A network-specific approach to percolation in networks with bidirectional links

Methods for determining the percolation threshold usually study the behavior of network ensembles and are often restricted to a particular type of probabilistic node/link removal strategy. We propose a network-specific method to determine the connectivity of nodes below the percolation threshold and offer an estimate to the percolation threshold in networks with bidirectional links. Our analysis does not require the assumption that a network belongs to a specific ensemble and can at the same time easily handle arbitrary removal strategies (previously an open problem for undirected networks). In validating our analysis, we find that it predicts the effects of many known complex structures (e.g., degree correlations) and may be used to study both probabilistic and deterministic attacks.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

Detecting the overlapping and hierarchical community structure of complex networks

Many networks in nature, society and technology are characterized by a mesoscopic level of organization, with groups of nodes forming tightly connected units, called communities or modules, that are only weakly linked to each other. Uncovering this community structure is one of the most important problems in the field of complex networks. Networks often show a hierarchical organization, with communities embedded within other communities; moreover, nodes can be shared between different communities. Here we present the first algorithm that finds both overlapping communities and the hierarchical structure. The method is based on the local optimization of a fitness function. Community structure is revealed by peaks in the fitness histogram. The resolution can be tuned by a parameter enabling to investigate different hierarchical levels of organization. Tests on real and artificial networks give excellent results.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. Final version published on New Journal of Physic

An Hegelian theory of political community The case of Canada

Available from British Library Lending Division - LD:D58514/86 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Shifting Securities in Northern Ireland: 'Terror' and the Troubles' in global media and local memory

Drawing on interviews conducted between September 2004 and April 2006, this article examines the interaction between percpetions of security generated within Northern ireland and those shaped by the international media concerning global terrorism post 9/11. It offers insights into a society where security concerns are shifting from lareg-scale political violence to the consequences of social separation and paramilitary-related criminality. It argues that the local conflict provides frames which shape attitudes to the media (typologically and sceptically), and that Northern Irish society sheds light on the effects of long-term exposure to heightened security concerns and transnational media

Adherence to the eatwell guide and population and planetary health: a rank prize forum report

This report summarises a Forum conducted in June 2023 to explore the current state of the knowledge around the Eatwell Guide, which is the UK Government’s healthy eating tool, in relation to population and planetary health. The 1.5-day Forum highlighted the limited, albeit promising evidence linking higher adherence to the Eatwell Guide with favourable health outcomes, including reduced overall mortality risk, lower abdominal obesity in postmenopausal women, and improved cardiometabolic health markers. Similarly, evidence was presented to suggest that higher adherence to the Eatwell Guide is associated with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Presentations were given around cultural adaptations of the Eatwell Guide, including African Heritage and South Asian versions, which are designed to increase acceptability and uptake of the Eatwell Guide in these communities in the UK. Presentations highlighted ongoing work relevant to the applications of the Eatwell Guide in randomised controlled trials and public health settings, including the development of a screening tool to quantify Eatwell Guide adherence. The Forum ended with a World Caféstyle event, in which strengths and limitations of the Eatwell Guide were discussed, and directions for future research were identified. This Forum report serves as a primer on the current state of the knowledge on the Eatwell Guide and population and planetary health and will be of interest to researchers, healthcare professionals, and public health officials

Influence of a single course of antenatal betamethasone on the maternal–fetal insulin-IGF-GH axis in singleton pregnancies

Objective: We examined the hypothesis that a single course of antenatal betamethasone influences the maternal-fetal insulin-IGF-GH axis. Design: A prospective, observational, pilot study consisting of four groups of pregnant women: (1) received betamethasone and delivered 2 weeks post treatment; (III) untreated women who delivered 37 weeks (term controls). Maternal and mixed umbilical cord blood was collected at delivery and analyzed for insulin, glucose, IGF-I IGF-II, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3, GH and GHBP. Results: Betamethasone increased maternal insulin, glucose and IGF-I levels without affecting IGFBPs. In the fetal compartment, betamethasone treatment was associated with a delayed suppressive effect on GH and a sustained suppressive effect on IGF-II levels. There were no differences in infant size or neonatal morbidities between patients who delivered 2 weeks post betamethasone treatment. In Group IV, birth weight correlated positively with cord IGF-I levels (r(2) = 0.41, p = 0.0098) and negatively with cord IGFBP-1 levels (r(2) = 0.51, p = 0.0039), and ponderal index correlated negatively with cord IGFBP-1 levels (r(2) = 0.27, p < 0.05). Conclusions: A single course of antenatal betamethasone influences the maternal-fetal insulin-IGF-GH axis, particularly fetal TGF-II levels, without measurable anthropornetric changes at birth. Whether these effects have implications beyond the neonatal period remains to be determined. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved