780 research outputs found
Molecular Model of Dynamic Social Network Based on E-mail communication
In this work we consider an application of physically inspired sociodynamical model to the modelling of the evolution of email-based social network. Contrary to the standard approach of sociodynamics, which assumes expressing of system dynamics with heuristically defined simple rules, we postulate the inference of these rules from the real data and their application within a dynamic molecular model. We present how to embed the n-dimensional social space in Euclidean one. Then, inspired by the Lennard-Jones potential, we define a data-driven social potential function and apply the resultant force to a real e-mail communication network in a course of a molecular simulation, with network nodes taking on the role of interacting particles. We discuss all steps of the modelling process, from data preparation, through embedding and the molecular simulation itself, to transformation from the embedding space back to a graph structure. The conclusions, drawn from examining the resultant networks in stable, minimum-energy states, emphasize the role of the embedding process projecting the non–metric social graph into the Euclidean space, the significance of the unavoidable loss of information connected with this procedure and the resultant preservation of global rather than local properties of the initial network. We also argue applicability of our method to some classes of problems, while also signalling the areas which require further research in order to expand this applicability domain
Synthetic soil crusts against green-desert transitions : a spatial model
Altres ajuts: Botin Foundation (Banco Santander through its Santander Universities Global Division) i CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaSemiarid ecosystems are threatened by global warming due to longer dehydration times and increasing soil degradation. Mounting evidence indicates that, given the current trends, drylands are likely to expand and possibly experience catastrophic shifts from vegetated to desert states. Here, we explore a recent suggestion based on the concept of ecosystem terraformation, where a synthetic organism is used to counterbalance some of the nonlinear effects causing the presence of such tipping points. Using an explicit spatial model incorporating facilitation and considering a simplification of states found in semiarid ecosystems including vegetation, fertile and desert soil, we investigate how engineered microorganisms can shape the fate of these ecosystems. Specifically, two different, but complementary, terraformation strategies are proposed: Cooperation -based: C -terraformation; and Dispersion -based: D -terraformation. The first strategy involves the use of soil synthetic microorganisms to introduce cooperative loops (facilitation) with the vegetation. The second one involves the introduction of engineered microorganisms improving their dispersal capacity, thus facilitating the transition from desert to fertile soil. We show that small modifications enhancing cooperative loops can effectively modify the aridity level of the critical transition found at increasing soil degradation rates, also identifying a stronger protection against soil degradation by using the D -terraformation strategy. The same results are found in a mean-field model providing insights into the transitions and dynamics tied to these terraformation strategies. The potential consequences and extensions of these models are discussed
Feigenbaum graphs: a complex network perspective of chaos
The recently formulated theory of horizontal visibility graphs transforms
time series into graphs and allows the possibility of studying dynamical
systems through the characterization of their associated networks. This method
leads to a natural graph-theoretical description of nonlinear systems with
qualities in the spirit of symbolic dynamics. We support our claim via the case
study of the period-doubling and band-splitting attractor cascades that
characterize unimodal maps. We provide a universal analytical description of
this classic scenario in terms of the horizontal visibility graphs associated
with the dynamics within the attractors, that we call Feigenbaum graphs,
independent of map nonlinearity or other particulars. We derive exact results
for their degree distribution and related quantities, recast them in the
context of the renormalization group and find that its fixed points coincide
with those of network entropy optimization. Furthermore, we show that the
network entropy mimics the Lyapunov exponent of the map independently of its
sign, hinting at a Pesin-like relation equally valid out of chaos.Comment: Published in PLoS ONE (Sep 2011
An incoherent regulatory network architecture that orchestrates B cell diversification in response to antigen signaling
B cell receptor signaling controls the expression of IRF-4, a transcription factor required for B cell differentiation. This study shows that IRF-4 regulates divergent B cell fates via a ‘kinetic-control' mechanism that determines the duration of a transient developmental state
The Web of Human Sexual Contacts
Many ``real-world'' networks are clearly defined while most ``social''
networks are to some extent subjective. Indeed, the accuracy of
empirically-determined social networks is a question of some concern because
individuals may have distinct perceptions of what constitutes a social link.
One unambiguous type of connection is sexual contact. Here we analyze data on
the sexual behavior of a random sample of individuals, and find that the
cumulative distributions of the number of sexual partners during the twelve
months prior to the survey decays as a power law with similar exponents for females and males. The scale-free nature of the web of human
sexual contacts suggests that strategic interventions aimed at preventing the
spread of sexually-transmitted diseases may be the most efficient approach.Comment: 7 pages with 2 eps figures. Latex file. For more details or for
downloading the PDF file of the published article see
http://polymer.bu.edu/~amaral/WebofContacts.html . For more results on teh
structure of complex networks see http://polymer.bu.edu/~amaral/Networks.htm
Slightly generalized Generalized Contagion: Unifying simple models of biological and social spreading
We motivate and explore the basic features of generalized contagion, a model
mechanism that unifies fundamental models of biological and social contagion.
Generalized contagion builds on the elementary observation that spreading and
contagion of all kinds involve some form of system memory. We discuss the three
main classes of systems that generalized contagion affords, resembling: simple
biological contagion; critical mass contagion of social phenomena; and an
intermediate, and explosive, vanishing critical mass contagion. We also present
a simple explanation of the global spreading condition in the context of a
small seed of infected individuals.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures; chapter to appear in "Spreading Dynamics in
Social Systems"; Eds. Sune Lehmann and Yong-Yeol Ahn, Springer Natur
Global parameter search reveals design principles of the mammalian circadian clock
Background: Virtually all living organisms have evolved a circadian (~24 hour) clock that controls physiological and behavioural processes with exquisite precision throughout the day/night cycle. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which generates these ~24 h rhythms in mammals, consists of
several thousand neurons. Each neuron contains a gene-regulatory network generating molecular oscillations, and the individual neuron oscillations are synchronised by intercellular coupling, presumably via neurotransmitters. Although this basic mechanism is currently accepted and has
been recapitulated in mathematical models, several fundamental questions about the design principles of the SCN remain little understood. For example, a remarkable property of the SCN is that the phase of the SCN rhythm resets rapidly after a 'jet lag' type experiment, i.e. when the light/ dark (LD) cycle is abruptly advanced or delayed by several hours.
Results: Here, we describe an extensive parameter optimization of a previously constructed simplified model of the SCN in order to further understand its design principles. By examining the top 50 solutions from the parameter optimization, we show that the neurotransmitters' role in generating the molecular circadian rhythms is extremely important. In addition, we show that when
a neurotransmitter drives the rhythm of a system of coupled damped oscillators, it exhibits very robust synchronization and is much more easily entrained to light/dark cycles. We were also able to recreate in our simulations the fast rhythm resetting seen after a 'jet lag' type experiment.
Conclusion: Our work shows that a careful exploration of parameter space for even an extremely simplified model of the mammalian clock can reveal unexpected behaviours and non-trivial predictions. Our results suggest that the neurotransmitter feedback loop plays a crucial role in the
robustness and phase resetting properties of the mammalian clock, even at the single neuron level
Out-of-unison resonance in weakly nonlinear coupled oscillators
Resonance is an important phenomenon in vibrating systems and, in systems of nonlinear coupled oscillators, resonant interactions can occur between constituent parts of the system. In this paper, out-of-unison resonance is defined as a solution in which components of the response are 90° out-of-phase, in contrast to the in-unison responses that are normally considered. A well-known physical example of this is whirling, which can occur in a taut cable. Here, we use a normal form technique to obtain time-independent functions known as backbone curves. Considering a model of a cable, this approach is used to identify out-of-unison resonance and it is demonstrated that this corresponds to whirling. We then show how out-of-unison resonance can occur in other two degree-of-freedom nonlinear oscillators. Specifically, an in-line oscillator consisting of two masses connected by nonlinear springs—a type of system where out-of-unison resonance has not previously been identified—is shown to have specific parameter regions where out-of-unison resonance can occur. Finally, we demonstrate how the backbone curve analysis can be used to predict the responses of forced systems
Dynamics of fully coupled rotators with unimodal and bimodal frequency distribution
We analyze the synchronization transition of a globally coupled network of N
phase oscillators with inertia (rotators) whose natural frequencies are
unimodally or bimodally distributed. In the unimodal case, the system exhibits
a discontinuous hysteretic transition from an incoherent to a partially
synchronized (PS) state. For sufficiently large inertia, the system reveals the
coexistence of a PS state and of a standing wave (SW) solution. In the bimodal
case, the hysteretic synchronization transition involves several states.
Namely, the system becomes coherent passing through traveling waves (TWs), SWs
and finally arriving to a PS regime. The transition to the PS state from the SW
occurs always at the same coupling, independently of the system size, while its
value increases linearly with the inertia. On the other hand the critical
coupling required to observe TWs and SWs increases with N suggesting that in
the thermodynamic limit the transition from incoherence to PS will occur
without any intermediate states. Finally a linear stability analysis reveals
that the system is hysteretic not only at the level of macroscopic indicators,
but also microscopically as verified by measuring the maximal Lyapunov
exponent.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, contribution for the book: Control of
Self-Organizing Nonlinear Systems, Springer Series in Energetics, eds E.
Schoell, S.H.L. Klapp, P. Hoeve
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