Search Results (53)

This study challenges the conventional wisdom that investor reactions to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) information are primarily driven by disclosure sentiment. We propose and test an alternative hypothesis: that for investors navigating information-rich environments, the frequency of ESG disclosures can serve as a more potent signal of a firm’s underlying commitment and risk profile than the sentiment of the announcements themselves. Focusing on Taiwan’s capital market—a globally pivotal technology hub—we analyze 2576 firm-initiated ESG events from 2014 to 2023 using an event study methodology. We innovate by employing a BERT-based NLP model, specifically fine-tuned for Traditional Chinese, to disentangle the effects of disclosure frequency from sentiment. Our results reveal that announcement frequency is a more robust predictor of abnormal returns than sentiment, but its effect is highly contingent on the ESG pillar. A higher frequency of negative Social (S) and Governance (G) disclosures incurs a significant market penalty, whereas frequent proactive Environmental (E) disclosures are rewarded. These findings establish a “disclosure frequency premium/penalty” and offer critical, nuanced insights for corporate strategy and sustainable investment. By demonstrating how communication patterns shape market perceptions, this research directly informs UN SDG 12 (Responsible Production) and SDG 16 (Strong Institutions). Full article

Semantic modeling of legal reasoning is an important research direction in the field of artificial intelligence and law (AI and law), aiming to enhance judicial transparency, fairness, and the consistency of legal applications through structured semantic representations. This paper proposes a semantic judicial reasoning framework based on the “Data–Information–Knowledge–Wisdom–Purpose” (DIKWP) model, which transforms the conceptual expressions of traditional legal judgment into DIKWP graphs enriched with semantics. The framework integrates the objective content of legal norms with stakeholders’ subjective cognition through a DIKWP×DIKWP bidirectional mapping mechanism, achieving “semantic justice”. Specifically, we define a DIKWP-based legal knowledge representation method and design a mapping algorithm from traditional legal concepts to the DIKWP semantic structure. To validate the effectiveness of the framework, we use a real administrative law case as an example and construct DIKWP (normative content) and DIKWP (subjective cognition) graphs to model legal rules, evidence, and various perspectives. The results indicate that the intention-driven semantic transformation mechanism can harmonize legal reasoning with stakeholders’ cognitive backgrounds, thereby enhancing the interpretability and fairness of judicial interpretation. Case analysis further demonstrates that reasoning within the DIKWP semantic space can reveal underlying assumptions, bridge cognitive gaps, and promote judicial fairness by aligning legal intentions. This study provides new theoretical and methodological support for the explainable reasoning of intelligent judicial systems. Full article

This paper is a critical, historical review of the literature on intelligence and moral development. In this review we come to a number of conclusions. For example, we identify methodological issues in past research on intelligence in relation to moral development, from Wiggam’s paper in 1941 through the first quarter of the 21st century, and we commend research done with methodological improvements we specify. Also, we conclude that Heyes’ evolutionary psychology that humans have a specifiable “starter kit” of processes that produce “cognitive gadgets,” including those used in normative thinking, should be given further attention. But, importantly, we note that these “gadgets” may be “malware” or be missing. Another conclusion is that Gert’s account of harms and benefits, of the moral rules, of how the rules are justified, and of how violations are justified, can be a fruitful component of the study of moral development. Furthermore, we argue that the work on wisdom by Sternberg, Kristjansson, and others is important to grasp for its relevance to putting morality into action. Lastly, we discuss areas for future research, especially in neuroscience, and we recommend paying attention to practices for the building of practical wisdom and morality. Full article

As individuals grow older, they experience notable shifts in their health conditions, social positions, and personal identity. Studies show that finding meaning in life correlates with healthier lifestyle choices and enhanced overall well-being. This sense of meaning functions as a protective factor against life’s challenges, strengthening resilience during later years. The research utilized thematic analysis within a qualitative methodology to investigate the subjective sources of meaning among elderly people living in Romanian institutional settings. The analysis revealed several interconnected themes. Religiosity and spirituality emerged as a fundamental anchor, with participants often mentioning God, Divinity, and Higher Power in their narratives. They typically conceptualized life as a sacred gift and emphasized the importance of religious practices such as prayer and church attendance as essential to their sense of purpose. The intergenerational transmission of values also proved significant, with elderly individuals finding meaning in passing down moral and spiritual principles to younger family members, viewing this as their enduring legacy. Interpersonal connections played a crucial role as well, with quality relationships with family and friends fostering a sense of belonging, while broken relationships or isolation negatively impacted well-being. Daily life objectives, including short-term goals like maintaining routines or anticipating family visits, along with preserving functional independence, provided structure and immediate purpose for many participants. The research distinguished between religiosity and spirituality as related but separate concepts: while formal religious rituals offered community-based meaning, those less engaged with organized religion discovered transcendence through personal spiritual experiences such as connecting with nature. This study highlights cultural specificities, particularly how Orthodox Christian traditions shape existential narratives among Romanian elderly, and proposes practical interventions for retirement facilities to incorporate activities focused on spiritual engagement, relationship building, and opportunities for elders to share their wisdom with younger generations. Full article

Since the 1980s, wisdom as a concept, its dimensions, and its development have been researched intensively in many disciplines except in higher educational pedagogy. Owing to this theoretical gap in the literature, this paper asks, “What are the dimensions of wisdom in higher educational pedagogy?” The research philosophy is interpretivism with an abductive approach. The methodology uses constructivist Grounded Theory. The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings revealed 352 wisdom-dimension-related keywords from 28 leading wisdom publications written by more than 60 authors in the educational philosophy and psychology literature. The findings culminate in an integrative framework of four dimensions of wisdom in higher educational pedagogy, namely, ‘knowing ourselves’, ‘connecting to others’, ‘knowing the world’, and ‘connecting to the world’ with their wisdom dimensions. This paper contributes to wisdom pedagogy research by addressing both theoretical and research gaps in the literature and by offering novel insights into the dimensions of wisdom in higher educational pedagogy. Full article

This paper delineates the theology of creation in Brazilian theologian Cláudio Carvalhaes’ eco-liturgical theology of liberation. Reorienting lex orandi-lex credendi-lex vivendi by his liturgical methodological innovation lex naturae, he envisions every dimension of worship as deeply connected to a planet in crisis. Lex naturae transforms liturgical spaces into creational–political spaces which invoke and evoke people to deeply attend to, to cry with, to wonder with, and to pray and sing with the forests, animals, soil, water, and all earthly beings. Celebrating a creational solidarity and wisdom, lex naturae ritualizes that people are the earth, the earth is in people, and human and more-than-human beings belong to each other. Using the seven petitions of his “The Ecological Lord’s Prayer”, Carvalhaes’ theology of creation, which reimagines the Divine, the earth, and the human in a multispecies context via the (re)orienting ground of lex naturae, is “unearthed.” His theology of creation centers the creaturely commonality with more-than-human neighbors and challenges human beings to live, love, and flourish within all the entanglements of created life. Lex naturae is also a form of asceticism which aims to recalibrate the human focus towards environmental justice for the planet. It aims at changing human desire to turn away from the brutalism of colonialism’s ecocide and toward wholesome relations with animals, plants, soil, land, and water. In the end, this paper claims that Carvalhaes’ theology of creation affirms a “godly animism”. Full article

There are distinct management approaches for communal properties and commercial agricultural properties concerning bush encroachment. The utilisation of community-based knowledge possesses the capacity to enhance our comprehension of localised circumstances and provide valuable experience in endeavours targeted at supporting local communities. The perception of bush encroachment control as a sustained endeavour rather than a singular occurrence is of utmost importance. This may include considering other solutions that may not always be the most convenient or cost-effective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the predominant methods employed by rural communities in semi-arid savannah rangelands in Southern Africa to manage bush encroachment. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was conducted in the field of communal strategies of bush encroachment management. The findings of this study indicate that the predominant and commonly utilised management strategy for mitigating bush encroachment includes the extraction of plants for medicinal applications, followed by firewood extraction. Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems have played a pivotal role in communal bush encroachment management. It is recommended that communal approaches to bush encroachment management in Southern Africa’s semi-arid savannah rangelands harness the power of indigenous knowledge while benefiting from modern scientific insights, ultimately leading to more effective and sustainable management practices. This can be accomplished by fostering community involvement and active participation, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, enhancing skills and expertise, preserving and safeguarding indigenous wisdom through documentation, and harmoniously blending traditional and scientific methodologies. Full article

Due to massive urbanization and industrialization, modern constructions tend to be designed as technique-dependent, at the cost of high consumption and emissions for indoor environment control such as heating ventilation and air conditioning. Space heating accounts for about 40% of total building energy usage in northern China in winter. This calls for self-reflection and tracing of local traditional architectural wisdom. In this paper, Sibe Traditional Houses were chosen as a typical illustrative example to reveal the building mechanisms behind such local-adaptive traditional constructions. Based on the field investigation in Shifosi Village, a traditional Sibe settlement in Shenyang City, northern China, thermal modeling and indoor heating effects are studied in Sibe Traditional Houses with unique building spatial patterns. The indoor thermal environment is comparatively analyzed for both passive envelope insulation and active heating considerations. Preliminary results indicate that enhancing roof thermal insulation enhancement is the key passive strategy for improving indoor thermal comfort in winter. It also suggests that a space-heating configuration that combines the traditional “kang” with the architectural layout has a more significant effect on the enhancement of indoor thermal comfort in Sibe dwellings. This paper can provide methodological support and an application reference for the improvement of indoor thermal environment of traditional village dwellings. Full article

This article argues that indigenous knowledge is significantly resourceful for ecological sustainability, without which humanity will not survive. It addresses the intersection between the 15th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SGD) “Life on Land” and African indigenous knowledge systems, including the fundamental support system that can sustain the livelihoods of communities. It reconstructs the vision of ecological sustainability from the indigenous knowledge perspective by first analyzing the inadequacy of the United Nations carbon-pricing approach to reforestation and conservation in developing countries. Then, it uses the ethnosphere methodological approach, affirming the ecological ethical warrants found in indigenous epistemology and cosmology in regard to land protection in dialogue with the sustainability vision of Laudado Si’, Querida Amazonia, and Laudate Deum. This article explores indigenous knowledge’s wellspring for ecological sustainability and what it offers for a more sustainable “Life on Land”. It suggests an approach to ecological sustainability that goes beyond a market-based instrument to CO₂ reduction to embrace a view of the “sacramental universe” as essential theological input, without which sustainable “Life on Land” cannot be met. It concludes by showing how African mountain region conservancy practices are not essential in sustaining “Life on Land” not solely because they provide the earth’s freshwater but also because they contain valuable ecologically sensitive cultural and religious wisdom. Full article

This article sheds light on the repercussions of the Proverbs sentence “Wisdom has built her house” on Christian doctrine and on the Marian iconography of the Annunciation. To achieve his objectives, the author uses a double comparative analysis as a methodology. To begin with, he analyzes a vast corpus of texts in which numerous Fathers, theologians, and liturgical hymnographers of Eastern and Western Churches interpret this biblical locution according to Mariological and Christological projections. Secondly, he analyzes eight pictorial Annunciations from the Italian Renaissance in which Mary’s house in Nazareth is depicted as a luxurious palace. As a result of these two sets of analyses, the author concludes that the interpretations of the Fathers, theologians, and hymnographers about the house built by Wisdom and the form of the house/palace in images of the Annunciation allude to the dogma of God the Son’s supernatural human conception/incarnation in Mary’s virginal womb. Full article

Understanding the spatial morphology and geographic adaptability of traditional settlements is crucial for their preservation and management. Accordingly, this study employs Hehuang region, China, as a case study, adopting an integrated approach that combines morphological type analysis and boundary shape index. This comprehensive methodology systematically investigates the spatial morphological features and reveals the geographic adaptability of the two types of traditional villages, which are river valley and mountain types. Specifically, the results demonstrate that: (1) The boundary morphology of river valley-type traditional villages is primarily composite, with a regular and compact overall tendency, creating a spatial pattern consisting of mountains and water bodies surrounding farmland and villages, which conveniently supports agricultural production. Their streets and alleys are mainly fishbone-shaped, dendritic, and grid-shaped. (2) Mountain-type traditional villages also exhibit composite boundary morphology but with lower compactness, higher fragmentation, and more pronounced belt-shape characteristics. Their spatial pattern facilitates agriculture and animal husbandry, with streets and alleys being predominantly grid-shaped, S-shaped, and Z-shaped. (3) The spatial morphology of both types of villages is well-adapted to local terrain and climate conditions, as well as to the resident’s requirements for water use and disaster prevention, which reflects the wisdom of the Hehuang region’s ancestors regarding settlement construction. This study contributes to comprehending the spatial characteristics and geographic adaptability of traditional villages in a multicultural area and provides a significant reference for advancing analogous traditional settlement protections and rural revitalization initiatives. Full article

The current article seeks two interrelated objectives. First, we will shed light on the Mariological and Christological meanings underlying the saying templum Dei and other similar metaphorical expressions, with which countless medieval liturgical hymns, inspired by the Bible, designate the Virgin Mary. Second, we will iconographically interpret some paintings of the Annunciation from the 14th and 15th centuries that represent Mary’s house in Nazareth as a majestic temple. In this order of ideas, we will proceed according to two complementary methodological strategies: first, we will analyze an abundant corpus of fragments of liturgical hymns configured around some biblical metaphors, such as temple of God, tabernacle of the Lord, seat of Wisdom, Ark of the Covenant, temple of Solomon, or throne of the King (Solomon); second, we will analyze eight pictorial Annunciations that include a temple in their scene. The comparison of both analyses, the texts and the images, will allow us to conclude that these texts are the conceptual support of those images, and that the latter are the visual illustrations of those concepts. Full article

We propose the DIKWP-TRIZ framework, an innovative extension of the traditional Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) designed to address the complexities of cognitive processes and artificial consciousness. By integrating the elements of Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Purpose (DIKWP) into the TRIZ methodology, the proposed framework emphasizes a value-oriented approach to innovation, enhancing the ability to tackle problems characterized by incompleteness, inconsistency, and imprecision. Through a systematic mapping of TRIZ principles to DIKWP transformations, we identify potential overlaps and redundancies, providing a refined set of guidelines that optimize the application of TRIZ principles in complex scenarios. The study further demonstrates the framework’s capacity to support advanced decision making and cognitive processes, paving the way for the development of AI systems capable of sophisticated, human-like reasoning. Future research will focus on comparing the implementation paths of DIKWP-TRIZ and traditional TRIZ, analyzing the complexities inherent in DIKWP-TRIZ-based innovation, and exploring its potential in constructing artificial consciousness systems. Full article

Background: Numerous studies in the literature have aimed to evaluate the difficulty level of removing third molars. However, most of these studies have focused on the lower third molars, which can lead to complications. There is a lack of a method to determine the complexity of upper third molar extraction. Therefore, this study’s objective was to develop an equation using multiple linear regression to estimate the extraction time of an upper third molar based on its complexity. Methods: This study involved patients enrolled in the Master of Oral Surgery program at the University of Seville. To determine their relationship with surgical time, the researchers analyzed various factors, such as depth, root morphology, and the need for odontosection. They then validated their findings by studying patients treated at Palmaplanas Hospital in Mallorca. Results: The cohort analysis from the University of Seville revealed significant associations between surgical time and the identified factors. A regression equation design was performed to predict the total duration of surgical intervention for wisdom teeth extraction. This equation incorporates several independent variables, represented by Xi, together with a constant term, C, and the corresponding coefficients, Bi, which weight the impact of each variable on the intervention time. The results are as follows: −0.312 (spatial relationship), 0.651 (depth), −0.443 (bone and mucosa integrity), 0.214 (roots), −0.745 (ostectomy), 0.713 (odontosection), and −0.426 (suture). Upon application of the statistical methodology to the Palmaplanas Hospital cohort, a regression coefficient of 0.770 was determined. This indicates a strong correlation between the input data and the estimated surgical time. Conclusions: In conclusion, the proposed formula demonstrates notable validity in predicting the surgical time required to extract upper third molars. Full article

The coastal regions of Fujian, characterized by a subtropical maritime monsoon climate, experience a high frequency of windy days throughout the year, which significantly impacts residents’ lives. Local traditional villages, through long-term practical exploration, have developed a unique “maze-like” spatial layout adapted to withstand harsh wind conditions. This study aims to quantitatively analyze the climatic adaptability advantages of this traditional layout, providing theoretical support for the protection of historical cultural heritage and guidance for modern village construction. The methodology includes field wind measurement for data acquisition, construction of current and regularized divergent models, and comparative numerical simulations under scenarios of strong winter winds and typhoons. The results indicate that wind speeds within traditional villages are generally lower. The layout’s nonlinear roads and clusters of buildings form multiple buffer zones that effectively reduce wind speeds. In contrast, areas in the divergent model experience excessively high wind speeds, impacting outdoor activity safety and comfort. The traditional “maze-like” layout encapsulates the climate adaptation wisdom of ancestors, enhancing wind environment regulation, thermal comfort, and disaster resilience. This layout concept merits promotion and innovative application in the new era to construct livable, green, and sustainable human environments. Full article