The Pragmatics of Proverb Performances in New Mexican Spanish

Performances of proverbs by Mexicanos in northern New Mexico are characterized by seven features in addition to the proverb text. These are examined with respect for the role they play in connecting basic cultural and linguistic patterns with the minute details of an ongoing social interaction. The processes of presupposition and contextualization are identified as crucial determinants of the way each feature will be realized in a given performance.     

Quantity and quality of seston in an impounded and a free-flowing river in Virginia,U.S.A.

Seston in the impounded North Anna River (NAR) was analyzed and compared to that in the free-flowing South Anna River (SAR) in Virginia, U.S.A. A wet filtration technique was used to separate seston into five size classes. The overall quantity of organic seston was much lower in the NAR than in the SAR. The seston in the NAR was composed of more living organisms, in particular zooplankters in the medium large (234–864 µm) and small (105–234 µm) size classes and diatoms and other algae in the fine (43–105 µm) and very fine (25–43 µm) size classes. The percentage of zooplankton declined sharply before reaching the downstream study site (32 km). The seston in the NAR tended to consist of slightly larger particles, but 80–85% of the seston in both rivers was in the ultrafine (0.45–25 µm) size class, which was almost entirely composed of detritus. One indication of seston food quality, the organic/inorganic ratio, was considerably higher for the medium large and small size classes in the NAR immediately below the dam and for the fine and very fine size classes farther downstream. Another indication of food quality, the usable caloric content, showed that the seston in the NAR contained considerably less total assimilable energy as far as 32 km downstream from the dam, but that the medium large and small size classes were rich in assimilable energy immediately below the dam because of zooplankton released from the reservoir. Thus, the overall quantity and quality of seston was lower in the NAR, but the quality of the seston, for at least a short distance below the dam, was higher in a well-defined size range that can be effectively utilized by certain filter feeders.     

Distribution and abundance of fishes in the San Francisco Bay estuary between 1980 and 1982

In 1980 a long-term study of the fishery resources of the San Francisco Bay estuary was initiated in an effort to delineate the importance of freshwater inflow to fish and invertebrate abundance and distribution in the bay. An analysis of the trawl data collected between January 1980 and December 1982 illustrates the influence of the timing and magnitude of freshwater inflows on fish fistribution and abundance in this estuary from the perspective of monthly, seasonal and annual time scales. Normally found in the delta, Suisun Bay and San Pablo Bay during periods of increased salinity, pelagic species moved downstream after the two peak flows studied, while demersal species usually found in Central San Francisco Bay moved upstream. Such upstream movements may be due in part to transport by strong density-driven currents.Timing and magnitude of monthly catches of some species varied on a seasonal cycle coincident with variations of freshwater inflow. Most species, especially the marine species, showed no consistent cycle of monthly catches. In the wet years of 1980 and 1982 the distributions of freshwater, estuarine and anadromous species were extended downstream into San Pablo, Central and South San Francisco Bays and some marine species, including the flatfish, were more abundant in the upstream areas. In the dry year of 1981 when bay salinities were higher, few marine species extended their distributions upstream into San Pablo and Suisun Bays. Jacksmelt was the only fish of the 15 most abundant species with its peak abundance in 1981. Most marine species were more abundant in the San Francisco Bay estuary in the wet years.     

Alcaligenes eutrophus CH34 is a facultative chemolithotroph with plasmid-bound resistance to heavy metals.

Alcaligenes eutrophus strain CH34, which was isolated as a bacterium resistant to cobalt, zinc, and cadmium ions, shares with A. eutrophus strain H16 the ability to grow lithoautotrophically on molecular hydrogen, to form a cytoplasmic NAD-reducing and a membrane-bound hydrogenase, and most metabolic attributes; however, it does not grow on fructose. Strain CH34 contains two plasmids, pMOL28 (163 kilobases) specifying nickel, mercury, and cobalt resistance and pMOL30 (238 kilobases) specifying zinc, cadmium, mercury, and cobalt resistance. The plasmids are self-transmissible in homologous matings, but at low frequencies. The transfer frequency was strongly increased with IncP1 plasmids RP4 and pUZ8 as helper plasmids. The phenotypes of the wild type, cured strains, and transconjugants are characterized by the following MICs (Micromolar) in strains with the indicated phenotypes: Nic+, 2.5; Nic-, 0.6; Cob+A, 5.0; Cob+B, 20.0; Cob-, less than 0.07; Zin+, 12.0; Zin-, 0.6; Cad+, 2.5; and Cad-, 0.6. Plasmid-free cells of strain CH34 are still able to grow lithoautotrophically and to form both hydrogenases, indicating that the hydrogenase genes are located on the chromosome, in contrast to the Hox structural genes of strain H16, which are located on the megaplasmid pHG1 (450 kilobases).     

Analysis of the sheep MHC using HLA class I,II, and C4 cDNA probes

Four cDNA probes for the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) were used to investigate the sheep MHC, in conjunction with serological typing for ovine lymphocyte antigen (OLA). Lymphocytes from a family (two parents and five offspring) of Romanov sheep were subjected to genomic DNA digestion by the restriction endonuclease Eco RI, followed by gel electrophoresis. A single Southern blot representing all seven individuals was then consecutively hybridized with the class I, alpha-DC, beta-DR, and C4 probes, which were originally designed to identify HLA class I, class II (DC and DR), and C4 products, respectively. Using each of the three class I/class II probes, several bands showing DNA polymorphism were detected. The segregation of these bands in the five offspring exactly paralleled the OLA haplotype segregation established by serological typing. A further eight individuals carrying haplotypes which were phenotypically identical to those in the above-mentioned family showed bands in the corresponding positions when tested with the same three probes. Using the C4 probe, no polymorphism was detected in these fifteen individuals.Abbreviations used in this paper MHC major histocompatibility complex - OLA ovine lymphocyte antigen - kbp kilobase pair(s) - MLR mixed lymphocyte reaction - RFLP restriction fragment length polymorphism     

Nucleotide sequence encoding the biosynthetic dehydroquinase function of the penta-functional arom locus of Aspergillus nidulans.

The nucleotide sequence of a 1.9 Kb HindIII fragment of DNA derived from the arom locus of A.nidulans and encoding the biosynthetic dehydroquinase activity has been determined. The sequences encoding the biosynthetic and catabolic dehydroquinase enzymes of A.nidulans show no detectable homology, strongly suggesting convergent evolutionary pathways. The messenger RNA specified by the arom locus was detected as a 5.3 Kb RNA species.     

Trihydroxytetraenes: A novel series of compounds formed from arachidonic acid in human leukocytes

Addition of 15L-hydroperoxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE) to human leukocytes led to the formation of a novel series of compounds containing four conjugated double bonds. The yield of tetraenes was increased approx. 100-fold when ionophore A23187 (5 μM) was added simultaneously with 15-HPETE. The structure of the major tetraene was established by physical methods as well as by chemical degradation and found to be 5,6,15L-trihydroxy-7,9,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid.