emerging and developed economic regions in the 21st millennium. Global entrepreneurship is to a large extent influenced by the interdependence between competition and cooperation. In other words, nations and companies have recognised that, to develop a sustainable competitive advantage, it is important to harness the synergies between competitors and collaborators and to foster an environment for mutual interdependence. As a result, the 21st millennium has witnessed increased activity in global entrepreneurship among firms. No other strategy has proved as effective as global entrepreneurship to lift millions of people above poverty levels. While there are several examples of leading MNCs such as S-LCD (Sony and Samsung's LCD joint venture) and SNECMA (France's state-owned GE and Pratt & Whitney’s aircraft engine joint venture) that demonstrate the role of global entrepreneurship, there are also many examples of small companies, especially in the area of micro financing, that exemplify global entrepreneurship.

This special issue is intended to encompass both theoretical and practical methodologies and topics in the area of global entrepreneurship. Also, the theme of this issue has major implications for public policy makers in the emerging and developed nations of the world.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Global entrepreneurship
• Global offshoring/outsourcing
• Global knowledge management
• Micro financing
• Bottom of the pyramid marketing and social entrepreneurship
• Global corporate venturing
• Transaction cost economics
• Entrepreneurial economics

Important Dates
Paper submission by prospective authors: 15 August, 2008
Communication of results of peer review to authors: 15 October, 2008
Final manuscript submission: 15 December, 2008

Call for papers: Capital Markets in China: What’s Next?

Call for papers: Capital Markets in China: What’s Next?

A special issue of International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management

Moving away from their emerging market status, the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges are now entering a more mature phase of development, and are doing very well in meeting the return expectations of both the state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector, which constitutes about 60 percent of market capitalization, and the private sector. As a result, these exchanges will soon be major players in the competition for global funds. The carefully managed, centrally-planned, market-sensitive economy of China appears likely to overtake the US in a relatively short period of time. This is true even assuming a much more modest growth rate than the incredible annual growth of 9 percent that the Chinese economy had averaged since the mid-1990s.

This is the starting point for this special issue. The question is simply: What’s next for the Chinese capital markets? We are the first journal to pose this question and suggest the areas of inquiry below as a starting point in addressing this question.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Futures markets, options, and derivatives
• Use of stock incentive plans
• Insider trading regulation
• Venture capital investment
• Corporate social responsibility issues
• The role of the banking system
• Fiscal and monetary policy considerations
• Hedge funds
• Market microstructure issues
• Financial reporting and transparency

All papers must focus on the Chinese economy and/or capital markets. We invite, in particular, reflections on the future of China that are supported with empirical analyses. Also, as we hope to reach the widest possible readership, we suggest as the style "good readable science" — holding complicated equations and extensive footnotes to a minimum.

Important Dates
Contact guest editors: ASAP
Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 15 March 2008
Notification to authors: 15 April 2008
Final version of manuscripts due: 15 May 2008

Call for papers: Investment and Innovation Policies to Promote Technology Development And Commercialisation

Call for papers: Investment and Innovation Policies to Promote Technology Development And Commercialisation

A special issue of International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy

Investment and innovation policies play an increasing role in contributing to the development of high technology start-ups. The formation of government policies generally aims to facilitate the translation of research results into economic benefits. However, improving the investment policies is a necessary but not a sufficient condition in fostering high technology entrepreneurial activities and driving innovations. In this special issue, we focus on policies to build an innovative climate to help develop early-stage companies, boost technology commercialisation (thereby increasing the nation’s competitiveness) and support economic development.

This special issue brings together academics, practitioners, researchers, and aims to deliver a reference edition for all those interested in the innovation policies to foster conditions conducive to promote high technology business development and commercialisation.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• R&D investment policies to support risky technology development and commercialisation
• Government policies to bridge the equity gaps for SMEs
• Policies to protect intellectual properties
• Policies to strengthen the nation's R&D infrastructures
• Financial policies and incentives to support high-tech development
• R&D tax schemes to promote technology investments
• Policies to support stock market development for high-tech businesses
• R&D strategies to facilitate innovation

Important Dates
1-2 Page Abstract: 15 January 2008
Submission of Manuscripts: 15 July 2008
Notification to Authors: 15 August 2008
Final versions due: 15 November 2008

Special issue: Grid middleware

International Journal of Web and Grid Services 3(4) 2007 is a special issue: Grid middleware, with papers from Grid Middleware 2006 held in Changsha, China on 21–23 October 2006.

Article titles:
* Grid middleware in China
* Design and implementation of an enhanced grid service container in the CROWN grid
* A transactional grid workflow service for ShanghaiGrid
* Data management services and transfer scheme in ChinaGrid
* The architecture and implementation of the Vega Information Grid
* Parallel programming over ChinaGrid

Special issue: BIOT 2006, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Symposium

International Journal of Bioinformatics Research and Applications 3(4) 2007 is a special issue with papers from BIOT 2006: Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Symposium held on 20-21 October 2006 in Provo, USA.

Article titles:
* Proteomic data mining using predicted peptide chromatographic retention times
* On predicting secondary structure transition
* Molecular coevolution of the vertebrate cytochrome c1 and Rieske Iron Sulphur Protein in the cytochrome bc1 complex
* Pharmacogenomics: analysing SNPs in the CYP2D6 gene using amino acid properties
* Inferring protein-protein interaction networks from protein complex data
* Phylogenies scores for exhaustive searches and parsimony scores searches
* Evolutionary selective pressure on three mitochondrial SNPs is consistent with their influence on metabolic efficiency in Pima Indians
* A study of the repetitive structure and distribution of short motifs in human genomic sequences
* Conservative adjustment of permutation p-values when the number of permutations is limited

Call for papers: Knowledge and Technology Management for Sustainable Development in Africa

Call for papers: Knowledge and Technology Management for Sustainable Development in Africa

A special issue of International Journal of Technology Management

The objectives of this special issue are to provide an overview of the important role of knowledge management in achieving sustainable development (SD) in Africa and provide an opportunity to discuss and clarify how universities can contribute to the generation of wealth in Africa through the transfer of finalised knowledge and the creation of new firms, new industries and business opportunities.

The special issue will also provide an opportunity for (but is not limited to) the participants of two major international conferences on Knowledge Management and Development to contribute to the ongoing debate in different issues relating to Knowledge Management in Africa. Selected papers will be published from the

• Knowledge management regional conference held in Cairo June 11th-13th, 2007, organised by the Global Development Network, the African Capacity Building Foundation and the World Bank Institute, focusing on Knowledge Management as an Enabler of Change and Innovation: A conference for policymakers and practitioners.
• The 6th International Conference jointly organised by the World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD) and Griffith University (Australia) held in Brisbane October 29th-31st, 2007, focusing on Managing Knowledge, Technology and Development in the Era of Information Revolution.

Submitted papers will also be considered.

The following and related areas are of particular interest for this issue, but there is no tight limitation to the scope of coverage of the papers that will be considered:

• Knowledge transfer and diffusion
• Education, higher education and teaching
• Technological application to teaching and learning in HE
• E-learning/distance learning and open access to learning
• Open source and open access publishing
• Learning and intellectual capital
• Intellectual property rights
• Information systems/technology
• Innovative information technology research
• Interconnectiveness
• Indigenous development and IT
• The digital divide
• Technology and knowledge transfer: models of transfer, linkage policy, end user principal consideration, barriers, appropriateness, break through, funding, timing, etc
• STI in the UN: lessons learned over the past 50 years and their relevance to Africa
• Role of African universities in regional development and appropriate policy measures to improve such contribution
• Productivity of science
• Research and development
• Managing innovation in Africa
• Competitiveness, innovation and industrialiSation
• Building industrial competitiveness in Africa
• Knowledge and technology adoption constraints in Africa
• Science parks and technology clusters
• Best practice in the promotion of technologies
• Technical change and technology management
• Economics of technology and innovation
• Understanding SD sustainable economic development policies
• Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• Indigenous knowledge and SD
• Indigenous development and gender

Important Dates
Paper title and a single page abstract with names of all authors, their affiliations and emails with corresponding author specified by asterisk: November 15, 2007
Submission of full manuscript with names, affiliations, emails and addresses of 3 potential reviewers who will be available for review of the manuscript: December 15, 2007
Notification of acceptance or rejection: December 31, 2007
Final revised manuscript: February 15, 2008

Special issue: Reconfigurable and scalable high performance architectures

International Journal of High Performance Systems Architecture 1(2) 2007 is a special issue: Reconfigurable and scalable high performance architectures, comprising papers presented at the 4th International Conference on Information Technology : New Generations (ITNG 2007) held on 2-4 April 2007 in Las Vegas, USA.

Article titles:
* A flexible processor for the characteristic 3 ηT pairing
* Reconfiguration support for vector operations
* Design of a router for network-on-chip
* Efficient finite field processor for GF(2163) and its implementation
* An efficient fault tolerant mechanism to deal with permanent and transient failures in a network on chip
* Compact FPGA-based systolic array architecture suitable for vision systems
* SPA resistant elliptic curve cryptosystem using addition chains

Call for papers: Modelling Practices for Decision-making in Environmental Policy

Call for papers: Modelling Practices for Decision-making in Environmental Policy

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Policy and Decision Making

An applied model is a mathematical tool aimed at analysing the likely impacts of a given policy on a complex system. The impacts may concern the environment, the economy or the society as a whole. The objective of this special issue is to provide decision-makers and policy practitioners with some representative examples of how applied modelling may help in designing and implementing sound and efficient environmental policies.

Many modelling approaches coexist and each of them has its own strengths and shortcomings. In order to comprehensively address the overall impacts of environmental policies, these tools should try to tackle some of the five following methodological features: interdisciplinarity, uncertainty, local and global dimensions, short and long term perspectives and participation of stakeholders. Instead of searching for the “all-in-one” model, we advocate that the different classes of models should be seen as complementary and used adequately, i.e., taking into account their own specificities. Explaining and illustrating the specificities of the different kinds of applied models is one of the objectives on this special issue. The focus is on applications, not on technical features.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

• Multi-agent models
• CGE models
• Integrated assessment models
• Bayesian networks
• Optimisation models
• Multi-stage models
• Neural networks
• Econometric models
• Systems dynamics
• Fuzzy system models
  

Important Dates
Paper submission: 1 February, 2008
Revised version: 1 June, 2008
Acceptance: 1 August, 2008

Call for papers: RFID in Supply Chain Networks

Call for papers: RFID in Supply Chain Networks

A special issue of International Journal of Electronic Business

Radio frequency identification (RFID) using radio frequency technology for automated identification is replacing the use of traditional barcode technology. It has been adopted for many uses such as inventory control and asset tracking. The technology allows multiple objects to be identified without line of sights by embedding within a product a unique imprinted identity. Furthermore, transient information can be updated or changed during the transition throughout production systems, warehouses, airliners, trucks, distribution centers, retailers, and finally to the end customers.

The use of RFID brings a second source of information to enterprise management. It is the "second source" because, in the conventional approach, the information is shared among the various departments through an integrated enterprise system or is shared among the partners to enhance the performance of the whole supply chain. However, very often, the information is not synchronized with the physical flow until the track-and-trace function is activated. A familiar scenario is that a production line is eager to but cannot use some parts on dock since the arrival of the parts has not been input into the enterprise system yet. With RFID, the logistic information of the arrival parts can actively pull the information from the system and synchronize both information flow and physical flow at one time.

This special issue is designed as a platform to address the issues of applying RFID in supply chains. We especially welcome case studies on RFID adoption as well as empirical works.

The topics include but are not limited to the application or the impact of RFID on the following and related areas:

• Logistics and supply chain management
• Decision models and process
• E-business management
• Quality management
• IT management
• Knowledge management
• Customer relationship management
• Operational strategy
• Outsourcing and international management
• Production and operation management
• Privacy and security
• Ethics

Important Dates
Full Paper Submission: 31 January, 2008
Inform Review Results: 31 March, 2008
Final Paper Submission: 30 April, 2008

First issue: International Journal of Procurement Management

The first issue of International Journal of Procurement Management has just been published.

The journal deals with the development of procurement resources, with emphasis on the implications that purchasing and supply management functions have on organisational productivity and competitiveness in the global market. The globalisation of market and operations, including outsourcing, lead to global purchasing and supplier development that are closely related to the success of a company. This perspective indicates the importance of effective procurement and supply functions for organisational effectiveness and competitiveness. In addition, developments in information technology and information systems such as enterprise resource planning and radio frequency identification have a significant impact on the procurement functions and supply management. Due emphasis will be given to research about the impact of IT/IS in the effective management of procurement and suppliers.

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

First issue: International Journal of Precision Technology

The first issue of International Journal of Precision Technology has just been published. The journal promotes technological advances in precision engineering that are not accompanied by science and mathematics. The wheel is a technological example that was invented in 4000 BC in Mesopotamia (now present day Iraq). The wheel in the Formula One car today is an engineering example backed by science and mathematics. Technological findings do not have to date to Palaeolithic times, since we have them even today in examples such as ductile mode machining, which is technology rather than engineering since reasons for its occurrence backed by science and mathematics are yet to be established. Mathematics is an exact science; precision technology is not, but precision engineering ought to be. Developments in precision technology can lead to inventions and innovations and the journal encourages such work.

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

First issue: International Journal of Design Engineering

The first issue of International Journal of Design Engineering has just been published. The journal includes up to date research findings and achievements in design engineering and related areas, and identifies new technology requirements, needs and priorities in those areas. It offers the reader a wealth of valuable material on theories and practices which underpin successful research and development in design engineering.

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

Call for papers: Energy Conservation and the Built Environment

Call for papers: Energy Conservation and the Built Environment

A special issue of International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy

The main purpose of buildings is to provide a comfortable living environment for their occupants, which includes thermal, visual and acoustic comfort as well as indoor air quality. As for modern society, humans spend a majority of their time living and working indoors, so that indoor environment quality and human health (IEQ&HH) are very important factors to implement building development sustainability. As we know, good IEQ will help to maintain the health and comfort of the indoor occupants and under such conditions they will be invariably more satisfied and productive.

Towards a sustainable development strategy, the aim of research performed in IEQ groups is to provide related technicians with valuable advice, methods and tools, helping them to design, construct, operate and maintain buildings to a comfortable and healthy situation, with a minimum use of energy and technical installations.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems bring indoor occupants to a comfortable status. Due to the unprecedented growing scale of building construction, energy consumption has risen sharply for the building environment. The energy required for building heating and cooling is approximately 6.7% of the total world energy. In China, data show that energy consumption accounts for more than 50% total electricity use in the residential sector and 60% total electricity use in the public building sector, both for heating and cooling.

Increasing energy demand and environmental consciousness all over the world have made it imperative that energy sources should be used more efficiently. How to use the least energy to maintain indoor environment quality and the comfort of the occupants is the focus of this issue.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

• Energy demands and consumption in existing and future buildings Thermal comfort, health and indoor environment
• Natural and mechanical ventilation Renewable energy sources in buildings
• Heat recovery systems in buildings HVAC and refrigeration systems in residential, public and industrial buildings Energy efficient buildings Intelligent buildings
• Evaluation and control of indoor thermal, lighting systems and human factors Facilities management and maintenance
• Policy and legal issues

Important Dates
Submission Deadline: 30 January, 2008
Notification of the Initial Decision: 30 April, 2008
Notification of Acceptance: 30 July, 2008

Call for papers: Behavioural Corporate Finance

Call for papers: Behavioural Corporate Finance

A special issue of International Journal of Behavioural Accounting and Finance

Behavioural corporate finance examines the effects of managers’ and investors’ psychological biases on firms’ corporate finance decisions, such as investment appraisal, capital structure, and dividend policy. The aim of this special issue is to publish high quality, innovative theoretical and empirical papers that promote understanding of behavioural corporate finance, in order to provide a platform for the future research agenda.

Topics for this special issue include, but are not limited to;

• The effects of managers' and investors' biases on capital structure decisions
• The effects of managers' and investors' biases on capital budgeting
• The effects of managers' and investors' biases on dividend and share repurchasing policy
• Inefficient markets and managerial market timing of corporate finance decisions
• The effect of overconfidence on corporate finance decision-making
• Prospect theory, regret theory, and corporate finance decision-making
• Bounded rationality and corporate finance decision-making

Important Date
Papers should be submitted by: 30 September, 2008

Call for papers: Combustion, Fuels and Emission Control in Internal Combustion Engines

Call for papers: Combustion, Fuels and Emission Control in Internal Combustion Engines

A special issue of International Journal of Vehicle Design

Papers are invited for this Special Issue dedicated to research on simulation and experiments in spark or compression ignition engines, with main focus on combustion, use of (alternative) fuels and control of emissions.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to:

• Premixed combustion, spray formation
• Heat release, chemical kinetics
• Exhaust emissions and their control
• Exhaust after-treatment systems
• Heat transfer
• Flow in inlet and exhaust systems
• Gaseous fuels
• Alternative and biological fuels
• Fuel injection
• Application of engine combustion models
• Transient operation and dynamic analysis of engines
• Second-law analysis
  

Important Date
Deadline for submission: 25 February 2008

Special issue: Intelligent supply chain management

International Journal of Services Operations and Informatics 2(3) 2007 is a special issue: Intelligent supply chain management.

Article titles:
* Value of RFID in remanufacturing
* B2B e-business reference architecture for tailored logistics
* Applying RFID technology in warranty service information system
* Application of network methods in intelligent supply chain management
* A new technology paradigm for collaboration in the supply chain
* An e-business model to facilitate conflict-solving and cooperation in logistics services

Call for papers: Sustaining Growth in Developing Countries through Energy Efficiency

Call for papers: Sustaining Growth in Developing Countries through Energy Efficiency

A special issue of International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy

It is projected that the population and economic expansion experienced by the developing nations will constitute the majority of world energy growth. With the fact that existing sources of energy will be depleted in the near future, there is a need to find alternative sources of energy. Although there are other sources of energy available, such as renewable and nuclear, there are numerous problems associated with those technologies ranging from environmental issues to technical and safety issues.

Implementation of energy efficiency programmes and technologies not only reduce the energy growth rate but also contribute towards the mitigation of environmental pollution. If such programmes are implemented successfully, the developing nations’ growth will be sustained with minimum impact on the environment and on monetary resources. The challenge is to understand the salient features and energy consumption patterns of individual nations, and to draw a suitable road map that will lead to efficient utilisation of energy.

The objective of this special issue is to provide a means for the publication and interchange of information, on an international basis, on energy efficiency technologies and programmes applied to developing countries.

Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to:

• Energy efficient technologies
• Energy efficient operation and maintenance strategies (O&M)
• Efficient lighting applications
• Efficient HVAC applications
• Codes and standards for energy efficiency and conservation
• Energy efficient programs
• Energy systems design and analysis tools
• Energy efficient power transmission and distribution
• Energy storage
  

Important Dates
Full paper and proposal submission: 31 January 2008
Notification of initial acceptance: 31 March 2008
Revised manuscript submission: 31 May 2008
Notification of acceptance: 31 July 2008
Final paper: 31 August 2008

Call for papers: Modelling and Simulation of Emerging Business Models

Call for papers: Modelling and Simulation of Emerging Business Models

A special issue of International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling

This special issue aims to present the latest thinking on modelling and simulation beyond traditional operations, manufacturing and supply chain boundaries. The increasing diversity of supply chain structures, the emerging business collaboration models, the increasing levels of outsourcing, recycling, after sales and developments in servitization all present challenges to the functionality of existing tools and their application.

Significant work has been done on modelling and simulating “simple” service or production systems as well as business processes and supply chains. Such work examines flows of parts, products or information. However, with business models that have emerged from industry and commerce, there are challenges to the functionality of tools and techniques for model building and the understanding of performance through modelling. Information and product flows may have to be combined, the products may never leave the system and products may be returned from the field.

Examples of emerging business models include:

• The growing industry for recycling and remanufacturing, which presents challenges for how to model an operation that has uncertain inputs that need disassembling and possibly reassembly. For example, the EU's directive for end-of-life vehicles presents challenges to model operations that have to meet targets on reuse, recycling and recovery.
• Servitization, such as product service systems, where the manufactured product is part of a service offering. In the case of Rolls-Royce's "power by the hour" approach, the manufactured product is owned throughout by the manufacturer to provide a service to the airline. Another example is the approach operated by Xerox for the supply and operation of photocopiers/digital printers. Additionally, integrated product health management systems may monitor the product in service and sensors provide signals to the supply chain that a product needs maintenance, repair or overhaul.
• Increased levels of outsourcing amongst companies, resulting in extended but tightly coupled supply chains. The flow of product and information is potentially more complex than in-house operations.

This special issues looks to provide theories, tools and case studies of the application of modelling and simulation techniques beyond “traditional” manufacturing, operations or supply chain systems. Work can relate to service or manufacturing sectors or a combination of the two and can examine the development of new techniques or the application of techniques for greater understanding of emerging business models. Work can be at any level from operations through to strategic supply chain level. The research may come from any sector and from any field of modelling and simulation.

Papers may include either theoretical or empirical research. Suitable themes in this issue include but are not limited to the following:

• How do we use simulation modelling and analysis techniques beyond "traditional" manufacturing and supply chains?
• What are the challenges and potential solutions for modelling the return, remanufacture and recycling of products
• How can services or servitization be modelled and simulated?
• Can "product service systems" be modelled to understand differences between "traditional" supply chains and service-led supply chains?
• What are the challenges to modelling collaborations between companies?
• How can data from the field or market be incorporated into business models and simulations?
• How can planning and control systems be included in models that stretch beyond "simple" operational boundaries?
• Combined modelling techniques for modelling and simulation new business models

Important Dates
Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 31 January, 2008
Notification of acceptance/rejection to authors: 31 March, 2008
Final (camera-ready) papers submission: 31 July, 2008

Call for papers: Sustainable Development and Environmental Education

Call for papers: Sustainable Development and Environmental Education

A special issue of International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development

All disciplines and all segments of society need to work together, proactively, in seeking long-term solutions to environmental problems. The recent establishment of an International Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development is one example of this new approach. An increasing number of companies currently act and communicate based on their triple performance (i.e. economic, environmental and social).

As educators and scientists we can follow this example by keeping in mind the bigger picture when it comes doing our research and educating our young people. Education plays a major role in achieving changes in attitudes that contribute to environmental awareness in society. The average person is usually somewhat informed about environmental problems. However, not many fully understand the basis of these problems or how to deal with them. One example of rising public awareness is the increasing use of recycled materials, particularly in road systems, paper making and plastics manufacturing. Environmental education is especially critical for young people who will be future decision makers. Papers are sought on all aspects of sustainable development and environmental education.

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

• Sustainable development
• Environmental education
• Recycling
• Company performance indicators
• Waste water treatment and sanitation
• Pollution prevention and waste minimization
• Case studies
• Environmental management models
• Physico-chemical treatment processes
• Treatment and disposal of solid and hazardous waste
• Water reuse and recycling of industrial waste

Important Dates
Deadline for paper submission: 31 January 2008
First turn of papers review: 31 March 2008
Second turn of papers review: 31 May 2008
Final papers submission: 31 July 2008

Call for papers: Flexible Learning Organisations

Call for papers: Flexible Learning Organisations

A special issue of International Journal of Learning and Change

Many scholars agree that the concept of the learning organisation is not precise due to the fact that each organisation is unique and that organisations should be given the adequate flexibility to de-velop their own and relevant conditions leading to an effective learning organisation. Some of these issues have been discussed in recent literature on organisational and individual learning. During the process of becoming an effective learning organisation, in fact, organisations must be given enough space and time for creativity action and synthesis of their own, customised versions of the learning organisations. This may also generate different tensions and will probably provide even more uncertainty and ambiguity in organisations, thus prevent them from implementing a learning organisation. For the idea of learning organisation to be meaningful, it needs to have practical relevance and value, and the question is how relevant the concept of an effective learning organisation is for business growth and development.

This special issue aims to draw on theory and practice of learning organisations and the process of adaptation of learning in a varied organisational context. The issue addresses how the idea of the learning organisation should be adapted to various internal and external circumstances, contexts, situations, etc. All papers, both theoretical and empirical using qualitative and quantitative methods, on flexible learning organisations are welcome.

Following papers fall in the area of interest of this special issue:

• Experiences from and suggestions for how the learning organisation could be adapted to, for instance, one or some of the following parameters:
• Flexibility as a concept and its relevance to organisational learning
• Governance and bureaucratic processes in learning organisations
• Organic and evolutionary structures and processes in corporate entrepreneurship
• Learning in SMEs and MNCs
• Professional or/and/vs. non-professional (less trained) learning organisations
• International business structures in learning organisations
• Learning organisations related to service innovation
• Learning processes in services or/and/vs. product producing organisations
• Learning through resource leveraging and venture capital formation (rich vs. poor organisations)
• Learning at different growth cycles and industry lifecycles (prosperity and recession issues)

Since the idea of the learning organisation has been defined in many different ways, by different authors, and since this special issue is about trying to find some sort of order in this chaos, it might actually – in this specific case – be a good idea to have a common frame of reference for all submitters. Therefore, it is advisable that everybody is familiar with two of my own pieces, namely:

"A typology of the idea of learning organisation", (Örtenblad, A., 2002, Management Learning 33(2): 213-230) and "The learning organisation: Towards an integrated model", and (Örtenblad, A., 2004, The Learning Organization 11(2): 129-144)

and in some way relate their own work to one or both of these papers.

Important Dates
100 word abstract to anders.ortenblad@set.hh.se by: 1 February 2008.
Please indicate subject: 'Call for papers – Abstract'. All abstracts must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents, Times New Roman 12, single space. They must contain on the first page a title, authors’ names, postal addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and keywords.
Notification of acceptance: 1 March 2008
Full paper due: 1 June 2008
Notification of acceptance: 1 September 2008
Final version of paper due: 1 October 2008

Newly announced journal: International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design

Computational biology and drug design are complementary disciplines that hold great promise for the advancement of cutting-edge research and development in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. Research and advances in these two areas influence broad ranges of scientific and engineering fields. International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design - to begin publication in 2008 - provides a common platform for the cross-fertilisation of ideas, and to help shape knowledge and scientific achievements by bridging these two very important and complementary disciplines into an interactive and attractive forum.