bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public health expenditure, GDP and the elderly population: a comparative study
Authors: Pascual-Saez Marta , Cantarero-Prieto David , Castañeda Daniela
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The correlation between health care expenditure, gross domestic product (GDP) and population over 65 years (understood as share of the elderly) is a key question for health economics and demographic impact. The purpose of this paper is to study the role of ageing society to curb rising health care expenditures along the Spanish regions over the period 2002-2013, identifying their geographic differences and explain them based on GDP differences.

Design/methodology/approach

Cointegration technique is used in order to test if there is a statistically significant connection between variables.

Findings

They are similar to some obtained when using unit root test. In particular, the authors find how the elderly positively affects health care expenditure per capita.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that any cooperation policies should aim at improving the access of people to health care services based on public health care expenditures.

Originality/value

To the best of the knowledge this is one of the first studies which suggest different results by Spanish regions due to mature decentralized system in recent years.
Option valuation and hedging in markets with a crunch
Authors: El-Khatib Youssef , Hatemi-J Abdulnasser
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Option pricing is an integral part of modern financial risk management. The well-known Black and Scholes (1973) formula is commonly used for this purpose. The purpose of this paper is to extend their work to a situation in which the unconditional volatility of the original asset is increasing during a certain period of time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider a market suffering from a financial crisis. The authors provide the solution for the equation of the underlying asset price as well as finding the hedging strategy. In addition, a closed formula of the pricing problem is proved for a particular case. Furthermore, the underlying price sensitivities are derived.

Findings

The suggested formulas are expected to make the valuation of options and the underlying hedging strategies during a financial crisis more precise. A numerical application is provided for determining the premium for a call and a put European option along with the underlying price sensitivities for each option.

Originality/value

An alternative option pricing model is introduced that performs better than existing ones, especially during a financial crisis.
Does transparency mitigate the political budget cycle?
Authors: Herzog Bodo
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of transparency on the political budget cycle (PBC) over time and across countries. So far, the literature on electoral cycles finds evidence that cycles depend on the stage of an economy. However, the author shows – for the first time – a reliance of the budget cycle on transparency. The author uses a new data set consisting of 99 developing and 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. First, the author develops a model and demonstrates that transparency mitigates the political cycles. Second, the author confirms the proposition through the econometric assessment. The author uses time series data from 1970 to 2014 and discovers smaller cycles in countries with higher transparency, especially G8 countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Mathematical model and a respective econometric model testing.

Findings

First, the author shows in the theoretical model that higher transparency mitigates the PBC. Second, the author confirms the theoretical proposition through the econometric model. The author confirms that the countries with higher transparency have smaller budget cycles. Or technically, the author cannot reject the null-hypothesis that the budget cycles are different due to transparency.

Research limitations/implications

As explained in the paper: one issue is the data limitations in respect to the transparency measures. Data for Google are just available since 2004. Data for broadband-subscription are just on annual frequency. But both limitations can be tackled in the future. Hence, the findings are first evidence and a benchmark for future studies.

Practical implications

First, higher public transparency implies smaller budget cycles. In the end, this enhances the stability of economic and fiscal policy. Second, policy-makers have to consider the impact of higher transparency in respect to future election pledges. In a more transparent world, all voters can easily check the commitment of previous election pledges.

Social implications

Transparency helps to improve democracy and thus enhances the political credibility because it allows the voters to check the commitment of the elected policy-makers.

Originality/value

First, the author shows – for the first time – a reliance of the budget cycle on transparency. Second, the author is the first that build a new theoretical model that extends the existing literature in respect to transparency and the size of the budget cycle. Third, the author uses for the first time – in this literature – new internet-based data such as broadband-subscription and Google search data. Fourth, the author empirically proves the new hypothesis based on the new data sources.
The foreign exchange regime in a small open economy: Armenia and beyond
Authors: Gevorkyan Aleksandr V.
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Offering an example of a small open developing economy, the purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons for relative stability in Armenia’s foreign exchange market. Relying on a single currency and derived cross-currency exchange rates, the paper models short-term effects between exchange market pressure and financial and macroeconomic factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a literature review, the paper sets the macroeconomic context with an initial variance comparison of standard currency pairs and derived cross-currency exchange rates. Then, the core analysis is carried out with a vector error correction model, focusing on short-term cross-dynamics in monthly data. The orthogonal impulse response function analyses help solidify and further inform relevant conclusions.

Findings

Three broad factors influence Armenia’s foreign exchange market: external push factors; domestic banking sector competition, and foreign currency risk perceptions; and domestic macroeconomic and dual, cross-pair, exchange rate target priorities. The central bank’s implicit management of the foreign exchange market’s expectations, pull factor, is consistent with trader market power’s contribution to lower volatility. Yet, the risk of financial and real-sector decoupling remains.

Originality/value

The results are relevant for emerging markets attempting to leverage the global liquidity and low interest rates, while being exposed to external pressures in the post-crisis environment, in which international reserves may be scarce while currency stability is an implied priority. This study can be further adapted to a more comprehensive structural short-term analysis of currency determination or similar dynamics in other small open economies.
Evaluating the individual- and country-level variations in tax morale
Authors: Williams Colin C. , Krasniqi Besnik
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Recently, a small but burgeoning literature has argued that tax non-compliance cannot be fully explained using the conventional rational economic actor approach which views non-compliance as occurring when the pay-off is greater than the expected cost of being caught and punished. Instead, a social actor approach has emerged which views tax non-compliance as higher when “tax morale”, defined as the intrinsic motivation to pay taxes, is low. To advance this social actor model, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the individual and national heterogeneity in tax morale, which is crucial if tax compliance is to be improved.

Design/methodology/approach

To do this, the authors report data from the 2010 Life in Transition Survey on tax morale in 35 Eurasian countries.

Findings

Logit econometric analysis reveals, on the one hand, that there is higher tax morale among middle-aged, married, homeowners with children, with a university degree and employed, and on the other hand, that there is higher tax morale in more developed countries with stronger legal systems and less corruption, and higher levels of state intervention in the form of both taxation and expenditure.

Research limitations/implications

Rather than continue with the rational actor approach, this paper reveals that how an emergent social actor approach can help to more fully explain tax non-compliance and results in a different policy approach focused upon changing country-level economic and social conditions associated with low tax morale and thus non-compliance.

Practical implications

These results display the specific populations with low tax morale which need targeting when seeking to tackle tax non-compliance.

Originality/value

This paper provides a new way of explaining and tackling tax non-compliance in Eurasian countries.
Dynamic endogeneity and corporate governance-performance relationship
Authors: Thrikawala Sujani , Locke Stuart , Reddy Krishna
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and microfinance institution (MFI) performance, using a dynamic panel generalised method of moments (GMM) estimator to mitigate the serious issues with endogeneity.

Design/methodology/approach

Inconsistent findings and a general lack of empirical results for the microfinance industry leave an unclear message regarding the impacts of CG on MFI performance, especially in emerging economies. The authors use GMM estimation techniques to examine whether CG has an influence on MFI performance.

Findings

This study confirms that the MFIs’ contemporaneous performance and CG characteristics are statistically significantly positively linked with their past performance. This study finds statistically significant governance effects on MFI performance, including the presence of international directors and/or donor representatives on the board, client representatives on the board, percentage of non-executive directors and the quality of the national governance system.

Practical implications

These findings provide some insights for policy-makers and practitioners to develop suitable policies and guidelines to streamline MFIs’ operations in emerging countries. Moreover, national and international investors and donors may use these finding as a benchmark for their investment and funding decisions.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to estimate the CG and performance relationship of MFIs in a dynamic framework by applying the GMM estimation method. This approach improves upon traditional estimation methods by controlling the likely sources of endogeneity. Further, this paper examines whether quality of national-level governance characteristics is related to performance measures of profitability and outreach of MFIs.
Understanding factors affecting knowledge sharing
Authors: Rahman Safayet , Islam Md Zahidul , Abdullah Annie Dayani Ahad
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework of knowledge sharing for Bangladesh’s business organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of previous literature, this paper proposed a framework for knowledge sharing.

Findings

This paper identified organizational commitment as a potential mediator for the relationship between organizational factors (organizational culture, leadership and structure) and knowledge sharing. In this paper, top management support and information and communication technology (ICT) support are also proposed as potential moderators that can affect knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has identified several organizational factors to predict knowledge sharing. Future research with empirical evidence will validate this conceptual framework.

Practical implications

This paper will help business managers to understand knowledge sharing from a different perspective. Propositions of organizational commitment as a potential mediator and top management support and ICT support as potential moderators will provide managers with a better understanding of employees’ knowledge sharing behavior.

Originality/value

This paper adopted the general model of workplace commitment and integrated with organizational factors (organizational culture, leadership, structure, top management support and ICT support) to understand knowledge sharing for the business organizations of Bangladesh.
Exploring public sector planning for transformational government
Authors: Mawela Tendani , Twinomurinzi Hossana , Ochara Nixon Muganda
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the conceptualisation of the notion of transformational government that is emerging within the electronic government domain. It reviewed how transformational government is manifest in the policy and strategic commitments of government departments in South Africa. The study focused on understanding the role of public sector planning towards the attainment of transformational government.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is interpretive and qualitative in nature. It provides the outcomes of a deductive thematic analysis conducted on strategic documents of government departments to explore their alignment and support for transformational government.

Findings

The paper argues for the need for public sector planning that is focused on citizen benefit realisation. The results highlight the significance of strategic plans for developmental transformation. However, the planning instruments were found to have an inconsistent orientation towards transformational government.

Originality/value

The study is significant in light of the implications of public policy and the associated strategic plans for citizens. This paper also contributes to research on the nascent area of transformational government.
Scenario planning of electricity supply system: case of Iran
Authors: Heidari Alireza , Aslani Alireza , Hajinezhad Ahmad
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Energy has a strategic role in the social and economic development of countries. Affordability, accessibility and availability of energy sources are the priorities of the governments in energy supply. Therefore, understanding the robustness of energy supply is an important subject of energy researchers and policymakers. This paper aims to analyze the robustness of the electricity system at the national level.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis is implemented for a selected case study. Then, the expert panel weighed the parameters’ effect on sustainable power generation, the survey is quantified using fuzzy logic. Finally, cross functional analysis is applied to evaluate the influence/dependence of the parameters.

Findings

The results show three determinant parameters which have the most influence on the system: fluctuations in oil prices, governmental acts and sanctions against the country. The most dependent parameters, as objectives variables, are the share of renewables and distributed generation (DG), system reliability, power generation diversity and transmission efficiency.

Originality/value

Using future studies methods in the energy level at the nation level has been done for the first time in the current work.
Mineral development for growth: the case for a new mineral policy framework for Pakistan
Authors: Ashraf Hamid , Cawood Frederick
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The fundamental purpose of this research is to compare Pakistan’s mineral policy instrument with that of leading developing minerals-based economies and to highlight the gaps. Mineral resources development can act as an engine for country growth and have the potential to transform economies and societies. The extent to which such transformation takes place varies depending upon the method of their use.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducts a gap analysis between Pakistan and leading developing minerals-based economies to identify key policy gaps. Two basic principles were kept in mind with the choice of countries: first, only developing countries were considered and, second, at least two countries had to be Islamic. Eight developing countries Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, India, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Turkey were selected.

Findings

The most important finding of the exercise is that Pakistan’s mineral sector is lacking an enabling institutional, fiscal and regulatory framework for the optimal development of its mineral resources.

Practical implication

Pakistan’s mineral resources have the potential to expand its economy and benefit its citizens. For this to happen, Pakistan must first establish what beneficiation is realistically expected from its mineral resources and, second, formulate a mineral policy based on leading practices to attract mining investment and aim for a sector contribution to gross domestic product of 5 per cent.

Originality/value

This paper presents original work on how Pakistan should formulate its mineral policy to extract maximum benefit from its mineral resources.
Integrated reporting by South African companies: a case study
Authors: du Toit Elda , van Zyl Renier , Schütte Gina
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the long-term effect of integrated reporting on the quality of information. Investors and stakeholders rely on high-quality integrated reports to obtain social, environmental and ethical information for decision-making. A striking weakness found in recent research on integrated reports is the way certain items of social, environmental and ethical information are excluded while other items are repeated. There is accordingly much confusion, clutter and fragmentation in the integrated reporting landscape.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a detailed content review of the information companies report on, more insight can be gained into this question five years after the mandatory implementation of King III, which requires companies to provide integrated reports. This study used a similar approach to that of Solomon and Maroun (2012), reviewing the integrated reports of four companies with high social and environmental impact, over a period of three years (2012 to 2014).

Findings

The companies’ integrated reports were reviewed in terms of social, environmental and ethical items. The results indicate that there has been a distinct decrease in the amount of information provided in integrated reports but, more importantly, there still exists significant uncertainty as to the amount of reporting that is required.

Originality/value

The results of this study prove that regulators may have to provide more detailed guidelines as to the reporting duties of companies. It also indicates to managers that their approach to integrated reporting may have to be revised to ensure useful information is provided to stakeholders.
Integrated reporting and integrated thinking in Italian public sector organisations
Authors: Guthrie James , Manes-Rossi Francesca , Orelli Rebecca Levy
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the linkages between integrated reporting (IR) and organisations’ internal processes, specifically focusing on investigating the internal mechanisms of change that can lead organisations to adopt IR disclosure and how this impacts on integrated thinking internally.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws upon previous analysis and insights provided in the IR academic literature, as well as analysing several directives, policy and framework pronouncements. The study also draws on the management accounting change literature, using it as a lens to observe early adopters’ practice. In addition, it provides detailed case studies considering the internal processes of change in five early adopters of the integrated reporting framework () and whether the adoption leads to internal “integrated thinking”. Five Italian public sector organisations are analysed, and the authors make use of official documents, press releases and in-depth semi-structured interviews with the major internal actors.

Findings

The research highlights that the processes of change in organisations adopting IR is their adoption of a way of thinking, that is, integrated thinking, as a result of the process of internalisation.

Research limitations/implications

Given the short history of IR, this sample is small due to the small number of early adopters.

Originality/value

The paper provides academics and policymakers with insights into the process of change to be considered while adopting the  and responds to calls in the IR literature for further field-based studies on IR’s impact on internal processes. Also, the paper highlights that the European Directive on the disclosure of non-financial and diversity information (2014/95/EU) has the potential to increase environmental, social and governance disclosures amongst European companies.
Exploring the challenges of preparing an integrated report
Authors: McNally Mary-Anne , Cerbone Dannielle , Maroun Warren
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to add to the limited body of interpretive research on integrated reporting by exploring challenges to preparing an integrated report. This is done using an integrated thinking framework which stresses the importance of an interconnection between sustainability performance, proactive sustainability management and integrated reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

Detailed interviews with 26 preparers at 9 South African-based organisations highlight practical issues encountered when producing an integrated report.

Findings

Integrated reporting is not consistently seen as a natural part of the business process, despite the relevance of multiple types of capital for organisations’ business models. The new report format is imposed on existing internal processes and reporting protocols which precludes a broad understanding of the purpose of integrated reporting and limits the development of management control systems and a supporting accounting infrastructure. In this constrained environment, reporting guidelines are used as disclosure checklists, stakeholder engagement is limited, systems are not always compatible and data analysis is difficult. Preparers are also unconvinced that integrated reports are taken seriously by investors, further limiting the interconnection between sustainability performance and integrated reporting.

Research limitations/implications

Those charged with governance need to ensure that their organisations are identifying so-called non-financial issues as strategically relevant. Sustainability performance targets need to be clearly defined and linked to specific performance indicators. The management control systems and accounting infrastructure must be planned and developed to assist with the monitoring of sustainability performance and, in turn, to inform what information is included in integrated reports.

Originality/value

This study answers the calls for primary evidence on how integrated reports are prepared and the associated challenges. The findings add to the limited body of interpretive research on the functioning of corporate governance and accounting systems and offers practical insights for preparers and academics.
A research template to evaluate the degree of accountability of integrated reporting: a case study
Authors: Silvestri Antonella , Veltri Stefania , Venturelli Andrea , Petruzzelli Saverio
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The scope of the study is to analyze an Italian family firm operating in the transformation and marketing of durum wheat to investigate the degree of accountability of the integrated reporting (IR) disclosed by the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a case study approach proposing a specific research template to evaluate the implementation of IR depicting the role of three main dimensions: stakeholder involvement, business model and integration.

Findings

The paper enriches theoretical conceptualization of the implementation of IR proposing a new conceptual model that adds empirical findings to the literature on IR and at the same time addresses the call for studies of Dumayet al.(2016) to engage more with practice and development on IR.

Research limitations/implications

The use of a specific research framework constitutes both the main strength of the paper and also its main limit, as the dimensions of the framework have been chosen by the authors, and the observations and conclusions are based on the authors’ analysis under an interpretative approach.

Practical implications

The implementation of the same research framework to other organizational IR documents could allow comparisons to be expressed on the quality of the IR disclosed by different organizations and on the same organization in different periods of time.

Originality/value

The main originality of this paper is the creation and the employment of a specific template to analyze the degree of accountability of the case study selected representing a non-listed Italian company operating in the food industry.
The role of entrepreneurship education and training on creation of the knowledge economy
Authors: Gangi Yagoub Ali
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of Qatar with entrepreneurship education and training, and its contribution in creating a knowledge-based economy. By doing so, the paper will contribute towards raising awareness about the state of entrepreneurship education, training and the knowledge economy in Qatar.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design for this paper is a descriptive and interpretive case study that is analysed through qualitative methods. Secondary information is analysed through descriptive statistics.

Findings

The main finding of this paper is that although Qatar has launched many initiatives of entrepreneurship education and training to help diversify its economy by creating knowledge-based economy, the data show that there is some improvement in Qatar’s ranking in the Knowledge Economy Index.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study is the unavailability of secondary data for a long period of time.

Social implications

The main policy implication that can be derived from the findings of this paper is that entrepreneurship education and training alone cannot create a diversified and knowledge-based economy in a short period of time. In fact building a knowledge economy requires more than introduction of entrepreneurship education and training. In addition to entrepreneurship education it requires improvement in the national innovation system, large investment in information and communication technology and a good macroeconomic performance. Moreover, the success of entrepreneurship education and training in fulfilling its objective requires a comprehensive strategy to be implemented over a long period of time.

Originality/value

The paper represents an original work that links entrepreneurship education and training with the knowledge economy. This is the first paper that handles this issue in the context of Gulf countries.
The United Kingdom's Domestic Policy for Agriculture after Brexit
Authors: Hill Berkeley
Published: August 2017

The decision in June 2016 by the UK to leave the EU found government departments responsible for domestic agriculture without detailed plans for a post‐Brexit national agricultural policy. In February 2017, the Secretary of State indicated five broad ‘priorities’ that largely continue the direction of previous domestic policy. While agricultural trade issues must remain unsettled for some years, consideration can be given now to the shape of UK post‐Brexit domestic agricultural policy in each of the devolved administrations (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). This article considers from first principles the interventions that could justify public funding. Market failure lies behind the rationale for a range of actions that broadly correspond with current Rural Development Programmes, though not all elements are likely to survive scrutiny. Basic Payments are not seen as having any supporting rationale and should be withdrawn; the issue is how best to exit from them. The end result should be a policy that results in a British agriculture more attuned to the nation's environmental objectives, more internationally competitive, more innovative, and capable of achieving these aims at a lower public cost, thereby freeing up resources for other pressing national purposes.
Interviewing in two‐sided matching markets
Authors: Lee Robin S. , Schwarz Michael
Published: August 2017

We introduce the interview assignment problem, which generalizes classic one‐to‐one matching models by introducing a stage of costly information acquisition. Firms learn preferences over workers via costly interviews. Even if all firms and workers conduct the same number of interviews, realized unemployment depends also on the extent to which agents share common interviewing partners. We introduce the concept of overlap that captures this notion and prove that unemployment is minimized with perfect overlap: that is, if two firms interview any common worker, they interview the exact same set of workers.
Clinical investigation of 38 cases of oral mucosal melanoma: A multicentre retrospective analysis in Japan
Authors: Yamada Shin‐ichi , Kurita Hiroshi , Kamata Takahiro , Kirita Tadaaki , Ueda Michihiro , Yamashita Tetsuro , Ota Yoshihide , Otsuru Mitsunobu , Yamakawa Nobuhiro , Okura Masaya , Aikawa Tomonao , Yanamoto Souichi , Umeda Masahiro
Published: August 2017

Background/Objectives

The aim of the present study was to investigate treatment modalities and outcomes in oral mucosal melanoma.

Methods

The clinical and pathological data of 38 consecutive patients with oral mucosal melanoma were retrospectively analyzed. Patients' characteristics were analyzed and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated.

Results

Sixteen patients had stage III (42%), 19 IVA (50%), and three had stage IVC (8%) disease. Among the therapeutic approaches used, 31 patients (82%) received radical therapy (surgery +/− chemotherapy). The 5‐year OS rate was 40%. Five‐year OS rates according to the clinical stage were 71% for stage III, 24% for stage IVA, and 0% for stage IVC. Five‐year OS rates according to therapeutic approaches were 52% in the radical therapy group and 0% in the palliative therapy and best supportive care groups.

Conclusions

The results of this multicentre retrospective analysis of patients with oral mucosal melanoma suggest that radical therapy based on surgical treatments with complete surgical excision with clear margins leads to a better prognosis.
Juvenile melanomas: Western Australian Melanoma Advisory Service experience
Authors: Xu Jie Xin , Koek Sharnice , Lee Samantha , Hanikeri Mark , Lee Mark , Beer Trevor , Saunders Christobel
Published: August 2017

Background/Objectives

Juvenile melanoma (before 20 years of age) is a rare condition with poorly defined risk factors. We describe features of juvenile melanoma in Western Australia over the last two decades.

Method

A retrospective review of juvenile melanomas was conducted from prospectively maintained databases, reviewed for patients’ characteristics, clinical information, histology, treatment, recurrence and survival data.

Results

Altogether 95 cases of juvenile melanoma were reported to the Western Australian Cancer Registry between 2000 and 2013. Of these, 27 patients were referred to the Western Australian Melanoma Advisory Service. Over 72% were aged between 13 and 19 years. The most common site for primary melanoma was the head and neck (31.8%). Eight patients (36.4%) had a pre‐existing naevus, 13.6% reported 1–5 blistering sunburns in the past and 59.1% had a Fitzpatrick skin grade of 3 or less. Most (88%) were diagnosed with a primary invasive lesion at presentation. Superficial spreading melanomas predominated (27.3%). All but one patient had localised disease at presentation, with six patients undergoing further treatment, including chemotherapy and neck dissection for metastases. At the time of review, two patients had died, due to stroke and metastatic disease.

Conclusions

Juvenile melanoma remains a rarity in Western Australia despite a very high incidence of adult melanoma. Unlike in adults, no definitive risk factors have been established. A significant proportion of this cohort had a pre‐existing naevus and while most melanomas occurred in sun‐exposed areas in light‐skinned individuals the association between sunburn and melanoma was not strong.
Who, where, what and where to now? A snapshot of publishing patterns in Australian orthopaedic surgery
Authors: Croker Nicholas , Lobo Abhirup , Croker Anne , Balogh Zsolt J. , Dewar David
Published: August 2017

Background

Development of core research competency is a principle of orthopaedic surgical training in Australia. This paper aims to provide an objective snapshot of publications by Australian orthopaedic trainees and surgeons, to contribute to the discussion on how to identify and build on research capability in the Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA).

Methods

By analysing journals with a journal impact factor >1 from 2009 to 2015, data were gathered to explore scientific journal publications by Australian orthopaedic surgeons and trainees in relation to who are the authors, what they are reporting and where they are publishing.

Results

One thousand five hundred and thirty‐nine articles were identified with 134 orthopaedic trainees and 519 surgeons as authors. The publication rate for both trainees and surgeons was just over two in five. The majority of studies were of level three or four evidence (Oxford's Centre for Evidence‐Based Medicine guidelines). Only 5% of trainee papers were published without surgeons’ co‐authorship. Eighty‐six percent of papers published by surgeons did not involve a trainee. The rates of trainees publishing with other trainees were low.

Conclusion

Only 5% of trainee papers were published without surgeons' co‐authorship, highlighting the importance of surgeon mentorship in developing trainee research capability. The 86% of papers published by surgeons without trainee co‐authorship raises the question of missed mentoring opportunities. Low rates of trainee co‐authorship highlight potential for trainees to work together to support each other's research efforts. There is scope for more studies involving higher levels of evidence. This paper raises discussion points and areas for further exploration in relation to AOA trainee research capability.
Quantifying 3D Micro‐Surface Changes on Experimental Stones Used to Break Bones and Their Implications for the Analysis of Early Stone Age Pounding Tools
Authors: Benito‐Calvo A. , Arroyo A. , Sánchez‐Romero L. , Pante M. , de la Torre I.
Published: August 2017

We present a new method to assess use‐wear formation processes of pounding tools used to break bones based on a combination of conventional microscopy, optical 3D surface measurements obtained with a confocal microscope and GIS analysis. The method involves 3D alignment and 3D surface change inspection techniques along with a surface morphometric characterization and 2D spatial pattern analysis, to measure the spatital distribution of significant changes in surface topography of pounding tools. Our results show that microscopic changes can be detected in the surfaces of hammers and anvils after bone breakage activities are performed. Use‐wear on the active elements (hammers made on basalt and quartzite) occurred over a larger area than was observed on the passive element (quartzite anvil), but the latter often exhibited deeper modifications. Tool surfaces generally developed smoother topography with increased use, but grain microfracture also appeared with greater frequency over time. This methodology offers highly accurate and statistically robust analyses of microscopic use‐wear traces that can be applied to the analysis of archaeological pounding tools.
“Oh, the Places You'll Go” by Bringing Developmental Science Into the World!
Authors: Golinkoff Roberta M. , Hirsh‐Pasek Kathy , Grob Rachel , Schlesinger Mark
Published: August 2017

Urie Bronfenbrenner and Ernest Boyer argued for leaving the laboratory to conduct rigorous developmental research in the real world where children are found—in the places they go. Contributions to this special issue meet Bronfenbrenner and Boyer's call while at the same time recognizing the continued importance of laboratory research. These articles range from a review of research on the arts to a language intervention in Senegal to large‐scale dissemination and intervention projects designed to communicate the best developmental science to families, public agencies, and schools. Together these articles illustrate how we can study development in the world and enrich our work on the factors that promote development. Taking this path presents us with a set of additional hurdles to be addressed, such as how to communicate with the public and how to scale up our interventions in the face of diversity along many dimensions.
Impact of miR‐26b on cardiomyocyte differentiation in P19 cells through regulating canonical/non‐canonical Wnt signalling
Authors: Wang Duo , Liu Chang , Wang Yumei , Wang Wenjing , Wang Kang , Wu Xiujuan , Li Zhigang , Zhao Cuimei , Li Li , Peng Luying
Published: August 2017

Background and objectives

The control of cardiomyocyte differentiation is tightly linked to microRNAs (miRNAs), which have been emerging as important players in heart development. However, the regulation mechanisms mediated by miRNAs in early heart development remains speculative. Here, we evaluated the impact of miR‐26b during the progression of cardiomyocyte differentiation from the P19 cell line.

Materials and methods

The overexpression of miR‐26b in P19 cells was performed by transduction with lentivirus vector. The levels of cardiac‐related genes during P19 cell differentiation were detected using quantitative real‐time PCR for mRNA abundance and Western blots for protein expression. ICG‐001 was applied to elucidate the role of β‐catenin on P19 cells differentiation. The Cell Counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) was used to monitor the cell proliferation. The target genes of miR‐26b were validated using the dual luciferase reporter system.

Results

Overexpression of miR‐26b upregulates the expression level of cardiomyocyte‐related genes such as Gata4, cTNT, α‐MHC and α‐Actinin that comprehensively represent cardiomyocyte differentiation by effecting Wnt5a signalling and Gsk3β activity. However, ICG‐001 blocks the differentiation along with inhibition of the cell proliferation. In addition, miR‐26b also regulates CyclinD1 to promote P19 cell proliferation, thereby, demonstrating the rapid aggregation and differentiation programming of these cells into cardiomyocytic types.

Conclusions

Our results indicated that miR‐26b exerts a role on promoting cardiomyocyte differentiation of P19 cells by controlling the canonical and non‐canonical Wnt signalling.
Behavioural acclimation to cameras and observers in coral reef fishes
Authors: Nanninga Gerrit B. , Côté Isabelle M. , Beldade Ricardo , Mills Suzanne C.
Published: August 2017

Observer presence can bias behavioural studies of animals in both the wild and the laboratory. Despite existing evidence for significant observer effects across several taxa, little is known about the minimum periods of acclimation that should precede behavioural observations. To date, most studies either do not report any acclimation periods or include a non‐specific period without empirically quantifying its appropriateness. Here, we conducted in situ behavioural observations of two species of demersal coral reef fishes using cameras and/or observers to examine the biases associated with either approach. For both treatments, we generated 25 min time series of a number of vigilance‐associated behaviours (i.e., distance from shelter and mate, time out of shelter, swimming activity) and estimated the point of acclimation using changepoint analysis. In the camera trials, acclimation in both species appeared to occur between 2 and 7 min for different behaviours. When an observer was present, however, no apparent acclimation occurred until the observer left the area. Overall, our findings demonstrate that (i) behavioural studies of wild fishes conducted by an observer may be biased due to permanent observer effects, and (ii) when using video equipment, a species‐ and behaviour‐specific acclimation period should precede behavioural scoring.
The role of biotic and abiotic cues in stimulating aggregation by larval cane toads (Rhinella marina)
Authors: Raven Camilla , Shine Richard , Greenlees Matthew , Schaerf Timothy M. , Ward Ashley J. W.
Published: August 2017

Tadpoles of the cane toad (Rhinella marina) form dense aggregations in the field, but the proximate cues eliciting this behavior are not well understood. We sampled water‐bodies in the Northern Territory of Australia, finding that the density of cane toad tadpoles increased with increasing temperature. Furthermore, we conducted laboratory experiments to explore the roles of biotic factors (attraction to conspecifics; chemical cues from an injured conspecific; food) and spatially heterogeneous abiotic factors (light levels, water depth, physical structure) to identify the cues that induce tadpole aggregation. Annulus and binary choice trials demonstrated weak but significant attraction between conspecifics. Tadpoles decreased swimming speeds, but did not increase grouping in response to cues from an injured conspecific. Larvae aggregated in response to abiotic cues (high levels of illumination and proximity to physical structures) and were strongly attracted to feeding conspecifics. Overall, aggregation by cane toad tadpoles is likely driven by weak social attraction coupled with a shared preference for specific abiotic features, creating loose aggregations that are then reinforced by movement toward feeding conspecifics.
Wanting, liking and welfare: The role of affective states in proximate control of behaviour in vertebrates
Authors: Gygax Lorenz
Published: August 2017

Animals choose a course of action countless times each day. To do so, they need to prioritise their behaviour within a set of alternative actions and decide which of these actions to perform at any one time and for how long, that is, determine when the behaviour has reached its desired effect. This process has classically been called the proximate behavioural control mechanism. Several aspects contribute to this process: internal and external stimuli, the emotions that they elicit, motivation (wants), behavioural goals, valuation, decision‐making and its modulation by mood, and the assessment of behavioural outcomes (liking). I will address all these aspects in the form of an integrated conceptual model. In the process of behavioural control, options need to be valued, and I will refer to evidence showing that an affective hedonic process in respect to (future) reward and punishment heavily affects this value. Moreover, I view motivation, the force that finally drives a specific behavioural output, as being primarily influenced by affective states or even corresponding fully to them. Given the feedback in behavioural control by (dis‐)liking outcomes of behaviour, I reason that in respect to welfare it is more important for animals to reach proximate goals than to avoid negative stimuli. All behavioural choices are modulated, and I show how mood, a long‐term affective state, can cause such modulation. Proximate control of behaviour takes place in the brain, and I will briefly discuss how current and future brain research may elucidate how the brain computes these processes. Furthermore, the inclusion of affective states in the conceptual model raises the question of the subjective experience of animals, and I will address some of the important open questions in this area of research. I will conclude that neural studies cannot currently provide a detailed and general theory on the algorithms of proximate behavioural control. In parallel to further developing these approaches, I propose to strengthen a refined ethological approach with a focus on the states of “wanting” and “liking” in ecologically meaningful circumstances and with a strong ontogenetic (within species) and comparative (between species) component. I consider this ethological approach to be a highly promising step in understanding proximate behavioural control.
Groundwater Development Stress: Global‐Scale Indices Compared to Regional Modeling
Authors: Alley William M. , Clark Brian R. , Ely David M. , Faunt Claudia C.
Published: August 2017

The increased availability of global datasets and technologies such as global hydrologic models and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites have resulted in a growing number of global‐scale assessments of water availability using simple indices of water stress. Developed initially for surface water, such indices are increasingly used to evaluate global groundwater resources. We compare indices of groundwater development stress for three major agricultural areas of the United States to information available from regional water budgets developed from detailed groundwater modeling. These comparisons illustrate the potential value of regional‐scale analyses to supplement global hydrological models and GRACE analyses of groundwater depletion. Regional‐scale analyses allow assessments of water stress that better account for scale effects, the dynamics of groundwater flow systems, the complexities of irrigated agricultural systems, and the laws, regulations, engineering, and socioeconomic factors that govern groundwater use. Strategic use of regional‐scale models with global‐scale analyses would greatly enhance knowledge of the global groundwater depletion problem.
Pneumatosis intestinalis in an SIV‐infected rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)
Authors: Johnson A.L. , Van Rompay K. , Reader J.R.
Published: August 2017

Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) has been described as an incidental finding in domestic animals and humans where it is associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection among other comorbidities. This report describes emphysematous changes consistent with PI in a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)‐infected rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta).