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SUMMARY:Dynamics of network motifs - Dr. Thomas Fink\, CNRS/Institut Curie
 \, Paris
DTSTART:20060126T141500Z
DTEND:20060126T151500Z
UID:TALK4661@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Duncan Simpson
DESCRIPTION:Complex networks are found in biology\, ecology\, sociology\, 
 technology and communications\, and understanding how their global propert
 ies arise from local structure has been the subject of considerable invest
 igation. A recent and important observation is that some local network str
 uctures\, or network motifs\, are much more frequently observed in complex
  networks than would be expected by chance [1\,2]. Although this biased di
 stribution of motifs appears to apply to a broad range of networks\, it re
 mains unclear why some motifs are ubiquitous and others are not. What is l
 ikely\, however\, is that the global behaviour results in a hierarchical m
 anner from smaller network modules performing specific tasks. Understandin
 g the comparative advantages of different small networks would explain why
  natural and designed complex networks make disparate use of network motif
 s.\n\nWe study the computing power of small networks by evaluating all pos
 sible boolean update rules (the software) over all possible network topolo
 gies (the hardware). By changing the software\, we find that some small ne
 tworks are fundamentally more capable of executing a variety of tasks than
  others. We calculate the value of a network by comparing its versatility 
 to its cost and find that many programs can perform the same task but with
  varying levels of network complexity and resistance to mutations. The eme
 rging picture explains why some network motifs might be favoured over othe
 rs and suggests design principles for network engineering.\n\n[1] R.\\ Mil
 o {\\it et al.}\,\n``Network Motifs: Simple Building Blocks of Complex Net
 works\,''\n{\\it Science} {\\bf 298}\, 824 (2002).\n\n[2] R.\\ Milo {\\it 
 et al.}\,\n``Superfamilies of Evolved and Designed Networks\,''\n{\\it Sci
 ence} {\\bf 303}\, 1538 (2004). \n\nCollaborators: Sebastian Ahnert\, Emma
 nuel Barillot
LOCATION:TCM Seminar Room\, Cavendish Laboratory
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