Informal Community Research Articles

Small and Medium-Sized Entrepreneurs’ Perceptions of Flood Loss and Damage in Sri Lanka

As climate change has intensified flood risk and damage in many low-lying areas of the world, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which typically exist in developing countries, have endured high flood risks without much support for relief. This study investigates how SMEs in flood-prone areas of Colombo, Sri Lanka, the largest business hub in the country, have perceived and dealt with flood loss and damage in the past ten years. We conducted field surveys and a questionnaire survey among 60 SME owners in two flood-prone administrative units from March to June 2020. The results show that informal businesses experienced more flood loss and damage than other community members. Also, the community dominated by informal businesses tended to be located closer to potential flood sources. Ownership and awareness about flood insurance were very low in our study areas. Temporary business closure was the most serious loss experienced by informal business communities. These communities depended on personal savings to recover from floods. Our multiple regression analysis found that age, education, and experience significantly influenced SME owners’ perceptions and experiences about floods. After discussing these findings, this paper offers recommendations to mitigate disaster loss and damage to SMEs. In particular, it highlights the importance of community-level awareness and mitigation efforts rather than administrative unit-level mitigation plans. Also, the government needs to register informal businesses by providing a more flexible business registration mechanism.

The operationalization of health care networks for the elderly in Brazil and in the world: scoping review

Objective: To map the scientific evidence about care for elderly people with dementia in the context of health care networks. Method: Scope review based on the methodology proposed by the JBI, with 17 studies selected from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, Embase, Virtual Health Library and other sources. Results: The identified concepts were organized according to the following categories: Healthcare Network System network with the coordination of Primary Care; Permanent education - training of professionals for early detection and diagnosis of dementia; Care strategies for elderly people living in places with greater geographical distance; Transitional care - communication with Primary Care to ensure continuity of care; Financing of family care - remuneration of informal or family caregivers and Community network focused on long-term care. Conclusion: This review made it possible to reflect on the care provided to elderly people with dementia, especially those in more advanced stages of the disease, and points to the need for restructuring the healthcare network system in Brazil and in the world.

Social perception and risk assessment of domestic uses of solar pasteurized rainwater in an informal settlement community

Solar pasteurization systems (SOPAS) were analysed on-site in a South African informal settlement, for the treatment of rainwater. This was achieved by (1) gauging community members’ perception of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and envisioned uses, (2) monitoring the removal of opportunistic pathogens in the rainwater [qPCR assays in combination with viability pre-treatment], and (3) applying quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to assess the risk of using the untreated and SOPAS treated rainwater for domestic activities identified by community members. Overall, 61% of respondents were familiar with the concept of RWH and 67% were favorably inclined towards using rainwater for daily household needs. Respondents also indicated that access to warm water, from the SOPAS system, may decrease household reliance on fossil fuels to heat water for various activities. Viability qPCR analysis showed that the SOPAS system reduced Legionella spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Salmonella spp. cells by a mean of 94.4%, 98.6%, and 88.3%. Additionally, Pseudomonas spp. and Salmonella spp. were reduced to below the detection limit at > 73 °C and > 75 °C, respectively. Subsequently, QMRA for all three target pathogens showed that SOPAS treatment primarily reduced the health risk associated with using the treated water for washing/bathing, cleaning, and washing laundry, amongst others, to below the 1 × 10−4 annual infection benchmark limit. The study highlights the importance of community engagement, through social perception studies and community workshops, prior to the implementation of water treatment interventions, as well as the value of combining molecular-based assays with QMRA to inform safe water uses.

COVID-19 Knowledge and Prevention Behaviors in Rural Zambia: A Qualitative Application of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model.

In early 2020, the Zambian Ministry of Health instituted prevention guidelines to limit spread of COVID-19. We assessed community knowledge, motivations, behavioral skills, and perceived community adherence to prevention behaviors (i.e., hand hygiene, mask wearing, social distancing, and limiting gatherings). Within a cluster-randomized controlled trial in four rural districts, in November 2020 and May 2021, we conducted in-depth interviews with health center staff (N = 19) and community-based volunteers (N = 34) and focus group discussions with community members (N = 281). A content analysis was conducted in Nvivo v12. Data were interpreted using the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model. Generally, respondents showed good knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, spread, and high-risk activities, with some gaps. Prevention behavior performance was driven by personal and social factors. Respondents described institutional settings (e.g., clinics and church) having higher levels of perceived adherence due to stronger enforcement measures and clear leadership. Conversely, informal community settings (e.g., weddings, funerals, football matches) lacked similar social and leadership expectations for adherence and had lower perceived levels of adherence. These settings often involved higher emotions (excitement or grief), and many involved alcohol use, resulting in community members "forgetting" guidelines. Doubt about disease existence or need for precautions persisted among some community members and drove non-adherence more generally. Although COVID-19 information successfully penetrated these very remote rural communities, more targeted messaging may address persistent COVID-19 doubt and misinformation. Engaging local leaders in religious, civic, and traditional leadership positions could improve community behaviors without adding additional monitoring duties on an already overburdened, resource-limited health system.

Initial insights into the impact and implementation of Creating Active Schools in Bradford, UK

BackgroundFew whole-school physical activity programmes integrate implementation science frameworks within the design, delivery, and evaluation. As a result, knowledge of the key factors that support implementation at scale is lacking. The Creating Active Schools (CAS) programme was co-designed and is underpinned by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The study aims to understand the initial impact and implementation of CAS in Bradford over 9 months using McKay’s et al.’s (2019) implementation evaluation roadmap.MethodsFocus groups and interviews were conducted with school staff (n = 30, schools = 25), CAS Champions (n = 9), and the CAS strategic lead (n = 1). Qualitative data were analysed both inductively and deductively. The deductive analysis involved coding data into a priori themes based on McKay et al’s implementation evaluation roadmap, using a codebook approach to thematic analysis. The inductive analysis included producing initial codes and reviewing themes before finalising.ResultsIdentified themes aligned into three categories: (i) key ingredients for successful adoption and implementation of CAS, (ii) CAS implementation: challenges and solutions, and (iv) the perceived effectiveness of CAS at the school level. This included the willingness of schools to adopt and implement whole-school approaches when they are perceived as high quality and aligned with current school values. The programme implementation processes were seen as supportive; schools identified and valued the step-change approach to implementing CAS long-term. Formal and informal communities of practice provided “safe spaces” for cross-school support. Conversely, challenges persisted with gaining broader reach within schools, school staff’s self-competence and shifting school culture around physical activity. This resulted in varied uptake between and within schools.ConclusionsThis study provides novel insights into the implementation of CAS, with outcomes aligning to the adoption, reach, and sustainability. Successful implementation of CAS was underpinned by determinants including acceptability, intervention complexity, school culture and school stakeholders’ perceived self-efficacy. The combination of McKay’s evaluation roadmap and CFIR establishes a rigorous approach for evaluating activity promotion programmes underpinned by behavioural and implementation science. Resultantly this study offers originality and progression in understanding the implementation and effectiveness of whole-school approaches to physical activity.

The Pattern Language Approach as a Bridge Connecting Formal and Informal Urban Planning Practices in Africa

This article explores the use of the pattern language approach in bridging the gap between formal and informal urban planning practices in the African context. This study focuses on a case application within the urbanised region encompassing the Nakivubo wetland located in Kampala, Uganda. As in other cities in Africa with a colonial past, Kampala’s planning system signals a profound gap between a technocratic, European paradigms-based type of planning and the everyday practices of citizens. This results in a “dual city,” with formal and informal communities using resources and spaces differently, leading to spatial segregation and non-implementation of urban plans. To overcome this challenge, the pattern language approach is utilised in this research to link formal and informal practices through facilitating meaningful community participation and integrating tacit knowledge into the planning process. To achieve this, the researchers conducted fieldwork and interacted with the local community in informal settlements to develop informal patterns, while analysing the history and current organisation of formal planning institutions in Kampala to formulate formal patterns. The patterns were used as input for a community workshop, which resulted in a pattern language of wetland management practices and a framework that begins to bridge both formal and informal domains of urban practice. By using the pattern language approach as a tool to understand informal practices and their possible incorporation into a planning process that captures the needs of citizens, this research offers relevant insights into achieving sustainable and inclusive urban environments.

‘It’s communication between people who are going through the same thing’: experiences of informal interactions in hospital cancer treatment settings

PurposeIn hospital settings, patients, visitors, and staff engage in many interactions outside formal clinical encounters. Whilst many of these may be inconsequential, others contribute significantly to how patients and their carers experience cancer and its treatment. This article aims to explore the experiences and significance of interactions that occur outside formal clinical encounters in hospital cancer treatment settings.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with cancer patients, carers, and staff recruited from two hospital sites and cancer support groups. Hermeneutic phenomenology informed lines of questioning and data analysis.ResultsThirty-one people participated in the study: 18 cancer patients, four carers, and nine staff members. The experiences of informal interactions were grouped into three themes: connecting, making sense, and enacting care. The participants described how these encounters allowed connection with others in the hospital spaces, facilitating a sense of belonging, normality, and self-worth. Through these interactions, individuals participated in making sense of their experiences, to better anticipate the decisions and challenges that might lie ahead. By connecting with other individuals, they cared for others and felt cared for themselves, and were able to learn from, teach, and support each other.ConclusionsOutside the confines of the clinical discourses participants negotiate terms of engagement, sharing of information, expertise, and their own personal stories that they may employ to contribute to the individuals around them. These interactions occur within a loose and evolving framework of social interactions, an ‘informal community’, in which cancer patients, carers, and staff members play active and meaningful roles.

Rare shady chasmophytic habitat communities (8210) in Ukraine

Abstract The characteristics of shaded chasmophytic habitats on calcareous rocks in forest conditions are described, where the forest canopy primarily acts as a shading factor that determines microclimate, humidity and light levels. These communities can be found in deciduous forests of the Carpinion betuli, Fagion sylvaticae and Tilio-Acerion alliances, where they are confined to steep calcareous rock faces and cliffs. Syntaxonomically, these communities belong to the Polypodietea class (Ctenidio-Polypodietalia vulgaris order, Ctenidio-Polypodion vulgaris alliance) and to four informal communities: Isothecium alopecuroides-Polystichum braunii, Porella platyphylla-Asplenium ruta-muraria, Pseudanomodon attenuatus-Chrysosplenium alternifolium and Pedinophyllum interruptum-Polystichum aculeatum. We evaluated indices of environmental parameters according to the synphytoindication method using Didukh’s scales. An assessment of the threat impacts and indicators of sociological significance shows that the habitat belongs to a rare type (II class), and therefore requires specific conservation measures.

Examining liveability in the informal community of Kabawa, Nigeria

Examining liveability in the informal community of Kabawa, Nigeria

Marginalized community effort to improve environmental quality of poor settlement along riverbank

Currently, many people live in urban areas and more than 30% of them live in slums or squatter settlements. Urbanization is one of the most transformative trends occurring worldwide, especially in developing countries like Indonesia. At present, more than half of the total population in Indonesia lives in urban areas. The dominance of the urban population shows the urgency to make the urban environment inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable as it is intended to be realized through Goal No. 11 - SDGs 2030. Cities require large spaces and are a major source of wealth and centers of innovation, culture, and politics. The urban area has become the most important arena for people, including low-income communities that live in informal urban spaces that develop spontaneously. This article will share research experiences on the settlements of marginalized communities. With the help of several institutions, the communities are trying to improve the quality of their settlements to become inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The method used in this research is the descriptive-qualitative method exploring the potential and resources within urban kampong to improve the quality of urban poor settlements. With the discovery of informal urban space patterns and community efforts to improve the quality of their settlements, a sustainable development strategy can be developed to improve urban areas inhabited by low-income people.

DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE AND LEARNING THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER LINGUISTICS AND COLINS INTELLECTUAL SYSTEMS

The present article is devoted to the international scientific conference CoLInS, which has become a platform to exchange the experience and new knowledge in the field of computational linguistics and intelligent systems between scientists, students and graduate students. The purpose of the article is to highlight the role of the conference in improving the educational process and developing scientific thought at the Department of Intelligent Computer Systems. One of the main problems of the conference is the development of intelligent systems designed for natural language processing, which has become particularly relevant in the world of the fact that the process of information exchange between participants in the educational process takes place in a global environment using various applications and instant messengers. In most cases informal learning takes place in social networks, where the exchange of knowledge between participants with different specialized knowledge occurs spontaneously within informal groups and communities of interest. E-learning is perceived by the digital community as the main element of the social progress, which is reflected in the graduate projects of bachelors and masters, as well as masters works in the specialty "Applied and Computational Linguistics". In turn, this affects the formation of the next directions of the subsequent conferences. It is noted that the staff of the Department of ICS takes care of promoting their most significant results of research activities in the educational process and preserving the individual face that exists at the department of the scientific school.

Dinamika Sektor Informal: Perempuan Pengrajin Sak Ikan di Desa Plalangan, Kabupaten Situbondo

The purpose of this paper is to reveal a form of activity of the majority of the people of Plalangan Village, Sumbermalang District as fish sack craftsmen. This is motivated by the relationship that the craftsmen have with local and outside collectors which is a factor in the emergence of these craftsmen. Being a craftsman is not only limited to economic needs, but the social and cultural sectors are also built in it. Bringing up an informal community for craftsmen, especially housewives to strengthen togetherness and kinship. The mothers there become informal workers making fish sacks. Trust, norms, and networks each have their own characteristics in strengthening, strengthening, and increasing the togetherness of craftsmen in the process of sustainable production. The three concepts of social capital also play a role in group management to form development strategies, fund allocation, cooperation, and group work division.

Broken Windows and Community Social Control: Evidence from a Study of Street Segments

Objectives Broken windows theory identifies community social control as a central mechanism for controlling crime. In turn, controlling disorder is seen as the primary method that police or other government agents can use to strengthen community social controls. Our study examined the antecedents of informal community social control, measured as collective efficacy, at street segments. Methods This article leverages multi-wave primary data collection at 447 street segments in Baltimore, MD including official crime statistics, survey responses, physical observations, and systematic social observations. We used mixed-effects OLS regression models to examine antecedents of collective efficacy at the street-level. Results We find that social disorder and crime, rather than physical disorder, are the primary antecedents of collective efficacy at the street-level. We also find that fear of crime does not have a direct impact on collective efficacy. Conclusions Our study suggests that police and city government more generally should not look to controlling physical disorder as a means of increasing community controls. At the same time addressing social disorder is an important mechanism to bolster collective efficacy, though care is needed to avoid bias or backfire effects from aggressive order-maintenance policing.

A qualitative study

A qualitative study

Selection of Residence Based on Public Perception of Settlements as an Effort to Support the KOTAKU Program

Currently, there are many programs from the government related to urban villages. One of them is Kampung Kota Baru Tengah in Balikpapan City, which is the location for the Community-Based Settlement Environmental Management program (KOTAKU Program). The socialization program is carried out with an approach to the informal community. Socialization through community media is the mainstay of the government so that existing programs can be realized properly in society. This study aims to see the similarity of perceptions regarding space as a place to live. Considering that a common perception is one of the first steps to achieving the success of the KOTAKU program, where a common perception of where to live will become the vision of development in residential areas so that people will be more consistent in implementing the KOTAKU program. This study uses Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis, which will then map the perceptions of settlements. The results of the perception mapping formed show that individuals in each community have different perceptions of settlements. Based on perceptions of reconciliation grouping, we found that 51% chose identity as the main reason for staying and 48.5% chose location dependence as the main reason for staying. This perception formed in the community suggests that government strategies for environmental and housing improvement programs are advocated to reflect or strengthen people's sense of identity and place dependability. Strengthening this sense of identity can be linked to any development activity that can reflect local wisdom, while the location dependency aspect can be linked to improving settlement infrastructure.

How can messaging apps, WhatsApp and SMS be used to support learning? A scoping review

ABSTRACT In response to disruption to education during the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile phone-based messaging has emerged in some instances as an accessible, low-connectivity way of promoting interactivity. However, no recent reviews have been undertaken in relation to how social media and messaging apps can be used to effectively support education in low- and middle-income countries. In this scoping review, 43 documents were identified for inclusion, and three main thematic areas emerged: supporting student learning (including interacting with peers and other students, peer tutoring and collaborative learning; and interacting with teachers, through content delivery, teaching and assessment); teacher professional development (including structured support and prompts, and informal communities of practice); and supporting refugee education. The discussion and findings are both of practical use, to inform responses to the current pandemic and designing initiatives in the future, and will also be useful for advancing research in this expanding field.

Incomplete-ownership property communities: Informal gated communities in Beijing and the issue of life satisfaction

Informal housing and social inequality are key issues when building sustainable societies in many developing countries. Informal gated communities on the urban fringe are common in many cities in China. This article presents a micro-case in Beijing in an attempt to uncover the reasons for this informal land development and its impact on residents' life satisfaction. We investigated three groups of people, namely local rural villagers who hold local rural Hukous, local urban residents who hold local urban Hukous, and migrants without local Hukous who live in informal communities in Beijing. We found that villagers, migrants and local urban residents have significant differences in economic income levels, housing areas and subjective satisfaction with their quality of life. Although the difference in subjective well-being between migrants and urban people is not obvious, those who own illegal housing in informal communities have higher levels of happiness than those who rent housing. It seems that ownership of informal housing plays a positive role in enhancing life satisfaction, despite it being illegal. These findings enhance our existing knowledge of the formation mechanism and the effects of informal development.

Community building via the DTL Data Stewards Interest Group (DSIG)

This article describes the Data Stewards Interest Group (DSIG), an informal and inclusive community hub for data stewards and like-minded in the Netherlands (and abroad) to share experiences, fostering the (Dutch) national implementation of data stewardship.

Alumni Relations Policy of Multidisciplinary Universities (on the Example of the Far Eastern Federal University)

Alumni relations is a comparatively new sphere for Russian universities. Universities are trying to build new culture of the relationships with alumni from scratch. This article examines this challenge through interviewing deans of typical Russian multi-field University. Based on 11 semi-structured interviews, the article explores such topics as university culture, institutionalisation, communication, attitudes, and how both alumni and alma mater can benefit from cooperation. Relying on the theoretical frameworks of social fields and social capital, the article elaborates what theoretical and practical principles underlie effective alumni relations policy. The findings set five principles of alumni relations policy: 1) openness of the university and its campus for all alumni; 2) institutionalisation of the communities of stable social fields; 3) support of informal communities and individual ambassadors; 4) support of evolving communities at the university; and 5) development of alumni relations formats and practices. Considering the absence of a culture of material help and donations, such support cannot be the focus of alumni relations work. Instead, solid interpersonal relationships should be built, promoting the values of trust and cooperation, where alumni associations and informal communities play real role.

A Novel Approach to Detection of Fake News in Online Communities

Fake news serving various political and commercial agendas has emerged on the web and spread rapidly in recent years, thanks in large part to the proliferation of online social networks. People who use informal online groups are especially vulnerable to the sneaky effects of deceptive language used in fake news on the internet, which has far-reaching effects on real society. To make information in informal online communities more reliable, it is important to be able to spot fake news as soon as possible. The goal of this study is to look at the criteria, methods, and calculations that are used to find and evaluate fake news, content, and topics in unstructured online communities. This research is mostly about how vague fake news is and how many connections there are between articles, writers, and topics. In this piece, we introduce FAKEDETECTOR, a novel controlled graph neural network. FAKEDETECTOR creates a deep diffusive organization model based on a wide range of explicit and specific attributes extracted from the textual content, allowing it to simultaneously learn the models of reports, authors, and topics. The complete version of this paper provides exploratory results from extensive experiments on a real fake news dataset designed to distinguish FAKEDETECTOR from two state-of-the-art algorithms.