Abstract: Urban renewal is an important lever for promoting high-quality urban development, and the sustainable inheritance of cultural heritage is the core direction that urban renewal cannot deviate from. With the accelerated implementation of smart technology in urban governance, digital and intelligent means provide a new path to solve the pain points of cultural heritage protection in urban renewal. This article closely follows the cultural relic work policy of "protection first, rescue first; rational utilization, strengthen management", and analyzes the practical application of smart technology in cultural heritage resource survey, living inheritance, spatial restoration, revitalization and utilization, and public participation, based on publicly reported renovation practices such as Qingdao Dabao Island block and Beijing central axis. Research has found that smart technology can effectively balance the relationship between cultural heritage protection and urban functional upgrading, achieve the symbiosis of historical context continuation and modern urban development, and provide specific ideas for urban renewal practices in various regions. Read More

Abstract: In the new stage of economic development, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) is an important sustainability-oriented concept for corporate operations. Under the green development agenda, how to embed a firm's multiple responsibilities-environmental, social, and corporate governance-into its innovation system to drive the transformation from conventional innovation to green innovation has become a key research topic. Using data on China's A-share listed manufacturing firms from 2009 to 2021, this study empirically examines the effect of ESG ratings on firms' green innovation output. The results show that higher ESG ratings are associated with greater green innovation output, and the conclusion remains robust across multiple robustness checks. Mechanism analysis further suggests that improved ESG ratings can alleviate financing constraints, thereby promoting green innovation. This study provides policy implications for strengthening ESG practices and integrating sustainability and corporate social responsibility into firms' innovation systems, ultimately facilitating green transformation and the co-development of firms, society, and the environment. Read More

Abstract: In recent years, global climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall, posing a significant threat to the survival and development of cities. Traditional disaster management methods are difficult to effectively solve the increasingly complex urban flood problems. From the perspective of rainstorm disaster, this paper analyzes the relevant measures and methods to enhance urban adaptability and improve climate resilience. On the basis of identifying new changes in extreme precipitation disasters and their impacts on existing systems at all levels, this article forms a main idea for cultivating social resilience from the perspectives of absorption capacity, adaptability, and resilience. Based on this, it explores countermeasures and suggestions for the coordinated response of engineering and non engineering measures to climate change, and finally proposes institutional arrangements and policy designs for the coordination of the two. In conclusion, enhancing regional resilience and actively adapting to climate change at a higher scale is one of the effective ways to reduce the risk of rainstorm disasters, and attention should be paid to the combination of concept updating, mechanism design and multi-party participation. Read More

Abstract: This study aims to re-examine the narrative of Roman imperialism and its constructed cultural hierarchy within Tacitus's Agricola through a postcolonial lens. Despite being composed in the early second century AD, the patterns of domination, assimilation, and resistance revealed in Agricola resonate profoundly with modern colonial dynamics. By dissecting Tacitus's portrayal of Roman expansion in Britain, this study demonstrates how the empire packaged conquest as a civilising mission while simultaneously relying on violence, cultural obliteration, and ideological legitimisation. Caligula's famous indictment-‘They create desolation and call it peace’-serves as the central argument, exposing the inherent contradictions within imperial discourse. Employing modern postcolonial concepts-alterity, hegemonic discourse, and cultural conquest-this paper demonstrates how Tacitus both participated in and subtly critiqued Roman imperial ideology. Concurrently, this study emphasises a fundamental divergence between Tacitus's moral concerns and modern postcolonial theory: the former primarily reflects on internal Roman corruption, while the latter examines the structural oppression endured by colonised peoples. Through this comparative lens, the essay reveals the intricate interplay of power, culture, and identity within the Agrippina, elucidating both the value and limitations of applying postcolonial theory to the context of ancient empires. Read More

Abstract: Since the introduction of realistic modeling concepts into ink-wash figure painting, the composition of these works has undergone a profound restructuring of visual order. From a formal analysis perspective, this paper explores how realistic composition seeks a balance between traditional Chinese compositional principles and Western concepts of realistic space, and further analyzes how this restructuring of visual order influences the generation and transformation of the work’s artistic atmosphere. The study argues that the realistic composition in contemporary ink-wash figure painting has formed a unique logic of “form-structure-meaning”-establishing a rational visual order through focal perspective, proportional relationships, and spatial layers, while simultaneously creating a poetic, atmospheric space through traditional techniques such as negative space, the interplay of solid and void, and variations in density. This fusion of dual structures enables realistic figure painting to transcend the limitations of objective representation, achieving an aesthetic realm where the “visible” and the “sensible” are unified. Read More

Abstract: This is because third-party environmental service providers undertake environmental monitoring, environmental impact assessment (EIA), automatic monitoring operation and maintenance, vehicle emission testing, and carbon-emission verification. Practically, however, the falsification of data does not always occur in the form of a simple report, which would be considered outright false. It is disseminated over sampling, analysis, transmission, signing and other nodes, and it comes in the nature of chain and technical forms. Current law already has administrative, civil, and criminal layers of liability, but each layer runs into difficulty in use. Administrative penalties do not easily pierce affiliation and re-entrustment structures. In criminal cases, chain-like division of labor weakens proof of intent. Civil joint liability under Article 65 of the Environmental Protection Law has for a long time been constrained by the difficulty of proving causation. Using typical criminal and administrative cases released in 2023 and 2024, and empirical studies in air monitoring, water monitoring, and carbon-emission reporting, this article focuses on the causation problem in the application of Article 65. The article argues that Chinese law does not need a new concept of causation here. Within the existing framework of adequate causation, different presumptions should be set for different kinds of third-party services, namely continuous discharge-monitoring operation and maintenance, one-time testing and certification, and EIA and carbon-emission verification. This should be supported by statutory duties to keep audit logs and by adverse-inference rules when such logs are missing. Read More

Abstract: With the continuous development of internationalization in universities, more and more foreign students are coming to China to study and playing an increasingly important role in their university life. How to provide correct moral education and cultivate good habits for international students is also an important component of ideological and political education for college students. The article focuses on cultural identity and systematically elaborates on the role of moral education in the management of international students, as well as the existing problems and countermeasures.The author proposes that cultural identity is the process by which people recognize, accept, and internalize a certain culture; There is an inherent consistency and unity between it and moral development, which has a positive impact on the formation of values, the selection of norms, and self positioning. In reality, the moral development of international students from various countries has encountered problems such as cultural differences, discomfort in educational methods, difficulties in adapting to schools, and cultural barriers in management mechanisms. Therefore, how to solve the above problems has become the focus of our thinking. Therefore, the author believes that we should carry out virtue education work from the perspective of enhancing cultural identity. Specifically, we can start from the following aspects: attaching importance to value discussions based on cultural understanding; Emphasize cross-cultural curriculum and activity design; Emphasize the reconstruction of school culture construction; Emphasize the infiltration of virtue education in management and service. Its purpose is to break through the one-dimensional constraints of behavioral training, allowing international students to naturally integrate value concepts and internalize them into virtues and qualities in the process of cross-cultural adaptation based on multicultural cognition, tolerance, and identification, … Read More

Abstract: Mental health accessibility is a critical public policy issue that affects individuals across diverse social contexts, including educational settings, prenatal care, disability services, and rural healthcare systems. This essay examines the systemic barriers that limit access to mental health services, such as socioeconomic inequality, racial discrimination, geographic constraints, and shortages of mental health professionals. Drawing on existing literature, the paper analyzes how these barriers manifest in four specific contexts: school-based mental health support for students with disabilities, prenatal mental health care for Black women, access to coordinated care for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and pediatric mental health services in rural areas. Through a rhetorical and policy-oriented analysis, the essay highlights the limitations of current mental healthcare models and emphasizes the need for integrated, preventive, and inclusive approaches. By synthesizing evidence across these contexts, the paper argues that mental health accessibility requires systemic reform rather than isolated, setting-specific solutions, and calls for policymakers and institutions to prioritize equitable and universal access to mental health services. Read More

Abstract: Urban centers worldwide are increasingly exposed to the twin pressures of globalization and industrial restructuring, yet their capacity to adapt varies sharply. This paper investigates the institutional determinants of divergent urban trajectories through a comparative case study of Hong Kong and Detroit. Building on Acemoglu and Robinson’s framework of inclusive versus extractive institutions, complemented by North’s theory of path dependence, we argue that institutional quality constitutes a decisive factor in shaping economic resilience at the city level. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we integrate descriptive statistics (1980–2020), policy document analysis, and process tracing of critical junctures. The findings reveal that Hong Kong’s inclusive institutions-anchored in the rule of law, market openness, and adaptive governance-enabled structural diversification from manufacturing to high value–added services, and facilitated rapid recovery from external shocks such as the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. In contrast, Detroit’s extractive institutions-dominated by rent-seeking elites, rigid union structures, and policy inertia-reinforced industrial lock-in within the automobile sector, ultimately precipitating fiscal collapse and municipal bankruptcy in 2013. This study contributes to comparative urbanism by demonstrating that national-level institutional theories are analytically powerful at the urban scale. Policy implications underscore the necessity of dismantling vested interests, embedding adaptive governance, and creating transformation funds for declining industrial cities. For emerging economies, the lessons highlight the urgency of institutional reform to prevent “Detroitization” and foster sustainable, innovation-driven growth. Read More

Abstract: Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano (1952) interrogates an ontological crisis where technocratic systems equate human value with functional efficiency. This study analyzes how total automation supplants both manual and cognitive labor, precipitating a survival redundancy characterized by the disappearance of meaningful work and the paradox of enforced leisure. By examining the erosion of human subjectivity through post-industrial labor theory and existential philosophy, the article demonstrates that the failure of the Ghost Shirt Rebellion reveals the deep internalization of efficiency-oriented logic. Ultimately, the novel gestures toward an alternative ethical framework grounded in non-utilitarian relationality and human imperfection, providing a foundational critique for the contemporary era of algorithmic governance. Read More

Abstract: Understanding the historical dynamics of epidemics is crucial for addressing contemporary global health threats under climate change and globalization. However, most existing studies on historical epidemics in China have focused on eastern coastal regions, while northwestern areas like Gansu-a critical ecological transition zone-remain understudied. Furthermore, comprehensive analyses integrating both natural and social environmental drivers are lacking. To address this research gap, this study investigates the spatial-temporal distribution patterns and influencing factors of plague epidemics in Gansu Province during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) using historical records, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and geographic detectors. Results reveal that plague frequency peaked during the Tongzhi era (1863–1874), with epidemic coverage and affected counties reaching maxima in 1724 and 1769, respectively, predominantly occurring in summer and autumn. Spatially, plague spread evolved from fragmented distributions in the early period to increasingly clustered and contiguous patterns in central and eastern Gansu. The epidemics were driven by the interplay of natural and social factors, with the interaction between transportation route length and elevation exhibiting the strongest synergistic effect. These findings provide historical insights for understanding regional epidemic dynamics and inform contemporary public health strategies in ecologically vulnerable regions. Read More

Abstract: As one of the largest groups of occupational disease sufferers in China, pneumoconiosis patients endure not only the physical agony of respiratory distress but also persistent social pressures, including those arising from the rights defense process itself. This study focuses on the challenges these patients face in asserting their rights, examines the underlying causes, and explores potential remedial measures. Through field investigations, interview-based research, and sustained literature review, it offers an in-depth portrayal of the difficulties and obstacles encountered in their pursuit of justice. The analysis delves into contributing factors at multiple levels-including the workers themselves, government bodies, liable enterprises, and broader social status and social status and public awareness. Building on this analysis, the paper puts forward constructive recommendations tailored to the identified causes, proposing future solutions aimed at transforming the roles of workers, corporations, and other stakeholders. Its purpose is twofold: to expose the realities of this social issue and to offer rationally grounded strategies that may help affected families overcome their current plight and pressures, regain normalcy in life, and provide an academic reference for future support work by advocates or charitable organizations assisting pneumoconiosis patients. Read More

Abstract: Public order policing occupies a contested position within contemporary policing practices, often oscillating between the demands of maintaining public security and protecting civil liberties. This research examines the dynamics of public order policing through the case of Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019. It focuses on two key policing strategies employed in response to widespread protests: the escalation of force against demonstrators and the prolonged shutdown of internet and media communications. Drawing on securitization theory and James Der Derian’s concept of “virtuous war,” the article argues that globalization contributes to the construction of a security discourse that legitimizes expanded police powers. Through the process of securitization, political dissent in Kashmir was reframed as a national security threat, thereby justifying exceptional policing measures. At the same time, the implementation of internet shutdowns reflects an attempt to contain the global circulation of information and limit transnational engagement with local protests. The case therefore illustrates the paradoxical relationship between globalization and policing: while global security discourse expands the scope of police authority, policing practices may simultaneously seek to restrict global information flows in the name of security. Read More