Bøger udgivet af IntechOpen

This is a small book containing various aspects of thyroid gland disorders. Congenital hypothyroidism chapter emphasizes early diagnosis in prevention of irreparable damage to growth and brain of infants. Role of nuclear medicine in diagnosis and treatment is outlined. Last few chapters deal with congenital hypothyroidism, thyroid carcinoma, its diagnosis, treatment and preservation of posterior parathyroid gland during thyroid surgery. The purpose of the book is to disseminate knowledge on thyroid diseases. It will be a good reference book both for students of medicine and general practitioners.

Biomedical technology is continually changing, and new approaches are being developed daily. Although widely used, conventional solutions are losing efficacy due to the evolution of microorganisms and the environment. Pathologies and diseases negatively affect humans and animals, but nanotechnology appears promising in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of health conditions. This book examines some of these nanotechnologies, discussing their advantages and limitations. It is organized into four sections and includes ten chapters that address such topics as drug delivery systems for cancer treatment, photodynamic and photothermal treatments for bacterial infections, electrospun fibers for nanomedical applications, monoclonal antibodies, nanotheranostics, and much more.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first artificial heart valve, which was implanted in 1952 by Charles Hufnagel to treat a 30-year-old woman with severe aortic regurgitation in an era when the concept of direct valve repair or replacement did not exist. It is remarkable how far we have come since then in terms of managing heart valve disease, not only in terms of advances in surgical techniques or choice of prostheses for different valve pathology but also in terms of transcatheter therapy and minimally invasive surgical approaches. This book reviews important and major milestones in managing different valve pathologies with a focus on aortic and tricuspid valve diseases.

During the last half century, several scientific theories have been developed to explain experimental findings related to our conscious experiences, particularly those involving perceptual awareness. The adequacy and philosophical implications of these theories have been debated fiercely by both scientists and philosophers, including their adequacy in explaining the subjective nature of consciousness. The adequacy of theoretical models has been controversial in part because there is no consensus on the definition of consciousness itself. This book proposes a new model of consciousness based on a prescribed definition for one of several conscious states of consciousness known as the "normal alert state." This state is inclusive of all characteristics associated with an alert individual unaffected by disease or injury, including awareness of the sensory environment, memory, learning, attention to location and sensory features, language, emotional responses, intentional movements, decision-making, creativity, and a sense of self. Through its interactions with other brain regions essential for these diverse functions, the model posits a central executive role for the hippocampus; qualia, the subjective feelings associated with sensory stimuli, is suggested to arise from hippocampal interactions between events and the emotional responses they evoke. The book offers methods for testing the model. In several respects, this model of hippocampal function is analogous to the "central theater of the mind" described by Descartes, a concept that philosophers and scientists previously discarded due to false assumptions. The model presented brings together observations about our inner selves and scientific findings, using analogies and life experiences to illustrate how each can inform the other; evidence suggests disruptions in information flow between the hippocampus and other brain regions may explain many neurological disorders. The book also discusses the philosophical implications of the model, including such topics as free will and the possibility of sentience in artificial intelligence.

In modern times, rheology has emerged as a powerful tool for materials scientists to explore the properties of soft matter or complex fluids, including such diverse materials as food, cosmetics, polymers, lubricants, drilling fluids and biological systems. Rheology parameters such as shear modulus (G¿), storage modulus (G¿) and viscosity (¿), together with microscopic imaging, provide considerable insight into the structure-property relationship in these materials. This in turn helps design materials with properties tailored to multiple applications. This book is a compilation of works by experts in their respective areas of specialization and covers a wide range of applications. The book will be useful both to experts in this area of research and to newcomers from a range of specializations.

This book presents perspectives of the virtual world in the sphere of cultural heritage presentations in the museum environment. Virtual reality can be used in museums to not only present and educate but also help to protect cultural heritage assets for future generations.

The objective of spatial analysis techniques is to describe the patterns existing in spatial data and to establish, preferably quantitatively, the relationships between different geographic variables. The notion of spatial analysis in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment encompasses the idea of integrating spatial data and alphanumeric attributes and translating it into a series of functions related to selection and data search, on the one hand, and with modeling, on the other. There have been substantial advances in spatial analysis techniques in GIS, mainly in the form of more faithfully apprehending the relationships inherent to the geographic phenomenon, something that was proven impossible to do with non-spatial techniques. Nowadays, spatial analysis involves a set of techniques used to analyze and model variables with distribution in space and/or time. The new era of spatial analysis must also consider the possibilities of integrating artificial intelligence in simulation (geosimulation) processes in computerized environments (geocomputation) in close relationship with models developed in real situations. GIS have emerged as useful tools in geographic modeling processes, helping to answer questions about the time variability of the landscape structure, study the behavior of fire, predict areas of urban expansion, analyze propagation phenomena, model animal movement and behavior, and determine periods and areas of high risk of flooding, among other phenomena. GIS and Spatial Analysis is a critical book that provides different methodologies that combine the potential data (including Big Data) analysis with GIS applications. It gives readers a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art methods of spatial analysis, focusing both on the new philosophical and theoretical foundations for spatial analysis and on a flexible framework for analysis in the real world, for problems such as complexity and uncertainty.

Biomimetic devices are designed and produced by materials, structures, and systems that are modelled on biological entities and processes. These devices are used to synthesize novel materials and their functions at the multiscale level for various applications. Molecular computing biological devices play a key role in the logical processing of the cellular machinery of all living organisms. This book includes information on both biomedical and technological applications of bioactive devices for hard tissue regeneration; design of chip-based disease diagnostic platforms; neuromorphic computing biomaterials that transfer techniques of neuroscience to a silicon chip; various top-down and bottom-up designs; and electrical characterization and transport mechanisms of DNA as nanowires.

"Medical Imaging and Image-Guided Interventions" is a collection of reviewed and relevant research chapters, offering a comprehensive overview of recent developments in this field of study. This publication aims at providing a thorough overview of the latest research efforts and opens new possible research paths for further novel developments.

My scientific journey brought me from Lanzhou in China, Leuven in Belgium, Bethesda in the USA, all the way to San Diego. Sometimes I pick up an assortment of scattered seashells while walking along the beautiful Torrey Pines Beach in San Diego. Likewise, this book contains an assortment of discussions of different aspects of serotonin to enrich our knowledge and understanding of this neurochemical. The book contains four different chapters: 1. Introductory chapter: From Measuring Serotonin Neurotransmission to Evaluating Serotonin Post-Receptor Signaling Transduction; 2. Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Their Role in Chronic Pain Management; 3. Serotonin and Emotional Decision-Making; and 4. Clinical Aspects Related to Plasma Serotonin in the Horse.