Apoptosis is the cell’s primary response to stress, and is one of the body’s most important lines of defense against cancer. The process is initiated and governed by the Bcl-2 family of regulatory proteins, which contains both pro- and anti-apoptotic . . .

Food habits of Pacific coast flatfish (Heterosomata) have been studied by Orcutt (1950), Arora (l95l) and Miller (1967). Food habits are one aspect of flatfish biology which is easily studied and can give insight into the ecology of flatfish. In gener . . .

The incidence and habits of a population of the hackled band weaver, Dictyna reticulata Gertseh and Ivie, in Imperial County, California, were followed through the 1969 cotton growing season. Spider populations were sampled using a backpack vacuum app . . .

Cyanobacteria, the only prokaryotes capable of oxygenic photosynthesis, generate reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species as by-products of photosynthesis and cellular metabolism. To defend against oxidative and nitrosative stress caused by RO . . .

All four weedy species of the Muricatae section of the genus Amsinckia are widespread throughout California and often exist sympatrically commonly colonizing the same site. Amsinckia Eastwoodae Macbr., A. intermedia F. & M., A. lycopsoides Lehm, and A . . .

Of those women who progress to an advanced stage of breast cancer, over 80% will develop bone metastases. Currently, bisphosphonates are used for the treatment of metastatic bone disease. Our preliminary results indicate that zoledronic acid directly . . .

Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is a serious and understudied disease that is endemic to California. The distribution of the soft-tick vector of TBRF (Argasidae: Ornithodoros) and the prevalence of the pathogen are poorly understood in the foothills . . .

Four distinctly different lytic bacteriophage systems for the organism Bacillus pumilus have been defined in this laboratory. Lysogenic bacteriophage and bacteriophage for B. pumilus isolated by Smith (1952.) were not available. The purpose of this pr . . .

The use of isolated root cultures has become an important tool in the study of plant physiology and plant morphogenesis. Roots grown aseptically, isolated form the shoot system, may not give an entirely accurate picture of the root system of an intact . . .

Kings Canyon National Park, located in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains, has long been noted for its geological and vegetational diversity. This diversity has led to recent studies in an effort to understand more fully the nature of the vegetation . . .

Food deprivation is a common occurrence in the wild and organisms must be able to maintain energy homeostasis during this period. Energy stores, as well as food intake signaling become disrupted during prolonged fasting. Plasma IGF-1 decreased but no . . .

The purpose of the present investigation was three-fold: (1) to re-affirm the presence of the mountain beaver in its known southern range (the last report of A. rufa in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks was by Boyer in 1948, (2) to study the beh . . .

Bladderwort are a genus of carnivorous plants that traps zooplankton of submillimeter size by active suction. They are among the smallest suction feeders, with gapes ranging from 0.2 to 0.9 mm in the species Utriculria vulgaris. Other suction feeders . . .

The adventitious roots of Poa annua and Poa pratensis are described both externally and internally. The roots of the two species differ in the size, length, position, and amount of xylem. The adventitous roots of Poa annua resemble the lateral roots o . . .

Raynier, (1792) suggested a direct internal visualization of the healthy stomach with food in it for the most exact physiological understanding. Beaumont (1883) observed the reddening of the gastric mucosa during emotional upsets in his subject, Alexi . . .

This study is concerned with density of the bird population expressed as the actual number of non-breeding birds and the pairs of potential breeding birds living on thirty-tree and a third acres in the Foothills Woodland Community at the Experimental . . .

The phenomenon of bacterial lysis by viral action was first reported by Twort (1915) and shortly after, D'Herelle (1926) described the concept of bacteriophagy. Contemporary writers tended to regard the two reports of lysis as due to the same phenomen . . .

This brief paper is the first attempt to present a study of the habits and status of the wood duck, Aix, for the San Joaquin Valley of California. In a natural history survey involving a migratory bird such as this, two year' s observations cannot hop . . .

The Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, has a history of invasions in numerous countries. In 1992, the Chinese mitten crab was introduced to the San Francisco Bay/Delta system. Since its invasion in the San Francisco Bay, it has become an aquatic . . .

The San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) is preparing to reintroduce threatened spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) into the San Joaquin River between Friant Dam near Fresno, California and the confluence of the Merced River. . . .

It has been demonstrated in this laboratory that different strains of Staphylococcus aureus vary in their capacity to form L-phase organisms. Previous research by this writer produced data that indicated a strain of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from . . .

Anthropogenic land use transformations impact watershed hydrology and increase fine sediment delivery to stream systems. These impacts are known to alter lotic macroinvertebrate assemblages, however much less is known about the mechanisms causing thes . . .

American Crows are common across the United States, well adapted to human habitats, and congregate in large winter roosts. We aimed to characterize the bacterial community (microbiota) of the crows’ feces, with an emphasis on human pathogens. The anti . . .

Beattie and Setlow (1970) presented data to expand and confirm the "lethality mechanism" theory. Steinhart and Herriott (1968b) noted that their theory need not necessarily replace Schaeffer's "limited pairing" hypothesis since the integration level i . . .

The availability of water is arguably the most important landscape factor, particularly in arid climates. Homeowner decisions regarding irrigation are likely to have a direct effect on bird species richness. Previous research has suggested a link betw . . .

The purpose of this study was to evaluate presence of heartworm antigen in domestic dogs in Madera and, for the first time, Fresno Counties and test for the effects of habitat and other environmental variables on prevalence. Dogs were screened for hea . . .

To overcome these problems, investigation of the colonization of a Collembolan species on a strictly artificial habitat for an extended period was undertaken stressing methods which allowed ease of maintenance awri observation, whereby notes on the bi . . .

Several studies have shown that products of urban development have an impact on the behavior and ecology of animals. Urban bird communities have been shown to have greater densities, but often lower diversity compared to their surrounding wildlands, h . . .

Researchers have attempted to make generalizations about how species with similar traits respond to urbanization, although results are geographically idiosyncratic. I present a comparative study in three cities in the arid southwestern US: Fresno, CA; . . .

The variability of the phagocytic action has been known for nearly half a century. first being shown clearly by Shattock and Dudgeon (1908). Experiments by Dixon and McCutcheon (1938) were designed to show whether bacteria chemotropically attract leuc . . .

L-Glutamate controls insect locomotion both at the level of the peripheral and central nervous system. _-N-methyl-amino-L-alanine (BMAA) is considered a glutamate agonist that can cause changes in locomotory behavior of Drosophila melanogaster. Overst . . .

The poplar tree (Populus trichocarpa) has a strong capacity for growth in regions with high salt and trace element contamination in the soil. Using DNA from three salt/boron tolerant and six sensitive genotypes of poplar, association linkages are disc . . .

Plant Parasitic Nematodes (PPNs) cause an enormous annual monetary loss (Li et al., 2007). Thus, new and safe alternatives to control PPN are needed. Previous work identified two organic chalcones, Chalcone 17 and Chalcone 25, as effective nematicidal . . .

Bumblebees are able to obtain information both through personal experience and from their conspecifics, but it is unknown if bees are capable of making the best decision when social information conflicts with personal information. Recent research has . . .

In 2013 there were approximately 250,000 acres of pistachios (Pistacia vera L.) grown in 22 counties throughout California. Many of these orchards are planted primarily with male P. vera ?Peters?, and female ?Kerman? trees. In recent years, growers ha . . .

Methyl farnesoate (MF) is a terminal effector in crustaceans but is the immediate precursor to Juvenile Hormone III (JH) in insects. The insect JH model is well established and is commonly used for comparison with MF functions in crustaceans. MF and J . . .

The chemical composition of sea water has been described as being relatively constant with respect to the ratios of the major components (Dittmar, 1884). There are, however, certain of the minor constituents of sea water which are less conservative an . . .

The benefits of fertilizing farm ponds are well known. For example, Swingle and Smith (1941) found production of fish could be doubled at a reasonable cost by providing a supplemental energy source (commercial fertilizers and cottonseed meal). An addi . . .

Animals are constrained by the urban landscape as human population density and building density impinge on the distribution and abundance of various species. This study used transects and citizen science observations to determine the distribution patt . . .

Meloidogyne incognita (Mi) is a root knot nematode that infects various commercial crops and accounts for a crop loss of $100 billion a year worldwide. Therefore, learning about the biology of this parasite may help develop new strategies for its cont . . .

The immature stages of six species of Cnepfaia were found by the author lin the streams of the central Sierra Nevada mountains. Of these only Qnephia mutata (Hallooh) and C, stewarti Coleman hare been reported previously from California* Cnephia jeaaa . . .

During the past forty years, several papers have appeared in the literature discussing various aspects of water conservation by desert inhabiting rodents, Howell and Gersh (1935) reported that kangaroo rats (Dipodomys) are able to survive on a diet of . . .

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most frequently encountered form of dementia. Research in mammalian model systems and clinicalstudies in humans indicate that caffeine in the diet can decrease the frequency and severity of Alzheimer’s disease. The effe . . .

Periodically among animals is but single phase of community organization. As a result of this cyclic behavior more complete utilization of the habitat space and radiant energy within a community is possible. Each community is characterized by a diel p . . .

In most species, mitochondria are maternally inherited. Work in Caenorhabditis elegans has shown that a cellular surveillance system eliminates sperm-borne mitochondria that enter an oocyte. Such a system might have evolved to prevent heteroplasmy (th . . .

Organisms that rely on vision for navigation through their environment often do so by integrating many visual cues in order to guide themselves to their desired goal. In ants, research has identified a number of visual cues and features that guide an . . .

The objectives of this study were to determine the gastro-intestinal and ectoparasite prevalence and intensity of infection in five species of medium-sized peri-domestic mammals captured in immediate proximity (3.05 m) to structures. These mammals (n= . . .

Immunochemical studies on nucleic acids began in the late 1950's. Prior to that time, there were no conclusive data that nucleic acids were immunogenic. Lackman and co-workers (42) reported data that were suggestive of reactivity of deoxyribonucleic a . . .

The northern black swift (Cypseloides niger borealis) is an insectivorous bird that nests in small colonies in western North America. The black swift is a California Species of Special Concern with a statewide population estimate of 200 pairs. Previou . . .

In nature, seeds are often exposed to high, temperatures. This may occur while seeds are still attached to the parent plant or after they have fallen to the ground and are exposed to intensive thermal radiation. Levitt (1956) indicates that soils expo . . .

Insects of the higher Neoptera flap their wings by an asynchronous mechanism: Wing strokes are not individually triggered by nerve impulses; rather, delayed stretch-activation allows the flight muscle to oscillate spontaneously when coupled to a reson . . .

Nemacladus Interior has an eight-nucleate, Polygonum type of embryo sac which forms a haustorial process at its chalazal end. This process invades and crushes part of the chalazal tissues of the integument. Fertilization takes place within twenty-four . . .

The Bcl-2 protein family, made up of pro and anti-apoptotic proteins plays a major role in regulating apoptosis. Bax is a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family. In its inactive form, Bax is primarily a cytosolic and monomeric protein. Upon activati . . .

The generic name Chlorococcum appears frequently in reports of soil flora investigations, but there is a marked lack of agreement regarding the circumscription of organisms to which this genus name applies (Starr, 1955). Furthermore, there is confusio . . .

Humans who have been exposed to Beta-methylamino-L-alanine (L- BMAA) developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Parkinson-dementia complex, (ALS-PDC). The structure of L-BMAA is similar to glutamate, making it a glutamate agonist. Since glutamate is an e . . .

Mammalian predators are known to be sensitive to relatively low levels of habitat perturbations, and disturbances to these species are underway due anthropogenic development and climate change in the Sierra Nevada Foothills (SNF) of California. This w . . .

There is a great deal of evidence which suggests that bacteria play many important roles in aquatic communities. Their roles include serving as food sources, uptake of otherwise unusable and sometimes toxic organic substances, biosynthesis of vitamins . . .

Evidence suggests that Particulate Matter, PM2.5, exposure in humans leads to respiratory inflammation through an excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production initiated by alveolar macrophages. It is unclear which particle components are respons . . .

Pepper is an economically important crop whose agronomically important phenotypes have been characterized primarily through the use of genetic linkage maps and Quantitavie Trait Loci (QTL) analysis. With the large number of linkage maps available, man . . .

Chalcones are aromatic ketones that form the central core for a variety of important biological compounds. Previous research in Dr. Calderón-Urrea’s laboratory showed the efficacy of eight chalcones (1, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, and 30) to kill Caenorha . . .

Chalcones are aromatic ketones that form the central core for a variety of important biological compounds. Previous research in Dr. Calderón-Urrea’s laboratory showed the efficacy of eight chalcones (1, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, and 30) to kill Caenorha . . .

Previous experiments show that repetitive DNA makes up a large fraction of the pepper genome and contributes to its three-fold size difference with tomato. Further isolation and characterization of repetitive DNA is needed to achieve a better understa . . .

The life history of the many Blapstinus species, some of which are occasional pests of crops (Essig, 1926), is poorly known. Only one species, unidentified, has been reared (Blaisdell, 1926), and this on a media of "leafmould, powdered cow chip and so . . .

Plant Parasitic Nematodes (PPNs) are a challenging problem in today's agriculture causing an annual loss of about 157 billion dollars (Li et al., 2015). Until recently, methyl bromide was the most used agent for controlling PPNs. However, methyl bromi . . .

Anthropogenic activities have severely impacted much of the life on Earth. To protect and preserve our remaining natural areas, conservation biology has traditionally focused on the impacts of humans on natural systems. Recently, conservation biology . . .

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous zoonotic protozoan parasite, whose infective and environmentally resistant oocyst stages can be transported into fresh and marine waters via freshwater runoff, stormwater discharge and sewer systems. The ingestion of . . .

Salmon fisheries managers often use models to determine the growth of individuals and populations for a variety of management objectives. Most models of juvenile salmon growth during their freshwater residency only incorporate activity costs for drift . . .

Intertidal organisms, like the porcelain crab, regularly experience thermal stress. Petrolisthes cinctipes inhabits the upper-mid intertidal zone and is often exposed to aerial stressors at low tide. Increased abiotic stressors may interfere with many . . .

This thesis is the result of a study to determine the importance of geographic and climatic features in the distribution of the mammals of Middle America. Middle America is here defined as Mexico and Central America including the islands that belong t . . .

The aim of this study was to examine the swimming locomotion of the green shore crab Carcinus maenas larvae (stage I zoeae), to investigate the role and mechanics of their swimming appendages. High speed video recordings of swimming and sinking zoeae . . .

The goal of this study was to evaluate the population dynamics of small nocturnal mammals and the occurrence of medium to large mammals at Naval Air Station Lemoore in Lemoore, CA and a proposed conservation easement along the Kings River nearby. To a . . .

Petrolisthes cinctipes and P. manimaculis are two closely related species of anomurans that live in the upper intertidal zone along the Central California coast. Morphometric measurements were collected to gain insight on the reproductive cycles of th . . .

The purpose of the present study is to gain some insight into the complex of factors that create the canopy effect with emphasis on the microenvironment that is associated with the vegetative differences. Data recorded weekly included the measurement . . .

There exists among genetic forms the simplest self-replicating biological entity; namely, the "viruses." To define the term "virus" is not easy, for viruses cannot be defined by common-sense criteria the way animals and plants can. The term "virus" wa . . .

Considerable evidence links cumulative and sustained exposure to estrogens to breast tumor proliferation. Chemicals with estrogenic activity can bind to the estrogen receptor (ER) to affect downstream signaling of estrogen-responsive genes. Organochlo . . .

The present study- concerned the quantitative and qualitative comparison of two intertidal benthic algal floras. Data were collected from the experimental area, Ano Nuevo Point, and Pigeon Point the control area, both in San Mateo County California (F . . .

An increased interest has been shown in the exotoxins of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and their relationship to disease since 1872 when Klebs, speaking of staphylococcal infections, suggested that these organisms produce disease by means of dif . . .

Amphibians "that: breed in temporary bodies of water are confronted with problems of pool availability and larval mortality due to dessication of the breeding pools. Due to the low normal rainfall during the spring of the year, the mortality to the la . . .

Howardula okumural la the only currently recognized sphaerulariid from nitidulid beetles. Its host range Is United to Carpophilus mutilatus. Locality records for this nematode include Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, Florida and Mexico, g. okumur . . .

The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the factors which influence seed germination and seedling survival or the California Buckeye and to relate these factors to the distribution pattern. Benseler (1969) found that-most seed and seedling mo . . .

Retired farmland in the western San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California is frequently colonized by invasive plants that may limit the establishment of native flora. Limited ecophysiological data on native and invasive SJV plant species constrains scien . . .

It is the purpose of this paper to present and analyze the results obtained in neutralization studies of four bacteriophages of Bacillus pumilus. Suppositions as to the interrelations among the four bacterial viruses are presented.

Rhodoliths are free-living coralline algae that produce carbonate sediments in shallow water marine systems worldwide. Rhodalgal sediments, which result from rhodolith breakage and chemical weathering, mix together with living rhodoliths and form shal . . .

Suction feeding is a common feeding mode in macroscopic aquatic organisms and the dominant feeding mode in fish. In contrast, microscopic aquatic organisms do not use suction feeding. In fact, the smallest known suction feeders are fish larvae and bla . . .

Persister cells are a small percentage of the bacterial population (0.01-10%) that survive antibiotic therapy along with other stressors. They do this without undergoing any genetic change, only phenotypic variation. The exact mechanisms of persister . . .

The oceans, once believed infinitely vast and stable, have recently been subjected to considerable alteration from other than natural sources. The time has come when we must try to control these alterations and attempt to maintain the oceans as a natu . . .

The objective of this study was to determine the distribution and interrelationships of the fishes of the San Joaquin River drainage of the Sierra Nevada foothills, which have not been adequately checked since 1898 and 1899 (Rutter, 1908). A complete . . .

This study investigated the impact of different instructional strategies on students’ understanding about the cell cycle in a general education biology course. Although several studies have documented gains in students’ cell cycle understanding after . . .

The San Joaquin River (SJR) in California’s Central Valley represents the historical southern-most range of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). In 2006, the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) was created to mitigate the negative effe . . .

This study deals with the vertical conation in forage "behavior of the "bird population In a pure coniferous forest association. In addition, it is an attempt to investigate the concept that groups of organisms function in a protoplasmic manner and th . . .

Suction feeding is an important feeding mode in aquatic organisms and is used across a considerable size range, from tadpoles to whales. Our current understanding is based on how adult fish feed and suggests that suction feeding is not effective for o . . .

This study investigated the potential effects of cholinesterase (ChE) inhibiting pesticides and thyroid hormone changes from blood mercury (Hg) concentrations in western pond turtles (Emys marmorata) occupying streams in two regions of California, USA . . .

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder. Research has identified several factors that play an important role in PD, and one of the factors is protein called α-synuclein.Overexpression of A30P or A53T promotes th . . .

This was the first survey in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley to identify the hard tick species present in this region. Hard tick distribution and diversity were evaluated in Fresno County and adjacent areas by (i) collection of ticks at th . . .