Reductive Approach Research Articles

Determinants of adoption of automation and robotics technology in the agriculture sector–A mixed methods, narrative, interpretive knowledge synthesis

Automation and robotics technologies in agriculture promise to increase productivity with a smaller environmental footprint. However, adoption of agri-innovations is rarely a simple decision. The decision to adopt is determined by numerous factors. Employing a mixed methods narrative, interpretive knowledge synthesis, we review 72 unique studies between 2017–2021, and conduct a thematic analysis. Noting the innate complexity of agriculture, we identify 13 determinants of adoption of automation and robotic technologies in agriculture: data; farm characteristics and surrounding physical environment; farmer characteristics; policy and regulation; labour’s absorptive capacity; social elements; interoperability; standards; access to information; operational benefits; public infrastructure; technological characteristics; and uncertainty and risk. We conclude with seven observations. First, while automation and robotics are promising agri-innovations, they will not be appropriate or beneficial for all farms. There are other forms of agricultural innovation, and their uptake likely will always vary even within the same commodity and region. Second, taking a reductive approach to understanding adoption of agri-innovations may hinder the transformation to sustainable agriculture production systems; it is important to understand the role of complexity in shaping the dynamic interplay among determinants. Third, public infrastructure is more than just the Internet, yet there was little reference to other forms of public infrastructure in the dataset. Fourth, while many papers argue public policy is important for increasing the adoption of these innovations, few provide concrete policy suggestions or scalable examples. Fifth, trust and transparency are central to adoption. Technology developers need to take farmers concerns and needs seriously. Sixth, technology developers must offer practical solutions to real problems. Seventh, automation and robotics encompasses many technologies, and yet no standard or consistent terminology exists. This makes communication about these innovations more difficult. We propose a typology under the rubric of data-driven agricultural technologies.

Reduced cervical sampling of hysterectomy specimens with negative margins on conization: An opportunity to improve resource utilization.

The current recommendation for hysterectomy specimens performed for cervical cancer following conization is that the entire cervix be submitted for histologic examination. Given the high cost of medical procedures and concerns regarding difficulties with laboratory staffing, we sought to evaluate the potential for selective histologic examination in this setting. Post-conization hysterectomy cases were reviewed for the presence of residual disease in relation to the findings of the prior conization, with consideration of margin status. Residual disease was then assessed for clinical significance. The number of submitted blocks was recorded and the associated costs were estimated. Among 32 cases with invasive carcinoma, only cases with margins positive for invasive carcinoma on the conization specimen had residual invasion in the hysterectomy (n = 7), and there were no upgrades due to subtle microscopic disease; 1 case had a change in pathologic stage from pT1b1 to pT2b due to parametrial involvement in the setting of a grossly apparent lesion. Among 20 cases performed following a diagnosis of dysplasia, none were upgraded to invasive carcinoma. Based on protocol-based submission of the entire cervix, 16 blocks of cervix were submitted on average (range, 4-41). We estimate that representative sections from each cervical quadrant would save approximately 2 work hours for laboratory staff per case and up to 6 hours for larger cases, reducing costs for the laboratory accordingly. Selective cervical sampling in the setting of negative margins on conization provides an opportunity for improved resource utilization without compromising patient care; as this is a small study, confirmation of these findings in a larger number of cases may be warranted. Additional studies are necessary to determine what other contexts in surgical pathology could benefit from a similar reductive approach.

Debulking the Myth of the ‘Social’ Admission – A Retrospective Review of Acutely Admitted Medical Patients in Wexford General Hospital

Abstract Background “Acopia”, “social admission” and other synonymous terms are frequently provided reasons requiring admission to acute hospitals and represent a common encounter for the Geriatric clinician. These cases are usually so called when the patient’s social circumstances are felt to need urgent attention, yet their medical health has not acutely deteriorated. Such non-diagnostic labels often mask underlying complex medical issues which can have detrimental health outcomes if not addressed appropriately. Despite this, they persist in the vernacular of modern medicine with almost half of doctors, junior and senior, finding the term useful (43.5%) and acceptable as a diagnosis (30.9%)1. We sought to examine what percentage of adult medical patients admitted to an acute hospital did not have an appreciable medical cause for their presentation. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of 191 patients admitted under medical teams in Wexford General Hospital across a 13-day period. Inclusion criteria included adult patients admitted under a medical team from the Emergency Department. Exclusion criteria applied to any patient admitted from OPD or by non-medical specialities. Results 191 cases were analysed. The average age was 65.8, median age was 70 and majority were male (n=105, 55%). There were only 2 patients (1%) who had no acute medical concerns following medical review. In one, the patient’s home oxygen supply had run out and the intended delivery of oxygen had been delayed. Another patient required increased home care supports however their medical status had not changed. Conclusion Our findings suggest that most patients presenting to acute hospitals following a robust medical review will evidence an acute medical issue. Dismissive phrases such as “acopia” and “social admission” need to be challenged for the superficial assessment that they are, and this reductive approach must be expunged from clinical practice to avoid misdiagnosis and malpractice in the care of the older adult.

Diversified Reactivity of Triphenylphosphine: Reinvestigation of the Phosphine-Mediated Reductive Condensation Approach for the Synthesis of Substituted Furans.

A reinvestigation of "Phosphine-Mediated Reductive Condensation of γ-Acyloxy Butynoates: A Diversity Oriented Strategy for the Construction of Substituted Furans" (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 4118-4119) revealed different chemoselectivity of triphenylphosphine in the reactions with the γ-acyloxy butynoate substrates of varying substitution patterns/electronics. Furthermore, the electronics of the triaryl phosphine reagent could be tuned to trap a putative intermediate such as A, leading to the semihydrogenation of propiolamide substrates.

Cylindrical Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation for ion acoustic waves with double spectral indices distributed electrons

We study theoretically and numerically the nonlinear propagation of ion acoustic waves (IAWs) in plasma. The electrostatic potential in electron-ion (e-i) plasma is mimicked by the cylindrical Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation using the traditional reductive perturbation approach. By applying the direct integration technique, the soliton solution is obtained. The results of simulations carried out numerically show that the amplitude as well as width of the soliton solution are significantly influenced by the plasma parameters. The exploration of IAWs propagation in laboratory as well as space plasmas may benefit from the current work.

Iridium-catalysed synthesis of C,N,N-cyclic azomethine imines enables entry to unexplored nitrogen-rich 3D chemical space

Three-dimensional nitrogen-rich bridged ring systems are of great interest in drug discovery owing to their distinctive physicochemical and structural properties. However, synthetic approaches towards N–N-bond-containing bridged heterocycles are often inefficient and require tedious synthetic strategies. Here we delineate an iridium-catalysed reductive approach to such architectures from C,N,N-cyclic hydrazide substrates using IrCl(CO)[P(OPh)3]2 and 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS), which provided efficient access to the unstabilized and highly reactive C,N,N-cyclic azomethine imine dipoles. These species were stable and isolable in their dimeric form, but, upon dissociation in solution, reacted with a broad range of dipolarophiles in [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with high yields and good diastereoselectivities, enabling the direct synthesis of nitrogen-rich sp3-hybridized pyrazoline polycyclic ring systems. Density functional theory calculations were performed to elucidate the origin of the diastereoselectivity of the cycloaddition reaction, and principal moment of inertia (PMI) analysis was conducted to enable visualization of the topological information of the dipolar cycloadducts.

The Hummingbird

ABSTRACT As Jungian analysts, we rarely discuss our medical conditions, especially chronic illness and disability and their effects on our work and lives. The sense of being judged by our colleagues and being forced to give up our practices by prevailing cultural and societal norms can create fear and apprehension in a disabled analyst, who may not feel able to discuss the depths that can also emerge from serious physical conditions. These apprehensions may also be connected to the overused and often misused concept of psychosomatic illness, a reductive and causal approach that may stifle a more creative experience emerging from illness and disability. C. A. Meier brings a different understanding and approach to the links between soma and psyche, connecting the two at the psychoid level, where synchronistic experiences may emerge. Furthermore, through the myth of Inanna’s journey to the death world of Ereshkigal, this paper includes a personal account of illness and disability, connecting it to a wider conversation concerning the Jungian approach to ourselves as analysts, to our colleagues, and to our clients.

An overview of ion-acoustic solitary and shock waves in a magnetized nonthermal plasma: influence of trapped positrons and electrons

A magnetized nonthermal electron–positron-ion (e-p-i) plasma is considered to study the propagation properties of ion-acoustic solitary and shock waves in the presence of trapped positrons and electrons for the first time. The Schamel-κ (kappa) distribution function that describes plasma nonthermality and particle trapping is assumed to consider electrons and positrons. The diffusive effect of ion plasma fluid, which is responsible for shock dynamics, is taken into account. A nonlinear Schamel-Korteweg–de Vries-Burgers’ (SKdVB) equation is derived by employing the reductive perturbation approach, and the solitary and shock wave solutions of the SKdVB equation have also been derived for different limiting cases. It is found that only positive potential nonlinear structures (for both solitary and shock waves) are formed in the proposed plasma system. The condition for stable solitons in the absence of dissipation is analyzed, and the nature of arbitrary amplitude solitary waves (obtained via the Sagdeev potential approach) is discussed. It is found through theoretical and numerical investigation that different plasma compositional parameters (such as the trapping effect of electrons (β e ) and positrons (β p ), the obliquity effect (θ), electron-to-ion number density ratio (µ e ), the magnetic field effect (via Ω) and the viscous effect (via η)) have a significant influence on the dynamics of ion-acoustic solitary and shock waves. The theoretical and numerical investigations in this study may be helpful in describing the nature of localized structures in different plasma contexts, e.g. space and astrophysical plasmas and experimental plasmas where electron–positron-ion plasmas exist.

Magnetoacoustic waves in spin-1/2 dense quantum degenerate plasma: nonlinear dynamics and dissipative effects

Abstract Within the confines of a two-fluid quantum magnetohydrodynamic model, the investigation of magnetoacoustic shock and solitary waves is conducted in an electron-ion magnetoplasma that considers electrons of spin 1/2. When the plasma system is nonlinearly investigated using the reductive perturbation approach, the Korteweg de Vries-Burgers (KdVB) equation is produced. Sagdeev’s potential is created, revealing the presence of solitary solutions. However, when dissipative terms are included, intriguing physical solutions can be obtained. The KdVB equation is further investigated using the phase plane theory of a planar dynamical system to demonstrate the existence of periodic and solitary wave solutions. Predicting several classes of traveling wave solutions is advantageous due to various phase orbits, which manifest as soliton-shock waves, and oscillatory shock waves. The presence of a magnetic field, the density of electrons and ions, and the kinematic viscosity significantly alter the properties of magnetoacoustic solitary and shock waves. Additionally, electric fields have been identified. The outcomes obtained here can be applied to studying the nature of magnetoacoustic waves that are observed in compact astrophysical environments, where the influence of quantum spin phenomena remains significant, and also in controlled laboratory plasma experiments.

Effects of dust size distribution and non-Maxwellian electrons on shock waves in a dusty plasma

We present a study of dust acoustic shock waves in a non-Maxwellian plasma with dust charge fluctuations, which are seen to cause a dissipation term in fluid model, and consequently shocks are generated. In particular, we focus on dust acoustic waves as affected by various dust size distributions. Two distinct dust size distributions—the polynomial and the power law distributions—have been used. For analytical investigation of nonlinear wave propagation in complex plasmas, a reductive perturbation approach is used to obtain the Burgers equation. A dusty plasma system with non-Maxwellian Kappa distribution is considered and it is shown that the amplitude of a shock wave, for the dust size distribution is larger than that for the mono-sized counterpart, while the shock width manifests an opposite trend. Furthermore, the shock wave speed is also affected by the dust size distributions as well as by the nature of velocity distribution function. To benchmark our findings, we apply the proper limit on the spectral index, i.e., κ→∞, and retrieve the Maxwellian results. The current findings are crucial for comprehending respective shock distributions for a plasma system exhibiting non-thermal characteristics and having dust size distributions.

Phase diagram in multi-phase heterogeneous traffic flow model integrating the perceptual range difference under human-driven and connected vehicles environment

With the gradual development of autonomous driving and connected communication technology, urban road networks will be shared by a combination of Human-driven vehicles (HDVs) and Connected vehicles (CVs) for a long era. Besides, as the actual vehicle operator, the driver regulates the vehicle state with an accelerator, gear lever, or brake, whereas the stepwise acceleration process is overlooked in the literature. Motivated by this, comprehensive kinetic difference between the two types of vehicles, we propose a novel heterogeneous multi-phase traffic flow accounting for the HDVs and CVs to close this hole. In the section on linear stability analysis, the reductive perturbation approach was applied to figure out the stability norm of the new model. The findings show that, on the one hand, inhibiting traffic bottlenecks is positively impacted by the penetration rate of CVs and the number of preceding vehicles taken into account; on the other hand, by varying the headway between following vehicles, the multiple-phase transition occurs; consequently, the number of turning points in the optimal velocity function is the sole factor that affects the number of stages in multi-phase transitions. Subsequently, the modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation corresponding to the new model is deduced to investigate the nonlinear phenomenon of traffic flow at the vicinity of the critical point, and the kink-antikink soliton wave solution by solving the above characteristic equation can describe the “stop-and-go” phenomenon in real traffic flow. Finally, the conclusion of the numerical experiments is consistent with the above theoretical analysis. This research can provide insight into the dynamic evolution of road traffic flow during the transition from HDVs to semi-CVs and eventually to CVs.

„The Gender Reassignment” Controversy - Between Affirmation and Kind Restraining

The review article presents the phenomenon of transsexualism through the prism of the etiology, scale and dynamics of the phenomenon as well as the most controversial social consequences concerning "sex change" and the acceptance or non-acceptance of voluntary personal forms adopted by children and adolescents. Review of contemporary literature, analysis of positions on the issues of the so-called gender changes (gender reassignment, gender matching). The text shows the evolution of understanding of gender identity disorders in the ICD-10 and DSM-5 classifications as well as the controversy related to the tendencies depathologizing gender inconsistency in the ICD-11. Looking at the etiological issues we present an attempt of in-depth psychological analyzes as opposed to the dominant, reductive medical approach. In the text, we also recall the basic developmental regularities of children and adolescents, often overlooked in discussions on transsexualism. The basic developmental regularities of children and adolescents, often overlooked in discussions on transsexualism, were also reminded. As the review of the data shows the rapid increase in gender identity disorders in recent years, their pronunciation leads to emphasizing the growing role of pop culture influences on young people. There is also a lack of research on the use of puberty blockers in children/adolescents - their introduction appears to be an experiment with, in fact, unknown consequences. The analysis of developmental regularities, the transience of dysphoric tendencies and the lack of reliable scientific data on the use of puberty blockers and the consequences of taking hormones of the opposite sex lead to the conclusion that accepting voluntary personal forms proposed by children/teenagers is premature.

Nucleosome conformation dictates the histone code.

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a critical role in chromatin regulation. It has been proposed that these PTMs form localized 'codes' that are read by specialized regions (reader domains) in chromatin-associated proteins (CAPs) to regulate downstream function. Substantial effort has been made to define [CAP: histone PTM] specificities, and thus decipher the histone code and guide epigenetic therapies. However, this has largely been done using the reductive approach of isolated reader domains and histone peptides, which cannot account for any higher-order factors. Here, we show that the [BPTF PHD finger and bromodomain: histone PTM] interaction is dependent on nucleosome context. The tandem reader selectively associates with nucleosomal H3K4me3 and H3K14ac or H3K18ac, a combinatorial engagement that despite being in cis is not predicted by peptides. This in vitro specificity of the BPTF tandem reader for PTM-defined nucleosomes is recapitulated in a cellular context. We propose that regulatable histone tail accessibility and its impact on the binding potential of reader domains necessitates we refine the 'histone code' concept and interrogate it at the nucleosome level.

Theoretical aspects of studies on agricultural economics and agrarian issues

This article contains a theoretical proposal for classifying the agrarian economic theory as a separate school of heterodox economic thought, encompassing more than a dozen research streams. In this sense, it fills a gap in the general economic theory, in which, so far, the agrarian economic thought is not considered a separate school of economics. The study proves that for the development of agrarian economics, it is not necessary to adopt the monistic, reductive, and consolidative approach that characterises mainstream economics. We treat agricultural economics as a pluralistic science, taking into account different viewpoints and research paradigms of development, from industrial to sustainable. Raising the need to integrate agrarian thought, the study points to the designations of the substantive distinctiveness of agricultural economics, including the immobility of the land factor, the price and income specificity of food demand, and the compulsion to consume food. The considerations are supplemented by a conceptualisation of the studied issue concerning the situation in Poland, presented in the form of a case study.

Strategic coherence in the world of VUCA – case study analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential of the study of strategic cohesion in the form of case study analysis. In addition to the theoretical part, the study presents a case study analysis of the strategic cohesion of two companies. Design/methodology/approach: The paper highlights the methodology in the research approach: reductive approach vs holistic approach. To this end, based on the analysis of the literature, the main areas and relationships of the occurrence of strategic coherence were identified, both in the holistic and reductive research approaches. In the next stage of the research - a case study was used as a tool for studying the strategic coherence of enterprises. Findings: The results of the analysis of the two cases suggest that achieving strategic coherence of an organization is important from the perspectives of its development and survival in the market. Crucial to achieving coherence appears to be the commitment of the organization's CEO to support strategic coherence. Research limitations/implications: The analysis of the literature indicates methodological difficulties in defining research methods for studying the strategic coherence of an enterprise (Romanowska, 2018; Mielcarek, 2020). The future research process, due to the complexity and difficulty of implementing tools to measure the strategic cohesion of an enterprise, requires great care in interpretation. Trying to propose a universal tool requires the decision to choose a holistic or reductionist approach. The holistic approach seems the most appropriate yet difficult to implement (Romanowska, 2018). The weaknesses of the reductionist approach are due to the subjective reduction of relevant variables. Limitations in the conducted research stem from the use of the case study as a research method. Its weaknesses include: the inability to create generalizations, random data collection, and the degree of structuring of individual cases (Czakon, 2011). Practical implications: Awareness of the importance of strategic consistency by the organization's CEO in the area of managerial decision-making can have a significant impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of business management. Social implications: The research construct (originally addressed to the analysis of the strategic coherence of enterprises) can be adapted to the study of the strategic coherence of public organizations (Latham, 2017) at different levels and areas of operation. The direct implications for society can manifest in more coherent strategies of individual municipalities, cities or provinces. The study of cohesion should ensure a more balanced and harmonious development of society. Originality/value: This paper appears to systematize research approaches in the area of strategic coherence. It is pointed out that case study analysis can be a tool for studying strategic coherence in the VUCA world in a holistic approach. Keywords: strategic coherence, strategic change, strategic leadership, VUCA. Category of the paper: case studies.

Total synthesis of atropodiastereomers of heterodimeric Amaryllidaceae alkaloids: narcipavline and narcikachnine.

We report the first asymmetric total synthesis of recently isolated heterodimeric Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, narcipavlines A (1a) and B (1b), and narcikachnines A (2a) and B (2b), thereby confirming their absolute stereochemistry. These alkaloids showcase a unique heterodimeric structure, amalgamating two distinct types of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids: the cis-hydrodibenzofuran containing tetracyclic galantamine core (6a) and the galanthindole core (7) featuring a biaryl axis. The presence of this biaryl axis, coupled with the substantial galantamine core (6a) at the ortho substituents, imposes constraints on free rotation around the C-C axis, resulting in atropisomerism, an exceedingly rare phenomenon in nature. Key steps in the synthesis encompass the utilization of a one-pot double reductive amination approach for the establishment of C-N-C bonds to merge both the galantamine (6a) and galanthindole (7) cores. Additionally, the Mitsunobu reaction and intramolecular Heck cyclization have emerged as pivotal techniques for crafting the tricyclic hydrodibenzofuran core [(-)-13], incorporating an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center.

Are You a Designer Bride? Power Relations Between Popular Media and the Indian Bride

In recent years, the bride has become a representative fashion icon of clothing, cosmetic and entertainment industry in India. Designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee, seem to project the bride’s access to bridal couture as a symbol of empowerment, emancipation and even nationalism. However, statistics would prove that Indian brides still carry the burden of cultural evils like dowry, domestic abuse, psychological pressures of marriage and child-bearing. Television shows like “Band, Baaja, Baraat,” lavish weddings of Bollywood actors like Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone have evoked new aspirational images in the imagination of the Indian middleclass. The present paper attempts to question the proliferation of wedding couture as a symbol of power and resistance to power. It aims to explore the route maps of capitalist desire and the seduction of women into this ambiguous role-play; are fashionable brides dressed in hot pants foolish consumers or artful minds who bend patriarchal structures even if for a short time? The paper will be premised on theories of popular culture, post-feminism, everyday feminism and cultural studies. It will enable us to address the reductive approach of contemporary capitalism towards complicated ideas of gender, class, caste, money, religion and region in Indian marriages. It will refer to ideas by Germaine Greer, Gloria Steinman, Stephanie Genz, Maitrayee Chaudhuri, Bharati Chibber, Santosh Desai to investigate into the empowering images of young brides as curated and exhibited by popular media.

Vehicle-to-vehicle cooperative driving model considering end-to-end delay of communication network

To explore the mechanism of the end-to-end transmission delay of the communication network on the collaborative driving process for traffic flow in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication environment, based on the idea of the car-following model, this paper introduces characteristic parameters characterizing the end-to-end transmission delay of the network into Newell's following model and proposes a CD and OV model by considering the time delay characteristics of the collaborative driving process from information transmission to control decision and then to physical execution. To determine the cooperative driving system's stability criterion, the stability analysis of the new model is examined. By using the reductive perturbation approach, the spatiotemporal evolution mechanism of the traffic flow around the critical stability point under the influence of various transmission delays is analyzed. The resulting modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equations and density wave solutions are derived. The results show that the end-to-end transmission delay of the network has a significant shock effect on the stability of the vehicle-vehicle cooperative driving system, and the stability of the traffic flow and the ability to suppress traffic congestion becomes worse with the increase in the end-to-end transmission delay.

Application of N-Terminal Site-Specific Biotin and Digoxigenin Conjugates to Clinical Anti-drug Antibody Assay Development.

Biotin- and digoxigenin (DIG)-conjugated therapeutic drugs are critical reagents used for the development of anti-drug antibody (ADA) assays for the assessment of immunogenicity. The current practice of generating biotin and DIG conjugates is to label a therapeutic antibody with biotin or DIG via primary amine groups on lysine or N-terminal residues. This approach modifies lysine residues nonselectively, which can impact the ability of an ADA assay to detect those ADAs that recognize epitopes located at or near the modified lysine residue(s). The impact of the lysine modification is considered greater for therapeutic antibodies that have a limited number of lysine residues, such as the variable heavy domain of heavy chain (VHH) antibodies. In this paper, for the first time, we report the application of site-specifically conjugated biotin- and DIG-VHH reagents to clinical ADA assay development using a model molecule, VHHA. The site-specific conjugation of biotin or DIG to VHHA was achieved by using an optimized reductive alkylation approach, which enabled the majority of VHHA molecules labeled with biotin or DIG at the desirable N-terminus, thereby minimizing modification of the protein after labeling and reducing the possibility of missing detection of ADAs. Head-to-head comparison of biophysical characterization data revealed that the site-specific biotin and DIG conjugates demonstrated overall superior quality to biotin- and DIG-VHHA prepared using the conventional amine coupling method, and the performance of the ADA assay developed using site-specific biotin and DIG conjugates met all acceptance criteria. The approach described here can be applied to the production of other therapeutic-protein- or antibody-based critical reagents that are used to support ligand binding assays.

A cross-cultural religiology between reductionism and anti-reductionism

‘Religion’ has been subjected to two kinds of reduction: one from the various branches of religious studies, the other being the mutual ‘reduction’ among religions. We advocate a cross-cultural religiology and try to take a middle path between reductionism and anti-reductionism, responding to both kinds of reduction separately. As for the former reduction, we agree with a moderate reduction of religion by various religious disciplines on the one hand, and on the other hand, we propose to respect the religious whole as an integrate human activity, and try to learn to face and study religion with a holistic attitude and method. For the latter reduction, we propose three points to overcome the merely reductive cognitive approach in inter-religious understanding without falling into some kind of anti-intellectualism. Firstly, we insist that we should face the other religions with a pluralistic confidence without giving up understanding, and engage both ‘dialogical dialogue’ and ‘dialectical dialogue’ with other religions. Secondly, we advocate learning from the wisdom of Buddha, Confucius and Jesus, giving priority to practice, and being concerned about our most urgent life practice of the moment. Thirdly, we propose that cross-cultural research can be carried out thematically, which is exemplified with the author’s cross-cultural research on ‘the other shore’.Contribution: In the field of religious studies, there is constant dispute between reductionism and anti-reductionism. This article tries to place cross-cultural religiology between reductionism and anti-reductionism, avoid the debate between the two, emphasise the integrity of religion as a whole human activity, and propose some practical and usable methods for cross-cultural religiology, hoping to have some inspiration for academic colleagues.