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This study aims to examine how intercultural competence (IC) among university students can be enhanced through two streams of higher education internationalization: internationalization abroad and internationalization at home (IaH). By doing so, it aims to improve university students' IC through identifying which factors are more effective in fostering IC.

The study is not solely a literature review, but rather a conceptual exploration based on a selective review of the literature. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, we employed a thematic analysis approach to reviewing English language literature while incorporating relevant Chinese literature to ensure a more balanced representation.

We found that international students’ IC is influenced by their overseas learning experiences, which are closely related to the duration of stay, language proficiency, intercultural contact, university management and teachers and administrative support. On the other hand, domestic students’ IC has been influenced by various IaH experiences primarily within their home university campus, such as foreign language learning, international curriculum, extracurricular activities, communication between domestic and international students, integrated management of international students, the use of Internet and communication technology and so forth. Although a direct and definitive comparison is lacking, some comparative analyses suggest that IaH experiences may yield better results in enhancing the IC of domestic students.

This article advances the understanding of IC development. We call for further research that values the importance of IaH in the increasingly uncertain globalization and delves into comparative analysis of the effects of two streams of higher education internationalization.

This study aims to build a global environmental quality protection convention to jointly address the problems of environmental pollution governance worldwide.

From the perspective of environmental pollution of the air, ocean, forest, water and solid waste, the authors summarize the main important measures and mechanisms of environmental pollution governance in various countries.

The results indicate that management research on biodiversity and natural resources must be strengthened, the relationship between economic development and environmental quality management needs to be balanced, the comparative study of domestic and international environmental governance theories and practices should be strengthened, empirical and applied research on environmental governance needs to be focused on, and complete system research on environmental governance and management should be explored. In the future, further strengthening environmental awareness, addressing environmental pollution and managing environmental quality are necessary.

The environment is the foundation of human survival and development. With the development of economy, contradictions between human and natural environment (e.g. air, ocean, forest and water) have become prominent. Environmental pollution governance cannot only help address existing environmental problems but also solve economic problems of various countries. The prerequisite for sustainable development is to lay a solid foundation for the coordinated development of economic growth and pollution management.

Over the past several decades, there has been an increasing trend towards inter-city cooperation, which is an efficient policy option to deal with the challenges from globalization, regionalization and the externalities resulting from urban entrepreneurialism. Specific to China, the city governments, which mainly refer to prefecture-level and county-level governments, have also made many attempts to cooperate with respect to their local economic development and public affairs. Nevertheless, the results of these initiations to cooperate vary to a great extent. Based on a review of regional pollution governance in the Xiaoqing River area, tourism cooperation initiatives at Weishan Lake and transport integration between Jinan and Laiwu. The findings demonstrate that China's idiosyncratic institutional background has a significant impact on the shaping of inter-city cooperation. For the most part, leading small groups (LSGs) and their leadership property tend to determine the effectiveness of inter-city cooperation.

To examine the effect of the LSGs, we categorize them into three types, groups with strong leadership, weak leadership and self-forming leadership. Through reviewing regional pollution governance in the Xiaoqing River area, tourism cooperation initiatives at Weishan Lake and transport integration between Jinan and Laiwu, we try to probe the role of leading groups in the settlement of cross-administrative border issues.

Based on these three cases, the conclusion can be drawn that the leadership type of the LSG can exert an important influence on the efficiency of inter-city cooperation. If there is a leader with a higher administrative rank or authority, the cooperation can be quite efficient. Otherwise, the cooperative ending might be very negative. In terms of the operation principle, we can infer that even though the cities are always self-development oriented, the leader with higher authority or a strong coordinating capacity can convince and persuade the city leaders to overcome their self-centered behavior template and boost the cooperation to March on smoothly. Also, it means that the LSG is constrained by its personalistic characteristic. Key command derives from the person who chairs the LSG other than specific rules and norms. If the lead of the LSG leaves his position, the cooperation might just become paralyzed. From this point of view, the lack of legal basis remains to be the LSGs' significant deficiency and the future reform should attach more importance to the legalization of the LSGs so the operation of LSGs can be more standard and stable.

Many scholars have proposed their own theoretical models to explain the reason some cities successfully and effectively form cooperative relations, while the other cities do not. However, their models do not consider the idiosyncratic context of China or, how and to which extent LSGs can promote cooperation. Therefore, this paper seeks to probe which path in the context of China cities usually follows in the formation of joint efforts, and what role LSGs play in enabling cities to cooperate.

This paper aims to clarify the effects of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) additives and room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) on the tribological performance of electric contacts.

Tribological properties of copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) NPs as lubricant additives in different lubricants of ILs or polyalphaolefin (PAO) oils under applied electric currents were investigated. After tribological tests, morphologies of worn surfaces were observed; meanwhile, lubrication and anti-wear properties were analyzed.

The mixture solution of the IL and Cu NPs showed desirable lubrication and anti-wear properties due to the reduction of electrocorrosion and the enhancement of rolling effects of particles in the contact region. The anti-wear performance of Cu NPs is better than that of Ag NPs due to the difference in the particle size. The PAO oil with the Cu NPs additives showed poor lubrication properties due to the low solubility of the particles in the oil. When the direction of applied current was changed, the friction of the lubricant with better conductivity was more stable in the variation trend.

This paper begins with a study of tribological properties of Cu and Ag NPs as lubricant additives in different lubricants of IL or PAO oils under applied electric currents. The authors then propose several methods and possible solutions which could be implemented to improve the tribological performance of electric contacts.

This paper aims to investigate the effects of inhomogeneities on the rolling contact fatigue (RCF) life in elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) point contacts.

A numerical model for predicting the RCF life of inhomogeneous materials in EHL contacts was established by combining the EHL model and the inclusion model through the eigen-displacement and then connecting to the RCF life model through the subsurface stresses. Effects of the type, size, location and orientation of a single inhomogeneity and the distribution of multiple inhomogeneities on the RCF life were investigated.

The RCF life of a half-space containing manganese sulfide (MnS) inhomogeneity or the mixed inhomogeneity of aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) and calcium oxide (CaO) was longer than that for the case of Al₂O₃ inhomogeneity. For a single ellipsoidal MnS inhomogeneity, increases of its semi-axis length and decreases of its horizontal distance between the inhomogeneity and the contact center shortened the RCF life. Furthermore, the relationship between the depth of a single MnS inhomogeneity and the RCF life was found. For the half-space containing multiple inhomogeneitites, the RCF life decreased remarkably compared with the homogeneous half-space and showed discreteness.

This paper implements the prediction of the RCF life of inhomogeneous materials under EHL condition.

This study aims to examine the impact of climate change on the total factor productivity (TFP) of tourism in Chinese cities. Using temperature and precipitation as proxies for climate change, the research analyzes both the direct negative effects of climate change on tourism productivity and the positive spillover effects on neighboring cities. In addition, it investigates how geographic location and economic development contribute to the variation in these effects. The study also explores the mechanisms through which government intervention and industrial structure upgrading influence these impacts.

This study uses a spatial Durbin model to analyze the relationship between climate change and tourism TFP in 287 Chinese cities from 2000 to 2020. Panel data is used, with temperature and precipitation serving as proxies for climate change. The model evaluates both the direct and spillover effects of climate change on tourism productivity, while also analyzing the mechanisms through which government intervention and industrial upgrading affect these relationships. The study further considers how geographic location and economic development impact the results.

This study finds that climate change directly reduces tourism TFP, while generating positive spillover effects for neighboring cities. Cities in the eastern and more economically developed regions are more sensitive to climate change, experiencing stronger impacts compared to cities in central and western regions. The findings suggest that government intervention and industrial structure upgrading are important mechanisms through which climate change affects tourism productivity in Chinese cities.

This research fills a gap in the literature regarding how climate change affects tourism productivity in developing countries, particularly in China. By applying a spatial Durbin model and panel data analysis, the study provides empirical evidence on both the direct and spillover effects of climate change on tourism productivity. It highlights the critical role of government intervention and industrial upgrading as mechanisms shaping the impact of climate change, offering new insights for policymakers and tourism businesses to address the challenges posed by climate change and enhance productivity and competitiveness.

本研究旨在探讨气候变化对中国城市旅游全要素生产率的影响。通过温度和降水量作为气候变化的代理变量, 研究分析了气候变化对旅游全要素生产率的直接抑制效应及其对邻近城市的积极溢出效应。此外, 研究考察了地理位置与经济发展水平如何导致这些效应的异质性。通过分析政府干预和产业结构升级的机制, 本研究为气候变化影响旅游全要素生产率的机制分析提供了理论支持, 为提升发展中国家旅游竞争力提供了指导。

本研究采用空间杜宾模型分析2000年至2020年期间, 中国287个城市的气候变化与旅游全要素生产率之间的关系。研究使用面板数据, 温度和降水量作为气候变化的代理变量。模型分析了气候变化对旅游全要素生产率的直接效应与溢出效应, 并研究了政府干预与产业结构升级的机制效应。研究还考察了基于地理位置与经济发展水平的异质性影响, 提供了气候变化对城市旅游全要素生产率影响的综合分析。

气候变化直接抑制旅游全要素生产率, 同时对邻近城市产生积极的溢出效应。东部城市及高经济水平地区对气候变化更为敏感, 影响强于中西部地区。研究发现, 政府干预与产业结构升级是气候变化影响中国城市旅游全要素生产率的关键机制。

本研究填补了气候变化如何影响发展中国家, 尤其是中国, 旅游全要素生产率领域的研究空白。通过运用空间杜宾模型和面板数据分析, 提供了气候变化对旅游全要素生产率的直接效应与溢出效应的实证证据。研究强调了政府干预和产业结构升级作为气候变化影响旅游全要素生产率的主要机制。通过关注区域异质性与经济发展水平, 本研究为旅游企业与政策制定者应对气候变化挑战,提升生产力和竞争力提供了新的思路。

Este estudio examina el impacto del cambio climático en la productividad total de los factores (PTF) del turismo en las ciudades chinas. Utilizando la temperatura y las precipitaciones como indicadores del cambio climático, la investigación analiza tanto los efectos negativos directos del cambio climático sobre la productividad del turismo como los efectos indirectos positivos sobre las ciudades vecinas. Además, investiga cómo la ubicación geográfica y el desarrollo económico contribuyen a la variación de estos efectos. El estudio también explora los mecanismos a través de los cuales la intervención gubernamental y la mejora de la estructura industrial influyen en estos impactos.

Este estudio utiliza un modelo espacial de Durbin (SDM) para analizar la relación entre el cambio climático y la productividad total de los factores del turismo en 287 ciudades chinas entre 2000 y 2020. Se emplean datos de panel, en los que la temperatura y las precipitaciones sirven como variables sustitutivas del cambio climático. El modelo evalúa tanto los efectos directos como los indirectos del cambio climático sobre la productividad del turismo, al tiempo que analiza los mecanismos a través de los cuales la intervención gubernamental y la modernización industrial afectan a estas relaciones. El estudio examina además cómo influyen en los resultados la ubicación geográfica y el desarrollo económico.

El estudio concluye que el cambio climático reduce directamente la productividad total de los factores del turismo, al tiempo que genera efectos indirectos positivos para las ciudades vecinas. Las ciudades de las regiones orientales y económicamente más desarrolladas son más sensibles al cambio climático y experimentan impactos más fuertes que las ciudades de las regiones centrales y occidentales. Los resultados sugieren que la intervención gubernamental y la mejora de la estructura industrial son mecanismos importantes a través de los cuales el cambio climático afecta a la productividad del turismo en las ciudades chinas.

Esta investigación llena un vacío en la literatura sobre cómo el cambio climático afecta a la productividad del turismo en los países en desarrollo, especialmente en China. Aplicando un modelo espacial de Durbin y un análisis de datos de panel, el estudio aporta pruebas empíricas sobre los efectos directos y indirectos del cambio climático en la productividad del turismo. Destaca el papel decisivo de la intervención pública y la modernización industrial como mecanismos que determinan el impacto del cambio climático, ofreciendo nuevas perspectivas a los responsables políticos y las empresas turísticas para afrontar los retos que plantea el cambio climático y mejorar la productividad y la competitividad.

This study aims to examine whether a firm's demand for high-quality auditors is influenced by multiple large shareholders (MLS). As one type of ownership structure, MLS have gained popularity in China recently and have different types of large shareholders, including large institutional shareholder, large foreign shareholder and large state shareholder. The authors also examine whether different types of MLS have heterogeneous impacts on appointing high-quality auditors.

With a sample of 27,131 firm-year observations from Chinese public companies from 2003 to 2018, the authors use multivariate regressions to examine the effect of MLS on auditor choice. Heckman two-stage analysis, a firm fixed effects model, propensity score matching and difference-in-differences test are used as robustness checks.

This paper finds that the presence and power of MLS increase the likelihood of appointing high-quality auditors. With regard to the types of MLS, large institutional shareholders and foreign shareholders have significant positive effects on appointing high-quality auditors, while the presence of state-owned large shareholders has no effect on auditor choice. Further analyses reveal that the positive effect of MLS on high-quality auditor choice is more pronounced in firms with severe agency problems and information asymmetry. Taken together, these results suggest that MLS play a monitoring role by demanding high-quality auditors.

This paper contributes to the literature on the determinants of auditor choice. While prior studies primarily focus on the impact of concentrated ownership structure, corporate governance and the pressure from stakeholders on auditor choice, this paper complements the literature by providing evidence from the heterogeneous effects of different types MLS. This paper also extends the literature on the consequences of MLS from the perspective of auditor choice.

Express freight transportation is in rapid development currently. Owing to the higher speed of express freight train, the deformation of the bridge deck worsens the railway line condition under the action of wind and train moving load when the train runs over a long-span bridge. Besides, the blunt car body of vehicle has poor aerodynamic characteristics, bringing a greater challenge on the running stability in the crosswind.

In this study, the aerodynamic force coefficients of express freight vehicles on the bridge are measured by scale model wind tunnel test. The dynamic model of the train-long-span steel truss bridge coupling system is established, and the dynamic response as well as the running safety of vehicle are evaluated.

The results show that wind speed has a significant influence on running safety, which is mainly reflected in the over-limitation of wheel unloading rate. The wind speed limit decreases with train speed, and it reduces to 18.83 m/s when the train speed is 160 km/h.

This study deepens the theoretical understanding of the interaction between vehicles and bridges and proposes new methods for analyzing similar engineering problems. It also provides a new theoretical basis for the safety assessment of express freight trains.