Universal Means Research Articles

Autoethnography as a research method in happiness studies

The pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal that has been studied by philosophers, theologians, and scientists for centuries. Despite its universal importance, the definition and means of achieving happiness vary greatly across cultures and individual experiences (Uchida, Norasakkunkit and Kitayama, 2004). Cultures have different beliefs, values, and customs that shape their understanding of happiness. For example, some cultures may place a higher value on material wealth and success, while others may prioritize spiritual fulfilment or strong relationships (Joshanloo and Weijers, 2014). In this autoethnographic paper, I reflect on my own personal journey towards happiness during a one-year travel across 22 countries within southern Africa, southeast Asia, and south America, focusing on the first part of the trip – southern Africa. Autoethnography is a qualitative research method that involves the researcher reflecting on their personal experiences and cultural positionality in order to understand and analyse cultural phenomena (Bunyan, 2021). It combines elements of autobiography and ethnography, as the researcher uses their own experiences as a way to explore and understand the cultural context in which they participate (Hamilton, Smith and Worthington, 2008). Through the use of personal narrative and cultural analysis, I delve into the ways in which my own cultural background and societal expectations shaped my understanding of happiness. I also explore the ways in which immersing myself in a new culture and community impacted my pursuit of happiness and well-being. By reflecting on my own experiences and observations, I aim to shed light on the complexities of the pursuit of happiness and the potential for personal and cultural growth that can result from stepping outside of one's comfort zone. Through this autoethnographic lens, we hope to offer a unique and personal perspective on the pursuit of happiness, and to encourage readers to consider the cultural and individual factors that influence their own pursuit of this universal goal. We also reflect on how innovation and technology, essential to business, may not be as important to achieve happiness in certain contexts. This essay is a call for reflection on what truly matters in life.

Интертекстуальность как прием поэтики трагедии Ильгиза Зайниева «Мадина»

The aim of the study is to identify intertextual connections and artistic-poetic features in the tragedy “Madina” by the Tatar playwright Ilgiz Zainiev. The paper examines the dialogue between the tragedy “Madina” and the ancient Greek tragedy “Medea” by Euripides at the level of images and plot. Examples from the history of Turkic-Tatar literature related to antiquity are given. The influence of the style of the English classic W. Shakespeare on I. Zainiev’s text is revealed. The originality of the poetics and style of the tragedy “Madina” is shown. The study is novel in that it is the first to consider a work of modern Tatar drama in connection with an ancient model, to reveal the role of the phenomenon of intertextuality in I. Zainiev’s tragedy as a way of determining the inclusion of the work in a broad universal context and contributing to the universalisation of the depiction. As a result, it has been proved that the moral-historical and cultural-aesthetic experience of the previous era, “someone else’s word” allowed the author to identify the universal meaning of the tragedy of an individual depicted by him.

D.A. Khomyakov’s Social Philosophy

In the article the author examines the social philosophy of D.A. Khomyakov, which is a theoretical explication of the “Orthodoxy. Autocracy. Nationality” formula. The author shows that in this formula Orthodoxy is interpreted not only as a system of dogmas, canons and traditions, but as an integral worldview of the people, formed by this system for many centuries. Accordingly, nationality and autocracy are not something external to Orthodoxy, but constitutes the forms of its concrete historical embodiment in the life of the people. Such understanding of “Uvarov’s formula” gives it a universal meaning, not tied to a specifi c era, but indicating the “ideal” principles of the life of Orthodox people, which cannot always be realized, but are a kind of “canon” of the historical existence of Russia. Proceeding form this, D.A. Khomyakov gives an Orthodox interpretation of a number of “issues” of modernity: about the social system, culture, science, feminism, etc.

Approximation of Differential Operators with Boundary Conditions

The use of spectral methods for solution of boundary value problems is very effective but involves great technical difficulties associated with the implementation of the boundary conditions. There exist several methods of such an implementation, but they are either very cumbersome or require a preliminary analysis of the problem and its reduction to an integral form. We propose a universal means of implementation of the boundary conditions for linear differential operators on a finite interval, which is very simple in its realization. The use of the rational arithmetic allows to assess the effectiveness of this method without interference of the round-off errors. We apply this approach for computation of rational approximations for some fundamental constants. We obtained approximations that in a number of cases are better than those that are given by convergents of regular continued fractions of these constants.

Memahami QS Al A’raf Ayat 56 mengenai Perampasan Lahan: Telaah Penafsiran Kontekstual menurut Pendekatan Abdullah Saeed

One of the human practices that cause damage to nature is land tenure or land grabbing which is then exploited in such a way for economic gain. This is very different from the text of the Quran which encourages humans to maintain environmental balance. In Q.S. A'raf verse 56, when viewed from the concept of Abdullah Saeed's Hierarchy of Values, the verse falls into Instructional Value, the impact of which will have two meanings. The universal meaning and the particular meaning. The purpose of this study is to find out the universal and particular meanings and relate them to the phenomenon of land grabbing. Thus, the universal meaning of verse 56 of QS Al A'raf is not to interfere with common rights that can cause harm to anyone. The particular value of the verse is the prohibition of land tenure because it is closer to indications of land grabbing that reduce access and movement of surrounding communities who may have felt marginalized and have no power to fight back or even just protest.

Cases Typology for Teaching Foreign Languages to Prospective Teachers

The case technology is now mainstream among modern technologies of teaching foreign languages and cultures; foreign language lecturers actively use it. The means of its implementation are cases of different kinds and types. Purpose. The authors of this scientific article have achieved an attempt to classify professional cases of English language teachers in a secondary school. Methods. The analytical review of foreign language teachers’ professional cases classification carried out by Ukrainian methodologists is aimed to distinguish general and distinctive features of analyzed cases – the applied method of scientific research. Results. As a result of the correlation between foreign language teachers’ professional knowledge and foreign language lesson targets, types of professional cases have been identified. Linguistic cases are correlated with the practical target of the foreign language lesson, linguasocioculturalcases – with its educational target, pedagogical cases – with the upbringing target, and psychological cases – with the foreign language lesson development target. Within this combination of targets and cases, the methodological case is the universal mean of implementation of all four (five in high professional school) targets of foreign language teaching in a secondary school. Kinds of cases are specified according to their particular types by five classification criteria: the case function in the educative process, the aim of its use, the form of its representation, the number of performers, and the format of thestorage medium. Conclusion. Our outlook is based on further scientific studies that assume the design of the case complex (linguistic, lingua-sociocultural, psychological, and methodical) for Bachelor students – prospective English language teachers with the purpose to create their competence in dialogue speech.

Межкультурная компетенция: векторы интерпретации, смежные понятия (теоретические основы)

The study aims to illustrate the discrepancies and redundancy in the terminological apparatus of pedagogy in the context of understanding the notion of ‘intercultural competence’. The paper clarifies the definitional characteristics of the terms related to intercultural competence: intercultural communicative competence, sociocultural competence, existential competence, linguocultural competence, strategic competence. The scientific novelty of the paper lies in providing arguments in favor of the expediency of considering the notion of ‘intercultural competence’ in the universal and special meanings, the latter being determined by a particular target audience. As a result, the notion of ‘the intercultural competence of foreign students in the multicultural educational environment of the university’ is actualized, its content is revealed.

Лирика К.М. Фофанова в восприятии Вл. Соловьева. Часть 1

The article is devoted to Vl. Solovyov’s aesthetic evaluation of K.M. Fofanov’s works, well-known poet of the 1880s–1900s. The reconstruction of V. Solovyov's perception of the poet's lyrics was carried out, due to the philosopher's lack of a separate work on K.M. Fofanov. It allowed to establish Fofanov's place in Solovyov’s hierarchy of the leading lyricists of the second half of the XIX century (A.A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, A.N. Maykov, Ya.P. Polonsky, A.K. Tolstoy, A.A. Fet) and reveal the connection between the aesthetic evaluation of Fofanov's creative work and the general attitude of the thinker to the decadent trends in the literary process of the 1890s. These trends distort the “eternal truth” and “universal meaning”and cause Solovyov’s rejection of other authors of this period (V.Ya. Bryusov, A.L. Volynsky, D.S. Merezhkovsky, N.M. Minsky, V.V. Rozanov, etc) as well as to identify the coincidences or discrepancies of Solovyov's position with contemporary literary criticism (N.M. Sokolov, N.N. Strakhov). For a holistic presentation of V. Solovyov’s aesthetic assessments of K.F. Fofanov’s lyrics it is necessary to take into account his views in such areas as ethics and historiosophy. It is shown that the rejection of Fofanov-the lyricist is also connected with his categorical protest against ethical and historical “decadence”, which, among other things, includes the newest “patriots” who, in their national, ethical and religious blindness, reached the apotheosis of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. This allows us to hypothesize that the aesthetic denial of Fofanov-the lyricist is associated in Solovyov's mind with the general process of diagnosing the “spiritual disease” of modern society, which makes itself felt in various forms (literary or social). This disease makes itself known also in a specific ideological division into “parties” in Russian society in the 1880s–1890s (apotheosis of Ivan the Terrible in the poems by A.N. Maykov in Katkov's “Russkij Vestnik”, as well as the patronage of Fofanov by A.S. Suvorin's “Novoe Vremia”). It is shown that Fofanov's lyrics seem to Solovyov to be one of the examples of substitution of concepts (a phenomenon characteristic of the epoch): Christ – superman, the idea of monarchy – tyranny, the Russian idea – Byzantinism, self –consciousness – narcissism, the higher sense – pretentious nonsense. It is no coincidence that Fofanov becomes the cult-figure of the ego-futurist Igor Severyanin, who, partly recognizing Fofanov's involvement in decadence, makes a step further from the “formulaic” and “banal” in Fofanov's poetry to the avant-garde cult of “the trivial”, blurring the distinction between “true” and “false”.

Осетинские глаголы perfectiva tantum: влияние универсальных и идиоэтнических акциональных смыслов (в сопоставлении с русским языком) (Часть вторая)

The article describes that part of the Ossetian verbal lexicon, the aspectual inconsistency of which, namely its single aspectual character (perfectiva tantum), is explained by the presence in the semantics of these verbs of idioethnic actional meanings in combination with certain universal actional meanings. The analysis of the Ossetian linguistic facts in comparison with their functionally translated Russian counterparts is a continuation of the study, the results of which were presented in the Bulletin of the NOSU [10, pp. 169-181]. Determining the boundaries of the sphere of use of verbs of only the perfect form is undoubtedly important in the study of the functional-semantic field (FSF) of the aspectuality of the modern Ossetian language, since it allows you to determine the connection between the modes of action of the Ossetian verb and the aspect category, or rather, to establish the boundaries of the action of the perfect form and imperfect form. The results presented in the article indicate that the perfect aspect in the Ossetian language has a much wider area of action than the imperfect aspect. There is a typologically similar picture in the Russian language, but the factors that result in the uneven size of the spheres of use of prefixed perfect forms and prefixed imperfect forms in the compared languages are different. At the same time, the zone of the Russian imperfect form is much wider than the zone of functioning of the Ossetian imperfect form, expressed only by prefixed formations with the infix -tsæy-, and the zone of the prefixed verbs perfectiva tantum in the Ossetian language is more voluminous, as it seems to us, than in Russian, since the single-species nature of this group of Ossetian verbs are influenced by a greater number of aspectual-actional factors than in modern Russian.

Thermodynamics of phase transition in Reissner–Nordström–de Sitter spacetime

The Reissner-Nordstrm̈-de Sitter (RN-dS) spacetime can be considered as a thermodynamic system. Its thermodynamic properties are discussed that the RN-dS spacetime has phase transitions and critical phenomena similar to that of the Van de Waals system or the charged AdS black hole. The continuous phase transition point of RN-dS spacetime depends on the position ratio of the black hole horizon and the cosmological horizon. We discuss the critical phenomenon of the continuous phase transition of RN-dS spacetime according to Landau theory of continuous phase transition, that the critical exponent of spacetime is same as that of the Van de Waals system or the charged AdS black hole, which have universal physical meaning. We find that the order parameters are similar to those introduced in ferromagnetic systems. Our universe is an asymptotically dS spacetime, thermodynamic characteristics of RN-dS spacetime can help us understand the evolution of spacetime and provide a theoretical basis to explore the physical mechanism of accelerated expansion of the universe.

Chemical injury for a sexual attack on a minor person: the question of the amendment of other criminal legal measures

In connection with the increase in the number of cases of violent acts related to sexual crimes, some countries have adopted legislation that provides for the use of chemical castration as a criminal-legal measure of a medical nature. The positions of defenders and opponents of the use of this method are analyzed, and the effectiveness of chemical castration as a means of preventing repeated crimes is also investigated. This topic is relevant for justice, medicine and the public, as it concerns serious issues of human rights and the ethics of using medical methods for law enforcement purposes. It can be argued that the introduction of chemical castration will be appropriate to counter the pandemic of sexual crimes against minors, but this issue has many acute angles. It is important not to level the voluntary nature of this procedure by depriving the person of the right to choose. The basis for castration must be a socially dangerous act, the harmful consequences of which must be commensurate with the interference with the normal reproductive activity of a person. Some studies have shown that chemical castration can reduce the risk of repeat crimes related to sexual activity. However, other studies indicate that chemical castration is not a universal means of preventing recidivism, and its effectiveness depends on the specific situation. New research also focuses on the ethical aspects of using chemical castration, including the issues of informed patient consent, possible side effects, and the duration of castration. In addition, it examines whether chemical castration can be used as an alternative to punishment, as is commonly done in criminal law situations. In our opinion, chemical castration is an innovation in the criminal legal field of Ukraine. But it needs thorough discussion and testing in practice. We investigated the issue of sexual crimes against particularly vulnerable persons and followed the changes made to the criminal legislation of Ukraine in recent years.

Plp1 in the enteric nervous system is preferentially expressed during early postnatal development in mouse as DM20, whose expression appears reliant on an intronic enhancer.

Recently, the myelin proteolipid protein gene (Plp1) was shown to be expressed in the glia of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in mouse. However, beyond this, not much is known about its expression in the intestine. To address this matter, we investigated Plp1 expression at the mRNA and protein levels in the intestine of mice at different ages (postnatal days 2, 9, 21, and 88). In this study, we show that Plp1 expression preferentially occurs during early postnatal development, primarily as the DM20 isoform. Western blot analysis indicated that DM20 migrated according to its formula weight when isolated from the intestine. However, mobilities of both PLP and DM20 were faster than expected when procured from the brain. The 6.2hPLP(+)Z/FL transgene, which uses the first half of the human PLP1 gene to drive expression of a lacZ reporter gene, recapitulated the developmental pattern observed with the native gene in the intestine, indicating that it can be used as a proxy for Plp1 gene expression. As such, the relative levels of β-galactosidase (β-gal) activity emanating from the 6.2hPLP(+)Z/FL transgene suggest that Plp1 expression is highest in the duodenum, and decreases successively along the segments, toward the colon. Moreover, removal of the wmN1 enhancer region from the transgene (located within Plp1 intron 1) resulted in a dramatic reduction in both transgene mRNA levels and β-gal activity in the intestine, throughout development, suggesting that this region contains a regulatory element crucial for Plp1 expression. This is consistent with earlier studies in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, indicating that it may be a common (if not universal) means by which Plp1 gene expression is governed.

Human thermo-physiological comfort assessment in Lisbon by local climate zones on very hot summer days

Extreme heat is a current and future issue on urban areas, with negative impacts on health and quality of life (increasing morbidity and mortality rates). This paper analyses day (12:00–15:00 h) and nighttime (00:00–03:00 h) thermo-physiological comfort (TC) conditions by Local Climate Zones (LCZ) in Lisbon during a particular Local Weather Type (LWT), very hot summer days. For this, 13 different microscale sample areas were chosen covering urban and non-urban land cover classes (LCZs 1–3, 4–6, 8, 9, A and B). Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) were modeled on SkyHelios software for 163 days between 2008 and 2014. Results show that during the day all urban LCZ samples depict the same average TC conditions (average UTCI of 34°C—strong heat stress) and densely wooded areas are 2°C cooler (average UTCI of 32°C—moderate heat stress). However, compact areas (LCZs 1–3) with low sky view factor and some vegetation (street trees) display lower percentages of area with higher thermo-physiological discomfort (TD) levels (83% with strong heat stress against 98% in LCZs 8 and 9 and 100% in LCZs 4–6). When considering the hottest days (air temperatures equal or above 35°C—75th percentile), the moderate heat stress class disappears in all samples and the very strong heat stress class appears only on urban areas, occupying between 12% and 16% on LCZs 1–3, 10%–22% on LCZs 4–6, 16%–22% on LCZs 8 and 9 on LCZ 9. During the nighttime period all samples show no thermal stress, favoring nocturnal physiological recovery. TC conditions in Lisbon are strongly influenced by solar radiation and wind, which explains the need to increase the shading area, preferably by trees, and to promote and preserve ventilation paths.

Six monographs by A.I. Demchenko

The object of the study is the works of the famous Saratov musicologist, professor, Doctor of Art History A.I. Demchenko, published in 2022 and 2023. Monographs devoted to the legacy of Russian composers of the XIX–XX centuries demonstrate an integrative approach characteristic of many publications of this author. The creative figures of M.I. Glinka, S.V. Rachmaninoff, I.F. Stravinsky, S.S. Prokofiev, R.K. Shchedrin, A.G. Schnittke correlate with the historical and cultural context of the epoch, ideas realized in different types of art. This method helps to identify, first of all, ideological aspects in each of the author's systems under consideration. With varying degrees of detail, a wide range of musical works is considered, including textbook ones. The presentation of the material as a whole is subject to chronological order. The principle of semantic dominance, implemented in research, assumes the presence of a fundamental attitude in each composer's style, which ensures its uniqueness. A. Demchenko's works are of undoubted interest, first of all, from the standpoint of the author's approach, since the focus is not on narrow theoretical problems, but on the semantic essence, the conceptual and content base of the considered artistic heritage. Reliance on the method of "conceptual analysis" - as the scientist himself defines it in earlier works - provides for the subordination of all technological observations, historical information to the task of revealing cultural, universal meanings. Some decisions of the author of the monographs are questionable. The issue of foreign influences on Glinka's style seems insufficiently developed; the role of urban associations in Stravinsky's "Sacred Spring", on the contrary, seems somewhat exaggerated. The comments made do not prevent us from making a general conclusion about the productivity of the proposed approaches and the potential relevance of the submitted works in scientific and educational practice.

PERJAMUAN KUDUS BAGI ANAK DALAM GEREJA METHODIST

This study aims to find out about the attitude of the Methodist Church in involving children to receive the elements of the communion. The Holy Communion is one of the two sacraments recognized by Protestant Christian churches. This Holy Communion is a direct command from the Lord Jesus to be carried out by His churches on this earth. This can be seen from the words of Jesus who stated "Do this in remembrance of me". According to John Wesley, communion is a suggestion of grace that God has given to every human being. That gift was given by God to everyone by God's will, everyone can receive it because that gift is God's love for humans through Jesus Christ who sacrificed himself as a way of salvation for mankind. According to John Wesley communion is a universal means of grace, therefore children may participate in the communion.

Stylistic Features of Causative Verbs in the Uzbek Language

The category of causation (Latin causa - cause) is related to the philosophical concepts of cause and effect. Causality is one of the main forms of interdependence and interdependence of the processes and phenomena of objective reality. It is known that causality has a universal meaning and exists in all forms of matter movement. Cause and effect reflect the relationships that actually exist in the world

INTERTEXTUAL CONNECTIONS WITH DANTE'S "DIVINE COMEDY" IN THOMAS LIGOTTI'S STORY "THE BELLS WILL SOUND FOREVER"

The purpose of the article is to study the short story by the contemporary American writer Thomas Ligotti in terms of intertextuality. The conclusion is made that the story contains allusions to Dante Alighieri’s poem “The Divine Comedy” and its second part “Purgatory”. Therefore, the main methods of the study were intertextual and typological. The article emphasizes that the importance of the resonance of T. Ligotti’s story with this part of the Divine Comedy lies in the fact that Dante introduced the image of Purgatory (officially, the Catholic Church recognized its existence after his death) as an image of a place of hope and salvation, repentance and choice, where the souls of the repentant can work on their final redemption. All this is relevant to the story of the protagonist Ligotti. The main attention of the author of the article was focused on the study of the figurative system of the work, namely, the images of the narrator and the narrator, as well as Miss Peak, the owner of the hotel, whose stay had fatal consequences for the narrator. The description of the appearance, clothing, and movements of the characters in both works is studied. It is concluded that the use of allegories, metaphors and symbolism from Dante’s poem gave the author of the story the opportunity not only to reveal the themes of atonement, purification and the consequences of sin, which are central to Dante’s work, but also to give the events and images of his work a universal meaning. The novelty of the article lies in the fact that this is the first experience of identifying signs of Ligotti’s appeal to Dante.

“Discovery of Hinduism” in Religious Thought of the Bengal Renaissance

The aim of the article is to represent “Discovery of Hinduism” as a specific phenomenon of religious thought in the Bengal Renaissance of modern India. The phenomenon is a part of “Discovery of India” (Jawaharlal Nehru’s term) by Indian intellectuals, who thought on their country, society, civilization, history, and its future. The term “Hinduism” borrowed from the British missionaries and orientalists became convenient for the Bengal Renaissance intellectuals to think and comprehend their own native religious tradition. Based on the works by the Bengal Renaissance thinkers, the paper presents their role in creating the notion “Hinduism” as the term for all group of Indian religions, as well as in interpretation of it as one whole religion. The “discovery of Hinduism” began from the works by Rammohun Roy, who presented its image—tracing its origins back to monotheistic ideal of the Vedas. The “discovery of Hinduism” process can be divided into two phases: (a) invention of “monotheistic” image by the Brahmo Samaj, 1815–1857; (b) the perception and understanding of Hinduism at the second half of 19th century as “unity in diversity” and constructing of its concept by Neo-Hindu thinkers (Bankimchandra Chattopaddhyay, Swami Vivekananda, etc.). They created an image of Hinduism as a system of universal meanings and values and the core of social life and culture as well as the foundation cultural and political identity. The “discovery of Hinduism” by all Bengal intellectuals had many important consequences, one of which is positive and humanistic concept of Hinduism not only for their co-religionists and compatriots, but also for the outer world, primarily for the West. “Discovery of Hinduism” is an integral part of the history of thought, the kind of attempt “to gather India” in religious, social, and cultural spheres for public consciousness and mind.

Criticism of Fazlur Rahman's Al-Qur'an Hermeneutics

Fazlur Rahman is a man who has various thoughts related to the issue of the Qur'an and Hadith, Rahman's presence in the list of names of Islamic thinkers brings something new to the renewal of Islam. Appear as a brilliant figure in formulating the method of interpretation of the Koran. Fazlur Rahman provides a more convincing method of interpretation, which lies in the use of philosophy, social sciences and humanities. The conceptual framework that Rahman built is often called the double movement hermeneutics. This is because in the process it involves a double movement, namely from the problem of the present situation to the time the Koran was revealed and from the time of the Koran back to the present problem. In this method the emphasis is on the basic ideas of the Koran or its moral ideals compared to the specific legal. Another term in the meaning that Fazlur Rahman puts forward the content of the universal meaning rather than the literal-particular meaning. The method formulated by Rahman finally not only contributed to the development of the Qur'anic interpretation method, but also influenced the ijtihad process in the context of answering the social-religious problems of the present era.

PETITIONS AND COMPLAINTS AS A FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF THE ESSENCE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

Based on the understanding of the criminal procedure as a means for the protection of rights and freedoms of the individual involved in criminal proceedings, the authors consider unresolved problems and the most topical issues for theory and practice of petitions and complaints in this field. Petitions and complaints are given the appropriate place of a fundamental element in determining the essence of criminal procedure. Purpose: based on the modern understanding of the aim of criminal procedure, to formulate the main directions of the study of the legal institution of petitions and complaints in order to determine their place in the system of theoretical knowledge and in practice. Methods: system analysis, formal and dialectical logic, interpretation of legal norms, comparative historical, comparative legal. Results: the study reveals the relevance of petitions and complaints to the purpose of criminal proceedings, which is to protect the rights and freedoms of persons involved in criminal proceedings. The institution in question, previously underestimated, plays a significant and sometimes decisive role in society’s assessment of the effectiveness of criminal procedure activities in modern conditions. The main lines of scientific researches are identified, which should eventually lead to the development of a full-fledged mechanism for exercising the right to petitions and complaints as a universal and specific legal means that ensures that criminal procedure activity complies with its purpose and the demands of civil society.