2,359 research outputs found
H.P. Lovecraft : against the world, against life /
No full text"Michel Houellebecq focuses his considerable analytical skills on H.P. Lovecraft, one of the seminal horror writers of the early 20th century. Houellebecq's insights into the craft of writing illuminate both Lovecraft and Houellebecq's own work. The two are kindred spirits, sharing a uniquely dark worldview. But even as he outlines Lovecraft's rejection of this loathsome world, it is Houellebecq's adulation for the author that drives this work and makes it a love song. This is indispensable reading for anyone interested in Lovecraft, Houellebecq, or the past and future of horror."--Global Books in Print.Includes bibliographical references."Lovecraft's pillow" : an introduction / by Stephen King -- Chronology -- H.P. Lovecraft : against the world, against life / by Michel Houellebeq. Preface -- Another universe -- Technical assault -- Holocaust -- Two short stories / by H.P. Lovecraft. "The call of Cthulhu" -- "The whisperer in darkness.""Michel Houellebecq focuses his considerable analytical skills on H.P. Lovecraft, one of the seminal horror writers of the early 20th century. Houellebecq's insights into the craft of writing illuminate both Lovecraft and Houellebecq's own work. The two are kindred spirits, sharing a uniquely dark worldview. But even as he outlines Lovecraft's rejection of this loathsome world, it is Houellebecq's adulation for the author that drives this work and makes it a love song. This is indispensable reading for anyone interested in Lovecraft, Houellebecq, or the past and future of horror."--Global Books in Print
"Plasmodium falciparum" transfection technology for the analysis of "var" gene regulation and knockout investigation
No full textMalaria is an infectious disease caused by protozoans of the genus
Plasmodium, which are injected by the bite of an infected female Anopheles
mosquito during a blood meal. Out of the four species that infect humans, P.
falciparum is the most important. About 40% of the world’s population is at
risk and 500 million cases of malaria occur every year, mainly in sub-
Saharan Africa. Due arising resistance of mosquitoes against insecticides,
the lack of a malaria vaccine, and emerging resistance of parasites against
established drugs, research into new drugs and vaccine targets is most
important.
Morbidity is associated with adherence of infected red blood cells (iRBC) to
endothelial tissue thereby obstructing the blood flow. The major protein
conferring this cytoadherence is the P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane
protein 1 (PfEMP1) anchored in the erythrocyte membrane of infected red
blood cells (iRBCs). PfEMP1 is encoded by the var gene family that consists
of approximately 60 members in the haploid genome of the 3D7 strain. var
genes are expressed mutually exclusive, i.e. only one var gene is expressed
in a parasite at a time and the rest is silenced. In this thesis we were
interested in the regulation of expression and silencing of var genes. For this
purpose we generated transgenic parasite lines that harbored plasmids
expressing luciferase under the control of various fragments of the var gene
upstream region. By comparing luciferase activities in the different lines we
identified the core promoter, two activator-binding sites and a repressorbinding
site. Additionally, we identified a regulatory sequence on the var
upstream region that interacts with the var intron during silencing. Using
quantitative RT-PCR with specific primers for every var gene we were unable
to confirm that the var upstream regions on the transfected plasmids were
recognized by the machinery that ensures mutually exclusive transcription.
In the second part of this thesis, we evaluated phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1)
as a possible drug target in P. falciparum by creating a knockout parasite
line. PDEs are known drug targets in humans where selective PDE inhibitors
are being used to treat a wide range of diseases. In trypanosomiasis
research PDE inhibitors are promising drug candidates against sleeping
sickness, Nagana or Chagas’ disease. Out of the four PDEs described for P.
falciparum we focused on PfPDE1, which is expressed in blood stage
parasites and in gametocytes and sporozoites. We observed a slightly faster
growth of the knockout parasite line compared to the wildtype indicating that
the knockout parasite had a shorter erythrocytic lifecycle. We found that
PfPDE1 is responsible for 20% of the total cGMP activity observed in late
blood stage parasites and that there is no rescue mechanism of the
remaining PDEs to compensate for the loss of activity. We were not able to
localize PfPDE1 in the parasite. The fact that we could delete PfPDE1 clearly
shows that it is not an essential gene in blood stage forms of P. falciparum
and hence not a good drug target. Nevertheless we created a useful tool to
investigate the role of PfPDE1 in the development of sexual parasite forms
The story of the Sanatorium, Baarn, designed by H.P. Berlage & T. Sanders
No full textThis study investigates the evolving role of the health and wellness centre Sanatorium Baarn, designed by H.P. Berlage and T. Sanders, through the lens of changing public perception over time. The inquiry is grounded in the central question: 'To what extent has the public reception of the health and wellness centre Sanatorium Baarn, designed by H.P Berlage and Theo Sanders, evolved over time and which factors within and outside the design process have influenced this interpretation and evaluation?'The Sanatorium, envisioned by H.P. Berlage and T. Sanders, aimed to rival European health centres ('Kur') and establish itself within Baarn's community. Surprisingly, it exceeded expectations, becoming a haven for both the rich and ill. Initially embraced, the Sanatorium's architectural intricacies were cherished by the community. Its significance persisted, endorsed by figures like Sergio Polano. However, a gradual transformation unfolded. Neglect, complexities in ownership, wartime disruptions, and post-war decline marred its splendour. Despite rehabilitation, guest numbers dwindled due to factors like car-free days, necessitating closure. Evolving fire safety standards posed further challenges.Amid these changes, public perception endured, keeping it a cherished symbol. Post-war shifts made it political, transitioning into a facility for war victims (BAVO) and Indonesian repatriates. An arson attempt damaged the structure's integrity, but hope remained for revival. After an auction, the building teetered on a second chance, poised for restoration. The city council, eager to preserve it, oversaw demolition and transformation. Yet, challenges arose with the new design by Van den Broek and Bakema. Municipal decisions and communal functions significantly influenced its trajectory. Ultimately, interventions altered its status, reflecting architectural resilience amidst historical shifts.AR2A011Architectural History ThesisArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Science
H.P. Grice's conversational rules: pragmatics or semantics?
No full textThe subject of the paper is the interaction of the functional aspects of language, i.e. of semantics and pragmatics. The author assumes that the interdependence of semantics and pragmatics determines the fuzzy border of these basic language categories. This fact is reflected in the research practices: the pragmatic phenomena are described in terms of semantics and, conversely, the semantic phenomena are described in terms of pragmatics. Additionally, substitution of terms, i.e. interpretation of semantic phenomena in the pragmatic field is also possible. As an example of this type of manipulation the concept of H.P. Grice's conversational rules is considered in more detail
H.P. Lovecraft and real person fiction: the pulp author as subcultural avatar
No full textThe last ten years have witnessed the influence of Lovecraft and his writing permeate the U.S. comic book industry to a previously unheard of level. From the Lovecraftian themes of Mike Mignola’s immensely popular Hellboy series, to the references that pepper Joe Hill’s Locke and Key (2008 – present), right up to the full-blown Cthulhu Mythos of comic maestro Alan Moore’s Neonomicon (2010) Lovecraft’s cultural cache in the field of horror comics has never been higher. The proposed chapter will examine a sub-sector of this contemporary spate of comic books and graphic novels: focusing on those examples that incorporate a version of H.P. Lovecraft in a quasi-biographical manner (a process traceable back to Robert Bloch’s 1936 short story “The Dark Demon”). In particular, I will analyse the often post modern appropriation of Lovecraft as a fictional character in titles based on or around his stories and explore why this form of pseudo-biographical narrative has become one of the defining modes of recent Lovecraftian graphic fiction. Centring on Mac Carter’s successful comic book mini-series The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft (2010), but referring to other examples such as Hans Rodionoff’s Lovecraft (2004) and Bruce Brown’s series of ‘children’s’ Howard Lovecraft volumes, the chapter will argue that such incarnations consciously utilise many of the coded practices of fan-fiction in order to meet an increasing desire amongst fans to re-assert Lovecraft’s sub-cultural capital in light of the growing mainstream (and academic) acceptance of the author and his writings. Furthermore, through close textual study I will analyse how these incarnations of Lovecraft prioritise the author’s outsider status; as pulp writer, as clinically insane, as a lonely child, in order to position him in opposition to the bourgeois familial, business and religious structures of the hegemonic mainstream
Findings from the LHC/HL-LHC Programme
No full textThis note summarizes the results of a social Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) of the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). The social CBA methodology is well-suited to assess social costs and benefits of the HL-LHC up to 2038. The analysis shows that the ratio between incremental benefits and incremental costs of the HL-LHC with respect to operating the LHC under normal consolidation (i.e. without high-luminosity upgrade) is slightly over 1.7, meaning that each Swiss Franc invested in the HL-LHC upgrade project pays back approximately 1.7 CHF in societal benefits. The rest of the note is organized as follows. We first discuss the merits of CBA; next, we present the methodology and discuss the results
Optimal international debt and endogenous time preference in a demographically divided world.
No full textUnderstanding H.P. Lovecraft's Anxiety Narratives through Medical Humanities
No full textThe aim of this dissertation is to analyze H.P. Lovecrafts psychological
problems and traumas to understand the true meaning behind his narratives that he wrote between the years 1905
and 1935. Lovecrafts narratives, stemming directly from the authors life, fears, anxieties, and traumas, are more
than fiction and can be considered as a means to reach the hidden corners of his complex mind. Therefore, I argue
that deciphering these writings as anxiety narratives will be giving a new insight about the author as well as mental
illness in general.To do so, Lovecrafts life and his literary philosophy, cosmicism, are explored, with a specific
attention to the concepts of (existential) anxiety, fear, and phobia, which were predominant themes/affects in both
Lovecrafts life and his narratives
Lovecraft\u27s Legacy: The Intertwinement of H.P. Lovecraft\u27s Life and Work
No full textMagistrsko delo obravnava življenje in delo H.P. Lovecrafta ter zagovarja tezo, da ju ni mogoče ločiti med seboj, saj so avtorjevi strahovi, prepričanja ter grožnje, ki jih je zaznaval, odločilno vplivali na njegov opus. Na podlagi analize kratke zgodbe “The Rats in the Walls” magistrska naloga identificira temo atavizma, oziroma avtorjevega strahu pred mentalno regresijo, ki izhaja iz krhkega duševnega zdravja prednikov. Temu sledi analiza kratke zgodbe “The Horror at Red Hook”, ki vsebuje Lovecraftove izbruhe rasnih predsodkov do priseljencev. Avtorjeva ksenofobija je še posebej prišla do izraza v času njegovega bivanja v New Yorku, ko je prišel v neposreden stik z Drugim. Analiza tretje Lovecraftove zgodbe “The Shadow over Innsmouth” razkrije avtorjev strah pred miscegenacijo in njegovo obsesijo z etnično čistostjo. Osebni strahovi H.P. Lovecrafta niso prevladali le nad njegovim življenjem, temveč so mu služili tudi kot navdih za ustvarjanje grozljive fikcije.This thesis argues that in the case of H.P. Lovecraft it is not possible to separate the person from the author, as his personal fears, beliefs and perceived threats decisively shape his body of work. I show this especially through the analysis of the story “The Rats in the Walls,” which reveals the author’s atavistic fear of mental deterioration, which originates from the family’s fragile mental disposition. Next, the story “The Horror at Red Hook” marks Lovecraft’s outbursts of racial prejudice towards immigrants, which came to the fore when he came in contact with the Other during his stay in New York. Finally, the analysis of the story “The Shadow over Innsmouth” points out Lovecraft’s fear of miscegenation and his obsession with a pure ethnic line. Not only did Lovecraft’s personal fears dominate his life, he also channelled them to become an inspiration for his eldritch weird fiction
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