We shall limit our observations to the conditions in natural ecosystems, since it would be beyond the scope of this book to embark upon a consideration of secondary, man-made ecosystems. 2. Classification of the Geo-biosphere into Zonobiomes The biosphere is the thin layer of the earth's surface to which the phenomena connected with living matter are confined. On land, this comprises the lowest layer of the atmosphere permanently inhabited by living organisms and into which plants extend, as well as the root-containing portion of the lithosphere, which we term the soil. Living organisms are...

Nearly 10 years have elapsed since I finished writing the first edition of Intro duction to Molecular Embryology. During this period, molecular embryology has made great strides forward, but without undergoing a major revolution; there fore, the general philosophy and outline of the book have remained almost un changed. However, all the chapters had to be almost completely rewritten in or der to introduce new facts and to eliminate findings which have lost interest or have been disproved. There was a major gap in the first edition of this book: very little was said about mammalian eggs...

This book is based on Hans Zahner's Biologie der Antibiotica, published in 1965. There is a vast literature on antibiotics, covering chemical, phar macological, and clinical aspects. We have made no attempt to cover this literature comprehensively. Our effort is directed toward discuss ing antibiotics as biological agents. They are substances produced by living cells, yet they are able to inhibit the growth of living cells - in many cases even the cells that produce them. We have taken this apparent biological paradox as our point of departure and have tried to look in this light at the...

The titling of this book - "Facing Reality" - came to me unbidden, presumably from my subconscious But, when it came, it seemed to be right, because that essentially is what I am trying to do in this book. " Facing" is to be understood in the sense of "looking at in a steadfast and unflinching manner." It thus contrasts with "Confronting" which has the sense of "looking at with hostility and defiance." As I face life with its joys and its sorrows, its successes and its failures, its peace and its turmoil, my attitude is one of serene acceptance and gratitude and not one of angry and arrogant...

This text deals with three basic techniques for constructing models of Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory: relative constructibility, Cohen's forcing, and Scott-Solovay's method of Boolean valued models. Our main concern will be the development of a unified theory that encompasses these techniques in one comprehensive framework. Consequently we will focus on certain funda- mental and intrinsic relations between these methods of model construction. Extensive applications will not be treated here. This text is a continuation of our book, "I ntroduction to Axiomatic Set Theory," Springer-Verlag, 1971;...

There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact. Mark Twain The recent explosion in ou. r knowledge of basis physiologic processes, molecular biology, and genetic regulatory mech anisms has resulted, in large measure, from a single concep tual advance: the realization that, at the molecular level, evolutionarily divergent organisms are more similar than different. Thus, in Escherichia coli and Homo sapiens, the enzymatic pathways for the utilization of galactose and glu cose are the same, although more than...

Although a human embryo possesses so much grace that the untutored spectator can only admire it in awe, this minute and humble embryo is still almost unknown to many. For some, it seems to belong to the animal kingdom only; others see in it man in his most primordial and elementary aspect. The early life of man thus has become a problem. The development of man as individual (individual development) begins with fertilization. The following pages, therefore, concentrate above all on the develop ment from the ovum to the embryo. The description given below of the ontogenesis of the human embryo...

Close followers of the evolution of the Series on Industry and Health Care will recognize in this fourth volume some continuity and some change. The essential concept behind the series remains: here, as before, we are looking to private industry as a potential agent of change in the American health care delivery system. We have made some structural accommodations, however, to comments received from readers in industry and in health services. The original concept of a topical monograph supplemented by a separate hardbound volume of background papers has yielded to the present formula in which...

This fifth issue in the Industry and Health Care series takes a quick turn through unpredictable and only partially charted waters. The series as a whole has set out to explore the role of industry as a potential agent of change in the health care system, and to map the courses that may lead toward control of costs. One that looks possible is the effort now being made to infuse some competition into the health care industry through organized systems of care, known as HMOs. Health maintenance organizations, especially the fee-for-service variety known as IPAs (individual practice...

The reception of the original volume by students, pedagogues, and reviewers has been most gratifying. It appears to have both satisfied a need and served a useful educational purpose. Hence, some ten years later it has been deemed advisable to bring it up to date, if only in a slightly expanded form. The purpose for writing this book and its level remain the same. Many new polymers have been synthesized in the last decade that have found meaningful and novel uses. Examples of these applications are included in this new edition. Major advances have also been made in biophysics and in molecular...