Outer Edges of the Middle Kingdom is a narrative by the author about his two years as a teacher in the People's Republic of China. Organized chronologically, the account begins in August, 1985, and ends in June, 1987. The narrator describes meeting students at Tianjin University, Tianjin, China, designing English classes for English majors, daily episodes in the classroom, and interaction with Chinese colleagues. The narrative alternates between life on a university campus and extensive trips the narrator made to various cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Kunming, Guilin, Harbin, Hohot, and Guangzhou. Also recounted are the narrator's reactions to the student demonstrations of December, 1986, and the resulting anti-bourgeois liberation campaign of January-April, 1987.

This paper examines assimilation and double-consciousness in the poetry of Charles Simic, Marilyn Chin, and Susan Atefat-Peckham. Each of these three poets writes in English in an American setting but has a different heritage. Simic is a native Yugoslavian (Serbia) who fled Europe during WWII. Chin arrived in the U.S. from Hong Kong as a child, and Atefat-Peckham is a first-generation American raised by Iranian parents. Each of these poets expresses some degree of assimilation and double-consciousness (as described by various theorists including W.E.B. Du Bois and Werner Sollors, among others) through the form and content of their poetry. This paper compares the three poets' work, attempting to draw inferences on how double-consciousness and assimilation is expressed in their poems and to what degree. This study argues that Simic is the least assimilated (as his poetry portrays the most severe double-consciousness), Chin is in-between and Atefat-Peckham the most assimilated.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T13:39:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 454109.pdf: 1412748 bytes, checksum: 299ca1ac4eb3e5f1edc408ae212d88c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-01-08 / The aim of this paper is to research the position of adjectives in both Mandarin and Brazilian Portuguese, with respect to syntax and semantics. When compared to Mandarin which has a more rigid order, Brazilian Portuguese has the greater flexibility in the word order of the noun phrase, especially, the adjective position. Firstly, the relevant studies concern about adjectives of the two languages are taken up, with the objective of showing what they form a class of words with a peculiar syntactic-semantic behavior. Secondly, this paper also presents the syntactic approaches that explain the flexibility of the position of adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese in an interface with semantics. Meanwhile, proposals are illustrated, in which describe syntactic and semantic properties with regard to the adjective positioning in Mandarin. Lastly, this work discusses the limitations and reflections of the adopted theories. In addition, the analysis of adjectives within a noun phrase of Brazilian Portuguese and Mandarin, leads proposing a syntactic-semantic proximity between the two both languages in some extent / Este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar a posi??o de adjetivos no portugu?s brasileiro e no mandarim com rela??o ? sintaxe e sem?ntica. O portugu?s brasileiro apresenta maior flexibilidade na ordem dos elementos no sintagma nominal, sendo mais livres as posi??es que os adjetivos ocupam, se comparadas ?s do mandarim que apresenta uma ordem mais r?gida. Em primeiro lugar, retomam-se os estudos relevantes sobre adjetivos das duas l?nguas para evidenciar que eles formam uma classe de palavras com o comportamento sint?tico-sem?ntico peculiar. Segundo, buscam-se abordagens sint?ticas que explicam a flexibilidade da posi??o de adjetivos do portugu?s brasileiro em interface com a sem?ntica. Em paralelo, ilustram-se propostas que apresentam propriedades sint?tica e sem?ntica, no que diz respeito ao posicionamento de adjetivos no mandarim. Finalmente, discutem-se as limita??es e reflex?es das teorias adotadas neste trabalho. Al?m disso, ao propor que existe, de certa forma, a proximidade sint?tico-sem?ntica entre o portugu?s brasileiro e mandarim, realiza-se a an?lise de adjetivos dentro de sintagma nominal em ambas as l?nguas

蒙古與中國因為擁有不同的自然條件與生產方式，所以生產型態也有所 差 。位於北方，以遊牧為生產型態的蒙古，受限於自然條件與生產方式 ，對植物性糧食以及生活日用品、生產工具等相當匱乏，必須從南方農業 民族取得這些必需品，所以自古蒙漢關係的發展與變化也與就經濟密不可 分。清朝統一蒙古各部與中國之後，蒙古與中國的政治、經濟市場合而為 一，蒙漢的經濟往來更加密切。由於蒙古與中國的戰爭完全停歇，沒有戰 爭的壓力，漢人開始一改以前的消極被動態勢，不再只安於等待蒙人到京 師或邊口上互市的交換形式，開始積極主動到蒙古地區從事經濟活動。在 農墾上漢人不斷地漢地湧入蒙古，在蒙古定居、耕種，甚至在蒙古形成農 業專區。在商業方面，大量的漢商隨著軍前貿易、隨軍貿易的發展，開始 在蒙古從事商業活動。隨著商業活動的快速發展，漢商很快就在蒙古取得 的優勢，進而帶動了漢人在蒙古的手工業和資源開發不斷地進行與發展， 漢人在蒙古的經濟實力越來越龐大，對蒙古的社會、經濟都開始產生影響 。漢人以其強勢的經濟力量，開始主導蒙古地區經濟的發展動向。隨著漢 人在蒙古經濟勢力的擴張，使得蒙人的經濟利益遭受侵害。經濟利益的爭 奪，使蒙漢關係漸趨緊張，蒙漢衝突、對立的情勢隨之升高。本文即由清 朝統治政策以及當時蒙漢社會狀況談起，然後逐一探討漢人在蒙古的農業 、商業、手工業、資源開發等經濟活動的發展情形。在結構上除了緒論、 結論外，共分為四章。第一章「清朝統治下的蒙古與漢地」，主要是敘述 清朝治蒙、治漢政策以及蒙漢社會經濟不同的發展狀況與生活需求，以點 出漢人在蒙古地區發展的動力與時代背景。第二章「漢族在蒙古的農業活 動」以及第三章「漢族在蒙古的工商業活動」則分別探討漢人在蒙古地區 從事經濟活動的兩大主力--農業與商業，包括其活動內容、方式及發展過 程、影響等整體情形。第四章「漢族在蒙古的經濟網」則是以漢人在蒙古 經濟活動的發展重心地區為架構、台站交通為基礎的商路以及商業城鎮與 農墾區結合而形成的經濟大重鎮。最後則以論述經濟重鎮的特殊經濟型態 、文化風情以及清朝對這些地區所採取的盟旗、廳縣並存的雙套管理方式 為總結。

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of English

Burmese refugees are entering the US at record speed. Resettlement agencies focus on immediate needs, and ethnic community-based organizations (ECBOs) fill any service gaps through community-driven programs. The Tampa Bay Burmese Council (TBBC) is an ECBO in Tampa, FL dedicated to the Burmese community. This research explores the reproductive beliefs of the women in the community, paying particular attention to any differences that arise due to beliefs specific to their ethnic group. Findings include the importance of menses for women's health, the preference for both male and female children, a lack of knowledge about family planning methods, a tendency to use family planning only after the ideal family composition is reached, and periods of food and activity prohibitions during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The recommendations offered will be used by the TBBC to apply for grants to fund needed community-based services.

No description available.

這篇論文聚焦在考察戰國秦漢文本中的黃帝形象，而非其人之真實事蹟。從戰國到秦漢，黃帝具有多元的形象。作者試圖探詢的問題如下：戰國秦漢文本的黃帝形象為何？這些形象如何演變？演變發生的原因何在？期望這一研究能夠促使我們反思相關歷史的一個起點。 　　黃帝在血緣與文化方面的重要性，長時間以來都是中國民族主義史學中的重點。不過，並不是每一種黃帝形象都得到歷史學家同等的關注。純從現代人的角度進行研究，可能使研究者忽略，或扭曲另一個時代的人對黃帝形象的想像。本篇論文的目的即在全面探索黃帝在戰國秦漢政治、文化、民生、信仰中的多元角色及其受重視的程度。 　　戰國秦漢時期，人們對黃帝已經推崇備至。然而，當時人對黃帝形象的認識卻和今日有著微妙的差異。舉例來說，古人以黃帝為共祖的行為，除了表示血緣上的聯繫之外，也可能根基於當事人在所屬情境下，對歷史的解釋與認同感。作為聖王，黃帝受到學者讚揚與統治者效法；但是對於其人之成就與發明，仍然處於眾說紛紜的狀態。當時人的日常生活與信仰可能時常接觸黃帝之名，但其形象並不統一，有時甚至相互矛盾的。令人好奇的是，這些不一定都彼此吻合的形象，卻又不約而同地給予了黃帝正面的評價。 　　環繞黃帝形象的爭議並不罕見，尤其是在漢代。學者與朝廷對於整理與過濾相關史料的工作有過許多嘗試，《史記‧五帝本紀》是其中的代表之一。儘管當時學者可能有不同看法，由於能夠跨越大、小傳統之間的界線，多元形象對傳播黃帝故事或許是有利的。 / This thesis is a study of the images of Yellow Emperor in the texts from Warring States to Han, not his true deeds. The author tries to inquire following questions: what images of Yellow Emperor were depicted in texts of that period, how did those images change, and why did those changes happen. I hope that this study could eventually cause me reflex our understanding of relevant historical subjects. Since the turn of twentieth century, the positions of Yellow Emperor in the genealogy of kinship / culture have been one of the major concerns of Chinese national historians. However, not all kinds of images were concerned equivalently. Besides, those images of Yellow Emperor in ancient Chinese texts were sometimes neglected, or even distorted by modern historians according to their contemporary needs. Consequently, I try to rediscover the images of Yellow Emperor in the ancient Chinese texts as it were and try to explore their political, social, cultural, and religious implications in their own term. Though the images of Yellow Emperor had already enjoyed high profile from Warring states to Han dynasty, they were different from the modern popular knowledge and were shaped in different historical contexts. For example, the image as a common ancestor of ancient people is a fabrication / construction based upon the different needs of historical explanation and family identity. The images as a sage king, though admired by ancient scholars, imitated by ancient rulers, never reached consensus. People in that era might highly appraise his images in daily and religious life, but those images were far from consistent. Interestingly, though inconsistent they were, they gave him positive evaluations. Disputes about images of Yellow Emperor were not rare, especially in Han Period. Scholars and royal court kept on trying to rearrange and filter the historical status of Yellow Emperor. One of the representative works is the “Basic Annals of the Five Emperors (五帝本紀)” by Ssuma Chien (司馬遷). However, those versatile and vivid images could not be regulated, by royal court or by scholars, into a unified one, they were able to stride over the barrier between grand and little tradition, and help to spread those legends of Yellow Emperor.

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities. / Department of Chinese

Rho GTPases and their regulators such as guanosine exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) represent an important class of molecules controlling dendritic spine plasticity. Although they are typically described as cytoskeletal modulators, roles for the GTPases in endocytosis and cell polarity establishment have also been defined. The neuronal proteins a1- and a2-chimaerins belong to a group of Rac and Cdc42 GAPs that inactivate these GTPases; in addition to a GAP domain, the a-chimaerins share a phosphokinase C (PKC)-like C1 domain but have distinct N-terminal domains (NTDs). My project has explored the importance of specific domains of a1-chimaerin both in induction of a morphological cellular protrusion collapse phenotype ('circularisation') and in interactions with partner proteins that may help to explain the phenotype. The results described in my thesis show that a1-chimaerin possesses a previously undescribed C-terminal domain (CTD) that is indispensable for the ability of the protein to induce collapse of protrusions, and consequent circularisation, in various cell types; moreover, an intact CTD is also important for association of a1-chimaerin with its known effector EphA4, and potentially with other undefined membrane proteins, in a C1-domain- dependent manner. In addition, my results show that a1-chimaerin associates via its NTD with the Src kinase Fyn, and via its C1 domain with the NR2A subunit of the NMDA receptor. Further experiments explored a1-chimaerin effects on EphA4 and NMDA receptor cell surface expression, as well as binding to other putative partners - including the adaptor protein p35 and the polarity protein PAR6. Finally, I have shown that inhibition of a pathway involving the Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase (ROCK) reverts circularisation induced by a1- chimaerin, and that a blocking peptide based on the CTD may be employed to partially counteract the phenotype. These results uncover a novel domain in a1-chimaerin that may have a crucial importance for the induction of cellular process collapse by a1-chimaerin with a potential relevance to the EphA4-induced dendritic spine retraction, EphA4 receptor endocytosis, and cell surface expression of NR2A-containing NMDA receptors. This suggests a model of a multi-protein signalling complex involving a1-chimaerin that coordinates cellular process remodelling, and that is likely to be important both for adult neuronal circuit plasticity and for neurodegenerative diseases.