Modeling and Simulation Research on Public’s Emergency Knowledge Diffusion Based on Weighted Small-World Network

Discrete element method simulations are conducted to investigate the effects of applied uniaxial compressive load, and bidisperse particle size distributions on force networks within jammed granular media. The differences between the strong and weak networks are examined through investigating the spatial correlation and distribution of contact angles, and emergence of chainlike structures. The simulation results show that the chainlike structures are more prevalent in the strong network due to the larger cumulative probabilities of contact angles, but not all the contacts belonging to the strong or weak networks are able to constitute the chainlike structures. Although the contacts of coarse-fine particles are dominant for the bidisperse systems, the contacts of coarse–coarse particles dominate the strong network, as well as the linear chainlike structures. Upon increasing the pressure from very low to high, the probability of contact orientations with respect to the compression direction in the strong network increases for contact orientation less than \(60^{\circ }\) and decreases for contact orientation greater than \(60^{\circ }\), while the opposite trends are observed in the weak network. The tails of normalized normal contact forces distributions are quantified by \(\hbox {P}(\hbox {f}) = \hbox {exp}(-\hbox {cf}^{\mathrm{n}})\), and it is found that the value of n depends on the applied pressure and particle size distribution. Statistical analysis shows that the degree of homogeneity of contact force increases with increasing pressure, which is also validated by participation number.

We are experimentally investigating the force network of a monolayer of grains through the jamming transition. Once the packing has been compressed beyond the volume fraction of jamming $$\phi _J$$, we use particle tracking and photoelastic techniques to determine the network of forces in the grains. We experimentally quantify the pressure inside each grain and highlight the two networks of forces existing in jammed granular materials: the load bearing network (force chains strong network) and the dissipative network (weak network). For the strong network, we study the statistical properties of the stress state of the grains and in particular the exponential tails of the probability density function of pressure and shear stress. As the distance to jamming increases, the probability density function of local shear in the system evolves and tends to look like a normal distribution while the probability density function of pressure does not evolve. For the weak network, we study the contact cycles in the granular packing. By calculating their numbers, we determine some statistical properties of these cycles. The number of cycles of order $$n=3$$ which carries the dissipative network increases linearly with the number of contacts.

BackgroundWe assessed the longitudinal association between social networks in late life and the incidence of all‐cause dementia (DEM), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) over a 10‐year follow‐up period in a community‐based cohort of older Japanese‐American men.MethodThis prospective study analyzed data from cognitively intact participants of the Kuakini Honolulu‐Asia Aging Study (K‐HAAS). The K‐HAAS began with the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program’s fourth examination in 1991‐1993, which served as our baseline timepoint. We followed 2,636 Japanese‐American men through the seventh exam (1999‐2000). Participants were dementia‐free at baseline and during the first 3 years of follow‐up. Social network strength was assessed by the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS). Weak and strong social network groups were defined by a median split of LSNS scores. Global cognitive functioning was evaluated by the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), and depressive symptoms by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES‐D) 11‐item Scale. Dementia was diagnosed and classified by consensus of neurologists and geriatricians using standard criteria. Associations between baseline LSNS scores and the risks of DEM, AD and VaD were evaluated by multivariable Cox regression and Kaplan‐Meier estimators using age as the time scale.ResultStudy participants had a median (range) baseline age of 77 (71‐93) years. The age‐adjusted incidence of DEM was significantly higher among men who had weak (LSNS score ≤29) vs. strong (>29) social networks (12.6 vs. 8.7 per 1,000 person‐years of follow‐up; p = 0.014). Kaplan‐Meier survival curves showed that the men with strong social networks were less likely to develop DEM (p<0.0001) and AD (p = 0.0006); the probability of DEM‐free survival at almost 10 years was 93.8% for participants with strong social networks and 89.0% (11% incidence) for those with weak networks. In Cox regression models adjusting for baseline age, education, presence of at least one ApoE ɛ4 allele, prevalent stroke, depressive symptoms (CES‐D score ≥9), and CASI score, weak social networks were significantly associated with increased risk of DEM (HR = 1.52, 95%CI = 1.11‐2.08, p = 0.009) and AD (HR = 1.67, 95%CI = 1.11‐2.51, p = 0.014).ConclusionStrong social networks may protect against incident dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Effective strategies should be devised to prevent the social isolation of older adults.

Individual decisions such as migration can be influenced by different types of social networks. This paper examines strong and weak network effects on internal migration in China by distinguishing between first‐time migrants and experienced migrants. Strong networks are constructed by household members, while weak networks are determined by the village in which the individual resides. By employing spatial econometrics tools, we show that strong networks have a significant positive effect on the first‐time migration decision, while weak network effects vary across home provinces and are significant and positive only for some provinces. We also classify the sample to explore the network effects within the household and find that the effects are larger among siblings, especially among siblings of the same gender. In contrast, strong networks have a smaller impact, and weak networks appear to encourage migration after people have migration experience. Similar findings also apply to the choice of destination, months worked away from home, and migration earnings.

ASSESSING THE CHINA MODEL The intensive discussions of the so-called in academia and public policy circles in recent years have focused mainly on China's economic development experience and avoided, intentionally or unintentionally, exploring its political model. (1) However, without the knowledge of China's political model, it is difficult to understand the country's economic model. In the cultural context, the impact of political factors on the China model is far stronger than that of economic factors. Indeed, the economic development model that has arisen from the course of reform and opening has been driven by politics and political factors. To a great degree, politics is the core of the China model. It is understandable that intensive discussions on politics did not take place due to its sensitivity. Nevertheless, to develop a scientific/objective understanding of the China model, political issues must be examined. In practice, political reform in China will become impossible if research on a political model is lacking. Without a deep understanding of China's political model, one can only posit China should not do, but could never suggest China should and political reform should be carried out. Such is the situation in China today. In the early days of the reform, when strongmen like Deng Xiaoping were still alive and China had political conditions to engage political reform, the CPC leadership was able to mobilise resources to achieve its reform goals. Now, after the strongman era, the leadership is seriously constrained by internal checks and balances. Over the years, top Chinese leaders such as Wu Bangguo, the Chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC), have prescribed the areas of cannot do, including Western types of democracy, a system of checks and balances, a multi-Party system, and federalism. (2) This list is likely to be expanded if the authorities continue to place emphasis on cannot do. However, the key question is what the Party can do and whether China today could solve its mounting problems simply by pursuing further development. Many problems can be solved only through political reform. To resolve these problems, the leadership needs to focus on to and to do it. Any ignorance, intentional or unintentional, of existing problems is of no assistance. The issue then, is how to identify the fundamental problems and how to resolve them. Answering these questions requires explanation and understanding of the China model that has developed in recent decades. The China model was not created overnight. It had to be embedded in the practices of China's politics, forming a pattern of practice. Such a pattern of practice can be either implicit/informal or explicit/institutionalised. (3) Discussion of China's political model is therefore necessary to discover the implicit and explicit behavioural patterns, which have contributed to the general trajectory of China's political development over the past few decades. What is the core of China's political model? My own reflections on traditional Chinese politics and observations on contemporary politics lead me to believe that there are three related concepts which best sum up the China model, namely open Party, meritocratic competition and public participation. Political is the most important indicator and also the prerequisite for meritocratic competition and public participation. In contemporary China, openness is commonly used to refer to the country's towards other countries. In the political area, however, refers to the of political process to different social groups. Furthermore, one can derive the other two concepts from openness; namely, meritocratic competition and public participation. Competition is conditional and constrained. It is not free competition among members of a society. It is the competition among chosen talent. …

Discerning what globalization means for state and local economic development strategies, structures, and policies remains a formidable governance challenge today. Gaining considerable attention in the popular media have been two very different diagnoses and sets of recommendations for coping with globalization, one offered by journalist Thomas Friedman (The World is Flat) and the other by economic development specialist Richard Florida (The Rise of the Creative Class). In this issue's exchange among practitioners and academics, Richard C. Feiock of Florida State University, M. Jae Moon of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, and Hyung-Jun Park of the Korea Public Administration Institute in Seoul, Korea, take stock and ponder the implications of the Friedman-Florida debate for state and local economic development administrators, elected officials, and stakeholders. Comparing, contrasting, and critiquing the theoretical roots and practical implications of the Friedman-Florida debate, the authors contend that a regional governance focus is best suited for coping with globalization, a focus that helps bridge the Friedman-Florida divide. Readers will find an extended research agenda for this topic in the e-version of the article (go to aspanet.org, click on the link to PAR, and then on the Theory to Practice link). They also will find reactions to the authors' arguments by three prominent commentators: (TBA). These commentaries are accompanied by the authors' response and instructions for joining the exchange.

ABSTRACTThe contact network of granular materials is often divided into strong and weak subnetworks, which play different roles in micromechanics. Within the strong contact network, there exists the largest connected component, that is, the largest cluster, which may connect system boundaries and could be the most important structure in force transmission of the whole system. This paper concerns the particular features of the largest cluster in the strong contact network of granular materials, by considering the combining effects of loading path and particle shape. A series of true triaxial tests with various intermediate principal stress ratios are conducted for granular assemblies of different shaped particles using the discrete element method (DEM). Both the macroscopic stress–strain responses and the microscopic topological changes of the contact network are investigated. It is found that both particle shape and loading path will influence the shear strength and the topological features of the strong network. The threshold (the ratio to the average force) is used to distinguish the strong and weak networks, and a critical threshold can be identified by comparing the network‐based metrics. The largest cluster within the strong network approaching the critical threshold can span the boundaries in each direction with minimum contacts, which occupies a small portion of particles and contacts but transmits a considerable portion of the applied stress. In addition, the similar contribution weight of the largest cluster to the deviatoric stress is identified for granular materials with different particle shapes.

This research demonstrates how individual and group behavior is shaped by the opportunities and constraints created by strong and weak social network ties. The political behavior of two factions in Solidaridad, a squatter settlement outside Oaxaca, Mexico, diverged dramatically after the victory of the PAN in local elections. Some residents, usually newer arrivals who had not participated in the founding of the neighborhood, defected from the PRI and its neighborhood organization to establish an independent organization of their own. Once they did so, they became more active in community affairs, attending regular assemblies, participating in community improvement projects, volunteering to petition local and state governments for services, and voting—usually for a party other than the PRI. Residents who remained loyal to the PRI formed their own clique and isolated themselves from the new organization, refusing to attend assemblies and participate in the weekly community activities, and generally limiting their political activity to voting for the PRI in local and national elections. I account for this divergence in political activity by showing how an individual's location in strong versus weak networks can restrict or expand their choice of action by making information about new political opportunities more or less available to them.

This article intends to consider what the new generation of FITs might signify for our understanding of public law. Rather than modelling international public law or questioning its legitimacy derived from national public law (or one independently generated), I want to focus on a ‘public law’ thread running through all of this. The analysis here traces the transliteration of investment protection arbitration from public international law to international public law. It begins first by briefly outlining the established position of foreign direct investment protection in public international law. It then reviews the public law character claimed for investor-state arbitration, a claim which is criticised. And finally the analysis considers how those public law elements can feed ‘international public law’. This points to forms of transnational legal pluralism and I consider at the end what the implications may be for a conception of state and law.

Public participation in policymaking remains a significant challenge in Indonesia. Previous studies found that public participation in the policymaking process is still dominated by the elite (i.e. policymakers). This paper argues that a lack of well-informed public causes diminishing public involvement in policymaking. This study aims to fill the gap in public participation study in Indonesia, particularly the impact of public information on public participation. This study measures to what extent public information awareness and public information service may form public participation behaviour. As quantitative research, this study uses a survey as the primary method to collect data. The questionnaire was constructed through concepts and legal documents related to public information disclosure and public information services. The multi-stage proportional random sampling is applied with the number of samples in this study is 1,584 in 25 provinces (out of 34 provinces). The results show that public information awareness significantly impacts public participation, while public information service satisfaction does not affect public participation.

Markgrafenheide-Hutelmoor covers a total area of 1000 ha (about 490 ha are coastal moor) and a coastline of about 6 km. This touristy area belongs to the city of Rostock in Germany. As response to sea level rise and heavy coastal erosion, the small seaside resort Markgrafenheide received a comprehensive storm surge protection until 2006. Subsequently, the adjacent Hutelmoor was flooded with the aim to restore it as a brackish coastal moor. Coastal protection measures at the Baltic Sea coastline were abandoned to enable natural dynamics, a coastal realignment and salt water intrusions. The entire process until full implementation took 14 years and was associated with very problematic public participation and a strong local polarization. Based on a literature and media review, two surveys, and expert interviews we retrospectively document and analyse the planning process with focus on public information, perception and participation. The local population and holidaymakers did not perceive coastal changes and if, did not associate them with climate change. Interviewees remembered single storm surges, but felt save from it and sea level rise was not perceived as a threat. 89% said that they feel insufficiently informed about the combined coastal protection wetland restoration measure, but did not use the offered information possibilities. 81% had their information from newspapers and freely distributed advertisers. It seems that insufficient information was the major reason for the problems with local acceptance and public participation. The media played a dominating role. The decline of traditional newspapers and the growths of free advertisers seemed to have a negative impact on quality of information and favoured a polarization. Additionally, we discuss local specifics like the cultural background (GDR history), traditions, frustration and the relatively old population and their role in public participation. We strongly promote a pro-active and long-term information and public relation strategy.

Active and timely public participation is critical to the successful development and implementation of any environmental health initiative, such as the National Environmental Health Action Plans (NEHAPs) being developed in Europe. The Dubrovnik Initiative on Action for Environment and Health Protection in Europe (World Health Organisation 1996b) recognised that ‘There is a need to enhance mechanisms for public participation especially at an early stage in developing NEHAPs, in order to minimise discrepancies between public and institutional or political priorities and perceptions of environmental or health risk and their solutions’. This consultation further acknowledged that ‘A strategy for risk communication/ public information should be planned as an integral part of actions’. The specific issue of public participation was further explored in the WHO Consultation in Michelstadt, Germany on March 3-5, 1997. The discussion and recommendations of this consultation were summarised in the report ‘Strategies for Public Information and Participation in Environmental Health’ (World Health Organisation 1997b).

Reply to Mikesell and Birskyte, and to Cyr and Swanson

Integrating network and institutional perspectives, we explore patterns of network development and cultivation in SMEs during the internationalization process. Case analysis of thirteen Korean SMEs from the consumer-goods sector reveals that the firms extensively utilize strong and weak networks, in both social and business categories, at each phase of internationalization, albeit in different ways. Weak business networks over the process of internationalization may be maintained, grow stronger, or evolve into social networks, influenced by country-specific institutional contexts. The findings provide evidence of change in network type and strength, conferring an evolutionary perspective on network development.

We assessed 10-year longitudinal associations between late-life social networks and incidence of all-cause dementia (ACD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) in Japanese-American men. We prospectively analyzed, from baseline (1991-1993) through 1999-2000, 2636 initially nondemented Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study participants who remained dementia-free during the first 3 years of follow-up. Global cognition was evaluated by the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI); depressive symptoms by the 11-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale; and social networks by the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS). Median split of LSNS scores defined weak/strong social network groups. A panel of neurologists and geriatricians diagnosed and classified dementia; AD and VaD diagnoses comprised cases in which AD or VaD, respectively, were considered the primary cause of dementia. Median (range) baseline age was 77 (71-93) years. Participants with weak (LSNS score ≤29) versus strong (>29) social networks had higher age-adjusted incidence (in person-years) of ACD (12.6 vs. 8.7; p = .014) and AD (6.7 vs. 4.0; p = .007) but not VaD (2.4 vs. 1.4; p = .15). Kaplan-Meier curves showed a lower likelihood of survival free of ACD (log-rank p < .0001) and AD (p = .0006) for men with weak networks. In Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for age, education, APOE ɛ4, prevalent stroke, depressive symptoms, and CASI score (all at baseline), weak networks predicted increased incidence of ACD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.52, p = .009) and AD (HR = 1.67, p = .014) but not VaD (p > .2). Weak social networks may heighten the risk of dementia and AD, underscoring the need to promote social connectedness in older adults.