Cluster Analysis: Low Temperatures and Voting in Congress

Background There is some evidence to suggest that social isolation may be associated with poor cognitive function in later life. However, findings are inconsistent and there is wide variation in the measures used to assess social isolation. Objective We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between social isolation and cognitive function in later life. Methods A search for longitudinal studies assessing the relationship between aspects of social isolation (including social activity and social networks) and cognitive function (including global measures of cognition, memory, and executive function) was conducted in PsycInfo, CINAHL, PubMed, and AgeLine. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted to assess the overall association between measures of social isolation and cognitive function. Sub-analyses investigated the association between different aspects of social isolation and each of the measures of cognitive function. Results Sixty-five articles were identified by the systematic review and 51 articles were included in the meta-analysis. Low levels of social isolation characterized by high engagement in social activity and large social networks were associated with better late-life cognitive function (r = 0.054, 95% CI: 0.043, 0.065). Sub-analyses suggested that the association between social isolation and measures of global cognitive function, memory, and executive function were similar and there was no difference according to gender or number of years follow-up. Conclusions Aspects of social isolation are associated with cognitive function in later life. There is wide variation in approaches to measuring social activity and social networks across studies which may contribute to inconsistencies in reported findings.

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Social Isolation and Cognitive Function in Later Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

It has been reported that social engagement may be associated with dementia risk. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LILACS, Biomed Central, Scopus, and Web of Science from January 2012 - May 2017, supplemented by extraction from previous reviews. We included cohort and case-control studies examining the association between social engagement or loneliness and dementia risk, pooling data using a random-effects model. Registered: PROSPERO (CRD42017067074). We included 31 cohort and 2 case-control studies comprising 2,370,452 participants. Poor social engagement indices were associated with increased dementia risk, including having a poor social network (RR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.31-1.96; I2 = 0.00%) and poor social support (RR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.01-1.62; I2 = 55.51%). In long-term studies (≥10 years), good social engagement was modestly protective (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.80-0.96; I2 = 0.00%). Loneliness was non-significantly associated with increased risk (RR = 1.38, 95% CI 0.98-1.94; I2 = 45.32). Our findings encourage interventions targeting social isolation and disengagement for dementia prevention.

The Association between Social Engagement, Loneliness, and Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction, Dale W. Adams and Delbert A. Fitchert taking a fresh look at informal finance, D.W. Adams the rope and the box - group savings in The Gambia, Parker Shipton informal finance groups in Cameroon, Gertrud R. Schreider and Carlos E. Cuevas rural finance in Somalia, Virginia DeLancey informal finance in Niger - lessons for building form institutions, Douglas H. Graham informal finance in Sri Lanka, Nimal Sanderatne informal rural finance in Thailand, Tongroj Onchan informal finance in Papua New Guinea - an overview, Nimal Fernando informal finance in the Philippines footwear industry, Mario B. Lamberte collateral substituted in rural informal financial markets in the Philippines, Emmanuel F. Esquerra and Richard L. Meyer the Kou in Japan - a precursor of modern finance, Yoichi Izumida pawn-broking and small loans - cases from India and Sri Lanka, F.J.A. Bouman and R. Bastiaanssen strengths of informal financial institutions - examples from India, C.P.S. Nayar informal finance in Indonesia, F.J.A. Bouman and H.A.J. Moll evolving forms of informal finance in an Indonesian town, Otto Hospes linking formal and informal finance - an Indonesian example, Hans Dieter Seibel and Uben Parhusip the financial evolution of small businesses in Indonesia, Ross H. McLeod small-scale enterprise dynamics and the evolving role of informal finance, Carl Leidholm formal credit for informal borrowers - lessons from informal lenders, Robert P. Christen regulatory avoidance in informal financial markets, Robert C. Vogel and Robert Wieland contract lending to small farmers in the Dominican Republic, Jerry R. Ladman, et al rotating savings and credit associations in Bolivia, D.W. Adams and Marie L. Canavesi ROSCAs - state-of-the-art financial intermediation, J.D. Von Pischke what have we learned about informal finance in three decades?, U. Tun Wai where to from here in informal finance?, Dale W. Adams and P.B. Ghate.

Adams, Dale W. and Delbert A. Fitchett, eds. Informal Finance in Low-Income Countries. Boulder: Westview Press, 1992, xii + 393 pp., cloth $42.50

The relationship between social networks and health encompasses everything from the flow of pathogens and information to the diffusion of beliefs and behaviors. This review addresses the vast and m...

Social Networks and Health: New Developments in Diffusion, Online and Offline

Social network types and the health of older adults: exploring reciprocal associations

Markets or networks: Households’ choice of financial intermediary in Western China

Culture, economic development, social-network type, and mortality: Evidence from Chinese older adults.

ABSTRACT Building on recent developments in optimal distinctiveness (OD) research, we identify two dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices – CSR scope conformity and CSR emphasis differentiation – and examine the antecedents of both. We theorize that private ownership and enhanced media coverage may increase scope conformity and emphasis differentiation, while such effects may be contingent on industrial context. In socially contested industries, the impact of private ownership on scope conformity will be mitigated, and the impact of media coverage on scope conformity will be amplified. Meanwhile, in highly competitive industries, the impact of private ownership and media coverage on emphasis differentiation will be mitigated. We test our predictions using a database of 942 Chinese publicly listed firms between 2008 and 2016. Our findings imply that the choice of optimal CSR strategy has to be made in accordance with the embedding context. The multidimensionality view of OD enables firms to better orchestrate firms’ strategic positioning along different dimensions of complex practices, which leads to better customization of societal expectations and the industrial competitive landscape. 摘要 本文根据最优区分理论的最新进展，聚焦于企业社会责任实践的两个维度，即合规一致性和重点差异度，来探索这两个维度的变化驱动因素。我们提出，企业私有制和高媒体关注度会增强企业社会责任活动的合规一致性和重点差异度，但这种影响会随着行业背景不同而发生变化。在具有高社会争议性的行业中，企业私有制对合规一致性的影响作用会被削弱，而媒体关注度对合规一致性的影响则会增强。同时，在竞争激烈的行业中，企业私有制和媒体关注度对重点差异度的影响也会被减弱。我们使用2008年至 2016 年间 942 家中国上市公司的数据库进行分析，结果表明，最优化的企业社会责任战略必须结合企业所在行业环境进行制定和调整。最优区分理论的多维度分析视角能够帮助企业更好地在复杂市场竞争中寻找到自己的最优定位，从而更好地服务于利益相关者。

Reaching an Optimally Distinctive CSR Strategy: Examining the Antecedents of CSR Scope Conformity and Emphasis Differentiation Among Chinese Publicly Listed Companies

Yanlong Zhang

Papers

Social network types and the health of older adults: exploring reciprocal associations

Markets or networks: Households’ choice of financial intermediary in Western China

Culture, economic development, social-network type, and mortality: Evidence from Chinese older adults.

Reaching an Optimally Distinctive CSR Strategy: Examining the Antecedents of CSR Scope Conformity and Emphasis Differentiation Among Chinese Publicly Listed Companies

Structured Heterogeneity of Network in Evolutionary Social Dilemmas Under Assortative Linking and Learning