7,576 research outputs found
Shape anisotropy of polymers in disordered environment
We study the influence of structural obstacles in a disordered environment on
the size and shape characteristics of long flexible polymer macromolecules. We
use the model of self-avoiding random walks on diluted regular lattices at the
percolation threshold in space dimensions d=2, 3. Applying the Pruned-Enriched
Rosenbluth Method (PERM), we numerically estimate rotationally invariant
universal quantities such as the averaged asphericity A_d and prolateness S of
polymer chain configurations. Our results quantitatively reveal the extent of
anisotropy of macromolecules due to the presence of structural defects.Comment: 8 page
The Effect of Disease-induced Mortality on Structural Network Properties
As the understanding of the importance of social contact networks in the
spread of infectious diseases has increased, so has the interest in
understanding the feedback process of the disease altering the social network.
While many studies have explored the influence of individual epidemiological
parameters and/or underlying network topologies on the resulting disease
dynamics, we here provide a systematic overview of the interactions between
these two influences on population-level disease outcomes. We show that the
sensitivity of the population-level disease outcomes to the combination of
epidemiological parameters that describe the disease are critically dependent
on the topological structure of the population's contact network. We introduce
a new metric for assessing disease-driven structural damage to a network as a
population-level outcome. Lastly, we discuss how the expected individual-level
disease burden is influenced by the complete suite of epidemiological
characteristics for the circulating disease and the ongoing process of network
compromise. Our results have broad implications for prediction and mitigation
of outbreaks in both natural and human populations.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure
From brain to earth and climate systems: Small-world interaction networks or not?
We consider recent reports on small-world topologies of interaction networks
derived from the dynamics of spatially extended systems that are investigated
in diverse scientific fields such as neurosciences, geophysics, or meteorology.
With numerical simulations that mimic typical experimental situations we have
identified an important constraint when characterizing such networks:
indications of a small-world topology can be expected solely due to the spatial
sampling of the system along with commonly used time series analysis based
approaches to network characterization
Kinetic-growth self-avoiding walks on small-world networks
Kinetically-grown self-avoiding walks have been studied on Watts-Strogatz
small-world networks, rewired from a two-dimensional square lattice. The
maximum length L of this kind of walks is limited in regular lattices by an
attrition effect, which gives finite values for its mean value . For
random networks, this mean attrition length scales as a power of the
network size, and diverges in the thermodynamic limit (large system size N).
For small-world networks, we find a behavior that interpolates between those
corresponding to regular lattices and randon networks, for rewiring probability
p ranging from 0 to 1. For p < 1, the mean self-intersection and attrition
length of kinetically-grown walks are finite. For p = 1, grows with
system size as N^{1/2}, diverging in the thermodynamic limit. In this limit and
close to p = 1, the mean attrition length diverges as (1-p)^{-4}. Results of
approximate probabilistic calculations agree well with those derived from
numerical simulations.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Kinetic growth walks on complex networks
Kinetically grown self-avoiding walks on various types of generalized random
networks have been studied. Networks with short- and long-tailed degree
distributions were considered (, degree or connectivity), including
scale-free networks with . The long-range behaviour of
self-avoiding walks on random networks is found to be determined by finite-size
effects. The mean self-intersection length of non-reversal random walks, ,
scales as a power of the system size $N$: $ \sim N^{\beta}$, with an
exponent $\beta = 0.5$ for short-tailed degree distributions and $\beta < 0.5$
for scale-free networks with $\gamma < 3$. The mean attrition length of kinetic
growth walks, , scales as , with an exponent
which depends on the lowest degree in the network. Results of
approximate probabilistic calculations are supported by those derived from
simulations of various kinds of networks. The efficiency of kinetic growth
walks to explore networks is largely reduced by inhomogeneity in the degree
distribution, as happens for scale-free networks.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
Self-avoiding walks on scale-free networks
Several kinds of walks on complex networks are currently used to analyze
search and navigation in different systems. Many analytical and computational
results are known for random walks on such networks. Self-avoiding walks (SAWs)
are expected to be more suitable than unrestricted random walks to explore
various kinds of real-life networks. Here we study long-range properties of
random SAWs on scale-free networks, characterized by a degree distribution
. In the limit of large networks (system size ), the average number of SAWs starting from a generic site
increases as , with . For finite ,
is reduced due to the presence of loops in the network, which causes the
emergence of attrition of the paths. For kinetic growth walks, the average
maximum length, , increases as a power of the system size: , with an exponent increasing as the parameter is
raised. We discuss the dependence of on the minimum allowed degree in
the network. A similar power-law dependence is found for the mean
self-intersection length of non-reversal random walks. Simulation results
support our approximate analytical calculations.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
A Quality and Cost Approach for Comparison of Small-World Networks
We propose an approach based on analysis of cost-quality tradeoffs for
comparison of efficiency of various algorithms for small-world network
construction. A number of both known in the literature and original algorithms
for complex small-world networks construction are shortly reviewed and
compared. The networks constructed on the basis of these algorithms have basic
structure of 1D regular lattice with additional shortcuts providing the
small-world properties. It is shown that networks proposed in this work have
the best cost-quality ratio in the considered class.Comment: 27 pages, 16 figures, 1 tabl
Synchronization in complex networks
Synchronization processes in populations of locally interacting elements are
in the focus of intense research in physical, biological, chemical,
technological and social systems. The many efforts devoted to understand
synchronization phenomena in natural systems take now advantage of the recent
theory of complex networks. In this review, we report the advances in the
comprehension of synchronization phenomena when oscillating elements are
constrained to interact in a complex network topology. We also overview the new
emergent features coming out from the interplay between the structure and the
function of the underlying pattern of connections. Extensive numerical work as
well as analytical approaches to the problem are presented. Finally, we review
several applications of synchronization in complex networks to different
disciplines: biological systems and neuroscience, engineering and computer
science, and economy and social sciences.Comment: Final version published in Physics Reports. More information
available at http://synchronets.googlepages.com
Access to recorded interviews: A research agenda
Recorded interviews form a rich basis for scholarly inquiry. Examples include oral histories, community memory projects, and interviews conducted for broadcast media. Emerging technologies offer the potential to radically transform the way in which recorded interviews are made accessible, but this vision will demand substantial investments from a broad range of research communities. This article reviews the present state of practice for making recorded interviews available and the state-of-the-art for key component technologies. A large number of important research issues are identified, and from that set of issues, a coherent research agenda is proposed
Heusler 4.0: Tunable Materials
Heusler compounds are a large family of binary, ternary and quaternary
compounds that exhibit a wide range of properties of both fundamental and
potential technological interest. The extensive tunability of the Heusler
compounds through chemical substitutions and structural motifs makes the family
especially interesting. In this article we highlight recent major developments
in the field of Heusler compounds and put these in the historical context. The
evolution of the Heusler compounds can be described by four major periods of
research. In the latest period, Heusler 4.0 has led to the observation of a
variety of properties derived from topology that includes: topological metals
with Weyl and Dirac points; a variety of non-collinear spin textures including
the very recent observation of skyrmions at room temperature; and giant
anomalous Hall effects in antiferromagnetic Heuslers with triangular magnetic
structures. Here we give a comprehensive overview of these major achievements
and set research into Heusler materials within the context of recent emerging
trends in condensed matter physics
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