What really goes on in Silicon Valley? Spatial clustering and dispersal in modular production networks

Is the geographic trajectory of capitalism toward spatial clusteringor dispersal? Recent theoretical work in the stream of ‘relational’economic geography includes several dynamic elements that increasethe importance of spatial clustering over time. This paper developsthe concept of ‘modular production networks’ toshow that spatial clustering and dispersal can be compatible,mutually reinforcing trends. Modular production networks encompassnodes of tacit activity linked through the exchange of codifiedinformation to create global-scale production systems. In placeslike Silicon Valley, industry participants rely on the benefitsof proximity to help build and manage global-scale productionnetworks.     

Plant processing strategies and their affect upon starch grain survival when rendering Peltandra virginica (L.) Kunth,Araceae edible

There is a long history of human interaction with plants of the Aroideae subfamily (Araceae). Despite these plants' chemical defenses against animal and vegetal predation, humans have targeted their starchy corms, tubers and rhizomes for dietary purposes. In the Eastern Woodlands of North America, early Europeans described the Native population as utilizing the highly acridic Peltandra virginica (arrow arum) for subsistence needs. In order to render this resource edible, however, the acridic principle first needs to be eliminated. Our study investigates the affect these processing activities have on the integrity of arrow arum starch grains. Findings from this study demonstrate that environmental variables specific to individual processing procedures may be more influential on starch grain survival than simply the temperatures reached during cooking.     

Book Reviews

A Feng 阿风, Ming Qing shidai funü de diwei yu quanli: yi Ming Qing qiyue wenshu, susong dang’an wei zhongxin 明清时代妇女的地位与权利——以明清契 约文书,诉讼档案为中心 (The status and rights of women during Ming and Qing times: focused on contractual documents and litigation archives of the Ming and Qing);Eli Alberts, A History of Daoism and the Yao People of South China;Robert Ford Campany, Making Transcendents: Ascetics and Social Memory in Early Medieval China;Barbara Hendrischke, The Scripture on Great Peace: The “Taiping Jing” and the Beginnings of Daoism (Daoist Classics);Jin Jiang, Women Playing Men: Yue Opera and Social Change in Twentieth-Century Shanghai;Ma Liangkuan 马亮宽, Fu Sinian shehui zhengzhi huodong yu sixiang yanjiu 傅 斯年社会政治活动与思想研究 (A study of Fu Sinian’s thought and social-political work);Daniel J. Meissner, Chinese Capitalists versus the American Flour Industry, 1890–1910: Profit and Patriotism in International Trade;Rong Xinjiang 荣新江, Sui Tang Chang’an: xingbie, jiyi ji qita 隋唐长安: 性别, 记忆及其他 (Sui-Tang Chang’an: gender, memory, and other);Wen-hsin Yeh, Shanghai Splendor: Economic Sentiments and the Making of Modern China, 1843–1949     

The use of a high-resolution 3D Chirp sub-bottom profiler for the reconstruction of the shallow water archaeological site of the Grace Dieu (1439), River Hamble,UK

The remains of Henry V's flagship, the Grace Dieu, currently lie buried within the inter-tidal sediments of the River Hamble (S. England). Previous archaeological investigations have been hindered by difficult excavation conditions resulting in a poor understanding of the dimensions, shape and degradation state of the hull's deeper structure. This study therefore aimed to image, characterize and reconstruct the buried remains of this vessel using a high-resolution 3D acoustic sub-bottom Chirp system with RTK-GPS positioning capability. The accurate navigation and high-resolution data that were acquired enabled the construction of a full 3D image of the site that not only identified the remains of the wooden hull, but also features buried within it. In addition, the degradation state of these buried wooden remains were investigated by calculating reflection coefficients while a hypothetical larger reconstruction of the Grace Dieu's hull was achieved, through the use of the ShipShape ship design software package.     

Economic Transition and Demographic Change in Russia, 1989-1995

A World Bank demographer reviews recent population changes in Russia, relating trends in fertility, mortality, natural increase, and migration to the social and economic effects of the transition to a market economy. Significant trends (a precipitous drop in fertility, an extraordinary increase in mortality—especially among middle-aged males—and a consequent decline in natural increase) are identified and analyzed, with dislocations caused by the uncertainties of economic and political transition suggested as the principal causes. The effect of net in-migration to Russia (probably mainly ethnic Russians from the Near Abroad countries) in partially offsetting the natural population decrease is examined as well. 5 tables, 16 references.