Dentognathic remains of Australopithecus afarensis from Nefuraytu (Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia): Comparative description, geology, and paleoecological context

This book brings together the latest concepts and models in real-estate derivatives, the new frontier in financial markets. The importance of real-estate derivatives in managing property price risk that has destabilized economies frequently in the last hundred years has been brought into the limelight by Robert Shiller over the last three decades. In spite of his masterful campaign for the introduction of real-estate derivatives, these financial instruments are still in a state of infancy. This book aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of real-estate derivatives at this moment in time, covering the description of these financial products, their applications, and the most important models proposed in the literature in this area. In order to facilitate a better understanding of the situations when these products can be successfully used, ancillary topics such as real-estate indices, mortgages, securitization, and equity release mortgages are also discussed. The book is designed to pay attention to the econometric aspects of realestate index prices, time series, and also to financial engineering no-arbitrage principles governing pricing of derivatives. The emphasis is on understanding the financial instruments through their mechanics and comparative description. The examples are based on real-world data from exchanges or frommajor investment banks or financial houses in London. The numerical analysis is easily replicable with Excel and Matlab. This is the most advanced published book in this area, combining practical relevance with intellectual rigour. Real-estate derivatives will become important for managing macro risks in order to pass stress tests imposed by regulators.

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Hominin transition to Upper Pliocene

10.1093/oso/9780198739906.003.0009 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Francisco J. Ayala ◽

Camilo J. Cela-Conde

Keyword(s):

Brain Development ◽

Late Pleistocene ◽

Technological Progress ◽

Homo Sapiens ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Evolutionary Significance ◽

Australopithecus Afarensis ◽

Phylogenetic Significance ◽

Homo Neanderthalensis ◽

Surprising Discovery

This chapter analyzes the transition of the hominins from the Middle Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene. Two alternative models are explored, the “Multiregional Hypothesis” (MH) and the “Replacement Hypothesis,” and how each model evaluates the existing relationships between the taxa Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Next is the investigation of the transitional (or “archaic,” if this grade is taken into account) exemplars found in Europe, Africa, and Asia and their evolutionary significance. In particular, the comparison between H. erectus and H. sapiens in China and Java is investigated, as the main foundation of the MH. The chapter ends with the surprising discovery of Homo floresiensis and its description and interpretations concerning its taxonomic and phylogenetic significance. The correlation between brain development and technological progress is at odds with the attribution of perforators, microblades, and fishing hooks to a hominin with a small cranial volume, similar to that of Australopithecus afarensis.

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Molecular evolutionary analysis of human primary microcephaly genes

BMC Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1186/s12862-021-01801-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nashaiman Pervaiz ◽

Hongen Kang ◽

Yiming Bao ◽

Amir Ali Abbasi

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary History ◽

Genetic Basis ◽

Brain Size ◽

Primate Species ◽

Evolutionary Analysis ◽

Australopithecus Afarensis ◽

Primary Microcephaly ◽

Modern Humans ◽

History Of ◽

The Brain

Abstract Background There has been a rapid increase in the brain size relative to body size during mammalian evolutionary history. In particular, the enlarged and globular brain is the most distinctive anatomical feature of modern humans that set us apart from other extinct and extant primate species. Genetic basis of large brain size in modern humans has largely remained enigmatic. Genes associated with the pathological reduction of brain size (primary microcephaly-MCPH) have the characteristics and functions to be considered ideal candidates to unravel the genetic basis of evolutionary enlargement of human brain size. For instance, the brain size of microcephaly patients is similar to the brain size of Pan troglodyte and the very early hominids like the Sahelanthropus tchadensis and Australopithecus afarensis. Results The present study investigates the molecular evolutionary history of subset of autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) genes; CEP135, ZNF335, PHC1, SASS6, CDK6, MFSD2A, CIT, and KIF14 across 48 mammalian species. Codon based substitutions site analysis indicated that ZNF335, SASS6, CIT, and KIF14 have experienced positive selection in eutherian evolutionary history. Estimation of divergent selection pressure revealed that almost all of the MCPH genes analyzed in the present study have maintained their functions throughout the history of placental mammals. Contrary to our expectations, human-specific adoptive evolution was not detected for any of the MCPH genes analyzed in the present study. Conclusion Based on these data it can be inferred that protein-coding sequence of MCPH genes might not be the sole determinant of increase in relative brain size during primate evolutionary history.

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A comparative study of the life histories of Nematodirus battus and N. filicollis, nematode parasites of sheep

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182000026925 ◽

1959 ◽

Vol 49 (3-4) ◽

pp. 374-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

R. J. Thomas

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Intestinal Mucosa ◽

Related Species ◽

Life Histories ◽

Basic Pattern ◽

Culture Methods ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Nematode Parasites ◽

History Of ◽

Comparative Description

1. The life history of N. battus is described, and a comparative description of the life history of N. filicollis is given.2. The life histories of these two species are compared with those of N. spathiger and N. helvetianus, two closely related species, and are shown to follow the same basic pattern, with minor variations in timing which appear to be specific in nature, and not related to differences in culture methods or host species.3. The pathogenesis of Nematodirus species is discussed and related to the migration of larvae into the intestinal mucosa during development.

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Մեսրոպ Մաշտոցի անվան հին ձեռագրերի ինստիտուտի արաբատառ ֆոնդի թիվ 1713 և Սաուդ թագավոր համալսարանի թիվ 6770 ձեռագրերում առկա մեկնաբանությունների և ծանոթագրությունների համեմատական բնութագիրը

Scientific Artsakh ◽

10.52063/25792652-2021.1-136 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136-143

Author(s):

Vahe Hakobyan

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Systematic Study ◽

Law School ◽

King Saud University ◽

Religious Law ◽

Ancient Manuscripts ◽

Comparative Description

The purpose of this article is to analyze the two manuscript versions of the work «The Confluence of the seas» composed by Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Halabi the prominent religious scholar who is also considered to be one of the outstanding representatives of the Hanafi religious law school, written by two different writers. The tasks arising from this goal are: to study the manuscript version of the work «Multaqa al-ābḥur» kept at the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran, No. 1713) and the manuscript of the same work kept at King Saud University (No. 6770) and present a comparative description of the comments and footnotes in them. During the research various methods were used such as: the complex and systematic study method, methods of comparative analysis and juxtapose. As a result of our research it was concluded that there are clear and distinct differences in the comments and footnotes to the two manuscripts. There are chapters and subsections in which the commentators did not comment at all. Mostly, comments were made on those passages which the commentators found difficult for readers to understand.

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