One of the characteristics of the final decade of this century is the treatment of information as a commodity. As the world becomes increasingly dominated by information and its technology, in all its facets, librarians must learn to integrate all the new developments into daily practice. 'It is to the extent to which we shall succeed in developing powerful information networks through efficient information transfer that we shall succeed in contributing to the betterment of health throughout our nations'. It is this challenge which medical librarians from some 34 countries set for themselves in convening the Third European Conference of Medical Libraries in Montpellier, France, in September 1992. All aspects of medical information were addressed - the technical aspects of transfer, ethical and legal issues, costs, benefits, rights and responsibilities, quality assurance, guidance systems, communications technology, education and training both of information professionals and end-users were discussed and debated in depth in Montpellier. This volume presents an accurate account of a conference which has made a significant contribution to the development of medical librarianship in Europe and the wider world.

For two decades, I have been responding to questions about the nature of health psychology and how it differs from medical psychology, behavioral medicine, and clinical psychology. From the beginning, I have taken the position that any applica tion of psychological theory or practice to problems and issues of the health system is health psychology. I have repeatedly used an analogy to Newell and Simon's "General Problem Solver" program of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which had two major functional parts, in addition to the "executive" component. One was the "problem-solving core" (the procedural competence); the other was the representa tion of the "problem environment. " In the analogy, the concepts, knowledge, and techniques of psychology constitute the core competence; the health system in all its complexity is the problem environment. A health psychologist is one whose basic competence in psychology is augmented by a working knowledge of some aspect of the health system. Quite apparently, there are functionally distinct aspects of health psychology to the degree that there are meaningful subdivisions in psychological competence and significantly different microenvironments within the health system. I hesitate to refer to them as areas of specialization, as the man who gave health psychology its formal definition, Joseph Matarazzo, has said that there are no specialties in psychology (cited in the editors' preface to this book)."

The slogan Information professionals make the difference' was chosen to highlight the 10th anniversary of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL) in 1997. To what effect, under which circumstances, and how medical librarians in Europe play an active role in medical information management and education is reflected in the collection of papers presented during the 6th European Conference of Medical and Health Libraries in Utrecht, The Netherlands, 22-27 June, 1998, entitled: Libraries without Limits: Changing Needs - Changing Roles. Medical libraries are confronted with the international aspects of copyright and licence agreements, and cope with a fast-growing demand for high quality medical information in order to bring evidence-based medicine into practice. Medical librarians also serve the public, especially in those countries where consumer health information is in the forefront of health care policy. The importance of pharmaceutical information is well understood; the need for information transfer from (basic) research into (clinical) practice is not restricted to medicine, but is nonetheless important in veterinary sciences. In all fields in which members of EAHIL are working the commercial interest and political value of information is recognized. With the exponential growth of medical, health and health-care related information available or accessible on the Internet, librarians play a crucial role in information dissemination. Information services, especially in medicine, are no longer local activities, but are knitted into the global web. The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports of The Netherlands, Mrs Els Borst-Eilers, gives many arguments why doctors need to be better informed. The papers of Lois Ann Colaianni (USA), Derek Law (UK), Charles Oppenheim (UK), Bas Savenije (NL) and many others will prove to the reader that the library provides a perfect paradigm for the management of networked resources.

In March 2000 leading scientists gathered at the Centro Seminariale Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland, for the Third International Symposium on "Fractals 2000 in Biology and Medicine." This interdisciplinary conference was held over a four-day period and provided stimulating contributions from the very topical field Fractals in Biology and Medicine. This Volume III in the MBI series highlights the growing power and efficacy of the fractal geometry in understanding how to analyze living phenomena and complex shapes. Many biological objects, previously considered as hopelessly far from any quantitative description, are now being investigated by means of fractal methods. Researchers currently used fractals both as theoretical tools, to shed light on living systems self-organization and evolution, and as useful techniques, capable of quantitatively analyzing physiological and pathological cell states, shapes and ultrastructures. The book should be of interest to researchers and students from Molecular and C"

Medical imaging is an important topic and plays a key role in robust diagnosis and patient care. It has experienced an explosive growth over the last few years due to imaging modalities such as X-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and ultrasound. This book focuses primarily on model-based segmentation techniques, which are applied to cardiac, brain, breast and microscopic cancer cell imaging. It includes contributions from authors working in industry and academia, and presents new material.

Case-based reasoning (CBR) is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technique to support the capability of reasoning and learning in advanced decision support systems. CBR exploits the specific knowledge collected on previously encountered and solved situations, which are known as cases. In this book, we have collected a selection of papers on very recent CBR applications. These, after an in-depth analysis of their specific application domain needs, propose proper methodological solutions and give encouraging evaluation results, which have in some cases led to the commercialization step. The collected contributions demonstrate the capability of CBR to solve or handle issues which would be too difficult to manage with other classical AI methods and techniques, such as rules or models. The heterogeneity of the involved application domains indicates the flexibility of CBR, and its applicability in all those fields where experiential knowledge is (readily) available.

The three-volume set LNCS 7510, 7511, and 7512 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2012, held in Nice, France, in October 2012. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 252 revised papers from 781 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The second volume includes 82 papers organized in topical sections on cardiovascular imaging: planning, intervention and simulation; image registration; neuroimage analysis; diffusion weighted imaging; image segmentation; computer-assisted interventions and robotics; and image registration: new methods and results.

The three-volume set LNCS 7510, 7511, and 7512 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2012, held in Nice, France, in October 2012. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 252 revised papers from 781 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The first volume includes 91 papers organized in topical sections on abdominal imaging, computer-assisted interventions and robotics; computer-aided diagnosis and planning; image reconstruction and enhancement; analysis of microscopic and optical images; computer-assisted interventions and robotics; image segmentation; cardiovascular imaging; and brain imaging: structure, function and disease evolution.

After 13 years there are new areas to discuss and more recent trials to be included. Good clinical practice; evaluation of quality of life; measurement of the benefit:risk comparison; determination of cost- effectiveness and cost utility; stopping rules for trials; meta-analysis and subgroup analysis are all new sections. The references are expanded from 305 to 512 and include the recent advances in trial design, such as the n-of-1 trials and megatrials, and up-to-date examples to illustrate the points made in the 20 chapters.

Provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of fuzziness together with a compilation of recent advances in the application to medicine. The tutorials in the first part of the book range from basic concepts through theoretical frameworks to rule simplification through data clustering methodologies and the design of multivariate rule bases through self-learning by mapping fuzzy systems onto neural network structures. The case studies which follow are representative of the wide range of applications currently pursued in relation to medicine. The majority of applications presented in this book are about bridging the gap between low-level sensor measurements and intermediate or high-level data representations. The book offers a comprehensive perspective from leading authorities world-wide and provides a tantalising glimpse into the role of sophisticated knowledge engineering methods in shaping the landscape of medical technology in the future.

In the current era of health care reform, the pressures to truly manage patient care and to build effective integrated delivery systems are generating intense interest in patient care information systems. Health care institutions cannot provide seamlees access to care without seamless access to information, and they cannot manage and improve care without improved information management. Patient Care Information Systems examines how to design and implement these systems so they successfully meet the needs of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers. In one convenient reference, the authors summarize and synthesize previously disparate research and case experiences on these systems and suggest future directions based on the evolving demands of administrators and caregivers.

This volume contains papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Sensors and Sensory Systems for Advanced Robots", which was held in Maratea, Italy, during the week Apri I 28 - May 3, 1986. Participants in the ARW, who came from eleven NATO and two non-NATO countries, represented an i nternat i ona I assortment of d i st i ngu i shed research centers in industry, government and academia. Purpose of the Workshop was to rev i ew the state of the art of sensing for advanced robots, to discuss basic concepts and new ideas on the use of sensors for robot control and to provide recommendations for future research in this area, There IS an almost unanimous consensus among invest i gators in the fie I d of robot i cs that the add i t i on of sensory capabi I ities represents the "natural" evolution of present industrial robots, as wei I as the necessary premise to the development of advanced robots for nonindustrial app I i cat ions. However, a number of conceptua I and techn i ca I problems sti I I challenge the practical implementation and widespread appl ication of sensor-based robot control techn i ques. Cruc i a I among those prob I ems is the ava i lab iii ty of adequate sensors.

The three-volume set LNCS 7510, 7511, and 7512 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2012, held in Nice, France, in October 2012. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 252 revised papers from 781 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The third volume includes 79 papers organized in topical sections on diffusion imaging: from acquisition to tractography; image acquisition, segmentation and recognition; image registration; neuroimage analysis; analysis of microscopic and optical images; image segmentation; diffusion weighted imaging; computer-aided diagnosis and planning; and microscopic image analysis.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Persuasive Technology, PERSUASIVE 2012, held in Linkoping, Sweden, in June 2012. The 21 full papers presented together with 5 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. In addition three keynote papers are included in this volume. The papers cover the typical fields of persuasive technology, such as health, safety and education."

This volume includes contributions from diverse disciplines including electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, industrial engineering, and medicine, bridging a vital gap between the mathematical sciences and neuroscience research. Covering a wide range of research topics, this volume demonstrates how various methods from data mining, signal processing, optimization and cutting-edge medical techniques can be used to tackle the most challenging problems in modern neuroscience.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 4th International Conference, eHealth 2011, held in Malaga, Spain, in November 2011. The 20 revised full papers presented along with 8 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions in total and cover a wide range of topics including social media analysis, knowledge integration and EPR, personalisation and patient support systems, early warning systems and mobile monitoring, games and learning, security, privacy and prevention, online support for professionals and patients, agents in eHealth, online communities of practice, eHealth solutions, social media surveillance, and communication and data integration.

This volume contains papers presented at the Conference on the Demographic and Programmatic Consequences of Contraceptive In novations, which was sponsored by the Committee on Population and held at the National Academy of Sciences, October 6-7, 1988. The papers consider how new contraceptive methods currently being developed and changes in the use of already available contraceptives could affect contraceptive practice, levels and patterns of abortion use, and the health of women. In addition, several of the papers re view the probable consequences of introducing new technology into family planning programs in developing countries. The Committee on Population sponsored this conference in order to stimulate think ing and to provide a forum for scientists, family planning program managers, and donor agency personnel to exchange information and ideas about these important issues. The committee is publishing these papers to expand the discussion of consequences of contracep tive innovations and to give scientists, policy makers, and members of the public who could not attend the conference an opportunity to learn about new developments in fertility control and their likely consequences for individuals and the societies in which they live. NEED FOR NEW METHODS While a strong case can be made that the pill and the intrauterine device (IUD) have contributed to declines in the level of unintended pregnancies around the world, it is also clear that for many couples existing methods present problems.

Allen I. Laskin Biosciences Research Exxon Research and Engineering Company Linden, New Jersey I was contacted in the Fall of 1981 by Professors Martin Dworkin and Palmer Rogers, of the University of Minnesota and asked to participate in the orgnization of the 1983 conference in the series, "Interface Between Biology and Medicine." They and the other members of the advisory committee had the vision to realize that this was a time to depart somewhat from the traditional theme, since one of the major areas of interest in the biological and related sciences these days is that of biotechnology in a broader sense than its impact on medicine alone. In designing the format of the Conference, we considered another factor. There has been a plethora of conferences, symposia, and meetings on biotechnology over the past few years, and the faces and topics have become rather familiar. There has been a strong emphasis on the development of the technology and the "biotechnology industry"; less attention has been paid to the science behind it. One might get the impression from some of these meetings and from the popular press that biotechnology has just recently sprung up, apparently full blown; the very fundamental scientific discoveries and the great body of 1 ALLEN I. LASKIN 2 continuing research that forms that basis for the technology is often obscured.

With the exception of some additions in Section 3.1 and minor changes, the English edition of the "Medizinische Informatik" is a translation of the German edition. Because there is frequently no one-to-one correspondence between the Ger man and the English terminology, misinterpretations are possible. I have tried to avoid this situation as far as possible. The main problem re mains within the academic setting. In recent years, the term 1 for.atics has become popular in Europe, but is widely unknown in the United States. The field covers mostly what is understood as computer science and in formation science. The corresponding term medical inforaatics, now used in the name of international societies such as the "International Medical Informatics Association," covers "medical computer science," "medical information science," as well as "biomedical engineering" and has no de finite boundary to "biomathematics." The book has not been translated on a professional basis in order to keep my own style, although there has been assistance by Dr. S. Raymond, for which I am very grateful. Dipl.-Phys. N. Osada has been of great help both by proof-reading and by excellent support during preparation of the camera-ready manuscript. Further valuable advice has been given by: A.W. Pratt, M.D.; M. Ebstein, Ph.D.; M. Pacak, Ph.D.; G.S. Dunham; L.D. Nadel, Ph.D.; P.O. Miller."

This revised and updated second edition - now with two new chapters - is the only book to give a comprehensive overview of computer algorithms for image reconstruction. It covers the fundamentals of computerized tomography, including all the computational and mathematical procedures underlying data collection, image reconstruction and image display. Among the new topics covered are: spiral CT, fully 3D positron emission tomography, the linogram mode of backprojection, and state of the art 3D imaging results. It also includes two new chapters on comparative statistical evaluation of the 2D reconstruction algorithms and alternative approaches to image reconstruction.

The continuing growth of computed tomography (CT) and other imaging techniques motivated us to bring together a comprehensive review of the state of the art in diagnostic imaging. Twelve years after the first appearance of x-ray CT, computerized diagnostic imaging has grown so rapidly in sophistication that it is difficult to follow current developments in this diversified field. In this book, we have attempted to cover the basic developments in several areas. The first part includes some of the fundamental aspects of computerized diagnostic imaging such as algorithms and detectors. Specific applications in emission tomography, digital radiography, ultrasound and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging are dealt with in the secondpart. The contributed papers are by experts currently in the field, whom we feel would certainly enlighten the subject matter and possibly suggest directions for future development. We would like to express our sincere thanks to those who have contributed to this volume. We are sure that their original papers will be beneficial for readers and will also remain as an important reference for researchers in the years to come. We would also like to thank Betty Trent for her expert and patient typing of the entire book. Finally, special thanks are due to Mrs. Ingeborg Mayer of Springer-Verlag for her encouragements, support and patience throughout the preparation of this book.

The term picture archiving and communications system (PACS) was initiated during the first International conference and workshop on the topic sponsored by The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) in Newport Beach, California in 1982. The research and development (R&D) progress for PACS has been slow until 1988. The earlier PACS modules were mostly off the shelf components connected together to solve a very specific clinical problem. The three major players in PACS R&D are the European countries, United States of America, and Japan. For various reasons, the European coun tries concentrated in modeling and simulation, U.S.A. pre ferred in-house development or purchased PACS modules from a manufacturer, whereas Japan organized the PACS as a national project. Between 1989 and 1990 PACS R&D took a dramatic positive turn. Large scale P ACS projects were planned and some are of implementation, especially in newly con at various stages structed hospitals. Examples are the Hokkaido University, Japan; Hammersmith Hospital, United Kingdom; Social and Medical Center East (SMZO), Vienna, Austria; the U.S. Armed Force Medical Diagnostic Imaging Support (MDIS) project; and the UCLA Medical Plaza ambulatory care center. Another phenomenon is the organization of the EC-countries which provides a tremendous impetus for the European PACS R&D efforts. This book "Hospital Integrated Picture Archiving and Communication Systems: edited by Professor M. Osteaux and others is a direct product from these efforts."

This volume contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) in Medicine" held in Evian, France, October 14- 26, 1990. The program committee of the institute consisted of H.K. Huang (Director), Osman Ratib, Albert Bakker, and Gerd Witte. This institute brought together approximately 90 participants from 15 countries. These proceedings are the accumulation of eight years of research and development results in PACS by various dedicated groups throughout the world. The purpose of this institute was to review the most recent technology available for PACS and some clinical results. The readers should notice the remarkable advances in this field by comparing the contents in these proceedings with those in a previous institute on "Pictorial Information Systems in Medicine" held August 27 - September 7, 1984 in Braunlage/Harz, Federal Republic of Germany, and published as Vol. 19 in this series. The institute was organized according to four categories: PACS components and system integration, PACS and related research in various countries and manufacturing companies, clinical experience and research support, and participants' scientific communications. In PACS components, we included image acquisition, workstations, data storage and networking. In system integration, topics on interfaces between Hospital Information System (HIS), Radiology Information System (RIS) and PACS, clinical reports, the ACR/NEMA standard, databases, reliability, and system integration were discussed. This lecture series emphasized the technical detail and "how to" aspects.

Digital Homecare is a collection of services to deliver, maintain and improve care in the home environment using the latest ICT technology and devices. It is important to recognize the wide range of issues that are covered by digital homecare. This book shows a good selection of related issues, be it experience, technologies, managerial issues or standardization. A very diverse "audience"; elderly, people with chronic conditions, disabled, to name the most important groups, benefits from digital homecare, within the comfort and protection of their own homes.

Like many words, the term "immunomics" equates to different ideas contingent on context. For a brief span, immunomics meant the study of the Immunome, of which there were, in turn, several different definitions. A now largely defunct meaning rendered the Immunome as the set of antigenic peptides or immunogenic proteins within a single microorganism - be that virus, bacteria, fungus, or parasite - or microbial population, or antigenic or allergenic proteins and peptides derived from the environment as a whole, containing also proteins from eukaryotic sources. However, times have changed and the meaning of immunomics has also changed. Other newer definitions of the Immunome have come to focus on the plethora of immunological receptors and accessory molecules that comprise the host immune arsenal. Today, Immunomics or immunogenomics is now most often used as a synonym for high-throughput genome-based immunology. This is the study of aspects of the immune system using high-throughput techniques within a conc- tual landscape borne of both clinical and biophysical thinking.