Workshop as Network: A Case Study from Mughal South Asia

Over the course of Emperor Akbar’s reign (1556–1605), an exceptionally high volume of illustrated manuscripts was produced. The manuscript workshop was staffed accordingly: between the 1580s and early seventeenth century, over one hundred painters found employ at the Mughal court. Thanks to contemporaneous ascriptions found in the margins of the manuscripts’ illustrated pages, the artists’ names and the capacities (designer or colorist) in which they worked are known. This essay uses digital and sociological methods to examine networks of artistic collaborations across select manuscript projects, arguing that the structure of workshop production teams—in which membership frequently fluctuated—facilitated the formation of a synthetic imperial style

Spondyloenchondrodysplasia Due to Mutations in ACP5: A Comprehensive Survey

Purpose: Spondyloenchondrodysplasia is a rare immuno-osseous dysplasia caused by biallelic mutations in ACP5. We aimed to provide a survey of the skeletal, neurological and immune manifestations of this disease in a cohort of molecularly confirmed cases. Methods: We compiled clinical, genetic and serological data from a total of 26 patients from 18 pedigrees, all with biallelic ACP5 mutations. Results: We observed a variability in skeletal, neurological and immune phenotypes, which was sometimes marked even between affected siblings. In total, 22 of 26 patients manifested autoimmune disease, most frequently autoimmune thrombocytopenia and systemic lupus erythematosus. Four patients were considered to demonstrate no clinical autoimmune disease, although two were positive for autoantibodies. In the majority of patients tested we detected upregulated expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), in keeping with the autoimmune phenotype and the likely immune-regulatory function of the deficient protein tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). Two mutation positive patients did not demonstrate an upregulation of ISGs, including one patient with significant autoimmune disease controlled by immunosuppressive therapy. Conclusions: Our data expand the known phenotype of SPENCD. We propose that the OMIM differentiation between spondyloenchondrodysplasia and spondyloenchondrodysplasia with immune dysregulation is no longer appropriate, since the molecular evidence that we provide suggests that these phenotypes represent a continuum of the same disorder. In addition, the absence of an interferon signature following immunomodulatory treatments in a patient with significant autoimmune disease may indicate a therapeutic response important for the immune manifestations of spondyloenchondrodysplasia

Identification of 12 new susceptibility loci for different histotypes of epithelial ovarian cancer.

To identify common alleles associated with different histotypes of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), we pooled data from multiple genome-wide genotyping projects totaling 25,509 EOC cases and 40,941 controls. We identified nine new susceptibility loci for different EOC histotypes: six for serous EOC histotypes (3q28, 4q32.3, 8q21.11, 10q24.33, 18q11.2 and 22q12.1), two for mucinous EOC (3q22.3 and 9q31.1) and one for endometrioid EOC (5q12.3). We then performed meta-analysis on the results for high-grade serous ovarian cancer with the results from analysis of 31,448 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, including 3,887 mutation carriers with EOC. This identified three additional susceptibility loci at 2q13, 8q24.1 and 12q24.31. Integrated analyses of genes and regulatory biofeatures at each locus predicted candidate susceptibility genes, including OBFC1, a new candidate susceptibility gene for low-grade and borderline serous EOC

The emperor\u27s eye and the painter\u27s brush: The rise of the Mughal court artist, c. 1546–1627

Even though the biographies and stylistic hands of individual Mughal court painters have been a central focus of scholarship over the last several decades, the idea of the emperor as the source and impetus for creative production has remained largely unquestioned. This dissertation challenges this notion by showing that paintings produced in the Mughal imperial atelier between circa 1546 and 1627, a period defined by the artistic materials themselves rather than by regnal dates, constitute the very means by which artists sought to improve their station and advance their profession at court. The royal patron is not removed entirely from the picture, but painters instead are brought to the fore and their status as imperial servants—whose standings in the imperial administration were seldom secure and often in flux—is integrally woven into the analysis of their artistic practices and works. By viewing a complex array of materials, including portraits, depictions of royal dreams, and the inscriptions that cover and are paired with these works, through this lens, a new conception of Mughal court painting comes into focus. Rather than a locus of the emperors’ desires and psychologies, as this corpus of works has traditionally been viewed, it becomes clear that Mughal imperial painting is the very vehicle through which court painters demonstrated their artistic aptitude, performed and entertained, recorded (or, more accurately, imagined) imperial optical and visionary experiences, and, most importantly, expressed their loyalty and devotion to their royal patrons. In this way, Mughal imperial painting can be said to speak as much (or more so) to the aspirations and ambitions of court artists than to those of the emperors

The emperor\u27s eye and the painter\u27s brush: The rise of the Mughal court artist, c. 1546–1627

Even though the biographies and stylistic hands of individual Mughal court painters have been a central focus of scholarship over the last several decades, the idea of the emperor as the source and impetus for creative production has remained largely unquestioned. This dissertation challenges this notion by showing that paintings produced in the Mughal imperial atelier between circa 1546 and 1627, a period defined by the artistic materials themselves rather than by regnal dates, constitute the very means by which artists sought to improve their station and advance their profession at court. The royal patron is not removed entirely from the picture, but painters instead are brought to the fore and their status as imperial servants—whose standings in the imperial administration were seldom secure and often in flux—is integrally woven into the analysis of their artistic practices and works. By viewing a complex array of materials, including portraits, depictions of royal dreams, and the inscriptions that cover and are paired with these works, through this lens, a new conception of Mughal court painting comes into focus. Rather than a locus of the emperors’ desires and psychologies, as this corpus of works has traditionally been viewed, it becomes clear that Mughal imperial painting is the very vehicle through which court painters demonstrated their artistic aptitude, performed and entertained, recorded (or, more accurately, imagined) imperial optical and visionary experiences, and, most importantly, expressed their loyalty and devotion to their royal patrons. In this way, Mughal imperial painting can be said to speak as much (or more so) to the aspirations and ambitions of court artists than to those of the emperors

Neuroendocrinology of a Male-Specific Pattern for Depression Linked to Alcohol Use Disorder and Suicidal Behavior

Epidemiological studies show low rates of diagnosed depression in men compared to women. At the same time, high rates of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and completed suicide are found among men. These data suggest that a male-specific pattern for depression may exist that is linked to AUDs and suicidal behavior. To date, no underlying neuroendocrine model for this specific pattern of male depression has been suggested. In this paper, we integrate findings related to this specific pattern of depression with underlying steroid secretion patterns, polymorphisms, and methylation profiles of key genes in order to detail an original neuroendocrine model of male-specific depression. Low circulating levels of sex steroids seem to increase the vulnerability for male depression, while concomitant high levels of glucocorticoids further intensify this vulnerability. Interactions of hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis-related hormones seem to be highly relevant for a male-specific pattern of depression linked to AUDs and suicidal behavior. Moreover, genetic variants and the epigenetic profiles of the androgen receptor gene, well-known depression related genes, and HPA axis-related genes were shown to further interact with men's steroid secretion and thus may further contribute to the proposed male-specific pattern for depression. This mini-review points out the multilevel interactions between the HPG and HPA axis for a male-specific pattern of depression linked to AUDs and suicidal behavior. An integration of multilevel interactions within the three-hit concept of vulnerability and resilience concludes the review