This book addresses two fundamental issues of motor control for both humans and robots: kinematic redundancy and the posture/movement problem. It blends traditional robotic constrained-optimal approaches with neuroscientific and evidence-based principles, proposing a "Task-space Separation Principle," a novel scheme for planning both posture and movement in redundant manipulators. The proposed framework is first tested in simulation and then compared with experimental motor strategies displayed by humans during redundant pointing tasks. The book also shows how this model builds on and expands traditional formulations such as the Passive Motion Paradigm and the Equilibrium Point Theory. Lastly, breaking with the neuroscientific tradition of planar movements and linear(ized) kinematics, the theoretical formulation and experimental scenarios are set in the nonlinear space of 3D rotations which are essential for wrist motions, a somewhat neglected area despite its importance in daily tasks.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and premature death of modern era medicine. It is estimated that approximately 81 million people in the United States (US) currently have one or more of the many forms of cardiovascular disease, resulting in 1 in every 2.8 deaths, or 900,000 deaths per year. 40% of all deaths in Europe are a result of cardiovascular disease in people under the age of 75. Aneurysms form a significant portion of these cardiovascular related deaths and are defined as a permanent and irreversible localised dilation of a blood vessel greater than 50% of its normal diameter. Although aneurysms can form in any blood vessel, the more lethal aneurysms develop in the cranial arteries, and in the thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta. Frequently aneurysms are undetected and if left untreated may eventually expand until rupture with very high levels of morbidity and mortality. The biomechanics and mechanobiology of aneursymal diseases are not fully understood and this monograph aims to provide new insights into aneurysm aetiology and behavior based on the most recent biomechanics research related to this important topic. The contributors to this volume bring together a unique blend of expertise in experimental, computational and tissue biomechanics relating to aneurysm behavior and enable the reader to gain a fresh understanding of key factors influencing aneurysm behavior and treatment. Biological risk factors such as tobacco smoking, sex, age, hypertension, family history and mechanobiological risk factors such as aneurysm geometry and shape as well as mechanical properties of the diseased tissues are considered in detail as are many of the diagnostic and treatment options.

This volume aims to connect current ideas and concepts about GI disorders with the search for novel therapeutics. Towards this goal, authors provide a timely state-of-the-art overview of the GI tract in health and disease, current treatment approaches and ongoing developments in drug discovery, and their potential for the better treatment of patients with GI disorders.

Cardiac electrophysiologists face many challenging situations in which there is no clear-cut answer about the best way to handle a particular clinical problem. This issue brings together articles on many such situations, presents arguments on both sides, and lets the reader conclude which is the best way to manage a particular patient.? Among the controversial and debatable topics included are how to handle device recalls, optimal timing for assessment of ICD efficacy, extraction o f broken leads, and anticoagulation therapy in device patients.

This special issue of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology on Heart Failure covers the entire spectrum of the field, from the current understanding and definitions of heart failure, to epidemiology and the importance of co-morbidities, clinical trial design and biomarkers, as well as imaging technologies. The main focus of this book is to review current and emerging heart failure therapies and potential targets for treatment.

This issue of Endocrinology Clinics brings the reader up to date on the latest information about hormones and cancer of the breast and prostate.? The first section focuses on the breast, and topics covered include the following.? The role of sex steroids and their receptors in normal breast development; estrogen carcinogenesis in breast cancer; hormonal mechanisms underlying the relationship between obesity and breast cancer; postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy and the risk of breast cancer; aromatase inhibitors, anti-estrogen and SERMS in the treatment of breast cancer; and androgens in breast cancer in men and women.? The second section is devoted to the prostate, and topics covered include the following.? Overview of prostate anatomy, histology, and pathology; the critical role of sex steroids in normal prostate development; estrogens and androgens in prostate cancer development and the rationale for hormonal chemopreventive therapies; weighing the clinical evidence regarding the timing and extent of androgen ablative therapy for prostate cancer treatment; new hormonal therapies for castration-resistant prostate cancer; and the management of the side effects of castration therapy.

This book focuses on interdisciplinary research in the field of biomedical engineering and neuroscience. Biomedical engineering is a vast field, ranging from bioengineering to brain-computer interfaces. The book explores the system-level function and dysfunction of the nervous system from scientific and engineering perspectives. The initial sections introduce readers to the physiology of the brain, and to the biomedical tools needed for diagnostics and effective therapies for various neurodegenerative and regenerative disorders. In turn, the book summarizes the biomedical interventions that are used to understand the neural mechanisms underlying empathy disorders, and reviews recent advances in biomedical engineering for rehabilitation in connection with neurodevelopmental disorders and brain injuries. Lastly, the book discusses innovations in machine learning and artificial intelligence for computer-aided disease diagnosis and treatment, as well as applications of nanotechnology in therapeutic neurology.

Written by leading researchers, this text explores the intersection of genetics and metabolomics, and points the way to more comprehensive studies of inborn variation of metabolism. All chapters refer to one or more published experimental datasets.

This volume explores some of the most exciting recent advances in basic research on cellular RNA interference mechanisms and how this knowledge is leading to advances in the various fields.
* This series provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas
* Contributions from leading scholars and industry experts
* Reference guide for researchers involved in molecular biology and related fields

Traditional research methodologies in the human respiratory system have always been challenging due to their invasive nature. Recent advances in medical imaging and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have accelerated this research. This book compiles and details recent advances in the modelling of the respiratory system for researchers, engineers, scientists, and health practitioners. It breaks down the complexities of this field and provides both students and scientists with an introduction and starting point to the physiology of the respiratory system, fluid dynamics and advanced CFD modeling tools. In addition to a brief introduction to the physics of the respiratory system and an overview of computational methods, the book contains best-practice guidelines for establishing high-quality computational models and simulations. Inspiration for new simulations can be gained through innovative case studies as well as hands-on practice using pre-made computational code. Last but not least, students and researchers are presented the latest biomedical research activities, and the computational visualizations will enhance their understanding of physiological functions of the respiratory system.

This book sheds new light on the development and use of quantitative models to describe the process of skin permeation. It critically reviews the development of quantitative predictive models of skin absorption and discusses key recommendations for model development. Topics presented include an introduction to skin physiology; the underlying theories of skin absorption; the physical laboratory-based processes used to generate skin absorption data, which is in turn used to construct mathematical models describing the skin permeation process; algorithms of skin permeability including quantitative structure-activity (or permeability) relationships (QSARs or QSPRs); relationships between permeability and molecular properties; the development of formulation-focused approaches to models of skin permeability prediction; the use of artificial membranes, e.g. polydimethylsiloxane as alternatives to mammalian skin; and lastly, the use of novel Machine Learning methods in developing the next generation of predictive skin permeability models. The book will be of interest to all researchers in academia and industry working in pharmaceutical discovery and development, as well as readers from the field of occupational exposure and risk assessment, especially those whose work involves agrochemicals, bulk chemicals and cosmetics.

Calcium ions represent Mother Nature's 'ion-of-choice' for regulating fundamental physiological functions, as they initiate a new life at the time of fertilization and guide subsequent developmental and physiological functions of the human body. Calcium channels, which act as gated pathways for the movement of calcium ions across the membranes, play a central part in the initiation of calcium signals, and defects in calcium channel function have been found to result in a plethora of human diseases, referred to as the calcium channelopathies. Pathologies of Calcium Channels brings together leading international experts to discuss our current understanding of human diseases associated with the various calcium channels, from their molecular basis to potential future therapeutic targeting of calcium channels.

"Therapeutic Outcome of Endocrine Disorders: Efficacy, Innovation and Quality of Life" presents the proceedings of an international symposium held from November 13-16, 1997 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The proceedings discuss scientific and clinical studies related to the treatment of endocrine disorders, including growth hormone deficiency, Turner Syndrome, constitutional delay of growth, treatment of diabetes, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and congenital hypothyroidism.

Serpins are a group of proteins with similar structures that were first identified as a set of proteins able to inhibit proteases. The acronym serpin was originally coined because many serpins inhibit chymotrypsin-like serine proteases. This volume of "Methods in Ezymology" is split into 2 parts and comprehensively covers the subject.

Pathophysiological states, neurological and psychiatric diseases are almost universally considered from the neurocentric point of view, with neurons being the principal cellular element of pathological process. The brain homeostasis, which lies at the fulcrum of healthy brain function, the compromise of which invariably results in dysfunction/disease, however, is entirely controlled by neuroglia. It is becoming clear that neuroglial cells are involved in various aspects of initiation, progression and resolution of neuropathology. In this book we aim to integrate the body of information that has accumulated in recent years revealing the active role of glia in such pathophysiological processes. Understanding roles of glial cells in pathology will provide new targets for medical intervention and aide the development of much needed therapeutics. This book will be particularly useful for researchers, students, physicians and psychotherapists working in the field of neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry.

The evolution of vertebrate hearing is of considerable interest in the hearing community. However, there has never been a volume that has focused on the paleontological evidence for the evolution of hearing and the ear, especially from the perspective of some of the leading paleontologists and evolutionary biologists in the world. Thus, this volume is totally unique, and takes a perspective that has never been taken before. It brings to the fore some of the most recent discoveries among fossil taxa, which have demonstrated the sort of detailed information that can be derived from the fossil record, illuminating the evolutionary pathways this sensory system has taken and the diversity it had achieved.

This collection of reviews will be of considerable interests to biologists and MDs working on any aspect of cardiovascular function. With state-of-the-art reviews written by competent experts in the field, the content is also of interest for MSc and PhD students in most fields of cardiovascular physiology.

The book "Paradigm Shift for Future Tennis" starts with revelations that make obvious the limitations of today's tennis, which does not use the laws of modern Biomechanics and Neurophysiology. The second part of the book includes a new approach to the quantum mind of a champion. It will reveal the secret weapon of Roger Federer and the blueprint of a future tennis champion. This book will expose the new tennis shot emerging from the field of sports science. It is a real weapon, which can generate a ball-speed similar to that of the first serve: the Power High-Forehand. Its aim is to generate maximal possible racket-head speed while players do not wait for the ball to bounce. This is both a tactical and psychological basis for the future tennis game. This aggressive interceptive psychology will shape the minds of future tennis champions. High racket-head speed can be achieved using the stretch-reflex, without big loops and swings. Weapons of a future tennis game will comprise of whip-like tennis serves and ground strokes, based on the stretch-reflex, and using the whole body in a fluid and integrated manner, thus manifesting a superb combination of speed and strength. Restructure your brain and apply the power of state of the art biomechanical, mathematical, medical, neural, cognitive, and quantum computational intelligence to understand the tennis of today and the future

Arterial chemoreceptors are unique structures which continuously monitor changes in arterial blood oxygen, carbon dioxide, glucose, and acid. Alterations in these gases are almost instantaneously sensed by arterial chemoreceptors and relayed into a physiological response which restores blood homeostasis. Arterial Chemoreception contains updated material regarding the physiology of the primary arterial chemoreceptor; the carotid body. Moreover, this book also explores tantalizing evidence regarding the contribution of the aortic bodies, chromaffin cells, lung neuroepithelial bodies, and brainstem areas involved in monitoring changes in blood gases. Furthermore this collection includes data showing the critical importance of these chemoreceptors in the pathophysiology of human disease and possible therapeutic treatments. This book is a required text for any researcher in the field of arterial chemoreception for years to come. It is also a critical text for physicians searching for bench-to-bedside treatments for heart failure, sleep apnea, and pulmonary hypertension.

This book sheds new light on the physiology, molecular biology and pathophysiology of epithelial ion channels and transporters. It combines the basic cellular models and functions by means of a compelling clinical perspective, addressing aspects from the laboratory bench to the bedside. The individual chapters, written by leading scientists and clinicians, explore specific ion channels and transporters located in the epithelial tissues of the kidney, intestine, pancreas and respiratory tract, all of which play a crucial part in maintaining homeostasis. Further topics include the fundamentals of epithelial transport; mathematical modeling of ion transport; cell volume regulation; membrane protein folding and trafficking; transepithelial transport functions; and lastly, a discussion of transport proteins as potential pharmacological targets with a focus on the pharmacology of potassium channels.

First published in 1943, "Vitamins and Hormones" is the longest-running serial published by Academic Press. The Editorial Board now reflects expertise in the field of hormone action, vitamin action, X-ray crystal structure, physiology, and enzyme mechanisms.
Under the capable and qualified editorial leadership of Dr. Gerald Litwack, "Vitamins and Hormones" continues to publish cutting-edge reviews of interest to endocrinologists, biochemists, nutritionists, pharmacologists, cell biologists, and molecular biologists. Others interested in the structure and function of biologically active molecules like hormones and vitamins will, as always, turn to this series for comprehensive reviews by leading contributors to this and related disciplines.
This volume focuses on insulin and IGFs.
*Longest running series published by Academic Press
*Contributions by leading international authorities

Our understanding of the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying scoliosis is rapidly evolving, this timely second edition of The Genetics and Development of Scoliosis is to provide researchers, clinicians, and students with the most current views in this field. This volume brings together leaders in understanding congenital and idiopathic scoliosis to present the current state of research, and to compare the genetic etiology of these conditions, in order to identify potential shared developmental mechanisms. This book will summarize the recent advances in studies of spinal development and how disruptions during embryogenesis in embryonic segmentation can lead to congenital vertebral defects. In addition, recent reports of genetic loci predisposing patients to develop juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis will be presented, and key clinical features are reviewed. Finally, there will be discussion of how genetic heterogeneity and gene-environment interactions may contribute to congenital scoliosis and isolated vertebral malformations.