Intercommunication Network Research Articles

Two-layer visual analytics of truckers’ risk-coping social network

Within organizations, managers’ specific responsibilities and domain expertise shape their interests in the output of social network analysis. Our proposed visualization approach is tailored to meet the operation-directed needs and preferences for visual analysis of specific tasks. This method prioritizes an overall geographical map with focal-contextual dynamics within the network. To enable a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of pinpointed focal areas, we customize an analytical framework for analyzing inter-community networks. We extract focal sub-networks from specific nodes to create graph visualization for detailed analysis, represent rich types of domain-specific graphic properties, and provide direct zoom+filtering interactions to allow easy pattern recognition and knowledge discovery. We applied our approach to visualizing the data from interactions among 300 city-based truck communities on the largest occupational platform for truckers in China. We also conduct a case study to demonstrate that our approach is effective in supporting managers’ network analysis and knowledge discovery.

Network constraint and online group innovation: a dual perspective of inter-community group network and intra-community group network

PurposeThis study aims to explore the different effects of inter-community group networks and intra-community group networks on group innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a pooled panel dataset of 12,111 self-organizing innovation groups in 463 game product creative workshop communities from Steam support to test the hypothesis. The pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) model is used for analyzing the data.FindingsThe results show that network constraint is negatively associated with the innovation performance of online groups. The average path length of the inter-community group network negatively moderates the relationship between network constraint and group innovation, while the average path length of the intra-community group network positively moderates the relationship between network constraint and group innovation. In addition, both the network density of inter-community group networks and intra-community group networks can negatively moderate the negative relationship between network constraint and group innovation.Originality/valueThe findings of this study suggest that network structural characteristics of inter-community networks and intra-community networks have different effects on online groups’ product innovation, and therefore, group members should consider their inter- and intra-community connections when choosing other groups to form a collaborative innovation relationship.

Study protocol: improving response to malaria in the Amazon through identification of inter-community networks and human mobility in border regions of Ecuador, Peru and Brazil

IntroductionUnderstanding human mobility’s role in malaria transmission is critical to successful control and elimination. However, common approaches to measuring mobility are ill-equipped for remote regions such as the Amazon. This...

CNSC-38. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE FUNCTIONAL RELEVANCE OF INTRA- AND INTERTUMORAL NETWORKS IN PRIMARY BREAST CANCER

Abstract Despite intensive efforts to improve current therapeutical strategies, breast cancer continues to be a life-shortening diagnosis for a significant number of affected women. Considering that the innervation density of breast cancers negatively correlates with the prognosis, the emerging field of Cancer Neuroscience, which deals with the reciprocal interactions between the nervous system and cancer cells, represents an attractive novel research direction. In fact, studies on breast cancer brain metastases have proven that the metastatic cells receive growth stimuli by hijacking healthy glutamatergic synapses. Beyond being capable of forming direct glutamatergic cancer-neuron synapses, primary brain tumor cells also connect to a multicellular intercommunicating network that contributes to therapy resistance. Whether similar mechanisms also apply to tumors outside the brain – accountable for the majority of cancer cases – remains unknown. Here, we aim at unraveling the functional role of intratumoral networks and the influence of (potential) direct primary breast cancer cell-neuron interactions. We hypothesize that purinergic signaling as a universal synaptic signaling mechanism enhances tumor growth. Through the application of ex vivo whole-organ tissue-clearing and nerve-labeling approaches, we noticed prevalent sensory and sympathetic innervation in the healthy and diseased murine mammary gland. Furthermore, we measured tumor cell proliferation rates in an in vitro model of primary murine sensory DRG-neurons co-cultured with breast cancer stem cells and compared these to monoculture controls. By implanting a mammary imaging window over the growing primary tumor, we longitudinally track the calcium activity of breast cancer cells in their natural microenvironment in the living mouse. We thereby are able to record co-activity of neighboring cells indicative of intratumoral network communication in primary breast cancers. Overall, our data support the existence of functional intra- and intertumoral breast cancer cell networks as an alternative therapeutical target. Future work needs to concentrate on unequivocally detecting direct neuron-cancer cell contacts.

Community gardens and the social solidarity economy

ABSTRACT Although research has demonstrated the ecological, public health and food security benefits of community gardens, few studies have considered community gardens in relation to a broader social solidarity economy (SSE), that is, inter-community networks wherein people develop commitments to building just and equitable economic alternatives. In employing a thematic analysis on triangulated data (collected via an interview, participant observation, and a participatory film), the present case study explores how a community gardener from a low-income South African community engages with his community’s SSE. We analyse how this community garden fostered solidarity and established alternative micro-economic practices. We also consider the challenges facing community gardens when connecting with the SSE. By way of conclusion, we emphasise the importance of taking a critical, broad-based view of the SSE within research, and how case studies can assist us in understanding the various influences that SSE initiatives can have within and across communities.

I'll be there for you: coopetition and competitor-oriented activities among South Asian restaurants in two UK regional clusters

PurposeThis study investigates how a competitor orientation (knowledge of and acting on competitors' strengths and weaknesses) facilitates coopetition activities (collaboration with competitors), within networks of competing micro-sized, independent, family restaurants, owned by entrepreneurs from ethnic minority backgrounds.Design/methodology/approachAn instrumental case study features data collected from interviews with 30 owners (as key informants) of micro-sized, independent, family-owned restaurants, in two urban clusters within the Midlands (UK). Specifically, the context involves restaurants offering South Asian cuisine and where the owner originated from the Indian sub-continent (Bangladesh, India or Pakistan). Secondary data were collected wherever possible. These two clusters (not named for ethics reasons) are highly populated by members of these respective ethnic communities; also, they contain a relatively large number of restaurants offering South Asian cuisine.FindingsA competitor orientation facilitated strong coopetition-oriented partnerships comprised of extended family and intra-community members that helped enhance individual firms' performance, maintained family employment and sustained their cluster. It also helped owners develop subtle counter strategies where weak ties existed, such as via inter-community networks. For example, strategies attracted customers that were not loyal to a particular restaurant, or indeed, sub-ethnic cuisine (within Bangladesh, India or Pakistan, like the Punjab region). Subtle as opposed to outright counter strategies minimised retaliation, since restaurant owners wanted to avoid price wars, or spreading misinformation where the reputation of a cluster may suffer alongside the likely survival of individual businesses within that regional cluster.Originality/valueMixed evidence exists in earlier studies regarding the competitive rivalry in certain sectors where ethnic minority ownership is prominent; not least, restaurants located in regional clusters. However, this investigation considers the notion – what if some of these earlier studies are wrong? More specifically, does certain prior research under-represent the extent that rival entrepreneurs of an ethnic minority origin collaborate rather than compete for mutually beneficial purposes? New evidence emerges regarding ways in which a competitor orientation can influence the performance-enhancing nature of coopetition activities among business owners originating from both intra and inter-ethnic communities.

Hunting and feasting in the pre-Columbian Andes: Exploring the nature and scale of early ceremonial aggregations in Tulan Ravine (5300 to 2400 yr cal. BP) through the circulation of obsidian artefacts

In the pre-Columbian Andes, ceremonial centres were places for large-scale periodic celebrations that facilitated interaction and the reproduction of social life; however, little is known about their role and emergence in early periods. In order to explore the nature and scale of social aggregations, we study the circulation of obsidian artefacts from two early ceremonial centres: Tulan-52 (5300 to 4200 cal. BP) and Tulan-54 (3200 to 2400 cal. BP). Compositional analyses indicate the exploitation of local obsidian, but with a significant contribution from several extra-local sources in the north of the Salar de Atacama (Chile), the Andes highlands (4000 masl) and the northwest of Argentina. According to technological studies and other complementary data, obsidian was employed mainly for the production of bifacial projectile points used in collective hunts and ritual feasts. Our data supports the existence of wide, decentralised inter-community networks fostered by inclusive access to these periodic congregations. We argue that early ceremonial centres were intended to maintain social cohesion and cooperative labour between trans-egalitarian groups in the face of the profound socio-economic changes introduced by the adoption of a more sedentary, pastoralist way of life.

A minority group's response to a severe climatic event: a case study of rural Indo-Fijians after Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016.

This paper investigates the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Winston (2016) on rural Indo-Fijians and their response to the devastation. Studies have previously examined how rural communities in Pacific Island countries respond to severe climatic events, arguing that traditional knowledge of the climate, together with indigenous techniques, contribute substantially to recovery from a disaster. Strong communal bonds have also been identified as an influencing factor. Disaster risk reduction frameworks often assume the availability of such knowledge and capital. Yet, little research has been done on how minority groups with limited access to such knowledge and capital cope with disaster-related damage. The current study shows that rural Indo-Fijians responded to the consequences of Tropical Cyclone Winston differently to indigenous Fijians, owing to relatively limited access to traditional awareness of the climate, communal labour sharing, and intra- and/or inter-community networks. The findings point to the necessity to implement a more inclusive disaster risk reduction framework.

New concepts of inverse fuzzy mixed graphs and its application.

Fuzzy mixed graph (FMG) can be used to model some graphical intercommunication network systems if there are many directed and undirected relations between some vertices. In inverse fuzzy graph, the membership value of edges are greater than or equal to the minimum of the membership value of the corresponding vertices. In inverse fuzzy mixed graph (IFMG), directed and undirected relations exist between some vertices and it can be used to analyze many graphical problems of real life such that the membership values of edges are greater than or equal to the minimum of the membership value of the corresponding pair of vertices. In this article, the concept of IFMG is introduced first with some of its properties. Then some isomorphic properties are studied and complement of IFMG is given. Different types of operations like union, intersection, product and join between two IFMGs are defined and investigated some of their related results. An algorithm of the proposed method is executed to identify some vertices. An application is depicted using the concept IFMG to examine the order of vertices in a social network group according to communication gaps.

Three-Loop-Based Universal Control Architecture for Decentralized Operation of Multiple Inverters in an Autonomous Grid-Interactive Microgrid

This article presents a decentralized control architecture for inverters in a utility-interactive autonomous microgrid involving multiple inverter units. The architecture is novel as all the system requirements, viz., automatic/seamless-mode transitions between grid-tied to standalone mode of operation and vice versa, islanding/anti-islanding detection, low-voltage ride-through, and dynamic grid support by reactive-power injection, are organized into three cascaded control loops-voltage control, frequency control, and a PLL. The control loops are designed to operate in the synchronous reference frame so that the control structure becomes compact and free from any computational complexities and associated delays. An equivalent droop combining virtual resistance with the active (P) and reactive (Q) power-based droops is used to achieve proportional load-sharing among the inverters in the standalone mode. The references to these loops are self-modified by the controller according to the operational mode. The architecture is autonomous but straightforward, where each inverter operates on its terminal information eliminating the requirement of any centralized controller or intercommunication network. The performance of the proposed control strategy is validated through comprehensive experimental results on a laboratory prototype that tests all the functions of an autonomous microgrid.

Dual Intercommunication Network: Enabling Interhemispheric Communications in Hemisphere-Inspired ANNs

The human brain has been a main source of inspiration for designing deep learning models. Recently, inspired by the specialized functions of two cerebral hemispheres in processing low and high spatial frequency information, some dual-path neural networks with global and local branches have been proposed to deal with both coarse- and fine-grained visual tasks simultaneously. However, in existing works, the interhemispheric communication mechanism, which is responded by the corpus callosum, the largest white matter structure in the human brain that connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres, is still not fully explored and exploited. This paper aims to explore how the corpus callosum can inspire us to enable transfer and integration of information between global and local branches in hemisphere-inspired artificial neural networks, such that one branch can leverage the other's learned knowledge and benefit each other. To this end, we propose a gated intercommunication unit to selectively transfer useful knowledge between the two branches via attention mechanisms to alleviate the negative transfer. Experiments on sb-MNIST and two pedestrian attribute datasets show that the proposed method outperforms the compared ones in most cases.

Inter-community networks of rural leaders and key people: Case study on a rural revitalization program in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

The ageing and declining populations face not only challenges in maintaining local services and economies, many also have the added physical and logistical burden of being in hilly or mountainous areas in developed nations. There is urgent need for strong rural leaders and key people to take leadership roles and facilitate social networking that bolsters communities. We examined inter-community networks, focusing on a rural region of Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. We identified the leaders and key people in the many rural communities in this region, examined these people's characteristics, and comprehensively surveyed them to uncover views on such networks, what limits them, and how they can be enhanced. Among the results, we found a high sense of need ascribed to these networks, yet effective participation was relatively low. To facilitate interaction, communication by means such as in-person meetings and telephone conversation was foremost, but online means such as e-mail and social networking have also proven to be valuable supplements across the distance. We further plotted these communicational means of key individuals and found networks some to be extensive, while others are still limited to the range of geographically close communities.

Inference of Causal Information Flow in Collective Animal Behavior

Understanding and even defining what constitutes animal interactions remains a challenging problem. Correlational tools may be inappropriate for detecting communication between a set of many agents exhibiting nonlinear behavior. A different approach is to define coordinated motions in terms of an information theoretic channel of direct causal information flow. In this work, we consider time series data obtained by an experimental protocol of optical tracking of the insect species Chironomus riparius. The data constitute reconstructed 3-D spatial trajectories of the insects' flight trajectories and kinematics. We present an application of the optimal causation entropy (oCSE) principle to identify direct causal relationships or information channels among the insects. The collection of channels inferred by oCSE describes a network of information flow within the swarm. We find that information channels with a long spatial range are more common than expected under the assumption that causal information flows should be spatially localized. The tools developed herein are general and applicable to the inference and study of intercommunication networks in a wide variety of natural settings.

Scaling-up water community organizations: the role of inter-communities networks in multi-level water governance

Depuis les années 2000, des communautés locales en charge de la gestion des services d’eau ont commencé à se regrouper à des échelles d’action supérieures, sous la forme de réseaux sub-nationaux et nationaux, dans le but de promouvoir leur mode de gouvernance communautaire (notamment en Amérique du Sud). Elles tentent principalement de répondre à la fois à des pressions internes, telles que des difficultés techniques ou financières, et des pressions externes, surtout en provenance d’États visant la réappropriation du contrôle sur les ressources en eau dans un contexte de développement. Cet article vise à analyser le rôle de ces réseaux intercommunautaires, composés d’organisations communautaires de l’eau, dans la mise en œuvre de partenariats équitables avec les acteurs publics pour la gestion des services d’eau. Dans un premier temps, un cadre théorique et conceptuel pluridisciplinaire autour de la gouvernance multi-niveaux et des processus de « scaling-up » sera présenté. Dans un second temps, se fondant sur une comparaison entre l’Équateur et la Colombie, l’analyse aura pour but la compréhension du rôle de médiateur joué par les réseaux intercommunautaires dans la mise en œuvre de partenariats équitables avec les acteurs publics dans deux contextes différents de gouvernance de l’eau.

Crossing Boundaries: Action Networks, Amalgamation and Inter-Community Trust in a Small Rural Shire

Local government reforms introduced throughout the mid-1990s radically altered the face, institutional form and structure of local government in the state of Victoria, Australia. In rural areas, where shire boundaries often reflected deeply ingrained notions of communal interest and identity, the forced merger of previously independent and fiercely parochial councils into larger unified political and administrative units was particularly contentious. Drawing on a survey of 649 residents from the rural Shire of Buloke, this paper examines attitudes towards local government amalgamation, levels of inter-community trust and reciprocity, and how these vary across different parts of the municipality. Social network analysis is then used to explore the relationship between these attitudes and trust levels and the structure and orientation of respondents’ inter-community networks. The paper finds that despite the passage of more than a decade, significant residual resentment surrounding the impact of the forced amalgamations remains evident across most communities in Buloke Shire. There is a widespread perception that the reforms have undermined rather than improved the operation of local government across the municipality, and that post-amalgamation political structures have largely failed to effectively reconcile the diverse and sometimes disparate interests of Buloke's constituent towns and communities. The network analysis also suggests that much work remains to be done to develop a meaningful sense of community based on the new administrative boundaries, with very little evidence of cross-community cooperation, coalition building or issue-based interaction detected.

RING: A Cross-Layer P2P Group Conferencing Mechanism over Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

SUMMARY In the infrastructure-less disaster environment, the application of the peer-to-peer (P2P) group conference over mobile ad hoc network (MANET) can be used to communicate with each other when the rescue crews search the survivors but work separately. However, there still are several problems of in-time multimedia delivery in P2P-MANET: (1) MANET mobility influences the maintenance of P2P overlay. (2) P2P overlay is not proximal to MANET topology, this leads to the inefficient streaming delivery. (3) The unreliable wireless connection leads to the difficulty of multi-source P2P group conferencing. Therefore, P2P conferencing cannot work well on MANET. To overcome the above disadvantages, in this paper, we present a cross-layer P2P group conferencing mechanism over MANET, called RING (Real-time Intercommunication Network Gossip). The RING uses the ring overlay to manage peers and utilizes the cross-layer mechanism to force the ring overlay to be proximal to MANET topology. Therefore, RING can lead efficient in-time multimedia streaming delivery. On the other hand, the ring overlay can deal with peer joining/leaving fast and simply, and improves the delivery efficiency with the minimum signaling overhead. Through mathematical theory and a series of experiments, we demonstrate that RING is workable and it can shorten the source-toend delay with minimal signaling overhead.

The ecology of social transitions in human evolution

We know that there are fundamental differences between humans and living apes, and also between living humans and their extinct relatives. It is also probably the case that the most significant and divergent of these differences relate to our social behaviour and its underlying cognition, as much as to fundamental differences in physiology, biochemistry or anatomy. In this paper, we first attempt to demarcate what are the principal differences between human and other societies in terms of social structure, organization and relationships, so that we can identify what derived features require explanation. We then consider the evidence of the archaeological and fossil record, to determine the most probable context in time and taxonomy, of these evolutionary trends. Finally, we attempt to link five major transitional points in hominin evolution to the selective context in which they occurred, and to use the principles of behavioural ecology to understand their ecological basis. Critical changes in human social organization relate to the development of a larger scale of fission and fusion; the development of a greater degree of nested substructures within the human community; and the development of intercommunity networks. The underlying model that we develop is that the evolution of 'human society' is underpinned by ecological factors, but these are influenced as much by technological and behavioural innovations as external environmental change.

Bonding and Bridging Social Capital and Economic Growth

In this paper we develop a formal model of economic growth and two types of social capital. Following extant literature, we model social capital as participation in two types of social networks: first, closed networks of family and friends, and, second, open networks that bridge different communities. Higher levels of social capital may crowd out economic growth through a reduction of working time. At the same time, participation in intercommunity networks reduces incentives for rent seeking and cheating, promoting economic growth. We test our hypotheses in a sample of European regions using unique data from the European Value Studies (EVS). Our findings show that it is important to distinguish between the nature of the social interaction.

Multiprocessor implementation models for adaptive algorithms

This paper addresses the problem of implementing adaptive algorithms on parallel MIMD message-passing computers using a small number of digital signal processors. First, we evaluate the maximal speedup obtained by an ideal machine without resources restriction but taking into account interprocessor communications. This estimation is based on the signal flow graph of the algorithm and a description of the parameters of the target architecture. Explicit expressions are obtained and critical tasks are detected, thus allowing a fast and easy evaluation of the influence of implementation parameters. Next, we propose some techniques to enhance the intrinsic parallelism of iterative algorithms using our models. An algorithm is given to find an implementation achieving maximal speedup and using a small number of processors. Then, an optimal intercommunication network is obtained and some techniques are given to reduce the number of point-to-point links between processors without affecting the speedup. Finally, if the optimal network cannot be constructed because of an excessive number of links, we propose an allocation method to minimize the performance degradation introduced by the use of a fixed arbitrary communication network.

The Microarchitecture of the Intracavernosal Smooth Muscle and the Cavernosal Fibrous Skeleton

The bulk of the parenchyma of the corpora cavernosa consists of bundles of smooth muscle fibers. These bundles are oriented in all directions and establish at least 2 insertions upon elements of the fibrous skeleton of the corpora. The fibrous skeleton includes the tunica albuginea and its fibrous columns, the intracavernous fibrous framework, and the periarterial and perineural fibrous sheaths. The cavernous vascular spaces (sinusoids) form an intercommunicating network embedded within the mass of smooth muscle. Thus, the smooth muscle does not form a muscular wall proper for each sinusoid. (J. Urol., 144: 1144–1146, 1990)