Location of the Deposit of Papyri from the Temple Library at Tebtunis Identified

In 1931 at Tebtunis in the Fayyum oasis, Carlo Anti and Gilbert Bagnani discovered one of the largest deposit of Egyptian literary papyri ever made and moreover it originally derived from the library of the temple itself. The precise location of this deposit, however, has never been clear, because there was not the possibility to see and study the whole archive, collected by Anti, made by photographic materials and written documents. On the contrary, now Carlo Anti\u2019s archive has recently been reordered at the Istituto Veneto and in the Museum of Archaeological Sciences and Arts (University of Padua)

Archaeology and virtual acoustics. A pan flute from ancient Egypt

This paper presents the early developments of a recently started research project, aimed at studying from a multidisciplinary perspective an exceptionally well preserved ancient pan flute. A brief discussion of the history and iconography of pan flutes is provided, with a focus on Classical Greece. Then a set of non-invasive analyses are presented, which are based on 3D scanning andmaterials chemistry, and are the starting point to inspect the geometry, construction, age and geographical origin of the instrument. Based on the available measurements, a preliminary analysis of the instrument tuning is provided, which is also informed with elements of theory of ancient Greek music. Finally, the paper presents current work aimed at realizing an interactive museum installation that recreates a virtual flute and allows intuitive access to all these research facets

Increase of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase mRNA levels during TPA-induced differentiation of human lymphocytes

AbstractThe non-mitogenic stimulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with low concentrations of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acatate (TPA) caused a progressive increase in the percent fraction of the cells that were positive for the early activating antigen CD69. At the same time, it caused a progressive increase in the steady-state levels of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (pADPRP) transcripts. A further increase in TPA concentration, while inducing the maximal expression of the levels of CD69 activating surface antigen, both in the presence or in the absence of proliferative activity, did not evoke any additional hightening of pADPRP mRNA levels. Time course of PBMC stimulation with a non-mitogenic dose or TPA showed an early increase in the accumulation of pADPRP mRNA, which changed at 8-16 h. and remained high for several days thereafter. On the basis of these data, we suggest flat the increase in pADPRP mRNA may be associated with the commitment of human lymphocytes from a quiescent (G0) to an activated (G1) state

Targeting STAT1 by myricetin and delphinidin provides efficient protection of the heart from ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury

AbstractFlavonoids exhibit a variety of beneficial effects in cardiovascular diseases. Although their therapeutic properties have been attributed mainly to their antioxidant action, they have additional protective mechanisms such as inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) activation. Here, we have investigated the cardioprotective mechanisms of strong antioxidant flavonoids such as quercetin, myricetin and delphinidin. Although all of them protect the heart from ischemia/reperfusion-injury, myricetin and delphinidin exert a more pronounced protective action than quercetin by their capacity to inhibit STAT1 activation. Biochemical and computer modeling analysis indicated the direct interaction between STAT1 and flavonoids with anti-STAT1 activity

Two Naturally Occurring Terpenes, Dehydrocostuslactone and Costunolide, Decrease Intracellular GSH Content and Inhibit STAT3 Activation

The main purpose of the present study is to envisage the molecular mechanism of inhibitory action ofdehydrocostuslactone (DCE) andcostunolide (CS), two naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactones, towards the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). We report that, in human THP-1 cell line, they inhibit IL-6-elicited tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT3 and its DNA binding activity with EC50 of 10 µM with concomitantdown-regulation ofthe phosphorylation of the tyrosine Janus kinases JAK1, JAK2 and Tyk2. Furthermore, these compounds that contain an α-β-unsatured carbonyl moiety and function as potent Michael reaction acceptor, induce a rapid drop in intracellular glutathione (GSH) concentration by direct interaction with it, thereby triggering S-glutathionylation of STAT3. Dehydrocostunolide (HCS), the reduced form of CS lacking only the α-β-unsaturated carbonyl group, fails to exert any inhibitory action. Finally, the glutathione ethylene ester (GEE), the cell permeable GSH form, reverts the inhibitory action of DCE and CS on STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation. We conclude that these two sesquiterpene lactones are able to induce redox-dependent post-translational modification of cysteine residues of STAT3 protein in order to regulate its function

Patavium: la Padova romana con lo sguardo di oggi

La ricerca archeologica ha un legame imprescindibile con le fonti scritte: l\u2019analisi dei Classici e la lettura dei testi epigrafici sono da sempre punto di partenza per lo studio di un contesto archeologico. Prendendo le mosse dall\u2019esempio di Padova romana, il presente contributo mira a mettere in luce come una lettura delle fonti in chiave archeologica - supportata dall\u2019utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie e della didattica museale - possa essere uno strumento chiave anche per introdurre i pi\uf9 giovani allo studio della lingua latina. Archaeological research has a close connection with written sources: the Classics and the epigraphy are stepping stones in the analysis of an archaeological context. Based on the case-study of Padova in the Roman age, this paper aims at discussing the significance of reading and commenting the literary and epigraphical sources from an archaeological point of view in teaching Latin. To get this goal, the use of innovative technologies and museum learning activities go to play an important role

When an archaeology museum \uabsounds well\ubb

Between 2015 and 2016, the Museum of Archaeological Sciences and Art (MSA) took part in the University project, "Archaeology and Virtual Acoustics: A Pan Flute from Egypt" carried out together with archaeologists and sound engineers. The main objective was to find a new model to display ancient musical instruments in archaeology museums. In MSA, the instrument was a Pan flute from greek-roman Egypt. The project adopted a multidisciplinary approach that allowed us to virtually rebuild the flute and recreate its sound. An important step for the Museum was defining co-curation together with the academic group, especially young Ph.D. students at their first approach to a museum exhibit. The key outcomes: virtual presentation (e.g. the Pan flute can be virtually played and explored in deep by the public through an electronic device); new opportunities to communicate the collections to a wider public; educational engagement; social role (e.g. music for people's inclusion). The message: even a single object can change the way you work in a museum and its perception to the public