116 research outputs found
Spontaneous emergence of contrarian-like behaviour in an opinion spreading model
We introduce stochastic driving in the Sznajd model of opinion spreading.
This stochastic effect is meant to mimic a social temperature, so that agents
can take random decisions with a varying probability. We show that a stochastic
driving has a tremendous impact on the system dynamics as a whole by inducing
an order-disorder nonequilibrium phase transition. Interestingly, under certain
conditions, this stochastic dynamics can spontaneously lead to agents in the
system who are analogous to Galam's contarians.Comment: 4 eps figs, EuroPhys Lett styl
Discretization-related issues in the KPZ equation: Consistency, Galilean-invariance violation, and fluctuation--dissipation relation
In order to perform numerical simulations of the KPZ equation, in any
dimensionality, a spatial discretization scheme must be prescribed. The known
fact that the KPZ equation can be obtained as a result of a Hopf--Cole
transformation applied to a diffusion equation (with \emph{multiplicative}
noise) is shown here to strongly restrict the arbitrariness in the choice of
spatial discretization schemes. On one hand, the discretization prescriptions
for the Laplacian and the nonlinear (KPZ) term cannot be independently chosen.
On the other hand, since the discretization is an operation performed on
\emph{space} and the Hopf--Cole transformation is \emph{local} both in space
and time, the former should be the same regardless of the field to which it is
applied. It is shown that whereas some discretization schemes pass both
consistency tests, known examples in the literature do not. The requirement of
consistency for the discretization of Lyapunov functionals is argued to be a
natural and safe starting point in choosing spatial discretization schemes. We
also analyze the relation between real-space and pseudo-spectral discrete
representations. In addition we discuss the relevance of the Galilean
invariance violation in these consistent discretization schemes, and the
alleged conflict of standard discretization with the fluctuation--dissipation
theorem, peculiar of 1D.Comment: RevTex, 23pgs, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Phase transition in the Sznajd model with independence
We propose a model of opinion dynamics which describes two major types of
social influence -- conformity and independence. Conformity in our model is
described by the so called outflow dynamics (known as Sznajd model). According
to sociologists' suggestions, we introduce also a second type of social
influence, known in social psychology as independence. Various social
experiments have shown that the level of conformity depends on the society. We
introduce this level as a parameter of the model and show that there is a
continuous phase transition between conformity and independence
Spatial preferences and behavioural patterns of lambs during fattening in straw enriched pens
The study analyses spatial preferences and behavioural patterns of lambs during fattening in straw enriched pens. Lambs were allocated in three replicates with 12 lambs each and housed in 6x6 m pens partially divided in two equal areas with and without straw bedding. Each pen was video-recorded continuously from 8 am to 8 pm on days 1, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28. The use of different pen areas and the behaviour of the lambs were evaluated and analysed. The use of the space was significantly higher (p<0.05) for the straw area, where there was also more resting and affiliative interactions (p<0.05). In the areas without straw, animals walked more, remained standing longer periods (p<0.05) and had more stereotypic and aggressive behaviour (p<0.05). The study demonstrated that, when given the choice between two areas with similar resources, lambs prefer straw bedding. Straw is suggested to promote affiliation improving the adaptation to the feedlot. This could be useful to convince system managers that the availability of straw is beneficial to lamb welfare
Van Kampen's expansion approach in an opinion formation model
We analyze a simple opinion formation model consisting of two parties, A and
B, and a group I, of undecided agents. We assume that the supporters of parties
A and B do not interact among them, but only interact through the group I, and
that there is a nonzero probability of a spontaneous change of opinion (A->I,
B->I). From the master equation, and via van Kampen's Omega-expansion approach,
we have obtained the "macroscopic" evolution equation, as well as the
Fokker-Planck equation governing the fluctuations around the deterministic
behavior. Within the same approach, we have also obtained information about the
typical relaxation behavior of small perturbations.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, submited to Europ.Phys.J.
Economic dynamics with financial fragility and mean-field interaction: a model
Following the statistical mechanics methodology, firstly introduced in
macroeconomics by Aoki [1996,2002], we provide some insights to the well known
works of Greenwald and Stiglitz [1990, 1993]. Specifically, we reach
analytically a closed form solution of their models overcoming the aggregation
problem. The key idea is to represent the economy as an evolving complex
system, composed by heterogeneous interacting agents, that can partitioned into
a space of macroscopic states. This meso level of aggregation permits to adopt
mean field interaction modeling and master equation techniques.Comment: APFA6 proceeding
Towards a sustainable and equitable blue economy
The global rush to develop the \u2018blue economy\u2019 risks harming both the marine environment and human wellbeing. Bold policies and actions are urgently needed. We identify five priorities to chart a course towards an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable blue economy
Vibrações e choques mecânicos em pintos de um dia transportados em diferentes estradas
Improving pneumonia case-management in Benin: a randomized trial of a multi-faceted intervention to support health worker adherence to Integrated Management of Childhood Illness guidelines
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pneumonia is a leading cause of death among children under five years of age. The Integrated Management of Childhood Illness strategy can improve the quality of care for pneumonia and other common illnesses in developing countries, but adherence to these guidelines could be improved. We evaluated an intervention in Benin to support health worker adherence to the guidelines after training, focusing on pneumonia case management.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a randomized trial. After a health facility survey in 1999 to assess health care quality before Integrated Management of Childhood Illness training, health workers received training plus either study supports (job aids, non-financial incentives and supervision of workers and supervisors) or "usual" supports. Follow-up surveys were conducted in 2001, 2002 and 2004. Outcomes were indicators of health care quality for Integrated Management-defined pneumonia. Further analyses included a graphical pathway analysis and multivariable logistic regression modelling to identify factors influencing case-management quality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed 301 consultations of children with non-severe pneumonia that were performed by 128 health workers in 88 public and private health facilities. Although outcomes improved in both intervention and control groups, we found no statistically significant difference between groups. However, training proceeded slowly, and low-quality care from untrained health workers diluted intervention effects. Per-protocol analyses suggested that health workers with training plus study supports performed better than those with training plus usual supports (20.4 and 19.2 percentage-point improvements for recommended treatment [p = 0.08] and "recommended or adequate" treatment [p = 0.01], respectively). Both groups tended to perform better than untrained health workers. Analyses of treatment errors revealed that incomplete assessment and difficulties processing clinical findings led to missed pneumonia diagnoses, and missed diagnoses led to inadequate treatment. Increased supervision frequency was associated with better care (odds ratio for recommended treatment = 2.1 [95% confidence interval: 1.13.9] per additional supervisory visit).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Integrated Management of Childhood Illness training was useful, but insufficient, to achieve high-quality pneumonia case management. Our study supports led to additional improvements, although large gaps in performance still remained. A simple graphical pathway analysis can identify specific, common errors that health workers make in the case-management process; this information could be used to target quality improvement activities, such as supervision (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00510679).</p
Origins of the Tumor Microenvironment: Quantitative Assessment of Adipose-Derived and Bone Marrow–Derived Stroma
To meet the requirements for rapid tumor growth, a complex array of non-neoplastic cells are recruited to the tumor microenvironment. These cells facilitate tumor development by providing matrices, cytokines, growth factors, as well as vascular networks for nutrient and waste exchange, however their precise origins remain unclear. Through multicolored tissue transplant procedures; we have quantitatively determined the contribution of bone marrow-derived and adipose-derived cells to stromal populations within syngeneic ovarian and breast murine tumors. Our results indicate that subpopulations of tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) are recruited from two distinct sources. The majority of fibroblast specific protein (FSP) positive and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) positive TAFs originate from mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) located in bone marrow sources, whereas most vascular and fibrovascular stroma (pericytes, α-SMA+ myofibroblasts, and endothelial cells) originates from neighboring adipose tissue. These results highlight the capacity for tumors to utilize multiple sources of structural cells in a systematic and discriminative manner
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