BIOMED 2013

10th International Conference on Modelling and Measurement in Medicine and Biology

 Introduction

The 10th International Conference on Modelling in Medicine and Biology took place in Budapest, Hungary, organised by the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and the Wessex Institute of Technology.

The Meeting was chaired by Prof Rita Kiss of the Biomechanis Research Centre of the Budapest University and Professor Carlos A. Brebbia, Director of WIT. It was sponsored by WIT Transactions on Biomedicine and Health and the International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics.

The successful series of meetings first started in Southampton (1991), following by one in Bath (1993) and others in Milano (1995), Aquasparta (1997), Ljubljana (2003), Bologna (2005), the New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute of Technology (2007), Crete (2009) and Riga (2011).

Advances in medical and biological technology are due to the increasing interaction and collaboration between medical and engineering scientists. Computer models which have successfully been developed to represent a series of biomedical systems are now becoming increasingly used for a wide range of applications. These applications include Cardiovascular systems, biomedicine, sports mechanics, spinal problems, orthopaedics and bone mechanics, data acquisition, analysis and medical imaging, virtual reality in medicine, systems biology, diagnostic tools and therapy, biofluid mechanics, nanotechnologies, physiology, drug rehabilitation and discovery, tissue engineering, human reproductive health, biosystems measurements, experimental and computational methods in biomedicine, among others.

The papers presented at the Conference were published in a volume of the WIT Transactions on Biomedicine and Health, in paper and digital format. The book is widely distributed throughout the world. Papers have been referenced by CrossRef and appear regularly in notable databases, including referencing and abstract services. All papers are archived in the eLibrary of the Wessex Institute (http://library.witpress.com) where they are easily and permanently available to the international scientific community.

 Conference Topics

The papers presented at the Conference were classified into the following topics:

• Biofluid mechanics
• Experimental and computational analysis
• Cardiovascular systems
• Biomechanics
• Orthopaedics and bone mechanics
• Image processing

 Keynote Address

The keynote address at the Conference was given by Prof Alon Wolf of the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel and entitled, “Medical robotics for surgery and rehabilitation”. The talk dealt with the many topics in medical robotics and gave a research overview on environment developments. The different types of robots were analysed and their relative advantages and fields of applications discussed by the speaker.

 Invited Presentations

“Biomechanics of knee/hip osteoarthritis”. In this second address, Prof Wolf dealt with locomotion and how the gait cycle works, ie employing as little energy as possible. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative decease of the joints, the most complex of which is the knee. It is important to be able to continuously adapt the gait to any new state of the joints.

“Musculoskeletal disorders caused by physical overload: the situation in Latvia” by Maija Eglite, Riga Stradins University in Latvia. The range of occupational musculoskeletal disorder is very broad in all the developed world. Their environmental impact is huge as it reduces productivity and increases health costs. The speaker discussed these problems and how to improve the situation by accelerating the return of the patient to work.

“The lumbar spine at work – subject to biomechanical overload” by Matthias Jager, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Germany. Matthias is Head of the Department of Biomechanics and has recently been given an award by the President of Germany. He described how the lumbar spine works and how to improve its behaviour when necessary.

“Indexes derived from non-linear ESPVR for evaluation of ventricular performance” by Rachad Shoucri, Royal Military College, Canada.

“Efficient measurements of the diameter of the human artery using super-resolution imaging technique based on multi-scale wavelet analysis” by Slimani Mekaoui, University of Sciences and Technology, Algeria.

“Local sensitivity analysis of cardiovascular system parameters” by Stefan Bernhard, Free University of Berlin, Germany.

“Arterial pulse waves measured with EMFi and PPG sensors and comparison of the pulse waveform spectral and decomposition analysis in healthy young and elderly subjects” by Matti Huotari, University of Oulu, Finland. The presentation described the difference in pulse between healthy young and elderly subjects which indicate the presence of illness or as age advances. The speaker stressed the need to exercise and have a healthy way of life.

“Dermis mechanical behaviour: influence of cell removal treatment” by Cristina Bignardi, Politecnico di Torino, Italy. The paper discusses the mechanical characterisation of dermis needed to carry out research on the way in which the tissue behaves and decays with age and other conditions.

“Effect of different conservation methods on some mechanical properties of swine bone” by Rita Kiss, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary. The work is of importance to find the behaviour of living bone as opposed to dead bone. This is essential to obtain proper material characterisation in the case of vertebrae.

“Modelling of blood coagulation in cerebral aneurysms” by Kenjiro Shimano, Tokyo City University, Japan. The speaker described the process of cerebral aneurysm and how the coagulation can be modelled, which is essential to simulate blood flow.

“Numerical simulation of electromechanical activity of the gastric smooth muscle” by Roustem Miftahof, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain. The work carried out by the speaker is of great importance for treatment of many cases of diabetics, 30 to 50% of whom are affected by gastroparosis.

 Conference Dinner and ISAC Meeting

The conference dinner took place on a sightseeing boat cruising the Danube, and it consisted of a four course à la carte menu, accompanied by live music and excellent local wines. The boat cruise showed some of the most important sites of the town including the famous chain bridge, Margaret Island, views of the Royal Palace, the Parliament buildings, and many churches and places of interest along the route. It was a most enjoyable evening offering the possibility of making further contacts and strengthening existing links amongst the delegates.

The Scientific Advisory Committee met over dinner to discuss how the meeting can be improved when reconvened in 2015. Several potential locations were proposed and will be the subject of further investigation by the Conference Department at WIT.

 Conference Proceedings

The proceedings of BIOMED 2013 - Modelling in Medicine and Biology X, 300pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-706-3; eISBN: 978-1-84564-707-0) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 17 of WIT Transactions on Biomedicine and Health (ISSN: 1746-4485, Digital ISSN 1743-3525). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com

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