'It is never too early to become involved but it can easily be too late.' Armed with such alarming statistics as 125 million primary-school age children are not in school; another 150 million children drop out of primary school before they complete four years of education; and almost one-half of the children in the least developed countries of the world do not have access to primary education; the World Bank convened a global conference in April 2000, to address the benefits and challenges of investing in early childhood development. Scientific studies now show how critical the first few years of a child's life are in terms of later physical and mental health, behavior, and capacity to learn. The Millennium Development Goals endorsed by 189 member countries of the United Nations and the World Bank are targets for reducing global poverty. The goals specifically address the need for universal primary education as a means for breaking the cycle of poverty in individual families and in countries. With the publication of this volume, which contains the conference proceedings, the World Bank hopes to encourage a broader investment by countries, companies, organizations and private sector institutions in early child development.

The purpose of this book is to review the basic science and clinical findings concerning maternal substance abuse and the developing nervous system of unborn children. The short-term but vitally significant repercussions of such exposure on biological development, with particular reference to the nervous system, are discussed. The book also discusses the profound influence of maternal substance abuse on behavior in adulthood, which is caused by subtle changes in the chemistry or structure of the developing nervous system. The subject will not only be of interest to clinical and basic science researchers and teachers in the field of maternal substance abuse, but also to individuals in psychology, social work, cellular and molecular biolgoy, embryology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and in clinical professions such as pediatrics, neonatology, and obstetrics. The breadth of topics covered includes alcohol, cocaine, opiates, nicotine, benzodiazepines, marijuana, and the role of stress and hormones. Emphasis is placed on the relationship of the effects of substance abuse on neurotrophic factors and receptors.
Key Features
* Shows how abused substances act directly or indirectly to mimic or influence the action of neurotrophic factors
* Explains that the transient expression of peptides, neurotransmitters, and receptors can be markedly disturbed by drugs
* Demonstrates that animal and tissue culture studies are consistent with clinical observations and important in understanding and ameliorating adverse actions of drugs in early life

This important monograph summarizes a comprehensive study on the maturation of walking in normal children. Research, undertaken at one of the world's leading gait analysis centers, involved over 400 studies on a total of nearly 300 children in ten age-groups from one to seven years. Data are presented on anthropometric measurements; tests of developmental progress; time/distance parameters such as stride length and walking velocity; twelve joint angles on each side measured throughout the gait cycle; dynamic electromyography of phasic activity in seven lower-extremity muscle groups; and force measurements including vertical force, fore/aft shear, medial/lateral shear and torque. At each age, composite joint-angle graphs and time/distance parameters are brought together with film tracings of a representative child in that age group. In addition, advanced methods of statistical analysis have been applied to the joint-angle data to define prediction regions within which ninety-five percent of normal children should lie throughout the gait cycle. Finally, a 'decision tree' is presented from which a fitted age can be inferred for a subject based on non-age-specific data gathered in a motion analysis lab. Practical applications are demonstrated in a chapter devoted to two case studies.

The world can often feel like a very scary, complicated and messy place. It's not always clear what is the correct thing to say, the best thing to do or the right way to be. HOPE THIS HELPS offers an easy guide that can help you feel and do better, and gives guidance on things that can appear incredibly difficult to navigate. Centring tolerance, kindness and empathy, the book takes us back to our roots as a human race of simply wanting to connect, be heard and enjoy life. Written in short, bite-sized entries, you can turn straight to the section you need depending on the challenge you're facing. Benjy Kusi will provide insight on . . . - Why it's not selfish to choose yourself - Why it's OK to change your opinion as you learn - Why impact means more than intent - Why we should listen to others more - How we can be kinder online And much, much more. More than anything this book reminds you that not everyone can be everything all the time, but the little things each of us can do to make the world slightly better can amount to something incredible. We hope this helps.

With the conclusion of adolescence, a child develops into a teenager that may experiment with dating, smoking and drinking, and they may make important decisions without parental knowledge or guidance. These teenagers may also engage in risky behaviour, which may pose as a threat to their well-being and successful transition into adulthood. With this in mind, how can we can prevent adolescent risk behaviour? Traditionally, prevention scientists propose three forms of prevention. Primarily, attempts to reduce the harmful consequences of risk behaviour, such as treatment of risk behaviour (ie: mental disorders or substance abuse) are ideal. For some problematic behaviour which has already occurred, a better approach is to identify those who are at-risk as early as possible (ie: secondary prevention). For example, youth workers may identify those who have suicidal ideation and intervene as early as possible so that they will not harm themselves. In this book, the authors assess whether a community-based program in Hong Kong was effective in promoting adolescent development and explore what factors were associated with the program effects. The authors hope that the studies included in this book can help to reveal the successful experience of the project and provide some pointers for the development of programs for adolescents with greater psychosocial needs.

The advances of basic sciences combined with the perspectives of developmental neurology have recently modified the traditional outlook on the evolution of motor behavior. The maturation of neuro-anatomic structures is studied nowadays as just one facet of a complex process: the various elements of innate global patterns, the acquisition of antigravitary schemes as well as manipulative and praxic skills, control of posture and gait, ocular motility and motricity, converge to create the present picture of a continuous adaptive interaction between the child's genotype and its environment. This book stimulates the debate and the exchange of concepts between researchers and clinical specialists.

In this worldwide survey, Clive Gamble explores the evolution of the human imagination, without which we would not have become a global species. He sets out to determine the cognitive and social basis for our imaginative capacity and traces the evidence back into deep human history. He argues that it was the imaginative ability to 'go beyond' and to create societies where people lived apart yet stayed in touch that made us such effective world settlers. To make his case Gamble brings together information from a wide range of disciplines: psychology, cognitive science, archaeology, palaeoanthropology, archaeogenetics, geography, quaternary science and anthropology. He presents a novel deep history that combines the archaeological evidence for fossil hominins with the selective forces of Pleistocene climate change, engages with the archaeogeneticists' models for population dispersal and displacement, and ends with the Europeans' rediscovery of the deep history settlement of the Earth.

'Open, honest, straight talking on mental health and motherhood.' - Tik Tok's Dr Julie 'I absolutely love it - it doesn't matter who you are, what you've been through and how much you've changed - there is always room for growth'. - Ant Middleton 'This book will become your bible.' - Gaby Roslin, Virgin Radio In GROW, Sunday Times bestselling author Frankie Bridge opens up about her journey with her maternal mental health. Part narrative exploration, part first aid manual for mothers this book will discuss the hidden growing pains which take place when you become a parent. Its chapters cover the HOW TOs, WHAT IFs?, WILL Is? and WHY DOs? anxious questions all mothers ask themselves when they believe they are doing it wrong whilst also offering a brutally honest account of how hard it can be to grow a baby and raise a child whilst you are still growing into yourself. The book will combine Frankie's mental health journey into motherhood with the notes of psychologist, Maleha Khan, who will unpack the problems she experienced as she became a mother. It will also include additional guidance and parental advice from the UK's leading paediatrician Dr Ed Abrahamson. Fans of OPEN: 'Brave and beautiful... a first aid manual for your mind.' - Adam Kay, bestselling author of This is Going To Hurt 'Very readable. Very relatable. Intensely moving but also full of practical advice.' - Alastair Campbell

The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that occur in fertile women and other female primates for the purposes of sexual reproduction. In this book, the authors discuss the signs and symptoms, psychological/behavioural changes and abnormalities of the menstrual cycle. Topics include the evolution of the menstrual cycle with a focus on the role of the luteal phase, extended sexual receptivity and the concept of concealed ovulation; functional and structural brain alterations associated with menstrual pain; premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS); the fluctuations on appetite and food intake that occur during the female reproductive cycle; and assessing energy intake and physical activity energy expenditure during the menstrual cycle.

As the name indicates, 75 Ways to Happiness is an invaluable collection of 75 value-based stories written and compiled by the well-known author, J.M. Mehta. Each story begins with a line of wisdom expressing the crux of the story and teaching a simple, but important value of life which should be imbibed by one and all to remain happy and become successful. It is a fact that in our busy lifestyle of today, we rarely get the time to understand the singificance of values which form the basis of our lives and help us to remain happy. The value-based stories given in the book basically aim to carve out this happiness and teach us the ways to lead a happy life. There is also a box at the end of each story named ""Something Extra"". This is where the author has emphasised the deep, inner meaning hidden within the story highlighting the moral value associated with it to stay happy and contented in life. Therefore dear readers, go through these 75 invaluable collection of stories and enlighten your mind and soul.

The world often falls short of how we'd like it to be, and our ability to make even just a little difference can seem limited. Sometimes it feels like you need to be a super-hero to achieve anything meaningful. But what if by re-conceiving what you do, you could change the world for the better? In THE REGENERATIVE LIFE, Carol Sanford shows you how to fundamentally change the roles you play in society, enabling you to do more than you ever believed possible; grow yourself and others, provide astounding innovations for your clients, children and students, generate extraordinary social returns, become more creative, and bring new life and opportunity to everything around you. THE REGENERATIVE LIFE teaches you to see your roles differently: stripping away all preconceptions of how it should be done, understanding what your role is at its core, and building yourself back up to become something new; something so grounded, inspiring, and resilient, it can change the world.

This monograph provides a comprehensive basis for understanding the complex interactions that take place between synaptic input, cellular properties, and the oscillatory output of a neural network, especially in the maturing or developing nervous system. Emphasis is placed on drawing a parallel betw

Node.js, MongoDB and Angular Web Development The definitive guide to using the MEAN stack to build web applications Node.js is a leading server-side programming environment, MongoDB is the most popular NoSQL database, and Angular is the leading framework for MVC-based front-end development. Together, they provide an easy-to-implement, fully integrated web development stack that allows web programmers to create high-performance sites and applications built completely in JavaScript, from server to client. Updated for Angular 2, Angular 4, and subsequent versions, this new edition of Node.js, MongoDB and Angular Web Development shows you how to integrate these three technologies into complete working solutions. It begins with concise, crystal-clear tutorials on each technology and then quickly moves on to building common web applications. You'll learn how to use Node.js and MongoDB to build more scalable, high-performance sites, how to leverage Angular's innovative MVC approach to structure more effective pages and applications, and how to use all three together to deliver outstanding next-generation Web solutions. Implement a highly scalable and dynamic web server using Node.js and Express Implement a MongoDB data store for your web applications Access and interact with MongoDB from Node.js JavaScript code Learn the basics of TypeScript Define custom Angular directives that extend the HTML language Build server-side web services in JavaScript Implement client-side services that can interact with the Node.js web server Build dynamic browser views that provide rich user interaction Add authenticated user accounts and nested comment components to your web applications and pages Contents at a Glance Part I: Getting Started 1 Introducing the Node.js-to-Angular Stack 2 JavaScript Primer Part II: Learning Node.js 3 Getting Started with Node.js 4 Using Events, Listeners, Timers, and Callbacks in Node.js 5 Handling Data I/O in Node.js 6 Accessing the File System from Node.js 7 Implementing HTTP Services in Node.js 8 Implementing Socket Services in Node.js 9 Scaling Applications Using Multiple Processors in Node.js 10 Using Additional Node.js Modules Part III: Learning MongoDB 11 Understanding NoSQL and MongoDB 12 Getting Started with MongoDB 13 Getting Started with MongoDB and Node.js 14 Manipulating MongoDB Documents from Node.js 15 Accessing MongoDB from Node.js 16 Using Mongoose for Structured Schema and Validation 17 Advanced MongoDB Concepts Part IV: Using Express to Make Life Easier 18 Implementing Express in Node.js 19 Implementing Express Middleware Part V: Learning Angular 20 Jumping into TypeScript 21 Getting Started with Angular 22 Angular Components 23 Expressions 24 Data Binding 25 Built-in Directives Part VI: Advanced Angular 26 Custom Directives 27 Events and Change Detection 28 Implementing Angular Services in Web Applications 29 Creating Your Own Custom Angular Services 30 Having Fun with Angular

This book delineates how systems biology, pharmacogenomic, and behavioral approaches, as applied to neurodevelopmental toxicology, provide a structure to arrange information in a biological model. The text reviews and discusses approaches that can be used as effective tools to dissect mechanisms underlying pharmacological and toxicological phenomena associated with the exposure to drugs or environmental toxicants during development. The book intends to elaborate functional outcomes of component-to-component relationships using rodent and nonhuman primate in vitro and in vivo models that allow for the directional and quantitative description of the complete organism in response to environmental perturbations. In addition, attention has also been directed to some of the more recent methodologies, including genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, applied in the evolutionary neurobiological field.

A closer look at your patient's family situation can help you develop a more effective treatment plan Family Behavioral Issues in Health and Illness is a basic but thorough introduction to the impact family dynamics can have on a person's health. Ideal as a supplemental training text for healthcare professionals, this unique book examines the connections between family and health, presenting a concise summary of family systems theory, basic family assessment, and the family life cycle. The book provides an understanding of how the patterns and systems found in a diverse range of family styles can create special health issues, and how the ability to assess and anticipate those issues can ensure the most comprehensive patient care and cost-effective management of time and resources. As long as families continue to be the primary environment where patients learn and develop their beliefs and overall attitudes about life, it remains essential that any primary healthcare model includes a strong background in family dynamics and the critical, pivotal points of family life. Family Behavioral Issues in Health and Illness addresses the most important aspects of family to consider when providing care, presenting practical, real-life case studies that examine the resilience, strengths, and possibilities of families, as well as the problems and dysfunctions. The book looks at how significant events, such as marriage, divorce, birth, and death affect families, and how a knowledge of special family issues, including parenting, abuse, disability, and chronic illness prepares the healthcare professional to provide effective care for traditional, single-parent, multiracial, blended, adoptive, and same-gender families. Family Behavioral Issues in Health and Illness examines: boundaries, roles, and rules triangulation subsystems scapegoating parentification healthy families the family genogram spiritual crises of family members infertility families without children intergenerational families the family in later life coping with alcoholism, dementia, bereavement, and/or mental illness and much more Family Behavioral Issues in Health and Illness is an essential reference for healthcare professionals, educators, parents, and family members. The book provides a practical understanding of family relationships that helps healthcare providers guide patients toward a more complete well-being.

A window on the insular world of autism, this book offers a rare close look at the mysterious condition that afflicts approximately 350,000 Americans and affects millions more. As they make sense of the many features of autism at every level of intellectual functioning across the life span, Marian Sigman and Lisa Capps weave together clinical vignettes, research findings, methodological considerations, and historical accounts. The result is a compelling, comprehensive view of the disorder, as true to human experience as it is to scientific observation. Children with Autism is unique in that it views autism through the lens of developmental psychopathology, a discipline grounded in the belief that studies of normal and abnormal development can inform and enhance one another. Sigman and Capps conduct readers through the course of development from infancy to adulthood, outlining the differences between normal and autistic individuals at each stage and highlighting the links between growth in cognitive, social, and emotional domains. In particular, Sigman and Capps suggest that deficits in social understanding emerge in the early infancy of autistic children, and they explore how these deficits organize the development of autistic individuals through the course of their lives. They also examine the effects certain characteristics can have on an autistic person's adjustment over time. Their book concludes with an overview of existing interventions and promising avenues for further research.

Adolescents embody the best hopes of American society. Their vital role in shaping our future lends particular significance to their success in negotiating the passage from childhood to adulthood, while their intensity and visibility often make them barometers of social change. It is all the more remarkable, then, that this critical period has only recently captured the full attention of researchers.

"At the Threshold" presents the long-awaited findings of the Carnegie Foundation study on adolescence. It offers a comprehensive overview of what investigators are learning about normal development and provides an interdisciplinary synthesis of research into the biological, social, and psychological changes occurring during this key stage in the life span. While focusing on the contexts of adolescent life - social and ethnic, family and school, leisure and work-it also addresses how researchers are doing in the effort to understand the intersection of processes that initiate and sustain adolescent development and to characterize the extraordinary changes that occur during these years.

Contrary to popular belief, large numbers of young people continue to mature into productive members of society. "At the Threshold" seeks to allow professionals and nonprofessionals alike important access to the reality of normal adolescent experience. The authors recognize that only if we begin to understand and clearly articulate the parameters of successful adolescent development can we hope to intervene with those individuals whose lives seem aimed toward unsatisfactory futures.

Dyslexia and Development presents the latest findings of neurobiological research, which suggest a link between seemingly minor brain abnormalities and epilepsy, learning disorders, and autism. The authors focus on the plasticity of the developing nervous system and the possible role of subtle early brain injury in the emergence of these disorders, particularly dyslexia. The distinguished contributors to this volume examine epidemiological and clinical issues that may make the developing brain more vulnerable to environmental and genetic influences, which can in turn lead to abnormal brain plasticity and behavior. Although major forms of brain malformation have been clearly associated with functional deficits, mild forms have historically been ignored or trivialized; this book supports the hypothesis that several types of such malformation reflect brain injury during critical stages of development, and also the premise that more and more disturbances of thought and behavior stem from abnormalities of brain organization. Neurologists and neurobiologists, psychologists, psycholinguists, psychiatrists, and special educators will find here a guide to more enlightened understanding and more effective treatment of dyslexia. In fact, the book emphasizes the positive aspect of the neurobiological deviation that dyslexic brains seem to show, along with the observation that people with such brains are often quite creative and extraordinary, rather than handicapped. In turn, the revised consideration of dyslexia should lead to more serious attention to other disturbances of childhood behavior as problems in developmental neurology, as well as to a deeper analysis of possible neurological bases for individual differences in normal behavior and personality.

Research on physical maturity has demonstrated conclusively that the assumption of an age-homogenous development does not always hold true. This volume presents a biosocial model focusing on the role of individual differences in biological maturation to be used as a framework for empirical studies exploring adolescent female development. The longitudinal design of the research program offers the possibilities to examine both short- and long-term consequences for individual variations in pubertal development. In the present volume, the data for these analyses consist of a broad range of biological, mental, psychological, behavioral, and social factors extending from the age of 10 to the age of 30. Some of the questions the present volume attempts to answer are:
* Are variations in the timing of pubertal development among girls related to their psychological and social life situation in the adolescent years? If so, when is the relation most prominent? In what areas is the relation most prominent? How does the relation come about?
* Do interindividual differences in physical maturation have any long-term consequences for adult life? If so, in what areas, for which girls, and through which developmental processes does pubertal development operate? The long-term consequences are a major concern addressed in considerable detail.

First Published in 1989 this is a collection of essays based on a series of lectures given at a symposium held at the University of Southampton Medical School from eight experts in the field of growth failure. Interest in growth hormone, its regulation and its therapeutic use has grown enormously since the introduction of genetically engineered growth hormone in 1985. The very pratcial probelms of measuring growth, the physiology of growth failure and its epidemiology are followed by a richly illustrated chapter on the spectrum of diseases assciated with short stature and an expert with extensive experience in the field looks at the application of growth hormone therapy.