Physiological Fluid Dynamics III

The significant role played by interdisciplinary research in
the advancementof knowledge is a well accepted fact. Such
an interdisciplinary activity is exemplified by biomedical
engineering.
During recent years, interest hasdeveloped in trying to
study the human system also from the point of view ofits
behaviour as a mec hanical system, thus necessitating
knowledge of   sister disciplines like fluid mechanics,
elasticity, vibrations etc.
It is in this context that several conferences and seminars
have been organisedto highlight such interdisciplinary
activities with the basic objective of   understanding the
complexities of various physiological systems. The            papers
published in these proceedings are form the 3rd
International      Conference of Physiological Fluid Dynamics
organised by the Bio-Medical      Engineering Division of the
Department of Applied Mechanics on the Indian   Institute of
Technology in Madras. The conference provided                           opportunities
to scientists from various disciplines not only to                  share
their knowledge but also to identify new areas of                              possible
research. In order to stimulate the interest of                              young
scientists, contributions were invited from leading
authorities inseveral areas of bio-medical engineeing which
are also published in this      book. It is our earnest hope that
the readers of these papers will benefit   by gaining a new
insight into the field of physiological fluid dynamics      to
enable them to make their own contributions to the growth of
this      field.