ENG-1959 — Page 344

RESEARCH

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this field have appeared. A study of the literary origins of Chinese idioms is now complete and awaits publication in both Chinese and English.

In the Department of Zoology, research has been pursued in neurology, entomology, morphology, and fisheries; the neurological programme is financially supported by the U. S. Public Health Service. In fisheries, the research vessel Cape St. Mary (239 tons), built under the Colonial Development and Welfare Scheme in 1951, has been acquired during the year as a gift from Britain and preparations have been undertaken for her operation by the Fisheries Research Unit from early 1960. The vessel will be able to pursue a more extensive offshore programme than was possible with her smaller predecessor, the Alister Hardy, which has been transferred to work with the Government's Fisheries Division. A number of papers on the various projects being carried out by the Unit are in press for the third issue of the Hong Kong University Fisheries Journal due for publication early in 1960.

The Department of Mathematics has two distinct fields of interest: pure mathematics and applied statistics. In the former, current research activity has centred mainly on linear connexions on differentiable manifolds and isoclinic n-planes in Euclidean 2n-space. In applied statistics, research work has included the computations of a series of index numbers showing the unit value and quantum of external trade of Hong Kong.

In the Department of Chemistry new discoveries continue to be made in Hong Kong plant-product Chemistry, and concerning the mechanisms of chemical reactions, and these have been published or are awaiting publication in British learned journals. Plant- product research receives financial support from outside sources.

Research in the Department of Physiology during 1959 has included studies on various aspects of metabolism as affected by environmental temperature; the relationship of physiological char- acteristics to climatic preferences; metabolic effects of vitamin E; and studies of narcotic addiction in Hong Kong and its treatment.

In the Department of Civil Engineering experiments have been carried out on the behaviour of pre-stressed concrete in a two- storey, three-bay frame, on the behaviour of composite steel and concrete structures, and on the buckling of built-up steel girders.