Comparison of immunization strategies in geographical networks

The epidemic spread and immunizations in geographically embedded scale-free (SF) and Watts-Strogatz (WS) networks are numerically investigated. We make a realistic assumption that it takes time which we call the detection time, for a vertex to be identified as infected, and implement two different immunization strategies: one is based on connection neighbors (CN) of the infected vertex with the exact information of the network structure utilized and the other is based on spatial neighbors (SN) with only geographical distances taken into account. We find that the decrease of the detection time is crucial for a successful immunization in general. Simulation results show that for both SF networks and WS networks, the SN strategy always performs better than the CN strategy, especially for more heterogeneous SF networks at long detection time. The observation is verified by checking the number of the infected nodes being immunized. We found that in geographical space, the distance preferences in the network construction process and the geographically decaying infection rate are key factors that make the SN immunization strategy outperforms the CN strategy. It indicates that even in the absence of the full knowledge of network connectivity we can still stop the epidemic spread efficiently only by using geographical information as in the SN strategy, which may have potential applications for preventing the real epidemic spread.     

Epidemic spreading on networks with vaccination

In this paper, a new susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) model on complex networks with imperfect vaccination is proposed. Two types of epidemic spreading patterns (the recovered individuals have or have not immunity) on scale-free networks are discussed. Both theoretical and numerical analyses are presented. The epidemic thresholds related to the vaccination rate, the vaccination-invalid rate and the vaccination success rate on scale-free networks are demonstrated, showing different results from the reported observations. This reveals that whether or not the epidemic can spread over a network under vaccination control is determined not only by the network structure but also by the medicine's effective duration. Moreover, for a given infective rate, the proportion of individuals to vaccinate can be calculated theoretically for the case that the recovered nodes have immunity. Finally, simulated results are presented to show how to control the disease prevalence.     

Optimizing Synchronizability of Scale-Free Networks in Geographical Space

We investigate the relationship between the structure and the synchronizability of scale-free networks in geographical space. With an optimization approach, the numerical results indicate that when the network synchronizability is improved, the geographical distance becomes larger while the maximal load decreases. Thus the maximal betweenness can be a candidate factor that affects the network synchronizability both in topological space and in geographical space.     

小世界网络与无标度网络的社区结构研究

模块性(modularity)是度量网络社区结构(community structure)的主要参数.探讨了Watts和Strogatz的小世界网络(简称W-S模型)以及Barabàsi 等的B-A无标度网络(简称B-A模型)两类典型复杂网络模块性特点.结果显示，网络模块性受到网络连接稀疏的影响，W-S模型具有显著的社区结构，而B-A模型的社区结构特征不明显.因此，应用中应该分别讨论网络的小世界现象和无标度特性.社区结构不同于小世界现象和无标度特性，并可以利用模块性区别网络类型，因此网络复杂性指标应该包括 关键词： 模块性 社区结构 小世界网络 无标度网络     

Ensemble averageability in network spectra

The extreme eigenvalues of connectivity matrices govern the influence of the network structure on a number of network dynamical processes. A fundamental open question is whether the eigenvalues of large networks are well represented by ensemble averages. Here we investigate this question explicitly and validate the concept of ensemble averageability in random scale-free networks by showing that the ensemble distributions of extreme eigenvalues converge to peaked distributions as the system size increases. We discuss the significance of this result using synchronization and epidemic spreading as example processes.     

无标度网络中最大传染能力限定的病毒传播问题研究

传统的病毒传播模型在无限大无标度网络上不存在病毒传播阈值,即无论病毒的传播速率多么低,病毒始终能够在网络中传播.但研究发现,这个结论是在网络中存在超级传染者的假设下得到的,然而许多真实的无标度网络中并不存在超级传染者.因此,文章提出了一个最大传染能力限定的病毒传播模型,并从理论上证明了在最大传染能力限定的无限大无标度网络上,病毒传播阈值是存在的;同时,也分析了最大传染能力限定下非零传播阈值与有限规模网络下非零传播阈值的本质区别,并解释了为什么人们总是认为传统病毒传播模型对许多真实网络病毒感染程度估计过高的 关键词： 无标度网络 最大传染能力 传播阈值 感染程度     

Modelling of discrete-time SIS models with awareness interactions on degree-uncorrelated networks

Many epidemic models ignored the impact of awareness on epidemics in a population, though it is not the case from the real viewpoints. In this paper, a discrete-time SIS model with awareness interactions on degree-uncorrelated networks is considered. We study three kinds of awareness, including local awareness and global awareness which are originated from the epidemic-dependent information, and individual awareness which is epidemic-independent and determined by the individual information. We demonstrate analytically that awareness of the epidemic-dependent information cannot change the epidemic threshold regardless of the global or local spreading information. In contrast, epidemic-independent awareness to individual information increases the epidemic threshold in finite scale-free networks, but cannot halt the absence of epidemic threshold in an infinite scale-free network. By numerical simulations, we find that local awareness has a stronger impact on epidemic prevalence than global awareness. Our findings explore the effects of various types of awareness on epidemic spreading and address their roles in the epidemic control.     

具有局部结构的增长无标度网络中传染病传播机制研究

为了研究人群中的一些基本的社会关系结构,如家庭、室友、同事等,对传染病传播过程的影响机制,本文建立了一个具有局部结构的增长无标度网络模型.研究表明,局部结构的引入使得该网络模型能够同时再现社会网络的两个重要特征：节点度分布的不均匀性以及节点度之间的相关性.首先,该网络的节点度和局部结构度均服从幂律分布,且度分布指数依赖于局部结构的大小.此外,局部结构的存在还导致网络节点度之间具有正相关特性,而这种正相关正是社会网络所特有的一个重要特性.接着,通过理论分析和数值模拟,我们进一步研究了该网络结构对易感者-感染 关键词： 复杂网络 无标度网络 局部结构 传染病建模     

Stochastic epidemics and rumours on finite random networks

In this paper, we investigate the stochastic spread of epidemics and rumours on networks. We focus on the general stochastic (SIR) epidemic model and a recently proposed rumour model on networks in Nekovee et al. (2007) [3], and on networks with different random structures, taking into account the structure of the underlying network at the level of the degree–degree correlation function. Using embedded Markov chain techniques and ignoring density correlations between neighbouring nodes, we derive a set of equations for the final size of the epidemic/rumour on a homogeneous network that can be solved numerically, and compare the resulting distribution with the solution of the corresponding mean-field deterministic model. The final size distribution is found to switch from unimodal to bimodal form (indicating the possibility of substantial spread of the epidemic/rumour) at a threshold value that is higher than that for the deterministic model. However, the difference between the two thresholds decreases with the network size, n, following a n^−1/3 behaviour. We then compare results (obtained by Monte Carlo simulation) for the full stochastic model on a homogeneous network, including density correlations at neighbouring nodes, with those for the approximating stochastic model and show that the latter reproduces the exact simulation results with great accuracy. Finally, further Monte Carlo simulations of the full stochastic model are used to explore the effects on the final size distribution of network size and structure (using homogeneous networks, simple random graphs and the Barabasi–Albert scale-free networks).     

Robustness measurement of scale-free networks based on motif entropy

As a classical complex network model, scale-free network is widely used and studied. And motifs, as a high-order subgraph structure, frequently appear in scale-free networks, and have a great influence on the structural integrity, functional integrity and dynamics of the networks. In order to overcome the shortcomings in the existing work on the robustness of complex networks, only nodes or edges are considered, while the defects of high-order structure in the network are ignored. From the perspective of network motif, we propose an entropy of node degree distribution based on motif to measure the robustness of scale-free networks under random attacks. The effectiveness and superiority of our method are verified and analyzed in the BA scale-free networks.     

Epidemic variability in hierarchical geographical networks with human activity patterns

Recently, some studies have revealed that non-Poissonian statistics of human behaviors stem from the hierarchical geographical network structure. On this view, we focus on epidemic spreading in the hierarchical geographical networks and study how two distinct contact patterns (i.e., homogeneous time delay (HOTD) and heterogeneous time delay (HETD) associated with geographical distance) influence the spreading speed and the variability of outbreaks. We find that, compared with HOTD and null model, correlations between time delay and network hierarchy in HETD remarkably slow down epidemic spreading and result in an upward cascading multi-modal phenomenon. Proportionately, the variability of outbreaks in HETD has the lower value, but several comparable peaks for a long time, which makes the long-term prediction of epidemic spreading hard. When a seed (i.e., the initial infected node) is from the high layers of networks, epidemic spreading is remarkably promoted. Interestingly, distinct trends of variabilities in two contact patterns emerge: high-layer seeds in HOTD result in the lower variabilities, the case of HETD is opposite. More importantly, the variabilities of high-layer seeds in HETD are much greater than that in HOTD, which implies the unpredictability of epidemic spreading in hierarchical geographical networks.     

Traffic dynamics in scale-free networks with tunable strength of community structure

In this paper we systematically investigate the impact of community structure on traffic dynamics in scale-free networks based on local routing strategy. A growth model is introduced to construct scale-free networks with tunable strength of community structure, and a packet routing strategy with a parameter α is used to deal with the navigation and transportation of packets simultaneously. Simulations show that the maximal network capacity stands at α=−1 in the case of identical vertex capacity and monotonously decreases with the strength of community structure which suggests that the networks with fuzzy community structure (i.e., community strength is weak) are more efficient in delivering packets than those with pronounced community structure. To explain these results, the distribution of packets of each vertex is carefully studied. Our results indicate that the moderate strength of community structure is more convenient for the information transfer of real complex systems.     

Modelling one-dimensional driven diffusive systems by the Zero-Range Process

In order to characterize networks in the scale-free network class we study the frequency of cycles of length h that indicate the ordering of network structure and the multiplicity of paths connecting two nodes. In particular we focus on the scaling of the number of cycles with the system size in off-equilibrium scale-free networks. We observe that each off-equilibrium network model is characterized by a particular scaling in general not equal to the scaling found in equilibrium scale-free networks. We claim that this anomalous scaling can occur in real systems and we report the case of the Internet at the Autonomous System Level.Received: 15 January 2004, Published online: 14 May 2004PACS: 89.75.-k Complex systems - 89.75.Hc Networks and genealogical trees     

Self-organized network design by link survivals and shortcuts

One of the challenges for future infrastructures is how to design a network with high efficiency and strong connectivity at low cost. We propose self-organized geographical networks beyond the vulnerable scale-free structure found in many real systems. The networks with spatially concentrated nodes emerge through link survival and path reinforcement on routing flows in a wireless environment with a constant transmission range of a node. In particular, we show that adding some shortcuts induces both the small-world effect and a significant improvement of the robustness to the same level as in the optimal bimodal networks. Such a simple universal mechanism will open prospective ways for several applications in wide-area ad hoc networks, smart grids, and urban planning.     

Absence of epidemic threshold in scale-free networks with degree correlations

Random scale-free networks have the peculiar property of being prone to the spreading of infections. Here we provide for the susceptible-infected-susceptible model an exact result showing that a scale-free degree distribution with diverging second moment is a sufficient condition to have null epidemic threshold in unstructured networks with either assortative or disassortative mixing. Degree correlations result therefore irrelevant for the epidemic spreading picture in these scale-free networks. The present result is related to the divergence of the average nearest neighbor's degree, enforced by the degree detailed balance condition.     

Thresholds for epidemic spreading in networks

We study the threshold of epidemic models in quenched networks with degree distribution given by a power-law. For the susceptible-infected-susceptible model the activity threshold λ(c) vanishes in the large size limit on any network whose maximum degree k(max) diverges with the system size, at odds with heterogeneous mean-field (HMF) theory. The vanishing of the threshold has nothing to do with the scale-free nature of the network but stems instead from the largest hub in the system being active for any spreading rate λ>1/√k(max) and playing the role of a self-sustained source that spreads the infection to the rest of the system. The susceptible-infected-removed model displays instead agreement with HMF theory and a finite threshold for scale-rich networks. We conjecture that on quenched scale-rich networks the threshold of generic epidemic models is vanishing or finite depending on the presence or absence of a steady state.     

同时考虑传染媒介和传播延迟的复杂网络病毒传播行为研究

提出一种新的流行病传播模型,基于平均场理论,研究传染媒介和传播延迟同时存在对网络中流行病传播行为的影响.理论分析和仿真结果表明,传染媒介和传播延迟同时存在显著增强了网络中流行病爆发的危险性,并加速了流行病的传播.研究还发现,对于给定的有效传播率,均匀网络中流行病的感染程度分别与传染媒介的传染概率和传播延迟呈对数关系,无标度网络中流行病的感染程度与传染媒介的传染概率呈幂率关系,而与传播延迟之间则存在线性关系。     

复杂网络中考虑不完全免疫的病毒传播研究

复杂网络中不完全免疫包括免疫失败和免疫失效两种情况,本文研究两者同时存在对网络病毒传播行为的影响,基于平均场理论,提出一种新的传播模型.理论分析表明,免疫失败和免疫失效同时存在显著降低了网络的传播临界值,增强了病毒的感染程度.根据传播临界值与免疫节点密度、免疫成功率以及免疫失效率之间的关系,给出有效控制网络病毒传播的策略.通过数值仿真进行验证。     

Scale-free networks without growth

In this paper, we proposed an ungrowing scale-free network model, indicating the growth may not be a necessary condition of the self-organization of a network in a scale-free structure. The analysis shows that the degree distributions of the present model can varying from the Poisson form to the power-law form with the decrease of a free parameter α. This model provides a possible mechanism for the evolution of some scale-free networks with fixed size, such as the friendship networks of school children and the functional networks of the human brain.     

Response of scale-free networks with community structure to external stimuli

The response of scale-free networks with community structure to external stimuli is studied. By disturbing some nodes with different strategies, it is shown that the robustness of this kind of network can be enhanced due to the existence of communities in the networks. Some of the response patterns are found to coincide with topological communities. We show that such phenomena also occur in the cat brain network which is an example of a scale-free like network with community structure. Our results provide insights into the relationship between network topology and the functional organization in complex networks from another viewpoint.