ALBERT

Description: The possibility of using the 15% excess U234 activity in oceanic uranium for dating pelagic sediments in the age range 100,000 years to more than 1 m.y. has been explored. Results from a series of analyses of bulk samples, mechanical separates, and acid leach fractions indicate that separation of authigenic uranium from detrital uranium by either mechanical or chemical means is impractical. Measurements on totally dissolved samples reveal that the sediments do not form a closed system; post-depositional migration of U234 in the sedimentary column takes place. Based on the experimental data obtained from three red-clay cores with sedimentation rates ranging from 2 to 6 mm/1000 yr, a model depicting diffusion of the U234 generated within the sediments is proposed. The diffusion equation includes three parameters: sedimentation rate, diffusion coefficient for U234, and fraction of the internally produced U234 subject to mobility. If the amount of U234 lost from these cores is typical, a sizeable part of the U234 excess in the sea must be from this source.

Description: The Murray fracture has been thought to extend ashore into the Transverse Ranges of California, but a geophysical study shows no evidence of structural continuity between these features. Instead, basement morphology typical of the Murray fracture zone ends where its known magnetic and bathymetric expression dies out. Similarly, east-west Transverse Range structures change direction so that they are parallel to the northwest trend of the coast rather than crossing the continental shelf and slope. The lack of continuity suggests an independent development of the Transverse Ranges since at least mid-Tertiary time along an older structural trend continuous with the Murray fracture zone. Possibly a fundamental lineament in the crust, an extension of the Murray, inactive since at least the mid-Tertiary, provided a convenient trend for development of the Transverse Ranges in response to deformation along the San Andreas fault system. The Murray fracture zone is thought by some authors to be a transform-fault. The transform-fault hypothesis alleviates some difficulties that arise in explaining the origin of the zone by transcurrent faulting but equivalent uncertainties seem to accompany the newer explanation.

Description: Fourteen instances of whales entangled in submarine cables are reported. Ten entanglements occured off the Pacific coast of Central and South America. Six cases occured in about 500 fathoms, with 620 fathoms the maximum depth reported. Five entanglements occured in the period, Februray-March-April. All whales positively identified were sperm whales. The submarine cable was generally wrapped around jaw and often around the flukes and fins. The cable was rarely broken but always badly mauled. The entanglements often occured near former repairs where there is a chance for extra slack cable on the bottom. Two photographs of a sperm whale entangled in a cable and one photograph of a whale-jaw entangled in a cable are presented. It is concluded that sperm whales often swim alog the sea floor in depths as grat as 620 fathoms. It is suggested that the whales become entangled while swimming along with their jaw plowing through the sediment in search of food. It is possible that the whales attack tangled masses of slack cable mistaking them for items of food.

Description: This chapter discusses the Maillard reaction. Results of the many investigations into the mechanism of the Maillard reaction support one of two main theories. The first assumes the formation of glycosylamines that undergo the Amadori (or, for ketoses, the Heyns) rearrangement. The 1-amino-l-deoxyketose derivative (or 2-amino-2-de- oxyaldose derivative) formed may be dehydrated and cyclized to form furan derivatives, or it may enolize. In either case, intermediates that are readily transformed into brown compounds are formed. A third possibility is for the deoxy sugar derivative to react with more amino acid to form colored products. The many workers who have supported this mechanism found also that optimum conditions for occurrence of the Maillard reaction are (1) fairly low water content, (2) a pH of 7 to 10, and (3) a high temperature. Nevertheless, some reaction occurs under conditions far removed from these, but in the absence of moisture there is no reaction. The formation of an acyclic Schiff base as an initial step is not very likely, since replacement of the aldose by salicylaldehyde caused only a very small loss of amino groups. The second theory of the mechanism of the browning reaction is of recent origin and maintains that the browning reaction and the Maillard reaction are separate and distinct. Browning, according to this school of thought, is due to the effect of pH on the sugar and can occur over a wide range of pH, whereas the Maillard reaction proceeds only in alkaline media.

Description: Sedimentary iron and heavy-metal deposits of undetermined size have been found in the middle of the Red Sea some 2000 meters below the surface of the sea (Fig. 1). This discovery has been made from the Research Vessel Atlantis II, which is still at sea engaged in a series of oceanographic investigations which ultimately will end in November 1965, after the ship has circumnavigated the globe. The discovery is significant because the environment and the processes controlling deposition of heavy metals are observable and appear to be still active.

Description: Calcium absorbtion was measured in fasting human beings after oral administration of Ca^45 in a solution containing 10 to 500mg stable calcium and an intravenous dose of Ca^47. Absorbtion was determined from the ratio of specific activities of the two isotopes (oral dose/intravenous dose) in calcium of urine collected more than 24 hours later. The accuracy of this calculation was confirmed by comparison with absorbtion calculated from recovery of the oral dose in stools (the completeness of collection being determined from recovery of simultaneously given Cr2O2or Cr^51 labeled protein and a correction for endogenous calcium being made from the fecal recovery of the intravenouse dose of Ca^47). In 20 tests, the average difference between the two calculations of per cent absorbtion was 2.2 and the coefficient of variation, 1.6. The Conditions under which the double isotope procedure gives an accurate result were evaluated and the results of its use with 3 different doses of calcium given to normal subjects are reported

Description: Insgesamt 1183 Exemplare des gemeinen Seeskorpions M. scorpius (L.) und 1980 Exemplare des langstacheligen Seeskorpions T. bubalis (Euphr.) aus Aalreusenfängen in der Kieler Förde wurden hinsichtlich Geschlecht, Länge, Alter und Wachstum untersucht. Zur Altersbestimmung dienten die Otolithen; deren Größe wurde außerdem zur Körpergröße in Beziehung gesetzt. Die in der Haut von M. scorpius verborgenen winzigen Verknöcherungen stellen reduzierte Schuppen dar und unterscheiden sich in ihrer Form bei Männchen und Weibchen. Beide Arten gehören zu den kurzlebigen Fischen. Nach Eintritt der Geschlechtsreife am Ende des 2. Lebensjahres steigt die Sterblichkeit beträchtlich, so daß nur wenige Exemplare (Weibchen) das 6. bzw. 4. Lebensjahr erreichen. Die Reifung der Eier benötigt bei M. scorpius etwas mehr als 1 Jahr. Die Laichzeit dauert von Dezember bis Februar, die Laichabgabe beginnt erst, wenn alle Eier des Weibchens die Follikel verlassen haben. T. bubalis setzt den innerhalb von ca. 10 Monaten heranreifenden Laich in zwei Schüben, die im Abstand mehrerer Wochen aufeinander folgen, in der Zeit von März bis Mai ab. Die Beziehung zwischen Eizahl und Gewicht bzw. Länge von 49 Weibchen des gemeinen Seeskorpions und 40 Weibchen des langstacheligen Seeskorpions wurden einer graphischen Analyse unterzogen. Die hierfür ermittelten Parabelgleichungen geben die gesuchten Relationen in guter Annäherung wieder. Durch Erbrütung abgestreifter Eier und mikroskopische Untersuchungen von Ovarialabstrichen gelang bei T. bubalis der einwandfreie Nachweis der inneren Befruchtung. Dagegen bewiesen entsprechende Versuche, daß bei M. scorpius entgegen anders lautenden Angaben keine innere Befruchtung stattfindet. Im Gegensatz zu M. scorpius, dessen Vas deferens innerhalb der Urogenitalpapille nur aus einem Gang besteht, verlaufen bei T. bubalis die aus den Hoden austretenden zahlreichen Samengänge weiter getrennt und vereinigen sich erst nach und nach, bis kurz vor Erreichen der Papillenspitze ein einziger enger Gang in die Urethra einmündet.