Researchers Discover How Cryptic Connections in Disease Transmission Influence Epidemics
This article discusses a novel technique for measuring pathogen spread in species. Specifically, recent outbreaks of white-nose syndrome have devastated the North American bat population. And while the spread of this syndrome has been partially explained by the observed social groups and dynamics of the bats, much of the spread has seemingly come out of […]
White-nosed Bats
https://phys.org/news/2018-11-cryptic-disease-transmission-epidemics.html https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/static-page/what-is-white-nose-syndrome Over the past several years, the North American bat population has been devastated by white-nose syndrome, caused by fungal infection. High infection rates among bats of the same species is to be expected, due to their proximity when hibernating over the winter. However, one species of bats which has the tendency to hibernate […]
Soccer
It is interesting to think about how networks applies to more than just social media and the general examples we have looked at so far. I enjoy soccer, so I thought about how networks could be applied to soccer and it is very much like any business structure. Everyone’s decisions are influenced by the president […]
Game Theory, Evolutionary Stable Strategies and the Evolution of Biological Interactions
The attached source provides commentary and explanation on how game theory and evolutionarily stable strategies are seen in nature. These behavioral trends can then be applied to numerous scenarios involving humans. With the above image, evolutionary stable strategies are illustrated between hawks (aggressive) and doves (cooperative). In this case, being a hawk is an evolutionarily stable […]
The Network Diffusion of Convincing Non-Voters To Vote.
https://www.postbulletin.com/news/politics/black-voters-propelled-blue-wave-study-finds/article_86af1d3b-8901-5ea4-acd6-632d0c546d50.html In the 2018 mid-term elections it is apparent that there was a connection between democratic wins and the voting habits of the African American community. A study showed that 90% of black voters voted for democratic candidates. This is much higher than the 53% of all voters voting democratic. Black voters feel that […]
Cascading Network Effects in Bird Populations
This article describes how bird populations use social information cascades to communicate information about food sources. These bird species rely on swarms of ants as their food supply, and different bird species use different strategies to get the best payoff (which is measured in the amount of food they get). There is high competition for […]
Trustworthiness of Online Reviews
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/smarter-living/trust-negative-product-reviews.html In this article, Caroline Beaton explains the faults in trusting negative product reviews on all of the different shopping sites that we visit. While most reviews are positive, it’s usually the negative reviews that hold more weight as they describe specific deficiencies that a product might have. People trust reviews because they seem to […]
Study Buddies
Studious friends and roommates might lead to higher grades in college This article goes over some of the reasons why having studious friends may encourage you to be studious as well. Citing a few working research papers, the article states that having friends that study a lot may encourage you to increase your study time. […]
Bitcoin Nash Equilibrium
http://www.atimes.com/article/bitcoins-high-energy-usage-could-be-a-risk-worth-taking/ Bitcoin mining has been a hot trend, both literally and metaphorically. The mining process currently relies on an algorithm called Proof of Work. This involves a using a network of computers to reach a consensus on Bitcoin transactions. The way in which consensus is achieved is computationally expensive, because it involves solving a series […]
Flu in the College Social Network
Link: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2010/09/social-network-predicts-flu-spread Author Carrie Arnold discusses the findings of a 2010 study conducted by social scientists Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University and James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, on social network sensors during the 2009 H1N1 swine flu epidemic. Based on their understanding of the “friendship paradox,” the idea that an individual’s […]
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