On the problem of network monopoly

We introduce a new regulatory concept: the independent profit-maximising agent, as a model for regulating a network monopoly. The agent sets prices on cross-network goods taking either a complete, or arbitrarily small, share of the associated profit. We examine welfare and profits with and without each agent type under both network monopoly and network duopoly. We show that splitting up the network monopoly (creating network duopoly) may be inferior for both firm(s) and society compared with a network monopoly "regulated" by an agent and that society always prefers any of the four agent regimes over network monopoly and network duopoly

Open source, collectivism, and Japanese society

This paper is about collectivism in the Network Society. Many\ud researches about the Network Society evaluate collectivism, citing Japanese\ud culture and Hacker culture as good models of such collectivism. However, some\ud researchers, such as K. Abe in his analysis of “Seken,” criticize Japanese\ud collectivism. Abe’s study pointed out the negative effect of Japanese collectivism\ud on scientific progress. This paper will criticize Abe’s study and offer a new model\ud for evaluating collectivism, which has previously been evaluated in earlier studies\ud about the Network Society. First this paper introduces the previous studies and\ud considers a model of communication in the Network Society. Then this paper\ud considers the results of a survey of Japanese engineers in order to test the validity\ud and shortcomings of this model

Familial hypercholesterolemia: The Italian Atherosclerosis Society Network (LIPIGEN)

Primary dyslipidemias are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by abnormal levels of circulating lipoproteins. Among them, familial hypercholesterolemia is the most common lipid disorder that predisposes for premature cardiovascular disease. We set up an Italian nationwide network aimed at facilitating the clinical and genetic diagnosis of genetic dyslipidemias named LIPIGEN (LIpid TransPort Disorders Italian GEnetic Network)

Organisational Challenges Facing Civil Society Networks in Malawi

The research results provide a snapshot of civil society networks in Malawi today, whilst highlighting the critical organisational challenges in 2006. The project did not aim for nor did it achieve an exhaustive impact assessment of all civil society networks in the country. Interviews focussed on three networks: Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), Land Task Force (LTF) and Civil Society Coalition on Basic Quality Education (CSCQBE). The findings therefore directly relate to thesethree networks; although they have resonance with other civil society networks in Malawi and globally.The main elements of the research methodology included: Literature review to provide an overview of current thinking (see references);Semi-structured interviews with up to 25 stakeholders for Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE), Land Task Force (LTF), other CSO networks, donors, and government;Analysis of consultancy work with MEJN and Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET);Analysis and write up;Publication and dissemination.The paper will briefly discuss the development impact of the CSOs before proceeding to discuss the critical organisational capacity issues facing the networks

Outline of a multilevel approach of the network society

Social and media networks, the Internet in particular, increasingly link interpersonal, organizational and mass communication. It is argued that this gives a cause for an interdisciplinary and multilevel approach of the network society. This will have to link traditional micro- and meso-level research of social and communication ties (Rogers, Granovetter a.o.) to the macro-level research of the network society at large (Castells a.o.).\ud Systems theory linked to a theory of communicative action establishes a potential basis for a multilevel theory. The systems theory described uses elements of a biologically inspired analysis of networks as complex adaptive systems and the mathematically inspired theory of random and scale-free networks recently elaborated by Barabási, Strogatz and Watts. The outline of the multilevel theory is summarized in ten statements about changing relationships in the network society: an information society with structures and modes of organization primarily shaped by social and media networks. \ud In the last section an inventory is made of the theoretical and methodological changes communication science will have to make to develop a general theory of the information and the network society in the perspective of communication

What do we need to add to a social network to get a society? answer: something like what we have to add to a spatial network to get a city

Recent years have seen great advances in social network analysis. Yet, with a few exceptions, the field of network analysis remains remote from social theory. As a result, much social network research, while technically accomplished and theoretically suggestive, is essentially descriptive. How then can social networks be linked to social theory ? Here we pose the question in its simplest form: what must we add to a social network to get a society ? We begin by showing that one reason for the disconnection between network theory and society theory is that because it exists in spacetime, the concept of social network raises the issue of space in a way that is problematical for social theory. Here we turn the problem on its head and make the problem of space in social network theory explicit by proposing a surprising analogy with the question: what do you have to add to an urban space network to get a city. We show first that by treating a city as a naïve spatial network in the first instance and allowing it to acquire two formal properties we call reflexivity and nonlocality, both mediated through a mechanism we call description retrieval, we can build a picture of the dynamics processes by which collections of the buildings become living cities. We then show that by describing societies initially as social networks in space-time and adding similar properties, we can construct a plausible ontology of a simple human society

Data sharing: A new editorial initiative from the international committee of medical journal editors. Implications for the editorś network

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) provides recommendations to improve the editorial standards and scientific quality of biomedical journals. These recommendations range from uniform technical requirements to more complex and elusive editorial issues including ethical aspects of the scientific process. Recently, registration of clinical trials, conflicts of interest disclosure, and new criteria for authorship -emphasizing the importance of responsibility and accountability-, have been proposed. This year a new editorial initiative to foster sharing of clinical trial data has been launched. This review discusses this novel initiative with the aim of increasing awareness among readers, investigators, authors and Editors of the Editorś Network of the European Society of Cardiology