​​Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rules of the Faculty

The Rules and Regulations of the Faculty spans the Institute Archives and Special Collections copies of the publication from 1879-2007. They establish the roles and responsibilities of the Standing Committees of the MIT Faculty, governs its legislative processes, and states its regulations pertaining to the academic calendar, admissions, registration, grades, degrees, and more. The Rules and Regulations of the Faculty also describe the processes via which they can be changed by vote of the Faculty. Parts also address important topics related to syllabi, midterms, scheduling assignments at the end of the semester, and final exams. Rules of the Faculty was first published in October 1879. The title was changed to Rules and Regulations of the Faculty in 1937. Current Rules and Regulations can be found here: https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/rules-and-regulation

Technology review

Mode of access: Internet

Anne Street (Interviewed by Emma Bernstein)

Interview conducted with an MIT alumna as part of the Margaret MacVicar Memorial AMITA (Association of MIT Alumnae) Oral History Project. The purpose of the project is to document the life histories of women graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Pathways of carbon assimilation and ammonia oxidation suggested by environmental genomic analyses of marine Crenarchaeota.

Marine Crenarchaeota represent an abundant component of oceanic microbiota with potential to significantly influence biogeochemical cycling in marine ecosystems. Prior studies using specific archaeal lipid biomarkers and isotopic analyses indicated that planktonic Crenarchaeota have the capacity for autotrophic growth, and more recent cultivation studies support an ammonia-based chemolithoautotrophic energy metabolism. We report here analysis of fosmid sequences derived from the uncultivated marine crenarchaeote, Cenarchaeum symbiosum, focused on the reconstruction of carbon and energy metabolism. Genes predicted to encode multiple components of a modified 3-hydroxypropionate cycle of autotrophic carbon assimilation were identified, consistent with utilization of carbon dioxide as a carbon source. Additionally, genes predicted to encode a near complete oxidative tricarboxylic acid cycle were also identified, consistent with the consumption of organic carbon and in the production of intermediates for amino acid and cofactor biosynthesis. Therefore, C. symbiosum has the potential to function either as a strict autotroph, or as a mixotroph utilizing both carbon dioxide and organic material as carbon sources. From the standpoint of energy metabolism, genes predicted to encode ammonia monooxygenase subunits, ammonia permease, urease, and urea transporters were identified, consistent with the use of reduced nitrogen compounds as energy sources fueling autotrophic metabolism. Homologues of these genes, recovered from ocean waters worldwide, demonstrate the conservation and ubiquity of crenarchaeal pathways for carbon assimilation and ammonia oxidation. These findings further substantiate the likely global metabolic importance of Crenarchaeota with respect to key steps in the biogeochemical transformation of carbon and nitrogen in marine ecosystems

Using Online Prices for Measuring Real Consumption Across Countries

We show that online prices can be used to construct quarterly purchasing power parities (PPPs) with a closely-matched set of goods and identical methodologies in a variety of developed and developing countries. Our results are close to those reported by the International Comparisons Program (ICP) in 2011 and the OECD in 2014, and can be used to obtain more up-to-date estimates of real consumption across countries without the need for consumer price index extrapolations. We discuss advantages and limitations associated with the use of online prices for PPs, including issues of representativeness and limited coverage of product categories and countries. Please read the Terms of Use and cite the paper if you use the data

Public Understanding of Science, 1988

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.Public Understanding of Science, 1988 was the first national survey of the British public's understanding of and attitudes towards science and technology. The general aim of this survey was to find out what ordinary people feel or think about science. Before this survey, very little was known about this area and the study wanted to explore the complex inter relationships between people's formal and informal experiences of, interests in, attitudes towards, and understanding of science. (By science here, the researchers mean all natural sciences and all science-based technologies, including much of modern medicine). The study aimed to measure a combination of background, psychological and social factors in relation to people's expressed levels of interest in, attitudes towards, and informedness about the world of science. Particular objects of interest in the study were people's understanding of the processes and the products of science, and people's views on controversial or high-risk science. The project was part of the ESRC's Public Understanding of Science Initiative and further information is available from the ESRC award web page.Main Topics:Topics covered include:interest and knowledge of new thingsattitudes to science and technologyknowledge of scientific facts and conceptseducational attainmentemploymentuse of a computervotingreligion</ul