Characteristics Of Social Systems Research Articles

What Drives the Influence of Health Science Communication Accounts on TikTok? A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis.

Medical institutions face a variety of challenges as they seek to enhance their reputation and increase the influence of their social media accounts. Becoming a social media influencer in the health field in today's complex online environment requires integrated social and technical systems. However, rather than holistically investigating the mechanism of account influence, studies have focused on a narrow subset of social and technical conditions that drive online influence. We attribute this to the mismatch between complex causality problems and traditional symmetric regression methods. In this study, we adopted an asymmetric configurational perspective that allowed us to test a causally complex model of the conditions that create strong and not-strong account influence. We used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to detect the effects of varying configurations of three social system characteristics (i.e., an oncology-related attribute, a public attribute, and comment interaction) and two technical system characteristics (i.e., telepresence and video collection) on the TikTok accounts of 63 elderly Chinese doctors (60 to 92 years old). Our results revealed two pathways associated with distinct sociotechnical configurations to strong account influence and three pathways associated with distinct sociotechnical configurations to not-strong account influence. Furthermore, the results confirmed that a single antecedent condition cannot, on its own, produce an outcome, i.e., account influence. Multiple inter-related conditions are required to produce an influential account. These results offer a more holistic picture of how health science communication accounts operate and reconcile the scattered results in the literature. We also demonstrate how configurational theory and methods can be used to analyze the complexities of social media platforms.

Karakteristik Sistem Sosial Masyarakat Petani Nilam di Aceh Jaya

Aceh Jaya is on of the most potential region on patchouli commodity development based on plant characteristic which has better quality rather than other regions in Aceh, however until this day the production of patchouli oil on this region still has low productivity and could be upgraded. The characteristics of social system in patchoulis farmer have contribution on social development that has been done on this region. The purpose of this research is to see the characteristics of social system in patchouli’s farmers based on social relation, knowledge, and the norms of corporation among patchouli’s farmer. This research used questionnaire and interview, and observation as technique to collect data. Data that have been collected were analyzed using descriptive analysis method and served on frequent table and radar chart. The result shows that based on 3 elements in social system, farmers still have problem on applying the norm of corporation. Farmers’ social relations are still limited on non-formal relationships with their own community and do not have good coorperation with stakeholders that have an effect on improving farmers’ welfare yet. Farmers’ knowledge still influenced by their ancestral belief and are still relucant to accept updates in patchouli cultivation innovations in Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).

Baboon vocal repertoires and the evolution of primate vocal diversity

A remarkable and derived trait of humans is the faculty for language, and considerable research effort has been devoted to understanding the evolution of speech. In contrast to spoken language, which constitutes a (learned) symbolic communication system, the acoustic structure of nonhuman primate vocalizations is largely genetically fixed. Yet, appreciable differences between different genera and species may exist. Environmental conditions, sexual selection, and characteristics of the social system have been invoked to explain these differences. Here, we studied the acoustic variation of call types and vocal repertoires in the genus Papio. Because the genus comprises both stable groups as well as multi-level societies, and reveals striking variation in the degree of aggressiveness from south to north, it constitutes a promising model to assess the link between social system characteristics and vocal communication. We found that, the vocal repertoires of the different species were composed of the same general call types. A quantitative analysis of the acoustic features of the grunts and loud calls of chacma (Papio ursinus), olive (P. anubis), and Guinea (P. papio) baboons showed subtle acoustic differences within call types, however. Social system characteristics did not map onto acoustic variation. We found no correlation between the structure of grunts and geographic distance; the same was true for female loud calls. Only for male loud calls from three populations, call structure varied with geographic distance. Our findings corroborate the view that the structure of nonhuman primate vocalizations is highly conserved, despite the differences in social systems. Apparently, variation in rate and intensity of occurrence of signals, probably due to different behavioral dispositions in species, are sufficient to allow for plasticity at the level of the social relationships, mating patterns, and social organization.

Assessment and Forecast of Socio-Demographic Threats to Global Security

The article studies and analyzes typical regularities of correlation between quantitative characteristics of social systems (indicators) and correlation between the structure and dynamics of threats on the basis of expert estimation in points. It identifies and grounds the necessity of using the obtained forecast of socio-demographic threats in order to develop and pursue new global demographic policy. A long-term scientifically grounded strategy is necessary to meet efficiently new serious challenges to global security that jeopardize civilization on the Earth. But this strategy has not been developed yet. In order to manage living processes or social systems it is needed to have their quantitative characteristics (indicators). For physical and economic processes and systems the system of gauges in the form of natural or value indexes can be used. In this case methods of expert assessment will allow us to reduce non-comparable indexes to their common index showing them in points. Such methods of quantitative assessment are used widely in public science. To assess threats to global security the authors propose to use strategic matrix in two modifications: for quantitative measuring the level of threat dynamic to global security by 6 elements of civilization genotype (genotype of civilization) and more detail matrix for each of 6 elements and estimation of their concrete indexes. Its novelty is the use of information for 60 years, including those of forecast by the optimistic scenario. The basis of matrix is formed by estimation of the system of socio-demographic element in genotype. The use of multi-factor matrix can provide an opportunity to range by their importance technological, informational and economic threats to global security in the 1-st half of the 21st century

Revisiting Software Engineering in the Social Era

This paper discusses the possible changes that software engineering will have to go through in response to the challenges and issues associated with social media. Indeed, people have never been so connected like nowadays by forming spontaneous relations with others (even strangers) and engaging in ad-hoc interactions. The Web is the backbone of this new social era – an open, global, ubiquitous, and pervasive platform for today's society and world - suggesting that “everything” can socialize or be socialized. This paper also analyzes the evolution of software engineering as a discipline, points out the characteristics of social systems, and finally presents how these characteristics could affect software engineering's models and practices. It is expected that social systems' characteristics will make software engineering evolve one more time to tackle and address the social era's challenges and issues, respectively.

A networked approach to dynamic analysis of social system vulnerability

Given the high vulnerability of social system to disruptions, it is very critical to make scientific analysis on the vulnerability of social system and further manage its vulnerability, especially for today's highly networked society. The focus of this work is on the dynamic analysis for the vulnerability of social system under considering the cascading phenomenon. Considering that a social system with interconnected agents is better modeled as a network than as a linear chain, we introduce a networked approach to investigate the structural characteristics of social system first. Then a social system is modeled as a social network graph. Furthermore, a cascading model and a new vulnerability measurement based on the model are proposed to analyze the vulnerability of social network. Finally, the illustrative example of a real social system is given to indicate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed framework. The study provides some new insights about the vulnerability of social system, and is also helpful to discover the global potential behaviors during cascading failure spreading within social system.

Females go where the food is: does the socio-ecological model explain variation in social organisation of solitary foragers?

The socio-ecological model (SEM) links ecological factors with characteristics of social systems and allows predictions about the relationships between resource distribution, type of competition and social organisation. It has been mainly applied to group-living species but ought to explain variation in social organisation of solitary species as well. The aim of this study was to test basic predictions of the SEM in two solitary primates, which differ in two characteristics of female association patterns: (1) spatial ranging and (2) sleeping associations. Beginning in August 2002, we regularly (re-)captured and marked individuals of sympatric populations of Madame Berthe's and grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus berthae, Microcebus murinus) in Kirindy Forest (Madagascar). We recorded data on spatial patterns, feeding and social behaviour by means of direct observation of radio-collared females. The major food sources of M. berthae occurred in small dispersed patches leading to strong within-group scramble competition and over-dispersed females with a low potential for female associations. In contrast, M. murinus additionally used patchily distributed, high-quality (large) resources facilitating within-group contest competition. The combined influence of less strong within-group scramble and contest as well as between-group contest over non-food resources allowed females of this species to cluster in space. Additionally, we experimentally manipulated the spatial distribution of food sources and found that females adjusted their spatial patterns to food resource distribution. Thus, our results support basic predictions of the SEM and demonstrated that it can also explain variation in social organisation of solitary foragers.

Factors Influencing Physician Recommendation for Imatinib Mesylate in Chronic Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify significant influences on physician recommendation for imatinib mesylate in chronic phase CML patients. Methods: Data were collected via a mail and Web survey of a random sample of 1,100 hematologists/oncologists. Physicians’ recommendations for imatinib were measured with a visual analog scale in response to a series of clinical vignettes. Linear multiple regression was used to test the model, with physician recommendations as the dependent variable. The independent variables included treatment characteristics, communication channels, physician characteristics, social system characteristics, and control variables. Results: A total of 305 responses was received, giving a response rate of 29%. The regression model was found to be significant. Perceived relative advantages in efficacy, peer influence, past experience, and academic affiliation were significant positive influences and transplant specialty was a significant negative influence on physician recommendation for imatinib mesylate in patients with chronic phase CML. Conclusion: Treatment characteristics, peer influence, and physician specialty had significant influences on physician recommendation for imatinib mesylate.

The evolution of institutions in transition

This paper aims at explaining the role and importance of the evolution of institutions for sustainable agri-environmental resources during the transition process by referring to examples of agri-environmental problem areas in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs). It is often stated that the mere replacement of institutional structures in post socialist countries by EU institutions would be an opportunity to implement rapidly new policies and institutions. However, not all kinds of institutions, especially at local level, can simply be implemented and certainly not instantly. Instead, they evolve as a response to ecosystem and social system characteristics, and this is a rather slow process, especially as people’s social networks and affiliations have dramatically changed since the socialist era. A central question, therefore, is whether the required institutional arrangements for achieving sustainability in the area of agri-environmental resource management can be built more easily in periods of transition as they fill institutional gaps, or whether processes of transition make institution building a far more difficult and time consuming task than previously thought. Above all, we want to find out how these two processes of institution building at different scales affect the sustainable management of resources such as water and biodiversity in agriculture? It will become clear that the nature of agri-environmental problems faced during transition is complex and dynamic and requires appropriate institutions both by political design and from the grassroots, to be developed by the respective actors involved. The process is supposed to lead from institutions in transition to institutions of sustainability. The transition from centrally planned to pluralistic systems has to be considered in some respect as a non-typical process of institutional change. Popular theories of institutional change do not necessarily apply.

Social Structure and Gene Dynamics in Mammals

A few studies have suggested that social structure can have major influences on genetic properties, or gene dynamics, of populations. This Special Feature investigates this suggestion with new empiricism and modeling. Standard statistical methods for describing genetic structuring of local populations that is caused by social structure are presented, and several new methods are both introduced and applied. With these methods, genetic properties of populations can be investigated using biochemical data, pedigrees, and behavioral-demographic models (called breeding-group models). New data from black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), red howling monkeys (Aloutta seniculus), and humans indicate that social structure of populations can produce significant influences on gene dynamics. In addition, new modeling shows that genetic structuring caused by social breeding groups produces constraints on further social evolution. Many characteristics of social systems might influence gene dynamics, such as group composition with respect to sex and kinship, mating preferences, and dispersal movements. Mammalian species exhibit a wide variety of social systems, and thus provide opportunities for investigation of the sensitivity of gene dynamics to behavioral and demographic characteristics.

Object oriented modeling of social networks

The aim of this paper is to explain principles of object oriented modeling in the scope of modeling dynamic social networks. As such, the approach of object oriented modeling is advocated within the field of organizational research that focuses on networks.We provide a brief introduction into the field of social networks and present an overview of existing network models and methods. Subsequently we introduce an elementary problem field in the social sciences in general, and in studies of organizational change and design in particular: the micro-macro link. We argue that the most appropriate way to hadle this problem is the principle of methodological individualism. For social network analysis, to contribute to this theoretical perspective, it should include an individual choice mechanism and become more dynamically oriented. Subsequently, object oriented modeling is advocated as a tool to meet these requirements for social network analysis. We show that characteristics of social systems that are emphasized in the methodological individualistic approach have their direct equivalences in object oriented models. The link between the micro level where actors act, and the macro level where phenomena occur as a consequence and cause of these actions, can be modelled in a straightforward way.

American jewry in the light of middleman minority theories

The value of middleman minority theories, albeit imperfect, lies in their general comparative framework for the study of Jewish communities, as well as in their delineation of clear hypotheses relating occupational structure and Jewish economic roles to general social system characteristics. Jews are not confmed solely to middleman roles, though many of the roles Jews occupy can be seen as such in a metaphorical sense. Nevertheless, even when some segment of these theories is rejected as inapplicable, e.g., the sojourning hypotheses, questions about the nature of Jewish-held occupations are raised that might otherwise be ignored. Implicit in any set of theories is a program of research and a set of queries for researchers. Middleman minority studies focus attention on the community’s socioeconomic structure and its association with both minority and external relations. Intemal cohesion-disintegration and culture content are related to ties with outsiders. Occupational roles filled by Jews in one society can be compared with similar or dissimilar roles played by Jews, Armenians, Huguenots and Overseas Chinese in other settings. The sociological study of American Jewry is neither an ethnic group survey valuable only for its own purposes, nor a minute segment of the study of American society, but is part of general comparative sociology.