The export competitiveness of the newly industrialised east Asian economies: How real is the Chinese threat in electronics?

This paper examines the export performance of China in electronics compared to the east Asian NIEs exporting to the USA, the European Union, and Japan between 1988 and 2001 using a dynamic version of shift-share analysis to overcome some of the inherent drawbacks of the widely-used static shift-share methodology. Our findings suggest that China has now emerged as a serious contender in the export market for electronic goods, but this position has not been a dominant one. For electronics as a whole, the principal gainers after 1995 appear to be newcomers China and Malaysia at the expense of the older Tigers, like Singapore and Hong Kong. To some extent this represents a natural process of ‘catch-up’. Moreover, no single NIE has dominated all categories of electronic exports. In the east Asian region, the less developed members of ASEAN would appear to be most at risk in the immediate future since they compete head on with China in lower-end manufacturing and are in danger of being ‘leapfrogged’ in the value-added chain. The more advanced NIEs are in a better position since they have time to increase value-added before China catches up and may benefit more from the opportunities China offers in terms of production and service complementarities

Grammatical errors in spoken english of University students in oral communication course

The present study examines the grammatical errors in spoken English of university students who are less proficient in English. The specific objectives of the study are to determine the types of errors and the changes in grammatical accuracy during the duration of the English for Social Purposes course focussing on oral communication. The language data were obtained from the simulated oral interactions of 42 students participating in five role play situations during the 14-week semester. Error analysis of 126 oral interactions showed that the five common grammar errors made by the learners are preposition, question, article, plural form of nouns, subject-verb agreement and tense. Based on Dulay, Burt and Krashen’s (1982) surface structure taxonomy, the main ways by which students modify the target forms are misinformation and omission, with addition of elements or misordering being less frequent. The results also showed an increase in grammatical accuracy in the students’ spoken English towards the end of the course

Structural basis of regulatory ribosome arrest by VemP and rescue of aberrant translational stalling by Vms1

Regulation of translation directly controls gene expression levels from mRNA to protein in the translation cycle steps. Ribosome arrest peptides (RAPs) are often conditional modulators interacting with the ribosomal tunnel and induce translational stalling to regulate downstream gene expression in cis to fulfill real-time cellular needs. The ribosomal tunnel also provides a protected environment for initial protein folding. This dissertation's first publication presents a 2.9 Å cryo-electron microscopy structure of a ribosome stalled during translation of the extremely compacted VemP nascent chain. The nascent chain forms two alpha-helices connected by an alpha-turn and a loop, enabling a total of 37 amino acids to be observed within the first 50–55 Å of the ribosomal tunnel. The structure reveals how alpha-helix formation directly within the peptidyltransferase center (PTC) of the ribosome interferes with aminoacyl-tRNA (A-tRNA) accommodation, suggesting that for canonical translation, a significant role of the ribosomal tunnel is to prevent excessive secondary structure formation that can interfere with the peptidyltransferase activity of the ribosome. On the other hand, secondary structure formation at the PTC could also be used by the ribosome for specific nascent proteins like RAPs to modulate the rate of translation, which could have significant downstream consequences for co-translational protein targeting and folding. Relief of VemP-mediated ribosome stalling is proposed to result from the translocon pulling force exerted on VemP nascent chain's N-terminal signal sequence. For VemP, force application would inevitably prevent the formation of the extensive secondary structure during translation or lead to an unraveling of any secondary structure that does form within the tunnel, thereby eventually allowing the sterical transition into the induced conformation of the PTC. This work obtained novel insights into the underlying mechanisms of RAP-mediated ribosome force sensing. A translating ribosome can also be stalled on the mRNA owing to defective translational components such as non-stop/no-go mRNAs. To maintain ribosome and protein homeostasis, the ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) system has evolved to rescue the stalled ribosome and release the incomplete nascent protein for degradation through disassembling the translation machinery in eukaryotic cells. After dissociation of ribosomes, the stalled tRNA-bound peptide remains associated with the 60S subunit and extended by Rqc2 by adding C-terminal alanyl and threonyl residues (CAT tails), whereas Vms1 catalyzes cleavage and release of the peptidyl-tRNA before or after addition of CAT tails. In doing so, Vms1 counteracts CAT-tailing of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins that otherwise drive aggregation and compromise mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis. This dissertation's second publication presents structural and functional insights into the interaction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Vms1 with 60S subunits in pre- and post-peptidyl-tRNA cleavage states. Vms1 binds to 60S subunits with its Vms1-like release factor 1 (VLRF1), zinc finger, and ankyrin domains. VLRF1 overlaps with the Rqc2 A-tRNA position and interacts with the ribosomal A-site, projecting its catalytic GSQ motif towards the CCA end of the tRNA, its Y285 residue dislodging the tRNA base 73 for nucleolytic cleavage. Moreover, in the pre-state, ABCF-type ATPase Arb1 was found in the ribosomal E-site, which stabilizes the delocalized base 73 of the peptidyl-tRNA and stimulates Vms1-dependent tRNA cleavage. These structural analyses provided mechanistic insights into the interplay of the RQC factors Vms1, Rqc2, and Arb1 and their role in protecting mitochondria from the aggregation of toxic proteins

Matroids over Skew Tracts

Matroids over tracts provide an algebraic framework simultaneously generalizing the notions of linear subspaces, matroids, oriented matroids, valuated matroids, phased matroids, and some other "matroids with extra structure", presented by Baker and Bowler. Pendavingh partially extended this theory to skew hyperfields. We extend this theory to matroids over skew tracts, which generalizes both the theory of matroids over tracts and the theory of weak matroids over skew hyperfields developed by Pendavingh. We give several axiom systems for such matroids and also show their cryptomorphism

Historicizing Tibetan Cultural Heritage Across Time And Space

In this MA thesis project, I am proposing a possible model of examining Tibetan cultural heritage through performance studies, more specifically, dance studies by using three case studies. Instead of viewing Tibetan dance simply as a form of art or a type of media, I suggest it serves as a contact zone between not only Tibetan culture's past and today but also Tibetan culture and Chinese culture across different time and space.I am proposing a study on the Tibetan cultural heritage from the perspective of Tibetan dance by examining how Tibetan and non-Tibetan dance artists collaborate with each other in PRC since 1949 through case studies.University Library's Student Engagement ProgramLieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies- Summer Research Funding $5,000The Center for World Performance Studies- Summer Research Funding$3,500Rackham Graduate School- Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant $1,500http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/122855/1/Su_Ting_FinalReport_Slideshow.pdfDescription of Su_Ting_FinalReport_Slideshow.pdf : Symposium presentation slidesho