Spanning static fields to terahertz waves, this volume explores the range of consequences electromagnetic fields have on the human body. Topics discussed include essential interactions and field coupling phenomena; electric field interactions in cells, focusing on ultrashort, pulsed high-intensity fields; dosimetry or coupling of ELF fields into biological systems; and the historical developments and recent trends in numerical dosimetry. It also discusses mobile communication devices and the dosimetry of RF radiation into the human body, exposure and dosimetry associated with MRI and spectroscopy, and available data on the interaction of terahertz radiation with biological tissues, cells, organelles, and molecules.

Reporting new results, this book covers the subject of biological effects of EMF in its entirety. Experimental verification of the theoretical results is given when at all possible, and the book is expected to open new areas of research, providing material for university course creation.

In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has evolved into a versatile and critical, if not ‘gold standard’, imaging tool with applications ranging from the physical sciences to the clinical ‘-ology’. In addition, there is a vast amount of accumulated but unpublished inside knowledge on what is needed to perform a safe, in vivo MRI. The goal of this comprehensive text, written by an outstanding group of world experts, is to present information about the effect of the MRI environment on the human body, and tools and methods to quantify such effects. By presenting such information all in one place, the expectation is that this book will help everyone interested in the Safety and Biological Effects in MRI find relevant information relatively quickly and know where we stand as a community. The information is expected to improve patient safety in the MR scanners of today, and facilitate developing faster, more powerful, yet safer MR scanners of tomorrow. This book is arranged in three sections. The first, named ‘Static and Gradient Fields’ (Chapters 1-9), presents the effects of static magnetic field and the gradients of magnetic field, in time and space, on the human body. The second section, named ‘Radiofrequency Fields’ (Chapters 10-30), presents ways to quantify radiofrequency (RF) field induced heating in patients undergoing MRI. The effect of the three fields of MRI environment (i.e. Static Magnetic Field, Time-varying Gradient Magnetic Field, and RF Field) on medical devices, that may be carried into the environment with patients, is also included. Finally, the third section, named ‘Engineering’ (chapters 31-35), presents the basic background engineering information regarding the equipment (i.e. superconducting magnets, gradient coils, and RF coils) that produce the Static Magnetic Field, Time-varying Gradient Magnetic Field, and RF Field. The book is intended for undergraduate and post-graduate students, engineers, physicists, biologists, clinicians, MR technologists, other healthcare professionals, and everyone else who might be interested in looking into the role of MRI environment on patient safety, as well as those just wishing to update their knowledge of the state of MRI safety. Those, who are learning about MRI or training in magnetic resonance in medicine, will find the book a useful compendium of the current state of the art of the field.

This book provides a thorough yet concise introduction to quantitative radiobiology and radiation physics, particularly the practical and medical application. Beginning with a discussion of the basic science of radiobiology, the book explains the fast processes that initiate damage in irradiated tissue and the kinetic patterns in which such damage is expressed at the cellular level. The final section is presented in a highly practical handbook style and offers application-based discussions in radiation oncology, fractionated radiotherapy, and protracted radiation among others. The text is also supplemented by a Web site.

MR is a powerful modality. At its most advanced, it can be used not just to image anatomy and pathology, but to investigate organ function, to probe in vivo chemistry, and even to visualise the brain thinking. However, clinicians, technologists and scientists struggle with the study of the subject. The result is sometimes an obscurity of understanding, or a dilution of scientific truth, resulting in misconceptions. This is why MRI from Picture to Proton has achieved its reputation for practical clarity. MR is introduced as a tool, with coverage starting from the images, equipment and scanning protocols and traced back towards the underlying physics theory. With new content on quantitative MRI, MR safety, multi-band excitation, Dixon imaging, MR elastography and advanced pulse sequences, and with additional supportive materials available on the book's website, this new edition is completely revised and updated to reflect the best use of modern MR technology.

The objective of this book is to present in a concise manner what is actually known at the present time about biological effects of time invariant, low frequency and radio frequency (including microwave) electric and magnetic fields. In reviewing the vast amount of experimental data which have been obtained in recent years, the authors tried to select those results that are, in their opinion, of major importance and of lasting value. In discussing mechanisms of interaction of electromagnetic fields with living matter they have tried to differentiate between what is clearly established, what is suggested by available evidence without being convincingly proven, and what is conjecture at the present time.

Human Interaction with Electromagnetic Fields: Computational Models in Dosimetry presents some highly rigorous and sophisticated integral equation techniques from computational electromagnetics (CEM), along with practical techniques for the calculation and measurement of internal dosimetry. Theory is accompanied by numerical modeling algorithms and illustrative computational examples that range from academic to full real-world scenarios. - Covers both deterministic and stochastic modeling - Presents implementations of integral equation approaches, overcoming the limitations of the FDTD approach - Presents various biomedical applications