Geographical Distribution Of Research Research Articles

A bibliometric analysis of the genesis, journey and current status of green supply chain management in the digital economy

Purpose This paper aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of studies focusing on green supply chain management (GSCM) within the context of the digital economy.Design/methodology/approach We utilize the Web of Science database to search and filter relevant documents spanning the years 2003–2022. This extensive dataset enables us to analyze the growth and cutting-edge developments in research pertaining to GSCM in the digital economy.Findings The paper finds a significant increase in research interest and output, particularly noticeable from 2016 onwards, indicating the growing relevance of integrating GSCM with digital technologies. It is found that the prominent contribution of countries like China, England and the USA, underscoring a strong geographical diversity in research outputs. China leads in the number of publications, which reflects its significant role in shaping the discourse around GSCM in the digital economy. However, when it comes to citations, the USA leads, suggesting a higher impact or quality of research emanating from this region. Collaborative dynamics outlined in the study demonstrate extensive international cooperation, primarily among leading research countries, which is facilitated by shared digital platforms enhancing the research’s reach and impact. The study also highlights a range of emerging themes such as the adoption of blockchain technology, Internet of Things (IoT) and the circular economy within GSCM, indicating dynamic areas for future research.Practical implications The findings of this study hold significant practical implications for researchers, practitioners and policymakers. They shed light on the current state of research in GSCM within the digital economy, highlighting areas where further investigation is needed and pointing to the emerging trends in this field. Understanding the distribution of research and influential authors can guide future collaborative efforts and inform decision-making processes in the pursuit of sustainable supply chain practices in the digital era.Originality/value This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the evolving landscape of GSCM in the digital economy. It offers valuable insights into the growth patterns, key contributors and geographical distribution of research in this domain. This information is crucial for researchers and stakeholders seeking to stay at the forefront of sustainable supply chain practices in an increasingly digital world.

From traditional to emerging technologies in supporting smart libraries. A bibliometric and thematic approach from 2013 to 2022

PurposeThe evolution from emerging technologies to smart libraries is thoroughly analyzed thematically and bibliometrically in this research study, spanning 2013 through 2022. Finding and analyzing the significant changes, patterns and trends in the subject as they are represented in academic papers is the goal of this research.Design/methodology/approachUsing bibliometric methodologies, this study gathered and examined a large corpus of research papers, conference papers and related material from several academic databases.FindingsStarting with Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data (BD), Augmentation Reality/Virtual Reality and Blockchain Technology (BT), the study discusses the advent of new technologies and their effects on libraries. Using bibliometric analysis, this study looks at the evolution of publications over time, the geographic distribution of research and the most active institutions and writers in the area. A thematic analysis is also carried out to pinpoint the critical areas of study and trends in emerging technologies and smart libraries. Some emerging themes are information retrieval, personalized recommendations, intelligent data analytics, connected library spaces, real-time information access, augmented reality/virtual reality applications in libraries and strategies, digital literacy and inclusivity.Originality/valueThis study offers a thorough overview of the research environment by combining bibliometric and thematic analysis, illustrating the development of theories and concepts during the last ten years. The results of this study helps in understanding the trends and future research directions in emerging technologies and smart libraries. This study is an excellent source of information for academics, practitioners and policymakers involved in developing and applying cutting-edge technology in library environments.

The Success of a Food Tourism Destination: A Systematic Review

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) of food tourism destinations and analyse their importance for the development of destination tourism. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify prevalent CSFs in food tourism destinations. Out of 210 articles related to food tourism destinations, 41 underwent a rigorous selection process for analysis. The chosen articles were examined comprehensively to provide a replicable overview of the subject. Findings: The five most popular factors were: marketing, food quality, food product, cultural identity and visitor experience. It was also found that more studies were conducted on the supply side, while fewer studies were conducted on the demand and supply side. There was a significant difference between the CSFs of supply and demand side statistics separately. Research Practical & Social implications: This comprehensive review of CSFs in food tourism destinations offers a valuable contribution to the field. It encompasses insights into publication patterns, temporal distribution, research methodologies, and the identification of prevalent success factors. This knowledge helps researchers position their work, identify gaps, and align their research for maximum impact. Ultimately, it fosters efficient and productive future research, facilitating meaningful advancements in food tourism. Originality/value: The study clarifies what are the most popular venues for successful food tourism destinations for publishing research. How research on CSFs in food tourism destinations is distributed over time and what the geographical distribution of research looks like. And what are the most popular CSFs for food tourism destinations.

Cryptocurrency as an investment or speculation: a bibliometric review study

PurposeThe study was done to review the existing literature available on the theme using a popular technique known as a bibliometric review. The purpose was to explore important bibliometric trends such as geographical distribution of research; the most relevant countries and institutions and important collaboration networks, frequently published authors, the most relevant topics/research domains and relationships among these, average citations or per year, the most relevant sources, top authors’ production, authors’ impact by H index and the progression of important keywords over a period of time.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzed literature published in the English language from 2012 onwards that used the words “cryptocurrency”, “Ethereum” “Bitcoin” along with “investment/s” or “speculation/s” in the Title/ABS/KEY. A specialized approach was followed to retrieve and analyze focused research. The data for analysis was extracted from the Scopus database and was analyzed using Biblioshiny and VOSViewer.FindingsThe study found that the countries such as the UK, Australia, China and the USA have special relevance in terms of the number of citations and collaboration networks. Cryptocurrency/Cryptocurrencies, bitcoin have been the base themes along with other crucial issues such as volatility, hedging, COVID-19 pandemic, Ethereum, blockchain, co-integration, portfolio diversification/optimization, spillover, safe haven, investor attention, gold, etc. There is a lot of interdisciplinary research on the theme.Originality/valueThe current study used a concentrated approach to study the bibliometric literature about the financial implications of cryptocurrency as an asset class and not prominently its technological or legal aspects.

Cognitive Computing—Will It Be the Future “Smart Power” for the Energy Enterprises?

Nowadays, cognitive computing has become the popular solution to many problems arising in the energy industry, such as the creation of renewable technologies, energy saving, and searching for new sources. Last decade, a substantial number of scientific papers aiming to support these tasks were published. On the other hand, some years ago, the “cognitive enterprise” (CE) concept was introduced by the IBM company, which assumes, among others, the cognitive technologies used to increase enterprise intelligence. On the road to obtaining the status of a “cognitive enterprise”, it should overcome many challenges. Thus, the aim of the paper was to analyze the current state of research on the application of cognitive computing in the energy industry and to define the trends, challenges, milestones, and perspectives in scientific work’s development. The aim has been achieved using the bibliometric approach. The preliminary analysis was made by Web of Science data sources; 4182 records were retrieved. The results comprise the research field, geographic distribution of research, time analysis, and affiliation analysis. Additionally, descriptive statistics, as well as simple forecasting, were provided to present the research results. As a result of the research, the publication history road was created as well as the milestone framework on the path toward “cognitive enterprise”. The findings of this research can contribute to literature and practice by applying them to the process of cognitive enterprise models’ development as well as by adapting the education programs and training courses for enterprises and universities to market requirements.

Research Trends and Geographical Contribution in the Field of Perinatal Mental Health: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1900 to 2020

Objective:The object of this research is to identify growth and geographical distribution of research in the field of perinatal mental health and key research areas.Materials and Methods:We performed a bibliometric analysis on research documents on perinatal mental health from 1900 to 2020. Web of Science was used to download bibliometric data. Search strategy used generic index terms with specific free text searches using “AND” as Boolean function. For example, psycho AND perinatal. Microsoft Excel was used to identify research growth, geographical and research institutes contribution to research in the field. Citation analysis was done using VOSviewer.Results:A total of 11,081 articles were extracted. The most cited research was by Cox et al., which introduced Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. There was exponential increase in the research documents from 1990 to 2020. However, most of the research was contributed by the global north. Among emerging countries, India, South Africa, and Brazil did not contribute in the perinatal research. Postnatal depression and its risk factors were most studied themes. Paternal perinatal mental health and impact on mental health of children were understudied themes.Conclusion:Perinatal mental health research outpaced growth in biomedical research in the past 30 years. The work of leading researcher in the field was initially inspired by his experience in Uganda encountering postnatal depression. However, even after half a century, there is still less contribution from developing countries. This analysis highlights research and possibly access to services inequities in developing countries.

Pumas Puma concolor as ecological brokers: a review of their biotic relationships

Abstract The puma Puma concolor is the fourth largest wild felid and the most widespread native terrestrial mammal of the Americas. We synthesised published literature documenting the biotic interactions of pumas, in order to: 1) advance our understanding of the ecological roles pumas play in natural systems, and 2) support strategic decision‐making about conservation investments, public education, and whole‐ecosystem conservation management. We divided puma biotic interactions into five categories: 1) diet and prey regulation, 2) fear effects on prey (including trophic cascades), 3) effects via carrion production, 4) effects on other carnivores, and 5) ecosystem services. We reviewed 162 studies that met our search criteria, which described 543 ecological interactions between pumas and 485 other species. Puma diet and prey regulation was the most common research topic. The geographic distribution of research was highly skewed towards the USA and Canada, and research in Tropical moist forests was underrepresented. We found a steep increase in the number of scientific publications exploring the biotic interactions associated with pumas over time, but publications that reported effect sizes or measured the strength of interactions did not increase as quickly. We noted numerous gaps in our knowledge of puma biotic interactions and found few well‐controlled studies of prey fear effects, trophic cascades, or ecosystem services. We conclude that pumas are influential ecological actors in natural systems and important brokers of energy and nutrients throughout ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere, linking disparate species from many trophic levels. Ultimately, we found evidence for investing in and prioritising the protection and restoration of puma populations to conserve biodiversity in the Americas.

State of Research on Gamification in Education: A Bibliometric Survey

Recent years have brought a rapid growth of scientific output in the area of gamification in education. In this paper, we try to identify its main characteristics using a bibliometric approach. Our preliminary analysis uses Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science as data sources, whereas the main analysis is performed on 2517 records retrieved from Scopus. The results comprise the cross-coverage of databases, geographic distribution of research, forms of publication, addressed research areas and topics, preferred publishing venues, the most involved scientific institutions and researchers, collaboration among researchers, and research impact. The main conclusions underline the sustained growth of the research output in the area for at least seven years, the widespread interest in the area across countries and branches of science, and an effective research communication in the area documented by the number of citations and the map of co-citations.

The Evolution of Simulation-Based Learning Across the Disciplines, 1965–2018: A Science Map of the Literature

Background. Simulation-based learning (SBL) has been applied and studied in educational settings for at least six decades. While numerous reviews of research have been conducted from different perspectives, none to date have used bibliometric methods to analyze the evolution of simulation-based learning as a ‘knowledge base’. Aim. The review sought to document the growth and geographic distribution of research on SBL. In addition, the review aimed to identify key authors and documents, and analyze the intellectual structure of this knowledge base. Finally, the review highlighted emerging topics in this literature. Method. The authors identified 2,812 Scopus-indexed SBL documents published between 1965 and 2018. Bibliographic data were exported from Scopus and analyzed using VOSviewer software. Analyses included descriptive statistics, citation and co-citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence analysis. Results. The review found a rapidly increasing publication trajectory with 90% of the literature published since 2000. Although SBL studies have been authored in 94 different countries, the literature is concentrated in Anglo-American-European societies. The review found that the intellectual structure of this knowledge base is comprised of four schools of thought encompassing research on SBL in management education, medical education, technology-enhanced SBL, and learning theories in SBL. Another notable finding was that SBL researchers in medical and management education have progressed on parallel tracks leading to the balkanization on knowledge. Surprisingly, the conceptual core of the field is located in the school of thought associated with learning theories in SBL. This implies that SBL is a subfield of education rather than a discipline in and of itself. Emerging topics that have attracted scholars writing on SBL in recent years are identified and implications for future research discussed.

Interface processes between protected and unprotected areas: A global review and ways forward.

Land-use changes and the expansion of protected areas (PAs) have amplified the interaction between protected and unprotected areas worldwide. In this context, 'interface processes' (human-nature and cross-boundary interactions inside and around PAs) have become central to issues around the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This scientific literature review aimed to explore current knowledge and research gaps on interface processes regarding terrestrial PAs. At first, 3,515 references related to the topic were extracted through a standardized search on the Web of Science and analyzed with scientometric techniques. Next, a full-text analysis was conducted on a sample of 240 research papers. A keyword analysis revealed a wide diversity of research topics, from 'pure' ecology to sociopolitical research. We found a bias in the geographical distribution of research, with half the papers focusing on eight countries. Additionally, we found that the spatial extent of cross-boundary interactions was rarely assessed, preventing any clear delimitation of PA interactive zones. In the 240 research papers we scanned, we identified 403 processes that were studied. The ecological effects of PAs were well documented and appeared to be positive overall. In contrast, the effects of PAs on local communities were understudied and, according to the literature focusing on these, were very variable according to local contexts. Our findings highlight key research advances on interface processes, especially regarding the ecological outcomes of PAs, the influence of human activities on biodiversity, and PA governance issues. In contrast, main knowledge gaps concern the spatial extent of interactive zones, as well as the interactions between local people and conservation actions and how to promote synergies between them. While the review was limited to terrestrial PAs, its findings allow us to propose research priorities for tackling environmental and socioeconomic challenges in the face of a rapidly changing world.

A bibliometric analysis of researches on intensive care unit physical environment from 2013 to 2017

Objective To retrieve and analyze the related researches on intensive care unit (ICU) physical from 2013 to 2017, and to provide reference for further improvement of the physical and quality of medical and nursing care in ICU. Methods Relevant literature on ICU physical included from 2013 to 2017 by the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) , Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, Sinomed, Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus database were retrieved and analyzed bibliometrically on the internal and external features of the articles by Excel and CiteSpace software. Results A total of 287 domestic and oversea papers on ICU physical were retrieved, the number of published articles showed an overall stable trend. The biggest number of published articles went to Guangdong Province, accounting for 14.1% of the articles in Chinese language. The United States had the biggest number of published papers in English language (43.8%) . Literature journals mainly focused on control, critical medicine and critical care nursing journals, with the largest number of articles published by a single author (23.0%) . The main types of research were clinical research (79.1%) , fund-supported literature accounted for 26.5% of all the articles, and research directions were mainly about (40.0%) , nosocomial infection and pathogenic bacteria , environment and premature infant and and development, sleep and noise were closely related. Conclusions The researches on ICU physical involves aspects including object surface, noise, light, air quality, temperature and ward design. Infection control in ICU and the influences of ICU physical on patient's biological rhythm and the growth and development of preterm infants are hot research issues in recent years. However, the geographical distribution of research is not balanced, and the overall quality of research evidence needs to be improved. Key words: Intensive care unit; Physical environment; Bibliometrics

A systematic quantitative review of coastal and marine cultural ecosystem services: Current status and future research

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are the non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems that contribute to human well-being. They are often under-represented in ecosystem services assessments due to difficulties identifying and valuing intangible attributes. This risks a lack of understanding and consideration of CES by decision-makers. A systematic review was done on coastal and marine CES to identify: geographic distribution of research; effective methods for assessing CES; specific habitats/ecosystems that supply CES; subcategories most frequently addressed; and knowledge gaps. Results revealed limited information exists about coastal and marine CES. There is a disparity in the global distribution of studies with little knowledge about CES in developing countries, as well as a disparity within developed countries; with most research undertaken in Europe and North America. There is a dearth of information on CES derived from specific coastal and marine habitats/ecosystems, reflecting a poor understanding of socio-ecological relationships and the different values people assign to these areas. There is a need to develop indicators with the capacity to measure and track changes in CES over time. Participatory approaches using qualitative methods were most effective in identifying CES; however, these lacked a deliberative element that would provide a comprehensive assessment of shared values in public areas. Overall, publications typically theorised about the usefulness of data on CES to inform and support decision makers, and more research is required on how qualitative data on CES can be represented for practical use by coastal and marine resource managers, and the value of these in the real world.

The Oregon Nearshore Research Inventory project: The importance of science and the scientific community as stakeholders in marine spatial planning

The purpose of Oregon’s Nearshore Research Inventory (NRI) project was to understand the geographic use of ocean space by the marine science community in order to include the information in Oregon’s marine spatial planning (MSP) process. Spatial data and attributes about the geographic use of Oregon’s ocean and coast by marine scientists were inventoried and mapped; including information about the geographic distribution of research, research timelines, and the people and institutions that conduct scientific research. The results of the NRI interviews show that the scientific community conducts research in twenty percent of the nearshore grid cells used in the Oregon’s Territorial Sea amendment process. These results show that ocean space is used by the scientific community, and therefore, should be recognized as a use of ocean space in the MSP process.As new uses, such as wave energy extraction, are proposed along coastlines and in the ocean, MSP can be used as a tool to reduce conflict and find compatible uses of ocean and coastal space. A major benefit of the scientific community’s use of ocean and coastal space is that it results in data that can be used to inform ecosystem-based management decisions. Interruptions in long-term scientific research and monitoring as a result of ocean space use conflicts could limit the availability of information for use in future management decisions. While considering tradeoffs in the MSP process, decision makers need to recognize and account for the value of scientific space as a use of the ocean.

Public health research in India in the new millennium: a bibliometric analysis

BackgroundPublic health research has gained increasing importance in India's national health policy as the country seeks to address the high burden of disease and its inequitable distribution, and embarks on an ambitious agenda towards universalising health care.ObjectiveThis study aimed at describing the public health research output in India, its focus and distribution, and the actors involved in the research system. It makes recommendations for systematically promoting and strengthening public health research in the country.DesignThe study was a bibliometric analysis of PubMed and IndMed databases for years 2000–2010. The bibliometric data were analysed in terms of biomedical focus based on the Global Burden of Disease, location of research, research institutions, and funding agencies.ResultsA total of 7,893 eligible articles were identified over the 11-year search period. The annual research output increased by 42% between 2000 and 2010. In total, 60.8% of the articles were related to communicable diseases, newborn, maternal, and nutritional causes, comparing favourably with the burden of these causes (39.1%). While the burdens from non-communicable diseases and injuries were 50.2 and 10.7%, respectively, only 31.9 and 7.5% of articles reported research for these conditions. The north-eastern states and the Empowered-Action-Group states of India were the most under-represented for location of research. In total, 67.2% of papers involved international collaborations and 49.2% of these collaborations were with institutions in the UK or USA; 35.4% of the publications involved international funding and 71.2% of funders were located in the UK or USA.ConclusionsWhile public health research output in India has increased significantly, there are marked inequities in relation to the burden of disease and the geographic distribution of research. Systematic priority setting, adequate funding, and institutional capacity building are needed to address these inequities.

Mapping of Dengue Fever Literature Growth and Development

By the bite of a mosquito infected with one of the four dengue virus serotypes transmit Dengue. It is a febrile illness that affects infants, young children and adults with symptoms appearing 3-14 days after the infective bite. This paper deals with the bibliometric study on the publication of Dengue in the Web of Science database. For Dengue there is no vaccine or any specific medicine to treat. People who have dengue fever should rest, drink plenty of fluids and reduce the fever using paracetamol or see a doctor. The researcher takes data from the year 1999 to 2012 in the Web of Knowledge. Find out the highly cited references, yearly publications, h-index, document type, by language, the Geographical distribution of research and highly cited references.

Web 2.0 applications in medicine: trends and topics in the literature.

BackgroundThe World Wide Web has changed research habits, and these changes were further expanded when “Web 2.0” became popular in 2005. Bibliometrics is a helpful tool used for describing patterns of publication, for interpreting progression over time, and the geographical distribution of research in a given field. Few studies employing bibliometrics, however, have been carried out on the correlative nature of scientific literature and Web 2.0.ObjectiveThe aim of this bibliometric analysis was to provide an overview of Web 2.0 implications in the biomedical literature. The objectives were to assess the growth rate of literature, key journals, authors, and country contributions, and to evaluate whether the various Web 2.0 applications were expressed within this biomedical literature, and if so, how.MethodsA specific query with keywords chosen to be representative of Web 2.0 applications was built for the PubMed database. Articles related to Web 2.0 were downloaded in Extensible Markup Language (XML) and were processed through developed hypertext preprocessor (PHP) scripts, then imported to Microsoft Excel 2010 for data processing.ResultsA total of 1347 articles were included in this study. The number of articles related to Web 2.0 has been increasing from 2002 to 2012 (average annual growth rate was 106.3% with a maximum of 333% in 2005). The United States was by far the predominant country for authors, with 514 articles (54.0%; 514/952). The second and third most productive countries were the United Kingdom and Australia, with 87 (9.1%; 87/952) and 44 articles (4.6%; 44/952), respectively. Distribution of number of articles per author showed that the core population of researchers working on Web 2.0 in the medical field could be estimated at approximately 75. In total, 614 journals were identified during this analysis. Using Bradford’s law, 27 core journals were identified, among which three (Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, Journal of Medical Internet Research, and Nucleic Acids Research) produced more than 35 articles related to Web 2.0 over the period studied. A total of 274 words in the field of Web 2.0 were found after manual sorting of the 15,878 words appearing in title and abstract fields for articles. Word frequency analysis reveals “blog” as the most recurrent, followed by “wiki”, “Web 2.0”, ”social media”, “Facebook”, “social networks”, “blogger”, “cloud computing”, “Twitter”, and “blogging”. All categories of Web 2.0 applications were found, indicating the successful integration of Web 2.0 into the biomedical field.ConclusionsThis study shows that the biomedical community is engaged in the use of Web 2.0 and confirms its high level of interest in these tools. Therefore, changes in the ways researchers use information seem to be far from over.

Medicinal plants with potential anti-arthritic activity.

Ethno Pharmacological Relevance: Traditional medicinal plants are practiced worldwide for treatment of arthritis especially in developing countries where resources are meager. This review presents the plants profiles inhabiting throughout the world regarding their traditional usage by various tribes/ethnic groups for treatment of arthritis.Materials and Methods:Bibliographic investigation was carried out by analyzing classical text books and peer reviewed papers, consulting worldwide accepted scientific databases from the last six decades. Plants/their parts/extracts/polyherbal formulations, toxicity studies for arthritis have been included in the review article. The profiles presented also include information about the scientific name, family, dose, methodology along with mechanism of action and toxicity profile. Research status of 20 potential plant species has been discussed. Further, geographical distribution of research, plants distribution according to families has been given in graphical form.Results:485 plant species belonging to 100 families, traditionally used in arthritis are used. Among 100 plant families, malvaceae constitute 16, leguminasae 7, fabaceae 13, euphorbiaceae 7, compositae 20, araceae 7, solanaceae 12, liliaceae 9, apocynaceae, lauraceae, and rubiaceae 10, and remaining in lesser proportion. It was observed in our study that majority of researches are carried mainly in developing countries like India, China, Korea and Nigeria.Conclusion:This review clearly indicates that list of medicinal plants presented in this review might be useful to researchers as well as practioners. This review can be useful for preliminary screening of potential anti-arthritis plants. Further toxicity profile given in the review can be useful for the researchers for finding the safe dose.

Beyond Neglect: Long-term Care Research in Low and Middle Income Countries

Long-term care (LTC) continues to be a neglected policy issue in most low and middle income countries. This paper assesses whether research on LTC contributes to or reinforces that neglect. This paper assesses the global geographical distribution of published research on LTC and relates this distribution to the demand for LTC. This is a systematic review of published research abstracted in PubMed and in relevant journals not routinely abstracted in PubMed. The keyword search term “long-term care policy” produced 4488 hits. These were personally screened by the author for relevance, according to the United Nations definition of LTC. A total of 1417 studies were identified as relevant. The validity of this approach was assessed by using the keyword search term “long-term care” (72,215 hits) for a selected set of countries. The study found an extreme bias towards more developed regions, which accounted for 37.5% of people aged 65 years and older in 2010, but accounted for 95.5% of relevant PubMed listings. Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and India stand out as particularly under-represented and account for 27.6% of people aged 65 years and older, but only account for 0.7% of relevant PubMed listings. There has been no previously published research on the geographical distribution of research on LTC. This study demonstrates an extreme degree of bias towards high income countries and away from low and middle income countries. These biases reflect and contribute to ongoing neglect by policymakers.

Childhood cataract in sub-Saharan Africa

Investment by organizations and agencies has led to a growing body of evidence and information to assist ophthalmologists and others to meet the needs of children with cataract in Africa. The geographic distribution of research, training, and programme development across Africa has been uneven; investment has been greatest in eastern and southern Africa. Population based surveys (using key informants) suggest that 15–35% of childhood blindness is due to congenital or developmental cataract. There may be up to 82,000 children with non-traumatic cataract in Africa, with approximately 19,000 new cases each year.Effective strategies to find and refer children are those that engage the community in case detection. Identification and referral does not automatically mean surgical intervention with distance to the surgical facility being the most common reason for failure to seek care. Surgical management has become more specialized and a team based approach has been adopted by many paediatric ophthalmologists and their programmes. Although many children still present late for surgery, outcomes of surgery are much improved from previous experiences. Research suggests that post-operative follow up, still a challenge, can be improved through adoption of specific strategies. There has been limited success in ensuring that children are placed in appropriate educational settings. While eye care professionals may feel their responsibility ends with clinical care, it is important for the paediatric eye care team to be engaged with educational and rehabilitation services.

Marshallian Externalities in Innovation

A quality ladder model is used to test for Marshallian externalities in innovation. The model predicts that, in the absence of spillovers, the geographical distribution of research should be the same as that of production. This hypothesis is strongly rejected: innovation in two-digit industries exhibits strong spatial clustering independently of the distribution of employment. We find also, in support of Romer and Lucas, that there are strong spillovers from aggregate innovative activity in a region to the research intensity of individual industries. The location of a sector's R&D activity is determined more by the location of other sectors' innovation than by the location of its own production.