12,076 research outputs found
The use of multilayer network analysis in animal behaviour
Network analysis has driven key developments in research on animal behaviour
by providing quantitative methods to study the social structures of animal
groups and populations. A recent formalism, known as \emph{multilayer network
analysis}, has advanced the study of multifaceted networked systems in many
disciplines. It offers novel ways to study and quantify animal behaviour as
connected 'layers' of interactions. In this article, we review common questions
in animal behaviour that can be studied using a multilayer approach, and we
link these questions to specific analyses. We outline the types of behavioural
data and questions that may be suitable to study using multilayer network
analysis. We detail several multilayer methods, which can provide new insights
into questions about animal sociality at individual, group, population, and
evolutionary levels of organisation. We give examples for how to implement
multilayer methods to demonstrate how taking a multilayer approach can alter
inferences about social structure and the positions of individuals within such
a structure. Finally, we discuss caveats to undertaking multilayer network
analysis in the study of animal social networks, and we call attention to
methodological challenges for the application of these approaches. Our aim is
to instigate the study of new questions about animal sociality using the new
toolbox of multilayer network analysis.Comment: Thoroughly revised; title changed slightl
Community Detection via Maximization of Modularity and Its Variants
In this paper, we first discuss the definition of modularity (Q) used as a
metric for community quality and then we review the modularity maximization
approaches which were used for community detection in the last decade. Then, we
discuss two opposite yet coexisting problems of modularity optimization: in
some cases, it tends to favor small communities over large ones while in
others, large communities over small ones (so called the resolution limit
problem). Next, we overview several community quality metrics proposed to solve
the resolution limit problem and discuss Modularity Density (Qds) which
simultaneously avoids the two problems of modularity. Finally, we introduce two
novel fine-tuned community detection algorithms that iteratively attempt to
improve the community quality measurements by splitting and merging the given
network community structure. The first of them, referred to as Fine-tuned Q, is
based on modularity (Q) while the second one is based on Modularity Density
(Qds) and denoted as Fine-tuned Qds. Then, we compare the greedy algorithm of
modularity maximization (denoted as Greedy Q), Fine-tuned Q, and Fine-tuned Qds
on four real networks, and also on the classical clique network and the LFR
benchmark networks, each of which is instantiated by a wide range of
parameters. The results indicate that Fine-tuned Qds is the most effective
among the three algorithms discussed. Moreover, we show that Fine-tuned Qds can
be applied to the communities detected by other algorithms to significantly
improve their results
Community Structure in the United States House of Representatives
We investigate the networks of committee and subcommittee assignments in the
United States House of Representatives from the 101st--108th Congresses, with
the committees connected by ``interlocks'' or common membership. We examine the
community structure in these networks using several methods, revealing strong
links between certain committees as well as an intrinsic hierarchical structure
in the House as a whole. We identify structural changes, including additional
hierarchical levels and higher modularity, resulting from the 1994 election, in
which the Republican party earned majority status in the House for the first
time in more than forty years. We also combine our network approach with
analysis of roll call votes using singular value decomposition to uncover
correlations between the political and organizational structure of House
committees.Comment: 44 pages, 13 figures (some with multiple parts and most in color), 9
tables, to appear in Physica A; new figures and revised discussion (including
extra introductory material) for this versio
Characterization of complex networks: A survey of measurements
Each complex network (or class of networks) presents specific topological
features which characterize its connectivity and highly influence the dynamics
of processes executed on the network. The analysis, discrimination, and
synthesis of complex networks therefore rely on the use of measurements capable
of expressing the most relevant topological features. This article presents a
survey of such measurements. It includes general considerations about complex
network characterization, a brief review of the principal models, and the
presentation of the main existing measurements. Important related issues
covered in this work comprise the representation of the evolution of complex
networks in terms of trajectories in several measurement spaces, the analysis
of the correlations between some of the most traditional measurements,
perturbation analysis, as well as the use of multivariate statistics for
feature selection and network classification. Depending on the network and the
analysis task one has in mind, a specific set of features may be chosen. It is
hoped that the present survey will help the proper application and
interpretation of measurements.Comment: A working manuscript with 78 pages, 32 figures. Suggestions of
measurements for inclusion are welcomed by the author
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