Technological Maturity and Development without Research: The Challenge for Malaysian Manufacturing

Propelled largely by direct investment via multinationals, Malaysia’s manufacturing sector has grown rapidly and is changing its output‐mix. In 1992, the share of high‐tech products in Malaysian manufacturing exceeded that of Japan, Korea or Taiwan. However, this ‘maturity’ was acquired without a strong research base. This article provides a framework which looks at the role of research and development (R&D) in conferring technological maturity and assesses the progress Malaysian manufacturing has made in this regard. The authors find that while multinationals have transferred many aspects of production, they have been slow in transferring R&D expertise. Neither has indigenous innovation filled this gap. Consequently, the long‐term sustainability of the industrial transformation process in Malaysia is in jeopardy. The article concludes with suggestions for corrective policies.     

A Theory‐Based Cellular Automata for the Simulation of Land‐Use Change. 基于理论细胞自动机的土地利用变化模拟

This study proposes a theory‐based cellular automata (CA) in which CA rules are constructed on the basis of a theory of urban land‐use change and other local conditions. Rent gap theory that describes urban redevelopment and exogenous conditions that reflect urban development are embedded into a CA to simulate changes of land use. The theoretical framework provides a strong conceptual background for the CA simulation. A case study demonstrates the flexibility of the integrated framework for simulating land‐use changes in complex settings. This research aims to help decision‐makers formulate appropriate development plans.     

Postcolonial cultural governance: a study of heritage management in post-1997 Hong Kong

This paper seeks to unpack the politics of heritage preservation in post-1997 Hong Kong. Referring to international frameworks on heritage preservation, it seeks to position Hong Kong’s cultural resource management on par with international discourses for the advancement of heritage governance. Debates surrounding heritage are indeed a part of the wider picture of Hong Kong’s cultural and identity politics and the Hong Kong-China relationship. By examining various contested cases of heritage conservation, and by linking those debates back to the government’s responses within the context of cultural governance, we suggest that heritage management has become a hot stove for cultural politics in post-colonial Hong Kong with deep repercussions in the political, social and economic spheres. The paper examines the rising social debates concerning the removal and conservation of built heritage, and the various government attempts to address these debates. It argues that the current heritage governance mechanism has failed to meet social needs and provide an articulated heritage policy. We propose that a coherent organisational structure is required to better accommodate diverse and contradictory views and discourses surrounding heritage and cultural governance and to tackle the various cultural challenges in postcolonial Hong Kong.     

Evaluation of a Spatial Relationship by the Concept of Intrinsic Spatial Distance

We propose the concept of intrinsic spatial distance (ISD) for the study of a spatial relationship between any two points in space. ISD is a distance measure that takes into account the separation of two points with respect to their physical and attribute closeness. We construct an algorithm to implement this concept as an ISD measurement. Based on the ISD concept, two points in space are related through a transitional path linking one to the other. As an ISD measurement decreases, the spatial relationship between two points becomes increasingly stronger. We argue theoretically and demonstrate empirically that the ISD concept is not predisposed in favor of the first law of geography, but directly considers variance of nearness in physical distance and attribute distance to derive the extent to which two points are spatially associated. Specifically, in single attribute cases, the information uncovered by an ISD measurement is more elaborate than that revealed by Moran's I, local Moran's I, and a semivariogram, giving a meticulous account of relatedness in both local and global contexts. The ISD concept is also sufficiently general to be used to study multiple attributes of relationships. Proponemos el concepto de distancia espacial intrínseca (intrinsic spatial distance ‐ISD) para el estudio de la relación espacial entre dos puntos en el espacio. La ISD es una medición de distancia que tiene en cuenta la separación de dos puntos con respecto a su cercanía física y de atributo. Construimos un algoritmo para aplicar este concepto y crear una medición ISD. De acuerdo con en el concepto ISD, dos puntos en el espacio están relacionadas a través de un camino de transición que los vincula uno al otro. A medida que la medición ISD disminuye, la relación espacial entre dos puntos se refuerza. Argumentamos teóricamente y demostramos empíricamente que el concepto ISD no está predispuesto a favor de la primera ley de la geografía (de Tobler), pero considera directamente la varianza de la cercanía de la distancia física y la distancia del valor del atributo para derivar una medición que cuantifica el grado en el que dos puntos están asociados espacialmente. En concreto, en los casos de atributos individuales, la información revelada por una medición ISD es más sofisticada que la que proporcionada por el índice de Moran, el índice de Moran local, y el semivariograma, pues da cuanta minuciosa de la relación espacial y de atributo en contextos locales y globales. El concepto de ISD también es lo suficientemente general para ser usado en el estudio de relaciones entre múltiples atributos. 本文提出了内蕴空间距离(ISD)来研究空间中任意两点之间的空间关系。ISD是考虑空间上分离的两点各自物理和属性接近度的一种距离度量。通过构造一个算法将该概念转变为ISD可度量方式。基于ISD概念,空间上的两点通过连接两者迁移路径相关联。当ISD度量减小时,两点之间空间关系变得越来越强。理论论证和实例演示表明ISD概念并不倾向于符合地理学第一定律,但直接考虑两点间物理距离和属性距离临近性的变化可以推导两点在空间上的联系程度。特别是在单一属性案例中,相比于Moran’s I,局部Moran’s I和半方差图,ISD度量揭示了全局与局部环境中详尽的空间相关信息。同时,ISD概念在研究多属性的空间关系中也是足够通用的。     

On the Imprecision of Boundaries

Imprecision of regional boundaries is subjected to a formal analysis within a fuzzy set theoretic framework. Regions are characterized by linguistic propositions which have precise mathematical translations. It is demonstrated that boundaries are generally fuzzy and exist as gradients rather than lines. Similarly, regions overlap to a certain extent. Though regional characterizations are imprecise, the extent of a fuzzy boundary can be exactly demarcated. Concepts of regional cores and edges are also examined. A simple climatic classification problem is employed to illustrate the theoretical arguments. The framework appears to be more natural, informative, and flexible. It comprises the conventional regional concepts as special cases.     

‘The Most Churlish of Celebrities’: George Eliot,John Cross and the Question of High Status

Published in 1885, John Cross's biography of his late wife, George Eliot's Life as Related in Her Letters and Journals, was written with the intention to ‘make known the woman as well as the author’ (John Cross, ed., George Eliot's Life as Related in Her Letters and Journals, cabinet edn, 3 vols (Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons, 1887), I, v). Yet, ironically, the biography is renowned precisely for the lack of insight it affords readers into the private life of George Eliot. Why did Cross make a promise that he could not keep? My essay attempts to answer this question by examining George Eliot's Life in the context of the fame culture of the late nineteenth century. I suggest that it is possible to read Cross's unwillingness in the Life to make Eliot more ‘available’ to her public as a reaction against the sorts of publicity which, throughout the 1870s, had pushed Eliot's persona into a celebrity arena. George Eliot's Life represents Cross's effort to preserve Eliot's high professional reputation by emphasizing her distance from celebrity culture and her status as a female sage. Through close examination of the reviews of the biography, I identify the contemporary attitudes that made stressing Eliot's greatness appear urgent to her biographer and, paradoxically, so unpopular with the general public. I call attention, in particular, to changing expectations about the relationship between public figures and their audiences as well as the purpose and content of famous Lives. ?1.?Leon Edel, ed., The Diary of Alice James (Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1982), pp. 40–41.      

Métissagein France: a postmodern fantasy and its forgotten precedents

Increasingly in the last decade France has defined its identity in terms of mixity. Its new vocation as a land of me´tissage is associated with the,‘black, blanc, beur’ theme of mixed identity. While the old ideal of the universalism of French values is now largely discredited, multiculturalism generally retains a negative association for the French: me´tissage, instead, is held up as a new ideal, indeed a new universal value. This article comments on the newly fashionable status of me´tissage by reading it in the context of the older, nightmare vision of racial mixing that dominated from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. Despite this essentially negative view there were, it is suggested, some precedents for the current attempt at a political recuperation of me´tissage.     

Shaking Table Test of the Taiwanese Traditional Dieh-Dou Timber Frame

This article attempts to explore the dynamic behavior of traditional Dieh-Dou timber structure under different combinations of structural forms and vertical loads. Using time-history record (TCU 084) from the Chi-Chi earthquake, two semi full-scale specimens (Symmetric and Asymmetric) were tested. Results showed that the Symmetric specimen tends to be damaged more easily and faster than the Asymmetric one. Damage pattern generally begins from the bottom Dou members and subsequently spreading upwards to the upper Dou, horizontal Gong members, and adjoining Shu members. Friction force between the contact surfaces is crucial towards the maintenance of overall structure. Increase vertical loadings have significant effect on the natural frequencies and global stiffness of the structure. Using the Single-Degree-Of-Freedom (SDOF) system, the derived stiffness is generally in good agreement with the dynamic results of both forms. This study suggests that the effects of increasing vertical loadings should be taken into consideration for future evaluation.     

民国最后一任驻苏大使傅秉常在苏联的日子

本文作者为中华民国最后一任驻苏联大使傅秉常孙女,兹依据傅氏日记对其使苏期间的使馆日常工作稍作梳理,供对中苏关系有兴趣的研究者参考。