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Looking for robust properties in the growth of an academic network: the case of the Uruguayan biological research community.

ABSTRACT: Graph-theoretical methods have recently been used to analyze certain properties of natural and social networks. In this work, we have investigated the early stages in the growth of a Uruguayan academic network, the Biology Area of the Programme for the Development of Basic Science (PEDECIBA). This transparent social network is a territory for the exploration of the reliability of clustering methods that can potentially be used when we are confronted with opaque natural systems that provide us with a limited spectrum of observables (happens in research on the relations between brain, thought and language). From our social net, we constructed two different graph representations based on the relationships among researchers revealed by their co-participation in Master's thesis committees. We studied these networks at different times and found that they achieve connectedness early in their evolution and exhibit the small-world property (i.e. high clustering with short path lengths). The data seem compatible with power law distributions of connectivity, clustering coefficients and betweenness centrality. Evidence of preferential attachment of new nodes and of new links between old nodes was also found in both representations. These results suggest that there are topological properties observed throughout the growth of the network that do not depend on the representations we have chosen but reflect intrinsic properties of the academic collective under study. Researchers in PEDECIBA are classified according to their specialties. We analysed the community structure detected by a standard algorithm in both representations. We found that much of the pre-specified structure is recovered and part of the mismatches can be attributed to convergent interests between scientists from different sub-disciplines. This result shows the potentiality of some clustering methods for the analysis of partially known natural systems.

SUBMITTER: Cabana A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2577745 | biostudies-other | 2008 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Background/objectivesThe Community-Academic Aging Research Network (CAARN) was created to increase the capacity and effectiveness of Wisconsin's Aging Network and the University of Wisconsin to conduct community-based research related to aging. The purpose of this article is to describe CAARN's infrastructure, outcomes, and lessons learned.DesignUsing principles of community-based participatory research, CAARN engages stakeholders to participate in the design, development, and testing of older adult health interventions that address community needs, are sustainable, and improve health equity.SettingAcademic healthcare and community organizations.ParticipantsResearchers, community members, and community organizations.InterventionCAARN matches academic and community partners to develop and test evidence-based programs to be distributed by a dissemination partner.MeasurementsNumber of partnerships and funding received.ResultsCAARN has facilitated 33 projects since its inception in 2010 (30 including rural populations), involving 46 academic investigators, 52 Wisconsin counties, and 1 tribe. These projects have garnered 52 grants totaling $20 million in extramural and $3 million in intramural funding. Four proven interventions are being prepared for national dissemination by the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging: one to improve physical activity; one to reduce bowel and bladder incontinence; one to reduce sedentary behavior; and one to reduce falls risk among Latinx older adults. Additionally, one intervention to improve balance using a modified tai chi program is being disseminated by another organization.ConclusionCAARN's innovative structure creates a pipeline to dissemination by designing for real-world settings through inclusion of stakeholders in the early stages of design and by packaging community-based health interventions for older adults so they can be disseminated after the research has been completed. These interventions provide opportunities for clinicians to engage with community organizations to improve the health of their patients through self-management. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1325-1333, 2020.

Project description:BackgroundThe Community-Academic Aging Research Network (CAARN) was developed in 2010 to build partnerships, facilitate research, and ultimately accelerate the pace of development, testing, and dissemination of evidence-based programs related to healthy aging. CAARN has facilitated development and testing of 32 interventions, two of which are being packaged for scale-up, and three of which are being scaled up nationally by non-profit organizations. The purpose of this study is to describe CAARN's essential elements required to replicate its success in designing for dissemination.MethodsWe conducted a modified Delphi technique with 31 participants who represented CAARN's organization (staff and Executive Committee) and academic and community partners. Participants received three rounds of a web-based survey to rate and provide feedback about the importance of a list of potential key elements compiled by the authors. The criterion for establishing consensus was 80% of responses to consider the element to be extremely or very important.ResultsResponse rate was 90% in Round 1, 82% in Round 2, and 87% in Round 3. A total of 115 items were included across rounds. Overall, consensus was achieved in 77 (67%) elements: 8 of 11 elements about academic partners, 8 of 11 about community partners, 29 of 49 about the role of the community research associate, 16 of 21 about the role of the director, 9 of 17 about the purveyor (i.e., the organization that scales up an intervention with fidelity), and 7 of 7 about the overall characteristics of the network.ConclusionsThe development of evidence-based programs designed for dissemination requires the involvement of community partners, the presence of a liaison that facilitates communications among academic and community stakeholders and a purveyor, and the presence of a pathway to dissemination through a relationship with a purveyor. This study delineates essential elements that meet the priorities of adopters, implementers, and end-users and provide the necessary support to community and academic partners to develop and test interventions with those priorities in mind. Replication of these key elements of the CAARN model may facilitate quicker development, testing, and subsequent dissemination of evidence-based programs that are feasible to implement by community organizations.

Project description:Two modes of plant immunity against biotrophic pathogens, Effector Triggered Immunity (ETI) and Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI), are triggered by recognition of pathogen effectors and Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs), respectively. Although the jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) and salicylic acid (SA) signaling sectors are generally antagonistic and important for immunity against necrotrophic and biotrophic pathogens, respectively, their precise roles and interactions in ETI and PTI have not been clear. We constructed an Arabidopsis dde2/ein2/pad4/sid2-quadruple mutant. DDE2, EIN2, and SID2 are essential components of the JA, ET, and SA sectors, respectively. The pad4 mutation affects the SA sector and a poorly characterized sector. Although the ETI triggered by the bacterial effector AvrRpt2 (AvrRpt2-ETI) and the PTI triggered by the bacterial MAMP flg22 (flg22-PTI) were largely intact in plants with mutations in any one of these genes, they were mostly abolished in the quadruple mutant. For the purposes of this study, AvrRpt2-ETI and flg22-PTI were measured as relative growth of Pseudomonas syringae bacteria within leaves. Immunity to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Alternaria brassicicola was also severely compromised in the quadruple mutant. Quantitative measurements of the immunity levels in all combinatorial mutants and wild type allowed us to estimate the effects of the wild-type genes and their interactions on the immunity by fitting a mixed general linear model. This signaling allocation analysis showed that, contrary to current ideas, each of the JA, ET, and SA signaling sectors can positively contribute to immunity against both biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens. The analysis also revealed that while flg22-PTI and AvrRpt2-ETI use a highly overlapping signaling network, the way they use the common network is very different: synergistic relationships among the signaling sectors are evident in PTI, which may amplify the signal; compensatory relationships among the sectors dominate in ETI, explaining the robustness of ETI against genetic and pathogenic perturbations.

Project description:BackgroundPrimary care research networks have been established internationally since the 1960s to enable diverse practitioners to engage in and develop research and education and implement research evidence.The newly established Western Research and Education Network (WestREN) is one such network consisting of a collaboration between the Discipline of General Practice at NUI Galway and 71 West of Ireland general practices. In September 2009 all member practices were issued with a questionnaire with two objectives: to describe the structure and characteristics of the member practices and to compare the results to the national profile of Irish general practice.MethodsA postal survey was used followed by one written and one email reminder.ResultsA response rate of 73% (52/71) was achieved after two reminders.Half of practices were in a rural location, one quarter located in an urban setting and another quarter in a mixed location.Ninety-four per cent of general practitioners practice from purpose-built or adapted premises with under 6% of practices being attached to the general practitioner's residence. Over 96% of general practitioners use appointment systems with 58% using appointment only.All practices surveyed were computerised, with 80% describing their practices as 'fully computerised'. Almost 60% of general practitioners are coding chronic diagnoses with 20% coding individual consultations. Twenty-five per cent of general practitioners were single-handed with the majority of practices having at least two general practitioners, and a mean number of general practitioners of 2.4. Ninety-two per cent of practices employed a practice nurse with 30% employing more than one nurse.Compared to the national profile, WestREN practices appear somewhat larger, and more likely to be purpose-built and in rural areas. National trends apparent between 1982 and 1992, such as increasing computerisation and practice nurse availability, appear to be continuing.ConclusionsWestREN is a new university-affiliated general practice research network in Ireland. Survey of its initial membership confirms WestREN practices to be broadly representative of the national profile and has provided us with valuable information on the current and changing structure of Irish general practice.

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Looking for robust properties in the growth of an academic network: the case of the Uruguayan biological research community.

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