Verwerfen und Vernichten: Rezension zu "Vernichten" von Michel Houellebecq

Michel Houellebecq: Vernichten. Köln: Dumont 2022. 978-3-8321-8193-

SlutWalk - Resignifizierung von Feminitäten und Feminismen

"Seit 2011 fanden weltweit Demonstrationen statt, die sich unter der Bezeichnung SlutWalk artikulierten. Diese neue feministische Interventionsform nutzt dabei die ambivalente Strategie, sich den Begriff der slut visuell und sprachpolitisch anzueignen, um gegen Geschlechternormen zu protestieren. Der Beitrag skizziert das soziale Phänomen der SlutWalks und strebt an, diese Protestform feministisch zu kontextualisieren und die visuellen und sprachlichen Strategien als symbolische Politikformen zu erfassen. Hierzu wird Judith Butlers sprachpolitisches Modell der Resignifizierung hinsichtlich der Selbstbezeichnung slut erörtert. Diese Theoretisierung der sprachlich-subversiven Strategie wird auf der Ebene visueller und körperpolitischer Interventionen erweitert. Daran anschließend wird die Einbindung feministischer Diskurse in die neoliberale Ideologie unter dem Topos des Postfeminismus diskutiert." (Autorenreferat)"Rallies called SlutWalks have been held around the world since 2011. This new form of feminist intervention uses the ambivalent strategy of reclaiming the term 'slut' in order to protest against hegemonic gender norms. This article sketches this social phenomenon and aims to contextualize the protest within feminisms and to capture the visual as well as linguistic strategies, which then become forms of symbolic political action. Judith Butler's linguistic-political model of resignification will be elaborated in regard to the self-designation slut. The approach applied to theorizing this linguistic-subversive strategy is extended to the level of visual and body political interventions. Subsequently, the integration of feminist discourses in neoliberal ideology is explored with respect to the topos of postfeminism." (author's abstract

Debt and Desire: Differential Exploitation and Gendered Dimensions of Debt and Austerity

Austerity as management of public debt is at the core of neoliberal policies and proceeds as differential exploitation. To explore the gendered dimensions of debt, the paper inquires how debt is bond to desire and inscribed in bodies. After indulging in David Graeber’s, Gilles Deleuze’s and Félix Guttari’s work, the analysis focuses on accumulation through debt and dispossession. Drawing on Verónica Gago, Luci Cavallero and Silvia Federici, it reflects how current economies of debt exploit feminized work in times of authoritarian neoliberalism. The paper sheds light on solidaristic struggles against austerity that manifest a desire for social transformation and economies of care

Philosophical Archeology in Theoretical and Artistic Practice

The aim of this thesis is to examine philosophical archeology and the feasibility of knowledge that derives from researching it simultaneously through theoretical and artistic practice. Philosophical archeology essentially embodies one’s relation to history and historiographic research—a research methodology at the core of which lies a “historical a priori”, that which a priori conditions the historical development of a phenomenon. However, this research conceives of philosophical archeology more broadly, as a multifaceted term that traverses the discourse of the humanities at large. By pursuing this doctoral research, my original contribution to knowledge is twofold: (1) I historicize philosophical archeology—a term that hasbeen in use throughout humanities-based research since 1793,when it was formulated for the first time in this manner; and (2) expanding on its history, I show how, in the broader context of contemporary art and particularly in my artistic practice, philosophical archeology is conceived and carried out as a modus operandi. Section I outlines philosophical archeology in theoretical practice. Based on Giorgio Agamben’sœuvre(andthe work of other pertinent thinkers), it explicates Agamben’s conception of messianic timethat in turn conditions his conception of history. Messianic time is conceivedas the paradigm of historical time par excellence, mainly drawing onSaint Paul’s text Epistle to the Romans(and in reference to Agamben’s work on it, The Time that Remains) and WalterBenjamin’s text “Theses on the Philosophy of History.”The concept of messianic time is further elaborated by discussing (under the framework of aesthetics) Benjamin’s method of montage that likewise contributes to his theory of historical signature/consciousness. Section II is an integral component of my thesis exhibition titled Philosophical Archeology Space 2009–2019—a space that is constituted as, and by, philosophical archeology in my ongoing artistic practice; this archeological/historiographic operation, in the framework of artistic research, resulted in the identification of three signaturescomprising the (material-based) “historical a priori” of my artistic practice. The section contextualizes archeological orientation in contemporary art, and examineswhether philosophical archeology (as artisticmodus operandi) is in a position to distend history and historiography rather than vice versa

SlutWalk - Resignifizierung von Feminitäten und Feminismen

"Seit 2011 fanden weltweit Demonstrationen statt, die sich unter der Bezeichnung SlutWalk artikulierten. Diese neue feministische Interventionsform nutzt dabei die ambivalente Strategie, sich den Begriff der slut visuell und sprachpolitisch anzueignen, um gegen Geschlechternormen zu protestieren. Der Beitrag skizziert das soziale Phänomen der SlutWalks und strebt an, diese Protestform feministisch zu kontextualisieren und die visuellen und sprachlichen Strategien als symbolische Politikformen zu erfassen. Hierzu wird Judith Butlers sprachpolitisches Modell der Resignifizierung hinsichtlich der Selbstbezeichnung slut erörtert. Diese Theoretisierung der sprachlich-subversiven Strategie wird auf der Ebene visueller und körperpolitischer Interventionen erweitert. Daran anschließend wird die Einbindung feministischer Diskurse in die neoliberale Ideologie unter dem Topos des Postfeminismus diskutiert." (Autorenreferat)"Rallies called SlutWalks have been held around the world since 2011. This new form of feminist intervention uses the ambivalent strategy of reclaiming the term 'slut' in order to protest against hegemonic gender norms. This article sketches this social phenomenon and aims to contextualize the protest within feminisms and to capture the visual as well as linguistic strategies, which then become forms of symbolic political action. Judith Butler's linguistic-political model of resignification will be elaborated in regard to the self-designation slut. The approach applied to theorizing this linguistic-subversive strategy is extended to the level of visual and body political interventions. Subsequently, the integration of feminist discourses in neoliberal ideology is explored with respect to the topos of postfeminism." (author's abstract

Repression of the auxin response pathway increases Arabidopsis susceptibility to necrotrophic fungi

In plants, resistance to necrotrophic pathogens depends on the interplay between different hormone systems, such as those regulated by salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene, and abscisic acid. Repression of auxin signaling by the SA pathway was recently shown to contribute to antibacterial resistance. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis auxin signaling mutants axr1, axr2, and axr6 that have defects in the auxin-stimulated SCF (Skp1¿Cullin¿ F-box) ubiquitination pathway exhibit increased susceptibility to the necrotrophic fungi Plectosphaerella cucumerina and Botrytis cinerea. Also, stabilization of the auxin transcriptional repressor AXR3 that is normally targeted for removal by the SCF-ubiquitin/proteasome machinery occurs upon P. cucumerina infection. Pharmacological inhibition of auxin transport or proteasome function each compromise necrotroph resistance of wild-type plants to a similar extent as in non-treated auxin response mutants. These results suggest that auxin signaling is important for resistance to the necrotrophic fungi P. cucumerina and B. cinerea. SGT1b (one of two Arabidopsis SGT1 genes encoding HSP90/HSC70 co-chaperones) promotes the functions of SCF E3-ubiquitin ligase complexes in auxin and JA responses and resistance conditioned by certain Resistance (R) genes to biotrophic pathogens. We find that sgt1b mutants are as resistant to P. cucumerina as wild-type plants. Conversely, auxin/SCF signaling mutants are uncompromised in RPP4-triggered resistance to the obligate biotrophic oomycete, Hyaloperonospora parasitica. Thus, the predominant action of SGT1b in R gene-conditioned resistance to oomycetes appears to be at a site other than assisting SCF E3-ubiquitin ligases. However, genetic additivity of sgt1b axr1 double mutants in susceptibility to H. parasitica suggests that SCF-mediated ubiquitination contributes to limiting biotrophic pathogen colonization once plant¿pathogen compatibility is established

Multi-component based cross correlation beat detection in electrocardiogram analysis

BACKGROUND: The first stage in computerised processing of the electrocardiogram is beat detection. This involves identifying all cardiac cycles and locating the position of the beginning and end of each of the identifiable waveform components. The accuracy at which beat detection is performed has significant impact on the overall classification performance, hence efforts are still being made to improve this process. METHODS: A new beat detection approach is proposed based on the fundamentals of cross correlation and compared with two benchmarking approaches of non-syntactic and cross correlation beat detection. The new approach can be considered to be a multi-component based variant of traditional cross correlation where each of the individual inter-wave components are sought in isolation as opposed to being sought in one complete process. Each of three techniques were compared based on their performance in detecting the P wave, QRS complex and T wave in addition to onset and offset markers for 3000 cardiac cycles. RESULTS: Results indicated that the approach of multi-component based cross correlation exceeded the performance of the two benchmarking techniques by firstly correctly detecting more cardiac cycles and secondly provided the most accurate marker insertion in 7 out of the 8 categories tested. CONCLUSION: The main benefit of the multi-component based cross correlation algorithm is seen to be firstly its ability to successfully detect cardiac cycles and secondly the accurate insertion of the beat markers based on pre-defined values as opposed to performing individual gradient searches for wave onsets and offsets following fiducial point location

Accumulation of anthocyanins in tomato skin extends shelf life

Shelf life is one of the most important traits for the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) industry. Two key factors, post-harvest over-ripening and susceptibility to post-harvest pathogen infection, determine tomato shelf life. Anthocyanins accumulate in the skin of Aft/Aft atv/atv tomatoes, the result of introgressing alleles affecting anthocyanin biosynthesis in fruit from two wild relatives of tomato, which results in extended fruit shelf life. Compared with ordinary, anthocyanin-less tomatoes, the fruits of Aft/Aft atv/atv keep longer during storage and are less susceptible to Botrytis cinerea, a major tomato pathogen, post-harvest. Using genetically modified tomatoes over-producing anthocyanins, we confirmed that skin-specific accumulation of anthocyanins in tomato is sufficient to reduce the susceptibility of fruit to Botrytis cinerea. Our data indicate that accumulation of anthocyanins in tomato fruit, achieved either by traditional breeding or genetic engineering can be an effective way to extend tomato shelf life

Variation in host and pathogen in the Neonectria/Malus interaction; toward an understanding of the genetic basis of resistance to European canker

Apple canker caused by the phytopathogenic fungus Neonectria ditissima is an economically important disease, which has spread in recent years to almost all pome-producing regions of the world. N. ditissima is able to cross-infect a wide range of apple varieties and causes branch and trunk lesions, known as cankers. Most modern apple varieties are susceptible and in extreme cases suffer from high mortality (up to 50%) in the early phase of orchard establishment. There is no known race structure of the pathogen and the global level of genetic diversity of the pathogen population is unknown. Resistance breeding is underway in many global breeding programmes, but nevertheless, a total resistance to canker has not yet been demonstrated. Here we present preliminary data from a survey of the phylogenetic relationships between global isolates of N. ditissima which reveals only slight evidence for population structure. In addition we report the results of four rapid screening tests to assess the response to N. ditissima in different apple scion and rootstock varieties, which reveals abundant variation in resistance responses in both cultivar and rootstock material. Further seedling tests show that the segregation patterns of resistance and susceptibility vary widely between crosses. We discuss inconsistencies in test performance with field observations and discuss future research opportunities in this area

Characterization of a canola C2 domain gene that interacts with PG, an effector of the necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Sspg1d, one of endopolygalacturonases, is an important fungal effector secreted by the necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum during early infection. Using sspg1d as bait, a small C2 domain protein (designated as IPG-1) was identified by yeast two-hybrid screening of a canola cDNA library. Deletion analysis confirmed that the C-terminus of IPG-1 is responsible for its interaction with sspg1d in the yeast two-hybrid assay. The sspg1d/IPG-1 interaction was further confirmed in plant cells by a biomolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay. A transient expression assay showed that the IPG-1–GFP fusion protein was targeted to the plasma membrane and nucleus in onion epidermal cells. Following treatment with a Ca2+ ionophore, it was distributed throughout the cytosol. Real-time PCR assay demonstrated that IPG-1 was highly induced by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in canola leaves and stems. Southern blot analysis indicated the presence of about five homologues of IPG-1 in the canola genome. Two additional members of the IPG-1gene family were isolated by RT-PCR. Their sequence similarity with IPG-1 is as high as 95%. However, they did not interact with sspg1d in the yeast two-hybrid assay. Possible roles of IPG-1 and its association with sspg1d in the defence signalling pathway were discussed