The Development of the Southeast Asian Border Zone : A Social Theory

The main objective of this thesis is the development and testing of a theory to explain the interplay of historical processes that led to the creation of the borderline between the Southern parts of China (Yunnan and Sichuan) and what is now Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Given that many polities existed in the area, this thesis investigates the process how these entities were absorbed in the lowland states and couldn’t maintain their independence. To that end, the development of the theoretical argumentation is based on concepts of territorialization, marginalization and state-development to bring the formation processes of the border into the context of different concepts of statehood and rule and to allow for a longue durée perspective. At the center of the theoretical argument are the ways and means of the territorial penetration of lowland states whose abilities of administrative, economic and political integration furthered a sense of otherness and so were crucial for the nexus between statehood and bordering. This process however was not a linear expansion of Southeast Asian lowland states but a cyclical contraction and expansion of contacts between lowland and upland entities who mutually informed ways of acceptance, resistance, defiance or coexistence that gradually morphed into territorialised states. Testing this model of cyclical territoriality allows to define five large cycles: from the 10th to the 15th century, from 1450s to 1600, from 1600s to the 19th century, and the creation of territorialized colonial states starting in the 19th century until the end of the Second World War. The analysis of these cycles shows that agency and control-mechanisms on both the sides of lowland states as well as upland states mutually informed actions and provided possibilities so that independent entities could maintain their existence sometimes over centuries in this border-region. At the same time, it refutes the narrative of predatory lowland and defensive upland entities, but provides insights on the complex management and leveraging of interrelations that often provided mutually beneficial equilibria, the disruption of which led to new cycles of integration or disintegration. This thesis also accounts for the internal dynamism and motivations of both lowland states and entities in the border-region to explain their actions and objectives and to provide insights how this contributed to the transformation of this area from a central hub of knowledge and economic transfer into a marginalized border-region. By going beyond linear models of state-development or statist ideas of territoriality, a century-long back-and-forth process of negotiation, integration and dissolution of statelets in the border area becomes visible that eventually formed a system that could accommodate the very different trajectories of state-building, territorial expansion and consolidation of the larger lowland-states. The formation of equilibria of interests and constantly changing fault-lines of territoriality followed certain trendlines yet not in a linear or congruent way. Over time economic and political determinants produced changes and asymmetric relations that in the long run fostered integration within teritorially stabilized states. This thesis shows that these trend lines can be understood as the aggregation of many smaller actions and developments on the ground that finally brought the border area into the fold of the lowland states. Entities in the border-region were far more than a playing ball between different lowland centers of power but boasted their own capabilities of agency and so created a dynamics that led to a congruence of the intention to exert control and to have this control manifested in a spatial view of possession and contained within a demarcated space – a border

Die Bedeutung der Fascia stylopharyngea bei intraoralen Blockadetechniken

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Mittels transoraler Blockade des Ganglion cervicale superius des Truncus sympathicus kann bei Trigeminusneuralgien durch Ausbreitung eines Opioids bis zum N.mandibularis eine zusätzliche Schmerzreduktion erzielt werden. Das Vorhandensein der Fascia stylopharyngea senkt möglicherweise die Erfolgsrate. Durch genaue anatomische Untersuchung der Faszie wollen wir auf die Effektivität der zusätzlichen Opioidwirkung rückschließen. Material und Methode: 103 Kopfhälften wurden untersucht, die Faszie von lateral her aufgesucht. Dabei unterschieden wir 3 Gruppen: GruppeA repräsentierte vollständig ausgebildete Faszienblätter, Gruppe Bunvollständige Faszien und in GruppeC war die Faszie nicht ausgebildet. Ergebnis: Die Faszie war in 86 vollständig und in 13 Fällen unvollständig ausgebildet. Lediglich in 4 Fällen fehlte sie vollends. Schlussfolgerung: Die Faszie kann die Erfolgsquote der Schmerzreduktion bei Trigeminusneuralgie beeinflusse

The IgG1/G2 subclass shift – a sensitive, tissue non-specific marker for malignancy. Diagnostic performance with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

A significant decrease in %IgG1 accompanied by an increase in %IgG2 in total serum IgG has been previously reported as a highly sensitive marker for detecting early stages of carcinomas of various localizations. Here we investigated the question as to whether this phenomenon is also observed in sera of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head–neck region (SCC-HN), and to evaluate its diagnostic performance in the post-operative monitoring. Using quantitative affinity chromatography, serum concentrations of IgG1, IgG2 and total IgG were determined in 81 patients with different stages of primary and untreated SCC-HN, in 51 SCC-HN patients in post-therapeutical follow up, and in 33 patients with organ matched benign diseases. The data were compared with a total of 174 healthy controls. It was found that (i) 105 SCC-HN patients exhibited a mean value of 56.0 ± 0.7% IgG1, which likewise differed from healthy controls (63.2 ± 0.5) and benign diseases (61.5 ± 1.0) with P < 0.0005, (ii) sensitivities and specificities for discriminating primary malignancies from healthy controls were 70 and 74% respectively, and from benign diseases 65 and 76%, (iii) highest sensitivities and specificities were observed with post-therapeutic cases suffering from tumour recurrence (88% and 75%) or patients with distant metastases (87% and 86%), (iv) apparently tumour-free post-therapeutic patients showed a mean %IgG1 not different from the normal value. The decrease in %IgG1 accompanied by increased %IgG2 is an efficient, sensitive and early marker of SCC-HN, which appears particularly useful for the post-therapeutic monitoring. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Cystic lymph node metastases of squamous cell carcinoma of Waldeyer's ring origin

We analysed in a retrospective study the frequency of cystic lymph node (LN) metastases in neck dissection specimens of 123 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising in the palatine tonsils (62 M/14 F), the base of the tongue (38 M/5 F) and the nasopharynx (2 M/2 F). Eighty-two per cent of patients had metastases (64 tonsillar SCC, 33 base of tongue SCC and all four nasopharynx SCC) in 368 LN of a total 2298 sampled LN. Thirty-nine per cent of patients had exclusively solid metastases and 37% of patients had exclusively cystic metastases. A total of 62 patients had some signs of cyst formation in one or more metastatically affected LN (27 with only histological evidence of cyst formation with luminal diameters < 5 mm, 35 with clinically detectable cyst with luminal diameter > 5 mm). Cystic metastases were more common in patients with SCC of the base of the tongue (P = 0.005), while solitary clinically evident cystic metastasis with lumina > 5 mm were found exclusively in tonsillar carcinoma (P = 0.024). In comparison with solid metastases, cyst formation was associated with N-categories (N2b and N3, P = 0.005) in SCC of the base of the tongue origin. No such association was observed for tonsillar SCC (P = 0.65). The primary mechanism of cyst formation was cystic degeneration. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Subcutaneous fat patterning in athletes: selection of appropriate sites and standardisation of a novel ultrasound measurement technique: ad hoc working group on body composition, health and performance, under the auspices of the IOC Medical Commission.

Background: Precise and accurate field methods for body composition analyses in athletes are needed urgently. Aim: Standardisation of a novel ultrasound (US) technique for accurate and reliable measurement of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Methods: Three observers captured US images of uncompressed SAT in 12 athletes and applied a semiautomatic evaluation algorithm for multiple SAT measurements. Results: Eight new sites are recommended: upper abdomen, lower abdomen, erector spinae, distal triceps, brachioradialis, lateral thigh, front thigh, medial calf. Obtainable accuracy was 0.2 mm (18 MHz probe; speed of sound: 1450 m/s). Reliability of SAT thickness sums (N=36): R2=0.998, SEE=0.55 mm, ICC (95% CI) 0.998 (0.994 to 0.999); observer differences from their mean: 95% of the SAT thickness sums were within ±1 mm (sums of SAT thicknesses ranged from 10 to 50 mm). Embedded fibrous tissues were also measured. Conclusions: A minimum of eight sites is suggested to accommodate inter-individual differences in SAT patterning. All sites overlie muscle with a clearly visible fascia, which eases the acquisition of clear images and the marking of these sites takes only a few minutes. This US method reaches the fundamental accuracy and precision limits for SAT measurements given by tissue plasticity and furrowed borders, provided the measurers are trained appropriately

Overview on Multienzymatic Cascades for the Production of Non-canonical α-Amino Acids

SM-R thanks the University of Granada for the support provided by project PPJI2017-1 and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST Action CA15133). Authors are also grateful to the Andalusian Regional Government through Endocrinology & Metabolism Group (CTS-202).The 22 genetically encoded amino acids (AAs) present in proteins (the 20 standard AAs together with selenocysteine and pyrrolysine), are commonly referred as proteinogenic AAs in the literature due to their appearance in ribosome-synthetized polypeptides. Beyond the borders of this key set of compounds, the rest of AAs are generally named imprecisely as non-proteinogenic AAs, even when they can also appear in polypeptide chains as a result of post-transductional machinery. Besides their importance as metabolites in life, many of D-α- and L-α-“non-canonical” amino acids (NcAAs) are of interest in the biotechnological and biomedical fields. They have found numerous applications in the discovery of new medicines and antibiotics, drug synthesis, cosmetic, and nutritional compounds, or in the improvement of protein and peptide pharmaceuticals. In addition to the numerous studies dealing with the asymmetric synthesis of NcAAs, many different enzymatic pathways have been reported in the literature allowing for the biosynthesis of NcAAs. Due to the huge heterogeneity of this group of molecules, this review is devoted to provide an overview on different established multienzymatic cascades for the production of non-canonical D-α- and L-α-AAs, supplying neophyte and experienced professionals in this field with different illustrative examples in the literature. Whereas the discovery of new or newly designed enzymes is of great interest, dusting off previous enzymatic methodologies by a “back and to the future” strategy might accelerate the implementation of new or improved multienzymatic cascades.University of Granada PPJI2017-1European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) CA15133Andalusian Regional Government through Endocrinology & Metabolism Group CTS-20

Revaskularizacija miokarda z uporabo zadnjih medrebrnih arterij kot presadkov z vidika anatomskih variacij

Namen: Zadnje medrebrne arterije (PIA) predstavljajo alternativno obliko presadkov zaradi ugodnih histoloških, morfoloških in anatomskih značilnosti. Raziskali smo anatomske variacije izvora in poteka leve pete in desne sedme PIA, saj so bile te arterije dokazano najprimernejše za in situ presaditve koronarnih arterij. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti, ali lahko variacije vplivajo in omejijo postopek revaskularizacije miokarda, če se PIA uporabi kot presadke. Metode: Raziskava je bila opravljena na 44 kadavrih, balzamiranih po Thielovi metodi. PIA so bile prikazane od izvora do srednje aksilarne linije. Zabeležili smo izvore in potek PIA, izvedli meritve dolžine skupnih debel, razdalje do rebrnega kota in premerov arterij na izvoru, na mestu razcepitve skupnega debla in v nivoju rebrnega kota. Stopnjo zmanjšanja premera arterij smo izračunali. Rezultati: Anatomske variacije izvora leve pete PIA smo našli v 25 %.Nobenih variacij nismo zasledili pri desni sedmi PIA. Dolžina skupnega debla vpliva na dolžino pridobljenega žilnega peclja. Premeri arterij so bili odvisni od oblike izvora iz aorte, zato bi se naj PIA uporabilo pred nivojem rebrnega kota, da se zagotovi ustrezen premer presadka. Zaključek: Podatki naše raziskave kažejo, da je v primeru uporabe PIA za CABG priporočeno upoštevati potencialne anatomske variacije PIA, ki lahko poleg tehničnih problemov pri pridobivanju PIA povzročijo tudi hemodinamske spremembe v pretoku krvi

Trend towards the marketing instrument "virtual trade fair” - Success potential of virtual trade fairs compared to physical trade fairs using the example of the online horse fair

Die vorliegende Arbeit dient der Beurteilung einer virtuellen Substitutionsmesse hinsichtlich deren Erfolgspotenzial und den Stärken und Schwächen gegenüber physischen Messen. Dabei gibt die Literaturrecherche allgemeine Blickpunkte wieder, die Bezug nehmend auf die Reitsportbranche im praktischen Teil vertieft werden. Eine Analyse des Messewesens und der Reitsportbranche geben vorweg einen Einstieg in die Thematik. Aspekte der Flexibilität, der Wirtschaftlichkeit, des Messe-Erlebnisses und der Multisensorik sowie der Kommunikation und Technik werden zur theoretischen Betrachtung herangezogen und bilden die Grundlage für die Einschätzung der virtuellen Messe. Im Rahmen einer zusammenfassenden SWOT-Analyse können Stärken innerhalb der flexiblen Zeitgestaltung und der technischen Funktionen festgestellt werden. Zusätzlich werden Schwächen innerhalb der Kommunikation und der Erzeugung eines multisensorischen Messererlebnisses erkannt. Das praktische Beispiel anhand der Pferdemesse „Online Horse Fair International“ unterstreicht die Stärken und Schwächen und resultiert in konkreten Empfehlungen zur Weiterentwicklung einer virtuellen Publikumsmesse im Rahmen der Pferdebranche. Anhand einer Teilnehmer Zufriedenheitsumfrage kann ein besonderer Fokus der Informationsfunktion der Messe festgestellt werden, während das Einkaufen in den Hintergrund rückt. Folglich kann sich die virtuelle Messe durch Schaffung eines Ortes des Erfahrungs- und Wissensaustausch von der physischen Messe abheben. Allgemein gilt es daher nicht die bestmögliche Annäherung an eine reale Messe zu kreieren, sondern ein aus den Stärken abgeleitetes Alleinstellungsmerkmal hervorzubringen.The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a virtual substitution trade show with regard to its potential for success and its strengths and weaknesses compared to physical trade shows. The literature research gives general points of view on virtual trade fairs, which are deepened with reference to the equestrian industry in the practical part. An analysis of the trade fair industry and the equestrian sector provides an introduction to the topic. Aspects of flexibility, economic efficiency, trade fair experience and multi- sensory aspects as well as communication and technology are used for theoretical consideration and form the basis for the assessment of the virtual trade fair. In the context of a summarizing SWOT analysis strengths within the flexible timing and the technical functions can be determined. In addition, weaknesses within the communication and the creation of a multi-sensory trade fair experience are identified. The practical example based on the horse fair "Online Horse Fair International" underlines the strengths and weaknesses and results in concrete recommendations for the further development of a virtual public fair in the context of the horse industry. On the basis of a participant satisfaction survey a special focus of the information function of the fair can be determined, while shopping moves into the background. Consequently, the virtual trade fair can distinguish itself from the physical trade fair by creating a place for the exchange of experience and knowledge. In general, it is therefore not necessary to create the best possible approximation to a real trade fair, but to combine the strengths of virtual trade fairs with factors that make them unique