Discrete Choice Analysis of Temporal Factors on Social Network Growth

Social networks like Facebook, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn provide an interaction and communication environment for users to generate and share content, allowing for the observation of social behaviours in the digital world. These networks can be viewed as a collection of nodes and edges, where users and their interactions are represented as nodes and the connections between them as edges. Understanding the factors that contribute to the formation of these edges is important for studying network structure and processes. This knowledge can be applied to various areas such as identifying communities, recommending friends, and targeting online advertisements. Several factors, including node popularity and friends-of-friends relationships, influence edge formation and network growth. This research focuses on the temporal activity of nodes and its impact on edge formation. Specifically, the study examines how the minimum age of friends-of-friends edges and the average age of all edges connected to potential target nodes influence the formation of network edges. Discrete choice analysis is used to analyse the combined effect of these temporal factors and other well-known attributes like node degree (i.e., the number of connections a node has) and network distance between nodes. The findings reveal that temporal properties have a similar impact as network proximity in predicting the creation of links. By incorporating temporal features into the models, the accuracy of link prediction can be further improved.

Social and Linguistic Factors' Influences on Semantic Change in English Vocabulary

this paper aims to analyze the social and linguistic factors' influence on semantic change in English vocabulary. Mainly speaking, the social factors include social development, social context, social class, national feeling, racial feeling, gender different, and social value, and linguistic factors consist of generalization, specialization, amelioration, pejoration, metaphor and metonymy.

Environmental and Psycho-social Factors Related to Prostate Cancer Risk in the Chinese Population:a Case-control Study

Objective To study the risk environmental and psycho-social factors associated to prostate cancer （PCa） in Chinese population. Methods 250 PCa patients and 500 controls were enrolled in this case-control study. Information was collected and logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios （OR） and 95% confidence intervals （95% CI） for relationship between lifestyle, eating habits and psycho-social factors with PCa risk. Results Green vegetables and green tea were associated with a decreased risk of PCa （0R=0.39, 95% CI： 0.28-0.53; 0R=0.59, 95% Cl： 0.40-0.87, respectively）. Family history of PCa （0R=7.16, 95% CI： 2.01-25.49）, history of prostate diseases （0R=2.28, 95% Cl： 1.53-3.41）, alcohol consumption （0R=1.97, 95% CI： 1.33-2.90）, red meat consumption （0R=1.74, 95% CI： 1.20-2.52）, barbecued （0R=2.29, 95% CI： 1.11-4.73） or fried （0R=2.35, 95% CI： 1.24-4.43） foods were related with increased PCa risk. Negative psycho-social factors including occupational setbacks （0R=1.61, 95% CI： 2.00-2.59）, marital separation （0R=1.94, 95% CI： 1.29-2.91）, self-contained suffering {0R=2.37, 95% CI： 1.58-3.55）, and high sensitivity to the personal comments （0R=1.73, 95% CI： 1.18-2.54） were related to PCa. Conclusion Regular consumption of green vegetables and green tea may suggest protective effects on PCa. Alcohol consumption, red meat consumption and barbecued or fried foods were associated with PCa. Negative psycho-social factors may also play a role in the incidence of PCa in Chinese population.

Impacts of Social and Demographic Factors on Residents' Subjective Well-being in Rural China

The objective of social development is to construct a harmonious society.In China,the key to a harmonious society is the happiness of more than 900 million farmers living in the rural areas.This study aimed to measure rural residents' subjective well-being(SWB) through the day reconstruction method,as well as to analyze SWB's influencing factors through a variety of statistical methods.The results showed that the average U index was 12.79%,indicating that respondents were unhappy 12.79% of the time.Twenty-seven percent of the population had a U index greater than 0,with the average value being 47%,indicating that these people were unhappy 47% of the time.The study also found that SWB varied according to the characteristics of the respondents.Logistic regression analysis showed that social and demographic factors,including age,education,county,household size,generation number,per capita income,migration status and social networking,which significantly affected rural residents' SWB.The size of the impact varied with the different factors.

Social Factors Affecting Wetlands Utilization for Agriculture in Nigeria: A case study of sawah rice production

Wetlands have immense poverty-fighting potentials and in Nigeria, more and more people are dependent on wetlands for their livelihoods. To examine the social factors affecting the current status of the wetlands utilization for agriculture in Nigeda, a simple random sampling technique was used to select 200 farmers cultivating wetlands and a structured questionnaire was applied to elicit the information on the social factors. Data collected were described using frequency and percentage and a multiple regression analysis was used to identify significant variables that are determinants of wetland utilization. The results of the analysis showed that significant variables included crop preferences, farming system, culture, taste, land tenure, knowledge of wetland cultivation, perceived suitability, farmers＇ tribe, location of wetland, and farmers＇ age. it was concluded with suggestions for the right combination of policies, public awareness, and appropriate farming methods in order to improve wetland utilization in Nigeria.

On Dynamic Social Factors for Development of China’s Human Rights Theory

China＇s mainstream human rights theory has undergone tremendous changes since the reform-and-opening scheme was kicked off in the early 1980s. ＂Human rights,＂ which used to be seen as a concept of capitalist ideology, is now an important part of the Chinese system of socialist values.

Influencing Factors for Social Acceptance of Noma (Cancrum Oris) Patients in Niger: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Noma, mostly identified in malnourished young children in the world’s low-income countries, causes severe orofacial disfigurement and significant mortality and morbidity. The majority of noma patients surviving with aesthetical effects are exposed to stigmatization and social rejection. Studies focusing on the socio-psychological impact of noma survivors have rarely been done. Our study aimed to identify the differences in social acceptance/rejection and the influencing factors associated with social acceptance in noma patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the NGO-Sentinelles (Niger) reception center on patients with noma from Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions between 9th May 2017 and 2nd June 2017. The survey was conducted through a face-to-face interview on patients admitted to the center and those discharged from the centre after the treatment. The interview questionnaire comprised 45 questions (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient = 0.812) with pathological information, sociodemographic characteristics, and socio-psychological qualitative information. Findings: We recorded 50 noma patients (43 from Zinder and 7 from Maradi and Tahoua). The younger patients (1 - 5 years old), noma patients who stayed in school during follow-up treatment, patients who were referred by a health structure, patients enrolled into the centre in a short time (<30 days), and patients in the acute phase of noma had a significantly high social acceptance rate with 60.0%, 82.9%, 60.0%, 57.1% and 94.3% respectively;whereas single adults and cheek lesion site had the highest social rejection rate when compared to their corresponding factors with 60.0% and 86.7% respectively. There were significant differences in victims’ perception of noma [χ2 = 45.536, (P < 0.001)] and acceptance of their new faces [P = 0.023], between the social acceptance and social rejection rate, therefore all patients who accepted their new faces felt social acceptance. Social acceptance was significantly highly correlated with pathological history (admission method, phase of noma, care, and treatment received at center) with rs ranging from 0.609 to 0.810, moderately correlated with patient’s sociodemographic characteristics (age, marital status, and region) with rs ranging from 0.381 to 0.474. Lowly correlated with clinical evolution after treatment (rs = 0.293). Logistic regression results showed that the likelihood of social acceptance increased when the patient’s age was young (≤15 years), their marital status was minor, they were enrolled at the school before noma appearance, they were referred to the centre after diagnosis, the admission time to the centre was short (≤30 days), acute phase of noma, and care received at the centre was non-surgery. The location of the lesion on the cheek was a risk factor for social acceptance, indicating cheek lesions from noma increased the likelihood of social rejection in our study. Conclusion: The sociodemographic characteristics, pathological history, and psychological aspects of noma patients were correlated and were found to be important factors influencing their social acceptance/rejection rate.

Identification and Validation of Social Media Socio-Technical Information Security Factors with Respect to Usable-Security Principles

The goal of this manuscript is to present a research finding, based on a study conducted to identify, examine, and validate Social Media (SM) socio-technical information security factors, in line with usable-security principles. The study followed literature search techniques, as well as theoretical and empirical methods of factor validation. The strategy used in literature search includes Boolean keywords search, and citation guides, using mainly web of science databases. As guided by study objectives, 9 SM socio-technical factors were identified, verified and validated. Both theoretical and empirical validation processes were followed. Thus, a theoretical validity test was conducted on 45 Likert scale items, involving 10 subject experts. From the score ratings of the experts, Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated to determine the degree to which the identified factors exhibit appropriate items for the construct being measured, and 7 factors attained an adequate level of validity index. However, for reliability test, 32 respondents and 45 Likert scale items were used. Whereby, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α-values) were generated using SPSS. Subsequently, 8 factors attained an adequate level of reliability. Overall, the validated factors include;1) usability—visibility, learnability, and satisfaction;2) education and training—help and documentation;3) SM technology development—error handling, and revocability;4) information security —security, privacy, and expressiveness. In this case, the confirmed factors would add knowledge by providing a theoretical basis for rationalizing information security requirements on SM usage.

Surveillance Report of the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in Tinghu District,Yancheng City,2021

Objective:To comprehensively understand the changes and prevalence of major chronic diseases among residents of Tinghu District,Yancheng City,in 2021,and to analyze the trends of the major risk factors for the onset of chronic diseases in the region.Methods:Chronic diseases and their risk factors in Tinghu District in 2021 were monitored among the resident population who had lived in the district for five years or more and were aged 18 years or older.The survey was conducted using random cluster sampling,with 7,130 questionnaires collected.After data processing,7,012 valid questionnaires were obtained,resulting in a qualification rate of 98.35%.Results:Among the chronic diseases reported in the survey population,hypertension had the highest prevalence at 37.61%,followed by dyslipidemia at 37.19%.Other chronic diseases were ranked in order of prevalence from highest to lowest.Regardless of gender,the top three chronic diseases were hypertension,diabetes,and hyperlipidemia.Multifactorial regression analysis identified both non-preventable risk factors(such as family history,gender,and age)and preventable risk factors(such as smoking,sedentary behavior,overweight,and obesity)as significant contributors to the major chronic diseases in Tinghu District.Conclusion:Analyzing the trends in the main risk factors for chronic disease incidence in Tinghu District,Yancheng City,provides a basis for developing a new comprehensive chronic disease prevention and control plan to address chronic disease prevention and management.

Biological Trajectory for Psychosocial Risk Factors in Psychiatric Disorders—A Concept Based Review

Current understanding of mental disorders is based upon “biopsychosocial model”. Research also suggests what biological changes take place in a particular disorder as well as nature of risk which arises from psychological, social and environmental conditions. However it remains unclear how these psychosocial and environmental risk factors interact with biological factors which lead to clinical syndromes. This paper examines interrelationship of psychosocial and environmental risk and biological changes observed in mental disorders and tries to identify the possibility of a pathway of the psychopathology of psychiatric disorders. The review aims to demonstrate that significant advances in the fields of psychosocial, cultural, anthropological and neurobiological research provide novel insights into the etiology of mental disorders. There are neurochemical, functional and structural neurobiological, neurocognitive, immunological findings and findings from gene-environment interaction that appears promising. However these findings are in an isolated manner. Comprehensive studies examining major biological changes together in relation to psychosocial risk factors are lacking. Every individual reacts differently to the same environmental risk while there tends to be similarities in individual outcome in response to such stressors. The findings though robust independently, remain very preliminary to suggest a sequential trajectory for developing a clear pathway for pathogenesis. It is currently unclear whether there is a differential psychopathological impact of psychosocial stressors in different cultures despite the extensive variability both between and within major social groups and societies. Further research investigating modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors in context of prevailing socio-economic conditions is urgently needed to plan effective interventions.

Factors influencing knowledge contribution:An empirical investigation of social networking website users

Purpose: In the Web 2.0 era,leveraging the collective power of user knowledge contributions has become an important part of the study of collective intelligence. This research aims to investigate the factors which influence knowledge contribution behavior of social networking sites(SNS) users.Design/methodology/approach: The data were obtained from an online survey of 251 social networking sites users. Structural equation modeling analysis was used to validate the proposed model.Findings: Our survey shows that the individuals' motivation for knowledge contribution,their capability of contributing knowledge,interpersonal trust and their own habits positively influence their knowledge contribution behavior,but reward does not significantly influence knowledge contribution in the online virtual community.Research limitations: Respondents of our online survey are mainly undergraduate and graduate students. A limited sample group cannot represent all of the population. A larger survey involving more SNS users may be useful.Practical implications: The results have provided some theoretical basis for promoting knowledge contribution and user viscosity.Originality/value: Few studies have investigated the impact of social influence and user habits on knowledge contribution behavior of SNS users. This study can make a theoretical contribution by examining how the social influence processes and habits affect one's knowledge contribution behavior using online communities.

G60科创走廊高质量发展的空间关联结构及影响因素

综合多要素探讨城市空间关联结构对于推进区域高质量一体化发展意义重大.利用修正引力模型和社会网络分析法对G60科创走廊沿线城市高质量发展的空间关联结构及其影响因素进行了分析.结果表明:1)区域整体高质量发展水平不断提升且非均衡性不断减弱,沿线城市高质量发展多维度得分差异明显,在空间分布上,高质量发展水平上海最高且向苏浙皖方向逐渐递减,苏州、杭州是区域高质量发展的次核心城市.2)高质量发展空间关联强度呈现稳定的“东高西低”特征,高值关联有向西北纵深发展的趋势;网络关联数、网络密度波动上升;网络关联度、网络等级度、网络效率先呈现“N”型发展趋势,而后表现出阶梯式的上升过程.3)点出度、中介中心度高值区由多点集聚演变至单极格局;点入度始终呈现以杭州、嘉兴、湖州为高值中心的“核心—边缘”结构,接近中心度空间分异最稳定且城市差异最小,高值区不断向西拓展.4)城市邻接、信息关联、创新合作是影响城市高质量空间关联的重要因素,产业结构相似性、交通基础设施差异的影响不显著.研究结论可为推进G60科创走廊一体化高质量发展提供参考.

Prevalence and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome among university students in Lebanon:Findings from a cross-sectional study

AIM: To describe the bowel habits and the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) and to investigate the influence of health behavior and social factors on IBS prevalence in university students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at five major universities in Greater Beirut and its suburbs, between February and June 2014. Using a convenience sample, a total of 813 students aged 18 years old and above participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete a comprehensive anonymous questionnaire which detailed characteristics on socio-demographic, health-related, and lifestyle factors, as well as IBS. The ROME Ⅲ criteria were used as a tool to ascertain IBS. A χ2 test was used to determine differences between categorical variables; stepwise logistic regression was used to measure the association between IBS and its risk factors.RESULTS: An overall prevalence of IBS of 20% was recorded among university students. The bivariate analysis showed that females were significantly more likely to report having IBS than males(29.1% vs 18.2%, P < 0.01). Those living at the school dormitory or in a private residence(39.5%) were more likely to have IBS than those living with their families(16.3%)(P < 0.01). The multivariate analysis showed that those who had a relatively high family income level(US$ > 2000) were almost 6 times more likely to report havingIBS than their counterparts.CONCLUSION: This is the first study to describe the nature of IBS among young adults in Lebanon. The prevalence of IBS among university students in our sample was higher than that reported in the West.

Empirical Analysis on Factors Affecting Mobile Internet Users’ Purchase Intention for 3G Handsets

The research on consumers' purchase intention for 3G handsets has important theoretical and practical value. This research puts forward four key factors which influence consumers' purchase intention based on the cue utilization theory, situational theory and social impact theory, then it establishes the study model for consumers' purchase intention of 3G handsets. Based on the result of the questionnaire survey and empirical analysis, the study shows that social influence is the most prominent factor in purchase intention. Moreover, as different from results of previous studies, the situational influence factors have no significant impact on purchase intention in the 3G handsets market. The results of the model provides a forceful evidence for operators' and handset manufacturers' decision-making of 3G handsets design and marketing strategies, and it will improve their social impact.

社会福利水平与资源消耗耦合协调的时空演化及驱动因素

基于2004—2020年中国省级面板数据,通过构建耦合协调度模型测算社会福利水平与资源消耗之间的协调程度。然后,构建空间杜宾模型实证检验两者耦合协调发展的驱动机制并对各驱动因素的空间效应进行分解。研究结果显示:(1)研究期间内,中国社会福利水平与资源消耗之间的耦合协调度整体呈上升趋势,仅个别年份存在回落现象;西部地区耦合协调度低于东、中部地区,而中部地区后来居上,于2017年反超东部地区;上海、北京耦合协调度一直处于领先水平,天津2015年后耦合协调度递减明显。(2)经济规模、产业结构、技术进步、能源消费结构、能源强度、外商投资以及政府规模显著驱动社会福利水平与资源消耗耦合协调发展。(3)社会福利水平与资源消耗耦合协调发展的过程中对周边地区存在正向空间溢出效应,各驱动因素对耦合协调度的影响也存在空间溢出效应。其中,产业结构、技术进步与能源消费结构的直接效应与间接效应方向相反。

Measuring Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region,China

Social vulnerability in this study represents the differences between the capacity to cope with natural hazards and disaster losses suffered within and between places.The assessment of social vulnerability has been recognized as a critical step in understanding natural hazard risks and enhancing effective response capabilities.This article presents an initial study of the social vulnerability of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(B-T-H) Region in China.The goal is to replicate and test the applicability of the United States Social Vulnerability Index(So VI) method in a Chinese cultural context.Thirty-nine variables adapted from the So VI were collected in relation to two aspects:socioeconomic vulnerability and built environment vulnerability.Using factor analysis,seven factors were extracted from the variable set:the structure of social development,the level of economic and government financial strength,social justice and poverty,family structure,the intensity of space development,the status of residential housing and transportation,and building structure.Factor scores were summed to get the final So VI scores and the most and least vulnerable units were identified and mapped.The highest social vulnerability is concentrated in the northwest of the study area.The least socially vulnerable areas are mainly distributed in the Beijing,Tianjin and Shijiazhuang core urban peripheral and central city areas of the prefecture-level cities.The results show that this method is a useful tool for revealing places that have a high level of vulnerability,in other words,areas which are more likely to face significant challenges in coping with a large-scale event.These findings could provide a scientific basis for policy making and the implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation in China.

Consideration of Social Aspects and Mental Health of Community-Dwelling Elderly People: A Literature Review

Purpose: A literature review was conducted to explore the social factors and mental health-related scales, and to examine associations between social factors and mental health of the elderly, in order to consider the social aspects and mental health as outcome measurements for an effective community-based care. Methods: An electronic search for English articles published in peer-reviewed journals up to October 2019 was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL with the following search terms: “social cohesion,” “mental health,” “elderly,” and “community.” Inclusion criteria were 3 as follows;1) studies in community-dwelling elderly people or participants including elderly individuals;2) studies with clear descriptions of social factors in the Methods section;and 3) studies with clear descriptions of health-related items (e.g., mental health) in the Methods section. The extracted articles were subjected to narrative review. Results: In total, 118 articles were identified, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria after critical review of the full text. 6 mental health-related scales were perceived in order to assess of mental health or depression or anxiety of the elderly. And, 4 factors related to social aspects;neighborhood social cohesion, social capital, neighborhood environment, and social support, were perceived. Significant associations between social aspects and mental health of the elderly were examined. In social cohesion, 6 studies reported a significant association with elderly mental health. In social capital, 3 studies reported a significant association with elderly mental health. In neighborhood environment, 3 studies reported a significant association with elderly mental health. Discussion: In the development of an effective community-based care, it may be expected to be focused on social aspects to lead to promoting mental health of the elderly. For the further investigation, it will need to be considered more clearly defined measurements related to social aspects and mental health of the elderly, and it will be more important to pile the research data globally.

Factors Affecting Adoption of Conservation Agriculture Practices in Mpatsa Extension Planning Area, Nsanje, Southern Malawi

Conservation agriculture (CA) emerged as an alternative innovation to conventional agriculture due to losses in soil productivity as a result of soil degradation. This study investigated factors affecting the adoption of Conservation Agriculture in the Mpatsa Extension Planning Area in a southern district of Malawi, Nsanje. A quantitative method approach was followed where were collected from a sample of 110 targeted smallholder farmers in the study area using a semi-structured questionnaire where the majority (63.6%) were women. Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) were also done to triangulate data on questionnaires. Data were entered into a Microsoft Excel database and analyzed in SPSS version 20. Socio-economic, environmental factors and household income have a greater impact on the adoption of conservation agricultural innovations. Animals were found to cause permanent soil cover disturbance while feeding on crop residues leaving the soil bare. The study concluded that climatic factors and CA training have negatively affected the adoption of new agricultural innovations, therefore, recommending further training and extension support for CA adoption as well as more access to credit opportunities for increased households’ adoption of CA.

Critical Success Factors for Executive Information Systems： A Case of Kenyan Organizations

In recent years, a number of organisations have implemented Executive Information Systems （EIS） including Computer-Based Information Systems （CBIS） in order to improve the performance of their executives＇ jobs though the majority of executives are unwilling to use EIS applications because of their design defects. Present researches on Executive Information Systems （EIS） are limited and less focused on the factors associated with EIS successful usage. This research adopts an extension of the Technology Acceptance Model （TAM） to derive useful variables to address the problem of the low usage of EIS by executives due to social factors, habits and facilitation conditions variables in Triandis＇ Framework. It reports on the adoption and usage of EIS by the executives in Organizations. The results show that experience in EIS usage was high with most respondents having used EIS for between 0 to 4 years （72.41%）, followed by the 5-9 years group with 25.86%. However, in terms of ability to use EIS, most executives were at the expert （knowledgeable）, casual user with 37.93%, followed by novice frequent user group with 31.03%. From this research, the authors propose a model that incorporates the habits, social factors and facilitating conditions in an Executive Information Systems.