Why did hunting weapon design change at Abri Pataud? Lithic use-wear data on armature use and hafting around 24,000–22,000 BP

Projectile technology is commonly viewed as a significant contributor to past human subsistence and, consequently, to our evolution. Due to the allegedly central role of projectile weapons in the food-getting strategies of Upper Palaeolithic people, typo-technological changes in the European lithic record have often been linked to supposed developments in hunting weaponry. Yet, relatively little reliable functional data is currently available that would aid the detailed reconstruction of past weapon designs. In this paper, we take a use-wear approach to the backed tool assemblages from the Recent and Final Gravettian layers (Levels 3 and 2) of Abri Pataud (Dordogne, France). Our use of strict projectile identification criteria relying on combinations of low and high magnification features and our critical view of the overlap between production and use-related fractures permitted us to confidently identify a large number of used armatures in both collections. By isolating lithic projectiles with the strongest evidence of impact and by recording wear attributes on them in detail, we could establish that the hunting equipment used during the Level 3 occupations involved both lithic weapon tips and composite points armed with lithic inserts. By contrast, the Level 2 assemblage reflects a heavy reliance on composite points in hunting reindeer and other game. Instead of an entirely new weapon design, the Level 2 collection therefore marks a shift in weapon preferences. Using recent faunal data, we discuss the significance of the observed diachronic change from the point of view of prey choice, seasonality, and social organisation of hunting activities. Our analysis shows that to understand their behavioural significance, typo-technological changes in the lithic record must be viewed in the light of functional data and detailed contextual information.

Biosecurity and post-arrival pathways in New Zealand: relating alien organism detections to tourism indicators

Between-country tourism is established as a facilitator of the spread of invasive alien species; however, little attention has been paid to the question of whether tourism contributes to the arrival and subsequent dispersal of exotic organisms within national borders. To assess the strength of evidence that tourism is a driver for the accidental introducing and dispersal of exotic organisms, we sourced three national databases covering the years 2011 to 2017, namely international and domestic hotel guest nights and national population counts, along with records of exotic organism detections collected by the Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand’s government agency that oversees biosecurity. We fitted statistical models to assess the strength of the relationship between monthly exotic organism interception rate, guest nights and population, the latter as a baseline. The analysis showed that levels of incursion detection were significantly related to tourism records reflecting the travel of both international and domestic tourists, even when population was taken into account. There was also a significant positive statistical correlation between the levels of detection of exotic organisms and human population. The core take-home message is that a key indicator of within-country human population movement, namely the number of nights duration spent in specific accommodation, is statistically significantly correlated to the contemporaneous detection of exotic pests. We were unable to distinguish between the effects of international as opposed to domestic tourists. We conclude that this study provides evidence of impact of within-country movement upon the internal spread of exotic species, although important caveats need to be considered.

Blood parasites in sympatric lizards: what is their impact on hosts’ immune system?

Assessment of parasites and their pathogenicity is essential for studying the ecology of populations and understanding their dynamics. In this study, we investigate the prevalence and intensity of infection of haemogregarines (phylum Apicomplexa) in two sympatric lizard species, Podarcis vaucheri and Scelarcis perspicillata, across three localities in Morocco, and their effect on host immune response. We used the Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) skin testing technique to relate the level of immune response with parasite infection. Prevalence and intensity levels were estimated with microscopy, and 18S rRNA gene sequences were used to confirm parasite identity. All parasites belong to the haemogregarine lineage found in other North African reptiles. There were differences in prevalence between localities and sexes. Overall, infected lizards were larger than uninfected ones, although we did not detect differences in parasitaemia across species, sex or locality. The swelling response was not related to the presence or number of haemogregarines, or to host body size, body condition, sex or species. We found no evidence of impact for these parasites on the circulating blood cells or the hosts’ immune system, but more data is needed to assess the potential impact of mixed infections, and the possibility of cryptic parasite species.

Evaluation in Impact Investing

The emergence of impact investing over the past decade has been accompanied by an increased interest of practitioners and scholars in the impact evaluation topic, one of the twofold pillars of the such an innovative financial approach. To contribute to the international debate, this study adopts a qualitative approach by obtaining results from a systematic literature review of extant research. This is useful to 1) identify the current existing impact evaluation approaches adopted in the field and 2) derive an empirical analysis in the impact investing sector with a focus on impact measurement in social impact bonds. The study opens interesting insights into recognizing the potential for the whole impact investing field, deriving both from theory and evidence of impact evaluation practices.

Lost Work Opportunity Score Predicts Health in Retirement

Objectives Under-reporting of unemployment or forced retirement has consequences for measuring the impacts of job changes on health at retirement. We analyzed a comprehensive three-part measure of lost work opportunity for evidence of impact on health. Methods We combined variables from the Health and Retirement Study for 2,576 respondents assessing unemployment, forced retirement, and earlier than planned retirement into a single lost work opportunity score (LOS). We evaluated the reliability and unidimensionality of the LOS. We conducted multivariate regression to assess health impacts controlling for age, gender, education, race, ethnicity, and prior health status. Results The Cronbach’s Alpha for the LOS was a = 0.76 and the LOS variables primarily loaded onto a single component demonstrating undimensionality. The LOS significantly predicted self-reported health (⃞ = .16; p < .001) with higher lost work associated with negative health outcomes (Cox and Snell R2 = 0.07). The LOS score significantly predicted mental health declines (⃞ = .07; p = .002)(Cox and Snell R2 = 0.07). Discussion Population-level data indicates that health declines following both unemployment and retirement, but there is ample evidence that early or planned retirements do not show the same negative health impacts. We examined the health impact of retirement using the construct of lost work opportunity rather than voluntary or involuntary retirement, per se. Our findings indicate that as much as 7% of negative health changes in the early retirement years could be attributable to employment changes that were unplanned or experienced as outside the retiree's control.

Takore i te Kai Ava’ava (Quit smoking), a mCessation Program Adapted for the Cook Islands: Indicators of Potential for Tobacco Control

Mobile phone–based smoking cessation interventions (mCessation) are an established evidence-based intervention designed to support smokers to quit. Evidence of impact to date is modestly positive but skewed in favor of high-resourced countries, with less evidence of value added to low-resourced settings. Takore i te Kai Ava’ava, a text message–based smoking cessation program, was delivered to smokers living on the island of Rarotonga in 2019. Eighty-eight smokers consented to take part. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire about current smoking behavior and previous quit attempts; follow-up measures at 2 months assess quit attempts feedback on the program. Thirty-two people completed the follow-up interviews; 10 (31%) had not smoked in the past 7 days, 23 (72%) reported a serious quit attempt, and 29 (91%) felt the program was effective for the Cook Islands. Takore i te Kai Ava’ava was deemed to be highly acceptable and potentially cost-effective.

The evidence of impact and ethical considerations of Multimodal Learning Analytics: A Systematic Literature Review

There is a growing interest in the research and use of multimodal data in learning analytics. This paper presents a systematic literature review of multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) research to assess i) the available evidence of impact on learning outcomes in real-world contexts and ii) explore the extent to which ethical considerations are addressed. A few recent literature reviews argue for the promising value of multimodal data in learning analytics research. However, our understanding of the challenges associated with MMLA research from real-world teaching and learning environments is limited. To address this gap, this paper provides an overview of the evidence of impact and ethical considerations stemming from an analysis of the relevant MMLA research published in the last decade. The search of the literature resulted in 663 papers, of which 100 were included in the final synthesis. The results show that the evidence of real-world impact on learning outcomes is weak, and ethical aspects of MMLA work are rarely addressed. We discuss our results through the lenses of two theoretical frameworks for evidence of impact types and ethical dimensions of MMLA. We conclude that for MMLA to stay relevant and become part of mainstream education, future research should directly address the gaps identified in this review.

Unravelling the Spatial and Temporal Plasticity of Eelgrass Meadows

The phenotypic plasticity of seagrasses enables them to adapt to changes in environmental conditions and withstand or recover from disturbance. This plasticity was demonstrated in the large variation recorded throughout a suite of bioindicators measured within Zostera marina meadows around Wales and SW England, United Kingdom. Short-term spatial data were analysed alongside long-term monitoring data to determine which bioindicators best described the status of eelgrass meadows subjected to a range of environmental and anthropogenic drivers. Shoot density, leaf length, leaf nutrients (C:N ratio, %N, %P) including stable isotope of δ13C and δ15N provided insight into the longer-term status of the meadows studied and a good indication of the causes of long-term decline. Meadows ranged from those in the Isles of Scilly with little evidence of impact to those in Littlewick in Milford Haven, Wales that showed the highest levels of impacts of all sites. Bioindicators at Littlewick showed clear warning signs of nutrient loading reflected in the long-term decline in shoot density, and prevalence of wasting disease. This study highlights the need for continuous consistent monitoring and the benefits of using extra tools in the form of shoot nutrient analysis to determine causes of decline.

Evidence and Lessons Learned Regarding the Effect of Equitable Quality Education on ‘Open Society’

The purpose of this review is to assist FCDO in understanding the evidence of impact and any valuable lessons regarding the effect equitable quality education can have on ‘open society’. The search revealed that there is a considerable volume of evidence which focuses on education’s ability to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, boost employability and achieve better health outcomes. There is less which focuses on the aspects of ‘open society’ as defined in this paper. The scope of this review was narrowed to focus upon areas of the ‘open society’ definition where the most evidence does exist, given the timeframe for the review. The scope was narrowed to focus on: democracy, civic engagement, and social cohesion. The review of the literature found strong evidence that equitable quality education can have a range of positive impacts on democracy (specifically, its institutions and processes), civic engagement and social cohesion. There is a considerable body of evidence which indicates that there is a correlation between equitable quality education and benefits to societies (more peaceful, higher levels of trust, greater participation in politics, etc). However, there was no clear evidence that investment in equitable quality education directly leads to positive societal outcomes. This is because there are so many other factors to account for in attempting to prove causation. The lack of rigorous studies which attempt to attribute causation demonstrates a clear evidence gap. It is important to note that education systems themselves are politicised and cannot be divorced from the political process. The extent to which education can impact positively on open society depends a great deal on the value education has within the political system in which it is operating.

The impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations and factors shaping how they work: a systematic review of reviews

Background Policymakers in many countries promote collaboration between health care organizations and other sectors as a route to improving population health. Local collaborations have been developed for decades. Yet little is known about the impact of cross-sector collaboration on health and health equity. Methods We carried out a systematic review of reviews to synthesize evidence on the health impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations, and to understand the factors affecting how these partnerships functioned. We searched four databases and included 36 studies (reviews) in our review. We extracted data from these studies and used Nvivo 12 to help categorize the data. We assessed risk of bias in the studies using standardized tools. We used a narrative approach to synthesizing and reporting the data. Results The 36 studies we reviewed included evidence on varying forms of collaboration in diverse contexts. Some studies included data on collaborations with broad population health goals, such as preventing disease and reducing health inequalities. Others focused on collaborations with a narrower focus, such as better integration between health care and social services. Overall, there is little convincing evidence to suggest that collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations improves health outcomes. Evidence of impact on health services is mixed. And evidence of impact on resource use and spending are limited and mixed. Despite this, many studies report on factors associated with better or worse collaboration. We grouped these into five domains: motivation and purpose, relationships and cultures, resources and capabilities, governance and leadership, and external factors. But data linking factors in these domains to collaboration outcomes is sparse. Conclusions In theory, collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations might contribute to better population health. But we know little about which kinds of collaborations work, for whom, and in what contexts. The benefits of collaboration may be hard to deliver, hard to measure, and overestimated by policymakers. Ultimately, local collaborations should be understood within their macro-level political and economic context, and as one component within a wider system of factors and interventions interacting to shape population health.