O choro do homem branco (1983) Prefácio (2002)

No prefácio da edição de bolso de 2002, evoca os obstáculos à publicação do ensaio no início dos anos 80 e a receção "agitada" do mesmo. O mundo evoluiu, admite alguns erros juvenis, mas mantém a sua rejeição do Ocidente como bode expiatório, culpado de todas as desgraças decorrentes da (des)colonização. Postura que se confirma ainda no seu ensaio de 2020: Un coupable presque parfait: la construction du bouc émissaire blanc. A sua bibliografia conta com vários outros ensaios, em que aborda temas tão diversos como o amor, a longevidade ou o racismo, uma dezena de romances, uma narrativa autobiográfica em que denúncia a violência e o racismo do pai (Un bon fils, 2015) e três livros de literatura juvenil. Colabora com vários órgãos da imprensa francesa e com a editora Grasset

Equations of state implementation for 1-D modelling of performance in ram accelerator thermally choked propulsion mode

© 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. This paper presents advancement on one-dimensional (1-D) unsteady modelling of a ram accelerator (RAMAC) in the sub-detonative velocity regime by including real-gas equations of state (EoS) in order to account for the compressibility effects of the combustion products. Several equations of state based on generalised empirical and theoretical considerations are incorporated into a 1-D computer code TARAM. The objective of this work is to provide the best available formulations in order to improve the unsteady 1-D model and make the TARAM code a useful tool to predict the performance of the RAMAC in the sub-detonative velocity regime, without having to resort to more complicated 2-D or 3-D computational schemes. The calculations are validated against experimental data from 38-mm and 90-mm-bore facilities and good agreements have been achieved. Yet, the results demonstrate the need for further CFD studies involving the scale effect

Pylorus Resection Does Not Reduce Delayed Gastric Emptying After Partial Pancreatoduodenectomy A Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial (PROPP Study, DRKS00004191)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pylorus resection on postoperative delayed gastric emptying (DGE) after partial pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). Background: PD is the standard treatment for tumors of the pancreatic head. Preservation of the pylorus has been widely accepted as standard procedure. DGE is a common complication causing impaired oral intake, prolonged hospital stay, and postponed further treatment. Recently, pylorus resection has been shown to reduce DGE. Methods:Patients undergoing PD for any indication at the University of Heidelberg were randomized to either PD with pylorus preservation (PP) or PD with pylorus resection and complete stomach preservation (PR). The primary endpoint was DGE within 30 days according to the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery definition. Results: Ninety-five patients were randomized to PP and 93 patients to PR. There were no baseline imbalances between the groups. Overall, 53 of 188 patients (28.2%) developed a DGE (grade: A 15.5%;B 8.8%;C 3.3%). In the PP group 24 of 95 patients (25.3%) and in the PR group 29 of 93 patients (31.2%) developed DGE (odds ratio 1.534, 95% confidence interval 0.788 to 2.987;P = 0.208). Higher BMI, indigestion, and intraabdominal major complications were significant risk factors for DGE. Conclusions: In this randomized controlled trial, pylorus resection during PD did not reduce the incidence or severity of DGE. The development of DGE seems to be multifactorial rather than attributable to pyloric dysfunction alone. Pylorus preservation should therefore remain the standard of care in PD.Trial Registration:German Clinical Trials Register DRKS0000419

Abdominal drainage versus no drainage after distal pancreatectomy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: The placement of prophylactic intra-abdominal drains has been common practice in abdominal operations including pancreatic surgery. The PANDRA trial showed that the omission of drains following pancreatic head resection was non-inferior to intra-abdominal drainage in terms of postoperative reinterventions and superior in terms of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula rate and fistula-associated complications. The aim of the present PANDRA II trial is to evaluate the clinical outcome with versus without prophylactic drain placement after distal pancreatectomy. Methods: The PANDRA II trial is a mono-center, randomized controlled, non-inferiority trial with two parallel study groups. In the control group at least one passive intra-abdominal drain is placed at the pancreatic resection margin. In the experimental group no drains are placed. The primary endpoint of this trial will be the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) measuring all postoperative complications within 90 days. Secondary endpoints are in-hospital mortality and morbidity, including the rates of postoperative pancreatic fistula, chyle leak, postpancreatectomy hemorrhage, delayed gastric emptying, reinterventions and reoperations, surgical site infection, and abdominal fascia dehiscence. Moreover, length of hospital stay, duration of intensive care unit stay, and the rate of readmission after discharge from hospital (up to day 90 after surgery) are assessed. We will need to analyze 252 patients to test the hypothesis that no drainage is non-inferior to drain placement in terms of the CCI (δ 7.5 points) in a one-sided t test with a one-sided level of significance of 2.5% and a power of 80%. Discussion: The results of the PANDRA II trial will help to evaluate the effect of an omission of prophylactic intraperitoneal drainage on the rate of complications after open or minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS), DRKS00013763. Registered on 6 March 2018

Fighting the Other Within and Without: Confrontation as the Driving Force in the Work of Lydie Salvayre

Although the novels of the French writer Lydie Salvayre tend to be soliloquic, they are far from being mono-logical: founded on the clashes of different logics and systems of value, discourses and desires, they embody the protagonists' inherent antagonism and rage, reflecting the violence of the outside world. This study analyses some common matrixes underlying Salvayre’s prose. It focuses on the manifestations of resistance to either external or self-imposed oppressions, restrictions and mystifications. It aims to demonstrate that Salvayre’s novels not only represent subjects in permanent and incurable crises, but also challenge the very imperative of the subject's constitution through the foreclosure of the other, of what is outside the self.Salvayre’s texts are typically monologues in which an individual strives to affirm his or her distinct unicity and separation from the rest of the universe. These discourses are defensive, since the protagonists present themselves as endangered by an external element, oppressed in a relationship or socially marginalized. At the same time, they are sarcastic and often (self)destructive. In those cases where the word is given to more than one character, the interaction does not result in a dialogue but in a series of speeches which do not intersect. The subjects blindly plead their cause and recognize only aggression and malevolence in the others’ discourse. The most obvious example can be found in the novel The Cintegabelle Conference (La Conférence de Cintegabelle): a local intellectual delivers a lengthy, pompous and heavy lecture on what he calls the lost art of conversation—cultural heritage which was once preeminently French, and is today sadly abandoned. Ironically, he who speaks out as a defender of the conversational virtue, remains blatantly monological; although very careful not to lose his listeners, he does not leave them any time even to answer his questions, showing interest in nothing but his own voice. Another irony resides in his confession that he used to be bored by the conversations with his wife while she was alive, whereas now that she is dead, he converses with her regularly and with great satisfaction

Neuron to Astrocyte Communication via Cannabinoid Receptors Is Necessary for Sustained Epileptiform Activity in Rat Hippocampus

Astrocytes are integral functional components of synapses, regulating transmission and plasticity. They have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, although their precise roles have not been comprehensively characterized. Astrocytes integrate activity from neighboring synapses by responding to neuronally released neurotransmitters such as glutamate and ATP. Strong activation of astrocytes mediated by these neurotransmitters can promote seizure-like activity by initiating a positive feedback loop that induces excessive neuronal discharge. Recent work has demonstrated that astrocytes express cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors, which are sensitive to endocannabinoids released by nearby pyramidal cells. In this study, we tested whether this mechanism also contributes to epileptiform activity. In a model of 4-aminopyridine induced epileptic-like activity in hippocampal slice cultures, we show that pharmacological blockade of astrocyte CB1 receptors did not modify the initiation, but significantly reduced the maintenance of epileptiform discharge. When communication in astrocytic networks was disrupted by chelating astrocytic calcium, this CB1 receptor-mediated modulation of epileptiform activity was no longer observed. Thus, endocannabinoid signaling from neurons to astrocytes represents an additional significant factor in the maintenance of epileptiform activity in the hippocampus

Definitions and outcome measures for mucous membrane pemphigoid: Recommendations of an international panel of experts

Mucous membrane pemphigoid encompasses a group of autoimmune bullous diseases with a similar phenotype characterized by subepithelial blisters, erosions, and scarring of mucous membranes, skin, or both. Although knowledge about autoimmune bullous disease is increasing, there is often a lack of clear definitions of disease, outcome measures, and therapeutic end points. With clearer definitions and outcome measures, it is possible to directly compare the results and data from various studies using meta-analyses. This consensus statement provides accurate and reproducible definitions for disease extent, activity, outcome measures, end points, and therapeutic response for mucous membrane pemphigoid and proposes a disease extent score, the Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid Disease Area Index

Charmonium Production in Deep Inelastic Scattering at HERA

The electroproduction of J/psi and psi(2S) mesons is studied in elastic, quasi-elastic and inclusive reactions for four momentum transfers 2 Q^2 80 GeV^2 and photon-proton centre of mass energies 25 W 180 GeV. The data were taken with the H1 detector at the electron proton collider HERA in the years 1995 to 1997. The total virtual photon-proton cross section for elastic J/psi production is measured as a function of Q^2 and W. The dependence of the production rates on the square of the momentum transfer from the proton (t) is extracted. Decay angular distributions are analysed and the ratio of the longitudinal and transverse cross sections is derived. The ratio of the cross sections for quasi-elastic psi(2S) and J/psi meson production is measured as a function of Q^2. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical models based upon perturbative QCD. Differential cross sections for inclusive and inelastic production of J/psi mesons are determined and predictions within two theoretical frameworks are compared with the data, the non-relativistic QCD factorization approach including colour octet and colour singlet contributions, and the model of Soft Colour Interactions