As stated by Buckminster Fuller in Operation Manual for Spaceship Earth, "Synergy is the behavior of whole systems unpredicted by separately observed behaviors of any of the system's separate parts". In a similar vein, one might define an intellectual synergy as "an improvement in our understanding of the behavior of a system unpredicted by separately acquired viewpoints of the activities of such a system". Such considerations underlie, and provide a motivation for, an interdisciplinary approach to the problem of unraveling the deeper mysteries of cellular metabolism and organization, and have led a number of pioneering spirits, many represen ted in the pages which follow, to consider biological systems from an elec trochemical standpoint. is itself, of course, an interdisciplinary branch of Now electrochemistry science, and there is no doubt that many were introduced to it via Bockris and Reddy's outstanding, wide-ranging and celebrated textbook Modern Electrochemistry. If I am to stick my neck out, and seek to define bioelec trochemistry, I would take it to refer to "the study of the mutual interac tions of electrical fields and biological materials, including living systems".

Bioelectrochemistry deals with the electrochemical aspects of biology and biological aspects of electrochemistry. This book presents recent and important advances in the field.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

It is now time for a comprehensive treatise to look at the whole field of electrochemistry. The present treatise was conceived in 1974, and the earliest invitations to authors for contributions were made in 1975. The completion of the early volumes has been delayed by various factors. There has been no attempt to make each article emphasize the most recent situation at the expense of an overall statement of the modern view. This treatise is not a collection of articles from Recent Advances in Electrochemistry or Modern Aspects of Electrochemistry. It is an attempt at making a mature statement about the present position in the vast area of what is best looked at as a new interdisciplinary field. Texas A & M University J. O'M. Bockris University of Ottawa B. E. Conway Case Western Reserve University Ernest Yeager Texas A & M University Ralph E. White Preface to Volume 3 Of events which have affected progress in the field of electrochemistry, the decision of NASA to use electrochemical auxiliary power in space vehicles was one of the more important. Another important decision was Ford's announcement of their sodium-sulfur cell for vehicular use in 1969.

The First International School on "Electromagnetic Fields and Biomembranes" took place in Pleven, Bulgaria on 6-12 October 1986. It was designed as an advanced course through a collaboration of the Biological Faculty of Sofia University and the Council of the Bioelectrochemical Society. In an advanced course the lecturers are specialized in particular areas, and the students are usually specialists in related areas. We have captured the expertise of both groups of participants in this volume. The longer papers prepared by the lecturers are joined with the shorter papers based on the posters presented by the "students" to provide a summary of the school as well as an indication of current research directions in the field. The course was designed to provide the latest information about biomembrane structure and function, covering the properties of both the lipid matrix and the recently characterized proteins that function as specialized channels and receptors. Real membranes and various models were covered, with an emphasis on understanding their mechanisms of interaction with various exogenous stimuli (e.g., electric, magnetic, light, etc.). Several practical applications of this information (e.g., electroporation, electro-fusion) were also presented with indications of the possibilities for new developments in biotechnology. The mixture of basic science with practical applications, together with the int~rmingling of lecturers and students from many different countries produced a stimulating atmosphere and effective teaching. We hope that this volume will transmit some of this atmosphere.

This volume presents the proceedings of the 7th Asian-Pacific Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering (APCMBE 2008). Themed "Biomedical Engineering – Promoting Sustainable Development of Modern Medicine" the proceedings address a broad spectrum of topics from Bioengineering and Biomedicine, like Biomaterials, Artificial Organs, Tissue Engineering, Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, Biomedical Imaging, Bio MEMS, Biosignal Processing, Digital Medicine, BME Education. It helps medical and biological engineering professionals to interact and exchange their ideas and experiences.