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Background: Nephrolithiasis, or kidney stone disease, presents a significant global health burden, with global incidence rates and treatment practices varying widely. This study aims to discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, treatment modalities, and challenges for nephrolithiasis in the lower half of the World Bank rankings; that is, in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed for each country on the list, focusing on studies published from January 2000 onwards and reporting data on prevalence, risk factors, treatment practices, and economic implications. Results: Nephrolithiasis represents a significant burden for healthcare systems, with noteworthy geographical variability in prevalence possibly dependent on socioeconomic status and gender. Risk factors include dietary habits, climate, pollution, and infectious diseases. Treatment practices in some regions still rely on open surgery due to limited access to advanced endourological techniques, while other regions demonstrate high proactivity in research. The burden is exacerbated by inadequate healthcare infrastructure and training. Conclusions: Addressing nephrolithiasis in challenging economic circumstances requires targeted interventions, including improved access to modern treatment methods, enhanced training for healthcare professionals, and better socioeconomic and environmental conditions. Future research should focus on region-specific strategies and the development of sustainable healthcare solutions.

BRICS assemblies focus on politics and security, economics, and finance, and cultural and people -to-people exchange. Since these areas depend on global air transit and tourism, seamless movement is essential. Tourism fosters cultura l proximity and human encounters, benefiting nations and businesses. This study aims to analyse tourism and socio -economic dynamics considering globalisation and socio-economic structural factors. The study examines economic growth, travel, and financial success in BRICS nations. The panel data regression method is applied to highlight the relations between tourism and socio-economic indicators among BRICS and G7 countries. Temporal and territorial aspects and all regression studies were performed using the statistical modelling programme EViews 11. The study found inbound and outward connections between globalisation, dynamic socio-economic indicators, and each country's structural indicators. These tripartite aspects explained BRICS inbound and outward travel, but both are in constant change over time. Results show that the actual globalisation paradigm favours developed nations in the tourism sector, emerging BRICS nations show hopeful socio - economic structures, however they need to find new unique strategies to achieve a fair share of the new emerging world middle class tourism market. The old one is already taken by developed countries and they will fight to expand it.

The purpose of the study reviewed the dynamics of new and open regionalism in Asia and the Pacific regions. It was highlighted that both in the Asia Pacific and Latin America, there is considerable confusion and ambiguity surrounding the notion of what “New Open Regionalism” is all about, which questions the relevance for practical purposes. The research approach primarily reviews various relevant literature in the field of study. Studies indicated that with few institutional or government-led initiatives, Asia's rapid economic expansion offered a strong basis for intra-regional trading and investment flows as well as inter-firm linkages. In terms of originality, No study has looked at the dynamics and the many uses and conceptions of the idea and investigated the contexts in which the concepts of "openness" and "regionalism" clash. For the implications, the article clarifies the possible relationship with both open regionalism and regional integration before asking under what circumstances regionalism might serve for the advancement of multilateralism. The study concluded that in a dynamic situation, it is difficult to determine whether regionalism and multilateralism complement each other. Much is determined by the design and content of the negotiated regional trade agreements (RTAs), as well as the characteristics of the member nations.

BRICS assemblies focus on politics and security, economics, and finance, and cultural and people -to-people exchange. Since these areas depend on global air transit and tourism, seamless movement is essential. Tourism fosters cultura l proximity and human encounters, benefiting nations and businesses. This study aims to analyse tourism and socio -economic dynamics considering globalisation and socio-economic structural factors. The study examines economic growth, travel, and financial success in BRICS nations. The panel data regression method is applied to highlight the relations between tourism and socio-economic indicators among BRICS and G7 countries. Temporal and territorial aspects and all regression studies were performed using the statistical modelling programme EViews 11. The study found inbound and outward connections between globalisation, dynamic socio-economic indicators, and each country's structural indicators. These tripartite aspects explained BRICS inbound and outward travel, but both are in constant change over time. Results show that the actual globalisation paradigm favours developed nations in the tourism sector, emerging BRICS nations show hopeful socio - economic structures, however they need to find new unique strategies to achieve a fair share of the new emerging world middle class tourism market. The old one is already taken by developed countries and they will fight to expand it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Guillermo de Ockham is the property of Revista Cientifica Guillermo de Ockham, Universidad de San Buenaventura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The transport sector plays an important role in society at large. This article aimed to provide a state-of-the-art literature review in the area of sustainable transport. Data for the analysis were collected from the Web of Science database from 2000 to 2022. A total of 1238 bibliometric records of publications were collected. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken in the article. The analysis results showed five main research areas: 1—sustainable urban/public transport and mobility; 2—transport emissions and fuels; 3—sustainable supply chain/logistics management models; 4—performance and metrics in sustainable transport; and 5—future and policy. The limitations of the research carried out, which mainly concern the methodological section, should also be borne in mind. These include the selected publication base and search criteria, such as the year or language of publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The article examines the issue of the digital transformation of Ukrainian businesses. Despite the existing developed sector of information technology, domestic companies have a low level of digitalization of their activity. The methodological basis of the study were general and special research methods, including methods of theoretical generalization, analysis, synthesis, comparison and others. The information base of the study was the data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, National Bank of Ukraine, research of international organizations, scientific papers and other open sources. Purpose. The purpose of the article is the identification of trends in the digitalization of financial and economic activities of companies in Ukraine and the development of recommendations for improving the implementation of information technology. Results. The problem of poor access of domestic enterprises to the Internet has been identified. The largest share of companies that have websites was in the field of information technology (57,1% of all companies in the industry in 2021). The volume of sold products (goods, services) received from e-commerce in Ukraine is projected to increase to UAH 736,97 billion in 2023. The tendency to increase the share of enterprises that use cloud computing services (like using software for accounting and finance, file storage, database hosting) has been determined. Conclusions. The paper develops the main ways to improve the digital transformation of Ukrainian business: 1) creation of business site (very critical for industries with a high value of having a website); 2) providing all employees with access to the Internet; 3) improving the functionality of the website (following market trends); 4) assessment of the feasibility of purchasing a cloud computing service depends on business's specific; 5) providing the opportunity for payments by smartphones and other NFC devices when making contactless payments; 6) transition to sending invoices in electronic form purchased for automated processing (depending on the customer base).

In recent years, a dramatic increase in the study of infrastructure has occurred in the social sciences and humanities, following upon foundational work in the physical sciences, architecture, planning, information science, and engineering. This article, authored by a multidisciplinary group of scholars, probes the generative potential of infrastructure at this historical juncture. Accounting for the conceptual and material capacities of infrastructure, the article argues for the importance of paradox in understanding infrastructure. Thematically the article is organized around three key points that speak to the study of infrastructure: ruin, retrofit, and risk. The first paradox of infrastructure, ruin, suggests that even as infrastructure is generative, it degenerates. A second paradox is found in retrofit, an apparent ontological oxymoron that attempts to bridge temporality from the present to the future and yet ultimately reveals that infrastructural solidity, in material and symbolic terms, is more apparent than actual. Finally, a third paradox of infrastructure, risk, demonstrates that while a key purpose of infrastructure is to mitigate risk, it also involves new risks as it comes to fruition. The article concludes with a series of suggestions and provocations to view the study of infrastructure in more contingent and paradoxical forms.

In recent years, a dramatic increase in the study of infrastructure has occurred in the social sciences and humanities, following upon foundational work in the physical sciences, architecture, planning, information science, and engineering. This article, authored by a multidisciplinary group of scholars, probes the generative potential of infrastructure at this historical juncture. Accounting for the conceptual and material capacities of infrastructure, the article argues for the importance of paradox in understanding infrastructure. Thematically the article is organized around three key points that speak to the study of infrastructure: ruin, retrofit, and risk. The first paradox of infrastructure, ruin, suggests that even as infrastructure is generative, it degenerates. A second paradox is found in retrofit, an apparent ontological oxymoron that attempts to bridge temporality from the present to the future and yet ultimately reveals that infrastructural solidity, in material and symbolic terms, is more apparent than actual. Finally, a third paradox of infrastructure, risk, demonstrates that while a key purpose of infrastructure is to mitigate risk, it also involves new risks as it comes to fruition. The article concludes with a series of suggestions and provocations to view the study of infrastructure in more contingent and paradoxical forms.

In this paper we have worked on a number of documents and articles published to find a relationship between patents and the economic growth of countries. We have found that patents and their applications are important for economic growth. The patent is not always a global indicator of all the technological knowledge produced, since a considerable number of technological know-how remains in the form of business secrets or sometimes the technology is published in scientific articles.

The ability to measure, understand, manipulate, organize, engineer and control matter on the nanoscale has been opening up the wealth of possibilities that were otherwise non - existent at higher scales. At this scale, basic research principles and tools in biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering converge and have led to all-inclusive applications of nanotechnology. Despite the innovative applications and promising potentials of nanotechnology, there are concerns about its short and long-lasting impacts on humans, nature and the environment. In an attempt to address these concerns, a number of researches have been conducted. Evaluations of studies addressing the issues of nanotechnologies and their impacts are necessary to give insights for further studies that will advance the technology for the true benefit of mankind and nature. This study, thus, provides a detailed review of studies on nanotechnology applications and the positions of stakeholders on the impact of nanotechnology. Among other things, the outcome of this survey shows that there are numerous successful applications of nanotechnology. Public perceptions are pivotal in determining the extent of revolution and transformation that nanotechnology will have on the environment. Religious beliefs and moral concerns; trust in governmental regulatory agencies and the industry; the level of inclusion of the society in the product design, development, and commercialization process is critical to the extent of acceptance of nanotechnology inventions. Expression of objective views concerning the benefits, limitations & risks, and adequate education of the public, risk regulators & all stakeholders are crucial in determining the fate of nanotechnology.

During the last few decades, income inequality in emerging Asian economies has been increased dramatically. It is widely recognized that income inequality has severely impacted population health. This study attempts to estimate the impact of income inequality on health outcomes in emerging Asian economies for a time horizon ranging from 1991 to 2019. Our empirical analysis shows that income inequality has a negative effect on life expectancy in the long run. We also find that positive changes in income inequality decrease life expectancy, but a negative change in income inequality increases life expectancy in the long run in emerging Asian economies. The symmetric and asymmetric results are robust to different measures of econometric methods. Thus, governments should pay more attention to the consequences of their economic policies on income inequality to improve health outcomes.

Copyright of Other Modernities / Altre Modernita / Otras Modernidades / Autres Modernités is the property of Altre Modernita and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Analysis of the discourse on socio-environmental controversies among peasant family farmers in the Ñuble region of south-central Chile—small organic producers, conventional small producers, agroecological producers, and members of peasant unions—allows the identification of their positions on the controversy between alternatives to development and alternative development. Un análisis del discurso sobre las controversias socioambientales que existen entre las familias campesinas en la región de Ñuble, en el centro-sur de Chile (pequeños productores orgánicos, pequeños productores convencionales, productores agroecológicos y miembros de sindicatos campesinos) permite identificar sus posturas en torno a la polémica entre alternativas al desarrollo y el desarrollo alternativo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global carbon emissions budget over the next decades depends critically on the choices made by fast-growing emerging economies. Few studies exist, however, that develop country-specific energy system integration insights that can inform emerging economies in this decision-making process. High spatial- and temporal-resolution power system planning is central to evaluating decarbonization scenarios, but obtaining the required data and models can be cost prohibitive, especially for researchers in low, lower-middle income economies. Here, we use Nicaragua as a case study to highlight the importance of high-resolution open access data and modeling platforms to evaluate fuel-switching strategies and their resulting cost of power under realistic technology, policy, and cost scenarios (2014-2030). Our results suggest that Nicaragua could cost-effectively achieve a low-carbon grid (≥80%, based on non-large hydro renewable energy generation) by 2030 while also pursuing multiple development objectives. Regional cooperation (balancing) enables the highest wind and solar generation (18% and 3% by 2030, respectively), at the least cost (US$127 MWh-1). Potentially risky resources (geothermal and hydropower) raise system costs but do not significantly hinder decarbonization. Oil price sensitivity scenarios suggest renewable energy to be a more cost-effective long-term investment than fuel oil, even under the assumption of prevailing cheap oil prices. Nicaragua's options illustrate the opportunities and challenges of power system decarbonization for emerging economies, and the key role that open access data and modeling platforms can play in helping develop low-carbon transition pathways.

Instructors: Margaret Crawford (Architecture) and Winnie Wong (Rhetoric)GSI: Abingo WuTerm: Spring 2015Course #: Architecture 209 / Rhetoric 250Why Read This Case Study?South China’s Pearl River Delta has long been home to thriving ‘art villages’ – quasi-autonomous local jurisdictions that control their own land – whose economies are anchored by practicing artists producing replica oil paintings for sale around the world. Although the expanding metropolitan Shanghai has enveloped these villages over time, they have maintained their identities and economies based on art reproduction and global markets sales. The graduate research studio, Art+Village+City, was led by Professor of Architecture Margaret Crawford and Professor of Rhetoric and History of Art Winnie Wong. The studio included students from a variety of disciplines including anthropology, Asian and East Asian studies, art history, art practice, architecture, city planning and landscape architecture. Students thus came to the course with a wide range of expertise and theoretical perspectives, creating an ideal environment for learning across disciplines. Using a range of research methods, the studio examined the historical development of art villages, their current political and economic circumstances, and how their arts-based village economies have shaped the local cultures and built environments over time. Students delved into the history and social organization of art villages, screened interviews with artists from art villages held by the Asia Art Archive, and produced videos of a local Chinese site, East Pacific Mall in Oakland. They were introduced to ethnographic methods and the use of photography in field work. Students then spent two weeks traveling to Hong Kong, and then into the Pearl River Delta, exploring such urban art villages as Dafen, Baishizhou, and Xiaozhou, as well as experimental art spaces Vitamin Creative Space and Handshake 302. Returning to Berkeley, they worked with SHIMURAbros (as researchers at Studio Olafur Eliasson), Sascha Pohle, Jing Wen, and José Figueroa to create an outstanding exhibit in Bauer-Wurster Gallery which then traveled to Shanghai.

RESUMEN: Nudo de tensión entre vida biológica e historicidad, la animalidad recorre la serie de mataderos que la crítica argentina ha indagado como ficción soberana, pautada por el dualismo político. La polarización de 1840 plasmada en El matadero de Echeverría, con titubeos narrativos frente a voces y cuerpos animalizados del sector popular, retorna desde mediados del siglo XX en versiones de la dicotomía civilización-barbarie, que mantienen la distinción naturaleza-cultura y las coordenadas de historicidad antropocéntrica, como la crónica de Walsh que en 1967 enmienda el reparto clasista de Echeverría. El umbral crítico de la vida (Agamben) emerge en reescrituras recientes del matadero, donde el flujo del capital atraviesa no solo el cuerpo del trabajador sino lo viviente. Un cuento de Kohan (2009) y una novela de Maia (2013) descubren bajo la dicotomía la complejidad de pasajes entre animales y humanos, donde indagan las economías de relaciones entre vidas protegidas y abandonadas. Confrontando las conflictividades culturales argentina y brasileña, marcadas por el peso de economías agroexportadoras y el dualismo como control de mezclas, estos relatos de trabajadores del ganado inquieren lo difuso del borde vida-muerte tras dos siglos de progreso humanista en América Latina. ABSTRACT: Animality, a knot of tension between biological life and historicity, runs through the series of slaughterhouses that Argentine critics have investigated as sovereign fiction, guided by political dualism. The 1840 polarization embodied in Echeverría´s El matadero (The Slaughterhouse), with narrative hesitations about voices and animalized bodies of popular sector, has returned since the middle of the 20th century in versions of the civilization-barbarity dichotomy, which maintain the nature-culture distinction and the coordinates of anthropocentric historicity, such as Walsh's chronicle that in 1967 amends the class distribution of Echeverría. The critical threshold of life (Agamben) emerges in recent rewritings of the slaughterhouse, where the flow of capital passes through not only the body of the worker but also the living being. A story by Kohan (2009) and a novel by Maia (2013) discover under dichotomy the complexity of passages between animals and humans, where they investigate the economies of relationships between protected and abandoned lives. By confronting Argentine and Brazilian cultural conflicts, both marked by the weight of agro-export economies and dualism as control of mixtures, these stories of cattle workers inquire about the diffuseness of the life-death border after two centuries of humanist progress in Latin America.

The transport sector plays an important role in society at large. This article aimed to provide a state-of-the-art literature review in the area of sustainable transport. Data for the analysis were collected from the Web of Science database from 2000 to 2022. A total of 1238 bibliometric records of publications were collected. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken in the article. The analysis results showed five main research areas: 1—sustainable urban/public transport and mobility; 2—transport emissions and fuels; 3—sustainable supply chain/logistics management models; 4—performance and metrics in sustainable transport; and 5—future and policy. The limitations of the research carried out, which mainly concern the methodological section, should also be borne in mind. These include the selected publication base and search criteria, such as the year or language of publication.

Copyright of Bitácora Urbano/Territorial is the property of Bitacora Urbano/Territorial and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reducing emissions will require significant changes in the production and consumption of emissions-intensive energy. These changes will necessitate two broad sets of actions: first, energy-intensive end-use sectors must reduce their demand for energy by becoming more energy efficient, and second, energy systems and the energy supplies they use must become less carbon-intensive. In this paper, we describe a set of emissions analysis methods to distinguish between these two actions, showing whether an end-use sector (represented by a jurisdiction's economy) is coupled with or decoupled from the energy system, or the energy system and its energy supplies are carbonizing or decarbonizing, or some combination of (de)coupling and (de)carbonizing. We then apply the method to the changes in the economy, energy supply, and emissions of the members of the G20 between 2008 and 2017. The results show that 14 members experienced a degree of coupling and that for 18 members, and globally, the principal reason for any degree of emissions decline was demand reduction as opposed to changes to their energy systems. We conclude by suggesting significant decarbonization efforts are needed through the replacement and restructuring of energy systems and their energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Mediterranean appears to be an active key player for the production and circulation of screendance. Focusing this research on the pre-pandemic state of screendance in Italy, France, Greece and Spain and employing a methodology of one-to-one interviews, this text examines the art policies that have been in place for potentially supporting the production of screendance, the ways that spectatorship and social engagement kept on growing and the predictions for the yet-to-come evolution of the form in a context disassociated from, yet applicable to the on-going pandemic. Although screendance is understood differently among the interviewees – curators of major festivals such as DAN. CIN. LAB., Festival International De Vidéo Danse De Bourgogne, COORPI/La Danza in 1 minuto, Cinematica Festival, Stories We Dance International Videodance Contest, Choreoscope - The International Dance Film Festival of Barcelona and the formerly known Athens Video Dance Project – International Dance Film Festival – the aim of this research is to create knowledge regarding the heterogeneous landscape of screendance in the European Mediterranean as well as a broader understanding of the shifting Mediterranean culture.

The World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) Research and Ethics Commission conducted a scoping project to gather information about music therapy practices in international development contexts. Seventeen music therapists with experience in international development projects (out of 55 approached) responded to 14 questions about their work. Their responses indicated that work is generally short-medium term project work, often with follow up visits or online contact when possible to support sustainability. Work is commonly in the areas of disability or with refugees/displaced persons and often has a strong skills-sharing component to support ongoing project impact.

This presentation contains a series of ideas to the current of the economic system during an economic crisis generated by a pandemic like the one that took place in 2020. It also tries to give solutions for the future recovery of these crisis situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study why the relationship between education and log-wages has become more convex in India, the Philippines and Thailand. To do so, we develop decompositions connecting returns to education, and shifts in those returns, to the evolving structure of employment. Returns to college depend mostly upon high-skill service jobs. While relative demand for college graduates in that sector generally rose, its employment share grew slowly, pushing workers with secondary education into less skill intensive services. Services employment, which grew fast, therefore became more menial on average. These polarizing trends in services account for the growing convexity of the Mincerian wage profile. The effects of industrialization on the returns to secondary education depend upon the composition of manufacturing employment. Slow structural transformation when educational attainment increases rapidly causes education inflation, and drives down the returns to secondary education. This constrains governments' seeking to use educational expansion to alter the wage distribution.