563 research outputs found

    Complicated objects: artifacts from the Yuanming Yuan in Victorian Britain

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    The 1860 spoliation of the Summer Palace at the close of the Second Opium War by British and French troops was a watershed event within the development of Britain as an imperialist nation, which guaranteed a market for opium produced in its colony India and demonstrated the power of its armed forces. The distribution of the spoils to officers and diplomatic corps by campaign leaders in Beijing was also a sign of the British Army’s rising power as an instrument of the imperialist state. These conditions would suggest that objects looted from the site would be integrated into an imperialist aesthetic that reflected and promoted the material benefits of military engagement overseas and foregrounded the circumstances of their removal to Britain for campaign members and the British public. This study mines sources dating to the two decades following the war – including British newspapers, auction house records, exhibition catalogs and works of art – to test this hypothesis. Findings show that initial movements of looted objects through the military and diplomatic corps did reinforce notions of imperialist power by enabling campaign members to profit from the spoliation through sales of looted objects and trophy displays. However, material from the Summer Palace arrived at a moment when British manufacturers and cultural leaders were engaged in a national effort to improve the quality of British goods to compete in the international marketplace and looted art was quickly interpolated in this national conversation. Ironically, the same “free trade” imperatives that motivated the invasion energized a new design movement that embraced Chinese ornament. As a consequence, political interpretations of the material outside of military collections were quickly joined by a strong response to Chinese ornament from cultural institutions and design leaders. Art from the Summer Palace held a prominent place at industrial art exhibitions of the postwar period and inspired new designs in a number of mediums. While the availability of Chinese imperial art was the consequence of a military invasion and therefore a product of imperialist expansion, evidence presented here shows that the design response to looted objects was not circumscribed by this political reality. Chinese ornament on imperial wares was ultimately celebrated for its formal qualities and acknowledged links to the Summer Palace were an indicator of good design, not a celebration of victory over a failed Chinese state. Therefore, the looting of the Summer Palace was ultimately an essential factor in the development of modern design, the essence of which is a break with Classical ornament

    MicroRNAs and GRK2 as modulators of Kiss1/GPR54 system: Physiopathological role in pubertal alterations and obesity induced hypogonadism

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    The reproductive function is governed by the so-called hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, where an intricated network of central, peripheral and external factors determine hormonal balance and proper functioning of the reproductive system and the gonadal function, guaranteeing the perpetuation of the species 1–3. In recent years, it has been documented that a plethora of central (glutamate, GABA, NKB, NPY) 4–7, peripheral (insulin, leptin, ghrelin) 8,9 and external (nutritional availability, endocrine disruptors, circadian rhythms) 10–13 cues converge (either acting directly or indirectly) onto Kiss1 neurons in the hypothalamus, as major signaling hub of the HPG axis 14, whose products, kisspeptins, act on the GnRH neurons, via its canonical receptor, GPR5415, activating puberty onset and reproductive function. In addition, it is well recognized that reproductive function is altered under conditions of metabolic distress, ranging from subnutrition to obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which are bound to numerous perturbations, including disordered puberty, central hypogonadism (mainly in males) and cardiometabolic impairment16,17. MicroRNAs have been recently pointed out as essential players in the control of normal pubertal development18–21, although no study has addressed the specific regulation of Kiss1, at central levels, exerted by miRNAs 21,22. Further, the effects of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of central hypogonadism are completely unexplored. In parallel, the Kiss1/GPR54 system is a key element for the integration of the energetic status and reproductive capacity 23, where GPR54 inactivating mutations were described decades ago as underlying origin of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism 24,25. The G-protein coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) 26, which is largely recognized as pleiotropic regulator of cellular signaling 27–29, has been suggested in vitro as a modulator of GPR5426. Nevertheless, no studies had addressed to date its potential roles in proper pubertal development and maintenance of reproductive capacity. In the above context, this Doctoral Thesis has addressed, as main aims, (i) the putative role of specific miRNAs in the physiological control of puberty via regulation of the Kiss1 system; (ii) the pathophysiological role of miRNAs in obesity-induced hypogonadism (OIH), their interplay with Kiss1 and their potential therapeutic implications; (iii) the role of GRK2 in the control of puberty and the HPG axis through regulation of GPR54 in normal conditions and under nutritional stress; and (iv) the implication of GRK2 in OIH through GPR54 regulation.La función reproductora está determinada por el correcto funcionamiento del eje hipotálamohipofiso-gonadal (HHG), donde una compleja red de factores centrales, periféricos y externos determinan el balance hormonal necesario para la adquisición de la capacidad reproductora y, en consecuencia, para el mantenimiento de las especies 1–3. De este modo, se ha documentado que una multitud de factores centrales (GABA, glutamato, NKB, NPY) 4–7, periféricos (leptina, insulina o ghrelina) 8,9 y externos (disruptores endocrinos, aporte energético, ritmos circadianos) 10–13 convergen (actuando directa o indirectamente) en las neuronas Kiss1 hipotalámicas como principal núcleo del eje HHG 14 y cuyo producto, las kisspeptinas, transmitirán información a la neurona GnRH, por medio de su receptor canónico, GPR5415 , activando la pubertad y la función reproductora. Al mismo tiempo, existen evidencias sobre la afectación de la función reproductora como consecuencia del desequilibrio homeostático presente en situaciones como la subnutrición o la obesidad, diabetes mellitus tipo 2 o síndrome metabólico, que se encuentran vinculadas a numerosos desórdenes, incluyendo alteraciones de la edad de pubertad, el hipogonadismo central (principalmente masculino) y la enfermedad cardiovascular 16,17. Datos recientes señalan que los microRNAs (miRNAs) son elementos implicados en la correcta transición puberal 18–21, aunque existen pocos estudios dirigidos a evaluar al papel de los miRNAs en la regulación específica de la expresión de Kiss1, a nivel central19,22. Además, la desregulación de determinados miRNAs en condiciones de hipogonadismo central, su impacto sobre el sistema Kiss1 y su implicación fisiopatológica en esta condición, permanecen inexplorados. En paralelo, el sistema Kiss1/GPR54 es un elemento clave en la integración del estado energético y la capacidad reproductora23, estando descrito que mutaciones inactivantes en GPR54 son una causa subyacente en determinados casos de hipogonadismo hipogonadotropo 24,25. La quinasa de receptor acoplado a proteína G (GRK2) 26 está reconocida como un regulador pleiotrópico de la señalización celular 27–29 y ha sido demostrada su capacidad para regular GPR54, in vitro 26. En cualquier caso, no existen estudios relacionados con su potencial implicación en la correcta maduración puberal y en el mantenimiento de la capacidad reproductora in vivo. En base a lo anterior, esta Tesis Doctoral ha abordado, como objetivos principales, (i) el estudio del papel específico de microRNAs en la regulación puberal a través de la regulación del sistema Kiss1; (ii) el papel fisiopatológico de los microRNAs en el hipogonadismo central inducido por obesidad (HIO) y sus potenciales implicaciones terapéuticas; (iii) el papel de GRK2 en el control de la puberal y el eje HHG mediante la regulación de GPR54 en condiciones control y de estrés nutricional; y (iv) la implicación de GRK2 en HIO a través de la regulación de GPR54

    Nested singletons in molecular trees: Utility of adding morphological and geographical data from digitized herbarium specimens to test taxon concepts at species level in the case of Casearia (Salicaceae)

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    Using the genus Casearia, we assessed the status of nested singletons: individual specimens corresponding to accepted species but in molecular trees appearing nested within clades of closely related species. Normally, such cases would be left undecided, while on the other hand, timely taxonomic decisions are required. We argue that morphological, chorological, and ecological data can be informative to illuminate patterns of speciation. Their use can provide a first step in testing taxon concepts at species level. We focused on five cases of nested singletons in trees of the genus Casearia. We employed PCA and cluster analysis to assess phenotypic differentiation. Using geocoordinates, we calculated niche space differentiation based on 19 bioclim variables, by means of PCA and niche equivalency and similarity tests and generated dot maps. We found that the singletons were morphologically distinctive in two of the five cases (Casearia selloana and C. manausensis), relatively distinctive in two other cases (C. zizyphoides and C. mariquitensis), and partially overlapping in the last case (C. grandiflora). For two cases (C. mariquitensis and C. selloana), ecological niche space was broadly overlapping, in two cases it was found broadly nested (C. grandiflora and C. zizyphoides), and in one case narrowly nested (C. manausensis), but in no case niche differentiation was observed. Niche overlap, similarity and equivalency showed corresponding patterns. Given these data, one would interpret C. selloana and C. manausensis as presumably well-distinguished taxa, their narrow distribution ranges suggesting recently emerging lineages. The other three cases are not clearcut. Morphological data would suggest particularly C. grandiflora conspecific with C. arborea, but differences in the distribution are intriguing. Our approach would reject the notion of potential synonymy based on nested phylogenetic placement for at least two of the five cases. The other case also shows no complete lack of differentiation which would support synonymy

    New developments in the treatment of corneal ectatic disorders

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    Application of Advanced MRI to Fetal Medicine and Surgery

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    Robust imaging is essential for comprehensive preoperative evaluation, prognostication, and surgical planning in the field of fetal medicine and surgery. This is a challenging task given the small fetal size and increased fetal and maternal motion which affect MRI spatial resolution. This thesis explores the clinical applicability of post-acquisition processing using MRI advances such as super-resolution reconstruction (SRR) to generate optimal 3D isotropic volumes of anatomical structures by mitigating unpredictable fetal and maternal motion artefact. It paves the way for automated robust and accurate rapid segmentation of the fetal brain. This enables a hierarchical analysis of volume, followed by a local surface-based shape analysis (joint spectral matching) using mathematical markers (curvedness, shape index) that infer gyrification. This allows for more precise, quantitative measurements, and calculation of longitudinal correspondences of cortical brain development. I explore the potential of these MRI advances in three clinical settings: fetal brain development in the context of fetal surgery for spina bifida, airway assessment in fetal tracheolaryngeal obstruction, and the placental-myometrial-bladder interface in placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). For the fetal brain, MRI advances demonstrated an understanding of the impact of intervention on cortical development which may improve fetal candidate selection, neurocognitive prognostication, and parental counselling. This is of critical importance given that spina bifida fetal surgery is now a clinical reality and is routinely being performed globally. For the fetal trachea, SRR can provide improved anatomical information to better select those pregnancies where an EXIT procedure is required to enable the fetal airway to be secured in a timely manner. This would improve maternal and fetal morbidity outcomes associated with haemorrhage and hypoxic brain injury. Similarly, in PAS, SRR may assist surgical planning by providing enhanced anatomical assessment and prediction for adverse peri-operative maternal outcome such as bladder injury, catastrophic obstetric haemorrhage and maternal death

    Outwitting Enlightenment with Words: Philosophical Style, Critique, and History in Adorno and Horkheimer’s Dialectic of Enlightenment

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    To many of its most authoritative commentators, Adorno and Horkheimer’s Dialectic of Enlightenment cannot but entail a reductively negative, pessimistic philosophy of history that ties the historical progress of enlightenment rationality with regression and domination so tightly as to undermine its own critical intentions. My thesis contends that a text as self-reflective of its own form of presentation as the Dialectic obviously is could not be read so literally. To remedy this, I offer an interpretive reappraisal of the Dialectic of Enlightenment , which places a methodological appreciation of the latter’s distinct style and form of presentation at the centre of understanding its philosophical status and more specifically, its philosophical viability as a form of social critique. I argue that the Dialectic pursues, in the first place, the negative, critical aim of undermining the unreflective perceptions of history and progress through which present society constructs its own self-understanding, and does so not only on the level of philosophical content, but also on the level of linguistic form. The text performatively repeats the conventional tropes, narratives and genres in which the historical self-understanding of enlightenment is embodied, and enacts, on the level of linguistic expression itself, the failure of this self-understanding to deliver on its own promise. I argue that this form of critical textual composition simultaneously implicates its own audience and is aimed at their experience of the text. As such, it is concerned not simply with challenging their rational beliefs, but also and especially at undermining their affective investments to socially prevalent notions of history

    The pursuit of methodological harmonization within the holistic sustainability assessment of CCU projects: A history and critical review

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    Environmental sustainability assessments have been conducted around consumer goods since the 1960's, these adopted comparative approaches and followed no accepted methodology. As sustainability assessment rose to prominence, methodological standardization was universally called for. Furthermore, two additional “strands” of sustainability emerged, economic and societal; forming what has recently been termed the “triple helix”. Efforts have been made across the CCU (carbon capture and utilization) community to align, or “harmonize”, the respective assessment formats. Ultimately, targeting enhanced understanding of the interconnections and trade-offs between the three strands, and communication of findings to both industry and policymakers. This review examines key methodologies presented in the field. These were collated through targeted literature searches, focussing on standalone, CCU specific, and harmonized methodologies. Relevant guidance originates with ISO's 2007 standards and terminates in McCord et al's (2021) “triple helix framework”. Other key works reviewed include UNEP / SETAC's S-LCA (social life cycle assessment) guidelines, and GCIs (Global CO2 Initiative) integrated LCA and TEA (techno-economic assessment) guidelines. Analysis of the identified methodologies first considers each assessment strand in isolation, subsequently evaluating efforts toward their CDU specific harmonization and integration. Using the collated primary and secondary literature, a taxonomy of assessment methodologies leading to the triple helix framework is produced. Key methodological difficulties and divergent schools of thought are discussed, notably the prescription of system boundaries, impact indicators, and characterization methods. The overarching conclusion of the review is that while a robust combined LCA and TEA assessment methodology has been attained, holistic approaches incorporating social sustainability are still lacking; with substantial problems remaining unsolved. A majority of these originate from SIA's immaturity relative to LCA and TEA, causing issues around data availability and handling methods; exacerbated by the presence of qualitative data. Until a greater degree of maturity is achieved, SIA should be utilized within holistic assessments as a screening tool, determining the suitability of a process or system for more granular assessment

    The Gilded Tropics: Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent in Florida, 1886-1917

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    This dissertation examines the Floridian works of Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent in the context of tourism, race, and the environment as perceptions of the tropics in an Anglo-American context. Both artists sojourned in Florida and produced a number of watercolors and related oils that not only testify to a rapidly-expanding tourist industry to the Sunshine State, but also update the Romantic myths of the tropics with a more sober, ironic Realist take. While Homer and Sargent continue to be popular subjects for studies and exhibitions on their own, this dissertation is the first to consider how their shared attitudes toward and experiences in the tropics might reveal a wider web of connections between two otherwise antithetical artists. By focusing on their work in Florida, this study not only revises the historiography of each artist, but considers how their work in the American Tropics speaks most directly to contemporary concerns about race, the environment, and art-making. This project extends a consideration of two Gilded-Age artists into the twenty-first century, asserting broader connections to modern and modernist ideas of the environment. The state of Florida persists in the national imagination as the locus of troubling anxieties and bold aspirations concerning nationality, borders, and real estate values. Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent were some of the first artist travelers to explore these themes in Florida
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