Worldwide, there are 65 million people that have epilepsy and approximately 200,000 additional individuals are diagnosed with epilepsy annually. There is no cure and currently available anticonvulsants, which are medications to treat seizures, are not . . .

This study involved Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, as the model organism to study the behavioral differences seen in flies overexpressing the human tau protein throughout their adult life span. The tau protein (MAPT – microtubule ass . . .

The Escherichia coli cAMP receptor protein (CRP) requires both DNA binding and RNA polymerase recruitment for its transcriptional activation function. The DNA recognition of CRP is performed by the F-helix (residues 180-185) and several F-helix resi . . .

Bacteria must be able to withstand a myriad of stresses from both their environment, and in the case of pathogens, from their host. Low molecular weight thiols serve as redox buffers to maintain a reducing environment in the cell and participate in va . . .

Discovered in 2004, tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are actin-based, bridge-like structures that allow the intercellular transport of cellular components, electrical signals, and pathogens. Thus, TNTs have been implicated in viral propagation, neurodegener . . .

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) have been recently discovered as an essential form of cell-cell communication in multicellular organisms. Although TNTs appear to be an important cell-cell signaling pathway, its mechanism of formation and functions are st . . .

Bacterial second messenger, c-di-GMP, regulates important functions such as biofilm formation, motility, and virulence. C-di-GMP also has an immunostimulatory property, so can be used as a vaccine adjuvant. In this project, DgcZ (a diguanylate cycla . . .

Clearcut logging of numerous small stands of trees over the last fifteen years has provided suitable areas for the study of early secondary plant succession on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada mountains. Familiarity with early succession . . .

Six species of Simulium larvae found in the Kings River near Piedra, Fresno County, California, are described. The black fly larvae and pupae were reared in the laboratory for taxonomic association of the immature instars, the pupae and the adults. . . .

Nitidulid beetles have been recognized as major pests of figs In California since 1900 (Simmons et al., 1931). Early workers were concerned primarily with Carpophllus hemlpterus (Linnaeus), the dried-fruit beetle, as the principal nitidulid pest ( . . .

The natural history of the Fresno kangaroo rat, Dipodomys nitratoides exilis, in the San Joaquin Valley's alkali sink habitat was first described by Culbertson (1946). His study included little information on the interspecific interactions with ot . . .

The California State Park system, hereafter referred to as CalDPR, has sought for five years to include Carmel Bay, California, in its park system as an underwater park. Carmel Bay is approximately 15 km (5 mi ) in area, located between Pescadero Poin . . .

An important aspect of any group of organisms from both ecologic and evolutionary points of view is the part played by that group in channeling the flow of energy within the community in which it lives. Foraminifera, marine protozoans with calcium car . . .

The primary purpose of this study was to-investigate the feeding habits of silversides (Family Atherinidae) in Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, California, since little detailed work on the feeding habits of silversides from California has been pub . . .

The field of membrane investigation is over 80 years old. Yet that remarkably complex and diverse structure, the cell membrane, continues to elude precise definition of structure and function. Observers have found cell membranes to be involved . . .

The rate of growth of catfish farming in the United States during the past 16 years is. unequalled in the history of fish culture. Commercial production of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) has increased from its beginnings in 1960 to an estim . . .

The presence or absence of intestinal parasites in a human population is one indication of the quality of life the people lead. Particularly, human intestinal helminths and protozoans have been used to indicate the sanitary standards of a populatio . . .

Shortly after the discovery of the role of bacteria as the etiological agents of human disease, the search for bacterial toxins began. Bacterial toxins were an important discovery, because they may enhance the pathogenicity of infection; the effect of . . .

Previous work on the North Kings deer herd has shown that the reproductive potential of the does was high; however, there was a 50 percent neonatal loss of fawns. The neonatal loss was hypothesized to be the result of a nutritional stress expe . . .

Ranch ponds are numerous in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada. An article appearing in the California Cattleman (anon, 1975) estimated that there were more than 50,000 ponds of less than 0.0123 cubic hectometers (10 acre feet) in California. . . .

Two hemipterans, Oncopeltus fasciatus Dallas (Lygaeidae) and Leptocoris trivittatus Say (Corizidae) (Feir, 1974; Woolley, 1949), have been used extensively in research and teaching due to availability and/or ease of rearing. The common squash bug, . . .

Waters containing enteropathogenic microorganisms (i.e., Salmonella, Shigella) are considered unsafe for human consumption. Traditionally, indicator bacteria have been utilized for the assess- ment of bacteriologically unsafe waters. However, a d . . .

The primary emphasis in most studies of bacteria and the relationship they have with their host is directed at the study of pathogenic species and the diseases caused by them, However, in addition to the pathogenic bacteria, there are many bacteria . . .

Meso-American squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus), restricted to the narrow coastal zone of southeastern Costa Rica and southwestern Panama, are widely separated from their conspecifics east of the Andes, and have a more reduced range than indicate . . .

Bush Anemone (Carpenteria californica Torr.) is a rare endemic shrub that exists within a limited range in Eastern Fresno County, California. Little floristic or vegetation research has been conducted on the species in its natural environment. The . . .

Following the methods of Gardner and Gardner (1969) and Premack and Premack (1972), others have continued human- pongid two-way communication studies elaborating upon the procedures of both the former investigators. Fouts (1973), after the Gar . . .

Farm ponds are small man-made resevoirs used for watering of farm animals, irrigation and fishing. Because of their small size, farm ponds are susceptible to rapid eutrophication which can cause growth of noxious or poisonous algae, unpleasant odor . . .

This three year study (1970-1972) was undertaken to document reproductive success in a colony of great blue herons at the San Joaquin River Heronry, Merced County, California. Quantitative data were collected on incubation period, clutch size, ha . . .

Declining trout harvests in rivers on the west slopes of the Sierra Nevada constitute a major fishery management problem in California. As part of a research team investi- gating this problem in the Kings River, my research consisted of docume . . .

The germination of asexual spores of most fungi requires a suitable substrate and a compatible environment. Heat-induced macroaleuriospore germination in Microsporum gypseum has been studied previously by Leighton and Stock (1968). They mentione . . .

Formation of endospores by aerobic bacilli serves as a model system for answering basic questions related to development and cyto- differentiation in general. An important aspect of sporulation is that different bacilli seem to form spores by g . . .

There has been some uncertainty regarding the subspecific variation, distribution, and resultant taxonomy Dipodomys nitratoides. It was the purpose of this study to critically examine the geographic variation of this species and, on the basis of t . . .

The L-Form of Staphylocoecus aureus is of interest from a clinical point of view since it has been often associated with certain diseases. S- aureus L-Forms have been isolated from recurrent osteomyelitis (Rosner, 1968)., In addition, Kagan (1972) . . .

Faculty and students of the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, Moss Landing, California, have been conducting population studies of the dorid nudibranchs in the intertidal of the Monterey Peninsula, California, since 1969. Throughout the studies two c . . .

It has been reported by Chew (1965) that all pathways of water exchange are reduced when mammals are subjected to dehydration. With few exceptions, evaporation is the major loss, and usually the greatest absolute conservation of water is realized . . .

When pasture land, is grazed by cattle the composition of the herbaceous vegetation is changed from that of the ungrazed state and the ecology of the pastoral habitat will be variously affected. The object of this investigation was to examine the dist . . .

Taxonomic and general natural history studies have been complemented by physiological and energetic considerations. This additional emphasis is necessary if the functional role that each species plays in the ecosystem is to be determined. To ascer . . .

A population of three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus L. from the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam near Fresno, California, was found to be infected with the plerocercoid larval stage of a pseudophyllidean cestode, Schistocephalus sol . . .

Chromosomes were analyzed from the mitotic bone marrow of nine mountain pocket gophers (Thomomys monticola J. A. Allen, 1893). All the specimens, collected from three different localities in the'Sierra Nevadas, had a diploid number (2N) of 40. Ani . . .

The structure of intermittent streams has been described by Abell (1956) . Her work was based on the analysis of Dry Creek, Fresno County, California, which she considered a typical intermittent stream. An earlier work (Stehr and Bransen, 1938) ha . . .

An estuary is a coastal area where river water meets oceanic water. A characteristic of a tidal estuary is brackish water which shows fluctuations in salinity. These fluctuations are due to the diurnal periodicity of the tide and the influx of fresh w . . .

Microsporangial development in angiosperms is a well documented process. In contrast, difficulties such as availability of material, prolonged development, and problems in sectioning have made information concerning microsporogenesis in gymnosper . . .

Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide therapeutic effects to their consuming host’s gastrointestinal tract and immune system. Although they are considered “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) by the FDA and are added to a plethora of prob . . .

The effects of two mammalian viruses (SV40 and reovirus) were observed on a homeothermic and on a poikilothermic cell line. Propagation of these viruses in both types of cells could indicate shared biochemical receptor sites on the two types of ce . . .

new concept in medical bacteriology was opened for investigation in 1935 when Kleinberger reported she had successfully separated a cell wall deficient variant from a normal culture of Streptobacillus moniliformis (Kleinberger, 1935). Kleinberger den . . .

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-obligate plant pathogenic bacterium that causes disease in diverse crop plants. In grapevines, the infection is known as Pierce’s disease, which is limited to regions with warmer climates and fails to appear in cold cli . . .

The western foothills of the Sierra Nevada are dotted with small earthen reservoirs which are maintained by landowners primarily as a source of water for livestock. Most of these farm ponds have been stocked with warmwater gamefish such as largemou . . .

Mountain meadows offer aesthetic values and provide feed for cattle and wildlife, making it important for both financial and recreational reasons that they be maintained at maximum productivity. At the present, little is known about vegetation str . . .

Three out of five wild populations and a laboratory- population of Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), were found resistant to malathion. A malathion-susceptible Indian meal moth population, stressed with malathion, showed a 110-fo . . .

Bladderworts, aquatic carnivorous plants, use specialized traps (with a mouth opening of about 0.2 mm in diameter) to complete their feeding strike in less than a millisecond after the trap begins to open. Suction feeding is well understood in animals . . .