This book provides the reader with empirical findings on innovative signal processing approaches to detecting pathologies in infant cries, by comparing new technological approaches to standard ones. The contributors examine novel approaches to machine adaptation to dysarthric speech.

While the prevalence of plastics and elastomers in medical devices is now quite well known, there is less information available covering the use of medical devices and the applications of polymers beyond medical devices, such as in hydrogels, biopolymers and silicones beyond enhancement applications, and few books in which these are combined into a single reference.

This book is a comprehensive reference source, bringing together a number of key medical polymer topics in one place for a broad audience of engineers and scientists, especially those currently developing new medical devices or seeking more information about current and future applications. In addition to a broad range of applications, the book also covers clinical outcomes and complications arising from the use of the polymers in the body, giving engineers a vital insight into the real world implications of the devices they re creating. Regulatory issues are also covered in detail. The book also presents the latest developments on the use of polymers in medicine and development of nano-scale devices.
Gathers discussions of a large number of applications of polymers in medicine in one placeProvides an insight into both the legal and clinical implications of device designRelevant to industry, academic and medical professionalsPresents the latest developments in the field, including medical devices on a nano-scale"

This book presents state-of-the-art research methods, results, and applications in social media and health research. It aims to help readers better understand the different aspects of using social web platforms in health research. Throughout the chapters, the benefits, limitations, and best practices of using a variety of social web platforms in health research are discussed with concrete use cases. This is an ideal book for biomedical researchers, clinicians, and health consumers (including patients) who are interested in learning how social web platforms impact health and healthcare research.

As many biological products face losing their patents in the next decade, the pharmaceutical industry needs an abbreviated regulatory pathway for approval of biosimilar drug products, which are cost-effective, follow-on/subsequent versions of the innovator's biologic products. But scientific challenges remain due to the complexity of both the manufacturing process and the structures of biosimilar products. Written by a top biostatistics researcher, Biosimilars: Design and Analysis of Follow-on Biologics is the first book entirely devoted to the statistical design and analysis of biosimilarity and interchangeability of biosimilar products. It includes comparability tests of important quality attributes at critical stages of the manufacturing processes of biologic products. Connecting the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry, government regulatory agencies, and academia, this state-of-the-art book focuses on the scientific factors and practical issues related to the design and analysis of biosimilar studies. It covers most of the statistical questions encountered in various study designs at different stages of research and development of biological products.

Exploring the practical, entrepreneurial, and historical aspects of medical device development, this second edition of The Medical Device R&D Handbook provides a how-to guide for medical device product development. The book offers knowledge of practical skills such as prototyping, plastics selection, and catheter construction, allowing designers to apply these specialized techniques for greater innovation and time saving.
The author discusses the historical background of various technologies, helping readers understand how and why certain devices were developed. The text also contains interviews with leaders in the industry who offer their vast experience and insights on how to start and grow successful companies both what works and what doesn t work. This updated and expanded edition adds new information to help meet the challenges of the medical device industry, including strategic intellectual property management, operating room observation protocol, and the use of new technologies and new materials in device development.

With the rise of advanced computerized data collection systems, monitoring devices, and instrumentation technologies, large and complex datasets accrue as an inevitable part of biomedical enterprise. The availability of these massive amounts of data offers unprecedented opportunities to advance our understanding of underlying biological and physiological functions, structures, and dynamics.

Biosignal Processing: Principles and Practices provides state-of-the-art coverage of contemporary methods in biosignal processing with an emphasis on brain signal analysis. After introducing the fundamentals, it presents emerging methods for brain signal processing, focusing on specific non-invasive imaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIR). In addition, the book presents recent advances, reflecting the evolution of biosignal processing.

As biomedical datasets grow larger and more complicated, the development and use of signal processing methods to analyze and interpret these data has become a matter of course. This book is one step in the development of biosignal analysis and is designed to stimulate new ideas and opportunities in the development of cutting-edge computational methods for biosignal processing.

This book, the first of its kind to treat Uganda, provides a historical analysis of the role of student voices in the development of Uganda's higher education. It not only chronicles incidents of student protests, but also explores and analyses their trigger points as well as the strategies employed by the university, the government, and the students to manage or resolve those crises. In addition, the book highlights the role played by national politics in shaping student political consciousness, in particular their involvement in protests, riots and demonstrations. The book, therefore, limits its scope to the unfolding and impact of student crisis on the process of higher education. Byaruhanga recommends that colleges and universities need to increase communication with students, as well as promote student involvement in decision and policy making, among other things, in order to forestall future conflicts. Most distinctively, the book aims to address the current paucity of research on student activism in Uganda's higher education, and highlights the critical need for research on higher education in Africa as a field of study. The book also may serve as a base for cross-national comparative analysis.

This dissertation examines the cultural and educational history of central Missouri between 1820 and 1860, and in particular, the issue of master-slave relationships and how they affected education (broadly defined as the transmission of Southern culture). Although Missouri had one of the lowest slave populations during the Antebellum period, Central Missouri - or what became known as Little Dixie - had slave percentages that rivaled many regions and counties of the Deep South. However, slaves and slave owners interacted on a regular basis, which affected cultural transmission in the areas of religion, work, and community. Generally, slave owners in Little Dixie showed a pattern of paternalism in all these areas, but the slaves did not always accept their masters' paternalism, and attempted to forge a life of their own.

Understanding the importance and application of biosensors is complicated by the diverse range of methods and application and some existing text is somewhat technical in nature with little consideration to the novice. This book disseminates information on biosensors in a readable way by having unique sections for the novice and expert alike. Each chapter has an abstract, key facts, applications to other areas of health and disease, a "mini-dictionary" of key terms and summary points. In addition, the book covers optical imaging, surface plasmon resonance, microcantilevers, electrochemistry, aptamers, fluorescence, electrochemistry, nanobiosensors and nanowires.

Genomic Data Sharing: Case Studies, Challenges, and Opportunities for Precision Medicine provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging issues in genomic data sharing. In this book, international leaders in genomic data examine these issues in-depth, offering practical case studies that highlight key successes, challenges and opportunities. Sections discuss the eMERGE Network, Undiagnosed Disease Network, Vanderbilt Biobank, Marshfield Clinic Biobank, Minnesota Authorization, Rochester Epidemiology Project, NIH sponsored biobanks, GINA, and Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH). In addition to these perspectives from the frontlines, the book also provides succinct overviews of ethical, legal, social and IT challenges. Clinician investigators, clinicians affiliated with academic medical centers, policymakers and regulators will also gain insights that will allow them to navigate the increasingly complex ethical, social and clinical landscape of genomic data sharing.

Bridging the gap between research and clinical application, Biosensors and Molecular Technologies for Cancer Diagnostics explores the use of biosensors as effective alternatives to the current standard methods in cancer diagnosis and detection. It describes the major aspects involved in detecting and diagnosing cancer as well as the basic elements of biosensors and their applications in detection and diagnostics.

The book addresses cancer molecular diagnostics, including genomic and proteomic approaches, from the perspective of biosensors and biodetection. It explains how to measure and understand molecular markers using biosensors and discusses the medical advantages of rapid and accurate cancer diagnostics. It also describes optical, electrochemical, and optomechanical biosensor technologies, with a focus on cancer analysis and the clinical utility of these technologies for cancer detection, diagnostics, prognostics, and treatment.

Making biosensor technology more accessible to molecular biologists, oncologists, pathologists, and engineers, this volume advances the integration of this technology into mainstream clinical practice. Through its in-depth coverage of a range of biosensors, the book shows how they can play instrumental roles in the early molecular diagnosis of cancer.

eHealth Applications: Promising Strategies for Behavior Change provides an overview of technological applications in contemporary health communication research, exploring the history and current uses of eHealth applications in disease prevention and management. This volume focuses on the use of these technology-based interventions for public health promotion and explores the rapid growth of an innovative interdisciplinary field.

The chapters in this work discuss key eHealth applications by presenting research examining a variety of technology-based applications. Authors Seth M. Noar and Nancy Grant Harrington summarize the latest in eHealth research, including a range of computer, Internet, and mobile applications, and offer observations and reflections on this growing area, such as dissemination of programs and future directions for the study of interactive health communication and eHealth.

Providing a timely and comprehensive review of current tools for health communication, eHealth Applications is a must-read for scholars, students, and researchers in health communication, public health, and health education.

Stem cell research and technology represent a major challenge for treating otherwise noncurable patients. A decade of intensive research has demonstrated that initial hopes based more on the will to succeed than on solid scientific bases can be translated into factual techniques only by adopting more rigorous procedures and strategies. Among other major impediments, the failure so far experienced in applying stem cell technologies to repair parenchymal organs can be ascribed to the lack of sufficient knowledge of basic mechanisms, but also to the lack of standardized criteria and protocols. Very often each laboratory follows its own "recipe" using erratic nomenclature and non-comparable, if not confusing, experimental protocols. All this makes it difficult to learn from the others and, ultimately, hampers the advance of knowledge on stem cell behavior. The ambitious goal of Adult Stem Cell Standardization is to gather the most innovative and scientifically robust knowledge and technologies on stem cells and involve investigators from academy and industry in formulating recommendations to standardize the isolation and manipulation of stem cells using solid and well-documented knowledge rather than fragmentary and often unrepeatable experimental reports.

Red blood cells in humans-and most other mammals-have a tendency to form aggregates with a characteristic face-to-face morphology, similar to a stack of coins. Known as rouleaux, these aggregates are a normally occurring phenomenon and have a major impact on blood rheology. What is the underlying mechanism that produces this pattern? Does this really happen in blood circulation? And do these rouleaux formations have a useful function? The first book to offer a comprehensive review of the subject, Red Blood Cell Aggregation tackles these and other questions related to red blood cell (RBC) aggregates. The book covers basic, clinical, and physiological aspects of this important biophysical phenomenon and integrates these areas with concepts in bioengineering. It brings together state-of-the-art research on the determinants, mechanisms, and measurement and effects of RBC aggregation as well as on variations and comparative aspects. After an introductory overview, the book outlines factors and conditions that affect RBC aggregation. It presents the two hypotheses-the bridging model and the depletion model-that provide potential mechanisms for the adhesive forces that lead to the regular packing of the cells in rouleaux formations. The book also reviews the methods used to quantify RBC aggregation in vitro, focusing on their importance in clinical practice. Chapters discuss the effect of RBC aggregation on the in vitro rheology of blood as well as on tube flow. The book also looks at what happens in the circulation when red blood cells aggregate and examines variations due to physiological and pathophysiological challenges. The concluding chapter explores the formation of red blood cell aggregates in other mammals. Written by leading researchers in the field, this is an invaluable resource for basic science, medical, and clinical researchers; graduate stu

Won First Prize at 2012 BMA awards in Anaesthesia Category. Lavishly illustrated by clear line diagrams and photographs, Ward's Anaesthetic Equipment is a highly accessible single source to aid understanding of the key principles behind equipment function and design. This sixth edition of the classic reference text on anaesthetic equipment is again extensively revised to reflect the very latest advances. Ward's is an invaluable resource for qualified anaesthetists, as well as essential reading for those in training or approaching examinations such as those of the Primary and Final Fellowship in the UK and Ireland. Trainees in Intensive Care Medicine, anaesthetic assistants, operating department practitioners, electronic and biomedical engineers in hospitals and manufacturers' representatives will also benefit from this most trusted guide. Provides a simple and comprehensive explanation of the function of anaesthetic equipment, ensuring its safe use in clinical practice Covers the relevant syllabus required by the FRCA and similar exams taken by trainee anaesthetists Clear line diagrams explain the working principles of each piece of equipment The physics and technology of ultrasound gains a devoted chapter, as does patient warming. There are enhancements on depth of anaesthesia monitoring, error management and ultrasound imaging in regional anaesthesia. Particular coverage of supraglottic airway devices substantially augments an extended chapter on airway equipment. Updates throughout, including on the anaesthetic workstation, infusion devices and equipment for anaesthesia in difficult locations, ensure Ward's remains the most comprehensive and current text on anaesthetic equipment.

A reflection of the explosion of research and development in this field, OMICS: Biomedical Perspectives and Applications explores applications of omics in bioinformatics, cancer research and therapy, diabetes research, plant science, molecular biology, and neurosciences. A select editorial panel of experts discusses their cutting edge omics research and novel technologies, supplying a basic platform of methods and applications and a resource for enhanced cross-pollination in a multiomics approach to future endeavors in the fertile fields of omics research.

After an introduction on the omics universe, the book presents modern omics and its applications in nanotechnology, genomics, proteomics, metagenomics, toxicogenomics, immunomics, nutrigenomics, diabetes, neurology, cardiology, and cancer to name just a few. The book begins with an overview of omics and omic technologies such as cellomics, glycomics, and lipidomics. It also discusses bioinformatics, demonstrating how it can be a tool in omics, and examines the various approaches of omics technology in toxicology research and applications in biomedical sciences.

While there are a long list of omics books available, most focus narrowly on one area. Presenting a wide view of the current status of integrative omics, this resource contains complete coverage of omics in research and therapy, ranging from neuroscience to cardiology. It collates recent developments in the field into a state-of-the-art framework for this discipline.

Healthcare sensor networks (HSNs) now offer the possibility to continuously monitor human activity and physiological signals in a mobile environment. Such sensor networks may be able to reduce the strain on the present healthcare workforce by providing new autonomous monitoring services ranging from simple user-reminder systems to more advanced monitoring agents for preventive, diagnostic, and rehabilitative purposes. Potential services include reminding people to take their medication, providing early warning for the onset of heart attacks or epileptic seizures, and monitoring a child's physical activity in order to assess their growth and mental development. Healthcare Sensor Networks: Challenges Toward Practical Implementation discusses the fundamental concepts in designing and building such networks. It presents the latest developments in HSNs, explores applications of the technology, and provides insights into practical design and deployment challenges. Bringing together contributions from international experts in the field, the book highlights the key areas that require further research for HSNs to become a technological and commercially viable reality. The first part of the book concentrates on the engineering challenges, covering new biosensors, energy harvesting techniques, new wireless communication methods, and novel security approaches. Building from single sensing devices to networked sensing systems, the second part of the book looks at various health applications of HSNs. It addresses the human-centric requirements that should be considered in the design of HSN technologies-cost, portability, functionality, and user acceptance-and demonstrates how engineering compromises must be made in HSN solutions. A useful and timely resource for researchers, postgraduate students, and engineers looking for innovative solutions in healthcare, this book will also be of interest to medical and allied he

Statistical evaluation of diagnostic performance in general and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis in particular are important for assessing the performance of medical tests and statistical classifiers, as well as for evaluating predictive models or algorithms. This book presents innovative approaches in ROC analysis, which are relevant to a wide variety of applications, including medical imaging, cancer research, epidemiology, and bioinformatics. Statistical Evaluation of Diagnostic Performance: Topics in ROC Analysis covers areas including monotone-transformation techniques in parametric ROC analysis, ROC methods for combined and pooled biomarkers, Bayesian hierarchical transformation models, sequential designs and inferences in the ROC setting, predictive modeling, multireader ROC analysis, and free-response ROC (FROC) methodology. The book is suitable for graduate-level students and researchers in statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, biomedical engineering, radiology, medical imaging, biomedical informatics, and other closely related fields. Additionally, clinical researchers and practicing statisticians in academia, industry, and government could benefit from the presentation of such important and yet frequently overlooked topics.

This book examines the European Community legislation that regulates the safety of consumer products. Hodges surveys the extent to which this legislation aims to and succeeds in achieving safety for a wide range of products. There are different legal requirements for medicines, machines, electronics, toys and so on, which employ different regulatory mechanisms, including pre-marketing assessment, provision of information, control of the manufacturing environment, post-marketing obligations on producers and authorities, and obligations on distributors and users. Hodges compares the various mechanisms relating to medicinal products, products covered by 'New Approach' Directives, cosmetics, biocides, tobacco products, and consumer products covered by the General Product Safety Directive, and asks why particular mechanisms are used, or not used for different products. The book then moves on to consider what is meant by product 'safety', demonstrating the relativity of this concept. Hodges highlights an important problem: that consumers, the media, and experts can all have differing ideas on the level of safety that is relevant and acceptable. Hodges contends that the systems are in need of review, to ensure they work effectively and give value for money. In some cases, there is an need for more or less control. He argues for more systematic collection of safety data, and for consistecy in surveillance and enforcement mechanisms across Europe, pointing towards the need for a European Product Safety Agency.

Colloidal systems occur everywhere in soils, seawater, foodstuff, pharmaceuticals, paints, blood, biological cells, and microorganisms. Colloids and Interfaces in Life Sciences and Bionanotechnology, Second Edition, gives a concise treatment of physicochemical principles determining interrelated colloidal and interfacial phenomena.

New in the Second Edition

• New topics, including phase separations in polymer systems, electrokinetics of charged permeable surface coatings, and polymer brush coatings to control adsorption and adhesion of particles
• Emphasis on inter-particle interactions and surface phenomena in (bio)nanotechnology
• More than 100 new or updated exercises
• Full solutions to the exercises are presented in the Appendix

Focusing on physicochemical concepts that form the basis of understanding colloidal and interfacial phenomena rather than on experimental methods and techniques this book is an excellent primer for students and scientists interested in colloidal and interfacial phenomena, their mutual relations and connections, and the fascinating role they play in natural and man-made systems.

This book is dedicated to the field of conductive polymers, focusing on electrical interactions with biological systems. It addresses the use of conductive polymers as the conducting interface for electrical communications with the biological system, both in vitro and in vivo. It provides an overview on the chemistry and physics of conductive polymers, their useful characteristics as well as limitations, and technologies that apply conductive polymers for medical purposes. This groundbreaking resource addresses cytotoxicity and tissue compatibility of conductive polymers, the basics on electromagnetic fields, and commonly used experimental methods. Readers will also learn how cells are cultured in vitro with conductive polymers, and how conductive polymers and living tissues interact electrically. Throughout the contents, chapter authors emphasize the importance of conductive polymers in biomedical engineering and their potential applications in medicine.

Introduction to Clinical Informatics fills a void in the Computer in Health Care series. With this volume, Patrice Degoulet and Marius Fieschi provide a comprehensive view of medical informatics and carry that concept forward into the realm of clinical informatics. The authors draw upon their experi ences as medical school faculty members in France, where informatics has long been integrated into the curriculum and where the French version of this very book has been used, tested, and revised. In intent and content, this volume stands as the companion volume to Introduction to Nursing Informatics, one of the series' best selling titles. For practitioners and students of medicine, pharmacy, and other health profes sions, Introduction to Clinical Informatics offers an essential understanding how computing can support patient care, clarifying practical uses and critical issues. Today medical schools in the United States are making informatics a part of their curriculum, with required medical informatics blocks at the onset of training serving as the base for problem-based learning throughout the course of study. In an increasingly networked and computerized environ ment, health-care providers are having to alter how they practice. Whether in the office, the clinic, or the hospital, health-care professionals have access to a growing array of capabilities and tools as they deliver care. Learning to use these becomes a top priority, and this volume becomes a valuable resource."

The book provides an insight into the advantages and limitations of the use of fractals in biomedical data. It begins with a brief introduction to the concept of fractals and other associated measures and describes applications for biomedical signals and images. Properties of biological data in relations to fractals and entropy, and the association with health and ageing are also covered. The book provides a detailed description of new techniques on physiological signals and images based on the fractal and chaos theory. The aim of this book is to serve as a comprehensive guide for researchers and readers interested in biomedical signal and image processing and feature extraction for disease risk analyses and rehabilitation applications. While it provides the mathematical rigor for those readers interested in such details, it also describes the topic intuitively such that it is suitable for audience who are interested in applying the methods to healthcare and clinical applications. The book is the outcome of years of research by the authors and is comprehensive and includes other reported outcomes.

Patienthood and Communication is an engagingly personal narrative detailing the author's experience living with, and adapting to, a degenerative and incurable eye disease (MacTel). Beyond the personal, this poignant story more broadly illustrates the ways in which communication enables individuals to adjust to serious health threats. Author and subject Peter Kellett highlights his important interactions with health care providers, family members, friends, colleagues, students, and others that provide shape to his journey. Kellett displays a compelling capacity for self-reflection in his descriptions of the life changes his vision loss imposes upon him, among them changes to his identity, in relationships and life plans. Adaptation and flexibility reveal themselves as central tenets of his learning to become a self-empowered patient. Perhaps the most crucial element to his adjustment is, however, positive communication, which is depicted throughout the book as the driving force in Kellett's journey into patienthood.

Interrupted Time Series Analysis develops a comprehensive set of models and methods for drawing causal inferences from time series. It provides example analyses of social, behavioral, and biomedical time series to illustrate a general strategy for building AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) impact models. Additionally, the book supplements the classic Box-Jenkins-Tiao model-building strategy with recent auxiliary tests for transformation, differencing, and model selection. Not only does the text discuss new developments, including the prospects for widespread adoption of Bayesian hypothesis testing and synthetic control group designs, but it makes optimal use of graphical illustrations in its examples. With forty completed example analyses that demonstrate the implications of model properties, Interrupted Time Series Analysis will be a key inter-disciplinary text in classrooms, workshops, and short-courses for researchers familiar with time series data or cross-sectional regression analysis but limited background in the structure of time series processes and experiments.