Random walks and diameter of finite scale-free networks

Dynamical scalings for the end-to-end distance R_ee and the number of distinct visited nodes N_v of random walks (RWs) on finite scale-free networks (SFNs) are studied numerically. 〈R_ee〉 shows the dynamical scaling behavior , where is the average minimum distance between all possible pairs of nodes in the network, N is the number of nodes, γ is the degree exponent of the SFN and t is the step number of RWs. Especially, in the limit t→∞ satisfies the relation , where d is the diameter of network with for γ≥3 or for γ<3. Based on the scaling relation 〈R_ee〉, we also find that the scaling behavior of the diameter of networks can be measured very efficiently by using RWs.     

Emergence of scale-free behavior in networks from limited-horizon linking and cost trade-offs

We study network growth from a fixed set of initially isolated nodes placed at random on the surface of a sphere. The growth mechanism we use adds edges to the network depending on strictly local gain and cost criteria. Only nodes that are not too far apart on the sphere may be considered for being joined by an edge. Given two such nodes, the joining occurs only if the gain of doing it surpasses the cost. Our model is based on a multiplicative parameter λ that regulates, in a function of node degrees, the maximum geodesic distance that is allowed between nodes for them to be considered for joining. For n nodes distributed uniformly on the sphere, and for within limits that depend on cost-related parameters, we have found that our growth mechanism gives rise to power-law distributions of node degree that are invariant for constant . We also study connectivity- and distance-related properties of the networks.     

On the spreading and localization of risky information in social networks

We propose a model for the localization of risky information in social (scale free) networks where we assume that risky information can propagate only between “mutually trusted nodes” (MTN). We propose an algorithm to construct the MTN network and show that there is a critical value of trusted nodes below which information localizes. This critical value increases drastically if a fraction p of nodes does not transfer information at all. We study the fraction of initial messengers needed to inform a desired fraction of the network as a function of the average number of trusted nodes and discuss possible applications of the model also to marketing and to the spreading of a disease with very short incubation time.     

Effects of small world topology on the critical boundary for Boolean networks

Due to their complexity, real dynamic systems are widely regarded as operating on the boundary between order and chaos. Therefore it is of great interest to determine analytical expressions for this boundary. For random Boolean networks model, a well known critical value of bias is established as , where K is the mean connectivity. Recent research shows, however, that this expression may need to be modified. In this paper, we shall focus on the effects of topology deviation from the random network assumption since the topologies of many real networks are neither pure random nor fully regular Boolean networks. A modification of the critical boundary condition is given with parameters of the degree distribution in the setting of more realistic networks modeled with small world features.     

Mean-square exponential stability of stochastic Hopfield neural networks with time-varying discrete and distributed delays

In this Letter, the mean-square exponential stability problem for stochastic Hopfield neural networks with both discrete and distributed time-varying delays is investigated. By choosing a modified Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, a delay-dependent criterion is established such that the stochastic neural network is mean-square exponentially stable. The derivative of discrete time-varying delay h(t) satisfies and the decay rate β can be any finite positive value without any other constraints. The assumptions given in this Letter are more general than the conventional assumptions (i.e., and β satisfies a transcendental equation or an inequality). Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed sufficient conditions.     

Sufficient and necessary condition of separability for generalized Werner states

In a celebrated paper [Optics Communications 179, 447, 2000], A.O. Pittenger and M.H. Rubin presented for the first time a sufficient and necessary condition of separability for the generalized Werner states. Inspired by their ideas, we generalized their method to a more general case. We obtain a sufficient and necessary condition for the separability of a specific class of N d-dimensional system (qudits) states, namely special generalized Werner state (SGWS): , where is an entangled pure state of N qudits system and α_i satisfies two restrictions: (i) ; (ii) Matrix , where , is a density matrix. Our condition gives quite a simple and efficiently computable way to judge whether a given SGWS is separable or not and previously known separable conditions are shown to be special cases of our approach.     

The quark model and b baryons

The recent observation at the Tevatron of (uub and ddb) baryons within 2 MeV of the predicted Σ_b-Λ_b splitting and of baryons at the Tevatron within a few mega electron volts (MeV) of predictions has provided strong confirmation for a theoretical approach based on modeling the color hyperfine interaction. The prediction of  = 5790-5800 MeV is reviewed and similar methods used to predict the masses of the excited states and . The main source of uncertainty is the method used to estimate the mass difference m_b-m_c from known hadrons. We verify that corrections due to the details of the interquark potential and to Ξ_b- mixing are small. For S-wave qqb states we predict , and . For states with one unit of orbital angular momentum between the b quark and the two light quarks we predict , and . Results are compared with those of other recent approaches.     

Anomalous thermostat and intraband discrete breathers

We investigate the dynamics of a macroscopic system which consists of an anharmonic subsystem embedded in an arbitrary harmonic lattice, including quenched disorder. The coupling between both parts is bilinear. Elimination of the harmonic degrees of freedom leads to a nonlinear Langevin equation with memory kernels and noise term for the anharmonic coordinates . For zero temperature, i.e. for , we prove that the support of the Fourier transform of and of the time averaged velocity-velocity correlation functions of the anharmonic system cannot overlap. As a consequence, the asymptotic solutions can be constant, periodic, quasiperiodic or almost periodic, and possibly weakly chaotic. For a sinusoidal trajectory with frequency we find that the energy E_T transferred to the harmonic system up to time T is proportional to T^α. If equals one of the phonon frequencies ω_ν, it is α=2. We prove that there is a zero measure set L such that for in its full measure complement R?L, it is α=0, i.e. there is no energy dissipation. Under certain conditions L contains a subset L^′ such that for the dissipation rate is nonzero and may be subdissipative (0≤α<1) or superdissipative (1<α≤2), compared to ordinary dissipation (α=1). Consequently, the harmonic bath does act as an anomalous thermostat, in variance with the common belief that elimination of a macroscopically large number of degrees of freedom always generates dissipation, forcing convergence to equilibrium. Intraband discrete breathers are such solutions which do not relax. We prove for arbitrary anharmonicity and small but finite coupling that intraband discrete breathers with frequency exist for all in a Cantor set C(k) of finite Lebesgue measure. This is achieved by estimating the contribution of small denominators appearing for , related to . For the small denominators do not lead to divergencies such that is a smooth and bounded function in t.     

Computation of energy exchanges by combining information theory and a key thermodynamic relation: Physical applications

By considering a simple thermodynamic system, in thermal equilibrium at a temperature T and in the presence of an external parameter A, we focus our attention on the particular thermodynamic (macroscopic) relation . Using standard axioms from information theory and the fact that the microscopic energy levels depend upon the external parameter A, we show that all usual results of statistical mechanics for reversible processes follow straightforwardly, without invoking the Maximum Entropy principle. For the simple system considered herein, two distinct forms of heat contributions appear naturally in the Clausius definition of entropy, . We give a special attention to the amount of heat , associated with an infinitesimal variation at fixed temperature, for which a “generalized heat capacity”, , may be defined. The usefulness of these results is illustrated by considering some simple thermodynamic cycles.     

Blocking probability analysis of pruned optical banyan networks on vertical stacking scheme with extra banyan planes

Vertically stacked pruned optical banyan networks with extra planes (in short, EP-VSOB networks) have lower switch count and optimal time complexity (O(log₂ N)) for routing N input requests. However, blocking probability is relatively higher than that of a VSOB networks using regular banyan planes. In the EP-VSOB architecture, the number of pruned planes has always been considered as , and a few extra planes (regular banyan) have been added with these pruned planes. In this paper we present the results of blocking analysis of a more generalized architecture in which the number of pruned planes can be 2^x, where x ? 0 in addition to the variable extra planes. This generalization helps us make a compromise between different constraints and performance metrics. Our simulation results show that for some given performance requirements (e.g. cost, speed or blocking probability) we can choose a network that has lower switch count compared to -plane pruned crosstalk-free optical banyan networks. For example, to ensure blocking probability <0.02, previously we would chose a pruned network of 32 pruned planes and 1 extra planes (a regular banyan); however, our simulations results show that a network of 16 pruned planes and 2 extra planes is enough to ensure the same performance. It is notable that, the hardware cost decreases by 28.65% in this new combination of pruned and extra planes. We believe our results will provide more flexibility in choosing a particular EP-VSOB network satisfying given requirements.     

Attack vulnerability of scale-free networks due to cascading failures

In this paper, adopting the initial load of a node i to be with k_i being the degree of the node i, we propose a cascading model based on a load local redistribution rule and examine cascading failures on the typical network, i.e., the BA network with the scale-free property. We find that the BA scale-free network reaches the strongest robustness level in the case of α=1 and the robustness of the network has a positive correlation with the average degree 〈k〉, where the robustness is quantified by a transition from normal state to collapse. In addition, we further discuss the effects of two different attacks for the robustness against cascading failures on our cascading model and find an interesting result, i.e., the effects of two different attacks, strongly depending to the value α. These results may be very helpful for real-life networks to avoid cascading-failure-induced disasters.     

Quantum mechanics of Klein-Gordon-type fields and quantum cosmology

With a view to address some of the basic problems of quantum cosmology, we formulate the quantum mechanics of the solutions of a Klein-Gordon-type field equation: (∂_t²+D)ψ(t)=0, where and D is a positive-definite operator acting in a Hilbert space . In particular, we determine all the positive-definite inner products on the space of the solutions of such an equation and establish their physical equivalence. This specifies the Hilbert space structure of uniquely. We use a simple realization of the latter to construct the observables of the theory explicitly. The field equation does not fix the choice of a Hamiltonian operator unless it is supplemented by an underlying classical system and a quantization scheme supported by a correspondence principle. In general, there are infinitely many choices for the Hamiltonian each leading to a different notion of time-evolution in . Among these is a particular choice that generates t-translations in and identifies t with time whenever D is t-independent. For a t-dependent D, we show that regardless of the choice of the inner product the t-translations do not correspond to unitary evolutions in , and t cannot be identified with time. We apply these ideas to develop a formulation of quantum cosmology based on the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for a Friedman-Robertson-Walker model coupled to a real scalar field with an arbitrary positive confining potential. In particular, we offer a complete solution of the Hilbert space problem, construct the observables, use a position-like observable to introduce the wave functions of the universe (which differ from the Wheeler-DeWitt fields), reformulate the corresponding quantum theory in terms of the latter, reduce the problem of the identification of time to the determination of a Hamiltonian operator acting in , show that the factor-ordering problem is irrelevant for the kinematics of the quantum theory, and propose a formulation of the dynamics. Our method is based on the central postulates of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, especially the quest for a genuine probabilistic interpretation and a unitary Schrödinger time-evolution. It generalizes to arbitrary minisuperspace (spatially homogeneous) models and provides a way of unifying the two main approaches to the canonical quantum cosmology based on these models, namely quantization before and after imposing the Hamiltonian constraint.     

Node similarity within subgraphs of protein interaction networks

We propose a biologically motivated quantity, twinness, to evaluate local similarity between nodes in a network. The twinness of a pair of nodes is the number of connected, labeled subgraphs of size n in which the two nodes possess identical neighbours. The graph animal algorithm is used to estimate twinness for each pair of nodes (for subgraph sizes n=4 to n=12) in four different protein interaction networks (PINs). These include an Escherichia coli PIN and three Saccharomyces cerevisiae PINs — each obtained using state-of-the-art high-throughput methods. In almost all cases, the average twinness of node pairs is vastly higher than that expected from a null model obtained by switching links. For all n, we observe a difference in the ratio of type twins (which are unlinked pairs) to type twins (which are linked pairs) distinguishing the prokaryote E. coli from the eukaryote S. cerevisiae. Interaction similarity is expected due to gene duplication, and whole genome duplication paralogues in S. cerevisiae have been reported to co-cluster into the same complexes. Indeed, we find that these paralogous proteins are over-represented as twins compared to pairs chosen at random. These results indicate that twinness can detect ancestral relationships from currently available PIN data.     

A simple mathematical model for anomalous diffusion via Fisher's information theory

Starting with the relative entropy based on a previously proposed entropy function , we find the corresponding Fisher's information measure. After function redefinition we then maximize the Fisher information measure with respect to the new function and obtain a differential operator that reduces to a space coordinate second derivative in the q→1 limit. We then propose a simple differential equation for anomalous diffusion and show that its solutions are a generalization of the functions in the Barenblatt-Pattle solution. We find that the mean squared displacement, up to a q-dependent constant, has a time dependence according to 〈x²〉∼K1/qt1/q, where the parameter q takes values (superdiffusion) and (subdiffusion), ∀n?1.     

Effect of the age of papers on the preferential attachment in citation networks

In this paper, we investigated the influences of the age of papers on the preferential attachment on the basis of three actual citation networks. We found that the time dependence of the attachment rate follows a uniform exponentially decreasing function, T(t)∼exp(−λt), in different citation networks. Younger papers are more likely to be cited by new ones than older papers. On the basis of the aging influences, we modified the expression for the preferential attachment, to . Our results show that the modified preferential attachment works well for citation networks.     

Thermal step bunching on the restricted solid-on-solid model with point contact inter-step attractions

We present the restricted solid-on-solid (RSOS) model with the inter-ledge interaction of the point contact type (p-RSOS model). We have made detailed calculation of the Andreev free energy , which is similar to the equilibrium crystal shape (ECS) z=z(x,y), and the surface gradient as the function of the Andreev field . From the calculated and , we have obtained the vicinal surface free energy . The inter-ledge attraction between adjacent steps affects the surface free energies in the equilibrium, and causes the first-order transition on the profile of ECS at low temperature. The inter-ledge attraction also destabilizes the regular train of steps. We also have obtained the thermal step bunching.     

Quantum critical behaviour in doped Y bB12 studied by ab initio calculations

The Kondo insulator Y bB₁₂ is known to undergo a transition to the metallic state with doping or under an external magnetic field. Within the virtual crystal approximation (VCA), we calculated the occupation of the Yb 4f and 5d shells, and , as a function of doping of Y bB₁₂ with the rare earths Tm and Lu. We found that exhibits an anomalous change at the critical concentration of the dopant, in agreement with experiment ( for Y b_1−xLu_xB₁₂ and for Y b_1−xTm_xB₁₂). We suggest that the critical behaviour seems to be strictly connected with the change of and in consequence the change of the Yb valency.     

On short and semi-short representations for four-dimensional superconformal symmetry

Possible short and semi-short representations for and superconformal symmetry in four dimensions are discussed. For the well known short supermultiplets whose lowest dimension conformal primary operators correspond to -BPS or -BPS states and are scalar fields belonging to the SU(4) R-symmetry representations [0,p,0] and [q,p,q] and having scale dimension Δ=p and Δ=2q+p, respectively, are recovered. The representation content of semi-short multiplets, which arise at the unitarity threshold for long multiplets, is discussed. It is shown how, at the unitarity threshold, a long multiplet can be decomposed into four semi-short multiplets. If the conformal primary state is spinless one of these becomes a short multiplet. For a -BPS multiplet need not have a protected dimension unless the primary state belongs to a [1,p,1] representation.     

Optical phonon modes and structure of ZnGa2Se4 and ZnGa2S4

We present the infrared and Raman study of the optical phonon modes of the defective compounds ZnGa₂Se₄ and ZnGa₂S₄. Most of the compounds have been found to crystallize in the thiogallate structure (defect chalcopyrite) with space group where all cations and vacancies are ordered. For some Zinc compounds a partially disordered cationic sublattice with various degrees of cation and vacancy statistical distribution, which lead to the higher symmetry (defect stannite), has been reported. For ZnGa₂Se₄ we have found three modes of A symmetry, showing Raman activity only. In addition, we have observed each five modes of B and E symmetry, showing infrared as well as Raman activity. The number of modes and their symmetry assignment, based on polarized measurements, clearly indicate space group for the investigated crystals of ZnGa₂Se₄.Regarding ZnGa₂S₄ we have found three modes exclusively showing Raman activity (2A⊕1B₁), and only eight modes showing infrared as well as Raman activity (3B₂⊕5E). The assignment of the modes has been derived by analyzing the spectral positions of the vibrational modes in comparison to a number of compounds. From the number and symmetry assignment of the optical phonon modes we confirm that ZnGa₂S₄ most likely crystallizes in space group .