Museum of Contemporary Commodities: a research performance

The materialities and injustices of the 'prolific present' are overwhelming, making attention to the production, consumption and disposal of 'stuff' an urgent matter of concern. Presenting as automatic and only partially visible, creatively constructive acts of ‘dataveillance’ are integral to this explosion of stuff; conditioning our daily lives as milieus of consumption that channel profit to the propertied classes, often with socially and environmentally damaging consequences (Gabrys 2016, van Dijck, 2014, Tsing, 2013). Constructing the agency to intervene in these socio-technical valuing practices and cultural performances, requires us to consider our roles in those performances, as much as theorising the constituting structures, strategies, and (in)justices of their production. The Museum of Contemporary Commodities is an art geography research performance that is both a collaboratively produced dramaturgy of valuing, and an experiment in public curation as transformative process (Heathfield 2016, Graeber, 2013, Richter 2017). The project manifests as a series of digitally networked hacks, prototypes and events that attempt to configure new alignments between the social, material and digital that are localised and mobile, stable and reconfigurable, familiar and new (Suchman et al., 2002). These are art geographies as collectively produced critical making and social practices, which encourage audience-as-participant move from 'automatic' taking part in the unfolding immanence of the world, to feeling it more deeply. By extension attending to and caring for the ethical and political implications, and the material things that participation produces (Cull, 2011, Puig de la Bellacasa 2012)

A Pilot Study on the Affective Responses to Watching Consecutive Episodes of a Television Show during Aerobic Exercise below the Ventilatory Threshold

A quasi-experimental pilot study determined whether restricting television-watching to treadmill walking below the ventilatory threshold improved affective valence, perceived activation, enjoyment, attentional focus, and intention to bundle television-watching with exercise. Eleven inactive, young adults (21.18 + 1.47 years) in post-secondary education performed two 40-minute exercise tests, wherein aforementioned outcomes were repeatedly assessed. Participants in the experimental group (n=4) watched the first episode of a television show between exercise tests and the second episode of the same television show during the second exercise test. Analyses revealed large, non-significant multivariate intervention effects on affect and attention outcomes, a large, significant univariate intervention effect on affective valence during cool-down [T(1,8)=8.838, p=0.021, ηp2=0.723], and medium-to-large, non-significant univariate intervention effects on other affect and attention outcomes. A large, significant intervention effect on intention to bundle [T(8)=-2.336, p=0.048, ηp2=0.406] was also found. Taken together, this temptation bundle enhanced individuals’ exercise experience and influenced their exercise plans

Interview with two palliative care nurses

Harriet Basikolo and Elizabeth Magombo are palliative care nurses in the Tiyanjane clinic at QECHMalawi Medical Journal Vol. 20 (4) 2008: pp. 147-14

Swath Sounding Initiatives in Canada

Over the past 50 years, the hydrographic community has progressed from the humble leadline for single spot depths to sophisticated multibeam sounding systems capable of charting the entire seafloor. Canada now extensively uses this technology in its surveying operations. There are many benefits to using the latest swath systems, especially in the coastal margins and inland waters where, for instance, channel monitoring and dredging raise safety, economic and environmental issues. Utilizing multibeam systems reduces survey time, extends bottom coverage and contributes to conserving survey resources. Multibeam systems are expensive and the complexity of the system often requires high maintenance. In addition the software used for acquiring, processing and displaying the collected information is still maturing. Data cleaning algorithms to accommodate data collection rates that at times exceed 3000 data points per second are required. Canada has been dealing with those aspects of swath sounding for a decade now. Continuous research and development in the subject gave berth to new technologies and new acquisition and processing techniques. This paper summarizes the Canadian experiences in swath sounding and discusses its future developments and direction within the Canadian Hydrographic Service

Is cytotoxic chemotherapy for lymphoma currently feasible for patients in Malawi? A debate

There is currently no systematic provision for chemotherapy of adult patients with cancer in Malawi. Is the introduction of such a service now feasible in Malawi, and should an individual patient with potentially treatable disease be given chemotherapy in the absence of such a service? The technical, economic and moral issues are discussed here in the form of a debate.Malawi Medical Journal Vol. 20 (4) 2008: pp. 120-12

Quality of Dementia Care in the Community: Identifying Key Quality Assurance Components

Background: Primary care-based memory clinics (PCMCs) have been established in several jurisdictions to improve the care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. We sought to identify key quality indicators (QIs), quality improvement mechanisms, and potential barriers and facilitators to the establishment of a quality assurance framework for PCMCs. Methods: We employed a Delphi approach to obtain consensus from PCMC clinicians and specialist physicians on QIs and quality improvement mechanisms. Thirty-eight candidate QIs and 19 potential quality improvement mechanisms were presented to participants in two rounds of electronic Delphi surveys. Written comments were collected and descriptively analyzed. Results:The response rate for the first and second rounds were 21.3% (n = 179) and 12.8% (n = 88), respectively. The majority of respondents were physicians. Fourteen QIs remained after the consensus process. Ten quality improvement mechanisms were selected with those characterized by specialist integration, such as case discussions and mentorships, being ranked highly. Written comments revealed three major themes related to potential barriers and facilitators to quality assurance: 1) perceived importance, 2) collaboration and role clarity, and 3) implementation process.Conclusion:We successfully utilized a consultative process among primary and specialty providers to identify core QIs and quality improvement mechanisms for PCMCs. Identified quality improvement mechanisms highlight desire for multi-modal education. System integration and closer integration between PCMCs and specialists were emphasized as essential for the provision of high-quality dementia care in community settings.Alzheimer Society of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Schlegel-University of Waterloo-Research Institute for Agin

Preoperative and postoperative optimisation of patients undergoing thyroid surgery: a multicentre quality improvement project at Barts Health NHS Trust

Hypocalcaemia following thyroid surgery can occur in up to 38% of patients. With over 7100 thyroid surgeries performed in 2018 in the UK, this is a common postoperative complication. Undertreated hypocalcaemia can result in cardiac arrhythmias and death. Preventing adverse events from hypocalcaemia requires preoperative identification and treatment of at-risk patients with vitamin D deficiency, timely recognition of postoperative hypocalcaemia and prompt appropriate treatment with calcium supplementation. This project aimed to design and implement a perioperative protocol for prevention, detection and management of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia. A retrospective audit of thyroid surgeries (n=67; October 2017 to June 2018) was undertaken to establish baseline practice of (1) preoperative vitamin D levels assessment, (2) postoperative calcium checks and incidence of postoperative hypocalcaemia and (3) management of postoperative hypocalcaemia. A multidisciplinary team approach following quality improvement principles was then used to design a perioperative management protocol with all relevant stakeholders involved. After dissemination and implementation, the above measures were reassessed prospectively (n=23; April-July 2019). The percentage of patients having their preoperative vitamin D measured increased from 40.3% to 65.2%. Postoperative day-of-surgery calcium checks increased from 76.1% to 87.0%. Hypocalcaemia was detected in 26.8% of patients before and 30.43% of patients after protocol implementation. The postoperative component of the protocol was followed in 78.3% of patients. Limitations include low number of patients which precluded from analysis of the impact of the protocol on length of stay. Our protocol provides a foundation for preoperative risk stratification and prevention, early detection and subsequent management of hypocalcaemia in thyroidectomy patients. This aligns with enhanced recovery protocols. Moreover, we offer suggestions for others to build on this quality improvement project with the aim to further advance the perioperative care of thyroidectomy patients

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Protects β-Cells Against Apoptosis by Increasing the Activity of an Igf-2/Igf-1 Receptor Autocrine Loop

OBJECTIVE: The gluco-incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) protect beta-cells against cytokine-induced apoptosis. Their action is initiated by binding to specific receptors that activate the cAMP signaling pathway, but the downstream events are not fully elucidated. Here we searched for mechanisms that may underlie this protective effect. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed comparative transcriptomic analysis of islets from control and GipR(-/-);Glp-1-R(-/-) mice, which have increased sensitivity to cytokine-induced apoptosis. We found that IGF-1 receptor expression was markedly reduced in the mutant islets. Because the IGF-1 receptor signaling pathway is known for its antiapoptotic effect, we explored the relationship between gluco-incretin action, IGF-1 receptor expression and signaling, and apoptosis. RESULTS: We found that GLP-1 robustly stimulated IGF-1 receptor expression and Akt phosphorylation and that increased Akt phosphorylation was dependent on IGF-1 but not insulin receptor expression. We demonstrated that GLP-1-induced Akt phosphorylation required active secretion, indicating the presence of an autocrine activation mechanism; we showed that activation of IGF-1 receptor signaling was dependent on the secretion of IGF-2. We demonstrated, both in MIN6 cell line and primary beta-cells, that reducing IGF-1 receptor or IGF-2 expression or neutralizing secreted IGF-2 suppressed GLP-1-induced protection against apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: An IGF-2/IGF-1 receptor autocrine loop operates in beta-cells. GLP-1 increases its activity by augmenting IGF-1 receptor expression and by stimulating secretion; this mechanism is required for GLP-1-induced protection against apoptosis. These findings may lead to novel ways of preventing beta-cell loss in the pathogenesis of diabetes

Post-Renal Transplant Diabetes Mellitus in Korean Subjects: Superimposition of Transplant-Related Immunosuppressant Factors on Genetic and Type 2 Diabetic Risk Factors

Postrenal transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM), or new-onset diabetes after organ transplantation, is an important chronic transplant-associated complication. Similar to type 2 diabetes, decreased insulin secretion and increased insulin resistance are important to the pathophysiologic mechanism behind the development of PTDM. However, β-cell dysfunction rather than insulin resistance seems to be a greater contributing factor in the development of PTDM. Increased age, family history of diabetes, ethnicity, genetic variation, obesity, and hepatitis C are partially accountable for an increased underlying risk of PTDM in renal allograft recipients. In addition, the use of and kinds of immunosuppressive agents are key transplant-associated risk factors. Recently, a number of genetic variants or polymorphisms susceptible to immunosuppressants have been reported to be associated with calcineurin inhibition-induced β-cell dysfunction. The identification of high risk factors of PTDM would help prevent PTDM and improve long-term patient outcomes by allowing for personalized immunosuppressant regimens and by managing cardiovascular risk factors