'Portuguese race' and empire Neves, Joao-Manuel
Social identities,
09/2023, Volume:
29, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The notion of 'Portuguese race' started to take shape in the early 1870s, under the influence of Aryan mythology and the first iterations of Haeckelian social Darwinist concepts of 'historical ...races'. This notion evolved alongside theories of a 'race struggle' that would ensure planetary domination by the 'Aryan peoples'. With these theories as a reference, mass killings and genocides became regular features of the conquest of territories in Angola, Mozambique and Timor, from the mid-1890s to the late 1910s. António Sardinha, one of Portuguese fascism's leading doctrinaires, would revive the idea of a 'Portuguese race' in the early 1910s, infusing it with a certain air of mystique. Later that decade, Mendes Correia, a 'raciologist' initially related to the 'anthroposociology school' that gave rise to Nazi race programs, would fit the concept into a supposedly scientific framework. Mendes Correia also built up the mystical side by projecting the realization of the race onto empire. For the next forty years, his 'raciology' school would provide the Portuguese empire with its official 'science of the races', carrying out numerous anthropological field studies in the African colonies. Portugal's national day, June 10, was celebrated as Dia da Raça, the 'Day of the Race', by the fascist regime up until the 1970s.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
An exceptional combination of circumstances would make the Wiriyamu massacre of December 1972 the most documented operation of the total war waged against the populations by Portuguese fascism along ...the southern bank of the Zambezi river from the early 1970s. The representation of Wiriyamu by present-day Portuguese intelligentsia oscillates between the acknowledgement of an "episodic" case and a sort of relativistic denial. Both representations explicitly deny the carnage as a moment of a vaster genocidal strategy meant to prevent African guerrillas from crossing the critical border of the Zambezi river, which would signify a direct threat to the main bastions of apartheid. Since African troops constituted more then one half of the Portuguese army's total enrolment, denial positions are based on the rhetorical assumption that the imperial war was a sort of "civil war". This mystification is directly linked to the fact that the mass-killings in the Wiriyamu area were carried out mainly by African commando units. In this essay a parallel is made with the 1920s' colonial literary accounts of the genocidal processes which took place in Mozambique in the 1910s. Like in the 1920s, the argument of today's Portuguese elites is that savagery is the work of savages and the Portuguese, with their scant resources, had to rely on what was available. A general contextual view is presented, particularly attentive to the developments of the last months of Portuguese rule around Inhaminga, where regular mass-killings were carried out mainly by Portuguese soldiers and settlers. This essay aims to contribute to the understanding of their moral distress, but at the same time their determination, as a community self-represented by ideas of "race" and nation, to "exterminate all the brutes". Moreover, it seeks to promote the discussion on the connection between present-day denial rhetoric and racist or culturalist hierarchical representations.
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Multi-subcarrier (MSC) modulation is recently standing out as a notable new feature in the latest generations of high-speed coherent optical transceivers, providing distinctive advantages over legacy ...single-carrier systems. However, the transition from single-carrier to MSC modulation still requires significant optimization of digital signal processing subsystems, in order to maximize the inherent potential of subcarrier multiplexing. In this article, the penalty associated with the usage of carrier phase estimation (CPE) methods inherited from single-carrier systems is quantitatively studied and the need for enhanced MSC-tailored solutions is evidenced. A novel pilot-based joint-subcarrier CPE method based on a dual-reference subcarrier (DRS) approach is described and numerically assessed. The proposed DRS-CPE exploits the frequency-dependent walk-off effect imposed by chromatic dispersion (CD) to enable the separation of phase noise processes incurred by the transmitter and local oscillator lasers, thereby allowing to effectively apply joint-subcarrier CPE independently of the symbol-rate per subcarrier. Our numerical results demonstrate that the proposed DRS-CPE enables to operate with near-optimum performance at symbol-rates per subcarrier as low as 1 Gbaud over ultra-long-haul distances.
Digital subcarrier multiplexing (SCM) has recently emerged as a promising solution for next-generation ultra-high-baudrate coherent optical communication systems. Among its distinctive advantages ...over traditional single-carrier modulation, SCM enables the exploitation of symbol-rate optimization (SRO), which has been shown to enable the passive mitigation of the nonlinear interference noise (NLIN) that is generated during propagation over dispersion-unmanaged optical fiber systems. However, the full exploitation of SRO-based NLIN mitigation is severely hindered by the uncompensated distortion caused by laser phase noise (LPN) and non-linear phase noise (NLPN), whose impact is magnified by the use of low-baudrate subcarriers. Resorting to low-complexity carrier phase estimation (CPE) algorithms, in this paper we experimentally demonstrate that it is possible to overcome the hurdles posed by LPN and NLPN in SCM systems, provided that adequate joint-subcarrier CPE processing is employed. A dual-stage joint-processing approach composed of a pilot-based CPE optionally followed by a blind phase search (BPS)-based estimator is implemented and experimentally assessed, enabling to effectively optimize the symbol-rate per subcarrier down to 3 GBaud, in accordance with the theoretical SRO predictions for the system under test. In addition, we demonstrate that signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gains of more than 1 dB can be achieved through joint-subcarrier CPE processing in shorter-reach links, while this gain tends to progressively reduce with increasing propagation distance, down to about 0.5 dB gain after 3000 km propagation.
The tight channel filtering imposed by long cascades of reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs) represents, nowadays, one of the major performance-limiting aspects for optically-routed ...coherent optical fiber systems. This makes it vital to perform a ROADM-aware optimization of the network performance at the physical layer. In particular, the use of different modulation options is known to have a strong impact on the extent of the filtering-induced penalties. In that regard, a long debate between single- and multi-carrier modulation has been taking place during the last few years, sometimes leading to apparently contradictory results. Following the open scientific discussion on this topic, in this work, we investigate by simulation and experimentally the wavelength selective switch (WSS) filtering tolerance of single-carrier (SC) and digital subcarrier multiplexing (DSCM) signals. In order to promote a fair comparison, both modulation options are carefully designed to minimize the ROADM-filtering penalties, namely resorting to the use of entropy loading together with baud rate optimization. After some preliminary numerical assessment, a comprehensive set of experiments are carried out for the transmission of 21-WDM 95-105 Gbaud SC and DSCM signals over a 2040 km straight line of fiber with regularly spaced WSSs. In general, our results allow to conclude that the two modulation options yield similar performance if the overall baud rate is optimized for each filtering scenario, keeping the baud rate at <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">\pm</tex-math></inline-formula>5% of the optimized value.
We studied Spodoptera frugiperda development using different food sources in the laboratory and field. Newly hatched larvae were fed soybean, cotton, maize, wheat, and oat leaves. An artificial diet ...was used as the control. Duration of pre-pupal, pupal, and larva-adult period, pupal weight, sex ratio, survival, larva feeding preferences, oviposition preferences, and nutritional quality of different hosts were evaluated. Insects fed on wheat showed the shortest larva-adult period. The insects fed on cotton and soybean had longer larval development cycles and pupae of lower weight. Feeding preference was evident for third instar larvae and did not differ between wheat, oat, maize, and soybean, which were the preferred hosts. Moths oviposited to a greater extent on the upper canopy of wheat than that of other plants in both the no-choice and free-choice tests. Treatments influenced insect growth, food consumption, and digestion when nutritional variables were analyzed. Thus, grasses were better hosts for S. frugiperda development. Cotton was the least preferred food, followed by soybean. The present study can improve our understanding of S. frugiperda in these different crops and help in developing management strategies. Even though S. frugiperda is considered to be polyphagous, this pest is closely associated with grasses (maize, wheat, oat) and has lower potential as a soybean or cotton feeder. Howerver, S. frugiperda food intake regulation appears to be triggered by a complex of different mechanisms. Thus, S. frugiperda can also damage soybean and cotton and adapt to them in the absence of preferred hosts.
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), an entomopathogenic bacterium, has been used as bioinsecticides for insect pest control worldwide. Consequently, the objective of this work was to evaluate the possible ...effects of commercial formulations of Bt products, Dipel and Xentari, on the survival and behavior of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera). Bioassays were performed on foragers and newly emerged (24-h-old) bees that received the products mixed in the food. Their survival and behavior were evaluated through the vertical displacement tests and the walk test, analyzed using software Bee-Move. Then, histological analysis of the mesenterium was performed. As control treatment was used sterile water. The honey bees' survival was evaluated for between 1 and 144 h. No interference of B. thuringiensis, Dipel and Xentari, in the survival of Africanized honey bees were found. Only Xentari interfered with vertical displacement behavior of newly emerged (24-h-old) bees. Both the products tested were selective and safe for A. mellifera.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
•The nanomodifications improved the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures.•Nanosilica modification presented the best global performance.•Zero-valent iron exhibited high improvement in the water ...sensitivity.•Nanoclay improved fatigue resistance and elastic behavior.•The nanomodifications may improve the durability of the asphalt mixtures.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of nanomodifications in the asphalt mixture performance. Three types of nanoparticles were used: silica, zero-valent iron and bentonite. The correspondent mixtures were tested for stiffness, fatigue, permanent deformation and water sensitivity. The results showed that nanomodifications lead to improvements in the performance. (1) nanosilica improved stiffness and permanent deformation; (2) zero-valent iron presented better water sensitivity; (3) and bentonite improved fatigue life and elastic behavior. An analysis of the nanomodifications based on all the mechanical performance indicators was performed and revealed that the silica modification achieved the best global performance.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Background
This study aims to investigate the association between preoperative Red blood cell Distribution Width (RDW) and postoperative outcomes, including myocardial infarction (MI), and mortality.
...Methods
A prospective cohort including all patients submitted to elective vascular arterial surgery at a university hospital. The primary and secondary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day MI, respectively.
Results
Atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and dependent functional status were more prevalent in deceased patients. After multivariable analysis, age (adjusted OR 1.08, 95% Confidence Interval 1.01–1.15,
p
= 0.027) and RDW-standard deviation (RDW-SD) (1.08 1.01–1.16,
p
= 0.032) remained independent predictors of mortality. Patients with MI had higher rates of diabetes, CKD, dependent functional status, ASA physical status IV, and insulin medication. After multivariable analysis, dependent functional status (4.8 1.6–15.0,
p
= 0.007), insulin medication (4.4 1.5–12.6,
p
= 0.007) and RDW-SD (1.10 1.02–1.19,
p
= 0.020) were independent predictors of MI.
Conclusion
RDW-SD independently predicted postoperative MI and mortality, and may provide valuable information for prevention and early management of adverse outcomes.
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EMUNI, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Abstract Cisplatin-based chemotherapeutic regimens are the most frequently used (neo)adjuvant treatments for the majority of solid tumors. While platinum-based chemotherapeutic regimens have proven ...effective against highly proliferative malignant tumors, significant relapse and progression rates as well as decreased overall survival are still observed. Currently, it is known that sub-populations of chemoresistant cells share biological properties with cancer stem cells (CSC), which are believed to be responsible for tumor relapse, invasion and ultimately disease dissemination through acquisition of mesenchymal cell traits. In spite of concentrated efforts devoted to decipher the mechanisms underlying CSC chemoresistance and to design targeted therapeutics to these cells, proteomics has failed to unveil molecular signatures capable of distinguishing between malignant and non-malignant stem cells. This has hampered substantial developments in this complex field. Envisaging a novel rationale for an effective therapy, the current review summarizes the main cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cisplatin resistance and the impact of chemotherapy challenge in CSC selection and clinical outcome. It further emphasizes the growing amount of data supporting a role for protein glycosylation in drug resistance. The dynamic and context-dependent nature of protein glycosylation is also comprehensively discussed, hence highlighting its potentially important role as a biomarker of CSC. As the paradigm of cancer therapeutics shifts towards precision medicine and patient-tailored therapeutics, we bring into focus the need to introduce glycomics and glycoproteomics in holistic pan-omics models, in order to integrate diverse, multimodal and clinically relevant information towards more effective cancer therapeutics.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
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