Social embeddedness, defined as the interaction of economic activities and social behavior, is used in this study as a conceptual tool to describe the growing phenomenon of food community networks (FCNs). The aim in this paper was to map the system of relations which the FCNs develop both inside and outside the network and, from the number of relations, it was inferred the influence of each FCN upon the formation of new socially embedded economic realities. A particular form of (...) FCN was taken under consideration: solidarity purchase groups (SPGs). Performed with the aid of social network analysis on a sample of SPGs in Sicily (a region in southern Italy), the study allowed us to identify a relational (internal) social embeddedness, in which groups of consumers and farmers are directly influenced by reciprocal interactions, giving rise to more or less numerous links of reciprocity and trust depending on the number of interactions. It was also identified a structural (external) social embeddedness, generated by the nature of relations that the SPGs undertake with the various social actors. From the results of our analysis it emerges that SPGs lie at the intersection of many social realities, influencing them and in turn being influenced by such realities. We highlight the major role played by consumer and environmental associations in affecting the phenomenon of social embeddedness. (shrink)

Although the intrinsic physicality of human beings has not changed in millennia, the species has managed to profoundly reconstitute the physical and social world it inhabits. Although the word “profound” is insufficient to describe the vast changes our world has undergone, it is sufficiently neutral to encompass both the opportunities—and the challenges—that our age provides. It is a premise of my work that technology, particularly information and communication technology (ICT), offers spectacular opportunities for humankind to address its collective problems. (...) The problems themselves are equally spectacular that is war and militarism, poverty, environmental depletion and destruction, disease, etc., and lack of successful alleviation may prove catastrophic. Humankind’s problems will not be solved by elite fiat, by chance, or as a side-effect of the “free market.” To address these challenges effectively and appropriately, “civic intelligence” will be required. This paper is designed to explore the relation between community networks and the nascent concept of civic intelligence. Civic intelligence describes the capacity of society to consciously adapt to its environment and shape a future environment that is healthy, equitable, and sustainable. Although individuals contribute to civic intelligence, the concept describes a phenomenon that is collective and distributed. This paper argues that community networks were an important manifestation of civic intelligence in the early days of the Internet revolution. It further argues that a theory of civic intelligence can be used to account for the declining influence of traditional community networks and to provide useful prescriptions for renewed vitality and influence of community networks in the future. (shrink)

In this paper, through research and analysis of the communication network of the physical activity monitoring system, we combine wearable technology and identification technology and design a physical health monitoring bracelet that integrates multifaceted physical data collection and effective identity matching function. We match the identity through the chip and collect the physical fitness data generated in the process of exercise and centralized test by the sensor in real-time. Finally, the data transmission is realized through the WIFI (...) class='Hi'>communication function to achieve the purpose of monitoring physical exercise and improving physical quality. To ensure the continuity and stability of information transmission, the joint transmission method of direct transmission and indirect transmission is essential. Besides, considering the energy causality limitation of sensor nodes and relay nodes, a collaborative transmission model of wireless body area network based on wireless cognitive network is constructed. And, a power allocation algorithm based on maximum ratio merging and wireless cognitive network is proposed, which puts forward a new idea for the future research of wireless body area network resource allocation. (shrink)

Forums of public discussion on Internet Web sites have been promoted by some as having the potential to improve democracy through large increases in civic engagement. Such claims are scoffed at by others. To date, such forums tend to be found more on community networks and commercial Web sites than on sites owned by governments. We thus turn to an examination of forums hosted by a private New Jersey organization, to seek to understand the types and character of discussion taking (...) place. Discussion of politics and government, especially at the local level, represented slightly more than one half of the postings. Participation in the forums, however, appeared limited to a small number of people. (shrink)

Important questions revolve around whether the design and implementation of electronic networks will help re-invent conventional power constructs or whether they will encourage entirely new and more equitable practices in civic society. The main goal of this paper is to critically examine the concept of community networking and associations with civic usefulness and community development. This paper will specifically look at findings from a case study of a community network in Edinburgh, Scotland: the Craigmillar Community Information Service. First, the (...) paper discusses the character of community networks and reflects on the notions of civic usefulness that accompany them. Second, the paper examines definitions of community and considers how the legacy of community development work in the UK may have fed into automatic discourses about the civic worth of electronic community networking. Third, with reference to theoretical frameworks and new data, this paper summarizes empirical findings from the case study mentioned above, outlining perceptions of the community network and its civic value. (shrink)

This paper presents the architecture and initial feasibility results of a proto-type communication network that utilizes genetic programming to evolve services and protocols as part of network operation. The network evolves responses to environmental conditions in a manner that could not be preprogrammed within legacy network nodes a priori. A priori in this case means before network operation has begun. Genetic material is exchanged, loaded, and run dynamically within an active network. The transfer (...) and execution of code in support of the evolution of network protocols and services would not be possible without the active network environment. Rapid generation of network service code occurs via a genetic programming paradigm. Complexity and Algorithmic Information Theory play a key role in understanding and guiding code evolution within the network. (shrink)

A highly useful resource for professionals and students alike, this cutting-edge, first-of-its-kind book provides a thorough introduction to nanoscale communication networks. Written in a clear tutorial style, this volume covers a wide range of the most important topics in the area, from molecular communication and carbon nanotube nano-networks, to nanoscale quantum networking and the future direction of nano networks. Moreover, the book features numerous exercise problems at the end of each chapter to ensure a solid understanding of the (...) material. (shrink)

This paper draws on the authors more than 10 years of involvement in the action research experience of the Milan Community Network. It discusses the roles that community networks play in the Information Society: starting from a neat characterization of “online community”, community networks are presented as ICT learning communities, as local online communities and as complementary to Digital Cities. Finally, critical insights into institutional aspects of community networks are considered from the perspective of their sustainability.

We study the formation of a communication network under perfect foresight. We show the existence of a non-monotonic relationship between the cost of link formation and the total number of links created in stable networks. This result enhances a dilemma between stable and efficient networks.

The topology optimization of computer communication network is studied based on improved genetic algorithm, a network optimization design model based on the establishment of network reliability maximization under given cost constraints, and the corresponding improved GA is proposed. In this method, the corresponding computer communication network cost model and computer communication network reliability model are established through a specific project, and the genetic intelligence algorithm is used to solve the cost model and (...) computer communication network reliability model, respectively. It has been proved that GA can solve the complex problems of computer working environment better, which is 80% higher than the general algorithm, and can select the optimal scheme pertinently. (shrink)

Developments in biosemiotics and democratic theory enable renewed appreciation of the possibilities for ecological democracy. Semiotics is the study of sign processes in meaning-making and communication. Signs and meanings exist in all living systems, and all living systems are therefore semiotic systems. Ecological communication can involve abiotic and biotic communication, including human language, facilitating an integration of politics and ecology in the form of ecological democracy encompassing communicative networks in nature and human society.

MVi is actively engaged with the Bounorng, Kouy, Stieng, Kreung, Prov, Laak, and Kavet communities in the provinces of Mondulkiri, Stung Treng, and Kratie. Over the years, MVi has implemented three strategic plans since 2006, focusing on supporting indigenous and rural communities in these three provinces. The strategic plan for the period 2023–2027 is designed to enhance the livelihoods and economic conditions of indigenous and vulnerable communities. This plan prioritizes four key areas: climate change, natural resource management, modern agriculture production (...) and market, and social accountability. Supporting the establishment and functionality of sub-national networks is not only a core value of MVi but also a strategic approach. MVi actively facilitates the formation of sub-national networks, including the indigenous youth network, indigenous women's network on NRM, and youth/child network on CEFM. These networks are crucial in promoting self-reliance and addressing specific issues. The performances of indigenous youths and women are evaluated based on their understanding of roles and responsibilities, dissemination of youth's roles in natural resource management, participation in trainings and seminars, organization of regular meetings, coordination with community leaders for various meetings and events, mobilization of youth members to address NRM issues, implementation of plans to protect natural resources, integration of NRM plans into commune investment plans, advocacy for NRM issues with networks and decision-makers, and collaboration with other communities for NRM discussions and actions. This paper aims to guide NGO staff on how to assess the performance of sub-national community networks focusing on natural resource management. (shrink)

What is the experience of creating a synergistic approach to arts and sciences practice in a learning community focused on the notion of sustainable development? In this article, I answer this question through an evolutionary approach to societal transformation. My social research inquiry integrates the arts and sciences, a learning and design community, sustainable development, and Internet networking. Codesigners created the conditions to explore in multimodal dialogue and engage, guide, and design the emergence of what I call evolutionary artscience through (...) portfolios and a new systems design space-the ArtSciLAB (an online artscience laboratory). Eighteen individuals working in nine countries participated in the Evolutionary Learning Community Network. Our learning and design experience, guided by Evolutionary Systems Design inquiry supports General Evolution Theory. We guided the Evolutionary Learning Community Network and designed the ArtSciLAB to incubate localized knowledge for development in learning regions worldwide. (shrink)

Considering the importance of complying medical and general ethics and the lack of a study on determining ethical considerations in the communication network of women undergoing hysterectomy surgery, this study aimed to present these aspects in the patients’ lives by a standard researcher-made instrument. This mixed method analysis (exploratory sequential mixed methods design was conducted in the whole of 2020 to create the “ethical considerations in communication network of women undergone hysterectomy” questionnaire and investigate its psychometric (...) properties. A researched-made instrument was validated and its psychometric properties were checked among 218 women by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Accordingly, the 8 factors extracted included “complying ethical consideration by the physician (a)”, “complying ethical consideration by medical team (b)”, “complying ethical consideration in the hospital (c)”, “complying ethical consideration by the secretory in the clinic (d)”, “complying ethical consideration by the spouse (e)”, and “complying ethical consideration by the family and friends (f)”, “complying ethical consideration by the media and society (g)” and “complying ethical consideration by herself (h)”. The results of Cronbach’s alpha test showed that there is moderate to good internal consistency in all dimensions. Cronbach’s alpha for the whole questionnaire was calculated as 0.75, which shows that the internal consistency is at a good level. According to the results of this study, the reliability (internal consistency) and construct validity of the ethical considerations in the communication network of women undergoing hysterectomy questionnaire were confirmed. However, in light of the study limitations, caution should be practiced in the interpretation of the results. There is a need for further longitudinal studies in multiple settings using random sampling methods. (shrink)

This paper is part of an ongoing study that looks at the development of one component of a community network in a city in upstate New York. ‘Community networks’ refers to the use of computer networking technologies for the benefit of strengthening community goals and needs. The component studied is a youth database. In particular, this article looks at the early phases of this project: how the idea of the database emerged, how the technology was presented to the community, (...) and the community's response to this project. Theories guiding this paper include the social construction of technology theory and social worlds theory. (shrink)

This article mitigates the challenges of previously reported literature by reducing the operating cost and improving the performance of network. A genetic algorithm-based tabu search methodology is proposed to solve the link capacity and traffic allocation problem in a computer communication network. An efficient modern super-heuristic search method is used to influence the fixed cost, delay cost, and variable cost of a link on the total operating cost in the computer communication network are discussed. The (...) article analyses a large number of computer simulation results to verify the effectiveness of the tabu search algorithm for CFA problems and also improves the quality of solutions significantly compared with traditional Lagrange relaxation and subgradient optimization algorithms. The experimental results show that with the increase of the weighted coefficient of variable cost, the proportion of variable cost in the total cost increases from 10 to 35%. The growth is relatively slow, and the fixed cost is still the main component. In addition, due to the increase in the variable cost, the tabu search algorithm will also choose the link with large luxury to reduce the variable cost, which makes the fixed cost slightly increase, while the network delay cost and average delay slightly decrease. The proposed method, when compared with the genetic algorithm, has more advantages for large-scale or heavy-load networks. (shrink)

This article focuses on the Independent Communication Network as an instance of alternative media in Turkey. Throughout the study we define “alternative” media as non-dominant, counter-hegemonic media that prioritizes its distinct relationship with its audience. We report research based on in-depth interviews with the producers of the network’s online site “BIANET news” combined with focus group studies with communication students and women activists that are identified as the main audience segments of BIANET news by the newsmakers. (...) By focusing on the agents of both production and reception, this research enables us to examine participation and its form at both ends and to expound the problems of the conditions under which the user/audience can become the producer in Turkey. (shrink)

Cross-sector relationship building is an important strategy in corporate social responsibility initiatives, and communicating cross-sector relationships on social media can help raise the visibility of collaborative relationships. A noticeable gap in the literature is how social media enables and constrains the formation patterns of cross-sector connections. To understand how businesses communicate their relationships with government agencies and nonprofits about social issues on social media, we propose a theoretical framework that centers public attention as a critical resource and considers different sectors' (...) interests in the COVID-19 issue. We tested this framework with a nationally representative sample of 1,980 organizations on Twitter. The analysis reveals that the increase in public attention to the COVID-19 issue was accompanied by a greater likelihood of cross-sector ties. Specifically, firms severely affected by COVID-19 were more likely to build ties with government agencies, and the increase in public attention also drove firms to build more ties with nonprofits, especially advocacy nonprofits. Our findings suggest managers of social media communication should observe the volatile public attention and design communicative strategies accordingly. (shrink)

There is wide agreement that community engagement is important for many research types and settings, often including interaction with ‘representatives’ of communities. There is relatively little published experience of community engagement in international research settings, with available information focusing on Community Advisory Boards or Groups (CAB/CAGs), or variants of these, where CAB/G members often advise researchers on behalf of the communities they represent. In this paper we describe a network of community members (‘KEMRI Community Representatives’, or ‘KCRs’) linked to (...) a large multi-disciplinary research programme on the Kenyan Coast. Unlike many CAB/Gs, the intention with the KCR network has evolved to be for members to represent the geographical areas in which a diverse range of health studies are conducted through being typical of those communities. We draw on routine reports, self-administered questionnaires and interviews to: 1) document how typical KCR members are of the local communities in terms of basic characteristics, and 2) explore KCR's perceptions of their roles, and of the benefits and challenges of undertaking these roles. We conclude that this evolving network is a potentially valuable way of strengthening interactions between a research institution and a local geographic community, through contributing to meeting intrinsic ethical values such as showing respect, and instrumental values such as improving consent processes. However, there are numerous challenges involved. Other ways of interacting with members of local communities, including community leaders, and the most vulnerable groups least likely to be vocal in representative groups, have always been, and remain, essential. (shrink)

This study examines the role that community networks can take in fulfilling McQuail's call for a more democratic-participant form of mass media. Community networks, which are online grassroots organizations designed to promote local community initiatives, increased their Internet presence in the 1990s. However, their number has declined in recent years. Earlier research has suggested that community networks fail because they lack a unified identity, have not determined their specific purpose on the Web, and do not provide relevant information to (...) class='Hi'>network members. Findings suggest that community networks wishing to achieve sustainability should concentrate their efforts on developing social capital and fostering strong democracy. This study examines the extent to which those existing community networks are working toward developing such content on their sites. Findings suggest that community networks are currently working toward developing content that promotes social capital but that far fewer networks are using their sites to promote strong democracy. (shrink)

This volume provides a comprehensive account of Wilhelm Röpke as a liberal political economist and social philosopher. Wilhelm Röpke was a key protagonist of transatlantic neoliberalism, a prominent public intellectual and a gifted international networker. As an original thinker, he always positioned himself at the interface between political economy and social philosophy, as well as between liberalism and conservatism. Röpke’s endeavors to combine these elements into a coherent whole, as well as his embeddedness in European and American intellectual networks of (...) liberal and conservative thinkers, are a central theme throughout the book. The volume includes papers by international experts from a conference in Geneva on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Röpke’s passing. The first part focuses on new biographical insights into his exile years in Istanbul and Geneva, while the second part discusses his business cycle theory in the context of the Great Depression, and the third part elaborates on his multifaceted social philosophy. Wilhelm Röpke was among the most important thinkers within the classical liberal revival post-WWII, with intriguing tensions between liberalism and conservatism. A highly recommended volume. –– Peter J. Boettke, 2016-2018 President of the Mont Pèlerin Society and Professor of Economics and Philosophy, George Mason University This important collection of papers provides an in-depth assessment of Wilhelm Röpke’s contributions, placing him in the context of his time. A fine contribution. –– Bruce J. Caldwell, Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy and Research Professor of Economics, Duke University. (shrink)

Drawing on field data gathered from 1994 to 1996, this article considers tensions in the development of community networks and highlights the decisions that shape particular types of networks. Four key decision points include interface choice, content, interaction, and outreach. Discourse about decision making is often dichotomized around civic and consumer social currents. Civic currents demand text-only interfaces, exclusively non- profit content, full electronic interaction capabilities for everyone, and deep outreach efforts. In contrast, consumer currents push graphical interfaces, the inclusion (...) of profit-making content, limited interaction options, and meso to shallow outreach. While considering the influences of these currents, the article problematizes the dichotomy and considers more specific social influences on decision making. It also suggests specific network decisions that may contribute to greater communications equity. (shrink)

Languages show substantial variability between their speakers, but it is currently unclear how the structure of the communicative network contributes to the patterning of this variability. While previous studies have highlighted the role of network structure in language change, the specific aspects of network structure that shape language variability remain largely unknown. To address this gap, we developed a Bayesian agent‐based model of language evolution, contrasting between two distinct scenarios: language change and language emergence. By isolating the (...) relative effects of specific global network metrics across thousands of simulations, we show that global characteristics of network structure play a critical role in shaping interindividual variation in language, while intraindividual variation is relatively unaffected. We effectively challenge the long‐held belief that size and density are the main network structural factors influencing language variation, and show that path length and clustering coefficient are the main factors driving interindividual variation. In particular, we show that variation is more likely to occur in populations where individuals are not well‐connected to each other. Additionally, variation is more likely to emerge in populations that are structured in small communities. Our study provides potentially important insights into the theoretical mechanisms underlying language variation. (shrink)

In this paper, an in-depth study of interactive visual communication of network topology through non-line-of-sight congestion control algorithms is conducted to address the real-time routing problem of adapting to dynamic topologies, and a delay-constrained stochastic routing algorithm is proposed to enable packets to reach GB within the delay threshold in the absence of end-to-end delay information while improving network throughput and reducing network resource consumption. The algorithm requires each sending node to select an available relay set (...) based on the location of its neighbor nodes and channel state and computes transfer probabilities for each node in the relay set combining the remaining delay of the packet with the distance from the relay node to GB. Based on the obtained transfer probability and local channel state, the sending node passes the packet to the relay node. The convergence of the algorithm is proved and its performance is verified by simulation. The first part of the algorithm is based on the greedy algorithm to deploy and locate the network flying platform nodes with the goal of efficient coverage of the network flying platform nodes, considering the ground base station services. As the delay on each link varies due to the change of channel state, the source and relay nodes asynchronously update the data generation rate and the pairwise parameters based on the received local information and use the obtained optimal values to pass the packets to GB. (shrink)

At present, the news broadcast system using mobile network on the market provides the basic functions required by TV stations, but there are still many problems and shortcomings. In view of the main problems existing in the current system and combined with the actual needs of current users, this paper has preliminarily developed a news broadcast system based on 5G Live. The card frame adaptive strategy significantly improves the user experience by using gradual video frame buffering technology. Hardware codec (...) technology significantly reduces the consumption of system resources; H.264 high-compression algorithm can reduce network bandwidth by 50% compared with MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 without a significant change in image quality. At the same time, the use of mobile video acquisition terminals in the system not only solves the problem that satellite broadcast vehicles cannot reach the site due to the lack of roads but also greatly reduces the cost of early deployment and late maintenance of the news broadcast system. This paper studies the card frame adaptive strategy, the system resource consumption reduction solution, and the deployment scheme of the mobile video and audio transmission terminal, which is of great significance to improve the design and research of the news broadcast system under the wireless network application and also has certain reference value for the design of other broadcasting and television solutions. (shrink)

The paper develops a critique of the prevailing essentialist and homogenizing approach to business ethics that dominates the field with regard to Islam and proposes a constructivist perspective to the study of religion. It demonstrates the possibilities of this approach with the study of hizmet, a community business network from Turkey that has established itself in over 130 countries over the last 20 years. The implications for business ethics from the study of this movement is that the notion of (...) corporate social responsibility needs to be adjusted in order to accommodate the hizmet approach but that there are limits to this adjustment due to gender and labor rights considerations. The paper sees itself as a contribution to an alternative approach for Islamic business ethics very much in need of further development and encourages further research along these lines. (shrink)

Theories of networked individualism and forms of urban alienation challenge the continued purpose and relevance of conventional community tools in urban neighbourhood. However, the majority of urban residents surveyed in this research still believe that there are people living in their immediate neighbourhood who may share their interests or who are at least personally compatible, but they do not know them. Web-based community networking systems have the potential to facilitate intra-neighbourhood interaction and support community-building efforts. Community networking studies have shown (...) that technical connectivity alone does not ensure community and that new and weak communities do not benefit from community networking systems as much as existing and strong communities do. This paper builds on these findings to present a methodology combining principles of participation, animation and design. This approach builds on intrinsic motivation in residents to find out about and meet one another in a private and inobtrusive way. It encourages residents to take social ownership of the community-building process and the community network. The approach recognises the network qualities in the communicative ecology of urban residents and supplements collective approaches towards community-building with personalised networking strategies. (shrink)

The adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have exposed the lack of multi-scalar community resilient strategies that catalyze the development of alternative coping mechanisms for future challenges. To address the immediate needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups, especially in times of crisis, as evidenced by the pandemic, micro-networks within communities have mitigated and reduced harm through self-devised ingenuity based on local ways of life. Socio-spatial micro-networks have the potential to empower communities to self-organize, engage, collaborate, co-design, co-build, and connect with (...) other communities to improve their resilience. This paper focuses on the impact of micro-networks of care, participatory action research, community health, solidarity and mutual aid in Nairobi (Kenya), comparing their resilience strategies, pre- and post Covid-19 pandemic era. Through analytical, empirical, and comparative studies, this paper envisions viable ways of augmenting and enhancing self-devised, self-sufficient, and resilient culture in marginalized communities in Africa and worldwide. -/- . (shrink)

The technology of undersea communications, from stranded-wire telegraph cables in the 1850s to fiber-optic cables at the end of the twentieth century, and its social, political, and economic impact. By the end of the twentieth century, fiber-optic technology had made possible a worldwide communications system of breathtaking speed and capacity. This amazing network is the latest evolution of communications technologies that began with undersea telegraph cables in the 1850s and continued with coaxial telephone cables a hundred years later. Communications (...) under the Seas traces the development of these technologies and assesses their social, economic, and political effects. If we cannot predict the ultimate consequences of today's wired world--its impact on economic markets, free expression, and war and peace--or the outcome of the conflict between wired and wireless technology, we can examine how similar issues have been dealt with in the past. The expert contributors to this volume do just that, discussing technical developments in undersea cables, management of the cables by private and public interests, and the impact on military and political activities. Chapters cover such topics as the daring group of nineteenth-century entrepreneurs who wove a network of copper wires around the world ; the opening of the telegraphic network to general public use; the government- and industry-forced merger of wireless and cable companies in Britain; and the impact of the cable network on diplomacy during the two world wars. (shrink)

In this article, an attempt was made to identify the level of community social participation according to age, gender and the structural characteristics of the personal support networks in a population displaced by floods in the Colombian Caribbean. The research was based in a non-experimental methodology with an associative-relational strategy. An intentional non-probabilistic sample of 151 people affected by the winter wave in the south of the Department of Atlántico (Colombia) was selected. In total, the study included 42 males (27.8 (...) %) and 109 females (72.2 %) participants, with an average age of 37.48 (±14, Range 18 - 80) and average relocation time of 21.79 months (± 8.22, Range 5-36). The Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule (ASSIS) and Community Empowerment instruments were responded to with an instrument adapted from the leadership competence factor. The results show lower rates of intermediation in the older population, and the relationship between social participation and gender shows equally cohesive social support networks in men and women. This evidence is discussed to promote psychosocial interventions aimed to increase community engagement and empowerment of people that have experienced non-voluntary mobility processes. (shrink)

This article examines the communication networks within and between science and technology studies (STS) and the history of science. In particular, journal relatedness data are used to analyze some of the structural features of their disciplinary identities and relationships. The results first show that, although the history of science is more than half a century older than STS, the size of the STS network is more than twice that of the history of science network. Further, while a (...) majority of the journals in the STS network are connected by weak ties, about half of the history of science network consists of strong ties. The history of science network is thus more cohesive than the STS network. The relatively strong cohesion within the history of science network is associated with comparatively high degrees of intra-disciplinary communication, but comparatively weak ties to only a few related disciplines. The analysis also shows that very few members of the history of science cliques are situated on the shortest path between both specialties. Moreover, given the relatively impermeable nature of the history of science network, the latter partially depends on STS to reach some of the neighboring disciplines. (shrink)

This paper develops a media theoretical extension of the communicative view on corporate social responsibility by elaborating on the characteristics of network societies, arguing that new media increase the speed and connectivity, and lead to higher plurality and the potential polarization of reality constructions. We discuss the implications for corporate social responsibility of becoming more polyphonic and sketch the contours of “communicative legitimacy.” Finally, we present this special issue and develop some questions for future research.

Network embedding aims to learn the low-dimensional representations of nodes in networks. It preserves the structure and internal attributes of the networks while representing nodes as low-dimensional dense real-valued vectors. These vectors are used as inputs of machine learning algorithms for network analysis tasks such as node clustering, classification, link prediction, and network visualization. The network embedding algorithms, which considered the community structure, impose a higher level of constraint on the similarity of nodes, and they make (...) the learned node embedding results more discriminative. However, the existing network representation learning algorithms are mostly unsupervised models; the pairwise constraint information, which represents community membership, is not effectively utilized to obtain node embedding results that are more consistent with prior knowledge. This paper proposes a semisupervised modularized nonnegative matrix factorization model, SMNMF, while preserving the community structure for network embedding; the pairwise constraints information are effectively fused with the adjacency matrix and node similarity matrix of the network so that the node representations learned by the model are more interpretable. Experimental results on eight real network datasets show that, comparing with the representative network embedding methods, the node representations learned after incorporating the pairwise constraints can obtain higher accuracy in node clustering task and the results of link prediction, and network visualization tasks indicate that the semisupervised model SMNMF is more discriminative than unsupervised ones. (shrink)

Nowadays, a significant portion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication takes place online. The current article attends to an essential, yet often overlooked element of online CSR communication: cross-sectoral hyperlink networks. The article argues that corporations build cross-sectoral hyperlink networks with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as a form of CSR communication to manage social issues. Using social network analysis, this article analyzes the hyperlink network data between 136 corporations and 94 international NGOs. Findings show that corporations’ (...) cross-sectoral ties serve as a communication strategy to respond to salient issues and manage issues that are relevant to these corporations. NGOs’ tenure and network dynamics are also found to significantly affect the number of cross-sectoral ties built with corporations. (shrink)

Local seed systems remain the fundamental source of seeds for many crops in developing countries. Climate resilience for small holder farmers continues to depend largely on locally available seeds of traditional crop varieties. High rainfall events can have as significant an impact on crop production as increased temperatures and drought. This article analyzes the dynamics of maize diversity over 3 years in a farming community of Yucatán state, Mexico, where elevated levels of precipitation forced farmers in 2012 to reduce maize (...) diversity in their plots. We study how farmers maintained their agroecosystem resilience through seed networks, examining the drivers influencing maize diversity and seed provisioning in the year preceding and following the 2012 climatic disturbance. We found that, under these challenging circumstances, farmers focused their efforts on their most reliable landraces, disregarding hybrids. We show that farmers were able to recover and restore the diversity usually cultivated in the community in the year following the critical climate event. The maize dynamic assessed in this study demonstrates the importance of community level conservation of crop diversity. Understanding farmer management strategies of agrobiodiversity, especially during a challenging climatic period, is necessary to promote a more tailored response to climate change in traditional farming systems. (shrink)

Achieving meaningful usage of the Internet is more than attaining access: multiple social and technological insufficiencies must be overcome and continually readdressed. A wide variety of approaches have been undertaken to address these issues, both to enable individuals to cross the ‘digital divide’ and also to enhance community interactions. In this paper, we focus on one approach–grassroots networked communities. These are communities of locality that have developed their own computer network infrastructure with minimal external support. We analyse eight examples (...) from the UK and present survey results, identifying key characteristics and modes of operation. We argue that such initiatives may offer a viable method of overcoming multiple digital insufficiencies and ensure sustainable and meaningful ICT usage. Further research has commenced to analyse how the presence of social software and near-ubiquitous computer network access affects the sharing and storage of information within communities of locality. (shrink)

Postnatal/postpartum depression (PND/PPD) had a pre-COVID-19 estimated prevalence ranging up to 23% in Europe, 33% in Australia, and 64% in America, and is detrimental to both mothers and their infants. Low social support is a key risk factor for developing PND. From an evolutionary perspective this is perhaps unsurprising, as humans evolved as cooperative childrearers, inherently reliant on social support to raise children. The coronavirus pandemic has created a situation in which support from social networks beyond the nuclear family is (...) likely to be even more important to new mothers, as it poses risks and stresses for mothers to contend with; whilst at the same time, social distancing measures designed to limit transmission create unprecedented alterations to their access to such support. Using data from 162 mothers living in London with infants aged ≤6 months, we explore how communication with members of a mother’s social network related to her experience of postnatal depressive symptoms during the first “lockdown” in England. Levels of depressive symptoms, as assessed via the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, were high, with 47.5% of the participants meeting a ≥11 cut-off for PND. Quasi-Poisson regression modelling found that the number of network members seen in-person, and remote communication with a higher proportion of those not seen, was negatively associated with depressive symptoms; however, contact with a higher proportion of relatives was positively associated with symptoms, suggesting kin risked seeing mothers in need. Thematic qualitative analysis of open text responses found that mothers experienced a burden of constant mothering, inadequacy of virtual contact, and sadness and worries about lost social opportunities, while support from partners facilitated family bonding. While Western childrearing norms focus on intensive parenting, and fathers are key caregivers, our results highlight that it still “takes a village” to raise children in high-income populations and mothers are struggling in its absence. (shrink)