QQ-voter model with independence on signed random graphs: homogeneous approximations

The $q$-voter model with independence is generalized to signed random graphs and studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations and theoretically using the mean field approximation and different forms of the pair approximation. In the signed network with quenched disorder, positive and negative signs associated randomly with the links correspond to reinforcing and antagonistic interactions, promoting, respectively, the same or opposite orientations of two-state spins representing agents' opinions; otherwise, the opinions are called mismatched. With probability $1-p$, the agents change their opinions if the opinions of all members of a randomly selected $q$-neighborhood are mismatched, and with probability $p$, they choose an opinion randomly. The model on networks with finite mean degree $\langle k \rangle$ and fixed fraction of the antagonistic interactions $r$ exhibits ferromagnetic transition with varying the independence parameter $p$, which can be first- or second-order, depending on $q$ and $r$, and disappears for large $r$. Besides, numerical evidence is provided for the occurrence of the spin-glass-like transition for large $r$. The order and critical lines for the ferromagnetic transition on the $p$ vs. $r$ phase diagram obtained in Monte Carlo simulations are reproduced qualitatively by the mean field approximation. Within the range of applicability of the pair approximation, for the model with $\langle k \rangle$ finite but $\langle k \rangle \gg q$, predictions of the homogeneous pair approximation concerning the ferromagnetic transition show much better quantitative agreement with numerical results for small $r$ but fail for larger $r$. A more advanced signed homogeneous pair approximation is formulated which distinguishes between classes of active links with a given sign connecting nodes occupied by agents with mismatched opinions...Comment: 20 pages, 10 figure

The qq-neighbor Ising model on multiplex networks with partial overlap of nodes

The $q$-neighbor Ising model for the opinion formation on multiplex networks with two layers in the form of random graphs (duplex networks), the partial overlap of nodes, and LOCAL\&AND spin update rule was investigated by means of the pair approximation and approximate Master equations as well as Monte Carlo simulations. Both analytic and numerical results show that for different fixed sizes of the $q$-neighborhood and finite mean degrees of nodes within the layers the model exhibits qualitatively similar critical behavior as the analogous model on multiplex networks with layers in the form of complete graphs. However, as the mean degree of nodes is decreased the discontinuous ferromagnetic transition, the tricritical point separating it from the continuous transition and the possible coexistence of the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic phases at zero temperature occur for smaller relative sizes of the overlap. Predictions of the simple homogeneous pair approximation concerning the critical behavior of the model under study show good qualitative agreement with numerical results; predictions based on the approximate Master equations are usually quantitatively more accurate, but yet not exact. Two versions of the heterogeneous pair approximation are also derived for the model under study, which, surprisingly, yield predictions only marginally different or even identical to those of the simple homogeneous pair approximation. In general, predictions of all approximations show better agreement with the results of Monte Carlo simulations in the case of continuous than discontinuous ferromagnetic transition.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure

International bank for reconstruction and development

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston Universit

The Challenges of Oral History in the 21st Century: Diversity, Inequality and Identity Construction Using Online Video Oral Histories in University Courses across the Curriculum

Thanks to the internet, educators now have unprecedented access to oral histories. We are examining the way that video oral histories can be used and integrated in various kinds of university courses. Now easily available to educators are a wide range of oral histories, from small collections like Ball State University\u27s video interviews of 40 members of the U.S. Army\u27s First Infantry Division from the Vietnam War to large archives of oral histories such the Densho Digital Archive of over 600 video interviews documenting the Japanese American internment during WWII. The variety is already impressive and it is growing very quickly along with links to educational tools and supporting resources. Sharing our own experiences using a videotape collection of Holocaust testimonies in an advanced writing course at Santa Clara University and surveying a range of other university courses in various disciplines that currently use online interviews and testimonies as part of their curriculum, we argue that creatively designed multimedia projects based on video oral histories are uniquely suited to engage millennial students in authentic research. We will examine assignment design and pedagogy, student engagement, final products, ways that the educational mission of the collections is being realized, and additional benefits of students building the literacies they need for the 21st Century, including information, media, and digital

Life Stories from the Holocaust: Bringing Oral History into the Digital Classroom

This paper focuses on one of our current upper-division writing courses, Visual Media and Holocaust Narrative, which we have just finished teaching for the second time. We will explain our pedagogy in using oral history testimonies and digital stories to teach students about the Holocaust because we think it is an effective way to bring young students closer to the tragic event that is receding in history - to bring them closer through affective, emotional engagement with the powerful life stories of survivors. We also believe that a high level of learning is taking place and that the students\u27 work reflects a deeper than usual level of understanding and an integration of various kinds of learning

Holocaust Remembrance: Making Meaning through Oral History across the Generations

Our university writing course, Visual Media and Holocaust Narrative, brings students closer to the Holocaust through affective engagement with the stories of survivors. With its informative and performative properties, video testimony engages the intellect and emotions of the students and reveals the dignity and humanity of the interviewees. The course requires writing a proposal for a film based on the lives of the survivors as well as creating a short promotional trailer made as a digital story. Preparatory assignments include archiving work for the oral history project, reading and discussing theoretical texts, watching and discussing Holocaust films, and writing an analytical essay. After this, students work with a partner to create the film proposal. Before doing research about the historical context of the idea, location and events they choose, we offer library workshops to teach them how to find and evaluate reliable sources. We also require a 2-unit media lab, the first part devoted to learning the technologies to capture web multimedia resources, to create audio and enhanced podcasts, and to write and produce digital stories. The second is devoted to creating their own trailers. We end with a public symposium presenting the student work. It is evident that the students become personally committed to their work, and that the ideas they grapple with at each step enrich their overall learning. They engage in deep learning and develop insights about oral history, Holocaust survivors, the challenges of making accurate Holocaust films, and the Holocaust itself. Using the oral histories as the center of the course grounds the work in a profound way. Our students\u27 work is also significant for the survivors who have given testimony, as many of them find satisfaction in their stories being used to educate and take action to prevent future genocid

Rozpoznawalność i upamiętnienie Tadeusza Kościuszki w społeczeństwie amerykańskim w kontekście współczesnych relacji USA–Polska

When talking about people who influence the shaping of Polish-American relations, one of the first characters to come to mind is without a shadow of doubt Tadeusz Kościuszko. The purpose of the following paper is to discuss the most important factors that allowed the creation of the legend of Tadeusz Kościuszko in the United States, and to illustrate to what extent Tadeusz Kościuszko’s person is commemorated and recognized among the American population. The purpose of this paper is also to answer the questions, what is his role in public discourse and Polish-American diplomacy, as well as what role does his character play in the functioning of the Polish community in the United States. The work was based on the historical research method. In the course of its creation, monographs, press articles, and internet sources in Polish and English were used. The subject of the research is determining Tadeusz Kościuszko’s recognition, description of all issues related to commemorating him, as well as emphasizing the importance of his character for mutual relations between Poland and the United States, both in matters concerning diplomatic aspects and all social feelings manifested in both nations to each other

Facing the Fringe

Fringe theories are a broad set of alternative views that mainstream scientists deny. Case studies from the past two centuries demonstrate that fringe theorists have sometimes been marginalized to the detriment of scientific advancements. While it is accepted that once in a blue moon comes a diamond in the rough, there are far more cases of fringe theories becoming mainstream than has been traditionally acknowledged. Indeed, fringe theories become mainstream with such regularity that our epistemic intolerance towards them is in need of urgent reexamination. With the recognition that tolerance is an epistemic virtue, we can view debates about theory choice with new eyes. While sometimes theory choices are based on theory-laden interpretations of evidence, there are also occasions in which theory choices are made based on logic and competing-theory neutral interpretations of evidence. However, even these commensurable theory choices can be seen to oscillate over time, as novel observations continuously accumulate. I argue that theory choices are in principle never final, which leaves room for keeping fringe theories on the table. Paired with the revelation that theory-entrenchment prevents mainstream scientists from acknowledging important anomalies that are readily explained by fringe theories, this fact suggests that theoretical pluralism is the best route forward for a global epistemic community seeking scientific progress. Theoretical pluralism resolves debates that have long occupied philosophers of science, including the pessimistic induction and the demarcation problem. After considering worries about giving fringe theories space in our current political landscape, I provide a suggestion for carefully putting theoretical pluralism into practice