In recent years there has been tremendous progress in the area of tissue engineering research. This book focusses on the fundamental principles underpinning these recent advances in the materials science developed for tissue engineering purposes. Smart materials for tissue engineering are produced by modifying the physicochemical and biological properties of the scaffolds with response to external stimuli to enhance the tissue regeneration. The functions of living cells can be regulated by smart materials which respond to changes in the surrounding microenvironment. This book comprehensively documents the recent advancements in smart materials for tissue engineering and will provide an essential text for those working in materials science and materials engineering, in academia and industry.

Intelligent Manufacturing is a new disciplinary field which applies computer science, artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering and systems science to industrial manufacturing processes. This book presents a new integration architecture for implementing real-time distributed intelligent manufacturing systems.

This book analyzes the patterns of and factors associated with health seeking behavior and out-of-pocket (OOP) spending on chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) in rural Malawi. The author used descriptive statistics to describe treatment options and related household OOP expenditure on CNCDs and econometrics models to analyze factors influencing health seeking behavior and OOP expenditure on CNCDs. This study found that in spite of a context where care for CNCDs should in principle be free of charge at the point of use, the utilization rates of CNCD care are still low and OOP payments impose a considerable financial burden on rural households, especially among the poorest.

In recent years there has been tremendous progress in the area of tissue engineering research. This two-volume set, containing Smart Materials for Tissue Engineering: Fundamental Principles and Smart Materials for Tissue Engineering: Applications, provides a complete overview of the field. Volume one covers the fundamental principles underpinning the materials science developed for enhancing tissue regeneration, as well as those used for regulating the functions of living cells. Volume two focuses on the applications of different materials for replacing or facilitating tissue regeneration. It also provides examples of new materials that have been developed to control cell behaviours and tissue formation by biomimetic topography which closely replicate the natural extracellular matrix. This set comprehensively documents the recent advancements in smart materials for tissue engineering and provides an essential text for those working in materials science and materials engineering, in academia and industry. Please see the webpages for the individual volumes in the set to access the eBook versions.