Value Of Social Network Analysis Research Articles

Risk-based surveillance for avian influenza control along poultry market chains in South China: The value of social network analysis

Over the past two decades, the poultry sector in China went through a phase of tremendous growth as well as rapid intensification and concentration. Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 was first detected in 1996 in Guangdong province, South China and started spreading throughout Asia in early 2004. Since then, control of the disease in China has relied heavily on wide-scale preventive vaccination combined with movement control, quarantine and stamping out. This strategy has been successful in drastically reducing the number of outbreaks during the past 5 years. However, HPAIV H5N1 is still circulating and is regularly isolated in traditional live bird markets (LBMs) where viral infection can persist, which represent a public health hazard for people visiting them. The use of social network analysis in combination with epidemiological surveillance in South China has identified areas where the success of current strategies for HPAI control in the poultry production sector may benefit from better knowledge of poultry trading patterns and the LBM network configuration as well as their capacity for maintaining HPAIV H5N1 infection. We produced a set of LBM network maps and estimated the associated risk of HPAIV H5N1 within LBMs and along poultry market chains, providing new insights into how live poultry trade and infection are intertwined. More specifically, our study provides evidence that several biosecurity factors such as daily cage cleaning, daily cage disinfection or manure processing contribute to a reduction in HPAIV H5N1 presence in LBMs. Of significant importance is that the results of our study also show the association between social network indicators and the presence of HPAIV H5N1 in specific network configurations such as the one represented by the counties of origin of the birds traded in LBMs. This new information could be used to develop more targeted and effective control interventions.

Social network analysis of behavioural interactions influencing fin damage development in Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) during feed-restriction

The role of behavioural interactions in the development of fin damage amongst Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) undergoing feed-restriction was investigated using social network analysis. Dorsal fin damage, particularly erosion, was seen only in groups subjected to feed-restriction. The amount of dorsal fin damage was positively correlated with aggression and fin-biting. Feed-restricted fish exhibited significantly lower weight gain, reduced growth-rate and body condition but no differences in total length. Social networks based on aggressive interactions in feed-restriction groups showed significantly lower distance, and higher density, higher clustering coefficient and higher in and out degree centrality. These findings indicated higher and more intense aggressive interactions in feed-restricted fish. A distinctive separation of roles according to aggression was found in feed-restriction groups where initiators had high out-degree centrality and receivers had high in-degree centrality. Fish initiating aggressive interactions had less fin damage, gained more weight and attained more central positions within the school. Fish receiving aggression had more fin damage and gained less weight. Association networks in the feed-restricted groups had significantly lower values for transitivity and distance with a tendency for higher centrality. These findings indicate higher levels of interaction and an imbalance in their relationships. We demonstrated the value of social network analysis in investigating behavioural interactions associated with aggression and the development of fin damage in Atlantic salmon.

Social network analysis and the evaluation of leadership networks

Leadership development practitioners are increasingly interested in social networks as a way to strengthen relationships among leaders in fields, communities, and organizations. This paper offers a framework for conceptualizing different types of leadership networks and uses case examples to identify outcomes typically associated with each type of network. Evaluating leadership networks is a challenge for the field of leadership development. Social network analysis (SNA) is an evaluation approach that uses mathematics and visualization to represent the structure of relationships between people, organizations, goals, interests, and other entities within a larger system. In this article we describe core social network concepts and the application of them to illuminate the value of SNA as an evaluation tool.

Modelling Service User Participation in Social Care

• Summary: This article develops a means of evaluating service user participation in social care by modelling from a social network analysis framework. • Findings: The three sections of the article cover: i) an overview of the literature identifying the main agendas and influences of practical and theoretical models; ii) mapping the meanings and the mechanisms of interpretation of participation in social care; iii) a positive proposal of a network analytic model for evaluating the degrees of participation in social care agencies for monitoring and evaluation. The conclusion raises some criticisms of the ways social care research has engaged in too general discussions of participation such that they cannot be operationalized. Some observations about the politics of `representation' and `faith' in calls for participation are also raised. • Applications : A positive proposal of a network analytic model for evaluating the degrees of service user participation in social care agencies for monitoring and accountability is developed. The value of social network analysis is outlined by its emphasis on relationships between actors, as distinct from an emphasis on the attributes of individual and groups of actors. To this end a new model of participation for social care derived from network analysis is developed.

The value of social network analysis in health care delivery

AbstractThis chapter frames the use of social network analysis in understanding knowledge diffusion and discusses current uses of this methodology within a government agency.