Unveiling French-African Memory

Whereas the question of memory has become central to French identity, notably in regards to the Vichy period, French-African memory has been systematically obscured

Pour une relecture dynamique de Senghor

La réflexion qui suit s’intéresse au cheminement de la pensée de Senghor au sortir de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Loin de l’image du colonisé aliéné que certains intellectuels ont véhiculée durant plusieurs décennies, il s’agira de mettre en évidence à quel point les réflexions critiques et esthétiques de Senghor, trop souvent négligées, ont permis la progressive affirmation d’un réalisme africain, détaché du moule esthétique et politique qui imprégnait le discours français à ce moment-là. Il s’agit donc de clarifier un parcours qui s’est achoppé aux concepts antithétiques de la raison et de l’émotion, « gros mots » devenus signes d’une polarité ontologique indéfendable

Sony Labou Tansi : la question du bas matériel et corporel

According to Mikhail Bakhtin, the material and corporeal “lower stratum” includes the symbols that refer to the nether regions of the human body. By adopting this approach to writing in a dictatorship, Labou Tansi most likely wanted to protect his work and himself from possible reprisals by his country’s political authorities. More importantly, however, this move constitutes a strategy of subversion of Marxist ideology: the focus on the material and corporal “lower stratum” (indistinguishable from the carnivalesque) is a form of resistance to what Bakhtin calls official discourse, and becomes a way of reclaiming the writer’s literary autonomy

Calibration and Model Risk in the Pricing of Exotic Options Under Pure-Jump Lévy Dynamics

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die groeiende belangstelling in kalibrering en modelrisiko is ’n redelik resente ontwikkeling in finansiële wiskunde. Hierdie proefskrif fokusseer op hierdie sake, veral in verband met die prysbepaling van vanielje-en eksotiese opsies, en vergelyk die prestasie van verskeie Lévy modelle. ’n Nuwe metode om modelrisiko te meet word ook voorgestel (hoofstuk 6). Ons kalibreer eers verskeie Lévy modelle aan die log-opbrengs van die S&P500 indeks. Statistiese toetse en grafieke voorstellings toon albei aan dat suiwer sprongmodelle (VG, NIG en CGMY) die verdeling van die opbrengs beter beskryf as die Black-Scholes model. Daarna kalibreer ons hierdie vier modelle aan S&P500 indeks opsie data en ook aan "CGMY-wˆ ereld" data (’n gesimuleerde wÃłreld wat beskryf word deur die CGMY-model) met behulp van die wortel van gemiddelde kwadraat fout. Die CGMY model vaar beter as die VG, NIG en Black-Scholes modelle. Ons waarneem ook ’n effense verskil tussen die nuwe parameters van CGMY model en sy wisselende parameters, ten spyte van die feit dat CGMY model gekalibreer is aan die "CGMYwêreld" data. Versperrings-en terugblik opsies word daarna geprys, deur gebruik te maak van die gekalibreerde parameters vir ons modelle. Hierdie pryse word dan vergelyk met die "ware" pryse (bereken met die ware parameters van die "CGMY-wêreld), en ’n beduidende verskil tussen die modelpryse en die "ware" pryse word waargeneem. Ons eindig met ’n poging om hierdie modelrisiko te kwantiseerENGLISH ABSTRACT : The growing interest in calibration and model risk is a fairly recent development in financial mathematics. This thesis focussing on these issues, particularly in relation to the pricing of vanilla and exotic options, and compare the performance of various Lévy models. A new method to measure model risk is also proposed (Chapter 6). We calibrate only several Lévy models to the log-return of S&P500 index data. Statistical tests and graphs representations both show that pure jump models (VG, NIG and CGMY) the distribution of the proceeds better described as the Black-Scholes model. Then we calibrate these four models to the S&P500 index option data and also to "CGMY-world" data (a simulated world described by the CGMY model) using the root mean square error. Which CGMY model outperform VG, NIG and Black-Scholes models. We observe also a slight difference between the new parameters of CGMY model and its varying parameters, despite the fact that CGMY model is calibrated to the "CGMY-world" data. Barriers and lookback options are then priced, making use of the calibrated parameters for our models. These prices are then compared with the "real" prices (calculated with the true parameters of the "CGMY world), and a significant difference between the model prices and the "real" rates are observed. We end with an attempt to quantization this model risk

Au cœur des ténèbres, une œuvre ambiguë, et discussion par Boniface Mongo-Mboussa

Blaise Ndala revient sur le malaise qu’il a ressenti, à la fin de ses études, à la lecture du Cœur des ténèbres. Ce malaise perdure : pourquoi Conrad a-t-il choisi le bassin du Congo pour planter le décor de sa nouvelle ? Pourquoi l’homme noir devient-il, sous sa plume, un pantin moitié muet et moitié sauvage ?Blaise Ndala revisits the discomfort he felt when reading 'Heart of Darkness' at the end of his studies. This discomfort persists: why did Conrad choose the Congo Basin to set the scene of his novella? Why does, under his pen, the black man become a half mute half savage puppet

Table ronde : Les positionnements des écrivains dans le champ littéraire contemporain

Romuald Fonkoua Je vais donc appeler Boniface Mongo-Mboussa, Alain Mabanckou, Léonora Miano et Jack Lamar pour un débat qui portera sur le positionnement des écrivains dans le champ littéraire francophone. Boniface Mongo-Mboussa (Modérateur de la table-ronde) Nous allons donc ouvrir ce débat sur le positionnement des écrivains africains dans le champ littéraire francophone, français. C’est un débat qui arrive à point nommé puisque d’une certaine manière, il prolonge la belle communication de ..

Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Personalized Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Emerging Role of Gamma-Glutamyltransferase

Background. The objectives were (i) to evaluate the impact of acute pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and anti-TB therapy on the relationship between AST, ALT, and GGT levels in absence of conditions related to hepatotoxicity; (ii) to evaluate the rate and the time of alterations of AST, ALT, and GGT. Design and Methods. A prospective followup of 40 adults (21 males; mean age of 34.7 ± 5.8 years) with active PTB on initial phase and continuation phase anti-TB. Results. Only 3% (n = 1) developed a transient and benign ADR at day 30 without interruption of anti-TB treatment. Within normal ranges, GGT decreased significantly from day 0 to day 60, while AST and ALT increased significantly and respectively. During day 0–day 60, there was a significant, negative, and independent association between GGT and AST. Conclusion. The initial two months led to significant improvement of oxidative stress. Values of oxidative markers in normal ranges might predict low rate of ADR

Diabetes is a Strong Predictor of Mortality During Tuberculosis Treatment: A Prospective Cohort Study Among Tuberculosis Patients from Mwanza, Tanzania.

Strong evidence suggests diabetes may be associated with tuberculosis (TB) and could influence TB treatment outcomes. We assessed the role of diabetes on sputum culture conversion and mortality among patients undergoing TB treatment. A total of 1250 Tanzanian TB patients were followed prospectively during TB treatment with sputum culture after 2 and 5 months. Survival status was assessed at least 1 year after initiation of treatment. At baseline, all participants underwent testing for diabetes and HIV, and the serum concentration of the acute phase reactant alpha-1 glycoprotein (AGP) was determined. There were no differences between participants with and without diabetes regarding the proportion of positive cultures at 2 (3.8% vs. 5.8%) and 5 (1.3% vs. 0.9%) months (P > 0.46). However, among patients with a positive TB culture, relatively more patients with diabetes died before the 5-month follow-up. Within the initial 100 days of TB treatment, diabetes was associated with a fivefold increased risk of mortality (RR 5.09, 95% CI 2.36; 11.02, P < 0.001) among HIV uninfected, and a twofold increase among HIV co-infected patient (RR 2.33 95% CI 1.20; 4.53, P = 0.012), while diabetes was not associated with long-term mortality. Further adjustment with AGP did not change the estimates. Diabetes considerably increases risk of early mortality during TB treatment. The effect may not be explained by increased severity of TB, but could be due to impaired TB treatment response. Research is needed to clarify the mechanism and to assess whether glycaemic control improves survival

Tuberculose pulmonaire à Brazzaville en hospitalisation pneumologique: impact du diagnostic tardif à l'infection au VIH sur les anomalies radiographiques

L’objectif de notre étude était de décrire les différents aspects radiographiques de la tuberculose pulmonaire selon le degré de l’immunodépression chez les patients VIH. Nous rapportons une étude rétrospective de 80 patients VIH positif non traités présentant une tuberculose pulmonaire, hospitalisés dans le service de Pneumo-phtisiologie de Brazzaville de Janvier 2013 à Janvier 2014. Notre échantillon était composé de 44 femmes (55%) et 36 hommes (45%) soit un sex ratio de 0,81. La moyenne d’âge était de 37,5±9,17ans, la moyenne du Taux de CD4 était de 153,13±86,6cell/mm3. La microscopie des expectorations à la recherche des bacilles acido-alcoolo-résistants était positive dans 75% des cas chez les patients ayant un taux de lymphocytes T CD4&gt;200cell/ mm3. Les adénopathies médiastinales, les atteintes moyennes, inferieures du champ pulmonaire et la miliaire étaient plus fréquentes chez les patients ayant un taux de lymphocytes T CD4&lt; 200cell/ mm3. L’immunodépression sévère est significativement associée à la présentation radiographique atypique de la tuberculose.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2