Hardcore classification: identifying play styles in social games using network analysis

In the social network of a web-based online game, all players are not equal. Through network analysis, we show that the community of players in a online social game is an example of a scale free small world network and that the growth of the player-base obeys a power law. The community is centred around a minority group of ``hardcore" players who define the social environment for the game, and without whom the social network would collapse. Methods are discussed for identifying this critically important subset of players automatically through analysing social behaviours within the game

Coupled non-equilibrium growth equations: Self-consistent mode coupling using vertex renormalization

We find that studying the simplest of the coupled non-equilibrium growth equations of Barabasi by self-consistent mode coupling requires the use of dressed vertices. Using the vertex renormalization, we find a roughness exponent which already in the leading order is quite close to the numerical value.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Exclusive Queueing Process with Discrete Time

In a recent study [C Arita, Phys. Rev. E 80, 051119 (2009)], an extension of the M/M/1 queueing process with the excluded-volume effect as in the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) was introduced. In this paper, we consider its discrete-time version. The update scheme we take is the parallel one. A stationary-state solution is obtained in a slightly arranged matrix product form of the discrete-time open TASEP with the parallel update. We find the phase diagram for the existence of the stationary state. The critical line which separates the parameter space into the regions with and without the stationary state can be written in terms of the stationary current of the open TASEP. We calculate the average length of the system and the average number of particles

Aging in humid granular media

Aging behavior is an important effect in the friction properties of solid surfaces. In this paper we investigate the temporal evolution of the static properties of a granular medium by studying the aging over time of the maximum stability angle of submillimetric glass beads. We report the effect of several parameters on these aging properties, such as the wear on the beads, the stress during the resting period, and the humidity content of the atmosphere. Aging effects in an ethanol atmosphere are also studied. These experimental results are discussed at the end of the paper.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure

Novel universality classes of coupled driven diffusive systems

Motivated by the phenomenologies of dynamic roughening of strings in random media and magnetohydrodynamics, we examine the universal properties of driven diffusive system with coupled fields. We demonstrate that cross-correlations between the fields lead to amplitude-ratios and scaling exponents varying continuosly with the strength of these cross-correlations. The implications of these results for experimentally relevant systems are discussed.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. E (Rapid Comm.) (2003

Universal features of network topology

Recent studies have revealed characteristic general features in the topology of real-world networks. We investigate the universality of mechanisms that result in the power-law behaviour of many real-world networks, paying particular attention to the Barabasi-Albert process of preferential attachment as the most successful. We introduce a variation on this theme where at each time step either a new vertex and edge is added to the network or a new edge is created between two existing vertices. This process retains a power-law degree distribution, while other variations destroy it. We also introduce alternative models which favour connections to vertices with high degree but by a different mechanism and find that one of the models displays behaviour that is compatible with a power-law degree distribution

Bulk dynamics for interfacial growth models

We study the influence of the bulk dynamics of a growing cluster of particles on the properties of its interface. First, we define a {\it general bulk growth model} by means of a continuum Master equation for the evolution of the bulk density field. This general model just considers arbitrary addition of particles (though it can be easily generalized to consider substraction) with no other physical restriction. The corresponding Langevin equation for this bulk density field is derived where the influence of the bulk dynamics is explicitly shown. Finally, when it is assumed a well-defined interface for the growing cluster, the Langevin equation for the height field of this interface for some particular bulk dynamics is written. In particular, we obtain the celebrated Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation. A Monte Carlo simulation illustrates the theoretical results.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Theoretical approach and impact of correlations on the critical packet generation rate in traffic dynamics on complex networks

Using the formalism of the biased random walk in random uncorrelated networks with arbitrary degree distributions, we develop theoretical approach to the critical packet generation rate in traffic based on routing strategy with local information. We explain microscopic origins of the transition from the flow to the jammed phase and discuss how the node neighbourhood topology affects the transport capacity in uncorrelated and correlated networks.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Introducing Small-World Network Effect to Critical Dynamics

We analytically investigate the kinetic Gaussian model and the one-dimensional kinetic Ising model on two typical small-world networks (SWN), the adding-type and the rewiring-type. The general approaches and some basic equations are systematically formulated. The rigorous investigation of the Glauber-type kinetic Gaussian model shows the mean-field-like global influence on the dynamic evolution of the individual spins. Accordingly a simplified method is presented and tested, and believed to be a good choice for the mean-field transition widely (in fact, without exception so far) observed on SWN. It yields the evolving equation of the Kawasaki-type Gaussian model. In the one-dimensional Ising model, the p-dependence of the critical point is analytically obtained and the inexistence of such a threshold p_c, for a finite temperature transition, is confirmed. The static critical exponents, gamma and beta are in accordance with the results of the recent Monte Carlo simulations, and also with the mean-field critical behavior of the system. We also prove that the SWN effect does not change the dynamic critical exponent, z=2, for this model. The observed influence of the long-range randomness on the critical point indicates two obviously different hidden mechanisms.Comment: 30 pages, 1 ps figures, REVTEX, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Topology and Computational Performance of Attractor Neural Networks

To explore the relation between network structure and function, we studied the computational performance of Hopfield-type attractor neural nets with regular lattice, random, small-world and scale-free topologies. The random net is the most efficient for storage and retrieval of patterns by the entire network. However, in the scale-free case retrieval errors are not distributed uniformly: the portion of a pattern encoded by the subset of highly connected nodes is more robust and efficiently recognized than the rest of the pattern. The scale-free network thus achieves a very strong partial recognition. Implications for brain function and social dynamics are suggestive.Comment: 2 figures included. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Letter