scientist, or engineer: there is no need for an electronics interpreter. Hut research on the new computer isn't stopping here. Honnell and his coworkers expect to continue to study methods for solving systems of differ ential equations. And they hope to de termine the ultimate potential of the new computer in problems such as linear transformations, matric products, and Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors. Honnell feels that the increasing use of matric calculus will make such com puters important tools of applied math ematics. Matric calculus, he explains, offers many advantages: concise and general notation, high analytical power, and w i d e applicability.
license to market Sabin material com mercially. That depends on the cutcome of further tests. " W e are fully conscious of the need for more clinical and other experimental data," says president John T. Connor. "It would be unfortunate to release prematurely a vaccine that has so much potential for good but which might cause great harm if not properly controlled." Merck believes it can move into com mercial production quickly, however, if its tests prove successful and it is given a license.
Closer to market is what Merck calls "a new, highly potent, purified vaccine of the Salk type." Tests on this prod uct are nearly completed, and Merck hopes to have a license to manufacture and distribute it next year. Merck claims its n e w Salk type vaccine con tains less residual animal tissue. As a result, it has more uniform potency and causes fewer side reactions. Meanwhile, Me*ek is also increasing production of its conventional Salk vac cine "to keep pace with current de mand."
Merck Moves on Polio O u t p u t o f killed a n d live vaccines increased; testing of live vaccine e x t e n d e d JMKRCK
is
stopping
up
its
attack
against polio on two fronts. On the one hand, it expects soon to complete tests on a more uniform vaccine or the Salk type. At the same time, it is in creasing its experimental production of an oral vaccine made with live viruses. Merck's work on oral vaccine centers on t h e vaccine produced by Albert Sabin, of t h e University of Cincinnati medical school, in Merck Sharp & Dohme research laboratories. Merckplans to produce more than enough of ihis material for extensive clinical test ing during the next nolio season in the U.S. Sabin's vaccine, although tested widely in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, has not been tried extensively yet in this country. The broadest tests so far, involving several million people, were conducted in the U.S.S.R. with vaccine made from seed material sup plied by Sabin. Results there were suc cessful, b u t U. S. medical men want further, more clear-cut evidence. Like other polio vaccines, the Sabin material is made by growing nonvirulent virus in a culture of monkey kidney tis sue. It differs from Lederle's Orimune (C&EN, July 13, page 4 5 ) in that separate doses a r e usually given to im munize against each of the three strains of t h e disease. Merck scientists are exploring ways of putting it into a single-dose form. Merck has n o plans yet for asking the U. S. Public Health Service for a
Fine! Ânfilambda Particle Particles of antimatter, called anti- short interval both decay, producing lambdas, have been photographed. V-shaped tracks. That on the left The event took place in the new 6-foot comes from the ( \ ° ) · O n e of its bubble chamber at the University of decay particles is a ( ρ ) which in California's Lawrence Radiation Lab turn decays a n d creates a four pronged oratory. T h e finding means that it's 7r-meson star. T h e photograph is the probable other, previously unobserved, work of a group headed by Luis W. particles of antimatter will also be seen Alvarez at the University's Lawrence in the big bubble chamber. Radiation Laboratory. It was exhib T h e photograph of the production ited at the International Conference >n and decay of an antilambda particle High Energy Physics at Kiev, U.S.S.R. C\°) is only the second record of such This ν bservation indicates that the a nuclear event. And it is the first rec big bubble chamber may permit the ord of an event involving antimatter detailed study of other antimatter par taken in University of California's new ticles, it w a s previously thought that 6-foot bubble chamber. T h e first production of these particles by the event was observed on photoemulsion university's Bevatron was too limited plates last year. for such study. Higher energy ma An antiproton ( ρ ) enters the pic chines were believed necessary for the ture from the bottom (see diagram creation of enough antimatter particles above, right) and decays into a lambda for close study. But more powerful de and an antilambda. Being neutral, tection devices, such as the big bubble they leave no tracks, but after a chamber, m a y change this idea. B AUG.
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