The genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes

The loss of the tail is one of the main anatomical evolutionary changes to have occurred along the lineage leading to humans and to the “anthropomorphous apes”1,2. This morphological reprogramming in the ancestral hominoids has been long considered to have accommodated a characteristic style of locomotion and contributed to the evolution of bipedalism in humans3–5. Yet, the precise genetic mechanism that facilitated tail-loss evolution in hominoids remains unknown. Primate genome sequencing projects have made possible the identification of causal links between genotypic and phenotypic changes6–8, and enable the search for hominoid-specific genetic elements controlling tail development9. Here, we present evidence that tail-loss evolution was mediated by the insertion of an individual Alu element into the genome of the hominoid ancestor. We demonstrate that this Alu element – inserted into an intron of the TBXT gene (also called T or Brachyury10–12) – pairs with a neighboring ancestral Alu element encoded in the reverse genomic orientation and leads to a hominoid-specific alternative splicing event. To study the effect of this splicing event, we generated a mouse model that mimics the expression of human TBXT products by expressing both full-length and exon-skipped isoforms of the mouse TBXT ortholog. We found that mice with this genotype exhibit the complete absence of a tail or a shortened tail, supporting the notion that the exon-skipped transcript is sufficient to induce a tail-loss phenotype, albeit with incomplete penetrance. We further noted that mice homozygous for the exon-skipped isoforms exhibited embryonic spinal cord malformations, resembling a neural tube defect condition, which affects ~1/1000 human neonates13. We propose that selection for the loss of the tail along the hominoid lineage was associated with an adaptive cost of potential neural tube defects and that this ancient evolutionary trade-off may thus continue to affect human health today.

The genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes

The loss of the tail is one of the main anatomical evolutionary changes to have occurred along the lineage leading to humans and to the "anthropomorphous apes"1,2. This morphological reprogramming in the ancestral hominoids has been long considered to have accommodated a characteristic style of locomotion and contributed to the evolution of bipedalism in humans3-5. Yet, the precise genetic mechanism that facilitated tail-loss evolution in hominoids remains unknown. Primate genome sequencing projects have made possible the identification of causal links between genotypic and phenotypic changes6-8, and enable the search for hominoid-specific genetic elements controlling tail development9. Here, we present evidence that tail-loss evolution was mediated by the insertion of an individual Alu element into the genome of the hominoid ancestor. We demonstrate that this Alu element - inserted into an intron of the TBXT gene (also called T or Brachyury10-12) - pairs with a neighboring ancestral Alu element encoded in the reverse genomic orientation and leads to a hominoid-specific alternative splicing event. To study the effect of this splicing event, we generated a mouse model that mimics the expression of human TBXT products by expressing both full-length and exon-skipped isoforms of the mouse TBXT ortholog. We found that mice with this genotype exhibit the complete absence of a tail or a shortened tail, supporting the notion that the exon-skipped transcript is sufficient to induce a tail-loss phenotype, albeit with incomplete penetrance. We further noted that mice homozygous for the exon-skipped isoforms exhibited embryonic spinal cord malformations, resembling a neural tube defect condition, which affects ~1/1000 human neonates13. We propose that selection for the loss of the tail along the hominoid lineage was associated with an adaptive cost of potential neural tube defects and that this ancient evolutionary trade-off may thus continue to affect human health today.

Statue Art Style of Kāḍiri Era: Study Toward Statues from Gurah Temple and Tondowongso Temple

In the archaeology Hindu-Buddhist era in Indonesia, there are several known art styles temple building architecture and statue art: Early Classical Era and Late Classical Era. In more detail, that several eras can be described that Early Classical Era developed during the Old Mātaram era with the center of its reign at Central Java, and Late Classical Era Style developed during Kāḍiri/Siŋhasāri and Majapahit with the center of its reign at East Java. Late Classical Era Style divided into two subs, Kāḍiri/Siŋhasāri and Majapahit. Kāḍiri as an early dynasty in East Java not yet known clearly what the special characteristic style of its temple is building architecture and its statue art, and only been told that the Kāḍiri Era Style is the connecting line between Early Classical Era Style and Late Classical Era. This essay intends to find out special characteristics of the Kāḍiri Era Style (transition art style). For this reason, the research was carried out on statues comes from Gurah Temple and Tondowongso Temple, both temples knew the date, with relative dating method or absolute dating method. From this iconographic research in detail will describe parts of the statues, from then will obtain several features that always appear, and that’s characteristics are considered as a strong characteristic from statues from Kāḍiri Era Style.

Photographic ritual: visual conditions of behaviour and definitions of self

The present paper studies consumer digital photography as a cultural and social phenomenon contributing to the formation of contemporary identity. By examining the processes of production, characteristic style of representation and practical uses of both digital and analogue photographs, the study attempts to establish the qualitative distinctions between traditional and present-day photographic media and evaluate their effectiveness as modes of self-representation. Specific issues discussed include: the depreciation of the photograph as a commemorative object; intervention of digital photography into life experiences; digital photography as common behaviour or interactive ritual; and photographic theatricality as identity forming process.

Photographic ritual: visual conditions of behaviour and definitions of self

The present paper studies consumer digital photography as a cultural and social phenomenon contributing to the formation of contemporary identity. By examining the processes of production, characteristic style of representation and practical uses of both digital and analogue photographs, the study attempts to establish the qualitative distinctions between traditional and present-day photographic media and evaluate their effectiveness as modes of self-representation. Specific issues discussed include: the depreciation of the photograph as a commemorative object; intervention of digital photography into life experiences; digital photography as common behaviour or interactive ritual; and photographic theatricality as identity forming process.

Hanss Magnuss Encensbergers – literāro vinješu meistars

The article “Hans Magnus Enzensberger – Master of Literary Vignettes” is dedicated to the latest book of the outstanding German poet and publicist “Masters of Survival: 99 Literary Vignettes of the 20th Century”, published on the occasion of the author’s 90th anniversary. It presents 99 literary portraits in the characteristic style of Enzensberger – from critical attitude to admirable praise. The article first describes the vignette as a special genre of literature (miniature literature), its meaning, and history. Several examples from the history of German and Austrian literature are mentioned: Stefan Zweig, Robert Walser, Franz Kafka, Robert Musil. All objects in Enzensberger’s literary vignettes are “masters of survival” – they are writers and poets between the First and Second World Wars. The article qualifies the critical performance of Marko Martin, Helmut Böttiger, Christian Metz, and Alexander Cammann in evaluating Enzensberger’s work. The style of Enzensberger is also characterised. It surprises the reader by bringing the personal, subjective aspect closer to various intimate facts from the lives of writers and poets. The most significant attention is paid to the representatives of German literature – Gottfried Benn, Gerhart Hauptmann, Johannes R. Becher, and others.

HENRY VALOIS'S COURT AND ELECTIVE KINGSHIP IN THE POLISH–LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH, 1573–1574

Henry Valois (1551–89) was elected king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1573 and arrived in Poland in January 1574. After five months, Henry fled Poland–Lithuania upon inheriting the French throne from his brother, Charles IX. As Henry III of France, he was branded a violent tyrant, who allowed his mignons to run the kingdom and isolated himself from his subjects. Historians have done much to rehabilitate Henry's reputation, but his first experience of kingship in the Commonwealth has been neglected in these reassessments. This article uses the previously unstudied treasury accounts of Henry's Polish court to re-examine his experience of the Polish–Lithuanian elective, parliamentary monarchy as crucial to the development of his characteristic style of kingship and court. Some of these practices were a response to the challenges posed by the Polish political system to a newly elected king. This allows us to recover a lost political connection between Poland and France. Secondly, the article demonstrates Henry's active engagement in the Polish–Lithuanian politics, challenging the narrative that he was a passive king anticipating his return to Paris. Instead, Henry planned to cement his rule in Poland by mounting his own faction and pursuing a bold diplomatic agenda.

Medieval Norwegian Wooden (Stave) Churches: Built Heritage and Places of Memory

This paper focuses on the Norwegian medieval religious buildings called stave churches. The word stave (meaning ‘post, pole’ in Norwegian) derives from the buildings’ post and lintel construction, giving the churches their characteristic style. The structures display a highly developed tradition of wooden Christian buildings, which during the Middle Ages (1050–1500) where the most common in Norway, their number can be estimated at around a thousand. There were probably at least as widespread in other areas (e.g. on the territory of present-day Germany and Russia), but they did not remain in such a large number from the early period. However, the number have declined dramatically, and today only 28 are preserved. The article aims to expand the knowledge of the unique and irreplaceable wooden architecture of the stave churches. Although we consider the wooden churches to be one of the characteristics of Scandinavia traditionally, they mix and carry the influences of other cultures and countries. The heritage and memorial role of wooden churches, as well as the motif of the combination of different architectural and religious elements, represent an interesting comparison to similar phenomena in the Carpathian Basin. Transylvania and especially the Maramureş region are also famous for their wooden churches and the rich carved and painted iconostasis.

Dynamic features of affect and interpersonal behavior in relation to general and specific personality pathology

A model of personality pathology including both general and specific components distinguishes severity of personality dysfunction from the characteristic style of its expression. Whether and how general and specific features of personality pathology relate to momentary dynamics of affect and interpersonal behavior remain open questions. We explored these questions in a student sample (N=294) and pre-registered replication in a community sample (N=311). Ecological momentary assessment was used to measure affect, dominance, and warmth of self and other during interpersonal interactions. We examined one’s average affect and behavior and of one’s perception of the other’s behavior, and variability in these constructs. Associations between interpersonal patterns and personality pathology were estimated using multilevel structural equation modeling in each sample separately and in the pooled dataset. Results support the potential clinical impact of empirical models by demonstrating the structural independence of general and specific features, along with relationships to theoretically meaningful interpersonal behavior.

Generating Behavior-Diverse Game AIs with Evolutionary Multi-Objective Deep Reinforcement Learning

Generating diverse behaviors for game artificial intelligence (Game AI) has been long recognized as a challenging task in the game industry. Designing a Game AI with a satisfying behavioral characteristic (style) heavily depends on the domain knowledge and is hard to achieve manually. Deep reinforcement learning sheds light on advancing the automatic Game AI design. However, most of them focus on creating a superhuman Game AI, ignoring the importance of behavioral diversity in games. To bridge the gap, we introduce a new framework, named EMOGI, which can automatically generate desirable styles with almost no domain knowledge. More importantly, EMOGI succeeds in creating a range of diverse styles, providing behavior-diverse Game AIs. Evaluations on the Atari and real commercial games indicate that, compared to existing algorithms, EMOGI performs better in generating diverse behaviors and significantly improves the efficiency of Game AI design.