Ministry of Supply

About: Ministry of Supply is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Polarography & Bacillus (shape). The organization has 416 authors who have published 355 publications receiving 8951 citations. The organization is also known as: MoS.

Boussinesq's problem for a flat-ended cylinder

Abstract: 1. In a recent paper(1) expressions were found for the elastic stresses produced in a semi-infinite elastic medium when its boundary is deformed by the pressure against it of a perfectly rigid body. In deriving the solution of this problem—the ‘Boussinesq’ problem—it was assumed that the normal displacement of a point within the area of contact between the elastic medium and the rigid body is prescribed and that the distribution of pressure over that area is determined subsequently. The solutions for the special cases in which the free surface was indented by a cone, a sphere and a flat-ended cylindrical punch were derived, but no attempt was made to give a full account of the distribution of stress in the interior of the medium in any of these cases.

A method of calculating the field over a plane aperture required to produce a given polar diagram

Abstract: A summation method, especially adapted for numerical computation, is evolved for finding the magnitude and phase of the field distribution over a plane aperture which will yield an approximation to a specified polar diagram on one side of the aperture plane. The method is illustrated with a detailed example. A concise statement of numerical procedure is given.

Detection of phosphate esters on paper chromatograms.

Abstract: PHOSPHATE esters separated on paper chromatograms are usually detected by degrading them on the paper with acid to give ortho-phosphoric acid and detecting this by the reaction with molybdate and a reducing reagent. The procedure of Hanes and Isherwood1 is based upon this and is widely used. This technique suffers from two disadvantages. In the first place, the prolonged initial ‘digestion’ necessary to break down the more resistant esters frequently leaves the paper in a very fragile state; and secondly, further analyses cannot be carried out on the spot after treatment. In order to avoid these disadvantages the following technique was developed. It depends upon the fixation of ferric ions by the esters and the reaction of the free ferric ion with salicylsulphonic acid. If the paper is not strongly buffered it is sprayed with 0.1 per cent FeCl3.6H2O in 80 per cent alcohol, dried in air at room temperature and then sprayed with 1 per cent salicylsulphonic acid in 80 per cent alcohol. Upon drying, the phosphates appear as white spots on a pale mauve background, ortho-phosphate having a band of deeper mauve surrounding it. The colour formation occurs only when the pH of the residual moisture in the paper is about 1.5–2.5. This can be checked conveniently with thymol blue, since the colour formation occurs most satisfactorily when the paper just turns this indicator red. Further indications of unsatisfactory pH are that below this range no colour is formed, whereas above the range the colour is orange-yellow and definition of the spots is very poor.

Fluctuations in cosmic radiation at radio-frequencies.

Abstract: In a previous publication1 we described the results of an investigation into the spatial distribution of cosmic electromagnetic noise radiation at 5 metres wave-length. We have recently been engaged in an attempt to make a more detailed determination by using a more sensitive receiver of narrower beam-width. An interesting new feature which has emerged from these latter experiments is the occurrence of short - period irregular fluctuations which have been found to be associated with the direction of Cygnus. This region, which is a secondary peak in the cosmic noise distribution, appears to be unique in being char¬acterized by short-period variations of marked amplitude in the intensity of power flux.