Neurodegeneration is the progressive breakdown of neurons resulting in impairment of cognitive functions and motor abilities, and has been attributed to such neurological diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosi . . .

Habitat fragmentation plays a major role in species extinction and the loss of biodiversity around the globe. When fragmentation occurs, the initial loss of overall habitat alone causes species extirpation. However, species that survive this initial l . . .

Glial cells were first observed in the nervous system of vertebrates as neuronal supportive cells. In recent years they have been credited for not only supporting and sustaining neuronal cells but for playing roles in testis development, neuron migrat . . .

A study was made of the food web formed from a protozcan, Teterhymena pyriformis, two bacteria. Pseudomonas fluorescens and Escherichia coli, and a glucose minimal medium in chemostat culture. An attempt was made to further substantiate the idea that . . .

Algae are key foundation species within temperate subtidal reef systems as their productivity and structure can transform the physical composition of the reef landscape. However, previous assessments of the effects of variation in the algal community . . .

In cultures of mouse teratoma, cells synchronized with thymidine (3mM) and colcemid (0.5 mcg/ml), cellular adhesiveness displayed an oscillatory pattern with peaks of glutamine synthtase (GS} specific activity occurring lust prior to peaks of adhesive . . .

Bird communities of two urban habitats of different ages and a natural habitat in Simi Valley, California were compared to determine whether the urban habitats were ecologically equivalent to the original habitat of an area as it existed prior to urba . . .

Hypoxia stimulates human embryonic stem cell (hESC) self-renewal. It has been shown that hypoxia inducible factor 2α (HIF2α) up regulates OCT4 (POU5F1) transcription, a pluripotency marker gene. Hypoxia also increases the efficiency of reprogramming o . . .

In view of their greatly increased sample capacity and optimized internal geometry, zonal rotors have become increasingly popular instruments for quantitative centrifugal fractionations of animal and plant tissues on density gradients. Nearly all zona . . .

Plasticity in the drive to sleep represents an important strategy of coordinating and prioritizing competing behavioral drives to offset some of the vulnerabilities associated with sleep, such as the inability to forage. Despite the identification of . . .

Fanconi Anemia Complementary Group I Gene Is Regulated by SP1 and Elk-1 Transcription Factor Binding Sites By Gavin Long Fanconi Anemia Complementary Group I gene (FANCI) plays a role in disorders affecting bone marrow, resulting in anemia, leukopenia . . .

Little is known about the life history of Stereolepis gigas due to the over exploitation of their fishery in the early 1900’s, and depressed populations have prevented much research. A completed life history information on an ecologically, and once ec . . .

The Slit2 gene, located on chromosome 4p15, codes for the production of a membrane bound and secreted glycoprotein. The Slit2 protein has been found to behave as a chemorepellent, allowing for the migration of neural crest cells and inhibiting tumor m . . .

When DNA was extracted from the phytoflagellate P. parva, and subjected to electrophoresis, a prominent low molecular weight band appeared at a position corresponding to 3.7 kb. The DNA was shown to be associated with mitochondrial membrane fragments . . .

In this study, life-history traits, tradeoffs in those traits, and habitat characteristics of rare and common species were compared in an attempt to explain differences in species distributions. The nine Dudleya species occurring in and around the San . . .

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive type of adult brain cancer that offers only one to two years of survival and results in the growth of brain tumors. GBM was studied by a group of researchers called The Cancer Genome Atla . . .

Herbivory is a critical process in coral reef systems, which are among the most functionally diverse and productive ecosystems on earth. As coral reefs progressively endure both increasing frequencies and intensities of anthropogenic and natural distu . . .

Nitrogenase biosynthesis in a mutant strain of Klebsiella.pneumoniae can be fully repressed by L-glutamine alone. K.pneumoniae SK-25 which has no glutamine synthetase activity or immunologically cross reacting protein, lacks glutamate synthase activit . . .

A series of experiments was designed to determine the role of the dorsal skin gland in olfactory discrimination and chemical communication in two sympatric species of kangaroo rats, Dipodomys merriami and Dipodomys panamintinus. Experimental animals w . . .

ABSTRACT THE EFFECTS OF SUGAR ALCOHOLS ON SEA URCHIN GASTRULATION IN LOW CALCIUM SEAWATER By Edward Holmes Master of Science in Biology The sea urchin embryo has been designated by the National Institutes of Health as a model system for studying cellu . . .

Formaldehyde has long been a commercially available fixative of common use. Formalin is the term used for an aqueous solution of formaldehyde and has been used over decades as a fixative for preserving tissue integrity. Due to formaldehyde cross-linki . . .

A survey was conducted in dogs and cats for the presence of simonsiella, a multicellular, filamentous, gliding genus of bacteria. It was found in the mouths of sixty-six of sixty-seven dogs and in eight of nine dogs. The survey which was based on one . . .

Evolution is driven by natural selection operating on the genes present in a given species. However, it is unclear if the different parts of a gene (coding and non-coding) are under the same types of selection as each other. Determining the similarity . . .

On macroalgal-dominated reefs, the continuation of coral populations is dependent on successful recruitment and post-settlement success, both of which may be challenged by the presence of macroalgae. This study considers how the environment, particula . . .

Over 1,000 bivalve mollusks, representing eighteen genera and twenty-two species, were collected in four years from twenty geographical sites from Santa Barbara, California to San Diego, California, and their crystalline styles were examined for bacte . . .

Sea urchin embryos of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, Lytechinus pictus and Lytechinus variegatus were investigated with respect to appearance, disappearance, and distribution of clusters of larger than average intramembraneous particles and associated . . .

Forty individuals of four species of raptors, Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), and Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) were released after a conditioning period and monitored wi . . .

A temperature sensitive sporulation mutant of Bacillus subtilis was isolated and its chemical and physical characteristics were investigated. This mutant is able to grow equally well at 30° and 42°C, but is unable to produce a normal healthy spore at . . .

A considerable amount of evidence supports the contention that elements of the endoplasmic reticulum are involved in glycogen metabolism. The present study examined the effects of starvation and glycogen depletion on the membrane elements of rat liver . . .

Dissociated sea urchin embryonic cells were observed to adhere to Sepharose 4B beads when the cells and beads were rotated together in calcium-and-magnesium-free sea water. When placed in Millipore filtered sea water, the cells would not adhere to the . . .

Ecosystem engineers are organisms that control the availability of resources to other species by creating and modifying habitat (Jones et al. 1994). Ecosystem engineers alter habitat in such a way as to reduce physical and biological stresses for othe . . .

Unit gravity (Sta-Put) sedimentation and reorienting gradient zonal centrifugation were used to separate and characterize mammalian cells by velocity sedimentation. The development of both techniques as well as density grad-theory have been reviewed. . . .

Plasma membrane molecular topography in the early development of the sea urchin embryo, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus was analyzed using freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Membrane topography was analyzed with respect to intramembranous particle den . . .

A central goal in evolutionary biology is to understand the mechanisms underlying the formation of new species (Ott & Endler, 1989; Coyne & Orr, 1998). Population diversification evolves through ecological and evolutionary processes, which could event . . .

The giant sea bass, Stereolepis gigas, is a large predatory fish that inhabits the southern California kelp forest community. S. gigas is a critically endangered species, yet little is known about its life history. A more complete knowledge of the lif . . .

Nematodes rely on chemosensation for their survival. Through chemosensation nematodes can avoid harmful chemicals, enter into the dauer alternative developmental stage, find food sources, potential mates, and even insect hosts. Pristionchus pacificus . . .

A newly isolated serine auxotroph of Neurosporacrassa, ser (JBM 4-13), exhibited a high rate of reversion in mapping experiments. This study sought to determine whether reversion occurred at a specific frequency , and whether it was time dependent. In . . .

Interactions between scleractinian corals and benthic algae can be an important process structuring coral reef communities. The effects of algae on corals and vice versa are not fixed and may be influenced by abiotic factors such as sedimentation, a p . . .

The social behavior and organization of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus californicus) were studied from 15 Feb 1977 through 12 Feb 1978 in the Chatsworth Reservoir, Los Angeles, California. Results are based on over 733 person-hours of observation. Sea . . .

Breast cancer is the second most prominent form of cancer among women in the United States. It is considered to be a multifactorial disorder where estrogens (estradiol and estrone) play a key role in the initiation and progression of the disease. Norm . . .

Reports of fungi growing on spiders number less than ten. None of the reports had indicated that the spider was alive at the time of the observation of the fungus. No studies have been made on infecting spiders with fungi, although there is extensive . . .

Legionella pneumophila are intracellular bacteria that cause pneumonia by infecting alveolar macrophages. Normally, bacteria internalized by macrophages travel down the endocytic pathway to the lysosome where they are degraded. The endocytic pathway i . . .

The functional and developmental relationship of the muscles, skull and dentition involved in mastication and feeding in four phyllostomatoid bats were studied. Dry weights of the muscles, weights of the mandibles, and skull measurements were taken. T . . .

A study was conducted in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California during 1979-81 to obtain quantitative data on food habits, diet quality, and preference of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni). Utilizing a microhistological analysis of fec . . .

Although physiological, antipredatory, and reproductive benefits have been predicted as important drivers of grouping behaviors in animals, the initial forces selecting for aggregating behavior can be difficult to identify. Grouping often evolves in p . . .

The coral reef ecosystem supports the greatest taxonomic diversity in the ocean and is shaped by a suite of biotic and abiotic factors. One ecological interaction that is important in structuring coral reefs is herbivory. A series of field surveys fou . . .

Pathological aggregation of specific proteins underlies many neurological disorders including Tauopathies, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and spinocerebellar ataxia type-3. Recent research has identified puro . . .

Despite the advancement of numerous treatment options, conventional cancer therapeutics generally fail to prevent tumor recurrence or successfully treat metastatic cells. A promising alternative involves the use of attenuated Salmonella strains, which . . .

Nostoc punctiforme is a cyanobacterial species that is capable of adapting its morphology into several different states of which the spore-like akinetes are the least understood. A time-course array previously revealed that Npun_F4153, a putative ECF . . .

A study of a culturally eutrophic pond including structural features and their dynamics was carried out. Data analysis from measured physical, chemical, and biological parameters collected over a 15 week period from a 15 million gallon pond receiving . . .

A mouse teratocarcinoma in our laboratory recently converted from a slow growing multicellular form (embryoid body) to an apparantly more malignant fast growing single cell form. Associated with this conversion was an accumulation of ascites fluid in . . .

Frogs predominantly communicate acoustically, using advertisement calls to mediate both inter- and intrasexual interactions. In many frogs, these signals comprise a single component; however, in others they are composed of distinct multiple components . . .

Coral reefs are experiencing global declines due to changing environmental conditions triggered by climate change and anthropogenic effects impacting important reef-building organisms and their inhabitants. Millepores are calcareous hydrocorals found . . .

Sarcoma 180 ascites tumor cells were perturbed with the chemical agents cytochalasin B, manganese, the local anesthetics procaine and tetracaine, adrenalin, and serotonin. These agents induced topographical modulations at the cell surface which were e . . .

It is essential to understand the conditions that enable invasive plant species to be one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Phenotypic plasticity can be an important contributor to invasiveness, but evidence in the literature is not consistent. . . .

An acid protease that appears responsible for causing cell-cell disaggregation in a mouse ascites teratocarcinoma was partially purified and characterized. The protease was purified from the mouse ascites fluid by affinity chromatography on Pepstatin . . .

Fecal material from 39 guinea pigs was collected and microscopically surveyed for the presence of Metabacterium polyspora, a large, Gram-positive bacterium uniquely forming many endospores. It was found in the feces of 9 of 11 adult female guinea pigs . . .

Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands, a root pathogen of worldwide importance, is a member of a family of fungi that lacks the ability to synthesize sterols. Sterols are considered important as hormones, membrane structure stabilizers, and steroid precursors. . . .

The increasing awareness of human infections caused by the organisms in the Mycobacterium fortuitum complex, particularly in nosocomial infections, emphasizes the need to subdivide the species of this complex for epidemiological investigations. Bioche . . .

The outermost portion of the brain, the cortex, is a six-layered structure of neurons that is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as thinking and speech. This region is the most evolutionarily new part of the brain and is disproportionatel . . .

For closely related species, differences in morphology can provide insight as to the evolutionary history of a taxonomic group, as well as mechanisms for ecological segregation. Storm-petrels are among the smallest seabirds and their highest taxonomic . . .

Cellulase is widely used as an enzyme for saccharification of cellulosic materials. However, commercially available cellulase is an expensive enzyme. Recombinant ethanologenic bacteria have also become an important tool for production of bioethanol fr . . .

Gibberellin-like activity from cotyledons, sead-coats and embryonic axis of Phaseolus vulgaris was measured by the barley reducing sugar assay and the dwarf pea stem assay during germination. In the first 48 hours of germination the amount of gibberel . . .

The freeze-fracture technique was used to analyze intercalations within the hydrophobic interior of the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope of Sarcoma-180 ascites tumor cells. These membranes are extremely deformable and reflect basic, intrinsic . . .

The extracellular matrix is a tissue that is present around the cell which provides structural support to the cell. The extracellular matrix also plays an important role in growth and development; it consists of a set of components including proteogly . . .

Nostoc punctiforme is a filamentous cyanobacterium capable of differentiating its vegetative cells into spore-like akinetes that can withstand desiccation and cold. The NpR3597 gene was previously identified in a time-course DNA microarray experiment . . .

Elevated carbon dioxide levels caused by greenhouse gasses result in rising temperatures that have a detrimental impact on crop production, which cost farmers billions of dollars and loss in crop productivity. In response to abiotic stress, plants emi . . .

Certain floral characteristics are associated with specific pollinators. Hummingbird-pollinated flowers are usually red, lack a landing platform, lack color patterns on the perianth, and contain a high amount of dilute sucrose-rich nectar compared to . . .

Thyroid hormones have an overarching influence on cellular processes and directly affect gene expression. Thyroid hormones are involved in telomere maintenance, ribosomal pseudouridylation, and p53-mediated apoptosis. Males affected with X-linked Dysk . . .

The social organization of the introduced fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) was studied in the Historical Orange Grove on the campus of California State University, Northridge, Los Angeles County, from 1 March 1973 to 16 July 1974. Twenty-one squirrels wer . . .

Two pathways for serine biosynthesis in Neurospora crassa have been reported by Sojka and Garner. The phosphorylated pathway involves 3-phosphoglyceric acid, phosphohydroxypyruvic acid, and phosphoserine as intermediates, whereas the non-phosphorylate . . .

Numerous studies have shown that fish parasite communities change in response to pollution levels and could serve as effect bioindicators of ecosystem health. My study sought bioindicators of chemical pollution in parasitological data, i.e., species r . . .

In the animal kingdom, males of many species possess striking weaponry used in intrasexual competition for access to females. Until recently, there were no known cases of male weaponry being used against females in sexual coercion. However, in the cam . . .

Electron microscope histochemical and biochemical properties of S 180 lysosomes were studied in terms of intracellular disposition and stability. Using acid phosphatase and 5’ nucleotidase localization procedures, dense body lysosomes, secondary lysos . . .

Sporosarcina ureae is a motile spore forming cocci that traditionally forms packets. The term sarcina is used to describe packets of cocci microorganisms that divide bilaterally, on two or three successive planes. Both physiological and partial 16S ri . . .

The effects upon the immune system of long-term exposure to cadmium, as 600 ppm CdCl2 in drinking water, was determined in CBA/H mice and compared to control mice given normal drinking water. Cadmium effects on the general health of the animals were e . . .

Convergent evolution is a widely studied evolutionary phenomenon that has been documented in taxonomically diverse groups representing numerous ecosystems and specialized habitats. Yet one traditionally understudied system is the cave environment. Cav . . .

The susceptibility of ecosystems to the introduction of non-native species has increased drastically with the development of advanced transportation technologies. It is now quite common for organisms to be easily transported by humans across physiolog . . .

Apoptosis is a form of cellular suicide activated by intracellular death programs, and is important for normal development and homeostasis. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are known inducers of human T-lymphoid cell apoptosis, and serve as therapeutic agents in . . .

Overfishing has led to significant declines in worldwide fish stocks, particularly large bodied species. Contemporary management attempts to mitigate fishing effects to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of future fish stocks. A typical appro . . .

The morphology of the glans penis of Dipodmys was examined for its taxonomics ignificance and its functional aspects.Individual variation occurs and is due to changes in the morphology of the glans during the breeding cycle whereas geographic variatio . . .

Transduction of streptomycin resistance at a frequency of 4.0 x l0-7 to 6.9 x l0-7 per cell was observed for the blue-green alga Synechococcus elongatus. This report provides the first direct evidence of gene transfer among the blue-green algae. Evide . . .

A reorienting gradient zonal rotor was designed and constructed to test the capabilities of this type of rotor for isolating cellular components. Problems associated with reorienting gradient centrifugation were investigated with this rotor. Density g . . .

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly malignancy that affects nearly 50,000 patients each year. The overall 5-year survival rate for this malignancy remains the lowest of any cancer at around 7% due to limited diagnostic methods, disease . . .

The enzymatic activities of commercially prepared glycosidases were verified by direct chemical assays using defined substrates and fixed and live sea urchin embryos to determine if a model cellular interaction (interaction of archenteron tip and roof . . .

Invasive species pose a large threat to native vegetation. Billions of dollars are spent annually on efforts to control invasive species in agricultural and natural settings. Studies have revealed multiple benefits from removing invasives. However, th . . .

Aggregation promoting components from the sea urchin Stronglycentrotus purpuratus were obtained by dissociating blastula stage embryos in calcium-magnesium- free sea water (CMFSW). The CMFSW dissociation supernatant was termed DS as previously reporte . . .

Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide like-3 G (APOBEC3G) is a member of a family of cytidine deaminases that includes activation-induced deaminase (AID), the enzyme responsible for somatic hypermutation in B cells. While APOBEC3G . . .

Suspensions of eight to ten day embryonic chick neural retina cells were exposed to four different concentrations of sugars or their derivatives. Evidence is presented, using a quantitative electronic particle counter assay to measure cell adhesion wh . . .

The members of family Ovulidae are always found living on cnidarian hosts, usually alcyonarians. The colors of the shells tend to blend with the host on which they are found being purple on purple gorgonians or yellow on yellow gorgonians. Simnia aequ . . .

Three females and one male deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus) formed an experimental group in each of five experiments. Observations were conducted over a span of thirty-two months. Agonistic behaviors used to determine hierarchial relationships were s . . .

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally through mRNA degradation. MiRs are categorized as either oncomiRs, a microRNA associated with cancer, as functional tumor suppressors, or as both as in th . . .

Salmonella str. VNP20009 selectively colonizes solid tumors and has been shown to reduce their growth in mouse models. Studies have demonstrated that Salmonella can induce apoptosis through direct contact with cells. However, this property limits the . . .

Coral reefs are currently facing multiple stressors that threaten their health and function, including ocean acidification (OA). OA has been shown to negatively affect many reef calcifiers, such as coralline algae that provide many critical contributi . . .

Non-renewable fossil fuels are responsible to meet more than 80% of global energy demand and its increasing price has ignited the interest in renewable biofuel production. 2-Methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) is a natural volatile 5-carbon alcoholic compound p . . .

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the unique ability to undergo self-renewal and are pluripotent, which enables them to differentiate into all three germ layers. Harnessing these properties could result in significant therapeutic outcomes for re . . .

As large amounts of information are becoming available describing the responses of corals to ocean acidification (OA), attention is turning to the effects of OA on ecological processes affecting community structure. One such process is competition for . . .

The development of alpha amylase and phosphatase in barley endosperm was studied in the presence and absence of an inhibitory fraction from an extract of carob fruit (Ceratonia). The amounts of the two enzymes were measured in both the medium and the . . .

The reduction of suitable habitat due to urbanization is an increasing threat to many native plant populations. As a result, plant populations that were once continuous have become fragmented into smaller isolated populations. These resulting small po . . .

Murine monoclonal antibody preparations specific for Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum were shown to bind to thin sections of T. pallidum, Nichols strain, by immunoelectron microscopy using colloidal gold-labeled antiglobulin, and the subcellular bin . . .