This second edition offers an expanded and updated history of the field of fetal and neonatal development, allowing readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the biological aspects that contribute to the wellbeing or pathophysiology of newborns. In this concluding opus of a long and prominent career as a clinical scientist, Dr. Longo has invited new contributions from noted colleagues with expertise in various fields to provide a historical perspective on the impact of how modern concepts emerged in the field of fetal physiology and contributed to the current attention paid to the fetal origins of diseases in adults. In addition to new chapters on maternal physiology and complications during pregnancy, others trace the history of the Society for Reproductive Investigation, governmental funding of perinatal research, and major initiatives to support training in the new discipline of maternal fetal medicine, including the Reproductive Scientist Development program. The extensive survey provided by the author, who personally knew most of the pioneers in the field, offers a unique guide for all clinical and basic scientists interested in the history of - and future approaches to diagnosing and treating - pathologies that represent the leading causes of neonatal mortality and, far too often, life-long morbidity.

This second edition offers an expanded and updated history of the field of fetal and neonatal development, allowing readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the biological aspects that contribute to the wellbeing or pathophysiology of newborns. In this concluding opus of a long and prominent career as a clinical scientist, Dr. Longo has invited new contributions from noted colleagues with expertise in various fields to provide a historical perspective on the impact of how modern concepts emerged in the field of fetal physiology and contributed to the current attention paid to the fetal origins of diseases in adults. In addition to new chapters on maternal physiology and complications during pregnancy, others trace the history of the Society for Reproductive Investigation, governmental funding of perinatal research, and major initiatives to support training in the new discipline of maternal fetal medicine, including the Reproductive Scientist Development program. The extensive survey provided by the author, who personally knew most of the pioneers in the field, offers a unique guide for all clinical and basic scientists interested in the history of - and future approaches to diagnosing and treating - pathologies that represent the leading causes of neonatal mortality and, far too often, life-long morbidity.

One of the most provocative recent findings in modern medicine is that perinatal stress may have a subtle or drastic impact on tissue/organ ontogeny, structure, and function, altering the vulnerability or resiliency to challenges and diseases later in life. A wealth of evidence indicates that stress and adverse environmental milieu during early development is closely associated with increased risks of the genesis of hypertension, coronary artery disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, central obesity, hyperlipidemia, and other neurobehavioral, neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric disorders in adulthood. The concept of "Developmental Programming of Health and Disease" or "Foetal Origins of Adult Disease" has been developed to elucidate the links between stress, early development, and risks of disease later in life. Stress is an internal response to stimuli or pressures that challenge or disrupt an organism's homeostasis in a changing environment. Adverse environmental signals that influence the development cause foetal stress. Such adverse signals can be transmitted from the mother to the foetus, impacting specific vulnerable tissues in their sensitive developmental stage, modulating normal development trajectory, remodelling their structure and function and reprogramming the resiliency or susceptibility to diseases in postnatal life. Such programming may be determined by multiple factors including gestational age, duration and mode of exposure and nature of the stressor, and these processes are tissue/organ specific. Genetic traits, epigenetic modifications and central stress mediators such as dopamine, glucocorticoids, and other transmitters may underpin such phenotypic plasticity. This volume provides broad and up-to-date information in the recent advancement of our knowledge in the basic science of Developmental Programming of Health and Disease. Each Chapter is written by leading experts in the field, providing the highest academic level for readers including basic, clinical, and translational scientists, paediatricians, maternal-foetal medicine specialists, physiologists, environmental biologists, biostatisticians, sociologists, behavioural scientists, health economists, health informatics experts, geneticists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, medical students, university undergraduate students, and graduate students.

What might the coordinated behavior of ant colonies, where no individual ants are in charge, have to do with ancient notions of spirit and soul? Vainglorious Sun is a philosophical adventure at the cutting-edge of science and the mystical unknown. Famed biologist Xavier del Rojo Reino is an environmentalist, a genius, and a direct descendent of the last Mayan kings. He is also, quite possibly, insane. Recognizing a link between the modern concept of "swarm intelligence" and ancient notions of "spirit" and "soul," Dr. Rojo Reino has come to believe he can commune with the spirits of the forests. He has heard their desperate pleas for mercy. He has become consumed by their wailing cries for revenge. He intends to perform "the ultimate sacrifice" to restore balance and harmony to the universe. Documentary film maker Jared Foster travels to Guatemala to save his beloved rainforests from development. With the help of his beautiful but volatile lover and a loyal anthropologist friend, he gathers clues to an unfolding prophecy of apocalypse. People have been mysteriously disappearing from the region, the Mayans predict the end of time, and a satellite dish atop a remote jungle ruin hints at the resurgence of a conquered race. Though Jared travels to save the environment, he will be forced to make an unexpected decision. Nature, it seems, has already found a champion and it is no longer the rainforests that are in danger. **Previously published as The Shaman: Science, Nature, Prophecy**

Bringing together academics, researchers, and industrialists, "Climbing and Walking Robots 2003 (CLAWAR 2003)" provides a forum for cross-fertilization in the different specialities so that both state-of-the-art and industrial applications can be reported on. Original contributions, both industrial and those in new/emerging fields, provide a full picture of climbing and walking robots.

The interest in climbing and walking robots (CLAWAR) has increased considerably over recent years, addressing many application fields such as exploration/intervention in extreme environments, personal services, emergency rescue operations, transportation, entertainment, etc., and envisage humanoid robots evolving into mechatronic replicas of ourselves.

Topics covered include:

Biological Inspired Systems

Medical Systems

Control of CLAWAR

Design Methodology

System Modelling and Simulation

Modularity and System Architecture

Gait Generation and Stability of CLAWAR

Biped Locomotion

Multi-legged Locomotion

Micro Machines

Applications

Climbing Robots

Actuators, Sensors, Navigation, and Sensors Fusion

CLAWAR Network Workpackages