Since the publication of the first edition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as a public health issue, has continually increased in line with the predictions of the World Health Organization - unfortunately, this trend is increasing, and by the year 2020 COPD will become one of the main killers of human life. With several important large scaled trials becoming available and our knowledge of COPD's determinants rapidly growing, it was essential to update Clinical Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with a second edition that will enable physicians to stay informed, aid in the clinical diagnosis, and the proper treatment of COPD Within this text expert analysis will examine -New treatments and combative strategies developed from recent and current clinical trails -The pathological and physiological mechanisms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -Current and up to date information from developing worlds faced with the COPD epidemic -The burden COPD has and will have in the future for patients, treatments and society

This monograph is a collective work. The names appear ing on the front cover are those of the people who worked on every chapter. But the contributions of others were also very important: C. Risito for Chapters I, II and IV, K. Peiffer for III, IV, VI, IX R. J. Ballieu for I and IX, Dang Chau Phien for VI and IX, J. L. Corne for VII and VIII. The idea of writing this book originated in a seminar held at the University of Louvain during the academic year 1971-72. Two years later, a first draft was completed. However, it was unsatisfactory mainly because it was ex ce~sively abstract and lacked examples. It was then decided to write it again, taking advantage of -some remarks of the students to whom it had been partly addressed. The actual text is this second version. The subject matter is stability theory in the general setting of ordinary differential equations using what is known as Liapunov's direct or second method. We concentrate our efforts on this method, not because we underrate those which appear more powerful in some circumstances, but because it is important enough, along with its modern developments, to justify the writing of an up-to-date monograph. Also excellent books exist concerning the other methods, as for example R. Bellman [1953] and W. A. Coppel [1965].

Nicolas Roche has a famous surname to all fans of cycling. The son of legendary Irish and World Champion Stephen Roche, Nicolas had to fight to make it as a professional and even harder to make his mark as his own man in this toughest of competitive sports. His rise up the ranks has been meteoric, with top 15 finishes in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, but his attitude to his chosen profession has remained undimmed. Honest, eloquent and passionate about the cycling world, Nicolas gained acclaim and a devoted fan following for his Tour diaries serialised in the Irish Independent. Now a major contender for a podium finish in a grand tour, in the award-winning Inside the Peloton Nicolas tells in full the story of life as a professional cyclist and of the remarkable events that have brought him this far. From furious spats with teammates and exhilarating races against the world's best, this is a gripping cycling adventure and tale of a fiercely competitive sportsman.