An introduction to mathematical methods used in the study of population phenomena including models of total population and population age structure, models of random population events presented in terms of Markov chains, and methods used to uncover qualitative behavior of more complicated difference equations.

The goal of this book is to search for a balance between simple and analyzable models and unsolvable models which are capable of addressing important questions on population biology. Part I focusses on single species simple models including those which have been used to predict the growth of human and animal population in the past. Single population models are, in some sense, the building blocks of more realistic models -- the subject of Part II. Their role is fundamental to the study of ecological and demographic processes including the role of population structure and spatial heterogeneity -- the subject of Part III. This book, which will include both examples and exercises, is of use to practitioners, graduate students, and scientists working in the field.

The formulation, analysis, and re-evaluation of mathematical models in population biology has become a valuable source of insight to mathematicians and biologists alike. This book presents an overview and selected sample of these results and ideas, organized by biological theme rather than mathematical concept, with an emphasis on helping the reader develop appropriate modeling skills through use of well-chosen and varied examples. Part I starts with unstructured single species population models, particularly in the framework of continuous time models, then adding the most rudimentary stage structure with variable stage duration. The theme of stage structure in an age-dependent context is developed in Part II, covering demographic concepts, such as life expectation and variance of life length, and their dynamic consequences. In Part III, the author considers the dynamic interplay of host and parasite populations, i.e., the epidemics and endemics of infectious diseases. The theme of stage structure continues here in the analysis of different stages of infection and of age-structure that is instrumental in optimizing vaccination strategies. Each section concludes with exercises, some with solutions, and suggestions for further study. The level of mathematics is relatively modest; a "toolbox" provides a summary of required results in differential equations, integration, and integral equations. In addition, a selection of Maple worksheets is provided. The book provides an authoritative tour through a dazzling ensemble of topics and is both an ideal introduction to the subject and reference for researchers.

This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications MATHEMATICAL APPROACHES FOR EMERGING AND REEMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES: MODELS, AND THEORY METHODS is based on the proceedings of a successful one week workshop. The pro ceedings of the two-day tutorial which preceded the workshop "Introduction to Epidemiology and Immunology" appears as IMA Volume 125: Math ematical Approaches for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases: An Introduction. The tutorial and the workshop are integral parts of the September 1998 to June 1999 IMA program on "MATHEMATICS IN BI OLOGY. " I would like to thank Carlos Castillo-Chavez (Director of the Math ematical and Theoretical Biology Institute and a member of the Depart ments of Biometrics, Statistics and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University), Sally M. Blower (Biomathematics, UCLA School of Medicine), Pauline van den Driessche (Mathematics and Statistics, Uni versity of Victoria), and Denise Kirschner (Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School) for their superb roles as organizers of the meetings and editors of the proceedings. Carlos Castillo-Chavez, es pecially, made a major contribution by spearheading the editing process. I am also grateful to Kenneth L. Cooke (Mathematics, Pomona College), for being one of the workshop organizers and to Abdul-Aziz Yakubu (Mathe matics, Howard University) for serving as co-editor of the proceedings. I thank Simon A. Levin (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton Uni versity) for providing an introduction.

This is the first of a planned two-volume work discussing the mathematical aspects of population genetics with an emphasis on evolutionary theory. This volume draws heavily from the author’s 1979 classic, but it has been revised and expanded to include recent topics which follow naturally from the treatment in the earlier edition, such as the theory of molecular population genetics.

This is the first book to present a detailed discussion of both classical and recent results on the popular Cahn–Hilliard equation and some of its variants. The focus is on mathematical analysis of Cahn–Hilliard models, with an emphasis on thermodynamically relevant logarithmic nonlinear terms, for which several questions are still open. Initially proposed in view of applications to materials science, the Cahn–Hilliard equation is now applied in many other areas, including image processing, biology, ecology, astronomy, and chemistry. In particular, the author addresses applications to image inpainting and tumor growth. Many chapters include open problems and directions for future research. The Cahn-Hilliard Equation: Recent Advances and Applications is intended for graduate students and researchers in applied mathematics, especially those interested in phase separation models and their generalizations and applications to other fields. Materials scientists also will find this text of interest.

This book is an outcome of the Second International Conference on Mathematical Population Dynamics. It is intended for mathematicians, statisticians, biologists, and medical researchers who are interested in recent advances in analyzing changes in populations of genes, cells, and tumors.

Intuitive ideas of stability in dynamics of a biological population, community, or ecosystem can be formalized in the framework of corresponding mathematical models. These are often represented by systems of ordinary differential equations or difference equations. Matrices and Graphs covers achievements in the field using concepts from matrix theory and graph theory. The book effectively surveys applications of mathematical results pertinent to issues of theoretical and applied ecology. The only mathematical prerequisite for using Matrices and Graphs is a working knowledge of linear algebra and matrices. The book is ideal for biomathematicians, ecologists, and applied mathematicians doing research on dynamic behavior of model populations and communities consisting of multi-component systems. It will also be valuable as a text for a graduate-level topics course in applied math or mathematical ecology.

This book deals with the mathematical side of the theory of shock waves. The author presents what is known about the existence and uniqueness of generalized solutions of the initial value problem subject to the entropy conditions. The subtle dissipation introduced by the entropy condition is investigated and the slow decay in signal strength it causes is shown.

The dynamics of infectious diseases represents one of the oldest and ri- est areas of mathematical biology. From the classical work of Hamer (1906) and Ross (1911) to the spate of more modern developments associated with Anderson and May, Dietz, Hethcote, Castillo-Chavez and others, the subject has grown dramatically both in volume and in importance. Given the pace of development, the subject has become more and more di?use, and the need to provide a framework for organizing the diversity of mathematical approaches has become clear. Enzo Capasso, who has been a major contributor to the mathematical theory, has done that in the present volume, providing a system for organizing and analyzing a wide range of models, depending on the str- ture of the interaction matrix. The ?rst class, the quasi-monotone or positive feedback systems, can be analyzed e?ectively through the use of comparison theorems, that is the theory of order-preserving dynamical systems; the s- ond, the skew-symmetrizable systems, rely on Lyapunov methods. Capasso develops the general mathematical theory, and considers a broad range of - amples that can be treated within one or the other framework. In so doing, he has provided the ?rst steps towards the uni?cation of the subject, and made an invaluable contribution to the Lecture Notes in Biomathematics. Simon A. Levin Princeton, January 1993 Author’s Preface to Second Printing In the Preface to the First Printing of this volume I wrote: \ . .