Evolution of Cd2+ and Cu+ binding in <i>Helix pomatia</i> metallothioneins

Metallothioneins (MTs) are small proteins present in all kingdoms of life. Their high cysteine content enables them to bind metal ions, such as Zn2+, Cd2+, and Cu+, providing means for detoxification and metal homeostasis. Three MT isoforms with distinct metal binding preferences are present in the Roman Snail Helix pomatia. Here, we use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to follow the evolution of Cd2+ and Cu+ binding from the reconstructed ancestral Stylommatophora MT to the three H. pomatia MT (HpMT) isoforms. Information obtained from [15N,1H]-HSQC spectra and T2 relaxation times are combined to describe the conformational stability of the MT-metal complexes. A well-behaved MT-metal complex adopts a unique structure and does not undergo additional conformational exchange. The ancestor to all three HpMTs forms conformationally stable Cd2+ complexes and closely resembles the Cd2+-specific HpCdMT isoform, suggesting a role in Cd2+ detoxification for the ancestral protein. All Cu+-MT complexes, including the Cu+-specific HpCuMT isoform, undergo a considerable amount of conformational exchange. The unspecific HpCd/CuMT and the Cu+-specific HpCuMT isoforms form Cu+ complexes with comparable characteristics. It is possible to follow how Cd2+ and Cu+ binding changed throughout evolution. Interestingly, Cu+ binding improved independently in the lineages leading to the unspecific and the Cu+-specific HpMT isoforms. C-terminal domains are generally less capable of coordinating the non-cognate metal ion than N-terminal domains, indicating a higher level of specialization of the C-domain. Our findings provide new insights into snail MT evolution, helping to understand the interplay between biological function and structural features toward a comprehensive understanding of metal preference

Lifeguard towers competion - Velipoja winning project

The National Agency for the Coastline, aiming to promote public safety and health, and also the identity and culture of the coastline areas, organized the competition among the universities of architecture for the design of the lifeguard towers along the Albanian seaside. This competition aims to integrate as tutors the staff of the departments of planning and architecture in all the universities in Albania in order to engage and develop the young talented students during the construction of this seaside elements in the Albanian territory. In the framework of the student competition, three groups of students from different universities, led by their own tutors, participated in the design of several lifeguard towers along the Velipoja coast. The winning group was comprised of the following students from POLIS University: Arnold Pulaj, Anduena Dragovi, Durim Hoti, Koli Bakiu and Shkëlqim Hoti. The competition required that the proposal made by the students touched and explored all the design phases thus offering a full project proposal as specified by the Blue Flag standards and ready for implementation. The aim of this article was to describe the idea of the winning project with explicative drawings and a short text report

Studio della facciata. Metodi e strategie compositive: Capuano, Carpenzano

L’interesse per lo studio della facciata nasce dopo la sua trasformazione radicale durante il XX secolo. Nel periodo premoderno la facciata aveva un triplice ruolo; il primo ruolo era quello di chiudere il perimetro esterno e di garantire il benessere termoigrometrico, il secondo era quello di garantire la stabilità dell’edificio e l’ultimo aveva a che fare con la comunicazione del linguaggio architettonico. Durante il movimento moderno, invece, con i principi architettonici sanciti dalla carta di Atene, la facciata si stacca dalla parte strutturale diventando così un elemento libero che dà più libertà compositiva all'architetto. In questo periodo la facciata rimane ancora come un elemento opaco che svolge alcune funzioni analoghe a quella premoderna, che toccano la sfera energetica comunicativa. Con la caduta del modernismo e la scomparsa delle meta-narrazioni, il corpo edilizio subisce la sua più grande trasformazione: se prima il manufatto veniva considerato come un corpo inviolabile e puro, nel postmodernismo esso diventa una macchina ibrida, trasformando così anche la sua manifestazione nel contesto tramite l’involucro. Per questa particolare trasformazione che accade nel secolo scorso è di grande rilievo indagare oggi la situazione in cui si trova il rapporto tra la facciata, la comunicazione architettonica e il contesto dove l’edificio si inserisce. In questo saggio si cercherà di dare un riassunto generale ed un inquadramento di due dissertazioni molto importanti nel dibattito sull'argomento

Epoka e individualitetit, 1929-1939. Nga Sanatoriumi i Paimio-s tek Fallingwater-i. Rikrijimi i kuptimit, 1945-1956. Nga Unite d’habitation tek Sidney Opera House trad. Parte seconda L’età dell’individualità: 1929-39. Dal Sanatorio di Paimio a Fallingwater Parte terza La ricostruzione del significato: 1945-56 Dall’unité d’habitation alla Sidney Opera House

Alcuni amici, studiosi e studenti mi hanno manifestato in questi anni l’esigenza di collocare la fase attuale dell’architettura in una prospettiva più ampia, per arrivare a comprendere questi nostri anni così ricchi di fermenti all’interno di un percorso storico. La riscrittura della storia quando nuove prospettive emergono è d’altronde una tradizione ben radicata all’interno della letteratura, dell’arte e, naturalmente, della storia dell’architettura. La necessità che muove la scrittura di questo libro è che la presenza così forte e massiccia dell’informazione e dell’informatica e l’affermazione di modi di produzione completamente distinti da quelli industriali e manifatturieri impongono la creazione, come direbbe Thomas Kuhn, “di una scienza rivoluzionaria” anche in architettura. Una scienza che riformuli i suoi assunti, il suo contesto, i suoi metodi, perché troppo forti sono i cambiamenti intorno a noi per cercare di comprenderli dentro un modello nato in tutt’altro contesto e per tutt’altre ragioni. D’altronde, è da anni ormai che le espressioni “società post-industriale”, “civiltà dell’informazione”, “terza ondata” hanno assunto un ruolo centrale nella riflessione contemporanea sulla scia degli studi di Alvin Toffler. L’emergere della necessità di una “scienza rivoluzionaria” anche in architettura è intimamente legata a una concezione che vede nella modernità lo sforzo verso la trasformazione delle “crisi in valore”, in una tensione che, proprio perché storicamente radicata e motivata, non può che tendere a ricercare un’estetica di rottura e di cambiamento

Voskopoja conservation camp 2012 - Construction technology approach

This article tries to explain the "construction technology" approach used in the restoration project "Dormition of Saint Mary Church". The aim of the entire project and the various interventions is to evidence the measures undertaken by traditional skills through direct restoration work done by professional experts of the Institute of Cultural Monuments in Tirana, and by the valuable help of the students of Polis University from both Architecture and Art-Design Studies. The author aims at describing the potential of the great cultural and historical resource of the Voskopoja Church and the use of traditional crafts, materials, and techniques in order to better understand the various typologies of the construction technology approach. The author aims at describing the potential of the great cultural and historical resource of the Voskopoja Church and the use of traditional crafts, materials, and techniques in order to better understand the various typologies of the construction technology approach

I fronti urbani dell'architettura abitativa albanese - lettura dei principi costitutivi della composizione della facciata e panorama delle sue diverse tipologie

La dissertazione affronta come tema centrale la lettura dei fronti urbani dell’architettura abitativa albanese e l’analisi tipologica della facciata in tre periodi storici rilevanti per il paese, dal periodo prima del 1945, quello tra il ‘45-‘90 fino al periodo dal 1990 ad oggi, con lo scopo di creare una sorte di atlante che comprende alcuni dei principi formativi di essa sia quelli permanenti, trasformati o scomparsi tramite la comparazione di regole compositive. Nell’analisi dei principi costitutivi e compositivi del fronte urbano albanese si cerca di trattare sia i principi di maggiore che di minore importanza in modo da costruire un quadro generale completo per i scopi della ricerca. Lo studio di ricerca si svolge attraverso la campionatura di differenti morfologie architettoniche che caratterizzano l’architettura abitativa dei fronti urbani albanesi in diversi momenti, analizzando alcune vie centrali delle principali città prese in esame come Gjirokastra, Berat, Scutari, Korça, Kavaja e Tirana. Per via della forma del terreno, uno dei fattori più importanti che ha condizionato in modo notevole la composizione urbana dei vari insiemi di edifici, le città prese in esame sono divise in due grandi gruppi, quello delle città in altura e il gruppo delle città in pianura. Queste città, caratterizzate da diverse condizioni sociali e culturali, spaziali e materiali collegati nel tempo, esprimono nella loro rappresentazione tramite i fronti urbani un patrimonio architettonico inestimabile e ancora del tutto non esplorato. La ricerca mira a svelare i caratteri specifici dell’intero fronte urbano e del singolo edificio dove le qualità dei manufatti, raccolte secondo delle regole diversificate in relazione alle scale e ai metodi di indagine e di classificazione e catalogazione, compariranno negli elaborati di disegno tramite opportune codificazioni e schemi grafici. Obbiettivo ulteriore che questa ricerca vuole raggiungere, è quello di poter creare una linea guida alla continua trasformazione che la città del futuro deve suscitare sul patrimonio architettonico del passato

[re] Appropriation Of The Property Limit

This article talks about an exhibition created by the same author on the occasion of Tirana Architecture Week in Tirana explaining the main idea. The idea of this exhibition was to [re] appropriate the property limit in Tirana which is one of the problems that we encounter in almost every road or private property in our city and especially in the suburbs. This was an exhibition of photos taken by students or staff during activities like walking the city. The exhibition was inspired by the Agueda Case in Portugal or even Kotorr (Montenegro) where sometimes simple elements of everyday life can be transformed into show-stoppers, art installations which create surrealistic atmospheres and attract people’s attention. Prior to the day of the exhibition, the students worked hard on the construction of the umbrella’s supporting grid and the carton boxes exhibition wall. The exhibition is a guide through the typology of walls used in our city as traditional enclosure walls during the first half of the 20th century, the 1945-1990 period, and finally the typology of walls from the 90’s until the present day in our country. The exhibition discusses the re-appropriation of the walls that limit the property throughout our city. The achievement of the exhibition was to incite the participants to create a critical opinion in the public masses and to contribute with a qualitative dialogue regarding the recognition and renewal of the qualities of public spaces. The main goal was to stimulate the participants’ imagination on how to definitely change the medieval mentality of using fortresses instead of more functional, aesthetic , and appropriate solutions

A general view on the architecture and the elements that increase the aesthetic value of Berat's porched dwellings

The aim of this article is to recall and highlight the architectural values of Berat's porched dwellings as the most significant typologies of traditional dwellings in Albania, focusing also on the definition of the elements that play an important aesthetic role. Another striking architectural value of the Albanian traditional dwellings is precisely the perfect combination of the composing materials such as stone and wood as an identification tool used at a maximal advantage by the period’s artisans as well as the architectural treatment of the component environments of the Albanian dwellings including those of Berat.These facilities are also enriched with decorative features made of wood elements which increase their aesthetic value. It is worth noting that the decoration used in the interior as well as in the exterior of the house, especially in Berat’s dwellings, has been reduced with time thus increasing the aesthetic values in the Albanian traditional architecture

Critical review of restoration methodology of the architectural heritage adopted in Albania the last 20 years

The restoration of the architectural heritage is a very complex topic in continuous development. The issue raises interesting questions about the methodological approach to be followed and the objectives from which it must be started for the definition of a correct restoration. In Albania, in academic terms, different normative efforts have been done by means of the production of technical documents that establish how to evaluate the problem with more awareness. In the international field, from a general point of view, it is possible to refer to the ISCARSAH Recommendations that give a preliminary approach, a sort of guidelines about the restoration of historical heritage. Currently, in this field are being used different approaches: either a criterion based on the restoration, which puts attention to the form and to the basic traditional materials of the building but less in the originality of aesthetic design and architectural elements; or a technical method that is more interested at the building but, in many cases, involves over-dimensioned interventions than the real requirements, altering the original form and history of the artefact’s. The research method consists in reviewing case studies and fieldwork especially conducted in Albanian cities with a significant Architectural Heritage during the past 20 years, observations and interviews with the specific restoration experts to better understand their opinion and critics about the adopted restoration methodology. For this purpose, there have been analyzed variable examples like the transformation of the “Vila 14”, designed by arch. S. Luarasi located in st. “Asim Zeneli”, Tirana after the restoration process, the restoration project of the “Babameto’s house” in Gjirokastra, etc., to identify where the architectural heritage sector has received the right restoration methodology to maintain and preserve its aesthetic values. An important part of this analysis is the critical review of the project from the Preliminary identification phase (amnesia and diagnosis), how the structure or the elements that compose it are treated until the intervention phase

Curatur of the exhibition "Projecting Albania" on the occasion of Tirana Architecture Week 2014

The exhibition presented in occasion of the TIRANA Architecture Weeks 2014 was a modest summary of the ideas coming from Research Thesis Works of the graduates of Bachelor Programs; Professional Masters Programs, Master of Science Programs and Integrated Master of Science Programs. The exposure of the best thesis were collected from the Faculty of Architecture, Applied Art &amp; Design, Civil Engineering, professional post master in Landscape &amp; Urban Design, Parametric Design, Structural and Aesthetic Design in the POLIS University of Tirana