How Members of Covert Networks Conceal the Identities of Their Leaders

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Marcin Waniek ◽  
Tomasz P. Michalak ◽  
Michael Wooldridge ◽  
Talal Rahwan
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Analysis Tools ◽  
Np Complete ◽  
Covert Networks

Centrality measures are the most commonly advocated social network analysis tools for identifying leaders of covert organizations. While the literature has predominantly focused on studying the effectiveness of existing centrality measures or developing new ones, we study the problem from the opposite perspective, by focusing on how a group of leaders can avoid being identified by centrality measures as key members of a covert network. More specifically, we analyze the problem of choosing a set of edges to be added to a network to decrease the leaders’ ranking according to three fundamental centrality measures, namely, degree, closeness, and betweenness. We prove that this problem is NP-complete for each measure. Moreover, we study how the leaders can construct a network from scratch, designed specifically to keep them hidden from centrality measures. We identify a network structure that not only guarantees to hide the leaders to a certain extent but also allows them to spread their influence across the network.

scholarly journals Visualization of clinical teaching citations using social network analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakimeh Hazrati ◽  
Shoaleh Bigdeli ◽  
Seyed Kamran Soltani Arabshahi ◽  
Vahideh Zarea Gavgani ◽  
Nafiseh Vahed
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Clinical Teaching ◽  
Clustering Coefficient ◽  
Knowledge Network ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
The Usa

Abstract Background Analyzing the previous research literature in the field of clinical teaching has potential to show the trend and future direction of this field. This study aimed to visualize the co-authorship networks and scientific map of research outputs of clinical teaching and medical education by Social Network Analysis (SNA). Methods We Identified 1229 publications on clinical teaching through a systematic search strategy in the Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) and Medline (NCBI/NLM) through PubMed from the year 1980 to 2018.The Ravar PreMap, Netdraw, UCINet and VOSviewer software were used for data visualization and analysis. Results Based on the findings of study the network of clinical teaching was weak in term of cohesion and the density in the co-authorship networks of authors (clustering coefficient (CC): 0.749, density: 0.0238) and collaboration of countries (CC: 0.655, density: 0.176). In regard to centrality measures; the most influential authors in the co-authorship network was Rosenbaum ME, from the USA (0.048). More, the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands have central role in collaboration countries network and has the vertex co-authorship with other that participated in publishing articles in clinical teaching. Analysis of background and affiliation of authors showed that co-authorship between clinical researchers in medicine filed is weak. Nineteen subject clusters were identified in the clinical teaching research network, seven of which were related to the expected competencies of clinical teaching and three related to clinical teaching skills. Conclusions In order to improve the cohesion of the authorship network of clinical teaching, it is essential to improve research collaboration and co-authorship between new researchers and those who have better closeness or geodisk path with others, especially those with the clinical background. To reach to a dense and powerful topology in the knowledge network of this field encouraging policies to be made for international and national collaboration between clinicians and clinical teaching specialists. In addition, humanitarian and clinical reasoning need to be considered in clinical teaching as of new direction in the field from thematic aspects.

scholarly journals A case study of university student networks and the COVID-19 pandemic using a social network analysis approach in halls of residence

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Alberto Benítez-Andrades ◽  
Tania Fernández-Villa ◽  
Carmen Benavides ◽  
Andrea Gayubo-Serrenes ◽  
Vicente Martín ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
University Students ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Structural Behaviour ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The University

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has meant that young university students have had to adapt their learning and have a reduced relational context. Adversity contexts build models of human behaviour based on relationships. However, there is a lack of studies that analyse the behaviour of university students based on their social structure in the context of a pandemic. This information could be useful in making decisions on how to plan collective responses to adversities. The Social Network Analysis (SNA) method has been chosen to address this structural perspective. The aim of our research is to describe the structural behaviour of students in university residences during the COVID-19 pandemic with a more in-depth analysis of student leaders. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at one Spanish Public University, León, from 23th October 2020 to 20th November 2020. The participation was of 93 students, from four halls of residence. The data were collected from a database created specifically at the university to "track" contacts in the COVID-19 pandemic, SiVeUle. We applied the SNA for the analysis of the data. The leadership on the university residence was measured using centrality measures. The top leaders were analyzed using the Egonetwork and an assessment of the key players. Students with higher social reputations experience higher levels of pandemic contagion in relation to COVID-19 infection. The results were statistically significant between the centrality in the network and the results of the COVID-19 infection. The most leading students showed a high degree of Betweenness, and three students had the key player structure in the network. Networking behaviour of university students in halls of residence could be related to contagion in the COVID-19 pandemic. This could be described on the basis of aspects of similarities between students, and even leaders connecting the cohabitation sub-networks. In this context, Social Network Analysis could be considered as a methodological approach for future network studies in health emergency contexts.

Social network analysis applications in sustainable construction and built environment management: a review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandun Madhusanka Hewa Welege ◽  
Wei Pan ◽  
Mohan Kumaraswamy
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Environment Management ◽  
Content Type

PurposeApplications of social network analysis (SNA) are evidently popular amongst scholars for mapping stakeholder and other relational networks in improving the sustainability of construction activities and the resulting built environment. Nevertheless, the literature reveals a lack of thorough understanding of optimal SNA applications in this field. Therefore, this paper aims to convey a comprehensive critical review of past applications of SNA in this field.Design/methodology/approach95 relevant journal papers were initially identified from the “Web of Science” database and a bibliometric analysis was carried out using the “VOS Viewer” software. The subsequent in-depth review of the SNA methods, focussed on 24 specifically relevant papers selected from these aforesaid 95 papers.FindingsA significant growth of publications in this field was identified after 2014, especially related to topics on stakeholder management. “Journal of Cleaner Production”, “International Journal of Project Management” and “Sustainability” were identified as the most productive sources in this field, with the majority of publications from China. Interviews and questionnaires were the popular data collection methods while SNA “Centrality” measures were utilised in over 70% of the studies. Furthermore, potential areas were noted, to improve the mapping and thereby provide useful information to managers who could influence relevant networks and consequentially better sustainability outcomes, including those enhanced by collaborative networks.Originality/valueCloser collaboration has been found to help enhance sustainability in construction and built environment, hence attracting research interest amongst scholars on how best to enable this. SNA is established as a significant methodological approach to analysing interrelationships and collaborative potential in general. In a pioneering application here, this paper initiates the drawing together of findings from relevant literature to provide useful insights for future researchers to comprehensively identify, compare and contrast the applications of SNA techniques in construction and built environment management from a sustainability viewpoint.

scholarly journals Identifying Integration and Differentiation in a Hospital’s Logistical System: A social network analysis of a case study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelies van der Ham ◽  
Frits Van Merode ◽  
Dirk Ruwaard ◽  
Arno Van Raak
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Organization Theory ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Study Research ◽  
And Performance

Abstract Background Integration, the coordination and alignment of tasks, has been promoted widely in order to improve the performance of hospitals. Both organization theory and social network analysis offer perspectives on integration. This exploratory study research aims to understand how a hospital’s logistical system works, and in particular to what extent there is integration and differentiation. More specifically, it first describes how a hospital organizes logistical processes; second, it identifies the agents and the interactions for organizing logistical processes, and, third, it establishes the extent to which tasks are segmented into subsystems, which is referred to as differentiation, and whether these tasks are coordinated and aligned, thus achieving integration.Methods The study is based on case study research carried out in a hospital in the Netherlands. All logistical tasks that are executed for surgery patients were studied. Using a mixed method, data were collected from the Hospital Information System (HIS), documentation, observations and interviews. These data were used to perform a social network analysis and calculate the network metrics of the hospital network.Results This paper shows that 23 tasks are executed by 635 different agents who interact through 31,499 interaction links. The social network of the hospital demonstrates both integration and differentiation. The network appears to function differently from what is assumed in literature, as the network does not reflect the formal organizational structure of the hospital, and tasks are mainly executed across functional silos. Nurses and physicians perform integrative tasks and two agents who mainly coordinate the tasks in the network, have no hierarchical position towards other agents. The HIS does not seem to fulfill the interactional needs of agents. Conclusions This exploratory study reveals the network structure of a hospital. The cross-functional collaboration, the integration found, and position of managers, coordinators, nurses and doctors suggests a possible gap between organizational perspectives on hospitals and reality. This research sets a basis for further research that should focus on the relation between network structure and performance, on how integration is achieved and in what way organization theory concepts and social network analysis could be used in conjunction with one another.

The S’ANT Imperative for Realizing the Vision of Healthcare Network Centric Operations

2011 ◽  
pp. 2206-2217
Author(s):  
Nimini Wickramasinghe ◽  
Rajeev K. Bali
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Healthcare Network ◽  
Analysis Tools ◽  
Network Centric Operations ◽  
Tools And Techniques

In the information-intensive environment of healthcare, the networkcentric approach has been proffered as one that allows free and rapid sharing of information and effective knowledge building required for the development of coherent objectives and their rapid attainment. This article asserts that if we are to realize such a vision it is imperative to draw upon strong rich analysis tools and techniques and thus calls for the application of Social Network Analysis combined with Actor-network Theory (S’ANT).

INFORMATION EXCHANGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA EVANGELISTS DURING FLOOD: A SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (9-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdus-samad Temitope Olanrewaju ◽  
Rahayu Ahmad ◽  
Kamarul Faizal Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Network Structures ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Information Brokers

Information dissemination during disaster is very crucial, but inherits several complexities associated with the dynamic characteristics of the disaster. Social media evangelists (activists) play an important role in disseminating critical updates at on-site locations. However, there is limited understanding on the network structure formed and its evolution and the types of information shared. To address these questions, this study employs Social Network Analysis technique on a dataset containing 157 social media posts from an influential civilian fan page during Malaysia’s flood. The finding demonstrates three different network structures emerged during the flood period. The network structure evolves depending on the current state of the flood, the amount of information available and the need of information. Through content analysis, there were seven types of information exchanges discovered. These information exchanges evolved as the scale and magnitude of flood changes. In conclusion, this study shows the emergence of different network structures, density and identification of influential information brokers among civilians that use social media during disaster. Despite the low number of influential information brokers, they successfully manage their specific cluster in conveying information about the disaster and most importantly coordinating the rescue mission.

Social Network Analysis in Egyptology: Benefits, Methods and Limits

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-96
Author(s):  
Vincent Chollier
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Empirical Method ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Defining Relations ◽  
The Family ◽  
Kinship Terminology

This article aims at presenting a methodology for Social Network Analysis (SNA) applied to Egyptology and ancient societies studies, with its benefits and issues. One of the big issues dealing with social relationships in ancient Egypt lies in the use of kinship terminology defining relations outside the family. In that sense, SNA allows researchers to partially set aside links values contrary to traditional genealogical studies, especially for the graphical projection. Thus, biological and social brothers do not have to be distinguished using this method, although this distinction is often impossible to do. It then presents an empirical method developed using this branch of sociology on an Egyptological dataset dating back from the New Kingdom. With the help of centrality measures, SNA enabled attention to be drawn to secondary role characters at the first sight of the hieroglyphic documentation. However, studying such a type of documentation requires a cautious approach, especially regarding the nature and aim of the sources available.

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