This practical guide offers an accessible introduction to the principles of MRI physics. Each chapter explains the why and how behind MRI physics. Readers will understand how altering MRI parameters will have many different consequences for image quality and the speed in which images are generated. Practical topics, selected for their value to clinical practice, include progressive changes in key MRI parameters, imaging time, and signal to noise ratio. A wealth of high quality illustrations, complemented by concise text, enables readers to gain a thorough understanding of the subject without requiring prior in-depth knowledge.

This is a readable and attractively presented textbook on fluid flow in biological systems that includes flow through blood vessels, pulsatile flow, and pattern formation. It bridges the divide among biomedical engineering students between those with an engineering and those with a bio-scientific background, by offering guidance in both physiological and mathematical aspects of the subject. Every chapter includes surprising, amusing, and stimulating effects that the reader may want to experiment on their own. Brief historical vignettes are also included throughout this book. We in the 21st century can so easily turn to the computer to provide a solution, that we forget the extraordinary sparks of insight that scientists in centuries past had to rely on to provide us with the foundational understanding and analytical tools that we now depend on. This book is an attempt to maintain our roots in past investigations, while giving us wings to explore future ones.

Scintillation Dosimetry delivers a comprehensive introduction to plastic scintillation dosimetry, covering everything from basic radiation dosimetry concepts to plastic scintillating fiber optics. Comprised of chapters authored by leading experts in the medical physics community, the book: Discusses a broad range of technical implementations, from point source dosimetry scaling to 3D-volumetric and 4D-scintillation dosimetry Addresses a wide scope of clinical applications, from machine quality assurance to small-field and in vivo dosimetry Examines related optical techniques, such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) or Cerenkov luminescence Thus, Scintillation Dosimetry provides an authoritative reference for detailed, state-of-the-art information on plastic scintillation dosimetry and its use in the field of radiation dosimetry.

Dosimetry refers to the calculation and assessment of the radiation dose received by the human body. The proposed book will place emphasis on the existence of physical and biophysical dosimetry. It will be discussed for the proper description and evaluation of the signal at the power generation system. It will cover in detail 10 different parameters of EMF (electromagnetism) exposure such as amplitude, frequency, vector, time of exposure, orientation, etc. In most published papers, these parameters are not well defined.

Brachytherapy is continuously advancing. Years of accumulated experience have led to clinical evidence of its benefit in numerous clinical sites such as gynecological, prostate, breast, rectum, ocular, and many other cancers. Brachytherapy continues to expand in its scope of practice and complexity, driven by strong academic and commercial research, by advances in competing modalities, and due to the diversity in the political and economic landscape. It is a true challenge for practicing professionals and students to readily grasp the overarching trends of the field, especially of those technologies and innovative practices that are not yet established but are certainly on the rise. Addressing this challenge, Emerging Technologies in Brachytherapy presents a comprehensive collection of chapters on the latest trending/emerging technologies and expert opinions. It is divided into five broad sections: Section I: Physics of Brachytherapy Section II: Imaging for Brachytherapy Guidance Section III: Brachytherapy Suites Section IV: Is Brachytherapy a Competitive Modality? Section V: Vision 20/20: Industry Perspective Each section has a carefully selected collection of chapters, which covers the spectrum of topics in comprehensive detail. By drawing on recognized experts and key opinion leaders from academia and commercial sectors worldwide (100+ contributors), Emerging Technologies in Brachytherapy provides readers with a wealth of relevant information needed to comprehend the rapidly advancing technologies and trends of today and the prospects for the future.

PET and SPECT imaging has improved to such a level that they are opening up exciting new horizons in medical diagnosis and treatment. This book provides a complete introduction to fundamentals and the latest progress in the field, including an overview of new scintillator materials and innovations in photodetector development, as well as the latest system designs and image reconstruction algorithms. It begins with basics of PET and SPECT physics, followed by technology advances and computing methods, quantitative techniques, multimodality imaging, instrumentation, pre-clinical and clinical imaging applications.

This book describes at the introductory level how modern technology has made the scenario of the classic science-fiction movie Fantastic Voyage a reality. The movie is about a submarine and its crew members being shrunk to microscopic size and ventured into the body. Exactly 50 years following the release of the film, such reality takes the form of a medical interventional room capable of mimicking this scenario. Based on 15 years of intensive research and development by the world-leading team in this specific field, the book goes through the scenes of the movie while explaining how it is implemented in this first-of-a-kind interventional facility. This is the first book that explains the fundamentals of navigation of therapeutic agents in the vascular network. The scope of the book is twofold: (1) to initiate readers into various technologies, including, but not limited to, nanotechnology, robotics, and biochemistry (more importantly, it shows how critical the integration of all these disciplines is to solving problems that indeed require a multidisciplinary environment); (2) to inspire the younger generation by showing that science and technology can bring one everywhere with the power to transform fiction to reality that can help humankind.

These proceedings from the 2009 NSTI Nanotech conference provide the most prestigious forum in the world for leading nano scientists. The papers from the conference have been compiled into three volumes to create the most authoritative and comprehensive compendium available across all of nanotechnology. Including the latest information on industrial development, investments, and ventures, each volume explores cutting-edge research and applications. Volume II covers various aspects of cancer treatment, biomarkers, nanoparticles, drug delivery systems, nanobiotechnology, nanomedicine, nanoneurology, sensors, and soft nanotechnology.

Brachytherapy has become the modality of choice for several cancer localizations, minimizing the possibility of unacceptable risks for healthy tissues and providing a more cost-effective and convenient treatment for patients. Written by leading experts in the physics, development, and implementation of brachytherapy, The Physics of Modern Brachytherapy for Oncology discusses the subject in detail, covering its definition, the basic physics of radiation interaction with matter, radionuclides, sources and source production, calibration and dosimetry protocols as well as experimental dosimetry methods appropriate for practical use. Logically organized, the book begins with basic information, including quantities and units, followed by fundamental atomic and nuclear physics. It also provides the historical background of brachytherapy physics. The next several chapters discuss the radionuclides used in brachytherapy, reflecting upon past (radium), present (iridium or cobalt), and future (ytterbium) methods. The book proceeds to examine source calibration and dosimetry protocols for dose rate calculation while the final chapters explore more recent processes, including Monte Carlo-aided, experimental, and gel dosimetry. The appendices provide useful tables of isotopes, unit conversions and physical constants, brachytherapy sources, TG-43 and TG-43 U1 data tables, and dose rate tables. Detailing the physics behind brachytherapy treatment, The Physics of Modern Brachytherapy for Oncology is essential reading for researchers, practicing radiation oncologists, and medical physicists who want to keep abreast of the developments in this changing field as well as for postgraduate students in medicalphysics.

Deconditioning is an integrated physiological response of the body to a reduction in metabolic rate, that is, to a reduction in energy use or in exercise level. Deconditioning and Reconditioning presents selected background information on the many aspects of ground-based and in-flight physiological research and applications.
This multi-author volume emphasizes human research programs on prolonged bed rest, immersion and confinement studies simulating conditions of space flight, as well as data from humans in space. Consolidating this research, chapters cover the psycho-sociological aspects of confinement deconditioning, the effects of deconditioning and reconditioning on aerobic power, thermoregulation during deconditioning, and practical applications.

Edited by Professor Duncan Dowson, "Advances in Medical Tribology, " includes contributions from the eminent engineers, scientists, amd clinicians in this field. This important collection of papers, previously published as Special Issues of the Proceedings of Mechanical Engineers in the Journal of Engineering in Medicine, brings together some of the most imposrtant research and clinical findings in medical tribology.

Key Features: Provides a one-volume collection of the most important work in the fieldKey research and clinical findingsHeavily illustrated

Engineers, tribologists, materials scientists, orthopaedics specialists, medical researchers, and any specialists concerned with joint replacement will find this a valuable source of information.

Ultrasonic Exposimetry presents the fundamentals of ultrasonics and discusses the theoretical background of acoustic wave generation and reception. Measurements, instrumentation, and interpretation of measured data (including error analysis) are examined in detail. Ultrasound transducers, including transducers used in diagnostic imaging and therapeutic applications, are described. This section also presents a detailed description of transducers used in the recently introduced extracorporeal lithotripsy procedure. Other topics examined in the book include current trends in labeling and characterizing acoustic devices (including present regulatory requirements and future implications), the operation of state-of-the-art miniature PVDF ultrasonic hydrophones and fiber optic hydrophones, recent advances in transducer calibration and calorimeter and radiation force measurements, and the intricacies of statistical error analysis. Ultrasonic Exposimetry presents a wealth of invaluable information for students, instructors, researchers, biomedical engineers, and sonographers.

While there are many excellent texts focused on clinical medical imaging, there are few books that approach in vivo imaging technologies from the perspective of a scientist or physician-scientist using, or interested in using, these techniques in research. It is for these individuals that Essentials of In Vivo Biomedical Imaging is written. Featuring contributions from leading experts in the field, this authoritative reference text helps answer the following often-asked questions: Can imaging address my question? Which technique should I use? How does it work? What information does it provide? What are its strengths and limitations? What applications is it best suited for? How can I analyze the data? By explaining what each imaging technology can measure, describing major methods and approaches, and giving examples demonstrating the rich repertoire of modern biomedical imaging to address a wide range of morphological, functional, metabolic, and molecular parameters in a safe and noninvasive manner, Essentials of In Vivo Biomedical Imaging helps scientists and physician-scientists choose and utilize the appropriate in vivo imaging technologies and methods for their research.

Radiosensitizers and Radiochemotherapy in the Treatment of Cancer catalogs and describes the mechanism of action for entities characterized as radiosensitizers. Developments in the biological and physical sciences have introduced new radiosensitizers and defined novel targets for radiosensitization. As a result, a book about radiosensitization must now address a huge range of topics, covering everything from molecular oxygen and high Z elements to monoclonal antibodies and complex phytochemicals. At the molecular level, the understanding of the molecular consequences of DNA damage and the DNA damage response have informed the development of targeted radiosensitizers and shed light on the mode of action of radiochemotherapy protocols of known clinical efficacy. In this book the mechanisms of action at the molecular and cellular level are described for documented radiosensitizers including, where applicable, a brief history of their clinical use and most recent clinical results. In addition, the clinical context is addressed including the importance of factors such as dose and dose rate, normal tissue toxicity, and drug delivery. Intuitively organized by topic and application, the book includes extensive illustrations, end-of-chapter summaries, and a wealth of references.

This publication establishes a detailed set of protocols concerning the application of radiation for medical purposes within the speciality of mammography. The publication addresses the requirements of a quality assurance programme which will allow an organization to optimize the conditions necessary to achieve the early detection of breast cancer and assure its successful treatment. To that end, the publication contains details of actions needed to install and promote the quality culture, systematic programme of conduct and appropriate education that are critical for success. Instructional material to supplement the knowledge of professionals already working in this field is also provided, as well as quality control worksheets.

This CD-ROM contains the proceedings of an IAEA sponsored conference which was held to review the current role and potential of clinical, technological and molecular/biological innovations for their incorporation into routine practice of radiation oncology. In particular,these technological developments are put into perspective and into the context of the priorities of low and middle income countries for improving cancer care. The main purpose of the conference was the exchange of information on current advances in radiation oncology, including discussion of future challenges and directions in the clinical use of radiotherapy; application of improved imaging tools in treatment planning and the roles of altered fractionation, modern brachytherapy, proton and heavy particle beams; education; and cost considerations. The CD-ROM provides an updated overview of advanced technologies from the perspective of developing countries.