The United States and Myanmar: from antagonists to security partners

This article provides an overview both of the considerable makeover that relations between the United States and Myanmar have undergone since Naypyidaw ushered in a programme of wide-ranging reforms, and of the main policy areas in relation to which Washington remains keen to induce further change. The article also aims to explain why, notwithstanding the significant improvement in bilateral relations and the Obama administration’s interest in also pursuing military engagement, progress in this field has remained rather limited. Focusing on the politics of US policymaking on Burma, the article argues that while the Obama administration was able to take the initiative on recalibrating US Burma policy, congressional resistance in particular, amid wider concerns shared by non-governmental organisations, has so far constrained the administration vis-à-vis US–Myanmar military-to-military relations

Lexical borrowing by Khoekhoegowab from Cape Dutch and Afrikaans

The present article instantiates types of lexical borrowing from Afrikaans and Dutch in Namibian  Khoekhoegowab (also known as “Nama”/“Damara”), but occasionally also refers to borrowings in the opposite   direction. Where evidence allows, loans are traced back beyond Afrikaans to the era of Cape Dutch and   contemporary interethnic contacts. Various categories ranging from adoptions to phonologically integrated   loans, hybrids and calques are presented and, where possible, historical inferences are offered. The high   degree of translational equivalence between Khoekhoe serial verbs and Afrikaans compound verbs leads to the consideration of some grammatical aspects including replication and relexification. Finally, reference is made to a parallel between Afrikaans and “Khoekhoe Afrikaans” syntax pointed out by den Besten (2013): Afrikaans circumlocutions like ek / sy wat Anna is (Khoekhoe: Anna.ta / Anna.s) are literal equivalents of the underlying phrasal structures of Khoekhoe surface nouns #STEM.PGN# in first, second or third person, as accounted for by the “desentential hypothesis” (Haacke 2006).Keywords: kinship terms, phonological nativisation, epenthesis, hybrids, calque

Ultrafast absorption kinetics of NADH in folded and unfolded conformations

The non-radiative energy transfer is shown to occur on a ~3ps time scale for NADH in the folded form in H2O. Addition of methanol thermodynamically favours the open form, for which energy transfer does not occur

Histopathology in primary Sjögren's syndrome:Diagnosis, clinical trials and new insights

Histopathology in primary Sjögren’s syndromeSalivary gland biopsies play an important role in the diagnosis and stratification of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). Histopathological characteristics of a pSS salivary gland biopsy are a focus score ≥1 and the presence of lymphoepithelial lesions (LELs). In this thesis we show that LELs likely develop from a crosstalk between intra-epithelial B-cells and ductal cells. In addition, germinal centres, which indicate higher disease activity, can be found. In this thesis we show that these germinal centres are best identified with a Bcl-6 stain.About 5-10% of pSS patients will develop a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, most commonly of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT)-subtype. This thesis shows that pSS associated MALT lymphomas express FcRL4 on B-cells. These FcRL4+ B-cells can also be found in smaller numbers in the salivary gland tissue of pSS patients without lymphoma, particularly within LELs. The significant higher number of FcRL4+ B-cells in the parotid gland tissue compared to labial gland tissue, can explain why pSS associated MALT lymphomas predominantly occur in the parotid gland. This thesis shows that the presence of Bcl-6+ germinal centres in diagnostic labial gland biopsies of pSS patients is not predictive for parotid MALT lymphoma.This thesis shows that after rituximab treatment, the number of CD20+ (FcRL4+) B-cells declines in the parotid gland tissue of pSS patients. Furthermore, the number of CD20+ B-cells/mm2 indicates which pSS patients will benefit from rituximab treatment. This thesis also shows that abatacept treatment results in a decline of germinal centres due to the inhibition of T-cell dependent B-cell activation and a decline of (activated) Tfh-cells. Standardized analysis of salivary gland tissue in clinical studies can contribute in unraveling the pathophysiology of, and the therapy choices in patients with pSS

Optimising Data Utilisation in Lexicography: The Case of the Khoekhoegowab Dictionary

Despite of rapid progress in Southern Africa in the direction of multifunctionality of lexical databases through the advent of generic lexicographic software, a considerable number of lexicographic projects — especially in Khoe and Saan languages — still use or have recently used a word processor with the sole objective of compiling a printed dictionary. Hence the present paper expounds on the case of the Khoekhoegowab Dictionary Project, how in the early 1990s some off-theshelf DOS-based database software was configured as part of a "home-grown" custom-made dictionary writing system. It is demonstrated in a non-technical way that the use of a structured database with fully-fledged retrieval facilities allows for the far-reaching elimination of human error in a dictionary, for the automatisation of processes like language reversal and sorting, and, finally, for the significantly enhanced usability of the data for purposes other than fixed media dictionary compilation. Compiling a dictionary without extensive query facilities as offered by tabular databases, is argued to be a lost opportunity, as it should be possible to utilise lexicographic data for more than just lexicography. By 2010 the data was accommodated in open source software to ensure its optimal survival in digital form for future use. Keywords: Automatisation, Compilation Software, Data Retrieval, Database Configuration, Database Report, Flat-File Database, Form, Information Generation, Khoekhoe, Khoesaan Dictionaries, Lexicography, Lookup Facilities, Multifunctionality, Query Facilities, Retrieval Facilities, Software, Tone

Shortâ TR, Spoiled, Gradient Echo Imaging

When a spin system is repeatedly disturbed by a fast repetition of RF pulses, the transverse magnetization after each new RF pulse approaches a steadyâ state value which is smaller than the thermal equilibrium value. The spin system takes a finite number of pulses before this steadyâ state is reached in a time that depends on both the T1 of the tissue and the flip angle of the RF pulse. Sequences utilizing a steadyâ state approach can be broadly classified as steadyâ state incoherent (SSI) and steadyâ state coherent (SSC) sequences. The main difference between the two lies in whether the transverse magnetization is forced to zero or allowed to go naturally to steadyâ state between successive RF pulses. As the nomenclature suggests, the SSI sequences are based on the elimination, or the â spoiling,â of any remnant transverse magnetization prior to the occurrence of each new RF pulse. This unit discusses the SSI sequences in detail.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145370/1/cpmib0501.pd

Sequences

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145297/1/cpmib0500.pd