Using hierarchy and directionality to study the structure and dynamics of Directed Complex Networks

Rodgers, Niall ORCID: 0000-0002-3936-2709 (2024). Using hierarchy and directionality to study the structure and dynamics of Directed Complex Networks. University of Birmingham. Other

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Abstract

A huge range of vitally important systems from social to biological and from economic to technological can be represented as complex networks hence it is crucial to understand the dynamics and structure of these networks. Many real-world interactions are also intrinsically directed and hence best represented by directed networks. Directed networks admit unique features such as the fact that the edges may align with a global direction. We use the recent methodology of Trophic Analysis to show how the directional hierarchy in directed networks affects the structure and dynamics on these networks. In this work, we review the range of techniques used to quantify hierarchy in directed networks. We show how hierarchy relates to the emergence of strongly connected components in real networks. We relate hierarchical structure to the performance of directed Hopfield-like networks and the ability of a network to be influenced by a small number of nodes. We further analyse how hierarchy can arise in networks by studying a fitness-based generative model and how the properties of the generative model relate to the structures measured via Trophic Analysis. This thesis furthers our understanding of how the behaviour of directed networks relates to their hierarchical organisation and global directionality.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Other)

Award Type:

Other

Supervisor(s):

Supervisor(s)	Email	ORCID
Johnson, Samuel	UNSPECIFIED	orcid.org/0000-0002-8648-1735
Boyer, Vincent	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Dennis, Mark	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Tino, Peter	UNSPECIFIED	orcid.org/0000-0003-2330-128X