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 . . .

Schwann cells are vital to sustaining the neurons and making myelin in the Peripheral Nervous System, and play a key role in some neurodegenerative illnesses such as the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The Schwann cell is derived from a transient populat . . .

The vulture guild is comprised of two distinct groups, Old and New World, that provide a unique insight into how morphology varies among convergent species. All vultures are considered to be large birds of prey that utilize a style of flight called th . . .

Mating signals play an important role in both mate selection and species recognition. Acoustic mating signals have been shaped under various evolutionary constraints with remarkable malleability in response to variable conditions. These same traits ha . . .

The cerebral cortex is a specialized region of the brain responsible for higher neurological functions such as sensory processing, learning and memory, cognition, and abstract thinking. This region is disproportionally enlarged in humans and other pri . . .

The serine auxotroph, ser (JBM 4-13), appeared to be highly unstable and displayed a highly variable revertant frequency of 1 x 10-6 to 2.8 x 10-1. The mutant's characteristics were examined with respect to the properties of unstable genes predicted b . . .

TIhe effects of mechanical habitat conversion on eight species of rodents were studied in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Pacoima, Los Angeles County, California, from November 1973 to December 1974. Two kinds of 'type-conversion', fuel break grass . . .

The complex nature of the teratoma cell adhesion system has been demonstrated. Fractionation of crude ascites fluid on a DEAE cellulose ion exchange column made it possible to show that two or more components are involved in teratoma adhesion factor ( . . .

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. . . .

The genetic causes of β-thalassemia are largely well described. However, the disease is very heterogeneous at both the molecular and clinical levels. Studying the transcriptome profiles of β-thalassemia patients, especially individuals who carry novel . . .

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer because it is resistant to most common cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. In 2014, a novel immunotherapy based on the blockage of the PD-1/PDL-1 signaling pathway was approved for . . .

Temperature has a profound influence on most aspects of an ectotherm's life. Most of the world's 1500+ gecko species are nocturnal and therefore presumably active at body temperatures (Tbs) that are suboptimal for performance. However, several clades . . .

Moderate aerobic exercise has been shown to enhance motor skills and protect the nervous system from injury and neurodegenerative diseases, like ataxia. Our lab uses the spastic Han-Wistar rat as a model of ataxia. Mutant rats develop fore limb tremor . . .

A population of Polytomella agilis was synchronized with hydroxyurea, which inhibits cells at the onset of DNA synthesis (the G1/S border). To gain information on the sites of mitochondrial enzyme synthesis (succinic dehydrogenase, NADH dehydrogenase . . .

The sea urchin embryo is a NIH designated model system to study mechanisms that may be involved in human health and disease. In order to determine if mannose residues are involved in sea urchin embryo cellular interactions at gastrulation, 6324 Lytech . . .

Nostoc punctiforme is a filamentous cyanobacterium that has an immense potential to be used as a platform to produce biofuels and other high-value compounds. Their ability to synthesize lipid droplets and other valuable metabolites while eliminating t . . .

An indirect immunofluorescence method was used to localize and trace the expression of an aggregation-promoting factor(s) (S-2) in the early stage embryos (1, 2, 4, 8, and 16-cell) of two species of sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Lytech . . .

Using the NIH designated sea urchin embryo model, we are studying the molecular basis of a set of cellular interactions that have interested investigators for over a century, archenteron organization/elongation/attachment to the blastocoel roof. Here . . .

The use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) in the California desert has become increasingly popular during the past 15 years. This study was designed to assess the impact of this activity on habitat quality and the small vertebrate fauna in the creosote bush . . .

Direct reprogramming offers a promising alternative method in producing cells for regenerative medical applications. However, a major obstacle in this process is the selection of transcription factors best suited to initiate reprogramming. By comparin . . .

Natural communities are expected to undergo shifts in composition and species interactions as a result of environmental change, such as changes to regional temperature regimes and increased nutrient input into ecosystems. Predicting how communities wi . . .

While it is known that octocorals and trees share many similarities in form and function due to their sessile, modular nature, and octocoral communities create dense canopies termed "animal forests," there has been little quantification of whether the . . .

Certain physical properties (e.g. density, viscosity and refractive index) of saline-based solutions of the density gradient solutes sucrose, Ficoll, metrizamide, Ludox, Percoll and CsCl were determined at 4°C and 22°C. The values obtained were compar . . .

Male guinea pig vocalizations emitted in response to conspecific aggression were tape recorded. This was done by using an experimental method through which vocalizations of a starved individual could be recorded as it protected a single piece of food . . .

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, . . .

Recent studies have shown bacteriophages infect living organisms from all three domains of life, however, not much is known about phages that infect the Archaea. Of the approximate 50 reported archaeal phages, PG is one of only three known viruses tha . . .

The ability to survive freezing temperatures is of paramount importance to organisms living at high elevations. Many ectothermic vertebrates have traits that allow them to cope with extreme cold, such as the ability to supercool and/or tolerate freezi . . .

Legionella pnuemophila is an intracellular pathogen that is phagocytized by macrophage of our immune system. The bacterium uses a Type IV secretion system to secrete proteins across the phagosome membrane into the cytosol. Secreted effector proteins b . . .

To determine the distribution, relative densities and habitat associations of Gopherus agassizi in Nevada, a 5500 square mile study area was surveyed using 312 strip transects. Evidence of tortoises was found to the eastern, western, and southern boun . . .

In order to help learn about the possible role of carbohydrate – containing molecules in gastrulation in the model sea urchin embryo (Lytechinus pictus), 24 hr sea urchin embryos were incubated with 3 lectins (carbohydrate binding proteins) Triticum v . . .

Seedlings of five species of plants were grown in darkness or light for two weeks. Shoots were measured in length and exhaustively extracted. The total phenolic content was determined colorimetrically after addition of Folin-Denis reagent. In all spec . . .

Home range, homing and orientation in a population of Uta Stansburiana were studied over a period of thirteen months. I found the home range sizes (males 36.8 m2, females 30.7 m2 and juveniles 16.4 m2} to be smaller than those reported in previous stu . . .

Seven California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) were captured, introduced into a large, outdoor enclosure and observed over one year's time. In addition to observing social behavior, I conducted an experiment to determine the squirrels' resp . . .

Adult Hyla cadaverina are found in the open in abundance along lower Trail Creek during spring and fall when temperatures are moderate. During winter, the animals seek shelter in crevices above the high water mark, thereby escaping flash floods. In su . . .

Akinetes are spore-like cells resistant to desiccation and cold that differentiate from vegetative cells of the filamentous cyanobacterium N. punctiforme in response to phosphate or potassium limitation and low light. Previous microarray data has iden . . .

Analysis of a number of morphological characteristics in the herbaceous genus Calandrinia H. B. K. (Portulacaceae) suggest that two natural groups of species exist, one in western North and South America and the Galapagos Islands, another in Australia . . .

Lectins, which are carbohydrate binding proteins, are used in the purification of glycan-containing molecules and in histochemical studies that have identified important cellular properties. Differences in cells with various carbohydrates on their sur . . .

Due to elevations in atmospheric CO2 caused by anthropogenic activity, global temperatures are projected to increase 1.8 °C by 2100. The rate and magnitude of this thermal change will have negative impacts on tropical corals and significantly alter re . . .

The combination of histochemical methods and electron microscopy provides useful technique for the ultrastructural localization of enzyme activities. Cells from log and stationary phase cultures of the flagellate polytomella agilis were fixed in gluta . . .

Euphorbia terracina is an aggressive and invasive non-native plant that has recently become abundant in some parts of southern California. Its distribution has dramatically increased over the last eight years, with large populations scattered througho . . .

In cultured mouse teratoma cells, actinomycin D has been shown to stimulate glutamine synthetase (GS) specific activity with a concomitant increase in intercellular adhesion. Cultured mouse teratoma cells were preincubated for 24 hours with 5 ug/ml ac . . .

Urbanization subdivides natural landscapes creating isolated fragments separated by novel urban habitats. Species vary in their sensitivity to the process of urban fragmentation where some species can tolerate living in urban areas by exploiting resou . . .

With more than 42,000 species currently described, spiders are one of the most diverse and abundant predators in terrestrial environments (Platnick 2011; Cardoso et al. 2011; Foelix 2011) and an integral part of well-functioning ecosystems (Uetz et al . . .

Flooding is a common natural disaster that causes severe crop and soil damage throughout the world. Studies on ethylene have proven that it is effective in improving the flood tolerance in plants. One of the vital enzymes that is involved in ethylene . . .

Orthotrichum (Orthotrichaceae) is a species-rich genus of mosses in California. The last key to Californian Orthotrichaceae was produced in 2004 and included 35 species. Since that time, new discoveries have been made, and new identification tools are . . .

Fourteen phenolic compounds and three related nonphenolic compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit GA 3 -induced growth of dwarf pea seedlings. Test concentrations of 10:1, 100:1, and 1000:1 (phenolic or related nonphenolic to GA3 ) by weigh . . .

Sporosarcina ureae is an aerobic, motile, spore-forming Gram-positive cocci that was originally isolated in the early 20th century from soil enrichments with elevated levels of urea. The species is unique in that it is the only known spore-forming coc . . .

In the spring, adult toads move several hundred meters from the surrounding hills to the breeding site in Seminole Lake to spawn, commonly swimming more than 80 m across the lake to the breeding congress. When artificially displaced from the breeding . . .