A Generalized Voter Model on Complex Networks

We study a generalization of the voter model on complex networks, focusing on the scaling of mean exit time. Previous work has defined the voter model in terms of an initially chosen node and a randomly chosen neighbor, which makes it difficult to disentangle the effects of the stochastic process itself relative to the network structure. We introduce a process with two steps, one that selects a pair of interacting nodes and one that determines the direction of interaction as a function of the degrees of the two nodes and a parameter α which sets the likelihood of the higher degree node giving its state to the other node. Traditional voter model behaviors can be recovered within the model, as well as the invasion process. We find that on a complete bipartite network, the voter model is the fastest process. On a random network with power law degree distribution, we observe two regimes. For modest values of α, exit time is dominated by diffusive drift of the system state, but as the high-degree nodes become more influential, the exit time becomes dominated by frustration effects dependent on the exact topology of the network.     

The consensus times of the majority vote process on a torus

We study the majority vote process on a two-dimensional torus in which every voter adopts the minority of opinion with small probability . We identify the exponent that the mean of consensus time is asymptotically (1/) with that exponent as goes to 0. The proof is by a formula for mean exit time and by the metastable theory of Markov chains developed in the study of the stochastic Ising model.     

Heterogenous mean-field analysis of a generalized voter-like model on networks

We propose a generalized framework for the study of voter models in complex networks at the heterogeneous mean-field (HMF) level that (i) yields a unified picture for existing copy/invasion processes and (ii) allows for the introduction of further heterogeneity through degree-selectivity rules. In the context of the HMF approximation, our model is capable of providing straightforward estimates for central quantities such as the exit probability and the consensus/fixation time, based on the statistical properties of the complex network alone. The HMF approach has the advantage of being readily applicable also in those cases in which exact solutions are difficult to work out. Finally, the unified formalism allows one to understand previously proposed voter-like processes as simple limits of the generalized model.     

Decelerating microdynamics can accelerate macrodynamics in the voter model

For the voter model, we study the effect of a memory-dependent transition rate. We assume that the transition of a spin into the opposite state decreases with the time it has been in its current state. Counterintuitively, we find that the time to reach a macroscopically ordered state can be accelerated by slowing down the microscopic dynamics in this way. This holds for different network topologies, including fully connected ones. We find that the ordering dynamics is governed by two competing processes which either stabilize the majority or the minority state. If the first one dominates, it accelerates the ordering of the system. The conclusions of this Letter are not restricted to the voter model, but remain valid to many other spin systems as well.     

Numerical Analysis of the Rebellious Voter Model

The rebellious voter model, introduced by Sturm and Swart (2008), is a variation of the standard, one-dimensional voter model, in which types that are locally in the minority have an advantage. It is related, both through duality and through the evolution of its interfaces, to a system of branching annihilating random walks that is believed to belong to the ‘parity-conservation’ universality class. This paper presents numerical data for the rebellious voter model and for a closely related one-sided version of the model. Both models appear to exhibit a phase transition between noncoexistence and coexistence as the advantage for minority types is increased. For the one-sided model (but not for the original, two-sided rebellious voter model), it appears that the critical point is exactly a half and two important functions of the process are given by simple, explicit formulas, a fact for which we have no explanation.     

A soluble kinetic model for spinodal decomposition

We compare the two-dimensional voter model with approximate theories for spinodal decomposition. The cluster size distribution and the short-time dynamics of the voter model are studied by means of a Monte Carlo simulation. The time-dependent structure factor and the long-time scaling of the voter dynamics are known analytically.This paper is dedicated to Nico van Kampen on the occasion of his 67th birthday.     

Voter model on adaptive networks

Voter model is an important basic model in statistical physics. In recent years, it has been more and more used to describe the process of opinion formation in sociophysics. In real complex systems, the interactive network of individuals is dynamically adjusted, and the evolving network topology and individual behaviors affect each other. Therefore, we propose a linking dynamics to describe the coevolution of network topology and individual behaviors in this paper, and study the voter model on the adaptive network. We theoretically analyze the properties of the voter model, including consensus probability and time. The evolution of opinions on dynamic networks is further analyzed from the perspective of evolutionary game. Finally, a case study of real data is shown to verify the effectiveness of the theory.     

Simulating pedestrian flow through narrow exits

Introduction: The flow of pedestrians through narrow doorways is one of the most common features of crowd motions and evacuations. It is particularly an important aspect of pedestrian simulations models since their accuracy depends highly on their ability to produce realistic exit flow rates. The problem has been extensively studied in the literature, but many aspects of it have remained controversial with mixed (and often contradictory) evidence emerging from different studies and different methods. Methods: We discuss the significance of parameter calibration for accurate simulation of pedestrian flow through narrow exits using social force model. Based on sensitivity analyses, we show how simulated exit throughput rate can vastly differ by changing the value of certain parameters. We identify the two parameters that are most critical, and then calibrate them based on a set of experimental observations (at macro level). Using these calibrated parameters, we then re-examine three fundamental questions related to pedestrian flow at bottlenecks, (1) the relation between desired velocity and simulated egress time; (2) the effect of barricade at exits; and (3) the effect of exit in the corner versus the middle. Results: Our numerical analyses showed that, with the calibrated parameters, increasing the desired velocity in the social-force model results in monotonically shorter egress times (at a marginal rate that rapidly diminishes as the desired velocity increases). We showed that placing a panel-like barricade at exit can facilitate the outflow and reduces the egress time, but its effect depends on the widths of exit, as well as the size of the barricade and its distance to exit. We show that the positioning the exit in the corner is also effective in terms of reducing egress time, but only for very narrow exits. The benefit diminishes quickly as the exit becomes wider. Applications: These outcomes demonstrated the significance of parameter calibration for accurate simulation of crowd flows. The findings may also help to identify simple modifications that can facilitate crowd flows at narrow bottlenecks.     

Quantum dissonance induced by a thermal field and its dynamics in dissipative systems

In this paper, we study quantum correlation in separable systems termed quantum dissonance [K. Modi, T. Paterek, W. Son, V. Vedral, M. Williamson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 080501 (2010)]. Firstly, we study the emergence of quantum dissonance between two atoms prepared in uncorrelated states and coupled to a single-mode thermal field. We show that even for situations when the thermal field cannot entangle the two atoms, it can nevertheless induce quantum dissonance between them. Then, we investigate the dynamics including the transfer in both Markovian and non-Markovian regimes of quantum dissonance due to dissipation modeled by two independent subsystems each of which consists of a leaky cavity containing a two-level atom and surrounded by a reservoir. The two subsystems possess some amount of atomic quantum dissonance at the beginning but do not interact with each other by any means later on. We show that the quantum dissonance can be transferred among the composite subsystems, but the way it evolves and is transferred may be very different compared to that of entanglement. Finally, we present an efficient method to refrain the unwanted transfer of quantum dissonance from interested systems to reservoirs.     

A Computational Model of Tonal Tension Profile of Chord Progressions in the Tonal Interval Space

In tonal music, musical tension is strongly associated with musical expression, particularly with expectations and emotions. Most listeners are able to perceive musical tension subjectively, yet musical tension is difficult to be measured objectively, as it is connected with musical parameters such as rhythm, dynamics, melody, harmony, and timbre. Musical tension specifically associated with melodic and harmonic motion is called tonal tension. In this article, we are interested in perceived changes of tonal tension over time for chord progressions, dubbed tonal tension profiles. We propose an objective measure capable of capturing tension profile according to different tonal music parameters, namely, tonal distance, dissonance, voice leading, and hierarchical tension. We performed two experiments to validate the proposed model of tonal tension profile and compared against Lerdahl’s model and MorpheuS across 12 chord progressions. Our results show that the considered four tonal parameters contribute differently to the perception of tonal tension. In our model, their relative importance adopts the following weights, summing to unity: dissonance (0.402), hierarchical tension (0.246), tonal distance (0.202), and voice leading (0.193). The assumption that listeners perceive global changes in tonal tension as prototypical profiles is strongly suggested in our results, which outperform the state-of-the-art models.     

Detecting Quantum Dissonance and Discord in Exact Dynamics of qubit Systems

In this paper, we evaluate the quantum and classical correlations in exact dynamics of qubit systems interacting with a common dephasing environment. We show the existence of a sharp transition between the classical and quantum loss of correlations during the time evolution. We show that it is possible to exploit a large class of initial states in different tasks of quantum information and processing without any perturbation of the correlations from the environment noisy for large time intervals. On the other hand, we include the dynamics of a new kind of correlation so-called quantum dissonance, which contains the rest of the nonclassical correlations. We show that the quantum dissonance can be considered as an indicator to expect the behavior of the dynamics of classical and quantum correlations in composite open quantum systems.     

Phase transitions and universality in nonequilibrium steady states of stochastic Ising models

We present results of direct computer simulations and of Monte Carlo renormalization group (MCRG) studies of the nonequilibrium steady states of a spin system with competing dynamics and of the voter model. The MCRG method, previously used only for equilibrium systems, appears to give useful information also for these nonequilibrium systems. The critical exponents are found to be of Ising type for the competing dynamics model at its second-order phase transitions, and of mean-field type for the voter model (consistent with known results for the latter).     

三维空间行人疏散的元胞自动机模型

为了有效刻画行人在三维空间中的疏散状况,结合阶梯因素提出了一种新的三维元胞自动机模型,该模型首先基于位置吸引力和碰撞可能性给出了行人移动概率的计算公式,并通过定义元胞演化过程阐述其疏散策略,同时,利用建立的仿真平台进行实验,深入分析了疏散时间、出口流率、出口宽度、初始行人密度以及系统平均速度之间的关系,以此获得更加符合实际情况的行人流特征,结果表明,疏散时间、出口流率与初始行人密度呈现正相关,而与出口宽度呈现负相关,并且系统平均速度和出口宽度对于最优疏散时间存在一个理想阈值。     

Boundary behavior of diffusion approximations to Markov jump processes

We show that diffusion approximations, including modified diffusion approximations, can be problematic since the proper choice of local boundary conditions (if any exist) is not obvious. For a class of Markov processes in one dimension, we show that to leading order it is proper to use a diffusion (Fokker-Planck) approximation to compute mean exit times with a simple absorbing boundary condition. However, this is only true for the leading term in the asymptotic expansion of the mean exit time. Higher order correction terms do not, in general, satisfy simple absorbing boundary conditions. In addition, the diffusion approximation for the calculation of mean exit times is shown to break down as the initial point approaches the boundary, and leads to an increasing relative error. By introducing a boundary layer, we show how to correct the diffusion approximation to obtain a uniform approximation of the mean exit time. We illustrate these considerations with a number of examples, including a jump process which leads to Kramers' diffusion model. This example represents an extension to a multivariate process.     

双面半色调印刷品Kubelka-Munk色彩预测模型

建立双面印刷品的色彩预测模型一直是印刷中的一个重要课题。将入射到印刷品的光根据其在垂直于印刷品中所走过的路径的不同, 将其分成四大部分, 即: 从正面油墨进入, 经过纸张, 再从反面油墨出射; 从正面油墨进入, 从纸张出射; 从正面空白区域入射, 从反面油墨出射以及直接穿过纸张。所建立的相关的模型以Kubelka-Munk四能流理论为基础, 通过对上述四部分的反射率与透射率相加便得到了整个双面印刷品的反射率与透射率。     

Nonuniform autonomous one-dimensional exclusion nearest-neighbor reaction-diffusion models

The most general nonuniform reaction-diffusion models on a one-dimensional lattice with boundaries, for which the time evolution equations of correlation functions are closed, are considered. A transfer matrix method is used to find the static solution. It is seen that this transfer matrix can be obtained in a closed form, if the reaction rates satisfy certain conditions. We call such models superautonomous. Possible static phase transitions of such models are investigated. At the end, as an example of superautonomous models, a nonuniform voter model is introduced, and solved explicitly.     

Impact of conformity on the evolution of cooperation in the prisoner’s dilemma game

We present an evolutionary model of the prisoner’s dilemma game taking into account two cognitive mechanisms: (1) payoff-biased strategy transmission and (2) a conformity mechanism involving a tendency to copy the most frequent nearby strategy in a group. Moreover, for two types of conformity, a minority mechanism and a majority rule, a dual process holds whereby the types differ in both the factors that give rise to them and the effects they have. By contrast, a signal process suggests that differences between the two forms of influence are primarily of degree and that fundamental processes are at work in both. We explore the model using both well-mixed and spatially structured populations. When the temptation to defect is low and both conformism and local interactions are present, the system can reach high levels of cooperation or even a full cooperation state. Furthermore, we find a stronger effect of conformity and a higher level of cooperation among the population regardless of the group size. This indicates that conformity follows a signal process. However, when the temptation to defect is rather large, results for the minority influence change non-monotonically with conformism cohesion. This is remarkably different from the results under majority rule, which is considered as support for the dual process.     

To how many politicians should government be left?

We study opinion formation processes in small social networks. In particular we show how a group’s ability for efficient decision-making depends on its size. We adopt a threshold voter model and show that there exists a characteristic size beyond which the probability of forming internal factions-and thus absence of consensus-undergoes a qualitative change. Our work is empirically motivated by an apparent correlation between the size of a decision-making group and its performance in the particular case of national governments.     

Voter model on Sierpinski fractals

We investigate the ordering of voter model on fractal lattices: Sierpinski Carpets and Sierpinski Gasket. We obtain a power-law ordering in all cases, but the dynamics is found to differ significantly for finite and infinite ramification order of investigated fractals.     

Cellular automaton model for evacuation process with obstacles

A bidimensional cellular automaton model is used to simulate the process of evacuation of pedestrians in a room with fixed obstacles. A floor field is defined so that moving to a cell with lower floor field means approaching an exit door. The model becomes non-deterministic by introducing a “panic” parameter, given by a probability of not moving, and by a random choice to resolve conflicts in the update of pedestrian positions. Two types of exit doors are considered: single (where only one person can pass) and double (two persons can pass simultaneously). For a double door, the longest evacuation time turns out to occur for a very traditional location of the door. The optimum door position is determined. Replacing the double door by two single doors does not improve evacuation times noticeably. On the other hand, for a room without obstacles, a simple scaling law is proposed to model the dependence of evacuation time with the number of persons and exit width. This model fails when obstacles are present, as their presence introduces local bottlenecks whose effect outweighs the benefits of increasing door width beyond a certain threshold.