4,847 research outputs found
Crossover from Endogenous to Exogenous Activity in Open-Source Software Development
We have investigated the origin of fluctuations in the aggregated behaviour
of an open-source software community. In a recent series of papers, de Menezes
and co-workers have shown how to separate internal dynamics from external
fluctuations by capturing the simultaneous activity of many system's
components. In spite of software development being a planned activity, the
analysis of fluctuations reveals how external driving forces can be only
observed at weekly and higher time scales. Hourly and higher change frequencies
mostly relate to internal maintenance activities. There is a crossover from
endogenous to exogenous activity depending on the average number of file
changes. This new evidence suggests that software development is a
non-homogeneous design activity where stronger efforts focus in a few project
files. The crossover can be explained with a Langevin equation associated to
the cascading process, where changes to any file trigger additional changes to
its neighbours in the software network. In addition, analysis of fluctuations
enables us to detect whether a software system can be decomposed in several
subsystems with different development dynamics.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Europhysics Letter
Logarithmic growth dynamics in software networks
In a recent paper, Krapivsky and Redner (Phys. Rev. E, 71 (2005) 036118)
proposed a new growing network model with new nodes being attached to a
randomly selected node, as well to all ancestors of the target node. The model
leads to a sparse graph with an average degree growing logarithmically with the
system size. Here we present compeling evidence for software networks being the
result of a similar class of growing dynamics. The predicted pattern of network
growth, as well as the stationary in- and out-degree distributions are
consistent with the model. Our results confirm the view of large-scale software
topology being generated through duplication-rewiring mechanisms. Implications
of these findings are outlined.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, published in Europhysics Letters (2005
Sustainable growth in complex networks
Based on the empirical analysis of the dependency network in 18 Java
projects, we develop a novel model of network growth which considers both: an
attachment mechanism and the addition of new nodes with a heterogeneous
distribution of their initial degree, . Empirically we find that the
cumulative degree distributions of initial degrees and of the final network,
follow power-law behaviors: , and
, respectively. For the total number of links as a
function of the network size, we find empirically ,
where is (at the beginning of the network evolution) between 1.25 and
2, while converging to for large . This indicates a transition from
a growth regime with increasing network density towards a sustainable regime,
which revents a collapse because of ever increasing dependencies. Our
theoretical framework is able to predict relations between the exponents
, , , which also link issues of software engineering and
developer activity. These relations are verified by means of computer
simulations and empirical investigations. They indicate that the growth of real
Open Source Software networks occurs on the edge between two regimes, which are
either dominated by the initial degree distribution of added nodes, or by the
preferential attachment mechanism. Hence, the heterogeneous degree distribution
of newly added nodes, found empirically, is essential to describe the laws of
sustainable growth in networks.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Lending relationships and credit rationing: the impact of securitization
Do lending relationships mitigate credit rationing? Does securitization influence the impact of lending relationships on credit rationing? If so, is its impact differently in normal periods versus crisis periods? This paper combines several unique data sets to address these questions. Employing a disequilibrium model to identify credit rationing, we find that more intense lending relationships, measured through their length and lower number, considerable improve credit supply and reduce the degree of credit rationing. In general, we find that a relationship with a bank that is more involved in securitization activities relaxes credit constraints in normal periods; however, it also increases credit rationing during crisis periods. Finally, we study the impact of different types of securitization – covered bonds and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) – on credit rationing. While both types of securitization reduce credit rationing in normal periods, the issuance of MBS by a firm’s main bank aggravates these firm’s credit rationing in crisis periods.lending relationships;financial crisis;securitization
Activity ageing in growing networks
We present a model for growing information networks where the ageing of a
node depends on the time at which it entered the network and on the last time
it was cited. The model is shown to undergo a transition from a small-world to
large-world network. The degree distribution may exhibit very different shapes
depending on the model parameters, e.g. delta-peaked, exponential or power-law
tailed distributions.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Sema as Zikr: The Language of the Whirling Dance
This paper explores the parallels found in the dance of the whirling dervishes and Rumi’s poetry. The dance, or sema, is a remembrance of God, zikr, which Rumi beautifully describes in his poetry. It is an honoring and mirroring of the revolutions, cycles, circles, centers, and turnings of life. This poetry in motion, done in the silence of the dervish, brings us to the sema, as a pronounced capacity topresence, because it is both poetry and thing. As poetry, it affords us to undergo an experience with language and the silence that bring us nearer to our center. There is much that is said in the sema even if nothing is spoken. What is said is heard in the silence cultivated by sema. The dance of the whirling dervishes is zikr, a remembrance of God.
Two dimensional XXZ-Ising model on square-hexagon lattice
We study a two dimensional XXZ-Ising on square-hexagon (4-6) lattice with
spin-1/2. The phase diagram of the ground state energy is discussed, shown two
different ferrimagnetic states and two type of antiferromagnetic states, beside
of a ferromagnetic state. To solve this model, it could be mapped into the
eight-vertex model with union jack interaction term. Imposing exact solution
condition we find the region where the XXZ-Ising model on 4-6 lattice have
exact solutions with one free parameter, for symmetric eight-vertex model
condition. In this sense we explore the properties of the system and analyze
the competition of the interaction parameters providing the region where it has
an exact solution. However the present model does not satisfy the \textit{free
fermion} condition, unless for a trivial situation. Even so we are able to
discuss their critical points region, when the exactly solvable condition is
ignored.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Micro-eukaryotic diversity in hypolithons from Miers Valley, Antarctica
The discovery of extensive and complex hypolithic communities in both cold and hot deserts has raised many questions regarding their ecology, biodiversity and relevance in terms of regional productivity. However, most hypolithic research has focused on the bacterial elements of the community. This study represents the first investigation of micro-eukaryotic communities in all three hypolith types. Here we show that Antarctic hypoliths support extensive populations of novel uncharacterized bryophyta, fungi and protists and suggest that well known producer-decomposer-predator interactions may create the necessary conditions for hypolithic productivity in Antarctic deserts
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