The state of social science research on antimicrobial resistance.

This paper investigates the genealogy of social science research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by piecing together the bibliometric characteristics of this branch of research. Drawing on the Web of Science as the primary database, the analysis shows that while academic interest in AMR has increased substantially over the last few years, social science research continues to constitute a negligible share of total academic contributions. More in-depth network analysis of citations and bibliometric couplings suggests how the impact of social science research on the scientific discourse on AMR is both peripheral and spread thin. We conclude that this limited social science engagement is puzzling considering the clear academic and practical demand and the many existing interdisciplinary outlets.

[Indicators of physical and social neighborhood attributes measured by the Systematic Social Observation method]. / Indicadores dos atributos físicos e sociais da vizinhança obtidos pelo método de Observação Social Sistemática.

Place of residence is heavily shaped by social position, indicating that neighborhood characteristics can be important contributing factors to health iniquities. The objectives were to construct indicators of the physical and social environment in an urban context based on variables obtained with the Systematic Social Observation method (SSO) and to analyze them according to the Health Vulnerability Index (HVI). The instrument was developed to determine the characteristics of the physical and social neighborhood in two health districts in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Data were collected from April to June 2011. To develop the simple indicators, ratios were calculated for the number of observed items per residence in each segment. Composite indicators were built using principal components analysis via covariance matrix. The final sample consisted of 1,295 street segments nested in 147 neighborhoods. Indicators referring to street conditions and transit items, mobility, appearance, housing and property, physical disorder, safety/security, and services showed a dose-response behavior in relation to HVI (p < 0.05). Indicators pertaining to place to practice physical activity and leisure did not show significant differences. The indicators displayed coherent behavior towards different HVI strata and proved adequate within each respective domain and subdomain.

Indicadores dos atributos físicos e sociais da vizinhança obtidos pelo método de Observação Social Sistemática / Indicators of physical and social neighborhood attributes measured by the Systematic Social Observation method / Indicadores sobre el ambiente físico y social de un vecindario obtenidos por el método de la Observación Social Sistemática

Resumo: O local de moradia é fortemente modelado pela posição social, indicando que características da vizinhança podem ser importantes contribuintes para as iniquidades em saúde. O objetivo foi construir indicadores do ambiente físico e social em um contexto urbano a partir das variáveis obtidas pelo método de Observação Social Sistemática (OSS) e analisá-los de acordo com o Índice de Vulnerabilidade à Saúde (IVS). O instrumento foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de conhecer as características do entorno físico e social do local de moradia de residentes de dois distritos sanitários de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Os dados foram coletados entre os meses de abril e junho de 2011. Na construção dos indicadores simples, foram calculadas razões do número de itens observados por residência para cada segmento. Na construção dos indicadores compostos, foi utilizado o método de análise de componentes principais via matriz de covariâncias. A amostra final foi composta por 1.295 segmentos de ruas aninhados em 147 vizinhanças. Percebemos que os indicadores referentes às condições das ruas e itens de trânsito, mobilidade, estético, caracterização dos imóveis, desordem física, segurança e serviços apresentaram um comportamento dose-resposta em relação ao IVS (valor de p < 0,05). Os indicadores referentes ao local para prática de atividade física e lazer não apresentaram diferenças significativas. Os indicadores demonstraram comportamento coerente diante de diferentes estratos do índice de vulnerabilidade da saúde e mostraram-se adequados dentro de cada domínio e subdomínio criados.

Abstract: Place of residence is heavily shaped by social position, indicating that neighborhood characteristics can be important contributing factors to health iniquities. The objectives were to construct indicators of the physical and social environment in an urban context based on variables obtained with the Systematic Social Observation method (SSO) and to analyze them according to the Health Vulnerability Index (HVI). The instrument was developed to determine the characteristics of the physical and social neighborhood in two health districts in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Data were collected from April to June 2011. To develop the simple indicators, ratios were calculated for the number of observed items per residence in each segment. Composite indicators were built using principal components analysis via covariance matrix. The final sample consisted of 1,295 street segments nested in 147 neighborhoods. Indicators referring to street conditions and transit items, mobility, appearance, housing and property, physical disorder, safety/security, and services showed a dose-response behavior in relation to HVI (p < 0.05). Indicators pertaining to place to practice physical activity and leisure did not show significant differences. The indicators displayed coherent behavior towards different HVI strata and proved adequate within each respective domain and subdomain.

Resumen: El lugar de residencia está fuertemente modelado por la posición social, indicando qué características del vecindario pueden contribuir de forma importante a las inequidades en salud. El objetivo de este estudio fue construir indicadores del ambiente físico y social en un contexto urbano, a partir de las variables obtenidas por el método de Observación Social Sistemática (OSS) y analizarlos de acuerdo con el Índice de Vulnerabilidad de la Salud (IVS). El instrumento se desarrolló con el objetivo de conocer las características del entorno físico y social del lugar de residencia de los habitantes de dos distritos sanitarios de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Los datos se recogieron entre los meses de abril y junio de 2011. En la construcción de los indicadores simples, se calcularon las ratios del número de ítems observados por residencia para cada segmento. En la construcción de los indicadores compuestos, se utilizó el método del análisis de componentes principales vía matriz de covariancias. La muestra final estuvo compuesta por 1.295 segmentos de calles anidados en 147 vecindarios. Percibimos que los indicadores, referentes a las condiciones de las calles y elementos de tránsito, movilidad, estético, caracterización de los inmuebles, desorden físico, seguridad y servicios presentaron un comportamiento dosis-respuesta en relación con el IVS (valor de p < 0,05). Los indicadores concernientes al lugar para la práctica de la actividad física y ocio no presentaron diferencias significativas. Los indicadores demostraron un comportamiento coherente ante diferentes estratos del índice de vulnerabilidad de la salud y se mostraron adecuados dentro de cada dominio y subdominio creados.

The current state of play of research on the social, political and legal dimensions of HIV.

This paper offers a critical overview of social science research presented at the 2014 International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia. In an era of major biomedical advance, the political nature of HIV remains of fundamental importance. No new development can be rolled out successfully without taking into account its social and political context, and consequences. Four main themes ran throughout the conference track on social and political research, law, policy and human rights: first, the importance of work with socially vulnerable groups, now increasingly referred to as "key populations"; second, continued recognition that actions and programs need to be tailored locally and contextually; third, the need for an urgent response to a rapidly growing epidemic of HIV among young people; and fourth, the negative effects of the growing criminalization of minority sexualities and people living with HIV. Lack of stress on human rights and community participation is resulting in poorer policy globally. A new research agenda is needed to respond to these challenges.

Virtual Reality for Artificial Intelligence: human-centered simulation for social science.

There is a long last tradition in Artificial Intelligence as use of Robots endowing human peculiarities, from a cognitive and emotional point of view, and not only in shape. Today Artificial Intelligence is more oriented to several form of collective intelligence, also building robot simulators (hardware or software) to deeply understand collective behaviors in human beings and society as a whole. Modeling has also been crucial in the social sciences, to understand how complex systems can arise from simple rules. However, while engineers' simulations can be performed in the physical world using robots, for social scientist this is impossible. For decades, researchers tried to improve simulations by endowing artificial agents with simple and complex rules that emulated human behavior also by using artificial intelligence (AI). To include human beings and their real intelligence within artificial societies is now the big challenge. We present an hybrid (human-artificial) platform where experiments can be performed by simulated artificial worlds in the following manner: 1) agents' behaviors are regulated by the behaviors shown in Virtual Reality involving real human beings exposed to specific situations to simulate, and 2) technology transfers these rules into the artificial world. These form a closed-loop of real behaviors inserted into artificial agents, which can be used to study real society.

An experimental validation method for questioning techniques that assess sensitive issues.

Studies addressing sensitive issues often yield distorted prevalence estimates due to socially desirable responding. Several techniques have been proposed to reduce this bias, including indirect questioning, psychophysiological lie detection, and bogus pipeline procedures. However, the increase in resources required by these techniques is warranted only if there is a substantial increase in validity as compared to direct questions. Convincing demonstration of superior validity necessitates the availability of a criterion reflecting the "true" prevalence of a sensitive attribute. Unfortunately, such criteria are notoriously difficult to obtain, which is why validation studies often proceed indirectly by simply comparing estimates obtained with different methods. Comparative validation studies, however, provide weak evidence only since the exact increase in validity (if any) remains unknown. To remedy this problem, we propose a simple method that allows for measuring the "true" prevalence of a sensitive behavior experimentally. The basic idea is to elicit normatively problematic behavior in a way that ensures conclusive knowledge of the prevalence rate of this behavior. This prevalence measure can then serve as an external validation criterion in a second step. An empirical demonstration of this method is provided.

O negócio do prazer remunerado nos discursos de garotos que fazem programa

Ao abordar o tema mercado sexual, destacamos a prática da prostituição como uma das principais maneiras de se inserir e atuar nesse universo. No presente trabalho voltamos o olhar para a prostituição de rua praticada por garotos de programa, com o intuito de entender e revelar subjetividades presentes nesse contexto, uma vez que, no campo da Saúde Pública, esse tema geralmente culmina em um viés epidemiológico, voltado para os riscos que correm de contraírem doenças sexualmente transmissíveis. Com base nas referidas pesquisas, programas de Saúde Pública, na maioria das vezes, planejam e executam ações que entendemos como engessamento social e de saúde. Nesse sentido, contribuímos trazendo novas informações sobre o tema, oriundas da pesquisa realizada no período de 2010-2011, junto a garotos de programa da região de Osasco, Grande São Paulo/SP. Metodologicamente, contamos com contribuições de pesquisas etnográficas, destacando-se a observação-participante, o diário de campo, as entrevistas itinerantes e em profundidade. Ao longo da pesquisa emergiram categorias de análise como sexualidades, hierarquias sexuais e masculinidades. Referências de autores como Gayle Rubin, Michael Foucault e Nestor Perlongher foram fundamentais para a aproximação teórico-metodológica. Consideramos que, comparativamente ao cenário no qual estavam inseridos os garotos de programa que atuavam em São Paulo entre as décadas de 70 e 80, surgiram novos códigos e novas categorias de atuação, cujas práticas não necessariamente são interpretadas como prostituição. Nesse sentido, esses garotos não se identificam inseridos em um mercado sexual e elegem o prazer remunerado como uma nova categoria para justificar suas vivências que se dão entre a clandestinidade, as práticas homossexuais e a afirmação da masculinidade. Por último, apresentamos também suas diversidades, especificidades e enfatizamos as inúmeras violências às quais estão expostos em suas práticas sexuais e comerciais.

Methods for the behavioral, educational, and social sciences: an R package.

Methods for the Behavioral, Educational, and Social Sciences (MBESS; Kelley, 2007b) is an open source package for R (R Development Core Team, 2007b), an open source statistical programming language and environment. MBESS implements methods that are not widely available elsewhere, yet are especially helpful for the idiosyncratic techniques used within the behavioral, educational, and social sciences. The major categories of functions are those that relate to confidence interval formation for noncentral t, F, and chi2 parameters, confidence intervals for standardized effect sizes (which require noncentral distributions), and sample size planning issues from the power analytic and accuracy in parameter estimation perspectives. In addition, MBESS contains collections of other functions that should be helpful to substantive researchers and methodologists. MBESS is a long-term project that will continue to be updated and expanded so that important methods can continue to be made available to researchers in the behavioral, educational, and social sciences.

[Qualitative technics for social sciences--focus group interview for evaluation of health promotion programs and prevention of problems with adolescents]. / Jakosciowa technika badan spolecznych--zogniskowane wywiady grupowe w ewaluacji przedsiewziec z zakresu promocji zdrowia i profilaktyki problemów mlodziezy.

The paper presents basic information about focus group interviews (FGI). The presentation has been designed as a form of introduction for people with limited experience in applied social sciences. FGI are discussed in the context of their usefulness in evaluation of health promotion and prophylactics. The discussion concentrates on the following main topics; Specificity of qualitative studies (diversity of evaluation). FGI applicability. General interview methodology. Practical solutions for focus group research.

Métodos de investigación por encuesta / Research methods by survey

"Este libro enfoca el tema de la investigación científica. Tiene el doble propósito de ayudar a los lectores que emprendan investigaciones científicas propias, y a comprender investigaciones científicas efectuadas por otros." "El propósito de la primera parte de este libro es ofrecer una visión de la lógica de la ciencia, de modo que las técnicas específicas de la investigación por encuestas puedan tener mayor sentido". "La primera parte: EL CONTEXTO CIENTIFICO DE LA INVESTIGACION POR ENCUESTA, considera la lógica básica de la ciencia. Empieza con un análisis de la imagen tradicional de la ciencia, imagen que es generalmente engañosa e inapropiada en el marco de la verdadera investigación científica. A este respecto el propósito es hacer que la ciencia sea pertinente y realista." "La segunda parte: DISEÑO DE LA INVESTIGACION POR ENCUESTAS, se consagra al tema aún más delicado de la ciencia social. Este es un tema sobre el que se ha escrito mucho en años recientes. Algunos escritores insisten en que la ciencia social no es ni un ápice menos 'científica' que la ciencia natural, mientras que otros rechazan tal idea. Otros consideran que la ciencia social va progresando hacia la categoría de ciencia, pero que aún no la ha alcanzado. " "La tercera parte: ANALISIS DE LA INVESTIGACION POR ENCUESTAS, realiza un examen específico de la investigación por encuesta. El capítulo empieza con una consideración de la historia del método y luego se concentra en las formas en que este tipo de investigación embona en las formas generales de la ciencia y de la ciencia social." En la cuarta parte: LA INVESTIGACION POR ENCUESTAS EN LA PERSPECTIVA SOCIAL Y CIENTIFICA, se describe el modo de manejar la encuesta, el manejo e interpretación de datos y el reporte final