This book introduces readers to the latest exciting advances in human motion sensing and recognition, from the theoretical development of fuzzy approaches to their applications. The topics covered include human motion recognition in 2D and 3D, hand motion analysis with contact sensors, and vision-based view-invariant motion recognition, especially from the perspective of Fuzzy Qualitative techniques. With the rapid development of technologies in microelectronics, computers, networks, and robotics over the last decade, increasing attention has been focused on human motion sensing and recognition in many emerging and active disciplines where human motions need to be automatically tracked, analyzed or understood, such as smart surveillance, intelligent human-computer interaction, robot motion learning, and interactive gaming. Current challenges mainly stem from the dynamic environment, data multi-modality, uncertain sensory information, and real-time issues. These techniques are shown to effectively address the above challenges by bridging the gap between symbolic cognitive functions and numerical sensing & control tasks in intelligent systems. The book not only serves as a valuable reference source for researchers and professionals in the fields of computer vision and robotics, but will also benefit practitioners and graduates/postgraduates seeking advanced information on fuzzy techniques and their applications in motion analysis.

This is a comprehensive text for nurse practitioners that integrates the required clinical skills with professional and theoretical issues in one book. It uses a systems approach to cover the most frequently presenting problems that the nurse practitioner will encounter. The scope of the book then widens to include psychological and emotional problems as well as the special needs of children and those patients with chronic health problems. Using a practical approach the content is based on current best evidence. The book has been derived from the editors' experience as a course team running the RCN Institute BSc Nurse Practitioner course in Lancaster and Carlisle. Nurse practitioners is an essential purchase for all nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students. It is relevant to both primary and secondary care, and fulfils the needs of those nurses working towards a higher level of autonomous practice. Comprehensive coverage of the new clinical skills that NPs will need in their expanding roles will give them confidence and enable them to pass their courses Highly illustrated with clear line drawings to aid understanding and learning Subject experts have contributed to various chapters to ensure that best practice is given throughout End of chapter summaries aid revision Reference lists facilitate further study Fully updated in line with clinical and policy developments and includes new material in the form of research studies and literature The pharmacology content of each chapter has been increased to reflect the development of nurse prescribing and the growth of patient group directives New chapters on: Blood Disorders, Endocrine Disorders, Common Paediatric Problems, Common Mental Problems New user friendly page design and layout

Biomaterials for Oral and Dental Tissue Engineering examines the combined impact of materials, advanced techniques and applications of engineered oral tissues. With a strong focus on hard and soft intraoral tissues, the book looks at how biomaterials can be manipulated and engineered to create functional oral tissue for use in restorative dentistry, periodontics, endodontics and prosthodontics. Covering the current knowledge of material production, evaluation, challenges, applications and future trends, this book is a valuable resource for materials scientists and researchers in academia and industry. The first set of chapters reviews a wide range of biomaterial classes for oral tissue engineering. Further topics include material characterization, modification, biocompatibility and biotoxicity. Part Two reviews strategies for biomaterial scaffold design, while chapters in parts three and four review soft and hard tissues.

An encyclopedia covering the history of nursing, spanning topics from abortion to World War II.

Atherosclerotic Plaque Characterization Methods Based on Coronary Imaging provides a complete review of computer methods for atherosclerotic plaque reconstruction and characterization. The authors, with their expertise from biomedical engineering, computer science, and cardiology, offer a holistic view. The focus of the book is on the presentation of major imaging techniques, including their limitations. It includes details on the mechanical characterization and properties of plaques and appropriate constitutive models to describe the mechanical behavior of plaques. The authors explore the challenges of using multiple coronary imaging technologies, and provide the pros and cons of invasive vs. non-invasive techniques. Methods for plaque characterization and 3D reconstruction of coronary arteries using IVUS, OCT, and CT images are described. This book will help readers study new trends in image processing analysis and plaque characterization, implement automated plaque characterization methodologies, understand coronary imaging drawbacks, and comprehend 3 dimensional coronary artery and plaque reconstruction methods.

This book marries stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative biology into a single, interdisciplinary volume. The chapters also explore embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, cardiovascular regeneration, skeletal development, inflammation, polymeric biomaterials, neural injury, cartilage regeneration, regeneration in ambystoma, models for regeneration using salamander and zebrafish, and more. The volume also discusses recent advances and their potential in developing future therapies. Innovations in Molecular Mechanisms and Tissue Engineering combines perspectives from the biomedical, bioengineering, and medical fields to present a cutting-edge, multifaceted picture of the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields. This installment of Springer's Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series is ideal for scientists, clinicians, and researchers in the fields of stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, biomedical engineering, and tissue engineering.

This book discusses recent advances in hydrogels, including their generation and applications and presents a compendium of fundamental concepts. It highlights the most important hydrogel materials, including physical hydrogels, chemical hydrogels, and nanohydrogels and explores the development of hydrogel-based novel materials that respond to external stimuli, such as temperature, pressure, pH, light, biochemicals or magnetism, which represent a new class of intelligent materials. With their multiple cooperative functions, hydrogel-based materials exhibit different potential applications ranging from biomedical engineering to water purification systems. This book covers key topics including superabsorbent polymer hydrogel; intelligent hydrogels for drug delivery; hydrogels from catechol-conjugated materials; nanomaterials loaded hydrogel; electrospinning of hydrogels; biopolymers-based hydrogels; injectable hydrogels; interpenetrating-polymer-network hydrogels: radiation- and sonochemical synthesis of micro/nano/macroscopic hydrogels; DNA-based hydrogels; and multifunctional applications of hydrogels. It will prove a valuable resource for researchers working in industry and academia alike.

This book explains the anatomy and physiology of cartilage tissue in an integrated way. The emphasis is on how cartilage tissue functions and maintains homeostasis in a challenging mechanical environment. Supported by hundreds of references, the book posts new hypotheses explaining how cartilage adapts and achieves homeostasis in vivo, and tests them against available data. This exploratory approach creates a sense of discovery that the reader can join, or perhaps test themselves through their own research. The main benefit will be obtained by research students and professors looking to understand the deeper concepts that will further their own research, or clinicians (including health professionals and surgeons) who want to gain a deeper physiological understanding of cartilage tissue, which can then serve as a basis for more rational clinical decision-making they need to make on a daily basis. To help bridge the gap between basic science and clinically relevant joint disease, applications and interpretations of key physiological concepts are discussed in the context of osteoarthritis at the end of most chapters.

This volume is about ultra high-speed cameras, which enable us to see what we normally do not see. These are objects that are moving very fast, or that we just ignore. Ultra high-speed cameras invite us to a wonderland of microseconds. There Alice (the reader) meets a ultra high-speed rabbit (this volume) and travels together through this wonderland from the year 1887 to 2017. They go to the horse riding ground and see how a horse gallops. The rabbit takes her to a showroom where various cameras and illumination devices are presented. Then, he sends Alice into semiconductor labyrinths, wind tunnels, mechanical processing factories, and dangerous explosive fields. Sometimes Alice is large, and at other times she is very small. She sits even inside a car engine. She falls down together with a droplet. She enters a microbubble, is thrown out with a jet stream, and finds herself in a human body. Waking up from her dream, she sees children playing a game: "I see what you do not see, and this is....". Alice thinks: "The ultra high-speed rabbit showed me many things which I had never seen. Now I will go again to this wonderland, and try to find something new.

Medication management is an essential component of therapeutic success in the treatment of chronic diseases. However, patients who do not regularly take their prescribed medications are a primary concern of health systems worldwide. A significant proportion of patients on chronic medications fail to adhere to their treatments, and suboptimal adherence leads to dire clinical and financial consequences on the personal level. Moreover, non-adherence can adversely impact public healthcare costs and the clinical outcomes of patients. Design and Quality Considerations for Developing Mobile Apps for Medication Management: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a collection of innovative research that combines theory and practice on optimizing strategies to improve medication adherence and overall health and wellbeing in patients through the design of usable and reliable mobile app-based systems. Highlighting a broad range of topics including pharmaceutical care, quality assessment, and health behavior frameworks, this book is ideally designed for clinicians, pharmacists, healthcare providers, programmers, software developers, researchers, academicians, and students.

This issue of Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery focuses on Foot and Ankle Arthrodesis. Article topics include: Lesser Toe Arthrodesis; First Metatarsophalangeal Arthrodesis; Tarsometatarsal Arthrodesis for Lisfranc's Injuries;Subtalar Joint Arthrodesis for Elective and Post-Traumatic Foot and Ankle Deformity; Midfoot and Hindfoot Arthrodesis for Elective and Post-Traumatic Foot and Ankle Deformity; Internal and/or External Fixation for Ankle Arthrodesis; Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis; Management of Osteomyelitis, Bone Loss and Arthrodesis in the Diabetic Charcot Foot and Ankle; Free Flap Coverage for Revisional Foot and Ankle Procedures; and Current Orthobiologics for Elective Arthrodesis and Nonunions of the Foot and Ankle.

The Guest Editors have assembled expert authors to contribute current reviews devoted to critical care in pediatrics. The articles are devoted to Simulation and Impact on Code Sepsis; Cardiac Rapid Response Team/Modified Cardiac PEWS Development; Impact on Cardiopulmonary Arrest Events on Inpatient Cardiac Unit; Promoting Safety in Post-Tracheostomy Placement Patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Through Protocol; Innovation in Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers Prevention in Neonatal Post-Cardiac Surgery Patients; Utilizing an Interactive Patient Care System in an Acute Care Pediatric Hospital Setting to Improve Patient Outcomes; Advances in Pediatric Pulmonary Artery Hypertension; and Creating a Safety Program in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit or Assessing Pain in the Pediatric Intensive Care Patients to name a few. Readers will come away with information that is actionable in the pediatric ICU.

Characterization of Polymeric Biomaterials presents a comprehensive introduction on the topic before discussing the morphology and surface characterization of biomedical polymers. The structural, mechanical, and biological characterization is described in detail, followed by invaluable case studies of polymer biomaterial implants. With comprehensive coverage of both theoretical and experimental information, this title will provide scientists with an essential guide on the topic of these materials which are regularly used for clinical applications, such as implants and drug delivery devices. However, a range of novel polymers and the development and modification of existing medical polymers means that there is an ongoing need to satisfy particular design requirements. This book explains the critical and fundamentals methods to characterize polymer materials for biomedical applications.

This issue of Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America, devoted to Obstructive Sleep Apnea, is guest edited by Dr. Mark A. D'Agostino. Articles in this outstanding issue include: Pediatric Sleep Apnea; Skeletal Procedures for Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Nasal Obstruction and its Role in Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Nasal procedures; Sleep Testing; Drug-induced Sleep Endoscopy; PAP Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Palatal Procedures for Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Oral Appliances for Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Obstructive Sleep Apnea Overview and Economic Impact of Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Genioglossal Advancement, Hyoid Suspension and Tongue Base Radio Frequency for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Endoscopic Partial Midline Glossectomy; Robotic Partial Glossectomy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Upper Airway Stimulation Therapy.

Prosodic Features and Prosodic Structure presents an overall view of the nature of prosodic features of language - accent, stress, rhythm, tone, pitch, and intonation - and shows how these connect to sound systems and meaning. This invaluable survey will appeal to linguists at all levels, in particular to phonologists, phoneticians, and researchers in related applied fields such as speech pathology and speech synthesis.

The most comprehensive and up-to-date high-yield review available for the USMLE (R) Step 2 CK-completely revised and better than ever! The expert author team that guided students to success on the USMLE (R) Step 1 presents the latest edition of this skill-sharpening review for the USMLE (R) Step 2 CK. With an easy-to-follow bulleted presentation of must-know diseases and disorders, this one-of-a-kind study companion offers the most current overview of all core areas on the boards. Included is a host of learning tools, from key facts and mnemonics to full-color illustrations and proven test-taking strategies everything students need to pass the exam with flying colors. * Co-written by students who excelled on the recent exam and reviewed by top faculty * Concise summaries of more than 1,000 commonly tested clinical topics for fast, high-yield study * Key Facts and mnemonics reinforce must-know concepts * Expert coverage of best initial steps in diagnosis and management * Updated Rapid Review section facilitates last-minute cramming * Hundreds of full-color photographs and illustrations * Revised study and test-taking strategies * A completely updated listing of top-rated review sources

This book discusses the latest developments of the synthesis, preparation, characterization, and applications of nano/microstructure-based materials in biomedical and energetic fields. It introduces several popular approaches to fabricating these materials, including template-assisted fabrication, electrospinning of organic/inorganic hybrid materials, biomineralization-mediated self-assembly, etc. The latest results in material evaluation for targeted applications are also presented. In particular, the book highlights the latest advances and future challenges in polymer nanodielectrics for energy storage applications. As such, it offers a valuable reference guide for scholars interested in the synthesis and evaluation of nano/microstructure-based materials, as well as their biomedical and energetic applications. It also provides essential insights for graduate students and scientists pursuing research in the broad fields of composite materials, polymers, organic/inorganic hybrid materials, nano-assembly, etc.

Trauma Plating Systems is the first reference and systematic book in the topic of trauma plating system in view of biomechanical, material, biological, and clinical aspects. The effects of these aspects on effectiveness of trauma plating fixation are deeply reviewed, discussed, and challenged from which promising evaluation and development concepts are explored. This book is divided into five sections: Section I covers general concepts of biomechanical, material, biological, and clinical aspects. Then it provides fundamentals of trauma plating systems, principles of biomechanical evaluation methods, and biomechanics of plating fixation in Section II. Section III reviews current metallic materials with their advantages and disadvantages in plating fixation of bone fractures and new promising materials with their potential benefits to enhance the effectiveness of plating fixation. Section IV represents currently concerned biomechanical-clinical challenges of plating fixation for various bone fractures, and Section V presents current and new development concepts of this type of trauma implants. This book as an accessible and easy usable textbook for various disciplines of audiences who are dealing with trauma plating system and fixation such as orthopedic surgeons, trauma implant manufacturers, biomechanical researchers, biomaterial researchers, and all biomedical or medical students and residents in different levels of education. Author has been diligent in both engineering and research environments in terms of research, testing, analysis, validation, verification, clinical studies, and technical writing. His main interest and effort is to integrate biomechanical, material, biological, and clinical requirements of orthopedic implants for creation of novel design conception in this industry. He has developed the website http://orthoimplant-development.com/ for further communication in development of orthopedic implants.

Protein pharmaceuticals form a fast-growing category in the arsenal of drugs. This book explores the nature of different analytical techniques and the way in which they are related to pharmaceutical proteins. In addition to serving the analytical chemist, this book is needed by the formulation scientist who is responsible for design and formulation of a pharmaceutical protein that can be monitored during production and over time.

Nanostructures for Novel Therapy: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications focuses on the fabrication and characterization of therapeutic nanostructures, in particular, synthesis, design, and in vitro and in vivo therapeutic evaluation. The chapters provide a cogent overview of recent therapeutic applications of nanostructured materials that includes applications of nanostructured materials for wound healing in plastic surgery and stem cell therapy. The book explores the promise for more effective therapy through the use of nanostructured materials, while also assessing the challenges their use might pose from both an economic and medicinal point of view. This innovative look at how nanostructured materials are used in therapeutics will be of great benefit to researchers, providing a greater understanding of the different ways nanomaterials could improve medical treatment, along with a discussion of the obstacles that need to be overcome in order to guarantee widespread availability.