This book presents a variety of perspectives on vision-based applications. These contributions are focused on optoelectronic sensors, 3D & 2D machine vision technologies, robot navigation, control schemes, motion controllers, intelligent algorithms and vision systems. The authors focus on applications of unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous and mobile robots, industrial inspection applications and structural health monitoring. Recent advanced research in measurement and others areas where 3D & 2D machine vision and machine control play an important role, as well as surveys and reviews about vision-based applications. These topics are of interest to readers from diverse areas, including electrical, electronics and computer engineering, technologists, students and non-specialist readers. * Presents current research in image and signal sensors, methods, and 3D & 2D technologies in vision-based theories and applications; * Discusses applications such as daily use devices including robotics, detection, tracking and stereoscopic vision systems, pose estimation, avoidance of objects, control and data exchange for navigation, and aerial imagery processing; * Includes research contributions in scientific, industrial, and civil applications.

Salespeople and commercial leaders face a significant challenge and big opportunity. Purchasing in healthcare is undergoing a fundamental shift. Buying decisions, once driven by individual clinicians, are increasingly being made by data-driven committees, cost-driven administrators, and sophisticated buyers. The hospital supply chain and purchasing organization is growing into a powerful force, and is deploying sourcing tactics to gain unprecedented discounts and bring clearer transparency to value. Selling in this new healthcare market in the same old way is a recipe for price erosion, declining margins, frustrated salespeople, and dissatisfied customers. Based on extensive experience and research, this is a practical guide that provides salespeople and commercial teams with the insights to approach economic buyers with renewed confidence. It provides proven strategies and tools to educate customers, sell your value, and defend your value against tough buyers. Understand the ten drivers of change in the new healthcare market Learn how the buyer views your sales bag and the sourcing strategies buyers use to extract value Navigate buying committees and learn to leverage your three elements of value - clinical, economic, and emotional Quantify your value and connect it to the customers' business and reimbursement model Adapt your offering and use negotiation trades to satisfy different buyers and defend your value Learn the clues to identify the four hospital buying behavior segments and how to customize your tactics to each Align your value selling to the six stages of customers' buying process Learn twelve common buyer games and how to defend your value against each This book will prove to be an invaluable source of ideas, strategies and tools for healthcare sales professionals, marketing teams, and executives responsible for leading winning commercial organizations.

Progress in ubiquitous computing, social networking, medical informatics and IT technologies has resulted in a new generation of healthcare systems. Ubiquitous Health and Medical Informatics: The Ubiquity 2.0 Trend and Beyond provides insight into the various trends, innovations, and organizational challenges of contemporary ubiquitous health and medical informatics. Contributions highlight changes to healthcare distribution that will significantly revolutionize the exchange between healthcare providers and consumers.

Interest in Information and Communication Technologies for human monitoring, smart health and assisted living is growing due to the significant impact that these technologies are expected to have on improving the quality of life of ageing populations around the world. This book brings together chapters written by a range of researchers working in these topics, providing an overview of the areas and covering current research, developments and applications for a readership of researchers and research-led engineering practitioners. It discusses the promises and the possible advantages of these technologies, and also indicates the challenges for the future. Topics covered include: personal monitoring and health data acquisition in smart homes; contactless monitoring of respiratory activity; technology-based assistance of people with dementia; wearable sensors for gesture analysis; design and prototyping of home automation systems for the monitoring of elderly people; multi-sensor platform for circadian rhythm analysis; smart multi-sensor solutions for activity detection; human monitoring based on heterogeneous sensor networks; mobile health for vital signs and gait monitoring systems; and smartphone-based blood pressure monitoring for falls risk assessment.

Women's health comprises a large range of activities including fertility and reproductive health and screening and treatment for gynecological conditions, with computer systems providing vital support. Medical Informatics in Obstetrics and Gynecology provides industry knowledge and insight to challenges in the areas of informatics that are important to women's health. Covering topics such as ethical and legal issues, imaging and communication systems, and electronic health records, this Medical Information Science Reference publication provides medical libraries and researchers, as well as medical students, health technology specialists, and practicing physicians and nurses with unrivaled data on the role of technology in obstetrics and gynecology.

The application of biosensors is expanding in different areas. These are portable and convenient devices that permit the rapid, accurate, and reliable detection of analytes of interest present either in the atmosphere or in aqueous or in liquid phases. The detection of glucose levels in blood for the effective management of diabetes is one. Though different biosensors have been designed for an increasing number of applications, the kinetics of binding (and dissociation) of analytes by the receptors on the biosensor surfaces has not been given enough attention in the open literature. This is a very important area of investigation since it significantly impacts biosensor performance parameters such as stability, sensitivity, selectivity, response time, regenerability, etc. Binding and Dissociation Kinetics for Different Biosensor Applications Using Fractals addresses this critical need besides helping to correct or demonstrate the need to modify the present software available with commercial biosensors that determines the kinetics of analyte-receptor reactions on biosensor surfaces.
* first book to provide detailed kinetic analysis of the binding and dissociation reactions that are occuring on the biosensor surface
* addresses the area of analyte-receptor binding and dissociation kinetics occurring on biosensor surfaces
* provides physical insights into reactions occuring on biosensor surfaces

This book presents a range of current research topics in biological network modeling, as well as its application in studies on human hosts, pathogens, and diseases. Systems biology is a rapidly expanding field that involves the study of biological systems through the mathematical modeling and analysis of large volumes of biological data. Gathering contributions from renowned experts in the field, some of the topics discussed in depth here include networks in systems biology, the computational modeling of multidrug-resistant bacteria, and systems biology of cancer. Given its scope, the book is intended for researchers, advanced students, and practitioners of systems biology. The chapters are research-oriented, and present some of the latest findings on their respective topics.

The Handbook of Research on Informatics in Healthcare and Biomedicine is the single authoritative reference source for information on the newest trends and breakthroughs in computer applications applied to healthcare and biomedicine. Innovative technologies in health information systems, medicine, health services, and other areas in biomedicine are explored. The comprehensive chapters contained in this handbook of research have been written by 99 international experts from the field of healthcare and IT. More than 900 references to existing publications and a wide-ranging compendium of over 450 key terms and definitions have been included to provide readers with the ultimate research tool.

This book fosters a scientific debate for sophisticated approaches and cognitive technologies (such as deep learning, machine learning and advanced analytics) for enhanced healthcare services in light of the tremendous scope in the future of intelligent systems for healthcare. The authors discuss the proliferation of huge data sources (e.g. genomes, electronic health records (EHRs), mobile diagnostics, and wearable devices) and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence applications, which have unlocked the doors for diagnosing and treating multitudes of rare diseases. The contributors show how the widespread adoption of intelligent health based systems could help overcome challenges, such as shortages of staff and supplies, accessibility barriers, lack of awareness on certain health issues, identification of patient needs, and early detection and diagnosis of illnesses. This book is a small yet significant step towards exploring recent advances, disseminating state-of-the-art techniques and deploying novel technologies in intelligent healthcare services and applications. Describes the advances of computing methodologies for life and medical science data; Presents applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare along with case studies and datasets; Provides an ideal reference for medical imaging researchers, industry scientists and engineers, advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and clinicians.

This book focuses on the state-of-the-art of biosensor research and development for specialists and non-specialists. It introduces the fundamentals of the subject with relevant characteristics of transducer elements, as well as biochemical recognition molecules. This book is ideal for researchers of nanotechnology, materials science and biophysics.

The Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB) 2018 is an international, multidisciplinary conference for the presentation and discussion of current research in the theory and application of computational methods in problems of biological significance. Presentations are rigorously peer reviewed and are published in an archival proceedings volume. PSB 2018 will be held on January 3 - 7, 2018 in Kohala Coast, Hawaii.PSB 2018 will bring together top researchers from the US, the Asian Pacific nations, and around the world to exchange research results and address open issues in all aspects of computational biology. It is a forum for the presentation of work in databases, algorithms, interfaces, visualization, modeling, and other computational methods, as applied to biological problems, with emphasis on applications in data-rich areas of molecular biology.The PSB has been designed to be responsive to the need for critical mass in sub-disciplines within biocomputing. For that reason, it is the only meeting whose sessions are defined dynamically each year in response to specific proposals. PSB sessions are organized by leaders of research in biocomputing's 'hot topics.' In this way, the meeting provides an early forum for serious examination of emerging methods and approaches in this rapidly changing field.

HealthGrid 2008 is the sixth conference in this series of open forums for the integration of grid technologies and its applications in the biomedical, medical and biological domains to pave the path to an international research area in healthgrids. The main objective of the HealthGrid conference and the HealthGrid Association is the exchange and discussion of ideas, technologies, solutions and requirements that interest the grid and the life-sciences communities to foster the integration of grids into health.Subjects in this publication reflect the diversity of mature practice: Advancing Virtual Communities, offering a glimpse of the kind of communities that are brought together by means of collaboration grids; Public Health Informatics, exploring the diffusion of grid concepts and technologies in health informatics; Translational Bioinformatics, the contact point between medicine, healthcare and genomics; and Knowledge Management and Decision Support, one direction that is confidently expected to grow as the synergy of grids and 'evidence-based practice' in healthcare is exploited.

Membrane processes today play a signifi cant role in the replacement therapy for acute and chronic organ failure diseases. Current extracorporeal blood purifi cation and oxygenation devices employ membranes acting as selective barriers for the removal of endogeneous and exogeneous toxins and for gas exchange, respectively. Additionally, membrane technology offers new interesting opportunities for the design of bioartificial livers, pancreas, kidneys, lungs etc. This book reviews the latest developments in membrane systems for bioartificial organs and regenerative medicine, investigates how membrane technology can improve the quality and efficiency of biomedical devices, and highlights the design procedures for membrane materials covering the preparation, characterization, and sterilization steps as well as transport phenomena. The different strategies pursued for the development of membrane bioartifi cial organs, including crucial issues related to blood/cell-membrane interactions are described with the aim of opening new and exciting frontiers in the coming decades. The book is a valuable tool for tissue engineers, clinicians, biomaterials scientists, membranologists as well as biologists and biotechnologists. It is also a source of reference for students, academic and industrial researchers in the topic of biotechnology, biomedical engineering, materials science and medicine.

This book is specifically designed to serve the community of postgraduates and researchers in the fields of epidemiology, health GIS, medical geography, and health management. It starts with the basic concepts and role of remote sensing, GIS in Kala-azar diseases. The book gives an exhaustive coverage of Satellite data, GPS, GIS, spatial and attribute data modeling, and geospatial analysis of Kala-azar diseases. It also presents the modern trends of remote sensing and GIS in health risk assessment with an illustrated discussion on its numerous applications.

This unifying volume offers a clear theoretical framework for the research shaping the emerging direction of informatics in health care. Contributors ground the reader in the basics of informatics methodology and design, including creating salient research questions, and explore the human dimensions of informatics in studies detailing how patients perceive, respond to, and use health data. Real-world examples bridge the theoretical and the practical as knowledge management-based solutions are applied to pervasive issues in information technologies and service delivery. Together, these articles illustrate the scope of health possibilities for informatics, from patient care management to hospital administration, from improving patient satisfaction to expanding the parameters of practice. Highlights of the coverage:* Design science research opportunities in health care * IS/IT governance in health care: an integrative model * Persuasive technologies and behavior modification through technology: design of a mobile application for behavior change * The development of a hospital secure messaging and communication platform: a conceptualization * The development of intelligent patient-centric systems for health care * An investigation on integrating Eastern and Western medicine with informatics Interest in Theories to Inform Superior Health Informatics Research and Practice cuts across academia and the healthcare industry. Its audience includes healthcare professionals, physicians and other clinicians, practicing informaticians, hospital administrators, IT departments, managers, and management consultants, as well as scholars, researchers, and students in health informatics and public health.

This book provides a pioneering approach to modeling the human diabetic patient using a software agent. It is based on two MASc (Master of Applied Science) theses: one looking at the evolution of the patient agent in time, and another looking the interaction of the patient agent with the healthcare system. It shows that the software agent evolves in a manner analogous to the human patient and exhibits typical attributes of the illness such as reacting to food consumption, medications, and activity. This agent model can be used in a number of different ways, including as a prototype for a specific human patient with the purpose of helping to identify when that patient's condition deviates from normal variations. The software agent can also be used to study the interaction between the human patient and the health care system. This book is of interest to anyone involved in the management of diabetic patients or in societal research into the management of diabetes. The diabetic patient agent was developed using the Ackerman model for diabetes, but this model can be easily adapted for any other model subject with the necessary physiological data to support that model.

Microdialysis is currently one of the most important in vivo sampling methods in physiology and pharmacology. It is used to determine the chemical components of the fluid in the extracellular space of tissues. The technique is now well established in neuroscience research and is used excessively in behavioral neuroscience to determine the concentrations and identities of molecules in brain tissues, and their change due to behavior, hormonal and transmitter changes in the nervous system. The book provides a detailed comprehensive overview of the technology and its applications, including application in pathology, drug development, and the application in the clinic. The authors are all well known researchers in Neuroscience and experts in the use of Microdialysis.
Organized into two parts of seven sections, the Handbook of Microdialysis critically examines recent developments in the field through a variety of chapters written by an internationally acclaimed group of authors. It is the first comprehensive handbook covering the technology of Microdialysis and its applications in Neuroscience.
* Presents microdialysis methods and interpretation including the technical aspects of microdialysis as a sampling technique followed by the analytical chemical methods
* Discusses the role of microdialysis in pharmacology, drug development and models of CNS
pathology
* Includes clinical applications of microdialysis

Music recommendation systems are becoming more and more popular. The increasing amount of personal data left by users on social media contributes to more accurate inference of the user's musical preferences and the same to quality of personalized systems. Health recommendation systems have become indispensable tools in decision making processes in the healthcare sector. Their main objective is to ensure the availability of valuable information at the right time by ensuring information quality, trustworthiness, authentication, and privacy concerns. Medical doctors deal with various kinds of diseases in which the music therapy helps to improve symptoms. Listening to music may improve heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure in people with heart disease. Sound healing therapy uses aspects of music to improve physical and emotional health and well-being. The book presents a variety of approaches useful to create recommendation systems in healthcare, music, and in music therapy.

The Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB) 2017 is an international, multidisciplinary conference for the presentation and discussion of current research in the theory and application of computational methods in problems of biological significance. Presentations are rigorously peer reviewed and are published in an archival proceedings volume. PSB 2017 will be held on January 4 - 8, 2017 in Kohala Coast, Hawaii. Tutorials and workshops will be offered prior to the start of the conference.PSB 2017 will bring together top researchers from the US, the Asian Pacific nations, and around the world to exchange research results and address open issues in all aspects of computational biology. It is a forum for the presentation of work in databases, algorithms, interfaces, visualization, modeling, and other computational methods, as applied to biological problems, with emphasis on applications in data-rich areas of molecular biology.The PSB has been designed to be responsive to the need for critical mass in sub-disciplines within biocomputing. For that reason, it is the only meeting whose sessions are defined dynamically each year in response to specific proposals. PSB sessions are organized by leaders of research in biocomputing's 'hot topics.' In this way, the meeting provides an early forum for serious examination of emerging methods and approaches in this rapidly changing field.