This book highlights the recent advances in the field of microbial engineering and its application in human healthcare. It underscores the systemic and synthetic biology approaches for engineering microbes and discusses novel treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases based on engineered probiotics. The book also reviews the different options and methods for engineering microbes, ranging from recombinant DNA technology to designing microbes for targeting specific sites and delivering therapeutics. Further, it discusses genetically engineered microorganisms for smart diagnostics and describes current approaches in microbial gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9-based tools. Lastly, it summarizes the potential applications of human microbiome engineering in improving human health and explores potential strategies for scaling-up the production of engineered microbial strains for commercial purposes, as well as the challenges. Given its scope, this book is a valuable resource for students, researchers, academics and entrepreneurs interested in understanding microbial engineering for the production of commercial products.

This book discusses the possibilities for the use of international human rights law (and specifically, international biomedical laws related to the protection of human rights and the human genome) to provide a guiding framework for the future regulation of genetic modifications applied to human embryos and other precursor materials, when these are made with the aim of implanting a genetically altered embryo in a woman. The significance and timeliness of the work derives from the recent availability of CRISPR/ Cas9 and other gene editing tools, and from lacunae in international law regarding the legality of embryo modification with these tools and appropriate governance structures for the oversight of resulting practices. The emergence of improved genome editing tools like CRISPR/Cas9, holds the promise of eradicating genetic diseases in the near future. But its possible future applications with Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) raises a plethora of legal and ethical concerns about "remaking" future human beings. The work aims to address an urgent call, to embed these rising concerns about biomedical advancements into the fundamental tailoring of legal systems. Suitable regulatory approaches, coupled with careful reflection of global biomedical laws and individual constitutional systems must be explored. The Book analyzes the impact of reproductive biomedical technologies on the legal and ethical dimensions of regulatory frameworks in selected constitutional systems like the US, the UK, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand. Employing a comparative law methodology, the work reveals a dynamic intersection between legal cultures, socio-philosophical reasoning and the development of a human rights-based framework in bio-political studies. Navigating towards a truly internationalized biomedical approach to emerging technologies, it presents an understanding why a renegotiation and reinvigoration of a contemporary and "new" universal shared values system in the international human rights discourse is now necessary.

Hardly any phenomenon in the modern environment is as ubiquitous as electromagnetic fields and waves. We have learned to understand the physical characteristics of these energy forms, and we have applied them in abundant ways to embellish our ways of life and our standards of living. Furthermore, we have come to depend on them for health, safety, information, comfOli, and conveyance. Apart from their intended roles, these electromagnetic fields and waves produce other effects which may influence the activities of living organisms. The effects produced depend on many physical, chemical, and biological factors. They may be grossly apparent and visible soon after exposure of the living organism or they may not appear to have influenced the organism at all upon casual examination. Even then, there may be subtle changes which are only detectable upon careful chemical or microscopic study, or which are apparent only after a considerable time delay. Nevertheless, our understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic fields with living systems is advancing in a wide range of topical areas. This bi-annual series with invited reviews by recognized leaders in their respective specialties, will present progress to date in key areas of research and scholarship. The guiding philosophy of this undertaking is the presentation of integrated, known, and confilmed phenomenological observations, basic mechanism of interactions, and applications in biology and medicine, as well as perspectives on current topics of interest.

This book reviews the most recent developments in the field of osteochondral tissue engineering (OCTE) and presents challenges and strategies being developed that face not only bone and cartilage regeneration, but also establish osteochondral interface formation in order to translate it into a clinical setting. Topics include nanotechnology approaches and biomaterials advances in osteochondral engineering, advanced processing methodology, as well as scaffolding and surface engineering strategies in OCTE. Hydrogel systems for osteochondral applications are also detailed thoroughly. Osteochondral Tissue Engineering: Nanotechnology, Scaffolding-Related Developments and Translation is an ideal book for biomedical engineering students and a wide range of established researchers and professionals working in the orthopedic field.

Achieving good clinical outcomes with implanted biomaterials depends upon achieving optimal function, both mechanical and biological, which in turn depends upon integrating advances realized in biological science, material science, and tissue engineering. As these advances push back the frontiers of biomaterial medicine , the control and patterning of bio-implant interface reactions will have a tremendous impact on future design and prospects of implant treatments.

Bio-Implant Interface: Improving Biomaterials and Tissue Reactions brings together a remarkable panel of scientists to present the state of the art in our understanding of interactions at the interface between biomaterials and living tissue. Much of the focus is on the importance of the implant surface's topography and chemistry to its interaction with the biological environment. Biomineralization along with the biological content of the interface and its role in directing cellular response along desired pathways also receive particular attention.

The pursuit of new and better designs for improved biocompatibility and patient response to implants continues to challenge clinicians and scientists alike. This book offers a unique opportunity to bring yourself up to date on recent advances in the field and new strategies for controlling the bio-implant interface.

Advanced Porous Biomaterials for Drug Delivery Applications probes cutting-edge progress in the application of advanced porous biomaterials in drug delivery fields. These biomaterials offer promise in improving upon the design, cost, and creation of potent novel drug delivery systems. The book focuses on two categories: nature engineered and synthetic advanced porous biomaterials, with a wide range of low-cost porous biomaterial-based systems that have been used for the delivery of diverse drugs through in vitro/in vivo approaches. Details how advanced porous biomaterial-assisted systems improve essential properties in drug delivery applications Explains how advanced porous biomaterials systems are being used and explored to improve overall performances of drug delivery systems in mitigating a variety of diseases Emphasizes major applications in drug delivery such as controlled release, cancer therapy, and targeted delivery, and with focus on oral, topical, and transdermal applications Focuses on both naturally available and synthetic low-cost advanced porous biomaterials and their role in enhancing important parameters in drug delivery applications Accessible to readers with bio and non-bio backgrounds This book is an ideal reference for academics, researchers, and industry professionals in the interdisciplinary fields of biomedicine and biomedical engineering, pharmaceuticals, materials science, and chemistry.

This new volume introduces the applications of microfluidic systems to facilitate biotechnological and biomedical processes. It provides an overview on cutting-edge technologies, summarizes traditional and modern fabrication methods and highlights recent advances regarding the application of lab-on-a-chip (LoC) systems for bioanalytical purposes. This book is ideal for research scientists and students interested at the cross-section between biotechnology, chemistry and chemical engineering.

This book presents emerging contemporary optical techniques of ultrafast science which have opened entirely new vistas for probing biological entities and processes. The spectrum reaches from time-resolved imaging and multiphoton microscopy to cancer therapy and studies of DNA damage. The book displays interdisciplinary research at the interface of physics and biology. Emerging topics on the horizon are also discussed, like the use of squeezed light, frequency combs and terahertz imaging as the possibility of mimicking biological systems. The book is written in a manner to make it readily accessible to researchers, postgraduate biologists, chemists, engineers, and physicists and students of optics, biomedical optics, photonics and biotechnology.

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of the most frequently used high resolution manufacturing techniques available, as well as the polymeric materials used for each of the techniques. Divided into two parts covering the technologies and materials used and the impact on different research fields and case studies, High Resolution Manufacturing from 2D to 3D/4D Printing: Applications in Engineering and Medicine addresses issues like throughput improvement by volumetric 3D printing and presenting novel applications and case studies. In addition, this book also covers the latest breakthrough developments and innovations to help readers understand the future applications of this technology across various disciplines, including biomedicine, electronics, energy, and photonics.

This book provides a thorough overview of cutting-edge research on electronics applications relevant to industry, the environment, and society at large. It covers a broad spectrum of application domains, from automotive to space and from health to security, while devoting special attention to the use of embedded devices and sensors for imaging, communication and control. The book is based on the 2015 ApplePies Conference, held in Rome, which brought together researchers and stakeholders to consider the most significant current trends in the field of applied electronics and to debate visions for the future. Areas addressed by the conference included information communication technology; biotechnology and biomedical imaging; space; secure, clean and efficient energy; the environment; and smart, green and integrated transport. As electronics technology continues to develop apace, constantly meeting previously unthinkable targets, further attention needs to be directed toward the electronics applications and the development of systems that facilitate human activities. This book, written by industrial and academic professionals, represents a valuable contribution in this endeavor.

Every second, users produce large amounts of image data from medical and satellite imaging systems. Image mining techniques that are capable of extracting useful information from image data are becoming increasingly useful, especially in medicine and the health sciences. Biomedical Image Analysis and Mining Techniques for Improved Health Outcomes addresses major techniques regarding image processing as a tool for disease identification and diagnosis, as well as treatment recommendation. Highlighting current research intended to advance the medical field, this publication is essential for use by researchers, advanced-level students, academicians, medical professionals, and technology developers. An essential addition to the reference material available in the field of medicine, this timely publication covers a range of applied research on data mining, image processing, computational simulation, data visualization, and image retrieval.

This book focuses on the utilization of bio-resources and their conversion pathways for a sustainable future. Tapping into bio-resources by means of thermochemical and biochemical processes has attracted researchers from all over the world; it is a broad area that has given birth to concepts like the biorefinery, as well as a new stream known as biotechnology. Its scope includes biochemical and microbiological engineering, biocatalysis and biotransformation, biosynthesis and metabolic engineering, bioprocess and biosystem engineering, bioenergy and biorefineries, cell culture and biomedical engineering, food, agricultural and marine biotechnology, bioseparation and biopurification engineering, bioremediation and environmental biotechnology, etc. The book discusses a host of new technologies now being used to tap these resources with innovative bioprocesses. All chapters are based on outstanding research papers selected for and presented at the IconSWM 2018 conference.

This book provides a thorough overview of cutting-edge research on electronics applications relevant to industry, the environment, and society at large. It covers a broad spectrum of application domains, from automotive to space and from health to security, while devoting special attention to the use of embedded devices and sensors for imaging, communication and control. The volume is based on the 2021 ApplePies Conference, held online in September 2021, which brought together researchers and stakeholders to consider the most significant current trends in the field of applied electronics and to debate visions for the future. Areas addressed by the conference included information communication technology; biotechnology and biomedical imaging; space; secure, clean and efficient energy; the environment; and smart, green and integrated transport. As electronics technology continues to develop apace, constantly meeting previously unthinkable targets, further attention needs to be directed toward the electronics applications and the development of systems that facilitate human activities. This book, written by industrial and academic professionals, represents a valuable contribution in this endeavor.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) has gained tremendous popularity in recent years as a treatment option for specialties including Orthopedics, Dentistry, Sports Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Urology, Vascular, Cardiothoracic and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Veterinarian Medicine. Nowadays, PRP and Stem Cell Science have added an exciting dimension to tissue repair.

This book begins by giving the reader a broad overview of current progress as well as a discussion of the technical aspects of preparation and therapeutic use of autologous PRP. It is followed by a review of platelet structure, function and major growth factors in PRP (PDGF and TGF ).The third chapter outlines the basic principles of biochemical cellular metabolism that increases the efficacy of PRP. Analogous to the preparation of soil for a garden, restoring cellular health should be the first consideration in Regenerative Medicine. Standardization of PRP preparation to clinical use still remains a challenging prospect. In this sense, a feasible strategy for studying PRP preparation is illustrated, which also allows to modulate and tailor the quality of PRP for further clinical applications.

The science behind PRP and stem cells, on tissue regeneration, cell proliferation and mesenchyme stem-cells are emphasized and reviewed. Various specific uses of PRP are described with detailed illustrations of various personal experiences mainly in orthopedic injuries, ligament and tendon repair, degenerative diseases, sports medicine, chronic wound healing as well as rehabilitation aspects in tendinopathy.

Expertly written by leading scientists in the field, this book provides for beginners and experienced readers scientific fundamentals, the state of art of PRP, specific uses and personal experiences with a practical approach and reference for current trends in use. Finally, this book paves the way for future developments."

There is a tremendous interest among researchers for the development of virtual, augmented reality and games technologies due to their widespread applications in medicine and healthcare. To date the major applications of these technologies include medical simulation, telemedicine, medical and healthcare training, pain control, visualisation aid for surgery, rehabilitation in cases such as stroke, phobia and trauma therapies. Many recent studies have identified the benefits of using Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality or serious games in a variety of medical applications.

This research volume on "Virtual, Augmented Reality and Serious Games for Healthcare 1" offers an insightful introduction to the theories, development and applications of virtual, augmented reality and digital games technologies in medical and clinical settings and healthcare in general. It is divided into six sections: section one presents a selection of applications in medical education and healthcare management; Section two relates to the nursing training, health literacy and healthy behaviour; Section three presents the applications of Virtual Reality in neuropsychology; Section four includes a number of applications in motor rehabilitation; Section five aimed at therapeutic games for various diseases; and the final section presents the applications of Virtual Reality in healing and restoration.

This book is directed to the healthcare professionals, scientists, researchers, professors and the students who wish to explore the applications of virtual, augmented reality and serious games in healthcare further.

This book discusses communications technologies used in the field of healthcare, including IoT, soft computing, machine learning, big data, augmented reality, and wearable sensors. The book presents various applications that are helpful for research scholars and scientists who are working toward identifying and pinpointing the potential of this technology. The book also helps researchers and practitioners to understand and analyze the e-healthcare architecture through IoT and the state-of-the-art in IoT countermeasures with real-time challenges. Topics of interest include healthcare systems based on advanced development boards, mobile health parameters recording and monitoring systems, remote health / patient monitoring, hospital operations management, abnormality / disease detection by IoT devices, and efficient drug management. The book is relevant to a range of researchers, academics, and practitioners working on the intersection of IoT and healthcare.

Increase in consumer awareness of nutritional habits has placed automatic food analysis in the spotlight in recent years. However, food-logging is cumbersome and requires sufficient knowledge of the food item consumed. Additionally, keeping track of every meal can become a tedious task. Accurately documenting dietary caloric intake is crucial to manage weight loss, but also presents challenges because most of the current methods for dietary assessment must rely on memory to recall foods eaten. Food understanding from digital media has become a challenge with important applications in many different domains. Substantial research has demonstrated that digital imaging accurately estimates dietary intake in many environments and it has many advantages over other methods. However, how to derive the food information effectively and efficiently remains a challenging and open research problem. The provided recommendations could be based on calorie counting, healthy food and specific nutritional composition. In addition, if we also consider a system able to log the food consumed by every individual along time, it could provide health-related recommendations in the long-term. Computer Vision specialists have developed new methods for automatic food intake monitoring and food logging. Fourth Industrial Revolution [4.0 IR] technologies such as deep learning and computer vision robotics are key for sustainable food understanding. The need for AI based technologies that allow tracking of physical activities and nutrition habits are rapidly increasing and automatic analysis of food images plays an important role. Computer vision and image processing offers truly impressive advances to various applications like food analytics and healthcare analytics and can aid patients in keeping track of their calorie count easily by automating the calorie counting process. It can inform the user about the number of calories, proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients provided by each meal. The information is provided in real-time and thus proves to be an efficient method of nutrition tracking and can be shared with the dietician over the internet, reducing healthcare costs. This is possible by a system made up of, IoT sensors, Cloud-Fog based servers and mobile applications. These systems can generate data or images which can be analyzed using machine learning algorithms. Image Based Computing for Food and Health Analytics covers the current status of food image analysis and presents computer vision and image processing based solutions to enhance and improve the accuracy of current measurements of dietary intake. Many solutions are presented to improve the accuracy of assessment by analyzing health images, data and food industry based images captured by mobile devices. Key technique innovations based on Artificial Intelligence and deep learning-based food image recognition algorithms are also discussed. This book examines the usage of 4.0 industrial revolution technologies such as computer vision and artificial intelligence in the field of healthcare and food industry, providing a comprehensive understanding of computer vision and intelligence methodologies which tackles the main challenges of  food and health processing. Additionally, the text focuses on the employing sustainable 4 IR technologies through which consumers can attain the necessary diet and nutrients and can actively monitor their health. In focusing specifically on the food industry and healthcare analytics, it serves as a single source for multidisciplinary information involving AI and vision techniques in the food and health sector. Current advances such as Industry 4.0 and Fog-Cloud based solutions are covered in full, offering readers a fully rounded view of these rapidly advancing health and food analysis systems. 

This book aims to highlight the latest achievements in the use of AI and multimodal artificial intelligence in biomedicine and healthcare. Multimodal AI is a relatively new concept in AI, in which different types of data (e.g. text, image, video, audio, and numerical data) are collected, integrated, and processed through a series of intelligence processing algorithms to improve performance. The edited volume contains selected papers presented at the 2022 Health Intelligence workshop and the associated Data Hackathon/Challenge, co-located with the Thirty-Sixth Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) conference, and presents an overview of the issues, challenges, and potentials in the field, along with new research results. This book provides information for researchers, students, industry professionals, clinicians, and public health agencies interested in the applications of AI and Multimodal AI in public health and medicine.

This book addresses Synthetic Biology (SynBio), a new and promising biotechnology that has attracted much interest from both a scientific and a policy perspective. Yet, questions concerning the patentability of SynBio inventions have not been examined in detail so far; as a result, it remains unclear whether these inventions are patentable on the basis of current norms and case law. The book addresses this question, focusing especially on the subject matter's eligibility and moral criteria. It provides an overview of the legislation and decisions applicable to SynBio patents and examines this new technology in view of the ongoing debate over the patentability of biotechnologies in general. The legal analysis is complemented by the practical examination of several patent applications submitted to the European and US patent offices (EPO and USPTO), and by an assessment of the patent issues that are likely to be raised by future SynBio developments.

Mechatronics is a synergic discipline integrating precise mechanics, electrotechnics, electronics and IT technologies. The main goal of mechatronical approach to design of complex products is to achieve new quality of their utility value at reasonable price. Successful accomplishment of this task would not be possible without application of advanced software and hardware tools for simulation of design, technologies and production control and also for simulation of behavior of these products in order to provide the highest possible level of spatial and functional integration of the final product.

This book brings a review of the current state of the art in mechatronics, as presented at the 8th International Conference Mechatronics 2009, organized by the Brno Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Republic. The specific topics of the conference are Modelling and Simulation, Metrology & Diagnostics, Sensorics & Photonics, Control & Robotics, MEMS Design & Mechatronic Products, Production Machines and Biomechanics. The selected contributions provide an insight into the current development of these scientific disciplines, present the new results of research and development and indicate the trends of development in the interdisciplinary field of mechatronic systems. Therefore, the book provides the latest and helpful information both for the R&D specialists and for the designers working in mechatronics and related fields.

This book helps transform the awareness of the anticipatory perspective into actionable methods for practitioners of medicine. It provides guidance for those who design new means and methods inspired by epigenetics, in particular to those who advance sustainable alternatives.

"Orthotics: A Comprehensive Clinical Approach" is an innovative and comprehensive new text that provides essential information about contemporary orthoses to guide the student and clinician in prescribing and utilizing these appliances in neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and integumentary rehabilitation.

Written by recognized authorities in the field, Joan Edelstein, MA, PT, FISPO and Jan Bruckner, PhD, PT, this is a prime resource for practitioners and clinicians.

Individual chapters cover orthoses for the foot, ankle, knee, hip, trunk, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand. Orthoses for patients with paraplegia, burns, and soft tissue contractures are detailed and illustrated. Prescription guidelines, evaluation techniques, goal setting, and training procedures are presented.

Each chapter has interesting "thought" questions and case studies to promote clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills. A unique feature of this text is the inclusion of a point-counterpoint discussion to demonstrate how clinicians can manage the same patient in different ways. This approach inspires broader thinking about clinical management.

This book brings together some of the most impactful researchers in the field of Genetic Programming (GP), each one working on unique and interesting intersections of theoretical development and practical applications of this evolutionary-based machine learning paradigm. Topics of particular interest for this year´s book include powerful modeling techniques through GP-based symbolic regression, novel selection mechanisms that help guide the evolutionary process, modular approaches to GP, and applications in cybersecurity, biomedicine and program synthesis, as well as papers by practitioner of GP that focus on usability and real-world results. In summary, readers will get a glimpse of the current state of the art in GP research.

"Blind Source Separation" intends to report the new results of the efforts on the study of Blind Source Separation (BSS). The book collects novel research ideas and some training in BSS, independent component analysis (ICA), artificial intelligence and signal processing applications. Furthermore, the research results previously scattered in many journals and conferences worldwide are methodically edited and presented in a unified form. The book is likely to be of interest to university researchers, R&D engineers and graduate students in computer science and electronics who wish to learn the core principles, methods, algorithms and applications of BSS.

Dr. Ganesh R. Naik works at University of Technology, Sydney, Australia; Dr. Wenwu Wang works at University of Surrey, UK.

Biomedical Engineering and Cognitive Neuroscience for Healthcare: Interdisciplinary Applications brings together researchers and practitioners, including medical doctors and health professionals, to provide an overview of the studies of cognitive neuroscience and biomedical engineering for healthcare. This book aims to be a reference for researchers in the related field aiming to bring benefits to their own research.