"Art is a Hardy Plant:" : Benjamin Henry Latrobe and the cultivation of a transitional aesthetics

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. [161]-164).This thesis suggests that architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe's engagement with American scientific discourses gave rise to a transitional aesthetics that radically refigured his European-derived notions of art and architecture. Looking at a range of works by Latrobe -- a selection of theoretical writings, the Essay on Landscape (a watercolor instruction manual, 1798-1799), and the Philadelphia Waterworks (1798-1801) -- I analyze his magpie borrowings of climate, geology, and natural history. These borrowings were sometimes awkward and were by no means uniformly successful; however, Latrobe's persistence in the face of failure underscores the importance he accorded to establishing, by any means possible, a mutual correspondence between nature, society, and art. Sometimes called "the father of American architecture," the British-born Latrobe (1764-1820) has generally been recognized for his large, nineteenth-century projects. Focusing on his financial and technical struggles around works like the US Capitol and the Baltimore Exchange, the prevailing historical narrative has emphasized the disjunct between the immigrant Latrobe's professional ambitions and the capabilities of the young American nation. In this thesis, I argue that an emphasis on Latrobe's embattled practice tells us little about the conceptual field that drove his work. More importantly, it ignores the ways in which a larger discursive and physical context transformed the architect's own understanding of his work and its function in a new democratic society. Recognizing, and valuing, the presence of nature in Latrobe's writings offers us a new way of understanding the architect's practice as one attuned to the prevailing physical and social concerns of the period.by Jennifer Y. Chuong.S.M

Noncoding RNAs: biology and applications-a Keystone Symposia report.

The human transcriptome contains many types of noncoding RNAs, which rival the number of protein-coding species. From long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are over 200 nucleotides long to piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) of only 20 nucleotides, noncoding RNAs play important roles in regulating transcription, epigenetic modifications, translation, and cell signaling. Roles for noncoding RNAs in disease mechanisms are also being uncovered, and several species have been identified as potential drug targets. On May 11-14, 2021, the Keystone eSymposium "Noncoding RNAs: Biology and Applications" brought together researchers working in RNA biology, structure, and technologies to accelerate both the understanding of RNA basic biology and the translation of those findings into clinical applications

Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome, revisited: detailed clinical and molecular analyses determine whether patients have neurofibromatosis type 1, coincidental manifestations, or a distinct disorder

Purpose: "Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome" describes the complex of multiple nonossifying fibromas of the long bones, mandibular giant cell lesions, and cafe-au-lait macules in individuals without neurofibromas. We sought to determine whether Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome is a distinct genetic entity or a variant of neurofibromatosis type 1. Methods: We performed germline NF1, SPRED1, and GNAS1 (exon 8) mutation testing on patients with Jaffe-Cainpanacci syndrome of Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome-related features, We also performed somatic NF1 mutation testing on nonossifying fibromas and giant, cell lesions. Results: Pathogenic germline NF1 mutations Were identified 13 of 14 patients with multiple cafe-au-lait macules and niultiple non-ossifying fibromas or giant cell lesions ("classicar Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome); all 13 also fulfilled the National Institues of Health diagnostic criteria for neurofibromatosis type 1. Somatic NFI mutations were detected in two giant cell lesions but not in two nonossifying fibromas. No SPRED1 or GNAS1 (exon 8) mutations were detected in the seven NF1-negative patients with Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome, nonossifying fibromas, or giant cell lesions. Conclusion: In this study, the majority of patients with cafe-au-lait macules and nonossifying fibromas Or giant cell lesions harbored a pathogenic gerinline NF1 mutation,suggesting that many Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome cases may-actually have neurofibromatosis type 1. We provide the first proof of specific somatic second-hit mutations affecting NFI in two giant cell lesions from two unrelated patients, establishing these as neurofibromatosis type 1-associated tumors

Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny

Comparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species