Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "The Mimetic Posthuman." "Anneleen Masschelein" "Cultural Studies Research Group, English Literature, Leuven" "The posthuman’ is a generic term that denotes speculations for what is next for our species, but also the reconceptualisation of what it means to be human that can emerge from these speculations. ‘The Mimetic Posthuman’ carries out a study of the posthuman through the perspectives provided by a contemporary reframing of mimesis, whose scope goes beyond realistic representation to recover mimesis’ (from mimos, actor, performance) original roots in imitative behavior (mimicry, identification, contagion, and mirroring influences, among other). Looking back to the ancient realisation that humans are fundamentally mimetic creatures, this project accounts for the mimetic nature of the plastic transformations constitutive of the posthuman subject, which in turn allows for its move away from definitions of the human as a pure, bounded, and stable being. The relevance of a mimetic perspective on the posthuman is confirmed by the significant theoretical and methodological overlaps between the two fields, overlaps that have so far remained largely unnoticed by both scholarships. This project fills this gap by establishing, for the first time in a systematic way, the considerable relevance of mimesis for narrative and theoretical developments of the posthuman, eventually building a mimetic theory of the posthuman. In doing so, it will participate in furthering our understanding of the posthuman, mimesis and incidentally the cognitive, epistemological and anthropological value of fiction." "Additional equipment for the INFINITY LAB for the kinetic modeling of microPET - microSPECT studies in combination with image fusion of anatomical images like CT and MRI" "Filip De Vos" "Department of Pharmaceutical analysis, Department of Electronics and information systems" "The purpose of the proposal encloses the development of kinetic modeling of microPET/microSPECT dynamic data with the aid of an arterial inputcurve, corrected for metabolites in combination with anatomical mapping on CT or MRI" "The Novels of Michael Chabon and the Politics and Poetics of Postmodernism" "Theo D'haen" "English Literature, Leuven" "Even though the heyday of postmodernism is behind us, its legacy still persists in contemporary American fiction. This dissertation discusses the complex relationship between the politics and poetics of postmodernism and Michael Chabon's novels. Every chapter consists of a theoretical framework on an aspect of postmodern literature and a reading of one of Chabon's novels in the light of that theoretical framework. I have read Wonder Boys as a piece of fiction that displays a high level of self-awareness. More specifically, I have charted two branches of this metafictional undercurrent in Wonder Boys. On the one hand, Chabon summons a varied cast of characters that produce and/or consume fiction and these characters' opinions form a polyphony of metafictional voices. On the other hand, Wonder Boys itself is a work of fiction and as such it is the result of the creative process that took place in its author's mind. Therefore, I have also read Wonder Boys as representative of Chabon’s ‘new’ poetics. It can be seen as an attempt to (ab)use genre literature – though not to the extent of some of his later novels – in order to express the metafictional doubts he has about himself as a writer in particular, and about the act of writing in general.The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay builds on the foundation of Wonder Boys and displays the same self-awareness about storytelling and the act of creating art. I have read Kavalier & Clay in the light of Brian McHale’s definition of postmodern literature. According to McHale modernist literature is mostly concerned with epistemological issues – it is difficult to know what is true – while postmodernist literature is concerned with ontological issues – it is difficult to know what exists. McHale’s definition of postmodern literature as an expression of ontological doubt allows for a reading of Kavalier & Clay as a postmodern, metafictional novel as it enables us to explore and chart the different worlds and correlating ontologies that constitute Kavalier & Clay. Kavalier & Clay contains multiple worlds that interact with each other and through the interaction between these worlds it forces us to reconsider the potential and the limitations of narratives, and of the novel. The Final Solution and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union are illustrations of what is arguably Chabon’s signature postmodern poetical trait: the use and abuse of genre fiction. With the shift of the bourgeois Realist novel to the postmodern embrace of genre fiction, the literary landscape was reshaped in two ways. On the one hand, the frame of reference changed from mimetic and realistic to generic and fabulist. On the other hand, genre fiction became self-aware and critical of itself and of literature at large. Genre became an ideal tool for postmodern authors, such as Michael Chabon, who could abuse the rules and bend and twist the expectations customarily linked to a certain genre to achieve specific effects. This is why I have approached Chabon’s detective novels from a pragmatic point of view, rather than the traditional structural approach to genre studies: I wanted to determine the function of Chabon’s postmodern genre experiments. Chabon’s detective novels invert and parody the social, moral and rational reassurance that traditional detective fiction offers. Chabon’s detective novels strip their readers from the grand narratives or metanarratives that function as consoling safety-nets. These detective novels are examples of anti-trauma literature that enter into a dialogue with respectively the Holocaust and the political conflict in Israel. These novels are in fact postmodern expressions of the fragmented postmodern condition. My analysis of Telegraph Avenue continues in this vein as I explore the postmodern politics underlying Chabon’s postmodern poetics. Telegraph Avenue is set in the Berkeley/Oakland area. Much of the story takes place in and around a record store on Telegraph Avenue, the avenue connecting Berkeley to Oakland. This record store, called Brokeland Records, is owned and operated by two of Telegraph Avenue’s main characters and it is more than just a backdrop against which the actions are set: it serves as a symbol, a metaphor for the surrounding economic waste land. Brokeland is a slice of the postmodern, American world; it is an urban landscape that has been drenched in the postmodern condition. For many decades, the idea of the American Dream captured the essence of the American society. It was and to some extent still is essentially a grand narrative that structures this society. In Brokeland, however, this American Dream does not hold much power anymore as the American Dream is unmasked as a predominantly white, capitalist project, a puritan project even in essence. The American Dream has to make way for the Brokeland Creole Dream, which is driven by a community ethos. It is based not just on peaceful coexistence, but on complete integration and assimilation. The Brokeland Creole Dream is the postmodern, utopian, multicultural answer to the problems America is facing today." "Optimization of oocyte vitrification using cattle and horses as a model" "Ann Van Soom" "Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine" "Cryopreservation of gametes and embryos is an important part of assisted reproductive technologies, since it can be used to preserve genetic material for a longer time. The introduction of vitrification resulted in a promising technique for oocyte and embryo cryopreservation. However, the developmental competence of the oocytes and embryos is compromised after warming. An overview of the difficulties encountered in the vitrification process and a description of the different variables influencing the vitrification process and the cryotolerance of oocytes and embryos is given in Chapter 1. The general aim of this thesis was to increase the effectiveness of vitrification for oocytes and embryos in cattle and horses (Chapter 2). To this purpose, we investigated two variables influencing the vitrification: (1) the presence of cumulus cells surrounding the oocyte during vitrification and their influence on the vitrification protocol and (2) the effect of maturation in the presence of serum on the vitrification of oocytes and blastocysts. In chapter 3, specific attention was given to the role of cumulus cells surrounding mature bovine oocytes during their vitrification. It is already known that cumulus cells play a fundamental role during maturation, fertilization and blastocyst development. However, they might decrease the exchange of water and cryoprotectants (CPAs), which leads to an inadequate protection of the oocyte during vitrification. Our results showed that the presence of multiple layers of cumulus cells surrounding the oocytes compromised their survival after vitrification. On the other hand, we observed that total removal of cumulus cells led to similar survival rates in vitrified denuded oocytes compared to their fresh counterparts. In bovine, it is known that removal of cumulus cells decreases the fertilization rates of the oocytes. Therefore, in our study, we used three different approaches in order to distinguish U+2018vitrifiabilityU+2019 from U+2018fertilizabilityU+2019. Firstly, vitrified denuded oocytes were fertilized in the presence of intact fresh cumulus complex oocytes (COCs). Secondly, we used corona radiata (CR) oocytes as a compromise between COCs and denuded oocytes. Finally, vitrified oocytes were activated parthenogenetically. Our results showed that removal of cumulus cells before vitrification reduced the fertilization in vitrified denuded oocytes. Interestingly, this situation could be reverted when vitrified denuded oocytes were fertilized in the presence of fresh COCs. Secondly, we observed that the mere act of removing only the outer cumulus cells (CR oocytes) was already reducing the fertilization of fresh oocytes compared to the ones surrounded by multiple layers of cumulus cells. Such an effect was not detected in vitrified CR oocytes, which showed similar fertilization and embryonic development compared to vitrified COCs. Surprisingly, vitrified CR oocytes showed similar capacity to become blastocysts compared to fresh COCs after parthenogenetic activation. Together, these results clearly show that the presence of cumulus cells might reduce the entrance of CPAs, compromising the vitrification of mature bovine oocytes and therefore it is advisable to remove some of the external layers of cumulus cells. If cumulus cells reduce the exchange of CPAs, the use of high concentrations of CPAs could help speeding up their entry into the cells. Therefore, in Chapter 4, two protocols were evaluated (high concentrations of CPAs for a short time of exposure and lower concentrations of CPAs for a long time of exposure) for the vitrification of immature equine oocytes surrounded by some (CR) or multiple layers of cumulus cells (COCs). In our study, we observed a low maturation competence when COCs were vitrified in high concentrations of CPAs for a short time of exposure. Fortunately, this situation could be reverted with the use of CR oocytes or with the exposure of COCs to CPAs for a longer period of time. These findings support our observation in Chapter 3, where the presence of multiple layers of cumulus cells surrounding the oocytes prevent the movement of CPAs and water, implying the need for a longer time of exposure for a correct protection. Consequently, COCs were discarded from our following studies and only CR oocytes were used to investigate the effect of the two different protocols on the spindle configuration and the embryonic development of vitrified immature equine oocytes (Chapter 4). Our data showed that both vitrification protocols resulted in higher rates of aberrant spindle configuration in vitrified oocytes compared to fresh ones in the horse. More interestingly, we observed that blastocyst development only occurred in oocytes vitrified in high concentrations of CPAs for a short time of exposure. Pregnancies were established after transfer of such blastocysts, and a healthy male foal was born on May 12, 2017, a wordlU+2019s first. The longer time of exposure to CPAs used in the other protocol might lead to toxic effects, which impaired the further embryonic development of vitrified oocytes. These findings strongly indicate that the presence of cumulus cells might be adjusted with other variables, such as the concentration of CPAs and time of exposure, which are critical for the development of a successful vitrification protocol. In Chapter 5, another variable, which influences the vitrification of oocytes and embryos, was evaluated. It is known that the presence of serum during culture reduces the cryotolerance of oocytes and blastocysts. In a first part of our study, we investigated the vitrification of bovine oocytes matured in two conditions: in presence of serum, glutamine and pyruvate or in absence of serum but with epidermal growth factor (EGF, Chapter 5.1). Our results showed that fertilization is not influenced by the maturation condition, but it was drastically decreased after vitrification. When embryonic development was studied in a second experiment, we observed how the presence of serum reduced the cleavage rate of vitrified oocytes. Vitrification is considered a stressful process that leads to hemichannels opening in cells. This produces the loss of different molecules and ions that are important for cell survival. It has been demonstrated that the inclusion of a mimetic connexin peptide closes these hemichannels, improving cells cryopreservation. In analogy with the previous study, we further investigated if such an effect also occurred in vitrified blastocysts resulting from oocytes matured in serum or EGF conditions, and we included a mimetic peptide in order to improve the vitrification of blastocysts (Chapter 5.2). We observed that vitrification induces opening of the hemichannels in blastocysts derived from oocytes matured in the presence of serum. Although opening of hemichannels is related to increased apoptotic cell rates, we could not observe such an effect when hemichannels were opened. Interestingly, the inclusion of the mimetic peptide closed hemichannels during vitrification, improving the embryonic development of vitrified blastocysts matured in the serum condition. On the other hand, vitrification did not result in hemichannels opening in blastocysts matured in EGF condition. Apparently, EGF might have an effect on hemichannels by modifying their activity. Additional experiments are required to confirm this effect and to investigate the opening of hemichannels under different conditions. Finally, in chapter 6, the main results of this thesis are summarized and discussed. Research was focussed on the optimization of the vitrification conditions for bovine mature oocytes, equine immature oocytes and bovine blastocysts. Our results indisputably demonstrated that the presence of cumulus cells impaired the vitrification of oocytes in both cattle and horses and that their effect needs to be addressed with other variables such as the concentration and time of exposure to CPAs. Therefore, partial removal of the cumulus cells (CR) is advised for the vitrification of bovine mature oocytes in order to allow penetration of CPAs, while maintaining fertilization potential. In the horse, blastocyst development was achieved in immature CRs vitrified by short exposure to high concentrations of CPAs. Finally, vitrification induced opening of hemichannels in bovine blastocysts matured in the presence of serum, impairing their competence. This could be alleviated by the use of a mimetic peptide or by replacing serum by EGF during maturation." "Shakespeare is dead! Textual dramaturgy in the theatre work of Paul Pourveur." "Bart Philipsen" "Associated Faculty of the Arts, German Literature, Leuven" "Research title  Text theatricality in the Dutch theatre repertoire of Paul Pourveur Problem statement The theatrical repertoire of Paul Pourveur turns out to be resistant to an evident staging. Our hypothesis is that this is due to the specific text theatricality that largely overpowers the dramatic theatricality of his work.  In this study we want to find out which specific elements or strategies constitute this text theatricality. MethodologyOn the one hand we will approach the corpus from a narratological point of view, on the other hand  on the basis of rhetorics. We don’t focus on performance analysis but on an analytical reading of the theatre texts as such, in order to make their intrinsic performative qualities visible.CorpusEight plays by Paul Pourveur will be exhaustively analysed. The others will be treated as (counter)illustrations or variations. More extended explanation1. IntroductionPaul Pourveur (°Antwerp, 1952) is a bilingual playwright, whose plays are commissioned by both Dutch and French speaking theatre directors. In both language groups his work has been awarded. Pourveur doesn’t subscribe to a specific theatre writing tradition. Writing texts that can be readily  and easily performed, is not his main objective. Nevertheless he wants his texts to respect the theatrical dispositive, read:  communicate with the audience, and have a certain topicality.The texts of Pourveur can be labelled as thoroughly postmodern, highly developed language games in which late capitalistic, globalised and sexually preoccupied human beings try to glue their fragmented existence hypothetically and experimentally together with a variety of discourses.In most of Pourveur’s plays the poetical and rhetorical qualities are foregrounded, even to that extent that - with a concept of Erwin Jans - one could talk of a language excess. The complex link between this excess and the implicit theatricality of his work will be the object of this doctoral study. 2. Text theatricality  A theoretical reference for our work is Der nicht mehr dramatische Theatertext by Gerda Poschmann. Poschmann points out that theatre texts carry within themselves the tension between the literary aspect (the text as such) and the performative aspect (the staging). Theatre texts, by  assembling theatre signs, feature theatricality.  In many ‘theatre texts that are no longer dramatic’ this theatricality is auto-reflective, analytical and focused on language. This text theatricality, Poschmann states, cannot only be understood within the borders of fiction, by interpreting what goes on within the internal communication system on stage, but also needs the external communication system, in the latitude between stage and spectators. The minimal theatricality needed in theatre texts is that it takes into account the spectator’s perspective or, as H.T. Lehmann puts it, the dialogue between stage and public. The spectator needs to choose up a position in the cognitive space the performance creates. He is invited to activate his imagination and participate in the critical-analytical discussion about the mechanisms and presuppositions of the theatre itself and the world in which theatre wants to play its role. 3. Narrative theatre  Since the prerequisite of representation is no longer at stake in current performance practice the genre notion ‘drama’ has become vague and problematic.This is a fortiori true in Pourveur’s work. His texts cannot be read as mediated stories of a series of events (the structuralistic paradigm). Pourveur’s main assumption is the crisis of representation. Since Heisenberg and Bohr launched the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics, the deterministic and causality based paradigm of Aristotle’s drama should be radically overthrown and banned, Pourveur states. How can we pretend to represent reality if we accept that reality is only a product of our perception and that we change reality by perceiving it? Therefore  Pourveur doesn’t pursue the illusion of authenticity or l’effet du réel. Pourveur deliberately inserts elements that disturb the verisimilitude and stress the artificiality of the play, and in doing so draws attention to the narrative and discursive mode of the text. Principles of causality between past and present are disturbed by elements of paradox or contradiction. Instead of acting and causing a chain of events, Pourveur’s characters tell; they present themselves through intricate narratives of virtual or hypothetical nature. The epistemological question (what can be known and said about reality?) is interwoven with the ontological question (does reality as such exist? How can it survive multiperspectivism and virtuality?) Often Pourveur presents the same scenario with small (sometimes complementary, sometimes contradictory) variations and invites the reader to make up his own version. Often also the presence of a mediating voice  (a teller, reflector, viewer) outside the characters can be detected.  The strategy of narration itself is object of reflection and experiment. The focus is on mental and cognitive processes.    4. Cognitive narratologyIn ‘Towards a natural narratology’ Monika Fludernik  points out that narrativity is the product of a reading experience, rather than an inherent characteristic of a text. A reader can ‘narrativise’ a text without plot, based on post factum evaluations, on emotionally based memories or natural stories of an anthropomorphic authority. Neither does a text need to be mimetic (creating the illusion of authenticity or veracity) in order to be called narrative.Narrativity implies that the reader creates generic, cognitive frames. These frames can relate to the oral tradition, to the literary world of intertextuality but also to the world of science.Just as narrativity, also theatricality can be seen as a potential capacity of a text that is only fully realised by the reader. Mimesis is not a necessary condition for narrativity, neither is drama  (the dramatic genre aspect of a text) a prerequisite for theatricality. But what is, then? Our hypothesis is that in Pourveurs’ work (in which mimesis and drama are put aside) a specific use of narrativity generates its theatricality.For example in Congo (1989)  the idea that man is stuck between science and myth generates a dramaturgic model in which a kind of epic story is countered by a kind of scientific essay.  In Shakespeare is dead, get over it (2003) and Bagdad Blues (2005) Pourveur investigates whether database reality can be taken as a starting point for a play. The narrative and editing techniques Pourveur uses here, seem to be borrowed from cyberage narratology. If we put all these elements together, cognitive narratology (as we get to know it in the work of Fludernik and Ryan, but also of Alber rand Richardson, who specifically focus on anti-mimetic and non-mimetic narratives) is likely to prove an interesting approach in our study.  5.  Approach through rhetorical narratologyGerda Poschmann states that in a ‘theatre text that is no longer dramatic’ the statute of text and characters changes. Characters become ‘Textträger’.In Pourveur’s work characters often have no names; they are merely determined as ‘he’ or ‘she’ and seem to represent different world views, different life experiments, different possibilities of man-and womanhood. They are hardly characterised through attributes, through actions or  dialects.  As we said before, authenticity doesn’t seem to be Pourveur’s ambition. The conflict (if any) is created by the characters’ argumentation. They all have a strong rhetoric competence, with which they constitute their life stories, thereby using narratological, often literary, frames. It is also striking that tropes as metonymy and metaphor are being used both on the micro and the macrolevel of the text (eg. the title) and offer keys for interpretation.On the other hand characters in Pourveur’s work move constantly between different storyworlds and between fiction and objective reality, thereby foregrounding the technique of metalepsis. Breaking through the boundaries  between the diegetic levels , between fiction and reality, occurs in Pourveur’s work on rhetorical and ontological plane and therefore not only has poetic but also philosophical implications. A thorough investigation of the narrative and rhetoric technique of metalepsis therefore might help us to approach the core of Pourveur’s dramatic and analytic theatricality.    " "Biological characterization of novel CXCR4 and CXCR7/ACKR3 receptor inhibitors" "Dominique Schols" "Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy (Rega Institute)" "Chemokine receptors are validated therapeutic targets that have been widely studied for their involvement in cancer growth and metastasis, inflammatory disorders and infectious diseases. Chemokine receptor CXCR4 was amongst the first discovered coreceptors facilitating cellular HIV entry, and still is of major importance in this respect. Great efforts were put into the design, synthesis and in vitro characterization of CXCR4 inhibitors able to interfere with the attachment of HIV virions to the host cell membrane. The main ligand for CXCR4 is the chemokine CXCL12. However, apart from CXCR4, CXCL12 was also shown to bind to CXCR7/ACKR3, as an alternative receptor, with very high affinity. Both CXCR4 and CXCR7 are concomitantly involved in CXCL12-mediated cellular responses, whereby CXCR7 acts as a scavenging receptor for CXCL12 to regulate local and systemic CXCL12 bioavailability and thus CXCR4 activity.In this Ph.D. work, we first performed a side-by-side comparison of in vitro CXCR4-specific cell-based assays, including a CXCL12 competition binding assay, CXCL12-induced calcium signaling and several functional assays to study CXCL12-induced receptor internalization, cell migration, and HIV-1 replication experiments with CXCR4-using virus strains. Small molecule and peptide-based CXCR4-targeting ligands were implemented within this study to validate the screening potential of these CXCR4-related assays. From our comparative analysis, we concluded that the CXCL12 competition binding assay has high value as an initial screening platform to discover potent CXCR4 inhibitors, whereas the assays based on CXCR4 effector functions are of importance for the identification of ligand-biased receptor signaling.In contrast to CXCR4, the chemokine receptor CXCR7 cannot signal via the canonical G protein-mediated pathway. In order to study selective CXCR7 activating molecules, we developed a G protein-independent signaling assay to detect the ligand-induced recruitment of a cytoplasmic adapter protein, called ß-arrestin 2 (ARRB2), to the intracellular part of the CXCR7 membrane protein. We successfully developed an ARRB2 recruitment assay based on the NanoBiT complementation technology (Promega), which relies on the complementation of a split NanoLuc luminescent enzyme fused to CXCR7 and ARRB2. Recruitment of ARRB2 to CXCR7 resulted in the formation of a functional NanoLuc enzyme that generated a luminescent signal.Next, CXCR4-targeting small molecules, derived from the AMD3100 bicyclam structure, were synthesized in collaboration with the group of Prof. Steve J. Archibald from the University of Hull (UK). Structural changes to the original AMD3100 bicyclam structure involved adaptations to the ring size of the cyclams, metal complexation and introduction of side/cross-bridges within each of the cyclam units. These newly synthesized bicyclams displayed high affinity CXCR4 binding and an improved interaction profile when evaluated in the above-mentioned CXCR4-specific binding and activity assays. In parallel, macrocyclic small molecules structurally derived from M40403, a validated superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic, were synthesized in collaboration with the group of Prof. Thomas W. Bell from the University of Nevada (USA). Evaluation of the M40403 derivatives (SH compounds) revealed an interesting dual activity for a selection of SH molecules with both CXCR4 inhibitory and SOD mimetic potency and suggested potential for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Lastly, two studies were carried out in the context of unraveling binding modes of CXCR4 and CXCR7 ligands to their cognate receptors for future development of new chemokine receptor inhibitors with either diagnostic or therapeutic potential in pathological conditions involving CXCR4 and/or CXCR7. In one study, in collaboration with the group of Dr. Andy Chevigné (LIH, Luxemburg), peptides derived from the N-terminal region of the chemokines CXCL12, CXCL11 and vCCL2 were utilized to compare binding and activation modes to CXCR4 and CXCR7, as well as the canonical CXCL11 receptor CXCR3. Our analysis showed that, in contrast to binding and activation of CXCR4 and CXCR3, neither the most proximal residues nor the N-loop are essential for binding and activation of CXCR7. These results imply a distinct ligand interaction mechanism for CXCR7 and demonstrate its strong tendency towards receptor activation. In a second study, we investigated the role of CXCR7 as coreceptor in HIV entry. To analyse CXCR7 coreceptor activity, we introduced different classes of CXCR7-targeting ligands (i.e. small molecules, monoclonal antibodies and chemokines) in our cell based HIV study. Overall, the CXCR7 ligands could all interfere with HIV entry of CXCR7-using virus, confirming previous studies on the involvement of CXCR7 in HIV replication. Nonetheless, differential activity was observed (1) between different ligand classes, which could mostly be explained by variation in molecular size and thus also in the amount of residues that participate in receptor occupancy, and (2) within each ligand class, most likely attributed to differential receptor surface binding of amino acid residues, which do or do not coincide with HIV gp120 interaction residues." "Towards a “post-lyric” poetry? The “narrative turn” in Italian poetry between 1955 and 1975." "Bart van den Bossche" "French, Italian and Spanish Literature, Leuven" "In his 1956 essay La posizione, published in the literary journal «Officina», Pier Paolo Pasolini raised the necessity of “adjusting […] the periscope to the horizon, the immense horizon of phenomena” as an instrument of literary criticism capable of overcoming what he perceived to be the “posizionalismo” or perspectivistic stance of communism towards literature and the arts. When put in a broader perspective, though, the concept of “adjusting […] the periscope to the horizon” can be profitably interpreted as a metaphor for the whole of poetic procedures that Pasolini himself, as well as many other Italian poets in the period between 1955 and 1975, employed as a response to what they perceived to be the ‘historical crisis’ of the hermetic model of ‘pure poetry’. As a matter of fact, due to the various socio-economic, political and cultural developments that manifested themselves in Italy in the decades following the Second World War, many poets started questioning the status and the modalities of their poetic work. These reflections took different forms and led to various outcomes, but for some of the most important poets of the post-war decades the stakes undoubtedly included the distancing from the model of lyric poetry that had dominated the interwar period: a model that, broadly speaking, was linked to an ideal of ‘pure poetry’. In the essay Poesia inclusiva, published in the «Corriere della Sera» of 21 June 1964, Eugenio Montale took stock of the situation by defining contemporary poetry as “inclusive poetry”: poetry that categorically seeks to ‘soil’ the (alleged) ‘purity’ of the hermetic model by including what the French philosopher Merleau-Ponty has called the “prose of the world”. The term “prose of the world” is to be taken in a historically specific sense, in that it concerns references to the consumer-driven neo-capitalist society of the post-war period, which was perceived to be devoid of any authentic meaning or value. Nevertheless, Montale argues that, although “inclusive poetry” is characterised by the massive inclusion of the “prose of the world”, it never ceases to “put into music” its ‘prosaic’ contents, that is to say, it continues to build its raison d’être around a poetic identity. This research has focused on the interaction between ‘prosaic’ contents and ‘poetic’ tension in “inclusive poetry” of the post-war decades in Italy. The basic hypothesis underlying the research is that lyric poetry has two fundamental dimensions: on the one hand, a mimetic-narrative dimension that features the representations of characters and events; on the other hand, a ‘ritualistic’ dimension that consists in lyric poetry’s attempt to be an event in itself rather than the representation of an event, thereby contributing to its own ‘memorability’. Building on this theoretical framework, as outlined by Jonathan Culler in his recent study Theory of the Lyric (2015), this research project analyses the various ways in which the mimetic-narrative and the ritualistic dimension of lyric poetry interact in a corpus of poems which, for various reasons and in various ways, make up the core of the “inclusive” tendencies in twentieth-century Italian poetry. More specifically, it analyses Eugenio Montale’s poetry collection Satura (1971) and Vittorio Sereni’s collection of poems Gli strumenti umani (1965), as well as Pier Paolo Pasolini’s and Edoardo Sanguineti’s poetry collections of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In conclusion, in the four case studies analysed in this research, a number of similarities and differences can be identified as to the ways in which some of the most important Italian poets of the post-war decades have actively engaged with views on the ‘historical crisis’ of models of ‘pure poetry’ by “adjusting […] the periscope to the horizon: the immense horizon of phenomena”." "SRP-Onderzoekszwaartepunt: Exploiting Peptides: Protein Binders, Modulators and Inhibitors for Imaging and Therapy [Exploit-PeptIT]" "Steven Ballet" "Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Department of Bio-engineering Sciences, Supporting clinical sciences, Chemistry" "The overall objective of this SRP is to develop novel peptide-based compounds for clinical diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This general aim will be anchored around a number of more specific goals including (i) the modulation of protein-protein interactions and protein dynamics, using GTPase networks as a case study, (ii) the development of peptides that target connexin and pannexin channels in liver disease and (iii) the generation of peptides as in vivo probes for molecular imaging and therapy. In practice this will be accomplished either by developing peptide analogues based on important peptide segments in the targeted proteins, or by downsizing existing protein-binding scaffolds such as Nanobodies (to obtain so-called ‘peptidomimetics’). The overarching workflow encompasses fundamental research ranging from the production of peptide tools, to the study of their in cellulo and in vivo behavior, via intermediacy of the in- depth biophysical analysis of binding events between the peptides and the targeted proteins. Information from these in vitro and in vivo studies will subsequently be used to optimize the peptide design. To achieve the ambitious bench-to-bedside goals, the consortium relies on the unique and complementary expertise and ‘know-how’ of its team leaders originating from various disciplines and different VUB faculties, which will allow to move beyond the current state-of-the-art.." "Moving Language: An Investigation into Text's Kinetic Potential in Theatre." "Research Centre for Visual Poetics" "The project 'Moving Language: An Investigation into Text's Kinetic Potential in Theatre', will examine the dominating presence of textuality within the work of certain contemporary artists and the way in which it triggers a new form of theatricality. The use of text in the work of, amongst others, Mette Edvardsen, Jan Lauwers and Abke Haring, is deeply influenced by dance aesthetics and therefore very distinct from traditional text theatre. Text is no longer used to produce the words of a certain character (mimetic), neither does it function as mere material presence, within the realm of other performative elements. The aforementioned artists make explicit use of text, in a way that is not conceivable by use of current theoretic paradigms on text. This peculiar status forces scholars to rethink and redefine theory on textuality and to connect it with concepts from performance studies, such as 'embodiment', 'presence' and 'spatiality', concepts that are less likely to be used in dominant theoretic contemplations on textuality. This project departs from this theoretical impetus and will work around the hypothesis that certain contemporary uses of text can be labelled as 'kinetic'. Therefore, the conceptualising of text from a mimetic/semiotic view will be connected with and replaced by a kinetic framework, which will enable performance scholars to study contemporary textual tendencies within the realm of physicality and spatiality. This research project is thus both practical and theoretical: by use of a selected corpus, traditional (theoretical) conceptions will be redefined to frame how textuality in contemporary text theatre 'moves' around the performative dynamic." "Homo Mimeticus: Theory and Criticism" "Nidesh Lawtoo" "Husserl-Archives: Centre for Phenomenology and Continental Philosophy" "Mimesis is one of the most influential concepts in Western thought. Originally invoked to define humans as the “most imitative” creatures in classical antiquity, mimesis (imitation) has recently been at the centre of theoretical debates in the humanities, social sciences, and the neurosciences concerning the role of “mimicry,” “identification,” “contagion,” and “mirror neurons” in the formation of subjectivity. And yet, despite the growing confirmations that imitation is constitutive of human behaviour, mimesis still tends to be confined to the sphere of realistic representation. The HOM project combines approaches that are usually split in different areas of disciplinary specialization to provide a correction to this tendency.Conceived as a trilogy situated at the crossroads between literary criticism, cinema studies, and critical theory, HOM’s outcomes will result in two monographs and accompanying articles that explore the aesthetic, affective, and conceptual implications of the mimetic faculty. The first, radically reframes a major proponent of anti-mimetic aesthetics in modern literature, Oscar Wilde, by looking back to the classical foundations of theatrical mimesis that inform his corpus; the second considers the material effects of virtual simulation by looking ahead to new digital media via contemporary science-fiction films; and the third establishes an interdisciplinary dialogue between philosophical accounts of mimesis and recent discoveries in the neurosciences. Together, these new perspectives on homo mimeticus reconsider the aesthetic foundations of a major literary author, open up a new line of inquiry in film studies, and steer philosophical debates on mimesis in new interdisciplinary directions."