…7785)"

This reverts commit a4545db.

…n 3.12

This commit makes the following changes to address deprecations and
removals in Python 3.12:

- Replace usage of `pkg_resources` with `importlib` as `pkg_resources`
  is deprecated and will be removed in December 2025. see: https://setuptools.pypa.io/en/stable/history.html#v80-9-0
- Upgrade `celery` to version `5.3.0` which includes fixes for the
  `entry_points` interface change in 3.12. This change was necessary to
  address unit test failures in 3.12. see: celery/celery#7785
- Replace `assertEquals` with `assertEqual` in unit tests as
  `assertEquals` has been removed in 3.12. see: https://docs.python.org/3.12/whatsnew/3.12.html#unittest-testcase-removed-aliases

This commit also includes the following changes as a consequence of
the above updates:
- Update `startup_procedures.py` to enable use of 3.12.
- In the `tests.yml` workflow, add 3.12 to the versions matrix.

In addition, this commit also makes the following change:
- Update `pre-commit/action` to the latest version `v3.0.1` to address
  the following runtime error with `v.2.0.0`: github.com/actions/cache/issues/820