IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control

CALL FOR PAPERS

Special Issue on:Methods and Protocols in Biomedical Ultrasonics

(Submission deadline: March 31, 2016)

Innovations in biomedical ultrasonics cannot be materialized without foundational advances in experimental methods, tools, and protocols. For instance, innovations in ultrasound imaging are often backed up by various investigative and validation tools including, but not limited to: 1) simulation programs, 2) phantom fabrication techniques, and 3) real-time computing frameworks. In the emerging field of therapeutic ultrasound, fundamental advances in engineering methods have also made significant contributions to the discipline’s technical progress. Well-known examples include: 1) techniques for synthesizing microbubbles and nanodroplets, 2) rational design approaches for acoustic exposure instruments, and 3) establishment of suitable cellular and animal models relevant to therapeutic ultrasound experimentation. Nevertheless, these essential techniques and protocols have not always been reported in depth, and many technical details have been relegated as black-box processes in research articles. There is a dire need for a more concentrated effort on the reporting of the key methods used in contemporary biomedical ultrasound research.

To help cultivate the next wave of innovations in ultrasound imaging and therapy, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control will organize a special issue on the theme of “Methods and Protocols in Biomedical Ultrasonics”. This special issue will seek to compile a collection of original tutorial-style papers to promote the publication and dissemination of best practices for a broad range of engineering know-how that are essential to biomedical ultrasound investigations. Each article will emphasize on at least one of the following:

1)Pedagogically describing the technical details of a new method, tool, or protocol that can significantly benefit biomedical ultrasound research;

2)Annotating the operations and best practices of currently established simulation and experimental tools that are used either for performance validation or real-time realization of new biomedical ultrasound techniques;

3)Providing stepwise walkthroughs of well-tested laboratory procedures and fabrication protocols that are foundational to the realization of new ultrasound-based biomedical applications.

One central objective of this special issue is to kick-start the establishment of a library of peer-reviewed literature on essential research methods in biomedical ultrasound. It is also expected to serve well as up-to-date educational resources for graduate students and researchers.

All contributions should be submitted online via the Manuscript Central system of IEEE Transactions on UFFC. When submitting, authors should select the Manuscript Type as “Special Issue Papers”, and enter the name of this special issue in the field “If the manuscript type is ‘Special Issue’, please enter the name of the Special Issue”. It is important for the authors to distinguish their manuscript from a regular submission. In the “Comments to Editor-in-Chief” section, authors should state that the submission is intended for the Special Issue on Methods and Protocols in Biomedical Ultrasonics, and they should clearly highlight how their manuscript is topically aligned with at least one of the three sub-themes described above. Instructions for preparation and submission of manuscripts may be found at

All manuscripts will be subjected to peerreview. Emphasis of reviews will be placed on the manuscript’s pedagogical value in addition to the topic’s scientific importance. The submission deadline is March 31, 2016 with an expected publication date in the second half of 2016.

Potential contributing authors are encouraged to contact the guest editors to propose specific submission topics that are aligned with the scope of this special issue. The guest editors will be

Prof. Alfred C. H. Yu
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, ON, Canada
Email: / Prof. John A. Hossack
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Email: