“Colorite de boni colori et ornate secundo il naturale”. La terracotta policroma : simulare, imitare la natura

Dal Rinascimento in poi la scultura in terracotta, intesa come opera in sé compiuta e non come ausilio nella fase progettuale, prevedeva generalmente una finitura pittorica. Tale rivestimento nobilitava talora il colore della materia fittile, imitando quello del marmo, del bronzo o, più raramente, dell’oro, ma più spesso riproduceva i colori della realtà.Le policromie naturalistiche trovavano maggiore impiego nella scultura devozionale perché l’immagine, col suo realismo, poteva creare suggestioni emotive nei fedeli e quindi un maggiore coinvolgimento. Ma avevano un ruolo essenziale anche nella ritrattistica, che doveva fornire del soggetto una rappresentazione il più fedele possibile.Nelle terrecotte dipinte ‘al naturale’ si può riscontrare un’ampia varietà nella ricchezza dei colori, nella scelta di raffinati accordi cromatici, nell’imitazione di preziosi tessuti, che non si limita a riprodurre i motivi decorativi, ma finge anche la consistenza materica. Alcuni esempi tratti dalla scultura fiorentina ed emiliana (Michele da Firenza, Neri di Bicci, Antonio Begarelli) mostrano che spesso erano i committenti ad indicare con quali colori dovesse essere dipinta una scultura, ma il perfetto accordo tra forme e colori derivava dalle scelte dello scultore che si affidava spesso al pittore per ottenere con uso sapiente delle tecniche il maggior grado di naturalezza.À partir de la Renaissance, la sculpture de terre cuite, comprise comme une opération se suffisant à elle-même et non comme l’étape subsidiaire d’un projet donné, supposait généralement une finition picturale. Ce revêtement ennoblissait la couleur de la matière argileuse en imitant celle du marbre, du bronze, ou plus rarement de l’or, mais elle reproduisait le plus souvent les teintes de la réalité naturelle.Si les polychromies naturalistes trouvaient leur principal emploi dans la sculpture de dévotion, c’est que le réalisme de l’image pouvait susciter chez les fidèles des suggestions émotives et donc une participation plus intense. Mais elles avaient également un rôle essentiel dans l’art du portrait, qui devait fournir la plus fidèle représentation possible du sujet. Les terres cuites peintes « au naturel » présentent une ample variété dans la richesse des couleurs, le choix raffiné des accords chromatiques, l’imitation des textures précieuses. Elles ne se bornent pas à reproduire des motifs décoratifs mais vont jusqu’à simuler la consistance matérielle. Dans le contexte de la sculpture florentine et émilienne (Michele da Firenze, Neri di Bicci, Antonio Begarelli), c’était souvent aux commanditaires qu’il revenait d’indiquer les couleurs appropriées, mais le parfait accord de la forme et des couleurs résultait des choix du sculpteur qui s’en remettait d’ordinaire au peintre pour obtenir d’un emploi savant des techniques du métier le plus haut degré de « naturel ».From the Renaissance onwards, terracotta sculpture, regarded as a process in its own right and not as a subsidiary stage of a given project, was generally supposed to have a painted finish. This final coat thus ennobled the colour of the clay by imitating that of marble, bronze, or more rarely, gold, but most frequently sought to reproduce realistic natural tones. If naturalistic polychromy was primarily used in devotional sculpture, it was because realistic imagery could arouse emotions among the faithful and therefore encourage more intense worship. But it also played a fundamental role in the art of representation, which was meant to portray the most faithful likeness possible of the subject. Terracottas painted in “real life” colours attested to a wide and rich palette, a refined choice of tonal harmonies and textures imitating precious materials. They did not simply reproduce decorative motifs but went as far as simulating the material substance. In the context of Florentine and Emilia-Romagnan sculpture (Michele da Firenze, Neri di Bicci, Antonio Begarelli), the patrons often indicated the appropriate colours to be used, but the perfect sense of harmony between form and colours resulted from choices made by the sculptor, who generally left it up to the painter to obtain the finest “natural” effect through his skilful use of the techniques of his craft

GOLPH3 protein controls organ growth by interacting with TOR signaling proteins in Drosophila

The oncoprotein GOLPH3 (Golgi phosphoprotein 3) is an evolutionarily conserved phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate effector, mainly localized to the Golgi apparatus, where it supports organelle architecture and vesicular trafficking. Overexpression of human GOLPH3 correlates with poor prognosis in several cancer types and is associated with enhanced signaling downstream of mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin). However, the molecular link between GOLPH3 and mTOR remains elusive. Studies in Drosophila melanogaster have shown that Translationally controlled tumor protein (Tctp) and 14-3-3 proteins are required for organ growth by supporting the function of the small GTPase Ras homolog enriched in the brain (Rheb) during mTORC1 (mTOR complex 1) signaling. Here we demonstrate that Drosophila GOLPH3 (dGOLPH3) physically interacts with Tctp and 14-3-3ζ. RNAi-mediated knockdown of dGOLPH3 reduces wing and eye size and enhances the phenotypes of Tctp RNAi. This phenotype is partially rescued by overexpression of Tctp, 14-3-3ζ, or Rheb. We also show that the Golgi localization of Rheb in Drosophila cells depends on dGOLPH3. Consistent with dGOLPH3 involvement in Rheb-mediated mTORC1 activation, depletion of dGOLPH3 also reduces levels of phosphorylated ribosomal S6 kinase, a downstream target of mTORC1. Finally, the autophagy flux and the expression of autophagic transcription factors of the TFEB family, which anti correlates with mTOR signaling, are compromised upon reduction of dGOLPH3. Overall, our data provide the first in vivo demonstration that GOLPH3 regulates organ growth by directly associating with mTOR signaling proteins

Assessment of copy number variations in 120 patients with Poland syndrome

Poland Syndrome (PS) is a rare congenital disorder presenting with agenesis/hypoplasia of the pectoralis major muscle variably associated with thoracic and/or upper limb anomalies. Most cases are sporadic, but familial recurrence, with different inheritance patterns, has been observed. The genetic etiology of PS remains unknown. Karyotyping and array-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analyses can identify genomic imbalances that can clarify the genetic etiology of congenital and neurodevelopmental disorders. We previously reported a chromosome 11 deletion in twin girls with pectoralis muscle hypoplasia and skeletal anomalies, and a chromosome six deletion in a patient presenting a complex phenotype that included pectoralis muscle hypoplasia. However, the contribution of genomic imbalances to PS remains largely unknown

GENE EXPRESSION TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS OF CAMPTHOTECIN EFFECTS IN U-87-MG AND DBTRG-05 GLIOBLASTOMA CELL LINES

The clinical efficacy of camptothecin (CPT), a drug specifically targetingtopoisomerase I (TopoI), is under evaluation for the treatment of malignant gliomas. Due to thehigh unresponsiveness of these tumours to chemotherapy, it would be very important to study thesignalling network that drives camptothecin outcome in this type of cancer cells. To address thisissue, we had previously compared the expression profile of human U87-MG glioblastoma cellswith that of a CPT-resistant counterpart, giving evidence that the development of a robustinflammatory response was the main transcriptional effect associated with CPT resistance.Here we report time-related changes and cell line specific patterns of gene expression after CPTtreatment by using two p53 wild-type glioblastoma cell lines, U87-MG and DBTRG-05, withdifferent sensitivities to TopoI inhibition

The Future of Cities

This report is an initiative of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the science and knowledge service of the European Commission (EC), and supported by the Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO). It highlights drivers shaping the urban future, identifying both the key challenges cities will have to address and the strengths they can capitalise on to proactively build their desired futures. The main aim of this report is to raise open questions and steer discussions on what the future of cities can, and should be, both within the science and policymaker communities. While addressing mainly European cities, examples from other world regions are also given since many challenges and solutions have a global relevance. The report is particularly novel in two ways. First, it was developed in an inclusive manner – close collaboration with the EC’s Community of Practice on Cities (CoP-CITIES) provided insights from the broader research community and city networks, including individual municipalities, as well as Commission services and international organisations. It was also extensively reviewed by an Editorial Board. Secondly, the report is supported by an online ‘living’ platform which will host future updates, including additional analyses, discussions, case studies, comments and interactive maps that go beyond the scope of the current version of the report. Steered by the JRC, the platform will offer a permanent virtual space to the research, practice and policymaking community for sharing and accumulating knowledge on the future of cities. This report is produced in the framework of the EC Knowledge Centre for Territorial Policies and is part of a wider series of flagship Science for Policy reports by the JRC, investigating future perspectives concerning Artificial Intelligence, the Future of Road Transport, Resilience, Cybersecurity and Fairness Interactive online platform : https://urban.jrc.ec.europa.eu/thefutureofcitiesJRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Poland syndrome: A proposed classification system and perspectives on diagnosis and treatment

Poland Syndrome (PS) is a rare condition, with an estimated incidence of approximately 1 per 30,000 births and encompasses a wide range of severities of chest and upper arm anomalies. The etiology remains unknown, but genetic involvement is suspected. Few radiological investigations have proven useful in the study PS phenotypes and we propose a reference algorithm for guiding pediatricians. Our experience with 245 PS patients in the last 10 years stimulated a phenotypical classification of PS. The management of the different PS types and a therapeutic algorithm according to the phenotypical features of each PS patient are also proposed

In Vitro Replication of Swine Hepatitis E Virus (HEV): Production of Cell-Adapted Strains

The hepatitis E caused by the virus HEV of genotypes HEV-3 and HEV-4 is a zoonotic foodborne disease spread worldwide. HEV is currently classified into eight different genotypes (HEV-1–8). Genotypes HEV-3 and HEV-4 are zoonotic and are further divided into subtypes. Most of the information on HEV replication remains unknown due to the lack of an efficient cell cultivation system. Over the last couple of years, several protocols for HEV cultivation have been developed on different cell lines; even if they were troublesome, long, and scarcely reproducible, they offered the opportunity to study the replicative cycle of the virus. In the present study, we aimed to obtain a protocol ready to use viral stock in serum free medium that can be used with reduced time of growth and without any purification steps. The employed method allowed isolation and cell adaptation of four swine HEV-3 strains, belonging to three different subtypes. Phylogenetic analyses conducted on partial genome sequences of in vitro isolated strains did not reveal any insertion in the hypervariable region (HVR) of the genomes. A limited number of mutations was acquired in the genome during the virus growth in the partial sequences of Methyltransferase (Met) and ORF2 coding genes