In this period of upheaval of our nation's health care system, this timely work serves to increase awareness of and knowledge about the problems of societal living among the chronically disabled elderly. To meet the goal of optimal social functioning of the chronically disabled, past and present attitudes and practices of education, health care, and social service providers need to be examined and in many cases changed or discarded. Focusing on macro and micro contexts--and using examples to highlight actual experiences and processes--the need for a comprehensive approach to chronic disabling conditions is illustrated. This work has important implications for institutions of education in health and social sciences, policy makers in health care and social services, advocacy groups for the elderly and disabled, and individuals and families facing the care of the chronically disabled.

Drs. Vitola and Delbeke assembled a group of standout contributors in order to create a resource that advances the knowledge and skills of experienced nuclear cardiologists and radiologists while also preparing residents for the cutting-edge field of nuclear cardiology. Diagnostic tools, physics and instrumentation, and radiopharmaceuticals and protocols central to the field are examined. The comprehensive text covers key applications of myocardial perfusion imaging, including applications in special populations and in emergency departments. Risk assessment, pitfalls, and artefacts are addressed. Additional chapters detail the value of cardiac MRI, multislice computed tomography, stress echocardiography, and PET and PET/CT to nuclear cardiology. Practical case presentations and a wealth of illustrations reinforce instruction on diagnostic guidelines and methods.

The physical design flow of any project depends upon the size of the design, the technology, the number of designers, the clock frequency, and the time to do the design. As technology advances and design-styles change, physical design flows are constantly reinvented as traditional phases are removed and new ones are added to accommodate changes in technology. Handbook of Algorithms for Physical Design Automation provides a detailed overview of VLSI physical design automation, emphasizing state-of-the-art techniques, trends and improvements that have emerged during the previous decade. After a brief introduction to the modern physical design problem, basic algorithmic techniques, and partitioning, the book discusses significant advances in floorplanning representations and describes recent formulations of the floorplanning problem. The text also addresses issues of placement, net layout and optimization, routing multiple signal nets, manufacturability, physical synthesis, special nets, and designing for specialized technologies. It includes a personal perspective from Ralph Otten as he looks back on the major technical milestones in the history of physical design automation. Although several books on this topic are currently available, most are either too broad or out of date. Alternatively, proceedings and journal articles are valuable resources for researchers in this area, but the material is widely dispersed in the literature. This handbook pulls together a broad variety of perspectives on the most challenging problems in the field, and focuses on emerging problems and research results.

Spinal cord injury, or SCI, is frequently sudden and unexpected--through accident, disease, or violence, patients temporarily lose control of their bodies and, it seems, their lives. With rehabilitation, they can learn to navigate their world once more, retraining muscles and mind to compensate for paralyzed limbs and diminished strength. But as Dr. Michelle Alpert shows here, there is far more to recapturing full, independent lives than regaining movement. Central to long-term success is mending the family unit.

Combining Dr. Alpert's clinical experience with patients' own stories, "Spinal Cord Injury and the Family" is for individuals and their families who must climb back from injury: for the young quad couple, both quadriplegic, who wish to conceive and raise a child; for the paraplegic dad who wants to teach his daughter to drive; for the couple wondering how they can regain the sexual spark in their relationship.

The authors cover the causes of and prognosis for SCI through case studies, review common courses of rehabilitation, and answer the "what now?" questions--from daily routines to larger issues concerning sex, education and employment, childbearing, and parenting with SCI. Rich in clinical information and practical advice, the book shows how real patients and their families are living full lives after spinal cord injury.

Drs. Vitola and Delbeke assembled a group of standout contributors in order to create a resource that advances the knowledge and skills of experienced nuclear cardiologists and radiologists while also preparing residents for the cutting-edge field of nuclear cardiology. Diagnostic tools, physics and instrumentation, and radiopharmaceuticals and protocols central to the field are examined. The comprehensive text covers key applications of myocardial perfusion imaging, including applications in special populations and in emergency departments. Risk assessment, pitfalls, and artefacts are addressed. Additional chapters detail the value of cardiac MRI, multislice computed tomography, stress echocardiography, and PET and PET/CT to nuclear cardiology. Practical case presentations and a wealth of illustrations reinforce instruction on diagnostic guidelines and methods.

The physical design flow of any project depends upon the size of the design, the technology, the number of designers, the clock frequency, and the time to do the design. As technology advances and design-styles change, physical design flows are constantly reinvented as traditional phases are removed and new ones are added to accommodate changes in technology. Handbook of Algorithms for Physical Design Automation provides a detailed overview of VLSI physical design automation, emphasizing state-of-the-art techniques, trends and improvements that have emerged during the previous decade. After a brief introduction to the modern physical design problem, basic algorithmic techniques, and partitioning, the book discusses significant advances in floorplanning representations and describes recent formulations of the floorplanning problem. The text also addresses issues of placement, net layout and optimization, routing multiple signal nets, manufacturability, physical synthesis, special nets, and designing for specialized technologies. It includes a personal perspective from Ralph Otten as he looks back on the major technical milestones in the history of physical design automation. Although several books on this topic are currently available, most are either too broad or out of date. Alternatively, proceedings and journal articles are valuable resources for researchers in this area, but the material is widely dispersed in the literature. This handbook pulls together a broad variety of perspectives on the most challenging problems in the field, and focuses on emerging problems and research results.