Value without Fetish

Value without Fetish presents the first in-depth English-language study of the influential Japanese economist Uno Kōzō‘s (1897-1977) theory of ‘pure capitalism’ in the light of the method and object of Marx’s Critique of Political Economy. A close analysis of the theories of value, production and reproduction, and crisis in Uno’s central texts from the 1930s to the 1970s reveals his departure from Marx’s central insights about the fetish character of the capitalist mode of production – a departure that Lange shows can be traced back to the failed epistemology of value developed in Uno’s earliest writings. By disavowing the complex relation between value and fetish that structures Marx’s critique, Uno adopts the paradigms of neoclassical theories to present an apology rather than a critique of capitalism. Readership: All interested in Marxism and its non-European reception, students and instructors in the humanities and economics, Japanese intellectual history, all interested in a deeper understanding Marx‘s theory of value

Reimagining design education: Renewal and transformation

We live in a time when change is happening globally to an unprecedented extent. The awareness of the phenomena underpins the current discourse and research activities in design and design education. Many design educators understand the demand for change and are looking for new strategies to respond to it. The challenge is how to transform and renew design disciplines and its learning processes so that the next generation of designers can actively and responsibly promote change. Some educators are already focusing on the dimensions of change, namely, contemporary issues such as climate change and sustainable goals. Others are reflecting on how to deal with a world which is becoming more complex and uncertain and considering alternative ways of identifying and developing more sustainable solutions to cope with pressing complex issues. Others yet, are investigating the role of evolving technologies in design education and curricula development. Some are exploring the designers' role and their impact on the changing society. Faced with the complexities that define our present and future lives, design practices can intervene in different ways. In our view, design education must have the capacity to create connections and forms of collaborations amongst creative, human, and science research areas to address the complexities of our times and generate new knowledges, new experiences of experimentation, and new forms of collaboration. With such approach, design educators can support design students in becoming agents of change

Exchanging Without Exploiting - A Critique of Karatani Kôjin's The Structure of World History

AfterTranscritique: On Kant and Marx(2003), Karatani Kōjin’s new bookThe Structure of World Historypresents another engagement with Marxian theory from a ‘heterodox’ standpoint. In this book, rather than viewingThe Structure of World Historyfrom the aspect of mode of production in the conventional ‘Marxist’ sense, Karatani shifts perspective to the modes of exchange. To this end, Karatani appropriates what he sees as Marx’s emphasis on ‘exchange’. In the present essay, by looking at the textual evidence, I critically evaluate whether this appropriation of Marx’s theory is justified. I furthermore contend that Karatani’s reading of the concepts of value, money, capital, and surplus-value from the standpoint of ‘exchange’ (i.e.circulation) arises from a grave misconstrual of Marx’s critical intent. Accordingly, Karatani neglects the critique of exploitation and the systematic production of poverty that informs the basic assumptions of Marx’s analysis of the capitalist mode of production.</jats:p

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Delta: A Conserved Director of Lipid Homeostasis through Regulation of the Oxidative Capacity of Muscle

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), which are ligand-inducible transcription factors expressed in a variety of tissues, have been shown to perform key roles in lipid homeostasis. In physiological situations such as fasting and physical exercise, one PPAR subtype, PPARδ, triggers a transcriptional program in skeletal muscle leading to a switch in fuel usage from glucose/fatty acids to solely fatty acids, thereby drastically increasing its oxidative capacity. The metabolic action of PPARδ has also been verified in humans. In addition, it has become clear that the action of PPARδ is not restricted to skeletal muscle. Indeed, PPARδ has been shown to play a crucial role in whole-body lipid homeostasis as well as in insulin sensitivity, and it is active not only in skeletal muscle (as an activator of fat burning) but also in the liver (where it can activate glycolysis/lipogenesis, with the produced fat being oxidized in muscle) and in the adipose tissue (by incrementing lipolysis). The main aim of this review is to highlight the central role for activated PPARδ in the reversal of any tendency toward the development of insulin resistance

Homenaje al Dr. Coriolano Alberini

Fil: Suárez de Alberini, Elena.Fil: Comadrán Ruiz, Jorge.Fil: Pró, Diego F..Fil: Sepich Lange, Juan Ramón

Bildung über Berufe mit Serious Games? Potenziale zur Förderung gendersensibler Berufsorientierung aus der Perspektive angehender Lehrpersonen

Die Frage nach den Potenzialen von Game-basiertem Lernen zur Förderung geschlechtsunabhängiger Berufswahl erfordert eine Auseinandersetzung mit Konzepten des Lernens mit digitalen Medien, gendersensibler Bildung und Berufsorientierung zugleich. Neben einer konzeptionellen Klärung wird die Bereitschaft von Lehrpersonen zum Einsatz Game-basierten Lernens im Unterricht bedeutsam. Mit einer quantitativen Studie wurden Faktoren untersucht, die die Bereitschaft zum Einsatz eines Serious Game bei künftigen Lehrpersonen determinieren. Deutlich wurde, dass Vorwissen zur Berufsorientierung und Geschlechtsrolleneinstellungen nicht ausschlaggebend sind, während Einstellungen zum Einsatz digitaler Medien im Unterricht eine entscheidende Rolle für die Bereitschaft zum Einsatz des Serious Game like2be zu spielen vermögen. Zudem wurden stereotype Muster in der Zuschreibung geschlechtsbezogener Eignung für Berufe sichtbar. Die Befunde weisen auf zentrale Aspekte hin, die es bei der Qualifizierung von Lehrpersonen zu berücksichtigen gilt

Implementation and effect of intensified case finding on diagnosis of tuberculosis in a large urban HIV clinic in Uganda: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Increased detection of tuberculosis (TB) using intensified or active case finding (ICF) is one of the cornerstones of the Stop TB Strategy, and contrasts with passive case finding (PCF) which relies on self-reported symptoms. There is no clear guidance on implementation strategies. We implemented ICF in addition to ongoing PCF in our large urban HIV clinic in July 2010 using a twice-daily announcement screen method by a trained peer educator, asking waiting patients to self-refer to a trained peer supporter for screening of TB symptoms. We sought to determine the associated effect on TB case detection. METHODS: Suspects were investigated by sputum smear, chest X-ray and ultrasound, if indicated. Routinely collected clinical and laboratory data were merged with the ICF register and TB clinic data for patients attending the clinic in 2010. We compared the yield of TB cases (defined as the prevalence of newly diagnosed TB cases in the screened population), the type of TB diagnosed and the total cost per TB case identified (in United States Dollars [USD]) for the period before and after ICF implementation. RESULTS: Of the 20,456 patients who visited the clinic in 2010, 614 were identified as TB suspects, 220 pre-ICF and 394 post-ICF (229 via PCF and 165 via ICF). The proportion diagnosed with TB dropped from 66% to 48% (60% in suspects identified through PCF and 31% through ICF). During the post-ICF period, TB suspects identified through ICF compared to PCF identification were more likely to be female, older, on ART and to have been enrolled in HIV care for a longer duration. The yield of combined PCF and ICF screening was 1.4% pre-ICF and 1.7% post-ICF with a cost per TB case identified of 12.29 USD and 21.80 USD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of ICF in a large HIV clinic yielded more TB suspects and cases, but substantially increased costs and was unable to capture the majority of TB suspects who were referred for diagnosis by clinicians through PCF. The overall yield of TB cases in a mature HIV clinic was low, although targeted screening of those recently enrolled in care may increase the yield