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About 3ieThe International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is an international grant-making NGO promoting evidence-informed development policies and programmes. We are the global leader in funding, producing and synthesising high-quality evidence of what works, for whom, why and at what cost. We believe that high-quality, policy-relevant evidence will help make development more effective and improve people's lives. 3ie in-house systematic reviews 3ie in-house systematic reviews appraise and synthesise the available high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of social and economic development interventions in low-and middle-income countries. 3ie's specialists follow scientifically recognised methods in conducting these reviews. They are quality assured according to internationally accepted standards. They are peer reviewed by members of an expert advisory group and three anonymous external reviewers. 3ie is providing leadership in demonstrating rigorous and innovative review methodologies, such as using theory-based approaches suited to informing policy and programming in the dynamic and challenging contexts of low-and middle-income countries.About this systematic review summary report 3ie systematic review summary reports distil key analyses and present the findings and recommendations of a full systematic review for policymakers and programme managers. The impact of education programmes on learning and school participation in low-and middle-income countries is based on a full review, Interventions for improving learning outcomes and access to education in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review, which is available on the 3ie website. The summary report was peer-reviewed internally and by members of the expert advisory group convened for the full review.

This Campbell systematic review examines the effects of payment for environmental services (PES) programmes on deforestation and poverty, and whether environmental and poverty reduction goals conflict with one another. The review summarizes evidence from 11 studies covering six PES programmes in four countries. The modest effectiveness of PES programmes means that they are not cost‐effective. Relative to the extensive investment to measure forest conditions, efforts to assess the effects of PES programmes on deforestation and poverty are limited and methodologically weak. Abstract We conducted a systematic review of studies on the impact of payments for environmental services (PES) that set natural forest conservation as the goal on deforestation and poverty in developing countries. The review is motivated by debates over whether the pursuits of conservation and poverty reduction in developing countries tend to conflict or whether they might be complementary. A search for rigorous impact evaluation studies identified eleven quantitative and nine associated qualitative evaluation studies assessing the effects of PES. The methodological rigor of these studies varied widely, meaning that the evidence base for the impact of PES policies is limited in both quantity and quality. Given the evidence available, we find little reason for optimism about the potential for current PES approaches to achieve both conservation and poverty reduction benefits jointly. We call for the production of high quality impact evaluations, using randomisation when possible, to assess whether the apparent incompatibility of conservation and poverty reduction might be overcome through programming innovations. Executive summary BACKGROUNDNatural forest preservation in the tropics, and thus in developing countries, must be an element of any effective effort to manage climate change. Forests serve as natural carbon sinks, which help to mitigate the effect of other carbon emissions. However, forest cover is being reduced and it is estimated that deforestation is responsible for 10‐17 per cent of global carbon emissions. Since 2007, governments have coordinated conservation efforts under the Reducing Emissions through Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative, which has led to the implementation of various programs designed to reduce the amount of forested land converted to other purposes.Payment for environmental services (PES) programs is one type of intervention commonly implemented under the REDD+ umbrella. PES programs allow for direct exchange between those demanding ‘environmental services’ such as protection or rehabilitation of natural forests and those in a position to provide them locally. While the primary goal of reducing deforestation is clear, the policy and academic literature debates the extent to which PES programs in developing countries should incorporate goals of poverty reduction. Some argue that the targeting of poverty goals will undermine conservation effectiveness (e.g., because behavioural change among poor...

Increasing levels of tissue hypoxia have been reported as a natural feature of the aging prostate gland and may be a risk factor for the development of prostate cancer. In this study, we have used PwR-1E benign prostate epithelial cells and an equivalently aged hypoxia-adapted PwR-1E sub-line to identify phenotypic and epigenetic consequences of chronic hypoxia in prostate cells. We have identified a significantly altered cellular phenotype in response to chronic hypoxia as characterized by increased receptor-mediated apoptotic resistance, the induction of cellular senescence, increased invasion and the increased secretion of IL-1 beta, IL6, IL8 and TNFalpha cytokines. In association with these phenotypic changes and the absence of HIF-1 alpha protein expression, we have demonstrated significant increases in global levels of DNA methylation and H3K9 histone acetylation in these cells, concomitant with the increased expression of DNA methyltransferase DMNT3b and gene-specific changes in DNA methylation at key imprinting loci. In conclusion, we have demonstrated a genome-wide adjustment of DNA methylation and histone acetylation under chronic hypoxic conditions in the prostate. These epigenetic signatures may represent an additional mechanism to promote and maintain a hypoxic-adapted cellular phenotype with a potential role in tumour development.

The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is an international grant-making NGO promoting evidence-informed development policies and programmes. We are the global leader in funding, producing and synthesising high-quality evidence of what works, for whom, why and at what cost. We believe that high-quality and policyrelevant evidence will make development more effective and improve people's lives. 3ie evidence gap maps 3ie evidence gap maps (EGMs) are thematic collections of information about impact evaluations or systematic reviews that measure the effects of international development policies and programmes. The maps present a visual overview of existing and ongoing studies in a sector or sub-sector in terms of the types of programmes evaluated and the outcomes measured. EGM reports provide all the supporting documentation for the maps themselves, including the background information for the theme of the map, the methods and results, including the protocols and the analysis of the results. 3ie EGMs are available through an online interactive platform on the 3ie website that allows users to explore the studies and reviews that are included. About this evidence gap map reportThis report summarises the methods and findings of an EGM on interventions that seek to improve state-society relations, which was developed by 3ie with funding from USAID and under contract with NORC at the University of Chicago. The online map can be found here.All of the content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not represent the opinions of 3ie, its donors, Board of Commissioners, NORC, USAID or the US government. Any errors and omissions are the sole responsibility of the authors. Any comments or queries should be directed to the corresponding author, Daniel Phillips dphillips@3ieimpact.org. AcknowledgementsWe gratefully acknowledge funding of this project from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the support of NORC at the University of Chicago for contract administration. We are grateful to colleagues who provided inputs at various stages of the map: Edoardo Masset, Annette Brown, Birte Snilstveit, Kristen Rankin, Jorge Hombrados, Francis Rathinam, Deepthy Menon and Diana Milena Lopez Avila. We would also like to thank the members of our advisory board: Eric Kramon, Jennifer Stuttle, Clare Mcloughlin, George Ingram and Leonard Wantchekon. We are grateful to staff at USAID and NORC at the University of Chicago who helped inform the map's development. Thanks also to all the authors who shared completed and ongoing papers and helped improve the map, as well as all those who helped by providing comments, in particular our external peer reviewer. All errors are authors' own.ii Summary BackgroundThe role of the state, the effectiveness of its institutions and its legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens are central to determining a country's prospects for stability and development. The critical importance of the state-society relationship to the global development agenda is undersco...

Growth arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6), identified in 1995, acts as the ligand to the Axl/Tyro3 family of tyrosine kinase receptors and exerts mitogenic activity when bound to these receptors. Overexpression of the Axl/Tyro3 receptor family has been found in breast, ovarian and lung tumours. Gas6 is upregulated 23-fold by progesterone acting through the progesterone receptor B (PRB). Recently, Gas6 has been shown to be a target for overexpression and amplification in breast cancer. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was used to determine the levels of Gas6 mRNA expression in 49 primary breast carcinomas. Expression of PRB protein was evaluated immunohistochemically with a commercially available PRB antibody. The results showed a positive association between PRB protein and Gas6 mRNA levels (P ¼ 0.04). Gas6 correlated positively with a number of favourable prognostic variables including lymph node negativity (P ¼ 0.0002), younger age at diagnosis (P ¼ 0.04), smaller size of tumours (P ¼ 0.02), low Nottingham prognostic index scores (P ¼ 0.03) and low nuclear morphology (P ¼ 0.03). This study verifies for the first time the association between PRB and Gas6 in breast cancer tissue.

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