"Bioceramics 10" contains the proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Ceramics in Medicine, held in Paris, France, in October 1997. These annual symposia bring together distinguished researchers in the fields of ceramics and medicine to exchange ideas and to discuss recent research results.

Bioceramics in medicine has become one of the more important fields of biomaterials. The clinical applications of bioceramics are numerous. In particular in areas such as orthopaedic surgery, dentistry and plastic surgery, but also E.N.T., percutaneous devices and embolisation materials. In addition to the many clinical applications, "Bioceramics 10" deals with a range of fundamental subjects in depth.

This book will be an essential reference tool for both clinicians, academics and industrial researchers interested in the use of ceramics in medicine. The book will also be of great value to students and lecturers in materials science, biomedical engineering and orthopaedics. This volume contains 140 papers, more than 200 high quality photographs, and both author and keyword indexes.

Superconductors offer high throughput with low electric losses and have the potential to transform the electric power grid. Transmission networks incorporating cables of this type could, for example, deliver more power and enable substantial energy savings. Superconductors in the Power Grid: Materials and Applications provides an overview of superconductors and their applications in power grids. Sections address the design and engineering of cable systems and fault current limiters and other emerging applications for superconductors in the power grid, as well as case studies of industrial applications of superconductors in the power grid.

Management by Missions is the idea of distributing the corporate mission to all levels of a company. The corporate mission is then made operational through objectives, which have no value in themselves, but are vital as a means to fulfil the mission. This new management philosophy ensures better performance in all levels of the organization.

The improvement of the biological activity and performance of bone substitute materials is one of the main concerns of orthopaedic and dental surgery specialists. Biomimetic nanocrystalline apatites exhibit enhanced and tunable reactivity as well as original surface properties related to their composition and mode of formation. Synthetic nanocrystalline apatites analogous to bone mineral can be easily prepared in aqueous media and one of their most interesting characteristics is the existence of a hydrated surface layer containing labile ionic species. Ion exchange and macromolecule adsorption processes can easily and rapidly take place due to strong interactions with the surrounding fluids. The ion mobility in the hydrated layer allows direct crystal-crystal or crystal-substrate bonding. The fine characterisation of these very reactive nanocrystals is essential and can be accomplished with different tools including chemical analysis and spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, Raman and solid state NMR. The reactivity of the hydrated layer of apatite nanocrystals offers material scientists and medical engineers extensive possibilities for the design of biomaterials with improved bioactivity using unconventional processing. Indeed apatitic biomaterials can be processed at low temperature which preserves their surface reactivity and biological properties. They can also be associated in various ways with active molecules and/or ions. Several examples of use and processing of nanocrystalline apatites involved in the preparation of tissue-engineered biomaterials, cements, ceramics, composites and coatings on metal prostheses are presented.