Antimicrobial Activity of Nanoparticles: Applications in Wound Healing and Infection Treatment presents the state of the art among nanotechnological approaches used in the treatment of infections. This field has gained a large amount of interest over the past few years, in response to the increasing resistance of pathogens to antibiotics. Leading researchers from around the world discuss the synthesis routes of nanobiomaterials, characterization, and their applications as antimicrobial agents. The book covers various aspects: from antiviral and antibacterial nanoparticles, to the functionalization of nanoparticles and their toxicity to human cells. This book offers an advanced reference text for biomedical engineers, materials scientists, clinicians, and biochemists, with an interest in nanomedicine and infection control.

This book reviews cutting-edge developments in neural signalling processing (NSP), systematically introducing readers to various models and methods in the context of NSP. Neuronal Signal Processing is a comparatively new field in computer sciences and neuroscience, and is rapidly establishing itself as an important tool, one that offers an ideal opportunity to forge stronger links between experimentalists and computer scientists. This new signal-processing tool can be used in conjunction with existing computational tools to analyse neural activity, which is monitored through different sensors such as spike trains, local filed potentials and EEG. The analysis of neural activity can yield vital insights into the function of the brain. This book highlights the contribution of signal processing in the area of computational neuroscience by providing a forum for researchers in this field to share their experiences to date.

Predictive Modeling in Biomedical Data Mining and Analysis presents major technical advancements and research findings in the field of machine learning in biomedical image and data analysis. The book examines recent technologies and studies in preclinical and clinical practice in computational intelligence. The authors present leading-edge research in the science of processing, analyzing and utilizing all aspects of advanced computational machine learning in biomedical image and data analysis. As the application of machine learning is spreading to a variety of biomedical problems, including automatic image segmentation, image classification, disease classification, fundamental biological processes, and treatments, this is an ideal reference. Machine Learning techniques are used as predictive models for many types of applications, including biomedical applications. These techniques have shown impressive results across a variety of domains in biomedical engineering research. Biology and medicine are data-rich disciplines, but the data are complex and often ill-understood, hence the need for new resources and information.

This collection provides researchers and scientists with advanced analyses and materials design techniques in Biomaterials and presents mechanical studies of biological structures. In 16 contributions well known experts present their research on Stress and Strain Analysis, Material Properties, Fluid and Gas mechanics and they show related problems.

Recent years have seen the development of two significant trends namely: the adoption of some Traditional Chinese Medicine Practices into mainstream Allopathic Western Medicine and the advent of the internet and broad band networks leading to an increased interest in the use of Telemedicine to deliver medical services. In this book, we see the convergence of these two trends leading to a semantically-based TCM Telemedicine system that utilizes an ontology to provide sharable knowledge in the TCM realm to achieve this. The underpinning research required the development of a three-layer architecture and an Ontology of the TCM knowledge. As TCM knowledge like all medical knowledge is not frozen in time it was important to develop an approach that would allow evolution of the Ontology when new evidence became available. In order for the system to be practically grounded it was important to work with an industry partner PuraPharm Group/HerbMiners Informatics Limited. This partnership was initiated through Professor Allan Wong and the Chairman of PuraPharm Group Mr. Abraham Chan. This led to the system being utilized in more than 20 Mobile Clinics in Hong Kong and 300 Hospitals in China. In order for these different deployments of the system to be coherent with the main core Ontology, it was necessary for us to develop an Ontology Driven Software System Generation approach.

This volume serves as a valuable handbook for the development of nanomedicines made of polymer nanoparticles because it provides researchers, students, and entrepreneurs with all the material necessary to begin their own projects in this field. Readers will find protocols to prepare polymer nanoparticles using different methods, since these are based on the variety of experiences that experts encounter in the field. In addition, complex topics such as, the optimal characterization of polymer nanoparticles is discussed, as well as practical guidelines on how to formulate polymer nanoparticles into nanomedicines, and how to modify the properties of nanoparticles to give them the different functionalities required to become an efficient nanomedicine for different clinical applications. The book also discusses the translation of technology from research to practice, considering aspects related to industrialization of preparation and aspects of regulatory and clinical development.

Nonlinear Control for Blood Glucose Regulation of Diabetic Patients: An LMI-Based Approach exposes readers to the various existing mathematical models that define the dynamics of glucose-insulin for Type 1 diabetes patients. After providing insights into the mathematical model of patients, the authors discuss the need and emergence of new control techniques that can lead to further development of an artificial pancreas. The book presents various nonlinear control techniques to address the challenges that Type 1 diabetic patients face in maintaining their blood glucose level in the safe range (70-180 mg/dl). The closed-loop solution provided by the artificial pancreas depends mainly on the effectiveness of the control algorithm, which acts as the brain of the system. APS control algorithms require a mathematical model of the gluco-regulatory system of the T1D patients for their design. Since the gluco-regulatory system is inherently nonlinear and largely affected by external disturbances and parametric uncertainty, developing an accurate model is very difficult.

The present book entitled "Novel Frontiers in the Production of Compounds for Biomedical Uses" can perhaps be placed in its best perspective by the Shakespearean character in The Tempest who exclaimed" What's past is prologue." Indeed, this compilation of some of the outstanding presentations in the field of biomedicine made at th the 9 European Congress on Biotechnology (Brussels, Belgium, July 11-15, 1999) not only reflects the achievements of the recent past, but provides a privileged glimpse of the biotechnology that is emerging in the first decade of the new Millennium. It is becoming increasingly apparent that biotechnology is offering biomedicine novel approaches and solutions to develop a sorely needed new generation of biopharmaceuticals. This is all the more necessary because in recent years, new diseases have emerged with extraordinary lethality in all corners of the globe, while age-related chronic illnesses have filled the gap wherever biomedicine has made successful inroads. The rise of antibiotic resistance also poses major threats to public health. Thus, as disease patterns evolve, the rational development of new drugs is becoming urgent, not only for the clinical outcome of patients, but also in optimising the allocation of scarce health care resources through the use of cost-effective productions methods. It is in response to all these challenges that biotechnology offers new strategies that go beyond the more traditional approaches. By the mid-1990's, the number of recombinant products approved annually for therapeutic use reached double digits. With the advent of the genomics revolution.

This book describes the emerging point-of-care (POC) technologies that are paving the way to the next generation healthcare monitoring and management. It provides the readers with comprehensive, up-to-date information about the emerging technologies, such as smartphone-based mobile healthcare technologies, smart devices, commercial personalized POC technologies, paper-based immunoassays (IAs), lab-on-a-chip (LOC)-based IAs, and multiplex IAs. The book also provides guided insights into the POC diabetes management software and smart applications, and the statistical determination of various bioanalytical parameters. Additionally, the authors discuss the future trends in POC technologies and personalized and integrated healthcare solutions for chronic diseases, such as diabetes, stress, obesity, and cardiovascular disorders. Each POC technology is described comprehensively and analyzed critically with its characteristic features, bioanalytical principles, applications, advantages, limitations, and future trends. This book would be a very useful resource and teaching aid for professionals working in the field of POC technologies, in vitro diagnostics (IVD), mobile healthcare, Big Data, smart technology, software, smart applications, biomedical engineering, biosensors, personalized healthcare, and other disciplines.

This book describes an ECG processing architecture that guides biomedical SoC developers, from theory to implementation and testing. The authors provide complete coverage of the digital circuit implementation of an ultra-low power biomedical SoC, comprised of a detailed description of an ECG processor implemented and fabricated on chip. Coverage also includes the challenges and tradeoffs of designing ECG processors. Describes digital circuit architecture for implementing ECG processing algorithms on chip; Includes coverage of signal processing techniques for ECG processing; Features ultra-low power circuit design techniques; Enables design of ECG processing architectures and their respective on-chip implementation.

This volume covers protocols related to both pluripotent and somatic stem cells, including the ethical procurement of tissues and cells for the provision of "seed stock," standardized methods for deriving hESCs and iPSCs, isolating mesenchymal stem cells, cell culture and cryopreservation, in addition to quality assurance and information management. Stem Cell Banking: Concepts and Protocols aims to contribute to the development of this field by providing information that is essential to establishing a bona fide stem cell bank. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Stem Cell Banking: Concepts and Protocols is a valuable resource for stem cell scientists and novices to the field, and will help strengthen and maximize their use of existing and future stem cell resources.

By definition Biomechanics is the application of engineering methods to study the mechanical aspects of living beings. Mostly the life scientists have the questions but lack of the specialized methods. The engineers on the other hand can handle very specialized equipment and methods, but lack in the biological thinking. If both sides are able to adapt to each other, Biomechanics is a classical field of interdis ciplinary cooperation. In the beginning, most biomechanical research was done in the field of orthopaedics. But other areas like cardiovascular research, dentistry, sports and many others gain increasing importance. This situation is clearly reflected in this book, which contains a selected number of papers which were presented at the Fifth Meeting of the European Society of Biomechanics, held in September 1986 in Berlin. Meanwhile these meetings have become a well accepted forum and a place of interdis ciplinary discussion for scientists in Biomechanics on the one side and surgeons and other peoples interested in biome chanical solutions on the other. It is the third time that the proceedings are published as a book and the editors are sure that this volume will help to establish this series "Developement in Biomechanics" as a valuable tool for all people involved in Biomechanics. The Fifth Meeting of the ESB also marks the tenth anniversary in the short history of the European Society of Biomechanics."

Written in a versatile, contemporary style that will benefit both novice and expert alike, Biological and Biomedical Coatings Handbook, Two-Volume Set covers the state of the art in the development and implementation of advanced thin films and coatings in the biological field. Consisting of two volumes -- Processing and Characterization and Applications -- this handbook details the latest understanding of advances in the design and performance of biological and biomedical coatings, covering a vast array of material types, including bio-ceramics, polymers, glass, chitosan, and nanomaterials. Contributors delve into a wide range of novel techniques used in the manufacture and testing of clinical applications for coatings in the medical field, particularly in the emerging area of regenerative medicine. Building on the theoretical and methodological fundamentals of coatings as presented in the first volume, Applications covers: * Biological/biomedical implants and other applications of carbon-based materials * Control of drug release from coatings * MIcrofluidic and biosensing/bioactive coatings and applications * Surfaces and coatings of orthopedic, dental, and other implants * Sol-gel-derived hydroxyapatite coatings on metallic implants * Impedance spectroscopy With chapters authored by world experts at the forefront of research in their respective areas, this timely set provides searing insights and practical information to explore a subject that is fundamental to the success of biotechnological pursuits.

Written in a versatile, contemporary style that will benefit both novice and expert alike, Biological and Biomedical Coatings Handbook, Two-Volume Set covers the state of the art in the development and implementation of advanced thin films and coatings in the biological field. Consisting of two volumes -- Processing and Characterization and Applications -- this handbook details the latest understanding of advances in the design and performance of biological and biomedical coatings, covering a vast array of material types, including bio-ceramics, polymers, glass, chitosan, and nanomaterials. Contributors delve into a wide range of novel techniques used in the manufacture and testing of clinical applications for coatings in the medical field, particularly in the emerging area of regenerative medicine. An exploration of the fundamentals elements of biological and biomedical coatings, the first volume, Processing and Characterization, addresses: * Synthesis, fabrication, and characterization of nanocoatings * The sol-gel method and electrophoretic deposition * Thermal and plasma spraying * Hydroxyapatite and organically modified coatings * Bioceramics and bioactive glass-based coatings * Hydrothermal crystallization and self-healing effects * Physical and chemical vapor deposition * Layered assembled polyelectrolyte films With chapters authored by world experts at the forefront of research in their respective areas, this timely set provides searing insights and practical information to explore a subject that is fundamental to the success of biotechnological pursuits.

Written in a versatile, contemporary style that will benefit both novice and expert alike, Biological and Biomedical Coatings Handbook, Two-Volume Set explores the state of the art in the development and implementation of advanced thin films and coatings in the biological field. The set covers advances in the latest understanding, design, and performance of biological and biomedical coatings for a vast array of material types, including sol-gel, bio-ceramics, polymers, glass, chitosan, and nanomaterials. Contributors delve into a wide range of novel techniques used in the manufacture and testing of clinical applications for coatings in the medical field, particularly in the field of regenerative medicine. Topics include: * Implants and implanted devices * Organically modified coatings * Orthopedic and dental implants * Control of drug release * Biosensing and bioactive coatings * Thermal and plasma spraying * Hydrothermal, physical, and chemical vapor deposition * Impedance spectroscopy * Hydroxyapatite nanocoatings With chapters authored by world experts at the forefront of research in their respective areas, this timely set consists of two volumes -- Processing and Characterization and Applications -- to cover a subject that is truly fundamental to the success of biotechnological pursuits.

The sixteen chapters included in this book were written by invited experts of international recognition and address important issues in Medical Image Processing and Computational Vision, including: Object Recognition, Object Detection, Object Tracking, Pose Estimation, Facial Expression Recognition, Image Retrieval, Data Mining, Automatic Video Understanding and Management, Edges Detection, Image Segmentation, Modelling and Simulation, Medical thermography, Database Systems, Synthetic Aperture Radar and Satellite Imagery.

Different applications are addressed and described throughout the book, comprising: Object Recognition and Tracking, Facial Expression Recognition, Image Database, Plant Disease Classification, Video Understanding and Management, Image Processing, Image Segmentation, Bio-structure Modelling and Simulation, Medical Imaging, Image Classification, Medical Diagnosis, Urban Areas Classification, Land Map Generation.

The book brings together the current state-of-the-art in the various multi-disciplinary solutions for Medical Image Processing and Computational Vision, including research, techniques, applications and new trends contributing to the development of the related areas.

Nanodiamonds: Applications in Biology and Nanoscale Medicine highlights the translation of nanodiamonds toward clinical relevance and medical applications.

Integrating a spectrum of internationally-recognized experts currently developing these technologies, this book fits as a cornerstone of this exciting field. These include contributions from clinician scientists working at the interface of medicine and nanotechnologies which discuss the critical and requisite properties of nanomaterials, in a concise and cohesive manner.

Nanodiamonds: Applications in Biology and Nanoscale Medicine provides a multidisciplinary overview of nanodiamonds and there uses for scientific, engineering and clinical audiences alike.

This thesis describes the use of biophysical and biochemical methods to prove that calcium has a positive feedback effect on amplifying and sustaining CD3 phosphorylation and should enhance T-cell sensitivity to foreign antigens. The study presented shows that calcium can regulate the signal pathway in cells not only as a secondary messenger but also through direct interactions with the phospholipid bilayer. The approach used in the thesis also represents an important advance, as it couples the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to the analysis of signaling phenomena in living cells. Moreover, the thesis optimizes the Nanodisc assembly protocol, which can broaden its range of applications in membrane protein studies. A preliminary study on the structure of dengue virus NS2B-NS3p in complex with aprotinin, which may help to develop new drugs against the dengue virus, is also included.

In the quest to understand and model the healthy or sick human body, re searchers and medical doctors are utilizing more and more quantitative tools and techniques. This trend is pushing the envelope of a new field we call Biomedical Computing, as an exciting frontier among signal processing, pattern recognition, optimization, nonlinear dynamics, computer science and biology, chemistry and medicine. A conference on Biocomputing was held during February 25-27, 2001 at the University of Florida. The conference was sponsored by the Center for Applied Optimization, the Computational Neuroengineering Center, the Biomedical En gineering Program (through a Whitaker Foundation grant), the Brain Institute, the School of Engineering, and the University of Florida Research & Graduate Programs. The conference provided a forum for researchers to discuss and present new directions in Biocomputing. The well-attended three days event was highlighted by the presence of top researchers in the field who presented their work in Biocomputing. This volume contains a selective collection of ref ereed papers based on talks presented at this conference. You will find seminal contributions in genomics, global optimization, computational neuroscience, FMRI, brain dynamics, epileptic seizure prediction and cancer diagnostics. We would like to take the opportunity to thank the sponsors, the authors of the papers, the anonymous referees, and Kluwer Academic Publishers for making the conference successful and the publication of this volume possible. Panos M. Pardalos and Jose C."

Handbook of Vascular Motion provides a comprehensive review of the strategies and methods to quantify vascular motion and deformations relevant for cardiovascular device design and mechanical durability evaluation. It also explains the current state of knowledge of vascular beds that are particularly important for the medical device industry. Finally, it explores the application of vascular motion to computational simulations, benchtop testing and fatigue analysis, as well as further implications on clinical outcomes, product development and business.

Computational Cardiovascular Mechanics provides a cohesive guide to creating mathematical models for the mechanics of diseased hearts to simulate the effects of current treatments for heart failure. Clearly organized in a two part structure, this volume discusses various areas of computational modeling of cardiovascular mechanics (finite element modeling of ventricular mechanics, fluid dynamics) in addition to a description an analysis of the current applications used (solid FE modeling, CFD).

Edited by experts in the field, researchers involved with biomedical and mechanical engineering will find Computational Cardiovascular Mechanics a valuable reference.

This book focuses on cartilage defects and new mesenchymal stem cell-based treatments for their repair and regeneration. Early chapters provide a review of current etiological findings and repair methods of cartilage defects. The next chapters discuss fundamental concepts and features of MSCs, including their proliferation, differentiation, migration and immunomodulatory effects. The discussion also includes clinical applications of MSCs in cartilage tissues, especially with regards to various animal models, biomaterials and transferring techniques. Cartilage Regeneration focuses on the biology of MSCs and their possible applications in cartilage reconstruction, with the goal of bringing new insights into regenerative medicine. It will be essential reading for researchers and clinicians in stem cells, regenerative medicine, biomedical engineering and orthopedic surgery.

Various metallic or non-metallic surfaces are frequently treated by elewctrochemical methods (e.g. electrodeposition, electroless deposition, anodization, passivation, etc.) in order to achieve a desirable property important for biomedical applications. Applications include orthopedic or dental implants, dressings for wound healing and different skin diseases, surfaces for the prevention of bio-film formation of corrosion inhibition in biological media.

The aim of this issue of Modern Aspects of Electrochemistry is to review the latest developments of the surface treatments for biomedical applications in relation to electrochemical science and technology.

This new volume of Modern Aspect of Electrochemistry brings to the scientists, engineers and students summarized results and new concepts of surface treatments for the biomedical applications which may have significant influence for the future practical applications.

BE 2002 is the second in a series of conferences on eCommerce, eBusiness, and eGovemment organised by the three IFIP committees TC6, TC8, and TCll. As BE 2001 did last year in Zurich, BE 2002 continues to provide a forum for users, engineers, and researchers from academia, industry and government to present their latest findings in eCommerce, eBusiness, and eGovernment applications and the underlying technologies which support those applications. This year's conference comprises a main track with sessions on eGovernment, Trust, eMarkets, Fraud and Security, eBusiness (both B2B and B2C), the Design of systems, eLearning, Public and Health Systems, Web Design, and the Applications of and Procedures for eCommerce and eBusiness, as well as two associated Workshops (not included in these proceedings): eBusiness Models in the Digital Online Music and Online News Sectors; and eBusiness Standardisation - Challenges and Solutions for the Networked Economy. The 47 papers accepted for presentation in these sessions and published in this book of proceedings were selected from 80 submissions. They were rigorously reviewed (all papers were double-blind refereed) before being selected by the International Programme Committee. This rejection rate of almost 50% indicates just how seriously the Committee took its quality control activities.