Description: The induction of unconsciousness using anesthetic agents demonstrates that the cerebral cortex can operate in two very different behavioral modes: alert and responsive vs. unaware and quiescent. But the states of wakefulness and sleep are not single-neuron properties---they emerge as bulk properties of cooperating populations of neurons, with the switchover between states being similar to the physical change of phase observed when water freezes or ice melts. Some brain-state transitions, such as sleep cycling, anesthetic induction, epileptic seizure, are obvious and detected readily with a few EEG electrodes; others, such as the emergence of gamma rhythms during cognition, or the ultra-slow BOLD rhythms of relaxed free-association, are much more subtle. The unifying theme of this book is the notion that all of these bulk changes in brain behavior can be treated as phase transitions between distinct brain states.

Description: Presents in a mathematically clear way the fundamentals of algorithmic information theory and a few selected applications to mathematical logic.

Description: The membrane electrical potential is a central element in the functioning of all living cells, and temporal variations of this potential are crucial for signaling within the nervous systems of all animals. Electrical properties of nerve cells are covered in neurobiology courses, but because electrical concepts are complex and textbook illustrations are static, students often find neurophysiology intimidating and inaccessible. In order to make neurophysiology less formidable and more accessible, we developed a comprehensive approach that begins with the elements of electrical circuits. This approach is found in both this book and in NDX II, a modeling system that is available for free online and is largely platform independent.

Description: The hippocampus is thought to play a role in the short-term storage of declarative memories in the human brain. Our understanding of its anatomy, physiology and molecular structure has expanded rapidly in recent years. Yet much still needs to be done to decipher the function of the detailed microcircuits. This overview of our current knowledge of the hippocampus also provides a snapshot of the state of the art of ongoing research into these microcircuits.

Description: Motion processing is an essential piece of the complex brain machinery that allows us to reconstruct the 3D layout of objects in the environment, to break camouflage, to perform scene segmentation, to estimate the ego movement, and to control our action. Although motion perception and its neural basis have been a topic of intensive research and modeling the last two decades, recent experimental evidences have stressed the dynamical aspects of motion integration and segmentation. This book presents the most recent approaches that have changed our view of biological motion processing. These new experimental evidences call for new models emphasizing the collective dynamics of large population of neurons rather than the properties of separate individual filters. Chapters will stress how the dynamics of motion processing can be used as a general approach to understand the brain dynamics itself.

Description: Introduction to Computational Cardiology provides a comprehensive, in-depth treatment of the fundamental concepts and research challenges involved in the mathematical modeling and computer simulation of dynamical processes in the heart, under normal and pathological conditions. This book is based on the author's lecture notes from his course 'Introduction to Computational Cardiology' in the Department of Computer Science within the University of California, Los Angeles. It also encompasses the scientific discoveries made by the author, his doctoral students, and his colleagues in the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. in the last 35 years.

Description: The Internet and other technological developments are now playing increasing roles in consumer health and the delivery of health services.

Ubiquitous Cardiology: Emerging Wireless Telemedical Applications provides developmental solutions and explanations for cardiovascular diagnostics. Useful to field researchers, academicians, and healthcare practitioners, this Premier Reference Source presents a collection of studies on medical data redundancy, priority, and validity.

Description: Historians from Thucydides to William McNeill have pointed to the connections between disease and civil society. Political scientists have investigated the relationship of public health to governance, introducing the concept of health security. In Contagion and Chaos, Andrew Price-Smith offers the most comprehensive examination yet of disease through the lens of national security. Extending the analysis presented in his earlier book The Health of Nations, Price-Smith argues that epidemic disease represents a direct threat to the power of a state, eroding prosperity and destabilizing both its internal politics and its relationships with other states. He contends that the danger of an infectious pathogen to national security depends on lethality, transmissability, fear, and economic damage. Moreover, warfare and ecological change contribute to the spread of disease and act as "disease amplifiers."

Description: This dual atlas aims at illustrating the anatomy of the brain and its appearance on MR images using a simple and effective mode of presentation. Following an introductory chapter, "Comprehensive anatomy of the human brain", the book is divided into a morphological and a functional imaging section. The morphological atlas presents 3D surface images followed by high-definition MR sections acquired in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. The MR images are paired with the corresponding anatomical images to enable their clinical correlation. The functional atlas includes illustrative MR images showing cortical activation in various functional areas (including the auditory, motor, visual, and language areas)

Description: Insulin pump therapy is now a well-established option for treating diabetes. This method of insulin delivery offers the opportunity for people with diabetes to manage their diabetes confidently and competently to achieve good glycaemic control and a better quality of life. Using Insulin Pumps in Diabetes covers all aspects of insulin pump therapy in a clear and informative style, and is an essential guide for all health professionals involved in caring for people with diabetes using insulin pumps.