17,788 research outputs found
Theories for influencer identification in complex networks
In social and biological systems, the structural heterogeneity of interaction
networks gives rise to the emergence of a small set of influential nodes, or
influencers, in a series of dynamical processes. Although much smaller than the
entire network, these influencers were observed to be able to shape the
collective dynamics of large populations in different contexts. As such, the
successful identification of influencers should have profound implications in
various real-world spreading dynamics such as viral marketing, epidemic
outbreaks and cascading failure. In this chapter, we first summarize the
centrality-based approach in finding single influencers in complex networks,
and then discuss the more complicated problem of locating multiple influencers
from a collective point of view. Progress rooted in collective influence
theory, belief-propagation and computer science will be presented. Finally, we
present some applications of influencer identification in diverse real-world
systems, including online social platforms, scientific publication, brain
networks and socioeconomic systems.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure
Spreading processes in Multilayer Networks
Several systems can be modeled as sets of interconnected networks or networks
with multiple types of connections, here generally called multilayer networks.
Spreading processes such as information propagation among users of an online
social networks, or the diffusion of pathogens among individuals through their
contact network, are fundamental phenomena occurring in these networks.
However, while information diffusion in single networks has received
considerable attention from various disciplines for over a decade, spreading
processes in multilayer networks is still a young research area presenting many
challenging research issues. In this paper we review the main models, results
and applications of multilayer spreading processes and discuss some promising
research directions.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 4 table
Statistical interaction modeling of bovine herd behaviors
While there has been interest in modeling the group behavior of herds or flocks, much of this work has focused on simulating their collective spatial motion patterns which have not accounted for individuality in the herd and instead assume a homogenized role for all members or sub-groups of the herd. Animal behavior experts have noted that domestic animals exhibit behaviors that are indicative of social hierarchy: leader/follower type behaviors are present as well as dominance and subordination, aggression and rank order, and specific social affiliations may also exist. Both wild and domestic cattle are social species, and group behaviors are likely to be influenced by the expression of specific social interactions. In this paper, Global Positioning System coordinate fixes gathered from a herd of beef cows tracked in open fields over several days at a time are utilized to learn a model that focuses on the interactions within the herd as well as its overall movement. Using these data in this way explores the validity of existing group behavior models against actual herding behaviors. Domain knowledge, location geography and human observations, are utilized to explain the causes of these deviations from this idealized behavior
A survey on Human Mobility and its applications
Human Mobility has attracted attentions from different fields of studies such
as epidemic modeling, traffic engineering, traffic prediction and urban
planning. In this survey we review major characteristics of human mobility
studies including from trajectory-based studies to studies using graph and
network theory. In trajectory-based studies statistical measures such as jump
length distribution and radius of gyration are analyzed in order to investigate
how people move in their daily life, and if it is possible to model this
individual movements and make prediction based on them. Using graph in mobility
studies, helps to investigate the dynamic behavior of the system, such as
diffusion and flow in the network and makes it easier to estimate how much one
part of the network influences another by using metrics like centrality
measures. We aim to study population flow in transportation networks using
mobility data to derive models and patterns, and to develop new applications in
predicting phenomena such as congestion. Human Mobility studies with the new
generation of mobility data provided by cellular phone networks, arise new
challenges such as data storing, data representation, data analysis and
computation complexity. A comparative review of different data types used in
current tools and applications of Human Mobility studies leads us to new
approaches for dealing with mentioned challenges
The Impact of Social Curiosity on Information Spreading on Networks
Most information spreading models consider that all individuals are identical
psychologically. They ignore, for instance, the curiosity level of people,
which may indicate that they can be influenced to seek for information given
their interest. For example, the game Pok\'emon GO spread rapidly because of
the aroused curiosity among users. This paper proposes an information
propagation model considering the curiosity level of each individual, which is
a dynamical parameter that evolves over time. We evaluate the efficiency of our
model in contrast to traditional information propagation models, like SIR or
IC, and perform analysis on different types of artificial and real-world
networks, like Google+, Facebook, and the United States roads map. We present a
mean-field approach that reproduces with a good accuracy the evolution of
macroscopic quantities, such as the density of stiflers, for the system's
behavior with the curiosity. We also obtain an analytical solution of the
mean-field equations that allows to predicts a transition from a phase where
the information remains confined to a small number of users to a phase where it
spreads over a large fraction of the population. The results indicate that the
curiosity increases the information spreading in all networks as compared with
the spreading without curiosity, and that this increase is larger in spatial
networks than in social networks. When the curiosity is taken into account, the
maximum number of informed individuals is reached close to the transition
point. Since curious people are more open to a new product, concepts, and
ideas, this is an important factor to be considered in propagation modeling.
Our results contribute to the understanding of the interplay between diffusion
process and dynamical heterogeneous transmission in social networks.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Quality of Information in Mobile Crowdsensing: Survey and Research Challenges
Smartphones have become the most pervasive devices in people's lives, and are
clearly transforming the way we live and perceive technology. Today's
smartphones benefit from almost ubiquitous Internet connectivity and come
equipped with a plethora of inexpensive yet powerful embedded sensors, such as
accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, and camera. This unique combination has
enabled revolutionary applications based on the mobile crowdsensing paradigm,
such as real-time road traffic monitoring, air and noise pollution, crime
control, and wildlife monitoring, just to name a few. Differently from prior
sensing paradigms, humans are now the primary actors of the sensing process,
since they become fundamental in retrieving reliable and up-to-date information
about the event being monitored. As humans may behave unreliably or
maliciously, assessing and guaranteeing Quality of Information (QoI) becomes
more important than ever. In this paper, we provide a new framework for
defining and enforcing the QoI in mobile crowdsensing, and analyze in depth the
current state-of-the-art on the topic. We also outline novel research
challenges, along with possible directions of future work.Comment: To appear in ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks (TOSN
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