«Dalt d’una mula.» Franco Steffanoni, restaurador a Catalunya Història d’una tècnica de restauració inventada a Bèrgam i exportada a Europa

A través de documents inèdits conservats en arxius italians i espanyols, l’escrit reconstrueix la campanya d’arrencament i salvament d’uns 345 m2 de pintura mural, procedents del rerepaís català i el seu posterior trasllat al Museu d’Art i Arqueologia de la Ciutadella, i actualmente al MNAC. Aquesta operació de tutela, única a Europa, desenvolupada entre el 1919 i el 1922, té com a protagonistes Joaquim Folch i Torres, el restaurador de Bèrgam Franco Steffanoni, cridat a Catalunya amb els seus col•laboradors, Lluís Plandiura i Ignasi Pollak. El treball reconstrueix les tècniques d’execució de cicles decoratius interessants, les tècniques de restauración utilitzades i l’experiència de l’escola de restauració formada a Bèrgam a mitjan segle XIX gràcies al comte Giovanni Secco Suardo. L’experiència de la restauració i la musealització de les pintures murals catalanes ofereix, a més, l’oportunitat de reflexionar sobre la tècnica de l’arrencament i traspàs de les pintures, de les diferents variants i de la seva legitimitat.Through unpublished documents conserved in Italian and Spanish archives, the paper reconstructs the campaign to strip off and save about 345 square metres of mural paintings, from the Catalan hinterland, and subsequently transfer them to the Museu d’Art i Arqueologia, and then to the MNAC, where they now are. This protection operation, unique in Europe, carried out between 1919 and 1922, was performed by Joaquim Folch i Torres, the restorer Franco Steffanoni, summoned with his team from Bergamo to Catalonia, Lluís Plandiura and Ignasi Pollak. The study reconstructs the techniques used for painting interesting decorative cycles, the restoration techniques used and the experience of the school of restoration formed in Bergamo in the mid 19th century, thanks to Count Giovanni Secco Suardo. The experience of restoring the Catalan mural paintings and turning them into a museum exhibit offers, moreover, the chance to reflect on the technique used for the removal and transferral of the paintings, the different variants and its legitimacy.A través de documentos inéditos conservados en archivos italianos y españoles, el escrito reconstruye la campaña de arrancamiento y salvamento de unos 345 m2 de pintura mural, procedentes del traspaís catalán y su posterior traslado al Museu d’Art i Arqueologia de la Ciutadella, y actualmente en el MNAC. Esta operación de tutela, única en Europa, desarrollada entre 1919 y 1922, tiene como protagonistas a Joaquim Folch i Torres, el restaurador de Bérgamo Franco Steffanoni, llamado a Cataluña con sus colaboradores, Lluís Plandiura e Ignasi Pollak. El trabajo reconstruye las técnicas de ejecución de ciclos decorativos interesantes, las técnicas de restauración utilizadas y la experiencia de la escuela de restauración formada en Bérgamo a mediados del siglo XIX gracias al conde Giovanni Secco Suardo. La experiencia de la restauración y la musealización de las pinturas murales catalanas ofrece, además, la oportunidad de reflexionar sobre la técnica del arrancamiento y traspaso de las pinturas, de las diferentes variantes y de su legitimidad

Image-based virtual tours and 3D modeling of past and current ages for the enhancement of archaeological parks: The VisualVersilia 3D project

The research project VisualVersilia 3D aims at offering a new way to promote the territory and its heritage by matching the traditional reading of the document and the potential use of modern communication technologies for the cultural tourism. Recently, the research on the use of new technologies applied to cultural heritage have turned their attention mainly to technologies to reconstruct and narrate the complexity of the territory and its heritage, including 3D scanning, 3D printing and augmented reality. Some museums and archaeological sites already exploit the potential of digital tools to preserve and spread their heritage but interactive services involving tourists in an immersive and more modern experience are still rare. The innovation of the project consists in the development of a methodology for documenting current and past historical ages and integrating their 3D visualizations with rendering capable of returning an immersive virtual reality for a successful enhancement of the heritage. The project implements the methodology in the archaeological complex of Massaciuccoli, one of the best preserved roman site of the Versilia Area (Tuscany, Italy). The activities of the project briefly consist in developing: 1. the virtual tour of the site in its current configuration on the basis of spherical images then enhanced by texts, graphics and audio guides in order to enable both an immersive and remote tourist experience; 2. 3D reconstruction of the evidences and buildings in their current condition for documentation and conservation purposes on the basis of a complete metric survey carried out through laser scanning; 3. 3D virtual reconstructions through the main historical periods on the basis of historical investigation and the analysis of data acquired

WebGIS, 3D modeling and virtual tours to map, record and visualize the cultural, archaeological and landscape heritage: the VisualVersilia project, 3D surveying

This article describes the methodologies and technologies developed during the realization of the WebGIS (Geographic Information System) visualversilia.com, namely a multimedia guide able to map, survey, visualize the rich cultural, archaeological and landscape heritage of Versilia (northwestern Tuscany). It enables users to delve into different temporal settings and to contextualize the local cultural sites within the geographic space of their specific historical periods. The immersive experience is also achieved thanks to the realization of virtual tours and navigable 3D models of archaeological complexes concerning the past and current appearance. This WebGIS is a digital platform, soon available online, for viewing and managing data relative to the cultural sites of Versilia, through their localization on an interactive map with several thematic layers, divided into chronological sub-layers. The aim of the research project is to provide useful information for knowledge, protection and enhancement of the cultural heritage of the area

THE SITUATION OF MOLDOVAN MINORS AS VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, ASSISTANCE AND LEGISLATION CONCERNING TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS FOR THE PURPOSE OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN EU MEMBER STATES

The research, examines the phenomenon of trafficking of moldavan minors for sexual exploitation in the European countries. The research underlines the necessity of harmonization of all the national legislations (up to now 27 different approaches pertaining to each EU member states) according the numerous directives formulated and reproposed by the European authorities

Obinutuzumab-mediated high-affinity ligation of FcγRIIIA/CD16 primes NK cells for IFNγ production

Natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), based on the recognition of IgG-opsonized targets by the low-affinity receptor for IgG FcγRIIIA/CD16, represents one of the main mechanisms by which therapeutic antibodies (mAbs) mediate their antitumor effects. Besides ADCC, CD16 ligation also results in cytokine production, in particular, NK-derived IFNγ is endowed with a well-recognized role in the shaping of adaptive immune responses. Obinutuzumab is a glycoengineered anti-CD20 mAb with a modified crystallizable fragment (Fc) domain designed to increase the affinity for CD16 and consequently the killing of mAb-opsonized targets. However, the impact of CD16 ligation in optimized affinity conditions on NK functional program is not completely understood. Herein, we demonstrate that the interaction of NK cells with obinutuzumab-opsonized cells results in enhanced IFNγ production as compared with parental non-glycoengineered mAb or the reference molecule rituximab. We observed that affinity ligation conditions strictly correlate with the ability to induce CD16 down-modulation and lysosomal targeting of receptor-associated signaling elements. Indeed, a preferential degradation of FcεRIγ chain and Syk kinase was observed upon obinutuzumab stimulation independently from CD16-V158F polymorphism. Although the downregulation of FcεRIγ/Syk module leads to the impairment of cytotoxic function induced by NKp46 and NKp30 receptors, obinutuzumab-experienced cells exhibit an increased ability to produce IFNγ in response to different stimuli. These data highlight a relationship between CD16 aggregation conditions and the ability to promote a degradative pathway of CD16-coupled signaling elements associated to the shift of NK functional progra

Transient disappearance of RAS mutant clones in plasma: A counterintuitive clinical use of EGFR inhibitors in RAS mutant metastatic colorectal cancer

Genomic studies performed through liquid biopsies widely elucidated the evolutionary trajectory of RAS mutant clones under the selective pressure of EGFR inhibitors in patients with wild type RAS primary colorectal tumors. Similarly, the disappearance of RAS mutant clones in plasma has been more recently reported in some patients with primary RAS mutant cancers, supporting for the first time an unexpected negative selection of RAS mutations during the clonal evolution of mCRC. To date, the extent of conversion to RAS wild type disease at the time of progression has not been clarified yet. As a proof of concept, we prospectively enrolled mCRC patients progressing under anti-VEGF based treatments. Idylla™system was used to screen RAS mutations in plasma and the wild type status of RAS was further confirmed through IT-PGM (Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine) sequencing. RAS was found mutant in 55% of cases, retaining the same plasma mutation as in the primary tumor at diagnosis, while it was found wild-type in 45%. Four patients testing negative for RAS mutations in plasma at the time of progression of disease (PD) were considered eligible for treatment with EGFR inhibitors and treated accordingly, achieving a clinical benefit. We here propose a hypothetical algorithm that accounts for the transient disappearance of RAS mutant clones over time, which might extend the continuum of care of mutant RAS colorectal cancer patients through the delivery of a further line of therapy

Critical issues and key points from the survey to the creation of the historical building information model: The case of Santo Stefano Basilica

The new era of designing in architecture and civil engineering applications lies in the Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach, based on a 3D geometric model including a 3D database. This is easier for new constructions whereas, when dealing with existing buildings, the creation of the BIM is based on the accurate knowledge of the as-built construction. Such a condition is allowed by a 3D survey, often carried out with laser scanning technology or modern photogrammetry, which are able to guarantee an adequate points cloud in terms of resolution and completeness by balancing both time consuming and costs with respect to the request of final accuracy. The BIM approach for existing buildings and even more for historical buildings is not yet a well known and deeply discussed process. There are still several choices to be addressed in the process from the survey to the model and critical issues to be discussed in the modeling step, particularly when dealing with unconventional elements such as deformed geometries or historical elements. The paper describes a comprehensive workflow that goes through the survey and the modeling, allowing to focus on critical issues and key points to obtain a reliable BIM of an existing monument. The case study employed to illustrate the workflow is the Basilica of St. Stefano in Bologna (Italy), a large monumental complex with great religious, historical and architectural assets