Polar Models of Culture-Regressivism Versus Progressivism

The culture wars that simmer within any nation may have been escalating recently;but regardless of their national settings or milieus,many of these wars are informed by two opposing paradigms of culture.This paper analyzes two of these leading paradigms,designated here as Regressivism and Progressivism.Other theorists have long chronicled the differing strengths and weaknesses of these paradigms,taking the former as expressing more conservative,traditional,and nationalistic values,and the latter as expressing more liberal,pluralistic,and cosmopolitan values.Going beyond these perennial distinctions,I argue that Progressivism is more benign and beneficial than the former-by meeting basic human needs better and supporting more effective adaptation to changing exigencies.I also argue that Progressivism does not express merely subjective or relativistic preferences and values,but objectively preferable and quantifiable ones,that benefit not only our personal lives more but also our global village and communal lives more.

Can Religious Pluralism Influence Governance and Societal Cohesion?

This analysis uncovers the complex interplay of religion,politics,and society in Israel,revealing the intricate dynamics of secular and religious ideologies.The study explores the deep ideological rift between secular and religious communities,a divide that profoundly impacts political stability and policymaking.This division often leads to political crises and reshuffling,with the political system characterized by unstable coalition governments.The research is grounded in the divisions over the state’s spiritual ideology,with significant Orthodox influence shaping policy on education,family law,and cultural affairs.The research shows the profound influence of religious parties on Israeli politics,significantly shaping the country’s policies and ideological direction.Influenced by external factors such as security threats and diplomatic challenges,the dynamic interaction between politics and religion shapes Israeli politics since religious parties advocate for policies that align with their interpretation of Jewish religious law,thereby impacting the role of religion in public policy.The influence of religious politics has led to a discernible shift toward greater religious orthodoxy in public life,driven by the political power of religious parties that prioritize religious values above secular democratic principles.The state’s endorsement of religious education and institutions shapes public policy and societal norms.The analysis examines the influence of religious values in public policy and the dynamic interaction between religious and political spheres,aimed to ensure that religion remains dominant in shaping societal norms and governance.This complex relationship demonstrates the ongoing challenges in balancing religious orthodoxy with secular principles,which poses difficulties and has implications for the stability and cohesion of Israeli society.The urgency and complexity of this task cannot be overstated,as it is crucial for the future of Israeli politics and religious dynamics.

Lung Cancer Segmentation with Three-Parameter Logistic Type Distribution Model

Lung cancer is the leading cause of mortality in the world affectingboth men and women equally.When a radiologist just focuses on the patient’sbody, it increases the amount of strain on the radiologist and the likelihoodof missing pathological information such as abnormalities are increased.One of the primary objectives of this research work is to develop computerassisteddiagnosis and detection of lung cancer. It also intends to make iteasier for radiologists to identify and diagnose lung cancer accurately. Theproposed strategy which was based on a unique image feature, took intoconsideration the spatial interaction of voxels that were next to one another.Using the U-NET+Three parameter logistic distribution-based technique, wewere able to replicate the situation. The proposed technique had an averageDice co-efficient (DSC) of 97.3%, a sensitivity of 96.5% and a specificity of94.1% when tested on the Luna-16 dataset. This research investigates howdiverse lung segmentation, juxta pleural nodule inclusion, and pulmonarynodule segmentation approaches may be applied to create Computer AidedDiagnosis (CAD) systems. When we compared our approach to four otherlung segmentation methods, we discovered that ours was the most successful.We employed 40 patients from Luna-16 datasets to evaluate this. In termsof DSC performance, the findings demonstrate that the suggested techniqueoutperforms the other strategies by a significant margin.

The Contribution Margin due to a Limiting Factor in the Presence of Several Sales Options: Actuality Is Not Always As It Appears at the Beginning of the Analysis

The analysis of company data useful for economic decisions,if not interpreted in an overall view of the company situation,can lead to wrong conclusions.This is the case when a company has to choose between several sales options for one or more products in the presence of a limiting factor.The continuation of the investigation often denies the initial analysis.Not everything is as it appears,therefore,at the beginning of the deepening of the data useful for economic decisions.As it is well known,the choices of profitability concerning the planning of the sale of company products take place,at least in the majority of cases,through the determination of the contribution margin,i.e.the profitability margin connected to the individual goods/services sold by the companies(selling price net of variable costs).The contribution margin can be determined with four objectives:(1)Determination of the yield of the single product,net of variable costs only.In this case,the margin defines unitary,from net product yield to unitary contribution margin.(2)Determination of the return on total sales of an individual product,net of variable costs.In this hypothesis,reference is made to the first level(or gross)contribution margin.(3)Determination of the ability of the individual product to contribute to the coverage of fixed costs common to the company.This margin is determined net of special product variable and fixed costs.This aggregate is defined as a Level II(or semi-gross)margin.(4)Determination of the useful value in the planning choices in case of presence of scarce productive factors.In this case,it must identify the so-called unitary margin for low factor.Here we will only deal with the problem of the use of the contribution margin in the presence of rare factors.To complete the analysis,below are some very brief considerations regarding,respectively,the unitary,level I,and level II contribution margin in order to better understand where the problem of the most convenient choice of income is located in the event of the presence of rare production factors,especially in an environment characterized by a plurality of sales options.

Research on Innovative Training of Localized STEM Teachers Grounded in Shared Commitment

The high-quality development of a country driven by talent necessitates comprehensive and practical STEM(Science,Technology,Engineering,and Mathematics)education.The goal of localizing STEM education is to cultivate comprehensive innovative technology talents that meet the needs of the new era.STEM teachers play a core role in this concept,and the quality of teacher training directly determines the development trend of STEM education and the quality of future talents in the country.Therefore,based on the current situation and existing problems in STEM teacher training,the shared commitment to“high-quality STEM teacher training”is employed as a guiding principle,highlighting the role of various elements in the STEM teacher training process.The practical path for STEM teacher training is proposed from four aspects:top-level design goal orientation,resource integration to solve supply imbalance,curriculum construction to improve the teaching system,and sustainable development to enhance professional ability.This study hopes to provide guidelines for innovative training of localized STEM teachers in China.

Early Practice of Chinese Europeanized Grammar-Take the Plural of the First-Person Pronoun in The Pilgrim’s Progress in Mandarin as an Example

The Pilgrim’s Progress in Mandarin translated by the British missionary William Chalmers Burns in the 1860s is regarded as one of the typical representatives of the early Europeanized vernacular texts.Compared with the ancient vernacular,the frequency of the inclusive usage of“wǒmen”has increased significantly,which is directly influenced by the plural usage of first-person pronoun in English.Tracking back the origin of Chinese Europeanized grammar is an important part of the study of modern Chinese grammar,which not only is helpful to have a clear understanding of the characteristic of Europeanized grammar in the pre-development stage of modern Chinese,but also can lay a certain foundation for the comparative study of Europeanized grammar in different periods.In addition,this study can also provide linguistic basis for investigating the influence of western missionaries’Chinese translation on the formation of new literature.

美国WASP主流文化存亡探析——移民之融合与威胁

美国核心文化—WASP文化面临诸多挑战和威胁,其中以移民影响最为突出。欧洲移民比例的下降,拉美裔、亚裔移民比例的增加引起美国社会结构发生巨大变化、美国社会"变色"—拉美化。本文从移民的同化、融合、多元共存角度出发,总结出"同化"论终究要被"多元文化论"代替。因此在全球化背景下,双语主义的流行,美国将成为多种文化共存的多元文化的移民国家。

What Are We Speaking About When We Speak About Gender?Gender as a Continuum

This article shows how,using the figure of the continuum,gender pluralities can be captured in their actually existing diversity and thus be detached from a still powerful and often stereotyping binary constructedness.Gender as a continuum encompasses the four dimensions physical,psychological,social and sexual or:body,feeling,behavior,and desire.It will be demonstrated that all of these dimensions are not clearly separable within themselves and from each other.In the second part of the article,concrete everyday examples and legal debates are discussed from the perspective of the continuum.Thus,we are free to consider differences and similarities between and within the different gender groups in all their diverse shapes and manifestations.The question of what we are speaking about when we are speaking about gender will be answered with a clear“We are speaking about us as individuals and us as a society”.The simple reversion of this correlation will lead to the question:“Do we have to speak about gender when we are speaking about ourselves?”.This question will be answered with a clear“No”,if the normality of plurality and diversity also includes the negation,the absence of gender.

Metropolis or City?Metropoles and Cities with Their Citizens

Through the specific examples of two very different metropoles,not compared but evoked,New York City and Bordeaux Métropole,since globalization from mid-19th and to the beginning of the 21st century,we can observe how metropolitan flows acceleration change cities and citizens heritages.How can we achieve metropolization and globalization of our cities?

The Reflection of Pluralism—Comment on Smuggling Sex Through the Gates:Race,Sexuality,and the Politics of Space in Second Wave Feminism

American studies succeeded in becoming a discipline only after 1920s after overcoming a series of barriers.Not until in the late 1960s did the so-called subcultures,the cultures of the formerly ignored groups or the culture of the minority get the chance to step on the stage of American studies.This article- Smuggling Sex Through the Gates:Race,Sexuality,and the Politics of Space in Second Wave Feminism is a good illustration,or a reflection of the transferring of the subjects for American studies from one-centered to many-faceted.

Institutions and water governance in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

The goals of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) can be achieved by embracing the principles of distributive governance, which places both customary and statutory water institutions on the same pedestal in the governance of water resources. As culture and traditions constitute intangible aspects of water resources management in rural Africa, the recognition of water governance systems grounded in local norms, which correspond better with the aspirations of local water users as against the expert-knowledge systems is desirable. Following the introduction of the statutory institutions in postcolonial Africa, customary institutions, which were once effective in regulating water resources became relegated to the background in those countries, including Botswana . Adopting a critical literature review approach, this article employs the concept of legal pluralism to analyze the institutional factors that create the disharmony between cultural and statutory water governance and management institutions. Findings indicate that water has been abstracted from its social nature and transformed into a tradable economic good. Ultimately, the local meanings and images encoded in water as a nature-given resource are overlooked, thus generating conflicts in water governance. The paper recommends the adoptions of legal pluralism under which water institutions need to embrace both customary and statutory institutions.

Muslim Fundamentalism: Psychological Orientations and Counter-Narratives

The current study attempted to formulate a conceptualization of Muslim fundamentalism as well as its counter-narratives as grounded in religious experience of Pakistani Muslims.Open ended interviews were conducted with 133 Pakistani Muslim men and women of prominent local religious affiliations.Analysis revealed a grounded theory model of Muslim fundamentalism highlighting cognitive,and social psychological processes involved.Participants saw their religion as a complete code of conduct and inferred various meanings from completeness of Islam as finalized,closed to inquiry as well as rejecting of other cultures and religious traditions.The major inter-related themes of the model were totalitarianism,closed mindedness,binary thinking,hyper-exotericism,ambiguity intolerance,authoritarianism,punitive approach,violent tendencies,labelling,diversity intolerance and paranoia or threat perceiving attitude.The interplay of these factors is discussed in the light of earlier research on fundamentalism.The research also revealed strong counter narratives to fundamentalist stance which formulated the major themes of esoteric religiosity,open mindedness,pluralism,and Islam and civil society.The study carries implications for religious education of Muslims and their socialization with believers of other religious traditions.

The Figure of the Continuum:Discussed in Relation to the Quantum Logic and Exemplified for the Categories“Sex/Gender”and“Migration”

This article shows,on the one hand,how the figure of the Continuum can describe pluralities not only in the realm of sex/gender,but also in that of migration,using the four dimensions of the Continuum:physical/body/matter―psychological/feeling/experience―social/behavior―sexual/desire.The figure of the Continuum can resolve binary and bipolar orders by overcoming the virulent power of the poles“male-female”which are still considered to frame the gender order to this days.In the same way,the bipolar,antagonistic,and dichotomous juxtaposition between migrant and non-migrant will be released from a binary constriction using the figure of the Continuum,as well as the diametric opposition within different forms,different trajectories of,and different reasons for migration.On the other hand,the article shows how natural such de-binarizations are or how pluralizations are if one looks to quantum logic and explains how the“as well as”,the end of the exclusionary opposition of“0:1”,superpositions and overlays as well as repetitions are of central significance for quantum physics.Thus,the article can come to the conclusion that,just as in the quantum logic of physics,the figure of the Continuum contains a chance for a new and broader humanism,which considers the human as a human,with all their diversities,potentialities,and the inviolability of human dignity.

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist as a Postmodern Text

Literature has witnessed the appearance of many movements and approaches throughout the history.After World War II,particularly in the 1960s,postmodernism has come to surface and as an up-to-date movement,many eminent critics and cultural historians have turned their concerns and attention to it.This study examines the concept of postmodernism and it explores its main characteristics that appear in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist(1986).

Three Steps Forward and,If Possible,Not a Single Step Back—Luxembourg Perspectives on Societal Discourses Concerning Sexuality

This article will retrace the developmental lines of societal discourses concerning sexuality as well as the changing significance,acceptance,de-dramatization,and normalization of non-heteronormative,non-binary configurations of gender.In a first step,the figure of the continuum will be outlined as a theoretical framework and analytic tool for gender diversity.Subsequently,the article will illustrate certain key data points concerning the situation of women and men in Luxembourg and establish a comparison with the European and international situation.Selected research findings will be discussed,although it must be noted that,in the early 2010s,this research was still concerned exclusively with binary configurations of gender.Following a first synopsis,the paper will divert its attention to trans,intersex,non-binary,queer,and agender persons in Luxembourg and will introduce current national and international research findings concerning Luxembourg,as well as national ministerial measures and positionings.Following an excursion towards sexology in medicine as well as teaching and research environments at universities,the article will cast a glance towards the year 2050 and finally illuminate the relation,the four-way connection between physicality,psyche,social behavior,and desire to thus illustrate perspectives towards possible future developments.

Motherhood for All—Women,Men,Trans*,Inter*,Nonbinary and Agender-Persons—Examined Using the Figure of the Continuum

This article is about the question of what the term“motherhood”signifies,and how the figure of the Continuum helps recognize and explain pluralities of motherhood beyond the gender binary of“female-male”.After an initial explanation of the concept of gender as a Continuum,the figure of the Continuum will be applied to forms of motherhood and will discuss them in light of the four dimensions of the Continuum—physicality,feeling,sociality,and desire.The tensions between physical and social motherhood will be traced in an examination of Bertold Brecht’s“The Caucasian Chalk Circle”(1948)and its references to biblical,Chinese and German-language texts.Based on the diverse forms of motherhood discussed in the article,concerning trans*men among others,the necessity of a reformulation of the understanding of motherhood as a new parenthood will be outlined,which overturns the limiting connection between motherhood and heteronormatively defined femininity.

Path Exploration for Long-term Care of Rural Disabled Elderly: A Case Study of G Town in South Shaanxi

Field survey of G Town in South Shaanxi indicates that current situations and existing problems of rural disabled elderly. According to these situations and problems,this paper analyzes difficulties in long-term care of rural disabled elderly. From the perspective of welfare pluralism,it comes up with development paths for long-term care of rural disabled elderly with joint participation of government,communities,non-profit organizations on the basis of the family endowment.

Celebrating Diversity of Humanity, Struggling for Peace, and Establishing Culture of Coexistence

The Qur＇an embraces cultural pluralism, emphasising that “People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should recognize one another. ”（Q. 49： 13）. Moreover, peace is the most fundamental value in the Qur＇an and Islam. The majority of the classical Muslim jurists, especially Hanafi school, emphasised that the reason for Muslims＇ fight against non-Muslims is Muslims＇ defense themselves against attacks, not non-Muslims＇ faith. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi （d. 1960） states that the only kind of jihad that is appropriate for the present age is spiritual or moraljihad. Furthermore, regarding Qur＇anic approach to relations between Muslims and the People of the Book, Muslim scholars, in general, advocate sincere relations and trust between Muslims and the People of the Book. In addition, Said Nursi is one of the great Muslim scholars in interfaith dialogue in the 20th century. Finally, there is the need for establishing culture of coexistence, which practised before within a religious tradition such as Islamic tradition for many centuries in the history. Through achieving a culture of coexistence and peace, most conflicts can be resolved.

Iran-Yemen Relations and Its Geopolitical Crisis

In recent years,Yemen has witnessed violent clashes that are rooted in largely inequality in the sharing of power and access to resources since Yemen has doubled its importance in southern Arabia,western Oman,eastern Red Sea,and north of the Gulf of Aden.In addition,this country dominates the strategic Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb that is the dominant kingdom of the Horn of Africa,Saudi Arabia,and especially Egypt,in the transfer of energy.The people of Yemen have long been religiously orientated,including Shia and Sunni Muslims who are now Sunni Shafei and Shiite Yemenis Zaidi,are the Ismaili and Sufi religions are in the next rows.The Yemeni religious faith is mainly from the youth of this country.In this article,we are trying to answer the main question through an analytical method.What causes the crisis in Yemen affected by the crisis that led to the expansion of the crisis?The geopolitical situation of Yemen,regional and international actors,and the instability and displacement of its population,along with the weakness of the state,corruption,insufficiency of resources and infrastructure,seem to have expanded this geopolitical crisis internationally.

Freedom of Worship: Interpreting Joshua 24:1-28 in African-Igbo Traditional Religious Context

The news media are often replete with sad stories of religious intolerance,with some gory pictures of the victims thereof.In Joshua 24:1-28,the Israelites were asked by Joshua to choose whom they would like to serve.It smacks of religious freedom.Using the text as a theological fulcrum,this study emphasises the fundamental human right of freedom of worship in the context of the religious freedom embedded African-Igbo religious tradition.Given the diverse religious views in the world,it is dialogue and mutual respect which would make religious peace possible.Bad religious leaders and teachers mislead their adherents to do violent and bloody proselytization.But people should not be held under duress to accept a particular religious idea or to adhere to a particular group of worshippers,sometimes with only one alternative,that is death!Indeed,every religion should recommend itself by the amount of love and peace it engenders in the world.