155 research outputs found
Fantastic alterities and The Sandman
No full textThis article explores the ways in which the comics medium enhances our understanding of literary models of the Fantastic. It examines the presence and depiction of multiple worlds in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, with specific reference to the role of the comics medium and its denial of mimesis when creating such alterities.
It initially uses literature review to establish a contemporary working model of the Fantastic, taking as its basis the framework devised by Tzvetan Todorov, and incorporating the later work of Rosemary Jackson, A B Chanady, and Christine Brooke-Rose. It establishes the position of the Fantastic as a literary mode lying between the marvellous (supernatural accepted) and the uncanny (supernatural explained), and clarifies the distinction between the mode of the Fantastic (which encompasses various genres) and the genre itself.
The article then considers the ways in which both the form and content of the comics medium sustain the mode of the fantastic. It broadly discusses the ways in which the following factors contribute to this process:
• subject matter: fantastic events, super powers, alternate worlds
• non-realistic aesthetic: pop art, stylised visuals, fiction of fonts (invoking the tension between hand-drawn and computerised artwork or lettering)
• authorial reticence: the possibilities for surpassing or discarding narrative voice
• the role of the reader: as both interpreter and co-creator.
It then focuses more closely upon the genre of the Fantastic, establishing the ways in which this genre is opposed to both magical realism (outright fantasy) and realism (where such events are explained). It summarises the role of various qualities of the Fantastic in this regard, which include an antinomy between the natural and supernatural, author reticence, over- or under-determined language, and a defiance of absolute meaning in favour of interpretation or hesitation .
The article then proceeds to two case studies, taken from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman: A Game of You and The Kindly Ones. The first analyses the construction of two contrasting alterities (‘The Land’ and ‘New York’) and examines the ways in which, despite initial appearances, these two worlds are both equally removed from the referent of ‘reality’. It proceeds to discuss the use made of over- and under-determined signifiers, the transformation motif, intertextuality, and the redefinition of static notions (home, gender) as fluid and undefined. It deconstructs The Kindly Ones in similar terms, considering the ways in which its triple alterities are all simultaneously validated by the text and the role of motifs such as multiple names and duplicated characters.
It concludes that, like the Fantastic, the comics medium exposes the notion of ‘reality’ as a constructed referent, which the text’s alterities comment on. The nature of the medium allows for the construction and sustenance of multiple worlds without recourse to a stable notion of reality. As the reader’s hesitation destabilises interpretation of reality versus fantasy, absolute meaning is denied. It therefore seems that comics offer what might be best described as a postmodern vision of the Fantastic
The Integration of NHL Puck and Player Tracking Technology Into TV Broadcasts to Increase Media Rights Revenue
No full textabstract: The National Hockey League is the highest league of hockey in the world. They have the highest attendance percentage out of the four major sports in North America (National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball). However, the NHL is lacking insurmountably in the media rights revenue space compared to these other three major sports leagues in the United States. This paper is designed to find innovative solutions to remedy this problem, by incorporating the new Puck and Player Tracking technology into the television and streaming broadcasts. We first identified the core values of fans and their consumption habits and behaviors. We obtained an interview with the Senior Hockey Writer for ESPN, Greg Wyshynski, on the development and implementation of Puck and Player Tracking technology. From there, we created a survey to gauge the consumer perception of the Puck and Player Tracking technology, which allowed us to perform analytical tests to determine the best possible implementation strategy for the PPT technology into broadcasts. Using statistical testing methods, we identified that survey respondents found the least invasive augmented broadcast element was a small, gray puck trail displayed on the ice. From these findings, we proposed that the ideal implementation of the Puck and Player Tracking technology into television broadcasts should feature this element in all future traditional NHL television broadcasts and the player statistical broadcast should be offered as a second screen streamed broadcast. This implementation, compounded with other factors in the upcoming NHL media rights negotiations, creates a more valuable television product, which in turn will lead to a more competitive media rights deal
The parasite fauna of gar-fish - Belone belone (L.) from Puck Bay
No full textFrom 1966 to 1967 the author carried out an investigation on the helminth fauna of gar-fish Belone belone (L.) from Puck Bay of the Baltic. It was established, the next species parasitise in gar-fish: Diplostomum spathaceum (Rud.), Tylodelphys sp., Scolex pleuronectis Mull., Contracaecum aduncum (Rud.), Cucullanus truttae (Fabricius), Pomphorhynchus laevis (Zoega), and Neoechinorhynchus rutili (Mull.). With exception of Pomphorhynchus laevis (Zoega) they were not found in gar-fish yet, but they occur commonly in the other Polish fishes
Perception of the cultural heritage of the Teutonic Order on the example of Puck
No full textOne of the important places on the map of the former State of the Teutonic Order on the Baltic Sea shore was Puck. Nowadays, there are: parish church, ruins of the castle of the Teutonic Knights and the clearly visible spatial layout of the chartered town with a large market preserved. Except natural attractiveness of the seashore location, elements of the medieval heritage play an important role in the promotion of the town, as well as in shaping a sense of pride and patriotism of the local residents. In the presented article the author attempts to determine the level of knowledge of the people living in the area of the former Teutonic State in the field of history and material cultural heritage of the Teutonic Order. The basis of analyzes were the results of a survey carried out in Puck on May 2015.Jednym z ważnych miejsc na mapie dawnego państwa krzyżackiego nad Bałtykiem był Puck. Do dzisiaj zachowały się tam fara, ruiny zamku krzyżackiego oraz doskonale widoczny układ przestrzenny miasta lokacyjnego z dużym rynkiem. Elementy średniowiecznego dziedzictwa kulturowego pełnią dziś ważną rolę w promocji miasta, jak również w kształtowaniu poczucia dumy i patriotyzmu lokalnego mieszkańców. W artykule autor podjął próbę określenia poziomu wiedzy osób mieszkających na terenach dawnego państwa zakonnego na temat historii i materialnej spuścizny kulturowej zakonu krzyżackiego. Podstawę prowadzonych analiz stanowiły wyniki badań ankietowych zrealizowanych w Pucku w maju 2015 roku
An improved Puck's failure theory for fibre-reinforced composite laminates including the in situ strength effect
No full textFibre-reinforced composites are being used more and more widely in many fields. However, the theoretical prediction of the failure of these composites is still a challenging task. In this paper, the physically-based failure theory developed by Puck and co-workers is combined with the fracture mechanics based in situ strength theory developed by Wang and Karihaloo. The latter considers the influence of both the thickness of the lamina itself and the ply angles of its neighbouring laminae. This combined failure theory also incorporates a new final failure mode. It is able to predict accurately the initial failure stress, thus overcoming one of the weaknesses of Puck's theory which significantly underestimates this stress. Also, it explains why the number of non-fatal failure modes predicted by Puck's theory is different from those observed in experiments under certain loads. Finally, it is able to overcome the problem of discontinuities in the failure envelope under some load combinations predicted by Puck's original theory. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000338406200013&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Materials Science, CompositesSCI(E)[email protected]
Resting-state functional connectivity in comatose patients after cardiac arrest in relation to outcome
No full textEarly prognostication of comatose patients after cardiac arrest is challenging and current multimodal approaches leave the majority of patients with an indeterminate prognosis. We investigated whether resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at three days after cardiac arrest is associated with neurological outcome after three months in comatose patients. We performed a prospective multicentre cohort study in comatose patients after cardiac arrest submitted to the Intensive Care Unit of two Dutch hospitals. MRI was performed at 3±1 days after cardiac arrest, including functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging. Continuous electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during the first three days. Resting-state fMRI was used to quantify functional connectivity within and between resting-state networks. Associations between functional connectivity, mean diffusivity and EEG-based prediction were explored. We included 48 comatose patients after cardiac arrest, of whom 28 (58%) with good outcome. Patients with poor outcome show reduced within-network connectivity compared to patients with good outcome, most prominent in the default-mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), frontoparietal (FPN) and visual network. Between-network connectivity of SN-FPN was reduced in patients with a poor outcome. Mean diffusivity within all identified functional networks was reduced in patients with poor versus good outcome. In patients with an uncertain EEG-based prognosis, the two outcome groups approximately form fMRI-based clusters. We conclude that reduced resting-state functional connectivity in comatose patients after cardiac arrest is associated with poor neurological recovery after three months. This group difference is complementary to changes in mean diffusivity and EEG, specifically in patients with an uncertain prognosis.
Keywords: Postanoxic coma; functional MRI; EEG; Diffusion Weighted Imaging; Cardiac arres
Regional market strategy for Corvus for the eCommerce and eFinance department
Get PDFToday, the online payment and ecommerce industry is a dynamic and fast moving industry, where competition is fierce. Today´s market leaders are maybe at the top of the competition pyramid, but that doesn´t mean they be on top tomorrow. Making a quick and sound judgment call for instance: Which countries should we enter as a company? Will the desired country be able to fulfill our expectations? Where is the competition? What are the cost? What are the benefits? These are all valid question which in today´s global market can make a company or break a company. With this thesis, the author hopes to bring a few answer to the above questions. Give an objective suggestion on which direction a company could go. Also show how to use different sources of information and how to interpret them to define a certain business case/strategy for a company
Strategic proposal for internationalization of Adrialab d.o.o., a small pharmaceutical company from Croatia
Get PDFThe main objective of this thesis is to develop a comprehensive proposal for internationalization of a small spin-off pharmaceutical company Adrialab, d.o.o. As such this thesis focuses on three key areas of the internationalization processes for a small and medium sized company (SME): the motivation behind the decision to internationalize, the international market selection and the mode of entry into selected markets. The author has decided on an international literature review approach to establish key concepts in each area, to discuss such concepts in the context of an SME and to identify and implement some of usually descriptive models developed by international management (IM) scholars in order to make recommendations for Adrialab d.o.o. By mimicking the internationalization motives classification used in IM literature, this thesis establishes Adrialabâ s profitability issues with product lines and distribution channels in the domestic market, the spare manufacturing capacity, the companyâ s vision which includes Southeast European (SEE) countries and spin-off nature of the company as reactive and proactive efficiency seeking motives. Subsequently, the author defines the scope of countries to be assessed in the IMS process and develops and foreign market opportunity index ranking those countries on a combination of economic, population and industry macro indicators as well as selected aggregate measures deemed relevant for consumer expenditure categories targeted by the company portfolio. Company policies, resources and capabilities are evaluated in order to determine feasible equity and non-equity based entry modes while an analysis of competitive and distribution dynamics in each country serves to establish most promising consumer segments and desirable types of intermediaries
Flood resilience of coastal communities in Jakarta - Indonesia: An exploratory agent-based study on emergence of flood adaptation and migration behaviour under various socio-environmental policy conditions
No full textClimate change is happening and has an increasingly great impact on nature, ecosystems, biodiversity and human society. To reduce adverse consequences of hazards for current and future generations, one must understand how adaptation behavior of civil societies could develop itself over time, interact with its environment and effect its ecosystem. As the emergence of adaptation behavior is complex, differs locally and is influenced by lots of cultural, socio, environment and political factors, there are a lot of missing places on which more research on the emergence of adaptation behavior of civil societies can be done. This EPA master thesis will study is the emergence of adaptation behavior on a case-study about flood adaptation behavior in Jakarta. A modeling approach will be used to analyze the cumulative impact of autonomous bottom-up household adaptation decisions according to the Protection Motivation Theory on the overall flood resilience of Jakarta. The model will be used to explore the effect of policy interventions on household adaptation decisions, to ultimately give an advice on how to achieve a more resilient flood response. The results of this study aim to provide a better understanding on human behavior and its interactions within Jakarta’s environmentally complex situation, what could be of help for the government of Jakarta in the development of long-term flood adaptation strategies.Master ThesisEngineering and Policy Analysi
A Systemic Approach to implement Education for Sustainable Development in Applied Sciences: A Case-study of the TU Delft Applied Sciences Faculty
No full textThis thesis delves into the pivotal role of engineering education in equipping students to tackle the challenges posed by climate change. Despite widespread efforts in higher education institutions, particularly in engineering, to incorporate education for sustainable development (ESD), effectiveness often falls short, leading to a regression to previous norms. Moreover, there is a dearth of literature on the implementation of ESD in applied sciences (AS) institutions, compounding the issue. This study focuses on the AS Faculty at TU Delft, which, despite ambitious climate goals, has a low percentage of courses addressing sustainability. The emphasis is on a systemic approach to ESD implementation, with the aim of providing recommendations for the educational portfolio of the Climate Action Plan of the AS Faculty of TU Delft.The study begins with an extensive literature review on ESD implementation and systemic change within higher (engineering) education institutions (HE(E)Is). Findings elucidate specific strategies, barriers, drivers, and uncertainty factors, emphasizing the significance of context and culture. Two case studies on universities of applied sciences, NHL Stenden and Van Hall Larenstein, are conducted to contextualize theoretical insights within the AS Faculty at TU Delft. These case studies provide real-life examples of systemic ESD implementation, highlighting associated challenges and successes.Subsequently, the AS Faculty of TU Delft is investigated through interviews with stakeholders relevant to ESD implementation. The exploration reveals engagement in both top-down and bottom-up initiatives, such as modifications in the Master program in Chemical Engineering and the implementation of the Green Thread initiative. The faculty has established a Climate Action Team to devise a Climate Action plan, including an educational portfolio, drawing insights from the research conducted.Twelve influential thematic variables and their associated barriers, drivers, and uncertainty factors are identified through interviews. A focus group SWOT analysis further explores these variables, leading to the development of five strategies (ST1 to ST5) aimed at structuring the education portfolio of the AS Climate Action Plan. These strategies address change direction, context and culture, planning and preparation, design and implementation, and maintaining momentum and sustaining change.The study concludes by recommending continuous evaluation of the proposed strategies and further exploration of outcomes related to the Climate Action Plan. It acts as a catalyst for discussions within the faculty, promoting broader conversations with the potential to positively impact the AS community.Education portfolio of the Core Team of Sustainability at TU DelftIndustrial Ecolog
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