OcroBEB 1, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



451 



The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 

 VI., No. 5, issued September 16, contains the 

 following : " On the Decomposition of /?-Oxy- 

 butyric Acid and Aceto-acetic Acid by En- 

 zymes of the Liver," by A. J. Wakeman and 

 H. D. Dakin. An enzyme, " y3-oxybutyrase," 

 was detected in liver tissue which, in the pres- 

 ence of oxygen, converts ^-oxybutyric into 

 aceto-acetic acid. Another enzyme was de- 

 tected which decomposes aceto-acetic acid. 

 Conditions influencing their action were 

 studied. " The Leucin Fraction of Pro- 

 teins," by P. A. Levene and Donald D. Van 

 Slyke. The substances 1-leucin, d-isoleucin 

 and d-valin, which make up the leucin frac- 

 tion in the hydrolysis of protein, may be 

 quantitatively separated from each other by 

 transformation into the lead salts. " The 

 Leucin Fraction in Casein and Edestin," by 

 P. A. Levene and Donald D. Van Slyke. 

 Quantitative estimations of 1-leucin, d-iso- 

 leucin and d-valin resulting from the hy- 

 drolysis of casein and edestin. " The Nature 

 of the Acid Soluble Phosphorus Compounds 

 of Some Important Feeding Materials," by E. 

 B. Hart and "W. E. Tottingham. A study of 

 the distribution of phj^tin and inorganic phos- 

 phorus in corn, oats, barley, rutabagas and 

 alfalfa hay. " A Volumetric Method for the 

 Estimation of Casein in Cow's Milk," by E. 

 B. Hart. The method consists in measuring 

 the amount of standard alkali neutralized by 

 the casein from a measured sample of milk. 

 " On Preformed Hypoxanthin," by V. N. 

 Leonard and Walter Jones. Preformed hy- 

 poxanthin, i. e., that not formed from adenin 

 by action of adenase, is present in all tissues, 

 especially in muscles, and contributes largely 

 to the endogenous uric acid of the body. " The 

 Intracellular Enzymes of Lower Fungi, Esjw- 

 cially those of Penicillium camerriberti," by 

 Arthur Wayland Dox. From Penicillium 

 camemherti enzymes were separated capable 

 of decomposing certain proteins, nucleic acid, 

 amides and amido-acids, glucosides, esters and 

 carbohydrates. 



The Higher Education Association, whose 

 office is at 42 Broadway, New York, has begun 

 the publication of a monthly magazine en- 



titled The American College. In addition to 

 editorial articles and various departments, the 

 first issue contains the following articles : 



"The Carnegie Foundation's Dual Mission": 

 F. B. Lawrence. 



" Sensational Attacks on University Teach- 

 ings": Edwin E. Slosson. 



"College Bookkeeping and Accounting": Clar- 

 ence F. Birdseye. 



"A Victorious Defeat" (Story) : George Thomas. 



" The Moral Ideal and the Pursuit of Knowl- 

 edge " : Francis J. McConnell. 



The directing editor of the journal is Mr. 

 Clarence F. Birdseye, knovm for his books on 

 " The Reorganization of our Colleges " and 

 '■' Individual Training in our Colleges," and 

 the managing editor is Mr. Frank F. Rogers. 

 The Higher Education Association was in- 

 corporated in the state of New York last May. 

 The first of the purposes of the corporation, 

 according to the charter, being " to improve 

 higher education throughout the United 

 States, and in particular the internal and ex- 

 ternal conditions of the American college, by 

 furnishing an agency and funds whereby a 

 careful study can be made, and improvements 

 can be brought about in the institutions of 

 higher learning." The directors of the cor- 

 poration are : Colonel C. E. Sprague, the Hon. 

 George B. Cortelyou, Mr. Clarence F. Birds- 

 eye, Dr. E. E. Slosson, Dr. Virgil Prettyman, 

 and Mr. Arthur H. Pogson. 



The editor of the Monthly Weather Review 

 announces that beginning with the issue for 

 July, 1909, the Review will be restricted to 

 statistical tables of general climatological 

 data for the United States. The relatively 

 small amount of accompanying text will sum- 

 marize the weather conditions of the month in 

 the difFerent districts. It is thus evident that 

 hereafter the Review will be of value only to 

 those advanced students of climates, engineers, 

 etc., who need detailed data for their ovra dis- 

 cussion. Few papers of general interest to 

 teachers, except as related to climatology, will 

 be published in the Review, and it is not prob- 

 able that the publication will be of value to 

 those public schools and high schools that 

 have been receiving it heretofore. The scope 

 of the articles appearing in the Mount Weather 



