The term transport phenomena is used to describe processes in which mass, momentum, energy and entropy move about in matter. Advances in Transport Phenomena provide state-of-the-art expositions of major advances by theoretical, numerical and experimental studies from a molecular, microscopic, mesoscopic, macroscopic or megascopic point of view across the spectrum of transport p- nomena, from scientific enquiries to practical applications. The annual review series intends to fill the information gap between regularly published journals and university-level textbooks by providing in-depth review articles over a broader scope than in journals. The authoritative articles, contributed by international- leading scientists and practitioners, establish the state of the art, disseminate the latest research discoveries, serve as a central source of reference for fundamentals and applications of transport phenomena, and provide potential textbooks to senior undergraduate and graduate students. The series covers mass transfer, fluid mechanics, heat transfer and thermo- namics. The 2009 volume contains the four articles on biomedical, environmental and nanoscale transports. The editorial board expresses its appreciation to the c- tributing authors and reviewers who have maintained the standard associated with Advances in Transport Phenomena. We also would like to acknowledge the efforts of the staff at Springer who have made the professional and attractive pr- entation of the volume. Serial Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Professor L. Q. Wang The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; lqwang@hku. hk Editors Professor A. R. Balakrishnan Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India Professor A.weiterlesen