Fast Gr\"obner Basis Computation for Boolean Polynomials

We introduce the Macaulay2 package BooleanGB, which computes a Gr\"obner basis for Boolean polynomials using a binary representation rather than symbolic. We compare the runtime of several Boolean models from systems in biology and give an application to Sudoku

Not a comeback : the persistence of decadence in film noir

English Senior Honors ThesisIn this thesis, I will argue that the decadent movement survives in twentieth-century America through noir films, or what I refer to as "noir decadence." However, noir films make decadence more accessible to a wider audience through a change in perspective and more complicated depictions of class and gender. The first section of this thesis, "The Decadence of Film Noir," compares and contrasts fin-de-siecle decadence and noir decadence through the noir film Sunset Boulevard. This section also discusses the shift in the narrator's perspective to set up the discussion of narrative structure, characters, and how they come together to form a perspective that makes decadence accessible to mass audiences. "Narrative Structure," the second section, examines the way fin-de-siecle decadent narratives are constructed and how that relates to noir decadence. The third section, "Primary Characters," discusses the noir detective archetype, the fin-de-siecle decadent dandy, and the shared character of the "femme fatale." Finally, the conclusion extends noir decadence into the twenty-first-century and examines the perseverance of decadence in neo-noir films

Educating Primary Care Providers on Assessment of Herbal Supplements used by Latino Patients.

Background: Latino population health care practices are rich in heritage and deeply rooted in ideas and traditions (CDC, 2008). Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), specifically herbal supplement use, is widely practiced among this population. Literature suggests that there is a significant gap in provider-patient communication regarding herbal supplement use (Malika et al., 2017). Aims: The purpose of this project was to assess commonly used herbal supplements or vitamins and implement a population-specific education for providers in a primary care clinic predominantly serving Latino patients. The project aim was to increase provider assessment and documentation of herbal supplement and vitamin use among the Latino population at the clinic. Methods: Retrospective chart reviews pre and post intervention took place to determine herbal supplement screening. Twenty-seven Latino clinic patients were interviewed as part of the intervention development. The interview responses were transcribed and the ten most commonly used herbal supplements were identified. The educational intervention consisted of two components: (a) a ten-minute oral presentation for providers on herbal supplement use, and (b) laminated handouts identifying common Latino supplements, side effects, metabolic pathway, interactions and contraindications, which were placed in all clinic exam rooms. Results: Two-thirds (66%) of the interviewed patient population reported presently or previously using herbal supplements or vitamins. Following the education, providers self-reported their frequency for assessing supplement use to be a mean of 2.8/4. Prior to the intervention, a random review of 50 records showed no supplement assessments; following the intervention, 30% of the 50 charts contained supplement assessments

The Baptist Church in Warren: Rehabilitation and Preservation Report

The Baptist Church in Warren is located in the Warren Waterfront Historic National Register District. Warren also has a Voluntary Historic District. Both the National Register Nomination and the Voluntary Historic District have regulations which pertain to changes to the exterior view shed of the building. Exterior work on this project will need to abide by the State of Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations Rehabilitation Code for existing buildings and structures and the Town of Warren Department of Building and Zoning. Exterior work done on a voluntary basis, according to the Warren Voluntary Historic District guidelines, will qualify for a 20% tax credit. The Baptist Church in Warren does not meet the requirements for the local and state tax credit

St. Mary\u27s Parish House: Reuse and Rehabilitaion Feasibility Report

Most windows in the structure are historic and in fair condition, consisting of double-hung, six-over-six, divided-light windows throughout most of the building and 12-over-8 divided- light windows in the gymnasium. Windows on the first story of the south façade, in the school addition, are wooden and one-over-one

The significance of an additive time pattern in learning a motor skill

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Non-lysosomal protein degrading systems in chicken skeleton muscle

In an attempt to understand the roles played by the ubiquitin-dependent and calpain pathways in protein degradation in chicken skeletal muscles, biochemical studies were conducted on components of these two systems as well as their potential endogenous and exogenous substrates. ATP- and ubiquity tin-dependent breakdown of endogenous proteins (measured by tyrosine release) or exogenous proteins (measured by the appearance of trichloroacetic acid-soluble radiolabel after incubation with 125rlysozyme) took place in muscle extracts; the specific activities of these processes were significantly lower than those detected in rabbit reticulocytes. Conjugation of ubiquitin to a subset of endogenous proteins was detected by incubating muscle extracts (fraction II: depleted of ubiquitin by DEAE-cellulose chromatography) with 125rubiquitin and Mg2+-ATP, followed by analysis of the radiolabelled conjugates by one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sos, and autoradiography. Discrete conjugates were formed with apparent molecular weights between 30 -100 000, as well as a large number of undifferentiated entities of higher molecular weights. Conjugation of ubiquitin to the exogenous protein lysozyme was detected only when fresh, as opposed to previously frozen fraction II preparations were assayed: three bands were obtained, as opposed to the six ubiqui tin conjugates formed by reticulocyte extracts. The muscle system catalyzed the ubiquitination of partially purified myofibrillar proteins, principally myosin and possibly actin. Fractionation of the ubiquitin-activating enzymes into El and E2 on the one hand, and E3 on the other, permitted mixing experiments to be conducted by means of conjugation assays, and confirmed the low content of E3 in muscle as opposed to reticulocytes. Fraction II from muscle displayed ubiquitin conjugatedegrading activity but again this was less active than in reticulocytes. A number of other proteolytic activities, independent of ubiquitin, w~re also present. Isopeptidases, active on 125I-ubiquitin conjugates were strongly inhibited by sulphydryl alkylating agents such as N-ethylmaleimide. The overall picture of the ubiquitin pathway in muscle is one where many proteins may be converted into long-lived conjugates but not in all cases requiring the action of E3: some E3-dependent protein degradation undoubtably does occur in this physiologically basal system. Formation of a ubiquitin conjugate of the ubiquitinactivating enzyme (El) and some of the ubiquitin carrier proteins (E2 's) was detected during incubations of 125rubiqui tin and ATP lasting 2 hr or longer. Because treatment of such systems with NaOH, even at early times during the incubations, greatly enhanced the appearance of the same entities, the phenomenon appeared to be one of auto-, rather than E3-mediated ubiquitination. The bonds involved had properties compatible with their being peptidic in nature, and their formation occurred from ubiguitin thiolesters bound to El and E2. The protease inhibitor and alkylating agent, TLCK, when pre-incubated with fraction II for 2 hr before the addition of 125I-ubiquitin and ATP, greatly enhanced the subsequent auto-ubiqui tination of El in the absence of NaOH treatment, and caused the inhibition of it adenylate-forming and thiolester-transferring activities: thus, ubiquitin transfer to E2's and further to other acceptors was markedly impaired. Such an inactivation of El by TLCK may, in a manner analogous to that described in the thermolabile ts85 mutants (Finley et al., 1984), be the basis of the action of this agent to block the cell cycle in late G2 or early M phase (Schnebli & Haemmerli, 1974). TLCK-induced inactivating auto-ubiquitination of El may be an important tool for the study of ubiquitindependent processes which (apart from possible intrinsic protease activity), all appear to require the activity of this enzyme. The number of calpain species existing in chicken skeletal muscle is controversial with only one ( Ishiura et al. , I 1978) or three (Wolfe et al., 1985) species having been reported. When extracts of chicken skeletal muscle were applied to a DEAE-cellulose column and the bound protein eluted in a linear salt gradient, two calpain activities, separated from their endogenous inhibitors (calpastatins), were detected. The first eluting activity, "calpain I", was active at low ca2+ concentrations, was heat-labile and had a lower apparent molecular weight on gel filtration when compared with the later eluting activity which appeared to be a typical calpain II species. "Calpain I”. was not an autolytic product of calpain II but appeared to be derivea from a more heat-stable calpain I species. A proportion (up to 14%) of the calpains in crude muscle extracts was bound to membrane fractions in the presence of ca2+; this could be removed by EGTA treatment. In addition, membrane-bound fractions examined by 9el filtration contained calpain• forms of an apparent molecular · weight lower than that of calpain which had not been membraneassociated. Membrane binding of the calpains (especially of calpain II), may be important in physiological activation

Archaeology as Advocacy: Celebrating Cultural Heritage and Promoting Sustainability in Transylvania Mining Communities

In this paper, I examine the practice of cultural heritage preservation. In particular, I seek to understand how cultural heritage in rural landscapes, both in its intangible and tangible aspects, can be sustainably preserved. I focus my discussion on traditional rural landscapes in southwest Transylvania, Romania. Specifically, I ask how can we design the Ramet Museum Project to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of rural Transylvania? I apply the knowledge gained through exploring this question to propose some best practices in developing a community museum in Transylvania that promotes sustainable engagement with cultural heritage that is rooted in placemaking perspectives

Non-lysosomal protein degrading systems in chicken skeletal muscle

In an attempt to understand the roles played by the ubiquitin-dependent and calpain pathways in protein degradation in chicken skeletal muscles, biochemical studies were conducted on components of these two systems as well as their potential endogenous and exogenous substrates. ATP- and ubiquitin-dependent breakdown of endogenous proteins (measured by tyrosine release) or exogenous proteins (measured by the appearance of trichloroacetic acid-soluble radiolabel after incubation with 125I-lysozyme) took place in muscle extracts; the specific activities of these processes were significantly lower than those detected in rabbit reticulocytes. Conjugation of ubiquitin to a subset of endogenous proteins was detected by incubating muscle extracts (fraction II: depleted of ubiquitin by DEAE-cellulose chromatography) with 125I-ubiquitin and Mg2+-ATP, followed by analysis of the radiolabelled conjugates by one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of SOS, and autoradiography. Discrete conjugates were formed with apparent molecular weights between 30 -100 000, as well as a large number of undifferentiated entities of higher molecular weights. Conjugation of ubiquitin to the exogenous protein lysozyme was detected only when fresh, as opposed to previously frozen fraction II preparations were assayed: three bands were obtained, as opposed to the six ubiquitin conjugates formed by reticulocyte extracts. The muscle system catalyzed the ubiquitination of partially purified myofibrillar proteins, principally myosin and possibly actin. Fractionation of the ubiquitin-activating enzymes into El and E2 on the one hand, and E3 on the other, permitted mixing experiments to be conducted by means of conjugation assays, and confirmed the low content of E3 in muscle as opposed to reticulocytes. Fraction II from muscle displayed ubiquitin conjugate-degrading activity but again this was less active than in reticulocytes. A number of other proteolytic activities, independent of ubiquitin, were also present. Isopeptidases, active on 125I-ubiquitin conjugates were strongly inhibited by sulphydryl alkylating agents such as N-ethylmaleimide. The overall picture of the ubiquitin pathway in muscle is one where many proteins may be converted into long-lived conjugates but not in all cases requiring the action of E3: some E3-dependent protein degradation undoubtably does occur in this physiologically basal system. Formation of a ubiquitin conjugate of the ubiquitinactivating enzyme (E1) and some of the ubiquitin carrier proteins (E2 's) was detected during incubations of 125Iubiquitin and ATP lasting 2 hr or longer. Because treatment of such systems with NaOH, even at early times during the incubations, greatly enhanced the appearance of the same entities, the phenomenon appeared to be one of auto-, rather than E3-mediated ubiquitination. The bonds involved had properties compatible with their being peptidic in nature, and their formation occurred from ubiquitin thiolesters bound to E1 and E2. The protease inhibitor and alkylating agent, TLCK, when pre-incubated with fraction II for 2 hr before the addition of 125I-ubiquitin and ATP, greatly enhanced the subsequent auto-ubiquitination of E1 in the absence of NaOH treatment, and caused the inhibition of its adenylate-forming and thiolester-transferring activities: thus ubiquitin transfer to E2's and further to other acceptors was markedly impaired. such an inactivation of El by TLCK may, in a manner analogous to that described in the thermolabile ts85 mutants (Finley et al., 1984), be the basis of the action of this agent to block the cell cycle in late G2 or early M phase (Schnebli & Haemmerli, 1974). TLCK-induced inactivating auto-ubiquitination of El may be an important tool for the study of ubiquit-independent processes which (apart from possible intrinsic protease activity), all appear to require the activity of this enzyme. The number of calpain species existing in chicken skeletal muscle is controversial with only one (Ishiura et al., 1978) or three (Wolfe et al., 1985) species having been reported. When extracts of chicken skeletal muscle were applied to a DEAE-cellulose column and the bound protein eluted in a linear salt gradient, two calpain activities, separated from their endogenous inhibitors (calpastatins), were detected. The first eluting activity, "calpain I", was active at low ca2+ concentrations, was heat-labile and had a lower apparent molecular weight on gel filtration when compared with the later eluting activity which appeared to be a typical calpain II species. "Calpain I". was not an autolytic product of calpain II but appeared to be derived from a more heat-stable calpain I species. A proportion (up to 14%) of the calpains in crude muscle extracts was bound to membrane fractions in the presence of ca2+; this could be removed by EGTA treatment. In addition, membrane-bound fractions examined by 9el filtration contained calpain· forms of an apparent molecular · weight lower than that of calpain which had not been membrane-associated. Membrane binding of the calpains (especially of calpain II), may be important in physiological activation

Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, and Development in Transylvanian Rural Landscapes

Communities constantly produce and reinforce notions of cultural heritage in their expressions of identity and memory. Especially in rural communities, this process of engaging with heritage is deeply rooted in a landscape, embedded in how people experience connection with the landscape. Preservation of this heritage greatly influences senses of social, cultural, and historical identity at individual, community, and nation levels. As contexts that express a unique sense of place, rural traditional landscapes encounter threats to their heritage in the face of modern development, unemployment, and changing policies. In this paper, we explore the potential for community engagement rooted in archaeology and how it can play a role in sustainable development of rural landscapes. In particular, we present several ongoing projects focused on the prehistoric archaeology of rural landscapes in Alba County, Transylvania. Drawing on theories of placemaking, memory, and monumentality, this paper explores the strong connection between people and place over time as a justification for drawing upon archaeology to reimagine how communities engage with landscape in the present and future. We highlight the potential for community-based cultural heritage revitalization as a way to promote sustainable development in Transylvania’s rural landscapes. Knowledge of how people of the past engaged with landscape gives opportunity to reinterpret how people engage with landscape and their cultural heritage. As it is argued, projects geared towards sustainable cultural heritage preservation ignite cultural pride and encourage cultural expression, maintained through social memory creation and key economic opportunities and benefits across different scales. Ultimately, archaeology in concert with community-engaged cultural heritage outreach efforts can be useful to counterbalance urbanization and enhance investment in rural communities