Topic
Network theory
About: Network theory is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2257 publications have been published within this topic receiving 109864 citations.
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TL;DR: It is shown that, remarkably, the properties of all binary projections of the ITN can be completely traced back to the degree sequence, which is therefore maximally informative and should instead become one the main focuses of models of trade.
Abstract: The international trade network (ITN) has received renewed multidisciplinary interest due to recent advances in network theory. However, it is still unclear whether a network approach conveys additional, nontrivial information with respect to traditional international-economics analyses that describe world trade only in terms of local (first-order) properties. In this and in a companion paper, we employ a recently proposed randomization method to assess in detail the role that local properties have in shaping higher-order patterns of the ITN in all its possible representations (binary or weighted, directed or undirected, aggregated or disaggregated by commodity) and across several years. Here we show that, remarkably, the properties of all binary projections of the network can be completely traced back to the degree sequence, which is therefore maximally informative. Our results imply that explaining the observed degree sequence of the ITN, which has not received particular attention in economic theory, should instead become one the main focuses of models of trade.
137 citations
TL;DR: Analysis of organic chemistry using the tools of network theory enables the identification of most 'central' organic molecules, and for the prediction of which and how many molecules will be made in the future.
Abstract: The millions of reactions performed and compounds synthesized by organic chemists over the past two centuries connect to form a network larger than the metabolic networks of higher organisms and rivalling the complexity of the World Wide Web. Despite its apparent randomness, the network of chemistry has a well-defined, modular architecture. The network evolves in time according to trends that have not changed since the inception of the discipline, and thus project into chemistry's future. Analysis of organic chemistry using the tools of network theory enables the identification of most 'central' organic molecules, and for the prediction of which and how many molecules will be made in the future. Statistical analyses based on network connectivity are useful in optimizing parallel syntheses, in estimating chemical reactivity, and more.
137 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors advocate that case study research needs to renew itself and employ its full potential as an innovative theory-generating methodology in management disciplines; and propose that a viable strategy for such renewal is to exploit the power of case-study research and network theory as supplementary methodologies.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advocate that case study research needs to renew itself and employ its full potential as an innovative theory‐generating methodology in management disciplines; and to propose that a viable strategy for such renewal is to exploit the power of case study research and network theory as supplementary methodologies.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a reflective and synthesising comparative study.Findings – If one steps down from the tip of the iceberg and inspects the underwater properties of case study research and network theory a common core is found: the recognition of complexity. The methodologies supplement each other, case study research primarily using verbal language and qualitative data, while network theory uses a nodes‐and‐links language that opens up for verbal, graphic and mathematical treatment. Case study research is primarily associated with qualitative research in social sciences and network theory with quantitative research in both social an...
135 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlight the potential value of network analysis for conservation biogeography and focus attention on some of the challenges that lie ahead in applying it to conservation problems.
Abstract: Aims To highlight the potential value of network analysis for conservation biogeography and to focus attention on some of the challenges that lie ahead in applying it to conservation problemsLocation GlobalMethods We briefly review existing literature and then focus on five important challenges for the further development of network-based approaches in the fieldResults Our five challenges include (i) understanding cross-scale and cross-level linkages in ecological systems (top–down and bottom–up effects, such as trophic cascades, have been demonstrated in food webs but are poorly understood in nested hierarchies such as reserve networks and stream catchments), (ii) capturing dynamic aspects of ecological systems and networks (with a few exceptions we have little grasp of how important whole-network attributes change as the composition of nodes and links changes), (iii) integrating ecological aspects of network theory with metacommunity frameworks and multiple node functions and roles (can we link the spatial patterns of habitat patches in fragmented landscapes, the parallel networks of interacting species using those patches and community-level interactions as defined by metacommunity theory in a single framework?), (iv) integrating the analysis of social and ecological networks (particularly, can they be analysed as a single interacting system?) and (v) laying an empirical foundation for network analysis in conservation biogeography (this will require a larger data bank of well-studied networks from diverse habitats and systems)Main conclusions Recent research has identified a variety of approaches that we expect to contribute to progress in each of our five challenge areas We anticipate that some of the most exciting outcomes of attempts to meet these challenges will be frameworks that unite areas of research, such as food web analysis and metacommunity theory, that have developed independently
132 citations
TL;DR: This study demonstrates how, using the honeybee colony as a model system, concepts in network theory can be combined with those in behavioral ecology to gain a better understanding of social transmission processes, especially those related to disease dynamics.
Abstract: Infectious processes in a social group are driven by a network of contacts that is generally structured by the organization arising from behavioral and spatial heterogeneities within the group. Although theoretical models of transmission dynamics have placed an overwhelming emphasis on the importance of understanding the network structure in a social group, empirical data regarding such contact structures are rare. In this paper, I analyze the network structure and the correlated transmission dynamics within a honeybee colony as determined by food transfer interactions and the changes produced in it by an experimental manipulation. The study demonstrates that widespread transmission in the colony is correlated to a lower clustering coefficient and higher robustness of the social network. I also show that the social network in the colony is determined by the spatial distribution of various age classes, and the resulting organizational structure provides some amount of immunity to the young individuals. The results of this study demonstrates how, using the honeybee colony as a model system, concepts in network theory can be combined with those in behavioral ecology to gain a better understanding of social transmission processes, especially those related to disease dynamics.
131 citations