Author
Fries, WilliamIssue Date
2023Keywords
Collective Behavior AnalysisComputational Social Science
Data-Driven
Gaussian Process
Network Theory
Parameter Inference
Advisor
Lega, Joceline
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Embargo
Release after 06/26/2024Abstract
In this thesis, we develop a generalizable epidemic model that quantifies the impact of collective behaviors. Instead of considering an agent-based model, in which each individual performs their own actions in accordance with the various hypotheses of the model, we consider a mean-field approach which captures the behaviors of the population as a whole. The introduction of the Incidence-Cumulative Cases (ICC) curve significantly reduces the noise found in SIR-like disease dynamics. This phase-plane approach allows us to introduce a modified weighted-least squares regression for parameter inference. By tracking how these parameters change over the course of an epidemic trajectory, we can quantify the impact of external factors on disease spread. These include vacations, public policy changes, holidays, new disease variants and others. With this tool, we analyze the COVID-19 epidemic in each of the 50 United States. We highlight the patterns that begin to appear across the 50 states. We then discuss how these changes might relate to another socially-relevant pandemic topic, political affiliation's relation to mitigation strategies.Type
Electronic Dissertationtext
Degree Name
Ph.D.Degree Level
doctoralDegree Program
Graduate CollegeApplied Mathematics