The aim of medical research has always been to gain scientific knowledge which will serve to improve the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of diseases. It is also becoming increasingly important to take account of the changing circumstances of medical care. Factors such as the ageing of society and the recent pandemic have not only led to greater use of medical care, but have also put the human resources and infrastructural basis of the health system under great pressure. Such developments call for science-based solutions which can better adapt medical action to the needs of patients to ensure that medicine remains affordable and accessible for all. This book is the 6th volume of the German Medical Data Science series in Studies in Health Technology and Informatics and presents the proceedings of the joint conference of the 67th Annual Meeting of the German Association of Medical Informatics, Biometry, and Epidemiology (GMDS) and the 14th Annual Meeting of the Technology and Methods Platform for Networked Medical Research (TMF). The conference was entitled Medicine in Transition - More Precise, More Integrative, More Sustainable. It was due to be held from 21-25 August 2022 in Kiel, Germany, but was changed to an online event on the same dates due to an increasing surge in cases of coronavirus. The pandemic has not only disrupted the planning of many events, it has also impressively demonstrated the importance of technical and methodological aspects of digitization. The 13 papers included here address the challenges of and opportunities for the digitization so vital for the functionality of the modern healthcare system, and the book will be of interest to all those involved in the planning and delivery of healthcare.

The Covid-19 pandemic affected the daily lives of all of us on many levels. Epidemiology suddenly became a personal matter and general interest in many aspects of medical data science became much more widespread. And physical distance became the new normal. This book presents the full paper part of the proceedings of GMDS 2023, the 68th annual meeting of the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, held from 17 to 21 September 2023 in Heilbronn, Germany. The theme of the conference was, Science. Close to People, a particularly appropriate theme for the first of these annual conferences to be held face-to-face since 2019. A total of 227 scientific contributions were submitted to GMDS 2023, including 41 full papers for this volume in Studies in HTI. Of these, 30 papers are included here, following a rigorous two-stage review process, which represents an acceptance rate of 73%. The 30 papers in this book are grouped under 8 headings: FAIRification; research software engineering for research infrastructure & study data management; human factors; data quality; clinical decision support & artificial intelligence; evaluation of healthcare IT; biosignals; and interoperability. Providing a broad overview of current developments in the disciplines of medical informatics, biometry and epidemiology, the book will be of interest to all those working in these fields.

Digital technology has become integral in the fields of health and care, and a number of recent reports have stressed the importance of equipping health and care staff with the skills and knowledge they need to use such technology effectively. Numerous failures of digital projects in the health and care sectors have demonstrated that simply relocating IT generalists into these specialist fields is not a guaranteed formula for success; the unique complexities of the typically under-resourced legacy infrastructures of health and care create challenges that demand specific education and training. This book presents the proceedings of the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) 2022 Special Topic Conference (STC), held in Cardiff, Wales, on 7-8 September 2022. The theme of STC 2022 was Digital Professionalism in Health and Care: Developing the Workforce, Building the Future, which emphasized the vital need for professional education, training and continuing development of the health and care informatics workforce. The 30 full papers and 5 posters in this book cover a broad range of topics and methods in informatics education and training, and include a small selection from the wider sub-domains of biomedical informatics. Providing a valuable overview of current methods and training, the book will be of interest to a wide range of professionals working in healthcare today, especially those involved in equipping the workforce with the skills they will need for the digital future.

An environment, or any building product or service in it, should ideally be designed to meet the needs of all those who wish to use it. Universal Design is the design and composition of environments, products, and services so that they can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. It creates products, services and environments that meet people’s needs. In short, Universal Design is good design. This book presents the proceedings of UD2022, the 6th International Conference on Universal Design, held from 7 - 9 September 2022 in Brescia, Italy. The conference is targeted at professionals and academics interested in the theme of universal design as related to the built environment and the wellbeing of users, but also covers mobility and urban environments, knowledge, and information transfer, bringing together research knowledge and best practice from all over the world. The book contains 72 papers from 13 countries, grouped into 8 sections and covering topics including the design of inclusive natural environments and urban spaces, communities, neighborhoods and cities; housing; healthcare; mobility and transport systems; and universally-designed learning environments, work places, cultural and recreational spaces. One section is devoted to universal design and cultural heritage, which had a particular focus at this edition of the conference. The book reflects the professional and disciplinary diversity represented in the UD movement, and will be of interest to all those whose work involves inclusive design.

The aim of medical research has always been to gain scientific knowledge which will serve to improve the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of diseases. It is also becoming increasingly important to take account of the changing circumstances of medical care. Factors such as the ageing of society and the recent pandemic have not only led to greater use of medical care, but have also put the human resources and infrastructural basis of the health system under great pressure. Such developments call for science-based solutions which can better adapt medical action to the needs of patients to ensure that medicine remains affordable and accessible for all.This book is the 6th volume of the German Medical Data Science series in Studies in Health Technology and Informatics and presents the proceedings of the joint conference of the 67th Annual Meeting of the German Association of Medical Informatics, Biometry, and Epidemiology (GMDS) and the 14th Annual Meeting of the Technology and Methods Platform for Networked Medical Research (TMF). The conference was entitled Medicine in Transition - More Precise, More Integrative, More Sustainable. It was due to be held from 21-25 August 2022 in Kiel, Germany, but was changed to an online event on the same dates due to an increasing surge in cases of coronavirus. The pandemic has not only disrupted the planning of many events, it has also impressively demonstrated the importance of technical and methodological aspects of digitization. The 13 papers included here address the challenges of and opportunities for the digitization so vital for the functionality of the modern healthcare system, and the book will be of interest to all those involved in the planning and delivery of healthcare.

This book covers the proceedings of the Fifth Symposium on Mechanobiology of Cartilage and Chondrocyte. Mechanobiology can be now considered as a vigorous branch of biomechanics, biorheology and physiology mainly concerned with the study of the influence of mechanical forces on cells and tissues and their clinical or therapeutical applications. As we are now in the age of proteomics, genomics and cell micro mechanical approaches, suing methods like laser tweezers or confocal microscopy, mechanobiology brings new challenges. With such new research, mechanobiology promises new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In other respect there has been increasing interest over recent years in the fundamental role played by local mechanical parameters in chondrocyte regulations and cartilage dysfunctions as a first step in the development of osteoarthritis. These proceedings are sub-divided into four parts: Theoretical approaches and mechanobiology of chondrocyte; Cartilage and chondrocyte studies; Osteoarthritis: inflammation degradation and clinical approaches; and, Cartilage engineering

Although infrared spectroscopy has been applied with success to the study of important biological and biomedical processes for many years, key advances in this vibrant technique have led to its increasing use, ranging from characterization of individual macromolecules (DNA, RNA, lipids, proteins) to human tissues, cells and their components. Infrared spectroscopy thus has a significant role to play in the analysis of the vast number of genes and proteins being identified by the various genomic sequencing projects. Whilst this book gives an overview of the field, it highlights more recent developments, such as the use of bright synchrotron radiation for recording infrared spectra, the development of two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and the ability to record infrared spectra at ultra fast speeds.

Universal Design is the term used to describe the design of products and environments which can be used by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It is not a euphemism for ‘designs for people with a disability’, but really is about designing to include all people, regardless of their age, ability, cultural background or status in life. However it remains the case that many designers and developers fail to understand the need for universal design and lack the skills needed to implement it. This book presents papers from the 3rd International Conference on Universal Design (UD 2016), held in York, UK, in August 2016. The theme of the conference was: learning from the past, designing for the future, and it aimed to bring together policymakers, practitioners and researchers interested in the different strands of universal design to exchange ideas and best practice, review some of the developments in universal design from the last 20 years, and formulate strategies for taking the concept of universal design forward into the future. The book is divided into two sections. Section 1: About Universal Design, and Section 2: Universal Design In Practice. The book will be of interest to all those whose work involves design, from the built environment and tangible products to communication, services and systems.

LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATION OF HEART RATE AND ARTERIAL PRESSURE VARIABILITIES AS A MARKER OF SYMPATHETIC MODULATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION -- POWER SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF HEART RATE AND ARTERIAL PRESSURE IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT LEFT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY -- RHYTHMIC HEART RATE CHANGES IN CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION -- LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM DUE TO RESPIRATION: BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY IN SLEEP APNOEA SYNDRINE -- SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF RR INTERVAL AND SYSTOLIC ARTERIAL PRESSURE VARIABILITIES AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION -- HEART RATE VARIABILITY DURING CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE: OBSERVATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS -- Author Index