Um ‘solo’ de violino de JeanBaptiste Lully in um vanitas de Simon Renard de Saint-André (Paris, 1614? ”“ 1677)

Questo articolo nasce dal riconoscimento di un solo per violino di Jean-Baptiste Lully contenuto in una vanitas di Simon Renard de Saint-André. La vanitas é€ un tipo particolare di natura morta dove avviene di sovente che i vari elementi contenuti acquistino significati dalla forte carica simbolica; ove vi pre- senzino anche partiture musicali o spartiti, in molti casi, ci si rende conto che proprio da questi giunge la chiave di lettura di un’intera e, spesso, complicata, composizione iconografica. De Saint-André, che si muove nel contesto della corte francese, rivela un particolare legame con la musica, sia per la pre- senza di strumenti musicali sia per riproduzioni di spartiti e manoscritti tratti, nella maggior parte delle sue opere, da composizioni di parecchio preesis- tenti. In questo caso, Lully é€ un suo contemporaneo e questa scelta potrebbe essere non casuale; sta di fatto che, in quegli anni, Lully era il massimo espo- nente della musica in Francia e la sua composizione ben si adatta, per piuÌ€ di una ragione, al quadro in questione. Qual era il messaggio? Come al solito, in situazioni analoghe, i messaggi sono vari e spesso contrastanti, opposti, come da estetica e retorica tipiche del ‘600; possiamo peroÌ€ affermare, certi di non sbagliare, che "Pour bien mourir, il ne faut que bien vivre, pour vivre bien, ta mort considerer". Este artigo vem do reconhecimento de um violino solo de Jean-Baptiste Lully contido em um vanitas de Simon Renard de Saint-André. Vanitas é um tipo particular de natureza morta, na qual muitas vezes os vários elementos contidos adquirem significado de forte carga simbólica; há também partituras musicais ou reduções/transcrições, em muitos casos, percebe-se que é precisamente a partir delas que surge a chavepara a leitura de uma composição iconográfica completa e muitas vezes complicada. De Saint-André, que se movimenta no contexto da corte francesa, revela um elo particular com a música, tanto pela presença de instrumentos musicais, quanto por reproduções de partituras e manuscritos, na maioria de suas obras, a partir de composições pré-existentes. Neste caso, Lully é contemporâneo dele e esta escolha pode ser não aleatória. O fato é que, naqueles anos, Lully era o maior expoente da música na França e sua composição é bem adequada, por mais de um motivo, à pintura em questão. Qual foi a mensagem? Como de costume, em situações semelhantes, as mensagens são variadas e muitas vezes contrastantes, opostas, como a estética e a retórica típica dos anos de 1600; mas podemos afirmar, certos de que não estamos enganados, que "Pour bien mourir, il ne faut que bien vivre, pour vivre bien, ta mort considerer"

A simplified edge illumination set-up for quantitative phase contrast mammography with synchrotron radiation at clinical doses

This work presents the first study of x-ray phase contrast imaging based on a simple implementation of the edge illumination method (EIXPCi) in the field of mammography with synchrotron radiation. A simplified EIXPCi set-up was utilized to study a possible application in mammography at clinical doses. Moreover, through a novel algorithm capable of separating and quantifying absorption and phase perturbations of images acquired in EIXPCi modality, it is possible to extract quantitative information on breast images, allowing an accurate tissue identification. The study was carried out at the SYRMEP beamline of Elettra synchrotron radiation facility (Trieste, Italy), where a mastectomy specimen was investigated with the EIXPCi technique. The sample was exposed at three different energies suitable for mammography with synchrotron radiation in order to test the validity of the novel algorithm in extracting values of linear attenuation coefficients integrated over the sample thickness. It is demonstrated that the quantitative data are in good agreement with the theoretical values of linear attenuation coefficients calculated on the hypothesis of the breast with a given composition. The results are promising and encourage the current efforts to apply the method in mammography with synchrotron radiation

In silico characterization of the neural alpha tubulin gene promoter of the sea urchin embryo Paracentrotus lividus by phylogenetic footprinting

During Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryo development one alpha and one beta tubulin genes are expressed specifically in the neural cells and they are early end output of the gene regulatory network that specifies the neural commitment. In this paper we have used a comparative genomics approach to identify conserved regulatory elements in the P. lividus neural alpha tubulin gene. To this purpose, we have first isolated a genomic clone containing the entire gene plus 4.5 Kb of 50 upstream sequences. Then, we have shown by gene transfer experiments that its non-coding region drives the spatiotemporal gene expression corresponding substantially to that of the endogenous gene. In addition, we have identified by genome and EST sequence analysis the S. purpuratus alpha tubulin orthologous gene and we propose a revised annotation of some tubulin family members. Moreover, by computational techniques we delineate at least three putative regulatory regions located both in the upstream region and in the first intron containing putative binding sites for Forkhead and Nkx transcription factor families

Somatic tinnitus

Modulation of tinnitus characteristics such as pitch and loudness has been extensively described following movements of the head, neck and limbs, vertical or horizontal eye gaze, pressure on myofascial trigger points, cutaneous stimulation of the hands, electrical stimulation of the median nerve, and transcranial direct current stimulation. Modulation of tinnitus follows complex interactions between auditory and somatosensory afferents and can be favored by underlying somatic disorders. When tinnitus appears to be preceded or strictly linked to a somatic disorder, and therefore related to problems of the musculoskeletal system rather than of the ear, it is defined somatic tinnitus. A correct diagnosis and treatment of somatic disorders underlying tinnitus play a central role for a correct management of somatic tinnitus. However, the identification of somatic tinnitus may be complex in some cases. In this paper, after a general review of the current evidences for somatic tinnitus available in the literature, we present and discuss some cases of patients in which somatic modulation of tinnitus played a role - although different from case to case - in their tinnitus, describing the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches followed in each individual case and the results obtained, also highlighting unexpected findings and pitfalls that may be encountered when approaching somatic tinnitus patients

Serine- and threonine/valine-dependent activation of PDK and Tor orthologs converge on Sch9 to promote aging

Dietary restriction extends longevity in organisms ranging from bacteria to mice and protects primates from a variety of diseases, but the contribution of each dietary component to aging is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that glucose and specific amino acids promote stress sensitization and aging through the differential activation of the Ras/cAMP/PKA,PKH1/2 and Tor/S6K pathways. Whereas glucose sensitized cells through a Ras-dependent mechanism, threonine and valine promoted cellular sensitization and aging primarily by activating the Tor/S6K pathway and serine promoted sensitization via PDK1 orthologs Pkh1/2. Serine, threonine and valine activated a signaling network in which Sch9 integrates TORC1 and Pkh signaling via phosphorylation of threonines 570 and 737 and promoted intracellular relocalization and transcriptional inhibition of the stress resistance protein kinase Rim15. Because of the conserved pro-aging role of nutrient and growth signaling pathways in higher eukaryotes, these results raise the possibility that similar mechanisms contribute to aging in mammals

Inference of transcription modification in long-live yeast strains from their expression profiles

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Three kinases: Sch9, PKA and TOR, are suggested to be involved in both the replicative and chronological ageing in yeast. They function in pathways whose down-regulation leads to life span extension. Several stress response proteins, including two transcription factors Msn2 and Msn4, mediate the longevity extension phenotype associated with decreased activity of either Sch9, PKA, or TOR. However, the mechanisms of longevity, especially the underlying transcription program have not been fully understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We measured the gene expression profiles in wild type yeast and three long-lived mutants: <it>sch9</it>Δ, <it>ras2</it>Δ, and <it>tor1</it>Δ. To elucidate the transcription program that may account for the longevity extension, we identified the transcription factors that are systematically and significantly associated with the expression differentiation in these mutants with respect to wild type by integrating microarray expression data with motif and ChIP-chip data, respectively. Our analysis suggests that three stress response transcription factors, Msn2, Msn4 and Gis1, are activated in all the three mutants. We also identify some other transcription factors such as Fhl1 and Hsf1, which may also be involved in the transcriptional modification in the long-lived mutants.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Combining microarray expression data with other data sources such as motif and ChIP-chip data provides biological insights into the transcription modification that leads to life span extension. In the chronologically long-lived mutant: <it>sch9</it>Δ, <it>ras2</it>Δ, and <it>tor1</it>Δ, several common stress response transcription factors are activated compared with the wild type according to our systematic transcription inference.</p

Comparative analyses of time-course gene expression profiles of the long-lived sch9Δ mutant

In an attempt to elucidate the underlying longevity-promoting mechanisms of mutants lacking SCH9, which live three times as long as wild type chronologically, we measured their time-course gene expression profiles. We interpreted their expression time differences by statistical inferences based on prior biological knowledge, and identified the following significant changes: (i) between 12 and 24 h, stress response genes were up-regulated by larger fold changes and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) processing genes were down-regulated more dramatically; (ii) mitochondrial ribosomal protein genes were not up-regulated between 12 and 60 h as wild type were; (iii) electron transport, oxidative phosphorylation and TCA genes were down-regulated early; (iv) the up-regulation of TCA and electron transport was accompanied by deep down-regulation of rRNA processing over time; and (v) rRNA processing genes were more volatile over time, and three associated cis-regulatory elements [rRNA processing element (rRPE), polymerase A and C (PAC) and glucose response element (GRE)] were identified. Deletion of AZF1, which encodes the transcriptional factor that binds to the GRE element, reversed the lifespan extension of sch9Δ. The significant alterations in these time-dependent expression profiles imply that the lack of SCH9 turns on the longevity programme that extends the lifespan through changes in metabolic pathways and protection mechanisms, particularly, the regulation of aerobic respiration and rRNA processing

Multi-Wavelength Observations of the HBL Object 1ES 1011+496 in Spring 2008

In the spring of 2008 MAGIC organised multi-wavelength (MWL) observations of the blazar 1ES 1011+496. 1ES 1011+496 is a high-frequency peaked BL Lac object discovered at VHE gamma-rays by MAGIC in spring 2007 during an optical outburst reported by the Tuorla Blazar Monitoring Programme. MAGIC re-observed the source during the 2008 MWL campaign which also included the Mets\"ahovi, KVA, Swift and AGILE telescopes. This was the first MWL campaign on this source that also included VHE coverage. MAGIC observed 1ES 1011+496 from March 4th to May 24th 2008 for a total of 27.9 hours, of which 20 h remained after quality cuts. The observations resulted in a detection of the source a ~7 sigma significance level with a mean flux and spectral index similar to those during the discovery. Here we will present the results of the MAGIC observations of the source in combination with contemporaneous observations at other wavelengths (radio, optical, X-rays, high energy gamma-rays) and discuss their implications on the modelling of the spectral energy distribution.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, contribution to the 32nd ICRC, Beijing 201