Spectacular (Dis-) Embodiments: The Female Dancer on Film

This article is concerned with the ways in which gendered subjectivities are re-constituted within and through contemporary cinematic depictions of dance in films such as Center Stage (2000), Save the Last Dance (2001), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), Step Up (2006) and The Company (2003). [1] My discussion explores the insightful, but largely unaccounted for, areas of overlap between feminist critiques of dance and cinema, particularly with regard to the significance and function of the "female form" on stage/on screen/in front of the mirror (Daly, 1997: 111). Specifically, I draw on debates around embodiment, subjectivity and looking in order to explore the ways in which depictions of dance as a bodily practice that places contradictory demands on the female body may disrupt cinema's hetero-normative representational conventions. Mainstream cinema in particular has a long tradition of staging the female body as to-be-looked-at spectacle, as an object of desire that lacks subjectivity and agency. [2] By definition, the dance film appears to continue this tradition. Dance performances largely epitomise the moments of staged spectacle that are said to disrupt straightforward narrative development, allowing the spectator to gaze at the body on display. However, I want to argue that the display of the female body in the dance film carries ambiguous and at times contradictory significance, that centres on the subject-object tensions 'embodied' by the female dancer

Questions of Embodied Difference: Film and Queer Phenomenology

This article argues for the usefulness of a queer engagement with/critique of phenomenological approaches to film. Film phenomenology (i.e., Marks, 2000; Sobchack, 2004; Barker, 2009) attempts to account for the embodied and sensuous nature of our encounter with cinema - a critical response to the 'scopic regime' that has long dominated Film Studies. Barker (2009), for instance, suggests that the similarities between both the viewer's and the film's ways of 'being in the world' need to be accounted for in order to better 'grasp' how we make 'sense' of cinema, and she goes on to explore the sensuous nature of our encounter with cinema at the level of 'skin', 'musculature' and 'viscera'. What seems to be only insufficiently acknowledged within this debate is the significance of embodied difference. Our ways of 'being in the world' differ, depending on how we have come to embody gender, race and sexuality, for instance. I therefore argue for the usefulness of introducing Sara Ahmed's Queer Phenomenology (2006) to contemporary debates around film and phenomenology. Ahmed provides both a queer critique of traditional phenomenology and a phenomenological account of queerness, and suggests that our ways of 'being in the world' are very much a 'matter' of 'orientation', of which way we 'face', of the objects and others that therefore come into view and appear within 'reach', and the possibilities for action and desire thus opened up. With detailed reference to Cracks (Jordan Scott, 2009), I suggest that an acknowledgement of embodied differences - differences in the ways in which we are situated and orientated in the world - opens up significant critical and analytical possibilities. It allows us to provide more comprehensive, as well as specific, accounts of the sense-ibilities of various representational context and the kinds of embodied and sensuous pleasures thus on offer, with regard to cinema and beyond

Fighting for Subjectivity: Articulations of Physicality in "Girlfight"

The analysis of Girlfight (Karyn Kusama, 2000) in this paper is framed by critical discourses surrounding physically active female characters in the action genre, the conventions of the boxing film 'genre', the relationship between bodily spectacle and narrative structure, as well as the more general significance of the female boxer's challenge to normative and binary notions of bodily existence and subjectivity. With a particular focus on the interrelationship between narrative structure and boxing sequences ('numbers'), this paper explores notions of the (gendered) subjectivity constructed around the film's female boxing character, Diana (Michelle Rodriguez). I will argue that the boxing 'numbers' largely function as a (bodily) articulation of Diana's struggle for a unified sense of identity and the embodiment of subjectivity. However, the emphasis on the materiality of the body in earlier 'numbers' is replaced in the final boxing sequence by a sense of abstraction and generic integration. The significance of the physicality of the body in relation to the embodiment of subjectivity is therefore strangely disavowed and the (bodily) agency of Diana's character undermined

Airbus se in a duopoly with a weakened competitor, airbus can only be beaten by itself

This Work Project presents a valuation of Airbus SE, an aerospace and defence company. At the beginning of the report an overview of the company’s business segments is given. Followed by a presentation and discussion of the aerospace and defence sector including an analysis of the market demand, supply and trend as well as the industry’s and company’s growth potential. Finally, the valuation itself will be presented. On the basis of a DCF valuation Airbus SE’s share price for the target date 31.12.2020 is calculated. A forecast that results in a Buy recommendation for Airbus SE shares

Identification and validation of neoepitope-specific T cell receptors for glioma immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a promising tool for cancer treatment and there is great interest to implement T cell-based therapies in patient care. Development of T cell-based therapies has focused on highly immunogenic tumors. Due to their low-mutational load and limited immune infiltration, gliomas are considered difficult targets for immune intervention and thus remained understudied, despite the urgent need to define new therapeutic options for these aggressive brain tumors. This thesis aimed at (I) identification and characterization of T cell responses elicited upon vaccination of glioma patients against the recurrent driver mutation R132H in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), (II) identifying tumor-reactive T cell receptors (TCRs) targeting tumor-private antigens and (III) antigen-agnostic TCR identification in non-vaccinated patients with the overall aim to define a gene expression signature characteristic for tumor-reactive T cells. The IDH1R132H oncogenic driver mutation is found in about 70% of WHO grade 2 and 3 gliomas. Its homogenous exclusive expression in tumor tissue makes it an attractive target for immunotherapy, and vaccinations with an IDH1R132H encoding long peptide were shown to efficiently mediate tumor shrinkage in pre-clinical mouse models. The vaccine was proven to be immunogenic in primary WHO grade 3 and 4 IDH1-mutant astrocytomas in the completed NOA16 phase I clinical trial, and also shows immunogenicity in the ongoing NOA21 phase I clinical trial, where combination of the vaccine with the PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab is tested in patients with IDH1 mutant recurrent gliomas. To gain a deeper understanding of the T cell response following vaccination, I established “epitope specific expansion cultures” (ESPEC) with “subsequent identification of TCRs” (SUIT) to pre-select TCRs for testing their reactivity. Based on ESPEC, a total of 120 CD4-derived TCRs from seven patients were selected for cloning and functional validation in in vitro co-culture assays, of which 106 were shown to be reactive. IDH1R132H-reactive clones were found to be enriched intratumorally as compared to concurrently sampled blood of vaccinated patients. 49 identified IDH1R132H-reactive TCRs showed in vitro reactivity against wildtype IDH1 if the peptide was used at supraphysiological concentrations, but not at lower peptide concentrations as shown for a selection of TCRs. Analysis of HLA restrictions indicates promiscuous binding of the IDH1R132H peptide to HLA-DR alleles, which is in accordance with the high immunogenicity of the vaccine in an HLA-diverse patient population. Contrary to what was reported so far, I also observed CD8+ T cell responses against IDH1R132H in two of three tested patients. Mass spectrometry confirmed presentation of short IDH1R132H peptides on HLA-B*07:05 and HLA-B*35:01, with these HLA alleles being representative for 12.3% of the German population taking HLA supertype families into account. Using ESPEC-SUIT, one CD8-derived TCR reactive against IDH1R132H was identified. The TCR was found to infiltrate the tumor, making up 0.24% of the T cell repertoire and being positive for granulysin, which could be an indication of cytotoxic function. Extending the screening for reactive CD8-derived TCRs to further patients is planned to gain deeper insights into the vaccine-induced immune response. ESPEC-SUIT was also used to identify TCRs reactive to patient-individual antigens. Private neoepitopes, both from SNVs and fusion events, were predicted based on whole exome and RNA sequencing data of the tumor, and used to stimulate autologous PBMCs. ESPEC cultures were performed with individual peptides or in peptide pools to screen for reactive TCRs against 18-189 peptides per patient. For a colon carcinoma patient (POC-001), 25 of 28 screened TCRs were reactive, covering reactivities against 14 of 18 predicted neoantigens. For patient POC-004 with liposarcoma (12 mutations included for testing) and patient POC-005 with metastatic melanoma (50 mutations included for testing), several hundred expanded TCRs have been identified and await functional validation. While POC-001 and POC-004 were vaccinated with long peptides representative for a selection of mutanome encoded antigens prior to ESPEC, patient POC-005 did not receive such vaccination, but T cells were found to be expanded in post-ESPEC cultures for three short peptides and 32 long peptides, underlining the sensitivity of the ESPEC approach. To further understand the role of anti-tumor T cell immunity in brain tumors, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) of non-vaccinated patients were used for single cell sequencing with the overall aim to identify a gene signature that can distinguish between tumor-reactive clones and non-reactive bystander clones for future antigen-agnostic identification of reactive TCRs. While gene signatures based on published markers identified no TCRs in primary brain tumors, a total of 46 reactive TCRs were identified when screening the top 83 TIL clonotypes from a melanoma brain metastasis tumor sample. On basis of this data, Chin Leng Tan (DKFZ Heidelberg, Germany) is working on establishing a gene signature, which could be used for antigen-agnostic discovery of reactive TCRs. Collectively, this thesis presents two strategies on how putatively tumor-reactive TCRs can be selected and validated on a larger scale. Screening for IDH1R132H-reactive TCRs allowed to gain deeper insights into the peripheral and intratumoral immune response elicited upon vaccination with the IDH1R132H peptide vaccine in brain tumor patients. The antigen-targeted approach was shown to be highly efficient for selecting reactive TCRs, which could potentially help to implement TCR-transgenic T cell therapies in patient care

Why are we so surprised at the Oscars' lack of diversity?

First paragraph: With the Academy Awards ceremony just around the corner, it’s worth reflecting on some of the criticism triggered by the Oscar nominations and fuelled by the recent BAFTA awards. There was only one thing more predictable than the overwhelmingly white, male, able-bodied “face” of this year’s Oscar nominations: the well-rehearsed outcries at the marginalisation of anyone who isn’t a white dude.  Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-so-surprised-at-the-oscars-lack-of-diversity-3602

Fighting for Subjectivity: Articulations of Physicality in \u3cem\u3eGirlfight\u3c/em\u3e

The analysis of Girlfight (Karyn Kusama, 2000) in this paper is framed by critical discourses surrounding physically active female characters in the action genre, the conventions of the boxing film ‘genre’, the relationship between bodily spectacle and narrative structure, as well as the more general significance of the female boxer’s challenge to normative and binary notions of bodily existence and subjectivity. With a particular focus on the interrelationship between narrative structure and boxing sequences (‘numbers’), this paper explores notions of the (gendered) subjectivity constructed around the film’s female boxing character, Diana (Michelle Rodriguez). I will argue that the boxing ‘numbers’ largely function as a (bodily) articulation of Diana’s struggle for a unified sense of identity and the embodiment of subjectivity. However, the emphasis on the materiality of the body in earlier ‘numbers’ is replaced in the final boxing sequence by a sense of abstraction and generic integration. The significance of the physicality of the body in relation to the embodiment of subjectivity is therefore strangely disavowed and the (bodily) agency of Diana’s character undermined

Cucumber, Banana and Tofu are queer in many more ways than one

First paragraph: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans characters have started to gain a more sustained presence in the TV landscape. They have appeared for example in Skins, Hollyoaks, Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, as well as Six Feet Under, Modern Family and Orphan Black. But they are often relatively marginal and remain isolated from a sense of queer community. Access the Conversation article at https://theconversation.com/cucumber-banana-and-tofu-are-queer-in-many-more-ways-than-one-3862

Queer-ing Texture: Tactility, Spatiality, and Kinesthetic Empathy in She Monkeys

The piece is situated within a critical context in which phenomenological approaches to film intersect with debates around queer cinema, and lesbian film in particular. With a specific focus on Apflickorna / She Monkeys (Lisa Aschan, 2011), it proposes ways of accounting for the “queerness” of queer cinema through a consideration of embodiment, intercorporeality, kinaesthetic empathy and a phenomenological understanding of “orientation”. Through an exploration of the links between (cinematic) texture and spatiality, the article accounts for the tactile and muscular encounters on offer in cinema and how they might speak to, and resonate with, queer habits, alignments and tendencies. In doing so, it gestures beyond a concern with representation, in-/visibility, identity, and related concerns around appropriation and queer readings, that have been historically dominant in studies of gay and lesbian (and queer) film. Instead, it proposes ways of “grasping” – in both a rational as well as tactile, kinaesthetic and muscular sense – the queer implications of these films, by drawing on phenomenological approaches to film as well as to gender and sexuality

Corporeality and Embodiment in the Female Boxing Film

This article engages with questions of corporeality in the boxing film. Within the context of debates that understand the genre as a space in which the tensions and contradictions around masculinity can be worked out (Baker; Woodward; Grindon), it explores the troubling, and potentially queer, implications of the female boxer in two contemporary boxing films: Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood, 2004) and Die Boxerin (About a Girl, Catharina Deus, 2004). It does so with a particular emphasis on the significance of the corporeality of the boxing body and boxing performance, as well as the embodied spectatorial engagements made possible by the films’ incorporation of the female boxer’s queer orientations