Modeling Information Diffusion In Online Social Networks With Partial Differential Equations

The book lies at the interface of mathematics, social media analysis, and data science. Its authors aim to introduce a new dynamic modeling approach to the use of partial differential equations for describing information diffusion over online social networks. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the Laplacian matrix for the underlying social network are used to find communities (clusters) of online users. Once these clusters are embedded in a Euclidean space, the mathematical models, which are reaction-diffusion equations, are developed based on intuitive social distances between clusters within the Euclidean space. The models are validated with data from major social media such as Twitter. In addition, mathematical analysis of these models is applied, revealing insights into information flow on social media. Two applications with geocoded Twitter data are included in the book: one describing the social movement in Twitter during the Egyptian revolution in 2011 and another predicting influenza prevalence. The new approach advocates a paradigm shift for modeling information diffusion in online social networks and lays the theoretical groundwork for many spatio-temporal modeling problems in the big-data era.

Within the past 10 years, tremendous innovations have been brought forth in information diffusion and management. Such technologies as social media have transformed the way that information is disseminated and used, making it critical to understand its distribution through these mediums. With the consistent creation and wide availability of information, it has become imperative to remain updated on the latest trends and applications in this field. Information Diffusion Management and Knowledge Sharing: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice examines the trends, models, challenges, issues, and strategies of information diffusion and management from a global context. Highlighting a range of topics such as influence maximization, information spread control, and social influence, this publication is an ideal reference source for managers, librarians, information systems specialists, professionals, researchers, and administrators seeking current research on the theories and applications of global information management.

The two-volume set LNAI 10751 and 10752 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems, ACIIDS 2018, held in Dong Hoi City, Vietnam, in March 2018. The total of 133 full papers accepted for publication in these proceedings was carefully reviewed and selected from 423 submissions. They were organized in topical sections named: Knowledge Engineering and Semantic Web; Social Networks and Recommender Systems; Text Processing and Information Retrieval; Machine Learning and Data Mining; Decision Support and Control Systems; Computer Vision Techniques; Advanced Data Mining Techniques and Applications; Multiple Model Approach to Machine Learning; Sensor Networks and Internet of Things; Intelligent Information Systems; Data Structures Modeling for Knowledge Representation; Modeling, Storing, and Querying of Graph Data; Data Science and Computational Intelligence; Design Thinking Based R&D, Development Technique, and Project Based Learning; Intelligent and Contextual Systems; Intelligent Systems and Algorithms in Information Sciences; Intelligent Applications of Internet of Thing and Data Analysis Technologies; Intelligent Systems and Methods in Biomedicine; Intelligent Biomarkers of Neurodegenerative Processes in Brain; Analysis of Image, Video and Motion Data in Life Sciences; Computational Imaging and Vision; Computer Vision and Robotics; Intelligent Computer Vision Systems and Applications; Intelligent Systems for Optimization of Logistics and Industrial Applications.

Mathematical Methods in Data Science covers a broad range of mathematical tools used in data science, including calculus, linear algebra, optimization, network analysis, probability and differential equations. Based on the authors’ recently published and previously unpublished results, this book introduces a new approach based on network analysis to integrate big data into the framework of ordinary and partial differential equations for dataanalysis and prediction. With data science being used in virtually every aspect of our society, the book includes examples and problems arising in data science and the clear explanation of advanced mathematical concepts, especially data-driven differential equations, making it accessible to researchers and graduate students in mathematics and data science. Combines a broad spectrum of mathematics, including linear algebra, optimization, network analysis and ordinary and partial differential equations for data science Written by two researchers who are actively applying mathematical and statistical methods as well as ODE and PDE for data analysis and prediction Highly interdisciplinary, with content spanning mathematics, data science, social media analysis, network science, financial markets, and more Presents a wide spectrum of topics in a logical order, including probability, linear algebra, calculus and optimization, networks, ordinary differential and partial differential equations

This monograph introduces breakthrough control algorithms for partial differential equation models with moving boundaries, the study of which is known as the Stefan problem. The algorithms can be used to improve the performance of various processes with phase changes, such as additive manufacturing. Using the authors' innovative design solutions, readers will also be equipped to apply estimation algorithms for real-world phase change dynamics, from polar ice to lithium-ion batteries. A historical treatment of the Stefan problem opens the book, situating readers in the larger context of the area. Following this, the chapters are organized into two parts. The first presents the design method and analysis of the boundary control and estimation algorithms. Part two then explores a number of applications, such as 3D printing via screw extrusion and laser sintering, and also discusses the experimental verifications conducted. A number of open problems and provided as well, offering readers multiple paths to explore in future research. Materials Phase Change PDE Control & Estimation is ideal for researchers and graduate students working on control and dynamical systems, and particularly those studying partial differential equations and moving boundaries. It will also appeal to industrial engineers and graduate students in engineering who are interested in this area.

Research on social networks has exploded over the last decade. To a large extent, this has been fueled by the spectacular growth of social media and online social networking sites, which continue growing at a very fast pace, as well as by the increasing availability of very large social network datasets for purposes of research. A rich body of this research has been devoted to the analysis of the propagation of information, influence, innovations, infections, practices and customs through networks. Can we build models to explain the way these propagations occur? How can we validate our models against any available real datasets consisting of a social network and propagation traces that occurred in the past? These are just some questions studied by researchers in this area. Information propagation models find applications in viral marketing, outbreak detection, finding key blog posts to read in order to catch important stories, finding leaders or trendsetters, information feed ranking, etc. A number of algorithmic problems arising in these applications have been abstracted and studied extensively by researchers under the garb of influence maximization. This book starts with a detailed description of well-established diffusion models, including the independent cascade model and the linear threshold model, that have been successful at explaining propagation phenomena. We describe their properties as well as numerous extensions to them, introducing aspects such as competition, budget, and time-criticality, among many others. We delve deep into the key problem of influence maximization, which selects key individuals to activate in order to influence a large fraction of a network. Influence maximization in classic diffusion models including both the independent cascade and the linear threshold models is computationally intractable, more precisely #P-hard, and we describe several approximation algorithms and scalable heuristics that have been proposed in the literature. Finally, we also deal with key issues that need to be tackled in order to turn this research into practice, such as learning the strength with which individuals in a network influence each other, as well as the practical aspects of this research including the availability of datasets and software tools for facilitating research. We conclude with a discussion of various research problems that remain open, both from a technical perspective and from the viewpoint of transferring the results of research into industry strength applications.

This book constitutes refereed proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Mathematical Optimization Theory and Operations Research, MOTOR 2021, held in Irkutsk, Russia, in July 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was held online. The 31 full papers and 3 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 102 submissions. The papers in the volume are organised according to the following topical headings: continuous optimization; integer programming and combinatorial optimization; operational research applications; optimal control.

The rise of social networks and social media has led to a massive shift in the ways information is dispersed. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook allow people to more easily connect as a community, but they can also be avenues for misinformation, fake news, and polarization. The need to examine, model, and analyze the trajectory of information spread within this new paradigm has never been greater. This text expands upon the authors’ combined teaching experience, engineering knowledge, and multiple academic journal publications on these topics to present an intuitive and easy to understand exploration of social media information spread alongside the technical and mathematical concepts. By design, this book uses simple language and accessible and modern case studies (including those centered around United States mass shootings, the #MeToo social movement, and more) to ensure it is accessible to the casual reader. At the same time, readers with prior knowledge of the topics will benefit from the mathematical model and control elements and accompanying sample simulation code for each main topic. By reading this book and working through the included exercises, readers will gain a general understanding of modern social media systems, network fundamentals, model development techniques, and social marketing. The mathematical modeling of information spread over social media is heavily emphasized through a review of existing epidemiology and marketing based models. The book then presents novel models developed by the authors to account for modern social media concerns such as community filter bubbles, strongly polarized groups, and contentious information spread. Readers will learn how to build and execute simple case studies using Twitter data to help verify the text’s proposed models. Once the reader is armed with a fundamental understanding of mathematical modeling and social media-based system considerations, the book introduces more complex engineering control concepts, including controller design, PID control, and optimal control. Examples of control methods for social campaigns and misinformation mitigation applications are covered in a step-by-step format from problem formulation to solution simulation and results discussions. While many of the examples and methods are framed in the context of controlling social media information spread, the material is also directly applicable to many different types of controllable systems. With the essential background, models, and tools presented within, any interested reader can take the first steps toward exploring and taming the growing complexity of the modern social media age.