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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 ( . . .

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 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 . . .

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 . . .

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 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 . . .

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 . . .

Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae) are seabirds that depend on their hind limbs and beak to pursue and capture their prey underwater, rendering these apparatuses critical for their survival. Although the group is cosmopolitan, cormorant communities of thr . . .

Landscape genetics combines principles of landscape ecology and population genetics to determine the effect of landscape characteristics on the functional connectivity of populations. Functional connectivity, the degree to which organisms move across . . .

An aggregation inhibitory factor (AIF) has been extracted from mouse ascites teratoma cells that retards adhesion of cultured teratoma cells of the same cell line. Preliminary characterization of AIF on polyacrylamide gels suggests that AIF is a carbo . . .

Muscular dystrophies are a group of inherited disorders characterized by progressive muscle weakness, and degeneration. One approach to treatment would be the replacement of the deficient protein via gene therapy. For effective gene therapy, both effi . . .

Coral reefs, some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, face increasing pressures from global and local-scale anthropogenic stressors. Nutrient enrichment and sediment loading could make corals more vulnerable to global climate change by suppre . . .

Fifty-one strains of Sporosarcina ureae were isolated from 198 soils by plating diluted soil samples onto a complex agar medium containing 1. 5% filter sterilized urea. S. ureae was found to be widely distributed the United States and in various parts . . .

A deterministic model for growth of species of giant kelp, Macrocystis, of the southern California coast was developed and analyzed using FORTRAN. Factors modifying only light and temperature are required to simulate empirically derived growth curves. . . .

Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy (HIBM) is a disorder caused by a mutation in the GNE gene. Although there are 60 known mutations, this research study focused on the M712T mutation. The mutation causes complications in the production of sialic acid, . . .

Cyanide exerts its toxic effects by inhibiting cellular respiration, specifically by inhibiting cytochrome oxidase. In many bacteria, algae, protozoa and plants cyanide resistance has been demonstrated and is usually associated with an alternate elect . . .

Agglutination of S-180 ascites tumor cells mediated by Concanavalin A (ConA) and biologically active succinyl and acetyl ConA derivatives was quantitatively measured and compared, using an electronic particle counter assay. ConA causes agglutination o . . .

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 . . .

Russian Peak, at an elevation of 8200 feet, is situ­ated in the Salmon Mountains, a north-south trending range centrally located within the Klamath Region of northwest­ern California. The Salmon Mountains are drained by the Scott River on the east and . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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. . . .