What is environmental virtue? Is developing good habits enough? Would a limit on per capita emissions be fair? Is rewilding just another form of the human domination of nature? Exploring these questions and more, this book provides an up-to-date and balanced introduction to the field. It first examines ethical theory, then ties theory into practice, showing how ethics guide environmental policies, but also how actions shape environmental values. Updated and expanded to engage with the latest scholarship, scientific discoveries, and societal challenges, this 2nd edition features: • New sections on food ethics, climate change denial, climate activism, and the Anthropocene • Contemporary case studies including lab-grown meat, Extinction Rebellion, and European rewilding • Expanded coverage of non-Western ethics, including Indigenous ethical perspectives and African relational ethics • Updated discussion questions, further reading sections, and online resources Exploring the possibilities and limitations inherent in both classical ethical models and modern theoretical approaches to the environment, this is a key resource for teaching students to think ethically about the world we live in.
Background: The cribriform plate (CP) or lamina cribosa is part of the ethmoid bone, and its depth is of utmost importance in presurgical workup before endoscopic sinus surgery. Aim: To determine the variation of the depth of the CP according to the Keros classification. Methods: This was a retrospective study utilizing a sample size of 223 patients. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to analyze the data. Ethical clearance was sought from the institutional ethics research committee (TNH-ISERC/DMSR/ERC/RP/021/23). Results: The majority of the patients had Keros type II (right 74%, n=165 and left 68%, n=153), followed by Keros type I (right 19%, n=42 and left 20%, n=44), and a minority of the patients had Keros type III (right 7%, n=16 and left 12%, n=26). The average depth of the right CP was 5.55 mm, while the average depth of the left CP was 5.66 mm. Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong relationship between the depth of the right CP and the depth of the left CP with an R of 0.3888. Conclusions: The study results also show that a majority of the patients fall under Keros type II, which is associated with a moderate risk of iatrogenic injury.
DOMINIK LASOK, POLISH-BRITISH LAWYER AND PHILOSOPHER: LIFE, WORKS AND IDEAS
This article presents the life and ideas of Dominik Lasok, a Polish-British lawyer and philosopher. Born in Silesia to a Polish family, he took part in the Second World War. After studying law in Switzerland, he made his home in the UK and became widely known as an authority in European law. He was known for his remarkable enthusiasm for teaching and his unwavering belief in the value of international legal cooperation. His output as an author was exceptionally rich. He wrote more than a dozen books and at least 160 scholarly articles on a variety of subjects - most notably on European law and family law. Dominik Lasok also had invaluable achievements in promoting Polish law abroad. The article emphasizes his accomplishments, such as founding England’s first European Law Centre. Furthermore, his views on the EU as a distinct entity and his emphasis on the ethical dimension of law, especially Christian ethics, are highlighted.
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, its application in college physical education has gradually shifted from marginal exploration to system integration. Based on literature review, case study and empirical data analysis, this paper systematically explores the multi-dimensional application of AI technology in college physical education, including sports performance analysis, personalized training, teaching management optimization and intelligent evaluation. The results show that AI can effectively improve teaching efficiency, scientific training and objectivity of evaluation, while promoting the precision and fairness of physical education. Through surveys and data comparisons of multiple colleges and universities, this paper verifies the significant effectiveness of AI in improving students' sports performance, reducing sports injury rates, and improving classroom organization efficiency. At the same time, the article also points out the challenges of current applications, such as infrastructure shortage, insufficient digital literacy of teachers, low algorithm transparency and data ethics concerns. Based on this, this paper proposes a path to promote the deep integration of AI into physical education from four dimensions: system construction, teacher empowerment, technology development and data governance. The study believes that AI will play the role of "intelligent engine" in future college physical education, promoting the transformation of the education paradigm from experience-driven to data-driven.
This study examines how digital learning environments shape biology students' bioethical reasoning, focusing particularly on perceptions of biotechnological human enhancement. As technological advances in gene editing coincided with the global pandemic, both events catalyzed significant changes in biological education and highlighted the importance of bioethical understanding. Through a survey of 80 students at different educational levels, we explored how exposure to bioethical content in digital educational settings influenced students' ethical reasoning about emerging biotechnologies. Our findings reveal that students who experienced interactive and dialogic digital learning formats demonstrated more nuanced ethical positions, with greater recognition of social implications and potential risks of biotechnological enhancements. The research provides insights into how technological mediation of bioethics education shapes value formation in biology students and suggests strategies for effective digital pedagogical approaches when teaching complex bioethical topics. These findings have significant implications for technology-enhanced biology education during and beyond crisis periods, particularly for preparing future biologists to navigate complex ethical landscapes in their professional practice.
Summary: Background: Disease burden has been used to predict National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding but included diseases with little underlying relationship. Here we focus on cancers to create a more appropriate model to allow for more targeted scrutinization of funding allocation. Methods: An ecological study using NIH funding data (2008–2023) was performed. Inclusion of cancers was based on their presence in the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool and the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Disability-adjusted life years (DALY) were collected and to evaluate the impact of public interest, Google Trends data was used. Multivariable linear regression determined appropriate funding based on disease burden and public interest. To quantify how each cancer’s funding differed from model predictions residual values were used to calculate the percent over/under funding. Findings: Fifteen cancers met inclusion criteria. Neuroblastoma had the greatest ratio of funding to DALYs per 100,000 people (US$14,000,000) while lung cancer had the lowest (US$300,000). Stomach cancer was the most underfunded (197.9% [95% CI: 136.0%, 276.2%]) while brain cancer was the most overfunded (64.1% [95% CI: 53.8%, 72.1%]). Even at their lowest funding values in the study period brain, breast, and colorectal cancer all had greater than 40% overfunding. Contrarily, the lowest annual funding for leukemia, uterine, and stomach cancer received less than 150% of expected funding. Despite its overfunding brain cancer had an increase in DALYs in the study period. Interpretation: Modeling by disease category demonstrated disparities in funding indicating the need for reevaluation for possible funding inequities. The year-by-year approach taken in this study will drive the ability for future research to better understand NIH funding decisions. Additionally, the role of public interest in research funding needs to be further evaluated to ensure that popularity does not override disease burden, in funding decisions. Funding: No Funding.
AbstractThe popularisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has sparked discussion about their ethical implications. This development has forced governmental organisations, NGOs, and private companies to react and draft ethics guidelines for future development of ethical AI systems. Whereas many ethics guidelines address values familiar to ethicists, they seem to lack in ethical justifications. Furthermore, most tend to neglect the impact of AI on democracy, governance, and public deliberation. Existing research suggest, however, that AI can threaten key elements of western democracies that are ethically relevant. In this paper, Rawls’s theory of justice is applied to draft a set of guidelines for organisations and policy-makers to guide AI development towards a more ethical direction. The goal is to contribute to the broadening of the discussion on AI ethics by exploring the possibility of constructing AI ethics guidelines that are philosophically justified and take a broader perspective of societal justice. The paper discusses how Rawls’s theory of justice as fairness and its key concepts relate to the ongoing developments in AI ethics and gives a proposition of how principles that offer a foundation for operationalising AI ethics in practice could look like if aligned with Rawls’s theory of justice as fairness.
Background: Lung cancer screening is not limited to low dose computed tomography (LDCT). Recently, molecular biomarkers have been shown to have the potential to improve the current state of early lung cancer detection. The current study determined the efficiency of seven autoantibodies against tumor-associated antigens (7-AABs) and tumor markers in patients with lung cancer. Materials and Methods: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the levels of 7-AABs and tumor markers in 354 patients with lung cancer and 108 patients with benign pulmonary disease under care at Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 7-AABs were 30.0%, 84.3%, 86.3%, and 0.61, respectively. When combining the 7-AABs and tumor markers, the sensitivity was 68.6%, the specificity was 52.8%, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.72. The 7-AABs positive expression rate in lung cancer patients was significantly higher than patients with benign pulmonary diseases (30.1% vs 15.7%); however, the 7-AABs positive expression rate was affected by clinical features and pathologic stages. When combining 7-AABs and tumor markers, the combined 7-AABs and tumor marker positive expression rate increased to 68.6%. Conclusion: Based on this study and previous literature, the supplemental diagnostic value of 7-AABs has been confirmed; however, due to the low sensitivity, the value of 7-AABs alone in lung cancer screening is limited. The combination of 7-AABs and tumor markers has improved sensitivity and positivity, but decreased specificity, which makes their performance in cancer screening and early detection worthy of further research.
Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Understanding and embracing uncertainty are critical for effective teacher–learner relationships as well as for shared decision-making in the physician–patient relationship. However, ambiguity has not been given serious consideration in either the undergraduate or graduate medical curricula or in the role it plays in patient-centered care. In this article, the author examines the ethics of ambiguity and argues for a pedagogy that includes education in the importance of, and tolerance of, ambiguity that is inherent in medical education and practice. Common threads running through the ethics of ambiguity are the virtue of respect, and the development of a culture of respect is required for the successful understanding and implementation of a pedagogy of ambiguity.
Introduction Blood blister-like aneurysm (BBA) is a special type of intracranial aneurysm with relatively low morbidity and high mortality. Various microsurgical techniques and endovascular approaches have been reported, but the optimal management remains controversial. For a better understanding of the treatment of BBA patients, a network meta-analysis that comprehensively compares the effects of different therapies is necessary.Methods and analysis This protocol has been reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. Related studies in the following databases will be searched until November 2022: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP and Wanfang. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies comparing at least two different interventions in BBA patients will be included. Quality assessment will be conducted using Cochrane Collaboration’s tool or Newcastle-Ottawa Scale based on their study designs. The primary outcome is the composite of the incidences of intraoperative bleeding, postoperative bleeding and postoperative recurrence. The secondary outcome is an unfavourable functional outcome. Pairwise and network meta-analyses will be conducted using STATA V.14 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas, USA). Mean ranks and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve will be used to evaluate every intervention. Statistical inconsistency assessment, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessment will be performed.Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval is not necessary because this study will be based on publications. The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration number CRD42022383699.
Introduction While ensuring appropriate growth is essential for all children, optimising nutritional status in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) is critical for improving health outcomes. Nutritional challenges in CF are multifactorial and malnutrition is common. While gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) can improve weight status in individuals with CF, they also have common and chronic complications resulting in clinical equipoise. To date, factors influencing G-tube decision-making among caregivers of children with CF have not been systematically explored. This review aims to chart existing knowledge about caregivers’ decisional needs related to G-tube placement, with a focus on caregivers of children with CF, as well as known medical and psychosocial benefits and risks of G-tube feedings in paediatric care.Methods and analysis This scoping review will follow the JBI methodological framework. We will include articles published between 1 January 1985 and 1 November 2023 in English and Spanish from MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Web of Science related to G-tube decision-making. Articles published in languages besides English and Spanish will be excluded. Articles will be screened for final eligibility and inclusion according to title and abstract, followed by full texts. Articles will be independently reviewed by two reviewers and any disagreements discussed with a third reviewer for consensus. We will map themes and concepts, and data extracted will be presented in tabular, diagrams and descriptive summaries.Ethics and dissemination As a form of secondary analysis, scoping reviews do not require ethics approval. This review will inform future research with caregivers involved in G-tube decision-making for children with CF. The final review will be submitted to a peer-reviewed scientific journal, disseminated at relevant academic conferences and will be shared with patients and clinicians.Trial registration number Center for Open Science. https://osf.io/g4pdb.