Social birth

Rites of passage mark important changes during human life, and for the neonate, its transition from intrauterine life into society. Their original intent was to purify the body from blood and meconium, but the cleansing rites had a spiritual dimension from the very start. When the rites of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Jewish, Greek, Roman, Hindu, Nordic, Muslim, Mayan, and Christian cultures are briefly compared, they reveal a remarkable similarity. What most rites had in common was the cleansing of the body, or sprinkling it with water; special clothing; the exorcism of evil spirits; blessings and prayers for good spirits; and a name-giving ceremony and a feast for family, relatives, and friends. Before this rite, the infant’s social existence was incomplete and it could easily be abandoned or killed, as was usual in case of severe malformations. Infant baptism originated in the 4th century c.e. with the concept of original sin. Rites of passage defined, but also set an end to, the liminal status between life and death, and granted the right to live for the infant.

The massless irreducible representation in E theory and how bosons can appear as spinors

We study in detail the irreducible representation of [Formula: see text] theory that corresponds to massless particles. This has little algebra [Formula: see text] and contains 128 physical states that belong to the spinor representation of [Formula: see text]. These are the degrees of freedom of maximal supergravity in eleven dimensions. This smaller number of the degrees of freedom, compared to what might be expected, is due to an infinite number of duality relations which in turn can be traced to the existence of a subaglebra of [Formula: see text] which forms an ideal and annihilates the representation. We explain how these features are inherited into the covariant theory. We also comment on the remarkable similarity between how the bosons and fermions arise in [Formula: see text] theory.

Wittgenstein and Islamic Ethics: The Interpretation of Intention

This article contains an analysis of the idea of intention in the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. It evaluates capabilities of his conception in the development of Ethics in the «Islamic context». Author shows that Wittgenstein’s conception reveals a remarkable similarity to the fundamental assumption of Islamic Ethics, that is to «direct connection (bind, cohesion, connectedness) between intention and action». It is shown that an adequate understanding of this connection requires consideration of the Wittgensteinian idea of internal relations. It is proved that intention is not a manifestation of a «soul substance», «perception» or «feeling». Interpretation of «intention» provides additional refinement while defining specific intention ad hoc. In conclusion author puts forward a hypothesis asserting utility of late Wittgenstein’s conception in the development of Islamic ethical theory.

Immortality of the Soul in Ecclesiastes and Akan traditional Thought: A Comparative Analysis from an African Christian Theological Perspective

This article surveys the immortality of the soul in Ecclesiastes and Akan traditional thought from an African Christian theological perspective.Using comparative analysis, it argues that there is a remarkable similarity between the concept of immortality in Ecclesiastes and that of the Akan religio-cultural traditions. It is theologically significant to consider the immaterial nature of humankind, death and immortality that has been regarded as mystical and not experiential. This discovery of similarity with Ecclesiastes allows the Akan, and for that matter Africans, the possibility of relocating their religio-cultural and traditional worldviews within the wider context of the biblical cultures and thus Christian theology. Keywords: Immortality, Worldview, Ecclesiastes, Akans

Name-giving motives in Lithuania and Brazil

TThis research aims at analysing and comparing the motives for choosing the first name of a child in Lithuania and Brazil in the years 1958-2016. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods and applying social and cultural approaches, it reveals that different countries and cultures have both similar and divergent trends in name-giving practices. The most remarkable similarity in both countries and cultures is both the predominance of an aesthetic motiveand the desire to honour a relative, a friend, or a famous person. These trends are presumably related to universal aspects of naming practices. The aesthetic motiveis related to processes of cultural globalization, while the honour-oriented motivepoints to the significance of traditional naming patterns. The greatest difference between Lithuanian and Brazilian data is in the frequency of name choices due to patriotism, religion, name uniqueness or naming a child after a fictional character. Such divergent results are explained by different social values in each society and different cultural and historical experiences. In addition, the research proves that the first names do have meaning; however, it is not purely conceptual or lexical, as they rather bear individual connotations.

Micropaleontological study of the Moroccan Mediterranean western coastline foraminifera and their morphological abnormalities

In order to contribute to the identification of the current faunistic composition of the Moroccan Mediterranean western coastline foraminifera, sediment from 4 stations have been analyzed, along with some abiotic parameters (pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity), In order to characterize their populations, different Ecological indices were calculated and compared in the various samples. A total of 3451 individuals belonging to 14 species were recognized (90,26% hyaline, 9,74% porcelaneous, and none agglutinated test was found), all assemblages were dominated mainly by Elphidium crispum, Ammonia beccarii, and subordinately by Quinqueloculina sp1 and Heterolepa dutemplei. All sampling sites showed remarkable similarity in the Foraminiferal assemblages, and the Oued Nigro station is considered the wealthiest and densest site, whereas Oued Martil records the lowest values of those parameters. On the other hand, the Sample from M'diq presents the lowest diversity index even if it is the second in terms of density. The faunistic analysis had also allowed the observation of some morphological abnormalities only found in the Oued Nigro station, affecting some individuals' tests. A small-sized chamber mainly manifests the abnormal appearances in the spiral whorls and calcification defects in the calcareous wall.

Animal chromosome counts reveal similar range of chromosome numbers but with less polyploidy in animals compared to flowering plants

Understanding the mechanisms that underlie chromosome evolution may provide insights into the processes underpinning the origin, persistence, and evolutionary tempo of lineages. Here we present the first database of chromosome counts for animals (the Animal Chromosome Count database, ACC) summarizing chromosome numbers for ∼18,000 species. We found remarkable similarity in the distribution of chromosome counts between animals and flowering plants. At larger timescales, selection towards a specific range might explain the similar distribution of chromosome counts between these two groups. Nevertheless, changes in chromosome number are still potential drivers of divergence among species at shorter timescales. We also found that while animals and plants exhibit similar frequencies of speciation-related changes in chromosome number, plant speciation is more often related to changes in ploidy. Based on the ACC, our analyses suggest that changes in chromosome number alone could help explain patterns of diversity within animal clades.

The Commonwealth of Custom in Thomas More’s Utopia

Thomas More sets the stage for fiction as a sphere in which to explore the constitutional promise of custom. This chapter argues that Utopia (1516) shares the same constitutional dispensation as England, since it is predominantly governed by custom rather than law. The chapter uncovers a remarkable similarity between the concept of legal custom in common law and of linguistic and cultural custom in the Renaissance humanist use of proverbs and commonplaces, which are ubiquitous in Utopia. I interpret this intersection of political and literary-linguistic custom as a means by which More ensures the commensurability of his native political institution with the classical tradition he sought to revive. The chapter reveals More’s awareness of the unstable boundaries of the concept of “common” in English law and continental humanism, a conundrum to which early modern writers would return over and again.

CK2 inhibits TIMELESS nuclear export and modulates CLOCK transcriptional activity to regulate circadian rhythms

Circadian clocks orchestrate daily rhythms in organismal physiology and behavior to promote optimal performance and fitness. In Drosophila, key pacemaker proteins PERIOD (PER) and TIMELESS (TIM) are progressively phosphorylated to perform phase-specific functions. Whereas PER phosphorylation has been extensively studied, systematic analysis of site-specific TIM phosphorylation is lacking. Here, we identified phosphorylation sites of PER-bound TIM by mass spectrometry, given the importance of TIM as a modulator of PER function in the oscillator. Among the twelve TIM phosphorylation sites we identified, at least two of them are critical for circadian timekeeping as mutants expressing non-phosphorylatable mutations exhibit altered behavioral rhythms. In particular, we observed that CK2-dependent phosphorylation of TIM(S1404) promotes nuclear accumulation of PER-TIM heterodimers by inhibiting the interaction of TIM and nuclear export component, Exportin 1 (XPO1). We postulate that proper level of nuclear PER-TIM accumulation is necessary to facilitate kinase recruitment for the regulation of daily phosphorylation rhythm and phase-specific transcriptional activity of CLOCK (CLK). Our results highlight the contribution of phosphorylation-dependent nuclear export of PER-TIM heterodimers to the maintenance of circadian periodicity and identify a new mechanism by which the negative elements of the circadian oscillator (PER-TIM) regulate the positive elements (CLK-CYC). Finally, since the molecular phenotype of tim(S1404A) non-phosphorylatable mutant exhibits remarkable similarity to that of a mutation in human timeless that underlies Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (FASPS), our results revealed an unexpected parallel between the functions of Drosophila and human TIM and may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying human FASPS.Significance StatementPhosphorylation is a central mechanism important for the regulation of circadian physiology across organisms. The molecular oscillator is composed of pacemaker proteins that undergo elaborate phosphorylation programs to regulate phase-specific functions. In Drosophila, phosphorylation of TIMELESS (TIM) has been recognized as critical for its function in the oscillator, but a systematic analysis of TIM phosphorylation is lacking. Here, we identified twelve Drosophila TIM phosphorylation sites by mass spectrometry and showed that phosphorylation at TIM(S1404) is necessary for maintaining 24-hour rhythms. Finally, since the molecular phenotype of tim(S1404A) non-phosphorylatable fly mutant exhibits remarkable similarity to that of a mutation in human timeless that underlies FASPS, our results may provide new insights into the molecular underpinnings of human FASPS.

Identification of unique mutations in SARS-CoV-2 strains isolated from India suggests its attenuated pathotype

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first reported in Wuhan, China in November 2019 has developed into a pandemic since March 2020, causing substantial human casualties and economic losses. Studies on SARS-CoV-2 are being carried out at an unprecedented rate to tackle this threat. Genomics studies, in particular, are indispensable to elucidate the dynamic nature of the RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2. RNA viruses are marked by their unique ability to undergo high rates of mutation in their genome, much more frequently than their hosts, which diversifies their strengths qualifying them to elude host immune response and amplify drug resistance. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed the genomic information of the SARS-CoV-2 isolates from two infected Indian patients and explored the possible implications of point mutations in its biology. In addition to multiple point mutations, we found a remarkable similarity between relatively common mutations of 36-nucleotide deletion in ORF8 of SARS-CoV-2. Our results corroborate with the earlier reported 29-nucleotide deletion in SARS, which was frequent during the early stage of human-to-human transmission. The results will be useful to understand the biology of SARS-CoV-2 and itsattenuation for vaccine development.