417 research outputs found
Characterizing Distances of Networks on the Tensor Manifold
At the core of understanding dynamical systems is the ability to maintain and
control the systems behavior that includes notions of robustness,
heterogeneity, or regime-shift detection. Recently, to explore such functional
properties, a convenient representation has been to model such dynamical
systems as a weighted graph consisting of a finite, but very large number of
interacting agents. This said, there exists very limited relevant statistical
theory that is able cope with real-life data, i.e., how does perform analysis
and/or statistics over a family of networks as opposed to a specific network or
network-to-network variation. Here, we are interested in the analysis of
network families whereby each network represents a point on an underlying
statistical manifold. To do so, we explore the Riemannian structure of the
tensor manifold developed by Pennec previously applied to Diffusion Tensor
Imaging (DTI) towards the problem of network analysis. In particular, while
this note focuses on Pennec definition of geodesics amongst a family of
networks, we show how it lays the foundation for future work for developing
measures of network robustness for regime-shift detection. We conclude with
experiments highlighting the proposed distance on synthetic networks and an
application towards biological (stem-cell) systems.Comment: This paper is accepted at 8th International Conference on Complex
Networks 201
From random walks to distances on unweighted graphs
Large unweighted directed graphs are commonly used to capture relations
between entities. A fundamental problem in the analysis of such networks is to
properly define the similarity or dissimilarity between any two vertices.
Despite the significance of this problem, statistical characterization of the
proposed metrics has been limited. We introduce and develop a class of
techniques for analyzing random walks on graphs using stochastic calculus.
Using these techniques we generalize results on the degeneracy of hitting times
and analyze a metric based on the Laplace transformed hitting time (LTHT). The
metric serves as a natural, provably well-behaved alternative to the expected
hitting time. We establish a general correspondence between hitting times of
the Brownian motion and analogous hitting times on the graph. We show that the
LTHT is consistent with respect to the underlying metric of a geometric graph,
preserves clustering tendency, and remains robust against random addition of
non-geometric edges. Tests on simulated and real-world data show that the LTHT
matches theoretical predictions and outperforms alternatives.Comment: To appear in NIPS 201
Node-weighted measures for complex networks with spatially embedded, sampled, or differently sized nodes
When network and graph theory are used in the study of complex systems, a
typically finite set of nodes of the network under consideration is frequently
either explicitly or implicitly considered representative of a much larger
finite or infinite region or set of objects of interest. The selection
procedure, e.g., formation of a subset or some kind of discretization or
aggregation, typically results in individual nodes of the studied network
representing quite differently sized parts of the domain of interest. This
heterogeneity may induce substantial bias and artifacts in derived network
statistics. To avoid this bias, we propose an axiomatic scheme based on the
idea of node splitting invariance to derive consistently weighted variants of
various commonly used statistical network measures. The practical relevance and
applicability of our approach is demonstrated for a number of example networks
from different fields of research, and is shown to be of fundamental importance
in particular in the study of spatially embedded functional networks derived
from time series as studied in, e.g., neuroscience and climatology.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figure
Modeling Network Interdiction Tasks
Mission planners seek to target nodes and/or arcs in networks that have the greatest benefit for an operational plan. In joint interdiction doctrine, a top priority is to assess and target the enemy\u27s vulnerabilities resulting in a significant effect on its forces. An interdiction task is an event that targets the nodes and/or arcs of a network resulting in its capabilities being destroyed, diverted, disrupted, or delayed. Lessons learned from studying network interdiction model outcomes help to inform attack and/or defense strategies. A suite of network interdiction models and measures is developed to assist decision makers in identifying critical nodes and/or arcs to support deliberate and rapid planning and analysis. The interdiction benefit of a node or arc is a measure of the impact an interdiction task against it has on the residual network. The research objective is achieved with a two-fold approach. The measures approach begins with a network and uses node and/or arc measures to assess the benefit of each for interdiction. Concurrently, the models approach employs optimization models to explicitly determine the nodes and/or arcs that are most important to the planned interdiction task
Recommended from our members
Using Network Dynamical Influence to Drive Consensus
Consensus and decision-making are often analysed in the context of networks, with many studies focusing attention on ranking the nodes of a network depending on their relative importance to information routing. Dynamical influence ranks the nodes with respect to their ability to influence the evolution of the associated network dynamical system. In this study it is shown that dynamical influence not only ranks the nodes, but also provides a naturally optimised distribution of effort to steer a network from one state to another. An example is provided where the "steering" refers to the physical change in velocity of self-propelled agents interacting through a network. Distinct from other works on this subject, this study looks at directed and hence more general graphs. The findings are presented with a theoretical angle, without targeting particular applications or networked systems; however, the framework and results offer parallels with biological flocks and swarms and opportunities for design of technological networks
- ā¦