A controversy exists as to the effect of inositol and other lipotropic agents on serum cholesterol levels and atherosclerosis in humans and animals. There is no general agreement that these agents lower serum cholesterol levels or exert an inhibitory effect on the development of atherosclerosis.,

Summary of progress on various research projects conducted during January, 1952.

The study was undertaken with the objective of observing the distribution in the rat of organic compounds of phosphorus labelled with the P32 isotope as tracer. The fate of several of these compounds was studied in animals bearing tumors. The distribution of inorganic phosphate in animal tissues is well known but was included in this work for comparison with the organic phosphorus compounds.

Isotopes of americium and curium with mass numbers less than 242 have been produced by cyclotron bombardment techniques, and several of their nuclear properties have been investigated. The partial alpha half-lives of Am(239), Cm(241), and Cm(240) and the partial half-life for spontaneous fission of Cm(240) were measured. The alpha decay daughter of Cm(238) was found and evidence for the discovery of Am(237) (an -1 hour electron capture activity) and Cm(239) (an -10 hour electron capture activity) has been presented. An Appendix indicating the conditions for separation of the plus three actinides by selective elution from ion exchange resin with citric acid has been included.

The question has arisen of how the beam in A-12 as a long resonant cavity might effect the frequency of operation and the field distribution. This study is published to make available the calculation of the direct beam effect as an illustration of general methods of attacking perturbing effects in resonant cavities.

In solving the two-group, two medium equations for neutron diffusion in a finite one-dimensional multiplying system, the equations in each medium can be solved, and the boundary conditions used to determine the coefficients. This direct attack involves eight simultaneous linear equations. The opportunities for error are numerous, and, frequently, a great deal of accuracy is lost by subtractions; hence, it is felt that an alternative method of solution, in which numerical errors would be less likely to occur, would be desirable.

The free streaming of neutrons in a cylindrical cavity is investigated. Using experimental data for the flux distribution along the walls, the direct beam hole loss and leakage into the target from the lattice is estimated for the MTA system.

Quarterly summary report of studies conducted through the University of California Radiation Laboratory. Some results reported in the report may be of a preliminary or incomplete nature.

In the past it was felt that the easiest way to treat a three group equation for a MTA lattice was to solve it without certain terms. This iterative procedure converged rapidly for a medium with depleted uranium fuel, and in fact, a second iteration was not needed.

A quarterly report consisting of reports published on Transuranic Elements from the University of California Radiation Laboratory. Each report is a brief one to two page summaries of the article submitted for publication during the months of September-November, 1948.

The thermal decomposition of the higher oxides of praseodymium and americium have been investigated.

The recovery of plutonium has been demonstrated in a laboratory countercurrent horizontal extractor using the TTA process. Using three extractive stages and two washing stages in each step, a recovery of 91 percent has been obtained in the chelation step and a recovery of 99.9+ percent in the de-chelation step. With five extractive stages, recoveries of 94-98 percent have been found for the chelation step.

The absolute excitation functions for the production of fission by charged particle bombardment in several substances were investigated at both high and low energies. The low energy work was done at the 60-inch Crocker cyclotron with alpha particles and deuterons, while the high energy work was done at the 184-inch cyclotron with alpha particles, deuterons, and protons.

The flux standard is a device which will give a known flux-linkage change to be used as a calibration. At the Radiation Laboratory, two types of flux standards are used, a stationary type and a portable type.

In programming the sequence of events in the operational cycle of the bevatron, certain devices must be triggered at specific values of magnetic field strength in the gap. It is desirable that the time-jitter, which corresponds to field jitter, of the tirggering pulses be small. In the synchrotron this is done with peaking strips which are located in the fringing field of the gap.

In H measurements, the measured flux-linkage change represents twice the value of H to be plotted. In B measurements the bucking coil links flux equal to the air-flux in the B-measuring coils. The measured flux change therefore corresponds to twice the flux of intrinsic magnetization in the sample.

The study of artificial radioactive isotopes is at the present time one of the most important topics in nuclear research. It involves the establishment of a detailed term scheme for the disintegration in question. Not only are the energies of the components of the different beta and gamma radiations of interest, but also their intensities. These data give information concerning the probabilities of transitions between the different nuclear energy levels. From them it is possible to draw conclusions regarding the mechanism of the disintegration and to correlate the spina and parities of the levels.

The recent interest in tributyl phosphate as an extracting solvent for uranium indicated that consideration of n-butyl phosphoric acid for this application might be of interest if some way could be devised to overcome the manipulation and miscibility difficulties. It was found that if the material was placed in any one of a number of carrier solvents, it had a remarkably strong extractive effect on uranyl ion out of acid solutions without a salting agent present.

Quarterly summary report of studies conducted through the Radiation Laboratory, University of California. Some results reported in the report may be of a preliminary or incomplete nature.

A systematic set of thermodynamic data for most of the known compounds of plutonium is presented. From earlier data present, it is now possible to extend the tabulation of data for the compounds of plutonium to include PuF(4), PuF(5), and PuF(6).

The basic experiment consists of causing a beam of protons to impinge upon an accumulation of relatively stationary protons (hydrogen gas) and to measure the number of protons scattered as a function of the scattering angle. A description of the arrangement and alignment of equipment with the 32-Mev beam of the Berkeley linear accelerator is included. The data have been analyzed statistically and results have been indicated.

The design of the present time of light mass spectrograph is similar to that of the isotron devised some time ago for isotope separation. The spectrograph will employ the time of flight principle only for the isotopic analysis of small samples.

Five isotopes of bismuth occur in nature. Using particle accelerators providing helium ions up to 40 Mev in energy and deuterons up to 20 Mev in energy, it was possible to produce and identify two artificial radioactive isotopes. With the advent of the 184-inch Berkeley syncho-cyclotron and its hundreds of Mev energies, it was possible to form highly neutron-deficient bismuth isotopes extending more than ten mass units below stable Bi(209).

Equations are derived for the rates of heating of objects in induction furnaces and for the maximum temperatures attainable. The equations are primarily useful in designing conducting crucibles, shells, and cylinders so as to increase the power input and decrease heat losses. A very brief treatment is given of the factors which influence the current in the induction coil. The performances of various induction furnaces are compared.