Territoriality and Space Production in China

In this special issue, we have tried to bridge studies of the Chinese state and of the Chinese city by employing the concepts of space production and territoriality. Three sets of analytical tools frame our questions: First, we use the concept of “urbanization of the local state” instead of “state-led urbanization” to capture the active role of urban processes as a formative force in social transformation and a definitive element in the making of the local state. Urban construction has become the key mechanism of local state building in the areas of public finance, territorial power consolidation, and local leaders’ political performance. Second, we expand the concept of the city to encompass the notion of territoriality, defined as spatial strategies to consolidate power in a given place and time and to secure autonomy. Territorial contestation is unusually intense when the premises of state authority are under-defined and local state jurisdictional boundaries shift frequently, as has been the case in China over the past thirty years. Third, we expand the analysis of territoriality from the realm of the state to that of society with the concept of “civic territoriality.” This concept refers to societal actors’ conscious cultivation and struggle to build territory for self protection and autonomy at the physical, socio-political, and discursive levels. Civic territoriality is central to societal actors’ cultivation of collective identities, to their framing of grievances and demands, and to their options and choice of collective actions. This framework helped to organize the seven contributions of this issue into the following three themes: Territorial Order and State Power, Territorialization of Capital, and Civic Territoriality.   Download PDF for full text of Introduction

AIN-Based Action Selection Mechanism for Soccer Robot Systems

[[abstract]]Role and action selections are two major procedures of the game strategy for multiple robots playing the soccer game. In role-select procedure, a formation is planned for the soccer team, and a role is assigned to each individual robot. In action-select procedure, each robot executes an action provided by an action selection mechanism to fulfill its role playing. The role-select procedure was often designed efficiently by using the geometry approach. However, the action-select procedure developed based on geometry approach will become a very complex task. In this paper, a novel action-select algorithm for soccer robots is proposed by using the concepts of artificial immune network (AIN). This AIN-based action-select provides an efficient and robust algorithm for robot role selection. Meanwhile, a reinforcement learning mechanism is applied in the proposed algorithm to enhance the response of the adaptive immune system. Simulation and experiment are carried out to verify the proposed AIN-based algorithm, and the results show that the proposed algorithm provides an efficient and applicable algorithm for mobile robots to play soccer game.[[incitationindex]]EI[[booktype]]電子版[[booktype]]紙

The Making of the Future: Limits of and Alternatives to Forecasting in the Planning Process

One of the distinctive features of planning is its orientation toward the future and its attempt to cope with uncertainties about the future. In planning practice, the task of predicting the future is mainly materi­ alized in projections and forecasts. However, when using projection and forecast in planning processes, we often encounter the problem of inconsistency between the forecast, the plan, and the outcome. In this paper, I will review the major limits of forecasting methods, then explore alternative ones. I propose that the problems of existing fore­ casting methods are mainly due to the use of pre-fixed and narrowly­ defined models to apprehend the dynamic social processes in which planning actions as well as socio-economic and political forces interact. This general problem is to be analyzed at three levels. At the technical level, the need for manageable models and the lack of .adequate information have been the major limits of forecasting; at the epistemo­ logical level, the static prediction of a contingent future has inevitably led to contradictions between forecasting and planning; at the political level, political use of forecasts and incoherence between political prerequisites of the plan and the existing political structure have greatly contributed to the problem

The great urban transformation: politics of land and property in china

xiv,258hal.;22cm

The Great Urban Transformation: politics of land and property in China

xiv,258hal.;24c

Methylmercury Concentration in Fish and Risk-Benefit Assessment of Fish Intake among Pregnant versus Infertile Women in Taiwan

<div><p>This study examined methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish, the daily MeHg exposure dose, and the risk–benefit of MeHg, ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3 PUFA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) related to fish intake among pregnant and infertile women in Taiwan. The measured MeHg concentrations in fish did not exceed the Codex guideline level of 1 mg/kg. Swordfish (0.28 ± 0.23 mg/kg) and tuna (0.14 ± 0.13 mg/kg) had the highest MeHg concentrations. The MeHg concentration in the hair of infertile women (1.82 ± 0.14 mg/kg) was significantly greater than that of pregnant women (1.24 ± 0.18 mg/kg). In addition, 80% of infertile women and 68% of pregnant women had MeHg concentrations in hair that exceeded the USEPA reference dose (1 mg/kg). The MeHg concentrations in hair were significantly and positively correlated with the estimated daily MeHg exposure dose. Based on the risk–benefit evaluation results, this paper recommends consumption of fish species with a low MeHg concentration and high concentrations of DHA + EPA and ω-3 PUFA (e.g., salmon, mackerel, and greater amberjack).</p></div