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Luciano da F. Costa

Publications and source records attributed to Luciano da F. Costa.

139 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Correlations between structure and dynamics in complex networks

Previous efforts in complex networks research focused mainly on the topological features of such networks, but now also encompass the dynamics. In this Letter we discuss the relationship between structure and dynamics, with an emphasis on identifying whether a topological hub, i.e. a node with high degree or strength, is also a dynamical hub, i.e. a node with high activity. We employ random walk dynamics and establish the necessary conditions for a network to be topologically and dynamically fully correlated, with topological hubs that are also highly active. Zipf's law is then shown to be a reflection of the match between structure and dynamics in a fully correlated network, as well as a consequence of the rich-get-richer evolution inherent in scale-free networks. We also examine a number of real networks for correlations between topology and dynamics and find that many of them are not fully correlated.

physics.comp-ph↗

Characterization of complex networks: A survey of measurements

Each complex network (or class of networks) presents specific topological features which characterize its connectivity and highly influence the dynamics of processes executed on the network. The analysis, discrimination, and synthesis of complex networks therefore rely on the use of measurements capable of expressing the most relevant topological features. This article presents a survey of such measurements. It includes general considerations about complex network characterization, a brief review of the principal models, and the presentation of the main existing measurements. Important related issues covered in this work comprise the representation of the evolution of complex networks in terms of trajectories in several measurement spaces, the analysis of the correlations between some of the most traditional measurements, perturbation analysis, as well as the use of multivariate statistics for feature selection and network classification. Depending on the network and the analysis task one has in mind, a specific set of features may be chosen. It is hoped that the present survey will help the proper application and interpretation of measurements.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

Beyond the average: detecting global singular nodes from local features in complex networks

Deviations from the average can provide valuable insights about the organization of natural systems. This article extends this important principle to the more systematic identification and analysis of singular local connectivity patterns in complex networks. Four measurements quantifying different and complementary features of the connectivity around each node are calculated and multivariate statistical methods are then applied in order to identify outliers. The potential of the presented concepts and methodology is illustrated with respect to a word association network.

physics.data-an↗

Fast Community Identification by Hierarchical Growth

A new method for community identification is proposed which is founded on the analysis of successive neighborhoods, reached through hierarchical growth from a starting vertex, and on the definition of communities as a subgraph whose number of inner connections is larger than outer connections. In order to determine the precision and speed of the method, it is compared with one of the most popular community identification approaches, namely Girvan and Newman's algorithm. Although the hierarchical growth method is not as precise as Girvan and Newman's method, it is potentially faster than most community finding algorithms.

physics.soc-ph↗

Strong correlations between text quality and complex networks features

Concepts of complex networks have been used to obtain metrics that were correlated to text quality established by scores assigned by human judges. Texts produced by high-school students in Portuguese were represented as scale-free networks (word adjacency model), from which typical network features such as the in/outdegree, clustering coefficient and shortest path were obtained. Another metric was derived from the dynamics of the network growth, based on the variation of the number of connected components. The scores assigned by the human judges according to three text quality criteria (coherence and cohesion, adherence to standard writing conventions and theme adequacy/development) were correlated with the network measurements. Text quality for all three criteria was found to decrease with increasing average values of outdegrees, clustering coefficient and deviation from the dynamics of network growth. Among the criteria employed, cohesion and coherence showed the strongest correlation, which probably indicates that the network measurements are able to capture how the text is developed in terms of the concepts represented by the nodes in the networks. Though based on a particular set of texts and specific language, the results presented here point to potential applications in other instances of text analysis.

physics.soc-ph↗

Hierarchical Features of Large-Scale Cortical Connectivity

The analysis of complex networks has revealed patterns of organization in a variety of natural and artificial systems, including neuronal networks of the brain at multiple scales. In this paper, we describe a novel analysis of the large-scale connectivity between regions of the mammalian cerebral cortex, utilizing a set of hierarchical measurements proposed recently. We examine previously identified functional clusters of brain regions in macaque visual cortex and cat cortex and find significant differences between such clusters in terms of several hierarchical measures, revealing differences in how these clusters are embedded in the overall cortical architecture. For example, the ventral cluster of visual cortex maintains structurally more segregated, less divergent connections than the dorsal cluster, which may point to functionally different roles of their constituent brain regions.

q-bio.NC↗

Surviving opinions in Sznajd models on complex networks

The Sznajd model has been largely applied to simulate many sociophysical phenomena. In this paper we applied the Sznajd model with more than two opinions on three different network topologies and observed the evolution of surviving opinions after many interactions among the nodes. As result, we obtained a scaling law which depends of the network size and the number of possible opinions. We also observed that this scaling law is not the same for all network topologies, being quite similar between scale-free networks and Sznajd networks but different for random networks.

physics.soc-ph↗

Percolation and roughness in ballistic deposition of complex shapes

This paper investigates how the measurement of geometrical features of structures obtained from ballistic deposition of objects with complex shapes, particularly neuronal cells, can be used for characterization and analysis of the shapes involved. The experiments were performed on both synthetic (prototypes) and natural shapes. Two measurements were considered, namely the surface roughness and the critical percolation density, with the former providing better discrimination of shape characteristics for alpha and beta neuronal cells of cat retina.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

A Complex Network Approach to Topographical Connections

The neuronal networks in the mammals cortex are characterized by the coexistence of hierarchy, modularity, short and long range interactions, spatial correlations, and topographical connections. Particularly interesting, the latter type of organization implies special demands on the evolutionary and ontogenetic systems in order to achieve precise maps preserving spatial adjacencies, even at the expense of isometry. Although object of intensive biological research, the elucidation of the main anatomic-functional purposes of the ubiquitous topographical connections in the mammals brain remains an elusive issue. The present work reports on how recent results from complex network formalism can be used to quantify and model the effect of topographical connections between neuronal cells over a number of relevant network properties such as connectivity, adjacency, and information broadcasting. While the topographical mapping between two cortical modules are achieved by connecting nearest cells from each module, three kinds of network models are adopted for implementing intracortical connections (ICC), including random, preferential-attachment, and short-range networks. It is shown that, though spatially uniform and simple, topographical connections between modules can lead to major changes in the network properties, fostering more effective intercommunication between the involved neuronal cells and modules. The possible implications of such effects on cortical operation are discussed.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

A self-referred approach to lacunarity

This letter describes an approach to lacunarity which adopts the pattern under analysis as the reference for the sliding window procedure. The superiority of such a scheme with respect to more traditional methodologies, especially when dealing with finite-size objects, is established and illustrated through applications to DLA pattern characterization. It is also shown that, given the enhanced accuracy and sensitivity of this scheme, the shape of the window becomes an important parameter, with advantage for circular windows.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

An Analytical Approach to Neuronal Connectivity

This paper describes how realistic neuromorphic networks can have their connectivity properties fully characterized in analytical fashion. By assuming that all neurons have the same shape and are regularly distributed along the two-dimensional orthogonal lattice with parameter $Δ$, it is possible to obtain the accurate number of connections and cycles of any length from the autoconvolution function as well as from the respective spectral density derived from the adjacency matrix. It is shown that neuronal shape plays an important role in defining the spatial spread of network connections. In addition, most such networks are characterized by the interesting phenomenon where the connections are progressively shifted along the spatial domain where the network is embedded. It is also shown that the number of cycles follows a power law with their respective length. Morphological measurements for characterization of the spatial distribution of connections, including the adjacency matrix spectral density and the lacunarity of the connections, are suggested. The potential of the proposed approach is illustrated with respect to digital images of real neuronal cells.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

Characterizing Width Uniformity by Wave Propagation

This work describes a novel image analysis approach to characterize the uniformity of objects in agglomerates by using the propagation of normal wavefronts. The problem of width uniformity is discussed and its importance for the characterization of composite structures normally found in physics and biology highlighted. The methodology involves identifying each cluster (i.e. connected component) of interest, which can correspond to objects or voids, and estimating the respective medial axes by using a recently proposed wavefront propagation approach, which is briefly reviewed. The distance values along such axes are identified and their mean and standard deviation values obtained. As illustrated with respect to synthetic and real objects (in vitro cultures of neuronal cells), the combined use of these two features provide a powerful description of the uniformity of the separation between the objects, presenting potential for several applications in material sciences and biology.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗