This book presents the post-proceedings, including all revised versions of the accepted papers, of the 2017 European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) International Conference on Body Area Networks (BodyNets 2017). The goal of BodyNets 2017 was to provide a world-leading and unique forum, bringing together researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines to plan, analyze, design, build, deploy and experiment with/on Body Area Networks (BANs).

Atherosclerosis represents the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. Two of the most common, severe, diseases that may occur, acute myocardial infarction and stroke, have their pathogenesis in the atherosclerosis that may affect the coronary arteries as well as the carotid/intra-cranial vessels. Therefore, in the past there was an extensive research in identifying pre-clinical atherosclerotic diseases in order to plan the correct therapeutical approach before the pathological events occur. In the last 20 years imaging techniques and in particular Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance had a tremendous improvement in their potential. In the field of the Computed Tomography the introduction of the multi-detector-row technology and more recently the use of dual energy and multi-spectral imaging provides an exquisite level of anatomic detail. The MR thanks to the use of strength magnetic field and extremely advanced sequences can image human vessels very quickly while offering an outstanding contrast resolution.

This book covers topics related to medical practices from communications technology point of view. The book provides detailed inside information about the use of health informatics and emerging technologies for the well-being of patients. Each chapter in this book focuses on a specific development in the use of informatics in healthcare. In general, each chapter uses various emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Cloud computing, Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN), for various health-related illness, such as tuberculosis, heart diseases, asthma and various epidemic outbreaks. The book is intended both for communications engineers with a healthcare focus and medical researchers.

This book discusses recent advances and various topics in plasticity of skeletal muscle from the perspectives of morphology, biological function, and clinical applications. Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic organ to adapt to environmental various demands, appears to endocrine various myokines, which flow into blood to protect the recognizing function of brain and inhibit the appearance of several cancer tumorigenesis. The book deals with current stem-cell based, pharmacological, and nutritional therapies for muscle wasting (sarcopenia, cachexia, and muscular dystrophy). It also explains the roles of biological mediators such as PGC-1, transient receptor potential cation channels (TRPC), and AMPK in modulating muscle function. The functional roles of ubiquitin-proteasome system, autophagy-dependent signaling in muscle homeostasis, ribosome biogenesis, and redox regulation of mechanotransduction to modulate skeletal muscle mass are also covered. It is an essential resource for physicians, researchers, post-docs as well as graduate students in the field of sports science including rehabilitation therapy, exercise physiology, exercise biochemistry, and molecular biology dealing with skeletal muscle.

This thesis presents a novel neuro-fuzzy modeling approach for grasp neuroprostheses. At first, it offers a detailed study of discomfort due to the application of Functional Electrical Stimulation to the upper limb. Then, it discusses briefly previous methods to model hand movements induced by FES with the purpose of introducing the new modeling approach based on intelligent systems. This approach is thoroughly described in the book, together with the proposed application to induce hand and finger movements by means of a surface FES system based on multi-field electrodes. The validation tests, carried out on both healthy and neurologically impaired subjects, demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed modeling method. All in all, the book proposes an innovative system based on fuzzy neural networks that is expected to improve the design and validation of advanced control systems for non-invasive grasp neuroprostheses.

This volume discusses recent advancements to the age old practice of using microbial enzymes in the preparation of food. Written by leading experts in the field, it discusses novel enzymes and their applications in the industrial preparation of food to improve taste and texture, while reducing cost and increasing consistency. This book will be of interest to both researchers and students working in food technology.

This book explores the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect, which has opened new avenues for the development of advanced luminogenic materials in the aggregate or solid state. By enabling light emission in the practically useful solid state, AIE has the potential to significantly expand the technological applications of luminescent materials. This book addresses principles, methods, and applications of AIEs, offering a new platform for the investigation of light-emitting processes from luminogen aggregates. Applications of AIE include biomedical diagnostics, sensor materials, and optoelectronic devices, among others, and are described in detail within the book. The development of a new generation of AIEgens, a deep understanding of the AIE mechanism(s), and the exploration of advanced technological applications will enable this exciting field to develop further. Headed by the pioneering researcher who started the field, Professor Ben Zhong Tang, this book combines both principles and applications and brings together global researchers in the field to report the progress, current challenges, and potential breakthroughs that may be accomplished in the near future. Provides an authoritative account of the fundamentals, properties, and potential of AIE by the pioneer of this active, highly-researched field; Highlights technological applications of AIE spanning biomedicine, sensor materials, and optoelectronics, among others; Presents a comprehensive view on challenges in the further development of AIE and derived technologies.

This book is the first in a series compiling highly cited articles in nanomedicine recently. The series is edited by Lajos P. Balogh, a prominent nanotechnology researcher and journal editor. The first book content is about nanotechnology in cancer research. It also includes a wide variety of must-know topics that will appeal to any researcher involved in nanomedicine, macromolecular science, cancer therapy, and drug delivery research. These 31 articles collected here have already acquired more than 3500 citations (i.e., over a hundred on average), highlighting the importance and recognized professional interest of the scientists working in this field.

This book contains the selected papers of the Sixth International Workshop on Medical and Service Robots (MESROB 2018), held in Cassino, Italy, in 2018. The main topics of the workshop include: design of medical devices, kinematics and dynamics for medical robotics, exoskeletons and prostheses, anthropomorphic hands , therapeutic robots and rehabilitation, cognitive robots, humanoid and service robots, assistive robots and elderly assistance, surgical robots, human-robot interfaces, haptic devices, and medical treatments.

This book describes an ECG processing architecture that guides biomedical SoC developers, from theory to implementation and testing. The authors provide complete coverage of the digital circuit implementation of an ultra-low power biomedical SoC, comprised of a detailed description of an ECG processor implemented and fabricated on chip. Coverage also includes the challenges and tradeoffs of designing ECG processors. Describes digital circuit architecture for implementing ECG processing algorithms on chip; Includes coverage of signal processing techniques for ECG processing; Features ultra-low power circuit design techniques; Enables design of ECG processing architectures and their respective on-chip implementation.

This book shows the advantages of using different perspectives and scientific backgrounds for developing support technologies that are integrated into daily life. It highlights the interaction between people and technology as a key factor for achieving this integration and discusses relevant methods, concepts, technologies, and applications suitable for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration. The relationship between humans and technology has become much more inclusive and interdependent. This generates a number of technical, ethical, social, and practical issues. By gathering contributions from scholars from heterogeneous research fields, such as biomechanics, various branches of engineering, the social sciences, information science, psychology, and philosophy, this book is intended to provide answers to the main questions arising when support technologies such as assistance systems, wearable devices, augmented reality, and/or robot-based systems are constructed, implemented, interfaced and/or evaluated across different application contexts.

This book covers multi-scale biomechanics for oncology, ranging from cells and tissues to whole organ. Topics covered include, but not limited to, biomaterials in mechano-oncology, non-invasive imaging techniques, mechanical models of cell migration, cancer cell mechanics, and platelet-based drug delivery for cancer applications. This is an ideal book for graduate students, biomedical engineers, and researchers in the field of mechanobiology and oncology. This book also: Describes how mechanical properties of cancer cells, the extracellular matrix, tumor microenvironment and immuno-editing, and fluid flow dynamics contribute to tumor progression and the metastatic process Provides the latest research on non-invasive imaging, including traction force microscopy and brillouin confocal microscopy Includes insight into NCIs' role in supporting biomechanics in oncology research Details how biomaterials in mechano-oncology can be used as a means to tune materials to study cancer

This text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students covers the fundamental relationships between the structure and properties of materials and biological tissues. The successful integration of material and biological properties, shape, and architecture to engineer a wide range of optimized designs for specific functions is the ultimate aim of a biomaterials scientist. Relevant examples illustrate the intrinsic and tailored properties of metal, ceramic, polymeric, carbon-derived, composite, and naturally derived biomaterials. Fundamentals of Biomaterials is written in a single voice, ensuring clarity and continuity of the text and content. As a result, the reader will be gradually familiarized with the field, starting with materials and their properties and eventually leading to critical interactions with the host environment. Classical and novel examples illuminate topics from basic material properties to tissue engineering, nanobiomaterials, and guided tissue regeneration. This comprehensive and engaging text: integrates materials and biological properties to understand biomaterials function and design provides the basics of biological tissue components and hierarchy includes recent topics from tissue engineering and guided tissue regeneration to nanoarchitecture of biomaterials and their surfaces contains perspectives/case studies from widely-recognized experts in the field features chapter-ending summaries to help readers to identify the key, take-home messages.

Millions of patients suffer from end-stage organ failure or tissue loss annually, and the only solution might be organ and/or tissue transplantation. To avoid poor biocompatibility-related problems and donor organ shortage, however, around 20 years ago a new, hybridized method combining cells and biomaterials was introduced as an alternative to whole-organ and tissue transplantation for diseased, failing, or malfunctioning organs-regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. This handbook focuses on all aspects of intelligent scaffolds, from basic science to industry to clinical applications. Its 10 parts, illustrated throughout with excellent figures, cover stem cell engineering research, drug delivery systems, nanomaterials and nanodevices, and novel and natural biomaterials. The book can be used by advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level students of stem cell and tissue engineering and researchers in macromolecular science, ceramics, metals for biomaterials, nanotechnology, chemistry, biology, and medicine, especially those interested in tissue engineering, stem cell engineering, and regenerative medicine.

Mathematical and numerical modelling of engineering problems in medicine is aimed at unveiling and understanding multidisciplinary interactions and processes and providing insights useful to clinical care and technology advances for better medical equipment and systems. When modelling medical problems, the engineer is confronted with multidisciplinary problems of electromagnetism, heat and mass transfer, and structural mechanics with, possibly, different time and space scales, which may raise concerns in formulating consistent, solvable mathematical models. Computational Medical Engineering presents a number of engineering for medicine problems that may be encountered in medical physics, procedures, diagnosis and monitoring techniques, including electrical activity of the heart, hemodynamic activity monitoring, magnetic drug targeting, bioheat models and thermography, RF and microwave hyperthermia, ablation, EMF dosimetry, and bioimpedance methods. The authors discuss the core approach methodology to pose and solve different problems of medical engineering, including essentials of mathematical modelling (e.g., criteria for well-posed problems); physics scaling (homogenization techniques); Constructal Law criteria in morphing shape and structure of systems with internal flows; computational domain construction (CAD and, or reconstruction techniques based on medical images); numerical modelling issues, and validation techniques used to ascertain numerical simulation results. In addition, new ideas and venues to investigate and understand finer scale models and merge them into continuous media medical physics are provided as case studies.

Data integrity is fundamental in a pharmaceutical and medical devices quality system. This book provides practical information to enable compliance with data integrity, while highlighting and efficiently integrating worldwide regulation into the subject. The ideas presented in this book are based on many years' experience in regulated industries in various computer systems development, maintenance, and quality functions. In addition to case studies, a practical approach will be presented to increase efficiency and to ensure that the design and testing of the data integrity controls are correctly achieved.

This book describes the fundamental knowledge of mechanics and its application to biomaterials. An overivew of computer modeling in biomaterials is offered and multiple fields where biomaterials are used are reviewed with particular emphasis to the importance of the mechanical properties of biomaterials. The reader will obtain a better understanding of the current techniqus to synthesize, characterize and integrate biomaterials into the human body.

This book introduces medical imaging, its security requirements, and various security mechanisms using data hiding approaches. The book in particular provides medical data hiding techniques using various advanced image transforms and encryption methods. The book focuses on two types of data hiding techniques: steganography and watermarking for medical images. The authors show how these techniques are used for security and integrity verification of medical images and designed for various types of medical images such as grayscale image and color image. The implementation of techniques are done using discrete cosine transform (DCT), discrete wavelet transform (DWT), singular value decomposition (SVD), redundant DWT (RDWT), fast discrete curvelet transform (FDCuT), finite ridgelet transform (FRT) and non-subsampled contourlet transform (NSCT). The results of these techniques are also demonstrated after description of each technique. Finally, some future research directions are provided for security of medical images in telemedicine application.

The layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition technique is a versatile approach for preparing nanoscale multimaterial films: the fabrication of multicomposite films by the LbL procedure allows the combination of literally hundreds of different materials with nanometer thickness in a single device to obtain novel or superior performance. In the last 15 years the LbL technique has seen considerable developments and has now reached a point where it is beginning to find applications in bioengineering and biomedical engineering. The book gives a thorough overview of applications of the LbL technique in the context of bioengineering and biomedical engineering where the last years have witnessed tremendous progress. The first part familiarizes the reader with the specifics of cell-film interactions that need to be taken into account for successful application of the LbL method in biological environments. The second part focuses on LbL-derived small drug delivery systems and antibacterial agents, and the third part covers nano- and microcapsules as drug carriers and biosensors. The fourth and last part focuses on larger-scale biomedical applications of the LbL method such as engineered tissues and implant coatings.

This volume gives an overview on recent developments for various applications of modern engineering design. Different engineering disciplines such as mechanical, materials, computer and process engineering provide the foundation for the design and development of improved structures, materials and processes. The modern design cycle is characterized by an interaction of different disciplines and a strong shift to computer-based approaches where only a few experiments are performed for verification purposes. A major driver for this development is the increased demand for cost reduction, which is also connected to environmental demands. In the transportation industry (e.g. automotive or aerospace), this is connected with the demand for higher fuel efficiency, which is related to the operational costs and the lower harm for the environment. One way to fulfil such requirements are lighter structures and/or improved processes for energy conversion. Another emerging area is the interaction of classical engineering with the health and medical sector. In this book, many examples of the mentioned design applications are presented.

The book debates restrictions on the patentability of medical methods in European Patent Law. The main question addressed is whether it is viable and advisable the reinterpretation, reformulation or replacement of Article 53 (c) EPC - a provision restricting the patenting of medical methods. The subject is approached by reference to emerging technologies, and using nanomedicine innovation as example and point of departure. Nanotechnology inventions blur the lines between patentable subject matter and what may fall under the exception from patentability. It is a good example of how in recent years, emerging technologies have been challenging the patent system and exposing the need for re-thinking the adopted solutions.

This informative book focuses on the nutritional value of potatoes and ways to improve it. With the world reeling under the burden of an ever-growing population, there is a pressing need for affordable and nutritious staples to feed the billions. Potatoes are grown in a broad range of countries around the world and can substantially contribute to future food security. Given the increasing consumption of potatoes, there is a need for a book that compiles information on and raises awareness of their nutritional value, while also encouraging their consumption. The respective chapters of this book cover the chemical composition, structure and health benefits of potatoes, as well as genetic modifications used to alter the concentration of relevant chemical compounds in them. The book provides an overview of potatoes as a nutrient-dense crop, and discusses important aspects such as the role of potatoes in human diet, how they can improve the overall health of individuals, their role in addressing malnutrition etc. Its chapters deal with topics such as carbohydrates and glycemic index, dietary fibers, vitamins, proteins, phenols, carotenoids, anthocyanins, minerals, lipids, glycoalkaloids, new health-promoting compounds, the composition and utilization of potato peel, nutritional significance of potato products, and potato probiotics. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to undergraduate students, graduate students and researchers in plant physiology and biochemistry, plant genetic engineering, the food sciences and agriculture, as well as industry partners in related fields.

This book addresses novel methods to treat a very popular disease, obstructive sleep apnea, based on a knowledge of an electrical engineering. Two approaches are given in the book using an upper-airway stimulation based on the pathogenesis of an obstructive sleep apnea. Implantable electronics are devised to control the tongue and the soft palate considering that they are the major pharyngeal muscles contributing to the apnea. First, for tongue control, a cuff electrode was designed and fabricated to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve, which innervates to the tongue muscle. Rare-earth magnets were embedded in the cuff for easy and repeatable installation of the electrode. For soft palate control, a palatal implant system was firstly developed to contract the soft palate muscle by applying electrical stimuli. Comprised of an implant, an intra-oral device, and an external controller, the palatal implant system is fully powered and controlled by means of wireless communication. The approaches were demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo assessments, in collaboration with department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

This book presents a compact study on recent concepts and advances in biomedical engineering. The ongoing advancement of civilization and related technological innovations are increasingly affecting many aspects of our lives. These changes are also visible in the development and practical application of new methods for medical diagnosis and treatment, which in turn are closely linked to expanding knowledge of the functions of the human body. This development is possible primarily due to the increasing cooperation of scientists from various disciplines, and related activities are referred to as "biomedical engineering." The combined efforts of doctors, physiotherapists and engineers from various fields of science have helped achieve dynamic advances in medicine that would have been impossible in the past. The reader will find here papers on biomaterials, biomechanics, as well as the use of information technology and engineering modeling methods in medicine. The respective papers will promote the development of biomedical engineering as a vital field of science, based on cooperation between doctors, physiotherapists and engineers. The editors would like to thank all the people who contributed to the creation of this book - both the authors, and those involved in technical aspects.