Formal Networks Research Articles

Invisible health participation research networks in the americas: bibliometric analysis of informal collaborations

Studies on participation in health are based on different theoretical and methodological approaches and dialogue with different contexts and local problems, producing formal and informal collaboration networks that contribute to the development of the theme. This article analyzes informal collaboration networks on the topic of participation in health through the analysis of citations in common by authors who have published on the topic. To this end, a bibliometric analysis of articles in English, Spanish and Portuguese was carried out based on searches carried out in VHL, PubMed, SCOPUS, WOS and SciELO, consolidating a database with 641 references. With the help of the VOSviewer software, we analyzed patterns of bibliographic coupling and co-citation of references. Bibliographic coupling represents the indirect interaction between pairs of documents, authors, organizations or countries in a given area of research and occurs when two of the aforementioned subjects share at least one bibliographic reference in their publications and the co-citation comprises the frequency in which two authors are mentioned. cited concomitantly in a work. The analysis offers an overview of what has been studied and applied in the field of health in terms of participatory methodologies, which points to the importance of comparisons and syntheses at an international level to renew research fronts and practices related to participation in health.

CURRENT FRACTURE-RELATED INFECTION PRACTICE IN THE UK: IS THERE A CASE FOR CHANGE?

IntroductionA greater emphasis has been placed on fracture related infection (FRI) orthopaedic practice as a separate entity in recent years. Since the publication of the FRI consensus definition and guidelines, there has been an increase in the published literature on the topic and a move towards considering FRI as separate from general orthopaedic practice and as work that requires a more specialist approach. The aim of this study was to audit current FRI practice in the UK.Materials & MethodsOrthopaedic practice related to FRI in the UK was audited using a semi-structured questionnaire. Respondents were from a range of institutions, specialties and clinical roles to reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of treating FRI. The online tool SurveyMonkey was used to share the survey at the 2022 annual meeting of the British Limb Reconstruction Society. Twenty-one questions were asked in the following domains: scope of practice, theatre and clinic capacity, availability of the multidisciplinary team, renumeration for work and scope of FRI networks.ResultsOf the 36 respondents, the majority (64%) worked in a major trauma centre. In the majority of cases, bone infection was managed by the limb reconstruction team (68%) although in most centres the wider team was often also involved including the general on call, the trauma team and the arthroplasty team. When referrals were made elsewhere, this was usually done to known individuals rather than established FRI networks. 80% of respondents said that there was a bone infection MDT in their unit and this usually met weekly. This usually included orthopaedics and microbiology but plastics in only 43% of cases and radiology in only 23% of cases. Most respondents said that the lack of funding and appropriate tariffs were the main barrier to FRI management locally (62%) and nationally (83%). Most respondents (83%) said that bone infection practice should be centralised. The overwhelming majority of this cohort (90%) said that patient outcomes would be improved by cases being managed in dedicated centres.ConclusionsThere is variation in practice for the management of bone infection in the UK. This reflects the lack of clear national guidelines and the lack of established networks for management and onward referral. There is agreement that patient outcomes would be improved by more formal networks and specialised centres but also recognition that remuneration is a significant barrier to implementing change. This survey reflects practice in units with an interest in limb reconstruction and bone infection. Further work is needed to evaluate practice across district general hospitals in the UK and to build consensus around best practice and national strategies for improved care.

Entrepreneurial and market orientations: The moderating role of social networks on post-entry performance of international new ventures

This paper investigates whether entrepreneurial and marketing orientations (respectively EOs and Mos) impact – individually or collectively – international new ventures’ (INVs’) post-entry performance growth. Furthermore, we investigate whether such relations are moderated by the foreign social networks, both formal and informal, of international new ventures. Using a survey, we test our hypotheses on a sample of Italian high-tech INVs located in a cluster near Rome. A quantitative analysis is used to test the hypotheses. We found that EOs and MOs positively impact the post-entry international performance growth of INVs. Moreover, while informal foreign social network ties significantly moderate the impact of EOs and MOs, formal foreign social network ties do not have a significant moderating effect. Many theoretical and practical contributions are discussed in the paper.

The potential role of social and familial networks in shaping the well‐being of children in shelters for women survivors of intimate partner violence

AbstractChildren living in households where severe intimate partner violence (IPV) exists sometimes move with their mothers to shelters for battered women. Although there is an increased interest in research exploring children's exposure to IPV, little is known about children's subjective experiences during their stay in shelters. The present study examines children's views of their disconnection from their social and familial networks during their stay in a shelter. Using qualitative methods, 32 children, ages 7–12 years, who resided in a shelter were interviewed. Thematic analysis was implemented to develop codes and themes. The following five themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) absence of grandparents, (b) worry about older siblings, (c) disconnection from the neighbourhood, (d) missing their house and (e) disconnection from previous school and classmates. Findings suggest that children's disconnection from previous formal and informal networks significantly affected their well‐being. The findings are discussed and interpreted in light of selected key concepts of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model. The limitations of this study are discussed, along with implications for future research, as well as highlights for future intervention.

Coming back from war: psychosocial support for veterans and their family members

The Russian-Ukrainian war, which escalated in connection with the full-scale invasion of the aggressor country in February 2022 and the occupation of a large part of the territory of Ukraine, led to an increase in the number of veterans who suffered the trauma of a high degree of intensity due to participation in armed conflicts. The article examines the specifics of the veteran community as a category of social work clients and reveals the methods of providing social support based on an approach focused on clients' strengths. The main stages of veteran psychosocial support inherent in this approach have been determined (1) the mobilization phase; (2) the stage of being in the zone of armed conflicts and hostilities; (3) stage of demobilization, returning home; (4) the stage of reintegration into the community and family, building of formal and informal support networks; (5) the stage of considering new life meanings , taking care of one's own "I", searching for oneself; (6) the stage of normalization of life situation: restoration of routine, activity, return to usual activities. Since traumatic experiences affect not only veterans but also members of the family system as the immediate environment, the psychosocial services provided must be family-oriented and consider the family context as a resource environment that can influence the adaptation process of veterans to peaceful life and return to the family. It is advisable for social workers to choose tools for working with veterans that are not capable of harming their clients and that rely on activating the strengths of individuals and families, to observe the general principles of the strengths-based approach. Ethical risks and obstacles that may arise in the work of a social work specialist, taking into account the specific experience of veterans and complicating the process of applying the strengths perspective, are analyzed.

The adoption of conservation practices in the Corn Belt: the role of one formal farmer network, Practical Farmers of Iowa

Substantial evidence has shown that involvement in peer-to-peer farming networks influences whether a farmer decides to try a new practice. Formally organized farmer networks are emerging as a unique entity that blend the benefits of decentralized exchange of farmer knowledge within the structure of an organization providing a variety of sources of information and forms of engagement. We define formal farmer networks as farmer networks with a distinct membership and organizational structure, leadership that includes farmers, and an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning. This study complements existing ethnographic research on the benefits of organized farmer networking by examining farmers in one longstanding formal farmer network, Practical Farmers of Iowa. Using a nested, mixed-method research design, we analyzed survey and interview data to understand how participation and forms of engagement in the network are associated with the adoption of conservation practices. Responses from 677 farmers from a regular member survey disseminated by Practical Farmers of Iowa in 2013, 2017, and 2020 were pooled and analyzed. GLM binomial and ordered logistic regression results indicate that greater participation in the network, particularly through in-person formats, has a strong and significant association with greater adoption of conservation practices. Logistic regression results show that building relationships in the network is the most important variable for predicting whether a farmer reported adopting conservation practices as a result of participation in PFI. In-depth interviews with 26 surveyed member farmers revealed that PFI supports farmers to adopt by providing information, resources, encouragement, confidence building, and reinforcement. In-person learning formats were more important to farmers relative to independent formats because they were able to have side conversations with other farmers, ask questions, and observe results. We conclude that formal networks are a promising way to expand the use of conservation practices, particularly through targeted efforts to increase relationship building in the network through face-to-face learning opportunities.

Early childhood leadership well-being: A phenomenological examination of workplace stress and supports

Early childhood center directors need to effectively function in their workplace so that they can provide leadership that supports quality. Their personal and professional well-being may affect how they support other educators. Few studies have investigated work-related well-being from directors’ perspectives. This qualitative study investigated the directors’ common experiences about well-being. Specifically, interpretative phenomenological design was used to explore the directors’ work-related stress, work-related support, and well-being. Four early childhood center directors serving children from low socio-economic backgrounds in Mid-Western State were interviewed individually to understand how they understood work-related well-being, sources of work-related stress, and work-related support. Five themes emerged from the data: understanding of well-being (physical and mental health, salary, relationships, and self-care practice); sources of work-related stress (compassion fatigue, role, and learning); managing work-related stress (self-discipline, mindfulness); sources of support (leadership, staff, self-support, family, and friends); source of inspiration (opportunity and value). Implications include establishing formal support networks, and policy review and provision of resources to effectively support directors from burnout.

The Influence of Mutual Trust at the Pre-Investment Stage of Collaboration between Social Enterprise and Impact Investors: An Emerging Economy Perspective

Collaboration between social enterprise (SEs) and impact investors (IIs) is not always a smooth process due to several organisational level factors, particularly in relation to trusting an investment partner. Yet there are limited studies that examine factors influencing mutual trust between SEs and IIs. This article empirically explores organisational level factors that influence mutual trust between SEs and IIs with dyadic relations in Nigeria. Through in-depth interview and thematic analysis of data from six pairs of SEs and IIs, we found due diligence, genuine intention, firm reputation, adherence to ethical standards, formal and informal social network as organisational level factors that influenced mutual trust between SEs and IIs. These insights extend knowledge of factors influencing mutual trust in the context of hybrid organisations distinct from purely commercial enterprises. We empirically demonstrate the role of mutual trust at the pre-investment stage of collaboration between organisations with blended motive. Actors in the social entrepreneurial space can utilise findings from this study as guide to make informed investment decision in both emerging and developed economies.

Neighbours' Mini Water Networks in Saguia, Arrangements, Solidarity and Innovation in Urban Water Services in Niamey, Niger

Niamey, the capital of Niger, like other cities in sub-Saharan Africa, is experiencing water insecurity due to the mismatch between rapid urban growth and substantial investment in water services. On the outskirts of the city, where the water distribution network is almost non-existent or inconsistent, private water points are increasingly being built, particularly private boreholes, as an alternative solution. This article based on a methodology combining qualitative and quantitative data collected from 20 beneficiaries, 3 suppliers and 5 carters, focuses on the mini water networks of neighbours. A new form of solidarity around water in Saguia, an outlying district of the city of Niamey, through the 'co-production' of water services and the mutualisation of water installations between neighbours-providers and neighbours-beneficiaries. This new 'social' service offer, built around arrangements between neighbours, deserves to be studied by analysing it as both an innovation and a social response adapted to the absence of a formal water network and to the uncontrolled and planned urban sprawl in Niamey. The neighbours' mini water networks thus contribute to the universalization of access to water and to urban sprawl by allowing the construction and occupation of new formal and informal neighbourhoods not covered by the official water network.

Management of the effectiveness of investment planning using economic and mathematical modeling

Introduction. When solving optimal tasks at the stage of technical and economic planning, it is necessary to establish an optimality criterion, which is mathematically written as an objective function. Minimization of the duration of the project works during its implementation within the time limit set by the investor is such a criterion in the formulation of our task. By limitations of the model, we understand such conditions, which are expressed in the limitation of resources both quantitatively and qualitatively: hence the problem of their saving, the best distribution, and effective use arises.Goal consists in the theoretical and methodological substantiation of the concept of managing the effectiveness of investment planning with the use of economic and mathematical modelingResearch methods. In the research process, general scientific and special methods of cognition were used: analysis and synthesis, theoretical generalization and formal logic, system approach, classification, statistical analysis, functional-value analysis, generalization, observation, mathematical statistics, simulation and network modeling, specification, technical and economic calculationsResults. It was found that with the help of the proposed technology «Flow» it is possible to determine: the calendar schedule of works for the optimal version of the project implementation; the calendar dates of the start and end of critical works, on which the duration of the entire project depends; actual project implementation costs. The value of the objective function shows what additional costs are necessary for the implementation of the investment project in a given period. It has been proven that the «Flow» technology allows you to determine the value of the model and, in our opinion, demonstrates the improvement of the existing solution to the tasks of project implementation within the given time and ensures the compatibility and unity of information support, and therefore allows you to receive more reliable data. The main advantages of the proposed method were evaluated: availability of raw data; a calculation algorithm that is understandable to any project participant; clarity of results; connection in a single model of the economic interests of the main participants of the project.Perspectives. Further research should be aimed at carrying out a continuous process of qualitative and quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of the project management information system and the need to create a special organizational unit - a strategic committee, which will allow the creation of mechanisms for effective management of investment projects of the territorial community, to achieve its strategic goals, and will also contribute to the implementation of strategies due to the consistent actions of the community investment development management staff.

The Hero-Villain-Fool Narrative Construction Method: Assessing hidden organizational phenomena.

In the following paper, I present the hero-villain-fool narrative construction method in order to assess hidden organizational phenomena. Psychologists can analyze organizations in two ways either by focusing upon formal networks (e.g. organigram) or by taking a closer look into informal networks. The present paper tries to help organizational psychologists to generate meaning making within informal networks. These informal networks are important semiotic spaces where knowledge is generated that lies in the taboo zone of talking for the formal networks. Thus, my open interview guide proposes a flexible method that can reverse the taboo zone of talking and expand the talkability zone. As a consequence, meaning making is generated that bears conflicts showing urgent - yet not fulfilled - needs within the organization. The proposed method is instanced by a microgenetic analysis of a single case study showing that the hero works as a meta-organizer for adaptive trajectories that lead into a multilateral negotiation of concrete strategies fulfilling urgent pressing needs within organizations. Limitations are made explicit such as by arguing for expanding the research design into focus groups inviting various employees and leaders to the generation of meaning making that operates between the talkability and taboo zone of talking.

Public Spaces, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Connecting Disabled Entrepreneurs to Urban Spaces

In the UK and in many other countries, the lack of support for disabled entrepreneurs is an economic, cultural, and societal issue. This is because while disabled entrepreneurs belong to and contribute to public spaces, there are often barriers to their full engagement in the local economy. Where interaction is well established, such entrepreneurs add to the cultural richness of places, to personal and societal well-being and economically by wealth creation. The goal of the study is to identify what can be done to overcome the marginalisation of disabled entrepreneurs, which leads to increased local equality of opportunity, thereby adding to the diversity of local economies and, thus, to a more inclusive society. However, as the evidence from this study of the geography of specialised networks which support disabled entrepreneurs in the UK shows, the entrepreneurial capacity of public spaces (inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems) for disabled entrepreneurs is better in some places and entirely absent in others. It is this local dimension that has been missing in other studies of disabled entrepreneurs. By focusing on the formal networks that have been established to support disabled entrepreneurs rather than the entrepreneurs themselves, the particular knowledge gap that this paper addresses is the importance of the networks in making those connections and bringing about systemic change in urban spaces. They do this in three ways. They provide access to resources that disabled entrepreneurs need to start and grow a business; in turn, they need to engage with other local public and private sector organisations in order to sustain their own activities, and by their role as advocates on behalf of their members through their leadership, they increase the visibility of disabled entrepreneurs within urban spaces. The contribution to academic literature is to explore the interconnection between the agency of particular organisations to improve inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and overcome embedded exclusion within urban spaces. Examples from the UK and from the USA provide empirical insights into what can be done.

Understanding the relationship between oral health and psychosis: qualitative analysis

Individuals with psychosis have poor oral health compared with the general population. The interaction between oral health and psychosis is likely to be complex and have important ramifications for improving dental and mental health outcomes. However, this relationship is poorly understood and rarely studied using qualitative methods. To explore patient perspectives on the relationship between oral health and psychosis. The authors recruited 19 people with experiences of psychosis from community mental health teams, early intervention in psychosis services, and rehabilitation units. Participants completed a qualitative interview. Transcripts were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in three themes: theme 1, psychosis creates barriers to good oral health, including a detachment from reality, the threat of unusual experiences and increased use of substances; theme 2, the effects of poor oral health in psychosis, with ramifications for self-identify and social relationships; and theme 3, systems for psychosis influence oral health, with central roles for formal and informal support networks. Psychosis was perceived to affect adherence to oral health self-care behaviours and overall oral health. Poor oral health negatively affected self-identity and social relationships. Clinical implications include a systemic approach to provide early intervention and prevention of the sequelae of dental disease, which lead to tooth loss and impaired oral function and aesthetics, which in turn affect mental health. Participants felt that mental health services play an important role in supporting people with oral health.

The impact of social capital and social environmental factors on mental health and flourishing: the experiences of asylum-seekers in France

BackgroundThere is growing interest on how social capital and related social environmental factors impact overall population health and well-being. The nature of asylum-seekers’ social environment alters once they migrate to a new context and these changes influence their mental health and well-being. However, there is limited scholarship on how these social environmental factors impact the mental health, well-being, and capacity to flourish of asylum-seekers.MethodsThe aim of the study, therefore, was to examine how specific social environmental factors—social networks, social support, and social cohesion at various levels (micro, meso, and macro)—influence the mental health, well-being, and capacity to flourish of asylum-seekers in France. In collaboration with a community-based organization, we used a qualitative research design to conduct 120 semi-structured interviews with asylum-seekers in France.ResultsThe emerging salient themes depicted how the asylum-seekers’ usual informal social networks comprised of family and friends had been disrupted since they migrated to France, which impacted their mental health and well-being. Conversely, staying connected with their informal transnational social networks via social media and developing ties with new local informal and formal social networks allowed them to receive different forms of social support, and buffered some of the negative mental health consequences. However, the lack of social cohesion due to a lack of belonging, marginalization, and current harmful migration-related policies impeded asylum-seekers’ capacity to flourish.ConclusionWhile social support derived from social networks buffered some negative impacts on mental health and well-being, the overall lack of social cohesion ultimately impeded asylum-seekers’ capacity to flourish within their host communities, which was further exacerbated by harmful migration policies of exclusion within France. Introducing more inclusive policies related to the governance of migration and an intersectoral approach that views health in all policies is key to promoting social cohesion and flourishing among asylum-seekers in France.

Challenges Facing Palestinian Women in Assuming Leadership Positions in Higher Education Institutions: Glass Ceiling

The purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of women leaders about the challenges facing Palestinian women that prevents women from being a leader, which is called the glass ceiling. Mix method was used in this research, using a survey and a questionnaire. The participants of the study consisted of (15) women leaders working in higher education universities in Palestine holding the following positions: heads, deans, committee chairpersons, administrative officers, and vice chancellors. The research came out with several results. The most important challenges came in descending order as follows: social cultural and political challenges, organizational and management challenges, family challenges, and finally the psychological and subjective challenges got the fourth rank. Women are excluded from assuming administrative positions due to several factors, including nepotism and male bias; Women have the ability and competence, but they need a supporter to strengthen them and enhance their confidence to take the step of candidacy for leadership; Lack of confidence in women’s capabilities and their scientific and practical competence from the point of view of men, and fear of the decisions they will make upon assuming higher positions. It is recommended that establishing formal and informal professional networks among women is necessary to strengthen communication, exchange experiences and information, discuss and analyse problems and provide solutions. Also, it is necessary for higher education institutions to provide an organizational climate supportive of women assuming leadership positions, providing them with the latest techniques and modern management methods, to overcome obstacles, and the consequent provision of training and qualification programs and courses that enable them to master their work.

Festivities and Sustainable Development in Baixo Alentejo (Portugal)

In recent decades we have seen the emergence of festive inventions as a factor of sustainable development in rural contexts, associated with the dissemination and promotion of cultural products and practices, expressing different motivations. In Portugal and Spain, the relationship between festivals, music, and sustainable development was the object of study, based on musical celebrations that allow the creation of formal networks and participatory models between cultural agents, musicians, and community members. With this text I intend to question the phenomenon of the festive invention in the Baixo Alentejo (Portugal) as a strategy of sustainable development, focusing on the Islamic Festival of Mértola and the “Noche Flamenca” of Barrancos, taking into account the motivations and impact of organized parties and promoted by municipalities and cultural agents, in the construction of possible futures.

Cetacean strandings in Oregon and Washington between 1930 and 2002

The Northwest Region (NWR) Marine Mammal Stranding Network was created in the early 1980s to provide a consistent framework in which to collect and compile data about marine mammal strandings in Oregon and Washington. The NWR includes the nearshore waters and 4,243km (2,632 n.miles) of coastline. For the years 1930-2002, there were 904 stranding events, representing 951 individual animals and 23 species: 4 species of balaenopterids, 1 eschrichtiid, 2 physeterids, 4 ziphiids, 10 delphinids and 2 phocoenids. Gender was determined for 343 males and 266 females. Only one mass stranding was recorded (sperm whales: 1979). A few species comprised the majority (71%) of stranding events in the NWR: harbour porpoise (34%), gray whales (23%), Dall’s porpoise (12%) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (4%). There was a steep increase (511%) in the number of stranding reports beginning in the 1980s with over 86% of all records occurring during the last two decades (1980s and 1990s). The general trend of increased reported strandings during the last two decades corresponds to the formation of a formal stranding network and a heightened interest and dedication by the public and government agencies in reporting and documenting strandings. For all events combined, the primary stranding peak was April-July. Since stranding recoveries depend heavily on reports from the general public, most stranding records were in summer when more people are present along the coastline. Individual species or species groups showed varying levels of conformity to this overall seasonal trend. The value and limitations of the use of strandings data in a management context are discussed.

Strength in unity: post-war sculpture in the Women’s International Art Club, 1950–1970

Despite women’s art clubs and societies being the most consistent aspect of women’s exhibiting culture in the twentieth century, they have seldom been included in the history of art. This article aims to expand art historical narratives by examining how women-only exhibiting organizations afforded women sculptors agency by providing a platform, often denied elsewhere, to exhibit their work, further their artistic careers, and forge formal and informal networks. The focus of the article is the Women’s International Art Club (WIAC), but it also makes reference to the Society of Women Artists. The WIAC held annual exhibitions in London throughout the twentieth century, attracting recognized female sculptors, including Barbara Hepworth, Gertrude Hermes and Elisabeth Frink. However, this article will focus on those sculptors who exhibited with women’s groups and achieved success in their lifetime but have since been overlooked, leaving a gap in art’s histories.

Combination of Organic‐Based Reservoir Computing and Spiking Neuromorphic Systems for a Robust and Efficient Pattern Classification

Nowadays, neuromorphic systems based on memristors are considered promising approaches to the hardware realization of artificial intelligence systems with efficient information processing. However, a major bottleneck in the physical implementation of these systems is the strong dependence of their performance on the unavoidable variations (cycle‐to‐cycle, c2c, or device‐to‐device, d2d) of memristive devices. Recently, reservoir computing (RC) and spiking neuromorphic systems (SNSs) are separately proposed as valuable options to partially mitigate this problem. Herein, both approaches are combined to create a fully organic system based on 1) volatile polyaniline memristive devices for the reservoir layer and 2) nonvolatile parylene memristors for the SNS readout layer. This combination provides a simpler SNS training procedure compared with the formal neural networks and results in greater robustness to device variability, while ensuring the extraction and encoding of the input critical features (performed by the polyaniline reservoir) and the analysis and classification performed by the SNS layer. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal pattern recognition of the system brings us closer to the implementation of efficient and reliable brain‐inspired computing systems built with partially unreliable analog elements.

Aging in Place Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Aging Service Providers.

Formal and informal networks of resources are critical to supporting the growing number of older adults aging in place (AIP). Data are needed from aging-service providers about assets and barriers that impact their abilities to support AIP during the pandemic, as well as emergent needs resulting from response measures. A series of World Café workshops were conducted with aging-service providers in Salt Lake City, Utah, to understand supportive factors, service gaps, and future needs. Novel domains to support AIP in the context of the pandemic were identified: digital access and literacy, social isolation and mental health, and emergency preparedness. Issues related to access, equity, and affordability were identified as overarching themes across domains. Issues reflect concern over how the pandemic exacerbated socioeconomic and cultural disparities impacting older adults who benefit from aging services. Networks of advocacy and support are needed to bolster resources for older adults, caregivers, and aging-service providers.