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Examines the attitudes of Californians regarding legal and illegal immigration, amnesty for undocumented aliens, identification cards for immigrants, and job competition between immigrants and U.S. citizens. Historical perspective on immigration in California; Analysis of the relationship between the shifts in Californians' sentiments regarding the number of immigrants and refugees admitted and the attitudes they expressed concerning the state of California economy and economic being; Investigation on illegal or undocumented immigration.

Following field observations of wild Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) with oral lesions similar to those seen in captive tortoises with herpesvirus infection, we measured the prevalence of antibodies to Testudinid herpesvirus (TeHV) 3 in wild populations of desert tortoises in California. The survey revealed 30.9% antibody prevalence. In 2009 and 2010, two wild adult male desert tortoises, with gross lesions consistent with trauma and puncture wounds, respectively, were necropsied. Tortoise 1 was from the central Mojave Desert and tortoise 2 was from the northeastern Mojave Desert. We extracted DNA from the tongue of tortoise 1 and from the tongue and nasal mucosa of tortoise 2. Sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products of the herpesviral DNA-dependent DNA polymerase gene and the UL39 gene respectively showed 100% nucleotide identity with TeHV2, which was previously detected in an ill captive desert tortoise in California. Although several cases of herpesvirus infection have been described in captive desert tortoises, our findings represent the first conclusive molecular evidence of TeHV2 infection in wild desert tortoises. The serologic findings support cross-reactivity between TeHV2 and TeHV3. Further studies to determine the ecology, prevalence, and clinical significance of this virus in tortoise populations are needed.

A reflective THz imaging system has been developed, and features a photoconductive switch and zero-bias Schottky diode detector. The system was used to image deli meats and can distinguish between muscle and adipose tissue based on water content. This capability is a step towards the development of THz medical imaging systems.

Cutaneous pox-like lesions are a common complication in the rehabilitation of pinnipeds. However, the exact identity, taxonomy, and host range of pinniped parapoxviruses remain unknown. During a poxvirus outbreak in May 2003 in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) at a marine mammal rehabilitation facility, multiple raised, firm, 1-3-cm skin nodules from the head, neck, and thorax of one sea lion weanling pup that spontaneously died were collected. Histologically, the nodules were characterized by inflammation and necrosis of the dermis and epidermis, acanthosis, and ballooning degeneration of the stratum spinosum. Large, coalescing eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions were observed in the ballooned cells. A parapoxvirus (sea lion poxvirus 1, SLPV-1) was isolated on early passage California sea lion kidney cells inoculated with a tissue homogenate of a skin nodule. The morphology of the virions on electron microscopy was consistent with that of parapoxviruses. Partial sequencing of the genomic region encoding the putative major virion envelope antigen p42K confirmed the assignment of the sea lion poxvirus to the genus Parapoxvirus. Although SLPV-1 is most closely related to the poxvirus of harbor seals of the European North Sea, it is significantly different from orf virus, bovine papular stomatitis virus, pseudocowpox virus and the parapoxvirus of New Zealand red deer.

Objective: To identify risk factors that may predispose California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) to development of cutaneous poxvirus nodules during hospitalization in a rehabilitation center., Design: Retrospective case-control study., Animals: 90 California sea lions admitted to a rehabilitation center., Procedure: Hospital records of 275 stranded California sea lions admitted to the rehabilitation center between January 1 and December 31, 2002, were reviewed. All California sea lions (n = 18) that developed > or = 1 cutaneous poxvirus nodule during hospitalization were classified as cases. Seventy-two California sea lions that did not develop poxvirus lesions during hospitalization were randomly selected (control group). The frequencies of various exposure factors prior to admission, at admission, and during hospitalization for cases and control sea lions were compared by use of logistic regression., Results: California sea lions that had previously been admitted to the rehabilitation center were 43 times as likely to develop poxvirus lesions as sea lions admitted for the first time; those with high band neutrophil counts (> 0.69 X 10(3) bands/microL) at admission were 20 times less likely to develop poxvirus lesions than sea lions with counts within reference limits., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Results suggest that sea lions with a history of prior hospitalization or band neutrophil counts within reference limits at admission were more likely to develop poxvirus lesions during hospitalization. Sea lions with histories of hospitalization should be kept in quarantine and infection control measures implemented to help prevent disease transmission to attending personnel and other hospitalized animals.