Cost Of Human Life Research Articles

French multi-institutional cost-effectiveness analysis of gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel versus gemcitabine alone as second-line treatment in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients.

In France, gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GEM-NAB) is heterogeneously used in metastatic pancreatic cancer due to disparities in its financial accessibility in the institutions. GEM-NAB conduct a French multi-institutional cost-effectiveness analysis of GEM-NAB versus gemcitabine alone (GEM) as second-line treatment in pancreatic cancer patients. All the unresected metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) consecutive patients who received GEM-NAB (institution 1) or GEM alone (institutions 2 and 3) as second-line treatment after failure of a 5-fluorouracil based systemic chemotherapy regimen were screened. This study was conducted from the French national healthcare insurance perspective. The primary endpoint was the overall survival (OS) expressed in months, calculated from the date of the first second-line chemotherapy administration to death. Only direct (medical and non-medical) costs have been considered for this analysis. Data were collected retrospectively in one university hospital and two general hospitals. The OS was significantly improved in patients receiving GEM-NAB (hazard ratio: 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.38-0.77, p = 0.001), with a median OS of 6.2 months (versus 4.1 months in patients receiving GEM alone). Taking into account the cost of GEM-NAB which was afforded by each institution, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was €1,449,231 by year of life (€40,256 per patient). In both groups, most of the costs were attributable to readmissions and outpatient chemotherapy administration. The issues of the article is based on the trade-off between the benefit in terms of OS of patients treated with GEM-NAB, which is minor (a gain of 2 months of survival, with an accumulated rate of grade ⩾ 3 non-hematological adverse effects) and the additional institutional cost (€25k per year of life for each patient treated). The debate is complex and refers to an ethical component, which is the cost of human life when no other therapeutic alternative is offered to the patient.

Cost of Human Life

Can the value of human life be measured in money when pursuing efficiency? Donald, a software engineer, is tasked with programming an AI to control trains and make decisions in emergency situations. The AI’s decision-making is based solely on monetary considerations, leading to ethically questionable outcomes. The story raises questions about the value of human life, the role of ethics in AI programming, and the potential consequences of prioritizing profit over human safety.

Cost of Human Life

How do you value human life? Is there a price too high to save the life of another? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Donald is testing new AI software that will run the entire railroad system of the future. It has one final test to pass, the classic ethics dilemma, The Trolley Problem; does it pull the lever and kill one, or do nothing and allow five to die? This should be an easy solution for an unemotional machine. However, the AI decides to do nothing, and allows the five in the simulation to die. When Donald checks its programming, he finds the program has determined, after taking into account lawsuits, delayed passenger complaints, and lost revenue, that doing nothing is the more economically valuable choice. Donald is left with the problem of if, and how, to program the AI on decisions related to value human life.

Governing the transboundary risks of offshore methane hydrate exploration in the seabed and ocean floor—an analysis on international provisions and Chinese law†

Abstract Considering the fact that its existence is abundant while maintaining the ability to generate freshwater while burning, methane hydrates have been classified as sources of sustainable energy. China currently maintains an international role in developing technology meant to explore offshore methane hydrates buried under the mud of the seabed, their primary laboratory being the South China Sea. However, such a process does not come without its hazards and fatal consequences, ranging from the destruction of the flora and fauna, the general environment, and—the greatest hazard of all—the cost of human life. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (hereinafter ‘UNCLOS’), being an important international legal regime and instrument, has assigned damage control during the exploration of methane hydrates, as being the responsibilities and liability of individual sovereign states and corporations. China adopted the Deep Seabed Mining Law (hereinafter the DSM Law) on 26 February 2016, which came into force on the 1 of May 2016; a regulation providing the legal framework also for the Chinese government’s role in methane hydrate exploratory activities. This article examines the role of the DSM Law and its provisions, as well as several international documents intended to prevent transboundary environmental harm from arising, as a result of offshore methane hydrate extraction. Despite the obvious risk of harm to the environment, the DSM Law has made great strides in regulating exploratory activities so as to meet the criteria of the UNCLOS. However, this article argues that neither the UNCLOS nor the DSM Law are adequately prepared to address transboundary harm triggered by the exploitation of offshore methane hydrates. In particular, the technology of such extraction is still at an experimental stage, and potential risks remain uncertain—and even untraceable—for cross-jurisdictional claims. The article intends to seek available legal instruments or models, to overhaul the incapacity within the current governing framework, and offers suggestions supporting national and international legislative efforts towards protecting the environment during methane hydrate extraction.

ЗНЕЦІНЕННЯ ПРИНЦИПУ СПРАВЕДЛИВОСТІ ЧИ СПРОБИ ЙОГО ПІДМІНИ ПРАВОМ СИЛЬНОГО: ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ РЕФОРМУВАННЯ ТРУДОВОГО ЗАКОНОДАВСТВА ПРОЄКТОМ ЗАКОНУ ПРО ПРАЦЮ

The purpose of the scientific paper is to characterize the correlation between the conceptual content of the principle of justice and the concept of reforming the labor legislation under the draft law of Ukraine «On Labor» with determining the prospects of future labor law of Ukraine. The author emphasizes that labor law rules, like no other branch of law, should be based on justice. This justice, once acquired at the cost of human life, has become so commonplace and commonplace that labor law rules are taken for granted and contain absolutely unnecessary ele­ments that can be changed, eliminated, ignored… But in reality, all of these are important. and the necessary elements of a single interconnected mechanism, the core of which is justice. It is noted that the disappearance of at least one element of this mechanism means that justice is fading, and is therefore inadmissible in labor law. It is concluded that the draft Labor Law is an attempt to replace the principle of justice with the right of the strong, and therefore it is alien to the modern world and national consciousness and has no potential for reforming the labor legislation of Ukraine.

Risk assessment methodology for onboard hydrogen storage

A quantitative risk assessment of onboard hydrogen-powered vehicle storage, exposed to a fire, is performed. The risk is defined twofold as a cost of human life per vehicle fire, and annual fatality rate per vehicle. The increase of fire resistance rating of the storage tank is demonstrated to drastically reduce the risk to acceptable level. Hazard distances are calculated by validated engineering tools for blast wave and fireball, which follow catastrophic tank rupture in a fire, act in all directions and have larger hazard distances compared to jet fire. The fatality cash value, probabilities of vehicle fire and failure of thermally activated pressure relief device are taken from published sources. A vulnerability probit function is employed to calculate probability of emergency operations' failure to control fire and prevent tank rupture. The risk is presented as a function of fire resistance rating of onboard storage.

Social Media and Heritage Preservation

What is the role of social media in conversations about heritage and heritage preservation? In conjunction with traditional forms of media, social media has captured and critiqued the deliberate destruction and tragic reality resulting from the armed conflict in the Middle East. This reality became even more tragic in August (2015) following the murder of prominent Syrian archaeologist, Khaled al-Assad, after his refusal to reveal the location of hidden artifacts to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In addition to the invaluable cost of human life, cultural heritage assets have also become targets for militant groups, such as ISIS. Multiple videos have surfaced over the past months and through various media formats of ISIS members destroying museums, archaeological sites, historic centers, libraries, and other heritage resources. The integration of social media has introduced new elements into heritage discourse. Using new mechanisms to record and discuss the destruction of heritage has also raised questions that consider ways in which heritage is preserved. Such as: How can a broader range of options for addressing the crisis of heritage destruction in Iraq be solicited, particularly at a local level, and possibly incorporated? What can enhance public discourse on heritage in the face of loss of life and destruction of tangible resources? There have been international and national responses in the wake of this devastation and tragedy in many affected countries, including Iraq. The United National Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Ashur (Qal’at Shergat) and Samarra Archaeological City, two of Iraq’s World Heritage Sites, to the World Heritage in Danger list in 2003 and 2007, respectively. The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has also publically condemned the destruction of these locations, going as far as to classify these actions as “war crimes” (Ferran and Williams 2015). In addition to UNESCO, many other organizations have joined the conversation. The International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) and The Antiquities Coalition are two of the many nonprofit organizations that have organized action against the heritage destruction in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. These groups have collaborated with various experts and local military forces to promote global awareness and organize action against this crisis. These agencies, as well as UNESCO, have utilized social media platforms to extend their messages

Potential Role of Pharmacogenetic Testing in Clinical Care: Warfarin and Clopidogrel

The numbers are staggering.According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), at least 1.5 million Americans are injured each year by medication mistakes and every hospital patient is exposed to at least one medication error each day (National Institute of Medicine. Preventing Medication Errors. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences; 2007). An estimated 7,000 people die each year from a medication error.In addition to the health toll this takes on the patient and the cost of human life, this situation is costing the healthcare system an estimated $21 billion annually in wasteful spending.The average senior is taking anywhere from 8-12 different medications per day. One possible, yet controversial solution to this problem has been the use of DNA testing to determine who is most at risk of suffering an Adverse Drug Event (ADE) based upon the way they metabolize the nation’s most popularly used medications.

Position Paper: Safety for K-12 students

Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) are at risk for harassment due to their sexual orientation or gender identification with over 85% of LGBT students in the United States (US) reporting such harassment. These statistics demonstrate one aspect of the significance of this issue, but the cost of human life in some instances has revealed another layer of importance related to a need for safety policies for LGBT students. Even though a need exists for such policies, the practice of heteronormativity found in US policymaking regarding bullying does not protect victims or curb the violence. This essay highlights several recent developments in anti-bullying policy in US schools that shows the existence of heteronormativity, which is not helping to pro-tect LGBT students. By understanding the discrimination encouraged by current policy, future policy can be better shaped to protect LGBT students.

Probabilistic Benefit-Cost Analysis for Earthquake Damage Mitigation: Evaluating Measures for Apartment Houses in Turkey

In the wake of the 1999 earthquake destruction in Turkey, the urgent need has arisen to evaluate the benefits of loss mitigation measures that could be undertaken to strengthen the existing housing stock. In this study, a benefit-cost analysis methodology is introduced for the comparative evaluation of several seismic retrofitting measures applied to a representative apartment building located in Istanbul. The analysis is performed probabilistically through the development of fragility curves of the structure in its different retrofitted configurations. By incorporating the probabilistic seismic hazard for the region, expected direct losses can be estimated for arbitrary time horizons. By establishing realistic cost estimates of the retrofitting schemes and costs of direct losses, one can then estimate the net present value of the various retrofitting measures. The analysis in this work implies that, even when considering only direct losses, all of the retrofitting measures considered are desirable for all but the very shortest time horizons. This conclusion is valid for a wide range of estimates regarding costs of mitigation, discount rates, number of fatalities, and cost of human life. The general methodology developed here for a single building can be extended to an entire region by incorporating additional structural types, soil types, retrofitting measures, more precise space- and time-dependent seismic hazard estimates, etc. It is hoped that this work can serve as a benchmark for more realistic and systematic benefit-cost analyses for earthquake damage mitigation.