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We present a framework to simulate SIR processes on networks using weighted shortest paths. Our framework maps the SIR dynamics to weights assigned to the edges of the network, which can be done for Markovian and non-Markovian processes alike. The weights represent the propagation time between the adjacent nodes for a particular realization. We simulate the dynamics by constructing an ensemble of such realizations, which can be done by using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method or by direct sampling. The former provides a runtime advantage when realizations from all possible sources are computed as the weighted shortest paths can be re-calculated more efficiently. We apply our framework to three empirical networks and analyze the expected propagation time between all pairs of nodes. Furthermore, we have employed our framework to perform efficient source detection and to improve strategies for time-critical vaccination.
Information entropy has been proved to be an effective tool to quantify the structural importance of complex networks. In the previous work (Xu et al, 2016 cite{xu2016}), we measure the contribution of a path in link prediction with information entropy. In this paper, we further quantify the contribution of a path with both path entropy and path weight, and propose a weighted prediction index based on the contributions of paths, namely Weighted Path Entropy (WPE), to improve the prediction accuracy in weighted networks. Empirical experiments on six weighted real-world networks show that WPE achieves higher prediction accuracy than three typical weighted indices.
Network science provides effective tools to model and analyze complex systems. However, the increasing size of real-world networks becomes a major hurdle in order to understand their structure and topological features. Therefore, mapping the original network into a smaller one while preserving its information is an important issue. Extracting the so-called backbone of a network is a very challenging problem that is generally handled either by coarse-graining or filter-based methods. Coarse-graining methods reduce the network size by grouping similar nodes, while filter-based methods prune the network by discarding nodes or edges based on a statistical property. In this paper, we propose and investigate two filter-based methods exploiting the overlapping community structure in order to extract the backbone in weighted networks. Indeed, highly connected nodes (hubs) and overlapping nodes are at the heart of the network. In the first method, called overlapping nodes ego backbone, the backbone is formed simply from the set of overlapping nodes and their neighbors. In the second method, called overlapping nodes and hubs backbone, the backbone is formed from the set of overlapping nodes and the hubs. For both methods, the links with the lowest weights are removed from the network as long as a backbone with a single connected component is preserved. Experiments have been performed on real-world weighted networks originating from various domains (social, co-appearance, collaboration, biological, and technological) and different sizes. Results show that both backbone extraction methods are quite similar. Furthermore, comparison with the most influential alternative filtering method demonstrates the greater ability of the proposed backbones extraction methods to uncover the most relevant parts of the network.
Stochastic processes can model many emerging phenomena on networks, like the spread of computer viruses, rumors, or infectious diseases. Understanding the dynamics of such stochastic spreading processes is therefore of fundamental interest. In this work we consider the wide-spread compartment model where each node is in one of several states (or compartments). Nodes change their state randomly after an exponentially distributed waiting time and according to a given set of rules. For networks of realistic size, even the generation of only a single stochastic trajectory of a spreading process is computationally very expensive. Here, we propose a novel simulation approach, which combines the advantages of event-based simulation and rejection sampling. Our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of absolute run-time and scales significantly better, while being statistically equivalent.
Complex networks play an important role in human society and in nature. Stochastic multistate processes provide a powerful framework to model a variety of emerging phenomena such as the dynamics of an epidemic or the spreading of information on complex networks. In recent years, mean-field type approximations gained widespread attention as a tool to analyze and understand complex network dynamics. They reduce the models complexity by assuming that all nodes with a similar local structure behave identically. Among these methods the approximate master equation (AME) provides the most accurate description of complex networks dynamics by considering the whole neighborhood of a node. The size of a typical network though renders the numerical solution of multistate AME infeasible. Here, we propose an efficient approach for the numerical solution of the AME that exploits similarities between the differential equations of structurally similar groups of nodes. We cluster a large number of similar equations together and solve only a single lumped equation per cluster. Our method allows the application of the AME to real-world networks, while preserving its accuracy in computing estimates of global network properties, such as the fraction of nodes in a state at a given time.
Traveling to different destinations is a big part of our lives. We visit a variety of locations both during our daily lives and when were on vacation. How can we find the best way to navigate from one place to another? Perhaps we can test all of the different ways of traveling between two places, but another method is to use mathematics and computation to find a shortest path. We discuss how to construct a shortest path and introduce Dijkstras algorithm to minimize the total cost of a path, where the cost may be the travel distance, travel time, or some other measurement. We also discuss how to use shortest paths in the real world to save time and increase traveling efficiency.