Focussing on the key technologies in developing robots for a wide range of medical rehabilitation activities - which will include robotics basics, modelling and control, biomechanics modelling, rehabilitation strategies, robot assistance, clinical setup/implementation as well as neural and muscular interfaces for rehabilitation robot control - this book is split into two parts; a review of the current state of the art, and recent advances in robotics for medical rehabilitation. Both parts will include five sections for the five key areas in rehabilitation robotics: (i) the upper limb; (ii) lower limb for gait rehabilitation (iii) hand, finger and wrist; (iv) ankle for strains and sprains; and (v) the use of EEG and EMG to create interfaces between the neurological and muscular functions of the patients and the rehabilitation robots. Each chapter provides a description of the design of the device, the control system used, and the implementation and testing to show how it fulfils the needs of that specific area of rehabilitation. The book will detail new devices, some of which have never been published before in any journal or conference.

This book contains the full papers presented at the MICCAI 2014 workshop on Computational Methods and Clinical Applications for Spine Imaging. The workshop brought together scientists and clinicians in the field of computational spine imaging. The chapters included in this book present and discuss the new advances and challenges in these fields, using several methods and techniques in order to address more efficiently different and timely applications involving signal and image acquisition, image processing and analysis, image segmentation, image registration and fusion, computer simulation, image based modeling, simulation and surgical planning, image guided robot assisted surgical and image based diagnosis. The book also includes papers and reports from the first challenge on vertebra segmentation held at the workshop.

This book documents the state of the art in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL), highlighting the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies to enhance well-being and promote active ageing. The coverage is wide ranging, with sections on assistive devices, elderly people monitoring, home rehabilitation, ICT solutions for AAL, living with chronic conditions, robotic assistance for the elderly, sensing technologies for AAL, and smart housing. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the 7th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForitAAL 2016), which was held in Pisa, Italy, in June 2016 and brought together end users, technology teams, and policy makers to develop a consensus on how to improve provision for elderly and impaired people. Readers will find that the expert contributions offer clear insights into the ways in which the most recent exciti ng advances may be expected to assist in addressing the needs of the elderly and those with chronic conditions.

This book covers diverse areas in which nanoscience and nanotechnology have led to significant technological advances and practical applications, with special emphasis on novel types of nanomaterials and their applicability into a new generation of nano- and micro-devices. Different nanomaterials are reviewed with a focus on several practical application areas and their commercial utilization. Production technologies of nanomaterials are presented as one of the challenges today. Sectors where nanotechnology has already significantly contributed are presented, along with specific nanotechnology solutions: energy related sectors, NEMS/MEMS, micro power generators, spintronics and healthcare. The basic properties and applications of nanostructured thermoelectric materials, ferroelectric and piezoelectric nanomaterials are reviewed. Examples of several developed thin-film thermogenerators are shown. A review of existing solutions and developing challenges are given regarding sustainable energy production, photovoltaics, solar cells, hydrogen economy and improved classes of batteries as contributions to green products and circular economy. Novel, highly promising areas in nanotechnology, are shown, such as voltage-driven nano-spintronics. Recent advances in friction characterisation at the nano level are described. Several proven nanomaterials have been reviewed pertaining to biomedicine. The use of nanomaterials in ophthalmology and cosmetic industry are reviewed, and the potential for silver nanoparticles and iron-based nanomaterials in biomedicine, also with recognised challenges and possible threats of non-controlled use of nanomaterials. This work is the result of joint efforts of different companies, academic, and research institutions participating in WIMB Tempus project, 543898-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-ES-TEMPUS-JPHES, "Development of Sustainable Interrelations between Education, Research and Innovation at WBC Universities in Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials where Innovation Means Business", co-funded by the Tempus Programme of the European Union.

This is the first book in the series to focus on dynamic hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance, a burgeoning topic in biophysics. The volume follows the format and style of the Handbook of Modern Biophysics series and expands on topics already discussed in previous volumes. It builds a theoretical and experimental framework for students and researchers who wish to investigate the biophysics and biomedical application of dynamic hyperpolarized NMR. All contributors are internationally recognized experts, lead the dynamic hyperpolarized NMR field, and have first-hand knowledge of the chapter material. The book covers the following topics: Hyperpolarization by dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Design considerations for implementing a hyperpolarizer Chemical Shift Imaging with Dynamic Hyperpolarized NMR Signal Sampling Strategies in Dynamic Hyperpolarized NMR Kinetic Modeling of Enzymatic Reactions in Analyzing Hyperpolarized NMR Data Using Hyperpolarized NMR to Understand Biochemistry from Cells to Humans Innovating Metabolic Biomarkers for Hyperpolarized NMR New Insights into Metabolic Regulation from Hyperpolarized 13C MRS/MRI Studies Novel Views on Heart Function from Dynamic Hyperpolarized NMR Insights on Lactate Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle based on 13C Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Studies About the Editors Dirk Mayer is Professor of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University of Maryland and is the Director of Metabolic Imaging. He is a recognized expert on dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) MRI-based imaging techniques and has optimized acquisition and reconstruction techniques, has constructed kinetic modeling for quantitative analysis, and has developing new probes. Thomas Jue is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of California Davis. He is an internationally recognized expert in developing and applying magnetic resonance techniques to study animal as well as human physiology in vivo. He served as a Chair of the Biophysics Graduate Group Program at UC Davis, where he started to redesign a graduate curriculum that balances physical science/mathematics formalism and biomedical perspective in order to promote interest at the interface of physical science, engineering, mathematics, biology, and medicine. The Handbook of Modern Biophysics represents an aspect of that effort.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the evidence, theories, and practical issues associated with recovery from stuttering in early childhood and into adolescence. It examines evidence that stuttering is associated with a range of biological factors - such as genetics - and psychological factors - such as anxiety - and it critically assesses theoretical accounts that attempt to integrate these findings. Written so that it can be used flexibly to meet the demands of courses about stuttering, the book may be used as a text at the undergraduate or graduate level in psychology or speech-language science.

Computational modeling allows to reduce, refine and replace animal experimentation as well as to translate findings obtained in these experiments to the human background. However these biomedical problems are inherently complex with a myriad of influencing factors, which strongly complicates the model building and validation process. This book wants to address four main issues related to the building and validation of computational models of biomedical processes: 1. Modeling establishment under uncertainty 2. Model selection and parameter fitting 3. Sensitivity analysis and model adaptation 4. Model predictions under uncertainty In each of the abovementioned areas, the book discusses a number of key-techniques by means of a general theoretical description followed by one or more practical examples. This book is intended for graduate students and researchers active in the field of computational modeling of biomedical processes who seek to acquaint themselves with the different ways in which to study the parameter space of their model as well as its overall behavior.

The work describes the production technology of standard medical radionuclides using reactors and cyclotrons for patient diagnosis and therapy. A special focus lies on the science and technology involved in the development of novel radionuclides for positron emission tomography (PET) and internal targeted radiotherapy. The availability of those radionuclides is opening up new potential in clinical research, especially in neurology, cardiology and oncology. The future perspectives of the developing technology are also discussed.

This informative book compiles the most up-to-date applications of nanobiosensors in fields ranging from agriculture to medicine. The introductory section describes different types of nanobiosensors and use of nanobiosensors towards a sustainable environment. The applications are divided into four broad sections for easy reading and understanding. The book discusses how manipulation, control and integration of atoms and molecules are used to form materials, structures, devices and systems in nano-scale. Chapters in the book shed light on the use of nanosensors in diagnostics and medical devices. Application in food processing as well as in cell signaling is also described. Nanobiosensors have immense use, and this book captures the most important ones.

This book describes the design, fabrication and evaluation of a polymer-based neural interface for a cochlear electrode array, reviewed in terms of fabrication process, functionality, and reliability. Polymer-based devices have attracted attention in the neural prosthetic field due to their flexibility and compatibility with micro-fabrication process. A liquid crystal polymer (LCP) is an inert, highly water-resistant polymer suitable for the encapsulation of electronic components and as a substrate material for fabricating neural interfaces. The author has designed, fabricated, and evaluated an LCP-based cochlear electrode array for an improved polymer-based cochlear implant. The thesis deals with 3 key topics: atraumatic deep insertion, tripolar stimulation, and long-term reliability. Atraumatic insertion of the intracochlear electrode and resulting preservation of residual hearing have become essential in state-of-the-art cochlear implantation. A novel tapered design of an LCP-based cochlear electrode array is presented to meet such goals. For high-density and pitch-recognizable cochlear implant, channel interaction should be avoided. Local tripolar stimulation using multi-layered electrode sites are shown to achieve highly focused electrical stimulation. This thesis addresses another vital issue in the polymer-based neural implants: the long-term reliability issue. After suggesting a new method of forming mechanical interlocking to improve polymer-metal adhesion, the author performs accelerating aging tests to verify the method's efficacy. The aforementioned three topics have been thoroughly examined through various in vitro and in vivo studies. Verification foresees the development of LCP-based cochlear electrode array for an atraumatic deep insertion, advanced stimulation, and long-term clinical implant.

Students and professional nurses at any level of clinical practice will find this book to be a vital resource on the basic legal concepts and principles of malpractice, liability, and risk management, and their implications for the profession. The book also provides detailed strategies for dealing with these issues. The content is also highly relevant to practitioners in all other health care and legal disciplines that collaborate in the delivery of health care. Issues discussed include the expanding and evolving roles for professional nurses and the concomitant legal accountability and risk for liability, the increasing incidence of nurses named as defendants in malpractice lawsuits, anticipated changes in our health care delivery system, and breakthroughs in science and technology that will present new legal questions. The book also includes material on other important facets of today's nursing practice, including the growing phenomenon of tele-nursing, the essentials of malpractice insurance, and the legal significance of documentation and patients' medical records. It helps the reader identify the nurse at risk for a malpractice suit and the characteristics of the patient likely to sue. The appendices provide information on state laws concerned with access to medical records, a list of useful websites, a list of state boards of nursing, and a glossary of important terms.

This book focuses on the key technologies in developing biomechatronic systems for medical rehabilitation purposes. It includes a detailed analysis of biosignal processing, biomechanics modelling, neural and muscular interfaces, artificial actuators, robot-assisted training, clinical setup/implementation and rehabilitation robot control. Encompassing highly multidisciplinary themes in the engineering and medical fields, it presents researchers' insights into the emerging technologies and developments that are being utilized in biomechatronics for medical purposes. Presenting a detailed analysis of five key areas in rehabilitation robotics: (i) biosignal processing; (ii) biomechanics modelling; (iii) neural and muscular interfaces; (iv) artificial actuators and devices; and (v) the use of neurological and muscular interfaces in rehabilitation robots control, the book describes the design of biomechatronic systems, the methods and control systems used and the implementation and testing in order to show how they fulfil the needs of that specific area of rehabilitation. Providing a comprehensive overview of the background of biomechatronics and details of new advances in the field, it is especially useful for researchers, academics and graduates new to the field of biomechatronics engineering, and is also of interest to researchers and clinicians in the medical field who are not engineers.

This book covers the state-of-the-art research on advanced high-resolution tomography, exploring its role in regenerative medicine. and also explores the 3D interactions between tissues, cells, and biomaterials. Various multidisciplinary paths in regenerative medicine are covered, including X-ray microtomography and its role in regenerative medicine, synchrotron radiation-based microtomography and phase contrast tomography, the challenge of the vascularization of regenerated tissues, lung and cartilage imaging, and more. This is an ideal book for biomedical engineers, biologists, physicists, clinicians, and students who want to pursue their studies in the field of regenerative medicine. This book also: Reviews in detail the algorithms and software used for the 3D exploration of regenerated tissue Covers the latest research on the use of X-ray microtomography for muscle diseases Details applications of synchrotron radiation tomography in orthopedics and dentistry

Mechanical laws of motion were applied very early for better understanding anthropomorphic action as suggested in advance by Newton "For from hence are easily deduced the forces of machines, which are compounded of wheels, pullies, levers, cords, and weights, ascending directly or obliquely, and other mechanical powers; as also the force of the tendons to move the bones of animals". In the 19th century E.J. Marey and E. Muybridge introduced chronophotography to scientifically investigate animal and human movements. They opened the field of motion analysis by being the first scientists to correlate ground reaction forces with kinetics. Despite of the apparent simplicity of a given skilled movement, the organization of the underlying neuro-musculo-skeletal system remains unknown. A reason is the redundancy of the motor system: a given action can be realized by different muscle and joint activity patterns, and the same underlying activity may give rise to several movements. After the pioneering work of N. Bernstein in the 60's on the existence of motor synergies, numerous researchers "walking on the border" of their disciplines tend to discover laws and principles underlying the human motions and how the brain reduces the redundancy of the system. These synergies represent the fundamental building blocks composing complex movements. In robotics, researchers face the same redundancy and complexity challenges as the researchers in life sciences. This book gathers works of roboticists and researchers in biomechanics in order to promote an interdisciplinary research on anthropomorphic systems at large and on humanoid robotics in particular.

Cell surface small molecules and macromolecules, such as members of cholesterol family (including steroid hormones), the glycolipid family (sphingolipids), the glycoprotein family (both N-linked and O-linked), and a vast array of other receptors have been shown to be involved in normal and abnormal cellular processes. The 11th International Symposium on Cell Surface Macromolecules, held in Mohali, India, in February 2017 provided a comprehensive update on the major advances in this area. Presenting selected contributions from this meeting, this book comprises 24 chapters, which provide in-depth analyses of data on the role of cell surface macromolecules in cellular function and their alterations associated with pathological conditions. It includes comprehensive research papers and critical overviews of the functional role of cell surface molecules, discussing topics such as biochemical, biophysical, and cell biological approaches to study cell membrane molecules, and metabolism of glycoconjugates.

The new edition will discuss recent advances in computer modeling, including how fields generated outside the body are distributed inside and how various frequencies may interact differently with natural biological or biochemical cycles. It covers the basic biological, medical, physical, and electrical engineering principles and experimental results concerning how electric and magnetic fields affect biological systems-both as potential hazards to health and as potential tools for medical treatment and scientific research. It also briefly includes material on the relationship between the science and the regulatory processes concerning human exposure to the fields.

Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care:Biobehavioral Approaches for the Life Course Rhonda J. Moore, editor This book takes both a biobehavioral and a lifespan approach to understanding long-term and chronic pain, and intervening to optimize patients' functioning. Rich in clinical diversity, chapters explore emerging areas of interest (computer-based interventions, fibromyalgia, stress), ongoing concerns (cancer pain, low back pain), and special populations (pediatric, elderly, military). This coverage provides readers with a knowledge base in assessment, treatment, and management that is up to date, practice strengthening, and forward looking. Subject areas featured in the Handbook include: Patient-practitioner communication Assessment tools and strategies Common pain conditions across the lifespan Biobehavioral mechanisms of chronic pain Pharmaceutical, neurological, and rehabilitative interventions Psychosocial, complementary/alternative, narrative, and spiritual approaches Ethical issue and future directions With the rise of integrative perspective and the emphasis on overall quality of life rather than discrete symptoms, pain management is gaining importance across medical disciplines. Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care stands out as a one-stop reference for a range of professionals, including health practitioners specializing in pain management or palliative care, clinical and health psychologists, public health professionals, and clinicians and administrators in long-term care and hospice.

Borrowing techniques from improvisation theatre, RFG is a playful method of promoting creativity, growth and good relationship functioning for both therapist and client. It contains: detailed descriptions and instructions for use of more than 80 games and exercises that are applicable to group, couples, family and individual therapy; 13 case examples and numerous clinical vignettes; and a discussion of how the text relates to other therapeutic approaches and how its techniques can be integrated with other therapies.

Explore the possibilities for successfully treating incarcerated or community-based substance abusersSubstance Abuse Treatment with Correctional Clients: Practical Implications for Institutional and Community Settings provides key research findings and policy implications for treating alcohol- and drug-addicted correctional clients. This book addresses a range of critical issues associated with delivering treatment in institutional and community settings. The critical thinking questions, tables, extensive bibliographies, and name and subject index will help academics and practitioners in criminal justice, sociology, counseling/psychology, and public policy. Substance Abuse Treatment with Correctional Clients shares the practical knowledge of researchers and practitioners in the fields of drug and alcohol addictions, substance abuse counseling, and criminal justice. The first section provides a review of the theoretical explanations for substance abuse, "best practice" treatment programs for substance abusers, and the use of coerced/mandated treatment. The second section addresses the substance-addicted offender in the institutional setting, the third includes works that describe community-based treatment programs and the problems associated with them, and the fourth looks at special treatment populations, including juveniles and adolescent females. In Substance Abuse Treatment with Correctional Clients, you will find: reviews of various types of treatment programs being used to treat substance-addicted individuals a study of the predictors of success and/or failure in corrections-based substance abuse programming--how to identify and use the predictors to prevent relapse arguments for and against coerced treatment in the correctional environment, and the concept of "motivation" a thorough investigation of the therapeutic community (TC) program for institutional-based substance abusers descriptions of treatment programming designed specifically for substance abusing community corrections clients--drug courts and Pennsylvania's Restrictive Intermediate Punishment treatment programSubstance Abuse Treatment with Correctional Clients guides you through the major policy issues faced by those who provide substance abuse treatment under what can only be described as coercive circumstances. In this important resource, you will discover major treatment modules as well as advice for working with adult, juvenile, and male or female offenders. This book provides you with the techniques that treatment communities need for helping offenders stay clean after they re-enter the community environment.

This volume contributes to an emerging field that could be referred to as "plural spiritual care and chaplaincy". It's innovative approach brings together contributions from a broad range of contexts and religious traditions and includes empirical work and conceptual explorations. It helps to fill the gap between practices and developments related to plural spiritual care and chaplaincy in the scholarly discourse.

Art as Therapy introduces the theory and practice of art therapy in a concise, accessible and informative way. Tessa Dalley's introduction gives an overview of basic issues, research and development. Subsequent chapters, written by specialists, are chosen to demonstrate the ways in which art therapy can be applied to different client groups, in a variety of clinical settings. These include children, adolescents suffering from anorexia nervosa, the mentally handicapped, the elderly and terminally ill, those in psychiatric hospitals and prison inmates. Illustrated case studies provide visual explanations for the art therapy processes and the final chapter discusses training for the profession. Art as Therapy has been welcomed by art therapists, social workers, psychologists, nurses and teachers.