Restoring motor functions to persons with disabilities has been an exciting yet often frustrating research area. The aim of this book is to explore parallels in sensorimotor integration of rehabilitation devices and human extremities, addressing the important question of how the next generation of rehabilitation devices employing electronic control should evolve. By bringing together experimental physiology, kinesiology, rehabilitation therapy, and computer and electrical engineering, this book discusses a range of issues in natural and artificial control.

Biomedical engineering brings together bright minds from diverse disciplines, ranging from engineering, physics, and computer science to biology and medicine. This book contains the proceedings of the 11th Mediterranean Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing, MEDICON 2007, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 2007. It features relevant, up-to-date research in the area.

The most recent high-profile advocate for Americans with disabilities, actor Christopher Reeve, has highlighted for the public the economic and social costs of disability and the importance of rehabilitation. Enabling America is a major analysis of the field of rehabilitation science and engineering. The book explains how to achieve recognition for this evolving field of study, how to set priorities, and how to improve the organization and administration of the numerous federal research programs in this area. The committee introduces the "enabling-disability process" model, which enhances the concepts of disability and rehabilitation, and reviews what is known and what research priorities are emerging in the areas of: Pathology and impairment, including differences between children and adults. Functional limitationsâ€"in a person's ability to eat or walk, for example. Disability as the interaction between a person's pathologies, impairments, and functional limitations and the surrounding physical and social environments. This landmark volume will be of special interest to anyone involved in rehabilitation science and engineering: federal policymakers, rehabilitation practitioners and administrators, researchers, and advocates for persons with disabilities.

The future of disability in America will depend on how well the U.S. prepares for and manages the demographic, fiscal, and technological developments that will unfold during the next two to three decades. Building upon two prior studies from the Institute of Medicine (the 1991 Institute of Medicine's report Disability in America and the 1997 report Enabling America), The Future of Disability in America examines both progress and concerns about continuing barriers that limit the independence, productivity, and participation in community life of people with disabilities. This book offers a comprehensive look at a wide range of issues, including the prevalence of disability across the lifespan; disability trends the role of assistive technology; barriers posed by health care and other facilities with inaccessible buildings, equipment, and information formats; the needs of young people moving from pediatric to adult health care and of adults experiencing premature aging and secondary health problems; selected issues in health care financing (e.g., risk adjusting payments to health plans, coverage of assistive technology); and the organizing and financing of disability-related research. The Future of Disability in America is an assessment of both principles and scientific evidence for disability policies and services. This book's recommendations propose steps to eliminate barriers and strengthen the evidence base for future public and private actions to reduce the impact of disability on individuals, families, and society.

"What a marvelous and amazing textbook. Drs. Marini, Glover-Graf and Millington have done a remarkable job in the design of this highly unique book, that comprehensively and very thoughtfully addresses the psychosocial aspects of the disability experience. These highly respected scholars have produced a major work that will be a central text in rehabilitation education for years to come." From the Foreword by Michael J. Leahy, Ph.D., LPC, CRC Office of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Michigan State University "This is an excellent book, but the best parts are the stories of the disabled, which give readers insights into their struggles and triumphs." Score: 94, 4 Stars--Doody's Medical Reviews What are the differences between individuals with disabilities who flourish as opposed to those who never really adjust after a trauma? How are those born with a disability different from individuals who acquire one later in life? This is the first textbook about the psychosocial aspects of disability to provide students and practitioners of rehabilitation counseling with vivid insight into the experience of living with a disability. It features the first-person narratives of 16 people living with a variety of disabling conditions, which are integrated with sociological and societal perspectives toward disability, and strategies for counseling persons with disabilities. Using a minority model perspective to address disability, the book focuses on historical perspectives, cultural variants regarding disability, myths and misconceptions, the attitudes of special interest and occupational groups, the psychology of disability with a focus on positive psychology, and adjustments to disability by the individual and family. A wealth of counseling guidelines and useful strategies are geared specifically to individual disabilities. Key Features: Contains narratives of people living with blindness, hearing impairments, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, polio, mental illness, and other disabilities Provides counseling guidelines and strategies specifically geared toward specific disabilities, including "dos and don'ts" Includes psychological and sociological research relating to individual disabilities Discusses ongoing treatment issues and ethical dilemmas for rehabilitation counselors Presents thought-provoking discussion questions in each chapter Authored by prominent professor and researcher who became disabled as a young adult

This Research Topic is devoted to arm and hand movement in health as well as in several disease conditions. It is a collection of several original research papers and reviews, clinical case studies, hypothesis and theory articles, opinions, commentaries, and methods papers that cover some important aspects of the topic from distinct scientific perspectives. We invite the readers to appreciate the range in methodologies and experimental designs that together have led to widen our understanding of this especially broad field of research.

Brain disordersâ€"neurological, psychiatric, and developmentalâ€"now affect at least 250 million people in the developing world, and this number is expected to rise as life expectancy increases. Yet public and private health systems in developing countries have paid relatively little attention to brain disorders. The negative attitudes, prejudice, and stigma that often surround many of these disorders have contributed to this neglect. Lacking proper diagnosis and treatment, millions of individual lives are lost to disability and death. Such conditions exact both personal and economic costs on families, communities, and nations. The report describes the causes and risk factors associated with brain disorders. It focuses on six representative brain disorders that are prevalent in developing countries: developmental disabilities, epilepsy, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and stroke. The report makes detailed recommendations of ways to reduce the toll exacted by these six disorders. In broader strokes, the report also proposes six major strategies toward reducing the overall burden of brain disorders in the developing world.

Volume numbers determined from Scope of the guidelines, p. 12-13.

Written by more than 400 subject experts representing diverse academic and applied domains, this multidisciplinary resource surveys the vanguard of biomaterials and biomedical engineering technologies utilizing biomaterials that lead to quality-of-life improvements. Building on traditional engineering principles, it serves to bridge advances in materials science, life sciences, nanotechnology, and cell biology to innovations in solving medical problems with applications in tissue engineering, prosthetics, drug delivery, biosensors, and medical devices. In nearly 300 entries, this four-volume Encyclopedia of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Second Edition, covers: essential topics integral to tissue engineering research: bioreactors, scaffolding materials and fabrication, tissue mechanics, cellular interaction, and development of major tissues and organs being attempted by researchers worldwide; artificial lungs and muscles, bio-artificial livers, and corneal, dental, inner ear, and total hip implants; tissue engineering of blood vessels, heart valves, ligaments, microvascular networks, skeletal muscle, and skin; bone remodeling, bone cement, and bioabsorbable bone plates and screws; controlled drug delivery, insulin delivery, and transdermal and ocular implant-based drug delivery; endovascular stent grafts, vascular grafts, and xenografts; 3-D medical imaging, electrical impedance imaging, and intravascular ultrasound; biomedical, protein adsorption, and in vivo cardiovascular modeling; polymer foams, biofunctional and conductive polymers, and electroactive polymeric materials; blood–material interactions, the bone–implant interface, host reactions, and foreign body responses and much more.