Robust Community Research Articles

The Role of Boundary Spanners in Institutionalizing University–Community Engagement: Insights from a Hostile Setting

This study examines the role of boundary spanners in institutionalizing university–community engagement (UCE) in higher education institutions (HEIs). Employing autoethnography, we gathered data via reflexive texts and dialogues produced by nine boundary spanners from four UCE units in Hungary. We explore the functions of the boundary spanners in facilitating bottom-up UCE institutionalization processes in a hostile setting not only characterized by (1) transnational academic capitalism, but also (2) a general lack of knowledge of and institutional and/or policy support for UCE and (3) an illiberal political context. We highlight that, within such contexts, boundary spanners often need to undertake multifaceted roles: beyond establishing robust community contacts, they also navigate technical challenges and provide leadership. Also, certain expectations of transnational academic capitalism might also open up spaces for UCE institutionalization within illiberal political settings, although not without challenges and contradictions stemming from the core logic of transnational academic capitalism.

Phylosymbiosis and Elevated Cancer Risk in Genetically Depauperate Channel Island Foxes.

Examination of the host-associated microbiome in wildlife can provide critical insights into the eco-evolutionary factors driving species diversification and response to disease. This is particularly relevant for isolated populations lacking genomic variation, a phenomenon that is increasingly common as human activities create habitat 'islands' for wildlife. Here, we characterised the gut and otic microbial communities of one such species: Channel Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis). The gut microbiome provided evidence of phylosymbiosis by reflecting the host phylogeny, geographic proximity, history of island colonisation and contemporary ecological differences, whereas the otic microbiome primarily reflected geography and disease. Santa Catalina Island foxes are uniquely predisposed to ceruminous gland tumours following infection with Otodectes cynotis ear mites, while San Clemente and San Nicolas Island foxes exhibit ear mite infections without evidence of tumours. Comparative analyses of otic microbiomes revealed that mite-infected Santa Catalina and San Clemente Island foxes exhibited reduced bacterial diversity, skewed abundance towards the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and disrupted microbial community networks. However, Santa Catalina Island foxes uniquely harboured Fusobacterium and Prevotella bacteria as potential keystone taxa. These bacteria have previously been associated with colorectal cancer and may predispose Santa Catalina Island foxes to an elevated cancer risk. In contrast, mite-infected San Nicolas Island foxes maintained high bacterial diversity and robust microbial community networks, suggesting that they harbour more resilient microbiomes. Considered together, our results highlight the diverse eco-evolutionary factors influencing commensal microbial communities and their hosts and underscore how the microbiome can contribute to disease outcomes.

Strengthening Law Enforcement and Public Awareness to Combat Human Trafficking in Indonesia

Human trafficking remains a significant human rights issue in Indonesia, despite the nation’s comprehensive legal framework aimed at preventing crime and upholding justice. This pervasive problem predominantly targets women and children, exploiting their vulnerability through forced labor, sexual exploitation, and slavery. The increasing prevalence of human trafficking highlights gaps in law enforcement, insufficient government commitment, and limited societal awareness, making it urgent to strengthen preventive measures and legal implementation. This study seeks to analyze the challenges in combating human trafficking while exploring strategies to enhance law enforcement and public participation. Employing a qualitative approach, the research utilizes library-based methods with data collected through document analysis, focusing on Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Human Trafficking. The findings reveal significant shortcomings in legal enforcement due to inadequate budget allocation, poor coordination among stakeholders, and the lack of robust community education. Despite the legal framework’s potential, the government’s efforts in ensuring security, developing infrastructure, and addressing societal awareness remain insufficient. The study emphasizes the need for harmonized regulations, increased resource allocation, and cultural and gender-sensitive approaches to strengthen protection and rehabilitation initiatives. By fostering public awareness, regular program evaluation, and collaborative reforms, Indonesia can address the systemic challenges and adopt a holistic strategy to combat human trafficking effectively, ensuring justice for victims and preventing further exploitation.

Need for a tool to assess the health and care needs of persons experiencing homelessness in the United States

ABSTRACT Introduction: The health needs of persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) are complex and challenging to address. We currently lack a comprehensive understanding of the health of PEH across the United States given that this information is not routinely collected, in part due to lack of an objective measure. We combined robust community advisory board member input and findings from an extensive literature review to identify existing assessment tools, definitions of health and care needs, and items that assess health and care needs among PEH. Current assessment tools focus on prioritizing PEH for housing and shelter, support clinical planning, measure health vulnerability, or are topically relevant, but not designed for use with PEH. Moreover, available tools have undergone minimal psychometric testing with PEH. To overcome this gap, we propose the development of a reliable and validated tool that measures the health and care needs of PEH. Having a standardized tool will enable the comparison of needs data among PEH across studies, as well as over time. Thorough measurement of the health and care needs of PEH will allow for the evaluation of interventions that aim to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities in this population.

Recognising and responding to the community needs of gay and bisexual men around mpox.

In May 2022, a global surge in mpox cases, typically endemic to Western and Central Africa, particularly affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM). This study examines gbMSM communities' experiences and perceptions around Ireland's public health response to the outbreak. A cross-sectional mixed-methods online survey was conducted. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis informed by critical realism. A total of 163 gay and bisexual men took part in the survey. Participants accessed information from diverse sources, reporting varying levels of trustworthiness. Overall, participants were well-informed. Four themes were developed from the qualitative data: (1) Perceptions of the mpox response: divergence in urgency, priority, and care; (2) The mpox outbreak as a sign of otherness for gbMSM; (3) The potential for othering through mpox prevention practices; and (4) mpox, memory and fear. While community-led initiatives were effective, significant challenges included stigmatisation, discrimination, and mistrust towards public health institutions, influenced by institutionalised homophobia. The study underscores the need for inclusive, culturally sensitive, and transparent public health strategies. The mpox outbreak highlights the importance of robust community collaboration in public health interventions. Future strategies must ensure equitable access to information, vaccination, and care, and address broader structural inequalities to foster trust and engagement within affected communities.

How community-based health workers fulfil their roles in epidemic disease surveillance: a case study from Burkina Faso

BackgroundIn 2016, Burkina Faso adopted a new community-based model for disease surveillance, appointing two community-based health workers (CBHWs) per village. The CBHWs play a crucial yet under-researched role in Burkina Faso’s health system. This study aimed to analyze the factors influencing their practices in relation to their official roles in epidemic disease surveillance.MethodsConducted in the Dandé Health District in southwestern Burkina Faso, this qualitative study collected data through semi-structured interviews with 15 CBHWs and 25 health professionals, supplemented by observations of the CBHWs’ working conditions. Data analysis employed a qualitative content analysis.ResultsAnalysis showed major challenges in the current community health strategy, particularly in capacity building and the working conditions of CBHWs (e.g., lack of monthly report sheets and financial incentives). Recognition from the community was the key motivation for volunteering as a CBHW in Dandé Health District where rural populations are under great financial pressure. Consequently, financial incentives (monthly remuneration and extra incentives) and non-financial rewards in terms of status and prestige, play a crucial role in sustaining volunteer enegagment and effectiveness.ConclusionsThis study underscores the necessity of establishing a clear policy on compensation and protection for CBHWs to motivate and optimize their work. Such policies are essential for enhancing their contribution to a robust national community surveillance system, ultimately improving public health outcomes in Burkina Faso.

Assessing Mental Health During an Extreme Weather Event in Southern Brazil.

This study aimed to evaluate mental health factors in individuals affected by the floods in Rio Grande do Sul from May 10 to June 6, 2024. A real-time survey was conducted with 1,552 participants. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) symptom checklist were used to assess mental health outcomes. Sociodemographic factors, trauma exposure, rescue participation, and psychological support were evaluated. Statistical analyses included t-tests, ANOVA, linear regression, and MANCOVA. High rates of depressive and anxious symptoms were found, with over half of the individuals with moderate to severe symptoms reporting no prior history of these conditions. Participants directly affected by the floods, and those with close ones affected, had higher PHQ-9, GAD-7, and ASD scores compared to the unaffected group. Moreover, younger age, female sex, lower family income, participation in rescues, and unmet psychological support needs were correlated with worse mental health outcomes. Individuals who participated in rescues had significantly higher rates of suicide ideation. Notably, psychological support had the largest effect size in mitigating mental health symptoms, regardless of trauma exposure status, when controlled for age, sex, and income according to MANCOVA. The findings highlight the critical role of psychological support in disaster response and the importance of community resilience. Real-time data collection during crises can inform targeted interventions, emphasizing the need for robust mental health services and community support networks. These efforts are essential to reduce long-term psychological morbidity and foster recovery in vulnerable populations.

Building robust teacher-led professional learning communities for computer science educators: Insights from CSTA chapters in the U.S.

The rapid expansion of K-12 computer science education highlights the urgent need for well-prepared teachers. The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) facilitates the development of local teacher professional learning communities (PLCs) through CSTA chapters. This study investigated the types of support CSTA chapters provide, how teacher leaders establish local PLCs and engage teachers of computer science, and the challenges encountered in this process. The investigation included multi-year focus group interviews with chapter leaders and teacher member surveys. The findings reveal that CSTA chapters serve as vital resources of professional support, amplify teachers’ voices, and nurture their professional identities in teaching computer science. This study provides a nuanced understanding of local PLCs for computer science educators, informing future endeavors in teacher preparation and development.

The Impact of Plant Diversity on Spider Populations in a Tropical Butterfly Conservatory, Tiruchirappalli, South India

Spiders, as crucial predators and biodiversity indicators, significantly influence ecosystem health. This study investigates the intricate relationship between plant diversity and spider communities within distinct habitats of the Tropical Butterfly Conservatory, Tiruchirappalli, India. By classifying spiders based on their hunting strategies, we aim to understand their ecological roles. This research establishes a baseline for the spider fauna within the conservatory, emphasizing the impact of plant life on spider diversity and distribution. Our findings contribute to a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological importance of spiders in this unique ecosystem, providing valuable insights for future conservation and management efforts. By unravelling the complex interplay between plants and spiders, this study underscores the necessity of preserving plant diversity to sustain a robust and balanced spider community.

The Role of Communities in Nurse-Led Clinics, 1965-2000: Lessons From History.

Since the 1960s, nurses have worked to improve access to health care services among underserved communities through the establishment of community-based nurse-led clinics (NLCs). Evidence demonstrates NLCs' effectiveness in delivering high quality and cost-effective primary care services to underserved communities. However, few studies have analyzed the role and meaning of community within NLCs. This article uses historical research to analyze and evaluate the roles played by communities in three community-based NLCs established between the 1960s and 1990s. This research shows that how nurses entered the communities they intended to provide care, the degree to which they collaborated with community members to conceptualize, operationalize, and maintain NLCs, and how they balanced community needs with academic imperatives are critical to understanding and addressing the difficulties NLCs have encountered delivering sustained, community-centered care. This research also addresses the impact on communities when NLCs fail, making clear the need for policy interventions that address the financial and political factors undermining NLCs' sustainability, particularly limitations on nurse practitioners' practice authority and credentialing as Medicaid providers, and reduced reimbursement rates for nurse practitioners. Ultimately, it argues that NLCs' engagement with underserved communities should be historically informed and integrate community expertise, robust community engagement, and community-centered definitions of quality care.

Effectiveness of Productive Waqf Management in Improving the Welfare of the Poor: A Bibliometric Review

This bibliometric study examines the evolution and thematic concentration within the field of productive waqf management from 2000 to 2024, employing a comprehensive analysis of academic publications to understand the dynamic interplay between Islamic philanthropy and socio-economic development. Through the utilization of citation metrics and VOSviewer tools, the study reveals significant growth in research focusing on the integration of traditional Islamic charitable mechanisms with modern financial tools, notably micro waqf banks and zakat, aimed at enhancing community welfare and poverty alleviation. Collaborative networks among scholars indicate robust intellectual communities with concentrated expertise in specific thematic areas. The findings emphasize the potential of productive waqf in supporting broader economic and social objectives, including alignment with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and highlight the emerging trend of leveraging technology to increase the transparency and efficiency of waqf management. Challenges in governance and professional management are identified as critical areas needing attention to maximize the impact of waqf. The study proposes future research directions focused on empirical evaluations and the potential impacts of technological innovations in waqf management.

Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Restorative Justice in Nebraska

ABSTRACTAlthough the codification of restorative justice processes has increased in the United States, the implementation of these processes has been limited and piecemeal. This article considers barriers and facilitators of implementing restorative justice programs in the context of juvenile justice, from the perspective of individuals tasked with implementation in Nebraska—a state with a robust community mediation system providing restorative justice processes. We interviewed 11 persons currently or formerly employed by community mediation centers in Nebraska in positions coordinating restorative justice programs. Interviewees represented all six Nebraska mediation centers. Using thematic analysis, we identified themes for both barriers and facilitators for implementing restorative justice programs throughout the state. The barriers to implementing restorative justice reflected six distinct, but sometimes overlapping, themes: awareness of restorative justice; attitudes about restorative justice; lack of necessary resources; process issues; lack of trust in “the system” or centers; and policy barriers. The analysis also identified eight distinct themes associated with facilitators of restorative justice: support from a “champion”; outreach efforts; trust and relationship building; demonstrating that restorative justice is effective; collaboration; maintaining necessary funding; local community‐driven implementation; and state government‐driven implementation. We consider the implications of these findings for the implementation of restorative justice processes in Nebraska and beyond.

The culture of small institutions: Unique spaces for meaningful and sustainable collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs

AbstractCollaboration between academic and student affairs fosters meaningful student engagement, supports academic achievement, and facilitates a robust campus community. Although these partnerships can be challenging to develop, small institutions occupy a unique position in higher education, as these collaborations are highly valued as fundamental to the campus culture and an essential factor in the practical life of the institution. By focusing specifically on the role of the faculty in collaboration with student affairs professionals at small institutions, this article demonstrates the unique and tremendous power of small institutions in fostering meaningful, robust, and sustainable partnerships between academic and student affairs. Because of their histories, traditions, and structure, small institutions possess a strong and distinct foundation for collaborative work with corresponding benefits and challenges. Finally, this article provides practical recommendations for student affairs professionals at small institutions about ways to draw upon their distinct culture and to understand why these partnerships are important for our students and their development, for faculty and student affairs professionals, for our institutions that are faced with mounting economic, social, and political pressures, and for the public good more broadly.

Variation in species-specific responses to habitat fragmentation and land cover structure in urban small mammal communities

Abstract Urbanization is a key driver of habitat loss and fragmentation worldwide, yet many urban ecosystems contain vegetated habitat patches that support diverse wildlife communities. Managing urban systems to support robust wildlife communities requires us to understand the mechanisms that drive the response of species to the urban environment. Small mammals are key components of terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., seed predators, prey) and likely also carry out these roles in urban ecosystems; however, the effects of urbanization on small mammal communities are understudied. To identify how species-specific responses to urban environments shape community composition, we quantified both overall community and species-specific changes in small mammal abundance across an urbanization gradient in a Midwestern US metropolitan area. We combined small mammal trapping and land cover data to generate a hierarchical community abundance model. Species diversity increased with increasing proportional cover of human-modified land cover (i.e., impervious surfaces and turfgrass). This finding is driven by high species diversity on sites bordering streams in mowed parks and low diversity on sites with high tree canopy closure. Additionally, modeling results indicated that species responded differently to landscape attributes, leading to variation in small mammal community composition across the urbanization gradient: prairie-associated species tended to be more abundant in tall vegetation bordering mowed parks while habitat generalists tended to be more abundant on sites with greater canopy closure and shrub cover. Our results suggest that studies that focus on community-level responses (e.g., species richness) to urbanization may miss important species-specific responses. It may be particularly important to assess both species-specific and community-level responses in cities at ecotones (e.g., between forest and grassland) where species with different habitat requirements may replace one another in different types of green spaces, thereby changing community composition without affecting species diversity or richness. Our findings also indicate that vegetated urban patches, especially patches with tall vegetation cover and low canopy cover, are important habitat for prairie-associated small mammal communities, providing conservation options in heavily altered landscapes.

A new sociology of humans and machines.

From fake social media accounts and generative artificial intelligence chatbots to trading algorithms and self-driving vehicles, robots, bots and algorithms are proliferating and permeating our communication channels, social interactions, economic transactions and transportation arteries. Networks of multiple interdependent and interacting humans and intelligent machines constitute complex social systems for which the collective outcomes cannot be deduced from either human or machine behaviour alone. Under this paradigm, we review recent research and identify general dynamics and patterns in situations of competition, coordination, cooperation, contagion and collective decision-making, with context-rich examples from high-frequency trading markets, a social media platform, an open collaboration community and a discussion forum. To ensure more robust and resilient human-machine communities, we require a new sociology of humans and machines. Researchers should study these communities using complex system methods; engineers should explicitly design artificial intelligence for human-machine and machine-machine interactions; and regulators should govern the ecological diversity and social co-development of humans and machines.

Using Collective Impact to Examine Direct Service Worker Training and Credentialing in North Carolina: Recommendations for Change.

Older adults and people living with disabilities receive home- and community-based services (HCBS) from approximately 113,000 often under-resourced and inadequately supported direct service workers (e.g., personal care aides, direct support professionals, nurse aides) in North Carolina. The demand in NC is projected to be ∼ 23,000 new direct service jobs from 2020 to 2030. We conducted a Medicaid-funded landscape analysis of direct service training/credentialing requirements and practices across service delivery models using the Collective Impact (CI) framework. With input from HCBS, licensing entities, advocates, and those with lived experience, we characterized NC's HCBS training/credentialing landscape and generated a first-of-its-kind comprehensive crosswalk resource. This project revealed the complexity and limitations of the multiple and varied training and credentialing requirements for direct service workers in NC. Robust community engagement efforts drove the development of preliminary findings and recommendations for improving the training and credentialing requirements for direct service workers in NC.

Evidence of community structure in phonological networks of multiple languages.

Thousands of phonological word forms known to a speaker can be organised as a lexical network using the tools of network science. In these networks, nodes represent words and edges are placed between phonological neighbours. Previous work has shown that phonological networks of various languages have similar macrolevel network properties. The present study aimed to investigate if phonological networks of different languages also have similar mesolevel properties, specifically, the presence of robust community structure. Prior community detection analyses revealed robust community structure for English. Community detection analyses conducted on French, German, Dutch, and Spanish networks indicate that all networks showed strong evidence of community structure-mesolevel clustering of word forms whereby larger communities tended to contain shorter, frequent words with many phonological neighbours. Words of the same community tended to share similar phonotactic structures. Results suggest that the organisation of phonological word forms in language are governed by similar principles that could have important implications for lexical processing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Strong decline in grasshopper abundance over 20 years without major land-use changes: Is soil drying one of the drivers?

Strong declines in insect numbers have been described for different taxa and regions. These observations are of great concern such that broad scientific and public attention has been raised. Among other urgencies, the need for long-term insect data has been identified. Here, we present data on grasshopper (Caelifera) abundances recorded between 1992 and 2011 at over 600 sites in north-western Switzerland. While vegetation type, often semi-natural grasslands, had remained largely constant, total grasshopper abundance declined by around 50 % (while many other taxa showed much less decline). Numbers in July remained relatively stable until about 2003 but then declined similar to the declines seen in August–October already before. Greatest losses were observed for drier habitats and steeper slopes, suggesting that soil drying might be an important factor for the decline. Second, more nutrient-rich habitats suffered greater losses; possible reasons for this include small-scale vegetation changes in these habitats e.g. due to atmospheric nitrogen deposition, or isolation of sites. Other than abundance, species richness decreased much less, illustrating that important ecological changes may be strongly underestimated when only species lists are available. The strong declines at our sites, which often are in an agri-environmental scheme, is alarming. Apart from being yet another call to fight climate change, our results also point to the urgent need to reduce atmospheric nitrogen deposition and to continue extensive farming, but also to adapt it in preparation of expected effects of climate change, with the aim to favour a divers, ecologically robust insect community.

Framework for Stillbirth, Maternal Morbidity, and Mortality Interventions in South Africa: A Systematic Literature Review using VOSViewer

Background: Maternal mortality and stillbirth are significant public health concerns in South Africa, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of effective interventions. This study aims to systematically review existing literature on stillbirth, maternal morbidity, and mortality interventions, employing VOSViewer for network visualization and analysis. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted, sourcing articles from Scopus. The inclusion criteria encompassed studies focused on stillbirth, interventions, and mortality interventions in South Africa. VOSViewer was utilized to create network visualizations of keyword co-occurrence, highlighting research hotspots and emerging trends. Results: The analysis identified key interventions that significantly impact maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Major themes included enhanced healthcare infrastructure, improved access to antenatal care, emergency obstetric services, skilled birth attendance, and community engagement. Socio-economic determinants, such as education and poverty, were also found to be critical factors influencing maternal health. The Density Visualization and Overlay Visualization provided insights into the density and evolution of research focus areas, with hotspots identified in maternal mortality interventions and emerging trends in stillbirth prevention. Conclusion: The review concludes that a comprehensive strategy integrating healthcare infrastructure improvements, robust policy implementation, socio-economic support, and community engagement is essential for effectively reducing stillbirth, maternal morbidity, and mortality in South Africa. Ongoing commitment such as the National Health Insurance and investment in maternal and neonatal health, coupled with targeted interventions and a holistic approach, are crucial for achieving significant and sustained improvements in health outcomes.

Identification of dynamic networks community by fusing deep learning and evolutionary clustering

Community detection is a critical component of network analysis and a hot topic in social computing. Detecting community structure in dynamic networks has important theoretical and practical implications for understanding the intrinsic function of networks and predicting network behavior. However, the majority of existing dynamic community detection methods adopt shallow models, which have limited ability to excavate complex non-linear structures and tend to generate undesirable community structures. In order to obtain an accurate and robust community structure in dynamic networks, we are inspired by network representation learning and utilize the deep learning to detect evolving communities in dynamic networks. In this paper, we propose a novel dynamic community detection method by fusing Deep Learning and Evolutionary Clustering (DLEC). This work attempts to combine deep learning and evolutionary clustering into a unified framework. First, we propose a matrix construction strategy to fully reveal the inherent community structures via the underlying community memberships. Then, we develop a novel multi-layer deep autoencoder framework that consists of multiple non-linear functions to extract the latent deep representation of the dynamic network. Based on the evolutionary clustering framework, a graph regularization term is introduced to ensure the smoothness of the community evolution. Finally, we employ the K-means clustering algorithm on the low-dimensional network space to obtain the community structure. Extensive experimental results on synthetic and real-world networks show that the proposed DLEC algorithm can effectively detect high-quality communities in dynamic networks.