1,168 research outputs found
African origin of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax.
No full textPlasmodium vivax is the leading cause of human malaria in Asia and Latin America but is absent from most of central Africa due to the near fixation of a mutation that inhibits the expression of its receptor, the Duffy antigen, on human erythrocytes. The emergence of this protective allele is not understood because P. vivax is believed to have originated in Asia. Here we show, using a non-invasive approach, that wild chimpanzees and gorillas throughout central Africa are endemically infected with parasites that are closely related to human P. vivax. Sequence analyses reveal that ape parasites lack host specificity and are much more diverse than human parasites, which form a monophyletic lineage within the ape parasite radiation. These findings indicate that human P. vivax is of African origin and likely selected for the Duffy-negative mutation. All extant human P. vivax parasites are derived from a single ancestor that escaped out of Africa
Time and distribution: a model of ape biogeography
No full textWe use data from 20 chimpanzee, bonobo and gorilla study sites to develop an African great ape time budgets model to predict the animals' capacity to survive in a range of habitats across sub-Saharan Africa. The model uses body mass and climatic data to predict the time animals must allocate to key activities (feeding, moving, resting and social interaction), and then uses these to assess the limiting group size that could be sustained in a particular habitat. The model is robust against changes in minimum cut-off values, and predicts the current biogeographic distributions of the two African ape species remarkably well. Predicted group sizes for Pan and Gorilla are close to observed averages. The model also indicates that moving time plays a crucial role for both Pan and Gorilla site presence: i.e. at sites where they are absent it is primarily moving time that is increased as compared to other time budget variables. Finally, the model demonstrates that Pan and Gorilla distributions and group sizes can be accurately modelled by simply modifying the body mass variable, indicating that both share a similar underlying ecological bauplan
The manual skills and cognition that lie behind hominid tool use
No full textTool use is an important aspect of being human that has assumed a central place in accounts of the evolutionary origins of human intelligence. This has inevitably focused a spotlight on any signs of tool use or manufacture in great apes and other non-human animals, to the relative neglect of skills that do not involve tools. The aim of this chapter is to explore whether this emphasis is appropriate. Could it be that we may learn as much about the origin of human intelligence from skilled manual behaviour in general? Suppose we take this broader view, accepting evidence from all manifestations of manual skill, what can we learn of the mental capacities of the great apes and ourselves? My own ultimate purpose is to use comparative evidence from living species to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the many cognitive traits that came together to make human psychology. The cognition of great apes is the obvious starting point, to trace the more primitive (i.e. ancient) cognitive aptitudes that are still important to us today. In this chapter, I focus on great ape cognition as it is expressed in manual skills, based on cognitive aspects of tool use and manufacture considered significant in the human evolutionary lineage.Postprin
The maker not the tool: The cognitive significance of great ape manual skills
No full textTool-use by chimpanzees has attracted disproportionate attention among primatologists, because of an understandable wish to understand the evolutionary origins of hominin tool use. In archaeology and paleoanthropology, a focus on made-objects is inevitable: there is nothing else to study. However, it is evidently object-directed manual skills, enabling the objects to be made, that are critical in understanding the evolutionary origins of stone-tool manufacture. In this chapter I review object-directed manual skills in living great apes, making comparison where possible with hominin abilities that can be inferred from the archaeological record. To this end, ‘translations’ of terminology between the research traditions are offered. Much of the evidence comes from observation of apes gathering plants that present physical problems for handling and consumption, in addition to the more patchy data from tool use in captivity and the field. The living great apes, like ourselves, build up novel hierarchical structures involving regular sequences of elementary actions, showing co-ordinated manual role differentiation, in modular organizations with the option of iterating subroutines. Further, great apes appear able to use imitation of skilled practitioners as one source of information for this process, implying some ability to ‘see’ below the surface level of action and understand the motor planning of other individual; however, that process does not necessarily involve understanding cause-and-effect or the intentions of other individuals. Finally I consider whether a living non-human ape could effectively knap stone, and if not, what competence is lacking.Postprin
Source Term Evaluation of the APE-RF System using DNS Data
No full textAcoustic perturbation equations for reacting flows (APE-RF) in conjunction with direct numerical simulations (DNS) are used to investigate in detail the thermo-acoustic effects resulting from turbulent premixed flames. The basic procedure is a two-step DNS/APE-RF method, where the flow is simulated by direct numerical simulations and the acoustic analysis is performed using the APE-RF system. Based on the DNS data, the source terms of the APE-RF system can be thoroughly evaluated, since the full chemical reaction is taken into account in the DNS. The acoustic impact of several source mechanisms are investigated, such as the effect of unsteady heat release, that of heat flux, viscous effects, the effect of non-isomolar combustion, and that of species diffusion. The study shows the unsteady heat release to be the dominant source. All source terms but the heat diffusion term possess a monopole-like structure in the low frequency range. At high frequencies a multipole-like pattern is also determined for the sources due to species diffusion and viscous effects. This deviation from the monopole structure is caused by the chemical reaction time scales. It is shown in this study that the radiated acoustic energy is in good agreement comparing the impact of the total time derivative of the density as major source term with the unsteady heat release rate
Astropy Proposal for Enhancement 1: APE Purpose and Process (APE 1)
No full text<p>APE stands for Astropy Proposal for Enhancement. An APE is a design document providing information to the Astropy community, or describing a new feature for Astropy or its processes or environment. The APE should provide a concise technical specification of the feature and a rationale for the feature.</p>
<p>We intend APEs to be the primary mechanisms for proposing major new features, for collecting community input on an issue, and for documenting the design decisions that have gone into Python. The APE author is responsible for building consensus within the community and documenting dissenting opinions.</p>
<p>Because the APEs are maintained as text files in a versioned repository (indirectly since this wiki is versioned within github), their revision history is the historical record of the feature proposal</p>
Range‐wide indicators of African great ape density distribution
No full textAbstract Species distributions are influenced by processes occurring at multiple spatial scales. It is therefore insufficient to model species distribution at a single geographic scale, as this does not provide the necessary understanding of determining factors. Instead, multiple approaches are needed, each differing in spatial extent, grain, and research objective. Here, we present the first attempt to model continent‐wide great ape density distribution. We used site‐level estimates of African great ape abundance to (1) identify socioeconomic and environmental factors that drive densities at the continental scale, and (2) predict range‐wide great ape density. We collated great ape abundance estimates from 156 sites and defined 134 pseudo‐absence sites to represent additional absence locations. The latter were based on locations of unsuitable environmental conditions for great apes, and on existing literature. We compiled seven socioeconomic and environmental covariate layers and fitted a generalized linear model to investigate their influence on great ape abundance. We used an Akaike‐weighted average of full and subset models to predict the range‐wide density distribution of African great apes for the year 2015. Great ape densities were lowest where there were high Human Footprint and Gross Domestic Product values; the highest predicted densities were in Central Africa, and the lowest in West Africa. Only 10.7% of the total predicted population was found in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Category I and II protected areas. For 16 out of 20 countries, our estimated abundances were largely in line with those from previous studies. For four countries, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and South Sudan, the estimated populations were excessively high. We propose further improvements to the model to overcome survey and predictor data limitations, which would enable a temporally dynamic approach for monitoring great apes across their range based on key indicators.Human Footprint and Gross Domestic Product are important indicators for African great ape density. imageHighlights We identified the Human Footprint and Gross Domestic Product as important indicators predicting African great ape density at the continental scale. Using site‐level abundance data, we predicted density and distribution for African great apes across their entire range.Robert Bosch Stiftung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001646Max‐Planck‐Gesellschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/50110000418
The reconstructed cranium of Pierolapithecus and the evolution of the great ape face
No full textPierolapithecus catalaunicus (~12 million years ago, northeastern Spain) is key to understanding the mosaic nature of hominid (great ape and human) evolution. Notably, its skeleton indicates that an orthograde (upright) body plan preceded suspensory adaptations in hominid evolution. However, there is ongoing debate about this species, partly because the sole known cranium, preserving a nearly complete face, suffers from taphonomic damage. We 1) carried out a micro computerized tomography (CT) based virtual reconstruction of the Pierolapithecus cranium, 2) assessed its morphological affinities using a series of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) morphometric analyses, and 3) modeled the evolution of key aspects of ape face form. The reconstruction clarifies many aspects of the facial morphology of Pierolapithecus. Our results indicate that it is most similar to great apes (fossil and extant) in overall face shape and size and is morphologically distinct from other Middle Miocene apes. Crown great apes can be distinguished from other taxa in several facial metrics (e.g., low midfacial prognathism, relatively tall faces) and only some of these features are found in Pierolapithecus, which is most consistent with a stem (basal) hominid position. The inferred morphology at all ancestral nodes within the hominoid (ape and human) tree is closer to great apes than to hylobatids (gibbons and siamangs), which are convergent with other smaller anthropoids. Our analyses support a hominid ancestor that was distinct from all extant and fossil hominids in overall facial shape and shared many features with Pierolapithecus. This reconstructed ancestral morphotype represents a testable hypothesis that can be reevaluated as new fossils are discovered.Fil: Pugh, Kelsey D.. City University of New York; Estados UnidosFil: Catalano, Santiago Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Pérez de los Ríos, Miriam. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Biología; EspañaFil: Fortuny, Josep. Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont.; EspañaFil: Shearer, Brian M.. New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; Estados Unidos. New York University Grossman School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Vecino Gazabón, Alessandra. American Museum of Natural History; Estados Unidos. New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; Estados UnidosFil: Hammond, Ashley S.. American Museum of Natural History; Estados Unidos. New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; Estados UnidosFil: Moyà Solà, Salvador. Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont.; España. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats; España. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Alba, David M.. Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont.; EspañaFil: Almécija, Sergio. American Museum of Natural History; Estados Unidos. New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; Estados Unidos. Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont; Españ
Perspectives on adapted physical education transition programs of teachers and parents of students with disabilities
No full textStudents ages 14-21 years with disabilities receive transition services to help them successfully progress from school to post-school life. Transition programs for students with disabilities should include adapted physical education (APE). To ensure that students with disabilities receive appropriate APE services, the perspectives of the APE teachers that teach them and their parents must be taken into consideration. This study examined the perspectives of APE teachers (n = 160) and parents of students with disabilities (n = 32) on levels of importance and satisfaction of various components of APE transition programs as well as perceived barriers to APE transition programs. Online surveys were sent via email to APE teachers and parents of students with disabilities, ages 14-21. The survey gathered information on perceived levels of importance and satisfaction on components of APE transition programs. The survey also gathered data on perceived barriers to APE transition programs. Results indicated that APE teachers and parents were in agreement regarding APE transition programs. Results also indicated that parents felt less satisfied overall with APE transition programs than APE teachers. APE teachers and parents differed on what they perceived to be the most significant barriers to APE transition programs. This study found much agreement amongst the parents and APE teachers on importance and satisfaction levels
Announcement of Retraction
No full textThe editorial board announced this article has been retracted on July 25, 2023.If you have any further question, please contact us at: [email protected] Article Title: Integration of E-Portfolio into an Iranian Flipped Classroom: Does the Flip Type Make a Difference in Listening Comprehension?Author/s: Shahriar JaliliJournal Title: Advances in Politics and EconomicsISSN: ISSN 2576-1382 (Print) ISSN 2576-1390 (Online)Volume and Number: Vol. 6, No. 3, 2023Pages: 51-61DOI: https://doi.org/10.22158/ape.v6n3p51
- …
