Muses, inspiration, création dans la poésie homérique ?

Pour saisir le processus créateur dans la poésie homérique, il est impossible de partir de données biographiques d’autant que les « Vies » d’Homère, toutes postérieures au ive siècle avant J.‑C., sont en réalité des procédures étiologiques visant à constituer l’aède épique en « auteur » de l’épopée. Toutefois, les Poèmes homériques montrent des aèdes‑poètes en performance, ce qui permet de se représenter la façon dont ils composent, et en quoi consiste pour eux ce que nous appelons « inspiration ». On a l’habitude d’assimiler l’inspiration des poètes épiques archaïques à une possession par la ou des Muse(s). Mais, en particulier dans l’Iliade, les Muses, filles de Mémoire, sont en fait les garantes de l’authenticité des informations délivrées par le chant et de leur conformité à la tradition épique, mais c’est l’aède qui compose son chant selon sa propre volonté, en interaction avec l’auditoire sans lequel le chant, oral, n’existerait pas.We can’t know anything of the creative process in Homeric poetry by the way of biographical data, as the Vitae Homeri, posterior to the fourth century BC, are actually etiological procedures to constitute the epic bard as “author” of the epic. However, the Homeric poems show bards in performance, allowing to imagine how they compose, and what is for them what we call “inspiration”. We are used to equate the inspiration of archaic epic poets to a possession by Muse(s). But, especially in the Iliad, the Muses, daughters of Memory, are in fact cautions for the authenticity of the information delivered by the song and for their compliance with the epic tradition, but it is the bard who composes his song according to his own will, interacting with the audience without which singing would not exist

Human papillomavirus-associated increase in p16INK4A expression in penile lichen sclerosus and squamous cell carcinoma

Re-use of this article is permitted in accordance with the Creative Commons Deed, Attribution 2·5, which does not permit commercial exploitationBackground: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are sexually transmitted human carcinogens that may play a role in the oncogenesis of penile cancer. Objectives: To investigate the role of HPV infection and expression of the tumour suppressor protein p16INK4A in the pathogenesis of penile cancer. Methods: By means of polymerase chain reaction amplification and reverse hybridization line probe assay to detect HPV infection, and immunohistochemical staining for p16INK4A and Ki67, we analysed 26 penile squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and 20 independent penile lichen sclerosus (LS) lesions from 46 patients. Results: HPV DNA was found in 54% of penile SCCs and 33% of penile LS cases in single and multiple infections. High-risk HPV 16 was the predominant HPV type detected. No relationship between Ki67 expression and HPV infection was observed. Strong immunostaining for p16INK4A correlated with HPV 16/18 infection in both penile LS and penile SCC. In our penile SCC series the cancer margins were also associated with penile LS in 13 of 26 lesions, and HPV was detected in seven of the 13 SCC cases associated with LS and in six of the 11 SCC lesions not involving LS. Conclusions: Our study shows a high prevalence of HPV 16 and p16INK4A expression in penile lesions, consistent with an active role for HPV in interfering with the retinoblastoma pathway. High-risk HPV infection could be involved in the tumorigenic process in 50% of penile cancers, and the use of prophylactic HPV vaccines has the potential to prevent these cancers.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Clinical and prognostic analysis of hepatitis B virus infection in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients is a common complication in China. However, the clinical relevance of HBV infection with respect to DLBCL disease stages and patient survival remains unclear. The main objective of the current study was to analyze the clinical features and to evaluate the prognostic factors of HBV infection in DLBCL patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this retrospective study, DLBCL patients were divided into two groups as HBsAg-positive (n = 81) and HBsAg-negative (n = 181) patients. The HBsAg-positive patients were further divided into two subgroups based on their hepatic function during chemotherapy. Various statistical analyses were used to determine the significance of the relevant clinical parameters.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared with the HBsAg-negative group, the HBsAg-positive DLBCL group displayed a younger median onset age (46 year vs 51), more advanced stage at grade III/IV (58% vs 42%, p = 0.016), and more frequent hepatic dysfunction before (21% vs 5.5%, p < 0.001) and during (49.4% vs 16.6%, p < 0.001) chemotherapy. Female DLBCL patients exhibited a higher frequency of HBsAg positivity (p = 0.006). However, in both groups the median overall survival (OS) duration (55.8 vs 66.8 months) and response rates (91% vs 90.4%) were similar. In the HBsAg-positive DLBCL group, the poor prognostic factors were advanced stage (p < 0.001) and hepatic dysfunction during chemotherapy (p = 0.02). The OS of HBsAg-positive patients with hepatic dysfunction during chemotherapy was significantly shorter than those without liver dysfunction (p = 0.016), and the OS rates at 3 years were 48% and 72%, respectively. The use of rituximab did not increase the rates of liver dysfunction in HBsAg-positive DLBCL patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Compared with HBsAg-negative patients, the HBsAg-positive DLBCL patients had earlier onset and more advanced stage. The disease stage and hepatic dysfunction during chemotherapy and were two significant prognostic factors in the HBsAg-positive DLBCL patients. This study suggests that prophylactic treatment of HBV may be of great importance in the cases of HBsAg-positive patients.</p

Risk of infection in patients with lymphoma receiving rituximab: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The addition of Rituximab (R) to standard chemotherapy (C) has been reported to improve the end of treatment outcome in patients affected by CD-20 positive malignant lymphomas (CD20+ ML). Nevertheless, given the profound and prolonged immunosuppression produced by R there are concerns that severe infections may arise. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to determine whether or not the addition of R to C may increase the risk of severe infections in adults undergoing induction therapy for CD20+ ML.Methods: Only randomised controlled trials comparing R-C to C standard alone in adult patients with CD20+ ML were included. Meta-analysis was performed on overall incidence of severe infection, risk of dying as the consequence of infection, risk of febrile neutropenia, risk of severe leucopenia, risk of severe granulocytopenia and overall response assuming a fixed effect model. Heterogeneity was investigated, if present and I-2 >20%, according to several predefined baseline characteristics of the study populations.Results: Several relevant results have emerged. First, the addition of R to standard C does not increase the overall risk of severe infections (RR = 1.00; 95% CI 0.87 to 1.14) nor does it increase the risk of dying as a consequence of infection (RR = 1.60; 95% CI 0.68 to 3.75). Second, we confirmed that the addition of R to standard C increases the proportion of overall response (RR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.15), but it also increases the risk of severe leucopenia (RR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.12 to 1.37) and granulocytopenia (RR = 1.07; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.12).Conclusions: R-C is superior to standard C in terms of overall response and it does not increase the overall incidence of severe infection. However, data on special groups of patients (for example, HIV positive subjects and HBV carriers) are lacking. In our opinion more studies are needed to explore the potential effect of R on silent and chronic viral infections

La voix d’Hélène dans l’épopée homérique : fiction et tradition

Homeric scholarship usually considers Helen as an allegorical substitute for the poet or the Muses. But the homeric Helen is a fictional character, staged in the narrative by the poet who considers her as a central character for his epics. Being simultaneously Menelaus’wife and Paris’wife, she is an archetypal bride, as noticed by Nancy Worman, and she is the unique feminine character present on stage both in the Iliad and the Odyssey, in the trojan as well as in the lacedaemonian oikos. She is the one everyone talks about and who, on the other hand, shows herself concretely and singularly, using direct speeches. Enouncing herself in first person discourse, she adapts her speaches to her audience and alters the lines of the so called feminine discourse, revealing a voice emancipated from the normative standards (social or ritual). She is an autonomous character who affirms her presence in front of gods and men, in rupture with the traditional figures of brides, disturbing the narratological categories and, being placed between two worlds, she seems to question the traditional masculine language of the epics

Catherine Collobert, Parier sur le temps. La quête héroïque d’immortalité dans l’épopée homérique

Perceau Sylvie. Catherine Collobert, Parier sur le temps. La quête héroïque d’immortalité dans l’épopée homérique. In: Revue Philosophique de Louvain. Troisième série, tome 110, n°1, 2012. pp. 117-119

L'un chante, l'autre pas

In the embassy's scene (Iliad LX), the poet presents Achilleus with a phorminx in the hand, singing the klea andron in front of his friend Patro- clus : I show here that the scene is far from being insignificant because it not only allows to characterise the hero but also to emphasize the contrast with Odysseus. This becomes obvious when studying carefully the way the poet uses the musical motive in that scene. The presence of the music sketches the figure of Achilleus as an «amateur singer», a unique and unexpected figure in the context of the Iliad : his performance, inscribed in a procedure that can easily be set up, corresponds mutatis mutandis to that of the professionnel aeds we can find in the Odyssey. Interrupting such an aedic performance, Odysseus who took the head of the ambassy here manifests his con- tempt for music and poetry, as he does elsewhere in the epics. Music (espe- cialy the aedic song) is in fact what, in the epics, unites and reconciles, and at the same times allows to keep off the violence and the values that come with it.Au chant IX de Vlliade, le poète présente Achille, la phorminx à la main, en train de chanter les klea andron devant son ami Patrocle : je montre ici que loin d'être anodine, la scène vise non seulement à caractériser le héros mais aussi à souligner son opposition avec Ulysse. C'est ce que révèle l'étude attentive de la façon dont le poète met en œuvre le motif musical dans ce passage. La présence de la musique permet de dessiner la figure d'Achille en aède amateur, figure unique et étonnante dans le contexte de Vlliade : sa prestation, inscrite dans un protocole que l'on peut aisément recomposer, correspond mutatis mutandis à celle des aèdes professionnels que met en scène V Odyssée. En interrompant sans vergogne une prestation de type aédique, Ulysse qui a pris la tête de l'ambassade révèle ici son mépris pour la musique et la poésie, mépris bien attesté par ailleurs dans d'autres passages de l'épopée. Or la musique (qui accompagne le chant poétique) est ce qui, dans l'épopée, rassemble et réconcilie, en même temps qu'elle permet la mise à distance de la violence et des valeurs qui l'accompagnent.Perceau Sylvie. L'un chante, l'autre pas. In: Gaia : revue interdisciplinaire sur la Grèce Archaïque, numéro 9, 2005. pp. 65-85

Internal aerodynamic study of Miller cycle gasoline engines

Le cycle de Miller est utilisé pour améliorer le rendement par détente prolongée. Celle-ci étant réalisée en diminuant le taux de compression effectif par fermeture prématurée des soupapes d’admission. Le mouvement aérodynamique, interne aux cylindres, cesse donc d’être entretenu avant que le piston n’atteigne le point mort bas. Or, ce mouvement est essentiel au fonctionnement d’un moteur. Il permet tout d’abord d’effectuer un bon mélange entre l’air et l’essence puis d’accélérer la phase de combustion par génération de turbulence. Une première partie de la thèse a été consacrée à l’estimation des bénéfices apportés par l’utilisation d’un cycle de Miller. Cette étude a été menée en modélisant le cycle par une approche zéro dimensionnelle. Un modèle complet, prenant en compte l’aérodynamique interne et son effet sur la phase de combustion, a donc été réalisé. Il a permis de montrer que le cycle de Miller est plus efficace que le cycle d’Otto. Une deuxième partie été consacrée au montage d’un banc moteur à cylindre transparent. Il a été muni d’un système de mesure de champs de vitesses par vélocimétrie laser (Dual-PIV) qui a la particularité de pouvoir mesurer deux champs de vitesses par cycle moteur tout en conservant le nombre de cycles important pouvant être observés par les systèmes classiques. Il permet également d’avoir le lien temporel entre deux champs instantanés d’un même cycle. Les essais ont ensuite été menés afin d’observer l’effet d’un décalage temporel et d’une asymétrie de la loi de levée des soupapes d’admission sur l’écoulement.The Miller cycle is used to improve efficiency by prolonged expansion. This is achieved by reducing the effective compression ratio by closing the intake valves prematurely. The aerodynamic movement, internal to the cylinders, ceases to be maintained before the piston reaches bottom dead center. However, this movement is essential to the operation of an engine. It allows first of all to make a good mixture between the air and the gasoline and then to accelerate the combustion phase by generating turbulence.A first part of the thesis was devoted to the estimation of the benefits of using a Miller cycle. This study was conducted by modeling the cycle by a zero dimensional approach. A complete model, taking into account the internal aerodynamics and its effect on the combustion phase, has been realized. It allowed to show that the Miller cycle is more efficient than the Otto cycle.A second part was devoted to the assembly of a transparent engine test bench. It was equipped with a system of measurement of velocity fields by laser velocimetry (Dual-PIV) which can measure two velocity fields by engine cycle while preserving the number of important cycles which can be observed by the traditional systems. It also allows to have the temporal link between two instantaneous fields of the same cycle. The tests were then carried out in order to observe the effect of a temporal shift and an asymmetry of the intake valve lift on the flow

« Mais devançant Ménélas, Hélène... » (Od. XV, 172). Hélène et Ménélas au chant IV de l'Odyssée

Remembering the past: Helen and Menelaus in Odyssey IV In Odyssey IV, the poet subtly sets forth two mechanisms of memory whose differences he shows in performance. Before Telemachus who as not yet revealed his identity, Menelaus appears as a man with a rational memory (as expressed by the verbs νοέω and μεμνημένος), who weighs things and deliberates before taking decisions. His intellectual and factual memory refers to the memory of a common past that can be brought to mind by remembering, and ends in a speech of commemoration. Appearing before Menelaus, Helen displays an immediate, spontaneous memory in relation with the thumos, a personal memory based on a lived sensation and expressing itself in images, when she recognizes Telemachus at first glance, as when she immediately recognized Ulysses in the past, in spite of his beggars disguise, on his entring Troy. This presentation of two kinds of memory, of a voluntary and an involuntary type, can be compared with Marcel Proust's analysis found in A la Recherche du Temps perdu.Au chant IV de l'Odyssée le poète met subtilement en scène deux mécanismes de la mémoire dont il illustre les différences de façon pragmatique. Confronté à Télémaque qui ne lui a pas encore dévoilé son identité, Ménélas apparaît comme l'homme de la mémoire rationnelle (exprimée par les verbes νοέω et μεμνημένος), qui pèse les choses et délibère avant de prendre une décision. Sa mémoire intellectuelle, factuelle, est la mémoire d'un passé commun que chacun peut rappeler à son esprit par un acte volontaire de remémoration et qui débouche sur une parole de commémoration. Face à lui, Hélène manifeste une mémoire immédiate et spontanée liée au thumos, mémoire personnelle qui prend appui sur une sensation vécue et s'explicite en images, en reconnaissant Télémaque au premier regard comme elle a autrefois reconnu d'emblée Ulysse malgré son déguisement de mendiant, au moment de son intrusion dans Troie. Cette présentation de deux types de mémoire, l'une volontaire et l'autre involontaire, peut être rapprochée des analyses de Marcel Proust dans sa Recherche du Temps perdu.Perceau Sylvie. « Mais devançant Ménélas, Hélène... » (Od. XV, 172). Hélène et Ménélas au chant IV de l'Odyssée. In: Gaia : revue interdisciplinaire sur la Grèce Archaïque, numéro 14, 2011. pp. 135-153