”I’m Sorry, Shaun”: the theme of maturity in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy

Abstract. The topic of this thesis is the analysis of the theme of maturity and its portrayal in filmmaker Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy (2004–2013). The purpose of this research is to gain better understanding of how maturity and immaturity are portrayed in the entire trilogy, since much of the earlier research regarding this topic has been limited to just the first film in the trilogy, Shaun of the Dead. Even then, the theme of maturity has usually been discussed only as a secondary topic, while the portrayal of masculinity has received most of the attention. This research is accomplished by utilising the evaluation device theory first created by William Labov. Additionally, further definition of the theory made by Tanya Reinhart and Yeshayahu Shen is discussed in order to help define the evaluation devices used for this analysis. By using this theory, a thematic analysis of the film trilogy is performed, which allows this research to point out scenes in the story that are intended to carry out the film’s thematic statement. The thesis will also notify the fact that the evaluation device theory has originally been developed for analysing oral storytelling, and that there does exist challenges when applying the theory to storytelling in other forms of media. Due to the fact that the subject of this thesis is a film trilogy, special attention will be given to researching media-specific storytelling tools such as the films’ soundtrack and visual elements. The concept of evaluation focus is also applied to this research in a way that allows the thesis to compare how the films alter between drama and comedy when using the evaluation devices. The research reveals that the Cornetto trilogy depicts maturity as a rather flexible concept that takes a different form depending on the film. The film trilogy utilises a didactic argument to show how maturity can mean different things to different people, all depending on what the character in question requires the most in order to grow as a person. By analysing the film’s depiction of the conflict between maturity and immaturity, the research reveals that the Cornetto trilogy actively dismantles the idea of maturity and immaturity being a binary concept. Instead, the films show that the main characters can combine their personal growth and newfound maturity with their old, juvenile personality traits in order to discover a healthier way of life. Furthermore, this thesis also offers a proposal as to how the evaluation device theory could be altered to suit the needs for different kinds of analysis.”Olen Pahoillani, Shaun”: kypsyyden teema Edgar Wrightin Cornetto -trilogiassa. Tiivistelmä. Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman aiheena on analysoida kypsyyden teemaa ja sen kuvausta Edgar Wrightin Cornetto -trilogian (2004–2013) elokuvissa. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on ymmärtää paremmin kuinka kypsyyden ja kypsymättömyyden käsitteitä on esitetty koko trilogian aikana, sillä aiempi tutkimus tästä aiheesta on rajoittunut trilogian ensimmäiseen, Shaun of the Dead nimiseen elokuvaan. Silloinkin, kypsyyden teemaa on usein käsitelty vain toissijaisena aiheena, kun taas maskuliinisuuden kuvaus on saanut aiheena eniten huomiota. Tutkimus on toteutettu käyttämällä alun perin William Labovin luomaa arviointiin perustuvaa teoriaa. Tämän lisäksi Tanya Reinhartin ja Yeshayahu Shenin tekemiä jatkomääritelmiä arvioinnista käsitellään, jotta tälle tutkimukselle oleellisia arvioinnin välineitä voitaisiin ymmärtää paremmin. Tätä teoriaa käyttämällä elokuvatrilogiasta toteutetaan temaattinen analyysi, mikä antaa tutkimukselle mahdollisuuden tarkastella kohtauksia, jotka painottavat elokuvien temaattista sanomaa. Tutkielma huomioi myös sen, että arviointiin perustuva teoria on alun perin suunniteltu käytettäväksi suullisen tarinankerronnan analysoinnissa, minkä vuoksi tämän teorian soveltaminen toisiin tarinankerronnan muotoihin voi tuoda mukanaan haasteita. Koska analyysin tutkimuskohteena on elokuvatrilogia, tämä tutkielma tulee antamaan erityisen paljon huomiota elokuvalle ominaisille tarinankerronnon välineille, kuten elokuvien musiikille ja visuaalisille elementeille. Arvioinnin keskittymisen konseptia sovelletaan myös tätä tutkimusta varten tavalla, mikä mahdollistaa draaman ja komedian vertailun elokuvien välillä. Tutkimus paljastaa, että Cornetto -trilogia esittää kypsyyden joustavana käsitteenä, joka muuttaa muotoaan elokuvasta riippuen. Elokuvatrilogia käyttää didaktista argumentointia näyttääkseen miten kypsys voi merkitä eri hahmoille eri asioita, riippuen siitä mitä kyseinen hahmo tarvitsee eniten kasvaakseen ihmisenä. Analysoimalla elokuvien kuvausta kypsyyden ja kypsymättömyyden välisestä konfliktista tämä tutkimus paljastaa, miten Cornetto -trilogia pyrkii purkamaan ajatuksen, että kypsyys ja kypsymättömyys olisivat binäärisiä käsitteitä. Sen sijaan, tutkitut elokuvat näyttävät miten elokuvien päähenkilöt yhdistävät heidän uuden kypsyytensä sekä heidän lapsellisemmat persoonallisuuspiirteensä saavuttaakseen terveellisemmän elämäntyylin. Tämän kaiken lisäksi tutkielma esittää ehdotuksen siitä, miten arviointiteoriaa on mahdollista muuntaa toisenlaista tutkimusta varten

Results from an industrial size biogas-fed SOFC plant (the DEMOSOFC project)

Abstract The EU-funded DEMOSOFC project aims to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of operating a 174 kWe Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) in a wastewater treatment plant. The fuel for the three SOFC modules (3 × 58 kWe) is biogas, which is available on-site from the anaerobic digestion of sludge collected from treated wastewater. The integrated biogas-SOFC plant includes three main units: 1) the biogas cleaning and compression section, 2) the three SOFC power modules, and 3) the heat recovery loop. Main advantages of the proposed layout are the net electric efficiency of the SOFC, which is in the range 50–55%, and the near-zero emissions. A specific focus of the demonstration project is the deep and reliable removal of harmful biogas contaminants. The presented work is related to the design of the SOFC system integrated into the wastewater treatment plant, followed by the analysis of the first results from the plant operation. We analyzed the biogas yearly profile to determine the optimal SOFC capacity to install that is 3 SOFC modules. The rational is to maintain high the capacity factor while minimizing the number of shutdown per year (due to biogas unavailability). First results from plant operation are also presented. The first SOFC module was activated in October 2017 and the second in October 2018. The measured SOFC efficiency from compressed biogas to AC power has always been higher than 50–52%, with peaks of 56%. Dedicated emissions measurements have been performed onsite during December 2017. Results on real biogas operation show NO

Variants in the Mannose-binding Lectin Gene MBL2 do not Associate With Sepsis Susceptibility or Survival in a Large European Cohort

We use a large cohort of immune competent adults to analyze the influence of MBL2 genetic variants on sepsis susceptibility and survival. We find no significant associations with the 4 main functional single nucleotide polymorphisms in MBL2, or any combination of genotype

The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component

Dissecting how genetic and environmental influences impact on learning is helpful for maximizing numeracy and literacy. Here we show, using twin and genome-wide analysis, that there is a substantial genetic component to children’s ability in reading and mathematics, and estimate that around one half of the observed correlation in these traits is due to shared genetic effects (so-called Generalist Genes). Thus, our results highlight the potential role of the learning environment in contributing to differences in a child’s cognitive abilities at age twelve

Genome-wide association study identifies a variant in HDAC9 associated with large vessel ischemic stroke

Genetic factors have been implicated in stroke risk but few replicated associations have been reported. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in ischemic stroke and its subtypes in 3,548 cases and 5,972 controls, all of European ancestry. Replication of potential signals was performed in 5,859 cases and 6,281 controls. We replicated reported associations between variants close to PITX2 and ZFHX3 with cardioembolic stroke, and a 9p21 locus with large vessel stroke. We identified a novel association for a SNP within the histone deacetylase 9(HDAC9) gene on chromosome 7p21.1 which was associated with large vessel stroke including additional replication in a further 735 cases and 28583 controls (rs11984041, combined P = 1.87×10−11, OR=1.42 (95% CI) 1.28-1.57). All four loci exhibit evidence for heterogeneity of effect across the stroke subtypes, with some, and possibly all, affecting risk for only one subtype. This suggests differing genetic architectures for different stroke subtypes

Risk of nontyphoidal Salmonella bacteraemia in African children is modified by STAT4

Nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a major cause of bacteraemia in Africa. The disease typically affects HIV-infected individuals and young children, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Here we present a genome-wide association study (180 cases, 2677 controls) and replication analysis of NTS bacteraemia in Kenyan and Malawian children. We identify a locus in STAT4, rs13390936, associated with NTS bacteraemia. rs13390936 is a context-specific expression quantitative trait locus for STAT4 RNA expression, and individuals carrying the NTS-risk genotype demonstrate decreased interferon-gamma (IFN gamma) production in stimulated natural killer cells, and decreased circulating IFN gamma concentrations during acute NTS bacteraemia. The NTS-risk allele at rs13390936 is associated with protection against a range of autoimmune diseases. These data implicate interleukin-12-dependent IFN gamma-mediated immunity as a determinant of invasive NTS disease in African children, and highlight the shared genetic architecture of infectious and autoimmune disease.Peer reviewe

Mannose-binding lectin genotypes: lack of association with susceptibility to thoracic empyema

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The role of the innate immune protein mannose-binding lectin (MBL) in host defence against severe respiratory infection remains controversial. Thoracic empyema is a suppurative lung infection that arises as a major complication of pneumonia and is associated with a significant mortality. Although the pathogenesis of thoracic empyema is poorly understood, genetic susceptibility loci for this condition have recently been identified. The possible role of MBL genotypic deficiency in susceptibility to thoracic empyema has not previously been reported.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To investigate this further we compared the frequencies of the six functional <it>MBL </it>polymorphisms in 170 European individuals with thoracic empyema and 225 healthy control individuals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No overall association was observed between MBL genotypic deficiency and susceptibility to thoracic empyema (2 × 2 Chi square = 0.02, <it>P </it>= 0.87). Furthermore, no association was seen between MBL deficiency and susceptibility to the Gram-positive or pneumococcal empyema subgroups. MBL genotypic deficiency did not associate with progression to death or requirement for surgery.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that MBL genotypic deficiency does not associate with susceptibility to thoracic empyema in humans.</p

Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a common disease of the central nervous system in which the interplay between inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes typically results in intermittent neurological disturbance followed by progressive accumulation of disability. Epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are primarily responsible for the substantially increased frequency of the disease seen in the relatives of affected individuals, and systematic attempts to identify linkage in multiplex families have confirmed that variation within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) exerts the greatest individual effect on risk. Modestly powered genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have enabled more than 20 additional risk loci to be identified and have shown that multiple variants exerting modest individual effects have a key role in disease susceptibility. Most of the genetic architecture underlying susceptibility to the disease remains to be defined and is anticipated to require the analysis of sample sizes that are beyond the numbers currently available to individual research groups. In a collaborative GWAS involving 9,772 cases of European descent collected by 23 research groups working in 15 different countries, we have replicated almost all of the previously suggested associations and identified at least a further 29 novel susceptibility loci. Within the MHC we have refined the identity of the HLA-DRB1 risk alleles and confirmed that variation in the HLA-A gene underlies the independent protective effect attributable to the class I region. Immunologically relevant genes are significantly overrepresented among those mapping close to the identified loci and particularly implicate T-helper-cell differentiation in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis

Genome-wide association study of survival from sepsis due to pneumonia: an observational cohort study

BACKGROUND: Sepsis continues to be a major cause of death, disability, and health-care expenditure worldwide. Despite evidence suggesting that host genetics can influence sepsis outcomes, no specific loci have yet been convincingly replicated. The aim of this study was to identify genetic variants that influence sepsis survival. METHODS: We did a genome-wide association study in three independent cohorts of white adult patients admitted to intensive care units with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock (as defined by the International Consensus Criteria) due to pneumonia or intra-abdominal infection (cohorts 1-3, n=2534 patients). The primary outcome was 28 day survival. Results for the cohort of patients with sepsis due to pneumonia were combined in a meta-analysis of 1553 patients from all three cohorts, of whom 359 died within 28 days of admission to the intensive-care unit. The most significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in a further 538 white patients with sepsis due to pneumonia (cohort 4), of whom 106 died. FINDINGS: In the genome-wide meta-analysis of three independent pneumonia cohorts (cohorts 1-3), common variants in the FER gene were strongly associated with survival (p=9·7 × 10(-8)). Further genotyping of the top associated SNP (rs4957796) in the additional cohort (cohort 4) resulted in a combined p value of 5·6 × 10(-8) (odds ratio 0·56, 95% CI 0·45-0·69). In a time-to-event analysis, each allele reduced the mortality over 28 days by 44% (hazard ratio for death 0·56, 95% CI 0·45-0·69; likelihood ratio test p=3·4 × 10(-9), after adjustment for age and stratification by cohort). Mortality was 9·5% in patients carrying the CC genotype, 15·2% in those carrying the TC genotype, and 25·3% in those carrying the TT genotype. No significant genetic associations were identified when patients with sepsis due to pneumonia and intra-abdominal infection were combined. INTERPRETATION: We have identified common variants in the FER gene that associate with a reduced risk of death from sepsis due to pneumonia. The FER gene and associated molecular pathways are potential novel targets for therapy or prevention and candidates for the development of biomarkers for risk stratification. FUNDING: European Commission and the Wellcome Trust