bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The quality of drugs in private pharmacies in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Authors: Stenson Bo , Lindgren Björn H. , Syhakhang Lamphone , Tomson Göran
Published: December 2024

Objective: To describe and discuss the quality of a number of sample drugs collected in private pharmacies in Laos (Lao P.D.R.).

Design: A stratified random sample was used to select 115 pharmacies and four sample drugs were collected from each. Three tests were used; identity, assay and measurement of weight variation. The identity was confirmed by TLC, UV and colour reactions. Titrimetric, UV and HPLC methods were used for assay.

Setting: Savannakhet province in Laos.

Study population: The 214 licensed private pharmacies in the province.

Main outcome measures: Drug quality as assessed against the standards of the British and US pharmacopoeias.

Results: 12 (3.3%) out of the 366 drugs contained no active ingredient, 42 (11.5%) had levels of active ingredient outside acceptable limits in assay, 128 (35.0%) had excessive weight variation, and 4 (1.1%) were managed badly in the pharmacy.

Conclusions: The major problem is caused by insufficient attention to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Half of the sample drugs would not be approved according to international standards. There is little difference between the private and public sectors. Serious problems such as counterfeit drugs and mix‐ups are not frequent. The government should focus its efforts on ensuring that all drugs in the pharmacies can be traced to manufacturer.
What is really known about psychological alterations produced by psychiatric drugs?
Authors: Jacobs David , Cohen David
Published: December 2024

This paper argues that information about psychiatric drugs derived from conventionally conducted randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) is inadequate to form an accurate picture of drug‐induced psychological alterations. Two main lines of argument are presented. The first concerns the disparity between adverse effects established in RCTs and the broader range of adverse drug reaction reports which derive from non‐RCT formats. The second concerns the contention that information about drug‐induced psychological alterations obtained from RCTs is too limited to address the meaning of observed “target symptom” reduction which occurs during the course of the (typically very brief) investigation. The paper considers the possibility that nominal “therapeutic” drug effects may only be part of a larger, inadequately discerned picture of drug‐induced psychological toxicity.
Four editorial proposals to improve social sciences research and publication
Authors: Joseph Jay , Baldwin Steve
Published: December 2024

This paper discusses unresolved key problems in social sciences research and publishing. Researcher bias can lead to the publication of studies with highly questionable conclusions, which can impact adversely on important social topics (e.g., the influence of heredity on intelligence, criminality). Outright fraud occurs in science, and social sciences in particular [30]. To help counter the prevailing publication bias in research, four editorial suggestions for scientific reporting are proposed: (1) Before the work starts, investigators would be required to submit a written description of their research methodology. An international social sciences evaluation registry would be created to monitor research activity. (2) The Editor's decision about whether to publish a research study would be based on a paper that omitted the results and conclusions sections. These sections would be included in the published paper after an editorial decision was made. (3) With these appropriate scientific safeguards, researchers would also be required to provide raw data to other interested scientists, especially when the study is socially important, or is difficult to replicate. (4) Journal Editors who greenlight socially relevant studies would provide extra publishing space to people whose views differ significantly from the principal investigators. Bias and distortion cannot be completely eliminated from the scientific publication process. Adoption of these four proposals, however, would reduce scientific reporting problems such as data dredging and the dissemination of unsupported conclusions, and would also help to reduce fraud. Such adoption would eventually lead to the publication of improved scientific research in the social sciences.
Dying of market failure
Authors: Hoen Ellen 't
Published: December 2024

One third of the world's population lacks access to essential drugs. In the most impoverished parts of Africa and of Asia more than half the population do not have access to such drugs (WHO, 1999). Many effective remedies are and have been for many years out of reach of the people in developing countries. Because of globalization and new international trade rules the situation may even get worse in the near future. Globalization demands for new approaches to protect and further the basic human right to access to health care.
Prices and access to essential medicines
Authors: Schulz Carl‐Erik
Published: December 2024

Patent rights establish a price level for medicines that makes them unaffordable for the majority of the people in the world. This paper presents some main consequences of the influence of patents on the markets for drugs, and provides some economic arguments that might be useful in the discussion of patent rights. Patents for essential medicines have unacceptable social short run effects. Arguments that in the long run they provide incentives to promote invention seem uncertain and poorly justified. A system of compulsory licensing inside the WTO TRIPS agreement will work better. The paper is not the result of original research by the author, but it attempts to assist in understanding certain of the economic arguments which are advanced in favour of patent rights, and to consider how such rights influence consumers of medicines.
Early dislocation after bipolar hemiarthroplasty of the hip
Authors: Levi N. , Gebuhr P.
Published: December 2024

The reported incidence of dislocation of a hip hemiarthroplasty varies from less than 1 to 10%. A suggested advantage of the bipolar design is improved stability of the prosthesis and resistance to dislocation. However, this proposed decreased rate of dislocation has been challenged. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the dislocation rate after bipolar hemiarthroplasty of the hip.

A posterolateral approach was used for 197 consecutive bipolar hemiarthroplasty operations for subcapital femoral neck fractures. There were 164 women and 33 men, the average age being more than 80. A total of 11 bipolar hemiarthroplaties (1 in men and 10 in women) dislocated. The 6‐months dislocation rate was 1/33=3% for men and 10/164=6.1% for women. The overall 6‐months dislocation rate was therefore 11/197=5.6%. The average delay between the operation and the dislocation was 5 weeks (range 2 days to 6 months). We are uncertain whether the high frequency of dislocation in our series is related to surgical technique, patient population or prosthesis type. However, a review of the literature seems to suggest a significant correlation between the age of the patients and the dislocation rate.
Mortality trends from diabetes mellitus in a high prevalence island population
Authors: Savona‐Ventura C.
Published: December 2024

Non‐insulin dependent diabetes mellitus appears to be increasing in prevalence in most developing and developed countries. The Maltese population has been identified as having a high prevalence for NIDDM, this high rate apparently becoming of concern during the twentieth century.

Objective: The study attempts to analyse the cause‐specific mortality trends from diabetes mellitus in the Maltese population during the period 1873–1999.

Results: A definite gradual increase in cause‐specific mortality rates has been identified throughout the late nineteenth and twentieth century, this rise being offset by the social upheaval of the Second World War. A fall in cause‐specific mortality rates appears to have occurred in the last two decades of the period.

Conclusions: The rising cause‐mortality rates probably reflect a trend in an increasing prevalence rate for NIDDM caused by significant changes in the dietary regimen of the population during the period. A fugal diet predisposed the Maltese population to a Thrifty Genotype that was offset by an increasing abundance of fat and refined carbohydrate diet. In the presence of an abundant diet, individuals with a Thrifty Genotype predispose to obesity, insulin resistance and NIDDM disorders.
Shared charts for prescription and administration: Increasing safety of drug treatment
Authors: Bourke Jill , Bjeldbak‐Olesen Inger , Nielsen Per Mikael , Munck Lars Kristian
Published: December 2024

Introduction: Medication errors contribute up to 8% of all hospital admissions. Minimising the number of information transferrals and improving communication may increase the quality of drug treatment.

Material and methods: The effect of introducing shared charts for prescription and administration on the quality of drug handling in a hospital was evaluated using chart review and observation of medicines administration.

Results: Comparison of prescriptions in hospital records and nurse charts for medicines administration for 20 patients prior to introducing common charts revealed in no case consensus regarding all medications. One year after introducing the shared charts prescriptions of the regular and on demand medication were correct and signed for 88% and 48%, respectively, on a patient basis. Ninety‐five percent of the regular administrations were correct and signed. Potential interactions were identified with 8% of the prescriptions. Discharge medication was stated in 65% of the discharge letters to the family doctors. Complete agreement on admission medication between the patient and family doctor was found in 39%.

Conclusion: Shared charts for prescription and administration represent a significant step towards safe and rational medical treatment. However, it is more time consuming. The thorough analysis increased the attention on all aspects of medicine handling. It also provided a firm basis for the succeeding detailed specification of a complete integrated and electronic handling of all aspects of the medication process. Improvement of communication between all parties involved in treatment of the same patient represents an important potential for further improving quality and safety of drug treatment.
Should doctors be prescribing new drugs?
Authors: Lexchin Joel
Published: December 2024

New drugs are frequently heavily prescribed early in their lifecycle, despite an absence of adequate data documenting their effectiveness, safety and pharmacoeconomic value. Evaluations of new drugs done in Canada, France and the United States are all in substantial agreement that most new medications offer little, if any, incremental value over existing therapies. The combination of inadequate information about new drugs plus their limited value strongly argues against their early use except in exceptional circumstances. One of the major reasons for overuse of new drugs is heavy promotion by pharmaceutical companies, especially through their sales representatives. Better control over the activities of this group of people is one method of improving use of new drugs. Equally important is the development of a significantly improved system of postmarketing surveillance and evaluation. At present, the Canadian government seems unwilling to both rein in promotion and commit resources to an effective postmarketing system.
New legislation is required if patients are to be adequately informed of the risks of surgery
Authors: Poloniecki Jan , Bowman Deborah
Published: December 2024

At present hospitals keep poor records of the number of patients who die on the premises. Monitoring of runs of deaths amongst the patients of individual surgeons, or other practitioners, is generally absent, or it is informal and erratic. Such up‐to‐date information as is available in a hospital is generally not used to calculate the risk of dying from major surgery and hence provide patients offered surgery with an opportunity, if they so wish, to weigh the risk before accepting. Two examples are provided to show how deaths may be avoided when there is monitoring. One example shows how failing to monitor allows an increase in the number of deaths to go undetected, and uncorrected. The second example shows how calculating the risk may result in patients being treated elsewhere, and lives saved in consequence. The legal framework encouraging monitoring is described; but evidently existing law has not caused hospitals to introduce the formal procedures that could save lives. The reasons for this are a lack of precision in the legal wording, lack of specific penalties, lack of enforcement, and placing the onus on the doctor, rather than on the hospital's management. New legislation is proposed.
Human reliability analysis in healthcare: A review of techniques
Authors: Lyons Melinda , Adams Sally , Woloshynowych Maria , Vincent Charles
Published: December 2024

Whilst Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) has been well‐accepted and integrated into the safety management process in other industries, the application of such error analysis techniques to the problem of complication and reaction to treatment and the associated risks in healthcare is rare. Though the scarcity of HRA techniques in health‐care is likely to be due in some part to the safety culture, much is likely to be due to a lack of awareness of the usefulness of the techniques and their applicability to the problem of human error in the clinical context. This review attempts to look at the popular HRA techniques used in high‐reliability industries, such as petro‐chemical, nuclear and aviation, and consider their feasibility for use in healthcare. Techniques vary in their scope and have been grouped into those that focus on: data collection, task description, task simulation, human error identification and analysis, and human error quantification. Techniques may cover one or more of these aspects, for example, THERP, HEART and SHERPA include both human error identification and analysis, and human error quantification tools. While some areas of healthcare have used certain HRA techniques, there is considerable scope to use others and to apply techniques to other aspects of healthcare not yet explored.
The pharmaceutical industry in discredit: Mercury or Aesculapius?
Authors: Offerhaus L.
Published: December 2024

During the last decade public sympathy for the pharmaceutical industry has gradually been eroded because of excessive protectionism and profit margins. Its reputation as a healthy, profitable and prosperous industry has recently been seriously damaged by several errors of judgement. Data from early trials proved to be less positive than expected. The responsible drug manufacturers decided to cover the results up. So far the pharmaceutical industry has managed to weather the criticism, but recently a multitude of damaging data was published by an unexpected outsider. Angell, a former editor in chief of one of the most respected, peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, the New England Journal of Medicine, decided to collect such data and to analyze them critically. She also used this analysis to draw up recommendations for improving of what she regarded as an unhealthy situation. The book gained bestseller status on the American market and received much praise from reviewers. Although quickly denounced by the industry as controversial and excessively negative, it contains a lot of data, opinions and conclusions that also apply directly to the European situation.
Contribution of clinical pharmacology to improve the use of medicines in developing countries
Authors: Suryawati Sri
Published: December 2024

Inappropriate use of medicines is a prominent limitation in ensuring the accessability of the community to essential medicines. Worldwide more than 50% of all medicines are prescribed, dispensed, or sold inappropriately, while 50% of patients fail to take them correctly. Improving the use of medicines in developing countries is not a simple task. The complexity of medicine supply, imbalance between incentives and desinsentives, weaknesses in financing schemes, low salaries, market failure, inadequate information to the patients, etc., may contribute to the problem. Systematic approaches to promote rational use of medicines in low income countries was started in 1989, when clinical pharmacologists/pharmacologists of ten countries from Asia and African regions involved themselves in the establishment of the International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD). Each country-INRUD member consist of at least a clinical pharmacologist or pharmacologist, health manager, clinician, pharmacist and a behavioral scientist. The mission was to develop well-proven strategies to improve medicine use through comprehensive transdisciplinary approaches. Experiences have been discussed during the International Conference in Improving the Use of Medicine (ICIUM) in 1997, and recently in April 2004. Round-table discussions were conducted in Indonesia and Nepal in 2001, to redefine the role of clinical pharmacology in developing countries. The discussions involved representatives of stakeholders, e.g., clinicians, drug regulatory authority, professional afiliations, health managers, social scientists, health economics, community, and pharmaceutical industry. The major recommendation was to expand the scope and functions of clinical pharmacology beyond laboratory and clinical work to improving rational use of medicines on a country level. Without undermining the importance of laboratory and clinical activities, at present clinical pharmacology in developing countries should focus more on how medicines are selected and used in healthcare settings and in the community. To strengthen clinical pharmacology at the country level, networking and collaboration on a global scale is urgently needed. Such networking and collaboration is of high priority to facilitate the exchange and sharing of quality teaching materials, expertise, and experience in clinical pharmacology training, teaching, research, and services.
Monitoring the quality of primary care: Use of hospital-based audit studies
Authors: Hider Phil , Lay-Yee Roy , Davis Peter , Briant Robin , Scott Alastair
Published: December 2024

Aim: To describe the prevalence, characteristics and impact of community-based adverse events severe enough to warrant hospital admission in New Zealand, to compare them to in-hospital adverse events (AEs) and to consider their potential as a tool to monitor the quality of primary care. Methods: Two-stage retrospective review of 6579 medical records, selected by systematic list sample from admissions for 1998 in 13 generalist hospitals providing acute care. After initial screening, medical records were reviewed by trained medical practitioners using a standardised protocol. Results: Approximately 2.5% of all admissions (12,800 hospitalisations in 1998) to public hospitals in New Zealand may be associated with community-based adverse events. Nearly 20% of all AEs occurred in the community most often in a doctor's office, patient home, or rest home. Patients who sustained a community-based AE were usually elderly, and most frequently related to medications. System issues were important for both inpatient and community-based AEs. AEs regardless of location were most frequently related to the musculoskeletal system. Conclusions: Community-based AEs are a significant public health and hospital workload issue in New Zealand and other Western countries. Urgent attention needs to be directed at developing systems to identify their presence and monitor the effect of interventions to prevent their occurrence. Hospital-based information systems can generate useful data about AEs in the community and can provide an important review of primary care prescribing. Compared to in-hospital events, community-based AEs were most often related to medications, and were more frequently preventable.
Association between gender and medical factors and the resolution of medical problems
Authors: Hagihara Akihito , Odamaki Misato
Published: December 2024

Objectives. We know very little about how best to react to medical disputes in order to resolve them at an early stage. Therefore, in order to examine negotiation styles, this study examined how gender and medical factors affect the consequences of telephone consultations. Methods. We used telephone consultation data for a medical association in Japan for the period from January 2000 to December 2001. Associations between relevant variables, such as the gender of the caller or consultant, and the consultant's medical experience, and the consequences of telephone consultations were examined using the chi-squared test or multiple logistic regression analysis. Results. The analyses showed that: the gender of the consultant was related to outcome (p=0.04 and 0.01); the type of consultant (i.e., MD or non-MD) was related to outcome (p<0.001); and the type of consultation was related to outcome (p<0.001 and p=0.01). Conclusion. Female gender and being a physician were related to problem resolution in telephone consultations, implying that straightforward attitudes toward problems and medical knowledge are important for resolving medical disputes. Since the patients who used telephone consultations had a problem with a doctor other than the one they consulted by telephone, further study is necessary to verify whether these points are applicable in regular face-to-face consultations.
An investigational study of pharmaceutical care issues in individual patients in a hospital setting
Authors: Tiwari Pramil , Sukhpreet
Published: December 2024

Aim: To investigate the pharmaceutical care issues in individual patients in a hospital setting. Method: A total of 130 patients from the inpatient department of a hospital were studied in a ten month period. Seven different pharmaceutical care issues were addressed and were analyzed using standard references like British National Formulary and Stockley's drug interactions. Result: A total of 1432 medicines were prescribed to 130 patients (an average of 11 medicines per patient). A total of 564 pharmaceutical care issues were identified in 130 patients and the average number of pharmaceutical care issue per patient was over four. The most commonly prevalent issue was drug–drug interaction. In the second place was inappropriate dose, followed by the requirement of monitoring and inappropriate frequency of drug administration. The need for education was also identified in 42 patients. However, there was no pharmaceutical care issue related to the route of administration. Conclusion: The professional practice of pharmacy is in infancy in India and the results point to the need for not only sensitizing but also training the pharmacists so that they could start working on such patient-centered activity and lead to improvement in the delivery of healthcare.
Nicotinic acid derivative (xanthinol nicotinate) induced bullous eruption
Authors: Khan Sohil A. , Rodrigues Gabriel , Rao Padma G.M.
Published: December 2024

Xantinol nicotinate, a nicotinic acid derivative is used in the management of peripheral and cerebral vascular disorders and in hyperlipidaemias for over 40 years. Nicotinic acid derivatives have been associated with dermatological adverse effects. Flushing is claimed to be less frequent than with nicotinic acid, but has nevertheless been repeatedly observed. We present here a case of bullous eruptions due to xanthinol nicotinate, a probable reaction according to the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale.
Pattern and economic impact of cutaneous adverse drug reactions: initial experiences from the regional pharmacovigilance center, Western Nepal
Authors: Mishra P. , Subish P. , Gupta S. , Shankar P.R. , Bista D. , Chhetri A.K. , Bhandari R.B.
Published: December 2024

The high mortality, morbidity and cost associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs) represent an important public health concern. Cutaneous ADRs, the most common ADRs constitute of 15 to 30% of the total ADRs. The economic impact of cutaneous ADRs is not known. The present study analyzed the cutaneous ADRs reported to the Regional Pharmacovigilance Center, Manipal Teaching Hospital, Western Nepal and established their causality, severity, preventability and calculated the cost of drug therapy in managing them. The filled ADR reporting forms received by the center from September 2004 till August 2005 were analyzed. Additional patient details were obtained from the medical records department. Altogether, fifty seven ADRs were reported (men 22 and women 35). Mean ± SD age distribution was 30.21±17.89 years. Department of Dermatology reported 22 (38.59%) ADRs followed by Medicine department 14 (24.56%). Antibiotics were responsible for 18 (31.57%) cases of ADRs. Maculopapular rashes were reported in 18 (31.57%) of the cases followed by contact dermatitis in 9 cases (15.78%). The causality assessment (Naranjo algorithm) revealed that 47 (82.45%) ADRs could be probably attributed to the suspected drugs, 50 (87.71%) ADRs were Moderate (Level 3) [Modified Hartwig and Siegel scale] 2 (3.5%) of the ADRs could be definitely preventable (Schumock and Thornton scale). Fifty four (94.73%) patients were prescribed 181 drugs (average 3.17) for managing the ADRs. Antihistamines were most commonly used [56 (30.93%)] followed by corticosteroids [53 (29.28%)]. The average treatment duration was 13±7 days with an average cost burden of US$ 1.58±1.41 for drug therapy. Early detection and prevention may be beneficial in minimizing the economic implications of the cutaneous ADRs.
The business case for medical informed consent
Authors: Kapp Marshall B.
Published: December 2024

Following a summary of the American legal doctrine of informed consent and its ethical underpinnings and a description of the risk management reasons that health care providers should comply with the legal requirements associated with this doctrine, this article presents a preliminary argument for an additional incentive for such compliance. Specifically, this article enunciates the outline of a business case for informed consent in health care in the United States, urging by analogy to the widely advocated business case for quality and safety in health care that more conscientious adherence to the principles of informed consent will serve the self-interests of health care providers trying to maintain financial viability within an increasingly competitive marketplace for patients.
Tort, error and talk: What can we learn from the litigation crisis?
Authors: Hugman Bruce
Published: December 2024

The impact of medical litigation and its controversial and damaging consequences are reviewed, along with a number of the proposals for tort and other reforms. As an important effect of the threat of litigation, the practice of defensive medicine is discussed. Proposals are made for improvements in the quality of doctor–patient relationships as a significant contribution to improved clinical care and reduction in the risk of doctors being sued.
Effective risk management tools
Authors: van der Velden Jan Willem , Jaquenoud Sirot Eveline
Published: December 2024

Risk management proactively assesses the potential risks and benefits of health care interventions, including both drugs and medical devices. Risk management systematically identifies safety indications and establishes a risk management strategy for potential adverse events. Professionals trained in risk management have unique expertise in assessing the balance between risk and benefit. They play an important role in clinical study oversight (pre- and postmarketing) and in measuring outcomes of health care interventions. Assessing the risks and benefits of any therapy requires consideration of the complex interactions of multiple variables of the population to treat, including disease state, proposed treatment, and potential risks. Several key factors contribute to the effectiveness and acceptability of any treatment. For example, physician compliance with prescribing guidelines and a patient's ability to tolerate a drug and to understand how to administer medications accurately will affect risk management assessments. Concurrent treatments (drug interactions) and diseases are also important considerations. Other variables include drug treatment ratios (placebo/active) and, increasingly, the use of screening tools to identify pharmacogenetic markers in particular patient populations that correlate with drug metabolism, efficacy, and other outcomes.
Developing safe antimalaria drugs: Key lessons from mefloquine and halofantrine
Authors: Croft Ashley M.
Published: December 2024

Mefloquine and halofantrine were discovered and developed by the US Army between 1963–1976, for use by travellers to regions with chloroquine-resistant malaria. The pre-licensing studies of both drugs were in prisoners and other non-travelling study populations. The US Food and Drug Administration granted marketing approval to mefloquine in 1989 and to halofantrine in 1992. Within months of licensing, major safety concerns emerged around both drugs. Halofantrine was found to cause dysrhythmias that were often fatal and from 1993 onwards was no longer in routine clinical use. Mefloquine was found to cause neurotoxicity and has been causally associated with 19 deaths in users, including 3 suicides; it is likely that this drug too will soon be abandoned. This represents a loss to medical science of two potentially valuable compounds, and a waste of US taxpayers' money. The pre-licensing studies carried out on halofantrine and mefloquine were inadequate and it is likely that more appropriate primary research would have resulted in safer products, with a longer commercial lifespan. The key lessons from these two compounds need to be applied in the development cycle of new and candidate antimalaria drugs, besides other novel agents targeted to highly specific patient groups.
Introducción. La revolución teórica inacabada
Authors: Kurz Robert
Published: December 2024

En este texto Robert Kurz nos introduce en su última obra, aquella en que trata de continuar su profundización de la crítica de la economía política de Marx con una nueva reformulación. Para ello, nos va a mostrar cómo, hasta ahora, la crítica de la economía política ha permanecida presa de algunos de los elementos menos críticos, o directamente acríticos, del propio Marx y eso ha dado lugar determinados desarrollos que conocemos hoy como marxismo vulgar o tradicional. A su vez, la camisa de fuerza impuesta por algunas de las nuevas interpretaciones, especialmente en términos filológicos, también ha impedido una reapropiación y una reactualización de los planteamientos marxianos acorde con los tiempos presentes. Para ello, en esta introducción Kurz va a tratar de plantear de forma somera aquello que va a desarrollar a lo largo de todo un libro que es imprescindible leer en su totalidad.
Scholz, Roswitha (2019). Le sexe du capitalisme. “Masculinité” et “feminité” comme piliers du patriarcat producteur de marchandises. Éditions crise & critique
Authors: Barragán Camila
Published: December 2024

Este libro compila 8 ensayos, escritos entre 1992 y 2016 y publicados en distintos volúmenes, entre ellos en la revista alemana Exit!. Originalmente escritos en alemán, fueron traducidos al francés y publicados en la editorial Crise & Critique, cuya labor editorial, de discusión y de producción teórica, se centra en la crítica de la escisión del valor. Esta tradición, nombrada inicialmente crítica del valor, comienza a tomar forma desde los años 80s a través de la publicación extra-académica en revista autogestionadas, como la que más tarde llegaría a llamarse revista Krisis.2 La crítica del valor es una crítica de la estructura fetichista capitalista. Da cuenta de la direccionalidad del entramado de socialización capitalista derivado de sus tendencias –objetivas y contradictorias– vinculadas a la dinámica del valor y del trabajo abstracto y que apuntan al colapso, no emancipatorio, del capitalismo.
Zonas de sacrificio en el espacio urbano: el caso de la contaminación atmosférica en los barrios periféricos de la ciudad de Río de Janeiro
Authors: Roniere Tavares Thiago
Published: December 2024

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la formación de una zona de sacrificio en el espacio urbano de una gran metrópolis brasileña. Más precisamente en uno de los barrios de la periferia de la ciudad de Río de Janeiro, donde sus habitantes han sufrido los impactos urbano-ambientales de la instalación de industrias altamente contaminantes. El barrio en cuestión se llama Santa Cruz y está situado a orillas de la bahía de Sepetiba-RJ, al oeste de Río de Janeiro. El barrio está formado por varios barrios de chabolas, huertos, urbanizaciones, entre otros tipos diferentes de ocupación, pero que tienen en común la condición de vulnerabilidad de sus residentes, debido a los bajos niveles de calidad de vida en comparación con otros barrios de Río de Janeiro. Históricamente, el barrio ha estado ocupado por una clase trabajadora formada por grupos racializados que viven en condiciones precarias. Estas condiciones empeoraron cuando el mayor productor de acero de América Latina se instaló en el barrio en 2005. Cuando comenzó a operar en 2010, empezaron a aparecer diferentes tipos de efectos nocivos para el medio ambiente como resultado de su proceso de producción. Metodológicamente, nuestra investigación sigue un camino que vincula las dimensiones cualitativa y cuantitativa para ver cómo los impactos negativos de la empresa en cuestión dan lugar a una situación de injusticia medioambiental y configuran la zona de sacrificio de Santa Cruz-RJ.
Riding the FinTech Wave: Exploring Service Satisfaction and Trust among Generations Y and Z
Authors:   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kee Daisy Mui Hung , Kum Yi Ling ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Lee Jia Hee ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Lee Ngee Cheng ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Lee Xin Ting ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Muckar Daman Singh ,   IMS Engineering College
Published: December 2024

Financial technology, or FinTech, is revolutionizing banking worldwide by introducing innovative services. However, clients' comprehension and willingness to embrace or adapt to new technologies remain uncertain. As FinTech continues to disrupt traditional banking procedures, it is critical to investigate how these innovations affect Generation Y and Z's perceptions of service satisfaction. As a result, the objective of this study is to determine the major characteristics that impact client satisfaction and trust in the use of FinTech-based services. Data from 250 respondents who use FinTech services show that User Trust and User Satisfaction are important for them when adopting FinTech. The results indicate that security, privacy, ease of use, and convenience are the key factors positively influencing user trust and satisfaction in FinTech services, with a reciprocal relationship between trust and satisfaction. This symbiotic relationship highlights the importance for FinTech companies to prioritize both customer satisfaction and trust-building initiatives to foster long-term relationships with their users
The Development of Training Center as a Novel Business Concept
Authors:   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Chien Ng Wei , Hui Gan Kia ,   INTI International College Penang, Azizi Muhammad Aidil Muqris Bin ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Sabdan Muhamad Ammar Danial Bin ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Xiaomengying Ma ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jiayi Miao ,   Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dubey Khushi ,   IMS Engineering College
Published: December 2024

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative training methods, technology integration, personalized training, and strategic partnerships in enhancing business performance through the Qatar Skills Training Centre (QSTC). Employing quantitative methods, data were collected through a survey distributed via Google Forms, with responses from 154 participants representing various socio-economic backgrounds. The analysis revealed that while strategic partnerships did not significantly affect business performance, innovative training methods, technology integration, and personalized training demonstrated positive correlations with business success, supporting Hypotheses 1, 2, and 3. The results showed beta values of 0.588, 0.246, and 0.188 for these factors, respectively, and an R² value of 0.92, indicating that 92% of the variance in business performance is attributable to these elements. This highlights the critical role of innovative training methods, technology, and personalization in driving successful business strategies. The findings suggest that organizations should prioritize these factors to enhance employee engagement, satisfaction, and overall operational effectiveness
The Evolution of Visual Design: Balancing Innovation and Tradition in AI-Driven Enhancements
Authors: Liu Qian
Published: December 2024

This paper explores the rapid development of visual design under AI-driven enhancements, analyzing how to achieve innovation while maintaining tradition. Through a study of AI tools like Figma and Adobe Firefly, the paper discusses the transformation of the designer's role. In particular, AI has not only shortened the design research and production time but also raised discussions on intellectual property and ethical issues. The paper presents case studies of success, showing how designers can leverage AI while preserving their creative integrity and staying relevant in this fast-evolving industry.
Research on Character Development Strategies Based on Spatial Narratives
Authors: Shi Lei
Published: December 2024

Space serves as the anchoring point for a filmmaker's narrative, not merely as the setting for actions and storylines but also as a vital element intertwined with the era, society, and characters' psychological states. This paper analyzes the relationship between space and characters from two perspectives: the selection of space in character development and the role of individuals in space-driven narratives. Through spatial representation, this study organizes the issues of space and character construction by examining "domestic spaces" and "poetic spaces," analyzing the connection between characters' states and their environments. It explores how the production of space influences characters' personalities and how characters' creation of space reflects their inner world. Additionally, the paper extends spatial representation to public spaces, examining the potential of "heterotopia" in character development. The study discusses the position and universal characteristics of characters within space-dominated narratives.
The Beauty of Convergence in the Digital Age: Design Connecting Culture and Technology
Authors: Chen Junyan , Zhang Hao
Published: December 2024

Space serves as the anchoring point for a filmmaker's narrative, not merely as the setting for actions and storylines but also as a vital element intertwined with the era, society, and characters' psychological states. This paper analyzes the relationship between space and characters from two perspectives: the selection of space in character development and the role of individuals in space-driven narratives. Through spatial representation, this study organizes the issues of space and character construction by examining "domestic spaces" and "poetic spaces," analyzing the connection between characters' states and their environments. It explores how the production of space influences characters' personalities and how characters' creation of space reflects their inner world. Additionally, the paper extends spatial representation to public spaces, examining the potential of "heterotopia" in character development. The study discusses the position and universal characteristics of characters within space-dominated narratives.In the era of digital transformation, product design, as a bridge connecting culture and technology, shows its unique importance. This paper discusses how design can promote innovation and market competitiveness through the deep integration of culture and technology in digital products. Combined with current product design trends and case studies, this paper reveals the core role of design in developing products with cultural value and technological innovation. Product design in the digital era not only focuses on the realization of functions, but also shows the beauty of integration through cultural expression and technological application.
Exploration of "Authenticity" in the Subject of Family Education — Take the Domestic TV Drama "Little Happiness" as an Example
Authors: Wei Zhiyu , Li Binning
Published: December 2024

The authenticity of TV drama has always been the goal pursued by script creators in film and television creation. With the continuous development and innovation of China's TV drama industry, the subject matter of TV dramas has shown a diversified development trend. However, under the influence of commercialisation and other factors, some TV series with funny, outrageous contents and wrong value orientation have appeared in the TV series market, which has brought a bad atmosphere to the development of TV series market. In the face of gradually increasing social pressure, TV dramas that can reflect social reality, promote viewers to find resonance, disseminate correct social values and concepts, and maximise the closeness to the truth are the ones worth savouring and promoting. As a masterpiece of family education drama, 'Little Happiness' has high artistic value as its content is close to reality, society and the public, thus resonating with the audience and becoming one of the popular dramas in 2019. This paper takes 'Little Happiness' TV drama as the research object, analyzes the plot and content of 'Little Happiness' from the perspective of 'authenticity', and points out the problems of insufficiently profound reflection of reality, homogenization of plot settings, and single type of character settings while affirming the high quality of TV drama, and then puts forward countermeasure suggestions for family education TV dramas in hopes of improving the quality of TV drama. And then put forward countermeasure suggestions for family education TV dramas, hoping to play a reference for the development of this kind of subject matter.
Inheritance and Redesign of Traditional Spiritual Ceremonies
Authors: Tan Yayu
Published: December 2024

This paper aims to explore potential and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in spiritual practices by combining it with ancient Chinese divination text, I Ching. First, by using the four key phenomenological concepts of intentionality, lifeworld, phenomenological suspension of judgment and reduction, and phenomenological reflection, this paper systematically analyzes how AI technology affects users' experiences and understanding in spiritual practices. Second, this paper delves into the role of AI in cross-cultural design, by combining modern technology with traditional culture, redesigning and digitally preserving traditional spiritual rituals, showcasing the possibilities of cultural innovation. Third, this paper demonstrates how AI can enhance users' cultural identity and spiritual experience by generating personalized I Ching interpretations and their impact on users' lifeworld, further validating design feasibility of combining AI with traditional culture through case analysis. Finally, the study reflects onethical issues of AI technology in design and spiritual practices, emphasizing importance of cultural adaptability and fairness, and proposing future optimization directions for AI in cross-cultural design.
The Determination of Copyright Infringement Offences in the Artificial Intelligence Arena from a Criminal-Civilian Intersection Perspective
Authors: Li Jin , Lin Haoyu , Lin Mozheng , Zhang Yu'ang
Published: December 2024

The protection of copyright should adhere to the position that civil and criminal law are consistent, and that the same act cannot establish an offence of copyright infringement under criminal law to the extent permitted by civil law. It is appropriate to interpret the term "reproduction and distribution" in the context of the offence of copyright infringement as reproduction, distribution, reproduction and distribution. Judicial practice survey proved that at this stage, artificial intelligence can only be used as a tool for the offence of copyright infringement, and cannot become the subject of this offence, without affecting the construction and determination of this offence. As the object of the offence of copyright infringement, when an AI-generated object satisfies the two elements of originality and intellectual achievement, it can be considered to be a work of authorship and be included in the scope of protection under the Copyright Law and the Criminal Law. The legal interests protected by the offence of copyright infringement are firstly the state's order of copyright administration and the economic order of the socialist market, behind which lies the implication of protecting the copyright owner's advantageous position in market competition. With regard to the attribution of copyright in AI works, the determination can be made by drawing on the binary subject structure that has matured and operated in copyright law.
Analysis of the Reform of Navigation System Internship Course for Industry Needs
Authors: Li Hua
Published: December 2024

With the rapid development of science and technology and changes in industry requirements, the use of satellite positioning technology has become increasingly widespread, involving various fields such as transportation, logistics, urban planning, etc. However, the current navigation system internship courses are difficult to adapt to the development of the industry, resulting in insufficient technical and knowledge reserves for students in practice. Therefore, based on reality, in-depth research and analysis will be conducted on the navigation system internship course to adapt to the development needs of the industry and market. And conduct specific analysis on the problems existing in the navigation system internship course, in order to establish a solid comprehensive quality talent in the navigation system profession for universities and industries, and to have a more positive role in educating people. This article analyzes and discusses the reform of navigation system internship courses based on industry needs, hoping to provide suggestions or inspiration for relevant workers.
Enhancing Strategies for Talent Cultivation and Teaching Methodologies for Sustainable Development in Vocational English Education
Authors: Ma Jie
Published: December 2024

This article explores strategies for refining talent cultivation and teaching methods in vocational English education, emphasizing sustainable development. It begins by examining the current state of talent cultivation and teaching practices within vocational English education, highlighting the need for a shift from traditional knowledge transmission to a more practical, skill-based approach. Then assesses the significance of sustainable development on the teaching strategies of talent cultivation. It proposes several strategies and enhancing teacher professional development. The article concludes that a collaborative approach among educators, students, and the government is essential to prepare a workforce proficient in English and committed to sustainable development.