NetworksNetworks

Complex

FIAS Summer School

6th August 2008

raulvicente@mpih-frankfurt.mpg.de

1
Overview

 Introduction
 Three structural metrics
 Four structural models
 Structural case studies
 Node dynamics and self-organization
 Visualization
 Bibliography
2
Introduction
 What is a network?
 What is a complex network?
 Networks in the real world
 Elementary features
 Motivations

3
 What is a network?
● A network is a set of items (vertices or nodes) with connections between them
called edges. Mathematicians call them “graphs”.

● Need not to be physical connections: nodes can be

any type of entities and edges any type of abstract
relationships.

● Ex.:nodes can be the channels of any multirecording

device (EEG, MEG, multielectrode arrays, etc...) while
edges can be defined by the relationship (are two channels
synchronous or not?).
ZF

LF RF

LC ZC RC

LT LP RP RT
ZP

ZO
LO RO

4
 What is a network?
● Edges can be undirected or directed (arcs).

● Graphs can allow (friendship networks) or disallow loops

(citation networks), parallel edges, ...

● Different types of networks: different types of vertices

or edges, weighted networks, digraphs, bipartite graphs,
evolving networks,...

ZF

LF RF

LC ZC RC

LT LP RP RT
ZP

ZO
LO RO

5
 What is a complex network?
● A complex network is a network with non-trivial topological features (features
that do not occur in simple networks such as lattices or random graphs)

• degree dist.
• clustering
• assortativity
• comunity
Lattice • hierarchical struct. Random

● Natural complex systems often exhibit such topologies.

6
Networks in the real world:
examples of complex networks

Social, information,
technological, biological,...
7
Elementary features:
node diversity and dynamics

8
Elementary features:
edge diversity and dynamics

9
Elementary features:
Network Evolution

10
Motivations
 complex networks are the backbone of complex systems
 every complex system is a network of interaction among numerous
smaller elements
 some networks are geometric or regular in 2-D or 3-D space
 other contain “long-range” connections or are not spatial at all
 understanding a complex system = break down into parts + reassemble

 network anatomy is important to characterize because structure

affects function (and vice-versa)
 ex: structure of social networks
 prevent spread of diseases
 control spread of information (marketing, fads, rumors, etc…)
 ex: structure of power grid / Internet
 understand robustness and stability of power / data transmission

11
Three structural metrics
 Average path length
 Degree distribution (connectivity)
 Clustering coefficient

12
 Structural metrics:
Average path length

* Measures how quickly info can flow through the network

13
 Structural Metrics:
Degree distribution (connectivity)

* Divided in ‘in-degree’ and ‘out-degree’

for directed systems
* High-degree nodes → ‘hubs’
14
 Structural Metrics:
Clustering coefficient

* How likely is that the friend of your friend

is also your friend?
15
Four structural models
 Regular networks
 Random networks
 Small-world networks
 Scale-free networks

16
Regular networks –
fully connected

17
Regular networks –
Lattice

18
Regular networks –
Lattice: ring world

19
Random networks

20
Random Networks

21
Small-world networks

22
Small-world networks

23
Small-world networks

24
Small-world networks

25
Scale-free networks

26
Scale-free networks

27
Scale-free networks

28
Scale-free networks

29
Scale-free networks

30
Case studies
 Internet
 World Wide Web
 Actors & scientists

31
The Internet

32
The Internet

33
The Internet

34
The World Wide Web

35
World Wide Web

36
World Wide Web

37
Actors

38
Mathematicians &
Computer Scientists

39
Node dynamics and self-
organization
 Node dynamics
 Attractors in full & lattice networks
 Synchronization in full networks
 Waves in lattice networks
 Epidemics in complex networks

40
Node dynamics:
individual node

41
Node dynamics:
coupled nodes

42
Node dynamics and
self-organization

43
Node dynamics and
self-organization

44
Node dynamics and
self-organization

45
Node dynamics and
self-organization

46
Node dynamics and
self-organization

47
Node dynamics and self-organization:
Epidemics in complex networks

48
Node dynamics and self-organization:
Epidemics in complex networks

49
 Visualization & analysis
● Program for large networks analysis : Pajek

http://vlado.fmf.uni-lj.si/pub/networks/pajek/

● Free
● Windows (on Linux too but not so smooth)

*Vertices 3
1 “Source”
2 “Sink”
3 “Destination”
*Arcs
*Edges
1 2 1
2 3 1

50
Based on…
 Eileen Kramer & Kai Willadsen

51
Bibliography
 Reviews
 Barabási, A.-L. (2002) Linked: The New Science of
Networks.Perseus Books.
 Barabási, A.-L. and Bonabeau, E. (2003)
Scale-free networks. Scientific American, 288: 60-69.
 Strogatz, S. H. (2001) Exploring complex networks.
Nature, 410(6825): 268-276.
 Wang, X. F. (2002) Complex networks: topology,
dynamics and synchronization. International Journal of
Bifurcation and Chaos, 12(5): 885-916.
 Newman M. E. J. (2003) The structure and function of
complex networks. arXiv:cond-mat/0303516v1

52