Made in China: the cultural logic of OEMs and the manufacture of low‐cost technology

Abstract

This paper investigates the conditions of the manufacture of low‐cost technology in China with the examples of ‘pirated’ VCD players, ‘no‐name’ DVD players, and Shenzhen’s development as a techno‐urban city. It emphasizes the significance of the cultural logic of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and argues that the various transformations and deflections that are derived from ubiquitous OEM experiences have gone beyond the original model of an authorized OEM, experiences that are to some extent embodied in the transgression of brand name and patent hegemonies, which are mainly controlled by high technology companies. OEMs have been associated with China’s current imperative and uninhibited development of low‐cost technology capitalism. ‘Made in China’ signifies the production of any product, legal or illegal, for transnational high technology giants or domestic technology manufacturers. Learning to ‘become an OEM’ in China has partly resulted in excessive technological mimesis that may be part of an unauthorized, underground economy that is based on low‐cost technology. Based on the Shenzhen experience, part of this study will show industrial production‐oriented OEM cultures in which illegal operations and counterfeit trade are incorporated, even in city projects that are shared by municipal governments and Chinese technological companies, and undergo spatial restructuring in the development of the economy, consumerism, and urbanism.     

The power of circulation: digital technologies and the online Chinese fans of Japanese TV drama

Focusing on the online Chinese fans of Japanese TV drama, this paper explores the way in which the fan subculture, in connection with digital technologies, has carved out alternative practices in the circulation, production and consumption of Japanese TV drama. As ‘minority audiences’ who are not targeted as the objects of capitalist interests, online Chinese fans invent spaces for Chinese transnational networking with self‐help and sharing, as a way of resisting the aloofness from marketing strategies of Japanese TV distributors in Asia. This case study reveals that the online Chinese fan clubs, the websites for downloads, pirated VCD markets, digital file conversion, and private VCD burning – all of these have linked endless networks for the digitalized circulation and consumption of Japanese TV drama. The online Chinese fans are guerrilla fighters in the politics of autonomy, network and low‐cost digital technology; they are attempting to break down time–space constraints and the official distribution hierarchy. Such fan practices shed light on the new trends of audio‐visual consumption via digitalization.     

Negotiating women’s social space: public debates on gender in early modern Kerala,India*

Abstract

The paper argues that the formation of modern gender identities in early‐twentieth‐century Kerala was deeply implicated in the project of shaping governable subjects who were, at one and the same time ‘free’ and already inserted into modern institutions. Because gender appeared both natural and social, both individualising and general, it seemed to be a superior form of social ordering compared to the pre‐existing order of caste. The actualisation of a superior society ordered by gender was seen to be dependent upon the shaping of the fully‐fledged individuals with strong internalities and well‐developed gendered capacities that would place them in distinct social domains of the public and domestic, as ‘free’ individuals, who, however, were bound together in a complementary relationship. While this model still remains dominant in Kerala, by the 1930s, the public/domestic divide came to be blurred with the rapid spread of disciplinary institutions. Womanhood came to be associated not with a certain domain but with a certain form of power. This legitimated the entry of Malayalee women into public life, undergirded the much‐discussed ‘Kerala Model’ of development, and still holds up the highly ambiguous sort of ‘liberation’ elite Malayalee women have experienced. It has also strongly influenced the specific shape the resistance to patriarchy has taken in Kerala in the twentieth century.     

基于TSM模型的感应电机有限时间跟踪控制

根据变结构控制理论提出了一种新的设计方法——有限时间切换控制。在控制器设计中利用中继切换控制使系统在给定的当前控制律的作用下运行到某一特定状态（或某一特定区域）后,控制律被切换为有限时间收敛的终端滑模控制器,并使得系统在有限时间内达到平衡状态。有限时间跟踪控制器的设计保证了闭环系统所有信号的有界性和平衡点的全局稳定性,以及系统在有限时间内精确地跟踪给定的参考信号,仿真结果说明该控制策略的有效性。     

Systematic Comparison of Decision Accuracy of Complex Compensatory Decision Rules Combining Multiple Tests in a Higher Education Context

This real‐data‐guided simulation study systematically evaluated the decision accuracy of complex decision rules combining multiple tests within different realistic curricula. Specifically, complex decision rules combining conjunctive aspects and compensatory aspects were evaluated. A conjunctive aspect requires a minimum level of performance, whereas a compensatory aspect requires an average level of performance. Simulations were performed to obtain students' true and observed score distributions and to manipulate several factors relevant to a higher education curriculum in practice. The results showed that the decision accuracy depends on the conjunctive (required minimum grade) and compensatory (required grade point average) aspects and their combination. Overall, within a complex compensatory decision rule the false negative rate is lower and the false positive rate higher compared to a conjunctive decision rule. For a conjunctive decision rule the reverse is true. Which rule is more accurate also depends on the average test reliability, average test correlation, and the number of reexaminations. This comparison highlights the importance of evaluating decision accuracy in high‐stake decisions, considering both the specific rule as well as the selected measures.     

The kinematic differences between accurate and inaccurate squash forehand drives for athletes of different skill levels

ABSTRACT

To maintain the accuracy of squash shots under varying conditions, such as the oncoming ball’s velocity and trajectory, players must adjust their technique. Although differences in technique between skilled and less-skilled players have been studied, it is not yet understood how players vary their technique in a functional manner to maintain accuracy under varying conditions. This study compared 3-dimensional joint and racket kinematics and their variability between accurate and inaccurate squash forehand drives of 9 highly skilled and 9 less-skilled male athletes. During inaccurate shots, less-skilled players hit the ball with a more open racket, demonstrating a difference in this task-relevant parameter. No joint kinematic differences were found for accuracy for either group. Coordinated joint rotations at the elbow and wrist both displayed a “zeroing-in” effect, whereby movement variability was reduced from the initiation of propulsive joint rotation to a higher consistency at ball-impact; potentially highlighting the “functionality” of the variability prior to the impact that enabled consistent task-relevant parameters (racket orientation and velocity) under varying conditions. Further, highly skilled players demonstrated greater consistency of task-relevant parameters at impact than less-skilled players. These findings highlight the superior ability of highly skilled players to adjust their technique to achieve consistent task-relevant parameters and a successful shot.     

Physical Activity Practices in Elementary Schools and Associations With Physical Education Staffing and Training

Purpose: Authorities recommend that schools provide a variety of opportunities for students to obtain physical activity (PA) before, during, and after school. This study assessed the prevalence of several school PA practices—including measures of quantity and quality of physical education (PE)—in elementary schools and examined the associations of PA practices with school resources (PE staffing, training, and facilities). Method: Surveys were obtained from respondents in nationally representative samples of elementary schools from 2009–2010 to 2011–2012 (1,831 schools). Results: Few schools (20.8%) provided students with PE class every day, but most (76.3%) had an appropriate PE student-to-teacher ratio ( ≤ 25:1). Many schools (74.0%) offered 20 min of recess daily, but fewer than half offered organized opportunities for PA before or after school (e.g., sports). After controlling for demographics and school size, having a full-time PE teacher and requiring PE teachers to obtain PE-related continuing education (CE) were associated with PE practices such as offering ≥ 150 min of PE per week (for 3rd-grade students) and testing PE knowledge, skills, and fitness. Required CE was also associated with a higher likelihood of offering PA during the school day (i.e., activity breaks and PA outside of PE class) and before or after the school day (i.e., afterschool PA programs). Conclusion: Few schools offer a broad array of PA programming. However, PE staffing and CE are positively associated with many PA practices including those outside of PE, possibly indicating that PE staff serve a crucial role in promoting a whole-school PA-supportive environment.     

太极扇运动的价值与制约其发展的因素分析

运用文献资料、逻辑分析等方法,对太极扇运动的文化价值、社会价值、健身价值、观赏及娱乐价值进行探究。同时在太极扇项目开展现状研究的基础上,对太极扇文化发展的不确定性、传播的不完整性、套路编创的不均衡性以及服装的不规范进行分析,为太极扇运动的发展提供参考。     

培养自我监控能力对体育专业学生运动技能形成影响的实验研究

根据元认知和自我监控理论,研究在技术学习中培养学生的自我监控能力,同时通过自我监控能力的提高促进技术技能的掌握。并利用董奇的《学习自我监控量表》进行实验前后学生自我监控能力的差异比较。结果表明,在技术学习中培养学生的自我监控能力可促进技术技能的形成,提高了学生的能力和运动技术学习的效果。