Changing Approaches to Classical Bronze Statuary

Claude Rolley’s regular reports about new publications of ancient bronzes were unparalleled. We read them avidly and, of course, with trepidation when it came to his critiques of what we had written. His familiarity with current bibliography was staggeringly thorough. Many years ago, Rolley referred in print to one of my ideas. I was thrilled that the preeminent scholar in the field of classical bronzes had mentioned my work! In my mind that fact outweighed his characterization of what I had ..

The Name of the Artist, the Fame of the Bronze and the Bane of Multiples

The production of decorative bronzes in multiples was a long-standing tradition in the classical world, for small-scale works such as protomes for caldrons in the 7th century B.C., statuettes from the 6th century onwards, and fulcra for couches made in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. With the discovery of the Croatian Apoxyomenos, reproductive processes for large-scale statues can now be documented as well.La fabrication de bronzes décoratifs à plusieurs exemplaires était une tradition ancienne dans le monde antique, pour des œuvres de petit format comme les protomés de chaudrons au viie siècle avant J.-C., les statuettes à partir du vie siècle, et les appuis de banquettes aux époques hellénistique et romaine. La découverte de l’Apoxyomène de Croatie permet maintenant d’attester le recours à des procédés de reproduction pour des statues de grandes dimensions également

Remote and reversible inhibition of neurons and circuits by small molecule induced potassium channel stabilization

Manipulating the function of neurons and circuits that translate electrical and chemical signals into behavior represents a major challenges in neuroscience. In addition to optogenetic methods using light-activatable channels, pharmacogenetic methods with ligand induced modulation of cell signaling and excitability have been developed. However, they are largely based on ectopic expression of exogenous or chimera proteins. Now, we describe the remote and reversible expression of a Kir2.1 type potassium channel using the chemogenetic technique of small molecule induced protein stabilization. Based on shield1-mediated shedding of a destabilizing domain fused to a protein of interest and inhibition of protein degradation, this principle has been adopted for biomedicine, but not in neuroscience so far. Here, we apply this chemogenetic approach in brain research for the first time in order to control a potassium channel in a remote and reversible manner. We could show that shield1-mediated ectopic Kir2.1 stabilization induces neuronal silencing in vitro and in vivo in the mouse brain. We also validated this novel pharmacogenetic method in different neurobehavioral paradigms. The DD-Kir2.1 may complement the existing portfolio of pharmaco- and optogenetic techniques for specific neuron manipulation, but it may also provide an example for future applications of this principle in neuroscience research

Exercise therapy in Type 2 diabetes

Structured exercise is considered an important cornerstone to achieve good glycemic control and improve cardiovascular risk profile in Type 2 diabetes. Current clinical guidelines acknowledge the therapeutic strength of exercise intervention. This paper reviews the wide pathophysiological problems associated with Type 2 diabetes and discusses the benefits of exercise therapy on phenotype characteristics, glycemic control and cardiovascular risk profile in Type 2 diabetes patients. Based on the currently available literature, it is concluded that Type 2 diabetes patients should be stimulated to participate in specifically designed exercise intervention programs. More attention should be paid to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal deconditioning as well as motivational factors to improve long-term treatment adherence and clinical efficacy. More clinical research is warranted to establish the efficacy of exercise intervention in a more differentiated approach for Type 2 diabetes subpopulations within different stages of the disease and various levels of co-morbidity

« Bronzes grecs et romains, recherches récentes » — Hommage à Claude Rolley

Philologue, archéologue, historien, spécialiste des bronzes, Claude Rolley, disparu en 2007, occupa une place originale parmi les spécialistes du monde méditerranéen antique. Marqué par la découverte du cratère de Vix (en 1953) qu’il ne cessa d’étudier tout au long de sa carrière, il sut croiser recherches et approches sur les périodes à la fois classique et proto-historique, de la Laconie à la Bourgogne jusqu’à la Grande Grèce. Les bronzes, de toutes dimensions ou origines, dont il tint la chronique pendant près de 25 ans dans la Revue archéologique, étaient pour lui une source de réflexion multiple : stylistique, technique – il prenait en compte aussi bien les questions d’assemblage ou de fonte que la composition chimique des objets –, ou culturelle – ses travaux ont apporté des éclairages décisifs sur la formation des ateliers et la circulation des objets d’un centre de production à l’autre. À l’initiative de plusieurs de ses disciples, un colloque lui a rendu hommage (INHA, 16-17 juin 2009) : les textes qui suivent en sont le fruit

Archaeological, art-historical, and artistic approaches to classical antiquity. Viccy Coltman (ed.), Making Sense of Greek Art, University of Exeter Press, 2012

Making sense of Greek Art is a Festschrift in memory of John Betts containing papers by ten of his students and colleagues. Their papers on Greek, Etruscan, Roman, and nineteenth-century topics reveal a wide range of methodologies. Two papers focus on subjects that might be covered in a course on Greek art and archaeology: one evaluates votive offerings in the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia at Sparta (Nicki Waugh); and the other compares archaeological and art-historical approaches to the study of Greek vases (Zosia Archibald). Three are concerned with Etruscan and Roman works: an Etruscan reinterpretation of a Greek myth (Vedia Izzet); Hellenistic and Roman versions of Aphrodite holding a mirror (Shelley Hales); and early Augustan uses of Archaistic art (Christopher H. Hallett). The other five papers illustrate the uses of classical artefacts during the nineteenth century: classical elements in Jacques-Louis David’s paintings (Ed Lilley); display of antiquities in the library of an English country house (Viccy Coltman); Tanagra figurines in paintings by Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Jean-Léon Gérôme (Genevieve Liveley); Alma-Tadema’s drawings for a theatrical production of Hypatia (Michael Liversidge); and plaster casts of the Elgin marbles exhibited in the Greek court of the Crystal Palace (Kate Nichols)

Pollux on Bronze Casting: A New Look at κάναβος

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