Rio Grande Research Articles

Composição química da cachaça produzida na região noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Com o objetivo de conhecer a composição química e os requisitos de qualidade da cachaça produzida na Região Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, foram analisadas 27 amostras de cachaça, produzidas e comercializadas em 18 municípios pertencentes às microrregiões Ijuí, Cruz Alta, Santa Rosa e Três Passos, que integram o Noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, e compararam-se os valores encontrados com aqueles estabelecidos pela Legislação. Para as análises estatísticas, aplicaram-se os testes de ANOVA e Tukey. As amostras avaliadas apresentaram valores médios de teor alcoólico, acidez, álcoois superiores, aldeídos, ésteres e metanol dentro do que estabelece a Legislação. Entretanto os valores de intervalo de concentração para estes mesmos parâmetros revelaram amostras fora do estipulado por Lei, indicando falta de conhecimento tecnológico de produção por parte de alguns dos produtores. Sugere-se a ampliação do presente estudo, com a finalidade de se investigar outros aspectos tecnológicos, tendo em vista a otimização dos processos de fabricação e a melhoria da qualidade da bebida.

Traffic-related Air Pollution and Childrenʼs Respiratory Health: Beyond Proximity to Major Roadways

P-652 Introduction: Previous studies of the respiratory health impact of mobile source air pollutants on children have relied heavily on simple exposure metrics such as proximity to roadways and traffic density near the home or school. Few studies have conducted area-wide monitoring of indicator pollutants coupled with land-use regression modeling for exposure assessment. Based largely on proximity studies, the State of California (U.S.) has restricted the location of new schools within 500ft (168m) from a roadway averaging 50,000 or more vehicles per day (>50k-vpd) in rural and >100k-vpd in urban areas. We examined adverse effects of mobile source emissions among children living outside California's buffer area using both simple exposure metrics and a land-use regression modeling approach. Methods: The El Paso Children's Health Study was a cross-sectional study of children enrolled in the fourth and fifth grades of public elementary schools in El Paso, Texas. Measurements of nitrogen dioxide were made at 22 elementary schools. Ambient NO2 concentration, an indicator of mobile source emissions, was estimated at each child's residence using a land-use regression model. For this analysis, we restricted the cohort to 62% of the children (n=2546) who lived outside the Rio Grand River valley (above 1700m). None of these children lived within 200m of a roadway with >90k-vpd; nly 3.2% lived within 200m of a roadway with >50k-vpd; however, almost half lived within 200m of a roadway with >10k-vpd. Epidemiologic models were adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, parental, and random school effects. Results: As expected from a GIS-based model, estimated NO2 concentration increased by 4.8ppb [95%CI: 2.7, 6.8], 3.2ppb [2.7, 3.7], and 2.6ppb [2.4, 2.9] per km increase in proximity to >10k, >50k, and >90k-vpd roadways, respectively. NO2 concentration estimated through land-use regression modeling was positively associated with current asthma (OR=1.7 [1.1, 2.6] for 10ppb NO2). Proximity to roadways with >50k-vpd was positively associated with current asthma (OR =1.1 [1.02, 1.2] for 1.5km). There were also marginally significant associations between current asthma and proximity to roadways with >10k and >90k-vpd (OR =1.5 [0.97, 2.4] for 1.5km and OR =1.04 [1.0, 1.1] for 1.5km, respectively). Discussion and Conclusions: These results provide evidence that adverse health affects associated with traffic-related air pollution occur well beyond a narrow (200m) buffer area surrounding major roadways, potentially impacting children living several kilometers away from these roadways. This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.

The Cambridge Companion to Modern Latin American Culture

The Cambridge Companion to Modern Latin American Culture

GROWING OLIVES IN TEXAS; REGULATION OF FLOWERING IN `ARBEQUINA'

Olives have not been commercially grown in Texas because earlier investigators considered Texas climate inappropriate for olive cultivation. No experimental investigations were conducted in Texas. Olives, however, grow in very diverse climatic conditions throughout the world, and >2000 cultivars of olives have been reported worldwide. To study temperature regulation of flowering in olives, relatively inexpensive growth chambers were developed. These walk-in type growth chambers can be made with about $7K where as costs of similar size commercial chambers could reach to $100K. Using these chambers we have discovered that flowering and fruiting in `Arbequina' cultivar of olives could be achieved under mild conditions with almost no typical chilling (<7 °C) hours. We postulated that it is the high daytime temperature that prevent flowering in olives in southern Texas rather than lack of chilling hours. Further experiments demonstrated that subjecting trees to 24 °C for 4 hours everyday during winter could significantly reduce flowering in Arbequina. It appeared that several sites near coastal Texas, particularly Galveston, may not experience high daytime temperatures and hence could be suitable for olive cultivation. Trees have now been planted in these sites, but serendipitously several olive trees, >25 years old, were found in Galveston that had been flowering and fruiting for years. Olive accessions have also shown adaptability to local climates at various other sites in Southern Texas. Our initial surveys of olives groves established during the last 4–6 years have revealed the existence of at least two trees with remarkable adaptability to Texas conditions. One of these trees had flowered and fruited in the Rio Grand Valley where earlier workers had predicted that flowering in olives will not occur. Thus, there appears some genetic diversity and clonal variations among limited number of existing olive trees in Texas that there is a hope for viable cultivations of olives in Texas. Clones from these trees have now been produced which will be planted at various locations within the Texas Valley to evaluate their performance in the next few years.

John Davis Wirth (1936–2002)

John Davis Wirth (1936–2002)

Análise de palinofácies em sedimentos holocênicos da lagoa dos Quadros, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

n PALYNOFACIES ANALYSIS IN HOLOCENIC SEDIMENTS OF QUADROS LAGOON, RIO GRANDE DO SUL PLAIN, BRAZIL. The interpretation of environmental changes during the Holocene on the North Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain, is based on the core QU-RS-B09 of Quadros lagoon record. The palynofacies analysis was carried out in 41 sedimentary samples along the 405 cm of the core, dated of 6.700 - 40 years BP at 375 cm deep and in 4.870 - 40 years BP 75 cm deep. Q-mode cluster analysis provided the identification of six groupings which stratigraphically plotted allowed the characterization of three intervals with palynofacies features corresponding to different environments in the holocenic evolution of the lagoon. Interval 1A, characterized by a palynofacies predominantly comprised of Amorphous Organic Matter (AOM), opaque and non-opaque phytoclasts, is associated to a Lagoon System in a Transgressive Phase. Interval 1B, whose palynofacies corresponds to opaque phytoclasts, MOA and non-opaque phytoclasts characterizes the Lagoon System and the Lagoon Maximum Transgressive (PGMT). Interval 2, predominantly comprised of AOM and Botryococcus braunii, characterizes the Lagoon System in a Regressive Phase, having an increase of pollen grains and spore percents towards the top, which characterizes conditions similar to the present coastal lake.

Significant crustal thinning beneath the Baikal rift zone: New constraints from receiver function analysis

Thinning of the crust of more than 10 km is a major feature of typical continental rifts such as the East African (EAR) and Rio Grande (RGR) rifts. However, numerous previous studies across the Baikal rift zone (BRZ), which has similar surface expressions and tectonic history, and more active seismicity relative to EAR and RGR, have resulted in contradicting amount of thinning, ranging from almost none to more than 10 km. We measure crustal thickness by stacking teleseismic receiver functions beneath 51 sites on the southern and central parts of the BRZ and adjacent Siberian Platform and Sayan‐Baikal‐Mongolian Foldbelt. Our measurements reveal that beneath the southern part of the Platform, the average crustal thickness is about 38 km, which is about 7 km thinner than that beneath the Foldbelt and the un‐rifted part of the BRZ. The thinnest crust, 35 km, is found beneath the central part of the rift, and represents a significant thinning of about 10 km relative to the un‐rifted parts of the BRZ.

Fossildiagênese de lenhos do Mesozóico do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

WOOD FOSSIL DIAGENESIS IN MESOZOIC ROCKS FROM THE RIO GRANDE DO SUL STATE, BRAZIL. This paper presents a model relating some processes diagenetics with the preservation of the cells of fossil wood of Mesozoic of Rio Grande do Sul State, considering that (a) diagenesis serves to both destroy and preserve wood fossils; (b) the form of wood mineralization is dependent on the components of cell walls and depositional environment; and (c) silicification of wood is an important means of preservation. Silicified wood are found in fluvial sandstones of uncertain age (Upper Triassic or Jurassic) or exposed by erosion and widely scattered over the studied area. The wood structure was analyzed by optic microscope and scanning electron microscope. In order to determinate the mineralogy sample was submitted to XRD. The model presents four stages: (i) wood tissue decay before mineralization; (ii) minerals precipitation in lumen along cellular surfaces; (iii) degradation of organic components of the cell walls; and (iv) deposition of silica along lumen surface in void space created.

Novos materiais de Carnivora do Pleistoceno do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

NEW MATERIAL OF CARNIVORA FROM THE PLEISTOCENE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL STATE, BRAZIL. Carnivora materials coming from the Sistema Laguna-Barreira III, southern portion of the Coastal Plain of Rio Grande do Sul State, Late Pleistocene are decribed. New postcranial remains of Smilodon populator and Otaria byronia are presented. Isolated teeth of Dusicyon cf. D. avus and cf. Theriodictis represent the first Canidae record for this State.

Biologia alimentar de Steindachnerina brevipinna (Characiformes, Curimatidae) do rio Ibicuí-mirim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

FEEDING BIOLOGY OF STEINDACHNERINA BREVIPINNA (CHARACIFORMES, CURIMATIDAE) IN THE IBICUI-MIRIM RIVER, RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL. The feeding biology of Steindachnerina brevipinna (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889) is described based on specimens collected in the Ibicui-Mirim river, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from April 2001 to March 2002. Diet description is based on the analysis of the frequency of occurrence and index of dietary importance of the ingested items. The monthly variation of stomach repletion, hepatosomatic and intestinal indexes was also analyzed. Major feeding activity occurred before (May, June and July 2001) the reproductive period, with the hepatosomatic index values showing similar variation along the year. Both the mean intestinal quotient and the analysis of the main ingested items (Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta algae) indicate a detritivorous diet.

Tomato transgenic lines and Tetranychus urticae: changes in plant suitability and susceptibility.

A critical aspect dealing with the use of transgenic plants is the global evaluation of their environmental impact. The polyphagous mite Tetranychus urticae can be considered a suitable species to investigate unpredictable and undesirable effects on phytophagous arthropods. Three tomato near isogenic lines, that is, the cv. Riogrande (RIG), the transgenic lines RC332 (containing the Gox gene and showing high glucose oxidase activity), and MS498 (containing the KTI3 gene and exhibiting a high trypsin inhibition) were used in laboratory and greenhouse trials. Trichomes and contents of C and N of the leaves, differences in development and oviposition of T. urticae and damage caused were evaluated for each line. The laboratory trials evidenced that (1) the intrinsic rate of increase of two strains of T. urticae (T from tomato, B from bindweed), reared on the lower surface of tomato leaflets, was significantly lower in RIG than in transgenic lines and doubling time ranged between 6.9 and 11.6 days in the first and between 3.9 and 5.3 days in the latter; (2) the glandular four-lobed trichomes were always higher in RIG than in other genotypes; (3) the N leaf content was from 1.3 to 1.9 fold lower and the C/N ratio from 1.3 to 1.9 fold higher in RIG than in other lines. The greenhouse experiment, that lasted over a month and was performed by inducing an initially equal infestation of strain T, evidenced: (1) no significant difference between plant lines in the final mite infestation (motile stages per plant), nevertheless an almost double number of spider mites was counted in RC332; (2) a significantly higher percentage of damaged leaves and a significant higher average damage index on RC332 than on RIG (79% and 2.3 in the former, and 62% and 2.1 in the latter, respectively), even if in both transgenics a higher level of the most severe damages and a shorter time to approach them were observed; (4) a comparable number of mites causing the same damage level in all genotypes and a strong linear relation between the first four levels of damage and mite infestation. Although in the laboratory studies both transgenic lines enhanced the T. urticae population increase, the glasshouse studies were not as conclusive and they only suggest the possibility of any real difference between the transgenic and non-transgenic genotypes.

Monitoramento de aves limícolas na Salina Diamante Branco, Galinhos, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Monitoring or the s horebirds in Diamante Branco saline, Galinhos, Rio Grand e do Norte, Brazil. Monit orin g of the shorebir ds oflhe Diamante Branco saline located at the municipality of Galinhos, in the coast o f the State o fRio Gra nde do Norte, was initi ated in 1998, with qualitati ve surveys, bird traps using mist net, captured and banding and field observati ons o n the diet of some species. Pa ra mete rs such as constancy were verified, specific diversity was calculated through Pearson correlati on. We regi stered 2 1 species of s horebird s, as fo ll ows: Pluvialis squatarola (Linnaeus , 1758), Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte 1825, Arenaria interpres (Li nnaeus, 17 58), Tringaflavipes (Gmelin, 1789), T. melanoleuca (Gmelin , 17 89) a nd AClitis macularia (Linnaeus, 1766). It was observed the reproduction of Charadrius collaris Vieillot, 18 18, C. wilsonia Ord, 18 14 a nd HimanlOpus himanlOpus (Muller, 1776), in the surroundings of lhe saline evaporation tanks. The observation of Calidris himantopus (Bonaparte, 1826) in the evaporation tanks comprised lhe firsl record of the species in Northeastern Brazil. It was ve rified that A. inlerpres, T. .flavipes, T. me/ano/euca and Calidru pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766) feed upon Artemia franciscana (Kell og, 1996) in the first hours ofthe day in lheevaporation tanks. The mean diversity comprised 2 and 3, and the resuJts of equibi lit y s howed thal the species are well dislributed in the samples. A positi ve associati on was registered between Haematopus palliatus Temminck, 1820, C. col/aris, C. wilsonia, and H. himanlopus. These, in turn , associated inversely to A. inlelpres, A. macularia, C. pusilla and C. mimllil/a (Vi eill ot, 18 19), which is possibly due to the fac t that some species are resident, reproducing in lhe locality, with movemenls di sti nct from that specie wich migrate during lhe boreal winter. Traps, surveys, re-traps , and recovers indicale that the Diamante Branco saline comprises na important area for the conservation of the shorebids .

Recent Dissertations

Atleo, Marlene Renate. "Learning Models in the Umeek Narratives: Identifying an Educational Framework through Storywork with First Nations Elders." Ph.D. diss., University of British Columbia, 2001. Bousquet, Marie-Pierre. "Quand Nous Vivions Dans Le Bois; Le Changement Spatial Et Sa Dimension Generationelle: L'Exemple Des Algonquins Du Canada." Ph.D. diss., Laval University, 2002. Brown, Donna Lisa. "The Perceptions of Selected Tribal College Transfer Students Attending the University of North Dakota." Ed.D. diss., University of North Dakota, 2002. Caldwell, Naomi Rachel. "A Comparison of Selection Tool Sources for Developing Collections of Books About American Indians: General and Specialized Tools." Ph.D. diss., University of Pittsburgh, 2002. Carlishe, Jeffrey Deward. "Spanish Relations with the Apache Nations East of the Rio Grand." Ph.D. diss., University of North Texas, 2001. Carpenter, Cari Michelle. "Seeing Red: Anger, Femininity, and the American Indian of Nineteenth-Century Sentimental Literature." Ph.D. diss., University of Michigan, 2002. Churchill, Elizabeth. "Tsuu Tina: A History of a First Nation's Community, 1890­1940." Ph.D. diss., University of Calgary, 2002. Dawn, Leslie Allan. "How Canada Stole the Idea of Native Art: The Group of Seven and Images of the Indian in the 1920s." Ph.D. diss., University of British Columbia, 2002. Dennis, Jeffrey William. "American Revolutionaries and Native Americans: The South Carolina Experience." Ph.D. diss., University of Notre Dame, 2003. Dickey, Freeda A. Hart. "Misatim Pimasew/The Flying Horse." Ph.D. diss., California Institute of Integral Studies, 2002. Fentress, Jeffery B. "The Archaeology of Butte Valley, Siskiyou County, California." Ph.D. diss., University of Oregon, 2002. Ferguson, Laurie L. "Trickster Shows the Way: Humor, Resiliency, and Growth in Modern Native American Literature." Psy.D. diss., Wright Institute, 2002. [End Page 501] Francis, Kevin James. "'Death Enveloped All Nature in a Shroud': The Extinction of Plestocene Mammals and the Persistence of ScientiÞc Generalists." Ph.D. diss., University of Minnesota, 2002. Garon, Stephen C. "Talking Toxics: Narrative Construction of Environmental Risks in Conþict." Ph.D. diss., George Mason University, 2002. Gourneau, Jessica Lynn. "Development of the American Indian Biculturalism Inventory--Northern Plains." Ph.D. diss., University of North Dakota, 2002. Graves, William Michaels. "Power, Autonomy, and Inequality in Rio Grande Puebloan Society, A.D. 1300­1672." Ph.D. diss., Arizona State University, 2002. Grossman, Zoltan Charles. "Unlikely Alliances: Treaty Conþicts and Environmental Cooperation Between Native American and Rural White Communities." Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin, 2002. Guillory, Raphael Marceaux. "Factors Related to Native American Students' Persistence in Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Student and State and University OfÞcials' Perceptions." Ph.D. diss., Washington State University, 2002. Hanohano, Peter Kauhoa Jr. "Restoring the Sacred Circle: Education for Culturally Responsive Native Families." Ph.D. diss., University of Alberta, 2002. Hare, Jan. "Aboriginal Literacy: Making Meaning across Three Generations in an Anishinaabe Community." Ph.D. diss., University of British Columbia, 2001. Hayashi, Robert Terry. "Haunted by Waters: Race and Place in the American West." Ph.D. diss., University of Massachusetts, 2002. Hebebrand, Christina Marlis. "We Are the People: Native American and Chicano Literatures as Intersecting Indigenous Literatures of the American Southwest." Ph.D. diss., Case Western Reserve University, 2002. Hixon, Kathy Sue. "Formal versus Informal Assessment of the Fundamental Motor Skills of Four-Year-Old Native American Preschoolers." Ph.D. diss., University of Arkansas, 2002. Hoefnagels, Anna Theresa. "Powwows in Southwestern Ontario: Relationships, Inþuences, and Musical Style." Ph.D. diss., York University, 2001. Hogan, Sharon Evon. "Strengthening Identity through Curriculum: A Study of a Custom-Designed Curriculum at a Tribally Controlled Community College and Its Impact on Native American Identity." Ph.D. diss., University of Missouri, 2002. Ishiyama, Noriko. "Environmental Justice and American Indian Sovereignty: Political, Economic, and Ethnic Struggles Regarding the Storage of Radioactive Waste." Ph.D. diss., Rutgers University, 2002. Janda, Sarah Eppler. "The Intersection of Feminism and Indianness in the Activism of LaDonna Harris and Wilma Mankiller." Ph.D. diss., Ohio State University, 2002. Kawamuraa, Hiroaki. "Symbolism and Materialism in the Ecological Analysis of Hunting...

Estrutura floral das angiospermas usadas por Heliconius erato phyllis (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

FLOWER STRUCTURE OF ANGIOSPERMS USED BY HELICONIUS ERATO PHYLLIS (LEPIDOPTERA, NYMPHALIDAE) IN RIO GRANDE DO SUL STATE, BRAZIL. A field survey of flowering plants used as food resource by the adults of Heliconius erato phyllis (Fabricius, 1775) was carried out in four sites located in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Samples were taken in preserved areas of the Atlantic Rain and Myrtaceae forests, an Eucalyptus plantation, and an urban park. Adult feeding frequencies on flowers were registered monthly from December 1996 to May 1997, on plants located on previously marked 200 m long transects. Flowers on which H. erato phyllis fed in the field were collected, drawn and morphometrically characterized. Feeding was registered on flowers of twenty-three species, of which seventeen are new records for H. erato in Brazil . The use of a given plant varied among localities, as a function of its corresponding abundance. The most visited flowers were those of Lantana camara L. and Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich.) Vahl, followed by Dahlia pinnata Voss in the urban site. The data suggest the existence of size and shape convergence between the proboscis and the small, tubular flowers upon which H. erato phyllis feeds. They also indicate that H. erato phyllis adults have an opportunistic nectar feeding / pollen gathering habit, using several of those flowers available in a given time and locality that fit such a morphometrical pattern. Since plant species of both primitive and derived families are used, there is no indication that phylogenetic constraints play a major role in this association, nor that color of flowers, growth pattern or size of the plants are relevant in determining their use by H. erato phyllis.

Mexican Brick Culture in the Building of Texas, 1800s-1980s

Mexican Brick Culture in the Building of Texas, 1800s-1980s

Controle do carrapato Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) em sistemas de produção de leite da microrregião fisiográfica fluminense do grande Rio - Rio de Janeiro

O objetivo do trabalho foi analisar os métodos de controle do carrapato Boophilus microplus realizados em três fazendas representativas dos sistemas de produção de leite da Microrregião Fisiográfica Fluminense do Grande Rio, Rio de Janeiro, levando-se em consideração o manejo das fazendas, o grau de sangue Bos taurus e Bos indicus dos rebanhos, os fatores climáticos e a prevalência estacional do carrapato. Para efeito de avaliação, foi utilizada a contagem periódica de fêmeas ingurgitadas medindo entre 4,5 e 8mm, no antímero direito de 20% das vacas em lactação de cada fazenda, durante um ano. A diferença no manejo das pastagens, a composição genética dos rebanhos e as condições climáticas influenciaram a prevalência estacional de B. microplus. A maior lotação animal por hectare, o elevado "stand" vegetativo das pastagens e o maior grau de sangue B. taurus contribuíram para as maiores infestações de carrapatos nas fazendas. O controle de B. microplus realizado pelos proprietários teve importância secundária em relação as outras atitudes de manejo dos rebanhos. Ficou evidenciado o uso excessivo e ineficiente de produtos químicos para o controle de B. microplus nas fazendas. Para implantação de medidas de controle estratégico do B. Microplus, fazem-se necessários esforços para a transferência e adoção dos resultados de pesquisas disponíveis aos produtores rurais.

Radionuclides and trace elements in fish collected upstream and downstream of Los Alamos national laboratory and the doses to humans from the consumption of muscle and bone

The purpose of this study was to determine radionuclide and trace element concentrations in bottom‐feeding fish (catfish, carp, and suckers) collected from the confluences of some of the major canyons that cross Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) lands with the Rio Grande (RG) and the potential radiological doses from the ingestion of these fish. Samples of muscle and bone (and viscera in some cases) were analyzed for 3H, 90Sr, 137Cs, totU, 238Pu, 239,240Pu, and 241Am and Ag, As, Ba, Be, Cr, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and Tl. Most radionuclides, with the exception of 90Sr, in the muscle plus bone portions of fish collected from LANL canyons/RG were not significantly (p<0.05) higher from fish collected upstream (San Ildefonso/background) of LANL. Strontium‐90 in fish muscle plus bone tissue significantly (p<0.05) increases in concentration starting from Los Alamos Canyon, the most upstream confluence (fish contained 3.4E‐02 pCi g‐1 [126E‐02 Bq kg‐1]), to Frijoles Canyon, the most downstream confluence (fish contained 14E‐02 pCi g‐1 [518E‐02 Bq kg‐1]). The differences in 90Sr concentrations in fish collected downstream and upstream (background) of LANL, however, were very small. Based on the average concentrations (±2SD) of radionuclides in fish tissue from the four LANL confluences, the committed effective dose equivalent from the ingestion of 46 lb (21 kg) (maximum ingestion rate per person per year) of fish muscle plus bone, after the subtraction of background, was 0.1 ± 0.1 mrem y‐1 (1.0 ± 1.0 μSv y‐1), and was far below the International Commission on Radiological Protection (all pathway) permissible dose limit of 100 mrem y‐1 (1000 μSv y‐1). Of the trace elements that were found above the limits of detection (Ba, Cu, and Hg) in fish muscle collected from the confluences of canyons that cross LANL and the RG, none were in significantly higher (p<0.05) concentrations than in muscle of fish collected from background locations.

Rainfall extremes in some selected parts of Central and South America: ENSO and other relationships reexamined

El Niños and anti-El Niños (La Niñas) are known to be associated with rainfall extremes in several parts of the globe. However, not all El Niños show good associations. Recently, a finer classification of El Niño events was attempted. It was noticed that Unambiguous ENSOW (El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Warm) events (years when El Niño existed, and the Tahiti minus Darwin pressure difference (T−D) minima and equatorial eastern Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) maxima occurred in the middle of the calendar year) were very well associated with droughts in India and southeast Australia (Tasmania). In addition, C (cold SST, La Niña) events showed reverse effects (excess rains) in these regions. In the present paper, rainfall in selected regions in Central and South America are examined. For the Southern Oscillation Core Region (low latitudes, 155°W–167°E) and for the Gulf–Mexico region, no finer classification was necessary. All El Niños were associated with excess rains and all La Niñas with droughts. As in India and Tasmania, Unambiguous ENSOW years were associated with droughts in some parts of northeast Brazil (Ceara, Rio grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco) and excess rains in Chile and Peru. C events did not have good associations except in Chile and Peru, where droughts occurred. The effect of El Niños showed some dependence on the month of commencement. In years when El Niños showed no effect, considerable influence of other factors (e.g. Atlantic SST on northeast Brazil rainfall) was noticed. Thus, predictions based on El Niño alone are likely to be erroneous, a fact which should be noted by the mass media. Effects of the recent El Niño of 1997–1998 are discussed. Copyright © 1999 Royal Meteorological Society

Initial Observations on Cassava (Manihotesculenta Crantz) Establishment and Adaptability in the Rio Grand Valley

Four cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) accessions were received from the USDA, ARS Plant Introduction Station in Mayaguez, PR on 16 Jan. 1996. The next day the 15- to 20-cm-long cuttings were propagated individually in 1-gal. pots containing Metro Mix No. 4 for 10 weeks before field setting into a transition Hidalgo-McAllen fine sandy loam soil on a USDA, APHIS site near McCook, Texas. Three plant establishment methods, control (no soil amendment), addition of 15 Mt bagasse/ha, or 50 kg cross-linked polyacrylamide/ha into the planting trench were evaluated. The 2 × 1.2 m spacings on 15-cm-high beds provided 4036 plants/ha. Plants received a total of 35.8 cm of water between field planting and harvest (230 days). Mid- and late-season soil moisture (kg/m3) at 38 cm depth only was lowest in soil containing bagasse. Establishment method had little or no effect on plant size, leaf nutrients, leaf pigment concentrations, root dry matter, or root yield. Accessions differed in many of these attributes except root yield, the means of which ranged from 5 to 9 Mt/ha. Only roots survived an air temperature of -5.4 °C on 19 Dec.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PEPPER STIP

Pepper stip is a physiological disorder manifested as gray-brown to greenish spots occurring on fruit of bell, pimento, Anaheim, and other types of peppers, most noticeably on red fruit produced under fall conditions. The spots, ≈0.5 cm in diameter, occur singly or in groups; marketability for either fresh market or processing use is severely affected. The factors controlling the occurrence or severity of the disorder are not well understood; to date, control has been achieved primarily by the use of resistant cultivars. In 1995 replicated plots of susceptible (`Yolo Wonder L' and `Grande Rio') and resistant (`Galaxy' and `King Arthur') cultivars were grown in seven commercial fields in central California. `Galaxy' and `King Arthur' were essentially free of symptoms, while `Yolo Wonder L' and `Grande Rio' showed significant damage at all sites, with 23% to 88% of fruits affected at the mature-red stage. Petiole tissue analysis showed that resistant cultivars consistently had lower N and K, and higher Ca concentrations than susceptible cultivars; the same trend was apparent in fruit tissue. Stip was most severe at sites with low soil Ca and/or very high N and K fertilization rates. It is hypothesized that Ca nutrition significantly influences stip expression.