eprintid: 1121
rev_number: 13
eprint_status: archive
userid: 6
dir: disk0/00/00/11/21
datestamp: 2012-02-14 14:36:31
lastmod: 2013-11-21 09:03:40
status_changed: 2012-02-14 14:36:31
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Caldarelli, Guido
creators_name: Coccetti, Fabrizio
creators_name: De Los Rios, Paolo
creators_id: guido.caldarelli@imtlucca.it
creators_id: 
creators_id: 
title: Preferential exchange: strengthening connections in complex networks
ispublished: pub
subjects: QA75
subjects: QC
divisions: EIC
full_text_status: none
keywords: PACS: 89.75.Hc, 05.65.+b

abstract: Many social, technological, and biological interactions involve network relationships whose outcome intimately depends on the structure of the network and on the strengths of the connections. Yet, although much information is now available concerning the structure of many networks, the strengths are more difficult to measure. Here we show that, for one particular social network, notably the e-mail network, a suitable measure of the strength of the connections can be available. We also propose a simple mechanism, based on positive feedback and reciprocity, that can explain the observed behavior and that hints toward specific dynamics of formation and reinforcement of network connections. Network data from contexts different from social sciences indicate that power-law, and generally broad, distributions of the connection strength are ubiquitous, and the proposed mechanism has a wide range of applicability.
date: 2004
publication: Physical Review E
volume: 70
number: 2
publisher: American Physical Society
id_number: 10.1103/PhysRevE.70.027102
refereed: TRUE
issn: 1539-3755
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.70.027102
related_url_url: http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0312236
citation:   Caldarelli, Guido and Coccetti, Fabrizio and De Los Rios, Paolo  Preferential exchange: strengthening connections in complex networks.  Physical Review E, 70 (2).   ISSN 1539-3755      (2004)