40,904 research outputs found
Edge Label Inference in Generalized Stochastic Block Models: from Spectral Theory to Impossibility Results
The classical setting of community detection consists of networks exhibiting
a clustered structure. To more accurately model real systems we consider a
class of networks (i) whose edges may carry labels and (ii) which may lack a
clustered structure. Specifically we assume that nodes possess latent
attributes drawn from a general compact space and edges between two nodes are
randomly generated and labeled according to some unknown distribution as a
function of their latent attributes. Our goal is then to infer the edge label
distributions from a partially observed network. We propose a computationally
efficient spectral algorithm and show it allows for asymptotically correct
inference when the average node degree could be as low as logarithmic in the
total number of nodes. Conversely, if the average node degree is below a
specific constant threshold, we show that no algorithm can achieve better
inference than guessing without using the observations. As a byproduct of our
analysis, we show that our model provides a general procedure to construct
random graph models with a spectrum asymptotic to a pre-specified eigenvalue
distribution such as a power-law distribution.Comment: 17 page
A statistical network analysis of the HIV/AIDS epidemics in Cuba
The Cuban contact-tracing detection system set up in 1986 allowed the
reconstruction and analysis of the sexual network underlying the epidemic
(5,389 vertices and 4,073 edges, giant component of 2,386 nodes and 3,168
edges), shedding light onto the spread of HIV and the role of contact-tracing.
Clustering based on modularity optimization provides a better visualization and
understanding of the network, in combination with the study of covariates. The
graph has a globally low but heterogeneous density, with clusters of high
intraconnectivity but low interconnectivity. Though descriptive, our results
pave the way for incorporating structure when studying stochastic SIR epidemics
spreading on social networks
Mal-Netminer: Malware Classification Approach based on Social Network Analysis of System Call Graph
As the security landscape evolves over time, where thousands of species of
malicious codes are seen every day, antivirus vendors strive to detect and
classify malware families for efficient and effective responses against malware
campaigns. To enrich this effort, and by capitalizing on ideas from the social
network analysis domain, we build a tool that can help classify malware
families using features driven from the graph structure of their system calls.
To achieve that, we first construct a system call graph that consists of system
calls found in the execution of the individual malware families. To explore
distinguishing features of various malware species, we study social network
properties as applied to the call graph, including the degree distribution,
degree centrality, average distance, clustering coefficient, network density,
and component ratio. We utilize features driven from those properties to build
a classifier for malware families. Our experimental results show that
influence-based graph metrics such as the degree centrality are effective for
classifying malware, whereas the general structural metrics of malware are less
effective for classifying malware. Our experiments demonstrate that the
proposed system performs well in detecting and classifying malware families
within each malware class with accuracy greater than 96%.Comment: Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Vol 201
Topics in social network analysis and network science
This chapter introduces statistical methods used in the analysis of social
networks and in the rapidly evolving parallel-field of network science.
Although several instances of social network analysis in health services
research have appeared recently, the majority involve only the most basic
methods and thus scratch the surface of what might be accomplished.
Cutting-edge methods using relevant examples and illustrations in health
services research are provided
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