Cartography, territory, property: postcolonial reflections on indigenous counter-mapping in Nicaragua and Belize

The attention given to indigenous peoples' use of maps to make claims to land and rights of self-government raises the question: what exactly it is that these maps do? This paper outlines an analytic for examining indigenous mapping projects, drawing upon two prominent instances - by the Maya of Belize and the Mayangna community of Awas Tingni in Nicaragua - where human rights lawsuits have been woven together with participatory mapping. In each case, map-making was intricately linked to the formulation of legal claims, resulting in a pair of much-celebrated maps and legal precedents regarding the recognition of indigenous land rights. We argue that these strategies do not reverse colonial social relations so much as they rework them. Notwithstanding the creativity expressed through these projects, they remain oriented by the spatial configuration of modern politics: territory and property rights. This spatial configuration both accounts for and limits the power of indigenous cartography. This impasse is not a contradiction that can be resolved; rather, it constitutes an aporia for which there is no easy or clear solution. Nonetheless, it must be confronted

A.R.G. [curated by Farkas, Rozsa and Clark, Tom]

Charlotte Wainwright, David Marsden, Funa Ye, Hannah Rowan, James Balmforth, Joe Farley, KatherineMelançon, Kyle Zeto, Lawrence Lek, Martin Lang, The No Collective & Tom Davies. Semblances of the natural occur in much of the work-surrounding a contemporary conversation on the aesthetisization of this as a lifestyle choice. The continued presence of representational distanciation in art and design (that which functions as an analogue of action) is increased via the context in which work is shown. And surprisingly this is evermore the case as image becomes participatory, as pictorial language becomes expressly relational

Influence of medium range transport of particles from nucleation burst on particle number concentration within the urban airshed

An elevated particle number concentration (PNC) observed during nucleation events could play a significant contribution to the total particle load and therefore to the air pollution in the urban environments. Therefore, a field measurement study of PNC was commenced to investigate the temporal and spatial variations of PNC within the urban airshed of Brisbane, Australia. PNC was monitored at urban (QUT), roadside (WOO) and semi-urban (ROC) areas around the Brisbane region during 2009. During the morning traffic peak period, the highest relative fraction of PNC reached about 5% at QUT and WOO on weekdays. PNC peaks were observed around noon, which correlated with the highest solar radiation levels at all three stations, thus suggesting that high PNC levels were likely to be associated with new particle formation caused by photochemical reactions. Wind rose plots showed relatively higher PNC for the NE direction, which was associated with industrial pollution, accounting for 12%, 9% and 14% of overall PNC at QUT, WOO and ROC, respectively. Although there was no significant correlation between PNC at each station, the variation of PNC was well correlated among three stations during regional nucleation events. In addition, PNC at ROC was significantly influenced by upwind urban pollution during the nucleation burst events, with the average enrichment factor of 15.4. This study provides an insight into the influence of regional nucleation events on PNC in the Brisbane region and it the first study to quantify the effect of urban pollution on semi-urban PNC through the nucleation events. © 2012 Author(s)

Community pharmacy lifestyle intervention to increase physical activity and improve cardiovascular health of men with prostate cancer: a phase II feasibility study

Objectives: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a community pharmacy lifestyle intervention to improve physical activity and cardiovascular health of men with prostate cancer. To refine the intervention. Design: Phase II feasibility study of a complex intervention. Setting: Nine community pharmacies in UK. Intervention: Community pharmacy teams were trained to deliver a health assessment including fitness, strength and anthropometric measures. A computer algorithm generated a personalised lifestyle prescription for a home-based programme accompanied by supporting resources. The health assessment was repeated 12 weeks later and support phone calls were provided at weeks 1 and 6. Participants: 116 men who completed treatment for prostate cancer. Outcome measures: The feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and the delivery model were assessed by evaluating study processes (rate of participant recruitment, consent, retention, and adverse events), by analysing delivery data and semi-structured interviews with participants and by focus groups with pharmacy teams. Physical activity (measured with accelerometry at baseline, three and six months) and patient reported outcomes (activation, dietary intake, quality of life) were evaluated. Change in physical activity was used to inform the sample size calculations for a future trial. Results: Out of 403 invited men, 172 (43%) responded and 116 (29%) participated. Of these, 99 (85%) completed the intervention and 88 (76%) completed the six-month follow-up (attrition 24%). Certain components of the intervention were feasible and acceptable (e.g. community pharmacy delivery), while others were more challenging (e.g. fitness assessment) and will be refined for future studies. By three months, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) increased on average by 34 minutes (95%CI 6 to 62, P=0.018), but this was not sustained over six months. Conclusions: The community pharmacy intervention was feasible and acceptable. Results are encouraging and warrant a definitive trial to assess the effectiveness of the refined intervention

The Siconolfi step test: a valid and reliable assessment of cardiopulmonary fitness in older men with prostate cancer

Background Assessing fitness and promoting regular physical activity can improve health outcomes and early recovery in prostate cancer. This is however, underutilised in clinical practice. The cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is increasingly being used pre-treatment to measure aerobic capacity and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak - a gold standard in cardiopulmonary fitness assessment). However, CPET requires expensive equipment and may not always be appropriate. The Siconolfi step test (SST) is simpler and cheaper, and could provide an alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of SST for predicting cardiopulmonary fitness in men with prostate cancer. Men were recruited to this two-centre study (Surrey and Newcastle, United Kingdom) after treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer. They had one or more of three risk factors: elevated blood pressure, overweight (BMI > 25), or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Cardiopulmonary fitness was measured using SST and cycle ergometry CPET, at two visits three months apart. The validity of SST was assessed by comparing it to CPET. The VO2peak predicted from SST was compared to the VO2peak directly measured with CPET. The reliability of SST was assessed by comparing repeated measures. Bland-Altman analysis was used to derive limits of agreement in validity and reliability analysis. Results Sixty-six men provided data for both SST and CPET. These data were used for validity analysis. 56 men provided SST data on both visits. These data were used for reliability analysis. SST provided valid prediction of the cardiopulmonary fitness in men > 60 years old. The average difference between CPET and SST was 0.64 ml/kg/min with non-significant positive bias towards CPET (P = 0.217). Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement of SST with CPET were ± 7.62 ml/kg/min. SST was reliable across the whole age range. Predicted VO2peak was on average 0.53 ml/kg/min higher at Visit 2 than at Visit 1 (P = 0.181). Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement between repeated SST measures were ± 5.84 ml/kg/min. Conclusions SST provides a valid and reliable alternative to CPET for the assessment of cardiopulmonary fitness in older men with prostate cancer. Caution is advised when assessing men 60 years old or younger because the VO2peak predicted with SST was significantly lower than that measured with CPET

Multimodal Prehabilitation During Neoadjuvant Therapy Prior to Esophagogastric Cancer Resection:Effect on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test Performance, Muscle Mass and Quality of Life—A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy reduces fitness, muscle mass, and quality of life (QOL). For patients undergoing chemotherapy and surgery for esophagogastric cancer, maintenance of fitness is paramount. This study investigated the effect of exercise and psychological prehabilitation on anaerobic threshold (AT) at cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Secondary endpoints included peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2), skeletal muscle mass, QOL, and neoadjuvant therapy completion.Methods: This parallel-arm randomized controlled trial assigned patients with locally advanced esophagogastric cancer to receive prehabilitation or usual care. The 15-week program comprised twice-weekly supervised exercises, thrice-weekly home exercises, and psychological coaching. CPET was performed at baseline, 2 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy, and 1 week preoperatively. Skeletal muscle cross-sectional area at L3 was analyzed on staging and restaging computed tomography. QOL questionnaires were completed at baseline, mid-neoadjuvant therapy, at restaging laparoscopy, and postoperatively at 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months.Results: Fifty-four participants were randomized (prehabilitation group, n = 26; control group, n = 28). No difference in AT between groups was observed post-neoadjuvant therapy. Prehabilitation resulted in an attenuated peak VO2 decline {−0.4 [95% confidence interval (CI) −0.8 to 0.1] vs. −2.5 [95% CI −2.8 to −2.2] mL/kg/min; p = 0.022}, less muscle loss [−11.6 (95% CI −14.2 to −9.0) vs. −15.6 (95% CI −18.7 to −15.4) cm2/m2; p = 0.049], and improved QOL. More prehabilitation patients completed neoadjuvant therapy at full dose [prehabilitation group, 18 (75%) vs. control group, 13 (46%); p = 0.036]. No adverse events were reported.Conclusions: This study has demonstrated some retention of cardiopulmonary fitness (peak VO2), muscle, and QOL in prehabilitation subjects. Further large-scale trials will help determine whether these promising findings translate into improved clinical and oncological outcomes. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02950324.</p