Academic Circles Research Articles

The Post-epidemic Era: Reflections on enhancing labour education for young children

Since the new era, labour education has become a regular activity in kindergarten education activities, an important part of all kindergarten education activities, and has been the focus of academic circles. In particular, the Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Labour Education in Schools and Universities in the New Era, issued by the State Council of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2020, emphasized the necessity of carrying out labour education, which once again triggered a wave of concern about labour education from all walks of life in education[1]. However, since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in 2020, kindergartens have had to conduct all their educational activities against the background of the normalisation of the epidemic. Because of the normalisation of the epidemic, many kindergartens only focus on the form of labour education without really grasping the correct way of labour education for young children and the connotation of labour for young children, which has led to the marginalisation, formalisation and utilitarianisation of labour education for young children; and the lack of opportunities, content and activities for labour education for young children under the conditions of the epidemic. This has led to a marginalisation, formalisation and utilitarianisation of early childhood labour education, and a lack of opportunities, content and activities for early childhood labour education in the context of the epidemic.

중국 바이써(Baise) 분지 주먹도끼의 발견과 성격

This paper collates information on the current status of investigations and related handaxes in the Baise Basin over the last 50 years, focusing on the Fengshudao site, through a metrological analysis of handaxes Type,Shape, size, lithology and other attributes) and other areas (other sites in the Baise Basin, the Luonan Basin, the Imjin/Hantan River Basins , the Geum River Basin, the Yeongsan River Basin, the Acheulian handaxes in the western Old World) for comparative analysis and to understand their nature.
 The Baise handaxe belongs to the pebble industry in southern China. Because its cultural attributes include Acheulean technology, it occupies a pivotal position in the pebble culture of southern China and Asia. From its discovery in the early 1970s to the present, in the past 50 years, relevant investigations and research have achieved scientific research results, which have attracted widespread attention from the international academic community. Therefore, Chinese academic circles have also begun to discuss the ‘Movius line’. At present, there are 41 sites containing handaxes in the Baise Basin, and a total of 499 handaxes have been found. Among them, 11 were excavated from strata, and the rest were collected from the surface.
 The Fengshudao handaxes were basically made from large flakes and pebbles, with three types of stone: sandstone, quartzite and igneous rock. The sandstone is the most abundant and has the most stable ‘broadness’(B/L) and ‘flatness’(Th/B). According to the results of the metrological analysis, the ‘broadness’ (B/L) and ‘flatness’ (Th/B) indices of the Fengshudao handaxes are relatively high, and the ‘Pointness’ (B1/B2) index is relatively low. A comparison with other sites in the Baise Basin, the Luonan Basin, the Imjin/Hantan River Basins , the Geum River Basin, the Yeongsan River Basin, the Acheulian handaxes in the western Old World Acheulean handaxe shows that the Fengshudao handaxe is broader, thicker and has a more pointed base. In terms of industrial assemblages, handaxes and picks are common forms of assemblage in the Baise Basin, while Cleavers are rare, which is a clear difference from the Acheulian industry of the western Old World.

Forging the City Image during the French Colonial Period (1883-1962) in the Case of Jijel (Algeria)

The urban configuration of Algerian cities reflects the influence of French colonization (1883-1962). This is characterized by a collection of contrasts and overlays of different forms of architecture and urbanism. In all urban agglomerations in Algeria, the colonial section remains the most prominent and structured. This legacy of colonial architecture and urban planning has ignited a national debate in political and academic circles regarding its classification as heritage. This current study contributes to the debate by adopting a neutral and scientific approach in order to smooth things out and shed light on the role and creation of urban form and its image, specifically through the example of Jijel. The notion of urban image is explored through colonial architectural achievements, urban planning, and artistic endeavours that were emblematic of the city during the colonial period and continue to be so today. This article showcases various works created during the colonial period in Jijel, those that still convey an identity that defines the city. The concern for this identity is substantiated by a research project that seeks to identify the city's image through significant architectural works across different epochs and determine those that accurately convey the city's identity within the country.

Heritage and Original Peoples in Argentina: Learning from Indigenous Voices

ABSTRACT Heritage has been widely discussed in Latin America in general, and in Argentina in particular, in the last two decades. There have been debates about heritage within academic circles, especially in the social sciences and humanities, it has been a concern of state public administration, linked to tourism development, and it is frequently mentioned in the media. Furthermore, heritage has become an arena of dispute and struggle of subordinate groups who are in the process of regaining their identities and cultural ways, achieving social visibility, and making their voices heard. This paper explores the relationship between heritage and Original Peoples in Argentina from the indigenous point of view. Throughout this article, readers will find different indigenous voices explaining what they consider Indigenous Peoples’ main patrimony, what type of relations they establish with it, and how heritage is involved in their current projects, claims, and struggles, especially over their ancestral territories. As shown in this paper, Indigenous Peoples in Argentina seek to recover their heritage to re-establish the order and balance of the territorial forces and to demonstrate their pre-existence: that is, that they were in certain places before the formation of the modern nation-state and, therefore, that they have rights over these lands. In addition, claims and disputes over heritage are favoring the re-emergence and strengthening of indigenous spirituality and cultural practices.

СМИ как отражение современных требований общества к универсальным компетенциям выпускников университетов

The article examines the modern requirements of society to the universal competencies of university graduates through the prism of publications in the leading media. Employers expect professionals from universities with a set of necessary professional and supra-professional competencies. Modern Russian media reflect discussions in academic, scientific, and professional circles that affect the requirements of employers and society for professional knowledge and universal core competencies imposed on young employees.

Estrangement of Man from Nature: An Ecocritical Study of Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

Ecocriticism relatively a new literary theory has emerged in the 1990s and has since gained significant attention in academic and literary circles. It is an interdisciplinary field that takes an earth-centered approach to literary studies, examining the relationship between literature and the environment. Ecocritics analyze literature through the lens of environmental issues, such as climate change, pollution, sustainability, and ecological relationships etc. They seek to understand how literature reflects and shape our understanding of the natural world, how it contributes to our cultural attitudes and behaviors toward the environment. Ecocriticism has expanded beyond traditional literary studies and has incorporated a range of disciplines, including history, philosophy, anthropology, and environmental studies. It seeks to bridge the gap between humanistic and scientific perspectives on environmental issues, and to explore the connections between literature, culture, and the natural world. In essence, ecocriticism is a literary theory that considers the natural environment as a critical factor in shaping the meaning and significance of literary works, and its insights have been applied to a wide range of literary genres, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama. This paper attempts to analyse Kiran Desai’s novel The Inheritance of Loss from eco-critical perspective. Additionally it demonstrates the connection between humankind and environment through flora, fauna, waterways, mountains, and wildlife. It also sensitively identifies culture as one of the factors contributing to the destruction of the natural world.

Reception of A. I. Solzhenitsyn’s Works in Chinese Social, Political, and Cultural Context

The article analyzes the reception of A. I. Solzhenitsyn in Chinese translations and literary studies. The history of Solzhenitsyn’s texts and research on the Russian writer in the Chinese socio-political and cultural context is studied. It is noted that the perception of Solzhenitsyn in China was not exclusively a literary event, but was closely linked to the Sino-Soviet split in the late 1950s. It is established that the translation and study of Solzhenitsyn’s work in China was asynchronous: translations began in the 1960s, while research started in the mid-1980s. An analysis of the political-cultural background and ideological atmosphere during the translation and study of Solzhenitsyn’s work by Chinese scholars is conducted. The evolution of the perception of the writer’s personality and work is shown to have shifted from negative to positive, which is attributed to a change in literary criticism approach from vulgar sociological critique to artistic text critique. It is revealed that with the disappearance of ideological pressure, Chinese academic circles began to differentiate between Solzhenitsyn as a writer and Solzhenitsyn as a political figure. This division has contributed to a more adequate understanding of Solzhenitsyn and his literary legacy. Currently, Chinese scholars highly value Solzhenitsyn’s literary legacy and objectively and rationally relate to his political position and statements.

The Influence of Independent Director Characteristics on Financial Fraud Based on A-share Listed Companies

Recently, independent directors have attracted the attention of scholars, and the possible impact of their different characteristics has become a hot research topic. The frequent occurrence of financial fraud incidents has stimulated academic circles to think about the corporate fraud. In this context, this article’s sample is the A-shared public company in China for 10 years. By accessing to consult relevant literature, hypotheses are proposed and logistic regression models are established. For a more comprehensive consideration, the study not only considers the effects of the individual characteristic but also builds a comprehensive indicator. It can be seen from the outcomes that independent directors’ comprehensive characteristics and financial fraud are significantly negatively correlated. Female and highly educated independent directors, and those with academic, financial and accounting background play an important role in reducing the company's financial fraud. Based on this, diversification and overall consideration of independent directors cannot be ignored. This is helpful for strengthening corporate governance and reducing financial fraud.

Generic Moves in The Literature Review Section of PhD Dissertations

The dissertation/thesis as an academic genre has evolved in academic circles in the past 30 years or so. Research into various aspects of the academic genres in general and thesis writing, in particular, started more than two decades ago. However, not much research has been carried out regarding the theorizing of literature review writing as a separate genre in theses, especially in non-native English contexts. The present study aimed to fill the theoretical voids in the research area of Literature Review (LR) section in thesis writing in Pakistani academic settings; thus this study probes into the process of construction of literature reviewing to find out that how students organise this section and deal with the potential problems as an analytical piece of writing with sound argumentation. The current study has investigated the schematic patterns in the literature review through the framework of move analysis in genre theory. The data was drawn from fifteen (15) doctoral theses in the field of English linguistics. The methodology allows for an in-depth coding of the LR chapters in theses to investigate the rhetorical organization. In the coding process, the study has also taken insights from the two previous models of Kwan (2006) and Swales’ seminal CARS model (1990) in order to study the moves (and steps) as rhetorical units. The results of the study reflect the dominant presence of Move 1, Move 2 and Move 4, whereas the employment of Move 3 is comparatively less which justifies the worth of writer’s work. This reveals that the students resort to these moves more often to perform a ritual of literature reviewing and in dire need to be trained enough to craft the LRs argumentatively. Thus, researchers have proposed a revised model to overcome the shortcoming.

The discursive construction of intersectionality in public policy implementation

ABSTRACT After three decades of intensive debate in academic and activist circles, intersectionality has progressively been adopted in public policies. Yet, the challenges of its application are still largely unexplored. This article adopts a discursive approach to study the process of policy implementation of an intersectionality-informed plan in Madrid City Council, Spain. The analysis of materials retrieved through interviews, a focus group, and participant observation enables us to explore how the technical staff interpret intersectionality and links it with other established approaches in equality and antidiscrimination law and policy, namely gender and diversity. We argue that preconceptions and positionality within the institutional structure deeply affect the interpretation of intersectionality and the subsequent action or non-action taken by implementing actors. Our study shows the challenges and opportunities to implement intersectionality in public policies that result from its discursive construction through the frames of gender and diversity.

Research Practice and Progress of Models and Algorithms Applied in Topic Identification and Prediction Based on the Analysis of CNKI

As a hot topic in the field of library and information, the research on topic recognition and trend prediction has been paid close attention by academic circles. This paper uses a systematic literature review, bibliometric analyses and classification methods. Through a systematic literature review, 96 studies about topic identification and evolution prediction models are selected from the CNKI database. By using VOSviewer to conduct bibliometric analyses, the key research content and themes are revealed. Through the classification method, EXCEL is used to summarize models and algorithms used in the literature comprehensively. It is found that topic identification models and algorithms can be divided into four categories: ① Topic model based on LDA and related derivative models. ② Machine learning and deep learning methods. ③ Methods based on reference relation. ④ Text mining methods. Trend prediction models and algorithms mainly cover two categories: ① deep learning or machine learning models and algorithms based on time sequence; ② link prediction algorithms based on complex network. At the same time, we have also summarized the common index system involved in each study and the way to evaluate the effectiveness of the method, thus this paper comprehensively reveals the application progress in academic circles of topic identification and prediction models and algorithms from the last 10 years and beyond, based on the CNKI database. The purpose is to determine the most popular models and algorithms applied in research, generalize the corresponding indicator systems and validation methods, and finally provide references for model choice or evaluation when identifying and predicting topics in the future. Thus, this paper can help us to understand the overall progress made in text analysis research, and provides a useful reference for selecting and applying the appropriate models, algorithms and indicators.

Literature Review and Research Prospect of Rural Homestead Exit

Rural homestead system is an important institutional support for rural revitalization and one of the key and hot spots of land system reform. With the national top-level documents paying attention to the "separation of three powers" of homestead, the academic circles have done a series of research on rural homestead reform and formed a number of valuable research results. Through combing the central document and the top-level design, it is found that the homestead reform has appeared many times in the "Central No.1" document and the Land Management Law; As well as summarizing and sorting out the existing research results, this paper systematically combs and comments from four aspects: the withdrawal mode of rural homestead, the consideration of withdrawal compensation, the willingness of farmers to withdraw compensation, and the way of paid withdrawal, trying to explore new research breakthroughs on the basis of fully analyzing the existing research.

Discussion on the design of compensation standards for regional environmental pollution from the perspective of new structural economics

How to effectively protect the ecological environment while socio-economic development, to achieve the harmonious and sustainable development of human society and the natural ecological environment, has been paid more and more attention by governments and academic circles around the world. Therefore, the design of compensation standards for regional environmental pollution is proposed from the perspective of new structural economics. Based on the perspective of new structural economics, this paper provides a new explanation of the impact of fiscal decentralization on environmental pollution, according to the economic and technical indicators related to ecological environmental pollution, with the help of the subjective and objective empowerment method combined with the analysis of hierarchy method and entropy method, the weight of each ecological environment pollution evaluation index in the evaluation and division of ecological environmental pollution level is studied, and the comprehensive evaluation method is used to construct the ecological environment pollution technology rating evaluation model, and the compensation value of regional environmental pollution is finally obtained by combining the panel regression model. The method of this paper has wide applicability and significant advantages. The experimental results show that the COD emission of the North Water Source Area (QZ) of the Qingzhang River is 208t/a, and the upstream of the drinking water source area needs to compensate 3.88 million yuan downstream for water quality and water ecological restoration.

Knowledge Spillovers and Total Factor Productivity Across Countries: The Role of Institutions

Why certain countries gain more than others from knowledge spillover is a topic of intense dispute in academic circles. It is generally believed that knowledge spillovers provide greater opportunities to countries to follow higher domestic productivity. However, some economies are not experiencing the productivity benefits of knowledge spillovers and implementing actions that would significantly move the economy onto a higher, more sustainable development path.This study examines the interaction between knowledge spillovers with institutional quality in affecting total factor productivity for sample countries. To serve this purpose, this study employs Cross Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributive Lag (CS-ARDL) econometric technique. The results suggest that knowledge spillovers contributing to domestic productivity. However, the relationship between knowledge spillovers and domestic productivity depends on certain level of institutional characteristics. Hence, countries with high quality of institutions get more benefited from knowledge spillovers. Therefore, policy complementarity is pre-requisite for domestic productivity. The implication for policy sequencing is that the countries, where policy complementarities are weak, must have a strategy in place to improve their structural and institutional quality.

Funding a “good death”: the financial crisis facing hospices

PurposeThis paper aims to highlight current finding issues relating to the provision of hospice care services which are largely provided by the independent sector and heavily reliant on charitable fund raising. The primary focus is on the UK, but it is an issue of relevance to many other countries around the world.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is an opinion piece informed by contemporary reports, official publications and research findings, as well as the author’s own work within the hospice sector.FindingsAs with many other countries around the world, the bulk of hospice funding in the UK comes from charitable donations of various kinds. However, the impact of COVID-19 highlighted both the fragility of this funding model and the precarious nature of hospice sector finances currently.Practical implicationsThis is an issue of growing importance that affects older people and their families not only in the UK but in all countries with ageing populations. Hospices play an important role in providing end-of-life care and, with demand for services steadily rising due to demographic trends, there are important questions about the sustainability of the current hospice funding model.Social implicationsIssues of funding require a much higher level of engagement from policymakers if hospice care is going to continue to play a significant part in achieving a good death for people from all sections of society.Originality/valueAlthough hotly debated within the hospice sector and in official reports, this issue has yet to be properly examined within academic circles.

Does water risk increase corporate debt financing capacity? Evidence from listed companies in high-water sensitive industries in China

Water-related risks are the focus of existing social concerns. Although academic and practical circles are aware of the existence of water risk and its potential harm, its economic consequences have not been quantitatively discussed from the perspective of enterprises. We empirically test the impact of water risk on debt financing ability using A-share listed companies in China's highly water-sensitive industries as samples. Water risk is found to significantly reduce the scale and increase the cost of debt financing, particularly for nonstate-owned companies. Institutional investor research can reduce the impact of water risk on the scale and cost of debt financing. On the one hand, we expand the relevant research on the debt financing ability of enterprises. On the other hand, we also explore the influence of water risk on enterprise management. Our conclusions provide an important reference for water risk and environmental management in enterprises.

Research on the Optimal Design of Community Public Space from the Perspective of Social Capital

In the process of rapid urbanization and accelerated transformation of urban community public space structures, the optimization of community space structure and the quality of the living environment has attracted the attention of academic circles. Existing research has shown that the well-being of community residents is positively correlated with community social capital. The starting point of this study was howaimed to increase residents’ social capital and enhance their sense of life happiness through a good community space environment design. This paper focuses on the analysis of the spatial perception level of community residents and the correlation between environmental space design elements and social capital and explores the environmental factors that affect the accumulation of social capital of community residents to put forward suggestions for the optimal design of community public spaces. A field survey of 30 communities in Shanghai City was conducted based on relevant theories and practical cases both at home and abroad. The six dimensions of “social cohesion”, “sense of community belonging”, “social participation”, “social network”, “social interaction”, and “neighborhood relationship” are used to assign social capital, and the six dimensions are respectively regressed with residents’ environmental perception of the community and the objective environment of the community. The correlation between the social capital of community residents and the three elements of public space (space, facilities, and social elements) was obtained. According to the public space optimization design strategy of the three elements, public space design principles for improving community social capital are proposed, including the principles of diversification, humanization, suitability, and inclusiveness, and the corresponding suggestions are proposed from three aspects: point space, line space, and surface space.

From Other to Posthuman: Meiji’s Journey in Manjula Padmanabhan’s Escape and The Island of Lost Girls

ABSTRACT This paper examines Manjula Padmanabhan’s Escape and The Island of Lost Girls using the agential realist and philosophical posthumanist methodologies of Karen Barad and Francesca Ferrando. While Escape has received some critical attention within academic circles, scholarly examination of this duology as a whole is surprisingly missing. I examine the conflict between transhumanist Generals and posthumanist Meiji, and consider its implications for the ongoing debates around gender. Does the duology posit posthumanism as an adequate solution to the gendered Othering and biological essentialism seen in the texts? Can posthumanism create an alternative space for people like Meiji, who contravene not only the human binary constructions of gender, but the constructions of human itself? As a posthuman figure, what possibilities does Meiji have for exercising agency? Though the texts see gender non-conforming identities as merely a money-making tool, torture device, or trauma response, I conclude that the figure of Meiji-Smaug expresses an intra-active, agential, posthuman self that neither prioritizes nor erases sex/gender, rather they no longer remain organizing principles of identity and society. This makes for a fruitful and situated collaboration between posthumanism and feminism.

Academic entrepreneurship as a source of innovation for sustainable development

The article comprises an analysis of academic entrepreneurship, from the perspective of innovation and sustainability. It aims to identify and assess the innovation and eco-innovation support programs implemented by academics at higher education institutions. The paper presents the typology of innovation and associated concepts, including the notion of innovation for sustainable development (eco-innovation). It also reviews the existing literature in the field of academic entrepreneurship, which is a broad concept, requiring a unique and geographically specific approach. The following research methods were adopted - case study (the subject of the study was the Center for Knowledge and Technology Transfer), based on document analysis, and structured interviews with a purposively selected group of academic innovation developers. The analysis conducted allows a conclusion that one of the main barriers to the implementation of innovation is the lack of adequate funds for research task implementation. The analyzed Innovation Incubator program, despite its significant contribution to the sustainable support of innovation, requires certain changes and improvements to ameliorate the cooperation between the academic circles and business.

Discussions on academic women and women scholars in two magazines of the Finnish women’s movement, 1890–1939

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the history of Finnish academic women and examines the discussions about women’s academic education and women scholars that took place in two Finnish magazines of the women’s movement between 1890 and 1939. The article examines how the two magazines addressed the topics and represented academic women and women scholars. The results indicate that at first, access to higher education and the complex status of female students at the university were the centre of attention in the discussions. The discussions were supplemented by new tones, strengthening the support for educational equality in relation to human rights with utilitarian perspectives. The emphasis of the topics shifted during the first decade of the twentieth century, when the magazines raised public awareness of the career paths for women scholars. The representations of academic women and women scholars also highlighted the efforts of the women’s movement to promote the scholarly work of women pioneering in academic circles.