In this book, leading authors in the field discuss developments of Ambient Assisted Living. The contributions have been chosen and invited at the 8th AAL Congress, Frankfurt/M. The meeting presents new technological developments which support the autonomy and independence of individuals with special needs. The 8th AAL Congress focusses its attention on technical assistance systems and their applications in homecare, health and care.

The generation of tridimensional tissues, assembled from scaffolding materials populated with biologically functional cells, is the great challenge and hope of tissue bioengineering and regenerative medicine. The generation of biomaterials capable of harnessing the immune system has been particularly successful. This book provides a comprehensive view of how immune cells can be manipulated to suppresses inflammation, deliver vaccines, fight cancer cells, promote tissue regeneration or inhibit blood clotting and bacterial infections by functionally engineered biomaterials. However, long-lived polymers, such as those employed in orthopedic surgery or vascular stents, can often induce an immune reaction to their basic components. As a result, this book is also an important step towards coming to understand how to manipulate biomaterials to optimize their beneficial effects and downplay detrimental immune responses.

Probabilistic Modelling in Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics has been written for researchers and students in statistics, machine learning, and the biological sciences. The first part of this book provides a self-contained introduction to the methodology of Bayesian networks. The following parts demonstrate how these methods are applied in bioinformatics and medical informatics. All three fields - the methodology of probabilistic modeling, bioinformatics, and medical informatics - are evolving very quickly. The text should therefore be seen as an introduction, offering both elementary tutorials as well as more advanced applications and case studies.

This book introduces approaches that have the potential to transform the daily practice of psychiatrists and psychologists. This includes the asynchronous communication between mental health care providers and clients as well as the automation of assessment and therapy.

Speech and language are particularly interesting from the viewpoint of psychological assessment. For instance, depression may change the characteristics of voice in individuals and these changes can be detected by a special form of speech analysis. Computational screening methods that utilize speech and language can detect subtle changes and alert clinicians as well as individuals and caregivers.

The use of online technologies in mental health, however, poses ethical problems that will occupy concerned individuals, governments and the wider public for some time. Assuming that these ethical problems can be solved, it should be possible to diagnose and treat mental health disorders online (excluding the use of medication).

Speech and language are particularly interesting from the viewpoint of psychological assessment. For instance, depression may change the characteristics of voice in individuals and these changes can be detected by a special form of speech analysis. Computational screening methods that utilize speech and language can detect subtle changes and alert clinicians as well as individuals and caregivers.

The use of online technologies in mental health, however, poses ethical problems that will occupy concerned individuals, governments and the wider public for some time. Assuming that these ethical problems can be solved, it should be possible to diagnose and treat mental health disorders online (excluding the use of medication).

Quality improvement (QI) is embedded in the fabric of successful healthcare organisations across the world, with healthcare professionals increasingly expected to develop and lead improvement as a core part of their clinical responsibilities. As a result, QI is rapidly becoming a feature of the education and training programmes of all healthcare professionals. Written and edited by some of the leading clinicians and managers in the field, ABC of Quality Improvement is designed for clinicians new to the discipline, as well as experienced leaders of change and improvement. Providing comprehensive coverage and clear, succinct descriptions of the major tools, techniques and approaches, this new addition to the ABC series demystifies quality improvement and develops a broader understanding of what constitutes quality in healthcare. With practical examples of improvement interventions and the common pitfalls that can befall them, this book will support and enable readers to manage change projects within their own organisations. Relevant to doctors, dentists, nurses, health service managers and support staff, medical students and doctors in training, their tutors and trainers, and other healthcare professionals at various levels, ABC of Quality Improvement will give readers the confidence to embark on their own improvement projects, whoever, and wherever they may be.

Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research (CPFR) provides a forum for the very latest in family research; examining family structures, behaviours, and relationships from a variety of theoretical, methodological, and disciplinary viewpoints. Published annually, each volume focuses upon a 'hot topic' at the leading edge of family research, providing in-depth coverage from expert authors. Previous volumes have covered issues such as economic stress, family relations in the 21st Century, and parent-child relations in later life. Each annual volume recognizes the mainstream of family research topics and provides detailed investigations within those topics. In addition, each annual volume honours the internationalization of family research, and provides perspectives on each topic from a truly cross-cultural point of view.

This text examines in detail mathematical and physical modeling, computational methods and systems for obtaining and analyzing biological structures, using pioneering research cases as examples. As such, it emphasizes programming and problem-solving skills. It provides information on structure bioinformatics at various levels, with individual chapters covering introductory to advanced aspects, from fundamental methods and guidelines on acquiring and analyzing genomics and proteomics sequences, the structures of protein, DNA and RNA, to the basics of physical simulations and methods for conformation searches. This book will be of immense value to researchers and students in the fields of bioinformatics, computational biology and chemistry. Dr. Dongqing Wei is a Professor at the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. His research interest is in the general area of structural bioinformatics.

Biomedical Engineering Principles in Sports contains in-depth discussions on the fundamental biomechanical and physiological principles underlying the acts of throwing, shooting, hitting, kicking, and tackling in sports, as well as vision training, sports injury, and rehabilitation. The topics include:

-Golf ball aerodynamics and golf club design,

-Golf swing and putting biomechanics,

-Tennis ball aerodynamics and ball- and shoe-surface interactions,

-Tennis stroke mechanics and optimizing ball-racket interactions,

-Baseball pitching biomechanics and perceptual illusions of batters,

-Football forward pass aerodynamics and tackling biomechanics,

-Soccer biomechanics,

-Basketball aerodynamics and biomechanics,

-Vision training in sports,

-Children maturation and performance,

-Rehabilitation and medical advances in treatment of sports injuries. This book is essential reading for biomedical engineers, physicists, sport scientists, and physiologists who wish to update their knowledge of biomechanical and biomedical principles and their applications to sports. The book can be used in a one-semester Senior or Graduate-level course in Biomechanics, Biomedical Engineering, Sports Technology, Sports Medicine, or Exercise Physiology. In addition, it will be of value to interested athletic laypersons who enjoy watching or participating in sports such as golf, tennis, softball, football, soccer, and basketball.

This comprehensive book focuses on better big-data security for healthcare organizations. Following an extensive introduction to the Internet of Things (IoT) in healthcare including challenging topics and scenarios, it offers an in-depth analysis of medical body area networks with the 5th generation of IoT communication technology along with its nanotechnology. It also describes a novel strategic framework and computationally intelligent model to measure possible security vulnerabilities in the context of e-health. Moreover, the book addresses healthcare systems that handle large volumes of data driven by patients' records and health/personal information, including big-data-based knowledge management systems to support clinical decisions. Several of the issues faced in storing/processing big data are presented along with the available tools, technologies and algorithms to deal with those problems as well as a case study in healthcare analytics. Addressing trust, privacy, and security issues as well as the IoT and big-data challenges, the book highlights the advances in the field to guide engineers developing different IoT devices and evaluating the performance of different IoT techniques. Additionally, it explores the impact of such technologies on public, private, community, and hybrid scenarios in healthcare. This book offers professionals, scientists and engineers the latest technologies, techniques, and strategies for IoT and big data.

Peritoneoscopy and culdoscopy were first introduced in the second edition of TeLinde's Operative Gynecology in 1953. TeLinde noted, "In many instances we find peritoneoscopy to be a useful procedure. Nevertheless it often left something to be desired." During the subsequent four decades, enormous progress has allowed the expansion of the application of laparoscopy and hysteroscopy throughout gynecol- ogy. Thus, it is appropriate and quite useful to have a text devoted solely to this rapidly advancing specialty. In its second edition, the text Practical Manual of Operative Laparoscopy and Hys- teroscopy is a complete and honest overview of the field providing the reader with a critical appraisal of the current literature on technique, development, and long- term follow-up. Refreshingly, the authors include not only the American experi- ence but also advances from Europe and Asia. Ricardo Azziz and Ana Alvarez Murphy have carefully organized the text into general concepts and laparoscopic and hysteroscopic operative techniques. The editors have selected authors of national and international stature to prepare chap- ters in their areas of expertise. The edited text carefully analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each operative technique so as to allow readers insight as to the proper place for a particular endoscopic technique in their surgical practices.

Medical Informatics (MI) is an emerging interdisciplinary science that deals with clinical health-related information, its structure, acquisition and use. MI is grounded in the principles of computer science, computational intelligence, as well as the clinical and basic sciences. This book deals with the application of computational intelligence in medical informatics. Addressing the various issues of medical informatics using different computational intelligence approaches is the novelty of this edited volume. This volume comprises of 15 chapters including an introductory chapter giving the fundamental definitions and some important research challenges.

Chapters were selected on the basis of fundamental ideas/concepts rather than the thoroughness of techniques deployed.

Swamy Laxminarayan was an outstanding researcher active in many diverse fields of science and technology. He was one of the most prominent biomedical scientists and his ideas influenced the Biomedical Technology substantially. This book tries to provide an overview on the multiple achievements of Swamy Laxminarayan. It presents a collection of his most outstanding publications and an overview on his outstanding life. This Volume is the second part of the liber amicorum in Memory of Swamy Laxminarayan.

The two phenomena are occurring side by side: a rapidly growing elder population and a burgeoning tech sector. Where a few years ago these worlds would not have met, a new generation of older adults has grown comfortable with technology and open to its possibilities for improving their lives as they age.

"Technologies for Active Aging" offers novel answers to a range of aging issues, from safety and mobility to cognition and continence. Written for the non-technical reader, the book examines the potential of information and communicative technologies such as pervasive computing, smart environments, and robotics to enhance seniors' quality of life and encourage independent living, better care and self-care, and social participation.

Diversity is emphasized here, in terms of the life areas addressed, the perspectives of elders and caregivers, and the global reach of those working toward solutions. This state-of-the-field volume looks ahead to future research and the next wave of innovations to help all seniors, regardless of health or ability. Among the topics featured: Promoting technology use by people with dementia.Wheelchair mobility in older adults.Intelligent systems for assessing age-related changes using home-based technology.Measuring the effectiveness of assistive technologies in community and home settings.Technology for the prevention of fall-related injuries.Tele-health in chronic disease management.

A comprehensive mix of theoretical developments and emerging realities, "Technologies for Active Aging" serves a variety of professionals, including gerontologists, sociologists, health and cross-cultural psychologists, and public health policymakers.

"

PDE Modeling of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: Computer Analysis in R presents the formulation and computer implementation of mathematical models for the forefront research areas of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The mathematical model discussed in this book consists of a system of eight partial differential equations (PDEs) with dependent variables. The computer-based example models are presented through routines coded in R-a quality, open-source scientific computing system that is readily available from the Internet. Formal mathematics is minimized, e.g., no theorems and proofs. Includes detailed examples that the reader can execute on modest computers.

In the field of health, information practices and the organization of knowledge constitute a major challenge today. The practices of the medical profession, or of patients, are evolving under the influence of digital technology. At the same time, the way in which medical knowledge is organized, represented and mediated is also evolving. Information Practices and Knowledge in Health addresses the different aspects of the field of specialized medical and health information; it focuses on the informational practices of professionals in the sector, of patients and, more broadly, of citizens with regards to their health. This book also considers the systems that are used for organizing knowledge in this field.

Aging is an almost universal process within biological systems, one which leads to a decline in functional capacity, disease onset, and eventually death. There has been much interest in recent years to elucidate the molecular mec- nisms that underlie the aging process. Many theories have been proposed since the last century that aim to explain the causes of aging. There is no one theory that completely satisfies the phenotype of aging, but genetics and environm- tal factors play an important role in the etiology of age-related pathologies and the aging process. However, there is still much to be learned about the aging process which has been termed one of the last great frontiers in biology. De- graphic changes worldwide are leading to increased average life expectancies within our populations. These changes in population characteristics will impact upon the economies of the supporting society, with increasing healthcare and infrastructural costs arising from the prevalence of age-related pathologies and other physical disabilities associated with advancing years. Many researchers worldwide are working in the attempt to identify key cellular processes through which it might one day be possible to slow down the aging process and thus increase the health span of humans. Numerous research projects-from the cellular through to tissue, organ, and whole organism studies-are currently underway to investigate the mul- factorial aging process.

Frontiers in Biochip Technology
Dr. Wan-Li Xing and Dr. Jing Cheng

Frontiers in Biochip Technology serves as an essential collection of new research in the field of biochip technology. This comprehensive collection covers emerging technologies and cutting a "edge research in the field of biochip technology, with all chapters written by the international stars of this evolving field.

Key topics and current trends in biochip technology covered include:

-microarray technology and its applications

- microfluidics

- drug discovery

- detection technology

- lab-on-chip technology and bioinformatics.

Frontiers in Biochip Technology is an important volume for all biotechnologists, bioengineers, genetic engineers, pharmacological researchers, and general bench researchers who want to be up-to-date on the latest advances in the rapidly growing field of biochip technology.

The Editors:

Dr. Wan-Li Xing, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, National Engineering Research Center for Beijing Biochip Technology (NERCBBT), and CapitalBio Corporation, Beijing, China
Dr. Xing is a Professor at Medical Systems Biology Research Center, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, and also serves as the Executive Deputy Director at NERCBBT, CapitalBio Corporation, a world-leader in biochip research. Dr. Xing has published widely and obtained many patents and applications.

Dr. Jing Cheng, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, National Engineering Research Center for Beijing Biochip Technology (NERCBBT), and CapitalBio Corporation, Beijing, China
Dr. Jing Cheng is the Cheung Kong Professor at Medical Systems Biology Research Center, Tsinghua University School ofMedicine, the Director of NERCBBT and CEO & CTO of CapitalBio. Dr. Cheng developed the worlda (TM)s first system of laboratory-on-a-chip in 1998; this work was featured in the front-cover story of the June 1998 issue of Nature Biotechnology and cited as the breakthrough of the year by Science in the same year. He has been awarded Nanogena (TM)s most prestigious award Nano Grant, Distinguished Achievement Award for Overseas Chinese Scholars Returned, Chinaa (TM)s Science & Technology Award for Outstanding Youth, and Qiushi Technology Transfer Award for Outstanding Youth. Dr. Cheng has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers. In addition, he has obtained over 60 European and U.S. patents and applications.

This volume is based on selected and updated papers from the symposium on "Basic Mechanisms of the EEG," which was held under the sponsor ship of the German EEG Society in Hamburg on September 28-29, 1990. The intention of this symposium was to relate recent experimental, clini cal, and neuropathological data on the basic mechanism that underlie the EEG. Although we know much about these mechanisms, there is still much more to be learned. The symposium was partly the continuation of an earlier symposium on "Origin of Cerebral Field Potentials" held in 1979 in Munster under the leadership of one of the present editors (E. -J. Speckmann) and H. Caspers. The present work combines new experimental and clinical results with state-of-the-art reports giving excellent general views. The first chapter presents a historical survey of the roots of current developments in neu rophysiology. It seems that in the near future we may decipher the EEG, which we have considered up to now somewhat as a cryptogram (chap ter 2). After chapter 3-a chapter concerned with more general points of the generation of cortical field potentials-chapters 4, 5, and 6 deal with several aspects and models of interactions and rhythms of cortical neurons. The role of glial cells in cortical electrical field generation is considered in chapter 7. Chapter 8 emphasizes the significance of brain metabolism."

This special issue of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology presents much of the research described at the recent 2nd International Tissue Engineering Conference held in Crete in May 2005. The conference brought together over 150 researchers from around the world to examine the emerging and most advanced aspects of their particular field. The chapters reflect a diverse group of authors, including both clinicians and academicians.

In this book, research and development trends of physics, engineering, mathematics and computer sciences in biomedical engineering are presented. Contributions from industry, clinics, universities and research labs with foci on medical imaging (CT, MRT, US, PET, SPECT etc.), medical image processing (segmentation, registration, visualization etc.), computer-assisted surgery (medical robotics, navigation), biomechanics (motion analysis, accident research, computer in sports, ergonomics etc.), biomedical optics (OCT, soft-tissue optics, optical monitoring etc.) and laser medicine (tissue ablation, gas analytics, topometry etc.) give insight to recent engineering, clinical and mathematical studies.