The Land Question in Amazonia: Cadastral Knowledge and Ignorance in Brazil’s Tenure Regularization Program

In the Brazilian Amazon, a quest˜ao fundi´aria (the land question) has been asked and answered in a variety of ways since the region was opened up tolarge-scale migration and development projects in the 1960s. The question of who is entitled to land and under what conditions is at the heart ofmost debates concerning the region’s future, but recent attempts to reform and simplify rural land tenure in Amazonia confront a history of contradictory land-use policies and a legacy of impunity. In response to economic and demographic pressures, the Brazilian state aims to combat the illicit occupation, sale, and transformation of lands. This article presents an ethnographic approach to the land question in Amazonia by studying the knowledgemaking practices associated with the Programa Terra Legal (Legal Land Program), Brazil’s effort to create a cadastral registry for rural holdings in the region. It argues that tenure regularization dedicated to securing smallholders’ rights and to instituting environmental regulations is being used by rural elites as a mechanism to accumulate land and power. By showing how a reform program gets remade in the thrall of local interests and vernacular dispositions of property, this article reveals how knowledge both illuminates and obscures subjects of governance

Dual antibiotics for bronchiectasis

Background Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterised by abnormal and irreversible dilatation of the smaller airways and associated with a mortality rate greater than twice that of the general population. Antibiotics serve as front-line therapy for managing bacterial load, but their use is weighed against the development of antibiotic resistance. Dual antibiotic therapy has the potential to suppress infection from multiple strains of bacteria, leading to more successful treatment of exacerbations, reduced symptoms, and improved quality of life. Further evidence is required on the efficacy of dual antibiotics in terms of management of exacerbations and extent of antibiotic resistance. Objectives To evaluate the effects of dual antibiotics in the treatment of adults and children with bronchiectasis. Search methods We identified studies from the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register (CAGR), which includes the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), and PsycINFO, as well as studies obtained by handsearching of journals/abstracts. We also searched the following trial registries: US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. We imposed no restriction on language of publication. We conducted our search in October 2017. Selection criteria We searched for randomised controlled trials comparing dual antibiotics versus a single antibiotic for short-term (< 4 weeks) or long-term management of bronchiectasis diagnosed in adults and/or children by bronchography, plain film chest radiography, or high-resolution computed tomography. Primary outcomes included exacerbations, length of hospitalisation, and serious adverse events. Secondary outcomes were response rates, emergence of resistance to antibiotics, systemic markers of infection, sputum volume and purulence, measures of lung function, adverse events/effects, deaths, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life. We did not apply outcome measures as selection criteria. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently screened the titles and abstracts of 287 records, along with the full text of seven reports. Two studies met review inclusion criteria. Two review authors independently extracted outcome data and assessed risk of bias. We extracted data from only one study and conducted GRADE assessments for the following outcomes: successful treatment of exacerbation; response rates; and serious adverse events. Main results Two randomised trials assessed the effectiveness of oral plus inhaled dual therapy versus oral monotherapy in a total of 118 adults with a mean age of 62.8 years. One multi-centre trial compared inhaled tobramycin plus oral ciprofloxacin versus ciprofloxacin alone, and one single-centre trial compared nebulised gentamicin plus systemic antibiotics versus a systemic antibiotic alone. Published papers did not report study funding sources. Effect estimates from one small study with 53 adults showed no evidence of treatment benefit with oral plus inhaled dual therapy for the following primary outcomes at the end of the study: successful management of exacerbation - cure at day 42 (odds ratio (OR) 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22 to 2.01; 53 participants; one study; very low-quality evidence); number of participants with Pseudomonas aeruginosa eradication at day 21 (OR 2.33, 95% CI 0.66 to 8.24; 53 participants; one study; very low-quality evidence); and serious adverse events (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.08 to 2.87; 53 participants; one study; very low-quality evidence). Similarly, researchers provided no evidence of treatment benefit for the following secondary outcomes: clinical response rates - relapse at day 42 (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.12 to 2.69; 53 participants; one study; very low-quality evidence); microbiological response rate at day 21 - eradicated (OR 2.40, 95% CI 0.67 to 8.65; 53 participants; one study; very low-quality evidence); and adverse events - incidence of wheeze (OR 5.75, 95% CI 1.55 to 21.33). Data show no evidence of benefit in terms of sputum volume, lung function, or antibiotic resistance. Outcomes from a second small study with 65 adults, available only as an abstract, were not included in the quantitative data synthesis. The included studies did not report our other primary outcomes: duration; frequency; and time to next exacerbation; nor our secondary outcomes: systemic markers of infection; exercise capacity; and quality of life. We did not identify any trials that included children. Authors' conclusions A small number of studies in adults have generated high-quality evidence that is insufficient to inform robust conclusions, and studies in children have provided no evidence. We identified only one dual-therapy combination of oral and inhaled antibiotics. Results from this single trial of 53 adults that we were able to include in the quantitative synthesis showed no evidence of treatment benefit with oral plus inhaled dual therapy in terms of successful treatment of exacerbations, serious adverse events, sputum volume, lung function, and antibiotic resistance. Further high-quality research is required to determine the efficacy and safety of other combinations of dual antibiotics for both adults and children with bronchiectasis, particularly in terms of antibiotic resistance

An approach to the control of disease transmission in pig-to-human xenotransplantation.

Abstract: Although several major immunologic hurdles need to be overcome, the pig is currently considered the most likely source animal of cells, tissues and organs for transplantation into humans. Concerns have been raised with regard to the potential for the transfer of infectious agents with the transplanted organ to the human recipient. This risk is perceived to be increased as it is likely that the patient will be iatrogenically immunocompromised and the organ-source pig may be genetically engineered in such a way to render its organs particularly susceptible to infection with human viruses. Furthermore, the risk may not be restricted to the recipient, but may have consequences for the health of others in the community. The identification of porcine endogenous retroviruses and of hitherto unknown viruses have given rise to the most concern. We document here the agents we believe should be excluded from the organ-source pigs. We discuss the likelihood of achieving this aim and outline the potential means by which it may best be achieved

Differentiating the Democratic Performance of the west

Abstract. It is a commonplace of comparative politics that the democratic performance of the established democracies of the West is both uniform and superior to that of other democracies across the globe. This commonplace both reflects and reinforces the mainstream measures of democracy, like those of Freedom House or Polity III, that fail to differentiate the democratic performance of the West. This article examines this commonplace by deploying the measures of democratic performance contained in the newly constructed Database of Liberal Democratic Performance, and uses descriptive statistics (means and variance) to compare the performance of individual Western democracies, as well as the West overall with the &apos;rest&apos;. The Database is designed to capture a wider normative range of performance than the mainstream measures, and shows that the performance of the West is neither uniform nor superior in every respect, especially with regard to civil and minority rights. These findings are explored and confirmed by comparative case studies of minorities in the criminal justice systems of those Western democracies that tend to perform worst in this respect. In conclusion, it is suggested that the findings may begin to change the way we view the relationships between economic growth and democracy, political culture and democracy, and even constitutional design and democracy

Social media and protest mobilization: evidence from the Tunisian revolution

This article explores how social media acted as a catalyst for protest mobilization during the Tunisian revolution in late 2010 and early 2011. Using evidence from protests we argue that social media acted as an important resource for popular mobilization against the Ben Ali regime. Drawing on insights from “resource mobilization theory”, we show that social media (1) allowed a “digital elite” to break the national media blackout through brokering information for mainstream media; (2) provided a basis for intergroup collaboration for a large “cycle of protest”; (3) reported event magnitudes that raised the perception of success for potential free riders, and (4) provided additional “emotional mobilization” through depicting the worst atrocities associated with the regime’s response to the protests. These findings are based on background talks with Tunisian bloggers and digital activists and a revealed preference survey conducted among a sample of Tunisian internet users (February–May 2012)

Urnas y ánforas biodegradables “Tree Pets Memory"

Hoy en día las mascotas han pasado a ser parte esencial del núcleo familiar de las personas, por lo que es importante pensar en ellas de una forma especial en todo momento, inclusive en su etapa final. Es por esto que TreePets Memory nace ante la necesidad de la venta de urnas y ánforas pero con un sello biodegradable, en línea con los nuevos pensamientos y cuidados medioambientales que se están desarrollando en todo el mundo. Esto se llevará a cabo a partir de un producto ecológico para mantener las cenizas o el cuerpo de la mascota, a modo de transformar la muerte con un significado especial para las familias: a partir de estos recipientes, nacerá una planta/árbol como símbolo de retorno a la vida. Existen algunos países en el mundo que llevan un par de años masificando este tipo de productos, tales como España y Alemania (los principales exponentes), los que inclusive han abierto sus ventas exportando a distintos destinos dada la necesidad del cliente de contar son un producto especial para estos casos. Para el caso particular de Chile, este es un negocio poco explotado, así como también servicios complementarios que pueden ayudar a entregar una experiencia más simbólica considerando el dolor que existe detrás de esta etapa inevitable en una mascota. Según los estudios y análisis realizados (encuestas, entrevistas, bibliografía, entre otros), se estima una demanda atractiva sobretodo en el mercado objetivo de las generaciones millennials y X que habitan en la Región Metropolitana, Región del Bio-bío y Región de Antofagasta, siendo por esto que el desarrollo financiero de Tree Pets Memory se llevará a cabo bajo una estructura de escalamiento anual, alcanzando en el cuarto año el 30% del mercado nacional y logrando en el quinto año el full potencial. La inversión requerida para alcanzar este objetivo es de 299.217 USD para la apertura de la bodega central en la Región Metropolitana y una 2da inversión en el año 2 de 412.306 USD para la apertura de bodegas en la zona Norte y Sur del país (ciudades de Concepción y Antofagasta respectivamente), con un VAN proyectado de 3,33 MUSD y la TIR es de 87% bajo una evaluación financiera a perpetuidad. Esto significa que las utilidades de esta empresa pueden llegar a ser muy atractivas para cualquier inversionista, siendo este el motivo para la solicitud de capital de 466.730 USD a cambio del 15% de la propiedad de la empresa.Versión original del auto

The history of Spanish democracy under debate

This special chapter, in the form of an epilogue, brings together the contributions of six experts who participated as commentators in the workshop on democracy in contemporary Spain that inspired this book. First, they reflect on the narrative of Spanish history with which they were familiar and to what extent they thought it should be revised since the proposals in the previous chapters. Second, they reflect on the relevance of approaching other spaces and scales than those traditionally used to study the processes of socialisation and political democratisation. In the second part of the chapter, an open debate was established between them and the authors of the other chapters of the book. Ultimately, the chapter is the result of those fruitful discussion sessions that were worth incorporating into the book. Their critical perspectives on the concept of democracy, the complexity of its diachronic analysis, the importance of geographical scales and their contributions on the democratising nature of the different social mobilisations they are familiar with go far beyond the interest that the book may have for specialists in Spanish historyMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidade

Inequality and Human Rights: Who Controls What, When, and How

This article tests the empirical relationship between inequality and the protection of personal integrity rights using a cross-national time-series data set for 162 countries for the years 1980?2004. The data comprise measures of land inequality, income inequality, and a combined factor score for personal integrity rights protection, while the analysis controls for additional sets of explanatory variables related to development, political regimes, ethnic composition, and domestic conflict. The analysis shows robust support for the empirical relationship between income inequality and personal integrity rights abuse across the whole sample of countries as well as for distinct subsets, including non-communist countries and non-OECD countries. The hypothesized effect of land inequality is also born out by the data, although its effects are less substantial and less robust across different methods of estimation. Additional variables with explanatory weight include the level of income, democracy, ethnic fragmentation, domestic conflict, and population size. Sensitivity analysis suggests that the results are not due to reverse causation, misspecification or omitted variable bias. The analysis is discussed in the context of inequality and rights abuse in specific country cases and the policy implications of the results are considered in the conclusion

Continuous versus intermittent antibiotics for bronchiectasis

Background Bronchiectasis is a chronic airway disease characterised by a destructive cycle of recurrent airway infection, inflammation and tissue damage. Antibiotics are a main treatment for bronchiectasis. The aim of continuous therapy with prophylactic antibiotics is to suppress bacterial load, but bacteria may become resistant to the antibiotic, leading to a loss of effectiveness. On the other hand, intermittent prophylactic antibiotics, given over a predefined duration and interval, may reduce antibiotic selection pressure and reduce or prevent the development of resistance. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the current evidence for studies comparing continuous versus intermittent administration of antibiotic treatment in bronchiectasis in terms of clinical efficacy, the emergence of resistance and serious adverse events. Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of continuous versus intermittent antibiotics in the treatment of adults and children with bronchiectasis, using the primary outcomes of exacerbations, antibiotic resistance and serious adverse events. Search methods On 1 August 2017 and 4 May 2018 we searched the Cochrane Airways Review Group Specialised Register (CAGR), CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and AMED. On 25 September 2017 and 4 May 2018 we also searched www.clinicaltrials.gov, the World Health Organization (WHO) trials portal, conference proceedings and the reference lists of existing systematic reviews. Selection criteria We planned to include randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adults or children with bronchiectasis that compared continuous versus intermittent administration of long-term prophylactic antibiotics of at least three months' duration. We considered eligible studies reported as full-text articles, as abstracts only and unpublished data. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently screened the search results and full-text reports. Main results We identified 268 unique records. Of these we retrieved and examined 126 full-text reports, representing 114 studies, but none of these studies met our inclusion criteria. Authors' conclusions No randomised controlled trials have compared the effectiveness and risks of continuous antibiotic therapy versus intermittent antibiotic therapy for bronchiectasis. High-quality clinical trials are needed to establish which of these interventions is more effective for reducing the frequency and duration of exacerbations, antibiotic resistance and the occurrence of serious adverse events. Plain language summary Are antibiotics more effective when given continuously or intermittently to people with bronchiectasis? Background Bronchiectasis is an incurable lung disease characterised by repeated chest infections. Antibiotics are a main form of treatment and can be taken long term to prevent chest infections from developing. This could be continuously or intermittently for a fixed period of time. However, we do not currently know which approach is the most effective for reducing the frequency and duration of exacerbations, managing antibiotic resistance and minimising side effects. Study Characteristics On 1 August 2017 we searched a wide range of sources to find clinical trials for our review. We found 268 potentially relevant results but on closer examination none of the studies met our review criteria and none could be included. Authors' conclusions There is no high-quality evidence about whether continuously administered or intermittently administered antibiotics are safer and more helpful for people with bronchiectasis. More research is needed to evaluate which one of these methods is better for reducing chest infections, limiting resistance to antibiotic therapy and reducing serious side effects

Factors associated with survival in small cell lung cancer: an analysis of real-world national audit, chemotherapy and radiotherapy data

Background: The mainstay of treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) involves platinum doublet chemotherapy but the optimal duration, 4 vs. 6 cycles, is not known. Concurrent thoracic radiotherapy followed by prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is recommended for fit individuals with limited stage. However, outside of clinical trials, the efficacy of sequential thoracic radiotherapy and PCI for extensive stage is uncertain.Methods: This retrospective, observational, cohort study used English national lung cancer data to determine the factors associated with survival for all people diagnosed with SCLC. More precisely, for individuals who received chemotherapy, we examined survival by the chemotherapy duration, thoracic radiotherapy dose and the use of PCI.Results: In total 6,438 people were diagnosed with SCLC. We identified that male sex (OR 0.7; 95% CI: 0.62–0.80), increasing age (P=0.01) greater comorbidity (P≤0.01), extensive stage (OR 0.21; 95% CI: 0.19–0.25) and worse performance status (PS2 vs. PS0 adjusted OR 0.38 95% CI: 0.31–0.48) were associated with reduced 1-year survival. Receipt of chemotherapy augmented survival. We analysed data for 1,761 people who had received chemotherapy. Thoracic radiotherapy (≥30 Gy for extensive stage and ≥40 Gy for limited stage) and PCI were independently associated with better survival (P≤0.01 for each), but 6 cycles of chemotherapy instead of 4 was not (limited stage adjusted OR 0.97; 95% CI: 0.48–1.97) extensive stage adjusted OR 1.34; 95% CI: 0.81–2.21).Conclusions: Extending chemotherapy beyond 4 cycles to 6 does not augment survival. Appropriately prescribed thoracic radiotherapy and PCI can prolong survival in both limited and extensive stage SCLC