A Report from Rapa Nui by Grant McCall

It has been 15 years (1985-6) since I was last on Rapanui to live and research and there have been changes a plenty. I usually reply just as well, since why else would I return but to study those changes? My first social anthropological research was as a Ph. D. student at the Australian National University, when I arrived on 1 April 1972 to study a culture that no longer existed but had been invented over the previous century.</p

THE EDGE OF PARADISE. AMERICA IN MICRONESIA (Review)

THE EDGE OF PARADISE. AMERICA IN MICRONESIA. by P. F. Kluge A Kolowalu Book University of Hawaii Press, 1991, $15.95 (Paperback) Reyiew by Grant McCall </p

CD-ROM Resources (Review)

CD-ROM RESOURCES Review by GRANT MCCALL Centre for South Pacific Studies University of New South Wales I have been meaning to write this summary review for some time and it takes a period of research on Rapanui to give me the space to put together my thoughts on some CD-ROM resources that have been produced in the last few years. These offer both specialist and generalist information on the Pacific Islands and, especially, Rapanui.</p

A Fine Time on the Volcano

PACIFIC 2000, The latest in a superb line of conferences with Rapanui at their core, took place on the slopes of a sleeping volcano, at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kamuela.</p

Prehistoric Myths in Modern Political Philosophy

This book looks at how modern philosophers pass on myths about prehistory. Why do political philosophers talk so much about the Stone Age? The state of nature, the origin of property, the origin of government, and the primordial nature of inequality and war are popular topics in political philosophy, but are they being used as more than just illustrative examples? Does the best available evidence from archaeology and anthropology support or conflict with the stories being passed on by political philosophers? This book presents a philosophical look at the origin of civilization, examining political theories to show how claims about prehistory are used and presents evidence that much of what we think we know about human origins comes not from scientific investigation but from the imagination of philosophers

A Good Life in Later Years: A Co-Produced Research Project

The &lsquo;A Good Life Project&rsquo; evolved as a co-production study looking at quality of life in later years. Funded by the Life Changes Trust, and in partnership with Age Scotland, researchers from the University of Stirling worked hand in hand with community researchers all over Scotland to explore what really matters to people as they grow older

Leaf Herbivory Induces Resistance Against Florivores In \u3ci\u3eRaphanus sativus\u3c/i\u3e

Florivory can have significant negative effects on plant fitness, driving selection for resistance traits in flowers. In particular, herbivory to leaves may induce resistance in flowers because herbivores on leaves often become florivores on flowers as plant ontogeny proceeds. The literature on inducible resistance in floral tissues is limited, so we used a series of experiments to determine whether prior leaf damage by Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) caterpillars affected florivore preference and performance on wild radish (Raphanus sativus L.). We found that Spodoptera exigua larvae preferred petals from control plants versus petals from plants exposed to prior leaf damage, and that larvae gained more mass on petals from control plants, although this depended on the presence of anthocyanins in the petals. Our results suggest that leaf damage can induce changes in petals that reduce Spodoptera exigua larval fitness

What works in co-producing assistive technology solutions with older people: A scoping review of the evidence

Assistive technology for older people promises much, but the research evidence suggests that it delivers little. One hypothesis to explain the lack of positive impact is that assistive technology is often implemented with little involvement of older people or other stakeholders, such as family members or care staff. The suggestion is that co-production may ensure that assistive technology solutions are better tailored to people's needs, capacities and living situations. In this article, we review existing studies to examine what works in co-production in relation to processes of design and implementation of assistive technology for older people. Our results show a growing interest in co-production as an approach in this field, with a wide range of approaches being employed. We highlight a number of key lessons from the research, including key issues around who needs to be engaged in the co-production, as well as essential elements of the process itself. Our review suggests that there is considerable potential in using co-production to improve effectiveness of technological solutions to the challenges of age-related impairments. However, we also emphasise the need for more longitudinal research in this area, to examine whether such collaborative approaches can truly deliver the promise of assistive technology for older people

The microbiome and mosquito vectorial capacity: rich potential for discovery and translation

Microbiome research has gained considerable interest due to the emerging evidence of its impact on human and animal health. As in other animals, the gut-associated microbiota of mosquitoes affect host fitness and other phenotypes. It is now well established that microbes can alter pathogen transmission in mosquitoes, either positively or negatively, and avenues are being explored to exploit microbes for vector control. However, less attention has been paid to how microbiota affect phenotypes that impact vectorial capacity. Several mosquito and pathogen components, such as vector density, biting rate, survival, vector competence, and the pathogen extrinsic incubation period all influence pathogen transmission. Recent studies also indicate that mosquito gut-associated microbes can impact each of these components, and therefore ultimately modulate vectorial capacity. Promisingly, this expands the options available to exploit microbes for vector control by also targeting parameters that affect vectorial capacity. However, there are still many knowledge gaps regarding mosquito–microbe interactions that need to be addressed in order to exploit them efficiently. Here, we review current evidence of impacts of the microbiome on aspects of vectorial capacity, and we highlight likely opportunities for novel vector control strategies and areas where further studies are required