130,461 research outputs found
Markovian Dynamics on Complex Reaction Networks
Complex networks, comprised of individual elements that interact with each
other through reaction channels, are ubiquitous across many scientific and
engineering disciplines. Examples include biochemical, pharmacokinetic,
epidemiological, ecological, social, neural, and multi-agent networks. A common
approach to modeling such networks is by a master equation that governs the
dynamic evolution of the joint probability mass function of the underling
population process and naturally leads to Markovian dynamics for such process.
Due however to the nonlinear nature of most reactions, the computation and
analysis of the resulting stochastic population dynamics is a difficult task.
This review article provides a coherent and comprehensive coverage of recently
developed approaches and methods to tackle this problem. After reviewing a
general framework for modeling Markovian reaction networks and giving specific
examples, the authors present numerical and computational techniques capable of
evaluating or approximating the solution of the master equation, discuss a
recently developed approach for studying the stationary behavior of Markovian
reaction networks using a potential energy landscape perspective, and provide
an introduction to the emerging theory of thermodynamic analysis of such
networks. Three representative problems of opinion formation, transcription
regulation, and neural network dynamics are used as illustrative examples.Comment: 52 pages, 11 figures, for freely available MATLAB software, see
http://www.cis.jhu.edu/~goutsias/CSS%20lab/software.htm
Technology-enabled Learning (TEL): YouTube as a Ubiquitous Learning Aid.
The use of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in the society has become ubiquitous. The advent of communication technologies alongside other unification trends and notions such as media convergence and digital content allow the users of the social network to integrate these networks in their everyday life. There have been several attempts in the literature to investigate and explain the use of social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp by university students in the Arab region. However, little research has been done on how university students utilise online audiovisual materials in their academic activities in the UAE. This research aims to elucidate the use of YouTube as a learning aid for university students in the UAE. We adopt the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical framework for this investigation. A quantitative methodology is employed to answer the research question. Primary data consisting of 221 correspondents were analysed, covering patterns of using YouTube as an academic audiovisual learning aid. Statistical techniques including descriptive, correlations, regression tests were used to analyse the data. The study concluded that students use YouTube as a learning tool for their academic studies and enriching their general knowledge; and there is a positive relationship between the use of YouTube videos in academic settings and the students’ overall performance. This study can shed light for teachers, curriculum designers, government entities, and other stakeholders on how to best utilise and integrate the online technology — YouTube — as a learning aid
Sequences of purchases in credit card data reveal life styles in urban populations
Zipf-like distributions characterize a wide set of phenomena in physics,
biology, economics and social sciences. In human activities, Zipf-laws describe
for example the frequency of words appearance in a text or the purchases types
in shopping patterns. In the latter, the uneven distribution of transaction
types is bound with the temporal sequences of purchases of individual choices.
In this work, we define a framework using a text compression technique on the
sequences of credit card purchases to detect ubiquitous patterns of collective
behavior. Clustering the consumers by their similarity in purchases sequences,
we detect five consumer groups. Remarkably, post checking, individuals in each
group are also similar in their age, total expenditure, gender, and the
diversity of their social and mobility networks extracted by their mobile phone
records. By properly deconstructing transaction data with Zipf-like
distributions, this method uncovers sets of significant sequences that reveal
insights on collective human behavior.Comment: 30 pages, 26 figure
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Managing brands in the social media environment
The dynamic, ubiquitous, and often real-time interaction enabled by social media significantly changes the landscape for brand management. A deep understanding of this change is critical since it may affect a brand's performance substantially. Literature about social media's impact on brands is evolving, but lacks a systematic identification of key challenges related to managing brands in this new environment. This paper reviews existing research and introduces a framework of social media's impact on brand management. It argues that consumers are becoming pivotal authors of brand stories due to new dynamic networks of consumers and brands formed through social media and the easy sharing of brand experiences in such networks. Firms need to pay attention to such consumer-generated brand stories to ensure a brand's success in the marketplace. The authors identify key research questions related to the phenomenon and the challenges in coordinating consumer- and firm-generated brand stories
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