4 research outputs found
The architecture of complex weighted networks
Networked structures arise in a wide array of different contexts such as
technological and transportation infrastructures, social phenomena, and
biological systems. These highly interconnected systems have recently been the
focus of a great deal of attention that has uncovered and characterized their
topological complexity. Along with a complex topological structure, real
networks display a large heterogeneity in the capacity and intensity of the
connections. These features, however, have mainly not been considered in past
studies where links are usually represented as binary states, i.e. either
present or absent. Here, we study the scientific collaboration network and the
world-wide air-transportation network, which are representative examples of
social and large infrastructure systems, respectively. In both cases it is
possible to assign to each edge of the graph a weight proportional to the
intensity or capacity of the connections among the various elements of the
network. We define new appropriate metrics combining weighted and topological
observables that enable us to characterize the complex statistical properties
and heterogeneity of the actual strength of edges and vertices. This
information allows us to investigate for the first time the correlations among
weighted quantities and the underlying topological structure of the network.
These results provide a better description of the hierarchies and
organizational principles at the basis of the architecture of weighted
networks
Sandpile model on an optimized scale-free network on Euclidean space
Deterministic sandpile models are studied on a cost optimized
Barab\'asi-Albert (BA) scale-free network whose nodes are the sites of a square
lattice. For the optimized BA network, the sandpile model has the same critical
behaviour as the BTW sandpile, whereas for the un-optimized BA network the
critical behaviour is mean-field like.Comment: Five pages, four figure
Vulnerability of network of networks
Our dependence on networks – be they infrastructure, economic, social or others – leaves us prone to crises caused by the vulnerabilities of these networks. There is a great need to develop new methods to protect infrastructure networks and prevent cascade of failures (especially in cases of coupled networks). Terrorist attacks on transportation networks have traumatized modern societies. With a single blast, it has become possible to paralyze airline traffic, electric power supply, ground transportation or Internet communication. How, and at which cost can one restructure the network such that it will become more robust against malicious attacks? The gradual increase in attacks on the networks society depends on – Internet, mobile phone, transportation, air travel, banking, etc. – emphasize the need to develop new strategies to protect and defend these crucial networks of communication and infrastructure networks. One example is the threat of liquid explosives a few years ago, which completely shut down air travel for days, and has created extreme changes in regulations. Such threats and dangers warrant the need for new tools and strategies to defend critical infrastructure. In this paper we review recent advances in the theoretical understanding of the vulnerabilities of interdependent networks with and without spatial embedding, attack strategies and their affect on such networks of networks as well as recently developed strategies to optimize and repair failures caused by such attacks