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Here is provided the first description of Pleistocene lizards recovered from five caves (Baikong, Juyuan, Queque, Sanhe, and Zhiren) in Chongzuo, Zuo River area of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. Lizard remains reported here come from faunas that include Gigantopithecus blacki or Homo sapiens dating from the Early to Late Pleistocene with age-range estimates from 2.0Ma to 111ka. The recovery of agamids (Agamidae), skinks (Scincidae), a large species of Gekko, and smaller forms of gekkonids (Gekkonidae) is of interest in that the diversity of lizards for the caves is high given the extremely small sample size from the deposits. The description of cf. Draco reported here is the first indication of the possible occurrence of this genus in the Pleistocene record. Southern China and the adjacent territories in Vietnam and Laos have a diverse lizard fauna today. Cave deposits with established chronologies in the local karst regions such as recovered in Chongzuo, can help record the diversity within the local lizard community through time. Although the fossil lizards reported here appear to represent mammalian prey remains (highly fragmented), caves that contain owl roost pellet deposits might represent a more diverse squamate community with the additional advantage of having specimens that are not as fragmented. Because a Pleistocene-age lizard record does occur in the caves reported here, in all likelihood equivalent deposits should occur in the numerous caves throughout southern China and Southeast Asia.

Thesis--M.A., University of Hong Kong. / Contents: v.1. Text.- v.2. Maps. Typewritten. Also available on microfilm.

There are 55 ethnic minorities (少數民族) in the People’s Republic of China, among which Mulam Minority (仫佬族) is a small one gathering in a remote town in the northern part of Guangxi Province. Every group of people has their own culture and tradition, usually culture reflects on the food, drinks, clothe, rituals and festivals, etc. The most important festival of Mulam Minority is Yi Fan Festival (依飯節), which has been designated as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006. The current research will look into the changes in this particular festival after its designation in terms of both tangible and intangible aspects; also it’s a look into the local traditional culture within its context. The identity of a culture is hard to define and is also changing with time. It is when based on the defined cultural identity can a tradition advance with time without losing its authenticity. How to make conservation become a part of the development is what we are facing in the fast-changing world. Since festival consists an indispensable part of traditional culture, how to transmit it through media and how to interpret it becomes the key question. As a young stakeholder of the Mulam Minority, we should understand the opportunities, challenges, strengths and weaknesses of every change that is going to happen, and above all, carry on practicing. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

Tourism is not just an aggregate of merely commercial activities; it is also an ideological framing of history, nature and tradition which has the power to reshape culture and nature to its own needs (MacCannell, 1976). Since the reform and opening up, tourism has greatly expanded in mainland China over the past decades. The abundant cultural and historical attractions have become principal tourism resources and spurred the growth of a large heritage tourism industry. Cultural tourism attracts lots of attention from both the public and academics nowadays. However, tourism impacts on China’s cultural heritage places are as yet little understood. This dissertation would explore the tourism impacts on built heritage and local community with the case study of a historic site – West Street in Yangshuo County, Guangxi Province. Tourism is not just an aggregate of merely commercial activities; it is also an ideological framing of history, nature and tradition which has the power to reshape culture and nature to its own needs (MacCannell, 1976). Since the reform and opening up, tourism has greatly expanded in mainland China over the past decades. The abundant cultural and historical attractions have become principal tourism resources and spurred the growth of a large heritage tourism industry. Cultural tourism attracts lots of attention from both the public and academics nowadays. However, tourism impacts on China’s cultural heritage places are as yet little understood. This dissertation would explore the tourism impacts on built heritage and local community with the case study of a historic site – West Street in Yangshuo County, Guangxi Province. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

<p><strong>Problem:</strong> Samarbetet mellan Sverige och Kina har ökat stadigt för varje år som gått samtidigt som en etablering av svenska företag i Kina kräver att de svenska affärsmännen etablerar nya kontakter med kineserna. Denna uppsats tar upp de kulturella hinder och barriärer som de svenska företagen möter vid en etablering i Kina, etableringsmetoder, samt hur företagen har hanterat allt detta.</p><p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Syftet är att ge en vetenskaplig genomgång för läsaren om vilka kulturella aspekter som svenska företagen bör ta hänsyn till vid etableringsstrategier för att överkomma de internationella kulturella hinder som uppstår vid etableringar i Kina.</p><p><strong>Metod:</strong> Genom att intervjua 4 företag samt göra en enkätundersökning som omfattar ca 50 företag har data samlats in. Med hjälp av tidigare studier samt andra teorier och modeller, har datan studerats och analyserats.</p><p><strong>Slutsats:</strong> Uppsatsen tyder på att de kulturella hindren är verkliga och påtagliga. En negligering av dessa är förknippat med allt från konkurrensnackdelar till totala misslyckanden. Kommunikation och goda nätverk har visat sig vara ett grundläggande krav för att ens få möjligheten att försöka sig på en etablering. Att kunna välja en optimal etableringsmetod är förknippat med god kännedom om den kinesiska kutluren. Att adaptera följa John-principen och göra som ett annat företag har gjort är inte säkert det kommer leda till samma framgång då det har visat sig att mycket av framgången ligger hos individernas förmåga att tolka den kinesiska kulturen och agera därefter.</p>

Problem: Samarbetet mellan Sverige och Kina har ökat stadigt för varje år som gått samtidigt som en etablering av svenska företag i Kina kräver att de svenska affärsmännen etablerar nya kontakter med kineserna. Denna uppsats tar upp de kulturella hinder och barriärer som de svenska företagen möter vid en etablering i Kina, etableringsmetoder, samt hur företagen har hanterat allt detta. Syfte: Syftet är att ge en vetenskaplig genomgång för läsaren om vilka kulturella aspekter som svenska företagen bör ta hänsyn till vid etableringsstrategier för att överkomma de internationella kulturella hinder som uppstår vid etableringar i Kina. Metod: Genom att intervjua 4 företag samt göra en enkätundersökning som omfattar ca 50 företag har data samlats in. Med hjälp av tidigare studier samt andra teorier och modeller, har datan studerats och analyserats. Slutsats: Uppsatsen tyder på att de kulturella hindren är verkliga och påtagliga. En negligering av dessa är förknippat med allt från konkurrensnackdelar till totala misslyckanden. Kommunikation och goda nätverk har visat sig vara ett grundläggande krav för att ens få möjligheten att försöka sig på en etablering. Att kunna välja en optimal etableringsmetod är förknippat med god kännedom om den kinesiska kutluren. Att adaptera följa John-principen och göra som ett annat företag har gjort är inte säkert det kommer leda till samma framgång då det har visat sig att mycket av framgången ligger hos individernas förmåga att tolka den kinesiska kulturen och agera därefter.

Les champignons du genre Aspergillus sont des moisissures banales de l'environnement. Elles sont présentes dans le sol et sur des végétaux en décomposition. Les Aspergillus se propagent par l'intermédiaire de spores microscopiques en suspension dans l'air. L'Homme et les animaux sont exposés en permanence aux spores aspergillaires mais les défenses immunes empêchent leur développement dans l'organisme. Lorsque ces défenses sont amoindries, une aspergillose est possible. Dans ce cas, Aspergillus fumigatus et A. flavus sont le plus souvent incriminés. Les oiseaux sont beaucoup plus sensibles que les mammifères et l'environnement représenté par les élevages aviaires est propice à la prolifération des moisissures du genre Aspergillus. L'objectif de ce travail de thèse a été de caractériser la diversité génétique et la sensibilité aux antifongiques d'isolats d'Aspergillus provenant d'élevages aviaires dans la province du Guangxi en Chine. La première partie de la thèse est une analyse bibliographique sur les champignons du genre Aspergillus, les aspergilloses et les caractéristiques de l'élevage aviaire en Chine. Une première enquête a été réalisée dans 3 élevages près de la ville de Nanning et dans un élevage (incluant un éclosoir) à proximité de la ville de Guilin. Des écouvillonnages pharyngés et des prélèvements d'air ont été réalisés pendant plusieurs semaines. Des prélèvements ont également été faits sur des œufs dans l'éclosoir. Cette enquête a montré que le niveau de contamination fongique dépendait du type d'élevage. De nombreux isolats fongiques ont pu être collectés : 188 isolats d'A. fumigatus et 159 isolats d'A. flavus. La seconde partie du travail expérimental a porté sur la caractérisation de la diversité génétique d'A. fumigatus et d'A. flavus. Pour cela, la technique MLVA (multiple locus VNTR analysis) a été utilisée. Pour A. flavus, 8 marqueurs VNTR (variable-number tandem-repeat) ont été sélectionnés et une réaction PCR multiplex a été mise au point. Au total, 91 isolats d'A. flavus, incluant 6 souches de référence, ont été caractérisées avec le panel des 8 marqueurs VNTR. Cette analyse a permis de définir 78 génotypes distincts et un index de discrimination de 0,993. L'analyse de 188 isolats d'A. fumigatus avec 10 marqueurs VNTR a permis de définir 142 génotypes distincts. Certains génotypes d'A. flavus ou d'A. fumigatus sont clairement regroupés dans le nuage de point généré par l'analyse MST (minimum spanning tree). La troisième partie du travail expérimental a porté sur la sensibilité aux antifongiques de 177 isolats d'A. fumigatus. Ces isolats ont été récupérés dans des élevages aviaires en Chine et en France. Les isolats de Chine sont pour la plupart sensibles avec des valeurs minimales inhibitrices (vis-à-vis de l'itraconazole) comprises entre 0,38 et 0,75 µg/mL. Les isolats de France sont pour la plupart sensibles avec des valeurs minimales inhibitrices (vis-à-vis de l'itraconazole) comprises entre 0.19 and 1 µg/mL. Quatre souches ont été considérées comme résistantes : 2 souches provenant de deux élevages en Chine et 2 souches provenant de deux élevages en France. Des mutations sur le gène Cyp51A ont été détectées pour 11 isolats (3 résistants et 8 sensibles). Vingt et une mutations nucléotidiques ont été identifiées. Onze de ces mutations sont silencieuses et 9 sont à l'origine d'un changement de la composition de la protéine. Sept substitutions ont déjà été décrites dans la littérature ; les mutations A116R, E130D et Q131H sont originales. / Fungi of the genus Aspergillus are moulds, which occur most frequently in soil, water and decaying vegetation. They sporulate abundantly and the spores are easily dispersed into the environment by air. As a result of this ubiquitous presence, animals and people are constantly exposed to Aspergillus spores. Aspergillus fumigatus and A. flavus are recognized as predominant causes of fungal diseases in humans and wide range of animals. Birds are much more sensitive that mammals and in avian farms, environmental conditions are favorable to the development of many fungal species, including Aspergillus spp. The objective of the present study was to assess the genetic diversity and antifungal susceptibility of Aspergillus isolates from avian farms in Guangxi, China. The first part of the experimental work related the evolution of fungal contamination in 3 avian farms near the city of Nanning and one farm (including a hatchery) near the city of Guilin. Pharyngeal swabs and air samples were collected during several weeks and 3 cycles of hatching were monitored. The average contamination level with Aspergillus spp. and Mucorales was significantly different according to the farms. The survey allowed to collect a total number of 188 A. fumigatus and 159 A. flavus isolates. The second part of the work was about the genetic diversity of A. fumigatus and A. flavus. For that purpose, the Multiple Locus Variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) Analysis was specifically developed and used. For A. flavus, 8 VNTR markers were selected and a multiplex reaction was designed. A total number of 91 A. flavus isolates, including 6 reference strains were typed with the panel of 8 VNTRs. This analysis yielded 78 different genotypes, which corresponds to a combined loci index of 0.993. Among all genotypes, 71 were only found once. The analysis of 188 A. fumigatus isolates using 10 VNTR markers led to the resolution of 142 distinct genotypes. Clusters of A. flavus or A. fumigatus isolates could be defined by using the graphing algorithm Minimum Spanning Tree. The third part of the experimental work was about the antifungal susceptibility of 177 A. fumigatus isolates collected in avian farms in China and France. Most of the isolates from China were susceptible to itraconazole with a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) comprised between 0.38 and 0.75 µg/mL. Most of the isolates from birds and avian farms in France were susceptible to itraconazole with a MIC comprised between 0.19 and 1 µg/mL. MIC values of isolates collected in farms with antifungal chemoprophylaxis were not higher than those of isolates collected from birds (that never received antifungal drugs before the sampling). Susceptibility testings demonstrated that 4 isolates should be considered as resistant to itraconazole: (2 isolates from avian farms in Guangxi, China and 2 isolates from avian farms in France). A modification of the Cyp51A sequence was identified in 11 isolates (3 azole-resistant and 8 azole-susceptible isolates). Twenty-one nucleotidic mutations were detected. Eleven of these mutations were silent and 10 yielded to amino acid substitutions. Seven of these substitutions had already been described whereas mutations A116R, E130D and Q131H were original.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

本論文除前言、結論外，分四章十三節，約十萬餘字。旨在以「陸榮廷與廣西」這一 角度，透明陸氏一生事業的成敗，其背後的驅力，及代表的時代意義。 第一章「崛起八桂」，析述廣西的獨特環境，陸的家世與早年活動，及其躍升桂督的 經緯。第二章「廣西與中央」，首述陸氏與中央之間的和諧關係，中及其反袁心路， 最後指出其勢力擴及粵省的條件。第三章「護法前後」，檢視陸氏響應護法的動機， 其與北洋軍閥以及南方軍政府之間的分合，並及其敗退根由。第四章「新舊遞嬗」， 先界定新、舊桂系的定義，再就兩者間的出身、結合、戰爭、治安，以及財政等方面 的舉措，作一比較。末了後從內外諸因素，探究舊桂系何以沒落，新桂系何以代興的 遞嬗過程。