SIR Models: Differential Equations that Support the Common Good

This article surveys how SIR models have been extended beyond investigations of biologically infectious diseases to other topics that contribute to social inequality and environmental concerns. We present models that have been used to study sustainable agriculture, drug and alcohol use, the spread of violent ideologies on the internet, criminal activity, and health issues such as bulimia and obesity

Quantitative Research on the Evolution Stages of We-media Network Public Opinion based on a Logistic Equation

We-media network public opinion is a new force in the current social public opinion field that has an important impact on the guidance of social public opinion and social stability. Studying the periodic law of we-media network public opinion dissemination and constructing a quantitative model of we-media network public opinion dissemination stages provide the basis for guiding social public opinion and governing we-media network public opinion dissemination. Based on this, this paper explores the life cycle of we-media network public opinion evolution, analyzes the characteristics and connotations of each evolution stage, and determines the dominant indicators of we-media network public opinion evolution stages; in addition, this paper constructs a logistic quantitative model and its stage refinement model for the evolution and development of we-media network public opinion and uses MATLAB software to simulate the event of the academic fraud of the Chinese actor Zhai. This paper studies the four key points on the logistic curve of we-media network public opinion evolution and the five key intervals, analyzes the connotation of the quantified stage of each interval, and puts forward the governance strategy of we-media network public opinion events, through the simulation of initial values, growth rates and upper limits

Computational Conflict Research

This open access book brings together a set of original studies that use cutting-edge computational methods to investigate conflict at various geographic scales and degrees of intensity and violence. Methodologically, this book covers a variety of computational approaches from text mining and machine learning to agent-based modelling and social network analysis. Empirical cases range from migration policy framing in North America and street protests in Iran to violence against civilians in Congo and food riots world-wide. Supplementary materials in the book include a comprehensive list of the datasets on conflict and dissent, as well as resources to online repositories where the annotated code and data of individual chapters can be found and where (agent-based) models can be re-produced and altered. These materials are a valuable resource for those wishing to retrace and learn from the analyses described in this volume and adapt and apply them to their own research interests. By bringing together novel research through an international team of scholars from a range of disciplines, Computational Conflict Research pioneers and maps this emerging field. The book will appeal to students, scholars, and anyone interested in the prospects of using computational social sciences to advance our understanding of conflict dynamics

Video Game Development Strategies for Creating Successful Cognitively Challenging Games

The video game industry is a global multibillion dollar industry with millions of players. The process of developing video games is essential for the continued growth of the industry, and developers need to employ effective strategies that will help them to create successful games. The purpose of this explorative qualitative single case study was to investigate the design strategies of video game developers who have successfully created video games that are challenging, entertaining, and successful. The technology acceptance model served as a conceptual framework. The entire population for this study was members of a video game development team from a small successful video game development company in North Carolina. The data collection process included interviews with 7 video game developers and analysis of 7 organizational documents. Member checking was used to increase the validity of the findings from the participants. Through the use of triangulation, 4 major themes were identified in the study: the video game designer has a significant impact on the development process, the development process for successful video games follows iterative agile programming methods, programming to challenge cognition is not a target goal for developers, and receiving feedback is essential to the process. The findings in this study may benefit future video game developers and organizations to develop strategies for developing successful games that entertain and challenge players while ensuring the viability of the organization. Findings may influence society as they demonstrate where the points of interest should be directed concerning the impact of video games upon behavior of the players

Sociosemiotics of the Mexican narcoculture: between subcultures, mass culture, and the semiosphere

http://www.ester.ee/record=b4751312*es

Same destination, different journey : a comparative study of public order policing in Britain and Spain

Public order policing is about power and control. The preservation and maintenance of order is a defining characteristic of the sovereign power. It is a highly political activity which is also emotive, controversial and reflects national culture and identity. Public order policing asks serious questions of the police and represents the most contentious policing activity in modern democratic states. The purpose of this study is to increase and improve current knowledge of public order policing by comparing the policing of disorder in Britain and Spain. It reviews two high profile incidents, the 2011 London Riots and the 2014 "22M" Protests in Madrid, using a fusion of Waddington’s "Flashpoints Model" and Herbert’s "Normative Orders" to comparatively analyse the incidents. The study is supported by a comprehensive literature review and interviews with experienced police public order commanders. This thesis concludes that British public order policing is in need of considerable reform to improve operational effectiveness, efficiency and professionalism. It identifies several key themes which contributed to the inability of the Metropolitan Police to respond effectively to the serious disorder and criminality which proliferated across 22 of London’s 32 boroughs in August 2011. These include the need to review British public order tactics, invest in the training of specialist public order units and improve the understanding of crowd psychology. Practical recommendations are suggested which would refine, enhance and improve the ability of the British public order policing model to respond to the challenges of serious disorder in the twenty first century