Medical and Care Compunetics 2


Book Description

The International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics (ICMCC) wants to emphasize the computing and networking synergies in medicine and (health)care. The term compunetics was introduced to present the union of computing and (social) networking. ICMCC wants to bring together as many aspects of medical and care compunetics as possible by forming a Global Knowledge Center. The availability of information works on both the BTB and the BTC level, as the structure will aim at both the consumers and the professionals (caregivers). Patients / consumers will be able to obtain information related to their illness or handicaps, so that they will be more knowledgeable about possible treatments and treatment alternatives. Professionals will be able to find relevant information (medical, technical, scientific) in a fast and efficient way. Industry (and more specifically SME’s) will have access to technical information from a central portal. The shifting paradigm of health from reparative to preventive will enhance the necessity of consumer related information that, when efficiently obtained, can be of great economical benefit. In a world where the need for care is growing rapidly and where it is impossible to expect a growth in the number of caregivers, information is becoming more and more crucial. Not only because an informed patient is an economic benefit, but also because awareness amongst professionals about developments in their own and related fields can save enormous amounts of money. ICMCC will build a global network of professionals in medicine and care. Clinicians, pharmacologists, managers, care practitioners, patients, policy makers, IT specialists will all be represented.




Pervasive Health Knowledge Management


Book Description

Pervasive healthcare is an emerging research discipline, focusing on the development and application of pervasive and ubiquitous computing technology for healthcare and wellness. Pervasive healthcare seeks to respond to a variety of pressures on healthcare systems, including the increased incidence of life-style related and chronic diseases, emerging consumerism in healthcare, need for empowering patients and relatives for self-care and management of their health, and need to provide seamless access for healthcare services, independent of time and place. Pervasive healthcare may be defined from two perspectives. First, it is the development and application of pervasive computing (or ubiquitous computing, ambient intelligence) technologies for healthcare, health and wellness management. Second, it seeks to make healthcare available to anyone, anytime, and anywhere by removing locational, time and other restraints while increasing both the coverage and quality of healthcare. This book proposes to define the emerging area of pervasive health and introduce key management principles, most especially knowledge management, its tools, techniques and technologies. In addition, the book takes a socio-technical, patient-centric approach which serves to emphasize the importance of a key triumvirate in healthcare management namely, the focus on people, process and technology. Last but not least the book discusses in detail a specific example of pervasive health, namely the potential use of a wireless technology solution in the monitoring of diabetic patients.




Human Health Engineering


Book Description

In this Special Issue on human health engineering, we invited submissions exploring recent contributions to the field of human health engineering, which is the technology used for monitoring the physical or mental health status of individuals in a variety of applications. Contributions focused on sensors, wearable hardware, algorithms, or integrated monitoring systems. We organized the different papers according to their contributions to the main aspects of the monitoring and control engineering scheme applied to human health applications, including papers focusing on measuring/sensing physiological variables, contributions describing research on the modelling of biological signals, papers highlighting health monitoring applications, and finally examples of control applications for human health. In comparison to biomedical engineering, the field of human health engineering also covers applications on healthy humans (e.g., sports, sleep, and stress) and thus not only contributes to develop technology for curing patients or supporting chronically ill people, but also more generally for disease prevention and optimizing human well-being.




Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis


Book Description

Though considerable amount of research, both pre-clinical and clinical, has been conducted during recent years, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) remains one of the mysterious diseases of the 21st century. Great efforts have been made to develop pathophysiological models and to clarify the underlying pathology, and with novel instruments in genetics and transgenic techniques, the aim for finding a durable cure comes into scope. On the other hand, most pharmacological trials failed to show a benefit for ALS patients. In this book, the reader will find a compilation of state-of-the-art reviews about the etiology, epidemiology, and pathophysiology of ALS, the molecular basis of disease progression and clinical manifestations, the genetics familial ALS, as well as novel diagnostic criteria in the field of electrophysiology. An overview over all relevant pharmacological trials in ALS patients is also included, while the book concludes with a discussion on current advances and future trends in ALS research.




Multidisciplinary Computational Intelligence Techniques: Applications in Business, Engineering, and Medicine


Book Description

"This book explores the complex world of computational intelligence, which utilizes computational methodologies such as fuzzy logic systems, neural networks, and evolutionary computation for the purpose of managing and using data effectively to address complicated real-world problems"--




Intelligent Robotics and Applications


Book Description

The two volume set LNAI 7101 and 7102 constitute the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications, ICIRA 2011, held in Aachen, Germany, in November 2011. The 122 revised full papers presented were thoroughly reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. They are organized in topical sections on progress in indoor UAV, robotics intelligence, industrial robots, rehabilitation robotics, mechanisms and their applications, multi robot systems, robot mechanism and design, parallel kinematics, parallel kinematics machines and parallel robotics, handling and manipulation, tangibility in human-machine interaction, navigation and localization of mobile robot, a body for the brain: embodied intelligence in bio-inspired robotics, intelligent visual systems, self-optimising production systems, computational intelligence, robot control systems, human-robot interaction, manipulators and applications, stability, dynamics and interpolation, evolutionary robotics, bio-inspired robotics, and image-processing applications.




Embedded Systems


Book Description

Covers the significant embedded computing technologies highlighting their applications in wireless communication and computing power An embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. Presented in three parts, Embedded Systems: Hardware, Design, and Implementation provides readers with an immersive introduction to this rapidly growing segment of the computer industry. Acknowledging the fact that embedded systems control many of today's most common devices such as smart phones, PC tablets, as well as hardware embedded in cars, TVs, and even refrigerators and heating systems, the book starts with a basic introduction to embedded computing systems. It hones in on system-on-a-chip (SoC), multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC), and network-on-chip (NoC). It then covers on-chip integration of software and custom hardware accelerators, as well as fabric flexibility, custom architectures, and the multiple I/O standards that facilitate PCB integration. Next, it focuses on the technologies associated with embedded computing systems, going over the basics of field-programmable gate array (FPGA), digital signal processing (DSP) and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology, architectural support for on-chip integration of custom accelerators with processors, and O/S support for these systems. Finally, it offers full details on architecture, testability, and computer-aided design (CAD) support for embedded systems, soft processors, heterogeneous resources, and on-chip storage before concluding with coverage of software support in particular, O/S Linux. Embedded Systems: Hardware, Design, and Implementation is an ideal book for design engineers looking to optimize and reduce the size and cost of embedded system products and increase their reliability and performance.







Near Field Communication (NFC)


Book Description

This book provides the technical essentials, state-of-the-art knowledge, business ecosystem and standards of Near Field Communication (NFC)by NFC Lab – Istanbul research centre which conducts intense research on NFC technology. In this book, the authors present the contemporary research on all aspects of NFC, addressing related security aspects as well as information on various business models. In addition, the book provides comprehensive information a designer needs to design an NFC project, an analyzer needs to analyze requirements of a new NFC based system, and a programmer needs to implement an application. Furthermore, the authors introduce the technical and administrative issues related to NFC technology, standards, and global stakeholders. It also offers comprehensive information as well as use case studies for each NFC operating mode to give the usage idea behind each operating mode thoroughly. Examples of NFC application development are provided using Java technology, and security considerations are discussed in detail. Key Features: Offers a complete understanding of the NFC technology, including standards, technical essentials, operating modes, application development with Java, security and privacy, business ecosystem analysis Provides analysis, design as well as development guidance for professionals from administrative and technical perspectives Discusses methods, techniques and modelling support including UML are demonstrated with real cases Contains case studies such as payment, ticketing, social networking and remote shopping This book will be an invaluable guide for business and ecosystem analysts, project managers, mobile commerce consultants, system and application developers, mobile developers and practitioners. It will also be of interest to researchers, software engineers, computer scientists, information technology specialists including students and graduates.




Situational Method Engineering


Book Description

While previously available methodologies for software – like those published in the early days of object technology – claimed to be appropriate for every conceivable project, situational method engineering (SME) acknowledges that most projects typically have individual characteristics and situations. Thus, finding the most effective methodology for a particular project needs specific tailoring to that situation. Such a tailored software development methodology needs to take into account all the bits and pieces needed for an organization to develop software, including the software process, the input and output work products, the people involved, the languages used to describe requirements, design, code, and eventually also measures of success or failure. The authors have structured the book into three parts. Part I deals with all the basic concepts, terminology and overall ideas underpinning situational method engineering. As a summary of this part, they present a formal meta-model that enables readers to create their own quality methods and supporting tools. In Part II, they explain how to implement SME in practice, i.e., how to find method components and put them together and how to evaluate the resulting method. For illustration, they also include several industry case studies of customized or constructed processes, highlighting the impact that high-quality engineered methods can have on the success of an industrial software development. Finally, Part III summarizes some of the more recent and forward-looking ideas. This book presents the first summary of the state of the art for SME. For academics, it provides a comprehensive conceptual framework and discusses new research areas. For lecturers, thanks to its step-by-step explanations from basics to the customization and quality assessment of constructed methods, it serves as a solid basis for comprehensive courses on the topic. For industry methodologists, it offers a reference guide on features and technologies to consider when developing in-house software development methods or customising and adopting off-the-shelf ones.