Social networks and the resilience of marginalized communities

In the context of growing inequalities, this chapter assesses how social networks shape the resilience of marginalized, disadvantaged groups in society. Based on the literature about social support, social capital, sustainable livelihoods, and structural violence, I discuss how networks can strengthen people's reactive, adaptive, and transformative capacities to cope with adversities and sustain wellbeing, but they also perpetuate and exacerbate inequalities. For future directions, the chapter calls for greater attention to power differentials in unequal relationships, intersectionality in network analysis, the contextual embeddedness of network effects, and how networks can transform the social arrangements that produce marginalization

Symmetric and Asymmetric Coalescence of Drops on a Substrate

The coalescence of viscous drops on a substrate is studied experimentally and theoretically. We consider cases where the drops can have different contact angles, leading to a very asymmetric coalescence process. Side view experiments reveal that the "bridge" connecting the drops evolves with self-similar dynamics, providing a new perspective on the coalescence of sessile drops. We show that the universal shape of the bridge is accurately described by similarity solutions of the one-dimensional lubrication equation. Our theory predicts a bridge that grows linearly in time and stresses the strong dependence on the contact angles. Without any adjustable parameters, we find quantitative agreement with all experimental observations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

The networked character of migration and transnationalism

Acknowledgement of the prominent role of social networks in migration studies marked a significant departure from earlier studies, suggesting that social networks determine migration decisions, trajectories, and outcomes.While social network analytical tools have not always been used in empirical investigations of migratory phenomena, studies on migration that use relational approaches also show an inherent network thinking. In this paper, we review the state of the art of the literature on migration and social networks, highlighting the advances made by empirical research using network thinking, particularly in different stages of migration and for operationalizing transnational phenomena related to migration. Based on this review, we detect the role of networks in different stages of migration, and we reflect on the remaining challenges for future research regarding the role of social networks within migration scholarship

The networked character of migration and transnationalism

Acknowledgement of the prominent role of social networks in migration studies marked a significant departure from earlier studies, suggesting that social networks determine migration decisions, trajectories, and outcomes. While social network analytical tools have not always been used in empirical investigations of migratory phenomena, studies on migration that use relational approaches also show an inherent network thinking. In this paper, we review the state of the art of the literature on migration and social networks, highlighting the advances made by empirical research using network thinking, particularly in different stages of migration and for operationalizing transnational phenomena related to migration. Based on this review, we detect the role of networks in different stages of migration, andwe reflect on the remaining challenges for future research regarding the role of social networks within migration scholarship

Learning Style Preferences and Academic Achievement Within the Basic Communication Course

Students enrolled in a basic communication course taught using the personalized system of instruction (PSI) were studied to determine the influence of learning style preferences on academic achievement. The twenty measures of the Canfield Learning Style Inventory (CLSI) were regressed with three measures of student academic achievement. Eight of the twenty were significant in at least one of the three equations. Two of the learning style measures (class organization and performance expectations) were significant with all three measures of achievement. Two applications of the findings for basic course instructors are presented