The hen's egg: Relationship of mean strain energy at shell fracture to shell compression speed,the nature of the compressing body and the location on the shell of the point of contact

1. The mean energy, E_f, required for fracture of an egg shell at its equator by a flat plate is known to depend on shell compression speed, v_m, for speeds in the range 20 μm/s to 2.lb5 mm/s; analysis of published data shows that E_f bears a linear relationship to log (v_m ) throughout the industrially important speed range from 20 μm/s to 1.lb1 m/s, increasing from 1.lb3 to 5.lb0 mJ.

2. At lower speeds down to 2 μm/s E_f is constant.

3. E_f is reduced if the flat plate is replaced by a sphere or cylinder; the greater its curvature, the smaller E_f.

4. E_f for the narrow pole is greater and for the broad pole smaller than that for the equator but these differences may be due in part to . systematic differences in shell thickness as well as curvature.     

Biochemical,physiological and production indices related to fat metabolism in the laying fowl at various stages of physiological development

1. The significance of fat accumulation during physiological development of layers was studied using White Leghorn x Australorp pullets from 12 weeks of age.

2. Liver fat, carcass fat, liver weight and body weight increased markedly at the onset of sexual maturity.

3. Within the liver, the protein to DNA ratio did not alter significantly during development; glycogen was not consistently depleted by egg production.

4. Liver fat content was significantly correlated with carcass fat, liver weight and DNA concentration, and plasma total lipid and cholesterol, independent of stage of development; with body weight, liver protein, moisture, and protein to DNA ratio, excluding the period prior to commencement of sexual maturation; and with plasma phospholipid during lay.

5. Obesity was a feature of faster growing fowls which matured earlier, consumed more, utilised food less efficiently for egg production and produced fewer saleable eggs.     

Measurement of fluctuating magnetic gradients originating from oceanic internal waves

Fluctuating magnetic gradients over oceans come from electric currents flowing in seawater arising from its motions across the earth's magnetic field. Gradients of 0.3 to 0.6 picoteslas per meter for each meter of internal wave displacement have been measured at frequencies of 2 to 5 millihertz with a superconductive magnetic gradiometer supported 7 meters above the surface of water 18 meters deep about 1.5 kilometers offshore from San Diego, California.     

Extraction and analysis of organic cations from Acid solution with strong electric fields and mass spectrometry

High electric fields have been used to extract organic cations from solutions of small organic molecules in polyphosphoric acid. The cations have been analyzed by mass spectrometry. Production of ions by this method is shown to be related to ease of protonation by acid rather than to ionization potential.