Immagini senza peso. La decorazione a grottesche in Toscana nel XV e nel XVI secolo.

La tesi di Magistrale in Storia dell’Arte della sottoscritta Sarah Paolucci concerne lo studio della decorazione a grottesche, ponendo particolare attenzione all’ evoluzione e alla fortuna che ebbe questo ornamento tra il XV e il XVI secolo in territorio toscano. Al tradizionale lavoro di ricerca bibliografica è stato affiancato un progetto che ha visto la realizzazione di un CD Rom che si presenta allegato alla tesi cartacea e di un sito internet. L’obiettivo è stato quello di creare un modello 3D virtuale e navigabile della scala del Palazzo dei Consoli del Mare di Pisa, in via San Martino, oggi sede degli uffici del Consorzio 4 Basso Valdarno, dando particolare rilievo agli affreschi del XVI secolo che ne decorano le volte del soffitto, i quali sono stati ricostruiti in alta definizione e con metodo misurabile. Tale progetto è stato portato avanti in collaborazione con il CNR di Pisa che ha reso disponibili i mezzi tecnologici necessari ed ha seguito lo sviluppo del lavoro nella persona dell’ Ing. Matteo Delle Piane, docente di Grafica 3D per i Beni Culturali. Il primo capitolo della tesi espone i passaggi principali che sono stati eseguiti per giungere al completamento della ricostruzione del modello 3D della scala e dei suoi affreschi. Ad eccezione di questa prima parte incentrata sull’ utilizzo dei mezzi informatici, il resto della tesi si presenta come un’analisi storico artistica più tradizionale ed è suddivisa in due sezioni: la prima si prefigge di dare una visione d’insieme sugli studi fin ora svolti sull’ argomento, di individuare le peculiarità di tale decoro, l’origine del termine e la sua evoluzione nel tempo. Inoltre, sono stati dedicati dei paragrafi per ognuna delle caratteristiche che rendono unico questo ornamento, come la negazione prospettica, l’antimimesi, la continuità metamorfica, la ricchezza iconografica che spazia da colte citazioni mitologiche a ibridi fantastici, fino all’ assorbimento di emblemi e geroglifici. Infine, sono stati presentati brevemente i principali artisti che hanno contribuito in maniera determinante all’ evoluzione della decorazione a grottesche, come il Pintoricchio, il Perugino, Signorelli e Filippino Lippi. La seconda sezione, invece, si concentra su un ristretto ambito territoriale (la Toscana) e un limitato periodo di tempo (secoli XV-XVI), affinché lo studio non risulti dispersivo e possa avvalersi di esempi analizzati più dettagliatamente. Questa parte della tesi, dopo una previa introduzione storico-artistica, si concentra sugli aspetti caratterizzanti delle grottesche d’ambito fiorentino, considerando molti esempi di tale decorazione nel territorio assoggettato dall’ influenza medicea. Vengono analizzate brevemente anche opere artistiche non appartenenti al territorio toscano, come la Stufetta del Cardinal Bibbiena e le Logge raffaellesche, al fine di rendere più lineare e comprensibile lo stretto legame instaurato tra l’ambiente culturale romano e quello fiorentino nel periodo dei Papi appartenenti alla famiglia de’ Medici. Per quanto concerne Firenze, sono state analizzati svariati affreschi, come quelli della Cappella dei Papi in Santa Maria Novella, quelli di Palazzo Vecchio e del corridoio degli Uffizi solo per citarne alcuni. Anche la decorazione a grottesca di taluni arazzi, maioliche e cornici sono state menzionate e talvolta esaminate più in dettaglio. Infine, sebbene non appartenente al dominio mediceo, è stato dedicato un breve paragrafo anche alla città di Lucca, mentre altri sono stati riservati per Pisa, Arezzo e Siena

Examining the Usefulness of Patient Documentation Forms as a Tool for Community Health Navigators: Findings from the ENCOMPASS Pilot Study

Introduction | Effective documentation of patient encounters may influence Community Health Navigators’ (CHNs) success in providing support to patients as well as provide a data source to examine CHN practices. The ENhancing COMmunity health through Patient navigation, Advocacy, and Social Support (ENCOMPASS) study, based in partnership between the University of Calgary and the Mosaic Primary Care Network (MPCN) is evaluating a CHN program to determine whether CHNs improve outcomes for patients with multiple chronic conditions. CHNs support their patients by helping them navigate the health system, connect to community resources, and access culturally appropriate support. The purpose of this study was to examine the quality and usefulness of CHN-patient documentation forms used in the ENCOMPASS pilot study (i.e., Initial Action Planning Form, Follow-up Action Planning Form, Patient Encounter Form, all implemented on the REDCap platform) and revise the documentation process using co-design with the end user. Methods | An iterative co-design quality improvement process was employed across three phases. First, content analyses were conducted on the Patient Encounter Form notes to examine how CHNs were using the forms and how they were documenting their activities. Second, a survey was distributed to CHNs to gather their perspectives about their experiences with the REDCap platform and the three forms. Third, a working group, consisting of four CHNs, met twice with research team members to discuss barriers to use and opportunities for improvement. Results | The REDCap platform and the three CHN-patient encounter forms did not adequately meet the needs of the CHNs. Content analysis revealed significant variation in how the Patient Encounter Form was utilized and various form sections were not completed as intended. In the survey, CHNs reported that the documentation experience was not satisfactory and the training that they had received to date was insufficient. The CHN working group suggested changes to the interface with the REDCap platform and form structure. Revisions were made based on these suggestions, and approved by the working group. Conclusions | The approved changes to REDCap and the three forms will be implemented and introduced to the CHN team. The research team will develop a patient encounter documentation guidelines document and will provide all members of the CHN team with the opportunity to receive re-training. These changes will be reviewed with the CHNs to continue the iterative quality improvement process. Prior to final implementation, consultation with the Clinical Research Unit administrators on the feasibility of the revisions made to the forms and interface with the REDCap platform will be held. The results of this study have the potential to provide a better overall experience for CHNs in the ENCOMPASS program and enhance their work with patients

De novo variants in ATXN7L3 lead to developmental delay, hypotonia and distinctive facial features

Deubiquitination is critical for the proper functioning of numerous biological pathways such as DNA repair, cell cycle progression, transcription, signal transduction, and autophagy. Accordingly, pathogenic variants in deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) and congenital abnormalities. ATXN7L3 is a component of the DUB module of the SAGA complex, and two other related DUB modules, and serves as an obligate adaptor protein of 3 ubiquitin-specific proteases (USP22, USP27X or USP51). Through exome sequencing and GeneMatching, we identified nine individuals with heterozygous variants in ATXN7L3. The core phenotype included global motor and language developmental delay, hypotonia, and distinctive facial characteristics including hypertelorism, epicanthal folds, blepharoptosis, a small nose and mouth, and low-set posteriorly rotated ears. In order to assess pathogenicity, we investigated the effects of a recurrent nonsense variant [c.340C>T; p.(Arg114Ter)] in fibroblasts of an affected individual. ATXN7L3 protein levels were reduced, and deubiquitylation was impaired, as indicated by an increase in histone H2Bub1 levels. This is consistent with the previous observation of increased H2Bub1 levels in Atxn7l3-null mouse embryos, which have developmental delay and embryonic lethality. In conclusion, we present clinical information and biochemical characterization supporting ATXN7L3 variants in the pathogenesis of a rare syndromic ND

Inhibition of lipoxygenase affects induction of both direct and indirect plant defences against herbivorous insects

Herbivore-induced plant defences influence the behaviour of insects associated with the plant. For biting–chewing herbivores the octadecanoid signal-transduction pathway has been suggested to play a key role in induced plant defence. To test this hypothesis in our plant—herbivore—parasitoid tritrophic system, we used phenidone, an inhibitor of the enzyme lipoxygenase (LOX), that catalyses the initial step in the octadecanoid pathway. Phenidone treatment of Brussels sprouts plants reduced the accumulation of internal signalling compounds in the octadecanoid pathway downstream of the step catalysed by LOX, i.e. 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) and jasmonic acid. The attraction of Cotesia glomerata parasitoids to host-infested plants was significantly reduced by phenidone treatment. The three herbivores investigated, i.e. the specialists Plutella xylostella, Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae, showed different oviposition preferences for intact and infested plants, and for two species their preference for either intact or infested plants was shown to be LOX dependent. Our results show that phenidone inhibits the LOX-dependent defence response of the plant and that this inhibition can influence the behaviour of members of the associated insect community

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe