This paper investigates the effects of independent nonconformists or influencers on the behavioral dynamic of a population of agents interacting with each other based on the Sznajd model. The system is modeled on a complete graph using the master equation. The acquired equation has been numerically solved. Accuracy of the mathematical model and its corresponding assumptions have been validated by numerical simulations. Regions of initial magnetization have been found from where the system converges to one of two unique steady-state PDFs, depending on the distribution of influencers. The scaling property and entropy of the stationary system in presence of varying level of influence have been presented and discussed.

The egress literature abounds with studies and models of emergency pedestrian evacuation behavior. Each model tries to incorporate more details and features of the crowd movement dynamics to improve its accuracy. This paper combines a relatively simple pedestrian motion model with a position dependent Voter model to study the effects of opinion sharing on crowd evacuation characteristics. Effect of the presence of leaders on the final outcome of the evacuation is studied in detail. An analytical solution for a simplified version of the egress dynamics with opinion exchange is presented, followed by a set of numerical simulations. Interesting findings about the effect of the strength of interaction between individuals, number and distribution of leaders and initial bias of the evacuees on the final distribution of evacuees over available exits, mean number of steps to evacuate, etc. are presented.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract