Theoretical Innovation Research Articles

The retrieval of positive freedom, post-Kantian perfectionism and neo-Roman liberty in contemporary political thought

In recent years, political theorists have increasingly turned their attention to the past in search of conceptual renovation in the present. While recourse to the past has been a recurring thread throughout the history of political thought, the overlapping concern of recent scholarship has been to revisit seemingly exhausted political concepts with the aim of repurposing them for contemporary political challenges and realities. The three edited collections under review – Positive Freedom, Perfektionismus der Autonomie and Rethinking Liberty Before Liberalism – are distinguished by their thoughtful attempts at retrieving and politicizing the concepts of positive freedom, post-Kantian perfectionism, and neo-Roman liberty in contemporary political thought. These retrievals present promising avenues for theoretical innovation, along with the ever-present risk of diminishing interpretive returns.

Theoretical Innovation of English Teaching Methodology Based on Continuous Discretization Method

Abstract In the new era, English teaching methods urgently need to be innovated to meet modernization needs. In this paper, we study English teaching based on the continuous discretization method, build a framework of discretization process based on the theoretical foundation of discretization, implement continuous attribute discretization using the rough set method according to the characteristics of English teaching data, and further reduce the classification error by using variable precision rough set to address the limitations of the general rough set. Then, the continuous discretization method based on variable-precision rough sets is used to study the key influencing factors of English teaching outcomes and propose targeted innovative teaching methods. In teaching practice, students’ listening ability improved by 15.77%, and speaking ability improved by 15.13% under the innovative teaching method. Reading ability increased by 11.34%, and writing ability increased by 11.86%. This research method can optimize the English teaching evaluation method, build a higher quality English classroom for students, ensure the overall development of students’ English literacy and comprehensive quality, and effectively improve students’ overall English ability.

Theoretical innovation and perspectival realism

ABSTRACT How do new theories and conceptual frameworks in social science emerge? Developing and drawing upon ‘Social Perspectival Realism’ as a philosophy of social science, this essay proposes that new standpoints can lead to theoretical innovation. New standpoints afford perspectival shifts that reveal new empirics and bring new meanings to bear upon them. This conjuncture of new data and meanings afforded by perspectival shifts sets the basis for conceptual and theoretical innovation. This essay offers brief histories of two series of innovations to reveal these logics. The first series regard theories of capitalist social relations and value from Adam Smith to Karl Marx to more recent theories of racial capitalism. The second series of innovations include theories of the social self that began with William James and were carried through the early Chicago School and W.E.B. DuBois. Feminist Standpoint Theory will be discussed throughout, both as a theoretical mount and as an example of innovation in itself.

From middle-class American women to French managers: The transatlantic trajectory of assertiveness training, c. 1950s-1980s.

This article explores the contribution of behavior therapy to the extension of psychotherapeutic notions and techniques into everyday life, focusing on the transatlantic trajectory of assertiveness training. It traces the history of this behavioral intervention into interindividual relations from its emergence as a treatment for anxiety in postwar United States to its importation into the French field of continuing professional training at the turn of the 1980s. To understand what traveled between countries and practical fields, I first consider the definition of assertiveness as a skill sitting halfway between passivity and aggressiveness, which developed in the United States along with its uses outside therapy. I relate the success and inflexions undergone by assertiveness training between the 1950s and the 1970s to theoretical and strategic innovations in behavioral therapy and psychology, as well as to the reception of political and social movements, especially the women's movement. This article also shows that what moved between countries, sectors, and target audiences was not only an understanding of assertiveness as a socially acceptable expression of feelings, needs, and wants, but also diagnostic and action scripts fueled by the "ferment" of the 1960s. From middle-class American women to French managers, the expanded applications of assertiveness training were justified by the rhetoric of tensions between role socialization and new expectations for self-fulfillment and efficiency. Following the behavioral deficit model emphasized in assertiveness training, increasing calls for self-expression and participation prescribed communication skill training and a reconfiguration of interpersonal relations, both in the private and the work sphere. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Framework-Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence in Biosensing

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has attracted increasing attention owing to its intrinsic advantages of high sensitivity, good stability, and low background. Considering the fact that framework nanocrystals such as metal–organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks have accurate molecular structures, a series of framework-based ECL platforms are developed for decoding emission fundamentals. The integration of fluorescent ligands into frameworks significantly improves the ECL properties due to the arrangement of molecules and intramolecular electron transfer. Moreover, the various framework topologies can be easily functionalized with the recognition elements to trace the targets for signal readout. These ECL enhancement strategies lead to a series of sensitive analytical methods for protein biomarkers, DNA, small biomolecules, and cells. In this review, we summarize recent advances in various functions of frameworks during the ECL process, and constructions of framework-based ECL platforms for biosensing. The framework-based ECL nanoemitters and enhancement mechanisms show both theoretical innovation and potential applications in designing ECL biosensing systems. Perspectives are also discussed, which may give a guideline for researchers in the fields of ECL biosensing and reticular materials.

Good Theories Predict: Unveiling the Untapped Potential of “Necessity” Theorizing

In this paper, we seek to introduce the concept of necessity logic of causality, which, despite its inherent merits in parsimony and predictive accuracy, has not received adequate attention. Our paper begins by providing a comprehensive review of various causal logic, including sufficiency, necessity, and contributory. We then critically examine the key assumptions of necessary causation (i.e., non-additivity, determinism, and asymmetry), and highlight the benefits of necessary causalities in theoretical innovation. Also, we workshop methodological protocols for necessity theory testing. Subsequently, we explore the potential of integrating necessity theories in the hospitality and tourism field by drawing on conceptual-contextual theorizing, leading to the development of “homegrown” theories. We also contend that necessary causality in transdisciplinary research can facilitate broader knowledge exchange to neighboring domains. We conclude by identifying promising research areas for necessity theorizing and testing in hospitality and tourism research.

Translation Studies from the Perspective of Corpus Translation Studies and Digital Humanities

As a translation research method and paradigm, corpus translation studies have gradually gained attention from the translation community since their introduction to China in the 1970s. With the rapid development of information technology and artificial intelligence, corpus translation studies have continuously made new progress. With the support of digital humanities technologies such as Big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing, the development of corpus translatology presents new features and trends. This article explores the application of corpus translation studies in translation studies from both theoretical and practical perspectives. At the theoretical level, this article believes that corpus translation studies have significant implications for the paradigm shift, theoretical innovation, and disciplinary development of translation studies. At the practical level, this article points out that corpus translation studies have strong data support, which can improve the efficiency and accuracy of translation research. Based on this, this article proposes that future translation research should focus on data-driven research paradigms, attach importance to the important role of data in translation, and build a theoretical model of translation studies on this basis, in order to provide theoretical guidance for comprehensively improving the quality of translation research.

Visualizing the Landscape of Green Gentrification: A Bibliometric Analysis and Future Directions

Green gentrification has emerged as a critical and dynamic research field in environmental justice and gentrification. Few studies have systematically reviewed the current state of green gentrification literature. This paper adopts a CiteSpace-based bibliometric approach to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze 186 publications from the Web of Science database from 2009 to 2022. The objective is to assess the fundamental characteristics, identify research hotspots, themes, frontiers, and future trends in green gentrification, and present a knowledge map. The results reveal the following: (1) Green gentrification research has moved through the preparation, primary, and prosperity stages and, since 2014, has experienced exponential growth while maintaining a robust upward trend. Knowledge of green gentrification is primarily drawn from urban studies, environmental research, geography, and interdisciplinary trends that are increasingly apparent. Although North America and Europe have produced the most research outcomes, the number of studies from South America, Asia, and Australia is rising. (2) Research hotspots initially comprised the conceptualization and theoretical framework of green gentrification and then shifted to empirical studies that identify green gentrification and its social–spatial effects. The current research focus is on the mechanisms and characteristics of green gentrification. (3) Five key themes were identified, including conceptualizing green gentrification, operationalizing green gentrification for local applicability, social–spatial effects, exploring explanatory frameworks or models, and strategic response to green gentrification. (4) Four potential future directions for green gentrification research in the context of three current research trends were proposed: broadening the scope of non-North American case studies, advancing interdisciplinary theoretical innovation, expanding the analysis of green gentrification characteristics, and exploring demand-side drivers of green gentrification. This study enhances the understanding of existing knowledge in green gentrification-related research and provides a reference for future theoretical and empirical studies.

‘We’ll All Dance each Springtime with Jack-in-the-Green’

The Green Man is a familiar image in British popular culture who is celebrated in a variety of ways, not least in an ever-growing number of festive processions in towns, villages, and cities, particularly around Beltane (May Day). Combining two scholarly voices, this article offers a survey of the Green Man image and related ritual phenomena in what we refer to as the ‘Green Man complex’. Here we address the Green Man’s role in what could be the mobilization of responses to the current ecological crisis, as well as his relationship to growing trends in dark green religion. Last, we turn our attention to the theoretical innovations that current Green Man phenomena invites: more than ‘symbolic’ or ‘representational’, the Green Man is a source for contemporary Pagan ritual religious creativity that is being used in animistic, embodied, territorializing, and reciprocal fashions to direct human attention toward the other-than-human vegetable kingdom.

Lateral Flow Strip Biosensors for Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria via Direct and Indirect Sensing Strategies: A Review.

Rapid and sensitive detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria is particularly important for the prevention and control of foodborne diseases. The lateral flow strip biosensor (LFSB) is one of the most promising point-of-care detection tools and has been widely used in food safety monitoring. This review introduces recent advances in the detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria using LFSBs. According to different bacterial biomarkers, we summarize the direct and indirect sensing strategies of bacterial LFSBs. The direct sensing strategies for whole bacterial cells are divided into antibodies, antibody alternatives, and label-free according to the recognition elements. The indirect sensing strategies refer to the detection of bacterial nucleic acids and metabolites. Next, we compare and discuss the applications of direct and indirect sensing strategies. Finally, the existing challenges, future perspectives, and development directions are discussed, which will facilitate the theoretical innovation and practical application for bacterial LFSBs.

Reconfigurable intelligent surface with high optical-transparency based on metalmesh

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have aroused extensive attentions from academic and wireless communication communities due to their abilities to customize the electromagnetic (EM) characteristics of the propagation channels flexibly and rapidly. Recent advances in theoretical innovations and prototype systems have demonstrated the advantages of RISs in terms of low cost, low power consumption, and easy deployment. Meanwhile, the optically transparent RISs are demanded in some application scenarios. In this paper, we propose a 2-bit metalmesh-based RIS with high optical-transparency. By analyzing the surface current distributions on the element, we employ the metalmesh-grid patterns and metalmesh-stripe patterns on the top and ground layers respectively. The metalmesh patterns can help improve the optical transparency of RISs, while maintaining similar microwave characteristics. The RIS can reach the optical transparency of 79%, and the reflection amplitude is greater than −3.2 ​dB within the operating band. Finally, to verify the capability of the proposed RIS in wavefront controls, the far-field scattering patterns of the RIS with different coding sequences are investigated and the simulation results are in good agreement with the theoretical results.

The Influence and Application of Financial Mathematics in Contemporary Financial Markets

The change of times has promoted the rapid development of the economy, and also stimulated the prosperity of the market. As an important component of the economic market, the continuous improvement of the financial economy requires the support of theoretical knowledge in the financial field. As an important theoretical part of financial economics, financial mathematics, relying on its computer and mathematical advantages, conducts a deeper exploration of securities and market equilibrium in the financial market. After decades of research, it has achieved fruitful results, providing strong data support for promoting the normal operation of financial institutions. Starting from the concept and related theoretical composition of financial mathematics, this article mainly analyzes the impact of financial mathematics on contemporary financial markets, and expounds the application of some core theories of financial mathematics at the market level. The article also briefly explains the current situation of financial markets from the perspectives of theoretical innovation and application issues, and describes the prospects of financial mathematics.

Strategic Ontologies: Narrative and Meso-Level Theorizing in International Politics

Abstract This paper offers a theory of incremental theoretical evolution connecting the practice of international politics with disciplinary IR. It theorizes how international political actors engaged in strategic local decision-making exert productive power over dominant scientific ontologies of the international system. We refer to the narratives emerging from these processes as strategic ontologies, defined as gradual reformulations of the subjects, objects, and relational logics of the international system according to positionally determined priorities. As strategic ontologies gain acceptance, their innovations endure beyond the context of their utterance, leading to meso-level theoretical evolution. We substantiate this account with comparative case studies of contested strategic ontologies that have yet to become dominant in either the international arena or IR theory. Without strategic ontology as an analytical lens, scholarship might miss embryonic theoretical innovations in the process of gaining traction. First, we examine how Israel and West Germany engaged in strategic ontological contestation when negotiating a reparations agreement following the Holocaust. Second, we analyze how states have used vulnerability in climate negotiations in 2020–2021 to recast global policy priorities. Recognition of strategic ontologies across contexts illuminates theoretical innovations in real-time and opens a path for dynamic new bridges between the academy and policymaking.

Development and Application of an Interval-Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy Set-Based Grade Evaluation Method to Foreign Fiber Content

ABSTRACT To solve the problem of the grade evaluation of foreign fiber content in cotton, this paper divided the problem into multi-criteria decision-making field and proposed an interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy set foreign fiber content grade evaluation method. Taking into account the various properties of foreign fibers, the multi-criteria evaluation of single foreign fiber content and comprehensive foreign fiber content is carried out to improve the quality of cotton textiles. Based on the Pythagorean fuzzy set, we used AHP and TOPSIS methods to determine the relevant weight information, combined with the grade evaluation index of foreign fiber content and the interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy weighted average or geometric operators to construct a fiber multi-criteria decision model. Then, the evaluation index function is improved to make the score function more consistent with the facts, and the digitization and intelligence methods required for foreign fiber content detection and grade evaluation are developed. Further, an example is given to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the model. In addition, the multi-criteria decision-making method adopted has high theoretical innovation and application value for the textile industry.

Exploring the Construction of Curriculum System of Theater and Film Studies Based on ADDIE Model

Abstract In order to develop a first-class major in theater, film and television and achieve the goal of “cultivating artistic talents”, this paper believes that the development of the discipline should focus on “creativity” and “originality”. Therefore, a new understanding of the profession and theoretical innovation in academic research should be realized, and an educational system more in line with the essence of art education should be established. The research is based on the ADDIE model and the course “Theatre, Film and Television” as the carrier to explain the teaching design of Theatre, Film and Television professional courses. Procedures and methods in the five stages of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation ensure local adaptation in the course design and development process and tailoring to the actual teaching and learning. We will build an ADDIE teaching design model for drama, film and television courses, and conduct systematic teaching design research and teaching case practice for drama, film and television courses to ensure the positive development of teaching quality. Through an operationalized guidance model in order to improve the standard of course design and enhance course system construction. More than 80% of the students expressed the hope that the ADDIE model could continue to be used in the teaching of drama and film.

Zooming into climatic conditions to understand cities: A review and perspective on studies of Chinese winter cities

Winter cities’ development faces numerous challenges, with one of the most fundamental being their harsh climatic conditions. Urban research plays a crucial role in guiding the healthy and systematic development of cities. It is tasked with addressing the challenges posed by harsh climate conditions, improving the living environment for humans, and promoting sustainable urban development. Firstly, we analyze the progress of planning research on winter cities in China and classify them into three main stages: starting attempt, stable growth, and rapid development. Secondly, studies are sorted out in terms of the optimization of the urban environment and the support for urban residents. The problems and challenges faced by urban planning research in winter cities are further condensed against the limitations of existing studies and the complexity of urban development. Finally, future research directions are proposed, including undertaking the requirements of national development strategies, strengthening the support of new technologies and methods, and building the multi-dimensional interaction mechanism. The review and outlook from this research will help promote theoretical development and application innovation in this field, which in turn better enhances the urban resilience of winter cities, promotes low-carbon construction, and facilitates the high-quality development of the human living environment.

Decode Innovation Dynamics with a Seven-Stage Model (Part 3)

Drawing on prior efforts to develop a 7-stage-chain-loop innovation life cycle model, this paper explains how the model can be advanced theoretically and integrated into managerial practices. When the model is applied to the typewriter industry, the paper segments the rich history of the industry, spanning over a century, into a 7-stage-chain with three loops. In broadening the horizons of theoretical innovation research, the paper proposes four themes, ranging from the measurement of innovativeness to the creation of a comprehensive innovation framework. When considering the application of the 7-stage-chain-loop model in future managerial practices, the paper offers distinct perspectives for identifying a specific innovation landscape, devising an apt innovation strategy, and overseeing chosen innovation progress. Taken together, these elements illuminate a distinct pathway for deciphering and harnessing the dynamics of innovation.

The failure evolution characteristic of the arched structure under blast loading

Aiming at the arched structure in the field of defense engineering, it is of significant military value and theoretical innovation to investigate the failure mode and evolution characteristic of the arched structure under blast loading. First, a full-time simulation of the underground arched structure under blast loading is carried ou. Then, the displacement evolution characteristic of the arched structure is studied. Finally, the crack evolution characteristic of the arched structure is studied. The numerical simulation indicates that the dispalcement of concrete near the midpoint of the straight wall at the right side is largest. The rock mass on the outside of the right arch segment and the middle arch segment collapses the most seriously. As the time increases, the fracture ratio continuous to increase, and the fractured interface appearing during the explosion stage accounts for 43.65% of the total fractured interface. The damage degree of concrete of the straight wall and the arch segment at the right side is the most severe, and the rock mass mainly undergoes shear fracture.

Transformative experience and informed consent to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Just as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) represents a clinical innovation that may need to be accommodated with corresponding theoretical and methodological innovations, there is growing awareness that the tools, normative frameworks, and standard practices of our clinical ethics may also need to be adapted, renewed, or replaced to accommodate its unusual features. Drawing on L. A. Paul's work on "Transformative Experience," I argue that the acute and long-term effects that are repeatedly reported following the administration of psychedelic drugs, including in clinical contexts, are epistemically inaccessible at the point of deciding to take them. By virtue of both the so-called "mystical" experiences that frequently arise during PAP, and the long-term shifts to outlooks, values, and priorities that can follow treatment, the processes of decision-making that are normatively expected of patients run aground. If this framing is correct, then prospective patients cannot meet the requirement of understanding that is one of the principal analytic components of informed consent. The role of understanding in supporting two functions of informed consent-avoiding unauthorized trespass against patients and supporting values-aligned decision-making-is explored, and I argue that, while the normative standard for the first function may be met by extant suggestions for enhancing the consenting process for PAP, the latter function remains unattainable. In light of this, the consequences for the ethical preparation of prospective patients are considered.

The point is to change it: Locating community geography and praxis in a neoliberalizing academia

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the multiple issues we are confronting at the contemporary moment, geographers are faced with the critical task of finding ways to address and grapple with these concerns. This commentary advocates for community geography as an important praxis-oriented intervention that utilizes theory and methods for community issues. However, the practice of community geography is constrained by academia's neoliberalizing terrain, whereby a globalizing deployment of ‘publish-or-perish’ productivity has been reconfiguring what geographers can and ought to be doing. By going against the neoliberal grain and practicing community geography, the possibilities for theoretical innovation and political potentials open up towards a geography that is socially relevant and directly addresses issues affecting the lives of marginalized community members.