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By differentiating the following four levels, namely Dao, De, Spirit-Illumination, and Supreme Harmony, Yan Zun is not proposing an evolutionary cosmology. Instead, he is offering a fourfold interpretation of Laozi’s Dao that can be presented as the four layers of non-being. The latter two layers, namely the Supreme Harmony and Spirit-Illumination, pertain to the phenomenon of creation and function as the material and spiritual principles of creation, respectively. Whereas the former two layers, namely the Dao and De, refer to the underlying principles of continuous creation, serving as the ultimate source and the unifying principle of continuous creation, respectively. Such an interpretation reflects Yan Zun’s grand synthesis of the thoughts implied in the Zhouyi, Zhuangzi, Laozi, etc. This synthesis has revealed the ontological depth of non-being inherent in the wisdom of Daoism. It should be regarded as the highest philosophical fusion based on Daoism during the Han Dynasty. It also constitutes, both philosophically and historically, the necessary link between Huang-Lao Daoism in the early Western Han and Wang Bi’s metaphysical Daoism in the Wei-Jin period. Full article

Artificial intelligence, particularly after the recent explosive advances and widened uses, has fired up the (previously quiet) debates about the nature of reasoning, creativity, and agency. This paper examines these issues through the lens of classical kalām (Islamic theology), with some focus on Muʿtazilite principles. It begins by presenting a concise overview of the major schools of kalām (Muʿtazilism, Ashʿarism, and Māturīdism), highlighting their respective treatments of reason (ʿaql), divine creation, and human action. Then a brief review of modes of reasoning is provided, shedding light on differences between human and artificial reasoning, stressing the distinction between statistically generated outputs and contextually grounded, meaning-oriented cognition. Then, drawing on Muʿtazilite conceptions of reason, objective morality, and true human agency, in particular, the paper argues that contemporary AI systems, despite their impressive capabilities, do not satisfy the conditions for knowledge (ʿilm), creation (khalq), or agency (fiʿl) in the theological sense. It is argued that although they may appear “creative” or displaying origination (ihdāth) capabilities, AI systems, so far and to the extent that current developments seem to indicate, lack the essential features of ʿaql (reason), nafs (soul), rūḥ (spirit), and niyyah (intention) that Islamic theology identifies as the true, defining aspects of human beings. Full article

Christian communities and Churches in non-Western contexts, such as Lebanon, face numerous challenges, including the distancing of youth from religious practice and reduced belonging. Simultaneously, they experience tensions between attachment to tradition and emerging forms of outreach capable of engaging younger generations. The visit of Padre Guilherme, a Latin Rite Catholic priest known for blending electronic music with religious expression, generated a nationwide debate during his visit in January 2026. While some viewed his outreach as an innovative initiative capable of bringing youth closer to the Church, others rejected it, with some describing it as sacrilegious. This study examines social media reactions to his outreach to explore how contemporary forms of religious engagement are perceived within a tradition-oriented society. Comments from multiple social media platforms were analyzed through thematic reflexive analysis, complemented by a brief sentiment analysis. Positive reactions framed Padre Guilherme’s initiative as a strategy for reconnecting younger generations with the Church. Critical views emphasized the importance of preserving traditional forms of religious expression, particularly within Eastern Christian traditions, with some participants portraying the initiative as heretical or evil. The controversy highlights how new forms of religious outreach can trigger tensions related to identity, tradition, globalization, and institutional adaptation. Full article

In the bourbon industry, rickhouses store bourbon barrels undergoing the maturation process. Ambient conditions—including temperature, relative humidity, and overall air composition—play a critical role in the maturation process of bourbon within rickhouses. The presence of ethyl alcohol vapors is a byproduct of the aging process and has been a long-standing issue within the industry. Exposure to ethanol vapor can hasten the corrosion of barrel hoops, potentially compromise the integrity of the barrels and lead to product loss. Newly constructed rick-houses have been designed to mitigate the vapors with natural ventilation from windows and air vents. This study shows that natural ventilation does not really allow air to move through the stacks, even in an empty rickhouse. The evaluation was performed using differential pressure measurements and smoke tracing to characterize extremely low-energy airflow. Differential pressure measurements and smoke tracing conducted on the first floor and crawl space of a newly constructed empty rickhouse indicated that while air enters the warehouse through windows and vents, it does not effectively penetrate the interior rick structures. Airflow is largely confined to the crawl space and walkways, with limited movement into the central rick areas, indicating that natural ventilation alone may be insufficient for comprehensive air circulation. The findings provide important insights into airflow behavior and its implications for the spirits industry, while contributing to a growing body of evidence suggesting that natural ventilation alone may be insufficient to adequately mitigate a known de-passivating agent, ethyl alcohol vapor, accumulation in current rickhouse designs. The results align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of “Sustainable Cities and Communities” (SDG 11) and “Responsible Consumption and Production” (SDG 12). Improved understanding of airflow characteristics may support the development of better-ventilated rickhouses, enhancing sustainable production practices and reducing the impact of material and product losses on surrounding communities. Full article

Work and transformation are undeniably linked. However, both terms can be understood in diverse ways. We live in a world where many activities that were recently performed by people are now carried out by machines. The question is: if we call this “work,” can we speak of a work that is properly human? And, if so, how would we define it, or what would we base our definition on? The notion of transformation can help us with this question: all work transforms reality in some way, but there is a type of transformation that can only occur with work that is truly human. It is here that, by introducing the terms “novelty” and “spirit,” we can arrive at a concrete proposal on the subject: truly human work is that which produces a transformation destined to endure eschatologically, precisely because it resides in the realm of the spirit. The issue, then, is defining permanence, and for this we can draw upon the thought developed in the Pauline epistles. Full article

Notwithstanding the cruciality of the decolonisation project in decentring African perspectives and experiences in education, very few studies have explored the extent to which the Fallist Movements in South Africa have presented foundational pathways for academic staff to negate colonial legacies and recentre African thought systems. Through a systematic literature review of research from the public domain, this study couched within the decolonial lens explored university students’ concerns, embedded in the Fallist Movements in South Africa, and how academic staff could draw lessons from student actions to decolonise education. After screening the initial 65 entries, based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 19 research studies published between 2015 and 2025 were retained for analysis. Findings reveal three recurring concerns: disrupting positionality in colonial categories of universities, reasserting their Being, and agitating for a decolonised curriculum, of which these embodied the spirit of students’ resilience against cultural colonisation, epistemic erasure, and economic exclusion. Building on these findings, the paper argues that such resilience from students enlightens the strategies academic staff could learn to transform the decolonisation project into reality. Implications for the academic community in South Africa and comparable contexts are proposed to resuscitate the unfinished business of decolonising education. Full article

In an increasingly digital global economy, cybersecurity capacity has become a key determinant of national resilience, economic competitiveness, and digital trust. However, preparedness remains uneven across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where levels of economic integration, governance quality, and institutional stability vary significantly. This paper examines the relationship between cybersecurity capacity, governance indicators, and international trade in selected MENA countries over the period 2010–2023. It evaluates whether rule of law and political stability are associated with cybersecurity capacity, whether trade openness predicts cybersecurity development, and whether cybersecurity capacity is dynamically associated with trade openness. The empirical analysis applies panel-data techniques, including panel unit-root tests, Pedroni cointegration tests, and the Toda–Yamamoto predictive causality framework within a multivariate VAR structure. Panel fixed-effects regressions with Driscoll–Kraay robust standard errors are also estimated to capture contemporaneous relationships while accounting for heteroskedasticity, serial correlation, cross-sectional dependence, and country-specific heterogeneity. The findings provide indicative evidence of a statistically significant bidirectional predictive relationship between trade openness and cybersecurity capacity. Greater trade integration appears to stimulate investment in secure digital infrastructure, while enhanced cybersecurity capacity may support trade expansion by strengthening digital trust and reducing transaction risks. In contrast, governance indicators do not exhibit consistent dynamic predictive relationships within the causality framework. The absence of cointegration indicates that cybersecurity capacity, governance indicators, and trade openness do not evolve within a stable long-run equilibrium relationship during the sample period. This finding may reflect the heterogeneous and policy-sensitive nature of digital infrastructure development across MENA countries. Full article

Croatia’s diverse agroecological zones, from Mediterranean coastal areas to continental lowlands, enable the cultivation of a broad portfolio of traditional fruit species that contribute simultaneously to biodiversity conservation, rural livelihoods, and the development of value-added food and beverage products. This review compiles and harmonizes evidence on six economically and culturally relevant crops and product chains—grapevine and wine, apple, pear, quince, sour cherry, mulberry, and plum with the traditional spirit šljivovica—focusing on genetic resources and cultivar diversity, agronomic and environmental performance, bioactive composition and potential health relevance, processing routes and by-product valorization, and the socio-economic roles of geographical indications, gastronomy, and tourism. Across species, the literature highlights recurring sustainability levers: safeguarding indigenous and old cultivars as reservoirs of adaptive traits under climate change; reducing chemical inputs through cultivar choice, organic and low-input systems, cover crops, and resistant genotypes; strengthening circularity by converting pomace and other residues into spirits, vinegars, functional ingredients, feed, compost, or energy carriers; and increasing rural value capture through branding, protected origin schemes, and experiential tourism. At the same time, production systems face shared constraints, including fragmentation of holdings, labour shortages, phytosanitary pressures, and the need to optimize processing technologies to preserve sensory and bioactive quality while meeting safety and regulatory requirements. By integrating crop-specific evidence with cross-cutting sustainability themes, this review outlines a coherent framework for positioning traditional Croatian fruit resources and their derived products within contemporary sustainable food system transitions. Full article

Research on Two-Spirit (2S) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and other identities (LGBTQIA+) Indigenous communities and age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) is still an emerging field of study. Historically, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals are underrepresented in healthcare research and practices. Our research question was as follows: what is the scope, breadth, and depth of published and gray literature about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit 2SLGBTQIA+ people’s experiences of aging and dementia? This scoping review used an Indigenous-informed methodology, grounding our research in a guidance committee comprising all Two-Spirit knowledge-keepers, community advocates, and scholars. This method adapts a five-step scoping review approach, including Indigenous knowledge through consultation with Indigenous community members. The committee informed all five steps of the scoping review methodology. Our initial search identified 1320 articles; after screening, seven articles remained, comprising six journal articles and one book chapter. Manuscripts were published in Canada, the USA, and Australasia. There were five qualitative studies, one scoping review, and a book chapter. The aims, results and recommendations from the included studies are presented. We found minimal published literature on the intersecting identities of 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous Peoples and ARCD. Gaps included epidemiological research, assessment and interventions, and qualitative experiences in this population. Further investment in research is needed to expand what is known to understand the needs of Indigenous 2SLGBTQIA+ people with dementia. Full article

Life can be challenging, and for this reason all of humankind requires resilience—a capacity to cope with life’s challenges, which determines whether one can experience quality of life. This was also true for the Christian community in Corinth during Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul wrote the first Corinthian letter to deal with a variety of challenges and concerns in the church, and for Paul, all these ongoing challenges and concerns mirrored their being worldly (ὡς σαρκίνοις 1 Corinthians 3:1) and being infants in Christ (ὡς νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ 3:1). Being worldly implies that one holds on to worldly wisdom and this is why Paul teaches them about God’s wisdom (2:6–9). He shows in this letter how this can be dealt with, namely by having the Spirit (2:10–16) and having the mind of Christ (2:16)—thus being spiritually intelligent. Later, when Titus arrived with good news about the Corinthian church, Paul wrote the second Corinthian letter to express relief and joy. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul refers to a new creation (καινὴ κτίσις), being in Christ (ἐν Χριστῷ), and having an identity in Christ. The focus of this article is the blessings of an identity in Christ, and to interpret the Corinthian letters to understand how an identity in Christ can lead to Christian spiritual intelligence, resilience and quality of life. The method of interpretation is multidisciplinary, including socio-historical, lexical–syntactical, and theological analyses, as well as insights gleaned from psychology. It is found that an identity in Christ brings holiness, strengthens the believer, gives access to spiritual gifts, brings unity and divine wisdom, provides hope, love and harmony, and leads to resilience—all contributing to quality of life. The new identity in Christ affects the believer’s calling, values, priorities, behaviour, relationships and response to the world in different ways, which in turn can heal a broken society. Full article

Cachaça is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane produced exclusively in Brazil and is the second most consumed alcoholic beverage by the Brazilian population. During the maturation process, which is carried out either in wooden barrels or with the addition of wood chips, compounds such as organic acids and phenolic substances are extracted into the beverage, providing specific characteristics to the beverage. The current research mainly focused on evaluating the impact of adding different types of cachaças, stored under different conditions, in the production of blends. To evaluate the impact, three different cachaça blends were produced through mixing the beverage stored under different conditions—conventional aging and storage in wooden barrels (CWB); storage in stainless steel barrels with wooden chips (SSW); and storage in stainless steel barrels with wooden chips under aeration (SSWA)—in a proportion of 50% v/v with white cachaça (not aged). The blends were assessed for physicochemical properties, phenolic composition, sensory profile, consumer acceptability, and ranking preference. The results showed that samples mixed with SSW presented higher values of total acidity, volatile acidity, total esters, dry extract, and total phenolic compounds when compared with cachaça CWB. Experts described the cachaça blends as having a balanced/harmonious flavor, moderately woody, with alcohol and acidity, and a mild spice. No significant differences were observed in consumer acceptability between treatments. However, the cachaça blends prepared with samples stored in stainless steel tanks containing wooden chips, showed greater preference among consumers. Therefore, blending unaged cachaça with cachaça aged with wooden chips appears to be a promising and advantageous alternative for the cachaça production process, since the aging time of the beverage can be reduced, preserving its physical-chemical and sensory characteristics. Full article

Zhu Zongyuan’s short treatise Jiao she zhi li suoyi shi Shangdi ye (郊社之禮所以事上帝也, The rites of the suburban and earth-altar sacrifices are for serving Shangdi, the Supreme Lord) introduces the strictly monotheistic concept of God from Catholicism, shaping the Shangdi of the Confucian classics into a supreme and unique sovereign who commands all spirits. Through this theoretical construction, he convincingly argues that although the rituals of Jiao and She differ in form, their object of worship is ultimately the same, thereby resolving the long-standing Confucian debate between separate sacrifices and joint sacrifice at an ontological level. This interpretive approach elevates this treatise beyond mere proselytizing literature, establishing it as a representative work that engages with Confucian classical scholarship through Catholic theology. It signifies the emergence of an independent intellectual lineage within the Chinese scholarly tradition, characterized by a synthesis of Christianity and Confucianism. Full article

Background/Objectives: Anshen Bunao Oral Liquid (ABOL) is a traditional medicinal formula comprising Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum, Radix Polygoni Multiflori Preparata and other ingredients. It replenishes essence, nourishes qi and blood, and soothes the spirit. It is used in clinical practice to treat neurasthenia and insomnia (emotion-related symptoms), and its key component, glycyrrhizin, exhibits anxiolytic properties. This aligns with the holistic approach of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to regulating neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anxiolytic efficacy of ABOL in rats with anxiety induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS), and to clarify its mechanism by focusing on modulation of the gut–brain axis (microbiota and metabolism). Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent three hours of restraint per day for 28 days to induce anxiety. ABOL was administered intragastrically in three doses. Anxiety-like behaviours were assessed using OFT, EPM and SPT. Serum, tissue and faecal samples were analysed using ELISA, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, non-targeted metabolomics, 16S rRNA sequencing and RT-qPCR. Results: CRS induced anxiety-like behaviours, impaired weight gain and perturbed the balance of neurotransmitters (decreasing 5-HT, GABA, NE and DA, while increasing CORT), inducing inflammation/oxidative stress, hippocampal neuronal injury, intestinal barrier dysfunction and gut microbiota/metabolic dysregulation. ABOL effectively reversed these abnormalities by restoring the balance of neurotransmitters and the HPA axis, suppressing inflammation and oxidation, protecting neurons and the intestinal barrier, remodelling the gut microbiota (enriching Akkermansia and balancing Firmicutes/Bacteroidota) and regulating sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid pathways. The interaction between the gut microbiota and metabolites may contribute to this pharmacological effect. Conclusions: ABOL exerts anxiolytic effects by modulating the gut–brain axis at multiple targets, involving microbiota remodelling, regulation of lipid metabolism and improvement of pathology. This validates its ethnopharmacological value, linking traditional Chinese medicine to the development of modern anxiolytics. Full article

This paper introduces an HJM-style forward modeling framework for valuing American options. Instead of modeling the dynamics of the underlying asset, we model the maturity-indexed forward drift of the gain process, leading to two no-arbitrage representations of the option value. The first is an additive model, where the American option price equals the current gain plus an integral of forward drifts. This representation embeds the early-exercise premium directly and yields a forward drift characterization of the optimal stopping rule. The second is a multiplicative model that provides an arbitrage-free term structure of option values across maturities via a forward rate, in the spirit of the HJM interest rate theory. While it does not determine the early exercise boundary, it is useful for modeling European option price curves and their evolution. We develop the corresponding drift restrictions, spot consistency conditions, and valuation formulas for both representations and provide numerical examples. Full article

As global education steps into a new era marked by core literacy and sustainable development, teacher literacy has become a critical pillar for fulfilling United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and advancing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Guided by the Educator Spirit and based on the logical framework of dual professional roles and four professional relationships, this study constructs a teacher literacy model for Chinese teachers in the new era, which consists of seven dimensions: disciplinary literacy, general literacy, learning support literacy, holistic education literacy, communication and collaboration literacy, development and improvement literacy, and teacher ethics literacy. Adopting systematic literature review and international comparative research methods, this study integrates mainstream international teacher literacy frameworks issued by the European Union, OECD, UNESCO, the United States and Australia with China’s educational policies and practical experience to establish the proposed model. It further elaborates how the model directs sustainability-oriented teacher education, facilitates transformative teaching approaches, boosts interdisciplinary teaching practice, highlights social justice and global citizenship awareness, and embeds sustainable development principles into curriculum design and teaching practice. This model can effectively tackle prevailing practical dilemmas including teachers’ weakened professional identity, vague professional development paths, unitary evaluation systems, inadequate digital teaching competence, insufficient interdisciplinary integration capacity, deficient ESD literacy and inefficient collaborative education mechanisms. It can systematically support teachers in carrying out sustainability-oriented teaching, innovating curriculum design, conducting transformative teaching and promoting students’ sustainable learning while practicing social justice and educational equity and cultivating global citizenship awareness in educational scenarios. It also provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for promoting the transition of Chinese teachers toward high-quality, professional and sustainable development, and also offers localized solutions with distinctive Chinese characteristics and universal international implications for the implementation of global ESD initiatives and the achievement of SDG 4. Full article