Industrial stones of the Northern Caucasus: gypsum, anhydrite, gagate

На основании изучения геологических отчетов и публикаций определены поделочные камни Северного Кавказа, осадочного хемогенного и органогенного проис- хождения. Приведено краткое геологическое описание наиболее типичных проявлений и месторождений гипса, ангидрита и гагата. Рассмотрены время образования, цветовая палитра камней этих типов. Определены территории и геологические разрезы, благо- приятные для их поисков. Based on investigation of geological reports and papers amongst industrial stones of the Northern Caucasus have been defi ned stones of sedimentary chemogenic and organogenous origin. The briefl y geological description of the most typical manifestations and deposits of gypsum, anhydrite, gagate have been depicted. Time of origin, colous palette of these types of stones are discussed. The territories and geological sections which are favourable for prpecting are defi ned.

Menzerath–Altmann’s Law of Syntax in RNA Accretion History

RNA evolves by adding substructural parts to growing molecules. Molecular accretion history can be dissected with phylogenetic methods that exploit structural and functional evidence. Here, we explore the statistical behaviors of lengths of double-stranded and single-stranded segments of growing tRNA, 5S rRNA, RNase P RNA, and rRNA molecules. The reconstruction of character state changes along branches of phylogenetic trees of molecules and trees of substructures revealed strong pushes towards an economy of scale. In addition, statistically significant negative correlations and strong associations between the average lengths of helical double-stranded stems and their time of origin (age) were identified with the Pierson’s correlation and Spearman’s rho methods. The ages of substructures were derived directly from published rooted trees of substructures. A similar negative correlation was detected in unpaired segments of rRNA but not for the other molecules studied. These results suggest a principle of diminishing returns in RNA accretion history. We show this principle follows a tendency of substructural parts to decrease their size when molecular systems enlarge that follows the Menzerath–Altmann’s law of language in full generality and without interference from the details of molecular growth.

Large-scale phylogenomic analyses reveal the monophyly of bryophytes and Neoproterozoic origin of land plants

The relationships among the four major embryophyte lineages (mosses, liverworts, hornworts, vascular plants) and the timing of the origin of land plants are enigmatic problems in plant evolution. Here, we resolve the monophyly of bryophytes by improving taxon sampling of hornworts and eliminating the effect of synonymous substitutions. We then estimate the divergence time of crown embryophytes based on three fossil calibration strategies, and reveal that maximum calibration constraints have a major effect on estimating the time of origin of land plants. Moreover, comparison of priors and posteriors provides a guide for evaluating the optimal calibration strategy. By considering the reliability of fossil calibrations and the influences of molecular data, we estimate that land plants originated in the Precambrian (980 − 682 Ma), much older than widely recognized. Our study highlights the important contribution of molecular data when faced with contentious fossil evidence, and that fossil calibrations used in estimating the timescale of plant evolution require critical scrutiny.

Phylostratigraphic analysis of gene networks of human diseases

Phylostratigraphic analysis is an approach to the study of gene evolution that makes it possible to determine the time of the origin of genes by analyzing their orthologous groups. The age of a gene belonging to an orthologous group is def ined as the age of the most recent ancestor of all species represented in that group. Such an analysis can reveal important stages in the evolution of both the organism as a whole and groups of functionally related genes, in particular gene networks. In addition to investigating the time of origin of a gene, the level of its genetic variability and what type of selection the gene is subject to in relation to the most closely related organisms is studied. Using the Orthoscape application, gene networks from the KEGG Pathway, Human Diseases database describing various human diseases were analyzed. It was shown that the majority of genes described in gene networks are under stabilizing selection and a high reliable correlation was found between the time of gene origin and the level of genetic variability: the younger the gene, the higher the level of its variability is. It was also shown that among the gene networks analyzed, the highest proportion of evolutionarily young genes was found in the networks associated with diseases of the immune system (65 %), and the highest proportion of evolutionarily ancient genes was found in the networks responsible for the formation of human dependence on substances that cause addiction to chemical compounds (88 %); gene networks responsible for the development of infectious diseases caused by parasites are signif icantly enriched for evolutionarily young genes, and gene networks responsible for the development of specif ic types of cancer are signif icantly enriched for evolutionarily ancient genes.

Tautas deju definēšanas problemātika mūsdienās Latvijā

The article “Problems of defining folk dance in Latvia today” examines the aspects that affect the current situation in Latvia, where folk dances are understood as both folk dances that have not been modified by choreographers, dances passed down through generations that can be danced every day, and stage folk dances, which are a type of art performed by folk dance ensembles, created by choreographers and dances adapted to the stage performance. The research aim is to identify and describe the problems that currently exist in the Latvian cultural space, where the definition of folk dances creates tension in the public space and ambiguous opinions among dancers. Nowadays, it is possible to identify such concepts as, for example, folk dance, ethnographic dance, authentic dance, traditional dance, folklore dance, folk dance, folk dance adaptation, field dance, folk ballet, etc. Consistent use of concepts is rarely seen in the documents and research of cultural policymakers and the historical and contemporary works of choreographers and researchers. Often they are only described in general terms. A survey conducted in 2019 shows that dancers consider stage folk dances to be folk dances, and often this separation of dances is not important for them. Another problem is the designation of folk dance ensembles where stage folk dance dancers are dancing. The term misleads; it suggests that folk dances are danced there. However, this designation is linked to its historical time of origin. It is not insignificant that the stage folk dance is more popular, more visible, and massively represented at the Song and Dance Festival. Thus, a part of the society associates it with our folk dances.

The Long-Term Evolutionary History of Gradual Reduction of CpG Dinucleotides in the SARS-CoV-2 Lineage

Recent studies suggested that the fraction of CG dinucleotides (CpG) is severely reduced in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The CpG deficiency was predicted to be the adaptive response of the virus to evade degradation of the viral RNA by the antiviral zinc finger protein that specifically binds to CpG nucleotides. By comparing all representative genomes belonging to the genus Betacoronavirus, this study examined the potential time of origin of CpG depletion. The results of this investigation revealed a highly significant correlation between the proportions of CpG nucleotide (CpG content) of the betacoronavirus species and their times of divergence from SARS-CoV-2. Species that are distantly related to SARS-CoV-2 had much higher CpG contents than that of SARS-CoV-2. Conversely, closely related species had low CpG contents that are similar to or slightly higher than that of SARS-CoV-2. These results suggest a systematic and continuous reduction in the CpG content in the SARS-CoV-2 lineage that might have started since the Sarbecovirus + Hibecovirus clade separated from Nobecovirus, which was estimated to be 1213 years ago. This depletion was not found to be mediated by the GC contents of the genomes. Our results also showed that the depletion of CpG occurred at neutral positions of the genome as well as those under selection. The latter is evident from the progressive reduction in the proportion of arginine amino acid (coded by CpG dinucleotides) in the SARS-CoV-2 lineage over time. The results of this study suggest that shedding CpG nucleotides from their genome is a continuing process in this viral lineage, potentially to escape from their host defense mechanisms.

The themes in the prologue of the MHG 'Pilatus' poem and the dating of the fragment Die Thematik im Prolog des mhd. 'Pilatus'- Gedichtes und die Datierung des Fragments

The MHG 'Pilatus' fragment is accompagnied by a three-line Lat. poem which refers to an important event of the year 1187. Several earlier scholars considered this year as the terminus ad quem of the text. But especially Edward Schröder has argued several times that this poem consists of 'memorial verses', which could be repeated in later mss. Thus he dates the Hessian 'Pilatus' text one generation later, ascribes it Herbort of Fritzlar, the poet of the 'Song of Troja' ('SoT'), and proposes the sequence 'SoT' → 'Pilatus'. Joachim Knape published Schröders philological and poetological evidence from his estate and also attempted to consolidate his arguments. The discovery that the 'Pilatus' poet in his prologue often quotes from the recent Pentecostal hymn Veni, sancte spiritus, which is now dated ca. 1150, allows to date the 'Pilatus' text again earlier. In addition, Schröder's as well as Knape's arguments show several weaknesses. The fact that Herbort in his prologue to the 'SoT' apparently takes over poetological key words from Gottfried's exegesis of the love grotto in his 'Tristan' romance strongly suggests that the 'SoT' wasn't finished prior to 1215–1220 so that Herbort hardly would have had enough time for the creation of the 'Pilatus' poem. The 'Pilatus' poet's complaint about the deficiencies of the MHG literary language doesn't easily allow for a too late time of origin either. The anonymous 'Pilatus' poet therefore is hardly identifiable with Herbort, and he very likely finished his poem shortly before 1187. Das mhd. 'Pilatus'-Fragment ist in der Hs. von einem dreizeiligen lat. Gedicht begleitet, das ein bedeutsames Ereignis des Jahres 1187 erwähnt. Die frühere Forschung hatte dieses Jahr meistens als terminus ad quem des Textes aufgefasst. Vor allem Edward Schröder hat dann aber mehrmals behauptet, dass es sich um Memorialverse handelt, die Jahre später in Hss. wiederholt werden konnten. Entsprechend datiert er das hessische Bruchstück eine Generation später, schreibt es dabei Herbort von Fritzlar, dem Dichter des 'Liet von Troie' ('LvT'), zu und setzt dann die Reihenfolge 'LvT' → 'Pilatus' an. Joachim Knape hat Schröders philologische und poetologische Beweisführung aus dem Nachlass veröffentlicht und anschließend versucht, sie weiter zu erhärten. Die Entdeckung, dass der 'Pilatus'-Dichter in seinem Prolog vielfach die neue Pfingstsequenz Veni, sancte spiritus anzitiert, deren Entstehung jetzt um 1150 angesetzt wird, öffnet das Ursprungsdatum des 'Pilatus' weit nach vorne. Es kann auch gezeigt werden, dass Schröders und auch Knapes Argumente mehrere Schwächen aufweisen. Die Tatsache, dass Herbort in seinem 'LvT'-Prolog anscheinend eine poetologische Gedankenreihe aus der Minnegrottenexegese von Gottfrieds 'Tristan' übernimmt, lässt darauf schließen, dass das 'LvT' nicht vor 1215–1220 abgeschlossen wurde, so dass das 'Pilatus'-Gedicht als Werk Herborts zeitlich sehr ins Gedränge käme. Auch die Klage des 'Pilatus'-Dichters über die Mängel des Deutschen als Dichtersprache passt schlecht in eine zu späte Zeit. Dieser anonyme Dichter dürfte daher nicht mit Herbort identisch sein und sein Werk kurz v o r 1187 abgeschlossen haben.

FUNCTIONING OF MIDDLE HIGH-GERMAN DIPHTHONGS ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE WORK “IMPERIAL CHRONICLE” (“DER KAISERCHRONIK”)

The article is devoted to the genesis of diphthongs and their functioning within the word of the Middle High German (MHG) period of German language development.The aim of the given article is to study the origin, development and functioning of diphthongs on the material of MHG work “Imperial Chronicle” (“Der Kaiserchronik”).Methods. The main method of research is comparative-historical, which enabled tracing the dynamics of the formation and functioning of German diphthongs. The use of the probabilistic-statistical method contributed to obtaining data on the frequency of diphthongs in the experiment. The descriptive method was used to systematize and classify diphthongs, to describe their phonetic and lexical-grammatical features at this stage of German language development.Results. The results of the study allowed to establish the main functions of diphthongs and showed a direct correlation between the time of origin of diphthongs and the frequency of their implementation in the text. From the grammatical perspective MHG diphthongs were grouped on the principle of alternation in root morphemes, while performing the grammatical function of these word forms, which enabled distinguishing a group of “ablaut diphthongs”; from the lexical perspective MHG diphthongs were grouped into “meaningful homonymous diphthongs”. It was also found that the largest number of MHG diphthongs fall in the middle of the word: anlaut – 35 lexical units (0.8%), inlay – 390 lexical units (0.87%), auslaut – 25 lexical units (0.5%), and MHG auslaut indicators decrease, because during changes in the grammatical structure of words its inventory root morpheme becomes more significant, where the main phonetic and grammatical processes take place. Significant reduction in the implementation of diphthongs at the end of MHG words is the result of constant articulatory attenuation of sounds, which leads to the reduction of vowels, and in some cases to their complete disappearance or contraction.Conclusions. Diphthongs were living and specific linguistic phenomena in prehistoric times. MHG diphthongs were carriers of meaning, while performing phonetic and grammatical functions. The study indicates the presence of a correlation between the time of origin of diphthongs and their implementation in language (speech).Key words: ablaut, diachrony, dialect, correlation, morpheme, phoneme. Стаття присвячена ґенезі дифтонгів та їх функціонуванню в межах слова середньоверхньонімецького (свн.) періоду розвитку німецької мови.Мета. Метою запропонованої статті є дослідження зародження, розвитку та функціонування дифтонгів на матеріалі свн. твору «Хроніка імператорів» («Der Kaiserchronik»).Методи. Основним методом дослідження є порівняльно-історичний, що надав можливість простежити динаміку становлення і функціонування німецьких дифтонгів. Використання ймовірнісно-статистичного методу посприяло отриманню даних про частоту реалізації дифтонгів у проведеному експерименті. Дескриптивний метод використовувався для систематизації та кла-сифікації дифтонгів, опису їхніх фонетичних та лексико-граматичних особливостей на даному етапі розвитку німецької мови.Результати. Результатидослідження дозволили встановити основні функції дифтонгів і показали пряму кореляцію між часом зародження дифтонгів та частотою їхньої реалізації в тексті. З граматичного ракурсу свн. дифтонги були угруповані за принципом чергування в кореневих морфемах, виконуючи при цьому граматичну функцію цих словоформ, що уможливило виділити групу «аблаутних дифтонгів»; з лексичного ракурсу свн. дифтонги були об’єднані в групу «змістовні дифтонги-омоніми». Виявлено також, що найбільша кількість свн. дифтонгів припадає на середину слова: анлаут – 35 л. о. (0,8%), інлаут – 390 л. о. (0,87%), ауслаут – 25 л. о. (0,5%), а свн. ауслаутні показники зменшуються, оскільки під час змін у граматичній структурі слів більш вагомою стає його інвентарна коренева морфема, де відбуваються основні фонетичні та граматичні процеси. Значне зменшення реалізації дифтонгів у кінці свн. слова є результатом постійного артикуляторного послаблення звуків, яке призводить до редукції голосних, а в деяких випадках – до повного їх зникнення або стяжіння.Висновки. Дифтонги були живими і специфічними мовними явищами ще у прагерманські часи. Свн. дифтонги були носія-ми значення, виконуючи при цьому фонетичні та граматичні функції. Проведене дослідження свідчить про наявність кореляції між часом зародження дифтонгів та їх реалізацією в мові (мовленні).Ключові слова: аблаут, діахронія, діалект, кореляція, морфема, фонема.

Is Focal Cortical Dysplasia/Epilepsy Caused by Somatic MTOR Mutations Always a Unilateral Disorder?

ObjectiveTo alert about the wide margin of unpredictability that distribution of somatic MTOR mosaicism may have in the brain and the risk for independent epileptogenesis arising from the seemingly healthy contralateral hemisphere after complete removal of epileptogenic focal cortical dysplasia (FCD).MethodsClinical, EEG, MRI, histopathology, and molecular genetics in 2 patients (1 and 2) treated with focal resections and subsequent complete hemispherectomy for epileptogenic FCD due to somatic MTOR mutations. Autoptic brain study of bilateral asymmetric hemispheric dysplasia and identification of alternative allele fraction (AAF) rates for AKT1 (patient 3).ResultsThe strongly hyperactivating p.Ser2215Phe (patient 1) and p.Leu1460Pro (patient 2) MTOR mutations were at low-level AAF in the dysplastic tissue. After repeated resections and eventual complete hemispherectomy, both patients manifested intractable seizures arising from the contralateral, seemingly healthy hemisphere. In patient 3, the p.Glu17Lys AKT1 mutation exhibited random distribution and AAF rates in different tissues with double levels in the more severely dysplastic cerebral hemisphere.ConclusionsOur understanding of the distribution of somatic mutations in the brain in relation to the type of malformation and its hypothesized time of origin may be faulty. Large studies may reveal that the risk of a first surgery being disappointing might be related more to the specific somatic mammalian target of rapamycin mutation identified than to completeness of resection and that the advantages of repeated resections after a first unsuccessful operation should be weighed against the risk of the contralateral hemisphere becoming in turn epileptogenic.