Technological innovation, globalization and ecological quality: A disaggregated ecological footprint approach for BRICS countries.

The ecological footprint (EF) has become one of the leading indicators for environmental assessments. The EF is an indicator that is at the center of researchers' interest in empirical analysis, as it simultaneously reflects air, water, and soil pollution. Analyzing the six sub-components of the EF is essential for assessing the environmental pressures from forestry, construction, fisheries, agriculture, and livestock, as well as for remediating these pressures. In this context, this study examines the impact of income, globalization, and technological progress (represented by patents) on the EF and its subcomponents for the BRICS countries over the period 1992-2020. The BRICS countries are of critical importance to this study as major countries in the global economic and environmental landscape. The study employs the panel LM cointegration test and the common correlated effects estimator. The results show that economic expansion augments ecological, carbon, and built-up land footprints and that patents have no significant impact on the EF indicators. On the contrary, globalization is a factor that reduces five of the seven EF indicators. A robustness check performed with a half-panel jackknife confirms the analysis findings. These results suggest that BRICS policymakers should harmonize economic development and ecology while making greater use of the environmental benefits of globalization.

Thresholds to sustainability: Globalization's impact on the institutional quality-ecological footprint nexus in Africa.

This study explores how globalization influences the relationship between institutional quality and the ecological footprint in Africa. Utilizing dynamic panel threshold models with data from 49 African countries (2002-2022), we investigate how different types of globalization-economic, social, cultural, and political-affect this relationship. Our findings reveal that the impact of institutional quality on the ecological footprint varies significantly depending on globalization thresholds. Specifically, below certain thresholds, improved institutional quality increases the ecological footprint, whereas above these thresholds, it tends to reduce it. For economic globalization, the threshold is 53.510; for social globalization, 48.332; for cultural globalization, 28.446; and for political globalization, 69.663. These results highlight the need for targeted environmental policies that consider the specific effects of each globalization dimension to effectively manage Africa's ecological footprint. The study contributes to the literature by addressing the complex link between institutional quality and globalization and provides practical insights for policymakers to design more effective sustainability strategies in the African context.

Spatial effects of renewable and fossil energy consumption on the ecological footprint for the EU Countries.

This study examines the spillover of pollution among the 26 European Union (EU) countries from 1995 to 2020. In order to quantify pollution spillovers among the countries, we estimated the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) using spatial econometric methods. Our research is unique in that it investigates ecological footprint spillovers for EU countries. This study also considers the direct and indirect effects of renewable and fossil energy consumption and globalization on environmental degradation in EU countries. The empirical results favor the validity of the EKC hypothesis. Our results support the presence of positive and significant ecological footprint spillovers among EU countries. Our spatial estimates also reveal the significant spillover impact of explanatory variables on the ecological footprint. The ecological footprint of the local country is declining owing to the consumption of renewable energy in neighboring countries. Furthermore, the fossil energy consumption of the local and neighboring countries has a positive impact on the ecological footprint. Evidence obtained from our spatial estimates provides useful insights to policymakers in developing appropriate environmental policies to combat climate change.

Balancing growth and sustainability: COP 28 policy implications of green energy, industrialization, foreign direct investment, and globalization in South Asia.

This research investigates the intricate relationships between economic variables and how they affect South Asian nation's ability to develop sustainably. Given the growing concerns about climate change and global warming brought on by emissions of greenhouse gases, this study looks into the connection between emissions of CO2, green energy, industrialization, foreign direct investment, economic globalization, and financial development from 1995 to 2022. Second-generation panel techniques were employed in this study to look at the relationship between variables because of the potential of residual cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity. The empirical outcomes display that green energy, economic globalization, and financial development reduce CO2 emissions by 1.839%, 1.223%, and 3.902% respectively. Industrialization and foreign direct investment degrade the environment by 4.302% and 1.893% respectively. A bidirectional causality link between green energy, industrialization, economic globalization, and CO2 emissions was found by Dumitrescu and Hurlin (D-H). Based on our findings, we recommend legislative support for renewable energy, cleaner technologies, and strict environmental regulations, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Encouraging FDI, sustainable practices, and financial development can drive economic growth while preserving the environment. As we approach COP28, this holistic approach to sustainable development becomes increasingly vital for South Asian countries to achieve their SDG targets and combat climate change.

Traces of Bronze Age globalization in East Asia: Insights from a revised phylogeography of the Y-chromosome haplogroup Q1a1a-M120.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aim to explore the genetic imprint of Bronze Age globalization in East Asia from a phylogeographic perspective by examining the Y-chromosome haplogroup Q1a1a-M120, and to identify key demographic processes involved in the formation of early China and the ancient Huaxia people. METHODS: Over the past few decades, we have collected the sequences of 347 Y chromosomes from the haplogroup Q1a1a-M120. These sequences were utilized to analyze and reconstruct a highly revised phylogenetic tree with age estimates. And we analyzed the geographical distribution and spatial autocorrelation of nine major sub-branches of Q1a1a-M120. Finally, we observed the expansion of Q1a1a-M120 from the beginning of the Bronze Age in East Asia, along with the continuous dissemination of its sub-lineages among East Asian populations. RESULTS: We suggest that certain sub-lineages played a significant role in the formation of states and early civilizations in China, as well as in the development of the ancient Huaxia people, who are the direct ancestors of the Han population. Overall, we propose that haplogroup Q-M120 played a role in the introduction of Bronze Age culture to the central region of East Asia. Therefore, it is haplogroup Q-M120, rather than the Western Eurasian paternal lineage, that expanded and contributed to the gene pool of the East Asian population. CONCLUSION: In summary, the globalization of the Bronze Age led to large-scale population replacement and admixture across various regions of Eurasia; our findings highlight the unique demographic processes that occurred in East Asia during this period.

Calibration Methods for Large-Scale and High-Precision Globalization of Local Point Cloud Data Based on iGPS.

The point cloud is one of the measurement results of local measurement and is widely used because of its high measurement accuracy, high data density, and low environmental impact. However, since point cloud data from a single measurement are generally small in spatial extent, it is necessary to accurately globalize the local point cloud to measure large components. In this paper, the method of using an iGPS (indoor Global Positioning System) as an external measurement device to realize high-accuracy globalization of local point cloud data is proposed. Two calibration models are also discussed for different application scenarios. Verification experiments prove that the average calibration errors of these two calibration models are 0.12 mm and 0.17 mm, respectively. The proposed method can maintain calibration precision in a large spatial range (about 10 m × 10 m × 5 m), which is of high value for engineering applications.

Chains of extraction: shifting bioeconomies in India and East Africa.

Since the early 2000s, India has been a world leading hub for cross border reproductive treatments, in particular surrogacy, with the nation positioning itself as the "mother destination" for transnational commercial surrogacy, offering "First world services at Third world prices". State policies, lack of legal regulation, state of the art medical infrastructure and a steady supply of women ready to take on the role as surrogate mothers against meager remuneration have been key factors behind the Indian success story. Yet, a gradual process of regulation in recent years, culminating in the introduction of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2020, has forced the industry to reinvent itself in order to maintain its role as a market leader in a booming global bioeconomy. This article takes the 2020 bill as a starting point for an exploration of the key trajectories that the Indian reproductive industry has taken since. This includes moving into new market segments, such as the unregulated practice of oocyte donation, and expanding globally into new geo-political contexts. Through these practices, India has successfully rebranded itself as a world leading "pre-conception assemblage hub" where embryos are assembled and implanted into surrogates who carry their pregnancies to term in countries with no protective legislation. The article begins to map the emerging links between the reproductive industry in India and East Africa - where diasporic networks are mobilized in the creation of new reproductive markets, dominated by Indian IVF providers. In particular, we discuss the current expansion in Kenya, which we situate against the backdrop of the colonial entanglements between the two countries. While the ART industry in Kenya is still young, we suggest that these emerging developments illuminate the effect of the ban on commercial surrogacy in India, which appears to have resulted in a partial relocation to countries that lack regulation, shifting the precarious conditions of surrogates in India to other women, elsewhere, in ways that rearticulate colonial racial hierarchies and migration patterns.

Globalization of clinical research in oncology: Status, challenges, and future directions.

PURPOSE: Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, and its burden is increasing around the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Yet, cancer research has historically been conducted primarily in high-income countries (HICs). METHODS: In this review, we describe the results of our literature search into the current state of international cancer trials, including the benefits, challenges, limitations, and ethical concerns regarding the international conduct of HIC-led trials. We also propose some possible means of addressing these challenges and overcoming these barriers to extend the benefits of cancer research to people around the world. RESULTS: Over the last several decades, there has been a shift toward inclusion of investigators and participants from LMICs in pivotal cancer clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS: While inclusion of LMIC countries has benefits, including increased diversity of participant populations, investment in research infrastructure in LMICs, and potential expansion of cancer treatment options around the world, the continued leadership of most trials by HICs presents ethical concerns, including potential exploitation of researchers and participants from LMICs, lack of focus on cancer types prevalent in all participating regions, and disparities in access to approved therapies once the trial is complete.

Medical school origins of award-winning anaesthetists; analysis of a complete national dataset.

BACKGROUND: The ultimate aim of medical education is to produce successful practitioners, which is a goal that educators, students and stakeholders support. These groups consider success to comprise optimum patient care with consequently positive career progression. Accordingly, identification of the common educational features of such high-achieving doctors will facilitate the generation of clinical excellence amongst future medical trainees. In our study we source data from British clinical merit award schemes and subsequently identify the medical school origins of anaesthetists who have achieved at least national distinction. METHODS: Britain operates Distinction Award/Clinical Excellence Award schemes which honour National Health Service doctors in Scotland, Wales and England who are identified as high achievers. This quantitative observational study used these awards as an outcome measure in an analysis of the 2019-20 dataset of all 901 national award-winning doctors. Where appropriate, Pearson's Chi-Square test was applied. RESULTS: The top five medical schools (London university medical schools, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow) were responsible for 56.4% of the anaesthetist award-winners, despite the dataset representing 85 medical schools. 93.6% of the anaesthetist merit award-winners were from European medical schools. 8.06% of the anaesthetist award-winners were international medical graduates compared with 11.5% non-anaesthetist award-winners being international medical graduates. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of anaesthetists who were national merit award-winners originated from only five, apparently overrepresented, UK university medical schools. In contrast, there was a greater diversity of medical school origins among the lower grade national award-winners; tier 3 award-winners represented 20 different medical schools from three continents. As well as ranking educationally successful university medical schools, this study assists UK and international students, by providing a roadmap for rational decision making when selecting anaesthetist and non-anaesthetist medical education pathways that are more likely to fulfil their career ambitions.

The imperative for cross-cultural medical education in globalized healthcare.

Current healthcare systems are like living creatures. They are highly complex, multi-faceted, and dynamic. They must constantly change and adapt; they are like a melting pot, brimming with both rich and diverse cultures from all corners of the world. Beyond just nationality, these systems can include many languages, religious beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, and unique health practices. The tides of globalization, multicultural societies, migration, and international collaboration are continuously reshaping how healthcare providers are educated and how healthcare is delivered in an equitable, inclusive, and fair manner. To keep pace with, and within, these highly vibrant socio-cultural frameworks, Cross-Cultural Medical Education is needed to educate healthcare professionals. This education is essential to create professionals who are not just skilled, but who are also culturally savvy and able provide fair and equal care to patients from all sorts of backgrounds. It provides professionals with foundational knowledge to navigate the complex landscape of diverse patient populations. Cross-Cultural Medical Education is thus of paramount importance to satisfy the need for effective cross-cultural communication and understanding in patient care preferences, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes.

Global Health Competency of Nursing Personnel: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: As global health issues become more important, nursing education is undergoing change to reflect the changing global health environment and new knowledge. Nurses are required to be able to understand and interact with patients of diverse cultural backgrounds and characteristics and have relevant global health competencies. Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the GHC status of nurses and to analyze the association between GHC and nurse characteristics. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected from 473 nurses to collect information about participants' GHC and general characteristics, including gender, age, nursing experience (years), experience of caring for foreign patients, English communication skills, learning experience in global health, and global preparedness. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between GHC and nurse characteristics. Results: The mean GHC score of nurses was 2.21 out of 4. "Nursing practice in globalization" was the most important global health competency, while "resource management in globalization" was the one that was most necessary. In addition, "Resource management in globalization" was the highest priority for global health competency. Global preparedness (ß = .25, p < .001) and the perceived necessity of GHC in nursing practice (ß = .28, p < .001) were statistically significant factors influencing the global health competency of nurses. Conclusion: Based on the relationship identified between GHC and the characteristics of nurses, it is essential to develop an education program for enhancing global preparedness and perception of the necessity of GHC.

Aedes (Ochlerotatus) scapularis, Aedes japonicus japonicus, and Aedes (Fredwardsius) vittatus (Diptera: Culicidae): Three Neglected Mosquitoes with Potential Global Health Risks.

More than 3550 species of mosquitoes are known worldwide, and only a fraction is involved in the transmission of arboviruses. Mosquitoes in sylvatic and semi-sylvatic habitats may rapidly adapt to urban parks and metropolitan environments, increasing human contact. Many of these mosquitoes have been found naturally infected with arboviruses from the Alphaviridae, Flaviviridae, and Bunyaviridae families, with many being the cause of medically important diseases. However, there is a gap in knowledge about the vector status of newly invasive species and their potential threat to human and domestic animal populations. Due to their rapid distribution, adaptation to urban environments, and anthropophilic habits, some neglected mosquito species may deserve more attention regarding their role as secondary vectors. Taking these factors into account, we focus here on Aedes (Ochlerotatus) scapularis (Rondani), Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald), and Aedes (Fredwardsius) vittatus (Bigot) as species that have the potential to become important disease vectors. We further discuss the importance of these neglected mosquitoes and how factors such as urbanization, climate change, and globalization profoundly alter the dynamics of disease transmission and may increase the participation of neglected species in propagating diseases.

[The challenges for psychiatric care posed by synthetic drugs]. / Die Herausforderungen für die psychiatrische Versorgung durch synthetische Drogen.

BACKGROUND: In addition to the drugs that have been known for decades, several hundred mainly synthetic substances have been identified as drugs for the first time in the last 20 years. AIM OF THE WORK: Presentation of the various groups of substances and their psychotropic effects, the epidemiology of their use and the legal and social background of this development. MATERIAL: Narrative literature review. RESULTS: The most important new psychoactive substances (NPS) are synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic stimulants (cathinones), halluginogens and new synthetic opioids (NSO), in particular fentanyl and related substances. The new substances do not have any qualitatively new psychotropic effects. They were brought onto the market in particular as substitutes for substances subject to the Narcotics Act but are often associated with dangerous side effects and even mortality. The increasing availability of these substances has gone hand in hand with the establishment of the Internet as a source of knowledge (e.g. for synthesis routes) and as a marketplace. Substance group-related regulations have also been established in Germany (New Psychoactive Substances Act). In Germany the prevalence of NPS use is significantly lower than that of cannabis; however, there are indications that the production and distribution of synthetic drugs is more profitable for drug dealers than with conventional plant-based drugs, such as heroin. In the USA, for example, NSOs are the primarily drugs used for opioid addiction. DISCUSSION: It remains to be seen whether NPS and NSOs will replace conventional drugs. The availability of synthetic drugs is more difficult to reduce than that of plant-based drugs. Harm reduction measures should be expanded, e.g., early warning systems for new drugs, drug checking and naloxone programs.

Discursive (mis)alignments in internationalization: The case of International Medical Programmes.

PURPOSE: International Medical Programmes (IMPs) form a distinctive modality in medical education, with diverse student populations, English as a language of instruction and 'globalized' curricula. A lack of common understanding of IMPs' purposes and role in the medical education landscape triggers critiques. This study aims to document the effects of different discourses used to justify the purpose of IMPs. METHODS: We use a discourse analysis approach to explore the different ways in which the purposes of IMPs are constructed at the regulatory, institutional, and individual level, and how these discourses interact. The research situates in two IMPs, in the Netherlands and in Hungary. Key-informant interviews, policy documents, and scholarly literature form the archive. RESULTS: The purpose of IMPs is constructed discursively around three distinct narratives and associated practices: around serving the institutions that host them, around serving the (global) public interest, and around serving individual students. Co-existence and misalignments of these three discourses cause conflicting practices and confusion among stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates how diverging perspectives on internationalization in medical education create tensions for learners and staff. Articulating a clear and explicit meaning to internationalization may reduce uncertainties, and may reinforce realistic expectations of what constitutes a good outcome.

Virtual global health education partnerships for health professional students: a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Although there is rising interest in virtual global health (GH) education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been no report on the body of literature describing virtual education partnerships for health professional students. This scoping review examines virtual GH partnerships involving health professional students, including any barriers identified or best practices and ways to address them. METHODS: We searched PubMed for studies describing virtual GH education partnerships using keywords related to GH, virtual learning, and partnerships. Inclusion criteria were that the activity was virtual, involved health professional students in two or more countries, and was reported in English or Spanish. In-person clinical electives and interventions that had not yet occurred were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). RESULTS: The search algorithm yielded 308 articles. Seventeen studies met full inclusion criteria. Four studies described asynchronous formats, whereas 13 were synchronous. Common challenges included scheduling challenges, language barriers, and technological limitations. Suggested improvements included having increased faculty support and expanding partnerships to multiple languages. The median MERSQI score was 8.25 out of 18 possible points. CONCLUSION: There are limited studies investigating the effectiveness of virtual GH education partnerships, and more robust evaluation is needed to further understand the optimal role of virtual education in teaching GH skills. Despite logistical challenges, virtual partnerships can provide innovative GH education through bidirectional educational exchanges that students find valuable.

Medical school origins of award-winning pathologists; analysis of a complete national dataset.

BACKGROUND: The ultimate aim of medical education is to produce successful practitioners, which is a goal that educators, students and stakeholders support. These groups consider success to comprise optimum patient care with consequently positive career progression. Accordingly, identification of the common educational features of such high-achieving doctors will facilitate the generation of clinical excellence amongst future medical trainees. In our study we source data from British clinical merit award schemes and subsequently identify the medical school origins of pathologists who have achieved at least national distinction. METHODS: Britain operates Distinction Award/Clinical Excellence Award schemes which honour National Health Service doctors in Scotland, Wales and England who are identified as high achievers. This quantitative observational study used these awards as an outcome measure in an analysis of the 2019-20 dataset of all 901 national award-winning doctors. Where appropriate, Pearson's Chi-Square test was applied. RESULTS: The top five medical schools (London university medical schools, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge) were responsible for 60.4% of the pathologist award-winners, despite the dataset representing 85 medical schools. 96.4% of the pathologist merit award-winners were from European medical schools. 9.0% of the pathologist award-winners were international medical graduates in comparison with 11.4% of all 901 award-winners being international medical graduates. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of pathologists who were national merit award-winners originated from only five, apparently overrepresented, UK university medical schools. In contrast, there was a greater diversity in medical school origin among the lower grade national award-winners; the largest number of international medical graduates were in these tier 3 awards (13.9%). As well as ranking educationally successful university medical schools, this study assists UK and international students, by providing a roadmap for rational decision making when selecting pathologist and non-pathologist medical education pathways that are more likely to fulfil their career ambitions.

Young people on social media in a globalized world: self-optimization in highly competitive and achievement-oriented forms of life.

Research investigating young people's social media use has been criticized for its limited theoretical foundations and scope. This paper elaborates young people's social media activity from a socio-ecological evolutionary perspective (SEE), where young people's online exchanges cannot be divorced from the highly competitive and achievement-oriented modern market cultures in which they live. In highly competitive and achievement-oriented forms of life, young people's social media environments are often constituted as dynamic and evolving extrinsically oriented ecological niches that afford for status and identity enhancement while also affording for peer approval, belongingness, and self-worth nested within, and subordinate to, these higher-order affordances. The extrinsic value organization of social media platforms that serve young people's status and identity-enhancement are embodied by a community of mutually interdependent criteria that are evolutionary-based, developmentally salient, and market-driven: physical attractiveness, high (educational and extracurricular) achievements, and material success. Young people's online signaling of these interdependent extrinsic criteria affords for status-allocation and self-enhancement, where each criteria becomes an arena for social competition and identity formation, enabling young people to build personal and optimal models of social success congruent with their own interests and abilities. Young people's status and identity enhancing signaling of these extrinsic criteria is moving toward increasingly idealized or perfect embodiments, informed by accelerating, short-term positive feedback processes that benefit from the technological affordances and densely rewarding peer environments instantiated on social media.

Exploring the impact of financial globalization, good governance and renewable energy consumption on environmental pollution: Evidence from BRICS-T countries.

The nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Turkey (BRICS-T) have yet to find a satisfactory answer to the problem of how to reduce environmental pollution in their environments significantly. Using panel data from 1990 to 2022, this study analyzes the dynamic relationship between energy financial globalization (FG), good governance (GG), renewable energy consumption (REC), urbanization (URB), economic growth (GDP), and environmental pollution. To estimate the long-run and short-run interaction among the variables, this research included the Cross-sectional- ARDL. This research shows that economic growth, energy use, urbanization, and environmental degradation correlate positively and significantly. In contrast, the BRICS-T economies have significantly reduced environmental pollution due to FG, GG and REC. These results also lend credence to the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) concept for developing nations, which has been the focus of recent attention. Additionally, the results from fixed effects-difference in differences (FE-DK) and AMG robustness tests also validate the results from the CS-ARDL estimator. Finally, the findings found that the BRICS-T countries may benefit from this study.

How do income inequality, poverty and industry 4.0 affect environmental pollution in South Asia: New insights from quantile regression.

While many factors have been studied as potential causes of environmental degradation, the impact of poverty and inequality has been largely overlooked in the research. The Sustainable Development Goals are aligned with the intersection of poverty, inequality, and the environment. In addition, most previous research has used carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as a surrogate for pollution. These gaps are filled by this study, which uses ecological footprint (a comprehensive measure of pollution) and CO2 emissions to examine the effects of income disparity and poverty on environmental pollution in 13 nations. Dynamic panel Quantile regression methods are used in this study because of their resilience to various econometric problems that can crop up during the estimate process. The empirical results reveal that the whole panel's carbon emissions and ecological footprint rise when income disparity and poverty exist. When the panel is subdivided, however, we see that income inequality reduces carbon emissions and environmental footprint for the wealthy but has the opposite effect on the middle class. While high-income households see no impact from poverty on their carbon emissions, middle-income households see an increase in both. Overall, the results of this study suggest that income disparity and poverty are major factors in ecological degradation. Therefore, initiatives to reduce environmental degradation should pay sufficient attention to poverty and inequality to achieve ecological sustainability.