428 research outputs found
Social networks and labour productivity in Europe: An empirical investigation
This paper uses firm-level data recorded in the AMADEUS database to
investigate the distribution of labour productivity in different European
countries. We find that the upper tail of the empirical productivity
distributions follows a decaying power-law, whose exponent is obtained
by a semi-parametric estimation technique recently developed by Clementi et al.
(2006). The emergence of "fat tails" in productivity distribution has already
been detected in Di Matteo et al. (2005) and explained by means of a model of
social network. Here we show that this model is tested on a broader sample of
countries having different patterns of social network structure. These
different social attitudes, measured using a social capital indicator, reflect
in the power-law exponent estimates, verifying in this way the existence of
linkages among firms' productivity performance and social network.Comment: LaTeX2e; 18 pages with 3 figures; Journal of Economic Interaction and
Coordination, in pres
Attention on Weak Ties in Social and Communication Networks
Granovetter's weak tie theory of social networks is built around two central
hypotheses. The first states that strong social ties carry the large majority
of interaction events; the second maintains that weak social ties, although
less active, are often relevant for the exchange of especially important
information (e.g., about potential new jobs in Granovetter's work). While
several empirical studies have provided support for the first hypothesis, the
second has been the object of far less scrutiny. A possible reason is that it
involves notions relative to the nature and importance of the information that
are hard to quantify and measure, especially in large scale studies. Here, we
search for empirical validation of both Granovetter's hypotheses. We find clear
empirical support for the first. We also provide empirical evidence and a
quantitative interpretation for the second. We show that attention, measured as
the fraction of interactions devoted to a particular social connection, is high
on weak ties --- possibly reflecting the postulated informational purposes of
such ties --- but also on very strong ties. Data from online social media and
mobile communication reveal network-dependent mixtures of these two effects on
the basis of a platform's typical usage. Our results establish a clear
relationships between attention, importance, and strength of social links, and
could lead to improved algorithms to prioritize social media content
Learners' decisions for attending Pediatric Grand Rounds: a qualitative and quantitative study
BACKGROUND: Although grand rounds plays a major educational role at academic medical centers, there has been little investigation into the factors influencing the learners' decision to attend. Greater awareness of attendees' expectations may allow grand rounds planners to better accommodate the learners' perspective, potentially making continuing education activities more attractive and inviting. METHODS: We used both qualitative (part A) and quantitative (part B) techniques to investigate the motivators and barriers to grand rounds attendance. Part A investigated contextual factors influencing attendance as expressed through attendee interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. We created a concept map linking key factors and their relationships. In part B we quantified the motivators and barriers identified during the initial interviews through a survey of the grand rounds audience. RESULTS: Sixteen persons voluntarily took part in the qualitative study (part A) by participating in one of seven group interview sessions. Of the 14 themes that emerged from these sessions, the most frequent factors motivating attendance involved competent practice and the need to know. All sessions discussed intellectual stimulation, social interaction, time constraints and convenience, licensure, content and format, and absence of cost for attending sessions. The 59 respondents to the survey (part B) identified clinically-useful topics (85%), continuing education credit (46%), cutting-edge research (27%), networking (22%), and refreshments (8%) as motivators and non-relevant topics (44%) and too busy to attend (56%) as barriers. CONCLUSION: Greater understanding of the consumers' perspective can allow planners to tailor the style, content, and logistics to make grand rounds more attractive and inviting
Formation of Complex and Unstable Chromosomal Translocations in Yeast
Genome instability, associated with chromosome breakage syndromes and most human
cancers, is still poorly understood. In the yeast Saccharomyces
cerevisiae, numerous genes with roles in the preservation of genome
integrity have been identified. DNA-damage-checkpoint-deficient yeast cells that
lack Sgs1, a RecQ-like DNA helicase related to the human
Bloom's-syndrome-associated helicase BLM, show an increased rate of
genome instability, and we have previously shown that they accumulate recurring
chromosomal translocations between three similar genes, CAN1,
LYP1 and ALP1. Here, the chromosomal
location, copy number and sequence similarity of the translocation targets
ALP1 and LYP1 were altered to gain insight
into the formation of complex translocations. Among 844 clones with chromosomal
rearrangements, 93 with various types of simple and complex translocations
involving CAN1, LYP1 and ALP1
were identified. Breakpoint sequencing and mapping showed that the formation of
complex translocation types is strictly dependent on the location of the
initiating DNA break and revealed that complex translocations arise via a
combination of interchromosomal translocation and template-switching, as well as
from unstable dicentric intermediates. Template-switching occurred between
sequences on the same chromosome, but was inhibited if the genes were
transferred to different chromosomes. Unstable dicentric translocations
continuously gave rise to clones with multiple translocations in various
combinations, reminiscent of intratumor heterogeneity in human cancers. Base
substitutions and evidence of DNA slippage near rearrangement breakpoints
revealed that translocation formation can be accompanied by point mutations, and
their presence in different translocation types within the same clone provides
evidence that some of the different translocation types are derived from each
other rather than being formed de novo. These findings provide
insight into eukaryotic genome instability, especially the formation of
translocations and the sources of intraclonal heterogeneity, both of which are
often associated with human cancers
The social psychology of protest
Social psychological research has taught us a lot about why people protest. This article provides a theoretical and empirical overview. Discussed are grievances, efficacy, identification, emotions and social embeddedness, followed by the most recent approaches, which combine these concepts into dual pathway models. Finally, two future directions are discussed: (1) to shed light on the paradox of persistent participation, and (2) to clarify how perceptions of sociopolitical context affects protest participation. © The Author(s) 2013
A Genetic and Structural Study of Genome Rearrangements Mediated by High Copy Repeat Ty1 Elements
Ty elements are high copy number, dispersed repeated sequences in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome known to mediate gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs). Here we found that introduction of Ty912, a previously identified Ty1 element, onto the non-essential terminal region of the left arm of chromosome V led to a 380-fold increase in the rate of accumulating GCRs in a wild-type strain. A survey of 48 different mutations identified those that either increased or decreased the rate of Ty-mediated GCRs and demonstrated that suppression of Ty-mediated GCRs differs from that of both low copy repeat sequence- and single copy sequence-mediated GCRs. The majority of the Ty912-mediated GCRs observed were monocentric nonreciprocal translocations mediated by RAD52-dependent homologous recombination (HR) between Ty912 and a Ty element on another chromosome arm. The remaining Ty912-mediated GCRs appeared to involve Ty912-mediated formation of unstable dicentric translocation chromosomes that were resolved by one or more Ty-mediated breakage-fusion-bridge cycles. Overall, the results demonstrate that the Ty912-mediated GCR assay is an excellent model for understanding mechanisms and pathways that suppress genome rearrangements mediated by high copy number repeat sequences, as well as the mechanisms by which such rearrangements occur
How Friendship Network Characteristics Influence Subjective Well-Being
This article explores how friendship network characteristics influence subjective well-being (SWB). Using data from the 2003 General Social Survey of Canada, three components of the friendship network are differentiated: number of friends, frequency of contact, and heterogeneity of friends. We argue that these characteristics shape SWB through the benefits they bring. Benefits considered are more social trust, less stress, better health, and more social support. Results confirm that higher frequency of contacts and higher number of friends, as well as lower heterogeneity of the friendship network are related to more social trust, less stress, and a better health. Frequency of contact and number of friends, as well as more heterogeneity of the friendship network increase the chance of receiving help from friends. With the exception of receiving help from friends, these benefits are in turn related to higher levels of SWB. Only the frequency of meeting friends face-to-face has a remaining positive direct influence on SWB
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