An Improved Heterogeneous Mean-Field Theory for the Ising Model on Complex Networks

Heterogeneous mean-field theory is commonly used methodology to study dynamical processes on complex networks,such as epidemic spreading and phase transitions in spin models.In this paper,we propose an improved heterogeneous mean-field theory for studying the Ising model on complex networks.Our method shows a more accurate prediction in the critical temperature of the Ising model than the previous heterogeneous mean-field theory.The theoretical results are validated by extensive Monte Carlo simulations in various types of networks.     

Tristable and multiple bistable activity in complex random binary networks of two-state units

We study complex networks of stochastic two-state units. Our aim is to model discrete stochastic excitable dynamics with a rest and an excited state. Both states are assumed to possess different waiting time distributions. The rest state is treated as an activation process with an exponentially distributed life time, whereas the latter in the excited state shall have a constant mean which may originate from any distribution. The activation rate of any single unit is determined by its neighbors according to a random complex network structure. In order to treat this problem in an analytical way, we use a heterogeneous mean-field approximation yielding a set of equations generally valid for uncorrelated random networks. Based on this derivation we focus on random binary networks where the network is solely comprised of nodes with either of two degrees. The ratio between the two degrees is shown to be a crucial parameter. Dependent on the composition of the network the steady states show the usual transition from disorder to homogeneously ordered bistability as well as new scenarios that include inhomogeneous ordered and disordered bistability as well as tristability. The various steady states differ in their spiking activity expressed by a state dependent spiking rate. Numerical simulations agree with analytic results of the heterogeneous mean-field approximation.     

Mean Field Theory of Self-Organizing Memristive Connectomes

Biological neuronal networks are characterized by nonlinear interactions and complex connectivity. Given the growing impetus to build neuromorphic computers, understanding physical devices that exhibit structures and functionalities similar to biological neural networks is an important step toward this goal. Self-organizing circuits of nanodevices are at the forefront of the research in neuromorphic computing, as their behavior mimics synaptic plasticity features of biological neuronal circuits. However, an effective theory to describe their behavior is lacking. This study provides for the first time an effective mean field theory for the emergent voltage-induced polymorphism of circuits of a nanowire connectome, showing that the behavior of these circuits can be explained by a low-dimensional dynamical equation. The equation can be derived from the microscopic dynamics of a single memristive junction in analytical form. The effective model is tested on experiments of nanowire networks and show that it fits both the potentiation and depression of these synapse-mimicking circuits. It is shown that this theory applies beyond the case of nanowire networks by formulating a general mean-field theory of conductance transitions in self-organizing memristive connectomes.     

Mean-Field Analysis of the q-Voter Model on Networks

We present a detailed investigation of the behavior of the nonlinear q-voter model for opinion dynamics. At the mean-field level we derive analytically, for any value of the number q of agents involved in the elementary update, the phase diagram, the exit probability and the consensus time at the transition point. The mean-field formalism is extended to the case that the interaction pattern is given by generic heterogeneous networks. We finally discuss the case of random regular networks and compare analytical results with simulations.     

Sandpile on scale-free networks

We investigate the avalanche dynamics of the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld sandpile model on scale-free (SF) networks, where the threshold height of each node is distributed heterogeneously, given as its own degree. We find that the avalanche size distribution follows a power law with an exponent tau. Applying the theory of the multiplicative branching process, we obtain the exponent tau and the dynamic exponent z as a function of the degree exponent gamma of SF networks as tau=gamma divided by (gamma-1) and z=(gamma-1) divided by (gamma-2) in the range 23, with a logarithmic correction at gamma=3. The analytic solution supports our numerical simulation results. We also consider the case of a uniform threshold, finding that the two exponents reduce to the mean-field ones.     

Optimal selection of nodes to propagate influence on networks

How to optimize the spreading process on networks has been a hot issue in complex networks, marketing, epidemiology, finance, etc. In this paper, we investigate a problem of optimizing locally the spreading: identifying a fixed number of nodes as seeds which would maximize the propagation of influence to their direct neighbors. All the nodes except the selected seeds are assumed not to spread their influence to their neighbors. This problem can be mapped onto a spin glass model with a fixed magnetization. We provide a message-passing algorithm based on replica symmetrical mean-field theory in statistical physics, which can find the nearly optimal set of seeds. Extensive numerical results on computer-generated random networks and real-world networks demonstrate that this algorithm has a better performance than several other optimization algorithms.     

Theory of rumour spreading in complex social networks

We introduce a general stochastic model for the spread of rumours, and derive mean-field equations that describe the dynamics of the model on complex social networks (in particular, those mediated by the Internet). We use analytical and numerical solutions of these equations to examine the threshold behaviour and dynamics of the model on several models of such networks: random graphs, uncorrelated scale-free networks and scale-free networks with assortative degree correlations. We show that in both homogeneous networks and random graphs the model exhibits a critical threshold in the rumour spreading rate below which a rumour cannot propagate in the system. In the case of scale-free networks, on the other hand, this threshold becomes vanishingly small in the limit of infinite system size. We find that the initial rate at which a rumour spreads is much higher in scale-free networks than in random graphs, and that the rate at which the spreading proceeds on scale-free networks is further increased when assortative degree correlations are introduced. The impact of degree correlations on the final fraction of nodes that ever hears a rumour, however, depends on the interplay between network topology and the rumour spreading rate. Our results show that scale-free social networks are prone to the spreading of rumours, just as they are to the spreading of infections. They are relevant to the spreading dynamics of chain emails, viral advertising and large-scale information dissemination algorithms on the Internet.     

Mean-field Theory for Some Bus Transport Networks with Random Overlapping Clique Structure

Transport networks, such as railway networks and airport networks, are a kind of random network with complex topology. Recently, more and more scholars paid attention to various kinds of transport networks and try to explore their inherent characteristics. Here we study the exponential properties of a recently introduced Bus Transport Networks （BTNs） evolution model with random overlapping clique structure, which gives a possible explanation for the observed exponential distribution of the connectivities of some BTNs of three major cities in China. Applying mean-field theory, we analyze the BTNs model and prove that this model has the character of exponential distribution of the connectivities, and develop a method to predict the growth dynamics of the individual vertices, and use this to calculate analytically the connectivity distribution and the exponents. By comparing mean-field based theoretic results with the statistical data of real BTNs, we observe that, as a whole, both of their data show similar character of exponential distribution of the connectivities, and their exponents have same order of magnitude, which show the availability of the analytical result of this paper.     

Heterogenous mean-field analysis of a generalized voter-like model on networks

We propose a generalized framework for the study of voter models in complex networks at the heterogeneous mean-field (HMF) level that (i) yields a unified picture for existing copy/invasion processes and (ii) allows for the introduction of further heterogeneity through degree-selectivity rules. In the context of the HMF approximation, our model is capable of providing straightforward estimates for central quantities such as the exit probability and the consensus/fixation time, based on the statistical properties of the complex network alone. The HMF approach has the advantage of being readily applicable also in those cases in which exact solutions are difficult to work out. Finally, the unified formalism allows one to understand previously proposed voter-like processes as simple limits of the generalized model.     

基于超图结构的科研合作网络演化模型

基于科研论文作者的合作方式, 用超图理论构建了一个科研合作超网络演化模型. 利用平均场理论分析了作者发表论文的演化规律, 发现作者的超度 (即发表论文数) 分布符合幂律分布. 进一步理论分析得到分布的幂指数γ与合作领域作者增长速度相关. γ越大, 新作者增长速度越快, 且存在关系: γ=1+L/M (L/M为作者增长率). 并通过对《物理学报》与《中国科学》2003–2012年期间作者发表论文进行了数据分析, 实证结果与理论分析及模拟结果能很好地符合. 本文对科研合作网络的理论和实证研究有一定的借鉴意义. 关键词： 复杂网络 超图 科研合作网络 演化模型     

Modelling the effect of heterogeneous vaccination on metapopulation epidemic dynamics

Vaccination as an epidemic control strategy has a significant effect on epidemic spreading. In this paper, we propose a novel epidemic spreading model on metapopulation networks to study the impact of heterogeneous vaccination on epidemic dynamics, where nodes represent geographical areas and links connecting nodes correspond to human mobility between areas. Using a mean-field approach, we derive the theoretical spreading threshold revealing a non-trivial dependence on the heterogeneity of vaccination. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations validate the theoretical threshold and also show the complex temporal epidemic behaviours above the threshold.     

Microscopic description of aging dynamics: fluctuation-dissipation relations,effective temperature,and heterogeneities

We consider the dynamics of a diluted mean-field spin glass model in the aging regime. The model presents a particularly rich heterogeneous behavior. In order to catch this behavior, we perform a spin-by-spin analysis for a given disorder realization. We confirm the connection between statics and dynamics at the level of single degrees of freedom. Moreover, working with single-site quantities, we can introduce a new response-vs-correlation plot, which clearly shows how heterogeneous degrees of freedom undergo coherent structural rearrangements. We discuss the general scenario which emerges from our work and (possibly) applies to more realistic glassy models. Interestingly enough, some features of this scenario can be understood recurring to thermometric considerations.     

Dynamic exploration of networks: from general principles to the traceroute process

Dynamical processes taking place on real networks define on them evolving subnetworks whose topology is not necessarily the same of the underlying one. We investigate the problem of determining the emerging degree distribution, focusing on a class of tree-like processes, such as those used to explore the Internet's topology. A general theory based on mean-field arguments is proposed, both for single-source and multiple-source cases, and applied to the specific example of the traceroute exploration of networks. Our results provide a qualitative improvement in the understanding of dynamical sampling and of the interplay between dynamics and topology in large networks like the Internet.     

Emergence of coherence in complex networks of heterogeneous dynamical systems

We present a general theory for the onset of coherence in collections of heterogeneous maps interacting via a complex connection network. Our method allows the dynamics of the individual uncoupled systems to be either chaotic or periodic, and applies generally to networks for which the number of connections per node is large. We find that the critical coupling strength at which a transition to synchrony takes place depends separately on the dynamics of the individual uncoupled systems and on the largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of the coupling network. Our theory directly generalizes the Kuramoto model of equal strength all-to-all coupled phase oscillators to the case of oscillators with more realistic dynamics coupled via a large heterogeneous network.     

Coupled disease–behavior dynamics on complex networks: A review

It is increasingly recognized that a key component of successful infection control efforts is understanding the complex, two-way interaction between disease dynamics and human behavioral and social dynamics. Human behavior such as contact precautions and social distancing clearly influence disease prevalence, but disease prevalence can in turn alter human behavior, forming a coupled, nonlinear system. Moreover, in many cases, the spatial structure of the population cannot be ignored, such that social and behavioral processes and/or transmission of infection must be represented with complex networks. Research on studying coupled disease–behavior dynamics in complex networks in particular is growing rapidly, and frequently makes use of analysis methods and concepts from statistical physics. Here, we review some of the growing literature in this area. We contrast network-based approaches to homogeneous-mixing approaches, point out how their predictions differ, and describe the rich and often surprising behavior of disease–behavior dynamics on complex networks, and compare them to processes in statistical physics. We discuss how these models can capture the dynamics that characterize many real-world scenarios, thereby suggesting ways that policy makers can better design effective prevention strategies. We also describe the growing sources of digital data that are facilitating research in this area. Finally, we suggest pitfalls which might be faced by researchers in the field, and we suggest several ways in which the field could move forward in the coming years.     

Emergent hierarchical structures in multiadaptive games

We investigate a game-theoretic model of a social system where both the rules of the game and the interaction structure are shaped by the behavior of the agents. We call this type of model, with several types of feedback couplings from the behavior of the agents to their environment, a multiadaptive game. Our model has a complex behavior with several regimes of different dynamic behavior accompanied by different network topological properties. Some of these regimes are characterized by heterogeneous, hierarchical interaction networks, where cooperation and network topology coemerge from the dynamics.     

Space Dependent Mean Field Approximation Modelling

It is shown that the self-consistency condition which is the basic equation for calculating the mean-field order parameter of any mean-field model Hamiltonian can be replaced by the standard Metropolis Monte Carlo scheme. The advantage of this method is its ease of implementation for both the homogeneous mean-field order parameter and the heterogeneous one. To be specific, the mean-field version of the Ising model spin system is discussed in detail and the resulting magnetization is the same as in the case of solving the respective mean-field self-consistency equation. In addition, it is shown that if a high temperature phase of such system is quenched below critical temperature then the mean field experienced by spins develops into a network of domains in analogous way as it happens with the spins in the case of the exact many-body Hamiltonian system and the coarsening processes start to take place. To show that the introduced Metropolis Monte Carlo method works also in case of the continuous variables the order parameter for the Maier-Saupe model for nematic liquid crystals has been calculated.     

An evolving network model with modular growth

In this paper, we propose an evolving network model growing fast in units of module, according to the analysis of the evolution characteristics in real complex networks. Each module is a small-world network containing several interconnected nodes and the nodes between the modules are linked by preferential attachment on degree of nodes. We study the modularity measure of the proposed model, which can be adjusted by changing the ratio of the number of inner-module edges and the number of inter-module edges. In view of the mean-field theory, we develop an analytical function of the degree distribution, which is verified by a numerical example and indicates that the degree distribution shows characteristics of the small-world network and the scale-free network distinctly at different segments. The clustering coefficient and the average path length of the network are simulated numerically, indicating that the network shows the small-world property and is affected little by the randomness of the new module.     

Modelling the air transport with complex networks: A short review

Air transport is a key infrastructure of modern societies. In this paper we review some recent approaches to air transport, which make extensive use of theory of complex networks. We discuss possible networks that can be defined for the air transport and we focus our attention to networks of airports connected by flights. We review several papers investigating the topology of these networks and their dynamics for time scales ranging from years to intraday intervals, and consider also the resilience properties of air networks to extreme events. Finally we discuss the results of some recent papers investigating the dynamics on air transport network, with emphasis on passengers traveling in the network and epidemic spreading.     

Epidemic dynamics behavior in some bus transport networks

We abstract bus transport networks (BTNs) to complex networks using the Space P approach. First, we select three actual BTNs in three major cities in China, namely, Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Using the SIS model, we simulate and study the epidemic spreading in the three BTNs. We obtain the density of infected vertices varying with time and the stationary density of infected vertices varying with infection rate. Second, we simulate and study the epidemic spreading in a recently introduced BTN evolution model, the network properties of which correspond well with those of actual BTNs. Third, we use mean-field theory to analyze the epidemic dynamics behavior of the BTN evolution model and obtain the theoretical epidemic threshold of this model. The theoretical value agrees well with the simulation results. Based on the work in this paper, we provide the following possible forecasts for epidemic dynamics in actual BTNs. An actual BTN should have a finite positive epidemic threshold. If the effective infection rate is above this threshold, the epidemic spread in the network and the density of infected vertices finally stabilizes in a balanced state. Below this threshold, the number of infected vertices decays exponentially fast and the epidemic cannot spread on a large scale.