I20 



NATURE 



[July 21, 1923 



interval. For the conversion of the chlorhydrate 

 into camphene, the substitution of the sodium 

 derivative of crcsol for sodium phcnate gives a purer 

 product in nearly quantitative yield. — L. Barrab6 : 

 The continuity of the drift series of the ezistem 

 Corbidres between la Berre and Narbonne. — F. 

 Delhaye and A. Sal6e : The Central African Graben 

 between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Albert Edward. 

 — Adolphe Lepape : The relations between the 

 radioactivity, temperature, and hydrogen sulphide 

 of the springs of Bagn6rcs-de-Luchon. Explanatory 

 hypothesis. — MM. AUyre Chassevant and Chouchak : 

 The measurement of the degree of ionisation of 

 mineral waters. — de Montessus de Ballore : The 

 local prediction of the weather. — V, Lubimenko and 

 Mile. O. Siegloff : The adaptation of plants to the 

 duration of the bright period of the day. Green 

 plants show a specific adaptation to the period 

 during which they are illuminated. — Louis Desliens : 

 Venous haemodynamometry. Cardiac haemodynamo- 

 metry. — J. Beyne : The origin of the accidents 

 caused by strong atmospheric depressions, and 

 on the protection of the aviator against troubles 

 of anoxhaemic order. For moderate reductions of 

 pressure it is sufficient to supply so much oxygen 

 that its partial pressure should be nearly 21 per 

 cent, of an atmosphere. At low pressures, corre- 

 sponding to high altitudes (more than 10,000 metres), 

 even when the wants of the organism as regards 

 oxygen are met, there are still troubles which must 

 be ascribed to other factors. — Jules Amar : The 

 organisation of work with the spade. — L. J. Simon 

 and E. Aubel : Is pyruvic acid one of the terms 

 of decomposition of glucose in the course of 

 glycolysis ? Pyruvic acid is not transformed by the 

 elements of the blood. It is not produced during 

 the process of glycolysis, and cannot be considered 

 as an intermediary product of the decomposition of 

 glucose into lactic acid. — Ch. Bedel : The toxic power 

 of a polymer of hydrocyanic acid. The experiments 

 were made on the polymer possessing the composition 

 (HCN)4. This was found to be much less toxic 

 than hydrocyanic acid. — Albert Berthelot : Researches 

 on pyruvic acid considered as a factor in anaerobiosis. 

 — Maurice Wolf : The importance of calcium and 

 potassium in the pathological physiology of cancer. 

 — Charles Perez : The castration of decapod Crustacea 

 carrying Epicaridae as parasites. 



Washington, D.C. 



National Academy of Sciences (Proc. Vol. 9, No. 5, 

 May). — H. S. Jennings : (i) Crossing over and the 

 theory that the genes are arranged in the chromo- 

 somes in serial order. Assuming that the genes are 

 arranged linearly and that the occurrence of a break 

 interferes in some way with the occurrence of another 

 break at any joint within a certain distance, the 

 cross-over ratios can be calculated. The theory is in 

 accord with Morgan's work on Drosophila. (2) Some 

 consequences of different extents of interference, in 

 the crossing-over of the genes. For interference 

 extending to a distance of 30 units (one unit being 

 the distance between genes to give i per cent, of the 

 crossing-over), no cross-over ratios greater than 50 

 per cent, are produced. With greater distances of 

 interference, the cross-over ratios oscillate about 50. — 

 J. A. Detlefsen and L. S. Clemente : Genetic variation 

 in Linkage values. In Drosophila melanogaster , the 

 crossing-over ratio can be varied, but not necessarily 

 to the same extent with regard to each part of the 

 chromosome. — C. Barus : The displacements of the 

 capillary electrometer, for progressive dilutions of the 

 electrolyte. The negative meniscus is always dis- 

 placed more rapidly than the positive meniscus, 



NO. 2803, VOL. I 12] 



though the whole cycle is retarded by increasing 

 dilution. — W. Duane : The transfer in quanta of 

 radiation momentum to matter. It is assumed that 

 the laws of the conservation of energy and momentum 

 apply to these transfers. From a consideration of the 

 reflection of X-rays by a crystal, equations expressing 

 the momenta transferred to a crystal are developed. 

 Applying dimensional reasoning, other expressions 

 can De obtained which lead to the Braggs law of 

 crystal reflection and the general equations of 

 defraction of X-rays by a crystal. The reflection 

 of X-rays characteristic of the chemical constituents 

 of the crystal can be explained. The theory is 

 also applied to the phenomena of hght and radiation 

 generally. — I. Roman : Mutual electromagnetic mo- 

 mentum and energy of a system of moving charges. 

 — R. C. Tolman, S. Karrer, and E. W. Guernsey : 

 Further experiments on the mass of the electric 

 carrier in metals. A hollow copper cylinder was 

 rotated inside a coil of 60 miles of copper wire (o-l 

 mm. in diameter), which served as the secondary' of 

 a transformer. The secondary was connected through 

 an amplifier to a vibration galvanometer. The 

 inertia of the electrons in the rotating cylinder catises 

 them to lag and sets up an E.M.F. detected by the 

 galvanometer. The deflections obtained were com- 

 pared with those caused by the known E.M.F. 

 accompanying transverse oscillation of the cylinder 

 in the earth's magnetic field. The average value for 

 mje was 5-18 x lo"* grams per abcoulomb, indicating 

 that the mass of the carrier in copper is about the 

 same as that of an electron in free space. — T. H. 

 Morgan : Removal of the block to self-fertiUsation 

 in the ascidian Ciona. Eggs of Ciona intestinalis can 

 be fertilised with sperm from the same individual 

 if the egg-membranes are removed. The normal 

 obstacle to self-fertilisation is the test-cells (belrween 

 the membranes and the ovum) or something secreted 

 by them ; these cells are produced by maternal 

 tissue and not from the ovum. — H. W. Brinkmann : 

 On Riemann spaces conformal to Einstein spaces. 



Official Publications Received. 



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