574 research outputs found
Nonequilibrium phase transition in the coevolution of networks and opinions
Models of the convergence of opinion in social systems have been the subject
of a considerable amount of recent attention in the physics literature. These
models divide into two classes, those in which individuals form their beliefs
based on the opinions of their neighbors in a social network of personal
acquaintances, and those in which, conversely, network connections form between
individuals of similar beliefs. While both of these processes can give rise to
realistic levels of agreement between acquaintances, practical experience
suggests that opinion formation in the real world is not a result of one
process or the other, but a combination of the two. Here we present a simple
model of this combination, with a single parameter controlling the balance of
the two processes. We find that the model undergoes a continuous phase
transition as this parameter is varied, from a regime in which opinions are
arbitrarily diverse to one in which most individuals hold the same opinion. We
characterize the static and dynamical properties of this transition
SPECT/CT registration with the DCC and MC simulations for SPECT imaging
publi Vincent Breto
Two-point microrheology and the electrostatic analogy
The recent experiments of Crocker et al. suggest that microrheological
measurements obtained from the correlated fluctuations of widely-separatedprobe
particles determine the rheological properties of soft, complex materials more
accurately than do the more traditional particle autocorrelations. This
presents an interesting problem in viscoelastic dynamics. We develop an
important, simplifing analogy between the present viscoelastic problem and
classical electrostatics. Using this analogy and direct calculation we analyze
both the one and two particle correlations in a viscoelastic medium in order to
explain this observation
The response function of a sphere in a viscoelastic two-fluid medium
In order to address basic questions of importance to microrheology, we study
the dynamics of a rigid sphere embedded in a model viscoelastic medium
consisting of an elastic network permeated by a viscous fluid. We calculate the
complete response of a single bead in this medium to an external force and
compare the result to the commonly-accepted, generalized Stokes-Einstein
relation (GSER). We find that our response function is well approximated by the
GSER only within a particular frequency range determined by the material
parameters of both the bead and the network. We then discuss the relevance of
this result to recent experiments. Finally we discuss the approximations made
in our solution of the response function by comparing our results to the exact
solution for the response function of a bead in a viscous (Newtonian) fluid.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure
Consensus formation on adaptive networks
The structure of a network can significantly influence the properties of the
dynamical processes which take place on them. While many studies have been
devoted to this influence, much less attention has been devoted to the
interplay and feedback mechanisms between dynamical processes and network
topology on adaptive networks. Adaptive rewiring of links can happen in real
life systems such as acquaintance networks where people are more likely to
maintain a social connection if their views and values are similar. In our
study, we consider different variants of a model for consensus formation. Our
investigations reveal that the adaptation of the network topology fosters
cluster formation by enhancing communication between agents of similar opinion,
though it also promotes the division of these clusters. The temporal behavior
is also strongly affected by adaptivity: while, on static networks, it is
influenced by percolation properties, on adaptive networks, both the early and
late time evolution of the system are determined by the rewiring process. The
investigation of a variant of the model reveals that the scenarios of
transitions between consensus and polarized states are more robust on adaptive
networks.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure
Fractional Langevin equation
We investigate fractional Brownian motion with a microscopic random-matrix
model and introduce a fractional Langevin equation. We use the latter to study
both sub- and superdiffusion of a free particle coupled to a fractal heat bath.
We further compare fractional Brownian motion with the fractal time process.
The respective mean-square displacements of these two forms of anomalous
diffusion exhibit the same power-law behavior. Here we show that their lowest
moments are actually all identical, except the second moment of the velocity.
This provides a simple criterion which enables to distinguish these two
non-Markovian processes.Comment: 4 page
A BCG with Offset Cooling:Is the AGN Feedback Cycle Broken in A2495?
We present a combined radio/X-ray analysis of the poorly studied galaxy cluster A2495 (z = 0.07923) based on new EVLA and Chandra data. We also analyze and discuss Hα emission and optical continuum data retrieved from the literature. We find an offset of ∼6 kpc between the cluster brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) (MCG+02-58-021) and the peak of the X-ray emission, suggesting that the cooling process is not taking place on the central galaxy nucleus. We propose that sloshing of the intracluster medium (ICM) could be responsible for this separation. Furthermore, we detect a second, ∼4 kpc offset between the peak of the Hα emission and that of the X-ray emission. Optical images highlight the presence of a dust filament extending up to ∼6 kpc in the cluster BCG and allow us to estimate a dust mass within the central 7 kpc of 1.7 × 105 M . Exploiting the dust-to-gas ratio and the L Hα-M mol relation, we argue that a significant amount (up to 109 M ) of molecular gas should be present in the BCG of this cluster. We also investigate the presence of ICM depressions, finding two putative systems of cavities; the inner pair is characterized by t age ∼ 18 Myr and P cav ∼ 1.2 × 1043 erg s-1, the outer one by t age ∼ 53 Myr and P cav ∼ 5.6 × 1042 erg s-1. Their age difference appears to be consistent with the freefall time of the central cooling gas and with the offset timescale estimated with the Hα kinematic data, suggesting that sloshing is likely playing a key role in this environment. Furthermore, the cavities' power analysis shows that the active galactic nucleus energy injection is able to sustain the feedback cycle, despite cooling being offset from the BCG nucleus.</p
Mobility and Social Network Effects on Extremist Opinions
Understanding the emergence of extreme opinions and in what kind of
environment they might become less extreme is a central theme in our modern
globalized society. A model combining continuous opinions and observed discrete
actions (CODA) capable of addressing the important issue of measuring how
extreme opinions might be has been recently proposed. In this paper I show
extreme opinions to arise in a ubiquitous manner in the CODA model for a
multitude of social network structures. Depending on network details reducing
extremism seems to be possible. However, a large number agents with extreme
opinions is always observed. A significant decrease in the number of extremists
can be observed by allowing agents to change their positions in the network.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, discussion expanded, new references, new figure
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