This monograph sketches out a broad spectrum of problems (from evolution and metabolism to morphogenesis and biogeographical dynamics) whose solution has been impacted by mathematical models. Each of the selected examples has led to the recognition—and set direction to further study—of certain fundamental but unintuitive properties of biological systems, such as the making and breaking of specific symmetries that underlie morphogenesis. Whether they are long-established or only recently accepted, these models are selected for being thought-provoking and illuminating both the achievements and the gaps in our current understanding of the given area of biology. The selection of models is also meant to bring to the fore the existing degree of unity in the quantitative approach to diverse general-biological questions and in the systems-level properties that are discovered across the levels of biological organization. It is the thesis of this book that further cultivation of such unity is a way forward as we progress toward a general theory of living matter. This is an ideal book for students (in the broadest sense) of biology who wish to learn from this attempt to present the exemplary models, their methodological lessons, and the outline of a unified theory of living matter that is now beginning to emerge. In addition to a doctoral student preparing for quantitative biology research, this reader could also be an interdisciplinary scientist transitioning to biology. The latter—for example, a physicist or an engineer—may be comfortable with the mathematical apparatus and prepared to quickly enter the intended area of work, but desires a broader foundation in biology from the quantitative perspective.

With more than 10,000 known species, recent reptiles (excluding birds) are the most specious tetrapod class. Their diversity is high, and many of them are frequently used as model organisms in phylogeographic and ecological studies. On the other hand, unique aspects of their biology are still being studied and important contributions to their understanding have just been issued. These aspects include the evolution of viviparity and of venom glands, metabolic regulation in poikilotherms, their ecophysiological tolerance and neurobiological and sensorial capacities such as infrared imaging and chemosensitivity. Genetic and developmental phenomena such as parthenogenesis and temperature-dependent sex determination are also special to reptiles. They are generally important for understanding evolutionary processes in vertebrates. The latest results of worldwide research on dinosaurs and other fossil reptiles, crocodiles and turtles conclude this first volume of Reptilia in the Handbook of Zoology.

GENERAL BIOLOGY is an introductory level college biology textbook that provides students with an understandable and engaging encounter with the fundamentals of biology. Written for a two-semester undergraduate course of biology majors and presented as a bound set of two distinct volumes, this reader-friendly textbook(s) is concept driven vs. terminology driven. That is, the book(s) are based on the underlying concepts and principles of biology rather than the strict memorization of biological terms and terminology. Written in a student-centered and conversational style, this educational research-based book(s) connects students to all aspects of biology from the molecular to the biosphere. End-of-chapter questions challenge students to think critically and creatively while incorporating science process skills and biological principles.

"Collection of incunabula and early medical prints in the library of the Surgeon-general's office, U.S. Army": Ser. 3, v. 10, p. 1415-1436.